Super Mario: Nightmare in Subcon

=Summary=

When Richard, a young boy, plays the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario 2 to help cope with the death of his girlfriend, he soon finds he's getting more than what he bargained for.

=Story=

Introduction
Hi, reader. My name is Richard.

I was recently playing some of the Super Mario All-Stars games to try to cope with my recent loss. Er... maybe I should explain what I mean before going further with what I saw.

A couple months back, I had lost my girlfriend Chantel when she was brutally murdered--I had arrived too late to save her.

Eventually, the murderers were caught and convicted. I wasn't sure if I could stomach watching the death sentence, but while I knew justice was served, it wasn't going to bring back my sweetheart. Her cousin Josephine wanted to be my new sweetheart, but she obviously had the kindness to wait till my grieving period was over before offering such.

Anyway, during the time of my grieving, her cousin came to watch me play Super Mario All-Stars, because my late girlfriend used to play it as well, and I always marveled how she would beat Super Mario 2 (the USA version) without warping--there was that one boss, whom I'll list later in the story, that I always dreaded, so I often used warps to pass that one.

But when I played Super Mario 2 for myself, very little could prepare me for what was coming...

World 1
I selected Mario to be the character to start things out, and I planned to play him for all of World 1.

World 1 of Super Mario 2 started out as normal. I always liked how World 1-1 of the remake showed some clouds as the character went down from the star--a far cry from the plain black screen of the NES era--and I entered into the starting level as usual. And the SNES remake really went all out to make the old NES game better, with the lush jungle foliage. I got the first mushroom as usual to work up my health meter.

But I could not help but notice the enemies here. I've seen my previous girlfriend play through in the past, but this time, unlike those past times, I noticed the Shyguys and Tweeters had some red dots in the eye areas.

"Glowing eyes?!" I thought. "I don't remember seeing those here."

But they were still dealt with as regular. So at the time, I thought the cart was just showing its age.

I continued on through the level as normal, and even got the second mushroom of the stage. I tried to use the shortcut, but for some weird reason, the other side was blocked off--with the same kind of blocks one would use a bomb to pass. So, that's why I just took the long path--besides, I wanted to get that second mushroom anyway.

Climbing the vines was normal, but the Hoopsters--the ladybugs on the vines--also seemed to have red glowing eyes. Something was really odd with this game.

I made it to the top, just before I was to take on Birdo, and when I got to the edge of the clouds to jump to the cliff ledge, the game stopped for a moment, and the sky darkened, with the clouds looking like storm clouds. Now I knew something was off with this game. I made it to Birdo, and some text appeared--in the same font as the story at the beginning of the game--which read:

"Welcome to your doom!"

But the Birdo battle played like regular, and I was able to defeat her in three hits.

When I entered the Mask Gate, I had some coins from the Subspace part, but despite having them, the slot game didn't work. Instead, the text read, "Out of Order".

"When did this game have an 'Out of Order' slot game?" I asked myself.

World 1-2 began, and once again, I picked Mario.

The world again started as normal, albeit with Pidgit having glowing eyes. In fact, let's just say all the regular enemies had glowing red eyes for some reason.

Anyway, as usual I jumped on the Pidgit, threw him off the carpet and flew across, careful to dodge the Beezos along the way.

When I went to get the Key, the Phanto looked even more demented than usual. I was thankful he wasn't faster, because then this game would've been more unbearable. But when I finally unlocked the cave, I noticed something else different.

The grasses that were usually in the underground area were replaced with orange-red crystals. Otherwise the level played as normal, and I got the second mushroom (I picked up the first mushroom before getting the key--I realized I forgot to point that out earlier).

When I made it to Birdo, she started out the pink variety, but then the Phanto from earlier touched her and morphed her into the red kind--which normally appeared for the first time in World 2. But now I had an early encounter with the mix of eggs and fireballs. I dodged as best I could and defeated the Birdo to get the Crystal Ball. And I was relieved that the slot machine worked this time. But something was definitely not right with this game.

I picked Mario one more time for World 1. And World 1-3 started out as normal--as close to normal as this game can be, from what I've been through even at the beginning. But when I made it to the building I needed to enter, the vase that contained the warp to World 4 was gone. So even if I hadn't used up those potions to get both mushrooms and wanted to use the warp, I couldn't. I was starting to get nervous.

