Happy New Year everyone!

What better way to celebrate the holidays that with the next chapter of this fic! Now that the two prologues are out of the way, we can now finally get to the real bulk of the story! You could say that this chapter is where the story TRULY begins.

I think it's about time we find out how our heroes are faring after the previous events, am I right?

So, without further ado, let's get started!

(07/02/2024) Chapter updated! Better descriptions, fixed grammatical errors and other minor fixes. The changes were all done by the new beta reader of this story; PhantoMaster! Once again, a huge thanks to them.

Act 1: Chapter 1

A Strange New World

Things were peaceful at Mario's Pad, nestled far from Toad Town with minimal visitors—mainly a mailman, the waste collector, and his younger brother Luigi. The plumber's relative quietude allowed a helping friend to enter his house and begin cleaning up the place.

That friend was Toad, enthusiastically disposing of garbage into a trash can while joyfully humming. After completing the task, he proudly placed the can beside the porch outside. "Phew! And that's the last chore. All done!" Toad proudly proclaimed, wiping off some sweat from his forehead. All in all, a good day's work.

Unbeknownst to many, he and Mario had an agreement. During the plumber's absence, Toad would come to his home and tackle chores, such as tidying up the room, sweeping the floor, discarding spoiled items, etc. In return, Mario would compensate him with a few gold coins. Truthfully, Toad enjoyed these activities and had genuine pleasure doing them. He would have gladly done this job for free if he didn't need to make money for a living.

As Toad pondered the idea of turning this into a second job, he paced back and forth on the dirt ground outdoors. His contemplation's were interrupted by the loud groaning of his belly. Good thing no one was there to hear it.

"Hehe. It's true what they say. Nothing like a full day of work to spark someone's appetite." He also didn't forget that he was waiting for two people to return. "Now that I think about it, Mario and Peach must have had a picnic somewhere far and lovely. They should be back pretty soon." He snapped his fingers as an idea sparkled in his head. "I could cook a delicious lunch for all three of us at the Mushroom Kingdom!" He said ecstatically as he patted his own head. "Toad, you are a genius!" He complimented himself as he grabbed his personal frying pan to help him with this task.

However, before he could enter the house and start cooking, something interrupted him.

"Wait. What's that noise?" Toad questioned, catching a distant sound that seemed to be drawing nearer.

"….wwwwwaaaaaaAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Realizing where the noise came from, Toad quickly glanced skyward and was shocked to see Mario hurtling towards the house rapidly. Without much time to comprehend this, Mario plunged through the chimney opening of the green pipe, causing a resounding crash inside his home. Toad felt the tremor from the collision and got lifted off the ground briefly by the shock wave.

After Mario crashed, Toad remained wordless, silently standing as he struggled to process the unexpected event. Seconds later, he snapped out of his stupor and hurried inside the house to check Mario's condition.

Surprisingly, the interior remained unscathed, leaving Toad puzzled about how nothing got damaged despite Mario's high-speed entry. The answer became apparent soon enough – SOMEHOW, Mario was now hanging on one of the coat racks. Toad couldn't fathom the physics behind it, convinced that the laws of nature got broken that day.

"Mario! What the heck!? I get wanting to make a dynamic entry, but you could have just as easily used the door to do that!" He shrieked as he helped his friend get down from the coat rack.

"Believe me Toad… that wasn't even… close to be my intention." He told him weekly as he hold his arm in pain.

"I will take your word for it." Toad sighed. "Seriously though, are you okay?" He asked him worried.

"Don't worry Toad, I'm fine, surprisingly enough. Just a bit sore." He answered him.

This made Toad relieved as another thought then crossed his mind. "Oh speaking of which, since you are here, I'm going to assume that the princess is with you. Is she waiting outside?" He concluded that it was the only logical explanation. " I came by to pick up Princess Peach since she's a bit late." He informed him. He turned to step to the front door entrance but stopped halfway, looking back at Mario to say one more thing. "Oh, and Mario, I tidied up your place while you were out. There's no need to pay me today. I'm considering a freebie for spending time with the princess. I'll be outside and wait for you to feel better." He told him.

"Alright. Thanks Toad." Mario thanked him.

