Star Fox Equestria

by Pronche

Healing and Stories

Fox hissed in pain when the bandage touched his left upper arm and was wrapped around on the injury by a yellow hoof. He felt like a hundred needles had pierced his arm at the same time. And honestly, it wasn't something you'd like to feel everyday...but the orange mercenary was better than that.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I should have been more careful." said Fluttershy's soft voice, lowering her head to the ground and slightly afraid that Fox could be mad at her or yell in anger because of her mistake.

His right hand stopped writing and he turned his head in direction of the yellow pegasus, a small smile on his face. Fortunately, she was kind enough to escort back the three fillies to their respective homes before taking care of Fox's injury. Contrary to what they thought, Fluttershy wasn’t that afraid of the bipedal vulpine but still cautious of how he could react.

"Don't worry, you didn't do purposely and to tell you the truth, I had far worse than this. It's just a scratch for someone like me. I'm not angry at all."

"It's strange that you use the term someone rather than somepony." inquired Twilight, sitting in a chair and looking at the scene in front of her while her assistant, a green and purple dragon named Spike, was cleaning the bookshelves.

"It's the way we talk where I'm coming from."

"About that, could you tell us what you are and describe your world? I’m rather curious to hear your story."

While saying this, her horn glowed purple, she put a notepad and a quill in front of her, ready to write everything he was about to say. She smiled widely and let out a ‘squee’. A sigh escaped the mercenary's muzzle in response to her childish curiosity and he shook his head in defeat.

"The Princess didn't told you who I am?"

"She gave a physical description of you but stayed vague about why you're here."

"Well, since I have some time to spare before receiving my next orders from your ruler, I'll give you the how and why I'm here. For the safety of your country, it's best if you don't divulge it to the populace. Since you're the Element of Magic, I trust you with this."

During the next half-hour, he continued to write his report, let Spike send it with his magical flame, something which was completely unbelievable for him, and explained everything that happened the last few days. He also told them about his origins and what kind he job he was doing before.

"Wait!" said Twilight, understanding the situation. "You're in Ponyville because of the magical disturbance from the moon I felt a few days ago! You think this black mist which created the King Timberwolf has something to do with it?"

"I don't know… if it's the case, we have to be prepared to meet it again and destroy it before it could do any real damaged to Equestria or the world. I've spend a full day in the Royal Library to search any evidence about who would try to mess up with the moon. The only powerful being I think capable of doing this is 'The Nightmare' but I could be wrong. Discord is reformed, the Changelings are in peace with Equestria and Sombra is….are you sure he's definitively gone? He doesn't have any real connections with the moon but he can take the appearance of a fog. That could give us the identity of who I've fought in the forest."

This time, it was Spike's turn to answer.

"I'm sure! I saw his defeat with my own eyes!"

"Okay, so we only have one suspect at the moment."

Needless to say, the two mares were surprised to hear the possibility of the Nightmare's return after all this time. The dragon, who was tall in comparison with the ponies (4'8") but still shorter than Fox, was a little angered by this and also too eager to fight if the suspicions about the evil creature were true. The orange vulpine chuckled at this. This little guy reminded him a lot Tricky. After living with the prince for a few weeks, he was certain that some parts of their personalities were alike.

After this, the pegasus excused herself and left the library, explaining she had to take care of a few sick animals. Fox thanked her for healing his wound.

“She’s the Element of Kindness, it’s completely normal after all.”

“I don’t agree with you. Despite the fact it’s her element, she still have to be thanked. I’ll give you an example: Fluttershy and someone else help the same person, or pony if you prefer. And said pony only thank the second person but not Fluttershy, do you think it’s normal?”

“Not at all!”

Fox smiled and crossed his arms.

“So, in my case, I corrected the mistake made in the example. Do you understand now?”

Twilight nodded and opened her mouth to reply when the mercenary cut her off.

“You know, by hearing what you and your friends did… you remind me when I was younger. I don’t say I’m old but I used to be a leader, ready to accept every mission proposed by the government, whatever were the risks for me or my friends. But I stopped this kind of activity.”

The ease he had to suddenly change the topic of discussion was rather disturbing for the librarian.

“Why don't you do it anymore? What happened to make you change your mind?”

“I grew up. I learned that some things are not worth doing it. Especially if the possibilities of losing my teammates is greater than accomplish the mission. I may be only thirty years old but I’ve seen and lived a lot of events.”

“Wow, that’s deep.” replied Spike, surprised by the wisdom in Fox’s words.

“I’m just speaking from personal experience, nothing else. You’ll do the same when you’ll see all the things the world has to offer. Every friend I've met, every fight I had, every loss I've mourned. It changed me into who I am today.”

A short silence settled into the room before Twilight broke it, a slight hurry and shame in her voice.

"I'm sorry for not asking sooner but would you like a cup of tea, Fox? I hope you're okay with me calling you by your name."

The ex-leader shrugged.

"I prefer coffee but I'm not against tea…and I don't mind, if I can do the same with you, Twilight."

He put two fingers on his chin and began scratching, lost in his thoughts. "You know what? For once, screw coffee!"

