"There it is, your Majesty. The Mushroom Kingdom."
"This is it? It looked better in the crystal ball."
"Shall we begin then?"
"Let's."
The Shadow Queen pointed her bony hand delicately at the kingdom. The land's sleeping residents would be blissfully unaware of what was happening. The queen's influence began to spread. The once bright colors of Toad Town became grey and displeasing. The flowers on the ground wilted in a matter of seconds. Any innocent passersby was halted dead in their tracks as decaying hands sprouted from the ground and grabbed them. The hands continued to spread the influence, turning their victims into withering, hollow shells of there former selves.
Home sweet home.
The royal woman honored the floor underneath her by taking step after step. Soon nearly half of Toad Town was but a mere shadow of what it was but a few minutes ago. The Shadow Queen laughed, but stopped short as three police officers confronted her. "Freeze!" they shouted. The woman stood there stunned, but surprisingly complied, a sly grin on her face. You see, the law enforcers were so busy detaining the Shadow Queen, they hadn't noticed Dimentio teleporting right behind them. The jester grabbed an officer's head and began draining it of all its energy. He let go, and the policeman fell over, no longer moving. The other two men stood frozen in fear. One tried to run away, but was slammed to the ground when Ms. D jumped off a store rooftop and landed right on top of him.
The last officer began shaking. The Shadow Queen saw this and smiled. She slowly approached the man and gently placed a hand on his cheek. He looked into her eyes. They were almost comforting, as if everything was going to be alright. The Shadow Queen smiled wider, baring her teeth as her expression became more twisted. She then forced her fist into his stomach, piercing through the other side. The policeman's eyes widened, then he went limp. The Shadow Queen chuckled as she dropped the body to the floor.
"As fun as this is, I do hope there are no more distractions," she said while Dimentio magically cleaned her glove. "I've been gone for a while now, and I simply don't have time for this."
"Not to worry, my queen. The castle is but a walking distance away," her follower suggested. The queen looked in the direction of the palace, staring at the stained-glass picture of its former ruler. "That will be the first thing to go," she noted to herself.
The three villains began to move forward again, leaving their mark as they travelled. Soon they had reached the front doors of Toadstool Castle. They were about to enter when Ms. D stopped in her tracks, having apparently heard something. She turned around and saw a few figures exiting a giant warp pipe in the distance. "Sir, you might want to see this," she said to her boss. Dimentio turned and also viewed the group. Though his mask showed no emotion, it wasn't hard to tell he wasn't pleased. "Handle this," he ordered; "Make it quick."
With that, Dimentio and the Shadow Queen entered the palace, leaving Ms. D all by herself.
Luigi, Mario, and their group of rogues surveyed the area. It was truly a gruesome sight. "I didn't think I was gone THAT long," Waluigi noted.
"This is the handiwork of the Shadow Queen, no doubt," Ashley replied. The child was truly appalled at the sight. All the death and decay, a true representation of the evil queen's dark, selfish personality. The Marios were disturbed as well. Their once beautiful home, now nothing more than that demon's trash can. It needed to be stopped, and fast.
The group approached the castle cautiously. All was quiet… No, that's it; it was just quiet. Luigi, now wearing his own clothes, began shaking nervously. He was scared, but he knew this had to be done. For Daisy. The awkward plumber walked a little farther until he stepped on a large branch, making it snap under his weight.
That's all it took. Ms. D rushed out of the shadows and confronted her opponents. She kicked Mario to the ground and smacked Waluigi into a nearby tree. The woman then jumped into the tree and stood there, watching her prey with a smirk.
"You shouldn't have come here! Boss has a lotta things to do tonight!" she spoke.
"Princess Daisy, you must stop this," Ashley called out.
"Sorry, kid, but Daisy ain't here no more. Just D, myself, and I! Ha!"
"Princess, you must fight this! Don't let him control you."
"Yap, yap, yap. Do you ever stop talking?"
Luigi was utterly lost. The woman sounded like Daisy, but he knew she wasn't. Not even close. Ashley, on the other hand, could see perfectly clear that she was getting nowhere. "Why are you helping Dimentio? What's in it for you?" the witch asked. Ms. D laughed before giving her answer. "The boss promised to get Mr. L back, and I'd do anything to save him," she responded.
