Chapter 38: The Choice

Fox's eyes blinked open.

Slowly, the material world around him began to fall into place. He was seated on a soft, polyester car seat, the mere scent of which brought back a flood of memories. A firm seat-belt secured his torso against the seat, not restraining him so much as keeping him safe. Eventually, Fox realized he was in the backseat of his parents' old car, an outdated model that still used wheels before hover-cars had completely taken over the market. An overhead light was on in the front of the car, illuminating a sunglasses-wearing vulpine in the driver's seat. Outside, the landscape whizzed by in a black blur, the stationary sky a fading dark blue.

To Fox, it was like waking up from a dream...

Or a nightmare.

After scrutinizing the fox seated in the driver's seat, he identified him as none other than James McCloud, his father. Fox was no more than six years old, and felt strangely dwarfed by the size of his surroundings. But, at the same time, he felt... safe. The setting was so familiar. There was something about driving away into the night with his dad that put him at ease; he had no control over where they went, no idea where they were headed or if they would even get there. He didn't have to do anything; just sit, and wait, and feel.

As he slipped into the life of his younger self, he felt all of his past pain and suffering fall away from him. He felt like a reborn cicada breaking free from its shell, a child escaping from the old, scarred body of an adult. Slippy, Falco, Krystal, Andross, Wolf... they all became meaningless words that also faded away. And with each one that disappeared, it felt like a fifty pound weight had been taken from his shoulders. He just had to let go, and let his dad drive him into the unknown.

Ahead of him, his father's sunglasses tilted to look in the mirror at Fox.

"Oh, you're awake. I thought you'd be asleep forever."

Fox rubbed his eyes with what seemed like tiny paws. "Was I... was I dreaming, dad?"

"What do you mean?" his father asked, turning his attention back to the road.

"I remember dreaming about a blue fox and a bird, and a frog, and... uncle Peppy, and a scary monkey, and – "

"Just forget about them, kiddo," James said. "It was only a dream."

"But dad, they died. First the frog, then the bird, then the blue fox, and I couldn't do anything to – "

"I said forget about them, Fox," his father repeated, this time more firmly. "All of that's gone now. There's just you and me."

Fox remained silent for a few minutes, instead staring out the window at the dark trees and fences that passed by in a blur. His mind's eye filled the shadows with faint, colored shapes that struggled for his attention, but he couldn't exactly materialize them.

"Dad... am I dreaming now?"

His father sighed and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "No, son, you're awake. This is real. You're never going back there again, to the nightmares you just lived through. I'll never leave you again."

"I've missed you so much, daddy," Fox said as a tear streaked down his face.

James glanced in the mirror and smiled, then reached his hand back so Fox could hold it.

"Don't worry; I'm here for you, son."

A large amount of time passed; how much, Fox couldn't remember.

Eventually, his father turned off the main road into a dirt path that lead into a forest. The car's headlights illuminated low hanging branches and shadowy bushes in front of them, and James expertly followed the weather-beaten road between them.

When he reached the end, he parked the car in a large, gravel-filled lot that overlooked an embankment that lead deeper down into the dark forest. James opened his door and slipped out of the car, his shoes crunching the gravel beneath him. He turned off the car's engine, but left the headlights on, streaming light down the embankment.

Fox unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car as well. His dad was leaning against the front of the car, arms crossed and smiling. Curiously, Fox walked around him towards the edge of the hill. He looked back at his father, who nodded at him encouragingly, then back down into the dark forest.

The white, golden light of the headlights accentuated the carpet of fallen leaves, the aged tree trunks glistening with resin and fungus, the iridescent leaves of bushes dotted with dew, and the mists that slowly rose and fell like the breath of an unseen giant. Somewhere far below, a stream sparkled in the light and emitted the sound of a child learning to play the piano, happily repeating simple but pleasant notes. A steep path lead down the hill to a weathered, wooden bridge that crossed the thin stream.

Another rush of childhood memories flooded over Fox. This had been his world for years; the forest where he had fought imaginary battles and quested as a knight for mystical kings, had gone in search of lost civilizations; the creek where he had sailed as an explorer in search of new lands, or a pirate in search of treasure.

