'Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single flower in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful princess of the stars. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The flower she had offered was truly an enchanted fire flower, which would bloom until his 26th year. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal of the flower fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope.

For who could ever learn to love a beast?'

[-]

Luigi had woken only moments ago and he was already reading.

While his brother was a renowned plumber, Luigi found himself obsessed with books as the years had passed. Not only did it act as a distraction to the dangers of the world he so desperately attempted to avoid, but it also introduced amazing storylines and foreign lands and strong characters he only dreamed of.

Satisfied with his completion on yet another one, he stood and went to grab his things. Luigi threw the front door open and stepped outside into the cool morning. The leaves from the autumn season were just barely attached to the trees, clinging onto them as though they were the only security they had left. He locked the door behind him and allowed himself to begin his journey towards town.

As he walked, he carefully removed his completed book from his bag and ran a hand down its cover. It was a crime to not have at least one book in his possession and, since Mario often used most of their savings towards new tools, Luigi usually just borrowed his books from the local bookshop. He was blessed with the ability to read through any texts swiftly, something that impressed Mario greatly. While it was a blessing, it also disguised itself as a curse. This meant he had to make a trip to Toad Town almost every day to retrieve a new book.

It would be no problem if all the toads weren't whispering about him as he passed and a particular ignorant man wasn't always trying to win him over. The toads would often say things along the lines of 'He should just stick to what his brother does…' and 'I think Mario should teach him to stop reading and start doing something more beneficial…'

He was, truthfully, often left in his brother's overbearing shadow, but Luigi loved his sibling no matter what. He trusted him and knew he would always be there for him. He would have bid goodbye to his older brother before he began his trek to the warp pipe leading to Toad Town, but Mario was already off doing his own things at such an early hour. Whether it be plumbing or rescuing a pet from a tree, Mario was always busy. Mario's schedule worked well with Luigi's though, the green-clad man often enjoying the comfort of quiet silence in the house when his brother was away.

He found himself bumping into the emerald warp pipe that led to Toad Town before he even realized how far he had walked. He grinned, securing the book under his arm and jumping into the pipe.

He emerged and was met with a bustling environment. There was shrill chatter amongst the toads, all discussing very different things as Luigi walked by. Young toads were playing with a jump rope to his right and, upon catching the scent of baking goods, he saw Tayce T. to his left, currently handing over a box of pastries to another citizen.

"Ah, hello, Luigi!" She said as her customer walked away. "It's a pleasure to see you. Where are you off to?" Luigi was about to answer but was cut off. "Let me guess, the bookstore?"

Luigi chuckled lightly. "Sì, sì… I just finished reading the most interesting book! It's all about this hero rescuing a princess from the clutches of an evil villain, it's simply-"

He was curtly shoved aside by another toad. "Hey Tayce, I've been waitin' forever. Hurry it up, will ya?"

Tayce T. sighed. "I apologize, Mr. Luigi, we'll have to catch up another time."

"It's quite alright," Luigi regained his balance. "I'll see you around!" He waved, making his way through a crowd and into the town square. Briefly stopping at some of the store's windows, he reached his destination and walked inside.

Toadbert greeted him almost immediately.

"Good morning, Luigi!" He watched as Luigi removed the book from his bag and handed it over. "Finished already? By boogity, Luigi…"

"I couldn't put it down!" Luigi busied himself with scanning the shelves for something different to read. "Since I don't see anything new, can I borrow this one?" He revealed a book from a lower shelf. The cover was worn, though the binding was still ornate and intricate. He was quite familiar with it.

"Again? By boogity, you've read that one at least three times!"

"Well, it's my favorite! All the action with the duels and the romance and the disguised-"

"Well, if you like it all that much, you can have it." Toadbert pressed the book onto Luigi's chest. "I insist."

"B-But!" Luigi was about to protest when Toadbert led him to the door.

"By boogity, no buts, Luigi! Go read it to your heart's content!"

Luigi's smile was deafening.

"G-Grazie!" He ran out into town, his hat almost flying off as he joyfully sat on a bench in the square, humming softly as he read.

As he passed the gates that led to the forest on his way over, however, he didn't seem to notice the figure watching. On the outskirts of the woods, watching as Luigi passed, was a green-skinned man with fine golden hair.

Toad came fumbling beside him, out of breath. He had tried to collect the stray goombas Peasley had vanquished earlier, but he didn't want to lose Peasley as the dazzling man suddenly caught interest in something in town.

"Yeesh, Peasley… There's probably no one in town quicker than you!" Toad started, trying to get air into his tiny lungs. "I don't think anyone could stand a chance against you!"

Peasley merely laughed, eyeing Luigi as he sat down.

"I do have to agree," Toad squeaked as Peasley grabbed him by the arm and led him into the open streets. "But, Toad… Don't you think it's time I settled down, perhaps stopped my hunting days and simply got married?"

Toad gasped. "B-But, Peasley! Who would you-" Toad caught Peasley's gaze and stood for a few moments, astonished. "Him?! Mario's brother?"

"He's the one! The lucky man I'm going to marry." Peasley boasted as he puffed out his chest, full of pride. Toad was still struggling to comprehend. Mario had grown quite strange over the years, and he questioned Peasley's judgment of choosing his brother for a spouse.

