It's 199X, in the small quiet town of Onett, Eagleland. In the haze of the summer humidity, a few rogue streetlamps fight to stay alive, flickering and revealing moths and winged strangers for only a second before extinguishing and sending them to disappear back into the darkness. The only sounds are the occasional chirp of a concealed insect or a bird that should be asleep at this intimidating hour.

Take a melody…simple…as…can…

Ness awoke with a startled jolt. His blue eyes popped open and stayed frozen in their wide, vulnerable position for a few seconds. His heart was pounding, what had awoke him? He could feel adrenaline pump through his system as he sat up, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the familiar blackness of his bedroom that surrounded him.

Something isn't right, he thought, blinking fiercely and rubbing the sleep from eyes that weren't happy about being open at—he checked the alarm clock beside his bed—almost three in the morning. In his blue and white striped pajamas, he felt cozy and almost serene, but on the inside he could feel nothing but…what was that strange feeling inside him? He'd been feeling it more fiercely nowadays. It had become almost routine to feel it, although he couldn't quite put a name to it. Once he'd come to a conclusion; it was like trying to describe how water tastes. It tastes like water. The feeling inside him was similar to someone tugging energy, if that made any sense, which it didn't even to him. Tonight, however, it was much stronger than ever before. He sat for a moment, feeling an undeniable urge to get out of bed and go to the window. His eyes, he realized, had adjusted in those few seconds he'd been sitting there. He slowly slid his feet over the edge and plopped down, leaning forward and walking slowly in an almost dream-like state towards the window. The floorboards creaked underneath his feet, and he felt his mother in the family room downstairs—that's absurd, mom isn't downstairs, stop it! He thought to himself, frowning to nobody and shaking his head. His mother was asleep, as was his sister and hopefully his dog, Misty. As he reached the window, he pulled back the blue curtain and gazed out into the night. As usual, he could see nothing interesting. The dark silhouette of the wooden fence surrounding his house, and to his left if he put his face against the glass he could barely see some leaves on the tree behind his house. Nothing else, just like the past nights he'd awoken at an odd hour, came to the window, and watched.

As he turned around, he noticed his bedroom door was opened. His brow lowered as he stepped forward. That was odd. Had his mother came in to wake him earlier? Who had been in his room? He always made sure to close (and recently lock, as he'd became frequently more anxious at night for whatever reason) his door after he was sure his family was asleep. Seeing the black gap between the door and the wall only confirmed his growing suspicion that this wasn't an ordinary night after all. Sure of himself now, he passed through his bedroom door and into the upstairs hallway. As he passed his sisters room, he noticed her door was wide open too. She never bothered to close it, but tonight the light inside was on. So she must be downstairs, he realized. He turned a corner and began descending the stairs. Each one creaked and groaned seemingly louder than the last one, and for some reason it sent a tingling sensation up his spine. He stopped on the small area at the corner of the house, rubbing his back and holding the railing with his other hand. He didn't understand why he felt so strange tonight. He turned to his left and continued down the protesting staircase. As he passed a window, he could hear sirens in the distance. Something definitely was wrong tonight. The lights downstairs were on, and as he reached the bottom stair he could see his mother on the phone, whispering something undistinguishable to the person on the other line. She didn't seem to notice him, so he quickly reached the front door, turned the knob, and pushed outward into the night. The sirens were louder out here, and he walked barefoot through the damp grass. In the distance, he saw several police officers talking, and decided to ask what was wrong. Had somebody gotten hurt? As he reached the officers, they noticed him and immediately walked in the opposite direction, down the dirt pathway that curved around an impassable hill formation that he'd often tried to climb as a child with no promising results. He continued on past a police car that seemed almost alive; the sirens and lights were on, and as he passed it, it seemed to look at him and say "Yeah, I'm here. I know you know, but they don't." He turned his head away and again shook his head. That wasn't possible. It was just nervousness, after all, it was a spooky night. He stomped through thick grasses and several patches of weeds and flowers nobody had bothered to pick. His bare feet were dirty and beads of water had collected between his toes and on the bottom of his sleep pants, but he didn't mind it. He continued that way for a few minutes, ignoring the lack of the dirt path and continuing around the curve of the hills, passing more ignorant police officers and eventually reaching a commotion. A roadblock was set up with several police cars, and there were policemen chattering and sirens flashing faster than before and—his neighbor Pokey.

