//------------------------------// // First Cooldown // Story: My Own Wings // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Fox disembarked from his Ar-Wing, he found Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Krystal, and Sunset waiting for him. Before anyone could say anything to him, he strode up and pulled Krystal and Sunset into a tight embrace. This surprised Krystal and pleased Sunset, as it was several moments after Sunset started returning the embrace that Krystal did so. "Already celebrating, Fox?" Falco suggested teasingly. "Not now," Fox responded flatly, struggling to keep the emotion from his voice as he finally released Krystal, Sunset having crawled out of the embrace and onto his shoulders to wrap her legs loosely around his neck while lightly gripping his ears to hold herself on for the 'Pony Ride!' she started screaming for. Falco bridled at Fox's tone, but Peppy spoke up before he could say anything. "What happened down there, Fox?" he asked worriedly. "I...I saw Dad..." Everyone fell silent at that admission. Krystal bit her lip as she glanced away. Slippy hung his head. Falco's ire cooled as his gaze became sympathetic. Sunset hugged Fox's head tightly. It was Peppy, looking stricken and wan, who finally managed to speak. "He...he's..." "I'd just defeated Andross," Fox explained softly. "He decided to take me out with him, setting off chains of explosions through the planet to destroy me. I thought I was done for...and then I heard Dad, telling me to never give up." He looked up at Peppy, his eyes dewy. "I saw his fighter, leading the way out ahead of the explosions. I...I saw him on the commlink. He spoke to me...gave me advice. He said...he was proud of me. And...and just before we made it out of the planet, his fighter vanished. His last words..." He felt his throat lock from the sadness. "He said he may be gone...but he's always with me..." Peppy closed his eyes tightly, trying his best to hold back his tears. He'd always known the chances that James could still be alive were next to nothing, but some part of him had still held onto hope. Now, with James' goodbye to his son, he felt that hope dying as he was forced to truly say farewell to his oldest friend... "Utzum..." Krystal murmured softly. "Hmm?" Fox asked curiously. "It's...it's a legend of my people," Krystal explained. "Of warriors so dedicated to the protection of their kin...that in death their spirits became anchored to their descendants, watching over them forever and even appearing to them in moments of imminent death, either to help them survive or - if impossible - guide them gently into the next world." She shook her head in wonder. "I...no actual instance of it had ever been recorded in our history...but he's speaking the truth. He may be gone...but his spirit is always with you." Fox smiled softly, raising one hand up to gently brush Sunset's mane. She nuzzled into his head happily. Slippy cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, we should probably do some maintenance and repairs now," he managed to say. "No telling what stuck to the ships from Venom and who knows where else. Don't want Sunset getting sick from anything we brought back, or anything like that." "Yeah, that's a good idea..." Peppy began carefully, latching onto the mundanity to hold back the whirling emotions. "Communication from General Pepper!" Rob announced from the bridge. "Full crew please report to the bridge!" "Right!" Fox confirmed, immediately turning to rush to the bridge. He was definitely worried about something else going wrong now. Why else was General Pepper engaging a real-time communication at this distance. It was expensive and tough on the systems. When the entire group reached the bridge, General Pepper's visage appeared via holo-projection to address them all. "Team Star Fox," he greeted formally, "first and foremost I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations and the gratitude of the entire Lylat System for your efforts in this conflict. You proved instrumental in every battle against Andross and his forces, and I can honestly say that without your efforts we would have been helpless before him. It was a real treat to watch you in action, Fox McCloud. I can honestly say you are every inch your Father's son, and the team you have assembled is - if anything - even more impressive than it was under his leadership. I am certain he is proud of you. We are in your debt." Fox managed a smile. "Thank you, General," he greeted, warmly but stiffly. "It was our pleasure to assist. Lylat is our home too." He hesitated. "But somehow I don't think that's all you called to say. If it were, it would have been a burst message with an invitation for a formal event, as you did with Dad." "You are correct," General Pepper confirmed, his expression turning somewhat dour as his gaze flicked downward, plainly glancing at reports. "As much as I am pleased you saved us all...some concern has arisen given the nature of your performance. Specifically, events on Corneria, Katina, and Titania, and the demonstration of...certain weapons technology." "Katina and Titania...you're talking about the Main Mana Cannon," Slippy deduced. "But we didn't use it on Conreria. We'd never unleash that level of devastation anywhere near inhabited space." "While this...Main Mana Cannon is something I wish to discuss," Pepper agreed, "the events I refer to on Corneria are in regard to your fighter's...defensive systems? At least, I presume that's what it was..