The sun began to rise. The luminous rays of the sun beamed across the Gaur Plains, a place known to wield many indigenous creatures and an alpine terrain full of supple cliffs and peaks. A ray of the climbing sun shined upon the blond hair of a sleeping warden. His clothing had a distinct, crimson shade that symbolized his strength and integrity toward the plain he had brought peace to and now inhabited. The blade he wielded on his back also emanated this crimson tint.

Though his external appearance presented this color, his dreams were also coated with this powerful color. He saw blood, blood pouring out of creatures whom dwelled the plains. Though, this vision was enigmatic, for these were not creatures he had slain. These creatures did not even originate from the Gaur Plains. These creatures were... invaders.

Suddenly, with a gasp of distraught, the young man came to his senses, waking to a soft breeze across the sun-coated plains he resided on. After taking a deep breath, he brushed the grass off of his sleeves and stood to search for the creatures he had seen in this recent nightmare. As expected, he was the only individual in sight. Ensuring this, he grabbed his supplies and began traversing to the west.

It was now fairly close to noon. The Gaur Plains had been oddly calm today. Other than insects and a cluster of birds flying overhead, there were no signs of motile life. To investigate this abnormal occurrence, the young warden climbed onto the top of a nearby cliff to gaze over the frontier. Sure enough, there were no creatures below. As he was beginning to travel back down to the flats, he heard faint breathing below the cliff he stood upon. He then dashed down the cliff to inspect, filled with both wonder and uncertainty.

As he reached the pit below his prior location, he indeed spotted an unusual creature facing the opposite direction of him. The creature was quite large, having a shell plated with sharp needles and red hair coming from its head, resembling flames. Wondering if this being was innocent, the boy instinctively called out, "Hello!"

Following this call, the monster suddenly flipped around and charged towards him with ferocious intentions. It then clawed his cheek, knocking the young warden down in anguish. The monster then grabbed him by his forearm and began dragging him hurriedly away from the cliff. Becoming aware, the boy pulled out his blade and slashed the monster across his eye, causing it to roar in pain and drop him near the edge of another cliff. Now free from its grasp, the young swordsman charged deliberately towards the monster, yelling in determination. Expecting this, the furious beast grabbed the edge of sword, swinging him off the cliff.

As the warden bean to fall, he quickly felt the presence of another being behind him, pushing him back up the cliff. This being then grabbed the monster by the tail, spinning the monster around in air multiple times before releasing its tail, launching it down the steep fall of the cliff. Gazing up in disbelief, the being quickly stated confidently, "It's a me, Mario! What are you?"

"Sh-Shulk," the young warden murmured, still staring in shock at his redeemer. Mario was like nothing he had ever seen. Mario had a large head and stubby body, almost seeming like something completely deformed, though Shulk refused to mention it.

"I believe this is the place of the Mushroom Kingdom, am I wrong?" Mario asked unswervingly. He appeared to be assured of his location, but at the same time, he was also occupied by doubt and confusion.

"N-no, I believe you are in the Gaur Plains, Sir. I watch over these grasslands daily. It is my duty." Shulk stared at Mario, who was about the same height as him from his position. Shulk was still on the ground, caressing his shin lightly from the soreness of the recent battle.

"Guard Plains? I have never heard of'a thing like it, I tell ya!"

"Well, it's actually Gaur Plains, and I did not believe that you would. I have never even heard of a kingdom of mushrooms. Is it anywhere close to here?" Shulk asked deliberately.

"I do not know, ya know? I do not even hav'a thought on how I got here! All I remember is falling through some kind of tunnel onto this grass!"

Shulk was now ultimately puzzled. There were no landscapes resembling tunnels nearby in the Gaur Plains, especially in the sky. "What did this tunnel look-"

Before he could finish his sentence, both Shulk and Mario glanced in shock as an ominous, black tunnel opened up from the skies less than one mile away. It created an eerie, bellowing sound, almost sounding like it originated from a large hog. From this tunnel, two small figures came out, falling onto the surface as Mario had minutes before. In response to this, both Mario and Shulk began sprinting towards the two distant figures. Had this been the same tunnel that brought Mario to the surface?