TTAFW: Prologue:

It is with great urgency that I reveal this truth up front:

Many "fictional" worlds - whether they are from video games, TV, films, books, anime, cartoons, or all of those, exist. Some do not, granted, yet most do. They always have.

For those who live on Earth, forgive me for not coming out with this sooner. It grieves me to think of my oppressors reaching me before the entirety of the Truth is told. I shudder to think of what they would do to your world if it found out, yet recent events have forced me to act against my protective judgment.

I wasn't born knowing this secret though - I didn't know of it until merely two weeks before I turned 14, and I'd played video games my whole life and never once made the connection. Discovering the Truth requires discovering the Mario World, which is technically called the "Mushroom World." This happened to be the world that I "lived" in throughout most of my childhood, and I came upon its existence on accident doing a simple, everyday task - replacing a full trash bag with a new one. Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps it was my destiny. Or perhaps it was sheer luck. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it were all three, but I'll never know for sure.

April 20th, 2010...I remember that day perfectly. I had just checked the time - 10:02 A.M. - and bent down to the wooden cabinet below the kitchen sink. Opening it, I crawled entirely inside and reached for the red, torn-up box that contained the pitch black trash bags I searched for. I breathed in a different air this time; not a physical wind or mental flow of energy, but of a deeper kind. Elusive, extraordinary, and extreme, something underneath the sink was different.

At that moment, a small panel in the floor just big enough for my small, 13-year-old body dropped from under me. I tumbled, sliding down the slippery slope I'd fallen into, sensing somehow that where I would end up would alter my life completely. The tube of sorts was enclosed, dark, damp, and mildewed; moments later, a light appeared in the distance.

Everything felt all too real to not be – that I was sure of. I knew I had arrived in the Mushroom World, as I recognized the kind of pipe I'd fallen through; it was a thick, light green, three foot wide, Warp Pipe. No question. Additionally, floating blocks; giant mushrooms that appeared to move; and creatures from straight out of the Mario games, such as brown, mushroom-shaped Goombas, surrounded the area.

Being a Mario fanatic, I remained so heavily in shock that I refused to deny what I witnessed, and instead walked around for a good while. Eventually, I stumbled upon Princess Peach's Castle, perfectly resembling its many appearances in most Mario games, with its scarlet tiles on top of each horizontal and sloped area; plain, red-and-white flags on each corner of its rectangular rooftop and at the top of the massive white tower stemming from its center; and a flowery logo of the golden-haired Princess Peach, complete with her iconic pink dress, on the castle's front.

I soon met the red-shirted, blue over-alls-wearing Mario, along with his green-shirted brother Luigi (who also wore blue over-alls) and Princess Peach.

We talked for a short time and I told them what happened; Mario and Luigi were pleased to finally not be the only ones from the Earth (which everyone here called the "Real World"), as they originally lived in New York City. The three gladly gave me a tour of the castle, ending the tour on the roof.

Bowser, the eternal enemy of the Mushroom World, attacked while we were atop the roof. He swiftly defeated the Mario Bros. thanks to his minions; Peach and I then assumed that there was nothing we could do about the situation, yet a rainbow-colored, glowing sphere appeared and absorbed itself into me. It was a Smash Ball, a mysterious object which opens up the user to the utmost potential they have, and sometimes presents abilities they have not even gained yet. Bowser and his allies were miraculously defeated by a massive, crackling, blue fireball emanating from my left hand.

Mario and Luigi later congratulated and thanked me, even though I knew nothing of how the event was possible. They insisted on training me to fight like they do over the course of however long it would take. I accepted, yet needed permission. After cautiously revealing the secret world under ours the next day and taking them there, my parents, surprisingly, agreed.

Six days a week, four hours a day, I was to come to the Mushroom World and receive training from Mario and Luigi The actual training the Bros. did was essentially just the practice of me copying whatever they did – after I'd gotten into shape, of course.

I was now 15 years old; 17 months had passed since I discovered the Mushroom World, and my training sessions had not wavered, proving to have been unexpectedly effective. Among my many combative skills, the most notable was my ability to throw red-and-orange, blazing fireballs.

I was then invited by Mario to participate in a week-long combat tournament, where highly-skilled people and characters from every Nintendo world come together and fight. It is known as the "Smash Bros. Live tournament," often shortened to the "SBL tournament." The Mario Bros. and my parents collectively convinced me to participate. While I have no need to explain in detail how each of the seven match-ups I faced went, I did win, somehow defeating Mario in the finals.

As is typical of the SBL tournament, a party was held in the Champion's honor at Peach's Castle the next day. I despised all the attention, though the video game tournaments being held inside allowed me to enjoy myself, especially the Smash Bros.-based ones.

The refreshments - popular foods from each fighter's home world, drinks from their worlds, and a delicious punch known as the "SBL Punch" - also interested me.

I needed to take a break halfway through. I took a cup of the SBL punch and headed out back to the castle's Courtyard. Much like typical courtyards of royalty, it was a symmetrical, circular garden, complete with a stone statue - shaped like a star - in the center of a fountain some 15 feet from the entrance to the area.

While resting there, Bowser and his wicked son, Bowser Jr., showed up. After a short talk, Jr. presented a two-foot long paintbrush with rainbow-colored paint along its bushy tip. I laughed at the two of them, thinking of the multiple skilled fighters inside, not concerned in the least about whatever Jr. intended to do, proceeding to drink of my SBL Punch some more.

Jr. then launched a blob of paint behind me as my eyes were closed. The goop morphed with and molded into the stone statue, transforming the once star-shaped structure into a rainbowy, liquid "M", sucking me into it. I grasped the edge of the M, legs dangling inside, shouting at the two cackling, bipedal, turtle-like Koopas. The pull of the M remained indefinitely, increasing in strength with every breath I inhaled. It finally drew me in.

I precariously tumbled through the tube-like portal, instantly losing focus on reality after witnessing the ridiculous conglomeration of colors. Bowser and his son continued mocking me, saying that the place I was headed to was "A whole new world, with a brand new attitude." They claimed that not even I could handle what I was about to deal with, that I would never fit in, and that getting back would prove impossible.

As a result of the hypnotic effects of the inside of the portal, I lost consciousness, infuriated that I had not attempted to stop those two, terrified of what may come.