The 'Shroom:Issue 204/Palette Swap
Director's Notes
Welcome back, everyone! It's the March issue of The 'Shroom!
As I'm writing this, we're a week away from Princess Peach Showtime! and I'm very excited to jump in! Nintendo released a free demo of the game, where you can try out the Swordfighter and Patissiere abilities, and I have to say, I was not expecting Patissiere to be the tough one! It's a little finicky, especially the cake decorating section, but I'm sure with some more practice, I'll be flinging frosting like a pro! I'm really looking forward to the full release next week, and I'll let you know what I think of the game in next month's issue!
This month, we have a special treat for you all- a guest short story! Natalie J. has written a short story about a pair of Koopa Troopas finding themselves after they are set free from Bowser's Castle, and it's just the thing to remind you to always be yourself! I won't take up any more of your time, so please read on ahead!
Happy reading!
~FunkyK38
Section of the Month
Let's get ready to see the results of Section of the Month for last month's issue! In first once again is winstein (talk)'s The ? Panel, and it is followed up by Shmaluigi, Private Investigator from Waluigi Time (talk) and Ninja Squid (talk). Coming in third is Waluigi Time Comic by Waluigi Time (talk)! Thank you to everyone who voted, and please keep it up in the future!
| PALETTE SWAP SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | The ? Panel | 17 | 53.13% | winstein (talk) |
| 2nd | Shmaluigi, Private Investigator | 8 | 25.00% | Waluigi Time (talk) and Ninja Squid (talk) |
| 3rd | Waluigi Time Comic | 5 | 15.63% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
The ? Panel
Bowser Jr.: Zooom!
{Bowser furiously slams the door of the room, holding a picture}
SFX: SLAM
Bowser: Son, you got some 'splaining to do!
{Bowser Jr. turns to Bowser in surprise}
Bowser Jr.: Wha? Dad?
{Bowser Jr. looks aghast at the photo Bowser holds}
Bowser Jr.: H-how did you get that photo?
{Bowser, still holding the photo}
Bowser: How I get it is not important! What's important is what were you thinking!
{Bowser Jr. and Bowser are arguing when the photo flies off outside the room, where Kamek notices as it flew by him}
Bowser Jr.: You never (let me) do anything (fun outside!)
Bowser: Do you know (how) angry (I get when nobody involves me in anything fun without my permission?)
{Kamek looks at the photo with a surprise}
{The photo shows Mario and friends dressed in Mario's trademark overalls and caps. The group consists of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, Birdo, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Pauline, Wario, Waluigi, Rosalina, and Bowser Jr.} Kamek: Oh my!
{Kamek imagines himself wearing a Mario cap}
Bowser: Kamek, I know what you're thinking and you can forgot it!
{Kamek looks to Bowser (off-screen) in surprise}
Kamek: Y-yes, of course...!
Sport Report: The Movie
Written by: ClawgripFan9001
World 1: The Great Rescue Operation Begins - Part 3
The Warp Pipe led to an open plain, the group quickly beginning to make their way across it. "Whew, I'm glad to be out of the dank, smelly cavern." Winston sighed in relief.
"Aye, when yer a sailor, ye be used ta bein' in dank, smelly places like that, me boy. But I do be glad whene'er I get a whiff o' fresh air again, so ye definitely be onto somethin'." ClawgripFan9001 chimed in as the group continued to cross the plain before being ambushed by a pair of female Zellon Troopers wielding Super Scopes; Scope Sisters.
"Stay right where you three are! We're under orders of Commander Phillip to keep anyone from reaching his castle! Turn back now or you'll find your face full off Super Scope lead!" One of the Scope Sisters warned the party, even firing off a bolt from her Super Scope to make her point.
"We're not afraid of you two!" Winston firmly told the Scope Sisters.
"Oh, really?" The other Scope Sister asked with a pouted expression to her face.
"Ya, we ain't!" Winston firmly replied to her.
"Alright, wise guys. If you think you're so tough, why don't you prove it in a match of Badminton Doubles?" The Scope Sister smirked as the group beamed away to the arena where the event was going to take place. It was ClawgripFan9001 and Winston against the Scope Sisters in this game of Badminton Doubles.
