A calm afternoon, with no evil on the horizon, and a nice hot tea. Nothing can beat this. Well, maybe a date with my beloved Sonic with him carrying me in his arms, looking at me with eyes full of passion and love, getting closer and closer to my face, as in unison both of our eyes close, about to lock in an intense, soul warming kiss...
"KYAAAAAAAAA!" I can't help but scream, as I have done so many other times. I know I have been following Sonic around for years and, while I have been on dates with him, we haven't... 'formalized' our relationship. But I am sure we will one of these days!
"Gah!" I hear a voice and I put my hands on my mouth, a little bit of red tainting my cheeks. My friends and I recently got this apartment, so we don't feel lonely and save up some money. On the other hand, we don't have that much privacy. And awkward moments like the last one happen a little too frequently.
It is now that I see both Tikal and Tails, about to leave through the front door. It was even open and all. We exchange looks in silence, before I break the silence. "Sorry for screaming." I say, with a hand behind my back.
"It is alright." Tikal said.
"Where are you going?" I said next.
"Out." Tikal spew out too fast. The fox' eyes went to the echidna, before going back to Amy.
"Out where?" Was my next question.
"Um, Amy, we don't mean to be disrespectful, but we are in a hurry. That is why we didn't even see you before." Tikal explained.
"Oh, OK. See you later." I said. I see them leave.
It is weird to see Tails leave with Tikal. Weirder that they would just avoid me, even if they are late or something. Both are just so polite and nice, it is kinda fishy.
Now that I think about it, they didn't make the smallest noise. If they were that late, shouldn't they have acted hastier and, therefore, noisier?
I try to focus on other stuff, but it keeps coming up. Would those two specifically have a reason to leave together?
Recently, Tikal has been hanging out with Shadow, of all people. From the way they interacted, you could think they were an item and, in all honesty, they make an adorable couple.
Wait a minute! Could... She and Tails be... dating?! "Kyaaaaaaaaaa!" I scream happy again, flailing happily. Could it be?! Could Tails have finally chosen a girlfriend?! And one of the sweetest girls I know?! I don't believe it!
Ever since Cosmo... gave up her life to save everyone, the young fox would act rather moody. I don't blame him, but he became less accessible to most females. At least, not counting the gang, all the people he met before Cosmo.
Then there is the whole fiasco with Fiona and it got a little worse for years. One might even think that he would become gay.
I don't mind him being gay, but I mind him about some other recent event. The Babylon Rogues have returned to our city, to cause trouble, no doubt. The thing is... I thought Tails had a thing for the swallow. Crazy, I know.
There was recently a dance where Tails almost got shot by the bird woman, so that should ease me a bit. One would have to be a masochist if he fell in love like that.
The thing is... there is a rumor about Tails hanging out with Wave, like partners in crime. Even one of the guards assured them they kissed. Like, that guy had to be high with who knows what! But it has been pestering me ever since. But if he is hanging with Tikal, then no worries.
Then, what if one day they fully fall in love and marry?! Oh my Chaos! Their babies will be adorable! Yes! Tails deserves a nice girl that can give him all her kindness. And Tikal deserves a guy that solves problems with his head, not with violence. God knows she has had enough of that.
I let myself fall on the chair, slipping down a bit, while sighing happily. That would be perfect. Finally, the guy can let go of his angst and become a full, happy adult. And Tikal can finally leave behind a life full of violence, of nothing but worrying if her loved ones will return each day.
What if they don't end up together? This thought made my eyes open abruptly. No, brain. Bad brain. They will end up together.
What if they end up hating each other? No, stop it. Brain, chill. Nothing bad will happen.
What if the date ends up so bad that Tails goes to the swallow, thinking that he must atone for his faults through a life of suffering?!... "God dammit brain!" I scream, clutching my head. I MUST MAKE THAT DATE THE BEST DATE OF THEIR LIVES!
Without any extra thought, I blaze through the door at full speed.
Later, at Twinkle Park
I am happy to see them here. There is literally no better place for a blooming couple like them. Twinkle Park has all kinds of attractions, games and just fun little stuff.
