Well, this was it! The big day! Tails was nervous. I mean, of course he was! In just a few hours, he would be the husband of the greatest hero Mobius had ever known! Of course, following the age-old tradition, he had not seen Sonic since the day before, since the blue hedgehog had spent the night bunking in Knuckles' guest room. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all. He had to admit, however, that it almost felt more strange to be without his plane. Angel Island was a floating island, after all, so Sonic needed The Cyclone to get to and from the island.

His excitement levels were through the roof, as evidenced by the rate at which his massive namesakes were wagging. He glanced at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a white tailor-fitted tuxedo, complimented by a Sonic-blue bow tie. Of course, considering the fact that he normally wore nothing except his gloves and shoes, it did take a bit of getting used to, but he took some humour in the fact that Sonic was probably feeling the exact same way about his own outfit!

His phone started ringing.

Silver.

"Hey, Silver."

"Hey, Tails. Are you nearly ready to go?"

"Yeah. I've just got to finish brushing my tails."

"Ok. We should be arriving at yours in a few minutes."

"That should be fine. I should be ready by then."

"Perfect. See you in a few, then! And, thank you for choosing me as your best man!"

"Of course, Silver. Even though we don't see you as often as we'd like, we're still good friends, right?"

"Absolutely, even though I was trying to kill Sonic the first time we met!"

Tails cringed a bit at that. It certainly wasn't the most ideal of introductions!

"Don't remind me! That was a hot mess!"

The two shared a quick chuckle, before Silver ended the call to give Tails the chance to finish his tails.

Not even three minutes had passed since the call ended when the fox heard the sound of a car rolling up outside, which was accompanied by a text from Silver saying 'we're here'. He gave his outfit one last adjustment before grabbing his usual shoes (for comfort after the wedding), and heading out to meet them. Although, he wasn't quite expecting the sight that greeted him: a giant limousine, painted bright orange to match the fox it would be transporting. The rear door opened, and Silver stepped out, with Blaze emerging quickly behind him. They quickly greeted each other with hugs and smiles, before stepping inside the giant car, where Ray and Charmy were also waiting.

At a much higher altitude, Sonic was having a similar morning. His nerves were at an all-time high, which he couldn't help but laugh at. Fighting a giant robot in space? No problem! Battling against a sentient flood in a decimated city? Easy! Getting married? Holy crap, I'm freaking out!

Of course, his nerves were equalled by his excitement, and then some! This was a union that had been more than a decade in the making! It was about time they made it official, after all.

His train of thought was interrupted by a loud knock at the bedroom door.

"Sonic, if you don't hurry up, we're gonna be late!"

"Relax, Knux, I'm pretty much ready to go. Just need to get my shoes on." Like Tails, Sonic was in unfamiliar territory with an outfit on. The outfit in question was a black, tailor-made tuxedo paired with a Tails-orange bow tie. He was able to retain his trademark white gloves, but the red trainers that he was known for also had to be forgotten. In their place were a pair of black brogues, which were really unusual for the hedgehog. They certainly weren't as comfortable as his usual footwear, but that wasn't gonna be enough to stop him! Besides, he knew that Tails had an identical pair for himself, so at least he wasn't alone in this wardrobe ordeal! Of course, he'd still be bringing his classic reds with him to change into later, so he wouldn't be without them for long!

A few minutes later, the hedgehog and echidna were walking towards The Cyclone. Unlike Tails, the other groomsmen for Sonic, Espio and Mighty, would meet him at the venue. Despite how diligently Tails had been working, The Tantei was nowhere near ready to fly. Therefore, the Entropy Eyes were currently grounded, especially considering that the two members who were capable of flight under their own steam were part of Tails' party. So, for the flight down to the Grand Acorn Hotel, it would just be the groom and best man.

Sonic felt a strange sense of nostalgia flying the plane without Tails. The Tornado had always been his plane, but his favourite fox always managed to get more out of it, so the hedgehog relinquished the role of pilot nine times out of ten. That didn't mean that Sonic was bad at flying, but he was definitely out of practice! He was thankful that, once he had cleared the island, there weren't any obstacles to hit up here.

