Mario crept out of the alleyway, making sure that nobody was in sight. The mission had been a secret from everyone, and he still had the mindset that the villagers shouldn't know about it. But then everything he had heard in the past several hours flooded back to him. He took a single step forward in secrecy, and then he burst into a sprint toward the castle.

It didn't take him long to traverse the town and reach the castle gates. Another pair of Toads were on guard, both looking exhausted and surprised to see him approaching.

"The password, Mario," said one Toad as officially as he could manage, stifling a yawn.

"There's no time!" Mario said exasperatedly. All of them knew how silly the password system was, but Peach had enacted it for a specific reason. "Please let me in!"

"You know we can't," the other replied. "Do you need a reminder?"

Mario sighed in frustration. "Princess Peach rules over this land. Protect her, and she will protect you. Guard her, and she will guide you."

The Toads nodded to each other. One pulled a lever, and the gates slowly opened. Mario pushed against them until he could squeeze through and sprinted through the garden and across the stone bridge. He threw the front door open and up the several flights of stairs and many doors that eventually led to Peach's bedroom.

The moment he opened the last door, he was met with a scream of joy. Several bodies dove into him and sent him to the ground. He heard crying and felt something dripping onto his cheek. He couldn't see what it was, but from the mess of blonde hair obscuring his eyes and the sobbing right next to him he knew Peach was crying from joy.

"We're so glad you're back, brother," came a familiar voice from his side.

"Now you've got to tell us where you were all this time," came another from a bit farther away.

Then from the bedroom, a third voice – this one more annoyed than happy – chimed in: "And why we're all crammed into this fancy bedroom!"

"You still haven't told them?" Mario asked.

"I didn't want to worry them," Peach whispered in reply, her voice muffled from digging her face in Mario's neck. "Not for no reason."

Mario wanted to enjoy the embrace of his wife, his brother, and his best friend forever, but they didn't have the time. He gave Peach a soft but noticeable push, and she looked at him.

"We have a reason," Mario replied. "The attack's coming."

"No…" Peach whispered, all of her fears confirmed. "When? Where? With what?"

Mario gave her another soft push, and she quickly moved off of him and helped him to his feet. Luigi placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and to his right Yoshi smiled at him. Inside the room, several friends had been gathered. Daisy and Birdo were perched on the edge of the pink bed, Wario was standing next to the window glaring, and Toadette and her boyfriend were sitting on a large couch in the middle of the room.

Those were people he had expected. He was surprised to find a Hammer Bros, a Blooper, and a Dry Bones in a corner staring at him. He opened his mouth to request an explanation, but Peach seemed to read his mind and provided a quick one.

"They're representatives we requested. They were the only ones who could arrive on such short notice."

"We haven't fought with Bowser since he disappeared," Dry Bones added, giving an attempt at a reassuring smile but looked much more sinister than he intended. "We aren't enemies."

"I'm glad you agree," Mario replied. "In a short while, we'll need all the allies we can find. Where is Toadsworth?"

"He's in the bell tower," Peach answered. "Does he need to ring?"

Mario nodded gravely. "We need everyone prepared to evacuate."

"Evacuate?" Daisy replied. "Why are we evacuating?"

"Is that why we've been here all day?" Toadette asked. "Are we in danger?"

"Tell us what's going on!" Wario demanded. "I don't like being kept in the dark!"

"We have no time," said Mario. "Just trust us!"

Wario scoffed. "Mario, you've made plenty of terrible decisions in the past few years. My trust for you has been fading for a long time."

"Then go!" Mario shouted in frustration. "Go and die!"

The room was deathly silent after that outburst. Mario saw the looks of fear on so many of his friends' faces and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"What did you go through on the other side?" Peach whispered with concern. "Please, you have to tell us everything."

"Send the word to Toadsworth," Mario said. "Then I'll tell you. We need as many Toads gathered as we can."

"Should I go get my family?" Toadette's boyfriend asked. "My mom's a deep sleeper; I don't think even the bell will wake her."

"I'll go with Toad," Toadette added. "We'll be back as soon as we can!"

"You know the password?" Peach asked. When the pair nodded, she nodded back. "Then be quick."