The inside of the building in the SNES remake usually had a warehouse-like interior, perhaps as a subtle nod to the original Donkey Kong, where Mario had his beginning. But the warehouse interior now looked dilapidated, and the cargo crates also looked broken in some spots. I went up the tower to pick up the key, but the giant Phanto in the background looked even more intimidating than it already was--as its eyes were glowing even BEFORE I got the key. I picked it up and skedaddled out! But this time, all FIVE Phantos began to chase me! Yeah, you BET I raced down as quick as I could, being careful to avoid the spikes near the bottom. I was relieved that all five Phantos left me be after unlocking the door.

The hallway leading to the boss looked more like a sewer than the rest of the warehouse, as was normally the case in this remake. Otherwise the level platforms, enemies, and so forth were the same. I made it to the Crystal Ball and entered the Mask Gate. But I was in for a big surprise.

The Sparks that were usually there were gone, as was the stone wall and even the tufts of grass. Not only that, but the warehouse background looked almost totaled, as if many bombs were used there.

Wait... did the boss here go much crazier than usual?

I soon made it to Mouser, and text appeared, reading:

"It's about time you got here, Richard!"

Wait, how did this game know my name?! But my attention soon returned to playing, as the fight started.

I was very thankful that the way to defeating him was the same, as three bomb blasts did him in and I entered the doorway. But instead of the slot game, a backdrop with a day sky with clouds appeared, and I got an extra life for each of the coins I picked up in Subspace prior to getting here. Text read:

"Please take these extra lives, Richard. You will need all the strength you can muster!"

Seriously! How does this game know my name?!

World 2
The first of the two desert worlds, World 2, was beginning. I picked Toad. Toad just seemed appropriate for the Desert theme here and in World 6, which I will get to later.

The first part, World 2-1, was the Egyptian-themed desert at night, and I always liked the Egyptian theme. The level played like normal at first, as did the jars that could be visited, and I had learned how to find the one mushroom in this part of World 2--yeah, even I found it weird that this is one of the few worlds that had only one Super Mushroom. As I approached the Pansers, one fireball touched the bottom of the screen and lit up the background, almost like setting the background ablaze! I quickly got into the pyramid.

Inside the pyramid and following cavern, I saw some smoke seeping through the cave-like cracks. It didn't seem to affect game-play much, and the sand digging played as usual. I got all the cherries needed to make the Starman appear, so I was able to get past the resulting Snifit and not have to worry about it. The Shyguys that would've gotten in the way were also taken out during my invincibility. But when I got to where Birdo was, I noticed pits were filled with flames! This Birdo, which was still pink, thankfully, didn't say anything, but she rapid-fired eggs much quickly, similar to the red Birdo, but minus the fireballs. I was glad I didn't have to dodge fireballs here, but still had to time when to pick up the eggs and throw them back. After the third hit, the Birdo seemed to make a screech when she plummeted into the flames. I quickly picked up the crystal and made it to the slot machine. The slot machine just lined itself up to give me 1Ups--I didn't even have to press a button!

With Toad selected, I went to World 2-2. The cavern at start was normal, but, when I came out, it was anything but.

The sky was again the starry night theme, unlike the partly cloudy day sky the remake usually had. The cliffs looked a little broken, and the old temple in the background was now completely demolished.

"What the heck is going on?!" I thought.

I used the potions in the levels to get the mushrooms that were in the usual spots--I was thankful they were--and made it to the vine at the end of the section.

But as I dug through the sand, I saw some grayscale Phanto masks that had red glowing eyes. They didn't chase me, but they still creeped me out. The enemies also appeared in their usual spots, and I was able to get a Starman to clear many away. But at the bottom door where the red Birdo would be found, I was in for a shock.

The chamber of the Red Birdo had what appeared to be a spray-painted inverted pentagram. Now, no way could Nintendo have allowed this back in the day--at least on American shores. But somehow this was here. Text appeared over the Red Birdo that said:

"Welcome. Entrance to hell!"

I remembered that line from the Grim Reaper in the NES game "Monster Party", but what was that line doing here in a Mario game of all places? It didn't matter right now--I just needed to get Birdo down again, and there were Mushroom Blocks this time in case she fired too many fireballs and waiting for an Egg was too tedious. After knocking out Birdo and claiming the Crystal Ball, the pentagram seemed to glow. Oh, heck yeah I got out of there through the Mask Gate, you betcha!

