He had done it.
It had taken him some concentration, but his masterpiece was finally complete. The Origami festival was in a month, and he had made the choice to give them something that would finally give him the admiration he needed.
He moved the supplies he used off the table, the Colored Pencils he used for the eyes and coloring, The Hole Puncher he used to make minute details, the Rubber Bands he used to hold the paper in place while he worked, the Tape that allowed pieces to stick together seamlessly, the Scissors which allowed him to give sharp detail, and the Stapler which banded the limbs in place.
His creation, something of regality, something you could look at in a glance and say to yourself, "Wow, that's a Royal piece of Origami you've got there!"
But what would the name be? He mused over the ideas for the while before he came to an idea, something that sounded regal enough for most but also basic.
"His name will be..."
{===}
Dear Mario & Luigi...
You're invited to an illustrious Origami Festival in scenic Toad Town. The date of the festival is XX/XX, I expect you to be there. Don't forget to bring a gift for the Royal Family (I'd like two, but do what you can), and remember to bring your hammer in case Bowser shows up like last time.
P.S - Toadette says hi.
-Peach
So, Mario forgot his hammer.
Not exactly the best start, but it wasn't like anything would happen, no. Mario was chilling in the back of Luigi's kart, and as the letter suggested they were on their way to Toad Town, zooming down a long stretch of road, the wind lightly blowing around their paper bodies.
Mario, wearing his signature red cap and overalls, and Luigi wearing Mario's clothes but green, hadn't been out of the house since their adventures in Port Prisma, so when the letter arrived in their mailboxes, it was a nice surprise, even if Mario wanted whatever a "Smash Invitation" was.
"Isn't it great to be back on the road again bro?" Luigi asked, turning away from the road momentarily to look at his brother.
"Yeah, I guess, it's been a while since we've had the old kart out." Mario confirmed with closed eyes, holding his hand out. "You ready for the festival?"
"Yeah, what was it again?" Luigi wondered, turning his gaze back ahead. "Origami festival, yeah?" Mario nodded, and Luigi celebrated quietly. "What do you think it'll be like?"
"Hm, probably not like an RPG, more like an Action-Adventure type with some RPG elements." Mario explained, getting an elongated period of quietness from Luigi.
"Okie Dokie bro." Luigi finally answered, shaking his head. "Well, I'm gonna break the speed limit for a moment, brace yourself!"
With that warning, Mario held onto his seat as Luigi did as he said, the kart zooming ahead and into the distance, pine trees passing by in a blur, and the two momentarily passing what looked to be a campground, though it went by so fast Mario honestly couldn't tell if it was that or a really large tree being carried away.
Though after that, it didn't take long after that for them to reach a bridge passing over a river, and Luigi slowed down as he approached, missing the opportunity for a trick, but also missing the opportunity of a twisted ankle, proving the law of equivalent exchange. They crossed over the bridge and went under an arch with big bold letters that read "TOAD TOWN" with signs of various Powerup's in a curve above the arch.
"Why do they always change the layout..." Luigi asked nobody in particular as they stopped in the main entrance. "I mean, we used to be able to take a Pipe here man..."
"It's economical to make people drive here so they have to pay gas prices." Mario guessed, hopping out of the cart as it stopped near the town's beginning. "Is this the right place though?"
Mario looked around and the place seemed emptier than a Dry, Dry, Desert, a bunch of odd statues made of what looked to be paper strewn about in a frenzy, and in general trash was everywhere. There were a few hangable between the street lamps, and a few scraps of copy paper scrounged about nearby, and an odd block or two as well. Up ahead was Peach's Castle, you could see the spire from here, its blue flags waving proudly in the wind.
"Something seems wrong..." Mario asserted, about to go into detective mode.
"You think it's Bowser?" Luigi wondered, a hint of worry in his voice
"No, if it was Bowser, he would've blown something up by now." Mario reminded Luigi, who put a hand to his chin. "Plus, there are no airships."
"Well, maybe they're up ahead?" Luigi proposed, leaning forward on the steering wheel of his kart. "I mean, you'd think we'd get a warmer welcome, we did save the world like, four times."
"Well, more like I saved the world but you did help." Mario corrected, holding a finger up. "I digress, you drive on ahead, I like walking."
"Suit yourself." Luigi huffed, driving his kart ahead towards the drawbridge leading into the castle. Mario watched him go out of his view, and looked around a bit more. To his right there was a museum, what looked to be a port, and a bench. To his left was a shop, probably locked, and a few more houses, but other than that not much else that seemed interesting.
Step up from Decalburg at least, though that's not saying much. Mario continued up the path, a nice set of trimmed hedges adorning the path, and ahead a very impressive house lay, though as Mario got close it became apparent that somebody lived there, as the doors in the front had a keyhole, so he wasn't going to be investing in any property.
Mario walked past the house and turned left, seeing Luigi in his kart waiting by the drawbridge. Luigi was holding up his hand as if he was waving to something, and concerned, Mario passed a smaller house and made his way next to Luigi, tapping his bro's shoulder.
"Hang on, I'm trying to get them to open the door..." Luigi explained, brushing Mario's hand off. "HELLO?!"
Then a voice not like one Mario had ever heard before spoke. "Ubi rufus est?" the voice asked, in an almost robotic tone.
"What did you say?" Luigi wondered, tilting his head. "Mario, you know what this guy's saying?" The voice didn't speak afterwards, and soon after the drawbridge slowly lowered until it stopped, allowing Mario & Luigi to continue ahead into the castle plaza.
"Well, I guess I'm what they were waiting for." Mario laughed, lightly slapping Luigi on the back and hopping into his kart. "See anything on your way here?"
"Nothing really, this place is kinda small." Luigi noted, looking around. "Only took a few seconds to get from here to the castle."
"Yeah, at least it's not complicated though, plus we haven't explored it all so maybe there's more." Mario noted, pointing ahead towards the castle plaza. "Now, let's a go!"
"I agree, this place is dryer than a bowl of popcorn on movie night." Luigi joked, and Mario slightly snickered. "Let's a go!"
