Wedding Bell Blues

By Redtop1995

Nobody thought it was possible. It had gone on for so long that everybody, especially the Freedom Fighters from all parts of Mobius, believed that it was endless.

Yet there it was. Robotnik was gone. Robotropolis was no more. To say that Princess Sally instantly took advantage of the tyrant's disposal would be the understatement of the century. With Sonic leading the charge, everyone had stormed the city, taking the Roboticiser and marching it straight back to Knothole.

A year had passed: with the combined efforts of Uncle Chuck, Rotor and Tails, the Roboticiser became, for lack of a better name, the De-Roboticiser. Then again, in the grand scheme of things, what it was called didn't matter. Whether it worked did…and for the first few days, which became weeks, which became months, nothing the trio of geniuses tried seemed to work. Until one day, when Uncle Chuck decided to test it on himself.

Rotor and Tails had vigorously protested, the latter especially getting spooked by the disastrous previous attempt three years prior. But Robotnik was gone. Even if the elderly hedgehog regressed back to his Worker Bot programming, there was no-one for him to answer to. With that reassurance, Uncle Chuck had stepped into the chamber, his walrus and fox co-workers doubtfully starting up the sequence. The elation and exultations when he emerged, fully flesh and blood and of sound mind and body? It would have rivaled the Big Bang when it came to loud noises in Mobian history.

The people of Knothole, the Wolf Pack and many other communities and organizations all got together for a huge party, where Sally announced that they were going to become the Freedom Builders. Mobotropolis would rise from the ashes once again! The acclamation could have been heard from space!

The moon shone over the Great Forest, the clearest it had been for what seemed like decades. In fact, the very heavens themselves seemed to be celebrating Robotnik's downfall.

Villagers jumped up and down, whooping as the fastest thing alive rocked out at the front of his porch, a makeshift stage. His gloved fingers flew across the strings of his electric guitar so quickly, they were merely blurs.

"Sonic! I can really move!

Sonic! I've got an attitude!

Sonic! I'm the fastest thing ali-ee-ive!"

Rotor helped himself to spoonfuls after spoonfuls of pretty much everything the expansive buffet table had to offer. Crossing over to sit at a nearby campfire, he rolled his eyes upon hearing the "war stories" that he had a gut feeling Antoine was making up as he went along.

"…And ze beeg bad Robotneek stared moi straight een ze eyeballs et challenged moi, Antoine Depardieu, to a game ov rock, papair, skee-sors! Et ah punched heem in heez gut!"

"Ooh, Mr Depardon, you are brave!" a young platypus glowed.

"Well, eet was all een a day'z work pour ze capitain ov ze guard!" Antoine smirked, using a cocktail stick to pick out a piece of weenie that was stuck between his teeth. "All ah can say eez zat, pour heez own sake, Robotneek nevair returnz, or 'e weell 'ave moi to answair to!"

"Antoine?"

The coyote gave a howl of fright and leaped twice his own height in terror. It was lucky he didn't fall into the campfire. Everyone gathered around it burst out laughing.

Uncle Chuck looked nonplussed. "What's wrong with him?" he asked Rotor, whom a trembling Antoine was attempting to hide behind. "You'd think Robotnik was back!"

On the improvised dance floor that was the village square, Tails and Bunnie had made their way over to the very center, amongst the rocking out Knothole villagers, wolves and every other organization member. "Alright now, Sugah-Fox," the cyborg hare murmured with a smirk to her little brother, "time ta show everyone what we've been practicin'!"

"Yeah, let's do it, Bunnie!" the fox agreed enthusiastically, giggling at what they were about to do. He watched Bunnie cup her organic and metallic hands over her mouth and called out over the crowd. "YOO-HOO! SOO-HOOO-NIIIIIC!"

The congregation stopped to look at her, and the rock music came to a halt due to its provider being distracted by the loud call.

"Uh, y'called, Bunnie?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow. "Kinda on a roll, here! A ROCK 'N' ROLL!" he suddenly shouted, playing a hard riff for emphasis!