Laughing joyously, he dove into the forest, weaving between the thick trees and clumped bushes, ducking under fallen logs, and skipping over piles of rocks. As his feet kicked up flurries of leaves, he heard his father chuckling behind him, close on his heels.

As they chased each other down the slope, Fox used his smaller size to maneuver through the forest landscape with ease, while his father struggled to keep up due to his larger stature. Soon, Fox gained a long lead on his father, and ran through the stream towards the bridge.

"Hey, wait up, Fox!" James called from behind, struggling to wade through a bush. But Fox paid him no heed; he kept right on until he reached the bridge. He didn't even have to duck to fit underneath it. Instead, he crawled up the embankment until he was firmly wedged between the wooden boards and muddy ground beneath them. He held his breath as his father drew near the bridge, but he couldn't hide from him.

When he reached the bridge, James bent over and poked his head underneath, smiling when he saw Fox. "There you are, you little rascal! Thought you could pull one over on your old man, didn't you?"

Fox giggled as his dad crawled into the space beneath the bridge and sat down next to him, panting from exhaustion. Eventually, they both fell silent, and listened to the soft song of the stream passing beside them, the child who played it composing new ditties with each second.

"Dad... there's something else that happens."

"What?" his father asked, silently.

"You died, too. You will die."

James sighed and shifted beside him. "Well, I see you haven't completely given up your past, or the future. I guess you want answers, don't you?"

Fox nodded, though James couldn't see it in the shadows beneath the bridge.

"It was all so pointless. Once I tell you everything, you'll agree. It had no meaning from the beginning. No, this isn't a dream; it's a reality that I created. I'm sorry, Fox, but I'll have to bring back your memories for a few minutes, painful memories you won't want to remember. Is that okay?"

"I have to know, dad."

"Alright, well, uh... I guess I should start when I first disappeared. Peppy, Pigma, and I were sent on a recon mission to Venom. As you know, Pigma betrayed both of us to Andross. I was captured, but Peppy escaped, and assumed I was dead. I wasn't. Andross never killed me. He used me for a little experiment of his called "Project Anomaly", or something just as ridiculous. He put me at the center of his machine, and expected me to know how to use it. Eventually, I learned, and became... well, I guess you could say I became a god."

James broke off for a moment to laugh, pathetically. "I know, it sounds so stupid, right? I became a god, able to manipulate time and possibilities, and what do I do? I waste it by seeking revenge on Andross, and trying to avert a future cataclysm. Everything I put you through, Fox, was meant to prepare you for the future. All the pain you experienced was meant to make you stronger for the nightmare to come, a terror that I couldn't even defeat on my own. I killed off everyone you loved to make you stronger, and didn't realize you couldn't take it. When you made the decision to to kill yourself, I realized I never should have done this to you. I thought I could bring good by putting you through evil, I thought I could bring you a lifetime of happiness if you just experienced some pain now. The infinite joy you would experience would overshadow the finite moment of despair called your life, but it wasn't worth it. All the death you saw and experienced, all the pain that hardened your heart, all the lessons I tried to teach you from dreams... it just wasn't worth it.

"Years ago, when I first left you, I tried to make you forget about me through a series of dreams. You remember, right? The near death experience you had when you almost drowned in this stream? I tried to convince you that death was a necessary thing, that you could live without me, but I... I couldn't do it. I hoped those dreams would be enough to get you through the years, but they weren't. I can see now that you never forgot about me. It was all for nothing; everything I orchestrated, and everything you worked for."

"What about Krystal? And Slippy, and Falco... what about them?"

"I put the future on pause, basically," James continued. "The reality you experienced was just one of millions, of infinitely many realities that could have been. Yes, they died, but they're alive in other realities... and so are you."

Father and son said nothing for a few minutes as the mists floated around them, and the stream continued to plunk away at invisible ivory keys.

"I can sense you want to go back," James said in a low voice. "You want to save everyone you lost, the entire reality you left in such a messed-up state. You want all your friends back, don't you?"

Fox nodded. "I want to fix the mistakes I made, but I also want to stay here with you. I don't want to say goodbye again."

