SMG4: Role swap

Chapter 8: Solutions

Mr.Puzzles.
Standing right in the front of the main room.
"SHIT." 3 exclaimed, pulling out his gun, while SMG4 pulled out a whole shotgun: "Dude, where did you get that from-" SMG3 asked, quite confused: "No time for fourth wall breaking, idiot!" 4 retorted, pointing the rifle right in the direction of Mr.Puzzles' face.
SMG3 and SMG4 instinctively also grabbed weapons to defend themselves.

"Please, everyone, calm down!" The tv-man yelled, raising his hands in the air.
His tone was weirdly...calm and scared: "I'm not here to hurt you!" "Tell that to Peach's castle." 3 muttered, aiming towards the screen.
"Back for more already, TV-freak? I thought we had beaten you up enough!" 4 added, pulling out a few knives: "You're here for them, aren't you?!" He exclaimed, pointing to SMG3 and SMG4, who were looking at Puzzles with a hateful stare.

The tv man looked away for a moment, the expression on the display changing to a thoughtful one: "Yes, I am here for them, but I do not wish to bring harm! I want to help you return to your rightful dimension!"

"As if you would ever-" "Let's hear him out." SMG4 surprisingly stated, putting the gun away: "WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY OR SOMETHING??" SMG3 answered back, grabbing him from his arm: "Do you not remember all the shit he put us and THEM through?!"

"I knew you were the stupid version of me, but I didn't realize you were THIS stupid." 4 added, still aiming for Mr.Puzzles: "SMG4, why do you suggest that? He could hurt all of us!".
4 pondered for a moment on the question: "If he wanted to hurt us, he would have done so from the moment we stepped foot in the castle."

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"I am here to apologize. To your, SMG3 and SMG4, and to all your other friends, for the immense pain I have brought upon you. I was consumed by the desire to achieve my dreams and global fame, that I ended up traumatizing you in the process multiple times." Puzzles explained, looking at them in the eyes: "Perhaps, if I had come to you and asked if you were willing to help me shoot my movie instead of...well, everything I've done, we could have even ended up as friends!".

He took a deep breath and looked at 3 and 4: "And I suppose I own an apology to you, on behalf of my...other self. I am sorry for the troubles we've caused you as well.
The four guardians were at a loss for words, specifically SMG3 and SMG4, because never in their lives had they expected to get an apology from the man who tortured them.
And, as expected, not everyone in the room was convinced.
"H-how...How do we know this isn't just another one of his schemes?!" SMG4 exclaimed angrily: "For all we know, this could just be his umpteeth attempt at torturing us!".
"I understand your pain, SMG4" Puzzles began to explain, but the swapped guardian immediately stopped him, eyes filled with rage: "No, no you don't! You weren't trapped in the digital realm for a month, you weren't stolen of your prized possession by one of your closest friends, you weren't trapped in a simulation where you risked death over and over again, you weren't forced to see the person you care for the most descend into madness because of a mess YOU CREATED!".

The room fell into silence, no one dared to utter a word for a few moments.
"...I understand. And I am incredibly, utterly disappointed that I let myself harm you in all these horrible ways. I am sorry to you, sorry to Tari, to SMG3. I had a troubled childhood that let me down a path I didn't want to follow."

SMG4 and SMG3 were too shocked to speak.
Even though Mr.Puzzles was talking to their swap selves, it felt like they were getting an apology as well.
A heartfelt apology, one that, for the first time since they met the Tv-man, felt...sincere.

"I do not expect you, any of you, to forgive me in the blink of an eye. I will have to work to gain your trust, and I am willing to do that starting now. I can help you-" he pointed to SMG3 and SMG4: "Get back home."
"...You can?" SMG4 asked reluctantly, still very unsure of what the man had in store: "Yes, I can. There is a portal in a specific place of every world in the multiverse that brings you to the main hall, where all the threads are connected!"