Star Fox: The Wedding and Fox's Confession
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox or anyone in this story, but I hope you'll enjoy it.
Fox was eagerly waiting alongside Peppy at the altar of the Cornerian Church, and he was quite nervous. It wasn't like him to be nervous at a wedding, but since he was finally getting married to Krystal, the beautiful blue Cerinian fox he'd rescued and came to accept the most as a Star Fox team member since his first mission on Dinosaur Planet, he couldn't help being nervous. Peppy noticed the emotions and sweat that was running down Fox's face and arms and decided to comfort the young fox that was like a foster son to him. "It's ok, Fox." Peppy started. "I'm sure this wedding will go off without a hitch." "I'm sorry, Peppy." Fox replied. "It's just I'm getting married to the girl of my dreams, the very girl I helped learn the ropes about being a mercenary and trained with for a whole year." "I know she's a fast learner and that she wouldn't want to pass up on an once-in-a-lifetime chance like this, but I can't help but want this entire thing to go smoothly." Although the Star Fox team had disbanded and was ready to all go their separate ways, there was no way that Falco, Peppy, and Slippy were going to miss out on their leader's wedding. Peppy had chosen to be the priest, and was ready to say the vows of the soon-to-be married couple if they wanted him to. The role was perfect for him, since he was in his late sixties' and wouldn't want to help out in any other way. Falco was normally the tough guy since he was the team's ace pilot, but he decided to show his softer side for once, and secretly, he couldn't be happy unless the entire team was happy. His role was to make sure all the decorations were in place, and that all the food, drinks, and music was good enough to suit almost everyone's tastes. Slippy was in charge of looking after Fox and Krystal's rings until the time came for them to put them on the other as they were saying their vows. If he lost any of those rings, he'd be in major trouble because those rings were worth more than $2,000, and he'd never be able to forgive himself. Fox specifically asked Rob 64 the navigation android he legally inherited from his father, James McCloud, to record every single moment of this wedding. That role was quite perfect for him since he rarely forgot anything, and the video would be ready for them to view on the Great Fox at any time. Amanda was in charge of delivering the cake and making sure it was in perfect condition. It was made up of chocolate on the inside, while the outside was nicely coated with vanilla frosting, and on the base were the words "Congratulations, Fox and Krystal McCloud" in big, bold strawberry frosting. A cake like that would tempt anybody to try and get at least one lick, but she knew better and decided to wait until it was ready to be cut up and shared with everybody. Katt Monroe was in charge of picking out how to decorate Krystal's corsage and bouquet when she was ready to throw it into the crowd of screaming females she knew would go crazy at any time, as well as Fox's boutonnière so he could throw it into the crowd of desperate males she knew would also go crazy. She finally came to a decision and picked a dozen roses for the bouquet, she took care to make sure at least four of each was either a red, white, or pink color. If she picked yellow roses, Krystal would get the feeling that Fox wanted to break up with her, cancel the wedding, and would never see her again. If Katt let something like that happen to her dear friend, she'd never forgive herself. Fox asked his childhood friend Bill Grey to attend the wedding and play the piano for him. Although Fox himself would have no problem playing "Here Comes The Bride" or the "Wedding March", since he was quite skilled with almost any instrument, he knew Bill wouldn't mind playing for him, since it was the least he could do to repay him for helping out on Katina during the Lylat War almost 16 years ago. And finally, Lucy Hare, Peppy's daughter was in charge of taking care of Fox and Krystal's wedding outfits, as well as making sure that all the wedding invitations had been sent to every citizen on Corneria. She was currently helping Krystal out with her hair and accessories so she'd look as ready as she could be. "What do you think Fox will think of me when he sees me this way?" Krystal asked as soon as she put on her Cerinian jewelry and tail rings. "Well, it's not normally my place to talk about subjects like this." She chuckled at her own pun since she was still an expert teacher in astrophysics on the chilly planet Fichina. "But I believe that everyone will agree with me when I say you look like an angel destined to be with Fox as if you're a gift from God himself."
