"Where are you taking me?"
"Just shut your mouth and you'll see."
Mr. L led Daisy through the dark corners of Toad Town. He really didn't know this place very well-at all, as a matter of fact-but he didn't slow his step. The princess stared at him in a combination of fear and excitement. She had no clue what the man was planning on doing with her. A number of horrible things could happen, and at the moment, Daisy was powerless to do otherwise.
Soon the two were in the bad part of Toad Town. They were running for what seemed like an eternity when Mr. L stopped in his tracks, causing Daisy to bump into him. The Green Thunder smiled at what he was staring at. Daisy seemed confused for a moment before looking as well. It was a pie shop, apparently having a grand reopening. The place was crowded with Toads, Nokis, and all other sorts of creatures. Mr. L's smile grew wider, showing his bleach-white teeth. He tightened his grip on Daisy's wrist as he led her to the shop.
"Let me go! I don't want pie!" the flower princess yelped. Mr. L rolled his eyes. "We're not getting pie. I just wanna have a little fun with the people is all," he replied. Daisy didn't like the sound of that. She tried pulling her wrist free, but her captor flashed his switchblade at her, reminding the princess of the consequences. Daisy had no choice but to follow.
The pie shop was filled to the brim with customers. Many of them were sitting outside at tables, happily eating mushroom pies. A red Noki in a black dress would pass by every now-and-then to serve the public. She was assisted by a small Toad boy dressed as a waiter. The crowd was in such a good mood that they started singing drinking songs. All were happy; all was perfect, which gave Mr. L the perfect opportunity.
The Green Thunder stealthily made his way through the mass of people, Daisy close at hand. She had no idea what the criminal wanted, and she didn't really care to know. She was still worried about Luigi. What had happened to the plumber?
Before long, Mr. L stopped by two Toads sitting at a table. The criminal sneakily reached into their pockets and swiped their wallets without anyone noticing. He placed them in his own pocket and carried on as if nothing happened. Daisy saw this and immediately cried foul. "Hey! What're you-"
She was unable to finish the question, as Mr. L put his hand over her mouth. A few customers stared at the two. "No worries, folks. This one's had one too many, if you know what I mean," the crook lied through his teeth. The public gave hardy chuckles before getting back to their pies. Daisy managed to free herself and glared at her captor. "What's the idea?!" she scolded.
"If you rat me out, you can say goodbye to that pretty little smile of yours," Mr. L warned with a flip of his switchblade.
"You can't do anything to me here. Do you know the punishment for even laying a hand on a Royal?"
"Please, lady, have you seen yourself? You don't look the part."
Daisy looked down at herself and realized she was still in her pajamas. Her face turned slightly red, which Mr. L noticed. He chuckled as he put the blade away. The princess, always one to hate public humiliation, turned her embarrassment into anger. She mustered enough strength to free her wrist and slap Mr. L to the ground. The crowd gasped, a few people giggling. The Green Thunder, in shock at what had just happened, only stared at the princess in awe.
"I'm getting out of here!" Daisy yelled. She started stomping off when Mr. L violently pulled her back. His eyes were full of fury and his teeth were clenched with rage. In short, he was not happy. Getting away from the crowd, the villain pulled the flower princess off to the side. "No one slaps the Green Thunder and gets away with it, your hear me?! NOBODY!"
With that, the crook reached into his seemingly bottomless pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He cuffed the princess to a nearby pole. She pulled at the handcuffs, but it was no use. These handcuffs were special; a gift from a certain jester. Mr. L glared at Daisy with a wicked smile. He was about to slap her when he heard something. Back at the pie shop, a pale Toad with a black mushroom cap (with a single white spot) came hobbling out of the second floor.
"Would anyone care for a shave?" the Toad asked, flashing a razor at the swarm of customers. Mr. L thought for a moment, then felt his chin, which was covered with stubble. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere," he finally said. He then strutted through the crowd (grabbing wallets and jewelry along the way) and went upstairs to the tonsorial parlor for a quick shave.
The princess waited a moment. When it was clear that her captor was definitely gone, she called out for help. Some Toads took notice of her, but chose to ignore her cries. This truly was the bad part of Toad Town. Daisy rolled her eyes and tried again to pull at the handcuffs. The magic spell on them seemed unbreakable, but Daisy was never one to give up easily. With all her strength, she pulled with one last attempt. Her muscles threatened to tear through her skin and her face scrunched up in pain. Eventually the entire pole came out of the ground, sending the princess on her back.
Daisy shook her head to get rid of the dazed state she was in. Once that was done, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a hair pin. (Noticing a theme here?) She wiggled it in the keyhole of the handcuffs in an attempt to open them. She finally heard a click and her wrist was free. That's right, folks, the most powerful of magic is powerless against a hair pin. Logic has no place here.
The princess couldn't believe how easily she escaped. Not wasting any time, she ran off in the direction of Toadstool Castle, unaware of the danger that laid ahead.