CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Forever Isn't Long At All

Once he was left alone outside, Marcus began aimlessly walking up the street. He didn't know where he was going or why he was going there, but he knew that he didn't feel like going home just yet.

The event of the past day were truly starting to make him anxious for the future. Coyote was gone and he promised that he would never take another woman, but would he be happy that way? Perhaps. Perhaps not…no. Definitely not. Not as happy as he was with Coyote, anyway.

"It's just like she said, though." he reminded himself. "I have to carry on."

He looked up at the night sky, the moon and the stars shining above him. Now there was only one thing that could pass his lips.

"So what now?"

A decent question. What would he do now? It was just like Damalgo had said. The disbandment of Star Fox had opened the door to endless opportunities for him. He could get a new and far less dangerous job. Granted, it wouldn't pay nearly as much, but did that really matter?

"Let's see…what am I good at?" he pondered, continuing to walk though remaining in deep thought.

He was a good runner and gymnast. Joining the Universal Olympics certainly wasn't out of the question. He'd won an F-Zero race, so turning that into a full career wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, Captain Falcon became a household name because of it. In fact, maybe Chase's fallback idea of joining a major league basketball team wasn't a bad one…well, it was a bad one for Chase considering most basketball players on Corneria were nearly seven feet tall and Chase hadn't broken 5'5", but Marcus figured that he could certainly get into it.

Marcus smirked. Everything he had just come up with would require him to be active and outdoors a lot, but why would he have it any other way? He wouldn't be caught dead in some boring office job, typing things about God-knew-what or he-didn't-care.

Then he thought of something else. Why not be a writer? With a mind like his, coming up with a fantastic story would be easy. In fact, why not start with an autobiography? After the horrors and tragedies he went through, someone would definitely eat it up.

He grimaced and shook his head before smirking.

"Nah. I think you need to be at least sixty before you can do that."

The writer bit did seem like a good idea. Now all he needed was inspiration. What kind of things inspired him to do great things? His friends and family? His acts of heroism? Or…something more? The things that he and others felt like happiness, anger, depression…and love.

He stopped walking when there was a small light out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards it and saw water down the kill he now stood on, the moonlight reflecting off of it. Though this place was well known and considered beautiful by everyone who lived in the city, it meant something special to Marcus.

He had arrived at Crescent Moon Lake, the place where Fox had asked Krystal to marry him. He could remember only being here once in his entire life, and it was when he strayed off-course when he and his parents went biking together when he was four. When his parents finally found him looking out in wonder at the beautiful lake, the fond memories flooded back to them and they were quick to share them with Marcus.

"Time really does fly by, doesn't it? It's been sixteen years and this place is still as wonderful as I remember it."

He slowly proceeded down the hill and to the lake. He looked down into the water and gazed into the eyes of his reflection. For whatever reason, he was compelled to stretch his arm out.

"Just one more time…I have to try."

He tensed up and tried to make the water move up towards him. He even tried closing his eyes and straining his face as hard as he could. Nothing happened. He sighed. He really had lost his powers. He smiled.

"I'm just an average twenty-year old fox now, huh?"

Not that it was a bad thing. He kind of liked it. It gave people less of a reason to stare at him in awe or hold him in high regard. He wanted to be normal, and mixed with today's events he felt like a brand new person.

He took off his shoes and lowered his bare feet into the cool water. It felt good against his skin. Twenty-two years ago, Fox and Krystal stood in these waters and had vowed to be by each other's sides for as long as they would live. After all that time, they showed no signs of slowing it down. Marcus looked up into the sky again, not knowing whether he was just looking at the stars or searching for his true love up in Heaven where she belonged after all she had been through.

They had never been more far apart than now, but she was with him in spirit. That was all that mattered.

Marcus yawned and was about to get up, call it a night and go home when he heard something off in the distance. His ears pricked up, waiting for the sound to ring out again. When it did, his heart skipped a beat. It was a ghostly howl. A wolf's howl.