"Thanks, Lucy." Krystal replied. "You've always been a good friend, just like Peppy was with Fox's father." Krystal had been curious about Fox's family for quite some time, and wanted to talk with Fox about it, but if she let Fox see her before the ceremony, she'd bring bad luck to herself and the rest of the team. She wanted to have this wedding go perfectly just as much as Fox did, so she decided to talk with Fox about it as soon as the wedding was over. As soon as her wedding dress was on, Krystal walked over to a three-way folding mirror to look at her figure. She was currently wearing a snow-white dress that went perfectly with the white areas on the front of her body and the tip of her tail. Her golden collar looked like it was tight enough to choke her, but she was unfazed by it. She also sported her tiara, which was made of gold and had a small ruby that went between the six bangs across her eyes. Her necklace had two thin laces that supported a diamond-shaped emerald that stopped about two centimeters above her chest. With jewelry like that, trying to figure out which one was her true birthstone was a little beyond anyone's ability to guess. "Well all that's left to do is to keep waiting for the cake and flowers to show up." "I'll go check if they're here already." Lucy said. "As soon as the ceremony's about to begin, I'll escort you to the altar." Krystal nodded. It didn't take long for Lucy to find Falco, who was talking with Rob and making sure the church was drug-free. "There you are." "I just helped Krystal finish preparing." "Have Amanda and Katt returned with the cake and flowers, yet?" Lucy asked him. "Yeah, I just saw them unloading the truck out front." "Do you need any help?" "Of course, we do." "Rob. Can you and Amanda help set the cake on the table?" "Consider it done." He replied. "How much time until the ceremony starts, Rob?" Falco asked. "Approximately five minutes." "Ok, then. Guess I'll go help Katt out with the flowers." He quickly ran out front to greet his former partner and helped Fox slide his boutonnière on his right shoulder. "Ok, I'll go see if Slippy's ready to present the rings." "Try not to be too eager, ok?" "I promise. Just don't take too long." Fox chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about me. You just worry about the surprise waiting for you two out front." Falco said with a sneaky grin. "I'll hold you to that." Fox finally took his place next to Peppy as soon as Rob told him that everything was in place, all the guests had arrived, and Lucy was on her way to walk Krystal down the red aisle that had been prepared for them. They came out about two minutes later, and Fox gave Bill a nod to let him know he could start. As Bill cracked his knuckles and made sure he was on the right page, he slowly, but expertly began playing "Here Comes the Bride". It was the most beautiful tune that anyone had ever heard. When Krystal was halfway to her designated spot where Slippy, Fox, and Peppy were waiting, she heard one female whisper to another, "Look at that blue vixen there. She's so gorgeous, that she should take a career as a professional model." "I know, right? But something tells me that we shouldn't be talking about this right now. I heard rumors that she can read any mind she wants, and that no one can resist her powers. I'd watch my tongue and mind if I were you." The other woman whispered. "It's alright, ladies." Krystal thought to herself as she passed them. "Although this will disappoint you, the only professional modeling I'm interested in doing is for Fox's eyes only." She recalled the many different times that she'd caught Fox staring at her whenever they were on a mission or on the Great Fox. She didn't mind the fact that Fox always seemed to have his mind on her and her alone when they were near each other. She knew he thought about her to complement her, no matter what she was wearing in his mind, and she loved every single moment of it. She thought about many wonderful pictures of him and his fabulous body. She loved to snuggle up to him in her dreams and tenderly stroke the bushy fur on his six-pack. They just loved seeing the other's bodies, and admiring every single detail about them. Fox usually imagined her in the outfit he first saw her in the first time he visited the Krazoa Palace. She wore her jewelry, a top and loincloth outfit that was decorated with triangles that were either white or gold, and she had tattoos on her body. The tattoos on both of her thighs were sort of like a small dot that had a huge circle around it that had four small arrows pointing in different directions. It could have been like an old-world compass, or a ninja shuriken. The tattoos on her upper shoulders looked like a circle made up of horizontal rectangles that went across the diameter of her arms. The last tattoo was almost like the one on her arms, except it looked like a small dragonfly, and it was on her lower back, about an inch above her tail that was divided into three separate sections by two tail rings.