Luigi drove forward onto the drawbridge, heading into the castle plaza, a straight line lined with fir trees that led towards the front door of the castle from here. Behind them the sounds of chains moving made something readily apparent, and that was the drawbridge closing behind them with a forceful SNAP, wood crashing against stone.
"Sheesh, they need to fire the guy who does that." Luigi muttered, drifting his kart to a sudden stop a few feet away from the bridge that led towards the castle door. "Alright, let's do this, did you bring the gift?"
"No, you brought it, remember?" Mario questioned, remembering Luigi saying he'd get the gift.
"Uh no, I asked you if you were getting the gift and you said, 'Yeah, got it', remember?" Luigi tried to remind him, but he wasn't so sure.
"No, I said 'You get it', not 'Yeah got it'." Mario corrected, the two stopping before realizing what they had done.
"Peach is going to kill us..." Luigi sighed, placing a hand on his forehead and hopping out of the kart.
"Not if she kills you first." Mario whispered in an ominous tone, getting a playful eye roll from his brother.
"Hardy har, very funny." Luigi mocked, jumping out of the kart, Mario following suit. Luigi adjusted his gloves and looked towards the grandiose oak wood castle doors, said doors trimmed with a gold outline, slightly ajar. Above was a stained-glass window of the princess praying, and a few flowers were on the windowsill, yellow and purple flowers Mario hadn't seen anywhere else.
Mario ignored the flowers though, and he and Luigi entered the castle doors.
The doors opened, and Mario & Luigi stepped inside and found themselves in a familiar hallway, not a long one mind you, but a medium sized dark hallway with torches topped with candles lining the sides, more light coming in from open windows in-between the torches. The two brothers stopped and turned back towards the door; the outside world available for them to escape to at any time.
"Kinda spooky in here, isn't it?" Luigi laughed shakily, his eyes darting around. "I mean, you'd think we'd had seen a Toad by now, you know?"
"Yeah, it is a bit odd." Marion confirmed, a cold breeze trickling through the air.
"Oh no, I forgot to park the kart, I'm gonna get a parking ticket!" Luigi realized, holding his hands to his face. "Be right back bro." Luigi built up speed for a few seconds, but he was stopped in his tracks when the door abruptly SLAMMED shut before he could reach the outside, Mario jumping back as his brother slammed into the door.
"That's... not very welcoming..." Mario stated, the air getting colder as he spoke.
"Uh..." Luigi pulled on the door handles, but it wasn't budging. "We're locked in."
"Well, one parking ticket isn't that bad." Mario tried to justify, though it didn't work to calm his bro's nerves.
Luigi started breathing heavily and paced around in a small circle. "Alright calm down, all I gotta do is do what I always do in scary situations." he said to himself, taking a deep breath. "MARIO!" he screeched at the top of his lungs, crouching down in a horrified position.
"Wow, you are loud!" Mario groaned, covering his ears.
"Oh, right you're here." Luigi realized, standing up and shaking himself off. "Uh... bro, what do you think the chances are that King Boo is behind that door?"
"Luigi, don't be a baby, it's just a spooky ominous hallway with untold horrors awaiting on the other side of the door, what's the big deal?" Mario wondered, Luigi looking a bit paler from his question. "Luigi, I'm right here, everything is going to be fine..."
"Right, you're right, totally right!" Luigi agreed, shaking his head up and down rapidly. "You are so right in that that I think I'll follow behind you, let's go!"
Luigi joined Mario for the current moment, cowering behind Mario as he walked forward towards the end of the corridor, Mario's heart beginning to race like Bonus Stars were being given out in a four-way tie. As Mario made his way towards the door it slowly opened, creaking loudly, and echoing through the hallway.
Mario cautiously resumed his walking, the sounds of his footsteps being the only noise besides the occasional trickle of a flame, and with heavy caution for what was to come next, Mario stepped inside of the castle's main foyer.
The main foyer was as it always was, a circle with an image of the sun in the middle, two branching paths to the side, and a semi-grand, BLJ-able staircase leading into the higher sections of the castle. Around were two windows, a few support pillars, multiple elaborate chandeliers
"Mario... is that you?" a voice which sounded eerily similar to the Princesses voice wondered from behind the doorway up the stairs. The door slowly creaked open, a running trend it would seem for this place. From the door walked out...
…
"Peach?" Mario asked, peering forward as the clanks oaf what he assumed to be her feet plopped against the floor.
She looked more like one of her Holo-Peach's she sent back on Port Prisma. Instead of her usual flat paper self, she was... three dimensional, her arms sharp pointed white triangles, her hair thick blonde triangles, she was honestly just a bunch of triangles in the shape of Peach, minus her eyes which were black squares. If only there was some sort of word to describe it...
"Did she always look like that?" Luigi whispered, peeking out behind Mario.
"Ah... Luigi." Peach noticed, not moving a muscle. "How good to see you two." she greeted.
"Hi." Mario greeted back, holding up a hand.
Peach's arm suddenly shot up in a salute like pose, holding her right hand directly up. "You are learning quickly." she complimented, Mario putting his hand down and Peach following suit. "Now, Luigi... exit to the door on the left, I need to speak to Mario."
"My left or your left?" Luigi asked, and Peach turned to face him.
"Left." she said, rather coldly at that.
"Okay, I'll just b-be over there." Luigi shuddered, making his way up to the staircase on his left, opening the door and slamming it shut in five seconds flat. Mario walked up to the base of the stairs, standing on top of the middle carpet of the foyer and Peach immediately began to ask him a few questions.
"So, Mario, answer me this..." Peach mused, her voice seeming urgent. "Shouldn't the Mushroom Kingdom unfold?" she asked. "Should it not be folded into a more glorious kingdom?"
"Well, I... I guess?" Mario hypothesized, not having enough time to think upon his words.
"Hm..." Peach took a step forward, getting closer to the staircase from where she was standing. "And what of those little Toads?" she wondered. "Shouldn't they, and their horrible actions be silenced for the rest of eternity?"