"You have a choice, Fox. You can either stay here forever with me, or go back to your future. If you stay, you'll soon forget everything, or go on remembering, if you want. You'll grow up all over again, and everything will be different. Your mom will be alive, Andross will never be banished, and you'll have the chance to meet all of your friends again, in different ways than your last life. Slippy, Falco... you can even go out in search of Krystal when you're old enough. All of it, you can do over again. Or, if you choose to go back, I can repair all the damage you did. I can drop you back into time where you left off, or just a little before. Everything was alright until Sector Z. I can drop you back there and ensure a smooth ride for your future. You can keep your head this time, and Beltino and Jet won't die. That's what started everything onto the wrong path. I'll make sure you defeat Andross and the elites you hate so much, with all of your loved ones alive, too. So, the choice is up to you."

Fox thought for a moment. "And you would want me here, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I'd want to be with you again, to have the chance to watch you grow up a second time and be there for you, so you'd have a real father instead of Peppy. To make things right."

"And I'd want the chance to do my life over again, and fix all the mistakes I made in the future."

"If you want to, but be aware, I won't be around for you if you choose that path."

Fox weighed the two options carefully, thinking out loud.

"If I stay here with you, I'll never have to worry again. I've missed you so much, I feel like I couldn't say goodbye a second time, not ever again. But, at the same time, I'd lose all meaning in my life. I've already scaled most of the mountain, and the peak is in sight. Why go to the bottom and start again? Why start over when I've lived most of my life and worked so hard? I couldn't do that; it would all become pointless. I can't let everything I've done be for nothing."

Searching for his father's face in the shadows, Fox concluded, "I'm sorry, dad, I can't stay forever. I have to move on. I have to grow up. I have to finish what I started, and make it right."

James sighed and reluctantly crawled out from under the bridge. Not wanting to leave his side, Fox scurried out after him.

"If that is your wish, son, so be it. I'll return you to your time and repair the damage you've – "

But before his father could do anything, Fox rushed forwards and threw his arms around him, as far as he could reach. The wind was nearly knocked out of James, and he was cut off mid sentence.

As Fox's tears stained his father's shirt, he said, "I'm sorry, dad. I'll miss you. I'll never let go, I'll never forget you."

Slowly, James returned his son's embrace. "Will you forgive me, for everything I've done to you?"

"Of course, dad," Fox cried.

"Alright, then... this is goodbye. If you ever need me, just pray. I'll be there for you."

"I know you will. Goodbye, dad..."

As Fox clenched his eyes shut and the darkness threatened to consume him, he felt his father slip out of his embrace and disappear into the nothingness around him. Blinded and numbed to everything, Fox reached out into the void, hands desperately grasping for anything to hold on to. He collapsed onto the cold, unfeeling floor, barely with any strength left in his arms to reach with, tears dripping down his face.

Fox had never felt so lonely before in his life.

Then, out of the darkness, two soft hands took his own.

"Shhh, Fox, it's okay, I'm here for you. Everything's fine."

He finally opened his eyes to find Krystal sitting in front of him, a sad but warm smile on her face.

Bursting into sobs again, Fox leaned forward and pressed his head against her chest, staining her white Cerinian gown with salty tears. Krystal lay a paw on his back while stroking his head fur with the other. "It's okay, Fox, you're safe now. Everything's behind us; we made it through."

For a long time, Fox cried into Krystal's embrace, while the Cerinian tenderly rocked him back and forth. When Fox's sobs began to fade, he sniffed and sat upright, wiping his eyes with his fist.

"Here, let me," Krystal said firmly as she bunched up her sleeve and gently rubbed the tear stains from his face.

Once she removed her hand from his eyes, Fox became conscious of his surroundings.

The pair were sitting on the stone floor of a veranda just outside Cerinia's parthenon. Over the edge of the balcony could be seen the Cerinian skyline, the tropical fruit and palm trees black against the bright night sky full of stars, more than Fox had ever seen before on any planet.

Behind the pair of vulpines, a warm, golden light streamed out through the coliseum's arches and hallways, while joyful and excited voices echoed from deep within.

"When you suddenly left the party," Krystal explained, "I grew worried; I had to follow. You looked so troubled. Please, if you can tell me... what's worrying you?"

