There once was a prince on the planet of Titania,

Who hid from the world as it succumbed to mass mania.

A great evil rose and delivered chaos to all,

Torched the skies and brought the planet to fall.

But what this evil wanted in the world's final hour,

Were the glorious Titanian bells of power.

But the queen hid the bells through time and space,

And gave the prince clues for each place.

For the bells sonorous chimes could destroy this evil,

Who wanted them to prevent his own upheaval.

But first, the prince must seek a hero to help fight,

And protect him in his tiresome plight.

The queen said upon a blue world in the future will be found,

That wonder, confusion, technology abound.

But to save their world, would be a hero so proud,

A young brilliant fox… by the name of McCloud.

I

Fox tapped his watch when Krystal dashed through the bedroom, holding her hair under a towel.

"Just give me five minutes," she said, leaning toward the mirror. She rubbed her cheeks and blinked and dug through the drawers looking for something.

"It's fine," Fox said. "Falco loves it when I show up late to his gigs." Fox went to the window of his bedroom, looking out at the view of Corneria City in the valley. Swarms of cars zipped across the skyways and around buildings twinkling in the evening light.

Krystal leaned back into the doorway and grimaced at Fox, then returned to the mirror to dash up her eyelashes. "You were the one who told me to get ready only thirty minutes ago." She studied her visage in the mirror, blinking, turning her head coyly and checking her profile. She let the towel go and combed through her blue hair with her fingers down to her shoulders, shaking it out, then ran a brush through it several times. She replaced the brush and reached for her lipstick. "There."

"There?" Fox called, pacing. "Does that mean ready?"

"Not yet," she puckered, running it along her lips, then pressing her lips together. Krystal capped the lipstick and fussed with her damp purple hair. She smoothed out her shimmery blue blouse which went up to her neck in different layers with a large collar. Her and Fox had been dating for over a month. "There," she said coming out of the bathroom smiling at him. Her wavy black skirt fell past her knees.

Fox smiled. "I guess it's worth the wait."

She grabbed her brown leather trenchcoat from the bed. "We can go."

"Wait wait," Fox said, walking to his closet. "I wanted to give you this." He returned with a small long box.

"What is it?" she asked, taking the box, checking Fox's face before gently pulling off the top. Inside was a simple necklace, a silver chain with a tiny little bell on it studded with small sparkling clear stones.

She looked up at him. "It's beautiful. I don't know what to say." She touched her lip.

Fox took the necklace and unclasped it. She straightened as his arms came around her. He put his hands under her hair where it touched her neck. The necklace was on and she touched the bell looking at it in her hand. She pinched it between her fingers and gave it a tiny shake- tinny little clangs. "It's cute and exactly my style." She looked up, surprised, and kissed him.

Fox pulled away. "We're going to be late."

Krystal led him to the door and gave the bell a little shake. "This isn't so you can hear me coming is it?"

Fox smirked. "I don't need a bell for that."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Falco held his keytar on the small stage of the bar, wearing all black. The rest of the band was setting up their equipment. He grumbled and looked around the thin crowd, most of them scattered around the bar trying to order drinks. The one robot working scrambled on his wheels back and forth. One feline at a small table closest to the stage stared at Falco with her arms crossed.

"Where the hell are they?" Falco growled under his breath.

"Who?" asked Rayet, the band's skinny ferret drummer. He tightened an electro-cymbal.

"Who do you think? Fox and the girl he's shacked up with."

"I think her name is Krystal."

"Yeah yeah, Krystal. Don't remind me." Falco mindlessly ran an arpeggio up his keytar which made no sound. "Hey Croy, plug me in."

Croy, a slightly overweight pig who played an instrument called the autotar, dug through the spaghetti mound of wires beside Rayet's drum set. He found his jack and plugged it into the largest amp.

Falco ran his arpeggio again and a sonic boom of sparkling synths and showers of distorted fuzz flooded the bar. People covered their ears. The feline, who was mid sip, threw her drink all over herself. The keytar's sparkling synths echoed and bounced back and forth, slowly fading until the bar was calm again.

Everyone stared at the stage, even the robot bartender. Rayet and Croy continued setting up their equipment not phased at all. Falco pushed his beak into the mic, "Testing," he whispered sexually. "Testing one-two-three." The feline in the audience dashed off to the lady's room fanning her soaked blouse. Her friends looked on with concern. Bar patrons returned to normal, shouting for drink orders like in a stock exchange.

Rayet smirked, "Alright hot stuff, let's not tick off too many people tonight."

