#btw check out twit.nes! its a really cool project and them beating 4-1 is a huge step

[chao-writes-stuff]

Hey! I've been dead for a while, but here's a small story dedicated to the Twit.nes twitter account which just beat 4-1 of Super Mario Bros. (NES) 20 minutes ago!

The vast empty fields of the Early Mushroom Kingdom were laid bare as a certain red plumber materialized back into existence. "Again?" His subconscious thought. Of course, this wasn't any ordinary Super Mario. Hidden under the masquerade of the popular plumber were a hundred - no, a thousand fractured minds, trapped in this wicked hallway again.

Before them laid a giant tower of blocks. This was no surprise to them, as the many splintered brains have been here tens of times before. Beyond this wall was a death trap: 2 Spinies and a Lakitu. Mortal enemies of the many, responsible for stopping several ambitious new consciousnesses from taking hold of the situation and seizing victory.

As Mario jumped, things seemed… different, this time. Less half-hearted… and more determined. Several new members of the split mind had made themselves known, and they got to work right away at rectifying the wrongs the many before them could not. The plumber bounded his way to the top of the pillar, where without thinking, he leapt for a long while.

Immediately, the splintered mind became… active, to put it lightly. They weren't used to the body of the plumber making it past the tower, let alone the spinies just past it. And yet, they were hopeful. Maybe this one would be it, they thought. Maybe these few souls trapped in here would bring us to victory once and for all.

As they thought this, a newfound ability unlocked in the mind: the ability to visualize where they had to leap. The ability to test out many realities in the blink of an eye, without the aid of the other souls trapped within. The power to emulate reality. Immediately upon unlocking this skill, one of the souls, who referred to himself as quite unbecoming, used this skill to test out several futures. Within minutes, a giant red box was placed before the pipe…

As the body reached this, the plant that lived within came out. Many of the souls were hesitant, but a peculiar gardener who knew what he was doing made everyone push on… and with the help of the many, Mario leapt across the first pipe. A revolutionary breakthrough: no one had gotten this far in years. 

Shortly afterwards, the souls within repeated this again, managing to find their way on top of and inside an underground cavern. When they arrived, another soul, with an appearance resembling the body they possessed, but a heart of gold and syrup, did a brave detour to grab something that no one had seen in months: a Mushroom.

With the power of emulating realities and visualizing destinations, the now enlarged plumber set foot onto his final trial. 2 death defying leaps back to back, one of which was nearly frame perfect. The souls in the mind were quite cocky, and charged on ahead with a powerful leap…

But they couldn't make it.

The plumber's jump fell short of the second pit, and his body started hurdling past the ground on track to hit the lower wall of the pit he attempted to jump. It looked like it was the end for everyone that dared to defy fate…

But the Gardener spoke again. With a new voice. A commanding voice. "Hold back, then fall like a feather for 2 movements, then charge ahead once more." At first, everyone was skeptical… but his voice continued to ring out. With every movement, his voice followed. Although it might not have been sure at every step…

They leaped the second pit like it was no problem at all. Before they knew it, they had one trial left: a repeat of the spiny tower, now with a death pit. But the gardener kept commanding, and the unbecoming soul kept emulating reality to ensure success. With their teamwork, and the cooperation of several allied souls…

Mario rolled onto the ground, his hat only barely suffering a mild tear from the spiny egg that almost cracked his skull. They survived the trials. The souls had put to rest the hardest part of the gauntlet.

They triumphantly charged onto the ending stairway, where the Lakitu that had been causing them the anguish and pain of 120 restless days finally went away. Mario jumped up the stairway….

The souls leaped with all they had….

The jump almost fell short ….

But with their fallen comrades behind them, and a victorious shout…

4-1 Was Cleared!