True Colors

True Colors is an episode of the TV series Mushroom Guard. It is a remake of the Super Mario Bros 3 episode of the same name.

Part 1: Cold Open
(The scene opens on a shot of the Mushroom Kingdom. Everything looks peaceful, but the peace is disturbed when an Airship zooms past. The scene cuts to inside the ship, where Bowser is asleep in his seat while Larry and Ludwig shake him.)

Larry: Wake up, King Dad! It’s time for your early morning sneak attack on the Mushroom Kingdom!

Ludwig: Hmm…We really need him to wake up. This was HIS sinister scheme. (He pulls a lever, causing a bucket of water to be dumped on Bowser’s head.)

Bowser (still asleep): I-I-I’m awake! I’m ready! Let’s get ‘em! (resumes snoring)

Ludwig: Well Larry, while Dad takes his beauty sleep, it looks like we’ll have to order this attack ourselves. (He activates the intercom) Paragoombas away!

(A swarm of Paragoombas departs the airship and starts to harass the Mushroom Kingdom residents. The residents run around in panic, then the scene cuts to inside the Mushroom Guard headquarters, where the Mushroom Guard is watching the chaos unfold on a TV screen.)

Mario (turning around): We got work to do.

Part 2: Theme Song
The full version of the opening sequence plays.

These little sparks cling onto life

Everyone caught in the struggle

And then the storms of change, they fan the flames

Scattering ashes to the wind

Every soul contains a whisper of light

Growing louder as it calls to unite

From the distance sings a chorus of souls

Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals

Colors weave into a spire of flame

Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed

Bear this torch against the cold of the night

Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight.

Part 3: Driving off the Horde
(The Mushroom Guard springs into action. They burst out the front door of Peach’s Castle, charge into the horde, and start to wildly attack the Paragoombas. Mario repels them with his fire powers, Luigi sucks up Paragoombas with his Poltergust and shoots them into other Paragoombas, Daisy punches and kicks them, Berry swings his bo staff, Gold shoots arrows while speeding on his rollerblades, and Zac and Sarah coat the Paragoombas with ink. They start to drive them away, but Sarah looks around and notices Toadette on the roof of a building, surrounded by paragoombas.)

Sarah: Give me a boost, Zac!

(Sarah transforms into a squid and leaps into Zac’s hand. Zac then throws Sarah onto the roof of the building, where Sarah transforms back into a kid and tackles the Paragoombas. By this point, the horde has been driven away. Sarah rejoins her friends on the ground, where they celebrate.)

Part 4: A Devious Plan
(The scene shows the exterior of Bowser’s Castle, then cuts to the interior.)

Bowser: We never would have lost if you Koopaling clowns had just woken me up! Whose idea was this early morning attack, anyway?

Larry: Yours, King Dad. You said the early koopa gets the mushroom!

Bowser: Well, you never should have let me say it! Even when the Mushroom People are sleeping, we can’t beat them!

Ludwig: You should really calm down. You wouldn’t want your cold Koopa blood to get overheated!

Bowser: You’re right, Ludwig. Besides, I got a sleep schedule to stick to. (He sits in his throne and starts to fall asleep.)

(Larry looks to the side, and notices the troops are cleaning blue and orange ink off the Paragoombas.)

Larry: You can’t go to sleep just yet! I’ve got a super devious plan! The Mushroom Kingdom residents beat us because they know how to work together. But if we were to divide and conquer…

Bowser: You mean set Mushroom against Mushroom? That’ll never happen.

Larry: I can make it happen.

(Bowser thinks to himself)

Bowser: OK, I’m in. Tell me your plan…after I wake up.

Part 5: Trouble at the Museum
(It is night-time in the Mushroom Kingdom. Shadowy figures are seen sneaking into the Mushroom Kingdom Museum. The figures then emerge, one of them holding a gemstone. The scene cuts to the sun rising, and Zac waking up in his apartment. He grabs his phone, looks at it, and suddenly gets a concerned expression on his face.)

(An instrumental remix of “Lifelight” starts. Zac grabs his Zink logo shirt and puts it on. He then walks out of the front door of the apartment building with a plate of pancakes. Zac walks towards Peach’s Castle while eating the pancakes. The scene cuts to Zac entering the Mushroom Guard headquarters while brushing his teeth. He joins the rest of the team in front of the display. Toadette appears on the screen.)

Toadette: Good morning Mushroom Guard. Last night, a precious diamond went missing from the Mushroom Kingdom Museum. Luckily, we were able to track the thief to Yoshi’s Island.

Mario: Say no more. We’ve got this!

(The remix of “Lifelight” increases in pitch. The Mushroom Guard members enter their helicopter, which takes off through an opening at ground level. The helicopter then flies off into the distance as the “Lifelight” remix ends. We then see several airships approaching the kingdom…)

Part 6: Paint the Town
(The scene shows the inside of one of the airships. Ludwig is looking through a periscope.)

Ludwig: That gem thief should keep them busy. Let’s roll!