Knuckles was even happier about that fact as well (although there were certainly a few times during the flight where the echidna almost lost his breakfast)!

Despite the sheer scale of this event, Sonic and Tails had decided to keep their wedding private: friends only. The only exception was the journalist from Ciao, Chao! Magazine that they had met outside Twinkle Park. But, she was only there as a guest, not a journalist. Of course, she did have the couple's permission to write an article about the wedding after it was finished, but nothing more.

However, despite the privacy, that could do nothing to prevent the news channels and paparazzi from figuring it out. Thankfully, as soon as any of them caught a glimpse of the guest list, which almost exclusively consisted of the strongest heroes that Mobius had to offer, they all collectively decided that outside was close enough. That didn't stop them from reporting on it, however.

Which is exactly what Vector and Vanilla found themselves watching.

"Can you believe this?! How can they talk about this with a smile on their face? It's disgusting!"

Vector was practically frothing at the mouth, but Vanilla had been a lot more reserved for the past couple of weeks. Which was something that the former detective had been quick to notice, but the elder rabbit had seemed hesitant to talk about it. He decided to try asking again.

"Ok, Vanilla, what is it? You've been really quiet recently. Did something happen?"

She sighed before finally recounting the events from The Pink Rose a few weeks prior. The more she spoke, the angrier he became. He had always been the more short-tempered of the two, so it didn't take long for him to reach full-on rage mode, with the image of a pink hedgehog in his crosshairs.

"How dare she talk to you like that?! I wonder how she'll react when she finds out her precious flower shop has burnt down!"

"Vector, no! It's not worth it. I'm over it."

"You're clearly not, dear. Unless there's something else."

"It's just… I've been thinking back to what she said. I wasn't willing to listen at the time, but she was right. We've lost so much because of this whole situation. You lost your detective agency, and my daughter has wanted nothing to do with me for the past three years! All because Sonic and Tails got together. I just can't help but think that we really are the problem."

"Hey, we can't help what we believe, right? We're just as entitled to our opinions as they are to theirs! If they can't accept that, then they're the problem, not us!"

"I know, I know, but again, look at how much those opinions have cost us! If we were just more accepting, I'd still be able to see my daughter."

As if on cue, the news channel piped up.

"… ouge the Bat. Her team consisted of Amy Rose, a key member of the Resistance and owner of The Pink Rose flower shop, who managed the floral arrangements, and Cream the Rabbit, daughter of the now infamous Vanilla the Rabbit (one of the most outspoken protesters against this union), who was the manager for catering. It really is a star-studded event here at the Grand Acorn Hotel, and we'll be sure to keep you posted on what we can see, right here on YNSO News!"

Vector was silent for a second, before piping up again.

"Then let's go and see her."

"What?"

"I mean, we know where she is. If she won't come to us, we'll go to her. Besides, our best chance to ruin this disgraceful union would be to do so before it happens!"

The limo ride was certainly a new experience for the young fox. Most machinery he favoured took to the skies, rather than the roads, but he definitely wasn't complaining! Everyone was laughing and singing along with the music, which might have been just a tiny bit too loud. Although, it was a little weird being the only one not partnered up on the way to your own wedding. Silver and Blaze had been dating for a while, and we already know about Ray and Charmy. But, of course, the mere knowledge that, when he left this hotel later that evening, he'd have a husband, made him too excited to care! However, the frogs that had apparently taken up residence in his stomach immediately jumped up to his throat as soon as the familiar hotel loomed into view.

This was it. Showtime.

He grinned, a slight tint of pink dusting his cheeks. He was so (not) ready for this!