"AWOOooOOooOOOO!"

He was greatly confused at first, but the more he analyzed it, the more he realized something. That howl sounded very familiar. It sounded almost like…

"Coyote?!"

He got up, slipped his shoes back on and started running toward the source of the howl. If there was any remote possibility that the howl had come from Coyote, he needed to see it for himself. He didn't care how illogical it was. He had watched Coyote die right in front of him…he had been the reason she died…and he had met her in his mind to say a true goodbye. Despite all that evidence working against him, he needed to see what was going on.

When he finally reached the source, it was far from what he had expected. It obviously wasn't Coyote, but it was surprisingly Scott, sitting with his legs hanging off the edge of the cliff. The howl had sounded so similar to his sister's that Marcus could barely tell the difference.

The second Marcus stepped forward and the grass crunched beneath his feet, Scott looked over his shoulder.

"Mark? Wha…what are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Scott stood up and bit his lip.

"Well, I…umm…"

Marcus noticed that Scott's eyes continued to shift to the side. Following them, Marcus could see that they were standing in the graveyard where Coyote had been buried a few hours ago. In fact, they were standing directly behind the grave.

"I just…" Scott continued to stammer.

"Shouldn't you be back home on Fortuna?"

"My mom and dad are staying in a hotel here for a few days…they decided that they want me to start going to school here in September."

"That's great! You'll get to meet some new friends!"
"Yeah, but I…I…"

He mumbled something that Marcus couldn't hear.

"What?" asked Marcus.

Scott mumbled again, and upon seeing that Marcus once again hadn't heard him, he said it normally."
"I lost one of the best friends I ever had."

Marcus didn't even need to think about, for the second Scott had finished saying that, he rushed forward and tearfully hugged Marcus.

"I miss her, Mark." he sobbed. "I miss her so much."

Marcus got down on one knee and returned the embrace. Whatever pain Marcus was feeling from the loss of Coyote, he now remembered that Scott had it much worse. That was his older sister that he had lost. That was a member of his family who probably loved her more than Marcus ever could.

"I miss her, too, Scott."

"Mark…is Coyote dead because of me?"

"What?"

Scott looked up at Marcus with bloodshot eyes filled with the utmost sadness.

"I said so many meant things to her before she left and…now I'll never get to say that I'm sorry."

Marcus gently placed his hands on Scott's shoulders and looked sternly into his eyes.

"Scott, Coyote's death was not your fault. Don't think that even for a second. If anything, it was mine. Trust me when I say that Coyote doesn't hate you. She loves you as much as a sister could."

"H-how do you know?"

He couldn't just say that he had seen Coyote's spirit. Scott either wouldn't believe him or he'd get overemotional again.

"Just trust me. She's in a better place now, and she loves you even more now than she ever did before…in fact, she asked me to give this to you."

Marcus dug the necklace out of his pocket and handed it to Scott, who stood there looking at it in wonder for a brief moment. Luckily it was the kind of necklace that would look good on a boy, otherwise he would have thought Marcus was trying to make fun of him for crying.

"I gave this to Coyote on that last big date we have…and right before she passed, she asked me to give it to you."

"But…why?"

Marcus smiled.
"She treasured this because I gave it to her. If she would give it to you, that could only me she treasured you even more."

Scott sniffled once more before donning the necklace. Marcus smiled ever more.

"It looks good on you. I suspect it'll look even better once you get into high school."

Scott laughed slightly.

"Yeah…I guess so."

Scott let out a surprised yelp when Marcus suddenly seized him, but laughed again when he saw that he had been lifted onto the young McCloud's shoulders.

"And remember, Scott. If you ever need help with anything, you've got me."

Scott smiled.

"Thank you, Mark…for being here or even in my life at all."

"Don't mention it. Now what do you say we get you back to your parents?"