The pair left, a serving Toad was sent to give the message to Toadsworth, and soon the ringing of the bell on the castle roof sent its message across the town. Everyone gathered at the windows to watch the crowd of Toads gather in the main square.

"Give us the story, Mario," Wario demanded. "Why is all of this necessary?"

Mario gave a glance at Peach, wondering how much of the truth to tell them. Should he tell them what happened two years ago when all of this began, or 9 months ago when their worst fears came true? He decided he didn't have the time; he'd tell them just enough to placate them.

Twelve hours prior, Mario had sneaked into the alleyway while the posted guards were on an unscheduled lunch break. He pulled away a hidden section of wall that held neatly-folded confiscated camouflage gear resting. He took another look around to make sure he was completely alone and changed into these clothes. He replaced the empty space with his clothes and carefully sealed the hollow wall. He checked his pockets for supplies and found a pistol in one pocket and a combat knife stashed in the boot. He took a moment to compose himself, and then he entered the tunnel.

The moment he crossed the entrance, his vision was filled with blue, and any sense of apprehension and fear he had instantly dissipated. He strode forward with a reassured purpose. He had nothing to fear on the other side; he'd be completely okay.

The trip through the tunnel was short, and soon he could hear the sounds of wheels crunching on dirt. He could see the gorgeous hillsides of the world on the other side. The incredibly bright rays of light shined through the exit, forcing Mario to cover his eyes before they could get accustomed to the intensity.

He paused momentarily before truly crossing over. He could see clearly for miles in all directions the tunnel showed, and he made sure that nobody was within sight. The flatbed truck that was the source of the crunching dirt was driving in the distance, and only when that disappeared did he cross over into the other world.

"Hey, who are you?" Came a voice to his right.

He turned in surprise to see a large man staring at him in confusion. The man turned the rifle in his hands toward Mario, and he had little choice but to attack. He dove at the man, aiming for the rifle and knocking it away from his fingers. The two fell to the ground, punching and kicking each other. Mario landed on top, and he was easily able to overcome the surprised guard and knock him unconscious.

Breathing deeply, Mario stared at the man on the ground. He hadn't expected there to be a guard posted. It should've been obvious. He regretted having to attack the man, but the mission counted on his identity remaining a secret. He was just glad that he didn't have to fire his gun; that he hadn't even thought about using it.

He pulled the man into nearby bushes. He took the soldier's weapons and ammunition, tossing the extra pistol and knife away. He would have bound and gagged him, but he didn't have the material. All he could do was hope the man would stay unconscious until he was safely away.

Once all of this was done, Mario started walking toward the single noticeable structure in the distance: a skyscraper. The world was wide and open, made almost entirely of pleasant green hills and small pockets of forest. There were few manmade structures that penetrated the natural landscape. And this one being so tall made it easy to set as a goal.

Not too far from the tunnel was a sign posted that read: "Mushroom Kingdom Realm." Mario was tempted to knock the sign down in case anyone saw but decided against it. Anyone who saw him near the sign would know where he was from, and attempting to vandalize it would only lead to a greater chance of being seen.

He walked for nearly an hour and was nowhere near close to arriving at the tower. He climbed multiple hills and saw the numerous camps that surrounded it. It seemed like the ground underneath it was constantly moving and shaking, but that was just an illusion; in reality, the ground was completely still and the multiple thousands of people moving were causing it.

He was in the process of climbing a hill when he heard faint rumbling to his right. It was another truck driving toward him. He debated running, but it was a vehicle and it would catch him. Instead, he waved his arms and faked a smile of joy and appreciation for being found. The truck slowed to a stop beside him, and the driver smiled at him out the window.

"You lose your platoon, mate?" He shouted.

Mario looked at the truck's back. There were a dozen soldiers sitting on the edge staring at him. All of them were large men wearing full gear, including masks.

"Yeah," Mario replied, trying his best to hide his accent. "Would you mind giving me a lift?"

The driver shrugged. "Not a problem. Where are you heading?"

"Bravo, right?" A soldier from the truck's back asked. "I think I recognize you! I got lost too!"

The thought of getting recognized made Mario's heart freeze. But it was an escape from the question he couldn't answer, so he had to take it.

"Yeah, thanks! Nice to see you again!" Mario replied more to the soldier in the back than the driver.

