We've had to split the birthday party in two parts, because we have been keeping this chapter away for two weeks, and we should release it as a two-part chapter. Plus, the chapter is getting a bit too long to be one whole chapter.
CHAPTER 11
Tails' Birthday (Part 1)
Sonic and Mina had just left Meh Burger, after asking Mabelle if she could make a Victoria Sponge birthday cake for Tails' seventh birthday, which she kindly agreed to do, even if it was a last-minute thing. Right now, the blue hedgehog and mongoose girl were gathering up a few of their friends just outside of the much smaller fruit market, which was less stocked than what it currently was in the present time.
The people they gathered were Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Mike the Ox and Perci the Bandicoot, who had brought new villager Zooey along with her, as the two were doing some shopping, before Sonic called them over.
Sonic and Mina were now telling them about their last-minute plan to create a birthday party for Tails, as a way for them to make him feel better, after Sonic himself neglected his little brother over helping his girlfriend with the start of her music career. And fair to say, Amy was the first one to scold Sonic, like any other character would do.
"Sonic! How could you just easily forget about Tails' birthday?!" Amy scolded, clearly not happy after hearing what Sonic unintentionally did.
"Hey! I didn't mean to forget about his seventh birthday, alright?!" Sonic exclaimed, defensively, "I was helping Mina so much that I completely forget all about Tails and his birthday!"
"Helping Mina with what?" said Amy suspiciously.
"With ... her music," said Sonic uneasily.
"Hmph," pouted Amy, "I'll believe it when I see it."
Mike and Perci gave a quick glance at each other, sensing that something was going on with Amy. They knew that Sonic was with Mina, and he was really happy with being with the mongoose, but something felt a bit off with Amy at the moment, as she seemed to not like seeing Sonic with Mina.
Deciding to at least try and break up the slight argument the two hedgehogs were going through, Perci then spoke up.
"What should we get Tails for his birthday?" asked Perci, as she quickly tried to change the subject.
"Well, I wish I knew what to give him, but I don't really know him all that well yet," sighed Mina, then she turned to Sonic, "You know Tails better than anyone, Sonic, so I'm sure you could think of the perfect birthday gift."
Sonic was thinking of many different possibilities as to what he knew Tails would like. Then, one particular idea suddenly spiraled into his head. He knew it was something his little brother would love so much...
"I know just what to give Tails for his birthday!" he said as he stood up and turned to leave, "I shan't be long!"
With those words, he sped away, leaving a cloud of blue smoke in the restaurant as everyone simply watched dumbfounded.
"I wonder what he's up to?" asked Knuckles cluelessly.
"Your guess is as good as mine," sighed Amy sarcastically.
As Sonic sped off into the distance, Amy glared at him while no one was looking at her. She could feel her irritation getting ready to explode any day now. It would only be a matter of time before it was open for everyone to see.
"Okay, guys," said Mina, taking Amy's attention away from the blue cloud of smoke that Sonic had left behind, "We need to come up with some sort of plan to give Tails a birthday he'll never forget. So, does anybody have any ideas?"
"If we're going to surprise him, there's no better place to do it than his own house," suggested Perci.
"I was thinking we could add some disco in there," added Mike, "Personally, I'd like to see him dance, and I haven't had the chance to see it yet."
"Well, he only just learned to do it right just a short time ago," sighed Mina, "He's still getting it."
"Wait a minute," called Amy, "If we're gonna surprise Tails, then shouldn't someone get him to come out of the house for a while? We can't surprise him if he's still indoors."
"Well, you think you could take him out to practice some dancing?" asked Knuckles.
"I could, but to be honest, I need to give my dancing a break for a few days," sighed Amy, "And Mina's probably a better dancing teacher to Tails than I am. You saw how well she taught him at that dance not so long ago."
"Oh, Amy," blushed Mina, "It was kinda nothing that night, really."
"I guess someone else could take Tails out," said Knuckles, shrugging his shoulders uncertainly.
"I … I could … take him out," came a stuttering voice that surprised everyone, and they all turned to Zooey, shaking nervously.
"Really?" gasped Perci, "Are you sure you'd want to do that? I mean, you hardly know him at all."
"I'm s-sure," nodded Zooey, "I think it would … b-be a good way to … get to know … T-Tails … a little better."
"That's a great idea, Zooey!" beamed Perci, "Once you get to know Tails a little more, you might find that you have quite some things in common."
