~ Third Person POV ~

Ms. D left Luigi to himself, heading up to the next meeting, pushing thoughts of him to the back of her mind. The heroes had been continuing to progress quickly, supposedly heading to Sammer's Kingdom next. 

Of course, the meeting started thirty minutes ago, but she thought she'd try to make an entrance by being fashionably late. And besides, she needed a moment to think about what Luigi had said.

Had he really recognized her? It came as somewhat of a shock... especially because no one else recognized her. Not even Peach, who was Daisy's best friend!

She paused a moment, then shook the thoughts away, jumping into the meeting, making sure to grab everyone's attention. 

"S'up Juniors!!" She chimed, jumping into her spot with a thud and bowing slightly. "Did ya miss me? Admit it, you missed me!"

"Ms. D. You're late," Mimi pointed out, seeming somewhat annoyed.

"And you're short. Looks like we've all got flaws!" Ms. D giggled. "Now when can I get back out there. I fixed up a machine PERFECT for finally taking those little uncultured swines down once and for all! Just give the word and I'll roll out!"

"Not now, Ms. D. The Countess gave me SPECIFIC orders to have you all STAND DOWN! So there will be no robot action. Okie?" Mimi stated, holding her hands behind her back.

"WHAT?!" Ms. D cried. "But come on. I fixed my robot up and everything. Do you know how much of Nastasia's money that cost?!"

"Excuse me?!" Nastasia demanded as Ms. D shushed her.

"I'm sorry. Her orders are final." Mimi stated, turning on her heels and walking off.

Ms. D just waited, crossing her arms and grumbling to herself as everyone else left the room. Well... everyone except Dimentio.

The jester seemed to take a deep breath, then floated forward, a sly smile on his masked face. "Ah ha ha. Hard to stay still when you pine for sweet vengeance, isn't it?" He teased.

"Ugh, what do you want, clown boy?" She spat, rolling her eyes in an annoyed manner.

"Nothing. The countess's orders are all absolute...completely without exception, yes? We shouldn't even dare to think about a secret sneak attack. Perish the thought! Defeating the hero would please the countess greatly...but we MUST follow orders!" He exclaimed, sticking to his script.

"Yeah. Like when you secretly locked up the pretty prince?" Ms. D smirked, causing Dimentio to draw back slightly.

"W-What...?"

"I didn't know the countess let us keep pets!" Ms. D teased. "Or does she? Perhaps she'd like to know about your little prisoner?"

Dimentio just remained frozen as Ms. D wore a confident expression, stepping closer to him. "What are you even doing with him?" She asked, smiling. 

He remained silent, trying to maintain a neutral expression under his mask as she approached him in a somewhat threatening manner, lowering her voice to a serious whisper. "Well, whatever it is, you better watch out, Dimentio. You're not the only one interested in that little prince...."

And with that, she lightly giggled and walked past him, about to leave the room when she suddenly stopped and turned back to him. "Oh, and another thing... if you dare lay a finger on his pretty little face, I will personally send you to the deepest pits of the Underwhere," She stated, shrugging and pushing onward, on her way to fire up her machine and lead herself to her grave own grave.

He waited until she was long gone to let his guard down, finally allowing himself to breathe.

It seemed Ms. D still cared about the man in green. Even as another person. He wondered if Mr. L would have been like that. If in the original world he had lived in, had Daisy been captured, would he have acted that protective over her?

...It didn't matter. He didn't know why he even felt the need to waste time thinking about that.

He was fine.

______

Meanwhile, the Countess waited in Sammer's Kingdom, ready to face the heroes herself, taking them down once and for all. If you want something done, sometimes you have to get it done yourself. She waited there until the heroes finally arrived. After all, they had been progressing rather quickly. So it didn't take long for them to arrive

"The void is growing larger! Come on, we must hurry," Bleck urged the heroes as they all froze while the earth began shaking and the void began growing.

