The following takes place after the events of "The Tragedy of Waluigi and Rosalina" and "L," two stories from the same author. If you have not read them, you probably should, otherwise a lot of things in this story won't make sense.

The Mushroom Kingdom, a prosperous land of irrefutable beauty. Anyone would consider themselves lucky to live in such a magnificent place. Sure, it sometimes fell into peril at the hands of various dark forces, but things always worked out in the end. The crowning achievement of this kingdom was the Toadstool Palace, home to the land's beloved ruler, Princess Peach. And this particular night at the castle was dedicated to celebration.

Fireworks shot off into the starry sky, filling the air with a beautiful glow. So many were in attendance to admire the sight. Toads, Piantas, Nokis, you name it, they were there, having the time of their lives. And why shouldn't they? After all the terrible, HORRIBLE things that happened not too long ago, they had the right to celebrate the good times.

Toadsworth looked onto the crowd, smiling under that majestic mustache of his. It did the old man's heart good to see everyone happy once again. But wait a tick. Where was the princess? Toadsworth scanned the area. He could've sworn he just saw Peach. Oh, well. She was with three friends, so it wasn't likely she'd get into any trouble. Toadsworth chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. Of course the princess was safe! Nothing could go wrong tonight.

Inside the palace, however, was a different story. Deep within the confines of the building, two guards stood at their posts, making sure the confines of the door between them remained locked away. Such contents needed to be protected at all costs. Even on nights of partying, these two did not get a break. They stood there, bored out of their minds. Every now and then one would attempt to strike up a conversation, whether it be about politics or a sporting event. The other guard, however, would have none of it, and merely replied through grunts and nods. Then the silence returned. The awkward, boring silence. Oh, how they wanted to be at the party!

Then something happened. An object falling from the ceiling. A single object, almost like a feather, landing just at one of the guard's feet. He stared at it in confusion. Picking it up, he determined it was a…a flower pedal. The other guard looked around as another pedal fell. Then another. And another. Soon it was practically snowing daisy pedals. Where were they coming from?

In an instant, a figure fell to the ground, landing with a mighty thud. The guards had no time to react, as the person dropkicked one of them square in the jaw, knocking him out. The other guard stood dazed for a moment before remembering his job. Drawing his weapon, he ordered the intruder to put their hands up. Strangely enough, the criminal complied, remaining still after doing so. The guard cautiously stepped closer. The attacker wore a black jumpsuit with matching boots and gloves. An orange scarf wrapped around her neck like a boa constrictor. The figure turned to face the guard. What he saw came as a real surprise. His weapon fell to the ground. This was impossible.

The intruder gave a smirk before attacking. The palace worker was out cold in a matter of seconds. Wasting no time, the criminal grabbed a set of keys off the guard's belt and approached the door.

The first key didn't work. The second key was a complete failure. The third, however, fit like a charm. "Money," the intruder stated in a dark tone as the door swung open. The room was dark, the only light shining down on a small pedestal in the center. "That's one way to set the mood," the figure remarked to herself.

The woman stepped toward the column, bringing her masked face into the light. She stared at the object on top of the stand. A jar. Or was it an urn? The label in front of it read "SHADOW QUEEN." Excellent. The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Hey, boss, it's me," Ms. D said. "I've got it."

"Perfect," the voice of a familiar Koopa responded. "Everything is falling into place. Return to my castle immediately."

"Whatever you say, sir."

Ms. D exited the room and escaped out nearby window, unseen in the cover of night. Many, many lands away, her boss went into an uproar of ferocious laughter. The bottled Sprixie princesses in his clutches could only watch in horror as the monster rose from his thrown.

"Who can stop me now?!" Bowser exclaimed to the world. "WHO?!"