"Mario, wake up! We're almost there!" Luigi nudged him gently.
Mario stirred, and sat up. He rubbed his eyes, forcing them to adjust to the sunlight. Luigi drove closer to the entrance of Toad Town, a big smile on his face.
"I can't wait to see all the cool displays for the Origami Festival today! I hope there's one of Daisy. But that might be a bit too much to ask for. What about you, Mario? What do you want to see at the festival?"
"Well, I heard there's an incredibly talented Origami Craftsman at the festival. You might be able to see your Daisy," Mario teased.
"I just think it'll be cool, making a whole statue out of origami!"
"As for me?" Mario tapped his chin. "I would love to see an origami version of-"
His statement fell short when they drove into town. Luigi slowed to a near stop, driving slowly through the town. Decorations hung loosely, some even bearing rips and tears. The town was completely silent, and empty.
"Are you sure it's today?" Luigi asked uncertainly.
Mario pulled out the invitation from Peach. "The invite says it's today. Let's check out the castle. If nobody's there, then we know something's wrong."
Luigi drove to the castle, the bridge creaking as they passed over it. They both hopped out the kart and went inside. The door slammed shut behind them, getting scared reactions from both brothers. Luigi tested the door, only to find it locked.
"M-Mario...? I think we're stuck in here now..."
"I guess we just have to push forwards, then! Come on, Weegee! We'll save Peach!"
"Yah!"
They both hurried down the hall to the foyer. Even the castle was empty. They stopped in the foyer, hearing Peach's heels clacking towards them from ahead.
"Oh good, Peach is fine," Mario sighed, relieved.
The door at the top of the steps opened, and Peach stepped into the light. She...wasn't herself. She looked like origami, with a soulless look in her usually cheerful eyes. Luigi's jaw dropped, and Mario gasped.
"Hello," she said monotonously. "I'm so glad you've arrived. You've come just in time."
"In time?" Luigi asked.
"For what?" Mario finished.
"The rise of the new kingdom, of course." She held her pointed hands to the sides in display of nothing. "A brand-new, grand Origami Kingdom."
"An Origami Kingdom?" Mario asked.
"Peach! I'll save you!" Luigi cried.
He rushed to her. As he put a foot to the circular carpet in the center of the foyer, the carpet fell open. Luigi pummeled into the dark hole below.
"Think, Mario, unless you want to suffer the same fate as him. Now, step forwards." She motioned to the carpet.
Mario hesitated, then slowly stepped into the carpet. He expected to fall through, but didn't. He let out a breathy sigh.
"Now, do you wish to be reborn?"
"Wh-what? No! I'm just fine, thank you!"
"Do you think the world, this broken world, should be reborn anew? Consider this thoroughly, Mario. Think about all the suffering this kingdom's been through. Think about how, when this world becomes new, I can remove all of that. No more pain, no more anger, only peace and unity."
Mario stopped. Peach wasn't acting like she was earlier.
"A unified world, under one peaceful rule. Doesn't that sound nice? No need for you to fight Bowser anymore, or even face danger anymore. You can be at home, with your brother. No more will you need to fight, or worry. No more...no more..."
"...No! The world may seem broken, but it's still fine! It's the best it's ever going to be, so you better appreciate it!"
"So be it then." Peach sounded so serious. "If you fail to see reason, I suppose I should let you free like you want."
"Peach? What's wrong?"
"However, I want to give you one more chance to change your mind." She flicked the side of her bangs. "So, I'm going to put you with the rest. You'll have plenty of time to think while you're in the dungeon."
She snapped, and the carpet fell open. Mario fell through, screaming, into the darkness below.
Mario rubbed his head. "Ugh...Peach, I have no idea what happened to you, but I will save you."
"That's sweet," said a Koopa Troopa. "Bowser send you tumbling down here too?"
"He kept rambling off about a peaceful world," explained a Hammer Bro. "It wasn't like him, and it was a bit creepy. He was all folded and stuff."
Mario got to his feet and dusted off his overalls. "Peach was the one who...Wait, if you saw Bowser and I saw Peach, then this new villain must be a shape-shifter! I've dealt with one before, so I can deal with one again!"
