The streets were dark and filled with ominous fog. Only one streetlight was lit in the otherwise black setting. Rats fought with each other over scraps of food, the loser nearly drowning in a nearby puddle. He managed to escape, though, and barely avoided being crushed a young woman's foot.
Princess Daisy rushed down the street, constantly looking back to make sure she wasn't being followed. She needed to get back to Toadstool Castle and warn everyone about the madman who kidnapped her. If she didn't, horrible things would happen.
As she drew nearer to the palace, Daisy realized that the streets were getting darker and darker. Soon enough, she was unable to see her hand in front of her face. She stumbled around in the darkness in an attempt to find her way. Daisy eventually put her hand against a nearby wall and followed it along. It wasn't too long before she started to hear footsteps echoing from the distance. The steps were in unison with her pounding heart. Daisy picked up her pace from a quick walk to a slow run. She didn't know who was there, but she had no intentions of finding out.
Daisy ran as fast as she could, but the footsteps only got closer and closer. Whoever was following her was perfectly capable of keeping up with the princess. There was no escape. The chase ended quite abruptly when Daisy hit something and fell to the ground, giving her follower enough time to catch up with her.
"Well, what do we have here?" he said from the shadows. When the man spoke, the princess realized that it wasn't the burglar who abducted her, but that didn't change the fact that she didn't want this guy around. The figure stepped out of the darkness and close enough for Daisy to see that it was a Goomba. The flower princess stood up in utter disbelief. This is what she was so afraid of? It was just a Goomba!
"Get lost; I'm in a hurry!" the princess ordered rather harshly.
"Oh, come on, baby, I just got here. Don't leave me this way."
Daisy scoffed in disgust and turned to leave. When she did, however, she was stopped by a rather large Pianta. The Goomba chuckled gruffly. "Like I said, you can't leave just yet."
The princess tried to dash away, but the Pianta grabbed her from behind. It lifted her off the ground and squeezed her with great pressure. Daisy started having trouble breathing and began coughing. The Goomba merely watched in amusement. "We know who you are, your Majesty, and we know what you're worth. Sarasaland will pay us tons to make sure you don't get hurt. Oh, yes, I can tell you're a keeper," the creature teased. Daisy struggled for a moment, but the Pianta tightened its grip. The princess could feel her body going numb.
"Come on, we got work to do!" the Goomba commanded. The Pianta nodded and began following his boss. Each step shook the ground, along with the flower princess. She looked around in an attempt to find a way out. She then thought of something. "Hey, ya big balooka, your shoes are untied," she said to the Pianta. The henchman tilted his head, then looked down at his feet, loosening his grip as he did so. The Goomba rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and tie 'em so we… Wait a minute. Piantas don't wear shoes!"
Before he had time to react, the Pianta found himself lying on the ground with Daisy's foot on his stomach. She then turned her attention to the Goomba, who looked rather nervous. He made a mad dash in the other direction, fearing for his little Goomba life. Needless to say it was useless. The flower princess scooped the critter off the ground and lifted him to eye level. Her angry glare indicated that she wouldn't show any mercy. The crook was unable to maintain his composure and soon started sobbing. "Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! It's tough out here, you know, when no one helps you out," he begged; "I didn't choose this life; it chose me! Please, if you let me go, I-I'll turn over a new leaf. I swear!"
While the Goomba was pleading his case, his Pianta sidekick was slowly getting up. The behemoth quietly snuck up behind the woman. He picked up a nearby chunk of wood and raised it over his head. The Goomba saw this and smiled darkly at Daisy. "Bye-bye!" he cheered. The Pianta began swinging the wood down. It was but a mere inches from the princess' head when something crashed into the henchman and knocked him back to the ground. Daisy turned around just in time to see a shadowy figure brutally punching her attacker. When the Pianta was definitely knocked out, the savior rose and turned his attention to the princess and the Goomba. The man stepped out of the shadows. Daisy's eyes widened. "You!" she said in shock.
Her hero was none other than the Green Thunder himself, Mr. L.
The Goomba, seeing how there were now two angry people against him, went back to his sobbing shtick. Mr. L ignored his pleas and snatched him out of Daisy's hands. The man glared at the creature with a stare that could pierce souls. "Get lost," was all Mr. L said before he put the Goomba down. The being didn't need to be told twice; he ran off in a mad frenzy, dragging the unconscious Pianta behind him.
The two humans stood in silence. Daisy didn't know how to react. The stranger finally broke the silence. "I told you not to leave. Make no mistake, you will pay for that," he said in a rather cold tone. Another long pause.
"Thank you," the princess finally said. Mr. L looked at her for a moment. "Whatever," he replied.
"How did you find me?"
"You're a princess in pajamas. Trust me, you weren't that hard to track down."
Another long, awkward pause.
"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Mr. L started. He polished his knuckles on his shirt and gave a slight bow. "They call me Mr. L."
He offered his hand for the princess to shake. She hesitated at first, but eventually succumbed to the Green Thunder. Both had strong grips in the handshake. "Hi, I'm Daisy."
At that moment, a sound went off in Mr. L's pocket. He reached in and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Hello?" he asked.
"It's done. Bring the princess back," was the reply of a familiar voice. The line went cold. Mr. L put the device away and looked at Daisy. "Well, sweetheart, time for you to go back."
Sometime later, Princess Daisy and Mr. L were standing outside the gates of Toadstool Castle. They spent the entire trip there in silence, much to Daisy's relief. She really had nothing to say to this man. She was grateful that he had saved her, but he was still a crook, and therefore couldn't be trusted. And yet part of her wanted to know more about him. That would have to wait, however, as she needed to get back inside.
The Green Thunder took the princess' hand and gave it a small kiss. "Until next time," he said before dashing out of sight. Daisy stood there for the longest of time staring at her hand. How could this man be so cruel one minute, then quite charming in the next.
Mr. L didn't get very far before he found himself being transported back to the green dimension. Dimentio stood before him, a green-skinned woman with a forlorn expression by his side.
"Mimi? What're you doing here?" Mr. L asked. Mimi gave no answer, but merely avoided eye contact. Dimentio laughed victoriously. "Simple, my dear Mr. L. I brought Mimi in to do what you couldn't."
With that, he pulled up his right hand, revealing a large, translucent sphere. Mr. L's eyes widened. "The Crown Orb?" the man asked. Dimentio only nodded as a response.
"But how?" the Green Thunder continued.
"That's none of your concern. She did her job, and she did it well. Now there's the matter of what to do with you." The jester thought for a moment. "I could kill you right now, but the Orb will not work for a few more days, and I'll need you then. Hmm…"
And that's when it hit him. Dimentio's smile grew out of proportions. "Yes, I know what I can use you for. Once it's time for the ceremonies to begin, we won't want anybody disturbing our work. I need you to take care of someone."
Mr. L rolled his eyes. "More minion grunt work? Forget it!"
"Oh, but my friend, you'll enjoy this job like sweet candy on a Tuesday. You see, there's this mustachioed plumber who must not interrupt us. I want the fur from his lip on a silver platter."
Mr. L's eyes widened as a devilish smile of his own began to form. "You mean…?"
"That's right. I want you to kill the man in red."