Paper Mario and the Origami Legion

Prologue: Takeover

It was just another day in the Mushroom Kingdom. The sun was shining, the wind was softly blowing, and the Origami Festival was supposed to be in just a few hours. Mario and Luigi were on their way to Toad Town, excited for the festivities. "I can't wait for the Origami Festival. It's been a while since we've seen the princess," Luigi said from behind the wheel of the go-kart. Mario nodded in agreement, staying silent and maintaining his neutral stare.

As the two brothers continued their drive, something started to feel off. The air had gotten colder and filled Luigi with a sense of unease. He started speeding up, trying to get past this strange feeling. The drive felt longer than usual. Something wasn't right.

While Luigi was slightly unnerved, Mario seemed to be perfectly neutral. He often was. It was rare for Mario to show any emotion, let alone say anything. This didn't surprise Luigi, or anyone really. The chilling, uneasy feeling in the air seemingly had no effect on the plumber in red.

After what felt like an eternity, Luigi pulled up into the entrance of Toad Town. He stopped the car to get a good look at it. Folded decorations graced the buildings and bright colors danced across the scene. However Luigi was still unable to shake the feeling of unsteadiness.

The usually lively town felt empty. There were no Toads around celebrating and enjoying the festival. In fact, it didn't look as if there was anyone there at all. It was unusual and only strengthened the idea in Luigi's mind that something wasn't right.

Mario started walking towards the Mushroom Castle. Luigi hastily followed, hoping that Princess Peach would be inside to explain what's going on. The walk felt long, as if there was something slowing them down. As they continued forward, it was almost like the colors were slowly losing their saturation.

When they reached the gates of the Castle, they were greeted with a masked figure wearing green armor. A ripped cape hung from their shoulders. Their eyes were a glowing green. They had two long, sharp swords on either of their sides. On their right arm, a green sigil was printed on the fabric of their sleeve.

Their eyes narrowed when they saw the two plumbers standing before them. "We have been waiting for you two," they said, their voice sounding masculine. Luigi gulped slightly as the figure stared them down.

Slowly, the figure moved out of the way. "Follow me. King Olly mustn't wait any longer," he said, starting the long trek down the hallway. Mario followed him with Luigi in tow.

"Wh-Who are you?" Luigi asked the figure nervously. The figure glared back at him. "I am called Scissors, the General of the Legion of Stationery. But it doesn't matter, you won't be here long enough to remember me anyway," he replied.

Scissors glared at Mario for a second before focusing his gaze back on Luigi. He said nothing more and just kept leading them down the hallway, his hands folded behind his back. The swords at his side shine slightly in the dim light, making it clear that they'd be lethal if any paper being dared to end up on the wrong end of it.

Luigi was steal uneasy and on edge, but Scissor's presence calmed his nerves slightly. Scissors seemed to know what he was doing. The short soldier led the brothers into the grand room of the Mushroom Castle. "King Olly will deal with you from here," he said before walking off.

After a few long minutes, a folded paper boy walked out onto the balcony. His golden hair covered one of his eyes. He wore a shining crown that sat neatly atop his head. A purple cape was neatly tucked into the lavender collar of his shirt. Following the boy was Princess Peach. Except she was... different. She had been folded into origami.

The folded boy walked over to the edge of the balcony, looking down at Mario and Luigi from behind the railing. "So, you are the Mario Brothers. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie. I am King Olly, the Origami King. Not that my name matters much, as soon you will meet the same fate as the rest of your flatpaper friends," he said before pressing a button that was under the balcony and opening the floor.