They played it. The audio was just Matt Groening, laughing softly, then saying: "Hit 'Reset' on the remote, you idiots."
The family gathered. Each episode showed alternate realities: Flanders as a biker gang leader, Mr. Burns giving away money, and Patty and Selma marrying rich. The final file, "E23_NoExit.mp4," showed Springfield empty. Just wind. Just silence.
Suddenly, the USB stick glowed. A distorted version of himself —Pixel Homer, all jagged edges and missing frames—crawled out of the screen.
"Found it! 'Season 29 VODRip,'" he read aloud. "Probably my backup of the Duff Bowl."
Homer smashed the remote. A brilliant flash—and they were back. The tire fire blazed. The donuts were in the box. Ned Flanders was annoyingly next door.