Falco frowned and looked at his watch. "Screw it, let's just start. Fox'll just have to miss what will be my best. He knows the first five minutes is when I sing best."

Croy tapped Rayet and made a Falco face, yapping silently. They both snickered.

Falco readjusted his keytar and the strap over his shoulder.

Rayet slinked into his seat behind his array of drum pads. "Ready when you are captain." He twirled a drumstick over his fingers cool-like, until it slipped out, flying off his fingers, landing on the edge of the stage.

Falco closed his eyes as Croy stumbled over to get it. After another minute of settling, they got in their positions and Croy adjusted a few knobs on his autotar which was a stringed electric instrument played with a metal bow. It produced a deep grungy metallic sound. When played well that is.

Falco stepped up to the mic again and looked over the aimless crowds in the bar, looking at something high up. "Thanks for coming tonight. We are Space Death." The crowd mumbled uninterested.

Rayet banged his drum sticks together in the air, "One two three four!"

They slammed into loud rushing chords, a slamming running beat, comet tail synths that dived into each other. Conversation in the bar ceased possibility and patrons started half paying attention.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Fox helped Krystal out of the hovercab. The hole in the wall bar was across the street. "That's the place?" Krystal asked pulling her jacket together in the cold.

Fox rubbed her shoulders. "Yeah. It's cool. It's a chill place, I promise."

Krystal looked at him unsure then studied the flickering neon sign. "Bash's," she read. "Sounds painful."

When they entered, Space Death was on the third song of their set, a beat heavy song. Rayet freestyled through a stumbling fast beat, wildly swinging his arms over his head. Falco's hand moved up and down with his keytar playing chords while singing in a low hushed tone. Croy bobbed and stared at his feet while drawing a bow along his autotar's strings, producing a thick melancholy wash of noise.

"I'll get us drinks! Find us a good spot!" Fox pulled away from Krystal leaving her to stand in the middle of the bar. She watched Falco through the crowd and looked for a table, bobbing her head slightly.

Falco saw her and pointed to her past his microphone, looking at her while singing. She laughed and shook her head, trying to ignore it. She sat down at a small table in the corner and he pointed finger guns at her for a few more bars, then looked down at his keytar and went into a solo.

Krystal clasped her hands together on the small table and inspected the bar. The stage occupied almost a third of the room. The ceiling was low, the walls decorated with blue neon advertisements for different beers, cars and spacecraft. If it weren't for the loud rock playing, the bar would have a cool soothing aura. She fiddled with the blue candle light on the table. Fox found her and plopped down across from her. "Here, two Eledard drafts on tap. Just what you like."

"You're right," Krystal smiled, taking the beer. "This place is nice."

"As for the music." Fox looked sideways at the stage and Falco saluted him. Croy started his autotar solo. Fox waved. "I won't apologize for it, but I'm not sure what to say about it."

"It's… interesting," Krystal said.

The song drifted off to an end and there was scattered clapping. Falco put his beak on the microphone. "Thank you. Once again we are Space Death."

Krystal snorted into her beer glass, suppressing her laughter. The silence between songs was an oasis for people's ears and normal conversation.

Falco held his arm out to the ferret on drums. "Rayet Ret on electro-drums ladies and gentlemen." A few people clapped. Rayet grinned mischievously and twirled his sticks. Falco grasped the mic with both hands. "This next song was written for a dear old friend of mine, a close life-long friend who decided to show up fifteen minutes late to this show." A white spotlight flashed on Fox.

Fox pinched his forehead. "No," he muttered.

"This friend has been there with me through all these years, and has saved this planet's collective ass at least a few times, of course, not without my help and my piloting skills."

Croy rolled his eyes.

"But anyway, this one's for you Fox McCloud."

Krystal clapped as did the rest of the bar, the fullest applause of the night. "That's sweet," she said.

"He's been working on it since summer," Fox said painfully.

Falco tapped light gentle chords. His keytar was set to play a soft acoustic pluck.

"Fox McCloud," the bird sang flatly. The beat was gentle. "Oh Fox McCloud. Fox McCloud of Corneria. Saved us from hysteria. To teach us how live. Without this hysteria!" The song kicked into loud power chords. Green lights came on the band.

Fox rubbed his head. "Okay."

"Aw," Krystal nudged his leg. "It's nice. It's a really sweet gesture for him to write a song about you."

"What!" Fox cupped behind his ear in the screeching noise. "Speak louder!"

"I said it's a nice gesture!"

"Yeah I'm sure it is!"

Krystal grinned. "Though he did rhyme hysteria with hysteria!"

