I'm sure many of you are surprised that I still even exist here. I had all but given up on FanFiction after having to make a few difficult adjustments in my life, most notably getting a part-time job. However, I'm finally looking to restart my recreational writing after being persuaded by my old co-writer, TailsFan2022 (formerly known as grimlock1997). I still have an unfinished Land Before Time story sitting in my archives, and I plan on resuming it at some point, but for now I've got a little something for those who have enjoyed my previous Sonic Boom stories. TailsFan2022 and I are starting a new small series of one-shots called "The Bygone Sweethearts Collection."
This was originally going to focus on just Tails and Zooey (our favorite Boom couple by a landslide), but we eventually decided to include some SonAmy in here because we knew a lot of fans would like the idea. So, we have TWO couples blossoming in this series!
This first one-shot will focus on how two certain foxes decided to cement their relationship with a special moment.
LOVE RINGS
It was a crisp cool summer's evening on Bygone Island. The sun was warm, the skies were a mix of yellow, orange and red, and the atmosphere was quiet and tranquil.
The villagers in the town were quietly going about their business of shopping and running a few of their errands to keep busy. Team Sonic were taking a break from fighting against their old foe, Doctor Eggman, who had long since fully recovered from his injuries and regained his sanity following the catastrophic events of the Gold Ray incident.
Having fallen from the top of his island fortress in his wheelchair, but thankfully surviving the impact, the doctor realized that calling Tails a freak would only bring him more pain than recovery points, so he decided to not waste any more time in trying to get revenge on the fox and drop it, although the extra damage done by the fall did mean it took a little longer for Eggman to make a full recovery.
On Team Sonic's end, the group had managed to rebuild their trust and friendships following the incident, though it did take Sonic, Tails and Zooey a little extra time to put what happened behind them for good since the memories remained fresh on their minds for a while. Amy, Sticks and Knuckles also took a bit of time to put the Gold Ray incident behind them, but during the recovery, they did get along better with Tails and vowed to never again abuse or hurt him in the way that they did to him, especially if they didn't want another furious rollicking from Sonic himself.
While the incident would certainly not be forgotten about so quickly, the relationships between the team had been fixed and patched up in more positive ways.
Within the hills that were located just a little way away from the town, Tails, the young and fluffy two-tailed fox boy, was working in the workshop garage just across from his house, looking to catch a breather during the crisp evening. He was busy working on something in the garage section of his cozy little abode.
Normally, he would be working on his plane or even creating new gadgets and machinery for the team, which did tend to malfunction more often than not and result in Tails getting a bit of a headache when he was told off by his friends, but today he was doing something a bit simpler, using a welding torch and wearing a protective eye mask to craft together what looked like a set of small rings.
"I hope Zooey's going to love these rings I'm making for us," Tails thought to himself, "Our romantic relationship means the world to me, and I think making something small for it will make it all the more meaningful. I think we've reached the stage in our relationship where we dedicate our time together more than ever before."
Turning the welding torch off for a moment, Tails carefully placed it down on a special heat-proof cushion, flipped up his face mask and looked at his creation for just a few moments. On the table were two silver rings that could be slipped onto one's finger as if they were married to someone.
While Tails and Zooey had the bright possible future of becoming a happily married couple and having children in the future, now wasn't quite the time, and they agreed to hold off on that until they felt ready and grew up a bit more before they got any deeper in their relationship.
Picking up one of the rings, Tails smiled and examined his handy work.
"These look really well made," Tails thought with a cute smile.
The silver rings were crafted entirely from scratch, with little tiny red gemstones embedded into the silver material of the ring. According to the design and to his blueprint plans, Tails had made the red gemstones of a special crystallized glass that allowed for them to glow brightly whenever they had the rings on, and the red gemstones would be a sign of their love and affection for each other. The fox had clearly put in a lot of hard work and effort into making these rings.
Suddenly, he heard a gentle knock coming from the front door of his house across the lawn, followed by a familiarly sweet-sounding voice that Tails knew all too well, and one that always makes him smile in pure delight.