Winston was serving for the first round of this game, and he smacked the shuttle over the net, after which one of the Scope Sisters hit it back again. ClawgripFan9001 then hit it back, and this went back and forth until Winston and ClawgripFan eventually managed to score the first point.
The event went on until Winston and ClawgripFan eventually managed to score 5 points, after which they won the match and the Scope Sisters disappeared in a puff of smoke, the party being beamed back to the open plain they were in before.
"Yar, that was excitin'! Now let's continue on 'til we get ta Commander Phillip's castle! It shouldn't be too far from 'ere!" ClawgripFan9001 exclaimed as the group continued walking across the plain, after which they reached Commander Phillip's castle, walking up to the front door.
"Alright, we made it to the castle! Now how are we gonna get in here?" Winston asked.
"Leave that to ClawgripFan9001." The Lakitu cameraman said with a smile.
"Aye, laddie. Me cutlass will 'ave that door open in nuttin' flat." ClawgripFan9001 added as he pulled out his cutlass and began cutting a hole in the front door of the castle, allowing the party to head inside.
"Here we are, guys. We're almost up for our first showdown with one of General Zellon's commanding officers. We just gotta get past all of these obstacles in our way, and then we'll be able to free the heroes that are being held captive here." Winston told the others.
ClawgripFan9001 nodded in agreement. "Aye, so let's get goin' an' get the heroes outta Commander Phillip's clutches!" He declared as the group began making their way across the castle, bypassing the various obstacles that Commander Phillip had placed inside. Eventually though, they managed to arrive at the Boss Door, and they went inside, being greeted by Commander Phillip, who was standing in front of a cage that held Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong inside.
"So, you came, did you?" Phillip remarked, having his arms folded in front of his chest. "I'm Commander Wonga Phillip Zellon, of the Zellon Armed Forces. My father, General Fusajiro Yamauchi Zellon has tasked me with keeping these heroes captive inside my castle, as well as keep any other heroes such as yourselves from freeing them." He informed the party.
"Let those heroes go, you dastardly dinosaur!" Winston firmly told Phillip, stomping the ground with his left foot as he did so, after which Phillip laughed.
"I'm afraid I can't. My father would throttle me if I let those heroes go. If you want to free them so badly, you must take me on in a sports event. If you win, you get to free the heroes, but if you lose, you'll be banished from the Dark Lands, never to return. Does that sound like a fair deal to you?" Phillip asked the party.
The party proceeded to look at each other before nodding in agreement. "Aye, that do be soundin' like a fair deal, laddie. Let's get on with it!" ClawgripFan9001 remarked before the group beamed away to the arena where the event was going to take place. The event appeared to take place on a long stretch of stone bridge.
ClawgripFan9001, Winston and Phillip found themselves inside Air Balls as Phillip turned to his opponents. "The rules of this event are real simple: If either of you two manage to reach the finish line before I do, you win. If I make it to the finish line before either of you two do, I win. Got that? Good. Now let's play!" Phillip declared as the group got into their starting stance.
"Three…Two…One…GO!" An announcer exclaimed as the trio went sprinting forward in their Air Balls, trying to be the first to make it to the finish line. Unfortunately, the course appeared to be littered with crates and other hazards, and the air was filled with Crows, fireballs and other projectiles.
ClawgripFan9001 and Winston did the very best they could to avoid all of these hazards and projectiles, and while Winston took quite a beating from these hazards and projectiles, ClawgripFan9001 managed to dodge them much better. The large Sidestepper took notice that Phillip was getting close to the finish line.
"Darn, the laddie's gettin' close ta the finish line! I'm gonna need ta put all the energy I can muster into me crusty wee legs if I wanna 'ave a chance o' rescuin' the heroes that the laddie be 'oldin' captive…" ClawgripFan9001 told himself before he began running as fast as he could, overtaking a surprised Phillip, and before long, the pirate crustacean managed to cross the finish line, with Winston soon managing to catch up to Phillip as well and crossing the finish line too.