"Sugah, that's all very well, but it's gettin' OLD!" Bunnie replied, Tails chuckling into his namesakes. "Can't y'all play somethin', oh ah dunno, softer?"

"SOFTER! WHADDA YA MEAN, SOFTER!" the blue blur almost went red with outrage. "SOFTER IS FOR PILLOWS, FOR ICE CREAM! FOR…"

"Hey, if ya can't play softer, that's okay," the doe butted in with a smirk. "That souped-up banjo can't even play anythin' other than noise anyway!"

The crowd oohed and some laughed. Sonic knew that Bunnie was only teasing and his anger abated. "Okay, Bun," he chuckled. "Can you do any better than the ol' hedgehog?"

"Ah don't have to, hun!" she grinned, showing him a CD. "Take a lil' ol' break from playin' an' listen ta this!"

She tossed the disc over to Sonic, who caught it and inserted it in his boom box he'd placed next to his speakers.

A fast paced violin filled the air, accompanied by a jaunty banjo. "Awww, maaaan!" Sonic groaned theatrically. "Excuse me while I go hurl!"

"Watch yer mouth, Sugah-Hog," Bunnie retorted, suddenly lifting Tails up over the crowd, "An' feast yer eyes on me 'n' ma little bro!"

"What the-?! Tails?!" the dumbfounded rodent rubbed his eyes. Since when was his little bro interested in this corny music?! Before he could voice this question out loud, however, Bunnie and Tails began their dance.

The femme bunny curtsied to her vulpine partner, who bowed and held up his two tails like a skirt. The crowd quickly caught on to the rhythm and began to clap along, watching Bunnie and Tails hold hands and begin their line dance.

What Sonic, and the other partygoers, didn't realize was just how this dance went. Everyone gasped in amazement as Bunnie swung Tails around, tossing him into the air. He spun his tails and hovered a few inches away from her in the air and caught her metal hand as her metal arm extended upwards.

Tails was pulled gently back to the ground and began to twirl around Bunnie, his two namesakes like two giant feathers in the wind. Before anyone realized it, up they went, the fox with his appendages, the rabbit with her ladder legs.

"Show offs!" Sonic muttered to himself with a smirk.

"Pot, meet kettle" Sally commented wryly, making him jump. The last he'd seen her since the announcement, she'd been in deep conversation with Lupe and the other Freedom Fighter leaders. If Sonic was the fastest thing on Mobius, she was the stealthiest.

"Sal, ya hurt me!" he replied in mock pain. "To think you'd prefer whatever the heck this kinda music is over my selections! It's bad enough Big Guy likes it, now he dances to it outta the wazoo!"

"Not so," Sally grinned. "Bunnie began teaching him to dance if ever we had a party. Now we've got one, don't take his happiness away, Sonic Hedgehog. They rehearsed very hard"

Sonic watched Tails dance with Bunnie, and his smile slowly grew. "As long as they don't do that goofy wailin' stuff, we'll be…"

"OO-LEE-OH-LAY-EE-HOOOOO, Y'ALL!"

"OO-LEE-OH-LAY-EE-AWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The hedgehog winced, his quills bristling, while Sally covered her mouth to hide her laughter. "Sal," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The next time Big Guy has a big project with Bunnie, tell him no"

"He'd better make the most of it, though," the princess sighed. "I just got done talking to Lupe and Griff. We're going to get to work on restoring Mobotropolis in a few day's time"

That sounded so surreal to the blue blur. Robotnik was gone. Mobotropolis belonged to them again. Everything was alright again! …If that was the case, then why was there a niggling feeling beginning to develop in his stomach as something occurred to him. No more Buttnik meant no more Freedom Fighters. No more Knothole. No more…

"Catch Me!"

Neither hedgehog nor chipmunk jumped. In fact, the latter held out her arms lazily, and Tails plopped neatly into them. "You won, Mom!" he cheered. "We all won, Big Guy!" Sonic smirked. "If it hadn't been for your help, the Big Round Guy would still have his saggy butt on the throne! Right, Sal?"

