Suddenly, you hear something rustle. "H-Hello?" You call out. No one answers. You jump up from your sitting position, only to bump your head on a branch above from the Acorn Tree you were under. You hear suppressed laughter from the same bush. You find a random stick on the floor and arm yourself as you slowly start advancing. When you get close enough, three Goombas pop out, but since you reacted fast enough, you managed to swing and hit them. Only one of them remained conscious. Although something was different about him; He was a bit shiny, had yellow eyes, and sparkled with every movement.

"My name is Shinx, and I haven't seen you around before!" He prompts. A very straight foward Goomba, he was. "O-Ok? and why do I need to know that? Why should I even care?" You taunt. Goombas have short tempers. Especially Shinx. "Wha- How dare you!?" He shouts in frustration.

"I mean, I've never seen you either, so you don't really need to say that..." You explain. "Hmm..." He pauses. "Another human... Another trouble to deal with, I'd better tell Bowser!" He thinks aloud. "I can hear you..." You point out. "Wha?? Oh, right you're here. I almost forgot!" He taunts back. "If you're already forgetting about me, then I guess I'm free to go! Man, Goombas must be really stupid or something..." You come back.

"Ok, that's IT! RAAAHH!!!" He charges at you. Right as you get ready to dodge, someone familiar shouts, "Yahoo!" Mario appears from above and stomps on Shinx. "GRAH! Now the plumbers are here too!? This can't get any worse..." He grumbles. "Mario?" You exclaim. "I-It's ok, I got this!" You assure. "No, you haven't dealt with Goombas before!" He disclaims. "He technically has..." Luigi adds. "Look!"

They glance at the other two Goombas KO'd on the floor. Then Mario sighs. "Fine, but anything goes wrong, I jump in. You mentally laugh as "Jumpman" made that statement, then turn to Shinx, who just snapped out of his daze.

"Hey, I bet you won't try and attack me again! I bet you're too scared!" You call to him. He took the bait and charged again. This time, you trip him last second sending him flying into the tree. An acorn lands on his head, knocking him out as well. You glance around, to see that Mario and Luigi were glancing at you, talking in Italian.

Finally, they turn back to you. "Wow, that was great!" Luigi says. "Yeah! You handled that very well. Say, have you dealt with Goombas before, uh..." "(Y/N). And no. Well, kind of." You tell him. "Oh. Well (Y/N), what do you mean by 'Kind of'?" Luigi asks. You then regale your dream and that you were from Earth and that you were a human who played many Nintendo games.

After that, they stare quizzically at you. "So what you're saying," Mario starts. "Is that Eldstar visited you in a dream, and told you that you were to go on a mission you don't know about?" He restates. "Pretty much. I know it's kinda weird, but it's true..." You shrug as you rub the back of your head. "Let's take (Y/N) to Toadsworth and Peach!" Luigi suggests. "You do know who they are, right?" Mario asks.

"Of course I do!" You say, feigning offense. "Princess Peach, and Toadsworth, Her godfather and assistant!" You answer. Luigi nods, and Mario just glances at you before turning away again. You stay silent the rest of the way there.

~~~~~~~

When you approach the castle, it blows you away. It seems even bigger than in the games and even has some gold lining scattered here and there. It also looked way better in general. You wonder why Nintendo didn't make it look that way, but you keep it to yourself. As you three walk inside, many Toads look in your directions, gaping at the sight of a new human.

You three then walk up to Peach's throne, ignoring their staring. "Mario!" Peach's face lights up. "It's good to see you too..." Mario blushes. "Anyway," He continues. He then leans in and speaks in Italian to Peach, who frowns while you cross your arms and look away. "I didn't know you spoke Italian!" Luigi whispers to you. "I don't, I just heard "(Y/N)" and "Iffy"..." You stubbornly reply. "Oh." He awkwardly says back. "Well, don't listen to him, he thinks anyone new could be dangerous, he's paranoid like that." He jokes. "Oh, ok!" You smile back at him.

Just then, Peach turns to you. "So (Y/N)... That is your name, right?" She asks. "Yup, that's me!" You enthusiastically reply while pointing your thumb at yourself. "Oh, ok. Well, (Y/N), we need to discuss something in private. Let's go!" You and Luigi questioningly glance at Mario, then each other, then Mario again, then again at each other, finally just shrugging and moving on.