"Clear out! Hey! Out of my way, both of you!" One of the policemen said. He ignored this as Pokey turned to face him. Pokey was chubby, like his mother. He'd never been into sports or any form of exercise whatsoever, and he'd always been the bullying type since they had met. Right now, he was wearing overalls with a dirty looking white shirt underneath, his uncombed blonde hair looked greasy, and his shoes were untied. Hey, that's Pokey.

"Hey Ness," Pokey said. He could smell the unmistakable aroma of chocolate and sugar on his breath. "Don't be rubberneckin', you're getting in the cops' way!" The one officer who'd told them to clear out gave Pokey a stern look. "Oops, I mean…officer's way. You need to go home. I'll tell you about all this mess tomorrow, it's dangerous and top secret."

"What's dangerous and top secret?" Ness began to feel annoyed. He was being treated like a child.

"The meteorite. Now seriously, go home little buddy. I'm fine here, but you're annoying the officers."

Had he heard correctly? Meteorite? As in, a rock from space? The officers once again frowned in his direction, and he nodded and began to walk home. He'd almost lost sight of the scene when he heard Pokey's distinct whining. "But why?! Why do I have to leave?! Aw, shoot, please don't tell my dad! I'm going, I'm going!"

As he reached his house, his mother was waiting outside the front door for him. "I saw you leave, sweetie." She said, her red polka dot gown blowing slightly in the breeze. "Let's go inside. We'll talk about this tomorrow." He reluctantly agreed, and before he knew it he was slipping into bed again, the warmth from the covers already seeping into him, lulling him to sleep.

Simple..as…can…be…

His eyes opened, and this time he definitely heard something. An echo of a series of knocks on—front door—he thought—or had he felt it? Or even heard it in his head? The knocking continued, more aggressive this time. Again his bedroom door was open, but he couldn't recall whether he'd shut it. His eyes snapped to the alarm clock, it was four in the morning. He threw the covers off and ran into the hallway, sliding to a halt when he reached his sister, who had a scared look on her face.

"Why is someone banging at the door, big brother?" She squeaked. "I'm scared. I'm gonna stay up here, you go see who it is!" With that, she ran into her room and slammed the door. He trudged down the stairs and met his mother, who seemed equally worried, but tentative to open the door. As he took a step forward, however, the door slammed open, hitting the wall and making a sharp crack. It was Pokey.

"h-h-hey! You guys!" He stuttered, out of breath and panting. "Listen to what I've got to say! When I took my little bro Picky to the meteorite…the cops left, said they had a problem with the Sharks—oh, you know ma'am, the Sharks. My—I mean, those skater punks, we—I mean they, are dangerous."

Ness scowled at Pokey, who was acting like his mother was a complete idiot. Once again, he was annoyed. He wished Pokey would just get out of his house, but sighed and listened anyways. "…and I noticed that Picky was GONE. Just—g—g—gone man! I blame those damn cops—sorry for the language, lady, but Ness has to help me find my bro or I'm gonna get it when I get home!"

Ness's mother looked at him, apparently agitated herself. "Sweetheart, whatever you want. I think you should help him. Go upstairs and change, though, for heaven's sake. Also, go upstairs to Tracy's room and there's an old bat in her closet. It's cracked, but just in case anything should happen…" Before she finished, Ness was halfway up the stairs. He burst into Tracy's room and she squealed.

"It's okay, it's just me, shhhh." He cooed, trying to sort through piles of dirty clothes, dolls, and—the bat. He yanked it from the pile holding it captive and without another word left the room, making sure to close her door. He heard her crying in protest at the mess he'd made, but ignored it and continued to his room. He put the bat down on his bed, slipped his sleep clothes off, and stepped into some jeans and a blue and yellow striped shirt. To calm the raging, tangled beast that was his hair, he threw on a red baseball cap. Grabbing his bat and a backpack, he trudged downstairs yet again, met Pokey at the front door, and before he could leave, the phone rang.

He sighed, but his mother urged him to answer it because it could be—his father.

"Hello? Dad?" It was a relief to hear his fathers voice. "Yeah, I am. Mom told you? Okay. Mhm. Yes, I've got my—thirty dollars? Wow, gee, thanks dad! I'll keep it with me all the time just in case. Okay, yeah. Sure. Bye!" He replaced the phone and patted his pocket to make sure his ATM card was there.

