Nestled in a two story house within a quiet residential neighborhood, Cassidy's bedroom boasted an above-average size. This perfectly square space held a queen bed at its center, positioned with its headboard against the north wall. Ladders flanked the queen bed, each leading to a loft-like area overhead hosting a twin mattress. On either side of the queen bed stood end tables with accompanying lamps, placed behind the ladders. A fixed light hung gracefully from the wall, illuminating the twin bed above. Plush mattresses decorated with memory foam pillows and weighted blankets offered comfort and solace.
A generously sized window graced the center of the east wall, providing a view of the tranquil residential street outside. The room was a silent witness to the passage of time, capturing moments and echoes of Cassidy's past. Against the south wall, a 25" console television took pride of place, accompanied by a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES-001) resting on the carpet below. Two game boxes, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3, lay casually on top of the control deck, but several others were stacked beside the television. Cassidy, perched atop one of the ladders, was engrossed in the screen, the rectangular controller snug in her hands as she navigated the familiar world of pixels and nostalgia.
Deep within the console deck, Super Mario Bros. 2 fueled Cassidy's engagement in a fierce battle against King Wart's minions of bad dreams. The room was awash in the blue glow emanating from the Nintendo's vents, while the red power light gleamed like a beacon of past longing. Unbeknownst to her, a mechanical Vienna Regulator on the western wall measured time with quiet precision, as fifteen minutes seamlessly merged into a half hour, and half hour transformed into one hour.
Cassidy, caught in a dissociative state, grappled with the aftermath of losing so much of her life in the blink of an eye. She was a middle-aged woman, had recently emerged from a 23 year coma to find herself in a world where her beloved father was the only familiar presence. Her mother had passed away a decade earlier. As she sat in her unchanged bedroom, frozen in time since she was 18, memories flooded back. The digital world on the screen became a refuge, a temporary escape from the harsh reality she faced. A mysterious pair of black sunglasses lay on one of her end tables.
A subtle light seeped through the seams of the closed door beside the television, signaling a change in the atmosphere. Gradually, the door creaked open, revealing Cassidy's father, Paul. In his hands, he carried a plate with grilled cheese and a glass of orange juice, a silent offering of comfort and sustenance. Paul spoke candidly, but only an indistinct white noise escaped his mouth.
On the western wall, the stately face of a Hawk emerged, its gaze holding a silent promise of mystery and enigmatic aid. The handsome black feathers ruffled, as if responding to an unseen breeze that traversed the room. This creature, which would surface time and time again throughout this story, is known as the Hawkmouth.
Meanwhile, three levels down, the electric furnace hummed to life, and a gentle rush of air flowed through the lower wall vents. The ambient noise brought Cassidy back to the present moment.
"How about we go for a walk after you eat?" Paul suggested, the white noise now replaced by his clear voice. The Hawkmouth vanished.
"Sure thing, Dad. Let me scarf that down. I'm famished," Cassidy replied. The Hawk's visage on the western wall disappeared.
"I know. It's almost noon. You've been playing that game for a hour now," Paul expressed concern.
"It's all I know," Cassidy confessed.
"That's not true. You barely played with that thing growing up. You were more of a Barbie girl," Paul retorted.
"I... can relate to it right now with where I am in life," Cassidy responded, struggling to find the right words to articulate her thoughts.
"Alright, well, come downstairs and bring your plate when you're finished. Don't take too long," Paul urged, adjusting his glasses with a gesture of mild concern.
He turned away, leaving Cassidy to her meal, and closed the door behind him. In the quiet aftermath, Cassidy ate her sandwich with a sense of detachment. An unusual hush permeated the room, and the window curtains stirred in a subtle dance. Suddenly, the windowpanes went dark, and their grilles disappeared. In their place, white text materialized, centered in the frame, stating, "PLEASE SELECT PLAYER."
As if defying the laws of physics, each of the four walls gradually leaned outward, revealing Cassidy standing on her carpeted floor against a backdrop of a starry expanse. The control deck's power light blinked erratically, casting sporadic shadows on the walls, while the television displayed glitched 8-bit graphics. Cassidy continued to chew slowly, mesmerized by the surreal spectacle unfolding around her.
The door to her room underwent a magical transformation, adopting a rich mahogany hue with a bright brass knob. The handle mysteriously turned by itself, and the door began to open slowly, revealing a passage to the unknown. Beside the control deck, the Super Mario Bros. 2 Instruction Booklet flipped open to Page #3, detailing the enchanting story of this enigmatic adventure.