~~~~~~~

After taking many twists and turns and flights of stairs, you all finally make it. Well, to wherever "it" is, anyway.

It's a room with a big white table and black chairs. There were other small details, like dressers and lamps, but nothing special. "What is this room? Why are we here?" You think to yourself while glancing around. "This room is a room that has soundproof walls and blocks any signals and magic." Peach explains to you. "Ah." You say simply.

"So, (Y/N), I want you to wear this." Mario says while revealing a blue cap. You take it and inspect it, and discover it has little metal pads on the inside as well as a small light on the front. Despite this, you put it on without question. 

"So (Y/N), you say that Eldstar brought you from a dream to the Mushroom Kingdom?" She asks. "Uh-huh." You shortly reply. You see a green light reflect in her eyes and realize that it's the light on your cap. This was a lie detector cap. "And (Y/N) Is your name?" She asks again. "(Y/N) is my name!" Another green light. "How old are you?" She asks. "Sixteen." You reply.

This time, there was a red light. "I-I meant seventeen!" A green light appeared in her eyes again. "Ok. Are you here alone?" She asks. "No. Well, yes, in a way..." You trail off. No light. "What do you mean by that?" She asks. "Well, Eldstar said my friend Danny would come too, just not until later." You explain. Green light. "Ok. And you just came today?" She asks. "Yeah, like fifteen minutes ago." You say.

No light. You take off the cap and examine it, just to see a lightning bolt on the back of it. "I think it's dead..." You point out. Luigi takes it and comes to the same conclusion. "Oh, it is. Hold on..." He turns around and shocks it with his Thunderhand, then hands it to Mario, who puts it back on your head. "How'd you know it was electric?" Mario asks. "Well, there are metal pads inside it, and there's a light on the front that turns green or red depending on if I'm telling the truth or not." You explain.

Green light. "What does it mean when there isn't light?" You ask. "It means either it's dead or unsure." Luigi explains. "Anyways, I did come here like fifteen minutes ago." Green light. "What day was it when you were on Earth that you came here?" She asks. "My birthday. I turned 17 today, which is why I fumbled with my age." Green light. "Oh. Well happy birthday, or whatever..." Mario grumbles. "Gee, thanks..." You flatly say, glaring at Mario. He glares back, but you already turned back to Peach and ignored him. For Super Mario, he wasn't very nice. "Well, (Y/N) has been very truthful with us!" Luigi attempts to change the subject from the tense situation. "Yeah, yeah..." Mario grudgingly agrees. "Well then, let's-a-go!" Luigi says.

~~~~~~~

You three were walking when you realize that Luigi didn't have his cap on. "Hey, Luigi?" You ask. "Yeah?" He replies. "Where's your cap?" You ask. He feels on his head, just to realize it wasn't there. "Oh gosh darn it, I must have left it at the castle! I'll go get it!" He says. "I'll come with-" "He'll be fine" Mario interrupts. You glance at Luigi, who nods his head, then runs off.

"Mario, what is your problem?" You finally confront. "What do you mean?" He says while glaring at you. "Well first, you made my birthday seem so unimportant when every year on March 10, everyone including Bowser celebrates a holiday for you!" You shoot back. "Don't you dare bring Bowser into this!" He threatens.

"Or what?" You dare. "And you were just being overall rude!" You joke, but seriously. "Don't make fun of my clothing choice!" He shouts. "And I was just gonna go with your brother, but you refused!" You end. "He's my brother. And I don't trust you!" He yells. "Well, what about that lie detector cap, huh? And don't even say that I could've been using magic or something, because Peach's earrings protect her from Dark Magic and also detects other magic being used!" You rant.

"..." He stays silent. "Where are we going anyway?" You grudgingly ask. "To our house so you can stay." Mario says matter-of-factly. "Uh, I'm good, so I'll have to pass on that." You say as you stop walking. "Oh yeah? Well, where are you gonna stay then?" He asks smirking. "Not with you!" You shoot. "Ok, bye then!" He says. "Bye, Maroi!" You mispronounce his name. "It's 'MARIO'!" He shouts back. You smile, then walk in another direction.

You soon meet Luigi again, but this time he has his cap on. "Sorry I took so... Wait, where's Mario?" He asks. "Up ahead. We also got into an argument." You explain. "W-What? Why?" He exclaims. "Well, I got annoyed because he was being so rude and told him, and then I asked him where we going, then I said I wasn't gonna stay with him, so now he's ahead." You say.

"Oh, yeah, he's been getting quite... Different... Lately, so just ignore him for now... Hey, I have an idea!" He exclaims. "W-what?" You ask, caught off-guard. "Let's have a tennis match! It'll be a great way to spend your first day here!" He convinces. "Sure! Why not, let's-a-go!" You say, which makes him nervously laugh and blush.