"No! I cannot lose!" Phillip said with a defeated frown as he crossed the finish line last. After that, the Air Bubbles that were surrounding the trio popped, and Phillip's body became engulfed in flames as he began to explode into flames as well. After Phillip exploded, he dropped the key to Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong's cage. Winston quickly picked up the key, after which the group was beamed back to Phillip's castle.
"ClawgripFan, since you defeated Commander Phillip, you should do the honors of freeing the heroes." Winston told ClawgripFan9001 as he handed him the key, which the Sidestepper happily took and nodded to the White Shy Guy before scuttling over to the cage and unlocking it, opening the door as Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong came out of it.
"Whew! You guys saved us! Thanks a bundle, 'cause we were getting pretty cramped inside that cage! Not to mention, we were getting pretty hungry as well, since we were never fed while captive!" Donkey Kong told ClawgripFan9001 and Company as he grinned at them, giving a thumbs up.
"Yeah, we really owe you guys one for saving our butts from General Zellon's forces! Is there anything we can do to repay you the favor?" Diddy Kong asked ClawgripFan9001 and Company with a kind smile.
"Aye, there do be somethin' ye can do ta repay us the favor. 'Ow about the four o' ye join us fer the remainder o' our quest through the Dark Lands as we free the rest o' the heroes?" ClawgripFan9001 offered the four heroes he had just freed with a smile.
"Sure, we can do that! With Donkey Kong and Funky Kong's strength, and Diddy and my nimble dexterity, we'll be able to make short work of whatever else it is that General Zellon can throw at us!" Dixie Kong beamed at the heroes with a smile.
"Yeah, man! Now before we continue on with our quest, let's free the audience members that General Zellon had locked up at this castle and send them on their way back to Toad Town with Commander Phillip's Airship!" Funky Kong agreed with a grin.
ClawgripFan9001 and Company then proceeded to free all of the audience members that Phillip was holding captive at his castle and proceeded to send them on their way back to Toad Town using the Airship that Phillip had docked at his castle. They then proceeded to leave the castle to continue on their way to the next area of the Dark Lands to free the rest of the heroes that were still within General Zellon's clutches.
And with that, the first chapter of my reporter persona's adventure to save the Annual Mushroom World Games has come to an end! The first set of heroes has been freed, and together with ClawgripFan9001 and Company, they're on their way to the next of General Zellon's Dark Lands to defeat the next of the Zellonlings and free the next set of heroes being held captive there! Join me again next month, as we will be starting the second chapter of Sport Report: The Movie then!
Free To Be Ourselves
Written by: Natalie J.
Mario and Bowser stood face to face in the Koopa King’s throne room. Bowser hadn’t even flinched at the sound of the large stone door opening when the plumber entered.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t you again,” Bowser taunted. His legs were nonchalantly crossed and he could barely even be bothered to make eye contact with Mario.
“I don’t even have your stupid little princess this time. Why are you bothering me?”
“Is there an issue, your highness?” Kamek asked. The blue-robed wizard had a talent for showing up at times like this one. Mario chose to stay silent.
“This puny plumber is wasting my time again,” Bowser growled. “Get rid of him.”
“Yes, your antisocialness.” The red gem at the end of Kamek’s scepter started to glow, but both Bowser and Kamek were surprised to see that Mario wasn’t moving at all. Mario loved to cause a headache for the Koopa Troop, both figuratively and literally, but there wasn’t a single peep out of him. Rather, he looked over and nodded. Kamek turned to look behind him.
“Ack!”
The Magikoopa had been knocked out by the boot of Mario’s brother, who had just been released from the effects of a Mini Mushroom. The scepter fell out of Kamek’s hand as he attempted to stand back up, only to immediately fall back down from being dizzy.
“Where did you come from?” Bowser growled again, his temper starting to boil over. He stood up from his throne and stomped as Mario grabbed the scepter from the floor. Bowser started to visibly freak out. His worst enemy now had access to the most powerful magic in the Koopa Kingdom.