Once more I selected Toad and prepared to do World 2-3. The cave at the start was normal, and I climbed up to the starry night sky and desert. I got both mushrooms, but I was curious to see the oases in the background. The water seemed to be a dark green, and the trees were turned a dull brown. Did the oases get polluted, I wondered. No, no, it couldn't be.

As I neared the Pyramid, I noticed the moon. Instead of the crescent moon that usually was there, it was a full moon with a skull-like motif on it. This definitely was different than how Chantel used to do it. Something weird was going on in this cart. I had to get to the bottom of this!

Into the pyramid I went. And at first, the level layout was normal. And I went down to the room where the key was, and a giant Phanto was watching again. When I picked up the key, I panicked as all seven Phanto masks came to life. Luckily, each chased me one at a time, but I still rushed like heck to make it to the lock.

But in the hall, each of the seven masks touched a creature in the hall leading to the boss, and made them act more erratic than usual. While I did take a hit in this, I was able to knock out multiple enemies in a row to get a heart to appear and regain that health. I snagged the Crystal Ball and made it into the boss chamber.

The boss here was Tryclyde. Normally in the remakes, he was greenish instead of the red he was in the NES days. But here, he was red, perhaps as a throwback to said 8-bit era. Text appeared over one of his heads, which read:

"Get ready to get roasted, Richard!"

All right, I thought, I've GOT to find out how the game knows my name. But my mind soon got back to playing. Tryclyde again started to fire his barrage of fireballs at me, and I quickly tossed the Mushroom Blocks, doing my best to dodge. I did take a few hits, but thankfully I didn't end up shrinking down, let alone losing a life here. I was able to K.O. Tryclyde, and the door opened up.

Instead of the slot machine, I was on a cloud with a blue sky and even a beautiful rainbow overhead. Some more lives came my way. Some text read:

"All will be revealed in the final battle, Richard. Please keep up your courage."

Now I really had to get to the end--I really needed to get to the bottom of this mystery!

World 3
The first part of World 3 started. I chose Princess Toadstool, which Princess Peach was still known as back in the day. The SNES remake of this world was the same, aside from a dark sky in the background--odd, since it was usually day sky, with a few large clouds. But otherwise it was the same. But when I went through the door, I noticed the bottom of the waterfall, and thus the "death pit" was underneath the door--and in turn the warp zone was inaccessible. Thankfully, the ascent upward still worked. The Pidgit at the top was the same, other than the red pupils for eyes. I rode up and the Beezos didn't appear, but I did see flashes of lightning in the background. Luckily, no sparks of lightning or Spark enemies emerged--I was very thankful for that. The usual blue day sky was replaced with a dark gray--almost black--implying a thunderstorm.

When I tried to do the shortcut to Birdo, even with the Mushroom Blocks, a large gust of wind--not unlike what one would find in the Lost Levels--pushed me back. So I had to do the long way around. I was glad I was able to get both Super Mushrooms to increase my health. The Pansers still did their normal routine and were still defeated like normal.

I made it to the red Birdo, and some text appeared momentarily, saying:

"You're persistent, aren't you?"

Again, she did her fireballs and eggs. I again used three Eggs, as I was lucky enough to get some between Fireball volleys, and defeated her to get the Crystal. With the crouching charge-up jump, I made it to the Hawk Gate. The slot machine thankfully worked, and I got a few lives, despite missing other slots.

At the start of World 3-2, I picked the Princess again. After getting the first Super Mushroom to get my health up, I picked up the POW blocks and used her floating ability as a major shortcut--thank God that worked. But when I went down the ladder, it was more than just a cavern. Some sections of the background wall broke down to show bluish flames.

"Could this be a section of hell?" I thought. "No, it couldn't be."

Thankfully no enemies emerged from the flames, and the usual enemies at these sections were here. I did the underground stages as normal, getting the second Super Mushroom as well, and found the second red Birdo. She fired more Fireballs than Eggs, so I used the Mushroom Blocks, carefully maneuvering so I didn't fall through the floor prematurely. Once I got the Crystal, I got through, trying not to think of the hellfire background. After clearing the slot machine, I prepared to use the princess one more time in this world.

