Chapter 15

Minutes later, the entire Phoenix Mansion was in shambles. It hurt Fox to even think about the dilapidated building, with Fara inside... He never really knew who she was.

Fox and Falco were still coughing from all the smoke in their Arwings. They were tired and depressed. There was nothing left to do...

Fox was still trying to recover from the shock of Fara's true identity. The smart, kind-hearted pilot he used to know had become a selfish, cold-hearted criminal. Fox could never forgive himself for losing Krystal...

He could only assume Krystal had been killed. Fara never said if she had killed Krystal or not, but where else could she be? Fox came to the grave assumption that his vendetta had been nothing but more pain...

"I'm sorry, Fox," Falco broke the dismal silence.

"It's not your fault..." Fox replied.

"I know," said Falco. "I just wanted the best for my friend..."

"Thanks, Falco," Fox said. "I just thought I could be satisfied when I found Krystal's kidnapper... Nothing seemed to work out in the end."

They continued to fly their Arwings silently back to Corneria. Why couldn't something have gone right? Why did things have to turn out the way they did?

Fox reflected upon his quest. He thought after all he had been through, he would have been rewarded in some way. Discovering it was Fara's fault made everything seem worse. It wasn't love; it had been blind selfishness.

Fox thought about his final moments with her. He was so pained not only to find out she had taken Krystal, but she had been a different person. Then Fox thought back to the burning mansion.

He remembered something had felt very different when they left.

What was it...?

It was something to do with the environment...

Fox's eyes suddenly lit up as he remembered what was different: Krystal's Arwing was gone! Only the other ship was there when he and Falco left! Fox's face broke into a wide smile as his ship's monitor showed another Arwing following him home.

A/N: And so concludes what I consider my best story yet! After my third story, I went through a hiatus on FanFic. I'm truly grateful to say my support only grew a lot when I returned, and I'm so happy that I did! Having said that, I would like to thank: ShiverIntheLight, Lylat Legend, bryan mccloud, Troy Groomes, Calise Serana, Cpt. Fox, and Jedelas for all your support! I would also like to thank Cheesebomb30, for being a good friend even though he's been inactive for a while. Thanks again everyone, and I hope you enjoyed the story! :D