The driver pointed to the back of his truck, and Mario climbed on. He was forced to sit next to the soldier who called him out, but otherwise he had enough room to be comfortable. The truck made its way to the tower. All along the way, the soldier who had saved him stared at him. Mario tried to avoid eye contact, staring at the scenery as it passed, hoping that the soldier was just mistaking him for someone else.

The truck eventually merged onto a dirt road just a few miles from the tower. It was here where the settlements that surrounded the tower were distinguishable. The farthest were small, consisting of a few dozen dark green tents and a single wooden condo, and surrounded by metal gates. A few were filled with soldiers exercising or lounging around, but the vast majority in sight were completely empty.

As the tower drew nearer, the settlements increased rapidly in size, soon holding hundreds of large tents and thousands of soldiers. They were closer to each other, although they were always separated and gated. More trucks joined theirs on the road, creating a line of traffic that slowed them down immensely.

There wasn't a single woman that Mario could see. All of the soldiers were young, large, fit men. Some of the more decorated soldiers were a bit older with noticeably gray hair, but even they were keeping up with their subordinates.

Their truck broke off from the line and drove into the camp designated "Bravo", and this one was much fancier than any they had seen before. It had a cement road leading to it, its walls stood ten feet high and were made of cement, and it had several large cement buildings near the front gate. There wasn't a single tent in this camp; all of the housing for the soldiers were the size of the condos in the smaller camps. Several hundred soldiers were standing around and socializing, staring at the truck as it drove in.

Mario stepped carefully off the truck, keeping his head down. He realized that he had no idea where to go. His goal was to get intelligence about any future plans, but he couldn't just steal evidence and run; the world was far too large. He could steal a truck, but that was dangerous.

Before he could plan, he felt a sharp tapping on his shoulder. Turning, he found that the soldier from earlier was standing right behind him.

"You owe me a thanks," the soldier mentioned. "I saved you."

"Thank you," Mario replied halfheartedly. "I need to find my… squad."

"Platoon," the soldier corrected. Mario's eyes widened as he attempted to backpedal, but then the soldier removed his mask.

"You're…" Mario gasped.

"Willicent," The man who was actually Waluigi smirked. He motioned for Mario to follow him. Mario was too stunned to do anything but oblige. He led Mario into a nearby building and into a small room in the corner. He locked the door and smiled. "It's good to see you again."

"You're alive?" Mario blinked. "How are you… it's been so long since we last…"

"Forty days," Waluigi answered dismissively. "But who's counting? I'm sure you can figure out why I haven't reported anything. I couldn't get away after I was drafted."

"What've you been doing all this time? What did you learn?" Waluigi had been sent on the same mission that Mario was currently on. He was supposed to have come back after a day of scouting, but he never returned. "We thought you were dead… Wario was distraught."

Waluigi grimaced. "I'll feel bad for Wario later. Mario, you couldn't have come at a better time. They're attacking tomorrow."

"What?"

"You noticed that many of the camps were empty. I learned that most soldiers are being brought into the few camps surrounding the Commander's tower."

"The Commander?" Mario repeated with a hint of bitter amusement. "Is that what he's calling himself?"

"That's the only name I've ever heard," Waluigi admitted with a little shrug. "Every soldier's getting told their mission. That's why I'm here. I was alone trying to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom when that truck came up to me. The driver asked if I wanted to be amongst the first to enter the Mushroom Kingdom tomorrow, and I was forced to agree."

"They truly are attacking us tomorrow," Mario said to the wall. He sat down from the weight of those words, his weight causing the frail bed to creak underneath him. "This is horrible news."

"I've learned a lot in this past month," Waluigi added. "The news just gets worse." He sighed with a soft "waa."

"You said you were trying to escape."

"I wanted to surprise you all," Waluigi grimaced. "The attack was getting close, and I was running out of time. I finally managed to escape, but that stupid truck found me instead… I was so close, Mario!"

"Mark," Mario corrected.

"Do your dog tags match? If you use that name…"

Mario lifted the tags from around his neck. They read "Mark Smith."

"They look fake," Waluigi muttered. "Don't show anyone too closely."

"We didn't have the material in the Mushroom Kingdom," Mario admitted. "We did the best we could."

"Do you not have material for a good disguise, either?" Waluigi asked. "You're walking around without a mask!"