(“When the Koopas Paint the Town” starts playing. The ships spray red and blue paint onto the Mushroom Kingdom residents. One ship is seen breaking into an office building. Midway through the song, the scene changes to the Mushroom Guard at Yoshi’s Island, where a Koopa Troopa is perched atop a tree, looking at the heroes from above.)

Daisy: He got away!

Gold (holding up the diamond): At least he dropped this!

(Mario’s phone buzzes. It’s Toadette.)

Toadette: Guys, you gotta get back to the Kingdom, pronto!

Mario: We’re on our way.

(The scene returns to the Mushroom Kingdom. Toadette puts her phone away, just in time to get drenched in blue paint. The Mushroom Guard Helicopter lands in a field, and the heroes rush outside. The airships zoom towards them, the heroes duck for cover, and everyone gets drenched! Luigi, Daisy, Zac and Berry are painted red, while Mario, Sarah and Gold are painted blue. The song ends and the scene returns to the airship.)

Ludwig: Amazing! These paint sprayers worked just as I expected them to!

Bowser: But did you have to spray so early in the morning? I didn’t sleep a wink!

Part 7: Creating Conflict
(Larry and Ludwig are watching the Mushroom People, with Toad disguises. Larry disguises as a red Toad, while Ludwig disguises as a blue Toad.)

Larry: We added the colourful ingredients, now let’s stir them up!

(A blue-painted cook Toad is preparing a pizza. Larry grabs the pizza dough and runs away.)

Cook: Hey! Get back here!

Ludwig: I saw that! It was one of those Red Mushrooms! They’re always causing trouble for the Blue Mushrooms!

Cook: Red Mushrooms, you say?

(Ludwig then starts to spray blue paint on a wall that is being painted red by a red-painted Toad.)

Larry: Darn Blues! They just don’t respect us Reds!

Painter: No respect, huh?

(The blue and red people start to argue. Larry and Ludwig then crash into each other while carrying boxes.)

Larry: I’m walking here, you bumpus blue bauble!

Ludwig: I was walking here first, you rippin red rubble!

Larry: Oh yeah?

Ludwig: Yeah!

Cook: My blue friend’s right. He was here first, I saw him!

Painter: My red friend was here first!

Cook: You rippin red rubble!

Painter: Yeah? You bumpus blue bauble!

(At this point, a commotion has broken out. The Mushroom Guard arrives, with Toadette and Peach. Noticeably, Peach is the only Mushroom Kingdom resident who avoided the paint.)

Peach: What’s going on here?

Cook: This rubble says that the street should only be for reds!

Painter: This bauble says only blues should be allowed!

Peach: Oh, for Mushroom’s sake! You can both use this street like you always have!

Berry: Wait a minute…aren’t these two cousins?

Mario: Let’s go, Luigi, maybe we can sort things out. (He pushes Painter out of the way.) Come on, you guys! Fighting won’t solve anything. The color you are doesn’t matter!

Larry: Oh yeah? Then how come you pushed back the red guy, and not the blue?

Luigi: Yeah. How come, Mario.

Mario: Luigi! I was just trying to help, and then…

(By this point, the camera pans to show that almost everyone is arguing. Only Peach, Berry, Gold, Zac and Sarah have refrained from taking a side. Everyone else takes the side of the color that they were painted: Cook argues with Painter, Mario argues with Luigi, and Daisy argues with Toadette.)

Peach: Everyone, please! We all know that this is a scheme of the Koopa Troop!

Gold: It’s no use, Peach. They’re all…pigment-headed.

Larry: Let’s drive those Blues out of the kingdom!

Ludwig: Come on, Blues! Let’s have a big rumble, and give those Reds what they deserve!

Larry: Rumble!

Ludwig: Rumble!

Crowd: Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Cook: Meet you tomorrow morning and settle this?

Painter: Tomorrow morning!

(The two factions go their separate ways. Mario and Luigi turn to look at each other, with expressions of betrayal on their faces.)

Peach: Oh, how terrible! The Mushroom Kingdom is splitting apart!

Larry (watching from the distance): And with the kingdom split, King Dad will be top banana!

Ludwig: Good one, Larry! (They high five)

Part 8: Storming the Castle
(Zac and Sarah are running through a dark forest. None of the trees have any leaves on them.)

Sarah: We gotta get into Bowser’s Castle and find out what these Koopas are up to with their paint, before the Mushroom Kingdom has a rumble that tears it apart!

Zac: Right behind you, pal!

(The Inkling duo approaches Bowser’s Castle. They notice a Sledge Bro guarding the castle gate.)

Zac: That Sledge Bro can’t stop both of us. Let’s take him out and get inside!

Sarah: Are you crazy? We need to sneak in some other way.

Zac: But…Yeah, I guess you’re right.

(Zac and Sarah sneak around the castle and notice a smaller door on the side of the castle leading to the basement. They pry open the door, sneak inside, run down some stairs, and come to a three-way fork in the road…)

Sarah: I say left.

Zac: Well, I say right.