"Right, honey," Sally smiled, ruffling her son's head fur. "You'll love Mobotropolis when we're all finished!"

"Hey, did you hear me yodel like what Bunnie taught me?" the fox was so excited, he didn't seem to have paid attention to what she had said.

"Yes, we did," Sonic grunted with false annoyance. "Don't ever do it again"

"Oh, hush," Sally gave the hedgehog a playful punch. "Don't listen to him, sweetie, I love to hear you sing" she added to her son, kissing both his cheeks and his black nose.

Sonic pointed at his tongue, gagging behind Sally's back. Tails giggled at the sight.

"In fact, I also love to hear you play, too!" the chipmunk grinned, turning back to Sonic, who quickly adopted an innocent expression.

"Whoa? Play? As in music?" Sonic hadn't expected this! "That's mondo excellent-o, T2! I assume yer followin' in the footsteps of the ol' hedgehog an' playin' something awesome! The keyboard? Drums?"

Sally's grin widened as she and Tails shared a suspiciously conspiring look. This went entirely unnoticed by the daydreaming rodent, who was imagining a rock band consisting of himself and his foxy companion.

"Nuh-uh," Tails attempted fruitlessly to not burst out laughing. "The tuba!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yes, the tuba" Sally confirmed, reveling in his distaste of "uncool" music. "It's so he can lead the parade on Mobius Day"

"Mobius Day?" Sonic's disgust at his little bro being a band geek gave way to confusion. "What's that?"

"It's today," the chipmunk explained proudly. "A year from now, the city will be freed from Robotnik's corruption. To celebrate, we'll have an even bigger party than right now. And Miles will be marching with the rest of the Royal Band, blowing away on his horn!"

The surrealism engulfed Sonic like a tsunami. The notion of having parties and parades seemed like complete fiction after the banishment of King Acorn. In fact, as he scanned the village, he couldn't believe he could see all these Mobians, some he knew, some he didn't, all singing, dancing and enjoying each other's company. The fact that it was the woman before him talking so happily about having more celebrations, when he was so used to hearing her strategies about detonating factories or generators, was the kicker.

"Sonic? Is he okay?"

"I wouldn't worry, honey. He's probably in shock from the revelation that some of us like other genres of music"

This snark brought him back to reality. Sonic looked to see Tails and Sally looking at him, the former mildly concerned, the latter bemused and amused. It was then that he suddenly realized he'd been frowning the whole time. As fast as his own two legs, his countenance changed to a grin.

"Well, at least reconsider what yer playin', Big Guy," he chuckled. "Eh, you'll be great at whatever choice 'o' instrument, kiddo!"

"Thanks, Soooooonnnic," his little bro suddenly yawned, showing the partygoers his sharp teeth.

"Okay, Tails," Sally chuckled, subtly rocking her son. "It looks like the party's winding down. Time for you to get some shuteye"

"Awww, no, Mom," the kit drowsily protested, "I'm nowhere near tir…zzzzzz"

"Well, that was easy," Sonic smirked, ruffling the sleeping vulpine's head.

"He's growing up," Sally sighed. "But some things never change…"

"Even if he's a teen, he's still a child to you," Sonic smiled, abruptly feeling an overwhelming amount of affection for the chipmunk. She returned a smile, kissed him on the lips, and began to slowly walk towards her son's hut, the sleeping boy cradled in her arms. As Sonic watched, he saw the twin appendages wrap themselves around Sally's back.

At the sight, and the kiss, Sonic began to come over all funny. For all his open mocking of his little brother's taste in music and culture, he loved him. He loved Tails as much as Sally did. As a matter of fact, he loved Sally even more than Tails did. But suffice it to say, he'd never elaborate that to the little fox.

In a matter of seconds, Sally was lost in the sea of departing guests, the party brought to an end. But the hedgehog continued to stare at where she'd walked, his smile becoming more and more wistful. It was at that point that another thought burrowed into his mind.

