After breakfast the following morning, Sally summoned Uncle Chuck and her four closest friends to her hut. She hadn't felt the need to do this for over a year. Even though they no longer had to strategise over taking down Robotnik, the bride and groom had a feeling that planning their special day would be just as daunting.
"Good morning, guys," Sally greeted the coagulation. "So, as you all know, Sonic and I are engaged to be married…"
"WOO-HOO!" Bunnie interjected, before blushing at everyone else's deadpan reactions. "Sorry…"
"Each and every freedom fighter in this room has played a part in taking down, to quote my fiancé, the Big Round Guy" she paused to allow Tails to get the giggling out of his system. "I would be honored to have all of you play a part in our special day. Now, Sonic and I have made very careful consideration as to whom will be assigned what"
The assembled freedom fighters shared a look. What were they going to be doing?
"Antoine," Sally began, "we would like you to be…"
"The flower girl!" Sonic cut in, instantly earning a nudge in the ribs from Sally and a giggle from Tails.
"And vous can be the thorn een ma side!" Antoine sniffed indignantly.
"I was going to say that Antoine will lead the Royal Guard for the ceremony," Sally continued.
"Ah would be honaired to, ma Preencess!" the coyote saluted so hard, he hit his forehead. "Ah already 'ave everytheeng planned!" He continued after recovering. "My strongest men weell have ze task of making ze arch pour vous to walk through, weeth your fathair et your groom!"
"Uhhhh, yeah…" Sonic muttered awkwardly. "One problem with that, Ant. Sal's dad is…not here"
The hedgehog's observation wasn't inaccurate. King Maximilian Acorn had been in a strange position. As a matter of fact, nobody knew what position he was in. Whether he was dead, stuck in another dimension or hiding somewhere was anyone's guess.
"Yes…Daddy isn't here," the chipmunk princess ventured somewhat wistfully. "…But somebody will give me away on the day of the wedding," she turned to look at the elderly and restored hedgehog. "Sir Charles, as royal scientist and friend of the Acorn family, it would be an honor if you took my father's place"
Uncle Chuck blushed, to everyone's surprise. "Shucks, your highness!" He chuckled. "I'd be honored to!"
"We wouldn't have anybody else, Unc!" his nephew grinned, patting his shoulder.
"Rote, yer my best man!" Sonic flashed the surprised walrus a thumbs up. "'Cos I can't be best man at my own weddin'!"
"W-Well, gee, Sonic, that sure is kind of you!" Rotor replied humbly. "I'll do my best!"
"Just make sure yer weddin' gift ain't a quill fixer" the blue streak ribbed.
"Bunnie, I'd like you to be…"
"Ah will, Sally-Girl!"
"…My maid of honor" the princess finished wryly.
"Hoooooo-wee!" the happy hare whooped. "Ah'll not let y'all down! Ah've been practicin' on hair styles for over a year now! I'll not only be yer maid 'o' honor, ah'll personally style yer mane!"
"I know you will, Bunnie," Sally replied warmly. "That's why there's no other person in the world I'd like better to support me"
As Tails listened, he wondered what role he would play in this ceremony. If this was going to be the last time he'd be with the Freedom Fighters, he'd better have something to remember…
"And last, but certainly not least, Tails" Sally's voice made him jump. "Sonic and I have been thinking especially about the role you'll play"
"Have you?" The fox's ears pricked up.
"Even before you joined the Freedom Fighters," Sally told him, "you always played a key role in helping us fight Robotnik. Whenever we needed a Power Ring, you were the fastest one to get it for us and always seemed to know exactly when one would emerge. In fact, your hope and joy not only boosted morale but also seemed to bring all of us together. Therefore, Sonic and I would love you to be our ringbearer!"
"More like ze reeng fox-air, no?" Antoine teased.
Tails wasn't listening to that rather poor pun. His mind was digesting what Sally had told him. He really WAS important to Sonic and Sally! …But why did that make saying goodbye all the more harder now?
"Okay, you all have your roles," the princess announced. "Now, let's all get to work. We have a wedding to prepare!"
With those words, the others got up and began to file out of the hut. But Sally's eyes remained fixed on the back of her son as he left. She'd noticed his face light up and then fall as she appointed him his task.
"Sonic, I think there's something wrong with Tails," she murmured the moment she was sure everyone was out of earshot.
"Well, it's nothin' ta do with me!" her future husband held up two pacifying hands. "I said sorry to him, remember!"