"Tails! It's me, Zooey!" the voice called, "Can I come in, please?"
Hearing the sweet voice of his girlfriend outside the front door made Tails come back to reality, as he jumped a bit and almost dropped the ring he was holding in his hand, fumbling around until he finally managed to catch it safely and quickly grabbed the second ring on the table.
"Uhh, y-yeah! Just gimme a moment, sweetie!" he mumbled clumsily, taking the rings and hiding them under a nearby cup.
Making sure they were safe and hidden away until he was ready to show them to her, Tails hurriedly wiped his hands with a cleaning rag before making his way through the workshop's side door to enter his house through the back door.
Once inside, he briefly looked at himself in a nearby mirror and straightened the hair bangs that were hanging over his eyes, before he went to the front door and quickly unlocked it, and once opening it up, he was greeted by the sweet and almost angelic-looking appearance of his girlfriend, Zooey.
Seeing her standing against the slowly setting sun made her come out in almost a special sort of way, as the orange sun highlighted her yellow hair beautifully as if she were an angel from the heavens.
"Hiya, sweetheart," Zooey said with a cute giggle.
"Hello, my sweet and lovely one," replied Tails happily, "Please, come on in."
"Aww, you're so sweet," cooed Zooey as she entered the house.
As Tails closed the door behind them, the vixen girl looked around the house and saw just how neat and tidy it was. No mess was to be seen, not even a scrap of paper, so the two-tailed fox she called her boyfriend was very keen to have a clean and tidy house for his guests, not unlike a certain Dave the Intern, who always lived a messy and untidy state within his mother's house.
"Ooh, this looks all neat and tidy, Tailsy," Zooey admired, using the cute pet name she had for her boyfriend, making him blush.
"Ahh, well, you know, Zooey," chuckled Tails lightly, "If I had any visitors come around, then I need to make this place look really presentable and appropriate. No mess will be seen when I'm around!"
"So, you do spring cleaning regularly then, honey?" joked Zooey adorably.
"Aww, stop it, you!" giggled Tails, blushing in embarrassment.
Zooey chuckled in reply, and once the mommy passed, the sweet vixen girl got back on track, wanting to know what her boyfriend had been doing all day.
"So, Tails," she began, "What sort of things have you been creating in your workshop today?"
With a smile of excitement, Tails was eager to please his beloved girlfriend.
"I'd be happy to show you, sweetie," replied Tails, "Gimme one minute."
The fox left the house and ran across the lawn to his workshop. He carefully grabbed the small cup on his desk, covering the top of it with one of his hands, and ran back towards the house.
Zooey had taken a seat on the couch when Tails reemerged with what looked like a small white cup in his hands. A big grin formed on his white muzzle as he eagerly anticipated that magical moment that was surely just seconds away.
"I see you decided to make something small," giggled Zooey.
"I have something in this cup I think you'll love," smiled Tails as he closed the door behind him and took a seat next to her.
Zooey fluttered her eyes in anticipation, making Tails chuckle and blush profusely, and the fox carefully set the cup down on the coffee table, keeping his hand on top of it to hide what was inside.
"So, what did you make, sweetie?" asked Zooey.
"Zooey, ... I'm sure you know that I love you so much ... with all my heart," Tails began as he picked up the cup again and held it in on his lap.
"Aww, Tails," replied a blushing Zooey, "I love you, too."
Tails smiled with red cheeks as he nervously continued, "I know this may sound a little forward or too much, but I love you more than I could ever imagine, and after all the lovely times we've spent together since we started our relationship, ... I feel that I can't imagine my life without you, Zooey."
Zooey gasped in surprise and smiled, as she gently pulled her boyfriend closer.
"You really are thinking about the future, aren't you, Tails?" the vixen chuckled.
"Zooey, my loving princess," said Tails as he brought the cup closer and finally moved his hand up like he was opening the top of a ring box, "Will you love and hold me together forever?"