As soon as he left the limo, he was almost overwhelmed by the amount of people there. It was a private affair, of course, but there was still a small army of supporters outside, being held back by some temporary barriers, with a collection of GUN agents (as a favour from Shadow and Rouge) as an extra precaution. He assumed it would be quieter inside. He was right, but not by much! Upon entering the lobby, he was immediately swarmed by Rouge, Amy and Cream, who all seemed to be just as excited as him, if their squealing was anything to go by! The hotel manager approached him as well, to once again express her thanks for choosing the hotel for such an important occasion. They led him through the lobby, into the gardens out behind the main building, and once again, the poor fox was almost floored by the sight before him.

It was as though he and all of his closest friends had been whisked into a fairy tale. In the middle of the garden was a large Sakura cherry tree, with blue and orange ribbons interwoven between its branches. There was an altar there as well, so it didn't take a genius to figure out where it'd all go down. Around the edges, there were a variety of white gazebos, with them all serving a different purpose. One had the table for wedding gifts, which was already quite stacked; another had the drinks and hors d'oeuvres. There was one gazebo that was empty except for a rather impressive looking sound system, which, upon closer inspection, Tails realised was actually one of his own designs! He figured that would be the makeshift 'dance hall'. Another gazebo had tables and chairs, for those who wanted to sit and relax before and after the ceremony.

Of course, Amy had also outdone herself. No matter which way he looked, it almost seemed as though every surface had been accented by vibrant bouquets of marigolds, orange roses, irises and forget-me-nots, resulting in a visual symphony of blue and orange (notice the theme?).

He couldn't help but tear up at the sight. This was the first time he had seen any of this, and it just made it real. He was quickly scooped up in a hug by Amy and Cream, which he gladly returned.

The moment was interrupted, however, when Mighty suddenly raised his voice.

"Knuckles just messaged me, and he says they're only a few minutes out! We need to be ready!"

With that announcement, it seemed everyone suddenly hit fast forward, running around to make sure everything, and everyone, was in the right place. Once that was all sorted, and not a moment too soon, the sound of an approaching biplane could be heard.

As the plane approached from the far side of the hotel, Vector and Vanilla arrived at the door. The large crowd of Sonic and Tails' supporters recognised them immediately, and as if someone flipped a switch, the street went silent.

That is, until someone in the crowd shouted: "What are you two doing here?!"

That opened the floodgates, an avalanche of similarly angry shouts and boos falling upon the aged couple. One of the GUN agents approached the pair.

"I'd suggest you two leave quickly. This isn't the place you wanna be right now."

"Actually, this is exactly where we want to be. We're here to see our daughter."

The couple made their way to enter the hotel, but the GUN agent grabbed Vector's arm.

"I'm afraid I can't let you in. Sonic and Tails have requested for this event to be private. You'd need an invitation." The agent was trying to be as civil as possible, but a keen listener would certainly have noticed the hint of a snarl in his voice. Although, that snarl quickly became a grunt of surprise as the crocodile threw him to the ground.

"Do I look like I care what they want?! They clearly don't care about what we think, so why should we care what they think?" At the commotion, the other GUN agents prepared to intervene, but they never got the chance, as Vector let out a rather substantial fire belch. By the time it had subsided, Vanilla and Vector had already made it inside. So, the agent on the ground did the next best thing he could, and reached for his radio.

Unaware of the problems at the other side of the hotel, Sonic and Knuckles landed The Cyclone at the back, where they were greeted by Mighty and Espio.

"Good flight?"

"I've had better." Knuckles certainly looked a bit green around the quills.

"Hey! I'm just out of practice, alright?!"

After a quick laugh, and once Knux had regained his composure, he posed the important question to the Blue Blur.

"So, are you ready?"

"Not even close! But I can't keep Miles waiting forever!"

"Then, let's get in there! Everything's all set up."

With that, the four of them made their way to the garden.

It wasn't even five minutes later when Sonic and Tails found themselves reunited again. As Sonic walked down the 'aisle' towards the tree, Tails could do nothing to prevent his namesakes from wagging like crazy, earning him a soft elbow to the ribs from Silver, who chuckled at his excited friend. The music they had chosen was a beautiful orchestral piece that really made the moment perfect. There wasn't a dry eye in the garden. Except for Shadow, who was unspeakably annoyed when his radio started beeping, forcing him to step away for a moment.

