CHAPTER 2/ BRIDGE OF ELDIN: THE ERRORS OF CODE?

Conner awakens inside a Brawl Stage inside the game. However when enemy monsters begin to attack, Link, a famous star in the game, comes to his rescue. But Conner is reluctant to accept help from the ally.

Darkness… calmness… Everything felt alright yet… he knew it wasn't supposed to.

You need to wake up… a woman's voice spoke in his head.

'No shit,' Conner replies internally, unable to move his body in the floating darkness he could feel around him. But no matter what he tried, he couldn't move. Mm, does he really need to? 'Argh, what's the use. This feels nice the way it is. Why do I need to wake up? Just because you tell me to? I don't even know you.'

Don't you remember what you came here to do?

'What is HERE anyway? I don't need you. Get out of my head. Leave me alone.'

You need to remember. All of a sudden, painful strikes come in , like a headache. Conner would wince if he could. Remember why you're here, the woman says again. First he hears someone calling his name, for help. His little sister. 'Huh…?' And then someone else calling his name. 'Jo?' The girl who always holds a strong composure, despite her quirks. He's never heard her sound so desperate and worried before.

'I… I came here to find something… so I could go back home… Elise…? ELISE!'

"ELISE!" Conner shouts, all sensations returning like a bullet. His eyes shot open, his torso sitting up, and that splitting dizziness that comes with sitting up too fast. Conner holds his head, like he'd landed on it or something. "My head…!"

Conner opens one eye to look at his surroundings. It's… sunset? "Am I outside?" he realizes. He's sitting on a cobble stone path, and a long one at that. And looking down, it was a far way down. The sun wasn't even out enough to show anything else of the area. Just a red sky and a tension-filled breeze. It looked familiar somehow.

"How did I get here, anyway?" Conner says to himself, standing up slowly. He then notices marks running down his left forearm, standing from inside his wrist. Tattoos? First a 0% mark, then underneath a very faint triangular image he can't make out. And then running down from that mark up to his inner elbow were hearts; There are four of them.

Conner rubs his hand against it, like it'll wipe off. It doesn't. "What kind of mind game is this…?" Conner freaks out. It's just like…!

"C- ….-Conner can—reach me?—C-Conner- Hear?!"

That twerpish voice. "Andy! That you!" Conner demands. He's just about ready to rip someone's head off. "What's going on?!"

"You're in the game!" Conner hears from the sky. He can't see the source, but Andy's words answer his question. He's on Eldin Bridge, a Stage in the Super Smash Bros. Game. And Elise was nowhere to be found. "You're on the screen, Conner. You have four lives and zero percent damage. You're IN the game, you do understand me!"

"Yeah but…!" So many questions are running through his mind. Can he take damage? Can he die and come back to life? What could happen if he loses all his lives? Is anyone else here? Too many questions and probably not a lot of time. How was all this even possible in the first place? "How can I hear you?!" Conner shouts to the sky.

"I connected a wireless headset to your Wii! But my controllers don't work. I can't play the game and I can't control anything – I don't even want to find out what happens if I press Restart-"

"Don't you dare!" Conner panics. "Elise and I are still here! And we don't exactly have instructions on how to get out!" Elise. "Hey brat can you see Elise on that screen of yours?!"

"No. Just you," Andy's overhead voice answers. "Just you and your stats at the bottom. I can't see your sister, Conner."

"Damn it," Conner curses. All of a sudden, a horn blows, and Conner knows exactly what that means in this Stage. "Andy! Andy what's happening?!"

This time there are no responses from the world of home. Conner's alone, and communication is impossible. In the distance across the cobble stone bridge, he can see a figure riding a hog, going in his direction. And there's nowhere for him to run.

Conner begins shaking his arms, trying to see if he can do anything. "Come on come on! Do something! If you're in the game you have to have some kind of attack power! DAMMIT!" With nothing happening and the infamous Hog closing in, Conner awaits the worst with pride. "Shit."

Suddenly, he feels a wind hit him in the back. At first Conner thinks the wind is knocking him towards the Hog, but instead it shoots hm up in the air and over the hog, like you would do in the game. The wind makes Conner land rough, rolling across the bridge far away on the opposite end before the middle of the bridge can disintegrate into dark energy – as the Stage does in the game.