“Hey, don’t you touch that!” he yelled, to no avail. Mario was determined at this point. He was fully prepared to send Bowser to limbo where he could never bother the Mushroom Kingdom again, but as he was about to give Bowser his game over, a thought crossed his mind.
“What are you waiting for, bro?” Luigi asked. Mario looked over at his brother, who was getting impatient to put an end to the years-long war of the kingdoms.
“There’s gotta be another way,” Mario said. “So we’ll all be happy.”
“Whaddya mean?”
The two brothers looked over at Bowser, who had seemingly resigned to his fate.
“Let’s-a all be friends!” Mario said, a smile forming on his face. He threw a heavy swing of the golden wand, and the magical energy flew right toward Bowser.
***
Two Koopa Troopas, simply known as 444 and 492, were roaming around the castle on their normal patrol duties. Bowser’s troops were purposely made as generic as possible in order for the Koopa King to feel a little less guilty about his actions. In his ranks, only particular minions were allowed the privilege of having names; anyone else was assigned a number, and that would be their whole life. They were even discouraged from interacting with each other so no one would feel bad if a minion disappeared; they could just be replaced and no one would ever know. However, 444 and 492 started to feel different. Suddenly, it was like whatever magical shackles had been placed on their psyches were falling apart and letting them go.
“What’s going on?” 444 asked, his head in a daze.
“I… I don’t know,” 492 replied. “Are you okay?”
“I think so, but…” The Koopa had to sit down against the wall of the castle. “It’s like I just don’t want to do my work anymore.”
“That’s what I’m feeling too.” 492 sat down next to his new friend. The two of them looked like clones of each other. They had both heard of Koopas who were lucky enough to live a life free from Bowser’s grasp, but they assumed they would never get to experience that themselves.
“You’re free! You’re free!” Both Koopas perked up in the direction that the voice was coming from. Suddenly, they could both see the Mario Bros. running down the hallway looking like they had just saved the world.
“Don’t look so sad, you’re free now!” Luigi said as he ran up to the two Koopas.
“What happened?” 492 asked, still utterly confused at everything going on.
“Bowser said he’s-a letting all his troops free and giving up on invading the Mushroom Kingdom,” Luigi explained. “He’s gonna focus on taking-a care of Junior and the Koopalings.”
“So we can… leave?”
“Mhm.”
The two of them stood up.
“I can help you if-a you want,” Luigi offered. 444 and 492 were happy to accept, as they were still feeling some leftover guilt from even having thoughts of disobeying orders. Luigi walked the two Koopas to the entrance of the castle. Both of them were immediately in awe of just how big the world was. They had never gotten any chance to see what the world looked like outside the castle.
“What do we do now?” 444 asked.
“I dunno,” Luigi said. “Maybe you can go explore the world.”
“I guess that does sound fun,” 492 responded.
“How do we get there?” 444 asked.
“There’s-a pipe you can take that will bring you to Toad Town,” Luigi said.
“Thank you, Luigi,” 444 said. The green plumber ran back into the castle as he waved goodbye to the two Koopas. 444 and 492 climbed into the warp pipe and disappeared to the Mushroom Kingdom.
***
“This is the Mushroom Kingdom?” 444 asked. “King Bowser always said it was some awful place but everyone looks so happy here.”
Yoshis, Toads, and even other Koopa Troopas were wandering around the bustling town. Peach’s Castle could be seen off in the distance.
“It’s so much nicer here than it was back at the castle,” 492 said.
“Everyone looks so… unique.”
“Do you think we could make ourselves unique?”
“Yeah, why not?”
They looked around the town at all the inhabitants. Yoshis and Koopas were wearing real outfits. Some of them had even styled their hair and gotten it colored. Seeing this, the two Koopas wanted all in. They wondered around somewhat aimlessly looking for wherever they could find clothes until they found a shop.
“Good afternoon!” A cheerful pink Yoshi greeted the two Koopas as they walked inside. “I’m Nishi, how can I help you two fine gentlemen today?”