The cell door opened, and three origami Shy Guys appeared. Two were red, the last one yellow. The red one to the left of the yellow one spoke first.
"Everyone must come this way..." His voice sounded distorted and forced. "Except you, mister red. You stay here and wait."
"This way," said the other red one, turning and leaving the open door.
The Koopa Troopa, Goomba, and Spike left after the Shy Guy. The Hammer Bro. looked back at Mario.
"From one bro. to another; stay safe, Mario."
"Thanks."
He left with the others. The other red Shy Guy left after them, and Mario stood in silence with the yellow Shy Guy. He nodded once and left, shutting and locking the door. Mario looked around the room. There had to be some way to escape, right?
"H-hey, you. You can hear me, right?"
Mario flinched. "Who was that?"
"Oh, okay. Good! Now, you see that wall, right? The one you're facing towards now?"
Mario nodded. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Let me see here...I'm stuck in the wall. I was just shoved in here. It was pretty rude. But if I'm right, and I'm sensing correctly, there's a 1,000-Fold Arms Magic Circle right by this wall! Lazy villain work, if you ask me."
Mario walked over to the markings etched into the stone floor. "This?"
"Maybe? Step onto it and we'll see from there. If you can't tell already, I can't exactly see right now."
Mario tapped it with his foot, then stepped fully onto it. "Okay...What now? It started glowing orange."
"Then that means I was right, yay! But enough about me. You just have to reach up now. Reach for the wall."
Mario copied what the voice said. "Okay...what now?"
"Did...you reach with everything you have? Not just your body, silly! You need to reach with your soul, too! Can you do that? I can tell when the magic starts to work. I'll let you know if you did it right."
"My soul?"
"I know you can do it. I believe in you! Also, please hurry because I'm getting claustrophobic."
Mario stood on his tip-toes and looked down at the orange Magic Circle. He fell back to his feet with some sort of force, and looked back up his arms.
Which were now a lot longer, and origami?
Mario screamed.
"Hey, hey! Calm down! It's okay! It's just origami magic, silly-vanilly! It's perfectly safe! Here, I'll help you get me out, and I can explain what just happened to you, okay? Does that sound good? I didn't think you'd freak out so much, so I'm sorry."
"You're fine," Mario said after calming down. "You're really nice, at least. I've had ruder company." He wriggled the thin arms. "So what now?"
"Reach for the top right corner, please! I can hear you because of a small gap left over. The villain must have been in a hurry, huh?"
Mario did as they said, and rubbed the wall a bit until a small flap became visible. He grabbed it in both hands and tore it off. His arms returned to normal, and the light in the Magic Circle vanished.
The person floated from the wall, back facing Mario. Blonde curls and a golden dress, Mario assumed she was some sort of princess.
"Thank you so much! I'm sorry to rope you into this mess."
"Don't worry about it," Mario reassured her. "If the Mushroom Kingdom is in danger, then I'll gladly step in to stop the evil-doer!"
She faced him, black rectangle eyes beaming with joy. "Well then, I'm Olivia. It's nice to meet you!"
Mario nodded. "I'm Mario."
"Oh, what a nice name! I've never heard one like that before! Anyhow, I promised I would explain what happened when you used that Magic Circle, so let me get that out of the way now that introductions are through." She floated to the Magic Circle on the ground. "So you saw the Magic Circle; and what it did. Well, origami has the power to bend reality, if it's strong enough. And since that was his Magic Circle, you were able to bend reality and use origami magic even though you're not Origami Folk!"
"His?" Mario asked.
"...Yeah. But anyway, we should find a way out of here. The gate is probably locked. Is there any other way to get out?"
Mario checked some boxes in the back of the cell and found his hammer. "Yahoo! There's my trusty ol' hammer!" He tested it on the nearest wall, which caused it to fall and create a new passageway.
"Oh! Nice thinking! I wouldn't have thought about that."
"That wasn't on purpose, but I guess it worked." Mario pocketed it. "Let's go, but keep quiet."