Fox struggled to find his words. "I... I was hoping you'd never have to know. I wanted t-to keep it all to myself, to keep it all inside so you wouldn't have to carry any of the burden, but I just c-can't."

Cupping his face with her hand, Krystal searched his eyes. "It's alright, Fox, you can tell me. You don't have to carry it alone."

"It was all my fault," Fox muttered, a rock in his throat. "If only I hadn't fought with Wolf, I could have been watching the gate, and Beltino and Jet, and Slippy and everyone would still be – "

"Fox, what do you mean?" Krystal asked, confused. "You didn't fight with Wolf... at least, not at Sector Z, if that's what you mean. And nothing's wrong with Beltino and Slippy, or anyone else. In fact, you were just talking with – "

"No, you don't understand, you haven't seen what I've seen."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about. Did you have some kind of dream?"

"No, it was all real, Krystal. They died... all of you died."

Krystal frowned, letting her hand gently slip off his face.

"Show me."

When Fox felt her presence enter his mind, he began recalling all of his recent memories for Krystal to see. He showed her how he had gotten into a dogfight with Wolf, how Beltino and Blechette had died after the Androssians attacked their own warp gate, how Jet had sacrificed his life to stop his feud with Wolf, how Slippy, Amanda, and Winston had given their lives to start the battle against Andross, how Falco and Panther went down protecting them from crossfire, and how Krystal had stopped Andross from killing him.

After recalling Krystal's death, Fox became choked up with tears again. Krystal held him close, but couldn't resist asking, "How can that be? How did you see all of those deaths? Everyone's fine! They're celebrating our victory as we speak; Slippy, Falco, all of them! And I'm right here... I'm not dead! Can't you feel me?"

Fox grasped her forearms with his hands and firmly pressed his fingers into them, as if he were worried she would slip away just as his father had. "I can feel you... of course I can. Of course you're real and alive, he said it would be that way."

"Who? Who said I'd be alive?" Krystal pressed on.

Fox sniffed. "My father. After... after you died, Leon and Andross killed each other. Andross may have been dead, but it wasn't worth it. Pandafeller, Yemen, Ironstripe, and Captain Snow staged a coup, and me and Wolf killed what was left of them... every last one."

Fox lifted himself up, grabbing onto Krystal's shoulders for support as he stared off wildly into space. "We slaughtered them in the coliseum; all of them. By the end, the entire floor was covered in blood. Then, Wolf died, and I couldn't hold out any longer. I... I think I died, Krystal."

"No you didn't!" Krystal exclaimed, "You're right here with me!"

"Believe me, I did... but I woke up with my father. Remember all those dreams I told you about? It was like I was in one of those, except... realer. I felt like I was at the end of my life or the end of the world for a second. It was just me and him. He told me he had mastered space and time; Andross had used him for the anomaly machine."

"But, we destroyed that," Krystal interrupted, worry in her voice. "Destroying it collapsed Andross's fake dimension, and brought Cerinia back to the Lylat System. Are you saying that we – "

"He would have wanted it that way," Fox muttered. "He offered me a choice; I could either stay with him, or return to the present – to now. He said he would fix all the mistakes I made, and he did. That's why we won... that's why you're all alive again. I feel like... I feel like I don't deserve any of this."

Krystal fell silent for a moment, the weight of Fox's revelation sinking in.

"If your father could do so much for you... why didn't you have him erase your memories?"

"I'm not sure," Fox admitted. "I think... I think I didn't want to discount the things I had done. I may have made mistakes – big ones at that – but I can't erase the path that lead me here. I just... I can't believe everything's alright. I never meant for you to find out, Krystal. I wanted to bear this for you. For you all."

"You don't have to, Fox, I'm here for you. You've done so much and carried the world on your shoulders, it's time to finally rest."

Before Fox could respond, he felt something hard in his vest pocket. Reaching in and felt his fingers close around a thin circlet of metal. Slowly, he began to realize what he had found.

Withdrawing the object, Fox hid it in his closed hand. "Krystal... I haven't exactly finished my journey yet."

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked, cocking her head.

