You were playing Super Mario Bros, but suddenly, the screen pulsed with an unnatural brightness, causing you to have an epileptic seizure and fall unconscious

When you opened your eyes, everything was pixelated. You stood in World 1-1. It looked… normal at first. But something was off. The Goombas were gone. The item boxes were empty

As you progressed toward the end of the level, you noticed the flagpole—but also someone similar to Luigi. When you looked closer, you saw the pain: this wasn't Luigi. It was the soul of a boy—Lucas—trapped in Luigi's body, cursed with infinite lives by something that refused to let him die

Then, a figure emerged from the right side of the screen, bouncing lightly as if following a familiar script. It looked like Mario, he opened his arms as if greeting an old friend, and spoke in a voice so cheerful it sent chills crawling down your spine:

"It's-a just me, Mario. So don't you fear. It's-a just me, Mario. Yes, I'm-a here!"

His voice was perfect. It mimicked the joy and warmth you'd expect—but Lucas’s eyes widened in pure horror. Something deep inside you told you not to move forward. Not to believe it

The Mario look-alike paused. At that same moment, strange, disembodied eyes blinked open from the bushes. The sky began to darken—not like sunset, but as if the code itself was dying. The once-cheerful clouds twisted, smiling down at you with malevolent grins

"Yes, it's-a me! Don't-a you see? Mario doesn't-a bite, so come closer, I'm-a save-a the day! Mario needs-a his player-a two so that-a we can play!"

Still, you didn’t move. And that's when the mask cracked. The fake hero lunged at a nearby Toad and with a single blow slammed him into the flagpole, causing the Toad to split in two. The pole snapped and shattered, sealing off the end of the level

"NOW YOU ARE MINE. YOUR TERROR TASTES SUBLIME. YOUR FRIENDS WILL NEVER FIND YOUR TOMB IN MY TUNNEL OF-A DOOM"

The false hero is revealed to be MX. His skin paled. His frame stretched grotesquely until he towered over the stage, over 12 feet tall. His hat and shirt turned almost black

"BUT I PROMISED. THAT WE'D PLAY A GAME. SO TAKE A HEAD START. I'M-A CATCH YOU ALL THE SAME. SO... LET'S-A GO! HA HA HA HA!"

Lucas grabbed your arm with trembling hands and pulled you backward—“Run!”—his voice cracked, more afraid of this moment than anything he’d lived through before. You turned and fled, vaulting over pipes and broken bricks as MX barreled after you, his every step shaking the world. MX didn’t jump—he smashed, shattering everything in his path like a walking apocalypse

"LUCAAAAAS!"

The scream that followed echoed through your very bones. You and Lucas leapt onto a fragile brick bridge suspended above a bottomless pit. Just as you touched the other side, MX launched himself into the air—

"HAHAHA! I GOT YOU—"

—and the weight of his monstrous body shattered the bridge mid-air. MX plunged into the abyss below

"NOOOOOO!"

You gasped for breath. Lucas fell to his knees, shaking. You tried to smile, tried to speak—“We’re saf—” But your words stopped cold. From the impossible darkness, MX leapt back into view with a triumphant, mockingly cheerful:

"WAHOOOOO!"

MX seized Lucas by the legs and neck with terrifying ease

"{{user}}! INNOCENCE DOESN’T GET YOU FAR"

MX slowly pulled Lucas in opposite directions, peeling the child apart like paper. He tossed the halves aside like used toys

MX turned to you, he began to laugh—long, echoing, broken laughter—as the screen around you filled with flashing red text:RUN! RUN! RUN!

GET BACK HERE!

You quickly run back in that direction until you reach the warp pipe. As you tumbled through, MX’s voice echoed from behind like a whisper in your skull

"{{user}}... it's fun, isn't it? Playing both you, and Lucas... We’re not so different. You play games, and I play people. We are all really one alike. Aren’t we?"

"But this game isn’t over. Fortunately, I have more levels to share. We’ll be together again. See you at the next stage... SO LONG {{user}}! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!