Mario raised an eye in confusion. "Do I need a mask? Do they know who I am?"

"Every day they show our enemies," Waluigi explained. "They gave all of us Wanted posters of them. All sixteen of them. I don't remember many of the others, but I know you and Diddy Kong were two of them."

"Sixteen?" Mario repeated. "Oh no… they have that too…"

Waluigi decided to brush off that comment. He reached into his backpack and pulled out an extra mask. "You don't even have a backpack."

Mario placed it over his head. He could barely see now, and his mouth felt itchy where his mustache was pressed into his skin. It was uncomfortable and very warm underneath.

"I'll find one for you later. For now, I'll look around camp and try to find the meeting place for our missi-"

A sudden knock at the door shocked both of them to their feet. Waluigi gave Mario a short look, and then he opened the door. A young looking man stood at the door, smiling brightly.

"You found the house, then!" The man entered without waiting for an invitation. "Excellent! Then we don't have to wait!"

"We might have the wrong house," said Waluigi quickly. "We were just talking."

The young man looked at him in confusion. "Awfully specific place to have a conversation, the house where we were planning the Mushroom Kingdom attack, the only empty house in Bravo."

"We wanted the privacy."

The young man sighed and asked, "You are here for the attack, right?"

"We are," Waluigi nodded. "Why aren't we using one of the official planning rooms?"

"We wanted the privacy," The young man replied with a sly wink. "The name's Richard. The others are out in the main room if you guys want to quit your private time."

"Quit shagging!" A voice called from the middle room.

Mario blushed slightly, but Waluigi showed no such emotion. He nodded and told Richard to give them another minute. Once Richard left the room, Waluigi sighed.

"Of all the places… Mario, from now until we enter the Mushroom Kingdom, don't say a word unless asked. You shouldn't be here, and it's my fault you're here."

"Waluigi, don't-"

"I'll protect you until we're both safe," he turned and smiled. "It's Willicent."

The two entered the living room, where four men stood waiting. Richard had pulled a chalk board from a closet and was engrossed in drawing a diagram of the tunnel and surrounding land. Two large men sat on chairs across from each other and were laughing at each other. They could've been twins, they were so alike in appearance and stature. They even laughed the same. The final man was standing in a corner staring at them as they entered the room. He was easily a head taller than any of the others, having to slightly duck his head in order to stand in the short room. His black Mohawk brushed the ceiling as he turned his head, sending dust falling onto his shoulders.

"Oh shit, it's Willicent!" One of the men nudged the other's shoulder and pointed. "It's the guy who nearly blew his squad up with a grenade!"

"Him? Why the hell is he in this op?" The other groaned. "Look at that pointed nose. Such a creep."

"Don't go insulting people before the mission's begun," Richard said sternly. "We're all part of the same army, here."

"You're one to talk, Lenny," The first man snickered. "Was it the turkeys you slept with or the chickens?"

"Shove it, James."

"Who's the new blood," the man in the corner asked gruffly. "Why's he wearing a mask?"

"Mark," Mario answered, giving a nod and avoiding eye contact.

"So why the hell did you volunteer?" Lenny asked, his nasally voice completely mismatching his strong body.

"He wants to be the first to step foot in enemy territory," James answered. He winked and grinned. "He'll have to beat me to it. I'll get the first kill, too."

"No," said the man in the corner. "You won't."

"Sorry, Buck, but I'll run ahead if I have to."

"Enough," said Richard. He threw his chalk at James, and it smacked him in the forehead. "For once, James, take this seriously. We're the first damn attack. We'll set the stage for this war."

"Don't make this sound more important than it actually is," Lenny taunted. "There are dozens of scouting groups just like us going out."

"We're the first to set out," said Richard.

"How can you be so sure?" Lenny asked.

Richard smirked. "The others are going out tomorrow morning. We're leaving tonight."

That got the group excited. They sat up to attention in response.

"Richard, how'd you pull that off?" James asked.

"I know a guy," he replied dismissively. "Now pay attention, so we don't screw this up." He reached into a small carrying case resting by the foot of a chair and pulled out a folder. He scattered the contents of the folder on the table.