Occasionally, she still wore that outfit whenever she felt like swimming with Fox. She just loved the way Fox had his eyes scanning every single drop of water that ran across every single pore of her body from the tips of her ears all the way to the bottoms of her feet. She was so cute when she blushed and had her cheeks turn a light pink to match her tongue. She broke her fantasy just in time before Lucy tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, are you ok there, Krystal?" Lucy said with a little concern in her voice. "I'm alright, Lucy. I was just thinking about all the good times I spent with Fox." "Well, you can try that a little later. Right now you and Fox need to say your vows." "Oh, right. Sorry about that. Well, wish us luck, then!" "No problem!" Lucy replied. After taking her seat next to Katt and Falco, the wedding vows were about to begin. Peppy cleared his throat and began to read. "Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today to bring Fox McCloud of Corneria, and Krystal of Cerinia in holy matrimony. If there is anyone who believes that these two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." The entire church was silent. "Very well, then. Would you like me to say your vows to each other, or are you both going to say them?" The old hare asked. The two foxes thought about that question for about a minute before finally replying, "We'll say them, Peppy." "Very well, you both may receive your rings and proceed." He took a few steps backwards. Fox and Krystal each received their rings from Slippy and took the time to carefully study them. The rings both had a glorious design; Fox's ring was crafted from pure silver, with small emeralds and rubies circling a 32-karat diamond in the center. The light shining above their heads cast a small, but visible rainbow inside the diamond. Krystal's ring was decorated in the same way, but her ring was gold, not silver. The two foxes each took deep breaths, and prepared to make their life-long dream come true. Fox took hold of Krystal's ring and gazed deeply into her eyes as he began to say his vow. "Princess Krystal of Cerinia, do you take me to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live?" "I do!" She happily cried. He carefully placed her ring on her left hand's ring finger. Now, it was Krystal's turn to act. "Fox McCloud of Corneria, true captain of the Star Fox team, do you take me to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live?" "Yes, I do." He proudly replied. She took his ring and placed it on his left hand's ring finger. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce Fox and Krystal McCloud as husband and wife." Peppy turned to Fox and nodded. "You may now kiss the bride." And with that kiss, their dream was finally a reality. Hundreds of cameras were flashing, taking pictures of the newly-wed couple that would last forever. To Fox and Krystal, the whole world around them was almost non-existent, everyone and everything around them seemed to slow down to a crawl, while their hearts were pounding quickly and loudly in their chests, as if they would explode at any moment. The camera flashes were nothing more than supernovas evolving into neutron stars that would last forever. The crowd's cheering was almost muted, and their clapping hands seemed to be nothing more than waves dancing to and fro on the beach. The kiss stopped about a minute later, and the two of them walked down the aisle, arm in arm. "Oh, by the way, Falco says he's got a surprise waiting for us outside the church. Keep your eyes and mind open." Fox whispered into his wife's ear. "Not to worry, Fox. I think we're ready for any kind of surprise on store for us now." She replied. And sure enough, as soon as Bill finished playing the "Wedding March", and Fox blessed his team with good fortune by carrying Krystal across the threshold over the front door of the church, Fox and Krystal were drenched with two bottles of champagne by none other than Falco and Katt. "Hey, cut it out you two!" Fox cried as he attempted to avoid having even a single drop of that stuff enter his lips. "We paid good money for these suits and rings!" "Aw, come on, Fox, can't the best man play at least one good prank on his friend's wedding? Besides, it's non-alcoholic, so you've got nothing to worry about!" "We'll see about that later. Is there anything else we'll get pummeled with?" "You bet there is!" Slippy cried. He and Amanda pulled two full cans of spray from behind their backs, and unleashed loads of silly string upon Fox and Krystal. "Hey, knock it off, guys!" Krystal shouted. "This stuff burns easily, and makes me feel like I'm in a spider's web." "Don't worry, you two. It comes off in seconds, it's just a joke Falco dragged us into, that's all." Amanda said sincerely. "Well fine, then. Anyone else got something to throw at us?" "Just about one last thing." Lucy and Peppy walked outside, both of them were carrying an armful of rice. "What good is a wedding without rice?" And with that, the father-daughter pair was throwing rice by the handful. Once the barrage of rice stopped hitting Fox and Krystal, Bill stepped outside to greet his good friend and gave him a firm handshake. "Congratulations buddy! You deserve to be married to this woman." "Thanks, Bill. We appreciate