"No, I mean they're loud, but I like the toads, they're not that bad!" Mario countered. "I mean, you are the leader of the toads, that would be bad for your kingdom."
"I see." Peach confirmed in a dismissive tone. "I only have one more question." Peach was teetering over the staircase at this point, her black line eyes gazing into Mario's soul. "Will you pledge your life to the Origami King and be reborn like I was?"
"I... who's the Origami King?" Mario asked, tilting his head to the side. "Is this all about the Origami festival?"
"Kwehehehe, wrong answer, right answer, it matters not." Peach divulged. "All answers are correct on paper, aren't they?" Peach faced away from Mario and lifted up her hand. "gOodByE."
The floor suddenly caved in below Mario, revealing a hole that led somewhere grey. Mario watched as the castle's foyer disappeared from his view, and began to fall. Fall into what he assumed to be a dungeon, yes, but he was also falling into something else. Falling into a brand-new adventure...
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
STYLISH!
Mario did a flip midair and landed perfectly on his feet, holding his hands up expecting some sort of cheer from an audience, but instead getting yells of confusion.
"MARIO?!"
Mario looked towards the yelling and saw four of Bowser's troops, a Shy Guy, a Hammer Bro, a Koopa, and a Buzzy Beetle all standing there, each seeming differently surprised by his arrival.
"Wow, you always gotta make the flashy entrances, don't you?" The Hammer Bro scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Shut up, that was pretty stylish." the Shy Guy shot back, leaning against the wall. "You here for the festival Mario?"
"Yeah, you could say that." Mario answered, giving him a thumbs up.
"Well, it's a step up from the last party I attended." the Koopa muttered, hands on his hips. "I like the dungeon theme, it's pretty classy."
"You've never been to a party in your life dude." the Hammer Bro interjected, and the Koopa turned to the Hammer Bro with embarrassment in his eyes.
"Dude, you're making me look bad in front of Mario!" the Koopa whined.
"You two need to get a grip." the Buzzy Beetle said in a muffled voice. "Sorry Mario, they just joined the army like a month ago and haven't finished humility training."
"Hmpf." the Shy Guy huffed, getting Mario's attention. "Ignore those goons, they're not even first-class Soldiers like me." the Shy Guy suggested, turning away from Mario.
"First class?" Mario wondered.
"An elite division of Bowser's army, we're the guys you see on the front lines whenever there's a Chain Chomp on the loose." the Shy Guy bragged, though that didn't sound like much in all honesty. "I'm a pretty big deal myself."
"Is your name Cloud by chance?" Mario asked, and the Shy Guy turned towards him with a head tilt.
"No, my name is-" but the Shy Guy was interrupted when the door suddenly lurched open, and three figures walked in. "Whatever, not interested."
"hEllO thErE," said what looked to be a red shy guy, looking quite a bit like Peach did, triangles and all. Behind it was another red one, but notably a yellow Shy Guy, a variant Mario had rarely seen was there, it stood out from the crowd, though it didn't speak. "cOMe wiTh uS." the red triangle guy implored.
"Finally, we get some reception!" the Koopa cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "Come on gang let's blow this popsicle stand!"
"Yeah, see you at the party Mario!" the Hammer Bro declared, cacking loudly. "I hope I see a Toad; I've never actually seen one before!"
"Later bro." the Buzzy Beetle nodded, walking out the door behind the others. Mario walked forward towards the door, but the red triangle guy stopped him.
"noT YOu." the red triangle guy commanded, pushing Mario back and slamming the door.
"Sheesh, talk about rough reception." the regular paper Shy Guy laughed. "The names Guy, though my friends call me Shy Guy." he explained, with such a lovely, original name given. "Anyways, you got any idea why these guys look so weird?"
"Honestly, not really." Mario explained, giving a shrug and holding a hand to his chin. "Maybe it has to do with the Origami Festival or something?"
Hello... is somebody there?
"Hey, did you hear that or am I hearing voices again?" Shy Guy wondered, looking around.
"No, I heard something as well." Mario confirmed, though he couldn't find the voice's source.
I need your held, I'm... I'm... in a very strange place, very rough, and coarse, and the material is honestly getting everywhere.
"Uh... disembodied voice, where are you?" Shy Guy wondered, beginning to walk around the room. "Do you need help?"
"Yeah, we can help you, we got a few minutes to spare." Mario added, shaking his head in concession.
I don't know, I'm not really scared, but I'm not really amazed at it, it's sort of like a mixture of both I guess? Well, I'd love to get out, so please look for anything you can!
"I'm not sure, what's in it for us?" Shy Guy wondered. "I mean, I'm fine with helping you out, but if this isn't worth my time..."
While Shy Guy was pondering whether or not to help, Mario couldn't help but notice something about the floor, that being an odd marking near the corner of the wall. It was some sort of circle, maybe drawn in black paint, though a bit too smooth for paint, almost like a transparent disc on the ground.
"Huh." Mario muttered, walking towards the circle.
"...after all, the last time I helped somebody, my brother lost his job in the army." Shy Guy finished, turning towards Mario. "What do you think?"
"Pardon?" Mario asked, stepping on the Black Disc and peering over to Shy Guy.
"Well-" Shy Guy stopped and looked towards Mario's feet. "Dude, the floor is glowing." Shy guy pointed out, and Mario looked back to see that the symbol he could barely make out before was indeed glowing. It looked to be some sort of glove... a hand maybe? A gloved hand? Well, whatever it was, 2D Master Hand over here looked to be very important for something, and maybe it could help the disembodied voice.
Wait that noise...! Did a magic looking circle thingy just light up at your feet by any chance?
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Mario wondered, examining the circle.
"Clearly the disembodied voice is a wizard." Shy Guy compromised on, keeping his distance from the magic circle. "Or a witch, whatever gender, I don't assume."
Never mind my gender, a Magic Circle is very important in Origami tradition, one of you is going to have to use it!
"Not me." Shy guy immediately proposed, holding his hands up like he was at gunpoint. "I don't do magic, I'm a hands-on guy."
