I own nothing, as usual.
I haven't done much for Sonic lately. I hope the rust ain't too bad.

The day had started off just as it usually does for Tails. He was working on his plane at the moment, making adjustments and repairs where they were needed. Since Eggman was out of commission for a while, Tails decided to go on a little trip to the Mystic Ruins. Originally, he had wanted to go with Sonic and Knuckles, but the two were on dates with Amy and Rouge respectively. Shadow explained that the two apparently lost a bet, adding that he believed Knuckles threw it on purpose just to have an excuse to be with Rouge. While he denied it, Shadow knew better, but decided to play along.

Thinking about the two and their romances with the girls made Tails feel admittedly jealous of the two. He wished he could be like them at times and attract the attention of ladies himself. Sonic was the cool and smooth type, and Knuckles was strong, but also had this endearingly shy quality that drew girls in. But as for Tails, he did not have either of those qualities. He was as smooth as sandpaper, strong as a mouse, and he lacked the confidence in himself to even go to a woman and talk to her, let alone draw her in to him.

Soon, Tails was completed with his plane. And once he got himself a lunch packed, he got aboard his plane and took off, ready to head to the Mystic Ruins and explore. Despite going alone, Tails was still excited to finally go to the Ruins and actually check the place out without there being a time crunch. Now wasn't the time to let jealousy get in the way of having a good time. For now, his focus was on heading to the Ruins and exploring them without the issue of being on a time crunch due to something like a giant, watery deity threatening the world.

After a short flight, Tails had made it to the ruins and landed his plane at an open area. He got out and looked around, taking a deep breath of fresh air in as he observed his surroundings. The Mystic Ruins was still as majestic as ever, and now he was about to explore it properly. Since he was not hungry at the moment, he decided to leave his lunch in the plane, hiding it well before getting his digital camera and walking around the ruins. And thanks to his ability to fly, he was able to get some wonderful shots that most photographers would never be able to, even with all their fancy equipment and whatnot.

A couple of hours later, Tails came to a landing atop a pillar to rest and look at the photos he had taken. "Oh, I can't wait to show the guys. These photos came out so good!" he said to himself as he scrolled through the pictures. "Still, it would have been better if they could see these for themselves up close and personal." he added.

Tails was so distracted by his pictures, he was not aware of how dark the sky was getting. But once he felt rain droplets land on the screen, and heard a rumble of thunder, that caught his attention. Tails knew he had forgotten to check the forecast before leaving. But that was unimportant at the moment. For now, he had to focus on finding somewhere to stay and wait out the rain. But at this point, he was so startled by the thunder and lightning, he ran off in the opposite direction of his plane, heading into the jungle. He frantically looked around, looking for anywhere to go. His eyes soon locked onto a rather sizable burrow, and he made a b-line for it.

Going through a short tunnel, he soon came across what looked like a living room. There was a small couch near a lit fire pit with a large pot sitting atop the flames, an animal-skin rug, and a few shelves with various decorations, like pottery and treasures. It took Tails all of ten seconds to realize someone else was here as well. And given the décor, he knew whoever it was LIVED here.

As Tails looked around, he happened to notice something shining nearby. He looked and saw a chest was cracked, and something inside was reflecting light from the fire. While he knew it was inappropriate to snoop through other people's stuff, his curiosity got the better of him and he went over. Opening the chest, he was surprised by what was inside it. Rather than being filled with gold or treasure, it was filled with… stuff. Ranging from actual valuables like crystals and gold statues, to even odd things like a metal coffee pot or silverware. The chest was just filled with things that were shiny.

Now Tails was even more confused. Just who exactly lived here? That was a question Tails was about to learn really quick. For the owner of the burrow had returned. Tails heard footsteps that progressively got closer. He tried to move as quietly as possible to get to a hiding place, but he ended up tripping on a stray golden idol and fell down with a grunt. He knew he was in trouble now.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." he worried internally. "I just know whoever owns this place is gonna kill me..." Suddenly, the footsteps stopped right behind him as Tails turned to face the owner. And who he saw left him shocked and… awestruck?