With that, Toad left Mario's residence. Mario shook his head to dismiss the lingering pain in his body. Making his way to a wooden storage chest, he opened it, retrieved a couple of mushrooms, and consumed them for a complete recovery.

Now restored to good health, Mario sat on his bed and racked his brain for what he could remember today. Upon crashing back into his home, the memories of the jumping hero became hazy. Mario tried to recall, but nothing surfaced in his mind, unable to fully register the previous events following his entry into Bowser's throne room. He could only surmise that Bowser had somehow gained the upper hand, blasting him away from his stronghold and thwarting his attempt to rescue Peach.

Frustrated, Mario sighed and stood from his bed, deciding to step outside for fresh air.

Standing next to the house, Toad heard the plumber hero approaching him. "Ah, good to see you back in tip-top shape, Mr. Jumpman!" he expressed, relieved at Mario's well-being. Shortly after, a thought crossed his mind when he realized someone was missing. "Hey, I thought the princess was here with you, Mario! So where is she?" Toad inquired.

"..." Mario hesitated to respond, knowing Peach was still at his enemy's stronghold. His silence raised Toad's anxiety.

"Mario, what's with the silent treatment?! You're not telling me something," said Toad worriedly before concluding. "It's Bowser again, isn't it? Oh no, here we go again! Mario, would you please bring her back, like you always do?" Toad asked him.

"Don't worry Toad. I was just about to do that." The red plumber assured him with an affirmative nod, putting Toad at ease. "Great! I knew you still got it in you," he spoke contentedly. "Once you return with Princess Peach, we'll head to the Mushroom Kingdom for a feast! I can't wait to see her face when I tell her I'll cook my fabulous Heavy Cake soufflé! She loves it! I'll surely give Princess Peach a nice piece, like handing a clean, sharpened sword to a knight."

Maybe Toad said something else after that, but Mario heard nothing. The mustachioed plumber stood frozen, fixating on a single word from Toad's mouth: 'sword.'

Mario's eyes widened in horror as his memories came flooding back. The battle he had with Bowser and the moment he reached his hand out to Peach before—

"!" A chilling realization hit him like a wall of bricks when Mario remembered the following event: a giant sword descended upon Bowser's Keep.

Filled with dread, the red plumber immediately stopped Toad speech. "TOAD! I would really love to keep chatting! BUT I REALLY HAVE TO GO! NOW!" He yelled quickly as, without even waiting for Toad's answer, he dashed at full speed toward Bowser's Castle.

"What!? Mario wait! What's… going… on." He tried to ask him, but by the time he said the first two words, Mario was already long gone. All Toad could do at that point was simply stare in the direction Mario went to, all the while a million questions were floating in his head, and no answer was in sight. Though there was one question he felt the need to say out loud.

"… What the heck?"

"Ugh… What happened?"

The last thing Sasha Waybright could remember involved being at a playground with her best friends, Marcy and Anne. They had just "borrowed" a fancy-looking music box from a thrift store, and Anne opened it. When she lifted the lid, a blinding white flash emanated from the box and engulfed them.

And… that is the last thing she remembers.

Now, she and her two friends were currently on the ground, no worse for wear and in an unknown location. And the music box was nowhere in sight. All Sasha could do was wonder what the heck had just happened. And find a reasonable and sensible explanation to it all. Soon.

'Okay Waybright. Stay calm.' Sasha thought to herself. 'There is totally one hundred percent a reasonable explanation for all of this. Totally. I just have to think long and hard and it will come up.'

'… … Oooooooh. Now I get it.'

'This is all just a prank.'

'Anne and Marcy must have architected this whole thing together a few days earlier.'

'The three of us falling unconscious? Marcy and Anne are just faking it right now. Me tough? Anne must have used one of her Muay Thai moves to make me fall unconscious for real.'

'That clerk in the drift store? She was in it as well. Probably bribed or something.'

'And that whole white flash thing? It was definitely just a special effect that the music box does whenever someone opens it.'

'Yeah… definitely.'

'Well, I have to hand it to them. As far as pranks go, this one was really impressive. They actually managed to fool me for a bit. I'm actually quite proud of them. Goes to show I taught them right. Not that there was any doubt about it.'