"Well then, I suppose the rest of you can set up the decorations and get the house ready once Tails leaves," said Mina.
"Knuckles and I can set up the decorations," said Amy.
"I'll go look for a nice disco ball," added Mike.
"Mina and I can go look for Sonic, … wherever he is, … and we'll shop for some birthday presents," said Perci.
"Does anyone have any suggestions for birthday presents?" asked Mina.
Amy, Knuckles and Perci quickly started flowing birthday present suggestions around. Mina wrote them all down on a piece of paper and hid it in her pocket.
"Okay, everyone," Mina announced, "Here's the plan: Tomorrow, we'll all arrive at Tails' house. Perci will come to the door and reintroduce Tails and Zooey to each other. Nobody else goes in until Perci gives the signal. Once Tails and Zooey are gone, we're going in."
"Got it!" said Knuckles.
"Alright! It's all settled!" said Perci.
"We'll rendezvous at Tails' house tomorrow," said Mike, "In the meantime, I'm gonna go look for a disco ball."
"Zooey and I are gonna head back to our street and get ready," said Perci, "I'm sure that everything will go as planned tomorrow."
"See you later, guys," said Mina.
"Bye!" they all said before they left the market place.
Once Mina turned back to Amy, she noticed that the hedgehog was glaring at her a bit. She immediately grew concerned for her, but also confused. Why would Amy be glaring at her in particular?
"Um, Amy? Are you feeling okay? You seem to have gotten very moody lately," the mongoose said with concern.
This made Amy stop glaring, as she didn't want to reveal the truth behind her recent mood swings.
"Uh, yeah, um, I'm okay," she stammered, "Just a little … frustrated with Sonic for forgetting about Tails' birthday. I can't believe he'd ever do that."
Mina didn't quite feel convinced, but it sounded like a valid excuse.
"Hmm, okay," she nodded, "Well, I guess that since Perci decided to head back home, I'd better go find Sonic and show him this list of birthday present suggestions. He could be shopping anywhere right now. See you guys tomorrow!"
With that, the mongoose sped off, leaving behind a cloud of purple smoke.
"Wow! She's fast!" said Knuckles admiringly.
Amy again glared at Mina as she disappeared into the town square. She desperately wanted to lash out at her for "stealing Sonic's heart from her," but with Tails' birthday being right around the corner, she knew that now was not the best time. She was so determined, however, to get back at the girl whom had beaten her to Sonic.
And before she could say a word about Mina Mongoose, Amy was then interrupted by Knuckles, who was about ready to go with his super speed. He was still wearing his mail job jacket and name tag, and he had his mail bag slung over his back. It looked like when he was called to meet up by Sonic and Mina, he was just on his ten-minute lunch break from his Mail Express service.
"Well, I'd better get back to my Mail Express service, Amy!" Knuckles said, hopping up and down on the spot, "I've had my lunch break and I must get the next mail delivery done for Dinsdale! See you later!"
And with that, Knuckles took off at speed, running from the middle of town and racing off back to the Post Office, leaving Amy behind in a cloud of dust. Amy coughed a bit from the dust and only glared to herself once more, thinking about Mina apparently 'stealing' Sonic from her, when of course, this wasn't true.
"Hmph..." Amy said to herself, "One day, Mina Mongoose will see just what happens when she takes away my Sonic from me."
Dusting herself off, Amy then walked off to go and find some decorations for the surprise birthday party for Tails' birthday tomorrow. However, Amy would later find herself reconsidering her thoughts much later on, and find that Mina was not really a bad person in her mind.
When the two got home, Perci and Zooey began making their plans to get Tails out of his house, in order to set up the special birthday party for his seventh. Although she was really nervous and had only seen Tails once or twice, Zooey was willing to spend a bit of time with Tails, at least until the party was ready for her to take Tails to see.
During this time as they were working on their idea, Perci taught Zooey how to be a little more brave in the public, as the bandicoot could see how really nervous Zooey was out in the public. It kind of reminded her of how Tails was nervous when he was young and out in public. Then, once they completed their plans, Perci then left to go and meet up with Mina and Sonic.
Knuckles carried out his 'Mail Express' duties for Dinsdale at the Post Office, while trying to think about a nice surprise for Tails for his birthday party, and Mike was looking around the town carefully to try and find a good quality disco ball for the mini disco for the party. There were many different designs, with one or two of them being broken and shattered, because of rough handling with its past owners.