~~~~~~~

You make your way to a tennis court and Luigi picks up two rackets; one green and one red. "Here, you can use Mario's, it's good for beginners!" He encourages. O-Ok..." You hesitantly take the racket, even though you played tennis before. "You can serve first!" He says. You take a tennis ball, then serve it to Luigi. After that, it was pretty much just back and forth for a few minutes until you drop shot it making Luigi dive to ht it. Then, you lob it just as a way too familiar voice shouts, "What are you two doing!?"

You both turn to see Mario, but Luigi forgot about the tennis ball you lobbed, and it hit him right on the head. "Luigi, are you ok!?" You worry. "Deserves it..." You hear Mario grumble. "Mario, Luigi's your brother. Shouldn't you care about him?" You carefully watch your words and tone, so you wouldn't make him too angry. "Yeah, well he let you use my racket. You could've broken it!" He argues.

You put Mario's racket back and tend to Luigi, who was unconscious at the moment, getting an ice pack from the medical closet and put it on the newly-forming bump on Luigi's head. You then lay him down with his head resting on a towel over a rock. "Y'Know you could just get a Super Mushroom or a Refreshing Herb, right?" He says. "Well, there aren't any in the unlocked medical closet, and the way you've been acting, I didn't think you would use one on him." You say without turning. "Anyways, it'll heal in about fifteen to thirty minutes." You continue. "Well, what are we gonna do 'till then?" Mario asks.

"Why don't we play a game or two of Tennis?" You suggest. "I'll use Luigi's racket, so your poor widdle wackets won't bweak!" You tease in a childish tone. "...Fine." He finally agrees. You take Luigi's racket, which felt way better in your opinion. "You serve." You say. Mario nonchalantly takes the ball from the spot it fell after hitting Luigi. "It doesn't matter who serves first, either way, this game will be over before you know it!" He taunts. "Mario, since when did you become so different?" You ask. "Different... How?" He asks. "Well, now you're just so... So rude, and careless, and cocky! I only wanted to play to pass the time, y'know..." You observe.

"Well, if you're only playing for fun and not for the top, you shouldn't be playing at all!" Mario shouts as he serves up a nasty Topspin. "That's not true! Sports should be able to be played by anyone! Professionally or for fun! That little slice of info should be clear in your head by now!" You say as you Slice it back towards him. "Well, I think this is going way over your head!" He says, lobbing it. "Mario, I didn't think you would drop to such low standards!" You say as you Drop Shot it. "You need to dive deeper to find the meaning of sports!" He shouts as he Dive Shots the ball. "I disagree." You say flatly as you perform a Flat Shot. "You're such a simpleton!" He yells, making a simple shot. "Well, let's end this with a little spin then! I think I've got you cornered!" You say as you Topspin the tennis ball to the corner.