It was a young badger with orange fur, brown streaks, a peach muzzle, and sky-blue eyes about his age. Her ears were rather scruffy-looking, and her hair stood out straight and was held with brown strings, making it resemble a boomerang like the one she held in her hands. She wore a brown tube-top that looked a bit tattered, a matching skirt, and mismatched boots. Around her neck was a necklace with a gold ring and various trinkets, like teeth and shell fragments, one her right wrist was a gold bracelet, and on her left bicep was am odd charm that coiled around her bicep like a snake.

Tails lost himself in her eyes, which looked to hold emotions of both caution and curiosity. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she asked, gripping her boomerang tightly.
"I uh… T-T-The weather outside got b-bad, and… I just ran into t-the first place I could find for shelter… I didn't r-realize that… this was your home… I'm sorry… I'll make s-sure to leave you in peace if y-y-you don't kill me." Tails stammered. Her eyes seemed to soften just a bit as her grip on her boomerang eased up. She got closer to Tails, looking him up and down to see if he was being genuine. He did not look to be very dangerous to her. In fact, he looked rather scared. And the longer she looked at him, the softer her eyes and grip got. Soon, she had completely lost her grip on her boomerang, letting it drop to the ground as she got closer to Tails. Tails backed away, still on the edge as she got on all fours and walked over to him, sniffing him before putting her head against his chest, feeling his racing heart. She even began to feel her own heart starting to beat faster at their brief moment of contact. She soon look up at his face, their sky-blue eyes locking.

"You… are not an enemy… are you?" she asked.
"N-N-No ma'am… My name is Tails…" Tails replied. "Well, a-actually, it's Miles Prower, but… my friends just call me Tails due to my two tails and…" he suddenly stopped when she took one of them and examined it. She began to pet it, running her fingers through his soft, golden fur. Tails felt his cheeks get warm as they became a soft red.
"So… Tails… My name is Sticks." she finally introduced herself. "What brings you here?"
"Well… you already know I'm here to wait out the rain… But before that, I was exploring the ruins. I never got much of a chance to do so before, what with helping to save the world, and all." he replied.
"Interesting… That must mean you have many tales to tell."
"I… guess you could say that… But it's nothing compared to what my friend Sonic has done." Tails said.
"Maybe… but that's for another day. I want to hear YOUR stories."

Tails could not believe that this girl was already taking an interest in him. While he was still nervous, he was also admittedly flattered. Still, he did have a few stories he felt would be worth telling. So the two sat down by the fire, and Tails began to tell her various stories of his adventures with Sonic, ranging from when they first met at Emerald Hill, to the incident with Chaos, to the world being split apart and releasing Dark Gaia, to Eggman's rise to power with the help of Infinite. And as he told her his stories, Sticks held on to every word.

"Amazing..." Sticks said in awe. "You sound like a very brave young man."
"Well...I wish I was..." Tails admitted. "I'm mostly at my bravest when I'm with Sonic."
"Really? Given the stories you've told me, it sounds like you were braver when you needed to save him." Sticks said. "Perhaps knowing that, as you call him, your brother is in trouble, it awakens something inside you and drives you to take bigger risks."
"Maybe… but when I encountered Chaos O during the Infinite incident, I was scared stiff." Tails told her.
"My guess is that since Sonic was captured, and you were once again facing an opponent you thought was no more, it made you fear you would face a worse fate." Sticks theorized.
"I guess..." Tails said with a shrug.

As the two continued to talk, they began to learn more about each other. Tails learned the hard way that Sticks has a fear of technology when she nearly destroyed his camera. Thankfully, he was able to stop her and calm her down in time. In addition, he showed her some of the pictures he had taken when the weather permitted it. She was amazed by what she saw. But despite this, Tails knew if he and Sticks would continue to spend time together, he would have to help her see that not all tech is bad or dangerous.

That would be an adventure in and of itself. Especially should she ever meet the others.

The End

Sorry if the ending kinda sucked. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to end it, honestly. And as for how Sticks was portrayed here, I know it ain't like how she is in Boom. But I figured I would try to offer a new take on how she would probably be in the main series… granted, with a few liberties here and there.

Still, I hope to clear off some of this rust and dust. Anyhow, let me know what you think.

God bless, and take care.