Mario & Luigi: Darkest Timeline is a Mario & Luigi fanfic released in 2021 written by an unknown author. During a plot from Bowser to steal Professor E. Gadd's time machine, the Mario Brothers along with Bowser end up in a Bad Future where Bowser has successfully taken over the entire Mushroom Kingdom
The fic can be found here
on Archive of Our Own, though it's impossible to view unless you have an account.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- Adaptational Jerkass: The future version of Mario himself is a lot more condescending and rude than his past counterpart. This especially shows when Future Mario resorts to sacrificing a large number of the rebels in order to lure Bowser's army out, a tactic the past Mario would never resort to.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: The past version of Bowser lacks many of the negative traits of his game counterpart and eventually goes through Character Development, albeit with a Hazy-Feel Turn.
- Anti-Hero: The future version of Mario is willing to use some rather questionable methods to take Emperor Bowser down, like sacrificing a large number of the rebels. He is still a good person, who wants to put an end to an oppressive dictator.
- Bad Future: The main premise of the fic. Mario, Luigi, and Bowser accidentally find themselves in a future where Bowser has taken over the Mushroom Kingdom and nearly wiped out the Toads.
- Beige Prose: Most of the fic isn't like this, but the fight scenes specifically have very little detail put into them other than just very generally describing that they happened.
- Character Development: The past version of Bowser, after seeing what his future counterpart did in order to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, decides that his goal of doing so is pointless and that he is going to do something different with his life.
- Continuity Nod:
- The time machine from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time reappears and plays a major role in the story of the game.
- Mario makes reference to Fawful, Cackletta, The Shroobs, and Antasma.
- Dead Alternate Counterpart: It is revealed that the Bad Future version of Princess Peach was killed, and that is what kicked off Bowser's takeover of the Mushroom Kingdom. It is later revealed that it was not Bowser who killed her, but Mephistopheles.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite how low he has sunk to the point of wiping out most of the Toads, the future Bowser still cares about Princess Peach to the point where Mephistopheles was able to manipulate his actions through her death. He is also horrified when Mephistopheles says he plans to show his son no mercy.
- Feed the Mole: Bowser in the opening feeds a mole that works for Mario and Luigi some false info so they are distracted from Bowser's real plan to steal E. Gadd's time machine.
- For the Evulz: Appears to be Mephistopheles' primary motivation, as he admits he did everything simply because he could.
- Future Me Scares Me: The past version of Bowser is pretty horrified to see what his future self has done to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, which includes selling his soul to a demon.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: At the end, Bowser abandons his goal of taking over the Mushroom Kingdom and vows to do something else, but it's unclear whether he's actually turning to the good side or not.
- Mephistopheles: Yes, believe it or not, Mephistopheles appears in this fic. He is revealed to be the mastermind behind Bowser's takeover of the Mushroom Kingdom and the one who murdered Princess Peach. Much like most of his versions, he made a deal with Bowser to give Bowser's army a power boost in exchange for Bowser's soul.
- Redshirt Army: The future version of Mario sacrifices a majority of the rebels in order to lure Bowser's army out so Luigi can bomb them from the inside.
- Would Hurt a Child: Downplayed as it is unknown how far in the future the Bad Future is, and the future Bowser Jr. is never seen. But Mephistopheles promised to give no mercy to Bowser's son.
- You Have Failed Me: Mephistopheles murders Bowser after he starts getting overwhelmed by the rebels, deeming Bowser to have failed.
- You Monster!: Future Mario's reaction after Mephistopheles reveals that he killed Peach and his reasons for it is to call him "nothing but a pile of filth".