"Yeah, well you aren't a Magikoopa." Mario noted sarcastically, afterwards putting his focus back on the Magic Circle. "Okay, usually when there's a magic shape and you stand on it..." Mario put his hands on his hips. "Uh..."
Are you done?
"Give me a minute, it's been a while since I've seen something like this, there's usually a cut-out point attached, you know?" Mario pleaded, clapping his hands forward, but nothing happening.
"Hey, Mario..." Shy Guy beckoned from the other side of the room. "Found this hammer, you think it suits me?" Shy Guy was holden up a wooden hammer, one about as big as Mario, give or take a few inches, and it looked oddly familiar.
"Wait, is that my old hammer?" Mario wondered, peering towards it with his hands at his side. "Toss it over, I forgot my new hammer at home." Mario explained.
"Really?" Shy Guy questioned, sounding slightly disappointed he couldn't wield it. "Well, catch!"
Shy Guy threw the hammer towards Mario and it spun in the air, going in an arc between the two and landing nicely in Mario's outstretched hands.
YOU GOT THE HAMMER!
Haven't seen this bad boy since the year 2000!
"Woah, why are your arms stretched like that?" Shy Guy asked, scratching the side of his head.
"I just do this when I get an item." Mario explained, scratching the top of his head with his hands, his hammer dropping to the floor.
…
"Wait, since when can I reach the top of my head?" Mario asked, putting his hand to his face. His arms were all 3D, quite like the triangular forms of those from before, but unlike those, the arms seemed almost springy paper, like he was some sort of Spring Man, or maybe a Min Min, though the best choice was Ribbon Girl, despite what the Samurai would have you think.
Oh, there we go! Are your arms all big and foldy now?
Mario rotated his hands around and looked his brand-new arms up and down, feeling as powerful as that time he threw Bowser off a cliff. "Yeah, they look nice, I could probably fix a bunch of bridges with these."
"I know a bridge expert you can get into contact with." Shy Guy proposed, totally checking Mario's arms out.
"I think I know the guy you're talking about." Mario noted, as he remembered a previous adventure fondly.
Never mind Bridge experts, I need you to get me out of this predicament. Look, somewhere near the magic circle there should be somewhere you can grab onto, and that should help me escape.
"You mean near the wall?" Mario repeated, moving his arms towards said wall and feeling around with his fingers. His hand snagged on something near the top left of a brick close to the corner, the very tip of what looked to be a piece of paper on the wall, something like a sticker that he could easily fold off. "Ok, got it!"
Then from the crevice in the wall, the voice spoke in a clearer tone, but instead of being ominous and mysterious, it sounded very childish and young. "Ok, just peel if off slowly, I don't want anything to get ripped, so please just be careful."
"Peel it off? Okay." Mario responded, yanking the seam off the wall like this was Sticker Star 3, a pain filled screech filling the area as something yellow fell to the ground, Mario's hands turning back to his flimsy paper hands.
"Aw man, you looked cool with that." Shy Guy groaned, shaking his head. "Also, is that some kind of... bee?"
The yellow bee slowly floated upwards, and turned around, revealing yet another triangular figure, one that was mostly yellow with a lighter face and square black eyes similar to that of Peach. It had white arms, brown legs, and a cute little yellow collar around its neck area. Also, rather notably, it had in incredibly angry face, glaring at Mario like he had the wrong opinion on Twitter.
"I thought I told you to peel it off slowly!" the triangle girl huffed. "For the love of Origami, can you not listen to simple instructions?!"
"Origami?" Mario questioned, tilting his head. "Why does everyone keep mentioning Origami, I don't even know what that is..."
The triangle girl gasped. "You've never heard of Origami?" she asked, seeming bewildered.
"Well, I've heard of it, I just don't know what it is." Mario inquired, and while the triangle girl seemed less angry than before.
"Well, I'm Origami, so maybe be a bit more thoughtful, hm?" she asked, and Mario had a sudden realization.
"Wait, does that mean Peach and those odd Shy Guys were also Origami?" Mario wondered, closing his eyes to think.
"Odd Shy Guys?" the Origami Girl repeated, sounding surprised. "Oh no, I have to get out of here!" the Origami Girl suddenly flew over to the corner of the room where Shy Guy came from with the hammer, leaving the two at a loss for words momentarily.
"Well, I got no idea what just happened." Shy Guy muttered looking towards the corner where the Origami Girl was hovering about. "I found that hammer over where Origami Chick is, so I'll just tag along with you for a while until we get out of this prison."
Shy Guy walked behind Mario, and with that Mario peered towards the corner where the Origami Girl was punching at a box like it had killed her family. Mario picked his hammer back up and walked towards the corner and tapped the Origami Girl on the... shoulder? Well on her back, if that was anything to go off of.
"Huh?!" the Origami Girl asked, turning around. "Oh... you..." she looked back towards the crate in the corner, "Hey... do you think you could help move this box out of the way?"
"Sure!" Mario agreed, the Origami Girl moving out of the way as he walked towards the crate, and delivered a nice and hearty SMACK, the wood shattering onto the ground and revealing a hole in the wall.
"Well, that was easy." Shy Guy snickered, walking in front of Mario, pushing him out of the way. "To be honest, we technically did just get out of the prison, and I'm pretty sure Lord Bowser is going to be pissed when he finds out his minions all got captured, so... I'm gonna bounce."
"Aw... I thought you'd be a party member." Mario sighed; the bounds of reality not being broken quite yet.
"Hey, don't worry, I'll come back for you in one of Lord Bowser's Clown Car's as soon as I get out of the castle, then I'll totally be a party member!" he promised, and Mario upended his slightly somber mood as Shy Guy ran ahead into the hallway in front of them.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later, Origami Girl..." Mario said to her, giving a wave before walking into the hallway in front of him.
"Uh... actually..." The Origami Girl spoke in a quiet voice. "Sorry for acting rude before, uh... do you think I could stick with you for a bit?" she pleaded, Mario turning around and seeing her with a clearly worried face. "My name is Olivia; I assume you're Mario yeah?"