Clearly, Cassidy indulges in daydreams, where she vividly recalls a life-altering journey she experienced during her coma. The main figures in this adventure include Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach, crafted by the creative mind of Video Game Designer Shigeru Miyamoto. While these characters primarily inhabit the Mushroom Kingdom, they unwittingly find themselves embarking on a quest in a realm known as Subcon.
Mario, a skilled plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom, boasts a well-rounded skill set, exhibiting average abilities across various tasks. For this particular adventure, he dons a blue hat, red long-sleeved shirt, blue suspenders, and brown shoes, reminiscent of early Nintendo Power illustrations.
Luigi, Mario's taller brother, distinguishes himself with a green cap, long green sleeves, blue suspenders, and brown shoes. Despite his timid nature, Luigi possesses remarkable jumping abilities, leaping higher than his companions.
Toad, a loyal Mushroom Retainer of Princess Peach, is recognized by his mushroom-shaped head, which resembles a green-spotted hat. He adorns a vest along with brown shoes and stands out as the strongest member of the quartet.
Princess Peach, the queen regnant, is characterized by her blonde hair, blue eyes, and iconic pink dress and a golden crown. While she may lack physical strength, Peach compensates with her remarkable ability to effortlessly float above perilous obstacles in her voluminous dress. Additionally, she possesses an innate sense for detecting the power levels of her adversaries.
Years later, Cassidy is confronted with the profound impact of the journey she once undertook through the lens of these beloved characters. From moments of joyous excitement to harrowing challenges, these experiences have left an indelible mark on her identity and continue to shape her decisions. As she reflects on her past adventures, Cassidy ponders the possibility that her journey may have been more than just a dream concocted by Mario. After all, if Nintendo could rebrand Doki Doki Panic with Mario's face, who's to say that this story couldn't be her own?
And that's where this story begins.
Together, the quartet slowly traversed the interior of a factory. Picture a vast chamber crafted from bricks of assorted shades of red, with walls, ceilings, and floors all composed of these crimson blocks. Each member of the party was spread out, navigating the space cautiously. Sprouts of grass dotted the floor, quietly swaying in the breeze generated by the facility's furnace. In this surreal world of dreams, those tufts of grass could be concealing anything beneath them—turnips, beets, onions, radishes, or even bombs.
Speaking of vegetables, Wart, the main antagonist of this adventure, harbors a deep disdain for them. His hatred for vegetables serves as a key element in the quartet's quest. Wart tampered with the Dream Machine and turned all the citizens of Subcon, ironically known as Subcons, into his minions. Most of them wear masks. Wart has four generals, each commanding parts the seven worlds of Subcon. Subcon is short for subconscious, or did you figure that out already? Today, in this moment and place, the quartet has battled its way to confront one of these generals.
Mario, assuming the role of the quartet's leader, pressed forward, his attention caught by the glint of mysterious sunglasses. Lifting his gaze, he beheld a life-sized mouse perched atop a floating platform, emerging from the dissipating fog. Behind the mouse, a wall stood with the words, "WELCOME TO YEAR FIVE," meticulously stenciled against the brick backdrop.
"I am Mouser! General of this world!" the mouse proclaimed. Two vertical and digitized lines materialized over the irises in his shades, glowing in a lime color. Mouser held a spherical bomb in both of his gloved hands, the fuse of which was rapidly burning through. It became immediately apparent to the four that Mouser possessed a bold personality, a doer, someone unafraid to take risks. He grinned, revealing his perfect white and jagged teeth.
"I assume you're the one overseeing this mess in World 1," Mario sternly addressed the general, pointing upwards.
"You assume correctly," the General replied, taking the bomb into his right hand, spinning it briefly, before lobbing it towards the four.
"Wait, hold on a second, we—" Princess Peach began to speak, but the battle had already commenced.
Mario caught the bomb between his gloved hands, finding himself pushed back several feet from the impact. It slowly began to flicker and flash.
"Do you genuinely believe in what you're doing here?!" Toad shouted, trying to reason with his foe.
"Go back to your world!" Mouser yelled, another pixelated bomb forming into reality within his gloved hands.
"Mario! Drop that thing!" Luigi cried out as the bomb began to flash faster, now resembling a strobe light.
Mario planted his feet shoulder-width apart and extended his dominant foot forward. Lowering his elbows below the bomb, he spread his fingers around its surface before pushing the device upwards, shooting it right back at the General. The projectile struck the platform, causing a bright explosion and forcing Mouser to his knees. A tear in his thick-skinned chest revealed a glimmering substance that spilled out, shimmering with Mouser's reflection. "I am the General of Worlds One and Three," Mouser uttered, his breath labored. "You are four, but we are many. Prepare yourselves!" Mouser reached back for another pixelated bomb that took form in his hand.