I am wearing a hoodie and a Shadow the hedgehog mask, while going around with a map, to help me hide better, while following them at a moderate distance.
Maybe they can take the high speed ride, so Tikal can put her head on his shoulder, looking for support. After that she can make him some presents in the craftsmanship stand to commemorate this day. Maybe then they go to the dancing area where they solidify their relationship through harmonious movements!
Instead, they go to one of the newest attractions. It is like a tunnel of love, using solid holograms for the best love experience. That is the best idea they could have ever had!
The map shakes violently because of my hands, just to avoid screaming in excitement. There are rumours that any interested couple entering there will clear out all of their doubts and fall madly in love!
I need to put my hand on my mouth to not scream because everythingwillbeperfectthen!
I look again there, but this time, Cream has joined them, waving at them happily. The other two did the same.
Oh, wait, they... are not alone. It isn't just the two of them? Oh... well, maybe they are just hanging out like friends. Yeah, they probably are doing that. There is nothing wrong with that.
... I know my body deflated at this revelation. I really hoped for them to be a thing, but it doesn't seem that way. Oh, well, as long as Wave the Swallow isn't involved.
A second after I think that, Cream makes a signal with her hand, calling for someone. To my absolute surprise, that someone is Wave the Goddamn Swallow. Wait, what the hell? I no longer worry about the map, just glaring at them. What is she doing here?! I closed some distance and sat on a bench.
I am a little too far to listen to them. All I can get is that the swallow isn't too happy about something. Tails looks a bit annoyed, looking away from her. Then Cream says something, which causes both of the gearheads to look at her, while screaming "What?" high enough for me to understand it. What? What is so surprising?
Both of them are saying something, negating something intensively. But Tikal then grabs their wrists, and pulls them closer to the game. No. No, no, NO! They are forcing them on a date. Why?! They can't be a thing! Why do you want them to be a thing?!
I would think it would look hilarious that the little, sweet, shorter Tikal is dragging both of them with a huge smile on her face, all while they pointlessly struggle, even leaving a trail of dirt in their effort, but it just doesn't matter. All I know is that I can't let them get in there.
I thought of going there and stop them. I have to run some distance between us, but at their pace I should catch up.
"Stop this!" Tails half screams, and all of us look at him. It stops me dead in my tracks too. He uses the opportunity to break free from Tikal and then grabs the swallow's hand.
"Hey!" Wave says. And Tikal's let go of her. This led Tails drag Wave to the attraction.
"No!" I finally scream. And this earns me their attention. "Stop this!" Everyone looks a little afraid of me. Good. I can get there and stop this. Except, Tails then spun his tails, got right at the stand and asked for two tickets, all while dragging Wave like a rag doll, something I should enjoy, keyword being should.
"Didn't you hear me?" I scream again, running at full speed, but they manage to get in. Right then, the door to the love tunnel shuts and the worker puts himself in front of it. Oh, no you don't.
Both Cream and Tikal try to stop me and the echidna girl should be able to stop me, but my anger makes it easy to power on through, the two girls hanging on me.
"I need to get in!" I growl at the worker. All colour left his face.
"S-s-s-sorry m-maam. On-only one couple..."
"I said let me in!" I harshly push him to the side and then go to the door. With the flick on a hand, my giant hammer appears and I deliver one strong blow, bending the center of the metal door. I prepare for a second blow.
"Hey!" I glare at the origin. A police officer. And, just like the other guy, he looks like he is about to crap his pants. But even then, he says. "Stop that, or I will call the army." He says. He clearly knows he can't handle me.
But, his warning does calm my blind rage a bit. I walk away... well, stomp away, a tiny part of me aware that I am leaving marks on the concrete. But seriously, if Tails ends up dating that swallow, even if only one time, he will regret it. And, then it hits me...
This place is an holographic ride, designed to give the couple the best date ever. What if I give them the worst?
Not that far from the stand is the control room, where they control everything there. I sneak around, trying to get in the workers only area.