The two Koopas suddenly blushed. Simultaneously, the realization hit both of them like a speeding Bullet Bill that anyone could have a real name. The numbers they had been known by were just a sign of Bowser’s cruelty as an army leader. They were already on the way to becoming their own people, but they didn’t know how to give themselves names.
“Are you okay?” Nishi said to the two frozen Koopas.
“Oh, uh… sorry about that,” 444 said.
“We’re a bit new to this whole… freedom thing,” 492 said.
“Ooh, does that mean you got let out of Bowser’s army today?” Nishi asked.
“How did you know that?”
“It was all over the news. Even Kylie Koopa was on the scene to find out what happened to Bowser. He signed a big peace treaty with the Mushroom Kingdom.”
444 and 492 had nothing to say. There were dots connecting everywhere inside their heads. That’s why Mario was holding Kamek’s wand when he ran by. It’s why they were so suddenly freed.
“We, uh… we got help from Luigi to come here. He said there was a pipe that would bring us here. We really liked all the outfits people were wearing and we thought maybe we could get ones for ourselves,” 492 said.
“I’d be happy to help,” Nishi said, her eyes lighting up. “Are you looking for anything specific?”
“I don’t know,” 444 responded. “I never got to have an outfit before.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Maybe I can help.” 444 walked with Nishi toward a selection of men’s clothes. 492 had wandered off, planning to come back after he got his shell painted and his boots replaced. “Does anything here stand out to you?” Nishi asked.
“I don’t know,” 444 said. Something felt off as he browsed the collection of men’s apparel. It’s like he didn’t fit in the section. Not that the clothes weren’t his size, but like he wasn’t supposed to be there. He looked across the shop and saw the women’s section and suddenly felt drawn to it.
“Do you think we could go over there?” he asked.
“Of course,” Nishi said. 444 kept feeling distracted by the pretty dress Nishi was wearing. He wanted to try something like that himself.
“I think I want to look like you,” he said. Nishi seemed a little taken aback.
“I could make that work,” she said. She started looking through the racks of feminine clothes to see if anything matched the vibe that she could read from 444. She didn’t find any dresses like the one she was wearing, but she did find a white shirt with pink sleeves and a matching pink pair of pants. “What do you think of this, maybe? It’s not as formal as what I’m wearing but I think it would look good on you,” Nishi said. 444 started feeling giddy at the sight.
“That looks really good,” 444 said. He took the outfit off to a changing room and put it on, his excitement not going away at all. The entire time, he avoided looking in the mirror. He wanted to surprise himself with the look. As he finished pulling the shirt over his head, the outfit was finished and he took a look.
He was stunned.
No - She was stunned.
She finally figured out why she didn’t fit in in the men’s section. She finally figured out why it made her so happy to think about being herself.
She used to be nothing, and now she was herself.
“I love it,” she said to Nishi, coming out of the changing room feeling cuter than ever. At that moment, 492 walked back into the building. His jaw dropped at the sight of 444. It was shocking to see that his friend had suddenly become a girl, but he was absolutely loving it.
“What happened here?” he asked.
“I found myself,” 444 responded. Nishi was standing there with a big grin on her face. She had never seen any of her customers look this happy, but she wasn’t going to complain about 444’s reaction.
“I thought my new shell would steal the show, but… wow, you look really good.”
“It’s just an outfit,” 444 teased.
“Now I’m jealous.”
“I can help with that if you want,” Nishi chimed in.
“I’d love that,” 492 said. Rather than bringing him to any particular section, Nishi offered him the entire store to roam around. He was particularly drawn to a red hoodie that was sitting on a shelf on the wall; it was thick and soft, but also had an outline of a Fire Flower on it.
“I wonder something,” he said. “Since you get to be a girl, what if I didn’t have to be a boy or a girl?”
“That sounds fun,” 444 responded.
“I like the sound of that. It just feels right.”
“You two are having fun with your new lives already, aren’t you?” Nishi said. Both of the Koopas agreed.
“I don’t know if I can even describe it,” 444 said. 492 grabbed a pair of white pants with a red stripe running down the side.
“Oh, those ones are popular. There was a Paratroopa a few years ago who popularized them.”