Zooey gasped in astonishment as she saw what was in the cup ...
There were two silver rings that were the perfect size for any of their fingers. They both shined beautifully, almost as bright as diamonds. They were unlike anything Zooey had ever seen before, and she was amazed by the thought that Tails surely must have made these himself. No one could find rings like these anywhere in the village's jewelry store.
Surely, the fox must have had her in mind when he made these.
"Oh, my goodness!" she gasped, making Tails chuckle nervously, "Tails! Did you actually make these?"
"From yours truly," the two-tailed fox confirmed.
Zooey was over the moon in delighted joy at the prospect of the love rings presented to her.
"Oh, Tails! You are the craftiest jeweler I've ever known, and I can only say that you are the gentlest, sweetest, fluffiest fox I have ever known in my life!" She claimed happily, "You would not imagine how long I've been thinking about a moment like this, and now I am happier than ever that I love you with all my heart, my adorable fox!"
Tails blushed and quivered in happiness and embarrassment as Zooey melted his heart with her loving words.
"Yes, Tails! I will happily love and hold you forever and ever!" Zooey finished, and she slowly pulled Tails onto her lap and hugged him tightly, planting big kisses on both his cheeks.
"Zooey!" Tails sniffled in happiness, "Oh, Zooey! I love you so much!"
"Oh, Tails! I love you so much, too!" replied Zooey.
These two were so deeply in love that it was impossible for them to ever be separated from each other at all, even if they ended up being distanced whenever Tails had to go on a team mission outside of Bygone Island.
The two foxes looked at each other with adorable smiles, and then, the vixen slowly pulled Tails' left pilot glove off, exposing his bare yellow hand which was very rarely seen at all, as she gave him a somewhat seductive loving smile with fluttering eyes, making him blush and chuckle sheepishly.
Before Tails could process the next thought, Zooey took one of the silver rings, grabbed Tails' left wrist and gently pushed the silver love ring onto his ring finger, the small circular item fitting on it ever so snuggly.
"This love ring I now give to you, expresses both my eternal love and devotion to you, my sweet Tailsy," smiled Zooey, kissing Tails' cheek afterward.
Tails smiled the brightest smile he had shown in what felt like the longest time, and he then proceeded to take the other ring from the cup, and gently grabbed Zooey's right hand, proudly reciting the vixen's loving words to her.
"This love ring I now give to you, expresses both my eternal love and devotion to you, my beloved Zooey," the fox spoke softly, before he ceremoniously slipped the ring onto her finger.
The two had tears in their eyes as that gently ran down their cheeks, the moment so emotionally happy for the two of them.
"Aww, my Tailsy," whispered Zooey.
"Aww, my Zooey," replied Tails, and the two hugged each tightly and stared at each other's shiny eyes.
Unable to resist the urge any longer, the two nuzzled their faces together and began to kiss each other on the lips passionately.
They locked each other in a romantic trance as they closed their eyes and shared what was surely to be their most memorable kiss yet. Now that they had cemented themselves in a relationship they were sure would last the rest of their lives together, they decided to celebrate the moment with a kiss of romantic enchantment. It reminded them of the time they shared some loving kisses under the cantaloupe tree in the fruit jungles on the island before Eggman came crashing down seeking revenge on the two-tailed fox for the Gold Ray incident. Those were such happy memories that they always remembered fondly.
The two were so entranced by their loving kiss that they didn't notice the door being knocked on, and a few seconds later, the door opened revealing two familiar looking hedgehog characters. One hedgehog was blue, and the other one was bright pink.
"Yo, Tails! Little bro, you wanna come and, ... uhh…," came Sonic's unmistakable voice, and it was that sudden intrusion that ruined the enchantment of the moment and snapped them back to reality.
The two foxes yelped and pulled away, breathing frantically to regain their composure after their jump scare. They eyed the door and noticed both Sonic and Amy standing at the doorway, staring at them with ... awestricken looks.
"Sonic!" Tails shouted at his brother, "Don't you ever knock anymore!?"