"There's one more thing I have to do. Krystal, will you – "

Fox held his hand forward and opened it.

" – marry me?"

Krystal sat staring in disbelief. The ring in Fox's hand caught the light of the stars and reflected it across his palm, its golden bands and sparkling gems glowing warmly.

"It's... it's beautiful, Fox," Krystal said, choking up. "How'd you get it?"

Though he had not recognized the ring when Black gave it to him on Zoness, Fox was finally able to place it.

"It's my mother's," he said. "So... uh..."

Krystal laughed, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry... I will, Fox."

As Fox gently slipped the ring over her finger, he muttered, "These aren't the best circumstances for a proposal, I know. After dropping a bomb like that, and so late, too. I should have married you before we went through the Sector Z gate. No, before that; I almost asked you on Aquas, but I talked myself out of it. Heck, I should have asked you the moment I picked you up on Sauria."

"It's alright, Fox," Krystal comforted him, admiring the ring in the starlight, "The Aparoid, Anglar, and Second Lylat Wars would not have been the best time to raise a child, now would they?"

Fox gulped, pulse beginning to race. He reached up and tugged on his shirt collar. "Um... child?"

"That's more like it!" Krystal exclaimed, smiling triumphantly as she patted Fox on the back. Rising to her feet, she extended a hand to Fox. "Come on; you have to see the others. Everyone is so much happier now that the war is over! Once you see their faces, everything you've experienced will just vanish. Trust me; it's worth it!"

Timidly, Fox followed Krystal to the parthenon's main floor, the echoes of cheerful conversation, music, and laughter growing louder and louder. Up to the moment they stepped out in front of the main table, Fox was worried none of his lost friends would be there. It proved to be a ridiculous fear, as there was the entire group all seated at one long table; Katt and Falco, Slippy and Amanda, Beltino Toad, Winston the butler, and, to Fox's surprise, Peppy Hare and the former General Pepper, who must have rushed all the way from Katina to join the party. Bill Grey had even left his spot at the officers' table to join them.

Krystal was right; one look at their joyous faces was enough to set all of Fox's worries aside. Even Wolf, Leon, Panther, and Jet were enjoying themselves, though they were rarely celebrated alongside the 'good guys'. They all sat at the table, recounting old stories and feats of strength while enjoying the mountains of Cerinian delicacies placed before them on golden dishes. Yet, in stark contrast to the victory celebration Fox had previously attended, the Cerinians mingled freely with the rest of the Lylatians, and were even helped out by the soldiers during the preparations.

Spotting Fox from afar, Falco waved his hand and shouted above the crowded room. "Hey! Foxie old boy! What took you so long? We were gettin' lonely without you!"

Fox looked back at Krystal for a moment, but she nodded encouragingly. Feeling as if he were in a dream, Fox walked down the atrium's steps and took his place at the center of the table, soon joined by Krystal.

"What's the matter, Fox? You look like you've seen a ghost," Peppy observed.

Fox grinned weakly as he looked down at his dinner plate.

"Aw, you don't have to be ashamed of it, sir," Winston offered from across the table. "If it helps any, I was scared right out of me knickers during that last melee. But we survived, and that's what counts, eh?"

"It's not that I'm scared," Fox began, looking up. "It's just... it hasn't really gotten to me that we won... and that we all made it out alive."

"I know, right?" Falco agreed as he leaned back in his chair and hefted his boots onto the table. "It's hard to recover after that long war, but we'll manage. Hey, we were just talking over our favorite moments from the war."

"Isn't that what you've always been talking about?" Krystal scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Falco pointed his fork at Krystal and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, us returning soldiers have a right to do a little recounting. As I was saying, I've challenged everyone to pick their favorite event from the war. We'll go around the table until we get through everyone."

Katt pushed his chair back even farther, which forced Falco to flap his wings to regain his balance. "Alright, birdbrains, I can tell you're itching to go first. Why don't you tell us yours?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Falco said, sitting up. "Remember the pool party we had back on Aquas? It may have been cut off, but it was fun while it lasted. Nothing beats interrupting the two lovebirds; it was on the spot, really, when me and Slippy came up with the plan. We just looked at each other when Fox and Krystal leaned in to kiss, got some sort of telepathic connection going, and grabbed Krystal's chair and dumper her into the pool! And then when you forced my onto the diving board like it was some sort of execution; sometimes I think you forget that I can fly!"