As many players would know, World 3-3 is the famous tower. I got both Super Mushrooms before going to get the Key. The giant Phanto in the room creeped me out, even before I got the Key. When I got it, all three Phantos began chasing me. Hell yeah, I raced down as fast as I could. I had to drop the key when I made it at first to get a breather. After a few seconds, I picked it up again and raced to the lock before the trio of evil-looking masks could tag me. I was very thankful the rest of the level played like normal.

That is, until I made it to the top.

The dark sky and thundering clouds from World 3-1 made their return here, and the hills seemed to have fires on them, as if some war was going on in the background. I picked up the Turtle Shell and slid it down to knock out the enemies in the way, trying not to think about it too much. Then I picked up the crystal ball to proceed to my rematch with Mouser. Just keep in mind that this was the SNES version--the Game Boy Advance at the time had yet to appear, and therefore the Robirdo had not yet been known.

When I met with Mouser again, he said to me:

"Did you like the war zone out there?"

After which he began throwing his bombs at me. And these bombs would flash sooner than the last battle, which meant they'd detonate sooner.

I had to jump and throw like rapid fire, and only got damaged once, but I did defeat Mouser again. After the door opened, I went through.

Another sky-like world greeted me, and an angel dressed as a nurse appeared. The nurse angel said,

"You're doing well, Richard. We know you can do it!"

Not only did this game know my name, but implied more than one person was cheering me on. What the hell was going on here?

World 4
Josephine came back in after getting a drink to watch me start World 4. I picked Luigi, since for some weird reason I see the snow world as something for Luigi in this game.

World 4-1 was normal, though I couldn't help but notice the Flurries--the snow monster enemies--were a little bit faster right now. I remembered where the first mushroom power up was by remembering how Chantel found it in the past--prior to meeting her, I always seemed to miss that one. After I found that one and the second Mushroom, the one I always found easily, I rode the rocket up. But it was in the second half of World 4-1 that I noticed something strange.

The sky went black, almost like night levels back in the old NES version. Not even the clouds and weird hills in the background were there. The only things done in the SNES style were the foreground tiles, and the character sprites. The background music, normally the boss theme, was now in a more ominous tone, and the Autobombs, the giant rolling cannons that Shyguys rode sometimes, were rapid firing fireballs, something I was sure couldn't happen normally. Hell, yeah, I was frightened, and it was only by sheer luck I was able to dodge everything, reach the crystal ball, and go through the hawk mask gate at the end. And it was a good thing the slot machine worked this time--though I had a bad round and only got one extra life from getting a Cherry as the first tile at the last coin I had.

I always loved how World 4-2 started out in the SNES remake, whereas instead of just a bland sky background, there was an ice crystal cave to start out in. I climbed up the vine to start the first main portion of it. Normally I would be dodging Beezos here in certain patterns (even more so when I play as Luigi), but this time, there was like a swarm of Beezos chasing after me from behind. I ran quickly, getting to the exit door just a second before one of them could tag me with its stinger spear.

The next part normally had the whales where you would ride their spouts up to some platforms, but you had to be careful because you took damage if you approached the spouts from the side. But in this, the sky was a dingy greenish-gray, as though polluted. The waters looked purplish, almost like the poison water introduced in the New Super Mario Bros series much later on--and this took place even before the Nintendo DS even came to the people's minds. Also, the whales were dead--I was on giant whale bones!

"What the hell?!" both Josephine and I exclaimed.

It was very doubtful Nintendo would allow something this disturbing in ANY game back in the day, let alone a Mario game. But I was thankful some ice platforms were around to make up for the lack of whale spouts. I picked up the first power up mushroom, but the Warp jar was no longer there, which meant I had to fight the boss here, which was the one boss I feared. So, with a nervous chuckle, I approached the grass to enter the Rocket up. Again the sky was dingy, and I even saw some of the snow soiled to look like dirty slush. I knocked the Shyguy off and picked up the Potion--I learned from Chantel where the second Mushroom was in World 4-2 back in the day--and after using Invincibility from the Starman to get rid of the Porcupo enemies, went and got the second Mushroom. I was prepared to fight the Birdo here. This time, Birdo had mostly eggs, and very little fire, so I quickly used the Eggs on her before she could start sending out a lucky Fireball. I had very few coins, so I didn't expect to win many extra lives in the slot game.