For the first time in years, he laughed. It wasn't a laugh which sounded wrong. No, this one was coming from the heart. The warmth coming from this simple gesture was rather pleasant. It had been a long time since he acted like this.

Before the unicorn could move, Spike walked in direction of the kitchen.

"I'm on it, Twi."

Her horn glowed purple and she teleported in front of the young dragon, a small and almost motherly smile on her face.

"I can do it myself and besides, you could talk with Fox. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

The drake reluctantly nodded and walked back in the main room before sitting on one of the chairs.

"So…Spike, I suppose you have some interesting adventures to tell? Care to share them with me?"

A big grin grew on his face.

The next ten minutes were spent in resuming what happened during the Dragon Migration and how he saved the Crystal Empire from Sombra's reign. Twilight came back from the kitchen with two cups of tea and gave one of them to Fox with her magic. The vulpine nodded as a 'thank you' gesture and continued to listen to Spike's tale, quietly. When he stopped talking, the ex-leader blinked a few times.

"Well, it's seems you lived a fascinating and dangerous adventure, I don't think I could have done everything you did."

"It wasn't a big deal, really."

"It was Spike. You faced your worst fear, something I couldn't have the courage to do. Yes, I had to pass the test of fear to retrieve the Krazoa Spirit but it wasn't as bad as you."

The dragon and the purple pony looked at him, surprised.

"What's your worst fear, Fox? What are you afraid of?"

A defeated sigh escaped his muzzle.

"Leave the living world alone, without my friends by my side. We've gone through a lot of things together and I want to see them a last time before giving my final breath."

The duo didn't say anything, letting an awkward silent settle in the room. Deep inside their hearts, they knew they feared the same thing than him, especially since they arrived at Ponyville. Twilight and Spike met a lot of friends during the last four years, each of them holding a special place in them. So, in a way, they knew what he was feeling right now.

Fortunately, the unicorn directed the discussion to another topic.

"Earlier, you mentioned someone called Rob, who is it?"

Immediately, the vulpine's behavior changed and a small smile appeared on his muzzle.

"ROB is a robot, created by my father but not completed when he died. To put it simply, a robot is a creature made of metal and can have the physical appearance of someone, like me, but without the fur and the emotions."

"Like a drone?"

"Yeah, it fit the description."

"Back to the question, ROB was the only member of the team still with me after the Anglar Wars. His job is to control my mothership and provide me with information when I'm on a mission. Ah, he can also send a vehicle if I'm on the ground or a bomb for my Arwing if my lasers are not enough to take care of my foes."

"I still have some difficulties to think all of this is real. The mere fact we're not the only sentient beings in the universe is a big step for the science! If we create an exchange program, we could learn a lot from each other; think of all the possibilities if we mix your technology and our magic!"

Fox couldn't help but laugh. Twilight was acting like a child on her birthday, waiting for the permission to open her gifts.

"I agree with you but we could talk about it later, no need to rush things."

"Sorry." The lavender mare lightly blushed and looked at the ground. "I have the habit to become ecstatic when it involves books, magic or science. Or all of them at the same time."

"Don't be. I wouldn't act differently if I was in your position."

Before they could continue their discussion, Spike opened his maw and belched. A green flame escaped from it and a parchment popped in the air. Twilight took it in her magic and opened it. After two seconds, she gave it to Fox. Apparently, it was for him.

Dear Fox McCloud,

I’m happy to learn you accomplished your mission without a hitch and I hope your wound don’t incapacitate you too much. Despite that good news, your report about this ‘black fog’ is worrying us. It is unfortunate that you couldn't follow it but you had somepony’s life in your paws and it was your main objective at the moment. So I completely understand your choice. If you want, you’re allowed to stay at Ponyville to make the acquaintance of Twilight’s friends or go back to the Castle. Whatever you choose, reply to this letter and if it's the latter, I'll send a chariot.

Seal of the Co-Ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia

"What are you going to do?" asked Twilight.

The ex-leader shrugged.

"I think I'll stay here for the moment. I'm going to work with you and your friends so… the best thing to do is introduce me to them."

"It's not going to be as awkward as with Fluttershy, I promise."

He laughed. "Don't worry, I trust you Twilight."

Comments

[Sean Retro]

"It's not going to be as awkward as with Fluttershy, I promise."

What about Pinkie?

[shinigamisparda]

You know, I thought I'd be a bit annoyed that there isn't that much action right now, but I'm actually enjoying it. It's very interesting to see a contemplative, even strung out veteran Fox. Keep it up.

[ZeroChill]

Again, I love how you showed just how mature Fox has aged in mind as a progression into the Star Fox series. The fact that he was humble enough to praise Spike for his adventures rather than gloat in a snarky like he would have done in 64 is proof of this.

[Pronche]

4294312 You'll see

4294375 Don't worry, there'll be some action soon. It's a StarFox story after all!

4294945 He's aging and after all the adventures he lived, I think it's completely normal than he become wiser and less cocky. He was acting like this in Assault (Fichina and Corneria missions are very good example) but he can stay a little bold and brave from time to time.

[ZeroChill]

4298635

And this is why I love the story so far.

[Orion Light]

Hmm...good work.