Chapter 2
When Mario awoke, the first thing he made out from his blurry vision was the face of Peach. "Mario!" Peach gasped, "Thank Miyamato you're alive!"
Mario groaned as Peach helped him sit up. He was still in his armchair in his cluttered den. "Mama-mia, what happened?" Mario moaned.
"We nearly lost you there, Mario," Came the voice of Captain Falcon. Mario looked around, and saw various electrodes taped to his body. It was then that he noticed that his shirt and the top half of his overalls had been ripped away from his body, his bare chest also sported many wires attached to him with tape.
Captain Falcon made himself visible in the dimly lit den. "We don't quite know what happened yet Mario," he said, "But we do know where you went."
Mario looked at Peach in a haze of confusion. "I don't quite understand it either, Falcon," said Peach, looking at the Captain.
Suddenly, a faint electronic bleeping echoed through Mario's den. Captain Falcon picked up his cell phone from his belt and spoke. "Yeah? Oh, yes- he's here and- yes, he's alive. Roger that Samus, I'll be there with him soon." Captain Falcon clicked his phone off, and returned it to the clip on his belt.
"Can't anyone tell me what happened?" Mario asked in the large conference room of Nintendo HQ. Everyone there shook their heads. They were all sitting down at the rectangular table when Link and Zelda arrived in the room, carrying a badly bruised and bloody Donkey Kong on their shoulders.
An armored yet helmet-less Samus Aran stood up, and walked to the head of the table. "Roll call everyone," she announced. Samus nodded to Ness, and the Earthbound star quickly closed the double doors of the conference room. Samus looked at her clipboard she held. "Bowser?" she asked
"Here," the large lizard said gruffly, sitting at the back of the table.
"Yoshi?"
"Here!" Yoshi squeaked cheerfully from the opposite side of Bowser.
"Pikachu?"
"Pika!" The small Pokemon exclaimed from beside Yoshi.
"Fox McCloud?"
"Here," said Fox impassively, sitting down beside Bowser.
"Captain Falcon?"
"Yo," Said the Captain charismatically, sitting down beside Pikachu.
"Peach?"
"Here," said Peach in the seat beside Mario.
"Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda and Ness are here, so we're all accounted for," Said Samus, putting down her clipboard on the table and sitting down at her seat near the front of the table.
"So, what are we here for?" Mario asked Samus, "And what happened to Donkey Kong?"
The battered Donkey Kong looked at Mario for a while, and then hung his head and muttered.
"Mario, the place you were transported to was a damaged area of Nintendoland called `The Battlefield,'" said Samus. "Donkey Kong was warped to an alternate imaginary zone, like you were, to a twisted Jungle Japes."
"Alternate Imaginary?" Yoshi asked, confused.
"It's simple really," said Ness to Yoshi, "An alternate reality occurs in the real world. But, we're all imaginary characters, living in Nintendoland, so an alternate reality for us is an alternate imaginary."
"Makes sense," Yoshi hummed.
"Now, back on topic," Said Samus. "Mario, from what Miyamato's told me, you faded through a rift of the data world when you slept."
"What kind of rift?" Mario asked.
"It's a tear in the cyber-data continuum. If we're not careful, we could be warped back inside that alternate imaginary- just like Mario and DK."
"What's causing it?" Ness asked.
"We don't know yet," said Samus cautiously, "But we do know that it can happen to anyone who loses consciousness- even in sleeping."
Mario looked at Donkey Kong. The primate soon returned his stare.
"So what?" asked Falcon casually.
"You could be erased- permanently," Samus stated firmly. There was a gasp throughout the room.
"We were lucky to bring Mario back," said Samus," but that was only because we discovered him only a few seconds after his astral body faded into The Battlefield."
"Astral body, what?" Donkey Kong asked through his swollen bloody lip. "Then how come I-?"
"Simply put," said Samus, "Whatever bruises your astral body takes in the alternate imaginary, the same damage happens to your body."
"Damn," the monkey muttered.
"So let me get this straight," said Bowser slowly. "Miyamato is saying that there are now rifts throughout Nintendoland, and anyone who loses consciousness is a potential victim?"
"Yep," Samus nodded bitterly.
"What about the other citizens of Nintendoland?" Link asked as he polished his sword.
"Miyamato has programmed them with immunity from the alternate reality," said Samus, "But he's saved the dirty work for us."
"Goodie," Ness said sarcastically.
"According to Miyamato, the rift to the alternate world will be forever sealed is if we `complete' the scenario that it takes us to. Mario, your scenario for instance was to take out that data-Bowser."
"Which reminds me," said Mario, "what was with that Bowser? His eyes were totally blank- he had trouble speaking properly."
"That's the kind of enemies you'll find," said Samus. "They are clones of all of us here in this room- unfortunately for them, they are not perfect clones. They have all our abilities, but for the most part they lack the mental abilities that we have."
For a few minutes, the whole room was silent. "Miyamato has estimated that there are about thirty or so of these rifts," said Samus. "Since Mario lost in his, there are now approximately thirty-two rifts. Thankfully, Donkey Kong won his bout."
"So, let us sum this up," stated Link. "We have been chosen by Miyamato-sama to enter these alternate realms by means of sub consciousness, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"So, in order to destroy these rifts, we must all `win' the problem that it poses within." When no one said anything else, Link sighed, and then said, "Good night."