it. That was some very excellent playing you did back there." Fox said. "Aw, it was nothing. You and your friends saved my favorite planet from destruction all those years ago, so I'm glad I could repay my debt to you." "So, Katt, do you still have my bouquet?" Krystal asked. "Sure. You give that thing a good toss, ok?" "Here goes nothing!" Krystal checked to make sure all the males were inside and waiting to catch Fox's parting gift. Once all the women were present and accounted for, she took a few steps back from the entrance, and tossed it high into the air. In an instant, every girl except for Krystal scrambled to catch the bouquet in hopes of giving it to their own loved ones. But in the end, Lucy caught it, made sure the flowers were unharmed, and gave three of each color to Amanda, Katt, and Krystal. She kept the last three for herself. Finally, it was Fox's turn. Once Rob told him all the males were ready, he gave his boutonnière a toss that went higher and faster than Krystal's bouquet. Peppy chose not to participate, since he wasn't as young or fast as he used to be. It was caught by Slippy, who waved it for everyone else to see. As soon as all the quests had left once they all had their fill of the delicious Neapolitan-flavored cake and dancing, Krystal finally thought it was time to talk with Fox about his family. "Um, Fox?" Krystal asked sounding like a teenager asking their older siblings to take them to their first high school prom. "I know this might sound like a bad time, but can you tell me about your family?" "Well, actually, I have something to tell you and the rest of the team first. Would you mind talking about parents another time?" "No problem, Fox." "So, what's on your mind Fox?" "Peppy asked. "Well I'd like to talk to you guys about this back on the Great Fox." He turned to face Bill, Katt, Amanda, and Lucy. "Would you mind if I had a private talk with my team?" "Yeah, it's pretty late. Guess I'll go see how the army's doing back on Katina." Bill said. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot I have students in the morning. I'll talk to you all after schools over, ok?" "No problem, Lucy!" Krystal shouted as her friend was running off to prepare tests for her students. "Well, I guess I'm out of here too. I'll meet up with you guys some other time." Katt said as she walked away. "Well, Amanda, do you feel like hearing what Fox has to say to us?" Slippy asked while holding his fiancées' hand. "Not really. If it has something to do with what happened in the past, I'd rather hear it from you darling." "Well if that's your choice, then I'll respect it." "I'll meet you back at Aquas, ok?" "Ok, then. I'll see you later." Back on the Great Fox, Fox was sitting at a round table with his friends, who were unsure as to why he called them here. "So, why are we all here on the Great Fox?" Falco asked suddenly. "Well, it's like this." Fox began. "You all remember our last mission against Star Wolf over Venom all those years ago, right?" "Of course, Fox." Slippy said. "How could we possibly forget something like that?" Peppy added. "Well, to you guys, when I escaped that huge explosion, it looked like I made it out on my own, right?" Falco, Slippy, and Peppy nodded in unison. "Well I didn't. I had help from my father." "James McCloud?" Peppy exclaimed suddenly. "But how could that be? We all saw you escape that blast, and you were all alone when you faced Andross." Falco added. "True. But I know what I saw and heard that fateful day. And if you don't believe me, then I'll show you all how it all happened." "Is that even possible?" Slippy asked. "Of course I can." Fox turned to Krystal, who in turn already knew what Fox was explaining to them. "Krystal, I know you're a telepath, but out of curiosity, are you able to take the entire thoughts of one person and put them into the mind of another person, or even a whole group of people?" "Well of course! I can use my psychic powers to place any kind of thought into any number of people at once. But, there's a catch." "What's the catch?" Slippy asked. "The catch is that while I'm focusing the thoughts into all of you at once, I can't have anyone else try to say or think anything, or else I'll lose my concentration, and we'll have to start over again." "Ok, then. Is everyone ready?" Fox asked. "You bet we're ready, Fox!" Falco said. "Me, too, Fox. I've always wondered what Andross and the legendary James McCloud were like in person." Slippy said. Fox gave a careful look at Peppy and said "Are you sure you all want to go through with this? I mean you don't have to be a part of this if you don't want to." "Don't worry about me, Fox. I've gone face to face with Andross before, and I'm pretty sure we can all handle what you have to show us." "All right, then. Krystal, are you ready?" "Go for it, Fox." "Ok. Here goes." He closed his eyes and directed his thought patterns toward Krystal, who in turn, allowed the rest of the team to see and hear what was going on in Fox's head as he thought back to that day. Everyone was