Damn that hurt… Conner winces as his arms push him up, and he's two inches away from the ledge of where the bridge disappeared. He gasps, seeing just how far he was flown. "H-How…-" Conner hears the Hog galloping away on the other side of the bridge, but a dark figure stands in the shillouete of the sun. Did he save him?

"That shadow," Conner says, squinting his eyes. And standing there was a trademark character of the game. "Link…"

The man clad in green, Conner's savior. There was something about the situation that he hated, having to have been saved. But at the moment more questions were arising. Suddenly, Link jumps up into the air, and with that trademark spin attack, gives him an extra boost of air time to land on Conner's side of the bridge and over the gap. Conner sits back, looking up at the character. Will he kill me too?

Link then extends his hand, and Conner almost winces. "You alright?" Link asks, showing no hostility.

Conner has to register this first before shutting his eyes and turning his head. "I'm fine," he says lowly, refusing the hand and standing up by himself. Link's hand hesitantly returns to his side. "Why'd you help me?"

Link looks taken back by his hostility. "Um, you were going to die?" Link shrugs, like it weren't obvious. "The least I should get is a thank you, I think."

"Well I didn't ask you to save me. I could've dodged that by myself."

Link scoffs, suddenly regretting saving this kid. "Yeah. I could tell by the way you were sprawled out on the ground. If it weren't for my boomerang attack you would've gotten trampled."

Conner stands up, dusting himself off. "Whatever. I have four lives left. I can handle myself fine." The stupid Hog isn't even a real enemy in the game anyway.

"Four lives," Link repeats, taking notice the tattoos on Conner's arm. "You're a Player…?" he asks, in disbelief. "You're supposed to have the power to save this place?" Link scoffs, and it somehow offends Conner. "Wow."

"Mm." Conner takes a good look at Link. Maybe this is just some dream? Maybe he fell asleep doing homework in the kitchen with Jo. That's it. But what if it wasn't a dream?

On the other side of the blown up bridge, Link and Conner take notice of a couple Goblin monsters forming together, all waiting for the bridge to reappear so they could attack. Were they going to attack? "So many weird things are happening already; now this?" Link says to himself, preparing his sword. "These Goblins don't usually do anything in this Stage. Why they're suddenly forming and attacking is beyond me."

Conner arches his eyebrow. "So you know you're in a game." He just called this place a Stage.

"Aren't we all?" Link asks, assuming a battle stance. "Get behind me."

Conner somehow takes offence to not being able to defend himself. "I can protect myself fine."

Link rolls his eyes, but a black substance appears over the bridge, rebuilding the Stage particle by particle. And once the Eldin Bridge is repaired, the surplus army of Goblins begin to charge, as does Link. And all Conner can honestly do is stand by and watch. A few items would appear out of nowhere to aid Link, but nothing particularly useful or helpful.

Andy and Jo can probably see this from the screen back home, but can't do anything either. Damn. Conner clenches his teeth. If Jo were here, she'd be telling him to help. But who am I kidding? I couldn't help even if I wanted to. I wouldn't sand a chance.

Conner observes all of Link's moves – moves he knows by heart through his old Game Cube controller. Sword slashes, bows and bombs and boomerang attacks. Link was one of Conner's best characters, probably his very best. It was strange seeing the game in this light.

But still, Link had a point. The Goblins were never really part of this Stage. They never attacked, or multiplied. Something was wrong. "Now I feel like crap," Conner utters under his breath, clutching his fists at his side. He sees Link taking attacks from the Goblins ganging up on him, and somehow, Conner could see an invisible number hovering over Link's head if he focused enough.

Damage 76%. His number's getting redder and redder. Any wrong move and Link could be blown off this place. And who knows if he'll come back.

Suddenly a noise from behind Conner emits, and an item appears randomly, as they do in each match. It's a blue glowing sword that he recognizes. "Beam Sword."

"AGH!" Link gets a direct hit from a Goblin, only for their number to grow. Link looks up from the ground, unable to bring out his shield before a Goblin jumps up to deliver a final blow. Link prepares himself, but the hit never comes.