I had to steel my courage as I entered World 4-3.

"You can do it," whispered Josephine, massaging my shoulders. "Chantel showed that it can be done."

I exited the ice cave, but then we saw the place, normally another snowy winter wonderland, with dirty slush, the same dingy cloudy sky from earlier, and the water polluted. Birdo wasn't there to deploy eggs anymore, but there were some Flying Carpets to guide me across. Before that, I picked up the first Mushroom near the cave exit.

At the tower, I went upward--it was pretty normal this time around, with the usual Shyguys and other enemies that were there. At the roof, the sky was again dingy, but at least the second Mushroom was still in its usual spot in the Subspace area.

On the other side, I went down the tower, and prepared to get the Key from Phanto. I was surprised--the key was no longer there. Nor was Phanto, and the giant Phanto mask in the background was smashed up something fierce! I exited the Key room and went down to the exit, to find the door was already unlocked.

My thought was "If I had known this would happen, I'd have done that shortcut with Luigi or the Princess!"

But my attention returned to the game, and I picked up the Crystal Ball and entered the boss chamber. And this was the boss I was talking about, the one I feared: Fryguy!

I've always gotten beaten by Fryguy, only barely lucking out to win before all my lives were gone. Chantel showed me how to dodge him most of the time. But the room was totally different from either the NES version or the SNES remake. The SNES remake showed some ice walls in the background, despite the Lego-like blocks. Perhaps Wart sent Fryguy to melt down the ice world? That's just my guess. But this time around, more of the bluish hellfire burned in the background. Yeah, you bet I was more startled than usual.

Some text appeared above Fryguy. It read:

"Thought you could evade me, Richard? You're not chickening out of this battle!  You'll be rotisserie chicken when I'm done with you!"

"Don't let him get to you, Richard," said Josephine nearby. "Remember what Chantel taught you!"

I was afraid, but I had to try. And, as though someone else was guiding my actions, I was able to pick up the Mushroom Blocks and hit Fryguy three times without taking a hit in that first form! The only damage I took was two lucky hits from the smaller Fryguys. But I still was in my super form when the battle ended--normally when I was lucky enough to win, I would be in my small regular form by battle's end, with just a few lives left. But the exit door appeared, and I was in a heavenly setting again. This one with one of the whales spouting happily, and an island with a Christmas tree in the background.

An angel dressed as the Swedish Christmas princess appeared--that's the best I can describe her--and she gave me a 1-Up Mushroom.

Text appeared that read: "You've finally overcame your fear. Now you are even closer to your goal!"

How did the game know I was afraid of Fryguy? Hell, Fryguy even acknowledged that before the fight started. But the worst was behind me, or so I thought at this time, and the other bosses shouldn't give me too much a hassle.

World 5
World 5 came up, and I selected Mario for this.

When World 5-1 started up, the sky was dark, similar to the NES original, rather than the day sky in the remakes. I got rid of the Shyguy and the Ostro at the same time, and entered the cave.

The cave started out as usual, and I picked up the Potion to hold on to it to gain the first Mushroom. But I soon saw the waterfall... instead of a pristine blue, it looked almost putrid green, as if it was polluted.

"What the heck?!" I thought.

But I needed to keep going. Aside from the green waterfall, the level played like normal. I had long learned how to jump onto Trouters without taking damage. I got the one Mushroom, as well as the other--I again remembered what Chantel showed me to get the second one.

I soon met the Green Birdo. Aside from spitting only fire, she was actually moving faster than usual. I was able to use the Mushroom Block to hit her, though I did take two hits from her flames. Luckily, I defeated her before she could shrink me down. I took the crystal and entered the hawk mask.

Selecting Mario again, I went to World 5-2.

The cavern started as normal, and I went up the ladder.

The night sky showed some stars, and they seemed to glisten. I was thankful all the enemies acted normal here. I snagged the potion from inside one of the jars and used it to find the Mushroom. Oddly, while there were two mushrooms, as Chantel ones revealed to me, there was only one Potion. So, unless I was willing to sacrifice a life, I could only pick one. Still, I was confident I could make it through the rest of the way.