"What is Year Five, Mouser? What does that mean?" Mario demanded, growing weary of the Mouse's antics. The stenciled writing on the wall behind Mouser loomed large, glaring in the light of the bomb's fuse. Luigi, Toad, and the Princess each encircled the levitating platform, observing it from their respective positions. Peach crouched down, grappling with one of the grassy tufts scattered across the floor, revealing a fresh bomb beneath it, its fuse rapidly igniting. She detected Mouser's power level, equivalent to Bowser in World 5-4, or, in actuality, what was Lakitu merely posing as the King.
Mouser winced in agony as he responded, "I'm not supposed to tell you, Cassidy!" With a swift motion, he hurled his bomb at the crimson plumber, who instinctively leaped backward to evade it. The resulting explosion rippled through the room, casting vibrant hues of light across its expanse. Suddenly, Princess Peach vaulted onto the platform amidst the cascading debris and wreckage. With a tone of remorse, she murmured, "I'm sorry," before releasing the bomb she had unearthed directly behind Mouser, triggering a detonation at close range. As the smoke began to dissipate, the room descended into silence. "Get off the platform, Princess!" Mario urgently shouted. Mouser lay injured once more, his sturdy exterior now bearing additional wounds. A fracture marred the surface of his sunglasses and they tumbled to the ground, unveiling his eyes.
"Who is Cassidy?!" Mario shouted back, sweeping debris off his blue cap. Meanwhile, Toad, showing little interest in the dialogue, began gathering several bombs from the grassy sprouts in the floor.
Mouser struggled to stand, appearing unsteady and shaken. Princess Peach stepped back, surprised that he could still move. "I won't let you reach Triclyde," Mouser declared, his tone uncharacteristically noble. The large mouse reached back with his right hand and raised his left foot, conjuring another pixelated bomb. "Mouser, listen to us!" Luigi implored, but it was too late. Mouser began raining bombs down faster than before. The ensuing explosions reverberated through the room, causing the entire factory to tremble. Mouser attempted to step backward but inadvertently bumped into several fizzling bombs at his feet. He turned to see Toad jumping off his platform.
Anticipating the impending explosion, Mouser tightly shut his eyes. A dazzling burst of light followed, illuminating the entire building. As the smoke gradually dissipated, the four heroes discovered Mouser sprawled against the far wall, gravely injured. A sparkling yellow substance pooled around him. In the realm of Subcon, all beings were crafted from radiant, shimmering, and enchanting materials, and Mouser was no exception. The large mouse's breathing had become shallow, and he appeared unable to move his limbs. "Nice shot…" he calmly acknowledged Toad, who wore a solemn expression. Princess Peach and Toad knelt beside him, tears welling in the princess's eyes.
Peach inquired, "Why couldn't you just stop?"
"We can't... stop. This isn't me... this isn't who I am..." Mouser struggled to articulate, whispering.
A weighty silence descended upon the room, accompanied by a distant, mournful melody. Suddenly, a door materialized at the center of the chamber, allowing a cascade of sunlight to stream through and illuminate the dusty surroundings. In Subcon, doors manifested under specific conditions, such as the shattering of a magic potion or, in this instance, the defeat of a World General.
Mario gazed back up at the stenciled writing still displayed across the wall, his expression weighed down by a heavy sigh, suggesting deep contemplation. Mouser never really answered him.
"Fix... the Dream Machine," Mouser whispered, his voice barely audible. Toad leaned in, straining to catch his words, the gravity of his message sinking in. The quartet stood in solemn silence, absorbing the depth of his plea. "We will meet again in World Three," Mouser added before gradually fading away into the ether.
Mario looked down at his dusty gloves and glanced around at the others. Something was different and off. For a split second, everyone had Cassidy's face. It wasn't Mario's brother standing there in green and blue; it was Cassidy. Toad sported Cassidy's familiar features, and even the Princess wore her visage beneath the golden crown. Cassidy was simultaneously Toad and the Princess, each wearing their distinctive attire. Mario, perplexed, gazed into his reflection on the brass button of Luigi's overalls, and he too, held Cassidy's face.
He shook his head, bewildered, and in an instant, everything went back to normal. Subcon resumed its familiar appearance, but the peculiar moment left an indelible mark on Mario's mind, raising questions about the nature of the reality he knew.
Who was Cassidy? What was year five?