Swords clash, but Link's isn't involved. Believe it or not, the person who stands between Link and Death, was the loner stranger from before, now holding a glowing Beam Sword. "You?" Link blinks, surprised.

"Found this lying around," Conner winces, finding holding off the Goblin's club with the sword a little easier than he thought it'd be. Conner notices his tattoo of damage percentage go up to 5%. Nothing dangerous, but now he knows. No way am I strong enough physically to hold off a club that huge. I guess whatever stress my body goes through here converts into damage or something

Conner musters a yel and makes the Goblin fly back and into itsown army. Breathing heavily, Conner is suddenly very out of breath from that suddenly blow to the enemy. He glances at his arm. Damage 20%.

"Thought you were a loner, kid," Link laughs, standing himself back up with his sword. With a damage percentage of 70, Conner could understand how hard it must be for Link to stand. Conner could barely stand 20%.

"You saved me before. We're even," Conner musters. This feels too real, meaning my sister is seriously somewhere in this place. Conner looks back at Link, who's in no condition to fight. If I wanna find her, I'm gonna need someone who knows the place at least. "You said before that I was a Player, right? What does that mean?"

Link breathes heavily, enduring the pain and standing back upright. "See those tattoos on your arm? I don't have those, and neither do a lot of people around here. If you're a Player, that means you can Sync up with us here to fight enemies – Synching up meaning you can control our movements; make us stronger. If you know how that works."

Conner scoffs. How anime/game like does that sound for intro-dialogue. "Heh, back home I was pretty good at this game. Do you trust me enough to Sync up with me?" Conner asks his new aly.

"Maybe," Link says, beginning to trust this stranger too. "I'm practically dead already. I could go one way or the other and still have the same results. Can you control someone with this much damage already? One hit to me and I'm gone."

Conner nods, seeing the Goblins regroup. "Let's go."

An instinctive energy high runs through Conner. He feels it, and somehow so does Link. Synchronizing thoughts, melding minds, feeling what the other feels – it's all a concentration that Conner just suddenly picks up, whether out of desperation to survive or to find his sister Elise. Either way, something was happening.

Both Conner and Link charge through to the army, and the battle Royal over Eldin Bridge resumes. Clashes of metal echo through the space as the duo's fighting style coincides together. Yeah their movements don't mirror each other exactly, but it's a strange empowering feeling. To Conner, it's as if he can feel Link's natural power stirring through him – the power of the Triforce or whatever. He had it.

And just so, Link could feel an instant power up himself from his new ally too. His attacks are the same as ever, but new knowledge flew through his head. Combos and timing, circular force field shields appearing for defense and symbols of circles and As and Bs and all this new information that just boosted his power and speed. So this is the fighting style of a Player. Amazing.

Nonetheless the army continued to build, and Conner's trength was weakening fast. He was focused on making sure Link received no more blows, that e forgot about himself. His own damage: 50%. But unknowlingly, a bright light appeared out of nowhere above the bridge. A circular sphere, with a glowing symbol all too familiar to Conner. "A Smash Ball…!"

"Smash Ball?" Link fends off another Goblin. "What's that supposed to be?"

Conner narrows his eyes. "We'll find out. Link we need to break open that Smash Ball fast!" Who knew what it'd do here, but they had to try.

Among the sea of Goblins on the narrow bridge, Link manages to hit the floating ball once. Then Conner hits it again with his own Beam Sword item. One more should do it! With one powerful jump, Conner flies towards the Smash Ball, as does Link. When both their attacks hit it, the light shiens brighter, engulfing the entire Stage.

Time seems to pass forever, but Conner knows it's only a second or two. When he opens his eyes, he feels such a surge of power through his body. He feels slightly taller as well, and no weaknesses whatsoever. "What…" Conner looks at his hands, and finds his attire changed. His dark hair was neatly kept at the sides of his face, and a familiar green tunic assembled with other things. It was like, he and Link had fused. "What happened."

"That Smash Ball, that's what," Link says from within his head. "We must've fused powers, but it's only for a limited time. I can feel it."