The newlyweds-to-be looked back at the distraught kid with two, fluffy tails.
"Why don't ya talk to him?" the hedgehog mused after a pause.
"Well, you know him," she sighed back. "He won't explain anything until he feels ready. Did he say anything to you before you upset him?"
Sonic bristled for a moment, but then began to think. Sally thought she could see smoke emitting from his ears and hear the groaning clanks of rusted cogs in motion.
"Yeah! Yeeeeaaah! He did, actually!" Sonic snapped his fingers. "He asked if I missed Buttnik!"
"Missed Robotnik?" The chipmunk raised an eyebrow, her feelings a mixture of confusion and shock. Why would Tails ask a question like that? Who in sound mind and body would ever pine for the return of such an inhumane, sadistic monster? All of a sudden, her mind returned back to when they thought they'd rid themselves of evil. Back to when the Doomsday Project had been blown to kingdom come. The blue streak before her had bemoaned, what they thought was, the end of the war. That was because he couldn't be a hero anymore. But the kit, though he idolized Sonic, didn't share his lust for action…
"Why would Miles ask you about missing Robotnik? It…it doesn't add up. Yesterday, I was going to check on him, and I heard him scream. I found him on the floor and he told me he'd had a nightmare about Robotnik kidnapping him!" She turned away to pace around. "What is going on?"
The more she thought about it, the more convinced Tails had lied to her about his dream. On the outside, he was acting as if everything was fine, but she knew. She just KNEW that whatever was troubling him was entirely different to what he'd told her. Her tail wasn't tingling, but she knew something was amiss.
"Tell ya what, Sal," the hedgehog placed an empathetic hand on her shoulder. "We'll both play it cool. We won't grill T2 over what's got into him. Ya said so yerself, he'll only come clean on his own terms. Let's focus on our wedding an' then we'll talk to him when he's ready, okay?"
Somehow, Sally doubted that approach would work, but she knew Sonic was right.
Rotor's workshop sang with the clanking of hammer on metal. The walrus lay under the fuselage of a red and yellow biplane with two tails painted on its rudder. This aircraft, which had been constructed a few months after the wind cannon incident, had been christened the Tornado II. Rotor and Tails had begun work on it as a faster alternative to the Freedom Stormer, inspired by the copter pack which the former had built for the latter as a gift.
This afternoon, the walrus and fox were making some adjustments to the plane. If anyone asked why they were doing this instead of preparing for the wedding, then…
"As Sonic's best man, I'm gonna make sure the Royal Wedding will go down in Mobian history!" Rotor cheerfully explained as he hammered away at something Tails couldn't see. "On the day, I'll fly the Tornado II right over the ceremony. Then, I'll do some fancy skywritin' to congratulate the bride an' groom!"
Tails had wondered what the notepad in the cockpit had been doing there. He'd also wondered why it said "CoNGRABulaytionz too Sonik n SALLE"
"That's a great idea, Rotor!" the fox smirked, wondering if his mentor had borrowed one of his storybooks to write that message.
"I woulda given you the honor, little buddy," the mechanic continued, "but Sal gave you an important job!"
"W-Well, every job is important!" the fox reassured. "And speaking of jobs, what're you gonna do when the wedding's over and we've finished building Mobotropolis?"
"That's a long way off, little buddy," Rotor replied, "but it's always good ta be prepared! I think I'll start a garage. Rotor's Motors has a nice ring, huh?"
"Yeah, it does!" Tails agreed. "Maybe I could…could go work with you?"
"You're always welcome to," Rotor smiled as he rolled out from under the plane. "But you're such a prodigy, I always thought you could strike it out on your own!"
"Strike it out on my own?" Tails knew it was a compliment. He knew he should take it as a compliment, but a statement from his night terror suddenly came back to him. "We've moved on, and so should you"
"Tails, y'okay?" the walrus's concerned voice returned him to his senses. He must have looked upset.
"Me? I'm fine!" he put on a false smile. "I was just thinking about what to call my garage before I open it!"
"…Tails…Prevails?" came the lame reply.
"Not bad!" Tails laughed, "But I'd have to go away if I started my own business"
"Go away? Why?"
"Well, you can't have two garages in Mobotropolis, can you?"
"No," Rotor conceded. "B-But what would Sonic or Sally think of that? I know I'd miss ya!"
"Thanks, Rote, but I think Sonic and Sally would have their own lives to worry about after they get married. I'd just get in the way, wouldn't…"
There was a knock at the door which silenced the pair. "Rotor?" they heard Sally call. "Is Tails in there?"