Mario snuck down the hall, Olivia following. They heard a noise ahead and Mario ducked behind a box. He gently covered Olivia with his hand to prevent her from being seen. The same group of Shy Guys from before waddled past, the yellow one in the back.
"Double check the entire town," the yellow one ordered in a clear voice. "Make sure no sneaky Toads are hiding in buildings, and none of Bowser's Minions are left wandering around. I need more Folded Soldiers, or we're going to be beaten in no time! And using his pawns, we'll prevent Bowser from storming the castle before the plan is complete. He wouldn't kill his own soldiers, would he? Hm, I guess we'll see."
They left, and Mario headed to the other side of the wall, and hid behind more boxes. Olivia seemed a bit nervous now. Mario heard a sound come from the room they were next to, and peeked through the small window to see Bowser dangling helplessly in the air by a clothespin. Bowser was nothing but a square, only his face visible.
"I want somebody to let me down from here!" Bowser demanded.
Mario checked the room for any shadows, and entered when he saw none. Bowser growled when Mario entered.
"Mario?! What are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be off and stopping this guy?!"
"I can always leave you here," Mario said.
"Fine, get me down. Then we'll talk."
Mario pulled at Bowser until he popped out from the clothespin. Bowser landed on his face, then hopped back straight.
Bowser huffed, smoke pouring from his nose. "I thought I was going to go back to normal! What kind of trick is this?!"
"Hello," Olivia said shyly. "Mario, he's really loud."
"HEY! What's with the pipsqueak?"
Olivia hid behind Mario. "And scary!"
Bowser laughed. "You bet I'm scary! I'm Lord Bowser, and I'm Mario's greatest enemy! I rule with an iron fist and strike fear into everyone's hearts!"
Mario nodded. "Yep. Bowser's a pretty big deal. But I'm not worried about you right now. Did you see who's behind this?"
"Of course not, otherwise I would have smashed his face in myself! He's stealing MY minions, folded me into a face, and kidnapped Peach! That's my thing! But there was this weird Shy Guy. He made my minions float into this huge thing that had fangs like a beast! Grr, when I get my hands on him...!"
Olivia seemed sad.
"We should get out of the dungeon, at least," Mario said while he headed towards the back wall. "And luckily, Peach told me about a secret passage in this very cell." He pulled out a stone, and the wall slid apart to reveal stairs. "Come on. He couldn't have gone far now!"
Mario and Bowser ran up the stairs, Bowser complaining about being only a face the entire time. Olivia flew behind the both of them, encouraging Bowser to keep going despite his hardship. It mainly made Bowser annoyed, but Mario's convinced she helped him somewhat.
They exited the top, a group of folded Shy Guys on the top floor. Peach stood with them, folded to origami. The yellow one was in the front, clearly waiting for them to arrive.
He sighed dejectedly. "It's about time you arrived. I was getting impatient and was about to move on without you."
Bowser hopped to the front of the group. "Alright, buddy! Who is your 'grand king,' and why isn't the coward here to face me himself?!"
"Calm your horns, Bowser. The time is neigh. But I have no need for you. It's Mario I want. Would you mind stepping forwards, great hero?"
Mario stepped in front of Bowser, and the Shy Guy examined him while deep in thought. Olivia couldn't hide her sad feelings, and Mario could tell.
"Ah yes. That's the Mario I heard so much of. And such a crisp, bright red too! Like an apple."
Mario shot him a weird look.
Olivia flew to Mario's side. "A-alright! That's enough! You got to see Mario, so let Peach go!"
"That's something I can't do, Olivia."
"How do you know her name?" Mario demanded.
The Shy Guy chuckled. "Oh, Mario. You fool. You mean she didn't tell you? Olivia, I thought you were more talkative than this!"
"I-I couldn't even think about you. You've gone too far, Olly. You need to stop now before something bad happens to either of us."
"You want me to stop? But you're the one who brought me Mario! And now I can dispose of him properly, since I can use my magic freely now."
Mario prepared to fight, which made Olly chuckle.
"You think I'm foolish enough to fight you now? I'll run a little test first. Folded Soldier, come forth!" He snapped.