Now that Mobius had been saved, what was to become of the Freedom Fighters? Well, Sally had said so herself: they were the Freedom Builders now. But after they'd finished building, what then?

What then?

Tails woke up. A strange chill ran throughout his body, but he didn't know why. Robotnik was no more. The sun shone through his window, not a cloud in the sky. Everything was fine…or was it? Realizing he'd spooked himself into being afraid, he decided to head on over to Sally's hut. Just to make sure she wasn't scared.

The surreal, frightening feeling seemed to grow stronger as he opened the front door and looked out at Knothole. The village was as idyllic and peaceful as ever: too peaceful. There wasn't a sound to be heard: no wind through the trees, no birdsong.

"M-Mom?" he called out, jumping at how his voice echoed. "Sonic? Bunnie?!"

The silent town held no answers for him. The little kit shivered. Cold sweat began to dot his forehead. "R-Rotor?! Antoine?!" Still no response. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. The reason they weren't responding and the place was so quiet was because they were all playing a game. Hide and seek! Once he'd found them, everything would be fine.

He flew around the woodland community, looking everywhere. The huts of his family members, the Mess Hall, the Great Oak, the Great River. His search yielded nothing.

Tails was now beginning to feel an overpowering sense of fear. He tried desperately to fight the tears that were pushing against the water gates. He was all alone. He was all alone! At last, it was impossible for him to be silent. He lifted his head and screamed the question of a frightened child.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

As if to answer, loud drums began to bang. Tails almost jumped twice his own height in shock. "Mom?"

The drumming was accompanied by a bouncy, militant song played by a large assortment of brass instruments. Following this was the sound of cheering. The fox looked everywhere for the source of these sounds. Wherever they were, they weren't coming from his position. Tails didn't care who was playing the music, or who was making the ecstatic noise. He had to find them: he didn't want to be alone. But where were they coming from?

And then he saw it. A city on the outskirts of the Great Forest. It seemed to vaguely resemble Robotropolis, but its various buildings were bright and colorful. Not to mention the perfect blue sky with no pollution in sight. Without hesitation, Tails twisted his namesakes and shot through the air toward the city. Anything was better than being left on his own.

An amazing sight awaited him as he reached the beautiful conurbation. Balloons of many colors floated through the air. Confetti and streamers floated down. Both sides of the street were lined with cheering Mobians, waving flags, jumping up and down, clapping and waving. Soldiers wearing bright blue uniforms with red accents marched proudly along to the rhythm of the brassy tune.

Hovering above the congregation, Tails's eyes widened at the sight. "What those guys are wearing looks like something that…" his inner musing trailed off as a familiar face entered his line of vision. "ANTOINE!" The coyote marched in front of the thousands of soldiers, holding a saber aloft. Unable to contain himself, Tails flew down into their path.

"Antoine, boy, I'm glad to see you!" He yelled over the cacophony. "What's going…"

"OUT OV ZE WAY, YOU!" an uncharacteristically angry demand escaped the Frenchman's lips, and to the vulpine's shock, he swung his saber at him. "DO NOT DISRUPT ZE ROYAL PROCESSION!" Narrowly missing the ceremonial blade, Tails flew back upwards.

"Wh-What's got into him?" he gasped, unable to comprehend that his uncle figure had just tried to cut him to ribbons. Despite this, everyone continued tramping down the street. The citizens continued cheering. The military tune played on uninterrupted. It was almost as if no-one knew he was there.

"I…I gotta find Mom," the rattled cub told himself. "She'll know what's going on. She'll…MOM!"

There was Princess Sally, sitting on a gilded throne on a horse drawn coach. Her blue eyes twinkled as she waved to her people, a warm smile on her face. Bunnie walked ahead of the carriage, scattering rose petals from a basket. Everything that had just happened left Tails's mind at the sight of his mother. Everything about her exuded comfort.

"MOM!"

His voice rang out like a trumpet. The jolly music petered out. The cheering ceased. The procession stopped in its tracks and stared as the little fox swooped down towards the chipmunk.