"What was that about?" Pokey snapped intrudingly. Ness answered him with a cold stare as they closed the front door and walked out into the night together. "Hey beef brains, come on, tell me!"

"It was my dad. He left me money in my account."

"How much are we talking about here, bud?" Pokey asked, sniffing phlegm and hacking it into the yard.

"Does it matter? It isn't yours." Ness replied coolly. Pokey seemed to get the message, because the rest of the walk was in silence. After about twenty minutes of walking, they'd reached the roadblock, now absent of police officers and cars. They walked past it, and Ness felt a little rebellious for a second. Smiling to himself, he wondered if perhaps this was going to be a joke Pokey and his brother would try to pull of. They'd done so much similar stuff before this. They'd actually pretended to be lost once in Twoson, and called Ness from their house acting like they needed help. He'd ditched school to find them and when he got back, his mother was angry and he'd gotten a detention for skipping. Some friends they were, but he again sighed and shook his head, ignoring the urge to just leave him and walk back home and sleep.

He saw Picky before they even reached the top of the hill, hiding behind a tree but still plainly in sight. As they reached him, Ness realized he was asleep. He reached out to wake him, but Pokey slapped his hand back and instead proceeded to crouch down and scream into Picky's ear. Picky gasped and wildly looked at the both of them.

"Pokey! You came back! Why'd you run away? Why'd you get so—nooo! Picky! Stop lying! You're the one who started crying and whining like a little—NO, I didn't cry at all, you're the one who cried—Shut up!—big brother, stop it!—SHUT UP I said, wait until dad finds out that he's got a lying little brat. You're gonna get it so bad when you get home…"

They continued arguing for awhile, but Ness's gaze was directed somewhere else. At the meteorite. It was glowing orange, a fascinating black rock with fiery veins that looked so hot they'd melt anything, and there was heat radiating off of it more intense than anything he'd felt before. But he also heard something else, a sort of buzzing…almost like a bee or a wasp or…Pokey and Picky stopped arguing, they too were looking at the meteorite. It started to glow, softly at first but then radiating a brilliant light that shot up in a single line into the sky, engulfing the meteor and forcing the trio to cover their eyes. When the light subsided, Ness noticed that in fact there was a large bee hovering beside them, circling them and darting around…him. It seemed to be focusing on him.

A bee…I am not…I am from ten years into the future, and it's devastating. All is…the universal cosmic destroyer, Giygas…there is eternal darkness waiting for us…listen to me, Ness…when the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock, and reveal the path of light. I think you are that chosen boy…Ness…you have abilities unmatched by anyone else in terms of potential, and if you start now, you'll be unstoppable by the time they're necessary. Only you can counter the evil intentions of master Giygas…remember…wisdom…courage…and…friendship. The legends speak of three boys and a girl…they defeat the master together…don't be anxious, though. Did you understand all of that?

It only took a second for Ness to hear all of this at once and yet separately, as if someone were reading and talking at the same time. Without speaking, he answered. Yes. Pokey and Picky looked worried and anxious. Surely the bee hadn't been talking about them as the other two boys? It wasn't possible, and the bee confirmed his suspicions.

No, those two are not the two other boys you'll take on your journey.

As they walked down the hill, Ness couldn't help but notice how deathly silent it was outside. He couldn't hear anything but six feet and a pair of wings, and the wind wasn't even blowing.

Can you feel that? That presence among us? Ness, be prepared, I think…we might be in trouble up ahead.

Ness indeed did feel something, and he gripped the bat tighter. As they walked, it seemed like there was something invisible that was trying to push them backwards and pull them forwards simultaneously. Ness found that he had to will each of the muscles in his legs to work together in order to keep his balance.

"Hey, froggy legs, move it!" Pokey spat. "We want to be home before dawn, idiot!"

Strange…Ness thought only to himself.

GET READY! WATCH OUT! STOP!

"STOP!" He heard himself say. Pokey and Picky whirled around to him, their eyes wide with fear. In the next moment, there was a surge of light that seemed to light up the entire sky, and then something seemed to appear out of nowhere right in front of them.

"It's been a long time, Buzz Buzz. You've been successful at foiling master Giygas's plans so far, and now it's time to surrender. You're not a hero! I'll stomp you hard!"