Having made clear that everything was normal as always, Sasha decided to keep playing dumb. I mean, the two of them put so much effort in this prank. It would have being cruel to reveal to them that she already figured the all thing out. So, pleased with herself for having figured the whole thing out, Sasha stood to her feet and started stretching her arms and legs while observing the clearing of the forest. Being on the ground for too long can make your limbs go numb after all.

"!" Sasha halted and blinked slowly. Hold on a second. Forest.

She did a double-take to check that she wasn't seeing things. A sudden revelation struck Sasha as soon as she carefully observed the natural environment. 'Wait, a forest!?' the blondie screamed internally.

Swiftly scanning her surroundings again, Sasha realized that her eyes were not playing tricks on her. There's no mistaking it. She, Marcy, and Anne were in the middle of a large forest, trees stretching in every direction.

But that wasn't the most shocking thing awaiting Sasha.

Besides the trees stood numerous gigantic mushrooms, defying the laws of physics with their impossible physical proportions. Displaying an array of colors—red, yellow, blue, and more—they all shared the characteristic white dots on their caps. Their height was remarkable, being VERY tall that they surpassed even the tallest trees.

And guess what? The spectacle was far from over.

Emerging from behind one of the mushrooms was another of a different kind, brown and much smaller than the other ones. Its size was comparable to that of a dog. So this one was normal, yes?

However, Sasha's hopes of normality got subverted upon realizing that this seemingly ordinary brown mushroom had a FREAKING FACE (minus the nose)—complete with round eyes with a black iris encircling a grey pupil, a frowning mouth with two sharp upward fangs on the lower jaw, and exaggeratedly long black eyebrows, giving the mushroom an intimidating appearance. Adding to the peculiarity, below its stalk were a pair of short, stumpy, dark brown, shoe-like feet that seemed impractical for walking.

…

Truth be told, that thing wouldn't look out of place in a Saturday night cartoon. But in real life? Yeah, that's where the problem was.

A standoff ensued as Sasha and the creature locked eyes for a full minute, neither budging. Eventually, the mushroom thing strolled away out of boredom, leaving behind a shocked Sasha.

And the bizarre encounters kept on going.

More different creatures emerged after the brown mushroom's departure. Resembling turtles with yellow scales, sporting green or red shells, and small tails, their large heads featured huge beak-like noses with tiny nostrils on top. Above were cartoonish oval eyes closely positioned together. These turtles had short human-like limbs, with stubby arms boasting hands having four-pointed and triangular-shaped digits. The reptilians stood on their hind legs, wearing shoes that matched the color of their respective shells and featured beige soles.

Their overall appearances screamed preposterous and unearthly to Sasha. The yellow turtles moved in a group, trailing the path taken by the brown mushroom.

Immediately following them, yet another creature appeared from one of the trees—a sizable yellow caterpillar with a white flower on its head. Its body consisted of three rounded segments adorned with orange spots outlined by a thick, darker orange color. The otherworldly insect stood on multiple sets of short orange legs (a pair on each of the caterpillar's segments) and donned purple shoes that complemented its skin tone. The caterpillar's face featured thinly oval black eyes, puffed-out cheeks, and a large brown, round nose. It even sported an adorable smile, which added to the surreal scene. The caterpillar appeared friendly and harmless as it wandered whimsically, oblivious to a certain blonde girl staring in bewilderment.

In the end, there was really only one reaction someone could have to this situation.

Witnessing this baffling sequence of events, Sasha could only respond in one way:

"WHAT IS GOING OOOOOONNNNNN!?" Her scream echoed through the freakish landscape, causing many birds to fly away from the trees.

Okay, forget being calm and collected. Sasha has entered the 'screaming and panicking' phase. She heard of people going the extra mile to ensure their pranks worked flawlessly, but this was becoming too absurd, even for her.

Desperately needing answers, Sasha rushed to her friends, still convincing herself they were just pretending they blacked out. "ANNE! MARCY! THIS PRANK ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE! GET UP! NOW!" she shouted, urging them to drop their acts and explain themselves. Only then did Sasha discover another thing that put a wrench in her 'prank' theory.

They weren't faking it. They were unconscious for real.

Dread intensified within Sasha as she struggled to maintain her composure, ultimately failing. With her only companions incapacitated, she had no option but to resort to a more direct approach to wake them up: slapping them awake.