"Yes, It's a-me, Mario." Mario confirmed. "Nice to meet you Kerst- Starl- Hue-" Mario cleared his throat and waited a few seconds before speaking again. "Olivia."
"Great, so... I'll just follow you around for now, if you don't mind." Olivia proposed, and Mario nodded.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm used to floating things following me around and giving me random tips." Mario explained, though Olivia didn't seem to quite get the last part.
"Why would I give you random tips?" She wondered. "I mean, if you asked-"
"I won't be asking, trust me." Mario interrupted, letting out an oddly profuse laugh. "Well, anyways, I suppose we should go on ahead yeah?"
"Yes." Olivia nodded, floating behind Mario as he continued into the hallway, the hole in the wall leading to a space in-between the dungeon cells where a few weapons and boxes with a bunch of dusty old powerups lay, the dusty stone floor and subsequent stone walls probably being more than a few decades old, small lanterns on wall pillars which held up the castle above, and slight moss growing on the ceiling being the only source of life. "Okay... maybe we should-"
"WHAT DO YOU CHUMPS THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY MINIONS?!" A gruff voice spoke from what sounded like the other prison cell.
"Oh... he's here." Mario realized, recognizing his voice immediately.
"Who's here?" Olivia whispered, following Mario to the corner of hallways interjection. "Never mind that, we should probably try to find the exit, yeah?"
"Uh... actually, let me check something out first..." Mario suggested, heading left from where he was looking towards the loud voice.
"KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!" the gruff voice implored, Mario walking past a few dilapidated crates towards a small hole in the stone brick wall. Mario stopped near the hole, only big enough for one person to see through and peered inside...
"Mario, what are you looking at?" Olivia wondered, though Mario wasn't really sure either. It was... well, it looked like Bowser, but... folded? He didn't have his usual form, he was kinda of three-dimensional, but not to the extent of say, Olivia or those Shy Guys from before. Only being head up by a massive pin tied to a rope.
"HEY, I can see what you're about to do to my minions, and I ORDER you to cut it out!" Bowser commanded as Mario watched shadows play out with a few unknown silhouettes, what looked to be the Shy Guy's from prior carrying a Koopa Troopa above their heads.
The Koopa attempted to speak as the Shy Guy's threw him midair and he began to float, vibrating midair. "Lord Bowser helllllllpppppp-" the Koopa, or the silhouette or him rather seemed to fold as the shadow of a single Shy Guy did a peculiar pose, tossing him into another shadow, a large... rectangle thing, Mario wasn't sure what it was.
But soon the rectangular object CLAMP-ed down on the Koopa Troopa, and... out came a different sort of Silhouette, and while he couldn't tell, something about it seemed more... polygonal than the one prior, and the shadow of the Koopa walked away as the Shy Guys brought in a Hammer Bro.
Mario turned away from the wall, and looked towards Olivia who was clearly wondering what he saw. "Uh... we should just try to find the way out of here, like you said earlier."
"What did you see in there?" Olivia asked, and Mario, not sure how to describe it, allowed Olivia to peer into the hole in the wall. Olivia took a bit, and Mario waited, the sounds of flames lightly crackling as she watched in silence, not a single sound coming from her mouth, not until it was all over.
"Mario..." Olivia began, turning around to face him. "I... think we should go in and save that Wallet Man."
"Wallet Man?" Mario questioned. "You mean Bowser?"
"Odd name, but yes, Browser." Olivia confirmed, not seeming to hear him correctly.
"Bowser." Mario corrected.
"Mouzer." Olivia attempted again.
"Bowser." Mario repeated.
"Trouser." Olivia said, though much like her guess, her response was also rather pants.
"Bowser." Mario said once again, trying to drill it into her head.
"Greg." Olivia responded, and at this point Mario got the feeling that if he continued, he'd just feel like a wimpy kid instead of getting anywhere.
"Ok, we'll work on that later." Mario sighed, ending the short exchange. "Let's just go save Bowser..."
"Hide-!" Olivia suddenly whisper-shouted, slamming into Mario and knocking him behind one of those crates, startling him, but not enough to muster a shout. Mario picked himself up, and as he did, he could hear footsteps, probably of those Shy Guy's, and behind them, Metal Clanking...
"tHat WAs tHe LaSt of tHEm..." a crooked voice spoke.
"EXcepT thE MuStaChiOed onE." another similarly crooked voice mentioned,
Then it stopped shortly afterwards.
"Okay... let's go see if Wallet Man is alright." Olivia said, Mario brushing himself off and following suit, though Olivia paused. "Wait actually I should..." she stopped herself. "No, I'll tell you later, come on, let's go!" she decided upon. "I think we passed a door along the way here."
They certainly did, somehow missing the door that led into the room, and Mario walked towards it, pulling it open and entering, Olivia behind him as he did so. There was a rather bright torch in the corner, along with a few crates similar to ones in the hallway, old and nearly broken.
That, however, wasn't the main event of the room, an in the middle of it all, clipped by a... well, a clip, was Bowser, in an oddly folded form to boot.
"Mario, you got invited here too?" Bowser asked, and Mario nodded, Bowser's eyes stealing a glance at Olivia. "Who's your... ah never mind that, get me down from here!"
"Eh... I dunno..." Mario shrugged, not exactly sure of that being the best idea. "Didn't you try to kill me a few times before?"
"I was possessed by Black Paint last time, cut me a break here!" Bowser protested, wiggling around his paper-clippy prison. "NOW GET ME DOWN, come on, you know
"He has a son?" Olivia muttered rather audibly to herself. "Hmm."
"You say something, Foldy Girl?" Bowser asked, picking up on the sounds, though Olivia didn't seem to want to respond. "Bah, whatever just ignore your folded friend, hurry up and get me down!" Bowser demanded yet again. "If you do, I'll tell you a secret on hot to get out of this dump, and nobody can resist those!" Bowser haggled, letting out a hearty laugh afterwards.
Mario sighed. "Okie dokie." he said, mostly not wanting the playdate. He walked towards Bowser and grabbing his... face-base-feet-body? Whatever he was grabbing, it seemed really awkward for both of them as they clearly weren't trying to make eye contact. "Here we..."