That's a Starman Junior! I know you don't understand any of this, but please just keep those two out of the way, and try and defend yourself Ness! I'm going to put up a shield around us!

A shield?! What kind of shield? Ness wondered.

"Get behind me, both of you!" He growled at Picky and Porkey, who were embracing each other for dear life. They scrambled behind Ness and he felt them both gripping him all over, clenching in fear. A purple screen seemed to envelope the four of them, and Ness struggled to see past it when it suddenly dissolved into nothingness. The Starman Junior hummed and buzzed, and all around them wind was whipped up. Ness saw icicles forming in the air itself until there was an orb of solid ice surrounding them like an igloo. This remained for only a moment before it was blasted outwards with a loud shimmering sound. Pokey screamed covered his head as the deadly water vapor evaporated around them, hissing like steam.

I shielded you three, his PSI attacks have no effect now. Use your bat!

Ness gripped his bat, lifted it over his head, took a step forward and brought it down on the Starman's head. There was a sharp metallic cracking sound, and the Starman fell to the ground, immobile and lifeless. Silence was all that could be heard.

Thank you, Ness…you're so brave. I myself had a huge part in defeating him, I used something called Brainshock…you don't know what that is, right. I apologize, I'm dumping a lot on you so quickly…let's get you guys home. That guy came from ten years in the future…which means Giygas's control has already reached this time period, and there's really nothing innocent about this world anymore. From now on you'll be fighting a lot, but your powers should come in time, Ness.

They reached Pokey and Picky's house rather quickly and immediately, their parents reacted like it was a war zone. Their father yanked his own belt off and chased them upstairs, while their mother spat insults at Ness and told him he should have been more responsible. A series of screams and cries from upstairs told Ness that the two of them were indeed getting it. Their father came downstairs quite relaxed looking and glared at Ness.

"I would be happy if you left soon, your father owes me a lot of money and I'd hate to see him lose his kid, too. I'm tired of your family living next door, they're horrible, underclass people. Get out of my damn house. Now."

Ness didn't have to be asked twice. As he passed their mother, she stopped him.

"EEEEKKKK! A bee! In the house! Picky's allergic, he could have a reaction!" She grabbed a flyswatter from somewhere and before Ness could object, he felt it come down on his shoulder where Buzz Buzz had been resting.

THWACK!

The energy that had been the norm suddenly dropped until there was almost nothing left.

Ness, listen…to…I have…to…tell…listen, you have to begin your adventure. Your power has to match the Earth's power, Ness. There are eight points you must visit. Make them a part of yourself, and they are…your…your sanctuary. The first is…near Onett…is called…G—G—Giant…Step. Go there…and…oh…ugh…the…sound…stone…you can record…the…melodies…

The remaining energy and presence disappeared, and Ness knew without a doubt that Buzz Buzz was dead. Beside him, a small stone materialized. Ness knew what this was, and he didn't know what purpose it served, but he knew what to do with it and that was more than enough for now. He walked out of the house and as he opened the door, light began to show itself. He assumed it was sometime past five in the morning.

His mother seemed blissfully unaware of how serious he actually was when he somehow choked out a story of how he was going to Twoson to meet some friends and they were going to hang at someone's house for about a week; after all, it was the summer time. He quickly showered, re-dressed, and walked downstairs once again with his backpack and bat. He had some breakfast, two croissants and an egg, and went outside. He had absolutely no clue where he was supposed to go. Deciding walking and thinking was better and made more progress, he began to move. Before he'd gotten two steps, however, he noticed a snake in his path. It seemed to glare at him with its sharp fangs, and he snatched the bat from the pouch in his backpack and raised it up, waiting for the snake to make a move. It simply hissed for a few seconds, as if it were deciding, but then jerked forward, mouth open, fangs unsheathed. Ness closed his eyes and swung the bat. He felt it make contact, and when he opened his eyes the snake was a few yards away from him, writhing in the dirt. With his heart pounding, he took off towards Onett, abandoning his enemy and giving him another day to live, out of fear that he himself wouldn't survive if he turned back.

He knew this journey would be long and he had absolutely no idea the terrors that were to be faced, the raw horrors that showed no mercy towards him or his future companions. All that was left to do now was to start inquiring about Giant Step.