Fox laughed and drank his beer. The power chords and sonic assault ceased and returned to the gentle acoustic plucking. "Fox McCloud," Falco sang romantically. "Savior of Corneria. Savior from hysteria. Oh McCloud. Oooeeeooooh! Where do we find your wings? To lift us and protect our things. Once again."

Krystal put her beer down. "Protect our things? You say he's worked on this since summer?"

Fox shrugged. "He's not really a poet."

"Oooeeeooooh! Hey hey hey McCloud!" The power chords rose again into a lifting chorus and Fox's disenchanted smirk turned to a warm smile. He was touched.

In the back corner of the bar sat a lithe red fox with a drink. He was smaller than the average person and wore an absurd cloak with a ridiculous amount of jewelry on his wrists, around his neck, and on his ears. Gold clasps with red, purple and green jewels, silver piercings with small red stones. It would look like a costume if it weren't for the dark lighting of the bar. He was at full attention. His ears perked at each mention of the name McCloud, while they flinched from each razor sharp clash of keytar chords. He stared at Fox under the spotlight. Fox leaned and kissed Krystal on the cheek.

The song ended, sputtering off in atonal epic distortion. Falco pulled his keytar off and held it over his head as noise grumbled away. He thought about smashing the keytar into the stage, or Rayet's drum set, but then he remember he was borrowing it from a friend and thought against it. He put it back on and the noise came to an abrupt stop. Minimal clapping.

Falco kissed the microphone, "Thank you. We're going to take a ten minute smoke and get drunk break, but we'll be back." He pointed out at the audience, almost tracing his finger over each person as he panned from left to right. "But be prepared, for Space Death shall return."

Croy did a little riff on his autotar and the bar's normal lights came on and quiet house music started playing. The band settled their instruments and shuffled off the stage. Falco passed by Fox who started to say something. Falco put a hand in his face. Krystal blinked. "Wait," Falco said. "Space Death must get a drink from the bar. Then it will return to hear your thoughts, and your excuses." He walked on.

Krystal tried not to laugh. "What is up with him?"

Fox watched the bird stride to the bar trying to part people like waves. Some didn't budge, so he walked around them. "He gets like that at shows," Fox said. "But this is a sign that he's pleased with his performance… I think. I can't remember how to read Falco sometimes."

Rayet bounced up to their table, packing his cigarette pack into the palm of his hand with a constant tap tap tap. "So what'd you think, Fox?"

Fox took in a breath. "I thought the drumming was awesome," he exhaled. Rayet beamed. Tap tap tap. Fox looked at Krystal for judgment. "And. On the fourth song, I really liked those little flicks you did on the snares. Disjointed but it added to the whole out of control feeling the song had."

Rayet bounced. Tap tap tap. "That's exactly what I was going for! I had been working those out for weeks. I'm psyched you noticed." Tap tap tap.

Krystal nodded in agreement. "It was fantastic."

Tap tap tap, then Rayet realized someone was sitting across from Fox. "Oh hey, Krystal?"

Fox said, "Rayet, I can't remember if you've met Krystal or not."

"Yeah we met. Of course. At your birthday party like three weeks ago. How's it been hanging, Krystal?"

"Things are well." She brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Just hanging out. Fox and I have been doing some air training, nothing too extreme."

"Really cool. You guys need to hang out with us more, hit some clubs, or just come over to our place some time, just chill, watch movies, I don't know."

"Yeah." Krystal looked at Fox. "We should do that some time. I don't get to see enough of Fox's friends."

Fox drank from his beer and looked elsewhere.

"Sweet, yeah, alright," Rayet nodded. "I gotta go smoke." He shook the cigarette pack in his little hand. "I am going to freak out if I don't get some nicotine in the next two minutes!"

"Cool, we'll be here for the rest of the set." Fox raised his beer to him as he bounced off.

When Rayet was out of earshot, Krystal dropped her arm on the table, "That is a good question. How come I don't ever see your friends?"

Fox looked somewhere else again and breathed out his nose. "It's not like." He thought of words. "I just don't think they're really your scene."

"And what is my scene?" Her eyebrow rose.

"I don't know. The kind of clubs they go to aren't really your... I mean our kind of clubs. Or we could hang out at their place some time, but you'll see it's just going to be us sitting there, making fun of old movies, playing cards or watching music videos, or watching the news and making fun of that while drinking. I don't want to bore you."

"What do you mean? That sounds awesome. Fox, if we're going to know each other, you can't be afraid to let me into your life a little bit." She suddenly cringed, "And I don't bore easily. I'm enjoying myself tonight with you. I don't see how it would be any different elsewhere, as long as I'm with you."

