Author's Note:

Super Smash Flash 2 is based on the popular fighting franchise by Nintendo and is currently going through its beta stages. This story, which is based on version 0.7, takes the characters, unlockable and otherwise, and the stages as they are to form the map of the imaginary world of Smash Flash. Each update twists the story drastically.

Everything in the universe has a niche. A universal niche. And if things were that simple, conflict would never erupt between any two living things. Alas, they are cursed with the gift of free will. Animals, aliens, even robots-cursed with souls. No two are identical and no two have the same vision of faultlessness. No matter how powerful I become, I will never be strong enough to take away their free will. It is for this reason, that I must control it. On Earth, a planet that lies outside this dimension, two months would have passed since Sora's defeat at the hands of Mario of Mushroom Kingdom. In the Dreamland Stage, a violent shake took place and awakened Kirby from his slumber.

"What is this? First a headache and now this." It was as if his nightmare had triggered an earthquake.

The ruins of Hyrule crumbled just a little more as the quake took place. A piece of the ruins fell on top of Link. He was pinned down. Lloyd attempts to lift it. More dangerous debris shifts around and smashes into Lloyd's face, knocking him unconscious.

"Shit."Link said. His lower body still pinned and his best friend in arms reach away from him, Link thought swiftly. He pulled out his clawshot and put his sword through one of its chain links. He then drove his sword into the debris on top of him and fired the point of the clawshot at a nearby ledge. The chain set there struggling and stretching. Link didn't know if it would work. Then he felt the weight lift a little. Then a little more. Then a little more. Finally, it lifted enough for him to crawl away as the rock pulled toward the ledge. "Lloyd. Lloyd, wake up. Lloyd!" Link couldn't get him awake. His legs were too injured to carry Lloyd away, let alone stand. Instead, he pulled two bombs from his inventory. The debris pinned-by-sword above them, was dropping slowly. As it began to drop toward the downed swordsmen, Link waited until his bomb fuses were short, throwing them at the debris just as it was falling, drawing his shield to protect him and his friend's head.

The Green Hill Zone felt the quake as well. It is a plain-filled stage, and so Sonic faced no true danger, but the shaking surprised him still. But even in the company of no one, Sonic the Hedgehog must always maintain his composer as much as possible.

"Bout time something new went down here."

The old buildings in Konoha held up surprisingly well. Ichigo grabbed Naruto's hand as he drove his weapon into ground to keep them in place in the shaking village.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know; this has never happened before." Naruto answered.

The grounds of Castle Wiley shook with a vengeance. It only took an increased guard to ensure that a boulder didn't crush Megaman. Just as one fell toward him, he caught it. The weight of it held him in place for the duration of most of the massive quake.

"Guess it's just another day of my life."

All that Mario prayed for was that no significant damage be done to the Comet Observatory during the quake. But as the shaking intensified, he felt a strange, familiar presence.

"It can't be."

Sora was socially deficient since his defeat. He was not one to offer his presence to many. And he was especially defensive against unfamiliar faces. Amid the fierce town-shaking quake, he addressed his strange visitor.

"Who are you?" The keyblade wielder asked as he wobbled about the rooftops.

"I could ask you the same." The stranger replied, trying his hardest to take balance.

"State your business or leave." Sora said clinching his blade.

"I'm looking for a blue hedgehog."

"Is he weak and predictable?"

"What?"

"Head to the nexus west of here, just behind me. Go south from there. You should come across him eventually."

"Thank you, whoever you are."

"It's Sora. And be careful. Death isn't hard to come by here."

"I'll keep."

Mario rushed through the nexus east of the Comet Observatory. The quake had since ceased He was surprised to phase through to the grounds of Castle Wiley. Megaman was equally surprised to see him. He raised his cannon, almost instinctively.

"What the hell do you want, Mario?" Megaman asked, his cannon pointed at Mario.

"Lower you weapon." Mario replied.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Megaman said. Mario could see the robot's leg servos shaking ever so slightly. The robot had obviously remembered their previous encounter. He could sense it within Megaman. Fear. Perhaps this robot did have shreds of humanity within him.

"I'm not here to fight."

"Good thing."

"I'm just passing through, Megaman. Let me by." The robot thought on this. He lowered his cannon, but not his guard.

"Go on." And with that, the plumber continued in a hurry.

In Hyrule, Lloyd was finally coming to.

"Ahhh." Lloyd sat up holding his head. His swords lie on either side of him.

