-This is the same story from 2011, just moved into the new collection.-
So, I got this one shot idea while listing to Old City Bar by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It's set inside my Star Fox War Arc, sometime before the final chapters in the ReArmed Conflict. Its Holiday in nature and I hope that it keeps you guys entertained. With that, I present to you:
Star Fox: Christmas Night in an Old City Bar.
Christmas Story by: Emile the Watcher
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Fox IP, there would be a new game set after assault by now, and it would be awesome. I do however own the Star Fox War Arc story IP, and that's all sorts of not cool if you steal it, its holidays after all, so go ahead, read and enjoy.
-|- Corneria -|- Neon Bar -|- December 24th -|-
It was Christmas Eve on Corneria, and nature had decided that it was going to coat as much of the planet with snow as possible. It had formed as a blizzard that coated most of the planet in a matter of minutes and now, Christmas Eve Night, it had lost strength until it had turned into a light fall that encouraged the weaker willed to stay indoors, but invited the children to dance in the streets, making snow men and creating an Angle landing pad in the snow.
Those that were brave enough to brave the chill and the snow, but only to travel to another place to warm up. The bars of Corneria invited these way word souls into their warmth with their neon signs that glowed like stars in the darkness.
It was in one such bar that two members of the famous Star Fox team could be found.
The team had just returned from a mission for the General and had received a nice bonus for it being Christmas Eve. Upon returning to Corneria to settle the Great Fox II for some repairs, Fox had slipped his arm through Krystal's and told the rest of the crew to go to bed or celebrate as they so chose. With that he had led his sapphire hued wife off into the snowy streets of Corneria.
After two impromptu snowball fights and a white washing curtsey of Krystal, the duo made it the goal in Fox's mind. A small side bar that sat across from a busted vid-phone booth that was bathed in the light of a corners streetlight. Hidden away from the casual eye, its crowd was mainly pilots and the bar found much in the way of company on this snowy night. The two ace pilots pushed into the bar and shook off the scattered bits of snow that covered their coats and the fur of their paws, the flakes already melting into water from the warmth of the bar before they even hit the ground.
The bar wasn't too huge, it held a cozy sort of feeling, with a scattering of a dozen tables spread around the room. The bar itself was an island set at the back with its back pressed up against the far wall and another dozen backed bar stools dotting it. Although the bar wasn't the cleanest on the planet, it various nicks and scuffs held a slight hominess to it. Tonight each table was full and the gentle lull of hushed conversations dominated the atmosphere.
The two foxes moved through the tables, passing a few pilots they knew, deciding at settling at the bar, choosing two seats near the a corner of the bar.
Fox faced his wife and gave a grin full of post mission euphoria and some other feeling he couldn't quite place. "Chair me lady?" he said as he spun the bar chair around with a flourish, presenting it to her. Krystal giggled softly as she shrugged off her heavy coat to reveal her flight vest covering a pale green tank top and jeans. She held the coat out to Fox with a playful disapproving frown on her face. "You know, a real Gentlemen would offer to take a ladies coat first."
Fox grinned at her as he took her coat and tucked it over the backrest. "Hows that?"
Krystal sat into the chair and grinned back at him "Passable."
Fox laughed and shrugged off his own coat, revealing a matching flight vest, black shirt and jeans. He sat down with a sigh into his own seat and raised two fingers at the bar tender who nodded and sat about making them. Krystal looked at him puzzled "How does he know what you want?"
Fox sighed again and stretched his body back, raising his arms behind his head and popping his back against the stools back "This is my favorite bar on Corneria, when I want to spend time with friends-" He glanced at Krystal "Or my lovely wife. I come here, plus its Christmas Eve, there is only one drink to get at this bar here.."
Krystal turned back to the bar as the bartender walked over and placed down two pint glasses filled with a light brown liquid filled to the brim in front of them, steam rising gently from the top. Fox nodded his thanks and passed him two credit chips, the bartender grabbed them and looked down surprised at the value. He went to go and make change but Fox stopped him with a call. "Don't bother, its Christmas Eve, keep it."
The bartender looked back at Fox shocked, the credits could buy the whole bar a round of drinks and still have some left over. "Are you sure McCloud?" he asked, almost disbelieving.
Fox smiled and nodded "Of course, you've been good to the Star Fox team."