Mario began pulling on Bowser, like unpeeling a sticker, if that sticker was held to the floor with superglue of course. Bowser didn't seem to like it all that much either, clearly being in pain as Mario pulled. "Ow-" Bowser muttered, Mario beginning to pull harder. "Ow- Ouch- Ow- Ow- Ow-"
"...GO!" Mario finished, Bowser being yanked from his restraints, flying through the air like a paper airplane, though albeit far less aerodynamic as he landed only a few feet being Mario, and Mario himself landed face first on the ground. "Ow..."
"I'm free!" Bowser celebrated like he was a Chain Chomp, though excitement didn't last long. "Oh... kinda thought I'd just unfold or something..." he muttered. "Anyways, get up Mario, lemme show you something cool I found in the corner over there!"
"Alright, alright..." Mario muttered, picking himself back up, and looking back at Bowser who was still in his odd wallet-like form. "Uh... Olivia, you doing alright?" Mario asked
"Huh?" Olivia asked, seeming to snap out of a little trance she was in. "Oh yeah, I'm fine... uh... nice you meet you Mister Blowser."
"It's Bowser." Bowser corrected.
"Wowzer." Olivia decided, though that wasn't how anyone in the room felt.
"No, it's Bowser." Bowser corrected, yet again, his voice louder than before.
"Snouzer." Olivia said, though admittedly it was close, with Bowser's nose being rather large.
"BOWSE-"
Mario quickly interrupted the conversation. "ANYWAYS, Bowser, you said you had a secret on how to get out of here, yes?" Mario asked, and Bowser shook himself up and down, probably nodding.
"Yeah, see those crates in the corner?" Bowser asked, motioning towards the corner farthest away from them where a few crates, three to be precise, lay dormant. "You didn't hear this from me- well, you did- but according to those Folded Soldiery jerks, there's some kinda Sacred Circle under there!"
"Wait, you mean like a Magic Circle?" Oliva wondered, quickly leaning in towards Bowser. "Mario, quick, go break those boxes, the Magic Circle might be out ticket out of here!"
"Alright, now we're talking!" Bowser exclaimed. "What are you waiting for Mario? Bust us out of here before those Folded Guys come back." he hurried. "Not that I'm scared or anything, just... er, don't wanna scare your friend over here with my immense power."
"Er... right." Mario sighed, walking up to the crates and whacking them with his hammer, one by one until they were all gone, leaving wooden pieces on the ground. From underneath the wooden crates, Mario could make out a similar bit of black paint like material from before.
"Hm, I suppose even he couldn't stop the power of the Magic Circles!" Olivia celebrated, doing a little wiggle back and forth midair.
"Who's he?" Bowser asked in the same celebratory tone.
"Never mind semantics, Mario, you remember how to use the magic circle?" Olivia asked and Mario shook his head. "Well, stand on it, that part's obvious, then hold your hands into the air."
"Alright-" Mario said, walking onto the Magic Circle and it immediately lighting up beneath his feet, Bowser peering over in slight confusion.
"Huh... I wonder if I could do something like that." Bowser wondered absentmindedly, and Olivia seemed to glare at him before she spoke.
"Anyways, do what I said Mario, hold your hands upwards!" Olivia directed, and Mario did so, lifting his hands into the air like he was on a rollercoaster, though he didn't feel much physically he could look up and see his arms stretch upwards, red and folded, and the more he looked at them the more he was impressed.
"DANG, NICE ARMS." Bowser noted, and Mario smirked at the recognition. "You could probably fix a few bridges with em!"
"I was just saying the same thing earlier!" Mario laughed, though Olivia seemed to want the idea to be abridged, so instead bridging over the joke, she silently hurried Mario to do something with his arms.
"By the way, those are called the Thousand-Fold Arms." Olivia explained, as Mario placed his hands against the wall to try to feel for any loose bricks, or perhaps a secret compartment one of them had to slip into, spy movie style. But instead of any of that, a section of the wall seemed to unfurl as Mario ran his hand over it, surprised at this he moved the other hand towards it and YANKED it open, revealing what appeared to be a door leading to a staircase.
"Bingo, one point for Bowser!" Bowser cheered, walking over to Mario's sides as his arms went back to normal. "Where would you be without me?"
"Probably in the same place we are right now." Oliva noted, and Bowser didn't take note of her insult.
"Well, Foldy Girl, Mario, let's get out of this dump and get me unfolded!" he hastened.
"Well, let's get out of here before anything unfortunate happens first." Olivia reminded, and Mario nodded as the three entered the room, what soon became apparent as one of the castle's spires, a spiral staircase which stretched up to the very tippity top, nothing to rest a weary body on along the way.
"Well, up we go..." Mario sighed, beginning the trek up the stairs, Bowser and Olivia following behind him, dreading the trip as there was nothing besides a boring grey brick wall to keep them all company.
And up they went...
And up...
Up...
Up...
"Man, it's hard walking on your face." Bowser complained, them not even being halfway there.
And even more up...
Up some more...
. . .
"Man, this spire is long, Peach must be overcompensating... I mean not for her, but there's gotta be someone else who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom she's overcompensating for." Bowser joked, though Mario didn't really respond. Bowser didn't seem to get he was ignoring it on purpose though. "Mario I'm saying you've got a small-"
"I know." Mario assured, though Bowser wasn't that graced at his response.
"Party Pooper." Bowser grumbled. "Yo, Foldy Girl, you thought the joke was funny, right?"
"I... didn't really get it." Olivia admitted.
"Well you see the joke is-"
"Bowser can this joke wait?!" Mario asked, not wanting to go through the blatantly obvious joke.
"Eh, I'll tell you later, if I see you again later."
. . .
. . .
. . .
"Making me walk on my face... nobody makes Bowser walk on his face!" Bowser groaned.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
"Well, I mean, they did, but THEY'LL PAY FOR IT!"
. . .
. . .
. . .
And even more upwards, until the end was in sight.
"FINALLY, we're here!"