Amy did eventually stop thinking about her jealousy of Mina for a temporary time, as she went looking for some party decorations to use for decorating Tails' home with for the party. All of these last-minute things were certainly taking the friends some hurrying times, but it was not pressuring them in the least, so that was a good thing.
As for Sonic, he eventually met up with Mina and Perci, and together the three of them went through the birthday list suggestions that their friends had listed their ideas on. As they went birthday shopping at a last minute's notice, their only thoughts were that Tails would really love the birthday surprise that he was going to get on the following next day.
The next morning...
The hours passed, and the night quickly went by as fast as Sonic and Mina could run at their supersonic speeds. It was now morning time, on the day of Tails' seventh birthday, and while Sonic, Mina and their friends had finished their shopping and planning for the surprise birthday party, Tails was unaware of the day he was going to be in for, after his little outburst at Sonic, yesterday.
Before we get to that, when Mina was in her house getting herself ready for helping to make the birthday party, Mina did receive a letter in the post from Dinsdale the Coyote, which was from her music agent, Benjamin Walrus, which then explained about how popular the songs she had made for the record label had become, and that they were now paying her twice as much money for her best-selling songs and albums. Mina was so happy and excited over her successful music career, that she decided that she needed to plan out a live concert night in the village for her fans to see her perform the songs they now loved on stage.
Back to our story, as the sun was finally starting to rise outside in the small and quiet town of Unnamed Village, Tails could feel the warm rays of sunshine on his golden like fur, as the now recently turned seven year old fox was beginning to wake up from the warmth of the early morning sun, which gave him a warm feeling that made it feel like he was under his blankets.
Yawning, and moving himself from under his cozy blankets, Tails sat up in his makeshift bed and rubbed his eyes, getting rid of the tiredness within them. He turned away from the bright sunlight, as it was a bit bright for his eyes to look at, and then turned to look at the floor of his home, thinking about something.
"Why did I lash out at Sonic?" Tails asked himself, almost sadly, thinking about how angry he got at Sonic yesterday, "I shouldn't have yelled at him yesterday, when he forgot about my birthday. I know he loves to spend time with Mina and help her with her songs and music, and I'm really happy for her, but Sonic kinda left me in the shadows, like if I was not important to him anymore. But ... I shouldn't have yelled at him, just because he forgot about my seventh birthday."
Thinking his lash out at Sonic yesterday made Tails' heart sink a bit. It pained him that he had blindly shouted at the one big brother who took him in a few years ago and adopted him as his little brother when they formed a strong unbreakable bond. And now because of his little lash out, which was that he realized was now unnecessary, Tails was certain Sonic or his friends would do anything nice for him on his birthday.
"I bet I hurt Sonic so much yesterday, he's probably afraid of me, or he might not want to do something with me for my birthday..." Tails said, sighing to himself, as tears attempted to come down from his eyes, "All because I had to shout at him! Now, I have no one to celebrate my seventh birthday with. But I think I should go and say my sorry to Sonic. That's at least one thing I could do today."
Taking a deep sigh to himself and rubbing his eyes of any possible tears, Tails got off his bed and went over to get himself some breakfast. Perhaps some Coco Rings would at least try and cheer him up this morning.
*Knock, Knock*
But then, the sound of someone knocking on the front door to his house stopped Tails from proceeding into the kitchen area, and made him look at the front door. He wasn't expecting anyone to come knocking on the door at this time of the day, especially if it was a strange person, whom he would get really nervous about whenever Sonic wasn't around.
However, Tails was a bit too down to even feel scared or nervous at the moment. So, instead of feeling nervous or shaken, Tails went to the front door and spoke through the letter box of it.
"W-Who is it?" Tails asked, "Is that you, Sonic?"
"No Tails, it's me, Perci..." The voice said on the other side of the door, "Do you mind if I come in?"
Tails felt a little surprised by hearing Perci wanted to come in to see him. He was so used to seeing Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Mina coming to visit him in his house, that he didn't actually have or invite anyone else from the town to see him in his humble home. It was a bit strange really, as Tails was feeling that something was up about the bandicoot coming to visit his home.
But he soon shifted his suspicions aside for a while, and went to open the door. And when he did, Tails saw Perci looking at him with her usual smile and wearing her regular attire. She was a really nice person Perci was, and Tails liked that she could always do her part for the town.
