Mario jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to recall what nightmare had awoken him. It took a moment to collect what had shocked him into wakefulness, but he remembered.

His head was impaled on a roughly cut wooden spike. An unfamiliar landscape of flames and volcanic rock swam into his limited field of vision. Mario heard crunching sounds coming from almost below him. He looked down with a feeling of oncoming dread. The dread was well placed, but not enough to prepare him for the sight of demonic entities gorging themselves on his headless corpse. The sheer terror of that sight woke him up, bringing him to where he sat in the dark.

"Mama mia..."

Mario muttered, holding his head. This was the latest nightmare in a long line of them, each bringing a new death with it. He couldn't remember the last time he had a peaceful sleep. Even with his own medical knowledge, he couldn't diagnose himself with anything. The nightmares came on suddenly, with no precursor or warning. Mario could only speculate what they meant and why he had them.

Mario dragged himself to the mansion's kitchen to eat an early breakfast. He saw no point in going back to sleep and risking another nightmare. The plumber pulled out leftover spaghetti from the fridge. He heated it up the microwave, being careful to take it out just before the timer went off to respect those still asleep.

After finishing the spaghetti, Mario checked the time. It was 5:56. He suppressed a yawn. This was way too early for anyone to be up. After a small debate with himself, the plumber reasoned that rest was worth the nightmares. He returned to bed and tried to get back to sleep.

———

The chamber was dark. Mario, Samus, and Mega Man walked in cautious silence. Mario felt a slight breeze on the back of his neck but ignored it. Suddenly, a creature flew in from the abyss and grabbed Mario by the neck. Mario's hat flew off in the process. Mario only had a split second to register what happened before his neck was snapped.

"Good morning, Mario!"

Mario opened his eyes to sunlight flooding in through an open window. It was just another nightmare. He smiled with relief.

"Oh, good morning-a, Peach!" Mario said. Peach looked cheerful as always. She was lucky she didn't suffer from nightmares. The pair walked to the kitchen together. Peach had made pancakes for breakfast and Mario didn't have the heart to tell her he had already eaten.