An icy chill ran through the cub's body as his walrus companion suddenly looked fearful. But, why? It was only Sally…
"Little buddy," Rotor hissed, his eyes flitting from the door to the fox in question. "Run for your life. Fly for your life, even. Sal's fitting all the guys for wedding clothes! You'll be at Bunnie's for a lifetime! Get outta here, I'll hold her off!"
Tails didn't need telling twice. He flew upwards towards the workshop skylight, which he'd mercifully opened an hour ago.
"Oh, uh, hello there, Sally!" he heard Rotor stammer. "Tails? N-No, have ya tried looking at Sonic's?"
"Thank you, Rotor…" he whispered. "I'll never forget you!"
He was out of the workshop and flying over the roof. Sally was still at the front. He'd lay low in the Great Forest until…
"Whooooooa, there!"
His heart nearly stopped at the sight of Bunnie rising up to his level out of nowhere. Before he could stop himself, he'd flown into her arms, and she had a gentle but firm grip.
"Awww, no, Bunnie, noooooo!" he whined, struggling to get loose. "Bunnie, don't do this to meeeeee!"
"Sugah-Fox, y'all act like ah'm gonna put ya t'sleep!" the lapine laughed. "It's only a lil' ol' suit fittin'!"
"Put me to sleep instee-heee-heeeaaad!" the forlorn fox wailed.
The hare rolled her eyes and lowered herself and her brother earthward. Her chipmunk companion, who had just come round the side of the workshop, was there to greet them.
"Oh, there you are, honey!" she called. "I was wondering if you had a minute"
A "minute" quickly turned into over an hour. Rotor had been right: Sally had decided that, as well as fitting everyone for their formal attire, Bunnie would make them at the same time. The newly appointed maid of honor was going above and beyond the call of duty.
"Who'da thought," she joked, "that after all these years 'o' roughhousing with Robotnik, I'd be demoted to a sewin' machine?!"
This garnered a round of mirth from Sally, but Tails, who was fed up of being taken away from the Tornado II, just sat and sulked.
The cyborg rabbit noticed this sullen attitude and chortled. Sonic had acted the same way prior.
"Won't be long now, Tails!" she grinned.
"You said that an hour ago!" he grunted. "Rotor needs me back at the workshop! Why do I have to dress like a penguin at a wedding?"
Sally had learned to ignore her son's pouty behavior from years of experience. But this complaint unlocked a memory in her brain. One which made her smile.
"This isn't the first time you've objected to wearing clothes, Honey," she pointed out. "I seem to recall you didn't like the dressing gown…"
"Ohhh, yeah!" Bunnie teased in agreement. "Even though it made y'all look so soft 'n' cuddly!"
Tails rolled his eyes. He'd never felt so humiliated in his life as he had that fateful night. Thank goodness Sonic had never heard about it…
A 7 year old fox sat snuggled under the covers of his bed. He had spent at least an hour figuring out the perfect position to listen to a bedtime story read by his Aunt Sally. Of course, this position couldn't be too comfortable. He didn't want to fall asleep before she came. That meant no story.
His ears pricked up at the sound of the door opening. As rehearsed, he gave a theatrical yawn. "Oh, there you are, Aunt Sally! I thought you'd never…" What the chipmunk was carrying made him trail off. It wasn't one of his many blessed storybooks. But some blue cloth.
"Hi, honey!" she greeted him cheerfully. "Before story time, I want you to try this on. Rosie made it for you since it's winter now and the nights are cold"
"Try what on?"
Crossing to the bed, Sally unfurled the cloth to reveal a blue Tails-sized dressing gown with yellow accents.
"Oh…nice!" The fox raised a confused eyebrow. "What is it?"
"A dressing gown," the chipmunk explained. "I wear one at night. So does Bunnie. Rosie made this for you!"
Tails regarded the garment. So, Sally and Bunnie wore those things at night. Well, that was all very well, but they were girls. Did Sonic wear something like that? No, he didn't!
"Ummm, I'll be okay, Aunt Sally," he dismissed. "My fur usually keeps me warm"
"Well, I'm not asking you, Cloud," Sally replied. "I don't want you complaining tomorrow about how you nearly froze to death. Now the sooner you put it on, the sooner you…"
"Ya gotta catch me first!"
Tails made a bid for freedom towards the open door. He was going to run away to somewhere he wouldn't have to wear a dressing gown!