But when I climbed up the vine to the clouds, I noticed something odd. The moon, which was normally near the top of the climb, was near the capsule-like hills. And when I climbed further up, I noticed thick clouds in the background. When I went through the door at the top, not only did the door vanish upon reaching the other side--rather weird for this game--it became a strong thunderstorm. Lightning bolts, not unlike those in the SNES remake of Super Mario 3, flashed in the background. Sometimes, lightning would strike a surface, causing a Spark enemy to appear. I quickly grabbed the POW block and went down, being careful to avoid the drill-like spikes. As I saw them, though, I noticed some red at the tips, which I could only assume to be blood. I was lucky enough to land onto the bridge-like platforms, and dropped the POW Block, as I didn't need it.

When I arrived, I saw the Red Birdo, and used a Trouter to hit her to get the first hit. I then used two Eggs to score the remaining hits. The storm continued to rumble during the fight and after, though thankfully no Sparks appeared from the lightning. I just picked up the Crystal and again entered the hawk mask to finish the level.

I selected Mario one more time to go through the final section of World 3.

The caverns this time had some slime on some of the rocks--purplish slime. It replaced the plants that normally were there in the cavern.

I went up the ladder, and it was a black sky. No clouds or stars, just black, similar to the NES original. Otherwise, the large plants and trees were there.

The warp jar to World 7 was gone. But I was long past the Fryguy that often traumatized me, so it meant little. But there were more Albatoss enemies and Bob-Ombs than usual. So I had to move quickly. I picked up the two Mushrooms in the stage, as I was certain I needed as much health as possible to make it through here.

When I went down the ladder, I noticed not only the purplish slime that replaced the plants on the walls, but also some drums of radioactive waste in some parts of the background.

"What were these doing in a Mario game?" I wondered.

But my focus returned to playing. I did not pick up the Mushroom block on the small jar, as doing so would release Bob-Ombs. There was usually another Potion if one were wanting more coins for the bonus game, but I didn't go for them. Josephine sat down next to me as I was playing, and she too was curious to what was going on with the waste. But I had no answer for her, as I didn't know myself.

When I reached the bases of the giant tree trunks, I noticed some cracks in the bark, and they looked grayish, as if they had been petrified. I entered the door, and the inside of the tree looked REALLY messed up. I had to quickly move Mushroom blocks, not only to open up the paths, but to seal off the Bob-Ombs in the jars before I had too much going on. I was only thankful I didn't need to worry about getting Keys from Phanto, but I DID have to worry about moving Pansers. And these Pansers moved even quicker than usual, as well as rapid-fired their fireballs. I took one hit from them, but otherwise made it to the top.

The skies here were usually day skies with clouds in the remake, but this time they were replaced with rumbling storm clouds below and starry night skies above. I quickly took out the Pidgits and rode the magic carpets above the large crevasse below. Soon I arrived at the Red Birdo and defeated her quickly. Not only did I get the Crystal, but a heart to replace the health I lost from the Panser.

Inside, I entered the chamber of Clawgrip. Aside from the Lego-like blocks and the purple slime on the caverns, I saw more stockpiles of the radioactive waste drums. Instead of rocks, there were cannonballs, not unlike those seen from the Koopaling airships in Super Mario 3, be it the NES original or the SNES remakes.

Some dialogue above Clawgrip read:

"Get ready, Richard. If you are lucky enough to survive to the final stage, you'll find out who's causing your suffering!"

After the text vanished, the battle began, and Clawgrip started chucking at me the cannonballs that replaced the rocks! But the fight was as usual, and I threw enough cannonballs back at him that matched the number of rocks needed to defeat him. I was relieved that aside from the aesthetics changes, the battle was still as normal.

When I went through the door, I was among some clouds, with a beautiful starry sky. Even a shooting star went by, and an angel girl came to give some 1-Ups for each of the coins I had picked up on the way.

Some text read:

"You're doing wonderfully, Richard! I know you can win!  Just persevere to the end!"

I was starting to get a hunch who the angel was, but I had to keep going to know for sure.

World 6
World 6 was the second desert board, so I picked Toad again.

When World 6-1 started, it was as normal. Even the trees and temple were back to normal.

