Gab📻

-Mario wakes up one beautiful day, him and Luigi are invites to Peach's castle for a picnic or something. But before going out, they notice that a weird bud has started to grow on Mario's head!

-While strolling through toad town, they also notice that some toad have the same affliction as Mario, their buds have bloomed into a strange flower, and they seem trapped in a weird transe. Some say it's the works of a mysterious figure that has been roaming around town. Maybe Peach will know what to do.

-When they get there, they talk about it with Peach, but she has no idea of what's happening. Suddently, a strange signal hits the whole kingdom, it's coming from Bowser's castle! It's all of his fault!

-Mario and Luigi get to the castle (using a secret warp pipe or something) to uncover his plans... But there's nothing to infiltrate really, whatever affliction is expanding in Toad Town, is ten times worse here. Bowser's minions are too busy tending to their hypnotized mates to care about Mario and Luigi.

-When they get to Bowser, he actually starts accusing Peach of casting this curse, and she now sends Mario to finish him off! Blinded by anger, he attacks the bros, who win, but before they could explain anything, a strange figure appears.

-They start telling Bowser he's weak and helpless, and profits of his injured state to hypnotise him. They tell him not to resist, that if he lets himself go, he'll gain the power to crush all his ennemies. A flower crown grows on Bowser's head, and he commands all his hypnotized goons to chase after the brothers.

-The bros narrowly escape Bowser and his whole entranced army thanks to Kamek. While they're flying, the castle rearranges itself, gaining surreal colors and nonsensical architecture, it's surrounded by a dream-like aura.

-Kamek drops them in a safe area in Koopa City (it's a city surrounding Bowser's Castle, where all his minions live). He tells the bros him, Bowser Jr., and other survivors where left in this safe zone to escape the affliction, but now it's turned into their only safe haven. It seems like this mysterious individual is the cause of all this. (This is starting to sound like an infection AU)

-Kamek has a theory on the nature of this affliction, it says it preys on peoples fears and doubts to weaken them, and to take over their body. If he can control this dark power, their ennemy is way too powerful to beat like this, they'll need to find the pieces of the magic McGuffin! With these words, Kamek sends them off on a journey to get it. Also, Jr. probably goes with them in the beginning because he's immune to the negative zones, because he's a brave little boy.

-During they journey, Mario and Luigi are perpetually harassed by the arlequin. He can spawn pockets of negative zones to modify reality, which makes their progression difficult. Luigi is more scared than ever, despite his efforts, and his brother's support, he often messes up, or is left behind, which takes a big toll on his confidence. I think with each adventure, they'll both recieve a big blow which will leave Luigi terrified and Mario unable to really help him. For example, I think they'll lose Bowser Jr. in the beginning because he'll see his father again and decide to join him. But despite this, they both give their best.

-Each of the artefacts has the power to hold off the negative zone. Meaning that infortunately, when Mario takes it out for himself, it give an opportunity to the arlequin to expand it here. So everytime they get a chunk of the McGuffin, the area gets engulfed in the negative zone.

-Although he feels useless in the real world, for some reason, Luigi is very powerful in the negative zone, and he quickly learns to use his new powers to gain advantage. With each visit to it, he gains more and more confidence, while this is reassuring too see, he worryingly sometimes gets drunk on this power.

-After some adventuring, the artefact is finally complete! They'll just have to aim it at the bad guy, and the negative zones will finally be gone for good! For good... The only glipse of power Luigi ever had, will be gone for good. He hear a little voice that he'll be back to his pathetic life, in his brother's shadow, forever stupid, useless, and weak... he shatters the artefact, and turns into the arlequin. Plot twist!

-Mario is chokbar de bz. Arlequin 1 shows up and is like, surprised? It was mes all along! And thanks to me nobody can stop me! I'll be the most beloved and powerful in the whole world! You're in my shadow now Mario! Yatta yatta. Arlequin (Let's call him Luigi Prime) send Luigi (Luigi bis) to the past to execute their plan.

-Now that that's happened, Luigi Prime has free range to reshape the whole mushroom kindgom to his desires. It has become a dream-like labyrinth of familiar landscape and impossible architecture. It's like it has been shaped out of the fever dreams of its crazed inhabitants, and Luigi Prime is leading this feverish, everlasting parade.

-Despite the absolute chaos and despair Mario is plunged in, a whisper reaches him, it's Peach! She is trying to hold off the arlequin's influence, but her power is diminishing. She teaches him to achieve peace of mind and to use love and understanding to purify the negative zones. Mario then sets on another journey to find a way to beat Luigi prime, de-hypnotizing his friends in the process. Idk about the specifics od this part yet, but I know arlequin will give him a very tough time, Mario will go through what Luigi's been through his whole life, and he'll even almost succomb to the transe himself.

-In the very end he finds a way to unbrainwash his own Luigi with a hug, and get him back in the present (I need to study the time travel shenanigans to make it make sense). Together they go through the transformed Toad Town, with is a huge, bustling, nauseous carnival, all celebrating the new king. At the very top of the castle, Luigi Prime is blooming, litteraly. He has stopped being Luigi, and whatever power he held has now overtaken him, turning him into a massive flower, overseeing the eternal ceremony. So they beat him with the power of hugs. The flower entity is destroyed, and Luigi Prime is turned back to normal, he apologizes and says there are no excuses for what happened but Luigi bis says shut up and kiss me. They both fuse together. Mario and Luigi hold their hands and fly together releasing their power to turn the kingdom back to normal.

tl;dr brotherly conflict turns into cosmic horror and achieving nirvana

Few notes about Arlequin Luigi :

-He looks like your typical tumblr sexyman jester but he's actually just as pathetic as regular Luigi. Basically, every doubt, sadness or failure he has is fuel for his power. So whenever Mario one-ups him, he'll become more bitter, and so more powerful. At the very end he possibly almost fuck up everything on purpose, so he'll be unbeatable. Mario can only win when he stops "competing" with him, and tries to understand the source of his fears.

-Also just like Mr.L he doesn't remember being Luigi. He has his feelings (to fuel his power) but everything else has been erased.