"But he's-"

"The most charming man in town? Quite so."

"Yeah, I know, but-"

"And that makes him the best, does it not? And," he picked Toad up suddenly, his eyes dark. "I always deserve the best, don't I?

Toad's face dropped. "W-Well," he tripped on his words, blurting out barely comprehensible sounds. "Y-Y-Yeah, o-of course you do, b-but…" Peasley dropped Toad in a swift motion, leaving the small mushroom-capped man to fall face first into the dirt road.

"He's the only one in town as beautiful as me," he flipped his sparkling hair, stray particles of glitter landing on Toad, who was now slowly recovering from his fall. "So, he's the one I'm going to woo and marry!" He said triumphantly, forcing Toad onto his feet and waltzing off towards Luigi. A few girls swooned and sighed dreamily as the stunning man passed by.

Luigi was much too preoccupied with the words in his book to notice anyone approaching.

He only looked up when a shadow fell over him and he turned, squinting at the figure's brightness. He quickly flipped back around once he registered who it was to avoid confrontation. However, a firm gloved hand was placed on the page he was currently reading, much to his dismay.

Sighing, he looked up, being met with a gleaming face.

"Hello, Luigi!" A jovial tone met his ears as the book was plucked from his hands.

"Ciao, Peasley..." Luigi breathed, annoyed. "May I have my book back, please?"

Peasley had busied himself with skimming the pages of Luigi's book, flipping through it lazily. "How can you read this?" He gestured to the book's print. "Why, there's no pictures!" Peasley exclaimed as he threw the book over to Toad, who was thrown back by the sudden weight and landed in a nearby mud puddle.

"Well," Luigi attempted to get past Peasley to retrieve his book, but any endeavors towards it were blocked. "Some people use their imaginations..."

Peasley scoffed. "My dearest Luigi, I do believe it's time you stopped fiddling around with these books and focused on more important things!"

"And what might those things be?" Luigi grumbled as Peasley circled around him.

"Me, of course!"

Luigi stormed off, but Peasley blocked the irritated man's path once more. He put an unwelcome arm around Luigi's shoulder and started to tug him away in the opposite direction.

"Why don't we head to Podley's in Rogueport? They have plenty of my achievements framed and hung there. Perhaps that will sway you…"

Luigi squirmed out of Peasley's grip. "That's quite far from here, isn't it? I don't believe I can go!" Luigi decided, now approaching Toad, who was still flat on his back and clutching the dirtied book Peasley had so carelessly tossed.

"Why not? Do you have other plans?" Peasley asserted as Luigi retrieved the book from Toad and started to wipe off any mud that was on it.

"My brother must be expecting me home, I'm sorry, maybe some other time."

"Your brother?!" Without the book on him, Toad now stood and shrilly spoke from beside Luigi. "What does he need you around for?"

Peasley slapped Toad soundly on the back of his head.

Luigi's face flushed. "Mario needs me for a lot of things!" He snapped, turning on his heel and stomping off.

He could still hear Toad laughing as he descended into the warp pipe back to his house.

[-]

"Mario!" Luigi entered the quaint cottage and immediately called out for his brother. He sincerely wished he was home so he could rant about his experience in town to someone who would listen. "Big broooo! Are you home?"

A loud clanging noise sounded from somewhere down the hall.

"Bro!" Luigi entered the next room and was met with Mario throwing various wrenches, spanners, and spare pipes into a toolbox. One of the wrenches almost hit Luigi in the chest and he yelped in response, alerting Mario of his presence.

"Hey! Didja get a new book?"

Luigi barely realized he still had the book in his hands. "O-Oh! Yeah, I did, but-"

Mario shut his toolbox and leaned on it, listening intently as Luigi spoke.

"Mario… Am I a burden?"

Mario's face paled. "No! Where did you get an idea like that?"

"S-Some of the people in town were talking about it today… I just feel like I don't belong here."

Mario marched over to Luigi, grabbing both of his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. "Hey, don't say that. You'll always be there for me, and I'll always be there for you. That's how it's always been, right?"

Luigi smiled slightly. "Y-Yeah, I guess."

The two embraced and, after a moment of silence, Mario returned to his tools.

"I've got an assignment over in the Waffle Kingdom tonight," Mario spoke over the clinking of nails hitting the metal toolbox. "Princess Eclair called in with a real mess in the pipes at her castle, so I'm gonna head over an' try to fix it." Mario paused. He didn't want to leave Luigi alone, but he wasn't going to risk having his little brother getting hurt. "Are you going to be alright here by yourself?"

Luigi nodded. "Are you heading out now?"

"As soon as Yoshi gets here, we're heading out together. The Waffle Kingdom is pretty far and since I've never traveled there on foot, Yoshi and I will have to find a path."

"Please be careful, bro. Try and get back as soon as possible."

"I will, don't worry."

A few hours passed before Yoshi arrived and Mario set off. Luigi bid his brother goodbye and watched as the two departed into the woods.

He could only hope they would safely return.

This storyline was majorly inspired from the BATB AU made by judylavernehopps on Tumblr, so please go support her content!