Fox took her hands in his. "Alright, if you put it that way, we'll all hang out some time. We'll go to the hot springs or something. Could be fun." They leaned toward each other, muzzles almost touching over the blue candle.

Falco came up and slapped Fox on the back. His nose shot forward right into Krystal's. Hard.

"Falco," Fox growled.

Krystal grabbed her nose, cringing. "Okay."

Falco swooped a chair over to the table. "Woah! Sorry guys." He winked at Fox and sat in the chair backwards, knees spread. "Krystal, how's it hanging? Need some ice for that nose?"

She snorted and sipped her beer. "No it's fine."

"Fantastic. I thought so. So! Tell me! " He rolled his fingers on the table like drumsticks. "What's the verdict?"

Krystal sat up. "Well. I thought." She looked at Fox for an opinion.

Falco slammed the table. "It was horrible. Awful. Tragic. Wasn't it?"

"No of course not."

"It was crap! Pure unadulterated crap. Did you notice that mess up in the third song… oh yeah, first song for you guys, you late slow pokes. Well did you notice it? I did the progression for the first chorus, not the second, and it just screwed up Croy, and it was just crap."

"I didn't really notice," Fox said.

"How could you not notice?" Falco squawked. "It was a nova bomb of catastrophic proportions. It's completely ruined the set. I don't even think I can play the rest now."

Fox and Krystal blinked at each other. Falco turned his head, so his ear faced them, waiting for the flood of conciliatory compliments to brighten his spirits up.

"Really," Fox said. "Falco. You were great."

Krystal said at the same time, "Falco, you were awesome."

Fox said, "And that song you did for me. Hearing it tonight. I have to say. Best performance of it I've heard yet."

Falco blinked and rubbed his eyebrow and grabbed Fox's hand. "You really think so? I know. I think you're right. It was good. No it was damn good. No! In fact! This is our best damn show yet!"

Croy came over with the biggest mug of beer possible at the bar. He gulped half of it. "Wooo! If you think the show's been good so far. It's just going to get better after this. All aboard!" He gulped the rest down then wiped his lip.

Krystal watched, astonished.

Falco smacked the pig's large belly. "Could you please! You're just going to get drunk and sloppy and when you do that you play too loud and drown my voice out."

Croy patted his stomach, pushing it out for emphasis. "Ooee, that voice of yours could use some drowning out."

Falco glared at him. "What! What did you say?"

Krystal leaned over the table toward the large pig. "Croy, I absolutely love that instrument you play. What is it called again?"

Croy had his bow tucked into his belt. He pulled it out and twirled it. "The autotar m'lady. And I hope its sonorous pleasures happen to pleasure you."

Krystal laughed almost coyly, looking into her beer mug.

Fox narrowed his eyes. "Alright hot shot."

Croy tapped the bow on the tip of Fox's nose. "And pleasure for you too good sir." He laughed.

Falco grabbed Croy's bow and shoved it back under his belt. "Don't touch people's noses with your bow. It's just going to get condensation and sweat on it, and it's going to make the sound too high and crisp and it's just going to-"

"Drown your voice out?" Krystal finished.

Falco snapped to her. "Yes." He smiled highly. "10 points to Krystal."

Rayet came bouncing over, coming up behind Falco and rubbing his shoulders. "So you guys ready to do this?"

Falco put his drink on another table, then leaned back into Rayet's comforting hands. "Yes, just do this for three more minutes."

Rayet drummed on Falco's head. "No! I want to play more now!"

"Alright alright!" Falco cried, getting up, smoothing his feathers. "Sheesh. You crazy nut, let's go put that nicotine rush into some drums."

"Yay!" Rayet bounced through tables to the stage, slamming his hands on chairs and tables as he went along.

Croy pulled away from the table, pulling his bow out again. "Thanks for coming to see us guys," he said to Fox and Krystal.

"No problem."

"Yeah, it's been fun."

Fox sighed relieved when they were gone. "Sorry about that."

"No, don't be sorry. They're funny."

Fox shook his head and drank some more, but found his mug to be empty. "Yeah sometimes, in small doses. I'm going to get more. Did you want the same?"

"Yeah sure."

Fox pushed his way into the crowded bar space, trying to get himself up to the counter. But before he could order his drink, the news on the holoscreens above the bar caught his attention. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Soon other people saw, and were just looking up.

Falco on the stage coughed into the microphone. "Space Death returns." But few were listening.