Finally, once the two were side-by-side, the ceremony began. The officiator was an aged owl with round spectacles, who stood tall and proud with his wings spread wide. When he spoke, his voice was deep and rich.

"My fellow Mobians, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles 'Tails' Prower."

Shadow glared down at his radio, before answering it.

"What is it?! The ceremony just started!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but Vector and Vanilla are inside. I couldn't stop them."

Immediately, Shadow was angry for a completely different reason.

"Where are they now?!"

"I don't know, sir. Last time I saw them was when they were at the door. They were saying something about trying to see their daughter."

"Ok. I'll alert the agents inside. Keep an eye open."

"Yes, sir."

Shadow sighed once he had ended the contact. He dreaded to think what those two had in mind. Admittedly, he didn't have much experience with Vanilla, but he knew how hot-headed Vector could be at times, especially when he was in a bad mood to begin with. He knew that this would need to be dealt with quickly if he didn't want them causing a scene. So, as much as he wanted to go back in to the ceremony, he sent a quick warning to the other agents inside the building, including Rouge, before setting off on the hunt.

It didn't take long to find them. The big green one wasn't exactly being quiet.

"Hey. Pretty sure neither of you are welcomed here."

"Do I look like I care, you overgrown science experiment?!"

"You should. Unlike my agents, I'm not quite as nice. Now, you would be wise to turn that tail of yours around and go. I won't be asking again." Shadow had chosen to ignore the 'science experiment' comment.

"Then I guess we're doing this the hard way." Vector quickly assumed a fighting stance, before turning to Vanilla. "If you wanna get in there, go now. I'll keep this guy busy." She didn't need to be told twice, quickly running in the direction of the garden. Shadow wanted to stop her, but he immediately found himself on the defensive as Vector charged him, so he was unable.

This was going to get messy…

"Now, I understand the two of you wrote your own vows, correct? So, who's going first?"

Sonic gulped before starting.

"Miles, when we first met, I was just a lone hedgehog, running around Mobius with no real destination in mind. And, as cool as I seemed back then, I didn't really have many friends. But then I found you, tinkering with my plane on a beach and I decided to take a chance. I had no idea it would lead us here! Through all of my adventures, you have been the only constant presence, willing me forward, and if the last fifteen years with me haven't scared you off yet, then nothing will!" He paused for a second as the audience laughed. "Now, I can't imagine my life without you in it. I don't want to, either! I'm still just a hedgehog running around Mobius with no destination in mind, but I'm glad that you decided to run with me! I love you, Miles, and that will never change."

Once again, the audience had to dab their eyes. But, the interlude was brief, as Tails was quick to speak up and start his speech.

"Sonic, when we started going out, you told me that you'd give up your speed for me. I've never been able to make a similar claim, but all I can promise is that wherever you end up going, I'll be going there with you. These past fifteen years have been the best years of my life! You were the first person who didn't look at me like a freak because of my tails. You were the first to even consider being my friend. You have no idea how much that means to me, even today. At this point, I've fully accepted that I'm weird, so let's be weird together! Sonic the Hedgehog, you mean more to me than even I have the words for, and I can not wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, you big, fast idiot, and I always will! Oh, and Happy Birthday, Sonic!"

After the audience echoed the fox's last sentence, the owl's voice rang out again.

"Now then, I hate asking this next question, but it does need to be asked. Is there anyone here who believes that these two should not be wed? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

The silence that followed was a blessed relief.

"Then, it is with great honour that I pronounce you partners for life. You may now ki—"

"STOP!"

Another silence followed as all heads turned to the unwelcome newcomer.

Vanilla.

Silver was quick to trap her in his psychic grip, to prevent her from making any further progress towards the couple.

"That's as far as you're going, lady."

All Vanilla could do was watch the angry faces of her former friends glaring back at her. Cream's hurt the most. The way her daughter looked at her now was filled with vitriol. There was no love there at all. Not anymore.