"Mom, I-I'm so glad I found you!" the kit almost sobbed, throwing his arms around her. "I was all alone and I was so scared but now…"

"MOM?!" the princess's response halted his tearful voice and forced him to look up at her in shock. She looked down at him, her eyes cold and steely, her mouth contorted into a disgusted sneer. "It's Princess Sally Acorn to you!"

"What?" Tails shook his head. "N-No, it's me! Tails! Miles Prower! I'm your son!"

"Miles Prower?" Comprehension dawned upon the princess. "Oh, that's right! Well, I'm not your mom anymore"

"What?" Tails felt his stomach drop.

"That was while we were Freedom Fighters. With Robotnik gone, I have a kingdom to rule. I don't have time for the likes of you now. We've moved on, and so should you" Sally rolled her eyes.

"B-But I…"

"Sonic!" The chipmunk barked, and Tails wheeled round to behold the hedgehog in question standing over him, a baleful glare on his muzzle. "Sup, your highness?"

"Get this troublemaker out of my sight," Sally commanded. "He's ruining Mobius Day!"

Tails didn't know what happened to his mother, but surely Sonic was still on his side. "Sonic!" he pleaded. "It's me, Tails! Your little brother!"

A laugh escaped the blue streak's lips. "You still think you're my bro?" he sneered. "What a loooooooser!" Before the weeping kit could stop him, he turned to the crowd. "Hey, everybody! Can you believe this dork thinks I'm his brother and the princess is his mom?"

Antoine marched up and aimed his sword at the cub. "Ah order vous all to point and laugh at zis fuel!"

Tails shut his eyes and held his ears, but the scornful mirth penetrated him so hard it hurt. Everyone's visages became distorted and ghoulish as they cackled and guffawed. Everyone except for Sally.

"Go away," she whispered. "There's no place for you in my life now…" With that, she gave Tails a hard shove and he fell off the coach.

"MOOOOOOOOMMMM!" the fox screamed in terror, and fell with a bump…

…On his bedroom floor.

"Honey!"

His blood ran cold for a brief moment at a knock on his front door, which was subsequently wrenched open without awaiting his invitation. Sally ran across the threshold, panic etched upon her features. Upon seeing the fox lying on the floor, she rushed to his side.

"Tails? Sweetie? Did you fall out of bed?"

Still spooked by his nightmare, Tails tried to face away from her as she knelt down to his level. "Uh…Uh-huh…"

"What happened, are you hurt?" she tried not to sound anguished as several unpleasant memories flooded her mind. She had been planning on calling on her fox before breakfast when all of a sudden, her tail had twitched and she'd heard him scream for her.

"I-I'm fine…" Tails murmured, finally turning over to face her.

"Th-Then why are you on the floor?"

The fox wasn't sure whether to be unnerved by the illusion his mind had conjured or the princess's distressed behavior. She hadn't been like this since his accident from the wind cannon. The way she'd acted was just in his dream, not in real life. She would never speak to him like that, no matter how upset with him she could get. Tails knew it wasn't fair to stress her out.

"Tails?"

"I…I fell out of bed 'cos… 'cos I had a nightmare"

"A nightmare?" Sally repeated with concern, but seemed to be calming down. "What happened?"

Part of the cub wanted to tell her the truth about how his nightmare had been about his own mother cruelly rejecting him. But another part of him told him that it wasn't fair to upset her by insinuating she would ever do that. Tails decided to use a standard scary scenario.

"I dreamt Robotnik came into my hut and roboticised me"

Perhaps this wasn't a good idea either. He heard Sally audibly gasp and clutch him. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke. "Tails, he's gone. He's not been seen for over a year. Even if he did come back, he has no power. You helped Rotor and Uncle Chuck convert his Roboticiser into something good for the world" Tails didn't understand why, but a gnawing feeling in his stomach wanted the dictator to return, so that they'd all have a reason for staying together. But he dared not voice this wish aloud.