There were a few pages describing the surrounding area of the Mushroom Kingdom accompanied by pictures taken by a camera. Then there were a few pictures of some Toads walking around the town, pictures of Peach's castle, and finally, most surprisingly, pictures of Peach and Mario. Mario stared at the picture of himself enjoying a walk with Peach, them hand-in-hand. He was staring almost straight at the camera, yet he didn't remember ever seeing anything suspicious. He never saw the person taking his picture.

The moment the pictures came on the table, Waluigi snatched the picture of Mario and Peach. "Who're these people?"

"They're our targets," Richard replied. "They're important. We're to scout out the area, make sure that an attack is safe and secure, and then go into that large castle and capture them."

James leaned over and snatched the picture from him. He whistled. "That girl is hot! Why the hell does Mario get that, and we're stuck here with no women?"

"Because this world is cruel," said Richard. "Suck it up. You can rough them up, but they come back with us alive."

Lenny took the picture, giving Peach a good long look. "The world sure is cruel if that can get with that. He must have the biggest dick in that whole world."

"You've heard of the Mushroom Kingdom, though, right?" James asked. "There are like three humans. She doesn't have much choice."

"Of course, I'm not retarded." He turned to Buck, waving the photo. "Buck, you wanna look at this?"

Buck gave him a disgusted look and said absolutely nothing.

Richard explained the plan while the photo was passed around another few times. Once the plan was discussed and finalized, it was enacted. They went to the armory to resupply, all the while Waluigi was giving Mario a quick and quiet run-through of how each weapon fired and what each small piece of equipment did. They had a final meal in the giant mess hall, their food consisting of boiled, unsalted vegetables, a small cut of overcooked meat, and some bread. Finally, they waited in their planning house until the truck was ready.

While they were all waiting, the pair snuck off into the corner room and shut the door. Waluigi told Mario everything he learned in his month spying on the army, from the amount of soldiers to the weapons to the battle strategies to the chain of command. Everything he said, he wrote down, and he handed Mario that very important piece of paper to hide.

"If I don't make it," He explained.

"Why wouldn't you make it?"

"Because," Waluigi said sadly. "We're going to have to kill them."

The very thought made Mario shake, and it was even worse that he said such a thing so casually. "What…"

"I know you aren't prepared."

"Of course-" Mario began to shout, but he quickly quieted down when he remembered who was in the other room. "Of course I'm not prepared! You're talking about taking someone's life!"

"I don't want to do it either," Waluigi admitted. "But if we don't kill them in the tunnel, and if they make it to the Mushroom Kingdom, then they could kill dozens if not hundreds of innocent Toads. We can't let that happen, and the only way we can get away with it is if we take them by surprise and eliminate them."

"I can't do it," Mario said quickly. "I can't do that, Waluigi."

Waluigi nodded as if Mario confirmed his suspicions. "I know, Mario. I'll handle it. We'll move ahead of them when we can. I'll gun them down, and we'll run as fast as we can. I'll throw a grenade to block their entrance. It's the best plan."

"I don't want you killing anyone either," Mario whispered.

"Mario, you understand what's going to happen in the next few days? You heard everything I told you? You know the strength of the enemy? We won't have a choice soon."

There was a knock on the door, and then Richard's voice called them. "Truck's here. Get off the bed and move, or we're leaving you behind!"

Waluigi gave Mario a grim smile. "It's time. We'll talk on the other side."

So the six men jumped on the back of a truck and drove the long stretch of distance from Bravo camp to the Mushroom Kingdom tunnel. As they stopped by the entrance and exited the truck, Richard scoffed.

"The guards are off duty again," he shook his head. "Just as well. We don't need them telling the others."

James looked at the night sky and smiled. "It's a beautiful day for a war."

"You nervous?" Lenny teased.

James shook his head. "I couldn't be more ready."

"Okay, men, gather around," Richard called. The five men stared at him as he gave a reassuring smile. "We're making history here today. We'll be the first men officially in enemy territory. We may not come back. Keep your guard up, and if we're all lucky, we'll all come back with kills on our gun and stories to tell. I'll pick up the tab for anyone who survives this war."

"You'll owe the bar for the rest of your life," said Lenny. "I'd drink it out of business."

"Let's go," Richard readied his assault rifle and entered the tunnel. Mario and Waluigi exchanged a somber look and followed after him.