Then things got worse. The growls and glares from the crowd were immediately overshadowed by the sound of sobbing from the tree. Looking over, along with everyone else, she saw Tails in tears. And, Sonic was snarling, with his fur becoming as dark as the tuxedo he wore.

"You couldn't just give us this day?! The most important day of our lives, now ruined because of you! Do you really hate us that much, that you have to barge in uninvited and spoil what was going to be a perfect day?!" As he was speaking, he was slowly advancing on the trapped rabbit, leaving a still sobbing Tails in the embrace of Amy, who had run to their side the second he had started crying.

He stopped right at her face.

"You're lucky that I don't want to ruin this tuxedo. Otherwise, I'd be doing a lot more than just giving you a stern talking to. But, as it is right now, I never want to see your face again." He paused for a moment, his fur gradually returning to its usual hue. "You know, I really hoped you'd change. As much as she'd never admit it, especially right now, I know Cream missed her mother. Now, you've not only blown your chances with me, but you've blown your chances with her." Sonic turned back towards the altar, before finishing with one more line. "Have a bad life." With that, he turned his attention to Silver.

"Could you get her out of here please?"

"With pleasure." With no further warning, Vanilla suddenly found herself about a foot off the ground before being launched backwards through the door back into the hotel, which was quickly locked behind her. Of course, nobody noticed that she wasn't the only rabbit that was no longer there.

Meanwhile, the fight between Shadow and Vector went pretty much exactly how you'd expect.

It was over in less than a minute, with Shadow escaping basically unscathed. He was quick to summon the other nearby agents to detain the defeated crocodile, so he was currently sitting bound on the floor, with nothing to do but glare at the black and red hedgehog above him.

Shadow clicked his tongue.

"Vector, I honestly thought you were smarter than that. You were a great detective once, after all. There's a reason I'm known as the Ultimate Life Form. I thought you knew that, based on your 'overgrown science experiment' quip from earlier."

Vector continued his voluntary silence.

"You might want to say something, soon, big boy. As much as I wished it, there was no law against homophobia, so I just had to make peace with the fact that I had to leave you alone. But now you have assaulted multiple government officials, threatened me, and trespassed, so I can finally put you away for a while. Maybe that'll give you and your wife a chance to rethink your life choices."

The mention of Vanilla caught the crocodile's attention.

"Oh, yeah, she's going away as well. Maybe not for quite as long as you, but if I can charge you with trespassing, then I can charge her with the same! You should have thought of that sooner. Besides, I'm guessing Cream wouldn't have wanted you there anyway."

As if on cue, the sound of a door slamming shut made its way to the ears of Shadow and Vector. Shadow sent a couple of agents to check it out, and a few minutes later, they returned with Vanilla in tow.

And Cream was right behind them.

"Ah. Speak of the devil." Shadow was quick to notice the level of anger radiating from the young rabbit. "I suppose you want a minute alone with your 'parents'?"

"No, no, it's fine, Shadow. There's nothing I want to say to them that I wouldn't want you to hear. Although, there isn't much to say, honestly. In fact, thanks to Sonic, I've only one thing to say. He was right. I never want to see either of you again. Even if you never accepted Sonic and Tails, I might have considered letting you back in to my life someday, but because of what you did, one of my best friends is now crying on his wedding today, and you have successfully burned whatever bridges we had left." She turned away. "If you have anything to say, don't bother. I'm not even remotely interested." She started to walk away. "Oh, and by the way, I've met someone. I'm planning to ask her out today. Wish me luck!" With that final nail in the coffin, she was gone, heading back to the garden.

Shadow grinned. "Well, that's got to hurt! Tough break, you two. Now, where was I? Oh yes, I was about to call the police. I assume you both know your rights? And, you may also want to get yourselves some good lawyers. But, I don't want to miss any more of this ceremony, so I'll leave you in the capable hands of my agents until the police arrive." With that, he left as well, calling the police as he walked.