The doors opened and a Folded Goomba walked slowly to the rooftop. Mario noticed Bowser looked disgusted, but concerned, for the Goomba.
"I came here wanting to see a Toad," the Goomba said in the distorted voice the Shy Guys spoke in. "But I never got to see a Toad!"
He charged Mario, and Olivia held out her hands. The Goomba fell back, and Mario smacked it with his hammer until it stopped moving. Mario faced Olly again.
Olly scoffed. "It was a weakling anyway. Not like it matters. You're too late anyhow."
"Olly, please!" Olivia cried. "I know there's still good in you! Don't go down this path!"
"My 'goodness' died when I saw what he did to me! You would very much act the same if you were in my place!" He pointed a hand at her. "But I suppose this form is unneeded now. Here, I'll get into something more comfortable."
He floated from the floor and unfolded. The yellow changed to purple, and he refolded into something new. He looked like Olivia.
Like he was her twin brother.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mario. Really, it is. When I came here, Peach wouldn't stop talking about you! But your story ends here." A single chunk of paper blocked his left eye, and he held the expression of boredom and seriousness at once. "You will lose, and this world will be a unified nation of origami."
"Olly-" Olivia tried.
"Your brother Olly is dead. I'm King Olly, Origami Overlord, and the one and only ruler of my new world. A world where us Origami Folk aren't looked over or discriminated. I wish you shared my vision, Olivia. But sadly, you decided these weird creatures needed this. So your throne will sit empty next to mine. Oh well. Your loss."
"What are you planning on doing?" Bowser yelled. "You can't have this world unless you go through me!"
"Bowser!" Olivia said. "Don't challenge him, please!"
"No, he's right," Olly said calmly. "And that's why I took his army. Without any loyal minions following him around like lost puppies, he's nearly powerless. And it's not like he can do much without a body."
"Yeah, and this hurts, so fix me!" Bowser ordered.
"No, I don't think I will. I actually find it really funny, seeing you hop around defenselessly like that." Olly smiled. "And I'll need you all to get off, since this castle is ready to relocate now."
"R-relocate?" Mario asked. "What are you talking about?"
"I've already wasted too much time. You can either leave now, or suffer consequence. The choice is yours. But if you do decide to leave, you don't need to tell me. You can just head down the stairs to your right."
A flight of stairs appeared against the wall, lining with the floor of the rooftop.
Mario shook his head. "No! I'm not going to let you take over the Mushroom Kingdom!"
"Yeah!" Bowser agreed. "You're just a kid anyways! What sort of genius plan could YOU possibly have?!"
"I'm choosing to ignore your sarcasm," Olly said in a slightly annoyed tone. "And since you've decided, all of you...Enjoy your flight."
"Flight?" Bowser asked.
Olly's eyes glew a brilliant purple, and he raised his hands into the air. The ground shook, and four colored streamers burst from the ground in the distance. They charged for the castle.
"Want to change your mind?" Olly asked. Mario could tell he was trying to mess with them. "I thought of every possible outcome for this situation. No matter how hard you try, you WILL fail. My win, my conquest, is inevitable. Just give up now so you won't waste your energy."
"No!" Mario said, standing a firm ground. "All the bad guys say that, and believe that, but they all lose! You will not win as long as I live!"
"Oh, but you won't. I have the best of my generals guarding these streamers. And if you do manage to beat them, you will die by my hand." Olly floated above the castle.
"But you'll lose!" Bowser screamed. "Mario and I both know that's true!"
"That's where you're wrong, Bowser," Olly said. "You've already lost."
A giant blue streamer crashed into the castle. Mario grabbed Olivia, and he and Bowser made a run for it. Olly kept trying to attack them with the streamers.
"Stop moving around," he said, annoyed.
Bowser hopped faster than ever. "Mario, I don't like you, but we only have one chance to escape and I can't do anything like this. Hop onto the Clown Kart! Now!"
They all jumped off the castle and landed in Bowser's huge Clown Kart. The streamers wrapped around the castle, and Olly glared at them. The red streamer came loose and smacked the side of the kart. They all tumbled into the woods below.
"Sweet dreams, Mario," Olly's voice said.