Sasha began with Anne, delivering a soft yet firm backhand to the face. *SLAP!*

"AGH! Did you seriously have to hit me, Mom?" the messy-haired teen moaned in pain, stirring from her blackout. "Just give me five more minutes…"

Relieved seeing that one of her friends was up, Sasha made her way over to Marcy.

Anne groggily sat up, squirming at the pain in her cheek where she got struck. Rubbing the spot, she felt a slight sting. Suddenly, while Anne rose from the ground, another loud noise rang out.

*SLAP!*

"One up... Superstar…" the person beside her groaned, scratching the back of her head with half-open eyelids.

Anne turned to the sound and recognized Marcy's voice. She realized that her friend had been unconscious, just like her moments ago. Judging by the earlier noise, Marcy got smacked awake as well.

While waiting for her other friend to rise to her feet, Sasha returned to Anne. She placed her arms on the Thai-American's shoulders and shook her wildly to get her attention. "Come on, Anne. Enough games! Can you hear me?" Sasha urgently addressed her best friend.

"S-Sasha? W-What's going on?" Anne weakly stuttered, rubbing her eyes and still feeling disoriented by whatever the music box did.

"Anne, I need you to tell me the truth. Is this some sort of prank?" Sasha asked, a tinge of panic evident in her voice.

Opening her eyes in full daylight, Anne winced as she held her head in pain, struggling to comprehend her friend's words. "W-What? What are you talking about, S—" Her question got cut off when Sasha gripped her shoulders tightly and shook her again, unable to control herself.

"Just answer me, Anne! Is this. A. PRANK?!" the blondie screamed, her tone demanding confirmation of her theory.

Alarmed by Sasha's frantic demeanor, Anne snapped fully awake, shrugging off her daze and the pain on her cheek. "NO! No, it's not! I don't even know what is supposed to be a prank!" the birthday girl responded in confusion. "Seriously, Sash, what's wrong?"

"Just look!" Sasha exclaimed, gesturing to the bizarre things that stood among them—the giant mushrooms, the strange creatures, etc.

Anne looked befuddled at the otherworldly beings, not knowing how to process what she saw. After staring for a few seconds, she whipped her head to Sasha. "…Okay! Now it's my turn to ask that! Is this a prank, Sasha?"

"Do I look like the kind of person that would pull a prank like this!?" shouted Sasha incredulously.

"Yes! Absolutely. You do this sort of crazy hijinks with us all the time. How do you expect me to think that it's different here?!"

"Right! Like you aren't into this sort of thing too, Miss Moral High Gro—"

"Oh. My. Gosh."

Their argument was interrupted by a third voice. Anne and Sasha turned to find Marcy gaping at the creatures in astonishment, struggling to articulate her thoughts. "C-Could this be…? I can't believe it. How… when did… how is… what even… I-I…" Her words trailed off as she fainted.

"MARCY!" Anne cried, rushing over with Sasha to their passed-out friend and knelt near her. Sasha cradled Marcy while lightly tapping her hand on her face to wake her up.

"Oh. Hey, gals. Did I pass out?" Marcy uttered, reaching out for Anne's extended hand to help herself up, with Sasha assisting from behind.

"Marcy, are you okay?" Anne inquired with concern, noticing her head hanging low and eyes shadowed.

"Please tell us you're not sick," Sasha added anxiously.

"No, I'm not okay, Anne, Sasha. I don't feel like myself right now," muttered Marcy, prompting worry from her friends.

But then, the Taiwanese teen lifted her head to reveal sparkling eyes full of passion and a wide-open smile. "I'M COMPLETELY ECSTATIC!" Marcy screamed.

Sasha and Anne were left speechless and dumbfounded by her sudden change in behavior. They watched as Marcy giggled and bounced around like an excited schoolgirl who got chosen as the prom queen. Or perhaps like a kid who drank a glass full of sugar.

"Girls, don't you understand what's happening?!" Marcy asked them enthusiastically.

"Not really," Anne replied quickly.

"Me neither," Sasha followed.

"We're in the world of Super Mario!" the geek crowed, hoping her friends would react the same way.