Sarah: You go your way, I’ll go mine. (They each go down their chosen path, but Zac is chased back out by a Chain Chomp, while Sarah is chased out by a Fire Chomp that explodes.)

Zac and Sarah: Center.

(The duo runs down the middle path, then come to three pipes.)

Sarah: Pipe number 1 is the way to go.

Zac: What? It’s obviously pipe number 2.

Sarah: You’re so stubborn now that you’re red, Zac!

Zac: Oh yeah? Well…you’re a blue noodle!

(The two glare at each other, then they hear a laugh)

Zac and Sarah: Pipe number 3.

(They go over to the pipe, look inside, and see Larry and Ludwig take off their disguises.)

Larry: These Mushroom People are so dumb!

Ludwig: We got them to believe that red is better than blue, and vice versa!

Larry: But we all know that the green on Bowser’s shell is the sneakiest color of them all! Let’s prepare for that rumble, Ludwig. We’ll heat these mushrooms to the boiling point!

Ludwig: And then, when they self-saute, dear old King Dad will waltz right in and make the Kingdom his own!

Sarah (facepalming): Wow, we sure were king sized colossal jerks!

Zac (facepalming): Yeah, how could we be so stupid? We fell right in to the Koopas’ trap!

Sarah: We should know better…yet we let our different colors drive us apart. Sorry, Zac.

Zac: Sorry, Sarah.

(They shake hands and pat each other on the back.)

Zac: Hmm…I think I know how we’re going to unrumble that rumble. We gotta get back to the Kingdom! (The duo starts to run home.)

Part 9: The Rumble?
The two factions are seen facing each other. Bowser is watching from the distance, with several troops behind him.

Bowser (yawning, into his phone): As soon as the rumble begins, we charge in and take the Kingdom.

Larry (wearing his disguise): Got it, King Dad. We’ll get the rumble started!

(The scene cuts to the Red Team, where everyone is looking around in concern.)

Painter: This Rumble stuff is kinda scary. Do I really have to fight my own cousin?

Luigi: And do I really have to fight my own brother?

Larry: Come on! We’re not yellow, we’re red! Let’s rumble! (The Reds start to march towards the Blues. The scene then pans to the Blue Team.)

Cook: Those Red people used to be my friends. Maybe we should just talk this over.

Mario: Yeah, I’m sure we can work something out.

Ludwig (wearing his disguise): You want to talk? While the Reds wipe us out? Look! They’re headed this way! Charge! (The Blues start to march as well.)

Bowser: I hope we can get this conquering over and done with quickly. You know, so I can take a nap. (He yawns.)

(The teams draw closer to each other, All of a sudden, Zac and Sarah run in between them.)

Sarah: Hold it! Emergency! Princess Peach needs you!

Zac: Yeah, and it’s going to take every single one of you to rescue her! She’s trapped in a cave!

Larry: So what? She’s not red. She’s not OUR princess anymore.

Toadette: Well, she’ll always be our princess.

Daisy: Yeah. She’s everyone’s princess.

Mario: Well, you heard them. Let’s move! (The two teams take off, with Zac and Sarah leading them. They approach a pipe, where Berry and Gold are waiting.)

Sarah: Berry! Gold!

Luigi: Have you seen the Princess? Is she OK?

Peach: I’m right here. And I’m just fine, now that everyone’s off the battlefield.

Zac: The fact that you’re all here, reds and blues, shows your true colors.

Sarah: No matter how you look, you’re all important to the Mushroom Kingdom!

(The crowd members all happily reconcile with each other.)

Cook and Painter: Cousins! (They hug)

Mario and Luigi: Brothers! (They also hug)

Zac and Sarah: Best friends forever! (They hug likewise)

Larry and Ludwig: Rats!

Larry: It’s a trick, Red Mushrooms! Are you going to forget all those horrible things the Blues did?

Ludwig: Oh yeah? What about all those terrible things the Reds did? Let’s rumble!

(Larry and Ludwig start to fight each other, but Sarah swoops in and rips their disguises off.)

Crowd: Larry and Ludwig! Hmph!

(The two Koopalings look around and realise they are surrounded by angry Mushroom Kingdom residents.)

Larry (into his phone): Dad! Hurry! Attack! We’re in trouble! You’re the only one who can save us! (It is revealed that Bowser has already fallen asleep.)

Larry: I think it’s time for us to Koop on out of here!

Ludwig: I’m with you! (They both run away)

Part 10: As Smart as Mushrooms
Peach: So, are everyone’s colors going to fade back to normal?

Sarah (inspecting her shirt sleeve): Might take a little while.

Mario: Well, however long it takes, it doesn’t matter anymore. We’ve learned that it’s not a person’s color that counts, it’s the kind of person they are inside.

Luigi: You think the rest of the world will learn this lesson, like we did?

Mario: Sure, when humans get as smart as mushrooms.

(He looks to the side, and sees Zac and Sarah fist bump)

Mario: Or squids!

(The camera irises out on Mario’s face, then the credits roll.)