When Cream returned to the garden, she saw that not much had changed. Tails was still hiccupping with the last remnants of his sobbing episode, and Amy was still embracing him. Sonic, now returned to his usual blue, was talking to the owl, trying to determine where to go from here. The rest of the crowd didn't really know what else to do, so they were just sitting there, watching from afar. She decided to walk over to the grooms, to offer her comfort as well.

"Hey, guys. How are you holding up?" Tails looked up, eyes still watery, and he tried to smile.

"I-I'm ok. It's just that everything was going so well, and she had to ruin it."

"Hey, the day's still young!" Cream also found it quite difficult to smile right now, but she felt as though she had to, for him. "Let's not let the actions of the rabbit I formerly called my mother sully the entire day! Besides, I distinctly remember our favourite owl here pronouncing you 'life partners' before she barged in, so technically, you were already married before the interruption!"

That made Tails stop. He looked up at his friend and smiled, and it was as if the tension just evaporated.

"You're right!" He escaped Amy's embrace, only to engulf Cream in one of his own. "Thank you, Cream!" His eyes started to leak again, this time for a completely different reason. "I'm so happy we stayed friends!"

After a few moments, the two friends released their embrace, and Tails turned to face Sonic and the owl, the latter of which realising that it was his signal to keep going.

"Alright, everyone settle down. If I can have your attention, please. I know this is not the way any of us would have wanted or predicted this to end, but this is still a wedding, and these two haven't had the chance to kiss yet!" The newlywed couple blushed furiously at the owl's wording, but they chuckled along with the rest of the audience. Even Shadow, who had arrived back in the garden just before the owl had started talking, couldn't help but joining in.

"Now then, Sonic and Miles Prower, I've already pronounced you partners for life, so it is my great honour—" He stopped again. "Actually, you know what? I'm pretty sure you all know what I'm going to say next, so why don't we make this wedding even more unconventional, and say it all together?"

Another round of laughter echoed around the garden, before someone started a countdown, which ended with a chorus of every different voice there shouting the line they had been waiting to hear all day: "YOU MAY NOW KISS!"

So they did.

Ok, ok, I know I'm a couple of hours late (for those of us in the UK, at least), but I tried my best! I'll try to get the epilogue out over the weekend at some point, and I'll confirm it now: the standalone M-rated chapter will be happening, but I can't confirm when exactly. After that, I plan on finally getting round to finishing the remaining chapters for The Lonely Dragon, before moving on to a few new stories that I also want to get started! It seems I'm gonna be doing a lot of writing in the near future!

For those who are wondering, I chose the initials for the YNSO News Network before I had decided on what those initials would stand for in-universe! The YN came from Yuji Naka, the main designer of Sonic himself, and the SO came from Sonic Origins, a set of four remastered classic Sonic games that also released the same day as this chapter! It also occurs to me that it's also an anagram for Sony, but that was a pure coincidence! As for the in-universe meaning of those initials, the best I could come up with was 'Your News & Sports Outlet', but feel free to come up with your own headcanons for that one!

Additionally, even though I didn't mention it in the chapter, the 'beautiful orchestral piece' that I had in mind for Sonic's aisle walk was "Event: Wishing Upon The Chaos Emeralds" by SEGA SOUND TEAM and Hideaki Kobayashi from Sonic '06 (or specifically the section up until the 1:43 mark, or even more specifically, the section between 1:11 and 1:43). As notoriously glitchy as that game was, in my opinion, its soundtrack was, and still is, one of the best Sonic soundtracks from the modern era! That particular piece just spoke to me for that scene, so that's what I envisioned (and it's honestly what I was listening to when I wrote that line!). I'd include a link, but I don't want to risk breaking any rules, so I'll just say that you'd probably be able to find it, along with the rest of the Sonic '06 soundtrack, fairly easily on Spotify or YouTube, or wherever else you might choose to listen to music!

Anyway, I seem to be making it a trend for super long Author's Notes, although it does seem fitting to have a really long AN after the longest chapter of the story, by far! But, I've probably kept you all long enough, so I'll stop rambling for now! Happy 31st birthday, Sonic! Ciao for now!

OnTheSpectrum