Mario misses, giving you the point. After that, you hear Luigi groan. You both look over to see Luigi sitting up. "L-Luigi!? Since when did you get up?" You ask, shocked. "Since you both started making those bad puns..." He answers. "B-But you were only out for like five minutes!" You say, examining his head just to see that the bump was gone! "I guess (Y/N)'s treatment worked well!" He says, thankfully looking at you. "Woah, Woah, Woah, how do you know that wasn't me?" Mario asks offendedly. "Because you would just give me a Super Mushroom." Luigi states matter-of-factly. "Anyways, it's getting dark, we should leave..." Luigi points out. "D'awww... Is da widle baby scawed?" Mario teases, earning no reaction. "Yeah, we should go... Alright, bye guys!" You call as you run off. "W-Wait! Where are you going?" Luigi asks, but you were already out of earshot.

You didn't know exactly where you were going, though. You were just gonna find a clearing in the forest and stay there. Better than being with Mario. 10 minutes later, you find a pretty good spot then settle down. You start wondering aloud. "Today was... Kinda weird... But hey, it'll get better, right? Heh, I can't wait to go on a mission to save Peach with the Mario Bros, But Mario might reject me and say it's too dangerous... Eh, why should I care? I'll just sneak along with them anyways!" You conclude.

"If I could get on Bowser's side, my life would be complete! Although, I don't think he'd let me, being a human and all... But there's still a chance! I hope. If only everyone would just get along..." Your voice trails off as something clicks in your head. "What if... What if that's the mission Eldstar sent me on? What if I have to make the Mushroom Kingdom and the Darklands form an alliance? Yeah, that has to be it! Why else would Eldstar want me here? I've always wanted them to get along!" You say with sudden determination. You suddenly don't feel tired anymore and start to go looking for various items to help you with your newfound quest.

But a rustling stops you dead in your tracks. You get into a fighting stance, ready for something to attack. Three Goombas jump out at you. You recognize the one with yellow eyes. "So, Shinx, you back for more?" You say after dodging them all. "No, I'm here to make you pay for what you did to us!" He shoots back. "Well, that time you attacked me. Now you're doing it again but all of you are shiny! I can still beat you though!" You confidently reply.

You then boot one of them as hard as you can out of the forest. One down, two to go. The other one charges at you, but you stomp them, trapping them in the ground, finishing them off with another kick. And then there was one. Shinx.

"Well, well, well, lookie here! Seems like you didn't need the help of those plumbers after all!" He taunts. "Yeah, I told them I was fine, and now you can see why!" You reply. "Well, this time, I'm not losing!" He confidently shouts. You jump up and stomp him into the ground, springboarding off and stomping him in further. "That should do it... Now, quest items... Quest items..." You say as you continue looking for power-ups. "H-Hey! HEY!! You can't just leave me here!" He shouts, but you ignore him and carry on.

~~~~~~~

During last night's search, you found three Super Mushrooms, 2 1-UP Mushrooms, bringing your life count up to five, a Fire Flower, an Ice Flower, 271 coins bringing your life count up to seven, an Acorn, a Heli-Mushroom, and a Non-Spiked Blue Shell.

Right after, you hear more rustling, and ready yourself with the nearest branch you could find.

Shinx jumps out at you, and you whack him away, just as two green Koopas and one red Koopa surround you. They all charge and tackle you roughing you up a bit. You hump back up just to have Shinx headbutt you back down. They all gang up on you, beating you while you were down.

You couldn't hear anything but their shouts of satisfaction, and soon started thinking, "Why am I letting them do this? I can't! Not any longer! I won't give them the satisfaction of beating me my first day here!" You're suddenly filled with a short burst of energy and leap up from the mob. You knock away the Koopas in their shells one by one.

And then there was Shinx.

This time, you didn't take chances. You immediately grab him and throw him as far away as you could. You listen as his screaming fades into silence; "I'LL TELL Bowser about this..!", then realize how hurt you are. You also realize that Shinx dropped a Super Mushroom. "Sweet! Now I don't have to use one of mine!" You exclaim. You hold it up to absorb it, and as you do, you feel your body regaining its strength.

You decide to rest for the day, somehow knowing no one else would come.

~~~~~~~