"Well, Falco," Katt began, "Nothing will ever beat the look on your face when General Stealer and I announced I'd be helping you out at Sector Y! You were so shocked. Fox told me later how you took him aside and literally begged him to keep me out of the mission!"

"You told her!?" Falco exclaimed, looking angrily at Fox.

Fox raised his hands defensively and shrank down in his chair, but Winston came to his rescue. "There's no doubt about it; my favorite moment was when I smashed the Katinan officer over the head with a wine bottle. It was Pepper's best wine, too. He had the drop on most of you, and I came in carrying the bottle behind him, not sure what was going on. You all made the most violent gestures I had ever seen before, though at first I couldn't tell if you wanted me to smash him over the head with the bottle or milk a cow or some other such nonsense. Anyhow, I loved that experience. I think I'll become a bartender..."

"That was pretty great," Slippy agreed, laughing. "I think that was my favorite one, too. Later I tried to grab an apple off the floor or something just as stupid, and a bunch of cops burst in and tripped over my tongue! It was so embarrassing and retarded of me, but hey, it worked."

Amanda blushed. "Well, not as embarrassing as falling asleep on the Great Fox for a day and not noticing everyone was being tried for assassinating the Chancellor..."

It was Beltino's turn next. The elderly frog removed his glasses and wiped them with a dinner napkin. "Well, most of you weren't there when Fox and I snuck into the AWG's base on Corneria, but you missed an awful good time. A clone assassin was about to slit Fox's throat when three mercenaries showed up out of nowhere; they ziplined into the room, one by one, but they made the mistake of closing the window before the last one made it in! Splat! right onto the glass pane! I've never seen someone so startled before in my life; he didn't know what hit him!"

All eyes turned to Panther, who was thoughtfully curling his whiskers. "Mi momento de gloria was in the mines on Macbeth. Cinco enemy berserkers made their way onto the battlefield and were completely tearing apart the miners and the Cornerian military. Being the skillful and ingenuitive marksmen I am, I jumped onto a moving train, and boom-boom-boom, a five head-shot streak! The last one was más difícil, however, as I was forced to make a flying leap from the tram and shoot him from mid-air! Or maybe my best moment was sniping Andross's android in the battle for Ven– "

"Alright, moment of glory over," Leon said, slapping a cooked fish into Panther's mouth. "I know I'm expected to recount something involving explosives, but they get repetitive after awhile. No, using the granite grinder, a b-e-a-utiful piece of mining equipment, was my highlight of this war. She was like no other weapon I have ever seen before. No one seemed to recognize her true potential until I grabbed the controls and drove her into the hordes and hordes of Androssians in our way! The metal blades, spinning and spinning, glinting silver like the fangs of a wild beast! The screams, the spine-tingling screams of all that fell prey to her! And the blood, the sprays of blood that went in every – "

Jet cleared his throat and spoke up. "Alright, Leon, too much information. I can't believe none of you brought up the four Aussies we met on Titania! They were the nuttiest pair you've ever seen! You guys in Star Fox should have been there. Outside the cloning base, Wolf and Leon ran into these two characters called Rico and Kobe. I wasn't there myself until Panther and I showed up later to save their tales, but, when Wolf first stumbled upon them, they were scouting out a new weapon prototype an Androssian soldier was using. It turned out to be just a banana, but that didn't stop Rico and Kobe from freaking out about it. Apparently, they were in a team called "Star Koala" or "Star Rabbit", but the rest of their members, Chelsea and Kevin, had been captured. Anyway, they shoved them into a supply cart and pushed them down a giant hill into the bass. Needless to say, they were captured soon afterwards, and ended up with the rest of their team in some holding cells. And then there was the whole fiasco with the bomb we were supposed to blow up the facility with. Chelsea, that ditz of a kangaroo, thought it was hidden in her locket necklace. Turned out it was just an embarrassing Christmas party photo! And we had threatened to blow up the Androssians right then and there with it!"

