The Mushroom Kingdom at the turn of the decade was a turbulent place. The nation had just gone through a series of difficult wars against Bowser and the evil Turtle Tribe, including an invasion and a brief but brutal occupation. As a result, Princess Peach's government had created a massive security apparatus, including a massively expanded military. To pay for this huge expansion of government power, Peach started levying large taxes on all citizens.

At first, the general public did not mind. After all, they had been attacked multiple times and it made sense that they should all chip in to help keep their country safe. Simple farmers gave quotas of their crops (usually the Kingdom's famous Giant Mushrooms and Fire Flowers) to the government to help feed the troops. Merchants and tradesmen sent a large portion of their profits to help keep the military and government bureaucracy running strong. Many people even sent their children to join the army.

But before too long, all of this sacrifice seemed unnecessary and misguided. The country was now safe from the Koopa menace and the infrastructure that had been destroyed during the occupation had long since been fixed. So why did the government insist on heavy taxes for an ever expanding bureaucracy? Why were the citizens' sons and daughters still being stationed in strange and far off lands like Sarasaland or the unforgiving Koopahari Desert?

When the people complained about these unfair developments, the Kingdom's leadership scolded them for rocking the boat and being unpatriotic. They were told that if people stopped paying their taxes, the government would grow weak and not be able to protect them from enemies like the Koopas. (And while it was true that it was actually the Mario Brothers that did nearly all the protecting, Princess Peach's propagandists had made sure that the people saw the heroic plumbers as loyal citizens working with and for the government.) Citizens who continued to complain found themselves in trouble, or even in jail.

Of course, this didn't stop people from complaining, they just made sure to do it very quietly. The Toadstools knew that getting the monarchy to listen to their problems was useless. So they instead formed secret clubs, which would meet in secret places, away from prying eyes or ears. These clubs would discuss the problems of their country and how to solve them. The people agreed that the Mushroom Kingsom would be a much better place if only the common citizens would have a say in how government is ran. The secret clubs became quite popular with the common folk. Some of them even had cool names like the "Shrooms of Liberty". One group in particular that grabbed the attention of the people was the Smithy Gang.

The Smithy Gang was made up of a small group of metal smiths from the former Koopa territories. Their leader was simply called Smithy, and his lieutenants went by strange pseudonyms like Mack, Exor, Bowyer and Yaridovich. Like most secret society leaders, nobody had ever seen these characters, only knowing them through their writings and pamphlets. The Smithy Gang talked about a new system of government where, instead of Kings and Princesses having unlimited power, a group of elected leaders representing all Toadstools would make all the rules. They said that nobody should be taxed without at least being represented in the decision making process.

This radical new way of thinking caught on with the common people, and the Smithy Gang became quite popular amongst the various secret societies. Smithy's writings had excited the people, but they weren't ready to march on the capitol just yet. The government had eyes and ears everywhere, and Toadsworth's secret police weren't very kind to people who talked about changing the country's leadership. Luckily, the government hadn't found out about the Smithy Gang or any of the secret groups yet.

The fledgling democracy movement caught a lucky break when it was announced that Peach, Mario, Toadsworth, and a large portion of the security forces had left the country. Official sources said that they were simply taking a much needed vacation. (Some people said that they were off dealing with some trouble involving talking dinosaurs, but nobody really believed that nonsense.) The time was now ripe for the secret clubs to make themselves known.

Immediately after Princess Peach and company left for Yoshi's Island, massive demonstrations were held in every town and village throughout the countryside. The people angrily called for a change in government. The local officials were outnumbered and retreated to the capitol. Although the demonstrators could have taken over most the country in all the confusion, they were still little more than a very unorganized mob with no real leadership.

The chiefs of the small local (and not so secret anymore) clubs knew that if they really wanted to effect change, they would have to organize before the government and the army returned to crush them. All the local leaders gathered in one place to discuss what to do next. Some of the more rash delegates wanted to march on Peach's castle immediately and throw out the government by force. Some wanted a more cautious approach, suggesting that they send negotiators to the capitol to try to hammer out a quick deal. Others argued that they didn't even have an official list of demands yet and shouldn't do anything until they made one.

The delegates continued to argue, and it looked like the entire meeting would collapse. Suddenly a strage group of people appeared out of nowhere. They identified themselves as the legendary Smithy Gang, the spiritual leaders of the entire movement. The people were surprised to find out that Smithy and his friends were not Toadstools at all, but mechanical creatures from the old Koopa domains. However, instead of expelling them for being different, the delegates immediately called for the Gang to take their place at the head of the convention. Smithy, the leader of the Gang, was made Chairman of the meeting and began to craft a plan for the movement.

Smithy suggested that although the movement was strong, it would not be able to beat the government in a fight. Peach had the army, and Mario, on her side, and they could easily destroy a group of poorly armed farmers and merchants. Instead, Smithy believed that an economic war was the best way to force the government to the negotiation table. It was decided that the democracy movement would call a general strike, shutting down the Mushroom Kingdom's economy until the government agreed to negotiate with the workers.

Soon, the fields and markets of the rural regions of the Mushroom Kingdom were empty. They were replaced with great tent cities full of idle workers, who waited for either a negotiator from the government, or a hostile army. The leaders of the strike set up a shadow government far away from the action, at the old abandoned castle of the Koopa tribe, Bowser's Keep. Smithy was elected President, and along with his Smithy Gang lieutenants, kept the strikers organized.

It was not long before Smithy got word that Princess Peach and her entourage had returned from Yoshi's Island. Soon, the government and the Smithy Union would clash, but would it be at the negotiating table or the battlefield?

To be continued...

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