"Hurry? Oh... why the rush? Why not pause and savor the show?" Tippi giggled, standing up and floating above everyone as they all eyed her and gasped. Peach had never actually seen her in person, and Mario and King Boo hadn't seen her since the wedding, so it was somewhat shocking to actually see the Countess herself instead of one of her minions.

"It is already far too late for you little heroes to stop Countess Tippi!" She stated, holding her arms out as the void grew behind her. "Teeheehee~! The prophecy unfolds smoothly, thanks to the Chaos Heart. The light of each world will be snuffed out one...by... one..." She stated as a strong wind seemed to pick up, blowing her short black hair behind her.

"Why...Why would you want to do something so...unspeakable?" Bleck asked her with a soft voice as if he was trying to understand. Trying to comprehend what would lead someone to do such a thing.

"YOU DARE QUESTION COUNTESS TIPPI?! This worthless world is pointless! It's far better for her to wipe it out of existence than let it remain!" Tippi exclaimed, anger in her red eyes. 

"How can you say such a thing? That's... that's horrible!" Bleck exclaimed. 

However, this only seemed to humor Tippi. "Pffft. Get a load of this. You, An insignificant Pixl, lectures Countess Tippi on right and wrong?! Laughable." Tippi scoffed.

"This is not up for discussion! You're wrong...and...and sick!" Bleck cried. "All living things have a heart. They all have love and emotions. They're all priceless. You can't just...erase them!"

Countess Tippi slowly raised an eyebrow at it, tilting her head to the side in an amusing manner.

"All things...are meaningless. Aside from Blumiere, no treasure mattered in the least to me. No amount of love and emotion could ever change that," She stated as Bleck seemed to float backward a few feet, almost looking shocked.

"B-Blumiere...?" He murmured, when she snapped her fingers, grabbing his attention again.

"Speak no more," She commanded, holding out her arms wider as the wind around her picked up. "THIS WORLD WILL BE THE FIRST TO DIE UNDER COUNTESS TIPPI'S GAZE!"

"NO!" Bleck cried as she seemed to flip away. Then, the large black void grew and grew, eating away everyone and everything, and leaving behind nothing. 

Well, nothing, but an empty void... and a dying pure heart, lacking its color and life.

"Is that..." Bleck started as Peach carefully walked over and picked up the object. "Is that a pure heart?"

"DIBS!" Called a voice from behind the heroes. Mario and King Boo both ducked by instinct as someone seemed to zoom by, snatching the pure heart from Peach and skidding to a halt a few feet away from the group, a cocky smile on her face.

She smirked and held up the heart as if she was observing it. "Hmm, I wonder how much money I could sell this for on eBay..." She snickered to herself as Peach, Mario, and King Boo all glared at her, getting into their own fighting stances.

"You." Peach hissed, clenching her fists. "You were the weirdo we fought in space!"

"Ah! Memories..." Ms. D teased, looking away from the heart and at them all. "Did you miss me?"

"Hardly!" Mario cried. "You insulted my outfit..."

"Wow. Would you like some cheese to go with that whine of yours? And I see you've yet to change it Mr. ComplainsAllTheTime. The formal wear is most definitely not slimming on you. Either wear black or cut the carbs." She snorted as Mario's face turned red. King Boo simply burst out into laugher while Mario felt utterly humiliated.

"Shut up! He looks fine," Peach spat. "Give us the heart, Ms. D."

"Oh! Did you want this~?" Ms. D asked in a sweet tone. "Oh my. Sure, let me just hand it over then!"

"Wait, really?" King Boo asked.

"No." Ms. D giggled. "Sorry ghosty. I gotta bounce now. Gonna bring this back to the Countess. BTW, I'd stay out of her way if you value your life! See ya suckers!"

"NO!" Bleck suddenly shouted. "We're going to stop Countess Tippi! No matter the price. Now hand that over you.... you... meanie!"