There's... surprisingly little people in the area. Like, this is an amusement park. There should be a lot of workers here. But I see no one. Not that it is that terrible: I got into the control room with no trouble.
I go down the stairs, reaching a series of rooms. By accident, I open the one I am the closest to, only to discover a body falling to the floor as I do so. I stepped back in surprise, and some noise came when it hit the floor, along with brooms and other cleaning tools.
...Oh, shish. What is the meaning of this?! Why is a worker locked up in the janitor's locker? I kneel and check for his pulse. He is alive, which is good, but that does not mean it is fine.
I know I started to sweat cold, expecting the worst. I opened the middle door, pushing the door in and stepping away the second I did it. Nothing came out and, from here, I can see it is the room that controls everything.
With my back against the wall, I introduce my arm, flick my finger and flail my hammer to the sides quickly. "Gah!" I hear a scream inside. I hit something. Someone is there. I get in, only to crash against a leg with my face. Because of momentum, my legs go forward and I fall on my back.
Without a second to breathe, I feel an elbow crash against my stomach, followed by a whole body on top of my own. "Gah!" I scream, with some saliva escaping my mouth.
"Oh, you gotta be shitting me!" I hear a voice say and I get breathing room. I delivered a headbutt, which dazed my attacker a bit. Part of his body got away from me, giving me just enough room to punch him off me, a loud bang told me he crashed against the roof.
A got back up and my vision returned to normal. And, my attacker turns out to me none other than Jet the Hawk. Of course it had to be another Rogue!
I ran at him, with both my hands up in a boxing stance. He tries to kick me on the face again, but I duck and throw an uppercut at him. I didn't land the hit, but I managed to cut him on the side of his face. But then, he answers with a back hand, throwing me to the floor again.
Then, he throws his body over me, trying to restrain me. "What do you want here?" He demands.
I push both of us upward, crashing him against the roof. "The hell?" He grumbles, with disbelief. Serves you right. We both fall face first, but I get back up first. As he stands up, I shorten the distance between each other and land one left hook on his face.
The force of my blow turns him around and I use the opportunity to twist his arm behind his back. He shifts in pain as I exert pressure.
"What were you planning?" I demand, twisting harder. And he groans in pain.
"I just want to stop Wave and Tails' date." He says.
Wait what? "Are you serious?" I ask with disbelief. He violently nodded. I release my lock. "Why would you screw your partner's date?" I say.
"Wave deserves something better than that fox." He says.
"Excuse you!?" I point my finger at his face. "Wave doesn't deserve him." He pulled his head away.
I thought that I had scared him, but then he said, "So, you are here for the same reasons as me." He crossed his arms and he wore a smug smile.
I open my eyes a lot. "I don't know what you are talking about." I cross my arms and turn around. I am not like him.
"Look, get out of my way, and then I will forget about those cheap shots you gave me."
"My Cheap shots?!" His words upset me more than I expected.
"A girl like you can't handle me if I actually try." He shrugs with his eyes closed. Who does he think he is? Without another word, I flick my fingers and my hammer returns. "Wait..." He has his hands up, ready for combat. But I hit him with the end of the tube, on the stomach. He clenches it as an answer.
Then, spinning my body, I hit him again with the bar and forced him on the floor. As he is dizzy, I bend the metal tube around the hawk's arms. Jet had not quite returned to his senses when I stomped on him one last time.
"For your information, I wasn't trying either." I say, as I walk to the computers. "Ok, let's start with..." I say happy, ready to wreck their date.
Only for my face to fall. I put a finger under my chin as I now see the countless buttons, lights, screens and what not. I see over and over, trigger the buttons, but nothing seems to work.
"Feeling overwhelmed?" I hear that bird idiot back there. I flail my hands faster, activating and deactivating more and more stuff. But without any real improvement. Dammit, what do I do? "Look, let me wreck their date, and you never have to worry about them becoming a thing. What do you say?"
