"You've got to be kidding me," Mario muttered under his breath, staring at the letter in his hand. It was the same one he had received countless times before: "Help! Bowser has kidnapped me again!" scrawled in a familiar, desperate script. He sighed and stuffed it into his overalls pocket, resigning himself to yet another rescue mission.

"Hey, Mario! What's up?" called out Toad, the cheery mushroom person, as he bustled by.

Mario couldn't muster a smile. "Just the usual," he replied with a shrug, trying not to let his frustration show.

But something felt different this time. As he stomped through the bright, blocky landscape of the Mushroom Kingdom, his thoughts swirled with a storm of emotions. The once vibrant colors seemed dull and lifeless. The cheerful sounds of the inhabitants felt like a taunt, echoing his endless cycle of heroism.

"Mushroom retainer! Have you seen the princess?" he asked a passing toad.

The toad's eyes widened in terror. "N-no, not since the last time you saved her," it stuttered before scurrying off.

Mario clenched his fists, feeling a strange, dark power surging through him. He was tired of playing the hero. Tired of the same old story playing out again and again. And as he approached the castle, the anger grew, turning his cheery disposition to ash. The castle loomed ahead, a stark reminder of his never-ending duty.

---

The castle gates swung open, revealing the familiar path to Peach's chamber. The same old platform blocks, the same old pipes, and the same old Goombas patrolling the grounds. It was like he had stepped into a nightmare that never ended.

"I'm coming for you, Peach," Mario murmured, his voice laced with something other than his usual enthusiasm.

He jumped and ran, his muscles moving almost on their own accord. The castle was a blur of red and black as he sped through it, his mind racing with dark thoughts.

---

Finally, he reached the throne room. There she was, bound in chains, her pink dress fluttering in the breeze from the open window. Bowser cackled maniacally, his large, clawed hands clutching a massive golden key.

"M-Mario!" Peach's voice was shaky. "You came!"

Mario took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. "Yes," he said, "but not for the reasons you think."

---

Bowser's grin faltered. "What are you talking about?"

Mario stepped closer to the princess, his hand glowing with an eerie fire. "I'm tired, Bowser. Tired of playing this game."

The room grew still, the only sound the distant echo of his footsteps. The tension was palpable, the air thick with anticipation. What was going on inside Mario's head?

---

The fire grew stronger, and Peach's eyes grew wide with fear. "M-Mario, no!" she shrieked.

Mario's hand shot out, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent a massive fireball hurtling towards her. She had no time to react, no time to understand. The heat washed over her, and she was gone, incinerated in an instant.

The silence that followed was deafening. The castle trembled as if it had just realized the horror it had witnessed. And in that moment, the Mario everyone knew was gone. In his place stood a creature of rage, his eyes ablaze with a power that had been buried for too long.

---

The toads in the castle had heard the commotion. They cautiously approached the throne room, their eyes wide with horror. What had become of their hero?

---

Mario looked around, the grin slowly spreading across his face. "This," he said, his voice cold and calculated, "this is the first day of the rest of my life."

---

The castle was eerily quiet, the only sound the crackling of flames as they began to consume the once majestic building. The toads watched in disbelief as their prince turned villain, the very person they had put their trust in countless times.

Mario's eyes darted around the room, searching for his next target. He spotted a young toad cowering behind a pillar, trembling with fear. Without a second thought, he pointed his hand and with a sinister laugh, a blue warp pipe appeared.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he sang in a tone that sent chills down the spines of those listening. The toad, paralyzed by terror, didn't move a muscle.

Mario's grin grew wider as he stepped towards the pipe. He could feel the power surging within him, begging to be released. With a swift motion, he grabbed the trembling creature and flung it into the swirling abyss of the pipe. It vanished with a scream, and the room grew darker.

---

The pipe led to the real world, where the unsuspecting victims would find themselves in a game that had become all too real. They would play, thinking it was just another adventure, until they encountered the twisted version of their hero. With a malicious cackle, Mario would appear before them, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

---

One by one, he pulled them in, each soul adding to his strength. The once plucky plumber had become a monster, feasting on the fear and desperation of those who had once cheered for him. His plan was simple: to become the most powerful being in existence by trapping the souls of those who dared to play his games.

---

The toads, now aware of the horror unfolding before them, scurried away, whispering about the prophecy of the "Dark Mario." They had heard the legends, but never truly believed it could happen. Now, as they watched their friends and family being dragged into the warp pipes, they realized that their nightmares had come to life.

---

The castle continued to crumble around them, a stark reminder of the kingdom's fate if Mario's madness wasn't stopped. Yet, no one dared to confront him. They could only pray for a miracle or for someone to come and save them from the very person they had looked up to for so long. Little did they know, the real battle was just beginning, and it was one that would shake the very fabric of their world.

Out of the shadows emerged a group of toads unlike any other. They were cloaked in mystical robes, their eyes gleaming with an ancient wisdom that had long been forgotten. They were the Toad Sorcerers, guardians of the kingdom's deepest secrets, called forth by the very essence of the Mushroom Kingdom's fear and despair.

With a wave of their hands, the air grew thick with arcane energy. The colors of the room began to distort, and the very ground beneath Mario's feet trembled as they chanted in a language lost to time. The flames of his fireballs flickered and dimmed as if in response to their incantation.

Mario felt a sudden jolt, a force ripping him from the world he knew. He struggled against the invisible bonds, his cries of fury echoing through the collapsing chamber. But it was too late. The Toad Sorcerers had completed their spell, banishing him to a realm of his own making, a twisted reflection of his own mind.

---

The world around him morphed, the bright blocks and familiar landscapes giving way to a place of dark, twisted nightmares. This was a place where the lines between good and evil blurred, where the only constant was fear and chaos. Mario looked around, his eyes wide with disbelief. The Toad Sorcerers had sentenced him to an eternity in this hellish realm, a prison of his own design.

The creatures here were grotesque, a twisted mix of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants, their forms warped and contorted by his anger. They cowered before him, their eyes filled with dread. It was clear that he was now the monster here, a king in a world of his own making.

---

The toads watched as their once-hero disappeared into the warp pipe, tears streaming down their faces. The castle, their home, was in ruins. The Mushroom Kingdom was in a state of panic and mourning, the reality of what had transpired sinking in.

---

The prophecy of the "Dark Mario" had come to pass, and the toads knew that their lives would never be the same. They had to find a way to restore balance to their world, to somehow bring back the hero they had lost. But as they stood in the rubble, the whispers of the prophecy grew louder in their minds, hinting at a much larger battle on the horizon, one that would involve the fate of not just their kingdom, but the very fabric of existence itself.

---

The Toad Sorcerers gathered in the ruins of the castle, their eyes reflecting the flaming embers of hope. They knew that exiling Mario was only a temporary solution. The dark power within him was not easily contained, and they feared it would eventually find a way to escape. They had to find a way to redeem him, to save both their world and the man they had once called a prince.

---

But as they pondered over ancient tomes and discussed forgotten spells, whispers grew of a new hero rising from the ashes, one who would challenge the Dark Mario and bring peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Little did they know, the seeds of this new hero's journey had already been sown in the most unexpected of places. That hero's name was Brandon.