Leon nudged him in the ribs. "Come on! Do your impersonation!"

At first, Jet was reluctant, but finally, in a mock Australian accent, he said, "Croikey! If it ain't Star Wolf come to save us! Watch out for that there bananer! That slinkey's liable to blow yer head off with it!"

As the table dissolved into all around laughter, Wolf continued. "That wasn't even the worst of it; Rico and Kobe followed us to MacBeth! They may have saved our lives, but they dropped us from their fighters straight into a train terminal! I still want to wring those little Aussie's necks."

Once the laughter died down, Krystal recounted her favorite moment. "Finally being rescued by Fox after that ordeal on Zoness. I was so scarred down there, especially when I realized what they were up to, and that there was a giant dead monster in the corner. But I never lost faith that Fox would show up, and he did."

"And you, Fox," Falco asked once everyone else had gone. "What was your favorite moment?"

Slowly, Fox took a deep breath.

"Proposing to Krystal."

Panther sprayed his food across the table. "Como!?"

It was early in the morning on the third day. The Cerinian sky was a broad display of colors; dark blue with hints of stars, deep purple, bright red, and a hint of orange just appearing on the horizon. Dark clouds were spread across the sky, lazily floating past.

Fox, Krystal, Slippy, Amanda, Falco, and Katt were all standing in front of a newly constructed memorial that commemorated the hundreds of millions of lives lost in the recent war. The structure was a simple steeple of gold rising into the air from a foundation of Cerinian white marble. Though it was not the official memorial, it was one of the first to be erected.

The monument itself was placed near the edge of one of the planet's fragments. The wide gulf stretched out across the horizon, filled with a dark emptiness. In the distance, another chunk of the planet could be seen, but nothing could bridge the empty gab between the two.

It was a good metaphor for the Second Lylat War.

The three couples stood in front of the monument, not speaking a word until Fox mumbled, "It needs to be bigger. Much bigger."

His teammates looked at him with melancholy expressions, while Fox continued to stare resolutely forwards at the monument. Only Krystal knew what he meant; she softly took a hold of his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, Fox," Slippy began, turning to face his team's leader. "I guess this is goodbye. Amanda and I are leaving for Aquas."

"I'm sorry we won't be staying for the wedding," Amanda continued, "But Slippy and I can't bear putting off our own wedding. We're planning to raise our family on Aquas, after all."

"That's alright," Krystal assured them. "We understand. We've waited too long as well."

"What about you two?" Fox asked, turning towards Falco and Katt. "Are you finally getting hitched?"

"Who, us?" Falco asked, jokingly. "Nah, it's only ever been one night stands for us."

"Well, a one night stand that repeats 365 days a year," Katt corrected.

"Then why not finish the deal and get married?" Fox asked.

"I'm a free bird, Fox. I want to keep it that way."

"Then where are you headed? Are you splitting up?"

Katt glanced at Falco before answering, "No, we're shoving off into the system to find some more mercenary work. We'll probably join up with Star Wolf in Sargasso, or just get odd jobs around the System. There are plenty of remnants of the Androssians to hunt down, and there will always be pirates out there."

"In short," Falco concluded, "Infinite adventure. I kinda just wanted to go on like this, forever. It's how I roll. I guess it's how we both roll."

"And you're staying here?" Slippy asked.

"Yeah," Fox answered, looking out over the early morning skyline. "Krystal's told me so much about Cerinia, I thought it would be the best place to have the wedding and honeymoon, and even raise our family here. Maybe we'll return to Corneria if I get homesick, but I think our home's right here."

"Any chance we'll see you two back in action anytime in the future?" Falco asked.

"I'd love to pull a couple of jobs off with you," Katt agreed.

But Krystal shook her head as Fox answered, "No; I'm afraid we're done for good. I never want to see another fighter or arwing again. I've donated our two ships and the Great Fox to a museum back on Corneria. I've made up my mind, I never want to fly another mission again. If Andross ever came back... I feel like I'd just sit down beside him and watch lazily as he took over the System. I'm that sick of it."

"How about you, Slip?" Falco asked, hopefully. "You gonna join us sometime?"

