Paper Mario - Folded Chaos

| Chapter 0 - A Tragedy |

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All day "How does this look?" " Is this straight enough?" "Is this enough lights?" All day since the break of dawn, this is all Princess Peach had heard. All around her, toads bustled getting everything ready for the Origami Festival. Hanging up paper decor, pinning up lights, the small town was going all out. This was the first festival they'd had in a while, after all. They were determined to make this one great.

              This determination to make the festival perfect, however, including asking the Princess about everything. Every little detail had to be approved by her. While Peach didn't mind helping with the festival, all the constant questions were wearing her out despite it only being a little past noon. At this rate, she was going to be exhausted before said festival was to even begin. Plus, hearing the exact same question for hours wasn't doing he mental health any good either.

             Not wanting to miss the festival and wanting to preserve her energy and her sanity, she dismissed herself "I have duties to attend to in the castle. Please excuse me." She said to Nolen, the main shopkeeper in Toad Town who had invited the Princess to check out his limited edition wares specifically for the festival. " Alright Princess! See you at the festival! " He waved at her as she left.

            Wanting to avoid attention or any interactions, Peach hastily made her way to the big white castle she called her home. Stepping through the front door of said castle and closing the large door behind her, she let out an exasperated sigh. Making her way to her room, she saw a few toads here and there, but there was definitely less than usual. 'Huh, most must be preparing for the festival.' She thought to herself. Finally arriving at her room, she plopped face first down on her bed. 'I'll just nap for a few minutes, then I get back to work'. Well, a few minutes turned into an hour. It probably would of been longer if it wasn't for—

              "AAAAAAA" — a scream. 'A toad probably just dropped a plate or something.' The Princess thought to herself, about to blow off the situation. But then she listened harder and realized that she heard — nothing. Toad Town was completely silent. She peered out the window in her room and saw no one. Not a single toad. Now she was worry. 'Where is everyone?' She stepped out of her room and looked around. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

            No response. She walked through room after room. No one was around. "Alright if this is a joke, it's not funny anymore!" Peach yelled, slightly more concerned. Deep down, she knew that the toads would never pull such a cruel joke, but she was running out of ideas. Finally, she decided to head out to town. Maybe everyone was just out in town where she couldn't hear them. Getting to the front door of the castle, she reached for the handle and —

          Creak — she heard something, no someone, behind her. She could feel their presence. She went to turn to face them. But for some reason, she was frozen. She couldn't move at all. She felt their presence getting closer and closer until she could feel them right behind her. Then she felt a cold hand on her shoulder and heard a low whisper in her ear. She clenched her fists and once again, tried to move, but she still couldn't. Almost everything that happen next was blur. She was suddenly pinned against the wall and pushed to the ground. Suddenly everything went black.

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