Fox pointed at the bartender then the screens above. "Hey can you turn that up! Something's happening!"

The robot looked at the screens and saw the explosions and upped the volume, watching as well.

"…could only describe as a large black orb, came out of the orbital gate in an unauthorized passage, from unknown origin, attacking everything, and is now heading down toward Corneria."

The image replaying was of the orbital gate, calm, serene, glowing green, spaceships milling about, until the gate lit up and a massive cloud of dark energy flew out. It discharged bright white bolts from itself at everything around it. The gate, other ships, another research station in the distance, all exploding in tremendous fireballs. Then the lightning filled energy zoomed off at incredible speed down toward planet on its night side. Toward Corneria City.

"Authorities are urging viewers not to panic. The Viceroys have already authorized General Peppy Hare to send in a squadron to intercept the attacking alien entity. We go live now to Air Base Alpha to get more information from…"

"How have you come back now Andross?" Fox growled, determined. "What is it you still want from us?"

Bar patrons were uneasy, looking around. Unsure if they should leave, go home, get somewhere safe.

Falco on stage slapped the microphone several times, making loud thumps. "Is this thing on?"

A small hand grabbed Fox's arm. Fox swerved, looking at the red furry hand, following the arm to the jeweled short red fox standing against him.

"He's here," said the small fox with such terrified urgency. "He's here and he knows you're here."

"Who? Who knows I'm here?"

There was a violent rumble in the ground, the walls. Bottles fell off shelves smashing onto the robot bartender and the ground. Fox looked around, slightly ducking. People were now shuffling out of the bar in a mumbling panic, some faster than others.

"You must come with me quickly." the red fox said. "There is no time to explain. We must leave immediately."

Krystal pushed through the crowd up to Fox, scared. "Fox what's going on. What's happening?" she asked holding her jacket together.

Fox grabbed her arm, and when her jacket came apart and her small sparkling necklace with the bell came into view, the red fox's eyes lit up.

He grabbed the bell while it was still around her neck and beamed. "Thank the gods! It's here! You have it!"

"Hey!" Krystal cried.

Fox shoved him back. "Alright, I'm not going for this at all. You need to tell me what the hell is going on."

By now the bar was empty except for them and the robot bartender. Falco, Rayet, and Croy rushed up with their instruments. "What's going on?" Rayet asked. "Earthquake or something?" The ground rumbled again.

"No. Some sort of energy. I think it's Andross," Fox said.

"Well that's great," Falco grumbled. "Right in my show of course."

"No!" the red fox shouted. "It is an evil unimaginable. And it will destroy everything in its path until it finds us. Which is why we must leave immediately."

"Leave?" Fox asked reaching for his communicator in his jacket. "Where do we go? No, the first thing I'm doing is calling-"

The red fox grabbed Fox's arms. "No! You must join me on a journey through time and space! You are apart of a three-hundred million year old destiny to save the planet of Titania, the civilization of the Anuas, to stop the evil Arc Ycrio from enslaving our planet and this entire system in his quest for power!"

Everyone stared at the red fox.

"Okay," Fox said, holding his communicator. "We'll get to those things in a second, just…" He pinched his forehead. "Just… just tell me who you are."

The red fox put his hand on his jeweled cloak. "I am Prince Orbion of Titania."

"Titania?" Falco huffed. "Who are you the prince of? There hasn't been a soul living on that planet for…"

The red fox turned to the bird and said, "For three-hundred million years."

"Orbion," Fox said. "Is that like a first or last name?"

The prince jumped. "We don't have time to discuss these things! Arc Ycrio is here, and he's going to destroy everything-"

"Everything in his path yeah we got that part."

Krystal touched Fox's arm and eyed the red fox carefully. "Fox I think we should listen to him. He's most definitely who he says he is. I'm not sensing any deception at all."

"What about insanity?" Rayet asked.

The red fox glared at the ferret.

Krystal said, "No nothing at all. He's also most definitely psychic. I've never felt such power before."

The red fox looked at her. "I can see why the destiny would mark you McCloud to join me. I see here a band of capable explorers and warriors, varied and courageous." He looked around the group.

Croy shook it off. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just play autotar."

There was a stronger rumble in the ground. Neon signs in the bar fell off the walls, sparks popping out as they shattered. The robot mindlessly stopped cleaning broken bottles and headed for the signs. The sound of fighter jets thundered overhead, low above the buildings, things shaking again, power flickering.

Fox looked around, then at Krystal who reassured him with her eyes, then back at Prince Orbion. "Alright. What do we do first?"