The orange leaves fluttered to the ground, and the smell of cinnamon and spice was enough to sting your eyes. The crisp near-winter air brought a chill with it, hinting to the future snowfall that was soon to come.
"Olly, look at this one!"
Olivia held up a fallen branch. It was wrapped in leaves, the colors resembling a fire. She always saw the beauty in everything, the shine in her eyes sparkling brighter than ever with amazement of this new season.
"Olivia, haven't you seen autumn before? You, Mario, and Bobby went to Autumn mountain not too long ago."
"Yeah, but I didn't know it could come to the Mushroom Kingdom!" She plucked the leaves off with care. "And I still love autumn. The colors, the feeling, the pleasant weather..."
"I love it all too, Olivia. But we have to head to the castle. Peach summoned us. She said it was very important."
"You're right, Olly. We should keep going. We can play in the leaves later."
I...suppose I should introduce myself.
My name is Olly. Olivia happened to be my younger twin sister. She and I were opposites. She was outgoing, kind, and gentle. I took more of a quiet, serious, and sometimes a bit ruthless path. I should know, since I did try to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. However, thanks to Olivia's kindness, I'm starting to find myself again in the midst of the tangle of emotion that led me down the wrong path.
Princess Peach had called Olivia and I to the castle for help. The reason she asked me, I didn't know, but her ideas usually worked in the end so I decided to not pry for answers. And...also because I felt terrible about folding her into a mindless soldier...Heh. I'll think of this as...payback for doing what I had.
The Mushroom Kingdom castle was decorated with banners, fallen leaves, and the smell of food coming from the open windows. Olivia and I walked up to the guards, her waving happily.
One of the Toads waved back, the other pointing his spear towards me. "What's he doing here? I thought we warned you that you're not welcome back here."
I gave a small bow. "You see, Princess Peach invited me here, with my sister. So if you wouldn't mind letting us through..."
He faced Olivia. "Is this true?"
Olivia nodded. "She said it was important."
The Toads moved aside. "You can come through, but we're keeping an eye on you."
Olivia pulled me by the wrist, forcing me back inside the castle walls. "Come on, Olly! We've let Peach wait long enough!"
I chuckled a bit. "Don't they trust Bowser inside the castle? Why am I any different?"
"I think it's because Bowser's helped the kingdom more than once. He and Mario are basically friends at this point."
"Fair argument, Olivia. I should have expected that."
Peach sat on her throne, currently fixing her hair with a small mirror she held in her hand. She noticed us and put it away.
"Olly, Olivia. I'm glad you two came. I hope living with Mario and Luigi wasn't too much of a hassle."
Olivia and Peach started talking as a lingering thought came to the surface of my mind. Why does peach act as if nothing happened? Why does she trust me? Is she planning something? She wasn't known to be violent, but if there was anything that were to endanger her kingdom, she would take immediate action. And from what she knew of me...I would be a high threat.
Olivia must have noticed I was thinking of something, so she tapped my shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Did I space out there?"
Peach smiled, her soft face beaming with kindness. "Olly, I want you and Olivia to help me with something. This is your first autumn, and I want you to see how we do things here in the Mushroom Kingdom." She hopped off her throne and trotted down the stairs to our sides. "Follow me, please."
She started down the hall, Olivia and I sharing a confused look as we followed close behind her. Peach's movements were elegant, almost as if she floated instead of walked.
"So, do you know about any holidays this month?"
"There's a holiday this month?" Olivia asked, clearly having the same thought I did. "I thought it went from Halloween to Christmas."
"For the shops, yes. But there's one in November too. And it's today."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Thanksgiving. Do you know of it?"
We both shook our heads.
Peach giggled. "It's as simple and straight-to-the-point as the name is. It's a day we take to sit down and be grateful for what we have. It might seem like a waste, but that's when we all realize that we take things for granted; even if we don't realize it."
"Why do you need us?" I finally asked. The question had been sitting on the stove for a while there; glad to finally let it go.
"Since it's your first Thanksgiving, I want you two to help out. Get a feel for how it works. We have a lot of food to serve, and you two helping will get it done just in time. I sure Toadsworth wouldn't mind extra helping hands."
"Helping hands..."
I liked the sound of this idea. The Toads knew me as a murderous dictator. If I can show them that I have another, a nicer, side to me, perhaps they'll learn to accept me. After all, what I've always wanted was a world under a united peace. Who says I can't take a nicer path to achieving that goal?
"That sounds great!"
Olivia and Peach both looked a me, coming to a stop.
I realized then that I'd accidentally raised my voice a bit there. Even when excited, I still sounded forceful. I need to work on that.
"I mean, I would love to help. I think it's a wonderful idea."
What's going on with me? I'm nervous, my voice sounds weird, and I caught myself fidgeting with my bangs. I need to put on a good impression for the princess, not...this!
"I would also love to help!" Olivia agreed. "You're so nice, and it might help the bond between flat and origami folk!"
Peach smiled again. "I'm glad to hear it. Let's head into the kitchen, Toadette can get you started with what to do first."