p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"The Mushroom Kingdom converts to communism and enters a golden age. Bowser's minions defect and we discover that he doesn't know how to take care of himself and dies from dysentery. This is the Mushroom Kingdom's perspective./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" The story opens with Mario giving a speech. He explains that Luigi just returned from a journey around the world and that he's discovered a new form of government. Mario outlines the benefits of communism, stipulating that there would be a brief trial period as they updated infrastructure and as people learned their new roles./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Everything is fine but come winter Luigi discovers an accounting error: they don't have as much food as they thought. Mario explains that everyone will share the hunger evenly and that they have installed checks into the accounting system. At the end of winter, Mario is thinner but the whole kingdom is still united because of how fair things were handled./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Because everyone is so spirited and motivated in their lives, Peace, as head of the storage and logistics department, discovers that there is a surplus in production and argues that it could be used to provide humanitarian aid to the goombas. Mario and a team of toadies drop off the parcel and return home. Weeks later, goombas come hoping to live with them. They are quarantined then integrated into society./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Eventually more goombas come. Mario recognizes signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the new crowd and with some conversation discovers that Bowser has begun executing goombas who are accused of trying to defect./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Mario sets off to provide aid to the goombas. Luigi sets patrols around the kingdom, leery of an ambush, and continues administration./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Mario comes across a dispirited army. He announces that he will accept all defectors and the army surrenders./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Bowser retreats to the castle before Mario is able to get him. After sending the toadies home with the refuges Mario waits for Bowser. Mario finds appalling conditions in the town as he forages for food./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Finally, mourning for those still in the castle, he ends the siege and returns home./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" A moment of panic overtakes the kingdom. They did not plant enough food for this increase in population. The heads of government confer: it is decided that Luigi will request aid from the land where he learned of communism. He uses the last supply of power stars to speed his journey to the distant land./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Luigi returns just in time as their food runs out. He is accompanied by a yoshi-hauled caravan of oddly dressed Shy Guys. Rather than Bowser colors, they are dressed in playful colors in stripes and dots. Mario expresses gratitude and also disbelief that they would risk the journey during the winter./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" The caravan leader replies that they were compelled by their love of fellow sentients. The parties agree on a fair deal to repay the caravan. The caravan departs./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" When spring comes the whole of the Mushroom Kingdom begins in the fields. The goombas inflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have trouble reintegrating. Mario shortens their workdays and offers counseling. They quickly recover and are able to work again./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Come summer, a series of thefts occur. Mario calls a meeting for the people: he advices them of what items are missing, and asks for people to be mindful and to help carry each other's values as is consistent with the goals of the Kingdom. Luigi explains how crafting replacements for the missing items translates to additional labor hours. He presents the supporting data clearly using visual aids./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" The meeting is dismissed and days later the items are returned./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" The Communist Kingdom sends an envoy. Mario explains that he was not expecting them for weeks more: the payment is not ready./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" The communists explain that they have decided to forgive the debt entirely. The Kingdom rejoices, and a small, thrifty, yet respectable monument is erected to honor the beginning of this rich friendship./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Kingdom affairs in hand, Mario heads out to discover what happened to Bowser. He eventually breaks down the castle gate after two months of disciplined fireball bombardment./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Inside, he discovers the emaciated remains of many goomba-kind. As he explores deeper, he notices a most awful odor. Mario experiences flashbacks from a brutal campaign against Bowser during which many entrenched toadies suffered dysentery. He recovers using grounding techniques and continues. He encounters a barricaded door and spends a day to break it down./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Within, he discovers mounds of rotten food, yet also sacks of servicable grain: a small amount of bugs is all. The bed sheets are soiled and the path to the privy is stained with waste. Inside the privy Mario discovers the corpse of Bowser. He is filled with relief, then satisfaction, but reminds himself not to taint his mind with pleasure over the death of anyone. Glancing again at the edible grain, Mario surmises that Bowser must have died from poor food safety observance. Mario feels thankful that Peach wrote and distributed the book, "Food Safety Standards and your ABCs."/p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" He returns later to bury all the corpses with the help of some toadies./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" Weeks later, a goomba approaches Mario and suggests a holiday to celebrate the goombas freedom and to mourn those lost in all conflicts between the two people. Mario consults briefly with other government heads and it is agreed. The new holiday is held the next week on the anniversary of a particularly bitter battle./p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /p
p style="margin: 0px; color: #141823; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" And so the Mushroom Kingdom ascends into a golden age of learning and peace. /p