(( Hey, everyone. Sorry for the huge delay from that wimpy prolouge I wrote several months ago. I have good news, though. "Aftermath" is officially in development! I'm hoping for regular updates, but that's always the case, isn't it? Be sure to comment, review, and feel free to send me PMs. I'll get more work done knowing my words actually give entertainment to someone. Oh, and 'd be glad for any EarthBound veterans to tkae a spot as a beta-reader. It'd be nice to have someone else who's obsessive as I am. Happy reading! ))


YEAR: 200X
FUTURE
10 YEARS

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Bleak. A monotone skyline with a saddening tone. The very Earth seemed to cry out in pain, her body poisoned, her will broken, and her spirit tainted. Few trees adorned her surface, and the ones that stood have been long since drained of their life and green aura. A constant moan of wind could be heard over the plains. Among the sickly landscape there was a large building: a futuristic fortress made out of an extraterrestrial metal.

Strange creatures patrolled the grounds around the building, appearing to be tall humanoid beings in silver space suits. However, there was an unsettling vibe about the way they moved and stood: mechanical in appearance, singular in mind, and radiating with an unknown power. Visors covered their eyes, the only aspect showing any signs of life within their suits. They also all wore a patch on the chest of their uniform, a symbol of their conformity.

Deep within this menagerie of metal, a single and small being floated through the halls. The small creature appeared to be an insect from a distance, but a closer look revealed more. Two small wings adorned his back, an alien with black skin and large compound eyes. He traveled with a purpose, obviously not belonging with the robotic men and sinister workings of this base. He flew over to a large computer, jumping on keys to activate them, being about as large as they were. He looked up at the screen, seeing his objective appear before his eyes:

(TIME DISTORTER ACTIVATED)
(FIFTH DIMENSION TRAVEL INITINATED)
(DESTINATION: PAST)
(10 YEARS)

(INPUT PASSWORD)

Just as the creature was about to override the security system, a reflection appeared in the monitor. It was one of them: the Starmen.

"I can't let you do that, Buzz Buzz. The master would be most displeased if you were to try and tamper in his affairs. Besides, that rumor about the boy in the past is nothing but a ludicrous prophecy. Cease your actions and come with me." said the silver-suited creature, voice sounding like a harsh male voice going through a computerized siphon. Every syllable sounded like a fraction attached to the next with slight variations in emphasis. The Starman seemed more machine than man.

"I'll never go with you! I swore to all of the survivors of this planet that I would return to the past to collect the Chosen Four and stop this future before it can come into fruition. How can you follow a being with no rationality or consciousness? It's only a matter of time before this world is destroyed by his blind power." the being known as Buzz Buzz answered, angered at this sudden presence. He was so close to his goal, only to be stopped before its completion. He seemed to be a part of a rebellion against the invading Starmen on Earth.

"I will do whatever the master orders me to. All of us will. He is the ruler of this world now and we must all do what he commands. The pathetic humans received the judgment they deserved after what occurred all those years ago. They stole our secrets, Buzz Buzz, and with that power they could have easily destroyed our way of life." the Starman answered in his ominous tone. "The power of PSI is not one to be tampered with and not one to be taken without permission. Any leaks in information must be taken care of."

Buzz Buzz glared at the Starman, knowing he wasn't a threat unless he let his guard down. The tiny alien suddenly dashed at the suited enemy, proving his strength was belied by his size. The Starman was knocked backward, falling into a wall. The metallic creature raised his head, focusing on Buzz Buzz. "PK Beam γ." he muttered, a bright light shooting from his visor as a beam and being shot to the bee-like alien. Buzz Buzz quickly countered, having enough speed to easily stop this threat.

"PSI Shield β!" he cried out, a pink diamond-shaped barrier forming around him, deflecting the beam and launching it into a nearby machine. There was an electric sputter, followed by a small explosion. Buzz Buzz gasped as his shield slowly faded away. His plan would not go as previously expected… the time machine had been destroyed. He would have to find another mechanism deeper within the facility, but first he would have to finish off this nuisance. "PK Freeze α." he said, a cold air enveloping the Starman. Several ice shards appeared around the target, shooting at it with a frozen blast. The Starman lay upon the ground defeated, visor broken and limbs lifeless.