However, they didn't share her enthusiasm. Not even closely. Instead, they cocked their heads in confusion and raised an eyebrow.

"…Huh?" Sasha blurted out.

"Say what now?" Anne questioned.

"Oh, come on, gals. Don't tell me you have never heard of Super Mario Bros.! It's one of THE greatest video game franchises of all time!" Marcy explained, reminiscent of a child in a candy store. "How can you NOT know about it? I mean, I talk about this series all the time!"

It took only a glance at her friends' awkward and forced smiles for Marcy to realize something. "…You two never listen when I bring up stuff like this, do you?" she deadpanned.

"What? No, Marcy, of course not!" Anne interjected nervously, shaking her head and dismissing the suggestion with a wave of her hand. "It's not that we don't listen to you. It's just that, well, we find what you usually talk about to be boring." Her words hung in the air awkwardly as she realized how they sounded. "…That came out wrong, didn't it?"

"Anne, I got this. Look, Mar-Mar, it's not about you. It's about the subjects you chose. And it's not just the Mario stuff we tune out," Sasha said, arms crossed, unaware that her words sounded even worse.

Anne nudged her in the ribs, shooting her a warning look. "Not helping, Sasha!" she whispered angrily.

"Well, whatever! I honestly don't care! What I DO care about is this wonderful scenery that's happening right before my eyes!" Marcy ecstatically said as she skipped over to the creatures, starting with the yellow caterpillar.

"Oh my goodness! Just look at this Wiggler! How can something be both deadly and cute at the same time? And those stubby legs! And that flower! It's just as adorable as I always imagined it!" she marveled, gently stroking the caterpillar, called a Wiggler, on its head like a pet.

It seemed to relish the affectionate treatment, emitting a soft purr with closed eyes and giving the girl a wholesome smile. Overwhelmed by the cuteness of the Wiggler's reaction, Marcy gleefully squealed with happiness.

She waved and bid farewell to the caterpillar as it wandered off. Marcy felt her heart melt when the Wiggler glanced back, raised one of its legs for a wave in return, and winked at her before leaving.

For her next sight, Marcy dashed towards a group of turtles with red and green shells nearby. "Koopa Troopas! Oh, the many 1-ups I've gained from your shells! You've saved my runs so many times! You reptiles are the best!" the nerd praised them, squealing in delight.

She was unaware that the turtles looked freaked out by her rambling. The Koopa Troopas exchanged awkward glances before defensively raising their hands and slowly backing away from Marcy until they disappeared from her view.

Unfazed by their departure, Marcy eagerly approached the walking brown mushroom. "And here we have one of the iconic enemies from the Mario Franchise! The Goombas! You may be easy to defeat, but you little guys have made history! Be proud!" she complimented cheerfully, patting the Goomba on the head, who made a weird look at Marcy.

He couldn't comprehend why this human was acting so friendly and kind to him the moment she jumped around jubilantly and squealed once more. Similar to the Koopa Troopas, the Goomba became startled by Marcy fangirling and skedaddled, not only to avoid this weird girl but also to steer clear of being stomped on.

Ignoring the Goomba darting away, Marcy zipped back to her friends to share one last piece of information. "Girls! Can you believe it? We've been isekai'd to another world! A video game world!"

… You know, if the situation wasn't already pretty ridiculous as it was, Anne was certain she would have started screaming.

And yet she didn't know why, maybe it was the creatures she witnessed early, maybe it was everything Marcy was saying, or maybe it was just the utter insanity of everything, but instead of screaming, Anne started laughing.

It wasn't a sincere laugh mind you, it was the sort one had to force out of themselves to ensure you don't go crazy.

"Oh! Okay! Now I get it! Girls, this is all a dream! So, we should just play along until we wake up!" Anne suddenly blurted out, now sporting a fake and forced smile on her face.

"… A dream?" Sasha asked her puzzled.

"Yeah! Nothing but a dream Sasha!" She reaffirmed with the same fake smile plastered on.

Sasha took a deep breath as she processed what Anne had just said. "Okay, let's see if I get this straight. We are all just having a dream?"

"Yep!"

"… The same dream at the same time?"

"… Yeah!"

"And we are also somehow experiencing this dream together?"