The bartender looked back down at the chips then nodded one last time at Fox before moving to the till and placing the chips inside. Krystal stared at her drink, unsure if she would like it while Fox took his and gave it a sniff, taking a large gulp before turning to face Krystal. "Well..."
Krystal sniffed it gently and frowned softly when she smelled cinnamon, she glanced at Fox then took a sip, the taste of apples and cinnamon with a hint of whiskey and another spice flowed over her tongue. She smacked her lips gently and turned to Fox. "Apple Cider?" She asked at his grin.
Fox shrugged and leaned forward on the bar "It's got a few other things in it, you can get the drink at anytime, but..there's just something about getting it here on Christmas Eve."
Krystal copied his movement "You come here every year?" she asked, not wanting to pull the answer from his mind.
Fox nodded "Yea."
Krystal turned to face him "We didn't come last year."
Fox glanced at her "I came alone. Falco showed up at some point, but, he doesn't like the cider special."
"Ah." Krystal said softly before turning back to her drink. She sipped it softly before turning back to Fox "So, Christmas Eve, what's so special about it?"
Fox who was taking a drink at the moment, snorted softly and coughed on his drink as he put his glass back down. When he cleared his throat with a few worried pats from Krystal he turned to face her. "You don't celebrate Christmas on Cerinia?"
Krystal leaned back into her seat and shrugged "No, we did have a celebration for one of our goddesses, but nothing like this. No trees or decorations, or gift giving or anything like that." She glanced back at her drink "I think it would have been nice to go back to Cerinia one day, and show everybody what Lylat was like...if only..."
Fox leaned across and wrapped an arm around Krystal as a tear ran down through the fur on her cheek to drop softly onto the bar next to her drink. Fox just held her for a moment while she cried softly, even though no more tears fell from her eyes. Fox finally opened his mouth "You know, there could always be other survivors."
Krystal leaned into Fox's chest "I know, but I haven't seen any so..."
Fox nodded "Yea, but there's on thing about Christmas, not only is it a time of giving and change for the better, but its also a time for miracles."
Krystal smiled sadly as she and Fox moved apart to resume their original relaxed positions over the counter "Yea, but I doubt I can count on them, since I don't really believe in Christmas."
Fox was silent for a moment before taking his drink and straightening his drink he turned to face Krystal "Well then my lovely wife, here's my Christmas gift to you, one Christmas miracle that you get your spark of hope back. Something that reignites your fire about your planet."
Krystal smiled and looked at him, with a serious face and his drink held out slightly towards her. "Why not." she said softly and took her own glass, clinking it gently against his. The two shared a lovers smile before turning back to their drinks. They spent the next twenty minutes I companionable silence, each getting a refill on their drink from the bartender. It was just slight of eleven o'clock when the door to the bar opened.
Into the bar walked a fox of no more then ten, dressed in white long pants and shirt. His fur was an almost exact match for Fox's, except for the white spot on his head. The entire bar came to a stand still and all evidence of conversation stopped. The two foxes turned to look at the child with the rest of the bar, starting for just a moment before Fox turned to the bartender who was staring as well.
"Do you know him?" Fox asked softly, unwilling to speak any louder. The bartender shook his head slowly.
The young fox moved forward several steps into the bar before he spoke up. "Did any of you know that out in the snow, someone is lost, standing outside your door?"
Fox raised an eyebrow at how the child talked but paid it no mind as he turned to face the bartender to ask him another question. Krystal meanwhile turned her gaze to look out through a new by window, peering through the bars comfy gloom, its smoke and the frost covered window. She felt her eyes widen softly as he eyes alighted on a young fox who's fur was the same color as her own. Krystal turned her attention to the child who came into the bar, after a brief prob with her mind only to be slightly thrown off when she couldn't read his thoughts she directed the first words towards him. "Not that I care, but how do you know this?"
The child gazed at her with a piercing stare "I know this, if one could be home, they'd be already there."
Krystal stared at him for a moment before standing up and turning to Fox who watched her with curiosity before Krystal reached into her coat and took out all the credit chips that she had. She walked out and the door and jogged quickly across the street, her breath forming little puffs of fog in front of her.
She reached the little vixen who looked startling like she did when she was a young pup. She knelt down and studied her face, her hair pulled back from her face by a series of silver beads and her tail had two thin bracelets wrapped around it. She was wearing a tattered over coat that dragged along the snow and shivered.
Krystal waited a moment before she spoke up "Are you lost?"