Ms. D gasped and pretended to be offended at that remark. "OH NO! However, will I recover from such a nasty burn..... Oh, right. I know," She suddenly clapped her hands as a large robotic contraption floated into view. It was the same thing they had fought in space, only more advanced as if it got a major upgrade.

"HAVE AT YOU!" She cried, laughing and hopping in.

~ About an hour later ~

"SERIOUSLY, WHY IS THIS SO HARD?!" Mario cried, ducking to dodge an attack as Peach swiftly threw one last punch, causing the machine to malfunction and break down.

"W-What the... this isn't supposed to happen!" Ms. D exclaimed, frantically looking around the controls. "What's happening-"

The robot suddenly began to blow up, leading the girl in orange to quickly dive out, abandoning ship just before getting burned, landing on the ground with a thud. 

"UGH! THIS ISN'T FAIR! I HAD LAZERS! LAZERS!!! How could I lose?!" She frustratedly exclaimed, kicking a piece of scrap metal.

"Well..." Bleck started. "Maybe... and hear me out here... it's because you're just weak."

Ms. D suddenly turned to him with a deadly gaze. "Weak?! WEAK?! HA! That's laughable coming from a little fairy like you! Just you wait. Ms. D NEVER forgets!" She spat, turning and running off. "JUST YOU WAIT! THIS ISN'T THE END!"

However, as she ran, she didn't even notice that she had dropped her pure heart. "Look!" Bleck cried. "The pure heart-"

"Got it!" King Boo chimed, walking over and picking it up. "Wow, this thing's light!"

"That's because it's... it's..." Bleck trailed off, taking a deeper look at it. "Oh no..."

"What?! What is it?!" Peach asked, a hint of worry in her tone. 

"It's turned to stone. There's no more power radiating from it..." Bleck stated. "We... we have to get this back to Merlon. He'll know what to do!"

______

Meanwhile, Ms. D walked alone, not sure what to do now. She surely couldn't go back to the Countess like this. This was the SECOND time she had failed her. What would the other minions think?! Especially after she had talked herself up so much.

"I... don't know what it is about them... but I... gah, this is stupid," She muttered, crossing her arms.

"Aha ha ha. Did they wound your fragile pride, Ms. D? Demolish your robot again?" Dimentio's voice suddenly chimed, causing her to whirl around, seeing that he had teleported there.

"Ugh, what do you want?" She spat, clearly upset, which was quite a change from Mr. L actually seeming relieved to see him when this had happened the last time.

He wondered why they had such different reactions to his arrival.

"To throw this in my face?" Ms. D continued. "To make fun of me? What is it clowny? Why are you here?! I already know I'm a disgrace to the countess." She complained, covering her face. "What am I gonna do... I can't go back now!"

Dimentio paused for a moment, thinking about their differences when he shook the thoughts away. "P-perhaps that is for the best," He stated, snapping his fingers and making a small explosion go off by her feet, causing her to squeal and jump back.

Just like Mr. L had a lifetime ago.

"Bro, you almost hit me!" Ms. D pointed out. "What the heck, man! That could have hurt! What are you doing?!"

"You said it yourself. You can't go back to the countess now. So get lost." Dimentio chimed, just as before. It was like muscle memory by now. A reused script in a remade world.  

"Wow. Um, rude," Ms. D muttered. 

"Such temper! Your nostrils, they flare out like the hood of a hissing cobra! I can't have you around the count. If I am rid of you here, I won't be found out. And the others will never find you. Yes, this is my moment to grasp. It's time for you to take your final bow, Ms. D..." Dimentio replied, waving his arms and encasing Ms. D in a large yellow execution box.

Only the girl in Orange didn't jump as the box formed around her as Mr. L had. She just stood there, seeming somewhat amused by it. "Pffft, what the heck are you doing?! You're not serious, are you?!" Ms. D asked, not sounding all that worried. She actually seemed a mix between confused and amused. It was interesting to see how differently she had handled this.