“Can I try them on?”
“Of course.”
492 went off to the changing room that 444 had occupied a few minutes before. Everyone was in a good mood in that moment.
“If you ever want to increase your wardrobe, I’ll still be here, you know,” Nishi said.
“I have a feeling we will,” 444 said.
“What’s your name?”
“444.”
Nishi tilted her head in confusion.
“That’s just a number.”
“It’s what I’ve been called for my whole life.”
“Maybe you need a new name, then.”
“I was just thinking about that earlier, actually,” 492 said when he came out of the changing room. “I heard you introduce yourself and I knew something was weird about us just being numbers.”
“Then I wish you the best of luck in finding new names,” Nishi said. The two Koopas both thanked her as they enjoyed their new outfits.
“So, um… how do we pay for these?”
***
The two Koopas became inseparable. Their favorite hobby was going for nature walks, as they loved experiencing the outside they had been held back from in their previous life. One particular day, they were sitting shoulder to shoulder with their hands interlocked at the top of a hill overlooking Toad Town when they spotted a familiar face below.
“Luigi!” the pink Koopa yelled as she took off down the hill. The plumber’s attention was piqued at the sound of his name, so he turned over to look where it was coming from.
“Luigi, do you remember us?” the Koopa asked. “We’re those Koopas you rescued from Bowser’s castle the day we all got freed,” she said.
“Oh yeah, I remember,” Luigi said.
“We’re doing a lot better now. We’re both really enjoying having outfits and names and everything.”
“You have names?”
“I’m Iris and that’s Lake,” Iris said. “We love spending time outside so we both picked naturey names for ourselves.”
Luigi’s eyes were lighting up. Even if he hadn’t seen the two Koopas in a long time, he was getting a feeling of secondhand happiness from seeing Iris so happy to talk about her new life.
“She picked a cute name, didn’t she?” Lake said.
“You did too,” Iris responded.
“Aww, you don’t gotta fight over it,” Luigi said. “I think both of your names are cute.”
Both Lake and Iris turned to each other and smiled. Luigi was known around the Mushroom Kingdom for having one of the happiest, kindest souls in the world, only fazed by his fear of ghosts. Even being aware of that, it still filled the Koopas with joy that Luigi was so happy for them.
“Are you off on an adventure today?” Lake asked.
“Mhm!”
“Ooh, where are you going?”
“I dunno. Sometimes I like-a exploring,” Luigi said, potentially realizing that wandering around wasn’t much of an adventure like he thought. Not that he was going to be deterred since he found it fun.
“Have fun with that,” Iris said.
“Thank you.”
Luigi reached over and gave the Koopas a parting hug.
“I hope I get to see you again soon,” he said.
“You know where to find us,” Lake responded, knowing that they were only somewhat joking. Both they and Iris spent a lot of time at that hill, so it wasn’t actually unrealistic for Luigi to come back and find them there.
As the plumber said his goodbyes to his new friends, Lake and Iris turned back to each other, both with big smiles on their beaks. Lake put their arm around Iris and pulled her close to their side. Iris responded by leaning her head on Lake’s shoulder.
“We chose a good day to come out here, didn’t we?” Lake said.
“We sure did,” Iris responded. She gently nuzzled Lake’s shoulder and neck.
“I really do hope we get to see him again soon. He’s such a sweetheart.”
“How could anyone not love him?”
“I’ve heard there’s people who don’t.”
“Aww, what?”
“I don’t know either,” Lake said.
They reached the top of the hill and sat back down, getting as close to each other as they could. Iris leaned back over on Lake, who responded by gently rubbing her shoulder.
“You know,” Iris said, “we didn’t even get to tell him the best thing that happened to us since we’ve been free.”
“Man, you’re right. Maybe next time,” Lake responded. The two of them smiled as they turned to look into each other’s eyes. As they were about to lose each other in the moment, Lake planted a kiss on the tip of Iris’s beak, causing her to blush.
“I love you,” Lake said.
“I love you too.”
| The 'Shroom: Issue 204 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Poll Chairperson Address • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