"Well, um… Yeeeeeeaaaaah?" She said unconvincingly, now starting to really lose faith in her theory. Or, well, delusions is more appropriate.

Seeing her friend struggle to grasp the situation, Sasha took a deep breath and put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her empathically. "Anne, I wish I could agree with you. But we need to face reality. And that reality is…" Sasha gestured to their surroundings, emphasizing its undeniable presence. There are no tricks or illusions. No hallucinations. No dream. "This. All of this is real."

Anne's facade smile faded as she finally came to terms with the truth of their circumstances.

Anne fake smile completely faded as she finally accepted the reality she was in.

While this was happening, Marcy was still geeking over everything that was around her. While she was doing so, a thought came to her. 'Wait, were is the...?'

A horrible feeling came to her as she started to look around the place. And unfortunately, that feeling was proven correct as, apart from their backpacks, she couldn't find that object anywhere.

"Hey, girls." The two looked at Marcy who had a grim look on her face. "This may not be the best time, but…" She started to think out to put it in a delicate manner, before deciding to just remove the band aid. "I'm afraid I can't find the music box."

"What?" Anne said shocked.

"The music box. I've searched everywhere, but I can't find it. It's gone. I'm… I'm sorry." Marcy apologized, averting their gaze.

This latest news destroyed whatever hope Anne had for the situation as she sat on the ground, legs crossed. "Great. Just wonderful." She said in resignation.

Seeing no other option at the moment, Sasha joined Anne, sitting right next to her. "So let's recap. Stranded in "video game world" as Marcy put it, with no exit in sight, and the one thing that could have being our way out is gone. Peachy."

Having gotten out of her isekai high, it was now Marcy's turn to join them in the "no hope wagon", sitting right next to them.

"So, what do we do know?" Marcy asked them, genuinely hoping that someone would have an answer.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I don't think there is much we can do Marcy. All that's left for us to at this point it's to find someone to give the blame to." Sasha admitted to them. "...Nice going, Anne!" she suddenly said with bitterness.

"WHAT!?" Anne yelled, bristling at her accusation.

"If you hadn't stolen that music box, none of this would have happened, and you know it!" Sasha snapped at her.

"Are you KIDDING ME!?" the Thai teen retorted. "Do I need to remind you that I only stole that stupid box because you pressured me into it!?"

"Well, if you didn't want to do it, why didn't you just say so in the first place? You could have talked me out of it!" the blondie argued.

"I DID! And you followed that by guilt-tripping me, saying how much it meant to Marcy and that I couldn't 'ruin' her gift for me!" Anne countered, emphasizing with air quotes.

Sasha stiffened at that and couldn't make a rebuttal. "…Fair point. Anne, you're right. It's not your fault," she conceded.

Anne blinked in surprise. "…Huh. Well, okay. Glad you see—"

"The blame falls entirely on you, Marcy!" Sasha continued her accusation, turning her attention to her other best friend.

"WHAT!? How am I at fault here?" shouted Marcy.

"You started this mess in the first place with your gift to Anne! Couldn't you have chosen something else?!" the blondie snarled.

"I'm sorry, what exactly are you blaming me for!? Not knowing what that box was capable of? Not being able to see the future!?" Marcy protested, though she cringed at herself on the inside. And she knew damn well why.

"I'm just saying! You could have searched more into that object before choosing that to be Anne's gift!"

Anne put her arm in front of Marcy defensively and pointed at Sasha. "Hey! Don't you dare blame Marcy for this! She didn't even want me to steal the music box. We're in a tight spot because of you, Sasha!" she stated.

Sasha scoffed and leaned in. "Right! Said the one who couldn't even speak up about her discomfort!" she sneered.

"I WANTED to speak up! But I was afraid of what you would say!" Anne's voice grew louder as she leaned closer to Sasha.

Said girl repeated her movement, their faces inches apart. "Oh! So your lack of courage is suddenly MY fault—"

"ENOUGH!"

Marcy interrupted, glaring at Anne and Sasha. Her unexpected outburst silenced them both, leaving them stunned.

"Girls! Let's face it! Right now, it really doesn't matter who is at fault and who isn't! Because in the end, that still doesn't change the fact that we are still stuck here with no way of going back home in sight! And right now the two of you are not solving anything by acting like two giant babies! Yeah! I said it! Babies!"