"Good to know you're still alive." Link said while sitting next to his friend.

"What the hell happened?"

"Piece of castle ruins smashed you in the forehead. I wouldn't do too much moving if I were you. And don't go back to sleep."

"So you're a doctor now?"

"What?"

"I've been through worse. I think I know how to take care of myself."

"That's one hell of a way to thank someone for saving your life."

"Saving my life?"

"You could have been crushed by any of this debris around us if it weren't for me."

"You were stuck under rock foundations, Link. How the hell did you even get free?"

"By being resourceful." Link said as he drew his sword and stabbed it into the ground between them.

"What, you stabbed the rocks?"

"I got us both clear of harm's way."

"Yeah, well you got lucky."

"You ought not to take moments like these for granted, Lloyd. I won't be able to save you all the time."

"Don't give me that arrogant, elf-hero bullshit. You got us out of an earthquake. It's not like I wouldn't have helped you if I could. Don't you try and laud this over me."

"Elf-hero bullshit? Fuck you!" Link placed his hand on his sword, which still extended from the ground. Lloyd grabbed his sword closest to Link as the two stared each other down for a moment. After a brief period, they both released.

"What do you think caused that earthquake?" Lloyd asked.

"Natural causes?" Link replied.

"You know that's not it."

"You didn't actually expect me to know, did you?

"I don't know what to expect anymore.

Ichigo and Naruto had decided it was time to investigate the cause of the earthquake-like phenomenon. They immediately sensed something wrong when they entered a stage they hadn't seen before. It looked green and bright. Peaceful. Children could live here.

"You hear that?" Naruto asked as he stopped walking suddenly. Ichigo responded in kind. Naruto quickly threw a ninja star in Ichigo's direction. Ichigo dodged it. The projectile proceeded to its intended target. A small boy in a red hat that stood a dozen feet behind Ichigo. The light-haired warriors watched in amazement as the boy spawned a strangely figured shielding aura around him. Naruto's ninja star disintegrated on impact. "Who are you? Did you cause that earthquake?" Naruto questioned interrogatingly.

"Naruto" Ichigo said "he's no more a threat to us than Megaman."

"You don't know that, Ichigo. I haven't seen him around before the earthquake. There's no way that's a coincidence. And he's obviously no ordinary kid. What are you, kid?"

"You're the intruders. I think I should be asking that. And you should be more careful yourself." The boy said as he pointed above Ichigo and Naruto. Ichigo turned around to see a spiky-haired figure floating in the air. A blue energy ball was forming in his hands as he held them at his side. The sunlight blinded any more distinguishing features.

"Sora?" Ichigo questioned. The figure then fired the aura at Ichigo and Naruto. "Look out!" Ichigo said jumping clear. Naruto, whose eyes stayed fixed on the boy in the red hat, was hit. "Damn it. Naruto!" As Ichigo exclaimed, he noticed a piece of a tree trunk getting obliterated by the attack. He calmed immediately. "Hm. Oh." The spiky-haired attacker noticed this too. He quickly turned around to see Naruto falling toward him, foot first. The spiky-haired figure teleported and appeared right in front of Naruto's torso. As they both fell, the mysterious fighter grabbed Naruto's extended leg and drove his other fist into Naruto's stomach, exploding an energy ball into his opponent in the process. Naruto accelerated to the ground while his opponent landed just a few yards from him. "Who is this guy?" Ichigo asked, astonished.

All sentient beings enjoy a certain level of familiarity in everyday life. The issue lies in the likelihood of developing attachments. For attachments, like all connections can be severed. And what is one to do when that severed connection was his very lifeline. The thing that mattered most to him. It is amazing to watch and study these beings as they have been forced to go without the familiarity. The ties which they had grown to love. But an even greater phenomenon is that which occurs when they reconnect with that which they love most. It interests me only because I am not capable of such unconditional love. Of all the omniscience, intense emotion is the sacrifice for my power. For I cannot allow my judgment to be swayed by such weakness. Even the greatest and most powerful beings will develop a chink in their defenses for that which they value most. Enter Mario of Mushroom Kingdom. He enters the newly arrived Mushroom Kingdom Stage. There, he meets that which he values oh so much. He meets his weakness.

"Princess Toadstool." Mario said with a soft-felt joy. "I thought I'd seen you for the last time. How. . ." Mario could not quite piece the proper words together. The princess took his hands in her own as she addressed him.

"You're here, Mario. And so am I."