Opening the door up, Tails soon saw Perci standing in the doorway, smiling nicely at him, but what he didn't know was that a familiar and very shy yellow vixen was also with the bandicoot.
"Good morning, Tails..." Perci said, smiling, "Happy birthday to you."
"Oh, hey thanks, I suppose..." Tails said, trying to smile at her, "At least someone remembers my birthday. Anyways, what can I do for you, Perci?"
"Well, it's actually what I can do for you, Tails..." Perci replied, smiling, "I know someone who is willing to take you out and look around the town today."
Turning around, Perci then gestured for Zooey to come on in, and when Tails saw Zooey, he almost had his heart stuck in his throat at seeing this pretty vixen in person for a second time, even a few weeks after they first met during the autograph signing.
Seeing the vixen made Tails feel warm inside, even if the girl was still a bit new to the town.
"H-Hey Tails..." Zooey stuttered, feeling nervous, "Happy birthday."
"Hello Zooey..." Tails responded, who was not as nervous as her, but he still felt a bit enchanted by her.
"I... I was w-wondering, if you'd like ... t-to hang out with ... m-me in t-town, today?" Zooey asked, nervously stuttering and trying to keep her eye contact on Tails focused.
Tails looked at Zooey and blinked in a bit of surprise. Just a moment ago, he was feeling a bit regretful of shouting at Sonic for forgetting his birthday yesterday, but now, Zooey asking him if he would like to go into the town with her sounded like a little something that could possibly help brighten up his spirits just a bit.
Perci, seeing Tails was a bit lost for words, then decided to explain for him.
"Yesterday Tails, Zooey said that she wanted to get to know you a little bit better, and she felt that she could take you out into the town for a few hours, get to know one another, and maybe even do a little bit of shopping together..." Perci said, smiling,
"R-Really?" Tails asked, feeling his shyness coming into his mind again, "B-But, I don't know Z-Zooey that m-much..."
"Aww, I'm sure you both will have lots in common!" Perci insisted, giggling, "Just go out into the town and have a nice day out together for your birthday, Tails. I'm certain Zooey is very keen on getting to know you better."
Tails glanced up to Perci for a brief few seconds, then he looked back to a nervous looking Zooey, who was giving him a small shy smile, before he then nodded slowly and deciding to take the opportunity to get to know the vixen that he had dreamed about when he first met her weeks ago.
"Ok then, Perci..." Tails said, "I guess I could get to know Zooey more today. We hardly got to properly introduce ourselves when we first met."
"That's good, then!" Perci said, smiling, "You go and get yourself ready, Tails, and I'll wait with Zooey outside."
"If you say so..." Tails responded, as he walked off into his house, feeling unsure on what was going on.
And while Tails went inside to go and get himself ready for his little day out with Zooey, both Perci and Zooey went to wait outside and have a small private talk between one another, and Zooey was soon wondering on where she could take Tails to, while the party was being set up by the others.
"So, ... um, ... w-where should I take him?" asked Zooey nervously.
"Just take him into town, Zooey," smiled Perci, "Perhaps he could help you out with some shopping, or you could help out with his, and you might get to know him better."
"Um, ... okay," said Zooey, sweating.
Perci promptly hugged her friend to help her calm down.
"Don't worry, Zooey," the bandicoot said softly, "When everything is ready, I'll come and find you while Tails is looking at something he likes."
"Okay," said Zooey, "Hmm, ... I wonder what he does like?"
Perci didn't get a chance to respond before the door opened and Tails came back out, looking very neat and ready to go.
"Okay. I'm ready," he said, then he noticed Zooey again, and his mind started to falter into another dreamy trance. It seemed that just the pure sight of this beautiful girl would make the fox zone out. He thought she was simply the most beautiful girl in the world...
"Um, Tails? Are you feeling alright?" asked Zooey with concern.
"Oh dear," sighed Perci, realizing what was wrong with Tails, "Hang on, Zooey."
The bandicoot brought her hand in front of Tails' face and snapped her fingers.
"Huh!?" gasped Tails as the noise snapped him back to reality, "Zooey? Perci?"
"Are you sure you're alright, Tails? You looked like you had ... kinda ... zoned out," said Zooey.
Tails immediately realized what had happened, and he blushed sheepishly.
"Oh, uh, yes, of course," he chuckled in embarrassment, "Sorry about that. I, ... uh, ... well, ... um, ... shall we ... go to town, ... Zooey?"