"I know," Conner replies, gripping Link's sword. A Master Sword now. He noticed all the Goblins around him, surrounded in a tensions fear. "Good thing I know what kind of attack you have when you get a Smash Ball."

Instinctively, Conner raises his right arm with the sword, and it glows even brighter. "FINAL SMASH: TRIFOCE SLASH!" The golden symbol appears over the bridge, as they as one attack every single goblin o the bridge in lightning speed. Before long, the symbol fades, and all the enemies have perished into pixels. All that stands on the bridge is Conner, floating back down to the ground. When he does, his glow and power high ceases, and in a burst of light, he and Link are separated once more. And the Power of the Smash Ball flies back up into space above them, as if nothing had happened.

"Whoa," Conner blinks, releasing a breath. He feels his arms, and they're back to their thin non muscular selves. His tattoos are the same, as is his damage. But more importantly, his four lives were still intact.

"So that is the great power of a Player's Smash Ball," Link speaks up. Conner turns around to see a just as roughed up Link, also looking at his hand. "The Triforce Slash. I've never used that attack before."

Conner laughs a little inside. "… Thanks, he says; words he hasn't said in a while. "For helping me."

Link makes a sympathetic face. "Hey you helped me too. Like you said, we're even." Link offers his hand again, this time for a hand shake. "The name's Link. And you, stranger?"

Conner would normally turn down friendly gestures like this, but he needed to swallow his pride if he were ever going to get out of here with his sister. "Conner."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

In the forever sunset stage, Link and Conner were sitting on the edge of the bridge, with food Link managed to find God knows where. If this entire world is a bridge, where could he have found these? Then again, things pop up out of nowhere in Super Smash Bros. Perhaps the same laws apply to food.

"Eat. These replenish your health," Link says.

Conner holds his tongue, wanting to say he knew that, but he needed to stop bein rude. Jos been telling him that for a long time. May as well start now. She's probably worried sick about me and Elise… I wonder if she can see me on the screen.

"So how'd you get here, anyhow?" Link asks, eating one of the fruits. "I've never seen you here before, and we never get visitors, much less Players."

"Are there other 'Players'?" Conner asks, using finger quotes.

Link shrugs. "None that I know of. I've only heard of them; people with those tattoos. With lives."

Conner arches his eyebrow. "Don't you have multiple lives here?" Link shakes his head, and Conner feels a weird blow. Despite knowing he could die at any given time, Link still defended him. And all he was was… rude. Now I feel like a jerk. Great.

"Players are like chosen ones or whatever. Nothing I totally get but, you guys, you should be able to do bunches of things we can't. Like hit those glowing Smash Ball things. I've never seen one in person before."

"I could tell," Conner laughs.

Link shakes his head. "I've only heard of them. They come to you to grant you power under dire circumstances of when you show true courage or something of the sort." Link notices Conner's face. "Cheesy I know but, what can you do."

"Well whatever it was, it saved us." "This is so weird."

"What is?"

"Being here. In my game. One second I'm in my living room and the next, I'm here looking for my sister."

"Sister?" Link suddenly turns serious. "There's more of you?"

"She flew in here first and I came in after her to bring her home. I haven't seen her, though," Conner suddenly feels very worried. He barely made it out alive if it wasn't for Link. What about Elise? Would she be- He didn't want to think about it. "I have to find her as soon as possible, before anything like this finds her."

"Maybe she can defend herself like you."

"Not Elise," Conner frowns, for once showing his vulnerable side. "She's just a kid. She doesn't even play the game well, much less knows what's good or bad here." And there are scarier things in the world of Super Smash Bros besides background goblins coming to life.

Link appears to sympathize, and gives a half smile as she plays with his fruit. "I know the feeling of worrying for someone like that."

"Zelda?" Conner scoffs. Link sends him a weird 'how do you know?' look, but Link shrugs it off.

"Right. Player knowledge," Link laughs. "Freaky. But, you know what? I'll help you."

Conner has to do a double take. Was he serious? "Find my sister."

"Why not?" Link shrugs, looking down into the darkness below the bridge. "Like I said before, something weird is happening in this world. And I don't mean just Eldin Bridge either. Other Stages too; strange stuff acting up and all. I can't get to the bottom of it by myself, and something tells me you being here has to do with it."