The two boys departed from the lake, satisfied in knowing that their spirits had been lifted even for just a minute. Marcus may have lost Coyote, but he would make sure that Scott grew up to live a good and happy life.

What neither of them noticed was the small light that had descended upon Coyote's grave.

After walking for several minutes to the Megaplex Hotel on the other side of the city, Scott had fallen fast asleep, forcing Marcus to piggyback him the rest of the way. He didn't mind, though. He actually savoured it. Scott was one of the closest things he had to a brother, so he needed to be taken care of just like all the other things that meant something to him. It felt almost like he had his own child on his back. He'd be there for him when he needed him and would watch over him when the time came for him to set out on his own.

Scott certainly had his whole life ahead of him, but he was certainly growing up fast. He was strong and brave just like the people who created him, and they couldn't be any more proud of him for that.

Marcus looked up and spotted someone walking by on the street. Up until this point, he and Scott had been completely alone, which was very odd considering that they were in the capital city of Corneria and were nowhere near the slums of it. It also didn't help that the person was wearing an all-black getup and had their face hidden in the hoodie of their sweater.

Though he didn't like the look of this character, Marcus pressed on, doing his best to keep his eyes forward, but he could feel the figure's stare as though they were burning holes into the back of his head. Then the figure spoke.

"Shouldn't that little boy already be in bed?"

Marcus stopped. He didn't turn around. The voice was female and eerily familiar, though he wasn't able to identify it. He grunted.

"He missed his sister, so he went to visit her." he replied.

"Where is his sister?"

"Dead."

"You seem a little reluctant to say that? Were the two of you close?

Marcus sighed and smiled meekly.

"Yeah. Thicker than thieves if that makes any sense."

The figure chuckled.

"Not really, but I get the idea. So you were more than close. You were in love."

"Yeah…it's kinda funny how far I was willing to take it really."

"Define funny."

Marcus sucked in a breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He wasn't even considering how odd telling this to a stranger might be. He just wanted to say it out loud…just so someone could hear him.

"Funny as in if I got the chance…I'd ask her to marry me."

He looked down at his feet.

"But it's too late for that now. I have to carry on. Maybe…maybe even meet another woman."

"Oh, don't do that. Then she might come back to haunt you."

"She said herself it was alright."
"Well, what if she was joking just to make you feel better?"

"She's even more of a sweetheart than I could have ever bargained for."

The figure smirked under her hood and placed one hand on her hip.

"Y'know, Mark, I was wondering when you were going to bring up the possibility of marriage in front of me."

"Wha…no way!"

He finally turned around just in time to see her strip away the black clothing, revealing a flowing wedding gown underneath it. His heart skipped a beat yet again and a single tear of joy leaked from his eye when he saw the figure's face.

"COYOTE!"

Coyote smiled and rushed into Marcus' open arms.

"Yeah, Mark….I'm back."

"But how? I…I watched you die right in front of me."

She looked at him with a warm smile that only she could pull off and looked up at the sky.

"Let's just say that a certain four ancestors of yours wanted to say 'Happy birthday'."

"Wow…best birthday present ever right here."
"Tell me about it."

Marcus gently nudged the still-sleeping Scott.

"Hey. Scott, wake up. Someone's here to see you."

Scott stirred awake and Marcus gently lowered him onto his feet. The young O'Donnell rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and upon seeing his sister, his mouth dropped open before he rushed to her.

"SIS! YOU'RE BACK!"

"For good this time, little brother."

"Umm…about those things I said before you…"

Coyote got on her knees and stroked Scott's cheek.

"Forget about it. It's in the past. What matters is right now, and right now I couldn't be any happier to see you."

She looked down at his neck and grinned.

"I see Mark gave you your little gift, huh?"
"Yeah…does it look good on me?"

"Of course. Even it doesn't now, it will when you get into high school…did Mark already say that?"
"Yeah. He…he said a lot to make me feel better."

Coyote smiled up at Marcus.

"Did he now? Like what?"