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "He can't do that. I got rid of Mr. L. Permanently," she said.
"You're lying!" Ms. D snarled defensively.
"No, she's right," Mimi added. "Mr. L is gone."
"You don't know what you're talking about!"
Ashley held her hand out. "Princess, we can help you. Just come down and-"
"NOOO!" Ms. D shrieked. She jumped out of the tree and landed right in front of Ashley. She picked the child up by the collar, threatening to knock out all her pretty little teeth. Ashley was not fazed, but rather pointed her wand at the woman and fired a magic bolt. Ms. D was sent flying across the field, but she managed to stop herself. She ran back to the group, now targeting Mario. "The man in red is mine!" she cried as she punched the plumber in the stomach. Mario yelped in pain, then fell over.
"Not so tough now, huh?" Ms. D taunted. It was then that Waluigi grabbed her from behind. Annoyed, the woman somehow jumped into the air, taking her attacker with her. As they were landing, Ms. D positioned Waluigi underneath herself, causing him to take the full force of the crash onto the ground. The henchwoman stood up, dusting off her gloved hands. Her attention turned towards Mimi, who was throwing rubees at her. The criminal clumsily dodged every projectile, almost falling over several times. Mimi stopped a moment to catch her breath, but a moment was far too long. Ms. D ran up to the changeling and kicked her across the face, knocking her out.
"Enough," Ashley called out. The witch had her wand pointed directly at Ms. D's back. The servant scoffed with a smug grin. She slowly turned to face the child. "Tell you what, kid, if you hit me even once, I'll let you get in," she gloated. Ashley narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She fired multiple shots, but Ms. D dodged them all. The woman was approaching fast; Ashley had little time left. She aimed and fired once more. Another miss. The servant was just too quick on her feet. The witch attempted to fire one last shot, but it was too late. Ms. D caught her and lifted her to eye level. "Nice try," the criminal said before throwing the girl far, far away. Now all was left was that guy in green.
Luigi stood there nervously as Ms. D came closer and closer. The plumber swallowed hard as his limbs refused to stop shaking. The woman finally approached him, a devilish smile spread across her face. "If your friends couldn't stop me, what makes you think you can?" she asked tauntingly. Luigi did not respond, but just stood there silently. He reluctantly summoned a green fireball.
"Ooh, scary," Ms. D teased before laughing. She began taking a step closer, but Luigi did the same much quicker. The woman stepped back slightly, almost appearing intimidated. Almost. She smiled once more. "Go ahead. I dare you," she said. Luigi gulped once more. The fireball shook in his hand. He took a deep breath and began to throw.
"Luigi, no!" the woman shrieked. The plumber stopped himself short. That voice. For a moment, it sound genuinely like Daisy. Luigi stood there confused, looking at the cowering Ms. D. He got rid of the fireball and approached the lady. He tried putting his hand on her back in a comforting manner. The woman looked at him, then smiled wickedly. "Fooled you," she said before grabbing Luigi by the throat. Ms. D lifted the man into the air. "This one's for Mr. L," the criminal stated as she formed a fist in her other hand. Luigi shut his eyes, unable to withstand this sight.
Ms. D smiled wider. Her fist began to move, obviously at a fast pace, when she was suddenly blasted from the back by a red energy. The woman screamed in pain, causing her to drop Luigi, who was rather confused. Once the beam stopped, Ms. D fell to the ground. Luigi then saw Ashley standing there, her wand smoking from the attack. "Deal's a deal," she said in a harsh tone.
Luigi cautiously approached Ms. D. The woman slowly opened and closed her eyes. She looked at Luigi and seemed surprised. She gave a weak smile as she held her hand out. "Mr. L? Y-you're back," she said hoarsely, hope still ringing in her voice. "You're back. D-don't ever…go…again. Please?"
With that, she finally passed out. Luigi just stood there a moment, looking at the female, before finally picking her up. Everyone else slowly began getting up themselves. They looked at Toadstool Castle, which had transformed into a massive palace of pure evil. Ashley glared at the abomination.
"No more games," she said. "This ends tonight."