"Shut up." I say, hastily. I know at this point my tinkering is pointless. I just can't seem to get anything to work. I turn my head to the bird. I start with a humph. "Like you know anything about this. When it came to machinery, Wave did everything." I answer.
"Not that different from you and foxy." I glare fire at the bastard. But he is at ease, smirking. It... I am not used to seeing anyone being this calm when I glare at them. "Look, you lose nothing by letting me try."
... I look again at the machinery. I don't know the first thing about it, that is for sure. I sigh, before snapping my fingers. The hammer fumes and the free bird stood up. "Ok, let's do this." He says, stretching.
He got here at my side and introduced a few keys. Surprisingly, the monitors focused on the two gearheads, walking in a pathway between giant candies. I didn't think this would be the case, but he seems to know what he is doing.
"I may not be Wave, but I know a bit about machines." He replied. Huh.
"Just like Sonic." I think out loud. The hawk gawks at this (which I enjoyed just a tiny bit) and glares at me.
"Liar. That blue idiot made the fox do all the dirty work." He snaps at me. I deadpan.
"While he does that, he is not Knuckles either. He built his first airplane, for starters." I say. He is frozen for a moment before looking away.
He grumbled something about not comparing him with Sonic, before focusing on the swallow and the fox again. He inputs more orders and then, the large candy wonderland flashed white, followed by the roar of a thunder.
Now, the entire wonderland turned into a dark night with only a full moon as a source of light. The candies became thin, dry trees, with some dim yellow lights on them, giving the impressions that they had faces. There was also a wind, which almost pushed them to the floor, that shook the trees violently, their barren twigs passing close to the couple, almost like conscious attempts of snatching or slashing them. All that accompanied by freaky, music with eerie bells, followed by some ho ho hos. I know that doesn't sound creepy, but it works surprisingly well in giving an uneasy atmosphere.
Gotta admit, he is not that bad. I would feel uncomfortable there. The thing is... neither Wave and Tails seem to care. They exchange looks, faking fear, before laughing and continuing their journey, ignoring everything behind them. "Are you kidding me?!" Jet snaps, grabbing his head.
"If I have to guess, they are letting their rational side take over." I talk factually.
"Then what do you suggest, miss know-it-all?!" Jet voices his frustration.
I... have an idea. But it is not a nice one. "Does Wave have any irrational fears?" I can see from his expression that he doesn't like it. I understand it, especially if I consider Wave as an equal to Tails, for as much as I dislike such thoughts.
"No." He lowers his head, leaving it hanging. But I don't believe him.
"Guess you aren't a good leader then." This might sound like underhanded tactics, hitting his pride to make him do what I want, but it is better than the alternative.
"It is not something that simple. If I do it, she will figure something is wrong. It is not something anyone would present in a horror ride." Huh. His reply is much more serious than I expected. And better thought out too.
I twist my mouth. "Put gunshot sound effects." I whisper. Jet looks at me confused, but then he does as told.
Have I really sunk this low? Just to stop them from dating? I look at the swallow again and think that it is a necessary evil.
Boom. The sound fills the air and it takes a good minute for it to fully leave. The young man freezes and pales. Wave started to get further and further away from him, not even noticing. Good. That shows how bad she is for Tails.
Boom. Another one comes and Tails pulls down his ears, trying to block it. He runs to the side of the swallow, and grabs to her shoulder. She looks at him with confusion, before shaking him off.
Tails looks like a hurt puppy but she ignores it. Then comes the third boom and he falls to his knees, his breathing turning faster and faster. He is in four, breathing more and more desperately, on his four limbs. That's it. I cannot let this play out anymore.
"Jet, turn it..." I never finished my order, as I saw the swallow go to my friend, dropped on her knees and hugged him. "Hey!" I say. Who does she think she is?! She is taking advantage of his weakness!
They remain hugging for a good moment and... and it is helping Tails! Before long, he has visibly eased up. Another boom shakes him up, but Wave puts a hand on his chest and his breathing returns to normal. This time, they don't separate. In fact, they hold hands the entire time.