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "As well as...a gravity weapon?" As Fox and the others looked at each other in confusion, Krystal groaned. "You mean the enemy drone that split in half with no explanation, and the manned battle cruiser that was crushed to bits?" she clarified. "Indeed," General Pepper confirmed. "What technology did that?" Fox groaned softly. "...General Pepper, can I trust you to be discreet regarding the explanation?" Pepper frowned. "I'll be as discreet as I can manage, but I need to file some sort of report...especially about new weaponry technology at this scale." Fox and the others exchanged thoughtful glances. Eventually, Falco shrugged. "You're her Dad," he whispered so Pepper wouldn't hear. "It's up to you." "You can trust General Pepper," Peppy confirmed firmly. "Don't doubt it." Nodding, Fox turned back to the General. "General...this is my adopted daughter, Sunset Shimmer," he introduced. Sunset waved happily from her spot on Fox's shoulders and atop his head. "She did it." "I...beg your pardon?" Pepper asked in confusion. "Sunset Shimmer is gifted with magic on - relative to the rest of the known universe - a massive scale," Krystal explained quickly. "This enables her to manipulate the fabric of reality in ways that physics normally doesn't allow for." "Such as causing an enemy drone to split in half by drawing a line through it with a glowing finger on a view screen," Slippy pointed out. "Or playing the 'I am crushing your head' game and having the ship actually get crushed," Falco added in a joking tone. "Is...that why she's glowing so brightly?" Pepper asked curiously. "No, that's because we're in close proximity to Solaar," Krystal explained. "She has a fire affinity, so being so close to such a huge source of heat and flame drastically boosts her magic's reach and output." "I...see," Pepper allowed nervously. "Well, I'm not about to get between a child with that kind of power and her perceived parents, especially not when said parents are system wide heroes. That would be suicide politically and literally. Though I can't say the same for the civilian authorities." He sighed gustily. "You have no idea the loopholes I had to jump through to give Peppy legal custody of you after James died, Fox. Bloody bureaucrats..." "Wait, you did what?" Fox asked in surprise. "Well, you were still a minor," Pepper pointed out logically. "Speaking of minors, how old is Sunset?" "We aren't sure exactly," Peppy offered calmly, "but Fox found her the day he learned about James' last mission." "So you've had her for three years?" Pepper concluded. "Definitely not interfering with that bond. But...did her having so much magic for that long...?" "There were some problems at first with just how much magic she generated," Krystal spoke up. "It's what led to me being hired as her nanny...only for her to decide I was her mother. The main issue was a magicless environment causing feedback loops as her body tried to reabsorb her own released magic while simultaneously stabilizing the magic levels of her environment...but once he was aware of the problem, Slippy was able to address it with his ACSU systems." "I'll show you the schematics in person," Slippy spoke up before Pepper could question. "And...well, pretty much everything else about the Great Fox and the Ar-Wings that's new can be traced to those systems, and trying to make use of all that excess magical energy." Pepper frowned worriedly. "...I'll need to see these schematics soon," he insisted firmly. "And figure out how to put it into a report without giving too many details. The last thing we need is the wrong people getting their hands on anything this potent..." Back in the hangar, a tiny fragment of metal slipped off Slippy's Ar-Wing. It bounced off the hanger floor and slipped down a vent before bouncing around inside the ship's walls. It briefly passed through an open ACSU conduit, receiving a small surge of magical energy before falling into a part of the ship that would not be charged magically for a long time. On the tiny piece of metal, a single eye opened, watching and waiting for its opportunity for revenge.