And Bowser was correct, they had reached the top of the staircase where the spiral ended, and a doorway which was slightly creaked open, white light pouring into the room from that, plus a window above.
"Well... time to go outside..." Oliva said, though that part was obviously. "After you two."
"Oh please, nothing scary will happen once we go outside, stop worrying yourself, Foldy Girl." Bowser comforted, in the most comforting, yet also menacing voice.
"Yeah, usually when I go up a staircase like that, I just fight a boss or something, Bowser can back me up on that." Mario added, him and Bowser making eye contact.
"Yep, that's prime boss staircase material, I'd know, and I also know that no boss could possibly take on the two of us!" Bowser threatened to nobody in particular, jumping into the air, looking at Olivia again soon afterwards. "Er... and you."
"Well, I suppose that's slightly reassuring." Olivia said, though her tone was wavering. "Let's head outside!"
"Yeah, what she said." Bowser said, as Mario walked over and pushed the door open, light pouring into the room as they all made their way outside to the balcony of Peach's Castle, second floor, and it was from here that they could see a view of Toad Town, along with a bit of the woods in the distance, though they didn't touch on it for long as they made their way a bit forward, towards the center door of the second floor.
"Mario?" the voice of the Princess asked, coming from the gold trimmed door that lay to the side of them. Said door then opened, and out walked Peach, same form as before, but also notably the yellow Folded Shy Guy from before, though nobody else seemed to be there.
"Oh no, she can't see me like this..." Bowser whispered, backing away slightly.
"Why are you still so flat?" The Princess wondered, swaying in the wind slightly.
"Well, you aren't exactly sporting anything impressive yourself." Mario... WANTED to say, though he'd never insult Peach like that, so instead he let her speak.
"Why haven't you joined me in folded glory?" she pondered, turning towards the yellow Folded Shy Guy. "Come... we can still reshape you."
"Patience Princess, this will do just fine." the yellow Folded Shy Guy said in an oddly normal tone. "So, you're Mario, the Princess' hero, am I correct?" Mario nodded, and the Folded Shy Guy seemed to nod as well. "Yes, you'll do quite well, very crisp, vibrant colors, I can see it now..." he mused, slightly chuckling afterwards.
"Hey! I'm Crisp too!" Bowser interjected.
"So, what do you say?" the Folded Shy Guy asked, ignoring Bowser completely. "Will you volunteer your Paper Body to the cause?" he asked, like this was some sort of blood drive donation.
"Uh... I dunno what your cause is, so no thank you." Mario apologized.
"Of course, and I wouldn't have it any other way." the yellow Folded Shy Guy laughed. "Take a good long look at Princess Peach, she's better this way, don't you think?"
Mario began to answer. "W-"
"It was rhetorical, there's no need to answer." the yellow Shy Guy explained. "You'll feel the power of Origami soon enough for yourself." he said, turning towards the door and holding a hand upwards. "Folded Soldier, come forth!"
"Hey, I sorta got the name right, that's another Bingo for Bowser..." Bowser said, adding to his metaphorical score count as a Hammer Bro, Koopa, and Buzzy Beetle came forth, waddling back and forth like a newborn baby who had just learned to walk, each looking folded much like the yellow Shy Guy, though in their respective forms.
"Woah, I've never seen a Folded Soldier like one of these, do these look like any of your friends?" Olvia wondered, though instead of answering Mario got inro a battle-ready pose.
"HEY, THESE GUYS ARE MY MINIONS FROM EARLIER!" Bowser realized in a screech, the three Folded Soldiers turning away in either shame or instinctive fear.
"Nice job, Sherlock." the yellow Shy Guy snootily congratulated, then turning to the Folded Soldiers. "Now, let me see what you three can do, and you might just get a top spot in my army."
The Hammer Bro then began to Waddle forward towards Mario. "...I never... got to..." the other two joined behind him. "...see Toad..."
"HAIL THE ORIGAMI KING!" they all said in unison, Mario jumping backwards and pulling out his Hammer, Bowser immediately rushing in for backup as the two stood side by side.
"You still remember how to battle?" Bowser asked, and Mario nodded. "Alright, you Bounce on em, I'll trounce on em, then we kick that folded Shy Guy's butt!"
"Okie Dokie!" Mario confirmed.
"Alright, SHOWTIME!"
The Buzzy Beetle went into its shell as spun towards Mario, who jumped into the air, landing on it as it passed under him and stopping it in its place, leaving the Beetle helpless in the act as he peered over to Bowser who seemed rather keen of tacking the Koopa Troopa, one bump knocking it onto its back. Though he couldn't stay on his pseudo-ally for long as he saw a Hammer being tossed towards his face, or which he managed to get hit by, knocking him back a bit.
"So, this is how you Paper folks fight..." Olivia said, Mario hearing her voice faintly in his ear. "I don't get it, but it's fun..." she noted.
Mario then took initiative and grabbed the Buzzy Beetle after running forward, holding its shell above his head, not sure when the little guy would realize he was off the ground or not, but taking chances to shield himself from the hammers that began to rain down as the Hammer Bro attempted to back away.
Mario tossed the shell at the Hammer Bro, hoping it to hit, but the Bro jumped over it, and it hit the castle balcony wall behind it before coming to a stop around next to where the Hammer Bro landed, leaving Mario defenseless from hammer throws if he didn't dodge.
"Mario!" Bowser called out, and he turned toward him. Bowser had managed to make the Koopa retract into its shell, and he nonverbally nodded towards the Hammer Bro, giving Mario an idea which he hoped Bowser shared.
Mario waited for the Buzzy Beetle to get up, he did so and charged at Mario yet again, but instead of jumping on him he took the initiative and jumped over him, hammer flying everywhere, letting him bounce on what was behind Mario and stop in a dizzy skid at which point Mario landed and moved to the side to avoid another thrown hammer, and soon jumped back to where the Buzzy Beetle was, ready to kick the shell.