Conner narrows his eyes. "Are you saying my being here is causing all the strange stuff to happen?"

"No. But maybe you're here to help stop it," Link suggests seriously. What a cliché plot twist, Conner imagines. "I don't like it either, but we're cornered. And honestly, Syncing up with you – you really know what you're doing."

"Think so?"

"I've never Synched with anyone before, but I get a sense you're probably one of the best I'll ever find, if there are any others." Link looks up. "I was told this would happen one day. I just didn't imagine this soon."

"So what do we do now?"

"Check out another Stage – see what's going down there. Find help?" Link's winging it? "But we should stick together as partners."

"Partners," Conner says skeptically. The word 'partner' didn't exactly come across as his style.

"It's a risky thing, having its up and down sides, but it'd be best if you want to survive in this place."

So by 'partners' he's talking about something totally different. "What's the downside?" Conner asks warily.

"For one, your lives automatically sync up with mine," Link starts off bluntly. Conner suddenly feels very hesitant about the whole becoming partners thing. "So if I die, it takes away from yours. Meaning your four lives – they'd become mine, too."

"There better be one hell of an upside then."

Link scoffs a laugh. He could get along well with this stranger. "Luckily there're more good sides than bad. For one, my power stats get transferred to you, meaning a little better speed, endurance, energy – better than you normal human stats that's for sure."

"Super human," Conner nods. He could live with that. "What else?"

Link rubs his head, trying to remember. "I know there's more but, I can't quite think of it right now. But those are the two more important ones."

Conner hmphs. "They'd better be. If I lose all four of those lives, who know what could happen to me. The last place I'd ever expect to die is in a video game. That'd be a crappy way to go."

Link makes a face. "So…you'll do it."

"Kind of leaving me no choice," Conner says with a full mouth. "I mean yeah my lives are at stake twice as much, but I could use the higher stat boost if I want to survive. We both have things we wanna accomplish here, and as much as I hate to admit it, I need you and you need me, right?" Link looks caught off guard. "…What?"

"Nothing. You just, took it all easier than I thought you would."

"Normally I'd say no. I'm not a team player and I don't do partnerships. But, I think my sister's life is on the line." And Jo… Have I really been this cold to her all this time? He wonders if he'd been treating his best friend as badly as he'd been treating Link. If he has, he felt the utmost urge to apologize to her, not that he'd tell Link that. "I need to get home."

Link grins, content, finishing his food. "Well, then, partners it is."

Conner eventually nods, taking one last bite of his fruit. "Partners." The instant Conner agrees, he feels a tingle in his left forearm. Link and he both take notice of the faded symbol under the now 0 damage percentage, and right above his first life-heart. It's that triangle symbol – and after a light passes through, it's in the shape of a black tattooed Triforce.

"A Triforce," Link notices.

"Your game symbol," Conner reads in. Whatever he agreed to, it must be permanent. Finishing eating, he stands up with the purple Beam Sword tucked away into its own handle, now stowed away in his pocket. Without Link around, he'd at least have some form of defense. "Well then, we better go."

"Agreed," Link grins. This should be interesting. Automatically, a portal appears beside Link. Conner wonders if all the characters of the game have the ability to create portals to other Stages. Link loos back at his newfound comrade. "You coming?"

No going back now. "Yeah." With that, Link and Conner pass through the portal, leaving Eldin's Bridge for who knows where.

Location: Bridge of Eldin

Featured Character Profiles:

Conner Bensen
Partner: Link
Strength: POWER
Player Color: Red
WEAPON: Beam Sword
LIVES: 4

Preview:

"Jo what're you doing here? How'd you-?"

"I followed you," Jo says. "If you're going to look for your sister then I'm coming with you."

x-x-x-x

"Nothing here," Conner speaks up.

"But there has to be," Link turns. "I still sense some disturbances in this world. Something else is here."

"You mean the other Monsters?" Jo speaks up. Conner and Link both look at her instantly. "Earlier before you two arrived, there was a bigger monster creating the ones you guys rescued me from."

"They must've been after you and your lives," Link says, taking her arm and looking at her hearts.

x-x-x-x

"I can't lose you here, Jo…"