Sasha and Anne were still taken aback by what their lighthearted, clumsy friend was saying. It was a side of her they had never seen since they first met.

Marcy's expression softened at their reactions, continuing to speak. "Look girls, I get it. You are scared. You are stranded in an unknown place where everything is all so weird. You have no idea how to get back home, if there even is a way back, and you are afraid about what you might encounter while here. And the only other person that could understand what you are feeling is instead having the time of their life." She laughed but there was no humor in her laugh. "But acting like this will bring us nowhere. It definitely won't bring us one more step back home. But I will tell you what will." A confident smile appeared on her face. "We stick together. We work together and we face any adversity together. Because when the three of us put our minds together, there is nothing that can stand in our way!" She said fiercely as she looked at her two best friends. A stern look on her face. "With each other's support, we're unstoppable. I promise you, Anne and Sasha, that we will find our way back to our old lives, no matter how tough or seemingly impossible it may be in this world."

Seeing her best friends at ease, Marcy gave them one request. "So, before we begin our adventure, could you two please make amends? Let's still be friends through it all."

That was easier said than done. Anne and Sasha exchanged guilty glances, realizing the extent of their argument. After an awkward pause, Sasha faced her friends and spoke up. "I'm… sorry for accusing you, Anne and Marcy. And for yelling. That wasn't cool of me," she apologized sincerely, bowing her head slightly.

"I'm sorry too, Sasha. Not one of our best moments," Anne returned the favor, offering her hand. "Friends?"

Sasha gazed at Anne momentarily before giving her a content smile. "Best friends," she agreed, shaking Anne's hand and embracing her, thus putting that nasty fight behind them.

Marcy smiled in relief at their conflict being resolved. "And here I am, being the third wheel," she joked, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Psh. Never change, Mar-Mar. Get in here, you goof!" Anne exclaimed, pulling her into a group hug.

"Yippee!" Marcy cheered, joining her friends in solidarity.

With the three of them hugging it out, they felt their bonds strengthening more than ever. If there's one thing Anne, Marcy, and Sasha knew, their friendship would never end, no matter what happens.

The three then broke their hug as they started look around. After a few seconds of silence, Anne spoke up. "So, with that out of the way, what now? Obviously we will have to make this journey on foot, but how do we proceed from here?" She asked them.

Sasha rubbed her chin, thinking until she thought up a plan. "We'll scout for signs of civilization, like a town or village, by trekking through the forest," the blondie instructed her friends. "It's risky, and we don't know any directions, but it's our only option. Once we find one, we'll seek out locals who can provide guidance and insight into this world. It'll help us orient ourselves."

"Hm, brilliant idea, Sasha. Some bearings would be pretty helpful to us," Anne conceded, nodding.

"True that," Marcy chimed in before smirking. "Oh, if only we had someone with full knowledge of this world and its inhabitants..."

Sasha quickly caught on to her best friend's implication and grinned. "Marcy Wu, would you do us the honor of being our official guide to this world?" she asked playfully, feeling like royalty who was making someone a knight.

"I'd be delighted to!" Marcy accepted with a bow, much obliged to take on the role.

Pleased by this, Sasha clapped her hands together, addressing her friends with determination. "Alright, team! It's settled then. Let's grab our stuff and get ready to venture forth! Whatever challenges await us, we'll face them head-on and together," she declared, boosting morale within the group. Anne and Marcy nodded firmly, pumping their fists in agreement.

With backpacks strapped on their backs, the trio set off into the forest, intent on finding civilization to aid them on their quest. They knew the journey would undoubtedly be arduous and full of perils. But as long as the girls stood united, nothing could deter them. They will retrieve the music box and find their way home. That was a promise.

… … But before any of that, Marcy had to communicate one last piece of information.

"Oh by the way Anne, your left shoe is gone."

"WHAT!?"

Mario's heart raced as he sprinted through the forest, feeling a surge of speed, unlike anything he'd experienced before. His thoughts raced alongside him, only concerned about Peach's safety. Fear gripped the heroic plumber, a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time.