"THREE-TWO-ONE, GO!" Bowser yelled abruptly, and Mario kicked the Buzzy beetle Shell towards the Hammer Bro who dodged it like before, but didn't seem to be on the uptake on what they were about to do next as Bowser kicked the Koopa's shell towards him as the Buzzy Beetle skidded to a stop next to the Hammer Bro once again, the shell knocking into them like a Bowling Ball to pins, and sending them all flying into a wall.
"YEAH, NOBODY MESSES WITH BOWSER!" he declared, jumping up and down midair.
Then, slow clapping. Mario and Bowser looked towards the yellow Folded Shy Guy, who seemed to be not at all impressed with their charade. "Wow, you defeated soldiers who got in the army less than ten minutes ago, congrats." he blatantly chastised. "I assure you; those are the easiest enemies you will find in this realm."
"Realm, Shmelm, you lost, loser!" Bowser roared, and the yellow Folded Shy Guy sighed.
"Whatever, I suppose there's no point in maintaining this charade any longer." he oddly said, suddenly beginning to float in the air, upwards, though stopping at a certain point. He then began to shake, and soon retracted his arms, then his head, then the rest of his body until he was a blank sheet of Paper, which Mario was a bit repulsed at, but kept looking towards.
"No..." Olivia gasped, the piece of paper folding yet again, until it has manifested itself into a similar form to Olivia, albeit slightly different, with a purple paper robe, what were probably his feet being a white color instead of Olivia's brown, blond hair, of which one side drooped over his eye, and a yellow paper crown, much like the one Peach wore. "Brother?!"
"Congratulations, you've solved the mystery, Gumshoe." Olivia's brother scoffed.
"Now THAT is dysfunctional." Bowser noted, and Mario hit him slightly to signal him to knock it off.
"No..." Olivia began, slightly quivering. "I... I didn't wish to think it was you of all Origami who would go this far." she trembled out. "How many times did I tell you to stop?" she asked him. "Please, you have to stop, right now!"
"Ugh, why did this idiot have to take you out of the wall where I put you?" her brother groaned, placing a hand to his head. "Listen, Sister, if you stand in the way of my ambition, I'm afraid you may find yourself to folded in a far more undignified way, especially for somebody like you."
"But, brother-"
"NO." he interrupted. "I am no longer your simple brother, Olly." Olly Exclaimed, flipping his hair in a flavored manner. "I am KING OLLY!" Olly then floated up towards the skyline, everyone looking upwards to see what he was doing. "By the time this is done, all of those miserable cretins will be folded, and the flimsy paper minions of the Koopa's army shall be reborn, and only serve me!" he declared.
"Oh no... he's not gonna..." Olivia looked around, fear on her face. "Mario, we have to get out of here!"
"And I shall fold, crease, and bend the entire paper world to my whim, the birth of a glorious Origami Kingdom!" King Olly then began to glow purple, brighter and brighter as Mario covered his eyes, though that wasn't the main event.
Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Purple, what looked to be streamers of every color began to come in, some close by, and some from far away locations, encircling Peach's Castle like a bout of hungry snakes, each snake trying to bit off more than they could chew as Mario, Oliva, and Bowser began to panic.
"LOOK, OVER THERE!" Bowser noted, as the streamers began to wrap around their view of the outside world, they could see what looked to be a Koopa Clown Car speeding toward them from a distance.
"It's Shy Guy, we're saved!" Mario quickly celebrated, and he and Bowser hopped over the balcony and over onto the Castle's Roof, Olivia floating behind them both as Streamers nearly blocked their way, barely outrunning the long bits of paper as they made their way to the edge of the castle, the Shy Guy in just the right position for them to jump-
. . .
. . .
. . .
THEY MADE IT,
all three of them landing in the semi-cramped Clown Car as it sped away from the streamers, narrowly avoiding getting ensnared as the Clown Car weaved around and dodged, eventually making it out of the way of the Streamers and around the front of Peach's Castle.
"Told you I'd find a way!" Shy Guy said, but there was no time for dialogue as they all peered ahead.
Then the streamers began to tighten around the castle, bit by bit like many gargantuan ropes, Mario watched in horror as they began to lift the castle, breaking the very ground beneath it in loud and hideous cracks, the castle being lifted into the air, every watching in a mixture of shock and horror.
Except Bowser.
He was used to castles being lifted up.
But never mind Bowser, as the castle got higher, Mario looked down and saw Luigi's hat, it was heading down towards where the castle was, and suddenly the realization hit Mario that his bro was still in there, probably!
"We gotta go get Luigi!" Mario yelled, and Bowser grumbled slightly.
"Of course, we forgot Green Stache..." he sighed. "Come on, Shy Guy, full speed ahead to save Green Stache!" he demanded to Shy Guy, and he immediately sped forward, dodging Streamers that began to lift up with the castle, narrowly avoiding the yellow one, then the green one in a mad dash towards Luigi. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side as they SLAMMED straight into the Red one, knocking Mario, Olivia, and Bowser out of the Clown Car, Mario saw the Clown Car pick up Bowser as he and Olivia fell away from the castle, it's destination seeming to be a distant mountain, though that's all Mario managed to see before his vision shifted towards the massive forest of trees below, and his adventure truly began.
PAPER MARIO THE ORIGAMI KING
REFOLDED
{===}
Hiya! It's me, the author of this first chapter of Paper Mario: The Origami King Refolded, and I just want to say I hoped you enjoyed the chapter from the bottom of your heart, cause' I know I enjoyed writing it. If you have any complaints, pet peeves, or just friendly reviews you wanna give, go ahead and say it, though I will note some things.
This is NOT a 1-to-1 retelling of Origami King, there will be some times when I step away from the main plot a bit and focus on other things, but that's not the say it's wholly original. The story will be mostly the same, so don't expect your favorite characters to be butchered beyond recognition.
I will say though, this is my first time doing one of these, and I'm only really doing is cause...
Well Origami King is my 4th favorite game of all time to put it lightly. I love this game A LOT, and I think in the upcoming chapters you'll really see why, as this quaint little adventure unfolds in front of your eyes.
So, I'll see you all next time in chapter 2, coming next month (hopefully), and until then, stay safe, and have a lovely day.
LATER!