The door slammed shut. There was Sally regarding him with a smug smile of triumph.
"No fair! Only Sonic can do that!"
"Not true. When little cubs are being naughty, I can go even faster"
Before the cub knew it, she was upon him, dressing gown and all. The cub's appendages flailed wildly in an attempt to free himself, but it seemed that, when motivated, the princess was not only as fast as Sonic but as strong as Bunnie.
"Why do I have to wear this, Aunt Sally? I don't wear nothin' during the day!"
"I don't wear ANYTHING, Cloud" she corrected him whilst guiding his arm into the right sleeve.
"I know you don't! So why do I hafta wear this?"
"It's because it's cold out, honey and your fur's not enough to keep you warm," Sally explained.
The little cub stood irritably, but obediently still and watched the chipmunk tie the belt on his gown. "Oh, aren't you adorable?" she cooed, taking a step back. Her nephew made a face. He wasn't adorable, he was cool. Like Sonic!
"You look perfect as a princess!" Sally giggled. "Just like me!"
"A princess?!" At this, Tails tried to wriggle out of the dreaded clothing as if it was on fire.
"Whoop! Nono!" Sally admonished, pulling the gown back over Tails. "Now, I want you to wear that for the rest of the night. It's cold out"
"But I don't wanna wear it!" Tails protested. "I'm not even a girl!"
"It's not for girls, it's for good little cubs who won't get a story if they won't wear it!"
It was then that Sally realized that Tails would simply take off his dressing gown the moment she left his hut. As much as she'd like to, she couldn't stay here all night, so…
"Alright," she abruptly stated. "If you won't wear it, you can't sleep here tonight"
"…Huh?" the cub didn't like the side of this. But would his aunt seriously make him sleep outside? She wasn't that cruel…was she?
In a flash, she strode over and picked him up with no effort. "Hey, whatcha…?!"
"So you're going to sleep at my hut tonight!" the chipmunk grinned triumphantly. "I've always wanted to see if you'd make a good teddy bear!"
"Nooooo! I'm no teddy bear! I'm a freedom fighter!" he squealed, fighting in vain to get loose.
Despite his kicking up a huge fuss, and making a peculiar scene to the other villagers as the princess carried him to her hut, Tails couldn't complain for long. Sally bundled him into her bed, put on her pink dressing gown and read a story by his side until he drifted off to sleep.
"Remember, Honey," she jokingly told him as he slowly nodded off. "Until you wear that gown for the rest of the night, I'm not going anywhere"
Although he had insisted that he was a tough guy like Sonic, Tails had somehow not felt embarrassed at all at being held and snuggled like a teddy bear as he slept in Sally's arms.
Perhaps if he never took it off, she'd have to stay with him forever…
"I knew that little memory would cheer you up!" the princess snapped him out of his reverie. Tails shook his head and blushed. He saw Sally and Bunnie regarding him warmly. Bunnie indeed had actually stopped what she was doing to smile lovingly.
The vulpine's embarrassment gave way to deep thought. What the chipmunk had told him all those years ago made him stop and think. Maybe…just maybe…
"Hey!" he piped up before his brain could stop his heart. "Maybe if I wear this tux an' never take it off, you'll…you'll never go away, Sally!"
He cringed at the sight of Sally's face falling. "What do you mean?" she asked, perhaps a little colder than she'd thought.
Taken aback, and inwardly cursing himself, the embarrassed fox felt his mouth go dry. "Well, y-ya said that if I didn't wear my gown, you'd stay with me to make sure I did…soooooo, i-if I wore this tuxedo for the rest of my life…you'd never…leave?"
"Gettin' attached, Sugah-Fox?" Bunnie chuckled and nudged her brother. "Well, that's one way t'motivate yerself, huh, Sally-Girl?"
The chipmunk took a moment to reply. After an uncomfortable silence, she replied "Yes. I suppose it is…"
Tails began to feel cold and uncomfortable. The way his mother looked at him was identical to his nightmare. He'd weirded her out. She wouldn't want anything to do with him ever again after this. He was too clingy. Too obsessed with the past. What he'd said to Rotor back at the workshop became more and more correct.
Sally, meanwhile, was trying to figure out just what was wrong with the sheepish and ashamed fox who was now having his little suit put on him by his oblivious sister. It seemed like he was staring straight through her, but his eyes were on the verge of tears.
Before she knew what was happening, her tail began to twitch.