"It's a possibility," the amphibian admitted. "Maybe to get away from the family sometime. In reality, I plan to take over Space Dynamics once my father retires and continue doing what I love best; inventing. I was never really a pilot or a mercenary... I was never cut out for it."

"Well, at least we got Winston to come along. That mole has really manned-up; it seems he enjoyed his time with Star Fox, and wants some more action. I think we can wing it with a three man team, I guess..."

The six friends fell silent, instead listening to the gust of wind that gently played with their fur and clothes, as well as the grassy field behind them.

"I hate long goodbyes," Falco muttered, sniffing. He stepped forwards and wrapped his arms tightly around Slippy, thus starting the cycle of hugs. Many tears were shed in their final goodbyes and last words, but, eventually, they had to part ways. Slippy, Amanda, Katt, and Falco all left for their ships, leaving Fox alone with Krystal at the foot of the monument. Once their four friends were out of sight, Fox collapsed to the ground.

Krystal let out a gasp and knelt down beside him. "Fox, are you alright?"

A warm smile crossed the vulpine's face. "I feel so... tired. I can barely stand anymore. I'm just weary of it all. I'm sorry I have to be so weak, Krystal."

Krystal wrapped her arms around him and tightly pressed his body against hers. "It's alright, Fox, I'll be here for you, always. It's over now; the storm has passed, and we have the rest of our lives to live."

"I just... I wish I could be stronger, but I don't have it in my anymore."

"You don't have to be strong anymore," Krystal said, crying into his shoulder. "You don't have to be the leader and keep a strong face and always lie about what you're feeling inside. Let everyone else carry you. Let me carry you."

"Will you be with me... always?" Fox whispered.

"Forever, Fox," Krystal said, sobbing.

Fox's eyes lighted on the monument. Leaning against the golden steeple, silhouetted against the bright purple and pink Cerinian sky, was his father, grinning sheepishly.

Deep breath,

THE END

Published Easter Sunday, 2015.

Closing Author's Notes: Well, there you have it. I had promised a plot-twist since I published the very first chapter of The Anomaly Collapses, but now that I've finished the story, I'm not sure which one that was. There were so many twists that just sorta happened; it could have been that the planet Cerinia wasn't destroyed, that James neverdied, that the Old Empire wiped themselves out on purpose, or that such a light-hearted comical story could kill off the entire main cast of characters within 3 chapters.

I had planned two sequel stories for this, to make it a trilogy, but that's out of the question now. I would much rather focus on finishing The Hunting Party. If you want to know what the two sequels would have been about, you can check out my profile page, where I detail some of their plots. As I effectively canceled the two sequels, there are a lot of loose ends left in TAC that will never be tied together or given closure. For instance, the giant war that James and the mysterious character Black were preparing Fox for.

The chapter is titled "The Choice" Because both Fox and myself faced the same problem; whether to have Fox stay with his dad in Limbo, or have him move to a timeline where everything turned out better as I originally had planned. I had two different versions of this chapter that I could have posted, but I decided on this one, as it felt like the more complete ending.

At the moment, I actually have gone back and glanced over a couple of the early chapters and had a good laugh, both at the jokes and at the bad writing. I enjoyed them so much that I feel like going back and at least touching them up, though a complete rewrite is out of the question. Really, I've spent enough time on this story. I'll probably just add the little dividing gaps at scene changes, as I couldn't figure out how to do that for awhile, combine some of the shorter chapters, and split up some of the longer chapters to make them more manageable to read.

A big thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed this story, especially those of you who stuck with it from the beginning. Without you, I never would have continued writing on this site. If you want more, you can check out my other stories and wait for more to come. If you enjoyed this story, I'd like to point you to another story that has rather similar overarching theories about the Lylat System, is MUCH better written, and doesn't receive enough attention anymore; Star Fox, Chaos Effect, by Vexed.

So, I'd love to hear your closing thoughts on TAC. I admit, the story started out bad, but it gradually got better. It kinda had to over two years of writing and 140,000+ words. It's been a long time, but I finally have to put this story down. So, I'd like to hear any final comments you may have, and I'll hopefully see you all again in another story!

– Elarix