experiencing what Fox did as if they were a part of him. "Fox" and the rest of the "team" had just defeated one of Andross's foul creations over Area 6, and were ready to enter Venom's atmosphere. "Say your prayers, Andross!" "Fox" cried as he was just about to enter a long tube that was strangely unguarded for some reason. Suddenly, "Fox" heard a familiar voice come out of nowhere. "Don't get too cocky, Star Fox!" The voice was none other than Fox's childhood rival Wolf O'Donnell. "Fox" and the rest of his "team" looked outside of their Arwings, and saw each member of the Star Wolf team chase after their own rival. "Let's see how you handle our new ships." "Leon" cried as he was chasing after "Falco". The "Star Fox team" each got a look at their rival's Wolfens, and thought that they didn't look any different from when they last fought each other on Fortuna. "Too bad dad's not here to see you FAIL!" "Pigma" taunted as he was chasing "Peppy". And that was when "Fox" was pushed too far. If there was one true thing he could never stand, it was when someone talked bad about his dead father in front of his own face. "No one EVER talks bad about my father and gets away with it!" "Fox" charged his hyper lasers, and fired at "Pigma", but as soon as the charged shot was about to hit his engine, he performed an exact barrel roll like the Arwings, and the shot was deflected in another direction like it was nothing. "Darn! They analyzed our maneuvers during our last fight, and now they know every move we can possibly make!" "We'll make sure you never reach Andross!" "Andrew cried as he was trying to gun down "Slippy". "Fox" and the rest of the "team" had come too far to lose now. "Fox" just knew "Star Wolf" had to have at least one weakness against something. As soon as "Wolf" was behind "Fox", he failed to anticipate the somersault technique, and ended up with "Fox" chasing him. "Fox" fired his hyper lasers and sure enough, they worked. "You're good, but I'm better." "Wolf" said as he tried to counterattack. "We'll just see about that, Star Wolf!" "Fox" shouted as he went to help out the rest of his friends. "I'm not afraid of you." "Andrew" taunted "Slippy" by flying in front of him and playing chicken, "Fox" on the other hand, took advantage of this, and started to pummel him with his lasers. "You're not welcome here!" "Give it up, you can't win!" "Andrew" cried in-between "Fox's" attack. "Fox" noticed that each member of the "Star Wolf team" had some type of goggles over their eyes, and couldn't tell if they were wearing them because their eyes were somehow damaged when they were shot down on Fortuna, or if they were wearing them to help them see through the slightly thick fog that surrounded the planet. "Fox finally shot "Andrew" down about one minute later, and heard the "Aaaaaahhhh!" that escaped his lips before he crashed. "One down, three to go." He immediately set his sights on "Leon", who was also playing chicken. "Shoot me down, if you can." "Hold still and let me shoot you!" "Falco" yelled as he tried to shoot the irritating chameleon in front of him. "You're not as tough as I thought." ""Leon" teased. "Fox" played the same trick on "Leon" and he, too, was beaten in one minute. "He's… too strong!" he cried as he barely escaped from his exploding Wolfen. After "Leon" was shot down, "Fox" U-turned to help out "Peppy". "That reward's as good as mine!" "Pigma" said in his greediest voice while he tried to shoot his former comrade. "I'll gun you fast, Peppy old pal!" "Fox" got mad at the swine who tried to unnerve his friend by bringing back haunting memories of that painful day, and shot at him with everything his lasers had. "You can't beat me; I've got a better ship!" "Pigma" taunted. "Come on, little man, shoot me." "Fox" won again, and "Pigma" yelled in agony, "This can't be happening!" All that was left was "Fox's" rival "Wolf", and he was intent on beating him like last time. "You may have beaten my partners, but you're not so tough!" "Wolf" defiantly cried. "Fox" went after him with a Smart Bomb, but it barely did any damage. "What? Is that all you've got?" "Wolf" went to try and beat "Fox" like never before by taunting him saying "You'll be seeing your dad soon, Fox!", but he failed in vain time and time again. When "Fox" finally won against "Wolf", all he could hear was "No way! I don't believe it!" When "Fox" made sure all of "Star Wolf's" ships were destroyed for good this time, he decided to face "Andross" by himself. "I'll go it alone from here." "Fox!!!" was all "Falco", "Peppy", and "Slippy" could say before they saw him disappear into the tube that led into the center of the planet. The large tunnel was much more than "Fox" could ever imagine. Each turn started out straight, but then the path ended up choosing between left and right. Without his team to help him, he had to rely entirely on his instincts. Suddenly, he heard a deep voice come out of nowhere. "I've been waiting for you, Star Fox!" The voice belonged to none other than Andross himself. "You know that I control