"S-sure, Tails," smiled Zooey nervously, and she stepped aside to let Tails lead her, "After you."
Tails' cheeks turned pink, and he led Zooey down the forest path that would lead them to town.
The moment the two foxes were out of her sight, Perci whistled loudly towards the forest. Sonic, Mina, Mike, Amy and Knuckles all came out of their hiding spots behind the trees and stepped out onto Tails' open lawn.
"Okay, everyone. They're gone. Let's get to work right away," announced Perci.
Nobody needed to be told twice. They all got straight to work to get Tails' house ready for his birthday.
Meanwhile, in town, Tails and Zooey were talking nervously to each other as they walked down the street. Nobody really paid much attention to them as they walked past.
"So, ... Zooey, heh, ... when you come to town?" asked Tails.
"I came here a few months ago from another island," answered Zooey, "I'm still getting used to everything here. Thankfully, Perci's been a great neighbor."
"She's a really nice person," recalled Tails, "And I see ... you're shy and a bit nervous, like me."
"Do you get shy or nervous, too?" asked Zooey.
Tails sighed and sank his head.
"You'd have no idea," he muttered.
"Is something wrong, Tails?" said Zooey nervously, thinking she had asked the wrong question.
"N-no. It's just ... I ... I don't really like being out in p-public, ... especially without Sonic or ... Mina," stuttered Tails, "A lot of people ... d-don't really like me."
"I'm sure they like you, Tails. Maybe you just need a little more time outdoors, and you'll be much better at making friends," said Zooey, "At least, that's what Perci told me."
"In my dreams," whispered Tails to himself.
"Maybe I could, ... well, ... h-help you get over that fear," suggested Zooey.
Tails perked up at this and looked at Zooey in surprise.
"R-Really?" Tails stuttered.
"Sure, Tails," smiled Zooey, "I've been learning a lot from Perci, so maybe that could help you, too."
"Th-thank you," Tails smiled nervously, "You wanna do some ... shopping with me?"
"Sure, Tails," grinned Zooey, "I'll let you decide, since you're the birthday boy."
Tails blushed upon being called that name.
"Where do you like to shop?" asked Zooey.
"Hehe. How about the plane parts store? I love getting parts for the Tornado there," chuckled Tails.
"Okay, Tails. After you," said Zooey.
Tails felt his cheeks turning red as Zooey followed him to the plane parts store.
The two friends would have a great morning together. After shopping at the plane parts store, they stopped at Meh Burger and had a soda together. The waitress gave Tails plenty of smiles as if she knew that it was his birthday and a big surprise awaited him. Tails tried to keep it out of his mind, but he couldn't help but think that something WAS awaiting him later that day.
Then, Zooey came up with the idea to go to the fruit market once they finished their soda and left the restaurant.
"I'm sure you didn't know this, Tails, but as much as you love planes, I love fruits," said Zooey.
"Really?" said Tails with interest.
"I especially love watermelons," smiled Zooey, licking her lips as she thought happily about melons, "They're the most delicious fruits in the entire world."
Then, just as they arrived at the market, two familiar voices rudely interrupted them...
"Hey, look!" said one of the voices, whom Tails instantly recognized as Dave, one of the townspeople who bullied Tails frequently, "The two-tailed freak's got a new girlfriend!"
Tails flinched at that horrible name. Every time he heard the word, 'freak', it was a constant reminder of the torture he had endured before he met Sonic; a reminder of why the world looked down on him.
Zooey could see Tails frozen in place and his lips quivering at that "forbidden" word (as Sonic had put it), and she turned and saw who the culprits were.
"And who is this girl, Willy?" said Dave teasingly, "Goldilocks the Fox?"
However, Zooey didn't let insults get stuck in her head like Tails did, and she stood protectively in front of her two-tailed friend.
"Be quiet, you fools!" she shouted, gaining the attention of several nearby villagers.
"Ha! You ain't so tough, girly! You're just like him!" said Willy, and she pushed the vixen into a box of watermelons.
"AH!" she screamed as she fell in, sending melon juice flying everywhere.
"Zooey!" gasped Tails in horror, while Dave and Willy laughed heartlessly.
Several watermelons were broken, and Zooey was covered in watermelon juice and seeds.
"My dress!" cried Zooey, brushing herself off before Tails helped her back up.