Buzz Buzz had no time or respect to grieve the death of the living automaton, flying out of the room and entering a long hallway. He tried to quickly rush to his next destination, hoping that he would be spotted by no other Starmen. However, his hopes were unfounded, an alarm blaring due to the large blast of PSI that destroyed the time machine. Buzz Buzz looked around, nervous for the first time since entering the dangerous base. He saw no sign of any sentries, but didn't wait around to see if any appeared. He knew that it would be much more difficult to find the time to open a portal now that he was being searched for. It was only a matter of time before he was confronted yet again.

"Intruder! Intruder! Halt!" yelled a Starman in his mechanical voice, every word sounding as if it was pre-recorded. There were two more of the monsters running behind Buzz Buzz, using their PSI to try and knock him to the ground. The small alien knew he was using too much of his strength avoiding the psychokinetic attacks, knowing he would have to stop running and start the offensive.

Buzz Buzz turned quickly, focusing his PSI energy for an attack to slow down the Starmen. "PK Fire α!" he said, a collection of heat energy forming in front of the pursuers. The friction of energies within the psychic field ignited, forming a wall of fire that shot out sideways from the power's origin. The Starmen were caught in the blaze, receiving heavy damage from the powerful alien's attack. However, they weren't dead yet. They charged at Buzz Buzz, attempting a body slam. Luckily, the tiny being's size and agility made it easy to dodge. While Buzz Buzz was behind the Starmen, he unleashed his finishing blow. "PK Thunder β!" he said, a crackle of static energy forming above the two enemies. Two bolts of lightning shot down, one after the other, causing a deafening sound as they made contact. Two more Starmen were now dead, charred due to the flames and electricity. Buzz Buzz knew that he would have to create more casualties if he didn't find his escape to the past.

"Damn it, so close." he muttered, sensing that the other room that held the same kind of temporal energy as the last one he entered. However, there was one factor he didn't anticipate… a fatal mistake, indeed.

"NesS… nEsS…" said a voice from the room. It was the most garbled voice one can imagine; a speech with all emotions trying to fight their way to become dominant: anger, joy, dread, fear, sorrow, neutrality, excitement, disgust, and many others. Buzz Buzz gripped his head, the voices all speaking within his mind. He felt terror within his very soul, falling from the air and onto the ground. He'd only felt this sort of madness and intensity once before. It was on the day that the Earth was taken by him. Buzz Buzz looked around to find the source of the voice. The room was gigantic, floor appearing to be made out of tubing. The odd part was… the room seemed to be alive.

The tubing stretched across the room, running up the walls and disappearing to various areas in the base. Buzz Buzz struggled to get up, wanting to escape. He knew that he could find an alternative route to the past by leaving the building first… no. No, this is his fear speaking. He couldn't allow this monstrosity to take control on his mind and emotions. He looked to the door, noticing that the door seemed to be gone. The wall was solid. Or maybe… maybe that was what he wanted him to think. Now he was losing all control of his rationality. His will was slowly being broken down, allowing him to notice how weak his body has become due to using PSI. He felt as though he was being weighted down by all of his thoughts and weaknesses, as if gravity has intensified tenfold. It was all his fault. It was the one who brought all of these terrors upon the Earth. Giygas.

Buzz Buzz struggled to walk across the room, the darkness in the far corners slowly revealing the rest of the enormous room. What he found was truly frightening. It was the source of all of this madness. There was a giant metallic orb on the other side of the room, near many pieces of machinery, one of which being another time distorter. This one was much larger than the other one, able to transport many beings to different times. It was an ideal size for sending armies across the ages; armies to ensure that this horror of a time wasn't prevented. It appeared even if Buzz Buzz was able to contact the Chosen Four in the past, the Starmen and their cohorts would follow. It was a terrible thought, but Buzz Buzz had faith in these heroes in the past. As he trudged across the room toward the time machine, growing weaker as he moved, the small alien began to recall the prophecy.