"And be sure of one thing, Miles Prower," the princess gently made him look her straight in the eyes. "If that tubby creep comes barging in here, looking for you…he'll have to go through ME"

Tails's visage slowly melted into a small smile. His nightmare had been that. Just a nightmare. Sally would never say such things to him. She loved him.

"Feeling better now, honey?"

"Well…"

Before he could even say any more, Sally kissed both cheeks and then his nose. He giggled shyly, which made her feel all warm inside. Her boy's laugh was something that always lifted her spirits.

"Now, let's go get some breakfast," the chipmunk gingerly helped him to his feet. "Little clouds don't belong on the floor, only in the sky"

Arm in arm with Tails, Sally walked him out of his hut towards the Mess Hall. Despite the beautiful day, and the sight of the cub in good spirits, she couldn't help but feel like something was still off.

The fox had always been truthful, something she'd hammered into him from day one. But she felt his dream had been entirely different to what he'd told her. Her tail was twitching, and it had begun the moment she heard him cry out. What unnerved her even more about this phenomenon was that her tail hadn't done this for a good while, not even when Tails joined the Freedom Fighters.

"What are you hiding, Miles?" she thought to herself, faking a smile as they joined everyone else.

Sonic paced around, digging a small trench with his own two feet near the Ring Pool. He hadn't had to collect a Power Ring for over a year. It was surprising that Uncle Chuck hadn't dismantled the machine that produced the artifacts. But the fastest thing alive certainly wasn't complaining. He needed one today. And he needed it NOW!

"C'mon, c'mon!" Sonic's pacing had been replaced by his foot tapping so fast, he could pound his way through Mobius's crust. He was sure the Power Rings were never this slow when he needed them for a mission. "What's wrong with this stupid…"

"Hi, Sonic!"

"DAAH!"

Hedgehog and fox both jumped. It was the first time the latter had ever seen the former do that, out of shock, that is. The next first time which quickly followed this was much more unnerving.

"Tails!" Sonic snapped, the ultimatum dripping with exasperation. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Whadda ya want?!"

Tails shrank back in shock, and the hedgehog instantly realized what he'd done. "Ahhh, s-sorry there, Big Guy, I'm just kinda bummed out"

"'Bout what?" Tails inquired, keeping his distance. In a way, Sonic shouldn't be too surprised his little brother was acting so cautious as a result of his outburst. The kid probably thought he'd been hit by a memory scrambler.

"I'm me, T2. I just said somethin' that wasn't me. C'mon over"

With the benefit of hindsight, if he hadn't been so preoccupied with himself, he'd have paid closer attention to the kit's appearance.

"What's up with you?" the fox asked, shuffling up to him.

"I…uh" Sonic was fast on his feet, not on alibis. "I'm a lil' hungover from last night's partyin'!"

"…You drink?"

"Well, I'm old enough to, now, ain't I?" Inwardly, Sonic winced. He'd done it again. "Anyway, that's not important right now. I'm waitin' for a Power Ring!"

"What for? Ya goin' somewhere?"

"No, I…I need, well, Rotor needs it for an experiment!"

"Experiment?" Tails raised an eyebrow. Sonic had no idea why he was being so abrupt with him, but he was unsure whether to feel guilty or irritated that Tails wouldn't go somewhere else and leave him to his plan. "I-Is the Power Ring a new battery for the Tornado II?!"

"How am I ta know, you're Rotor's lab partner, you ask him!" The hedgehog involuntarily threw his arms out in frustration. "Now quit playin' Pop Quiz, I ain't in the mood!"

Tails looked stunned, hurt perhaps a little spooked, and he was about to turn away when Sonic put a hand on his shoulder. "I did it again, I'm sorry," he sighed. "It ain't you, keed, it's Uncle Chuck's gizmo. It won't give me what I want, when I want it, and I'M WAAAIIIIITTTTIIIINNNGGG!"

"…They appear every ten minutes," Tails replied coolly. "The most recent one appeared five minutes ago"

The hedgehog slapped his forehead in frustration. He'd only just got there a minute ago. "DOOOOOOHHHHHH!" he growled, which normally would have made Tails laugh.