"You see what happens to anyone who becomes friends with a two-tailed freak of nature!?" chortled Willy, "It makes you just as much a freak as he is!"
Suddenly, Tails' whole body started shaking, not with fear, but with fury. He couldn't stand it to see some heartless wretch bully his new friend in the same way he was constantly harassed because of his extra tail. He clenched his fists and turned around, giving Dave and Willy a frightening death glare.
"Leave Zooey alone, you idiots!" he yelled.
"Why?" huffed Dave, "Who'd want to be friends with you?"
"You're just a worthless freak of nature! You were born a freak, you'll die a freak, and only your tails will mourn you!" added Willy.
"DON'T ... EVER ... TOUCH ... THIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG VIXEN ... EVER ... AGAIN!" screamed Tails, silencing the two bullies and making some bystanders step back, "She didn't do anything to you, and you felt it right to ruin her lovely red dress in that watermelon box! Shame on you both! Now, LEAVE US ALONE AND GET OUTTA HERE!"
Dave and Willy just stared at Tails with deep shock. They had never seen Tails get this angry before. They knew they had crossed the line.
Tails did not notice that Zooey was blushing deeply after hearing the fox call her, 'beautiful'.
"B-beautiful?" she whispered to herself, "He thinks I-I'm ... b-be-beautiful?"
"Fine!" said Dave, "But to us, you're still a freak and you always will be!"
"AND DON'T EVER CALL ME A FREAK AGAIN, OR I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT MY SO-CALLED FREAK-ISH DEFECT CAN DO TO A HEARTLESS WRETCH LIKE YOU!" screamed Tails.
Dave and Willy took several steps back as Tails put on a threatening posture, and that was enough to make them turn around and run off, cowering in fear.
As soon as the bullies were gone, Tails managed to calm himself down with deep breaths, and he turned his attention back to Zooey.
"Are you okay, Zooey?" he asked.
"I-I'll be okay, Tails," answered Zooey, "Th-thanks for standing up for me. You were amazing."
"You're welcome," smiled Tails, then he noticed her messy dress, "Come on. I'll take you to a clothes shop to get you cleaned up."
"Tha-thanks, Tails," stuttered Zooey.
"Tails, ... that was amazing," said one of the villagers whom had watched the whole thing.
"I never thought someone like you could stand up to your friends like that," said another villager from Tails recognized as one of the townspeople who previously thought coldly of him.
Tails simply smiled as he led Zooey away, while many townspeople were staring at him in amazement. The fox simply carried on, unaware of his sudden newfound popularity.
Meanwhile, back in Tails' house, Amy and Knuckles were busy decorating the living room and kitchen, while Sonic, Mina and Perci were wrapping Tails' birthday presents. Mike then walked in with the disco ball he had bought for the occasion.
"Where should I put this disco ball, Mina?" the ox asked.
"I think it'll be nice over the living room space, right above the table in front of the TV," answered Mina, "We can move the table aside so we can have plenty of room to dance to it later, and we'll put it back when the party's over."
"Okay," nodded Mike, "Could you help me with it, please, Mina?"
"Sure. No problem," smiled Mina, and she grabbed a big stool that Mike could use to reach the ceiling.
"Sweetheart," said Sonic to his girlfriend, "Are you sure Tails will like these presents?"
"I'm sure he will, sugar plum," answered Mina, "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he comes home. He'll probably have the cutest face of all."
Sonic chuckled at the thought of seeing an adorable smile on his little brother's face. Those were typically his favorite moments when it came to the brotherly times he spent with his little brother.
He only hoped now that Tails would be able to forgive him for forgetting about his birthday just yesterday. The slight memory of Tails shouting out at him still continued to play in his mind, even if it was only just a day ago. Mina just so happened to notice her boyfriend's uncomfortable expression, and so she went over to comfort him in the best way she could, by hugging him tightly.
"Don't feel bad, sugar plum..." Mina said, softly, kissing his cheek gently, "We all make mistakes. I'm sure Tails did y mean to yell at you."
"I know, sweetheart..." Sonic sighed, gently nuzzling his face into Mina's cheek, "But, I really felt I let Tails down yesterday, with forgetting his birthday and spending more time with you on your music and not with him. I think it really hurt his feelings that I forgot about him."
"Sonic, Tails is bound to forgive you!" Knuckles was heard saying, as he and Amy put up the last of the decorations, "He's just like me! If he can't take it seriously, then he can take it the hard way!"