The girl nodded, her teeth starting to chatter.
Krystal frowned in reply "Do you know where you live?"
The girl nodded again. Krystal turned her gaze back towards the open bar door where she could see Fox sitting at the bar.
"Call a cab, please."
Fox nodded and turned to the bartender, Krystal turned her gaze back to the girl. "We're going to get you some help, don't worry. Do you want to come in?"
The girl glanced towards the bar, and her eyes alighted upon the white dressed fox that still stood near the door. She shook her head sharply. Krystal followed her gaze to stare at the child before turning her gaze back to the girl "Are you scared of him?" she asked softly.
The girl nodded, then she finally spoke in a horse voice, rough from lack of use "Yea, there is something odd about him. I can tell what people are thinking normally, but not him."
Krystal felt her jaw drop slightly, she quickly managed to close it though before the girl noticed "Do you know what planet your from?" she asked, hope deep in her chest.
The girl shook her head "Here, I think."
Krystal paused for a moment before she nodded "Of course."
Fox walked out in his coat, holding Krystal's in his hands. Krystal nodded her thanks and took the coat, wrapping it around herself and the girl. Sitting next to the vid-booth as they waited for the cab. Krystal glanced up at Fox, before lowering her gaze to the shivering child in her lap. "Can you tell what I'm thinking?" she asked softly.
The girl paused for a moment, before she closed her eyes and her face scrunched lightly in concentration. "You're like me." the girl said softly and Krystal nodded, her heart wrenching slightly. "Are you going to help me get home to my mommy Mrs. McCloud?" Fox gasped softly before he swallowed the sound.
Krystal nodded "Yea, I'm going to help you."
As if by magic, the cab pulled around the corner at the moment and came to a stop in front of the three of them. Krystal stood up and taking the girl with her, opened the cab door and guided her in. She handed the cabby a credit chit. "Take her to Lylat Central Spaceport." The cabby nodded and Krystal handed the rest of her chits to the child "This will get you wherever you need to go." The girl gazed up at Krystal for a moment before she nodded and wrapped her thin arms around Krystal quickly before sitting back into the cab.
Krystal stepped back and closed the cab door, watching as it took off to head for the spaceport. She glanced to the left and realized that the neon sign above the bar was in the shape of a star and seemed to be further lit from a light on top of the building giving it a holy look. She stared for a moment before she faced Fox.
Fox stepped up next to her and gazed after the cab "Was that..." he didn't finish his question, Krystal just nodded next to him. The couple turned and made their way back into the bar, settling back into their bar seats. Krystal looked around and turned to face the bartender "Where did that other child go?"
The bartender glanced around, as did everybody who was near by "He was just here a moment ago."
Krystal nodded and turned back to her drink "He must have left when we weren't paying attention."
Fox nodded "Must of."
The bartender sighed and nodded, and the next person who came up for a refill on their drink got it for free, as did anybody who came into the bar.
The couple passed the rest of the evening in silence and it wasn't until they had left the bar and were half way back towards the Great Fox II before she spoke up. "Thanks for the Christmas gift and Miracle Fox." She said softly. "I think I get it."
Fox glanced at her "So you're thinking along the same thoughts as I am?"
Krystal looked at him "You mean how those two children looked like younger versions of us?" Or how about the fact that the girl was from Cerinia?"
Fox paused with his mouth open "Both of those."
Krystal turned her gaze back to the ground in front of them "Yea, that's what I thought." She glanced up at the stars above them "Guess I have another God to offer my thanks to now."
Fox turned to glance at her "I guess so." he said softly.
Krystal stood closer to Fox and walked with his arm wrapped around her. "Thanks again Fox, tonight gave me hope, there are other Cerinians out there, I'm sure of it now, and maybe someday I'll find them."
Fox nodded and patted her gently on the stomach "I'll be there to help you find them every step of the way."
Krystal smiled up at him as they approached the Great Fox hanger. Although the next two days were filled with joy and happiness for them both, neither of the foxes spoke of what happened that night ever again.
Well there you have it, I'm not too satisfied with the ending, but I am incredible tired at this point, and I wrote this all out in one two hour sitting so I could just be drifting by now. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and if you (like me) celebrate it Merry Christmas, if not, have a Happy holiday and if you want to be awesome and leave me a review, that would be a great Christmas gift as well.
Again, Merry Christmas,
-Emile