"Like how you love me as much as a sister possibly could."
"And what would give him the idea of that?"

Marcus smiled and crossed his arms.

"I'd say experience. You and Anne are a real hassle sometimes."

"Hey, Mark?" said Scott. "What did you say about you and Coyote getting married?"

"That? I'd ask her if I got the chance."

"Then ask her!"

"Whoa, hold on there, buddy. People don't get married when they're twenty…at least, they shouldn't. We're not gonna rush it."
"But if you hold it off too long, you'll forget about it."

Marcus looked at Coyote and sighed happily.

"Don't worry, Scott. I won't forget about her. I never will."

It seemed like the two were about to come in for a kiss when they heard voices from far away.

"Goddammit, Mark, there you are!" Anna called. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Your mom and dad sent us out to look for you when you didn't…" Peter started, but stopped when he saw what was going on. "Bloody hell, Coyote's a fucking zombie!"

"Hey, easy on the language, Pete!" Coyote said in a snarky tone. "There's a kid listening!"

The entire team crowded around them, demanding to know what had happened. Anna had even gone as far to ask Coyote what Heaven was like, to which she responded "It's a secret." Before long, it seemed that the parents had gotten worried as the Toads, Lombardis, Greys, O'Donnells, and eventually McClouds turned up, all surprised and overjoyed to see Coyote very much alive. Lori was in hysterics yet again, hugging and kissing her daughter for minutes on end while Wolf stood back with a smile on his face. Once the crowd had died down, Fox and Krystal walked up to Marcus.

"Somewhere up there, your grandparents are really smiling down on you." chuckled Fox. "So it's a happy ending after all, huh, sport?"

Marcus smiled.
"What are you talking about, Dad? This isn't an end."

He looked around at all of them.

"This is a new beginning for all of us. The team and I will try new things, meet new people, and we'll still keep our families safe."

"We'll live among those we've strived to protect over the years." said Coyote. "We'll be average citizens. Average everyday heroes striving to make the world a better place."

Krystal smiled as she spoke.

"And most importantly, wherever we go and whatever we do, we'll do everything together. We're not just bands of mercenaries or soldiers."

Everyone smiled and joined her in saying the final line, lifting their spirits sky-high.

"We're a family."

So, what happened after that?

The team did precisely what they had promised to do. They all went their separate ways in terms of career, each vastly different but all keeping them on Corneria to stay together.

Chase became Corneria's highest paid doctor, developing treatments almost unheard of for diseases that supposedly had no cure. In the theme of her old Arwing, Anna formed a punk rock band known as Greyhound Sector, of which she was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist.

Peter opened his own auto shop which eventually developed into a car manufacturing company, partnering with Earth's General Motors and becoming a household name upon assisting in developing the Chevrolet Radiant Dawn. Damalgo became a renowned language teacher, teaching Corneria's primary languages of English, Spanish, and Japanese. Rumour has it that he actually married one of his students.

Coyote made her mark a photographer for the Cornerian Mail newspaper. Her photographs were so critically praised that many of them, including some paintings she made, were displayed in both Corneria's Lylatian Art Archives and Earth's Louvre Museum. As for Marcus, he became a motion capture artist and story writer for Nintendo of Corneria, and even managed to become a key producer for Monolith Soft. His first project: "Super Smash Bros. Armageddon".

Corneria and Cerinia cooperated perfectly in the diplomatic ties. Though Cerinia conserved its culture in the decision to remain primitive, a gateway was opened between the two worlds so that the citizens of either one could come and go as they pleased. Many goods were traded, but most importantly were the social bonds. Many Cornerians and Cerinians made close friends, and sometimes even enjoyed blissful marriages.

Speaking of marriages, why don't we get to what you folks have been waiting to hear about?