"You want me to leave you alone?" the cub asked. "'Cos I got a question for ya I don't wanna ask Mom"

"Mom?" The hedgehog was so wrapped up in his own mind, his absentminded question would have embarrassed him. "Oh, Sal, right! Well, uh, what's up?"

"D-Do you ever miss Robuttnik?"

This simple enquiry snapped the blue blur out of what he was planning. It had been an entire year since old Eggman had been taken out of the picture. Yet the Roboticiser becoming the De-Roboticiser had felt like the only progress that had happened since then.

Loathe though he was to admit it, especially after accomplishing what had only been dreamed of after that tragic day, he did miss Buttnik. No, he didn't miss the pollution. Nor the loss of friends and family. But he missed the thrill of going up against the scientist. Sneaking around, or luring some SWAT Bots away so that Sally or the others could plant a bomb on something important. Using a Power Ring for a quick getaway, the wind in his quills, Sally in his arms…

Sally. Maybe he was being selfish beyond belief, but deep down, another part of him resented how little she had time for him compared to the days of Robotropolis. During the day, she was corresponding with or visiting the likes of Lupe, Dirk or Griff to organize a Freedom Council. The only time they visited the ruins of the city was to collect supplies or survey. No more running at top speed for fear of buildings collapsing. No more finding trysting places for a good luck smooch…or more.

No, he WAS being selfish. How could he be thinking about wanting a cruel dictator back just so they could regress back to the days and times he knew? Because he was afraid of what might come next …Now he understood why Tails had been reluctant to ask Sally. At least to him, it wasn't a straightforward answer.

He and Sally were always at the forefront of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. After discovering King Acorn's other associates, they became Mobius's greatest heroes. They'd always been close, like when they were younger, but that was only because Uncle Chuck had been the royal scientist. When the coup happened, and they were evacuated to the village, something more than friendship began to develop as they grew up.

What if that relationship only developed because of Robotnik? What if he'd never taken over, would the same thing have happened between them? And when the Freedom Builders finished their building, Sally would move back to Castle Acorn. She'd be ruling Mobius. Would he be forgotten? What would he do without a villain to take on? Get a job?

But whatever came his way, he knew one thing for certain. He wanted to experience it with Sal by his side, and hoped the feeling was mutual.

"Sonic?"

Sonic jumped for the second time that afternoon, mentally irritated at his uncharacteristic reveries and being easily startled as a result. He looked down at Tails, who didn't necessarily look annoyed, but seemed desperate for an answer.

A flash of gold abruptly caught his eye. With a whoosh and a splash, the coveted Power Ring broke the surface of the water.

"YES! FINALLY!"

Forgetting the fox was there, he rushed forward and grabbed it before it disappeared into the pool.

"S-Sonic, what about my question?!" He faintly heard the kit call after him, as he began to run towards the village.

"Sorry, Big Guy, got somethin' mondo important ta do and I gotta do it now!"

Sonic raced away, leaving a disheartened Tails behind.

"…We salvaged the remains of a Doomsday pod from the Great Canyon, Princess," Lupe informed Sally and the other present leaders in the Meeting Room. "For my tribe, it carries nothing but troubling memories. With that said, I believe that your group of scientists you have here at Knothole might find some use for it"

"Yeah, I get ya on that," Griff agreed. "Princess, we could use a group of minds like the ones you have here! What they did with the Roboticiser is…amazing!"

"Sorry, Griff," Sally smirked, unsure whether to worry about the goat attempting to steal the trio like he did the Power Rings, "but Sir Charles, Rotor and Miles are taken"

"Sir Charles and Rotor, I can see accomplishing a feat like that," Lupe went on, "but Miles, he can't be any older than a teenager!"

"Well, he just turned 13 a month ago," Sally replied proudly. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the progress would've been impossible if not for him!" It was true. The chipmunk was not overselling her son's capabilities. But the bright smile on her face as she talked of him was not distracting her from the persistent tingling in her appendage.