The room went silent, as the others just stared at Knuckles with a few glares on their faces, finding his humor to be a little inappropriate. Knuckles looked across to everyone, before he turned around and tried to whistle innocently, like if he wasn't even in the room, while he walked to another part of the workshop, his soft toy weights dragging behind his feet.
Perci was also actually not impressed by Knuckles' comment, as she found his humor to be as dry as a desert plain in the sands of Egypt. Mike just didn't wish to get involved with any of this going on, and so he quietly resumed fitting the new disco ball to the ceiling, before he managed to fit it on there perfectly.
"Disco ball is ready..." Mike said, climbing down from the stool Mina gave to him.
"Decorations are all prepared!" Amy added.
"Presents are wrapped..." Perci stated, as she and Sonic held up their newly wrapped presents for Tails.
"And our special birthday party for Tails is all ready for him!" Mina concluded, excitedly, "Ooh, I cannot wait for him to see the surprise we made for him!"
The whole workshop looked very birthday party esc indeed. Streamers and decorations were neatly hung across the walls, the tables had recently been laid out with party food and soft drinks, the disco ball hung above the ceiling gleaming well, and the presents were nearly wrapped and ready.
All that was needed now was the special Victoria Sponge birthday cake from Mabelle, and then everything would be ready for the birthday party. Mina had picked up seven candles for the cake, and she needed to do was stick them on the cake, when Mabelle brings it over to them.
"Perci, would you like to go and find Zooey and tell her that the special birthday party for Tails is ready?" Mina requested politely.
"I'd be happy to, Mina..." Perci answered, nodding, "I've promised to find Zooey and tell her when the party was ready for the birthday boy. I shan't be long."
Perci stood up and headed on out from the workshop and into the town to go and find Zooey, wherever she was with Tails in the small town. As she went outside, the others sat around and waited for the bandicoot to come back with Zooey and Tails. During the waiting, Sonic and Mina began to cuddle each other lovingly, nuzzling one another gently, while Amy just sulked a tiny bit, almost in envy at what she was seeing.
Then, the door was heard knocking. To get herself away from the sight of seeing Sonic and his girlfriend Mina cuddling together, Amy went to answer the door, and when she opened it, the pink hedgehog soon saw the pleasant sight of Mabelle, who was carrying a big box in her hands. This must've been the birthday cake specially made for Tails' birthday.
"Ah, hello Mabelle..." Amy said, smiling a bit, "You've made the birthday cake."
"Yes, just as I promised!" Mabelle replied, smiling, "I've planned it out very carefully with help from some of my staff at Meh Burger, and they have perfectly checked the cake over to see that it's fresh and just the way they made it. I'm sure Tails will love it!"
Sonic and Mina saw Mabelle, who brought the box in, and placed it on the kitchen table. When the old lady walrus cashier opened up the box, inside was a gorgeously made Victoria Sponge cake, which had whipped cream and strawberry jam in the middle of the two flour dusted cake slices. The cake looked so gorgeous right now, that everyone just wanted to have a slice of it.
And fair to say, Sonic and Mina were very surprised indeed by Mabelle and her staff's cooking abilities.
"Oh, my goodness! That looks absolutely beautiful!" Mina exclaimed, eyes sparkling happily, "Tails will LOVE this cake, when he sees it!"
"Mabelle, within the years I have seen your professionally trained staff cook the food and Chilli Dogs at Meh Burger..." Sonic said, before giving the old lady walrus cashier a thumbs up, "This is their best work yet. Thank you so much for making this cake at a last-minute notice."
"Aww, you're very welcome, Sonic..." Mabelle stated, smiling politely, "You guys are my regular and favorite customers, and it was really nice to make a Victoria Sponge before I retire tomorrow."
"Will you stay for the party please, Mabelle?" Mina asked, clasping her hands hopefully, "We would like for you to join us for Tails' birthday party, before you retire tomorrow."
"Well, of course I'll stay!" Mabelle said, happily, "I might be an old walrus, but I like to attend people's parties whenever I can!"
The group all shared smiles with each other, as Mina then went to get the seven candles for the birthday cake. All they had to do now, is wait for Perci to come back and then they could all get ready to surprise Tails.
Tails may have had an okay start to his birthday, but little does he know that he's in for a big surprise!
COMING UP IN CHAPTER TWELVE: Sonic and friends treat Tails to a wacky surprise party for his seventh birthday!