Four years after Coyote returned from the dead, a triple wedding took place in front of Crescent Moon Lake. The brides and grooms: Chase and Anna, Peter and Susan, and of course Marcus and Coyote. The last couple in particular had their honeymoon on Cerinia were they were still hailed as heroes after even all that time. Their love took them far and brought more and more wonders as it went on.

And sure enough, Marcus finally saw the day when he looked into the eyes of a newborn child…

…a child he could call his own.

They say that seeing is believing, so why should the story end there? They who risked life and limb for one another...what does eternity hold for them? Why don't we see for ourselves?

Unfortunately, that's gonna have to wait until next time.

Just to let you know, I do read the reviews of the story and...wow. Some of you guys really like Coyote, eh? At least now I won't get the same reaction the people gave to the new Devil May Cry game...and what I meant by that is you guys aren't going to spam me with death threats which I won't even take seriously. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's the way the world is today, I'm afraid. Call this the triumph of popular demand.

You're welcome. ;)

Sad, isn't it? Seeing this story on its home stretch, I mean. In any case, that perfectly satisfying ending I promised may or may not take a while. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we? ZombieAxeHero signing out.

SOUNDTRACK SO FAR

Krystal's nightmare/"Save her..."- "Parabola" by Mer (Originally by Tool)

Marcus versus Coyote (friendly)- "Name of the Game" by the Crystal Method

F-Zero race- "F-Zero Medley" by Entertainment System

Space pirate attack- Space pirate theme from Metroid Prime

Ridley- Ridley's theme from Metroid: Other M

Falcon takes down Ridley- "The Meaning of truth" by Hiro-X

The date- Ilia's theme from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Coyote versus the shadows- "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson

The star Lylat- Magmoor Caverns theme from Metroid Prime

Marcus and Fox/Marcus and Chase- "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Fox versus Kursed- "Du Hast" by Rammstein

Marcus and Coyote versus Nightmare- Nightmare's theme from Metroid Fusion (ArcX version)

The Nightstriker- "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath

The death of Commander Dane- "Mad World" by Gary Jules

The prisoners of Kew- Byelomorye Dam from Goldeneye 64

Escape from Sargasso- "Hard to See" by Five Finger Death Punch

Marcus and Wolf versus Master Hand and Crazy Hand- Final Destination from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

To Cerinia- "Laser Cannon Deth Sentence" by Dethklok

Aileen- "Working Class Hero" by Green Day (Originally by John Lennon)

The slaves- "Forgotten Children" by Tokio Hotel

Aileen's sorrow- "Narcissistic Cannibal" by EarlyRise (Originally by Korn and Skrillex)

Marcus and Aileen- "Name" by the Goo Goo Dolls

Aileen versus Aphrodite/Marcus versus Malice- "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage (suggested by ianagainstcliffhangers. Thanks, man!)

The river Styx- "Where the River Flows" by Collective Soul

Marcus versus Coyote (infected)- "Mermaids" by Xandria

Coyote's death- Laura Palmer's theme from Twin Peaks

Marcus versus Kursed- "Magia" by Kalafina

Krystal versus Kursed- "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence

Engaging the final beacon- "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin

"I give up..."- "Leaving Hope" by Nine Inch Nails

Escape from the Echo- "Awake and Alive" by Skillet (another one suggested by ianagainstcliffhangers. Thanks again, man!)

The final battle: Marcus Alpha versus Kursed Omega- "The Beginning" by ONE OK ROCK

The sun finally rises- "Calling to the Night" from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Kursed's sad and lonely end- "Watch Me Bleed" by Scary Kids Scaring Kids

"Farewell, my love."- "Iridescent" by Linkin Park

Coyote's funeral- "In the Morning Light" by Yanni

Star Fox is no more- "Highway of Heroes" by the Trews

"So what now?"- "Negative Space" by Senses Fail

A happy ending after all- "Second Chance" by Shinedown (Originally I was gonna use "Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickelback, but seeing as they're labelled the Worst Band in the World...yeah, I figured you guys wouldn't be very happy about it.)