'In the past, a boy with a special gift lives unaware of his role in saving the world. Upon being awakened to his potential and duty, he must traverse the lands in order to find two boys and a girl that will accompany him, being great friends and allies. They will grow ever stronger and closer through their constant efforts. By visiting His Sanctuary locations all over the Earth, he will gain her power and be able to find his true inner self. With the power of Wisdom, Courage, and Friendship, the young boy will be able to conquer the Universal Cosmic Destroyer before he unleashes his fury upon the world.'

"I will not fail them. I will not fail the Earth… I promised…" Buzz Buzz muttered, fighting his way to the time machine's keyboard. Only a few more feet to go. However, not all promises are easily kept. With two cylindrical pillars of energy shooting down, he discovered that he was no longer alone. The lurching voice returned to the head of the failing hero.

"NeSS… wIll NEvEr KnOW. iT… HUrTS…"

"The master speaks the truth. You were foolish to think you could change the course of history. This is the only conclusion." said the voice of a Starman. However, the two that appeared to look different than the silver-suited soldiers. These ones that stood between Buzz Buzz and Earth's hope were a bit larger and golden in color. These were higher ranked officers: Starman Supers.

Buzz Buzz still struggled to stand, ready to unleash his last stand. He would use the rest of his PSI to escape into the past. "PK FLASH Ω!" he cried out, a small light floating out in front of him, exploding to a powerful size. Many different lights were displayed and emitted from the source, creating a dazzling display of frightening power. The lights seemed to do more than blind the enemies, the rays given off having adverse effects on their minds. If Buzz Buzz was lucky, both of them would die from the trauma, allowing his escape. Even if that probable chance didn't work, they would most likely get another debilitating status condition.

Buzz Buzz rushed to the monitor with the rest of his physical strength, typing in the access information from before.

(TIME DISTORTER ACTIVATED)
(FIFTH DIMENSION TRAVEL INITINATED)
(DESTINATION: PAST)
(10 YEARS)

(INPUT PASSWORD)

Buzz Buzz tapped the override code into the keyboard, seeing the glimmering light of hope at the end of the dark storm. Earth's new hope.

(OVERRIDE PASSWORD ACCEPTED)
(DISTORTION PORTAL CALIBRATING)

(PORTAL CREATION COMPLETE)

Buzz Buzz hovered slowly towards the teleportation bay, ready to fulfill the prophecy. The light from the flash began to dim, revealing that something had gone wrong. With a quick swipe, a surviving Starman Super knocked Buzz Buzz to the ground a few feet from the portal. The bee-like alien looked up with eyes narrowed in pain and exhaustion. He was now on his back, completely defenseless. He was so close… so very close.

"Buzz Buzz, I'm afraid that your ideal future will never come to be. We will always reign supreme. The Starmen and our master will take residence on Earth until its oncoming eradication." the Starman Super said, voice scrambling slightly due to the mental assault of the PK Flash Ω.

"He… he will never stop. His power will destroy the universe. Giygas-" Buzz Buzz said, being cut off by the Starman.

"The Master Giygas will do as he sees fit." the golden soldier said, factual in the way he stated it. It seemed as though all of the Starmen followed their leader without question or retaliation. They were merely sheep. "Say goodbye to life, Buzz Buzz."

Buzz Buzz just laid there, closing his eyes and taking his last breath. "I… apologize. You have to find your own path… Ness…" he muttered, the final words he spoke before the foot of the Starman Super fell upon him, crushing him like a bug.

"NeSs… It HURtS, neSS…"


(( Like how things are going? Sorry if my writing is a bit dark for your tastes, but that's just my style and what I find interesting. The next chapter will be a bit more cheery, and fit along with the game almost to an annoying degree. It's just what I had to do. For all of you EarthBound nuts, it'll at least be a nostalgic bit of fanservice! ))

Next Chapter
Impact