I don't think we are in Mushroomland Anymore

## **Plot**

Mario finds Rosalina sitting in her library but pokes her considering what happened last time. She tells him that she is real and he decides to consult her for how he is feeling towards him still not having his powers back and if there is any way he could get them back. Rosalina admits that she isn't too sure of a way for a person to regain their powers, further adding that she doesn't even know how to use any. Mario asks her what she means but she quickly dismisses the question, saying that she might know one way but admits she doesn't know if it will truly work. She tells him that she read in a book once about creating infinite power restorations and one of the easiest options was to perform, "The Bond of Sacration". She further adds that it needs to take place in an unknown place that isn't on Earth. Mario takes this with caution and tells Luigi to come along as he "can't lose him again". Luigi agrees to go while Lizel says that she will look after the others, with Bowser saying he will "keep an eye on them". Before they depart, Daisy wishes Luigi a goodbye, kissing him while Peach does the same with Mario, the pair sharing a short kiss as well. Squirt decides to join, with Toadette also giving him a kiss. They enter the time pools, as an alternative to not having to reseal the rift again. She tells the time pool to take them to where they need to go, which causes them all to teleport, all the while shape-shifting into different shapes and sizes. Rosalina does not change, citing her magical abilities don't allow her to become affected, but does admit it still feels odd, saying what they experienced was "Time-Pool Lag".

They enter another time period, however they soon realize that it is another dimension, as there are some creatures not from Earth such as massive mammoths that begin to chase the team down into a river. They fall into the river, swimming for their lives until they are suddenly met with the horrible realization that they are headed straight for a waterfall. Rosalina tells luma to pull her up so she can help the others but she slips on rocks and falls back into the water. Just before the team meet their impending doom however, they are blacked out by odd smells and Mario becomes unconscious.

He wakes up tied to a rock, unable to move. Odd cavemen surround him and Mario warns them to get back, threatening that he will use his power but slowly fades out once he remembers his unfortunate fate. They continue to surround him but he also continues yelling at them to stay back. Suddenly, the one of the cavemen picks Mario's nose, while the others simply continue admiring him all the while touching him everywhere. Mario realizes they are completely naïve and he tells them to give him a rock. Mario gets the rock and bashes it against the rope holding him captive and he bolts out of the caveroom, sprinting out all the while yelling for the others. He spots Luigi who is also unconscious. Mario also gives notice to a a piece of leaf on a rock table near them and wonders why there is a single piece of plant inside a rock house. Luigi awakens and Mario unties him, prompting them both to escape and find the others. They spot Squirt being taken under the cavemen and Luigi uses his fire as a threatening tactic to them which causes them to drop him. Rosalina also breaks free of her trap and she uses her magic to stun the cavemen, allowing them to escape but they plea that they don't leave. Mario tells them to get lost but the chief caveman introduces himself as Lord Cragnon. He tells the team that they call themselves the Cragnons and they are in danger and need help, wanting to find as much help as they can. The team remains skeptical and says they are bluffing but the leader requests he shows them something. He leads them to their village, which is abandoned, saying how their town was once a bustling cave town. Soon after, he shows them one of the Cragnons with a floro sprout stuck inside his head. He explains that an invasion of plant-like humanoids invaded their town and has been kidnapping their kind and taking them to the mine caves below. He mentions they call themselves, Floro-Sapiens. He then gets to his plea, to help them rescue their kind from them and save the town from their mind control. The team sees the severity of the situation and they decide to help but Mario asks about the bond of sacration which conveniently enough, Lord Cragnon says he knows how to summon it. He then arranges a bargain, saying if the team helps find the rest of the Cragnons, he will teach him the bond of sacration. Mario agrees and they set off to find out the trouble.

While out in the wilderness, they spot a Cragnon be kidnapped by the Floro-Sapiens who they chase down. It takes him down underground and a local film crew along with a film star named Flint Cragley head past them and berates his crew for saying how close they were. The team say that they are on their way to find the fiends which prompts flint to feel immediately relieved, joking he should hire them. Everyone then proceeds under the large rock into the underground.

The team don't realize however, that the hole is a sheer drop and they all fall into a minecart. Squirt accidently trips the switch lever and they proceed on an exhilarating minecart ride. They jump out before the cart hits the buffers but the crew goes missing, prompting the team to head alone. They discover an entire castle made of white marble and royal objects, what one would make for a figure of royalty. They see that a security scanner is needed in order to gain access inside the castle but the team sees that Cragnons can enter with the floro sprout on their heads. This hatches an idea for the team, and just as floro sapiens spot them, they beat them up and steal their sprouts and put them on their head, which hilariously fools all the other floro sapiens and infected Cragnons. they continue walking down the corridor with Luigi asking one of the Floro Sapiens where they are. He answers that they are located inside King Croacus' castle and that he is in charge of all the floro sapiens. Mario then provokes on why they are kidnapping the Cragnons which immediately offends the Floro Sapiens who says they aren't kidnapping them before attacking them. Luigi fireballs him which begins to burn his petals but Rosalina washes it off with water with her magic. It notices that Luigi's sprout is crooked and immediately goes to grab it which comes clean off, the nearby floro sapiens snatch the leaves off the others as well, leaving the team completely exposed. The team book it towards the throne room, knocking every floro sapien away.

They arrive at the throne room and see King Croacus who goes on to tell them that he is happy to see that they are the first outside visitors to see his beautiful kingdom come to pass. He expresses his extreme narcissism by saying how he believes that their face is far more superior and cleaner then the Cragnons. Mario tells the king that mind-controlling them to do what they want is not an answer to solving anything. The king dismisses his claim and immediately goes to attack them. After a battle that ends with Luigi fire balling the king in the eye and Mario swinging his arms to tie himself up, the king falls and begins to wilter. The floro sapiens barge in but instead of attacking the team, they immediately go for the aid of the king. They confront the team on what they done, revealing that the reason the king was doing all this was because the Cragnons were polluting their drinking water and the water needed for their petals to grow. They go on to say that the Cragnons and the Floro Sapiens have been at war since the beginning of time. The team apologize but in turn, promise to return everything back to normal by telling the Cragnons the error of their ways and how they both need to learn how to live in the same home in harmony. They accept and turn off the floro sprouts' chips, disconnecting every mind controlled cragnon.

Back at Cragville, they tell the king everything that has been going on, with him apologizing and regretting their actions, saying that's how their lifestyle has been, just full of trash. He then tells Mario how to do the bond of sacration, but it involves both of the brothers to channel their inner strength once more, connecting with their inner power. Mario argues how he could do that if he has no power but the king tells him that attitude is the reason he doesn't have his power to begin with, as he needs to believe in himself. He tells the bros they need to head to a sacred place, where no person nor toad has gone before. They thank the cragnons for their help and they depart back to the Mushroom Kingdom.