"I did knock, Tails," replied Sonic, "You wouldn't answer the door, so I thought maybe you had overslept."
"What? Overslept in the early hours of the evening?" Tails deadpanned sarcastically, "Why would I do that, Sonic?"
A moment of silence passed as Sonic had nothing to say to counter that question. He and Amy felt rather embarrassed for accidentally walking in on such a loving moment.
"Um, ... w-we're very sorry we intruded at such a cute moment," apologized Amy, "That was so rude of us."
"That was very bad timing, guys," said Zooey as she calmed Tails down, "But we accept your apologies."
Amy only nodded with a relived smile before she and Sonic noticed something about these two cute foxes.
"Um, ... are you two ...?" Sonic questioned as he noticed the silver rings on their hands, especially noting that Tails almost never took his gloves off for any reason.
Tails and Zooey tensed as they realized they had been caught in the act. They looked at each other nervously and turned back to Sonic and Amy, and it was only then that they noticed that the two hedgehogs also appeared to have rings on their hands, which they had not noticed until now.
Studying their eyes, Sonic and Amy could see that they were staring at their rings.
"I, ... uh, ... I guess that means ... we have ... two new couples now," said Amy sheepishly.
"Two new couples?" asked Tails confused.
Sonic and Amy only gave a small blush to each other, although Zooey immediately got the hint and decided to question about it.
"So, um, ... when did you two cement your new relationship?" asked Zooey, as she wrapped an arm around Tails' back.
Sonic and Amy smiled at each other and happily replied, "Just today."
Tails and Zooey gasped in delighted surprise, having not had any previous signs that Sonic and Amy were on the verge of a relationship, especially after the disastrous events of the previous month with Eggman and the Gold Ray. For them, this was a great surprise.
"I see you two seem to have cemented your relationship, too," said Sonic.
"Um, ... y-yeah," said Tails, sweating nervously, "We did."
"Hey, I'm happy for you, little bro," assured Sonic, "I've seen how much you two mean to each other, and it makes me happy to see you growing up, Tails."
Tails blushed in embarrassment, "Stop it, Sonic."
"I mean it, little bro," said Sonic, "You really are the brightest fox around."
"He's right, you know," agreed Zooey, and she again kissed Tails' red cheeks.
"Oh, really, guys!" Tails cried in happiness and embarrassment.
Another silent moment passed after the laughter between the two couples died down, before Sonic spoke up to break the silence.
"So, um, we were just wondering if you wanted to come and check out the late-night convention they've got going in the village," said Sonic, "I hear there's something there you might like."
"What might that be?" asked Tails.
"Why not see for yourself and find out?" chuckled Sonic, and he walked up to the two foxes and reached out towards his little brother.
Tails smiled and took his big brother's hand, and the hedgehog playfully pulled the fox off the couch and hugged him lovingly.
"Maybe it would look nice if two couples went together, especially if there are two brothers in each of them," suggested Amy.
"That sounds like a good idea," agreed Zooey.
Tails chuckled sheepishly as Sonic ruffled his bangs.
"Come on, lil' bro!" the hedgehog said to his brother.
"We're right behind you!" replied Tails.
Sonic took Amy's hand while Tails put his glove back on and took Zooey's hand, and the two couples left the living room together with Tails closing the door behind them.
As the four walked in one group towards the village convention, Tails and Zooey could not stop smiling at each other, happy that their relationship had blossomed to a new level. Now that they knew they wanted to be together forever, they hoped that many more happy moments of love awaited them in the months, or even years, to come.
That will wrap up the opening one-shot of this new series! Tune in next time when we have a look at how two certain hedgehogs had a similar moment of their own!
You may have noticed one or two British terms in here despite the fact that I'm American. This is because my co-writer, TailsFan2022, is British. Hopefully, that explains it for anyone who might have been confused.
I hope you enjoyed the opening of this new series and happy that I'm finally making a long-overdue return to FanFiction with my first post in over two years! Until next time, stay safe and have a good day! :)