the galaxy" "Fox" ignored him as he continued to go deeper and deeper into the core. "You will die just like the way I crushed your father." As soon as "Fox" heard the fate of his father, he knew who destroyed his father. "So it was you, after all." "Fox" thought to himself. "You just had "Pigma" and "Wolf" say those things to me so I wouldn't know who really killed him." "Andross" suddenly broke "Fox" from his thoughts by saying "Now you will feel TRUE pain!" as "Fox" went down the final, straight path that led to his final fight. When he finally exited the tunnel, "Fox" saw a sight like never before. There was nothing more than a huge yellow-green void that seemed to have no end. He had no idea how something like this, even "Andross" himself, was able to exist in the center of the planet. "Fox" almost felt like he was piloting the Blue Marine in the toxic waters of Zonness. He was so glad he didn't receive a mission like that, and hoped he never would anytime in the near future. Suddenly, "Andross" appeared, and "Fox" was ready to save the galaxy and avenge his father once and for all. "Andross" was quite horrifying, his head was about twice the size of an Arwing, and his hands were a kind of golden yellow color, with two red diamonds in the center of his palms. "Fox" remembered his first fight against Andross's doppelganger, and hoped the same techniques he used would work on "Andross" as well. "Fox" knew that "Andross" was right-handed, so he fired his lasers at his left eye to irritate it and give himself an opening. His plan worked, and soon, "Andross" lost his right hand. "Andross" grew furious at this, and tried to inhale "Fox". "Fox" expected this technique, and hit the brakes has hard as he could. The downside to using the advanced techniques of the Arwing, or any other vehicle, was once the gauge was empty, it took about three seconds to fully recharge. "Fox" succeeded in avoiding the inhale technique, and went to work on irritating "Andross's right eye. With nothing to ease the pain, "Andross's" second hand was easy pickings. Once both of his hands were gone, all that was left of "Andross" was his head. Although he didn't have his hands anymore, he still thought he could end this fight by inhaling "Fox" again and chew him to bits. "Fox" had a feeling of what was about to happen, and when "Andross" took another deep inhale; he fired a Smart Bomb into his mouth, and watched in horror as his face slowly decomposed into nothing. He heard a loud explosion come from what was left of "Andross's" smoking head, and suddenly, all that was left was a giant brain, with two brown eyes that were connected to it by what appeared to be two long streams of purple lightning. "Fox" had never seen anything so disgusting in his entire life. "Andross" himself was far uglier than anything he could ever come up with. "Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!" That was pretty much the worst pun "Fox" ever heard, because that was all that remained of his soon-to-be defeated opponent. "Fox" set his Arwing to all-range mode, and ran diagnostics on it. His shields were at 200%, his lasers were at full power, his Smart Bomb reserves were almost full, and his boosters were at maximum efficiency. "So, Andross, you show your true form. "Fox" started his attack on the eyes, which seemed to follow his every move. He shot at them from the front, but nothing happened. "Maybe the tendrils are what allow him to see me." "Fox" thought to himself. He attacked the eyes from the back, and in time, they were gone. With "Andross" blind, he had a better chance at victory. He fired everything his lasers had, but every direction seemed futile. Then he noticed a pulsing, glowing green area near the lower-backside and fired a Smart Bomb at it. "Andross" screamed in agony when "Fox" finally found his weak spot, but he wouldn't give in. He kept appearing in almost every direction to try and trap "Fox", but at last, "Fox" had won. Just when "Fox" was about to boost out of there, an alarm went off inside his cockpit, and tried to figure out what happened. He suddenly noticed that he was getting further from the exit and closer to doom. "If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" "Andross" cried. "Fox" panicked, and tried to boost his way free, but the effort was in vain. "Andross's" grip on the Arwing was too strong, and "Fox" was too close to be able to survive such an explosion at point-blank range. There was a gigantic boom that could've made anyone deaf, and the next thing "Fox" knew, he screamed at the top of his lungs "Aaaaahhhh!!!". Then there was silence and white. Suddenly, "Fox" heard another voice come out of nowhere, but it was calm, familiar, and somehow unchanged. "Don't ever give up, my son." The voice said. "Fox" was shocked, because the voice belonged to none other than his father, James McCloud. "Father?!" "Fox" exclaimed in disbelief. All of a sudden, his vision was restored, and he looked at himself to find he didn't have a single scratch on him anywhere. He ran another