After a few tense minutes, Mario arrived at Bowser's Keep again, approaching the bridge leading to its entrance. When the mustachioed hero made it to the front doors, Mario looked upward to see the massive, motionless sword looming ominously over the stronghold.

Mario didn't know why, but staring at that thing brought a sinking feeling to his stomach. It was strangely out of character for him to act this way. He was never scared by anything intimidating until now. Maybe it's because the gigantic sword was unlike anything Mario had encountered during his previous adventures in this extraordinary world. If Luigi were in his shoes here, there's no doubt he would turn as pale as a ghost in an instant.

As Mario scrutinized the sword, he noticed its grotesque face on the cross guard. Its gaze seemed to pierce into the core of the Mushroom Kingdom, its expression akin to a predator eyeing its prey.

The nightmare continued when, to Mario's horror and dismay, the sword locked eyes with him.

"HALT! WHO GOES THERE? A TRESPASSER!" the sentient weapon bellowed, its booming voice drowning out any other noise. "THIS CASTLE NOW BELONGS TO US, THE SMITHY GANG. WE HAVE BIG PLANS, AND THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN THEM!" it proclaimed while giving Mario a menacing glare. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR NOSY CHARACTERS LIKE YOU, WE'D PRACTICALLY OWN THIS WORLD!"

Welp, there goes any chance of them being just traveling tourists. These newcomers, dubbed the 'Smithy Gang,' were power-hungry conquerors bent on global domination. Gee, what a surprise to Mario…

The sword was still not done speaking, saving one last surprise for its unwanted visitor.

"SO LET'S SEE YOU DEAL WITH THIS!"

The sword's mouth rapidly opened and closed, its movements accelerating, causing the bridge beneath Mario to tremble. To the plumber's horror, the bridge began to collapse, prompting Mario to react instinctively. He sprinted back to the starting side of the bridge and managed to leap off just in time as it fell, grabbing onto the far cliff wall to escape the trap narrowly.

After getting atop the cliff seconds later, Mario breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to have avoided disaster. However, that feeling didn't last long as he turned around to see his only path to Bowser's Keep vanished. Mario could only stare dejectedly at the inaccessible castle from afar, knowing he could no longer arrive there that simply.

Anger boiled within the mustachioed hero upon noticing the sword leering in the distance, seemingly mocking him. Knowing he was powerless, Mario had to retreat for now. The jumping hero vowed to return here after formulating a plan to infiltrate Bowser's Keep.

Speaking of which, Mario realized that someone else had been affected by the recent events – Bowser.

Oh dear. The plumber couldn't help but wonder what happened to him after he lost in their battle. Was Bowser okay? Did he get hit by the colossal sword's impact?

Mario wasn't sure if Bowser had been propelled into the sky like himself moments earlier. If so, the jumper hero felt sorry for him. His arch-enemy may have kidnapped Peach many times before and sought world domination, but that didn't mean Bowser deserved to lose his home.

Boy, would Bowser's fury peak when he learns that a new group of villains had taken over his fortress…

But there's no time to think about him at this moment. Mario started dashing back into the forest with all the energy he could muster. Right now, he needed to focus on returning home, so he could inform Toad of the situation and head to Toad Town together. Once there, he'll relay the news to Toadsworth, and they'll devise a counterattack against the invaders. If Peach is still inside the castle, it would have doubled as a rescue mission, a scenario all too familiar.

Oh, these fresh baddies will pay dearly. This Smithy Gang thought they could just waltz in, separate him from the princess, and declare themselves the new rulers of his world. And no one will bat an eye? Fat chance.

Mario would teach them the same lesson he had repeatedly taught Bowser: You don't mess with THE Super Mario.

AND WE ARE DONE! FINALLY!

You know, originally this chapter was supposed to be longer, but since I hadn't posted anything in a while, once I finished writing the first half, I decided to split the original chapter in two parts. This being the first part and the the second being the next. Plus I wanted to post something to celebrate the new year, so here we are. I will admit, this chapter took me much longer than I thought to write. I fault anxiety and self doubt. They are horrible when mixed together. But believe me, I WILL finish this story. You have my word.

So with that out of the way, all that's left to say is Happy New Year everyone! Hope that it will be full of fun and excitement for all of us!

I will see you guys on the next chapter! SEE YOU NEXT TIME!