I went down the first jar to get the Potion, but when I got back up, the temple was demolished, the plants were dead, and the sky was black, except for some fire in the background.

"Did some war start?!" I asked.

But I was so thankful the potion worked and I was able to get the first mushroom before it sank in the quicksand.

The Pokey cacti in the level looked dried and almost mummified, but were taken out as normal. I was able to get the second potion and got the second mushroom. I then went into what I figured was the tomb of the level.

I remember from Chantel's plays which jars had extra lives, and which had the Key. But where the Key was, instead of a Phanto, it was a floating skull chasing me, not unlike the skulls that made the rafts in Super Mario World--after all, I WAS playing the remake on the SNES. It followed slow, so I could get to the locked door before it caught me, but what unnerved me was its laugh. The best way I could describe it is similar to the laugh that Boos would later have in Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64.

I soon made it to the Green Birdo. I was thankful that both the room and the Birdo were normal, or as normal as a game like this gets. I was able to smack her down with the Mushroom blocks before her fire breath got too sporatic, and got the Crystal to escape the area.

I picked Toad again, and started World 6-2, which Nintendo Power and some fans called the "Albatoss Bypass", since you needed to ride the Albatoss to make it to the other side.

The cave started normal, but when I made it through the door, boy was I in for a surprised.

In the SNES remake, it would normally be the starry night sky, and some hills in the background. But this time, it was completely black, and blue flames were below in the pits.

"Could this be hell?!" I wondered. "No, no, it couldn't be."

Thankfully the Albatoss birds flew as normal, and I rode one. I had to backtrack a brief bit, since I had to get the Mushroom (it was the only one there), but I was able to make it to the second Birdo battle of the world.

This too was another green Birdo, but the room had gaps in the walls that weren't there before, and some more blue flames glowed behind them.

Thankfully, those were the only aesthetic changes, and the Birdo was defeated as normal. I got the crystal and got through the Hawk Gate--I didn't want to stick around and find out what ELSE had changed.

Once more, I picked Toad to finish out the second desert world that was World 6.

The starting room started as normal, but when I ascended up the ladder, the pyramids that normally decorated the background were demolished, the cacti were dead, and the oasis was dead and polluted. Only the sands and the night sky remained the same. Also, the quicksand shortcut to the end no longer worked, as the quicksand there seemed to solidify.

In fact, when I approached the wall that was there, a Phanto briefly appeared and said:

"Did you really think you'd get by THAT easily?!"

So I had to take the long way. I picked up a Potion and got the first Mushroom. Unlike the original NES, you had to get a Bob-Omb to blow open the gate. I did so.

The inside caves were normal, albeit with the usual red-eyed enemies we've seen so far. I used some bombs to break open barriers. I also planned ahead so I could get the second Mushroom. It didn't take too long to reach the vine on the other side of the cavern.

The calm clouds in the SNES remake were replaced by storm clouds with some lightning flashes. Thankfully, no Sparks appeared, other than the Sparks that were already there, as were whatever Hoopsters were on the Vines. I played through this level as normal and made it to the top to see the starry sky.

I soon got to the "Sky Pyramid", as I called it, and just behind it was an evil looking moon. Again, not unlike what we'd see in the future N64 game "Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask", albeit in a 16-bit form. The red Birdo within was defeated as normal, and I was lucky only once did she shoot a Fireball, which I dodged easily.

As stated before, this was long before the Game Boy Advance was made, let alone Super Mario Advance, so it would still be a second Tryclyde instead of Mouser here. But that mattered little, as the room was radically different. The only parts of the room that stayed the same were the Lego-like blocks, and the temple-like columns. The rock walls were grayish, and the rest of the background was black with blue flames.

The red Tryclyde said, "Welcome to another spot of hell, Richard!"

After saying that, he again sent out his barrage of fireballs. I had to work quickly, and started throwing Mushroom blocks like crazy. The battle did take out two of my life sections, but I remained my large state and knocked out Tryclyde--again--before he could knock me out! I then went through the door, into a beautiful oasis at sunrise.

The angel again gave me some extra lives--I had lost track at how many I gained, and the angel said:

"Keep going, Richard, you are so close to your goal."

Indeed I was. I wanted to find out what the heck is going on, not just how the game knew my name.

World 7 (and Ending)
The final world, World 7, was before me. I picked the Princess.

