Quality Programming
by Ian Pugh
 
THE CAST
(from left): Mario, Luigi, Ian, Toad
 
ANNOUNCER: And now, your host, Ian Pugh.

["A Summer's Place" plays in the background]

Hello, friend. Welcome to the Battle of the Video Game Heroes. I would like to invite you to come into our abode for our quality programming.

[Meanwhile, everyone else is in the background and offscreen]

Okay, umm... camera five. Aaaah! Camera seven exploded! Yaaaaaa!

[ignoring]: Where would we be without authors, wonderful authors, like H Cuz and Drefyus X, and so many others?

Get the fire extinguisher!!

With this, our four years of existence have been nothing but bliss.

Thank goodness! We're okay.

We clear? Okay. Press the red button.

Okay.

Nooooo! Not THAT red button!!

[All scream but ]

And furthermore, more spin-offs of our fine web site have been created than "Happy Days" did. We wish the webmasters of those sites the best of luck.

[everything flashes red, and a flaming  runs by]

YaaaaAAAaaaAAaaaaaAAAA!

It only increases our popularity, and we are ever-so-grateful.

[pressing buttons randomly]: She can't take much more, captain!

Luigi! Watch out for that...

[ pulls "Disco Switch"]

Switch.

[Suddenly, during 's speech, a discoball descends, smoke covers the flashing floor, and John Travolta-types jump on screen, dancing]

[yells over noise]: SO I CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION BY TELLING EVERYONE THAT VISITS OUR SITE, THANK YOU!!

[Everyone leaves. The smoke clears, the discoball ascends again, and the floor stops flashing]

And... three... two... one... we're off the air.

WOW. That was tough. I never thought I'd get through that.

[ and  walks on]

Man, I will never pull that switch again.
Wanna go get some donuts?

Works for me.
Really! Standing behind that camera makes me tired.

Man, does it. Always happens to me.

Hey... waitaminute... is that thing still o--
[Scene goes black]