diagnostics check on his Arwing, and his eyes went wide in shock. It was completely unscathed, every function was at maximum, and he was still in all-range mode. He was broken from his new findings when he heard "James" say "Follow me, Fox!" He went after his father without even hesitating, and was so glad to be hearing his dad's voice again. "James" was leading "Fox" out of there at full speed like there was no tomorrow, and "Fox" desperately tried to catch up. He felt like he was escaping from Solar all over again, but instead of escaping from the surface, he was practically escaping from the planet's core. "Fox" knew that if he made even one wrong move, one or both of wings would break off; causing his lasers to revert to single, and his stabilizers wouldn't work as well. Or worse, he'd charge headfirst back into the explosion. "This way, Fox." "James" said as if he knew the exact mirror image of the path "Fox" took to reach "Andross". "Fox" still kept following. "Never give up. Trust your instincts!" "Fox" felt tears bead at his eyes as he heard his father's lifelong catchphrase and "Fox's" most trusted lesson from his lips. They were just about at the straightaway point when "Fox" noticed that his father was fading. "Dad, no! I can't bear to lose you again!" "Fox" desperately tried to reach his father and get at least one last look at his face, but he couldn't. "You've become so strong, Fox. Your mother and I will always be with you and your team, even if it feels like we aren't, our love will always be inside of all of you." And with those final words, "James" vanished, and "Fox" escaped on his own. He saw all his friends waiting for him outside the Great Fox, and heard them breathe a sigh of relief. "Fox, you're OK!" "Peppy" exclaimed. "YES! You DID it!" "Slippy" cheered. "That's our leader!" "Falco" supported. "Fox" ignored his friends and was looking outside his cockpit to see if his father was still around, but all he saw was the blackness of the night and endless amount of stars. "What's wrong, Fox?" "Peppy" asked since their leader was strangely quiet. "Fox" snapped back to reality. "Nothing… Nothing's wrong!" he lied. Fox ended the flashback and saw extremely surprised looks on each of his friends' faces. "Wow, Fox! You single-handedly defeated Andross all by yourself AND escaped with help from your own father. I'm quite impressed." Slippy said. "I can't believe you managed to survive a blast like that and not be rewarded with a Purple Heart and a Medal of Honor." Falco exclaimed. Peppy seemed to be at a loss for words after hearing his old friend's voice again, but he quickly said "That kind of experience must have been quite painful for you, Fox. I for one, hope you never go through pain like that again." He said with sincerity. "I'm surprised none of you aren't even mad at me for lying to you in that flashback. I expected you to be mad at me for doing something like that." "Fox, we'd never be mad at you for lying. If any of us went through the same thing you did, we'd have a hard time talking about it too." Falco admitted. Slippy and Peppy nodded in agreement. "We promise we'll never make a habit of trying to bring you painful memories of your dad, as long as you don't lie to us unless you have a good reason for doing so in the first place." Peppy said. "I promise." "Good. Well then it's getting late. I've got to get some sleep." Slippy went to grab some water to drink, then went to his room to sleep. "Um, Fox? I'm sorry you had to go through all that, but I've come to terms with my own parents' deaths too. If you don't mind me asking, would you mind telling me about your younger memories with your parents?" Krystal asked innocently. "I don't mind. I feel much better now that I don't have that load on my back. Peppy can also tell you about his favorite memories with my father if you want, but in return, I'd like you to tell me about your favorite memories about your parents, too." Fox said. "No problem. I can even show them to you and the team if you'd all like that." "Maybe some other time, I've seen enough memories for one day." Falco yawned. "Ok then. Some other time's good. See you tomorrow, guys." A few minutes later Fox and Krystal were in their own room together, each ready for a good night's sleep. "Good night, Fox McCloud. I love you." Krystal said as she nuzzled her nose on his. "Same to you, Krystal McCloud, I look forward to hearing about your parents tomorrow." They gave each other one last passionate kiss, and fell into the greatest sleep of their lives.
Well, that's it, everybody. I'm sorry if my spacing seems to be too hard for you to read, but double-spacing isn't really my thing. Please review; feel free to add me or my story to your favorites' section on your bio, and thanks for reading! Special thanks to Fox Fighter 220 for being my Beta Reader and posting this story for me, ninjafoxshadow for inspiring me to make this story for Spring break, and last but not least, SyxxFox for inspiring me to write the confession part of this story. Thanks, guys!