When Mario awoke, the first thing he made out from his blurry vision was the face of Peach. "Mario!" Peach gasped, "Thank Miyamato you're alive!"
Mario groaned as Peach helped him sit up. He was still in his armchair in his cluttered den. "Mama-mia, what happened?" Mario moaned.
"We nearly lost you there, Mario," Came the voice of Captain Falcon. Mario looked around, and saw various electrodes taped to his body. It was then that he noticed that his shirt and the top half of his overalls had been ripped away from his body, his bare chest also sported many wires attached to him with tape.
Captain Falcon made himself visible in the dimly lit den. "We don't quite know what happened yet Mario," he said, "But we do know where you went."
Mario looked at Peach in a haze of confusion. "I don't quite understand it either, Falcon," said Peach, looking at the Captain.
Suddenly, a faint electronic bleeping echoed through Mario's den. Captain Falcon picked up his cell phone from his belt and spoke. "Yeah? Oh, yes- he's here and- yes, he's alive. Roger that Samus, I'll be there with him soon." Captain Falcon clicked his phone off, and returned it to the clip on his belt.
"Can't anyone tell me what happened?" Mario asked in the large conference room of Nintendo HQ. Everyone there shook their heads. They were all sitting down at the rectangular table when Link and Zelda arrived in the room, carrying a badly bruised and bloody Donkey Kong on their shoulders.
An armored yet helmet-less Samus Aran stood up, and walked to the head of the table. "Roll call everyone," she announced. Samus nodded to Ness, and the Earthbound star quickly closed the double doors of the conference room. Samus looked at her clipboard she held. "Bowser?" she asked
"Here," the large lizard said gruffly, sitting at the back of the table.
"Yoshi?"
"Here!" Yoshi squeaked cheerfully from the opposite side of Bowser.
"Pikachu?"
"Pika!" The small Pokemon exclaimed from beside Yoshi.
"Fox McCloud?"
"Here," said Fox impassively, sitting down beside Bowser.
"Captain Falcon?"
"Yo," Said the Captain charismatically, sitting down beside Pikachu.
"Peach?"
"Here," said Peach in the seat beside Mario.
"Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda and Ness are here, so we're all accounted for," Said Samus, putting down her clipboard on the table and sitting down at her seat near the front of the table.
"So, what are we here for?" Mario asked Samus, "And what happened to Donkey Kong?"
The battered Donkey Kong looked at Mario for a while, and then hung his head and muttered.
"Mario, the place you were transported to was a damaged area of Nintendoland called `The Battlefield,'" said Samus. "Donkey Kong was warped to an alternate imaginary zone, like you were, to a twisted Jungle Japes."
"Alternate Imaginary?" Yoshi asked, confused.
"It's simple really," said Ness to Yoshi, "An alternate reality occurs in the real world. But, we're all imaginary characters, living in Nintendoland, so an alternate reality for us is an alternate imaginary."
"Makes sense," Yoshi hummed.
"Now, back on topic," Said Samus. "Mario, from what Miyamato's told me, you faded through a rift of the data world when you slept."
"What kind of rift?" Mario asked.
"It's a tear in the cyber-data continuum. If we're not careful, we could be warped back inside that alternate imaginary- just like Mario and DK."
"What's causing it?" Ness asked.
"We don't know yet," said Samus cautiously, "But we do know that it can happen to anyone who loses consciousness- even in sleeping."
Mario looked at Donkey Kong. The primate soon returned his stare.
"So what?" asked Falcon casually.
"You could be erased- permanently," Samus stated firmly. There was a gasp throughout the room.
"We were lucky to bring Mario back," said Samus," but that was only because we discovered him only a few seconds after his astral body faded into The Battlefield."
"Astral body, what?" Donkey Kong asked through his swollen bloody lip. "Then how come I-?"
"Simply put," said Samus, "Whatever bruises your astral body takes in the alternate imaginary, the same damage happens to your body."
"Damn," the monkey muttered.
"So let me get this straight," said Bowser slowly. "Miyamato is saying that there are now rifts throughout Nintendoland, and anyone who loses consciousness is a potential victim?"
"Yep," Samus nodded bitterly.
"What about the other citizens of Nintendoland?" Link asked as he polished his sword.
"Miyamato has programmed them with immunity from the alternate reality," said Samus, "But he's saved the dirty work for us."
"Goodie," Ness said sarcastically.
"According to Miyamato, the rift to the alternate world will be forever sealed is if we `complete' the scenario that it takes us to. Mario, your scenario for instance was to take out that data-Bowser."
"Which reminds me," said Mario, "what was with that Bowser? His eyes were totally blank- he had trouble speaking properly."
"That's the kind of enemies you'll find," said Samus. "They are clones of all of us here in this room- unfortunately for them, they are not perfect clones. They have all our abilities, but for the most part they lack the mental abilities that we have."
For a few minutes, the whole room was silent. "Miyamato has estimated that there are about thirty or so of these rifts," said Samus. "Since Mario lost in his, there are now approximately thirty-two rifts. Thankfully, Donkey Kong won his bout."
"So, let us sum this up," stated Link. "We have been chosen by Miyamato-sama to enter these alternate realms by means of sub consciousness, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"So, in order to destroy these rifts, we must all `win' the problem that it poses within." When no one said anything else, Link sighed, and then said, "Good night."