World 7-1 started out as normal, and I was able to get both Mushrooms. The first one in the indoor area I knew of, but the outdoor one I had to remember from watching Chantel's plays. Also, that cloud maze after riding the rocket was normal, but for some reason, the Snifits just didn't seem to shoot.

After climbing the ladder at the end of the cloud maze, I saw the clouds become dark. Other than the Sparks that were there usually, none of the lightning flashes produced them. I was thankful for that since the level was already hectic with those. I reached the top, and the columns and house looked almost trashed.

I went inside, and the green Birdo was really peeved. The inside room was also messed up--some of the bricks even got knocked out, revealing the dark sky outside.

The green Birdo wasn't too hard--I only got hit once by a lucky fireball--but I got the crystal and completed the level.

But even the past battles I had, including my battle with Fryguy, couldn't prepare me for what was about to come.

I was preparing to go to the final level, World 7-2, but I was only able to select Mario. For some reason, Luigi, Toad, and the Princess had that sprite when they lost a life.

The start of the level, which usually had a lovely sky setting, was replaced with storm clouds and a dark sky--showing only that ominous full moon from previous levels.

Inside the castle, it was even more horrifying. The golden blocks of the building were replaced with steel gray, some of the pillars had skulls--again, the same skulls used to make the Super Mario World rafts--and the torches had bluish flames. Even the drill spikes seem to have some red pixels on them, which I assumed to be blood. But luckily, the layout was still the same. I was able to wander a bit to get the mushrooms, as I had a gut feeling I would need my strength.

I got the key from the Birdo as before, but the Phanto did not chase after me--it just flew off. But after unlocking the door and getting the Crystal, I saw the Phanto touch the Hawk Gate and it formed into something else. I recognized the face right away (since I knew the Super Nintendo was able to make really convincing photo-like shoots, if anyone has played the SNES ports of Final Fight). It was one of the two criminals that killed Chantel.

The text read: "Long time no see, Richard!"

He flew about as the Hawk Gate did in Super Mario 2, but a bit more sporatic. But he was able to be taken out with three Mushroom blocks.

After entering the gate's mouth, but before transitioning to the Wart Battle, I saw the Phanto face leave, and text read:

"You may have beaten me, but my buddy will have the last laugh."

The chamber containing Wart also had a horrifying transformation. The normally colorful floors were replaced with reddish-gray rock, with bluish crystals. And the castle-like backdrop was replaced with bluish flames--hellfire!

I then approached Wart, and another Phanto--this one was blue and white, instead of red and white--touched the final boss. It then transitioned into a plump humanoid, and a face appeared. I recognized this face as the other criminal. Again, the SNES was capable of making very photo-real images to a small extent, if anyone saw Final Fight.

Text read: "This is the end for you, Richard. I will torment you forever unless you can beat me!"

There was one problem with this battle, however--the machine was not pumping out any vegetables whatsoever.

Some more text read: "Can't really damage me without the veggies, can you?"

At that, the reconfigured Wart started spitting bubbles. I was down to my last hit point, when the angel appeared.

An image appeared, and I recognized it. See, back when Chantel was still alive, and we went on our last date before her death, we met an artist who could do anime and manga styled caricatures. So the image here was the anime styled caricature of Chantel as an angel.

Text read: "You can do it, Richard! Let me help!"

With that, Luigi, Toad, and the Princess were revived, and joined me. The angel then did a motion that looked like singing, and some Starmen floated up. They touched me, Luigi, Toad, and Peach. With that, I joined them in ramming Wart over and over, until the battle ended.

Normally in the ending, the character would find the jar and open it to free the Subcon fairies. But in this case, we were in that same chamber without the jar, and all four met Chantel.

Text read: "You did it, Richard. You are now freed from the tragic past.  Now I can rest."

I couldn't believe what I just read.

As I watched the "credits" with Mario sleeping, and Josephine watching with me, we contemplated what we saw. The ghosts of the two criminals had entered the cart to toy with me, but Chantel's spirit had come to free me of my grief.

Of course, no one would believe us, since after this encounter, Super Mario 2 played as normal. But we knew it was true.

The weekend after this, Josephine and I visited Chantel's grave to place flowers there. And to thank her for helping us cope.