"Ah ha ha ha ha. Shhhhh. Don't worry. It won't be so bad, I promise. I'll send those heroes your way soon, just so you'll have someone to play with." Dimentio assured, ready to snap his fingers as Ms. D watched with a confused expression, raising an eyebrow as if she had just realized what was going to happen to her. 

Only... she wasn't terrified like Mr. L was. It was like... she didn't fear death. 

It was almost a relief to Dimentio. When he had to kill Mr. L, the horrified look on his face made it oh so much harder. But this... wasn't as hard. He didn't feel like he was killing a part of himself when he looked at her. His lungs didn't burn as much and his heart didn't ache. His brain wasn't screaming at him, telling him that he was making a mistake.

He knew what he was doing now.

"Wow," Ms. D snickered, fully realizing what was going on. Only she didn't try talking him out of it. She was smart enough to know that her fate was already sealed and that there was nothing she could do about it. No use in freaking out. "Someone doesn't like competition~!" She teased, at least trying to get some sort of reaction out of him. "Tell Luigi I say bye, okay?"

"Ciao Ms. D," Dimentio quickly stated, ignoring her little remark and snapping his fingers, making a series of explosions go off, sending her down to the Underwhere.

It was done.

The jester paused as the explosions stopped, leaving nothing behind. No sign of her having just been here. 

It was as if she never existed now. 

....Oh, it's you again, Dimentio. I'm stumped. You'd think a giant robot would be enough to crush these heroes...

It was strange. Back then... Mr. L had been so relieved to see him...

I'm a disgrace... There's no way I can show my face to Count Bleck after THIS.

He opened up to him. He never had opened up to anyone... but when he saw him, he allowed himself to appear weak. He felt comfortable enough to appear how he was.

 Hey, now! Whoa! What's this! You've lost your mind, Dimentio!

Dimentio slowly looked down, closing his eyes as the memories resurfaced.

But he was fine. 

He didn't feel bad about killing him. And he certainly didn't feel bad about deleting him from this world. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made. It was just life.

Dimentio didn't feel bad. Even after Mr. L had helped him. Even after Mr. L continued wishing to be his friend.

He didn't feel bad...

He was fine.

______

"Hey... Countess..." Mimi muttered, walking up to Tippi as she stood, looking at one of Dimentio's mirrors... at her darkened reflection.

"...Yes, Mimi?" Tippi asked without turning to face her.

"Oh, golly, how do I say this..." Mimi nervously murmured, clearing her throat. "Um... Dimmy just told me that... D didn't make it. She... the heroes got her. I-I accept full responsibility." Mimi nervously stated, hoping that the Countess wouldn't get too upset with her.

However, Tippi didn't seem mad. She seemed more... empty.

"I see, remarked Countess Tippi... Well, what's done is done. Her sacrifice will be remembered...." Tippi shrugged, still looking deeply at her reflection as if she was searching for something that was lost long ago.

"....Tippi...? Are you feeling okay?" Mimi asked, looking up at her empty expression.

Tippi just looked at her red eyes and her black hair in her own reflection... slowly nodding. "Everything is fine, Mimi. You needn't worry." Tippi stated. "Just... leave me."

Mimi slowly nodded then stepped away, sadly bowing her head. "Okay... I'll go," She muttered, scurrying off.

Tippi waited for her to be long gone. Only then did she let out a long sigh and lean her forehead against the mirror showcasing her reflection. 

"Could... that Pixl... could he have been..." She whispered with a glimmer of hope in her voice.

However, this feeling of hope was short as reality washed it away. "No," She breathed, clearing her throat. "No, no. I-It's impossible. I...I should know that better than anyone. Besides, it's far too late to do anything now. The prophecy... it has already been set in motion. No one, not even I, can stop it. No one can stop this now..." She whispered, sounding hopeless. Then, she stood up straight and fixed her posture, looking at the Countess in the mirror.

This was her now.