She just couldn't understand it. Her tail was never wrong when it came to warning her about whether Tails was scared or in danger. Why was it still tingling after she'd comforted him?

Suddenly, the doors burst open and Sonic barged in. "SAL!"

Her heart nearly stopped, but she couldn't show her fears in front of the attendees. "Sonic Hedgehog!" she snapped. "What have I told you?"

"Uh, sorry…" the blue streak's peach muzzle turned red and he backed out of the room, closing the doors. A second later, there was a quiet knock, then the doors burst open and Sonic barged in. "SAL!"

"Sonic, what's the matter?" The princess tried to ignore the tingling, but it was no coincidence that she felt it and now Sonic had come in all frantic.

"Sal, we got a situation out here an' we need ya pronto!"

Sally turned to the others. "You're needed, your highness," Lupe reassured her. "We can wait"

Showing a thankful smile, the chipmunk hurried out of the room and followed Sonic outside. "What's the emergency?" she demanded at once. "Is Tails okay?" To her surprise, the hedgehog's desperate expression was replaced by a flippant grin.

"The emergency was gettin' you outta there," he smirked. "Now…"

"You pulled me out of an important meeting for nothing?!" Sally exclaimed. "And is Tails okay?!"

"No, I didn't pull you outta that meeting for nothin', an' yes, Big Guy's fine" Sonic pacified. "There's something I wanna talk to you about…in private"

"Private? What's wrong with talking heeeeeeerrrrrre?!" she practically screamed. For Sonic had abruptly picked her up and was sprinting out of Knothole without any explanation.

In a matter of seconds, they were on the bridge over the Great River. Sally got her bearings and flattened out her windswept hair. Had he brought her to this spot to make out?

"Sonic, what was that all about? Why are we here?" Her tone was initially irritable, until she stole a glance at the hedgehog before him and noticed a significant change in his demeanor. Almost as if he'd become a different person on the way here. Had his behaviour been a facade to keep up appearances?

"Sonic?" her face became a mask of concern. "Sonic, are you okay?"

The blue hedgehog seemed to struggle to think of something to say. "Sal," he said at last. "I've been thinking about what'll happen when we finish fixing up Mobotropolis…"

"Well, I was talking about it before you called me away," the chipmunk tried to joke, somewhat unnerved by his serious mood.

"Well…well, yeah, but…I was also thinking about you…"

"That doesn't surprise me, I always seem to be on your mind," Sally smirked. Sonic gave a small smile, but now seemed to be steeling himself to say something difficult. Her tail was still twitching, but she willed herself to pay it no mind. Sonic seemed to be troubled, and he had assured her that Tails was safe, so she felt she could listen. She moved a little closer to him and took his hand.

"Tell me what's wrong," she coaxed. "You can tell me, especially after all we've been through…"

Of all the things for the fastest thing alive to say, the princess had never expected what she was about to hear.

"Sally Acorn. Of all the years I've known you, there ain't a day that goes by where I ain't thankful for havin' you around. You're beautiful inside an' out, maybe even more than that, if that's possible. Everyone looks at us an' thinks I'm the one runnin' the show, but I ain't. It's all you. You're kind, compassionate and sweet. Yer firm but fair, an' I love that about you. Takin' Buttnik down wouldn't have happened if not for you. I love you, Sal. I love ya more than life itself. An' now that Eggman got scrambled, things are gonna change. Yer gonna be at the forefront of everything, now. And ya deserve all the goodness in the world. I…I hope you'll still have time for the ol' hedgehog after you restore Mobotropolis to all its former glory…"

Sally's sapphire eyes were glazed with tears and she had a paw to her mouth. Trembling slightly, Sonic got down on one knee before her…and presented her with the Power Ring.

"Sally Acorn, will you marry me?"

Instead of an answer, the hedgehog saw Sally rush up to him with a speed uncannily similar to his own, throwing her arms around him.

"YES! YES, SONIC HEDGEHOG, YES!"