I say nothing, but I am raging hard. That only brought them closer! I am about to scream when Jet puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Let's continue with the next part of the ride." Jet tells me.
I nod in agreement, eager. The next part is a ride on water. Real water. They are right at the side of the canoe, one with only one seat. Wait a minute, are they supposed to sit over one another?
"Any ideas?" Jet asks me.
I look at the ride. It seems it is meant to be a relaxing ride, with a robot at the back rowing the boat. I am not sure what would be the best idea for such a thing. I haven't voiced any opinion when the Hawk started to touch the controls.
The robot put the row on the boat and then grabbed both anthros. Neither of them looks too pleased when that happens, much less when it harshly shoves Wave into the seat and then throws Tails on her. I chuckle at the sight: One would expect the male to carry the female, but the robot put them the other way around. They try to change their positions, but the robots put them back as they started. They tried three more times, before they gave up.
Tails is half squashing the swallow, and I can't help but smile at this. "Any other ideas?" Jet asks me.
I considered making it fast to scare them, but that failed last time. Then... "How about we bore them?"
Jet puts a hand on his chin, before doing it. So, the group goes on the boat, moving at snail pace. They try moving one last time, but the robot puts them back in place. It seems to be working better than expected.
Five minutes later
"This is the worst." Jet says, and I have to agree. I don't think our frowns can deepen any more. They can't do anything there and that leaves us bored too.
"Change of tactics?"
"Scare them again?"
We didn't have time to say anything else, as we started to hear footsteps. Dammit, it might be the next shift. I hear Jet quickly and loudly key in some instructions, then, he just sweeps me off my feet. "Eeep!" God, I really didn't want to make that sound because of him!
He then opened the window and flew us out of there at incredible speeds. These speeds… it wasn't unlike when Sonic himself bridal style carried me before.
The feeling of the wind just washing over your body, all while everything is just a blur. Every problem feels tiny like this. Except, when you are reaching these speeds, like when using your own board or abilities, you are worried, trying to make no mistakes, the reason why it feels so much better when someone you trust is in control. Huh… I feel Jet's confidence right now, not unlike Sonic's own.
"Seems like someone is enjoying the ride." Jet said. I roll my eyes, before trying to look at his face and… We are close, closer than I thought… and why is my heart suddenly beating super loudly out of nowhere?! I panicked and smacked his face, which then caused us to descend, quickly.
We are losing altitude! We are going to crash! I close my eyes and brace for impact. I don't know exactly what happened next… It felt like he managed to slow down a bit, but not enough, followed by a jump? We actually end in a higher place, from what I can tell. This repeats a bunch of times until we finally slow down to a halt.
"Let… go…" Why was his voice that strained? I opened my eyes and realized just how hard I was actually embracing him. I wasn't letting him breathe, he was turning purple! I let go and landed and he finally caught his breath. For how long was he like that?
"God, you are, a pain!" Jet said, between breaths.
I chose to let that one slide. We are on a tiny floating island, tiny and, it seems it's the highest of all, every other one is below us. "Windy Valley?" I recognize the place, but it's crazy how quickly we got there. I then checked him. He was using Air Shoes, not unlike Shadow's. It also seemed that he was finally better.
"Where do you live?"
"Why do you want to know that?"
"I will take you. Or do you plan to walk there from here?"
"Ah, Station Square." I say. He seems ready to sweep me off my feet, but I jump away. "I will get on your back." I try but he doesn't let me.
"I am not letting you grab onto my neck while I carry you. Or I will die!" He explained. I swear…
This time I let him carry me. And thankfully, he is actually going relatively slowly. "Hey, answer me something." He asked. "Why do you hate Wave?"
"I don't hate her." I replied.
"Really? Then what was all I saw there?!" He seemed in disbelief.
"Tails… he needs peace. He has been fighting for all his life. Almost as much as Sonic. He has been at his side more than anyone else. He is hurt, he needs to heal. He has a fire that he can't turn off, not without help. I can't imagine Wave making his burden lighter, but instead, make it worse for him."
Why am I telling him all of this? Why am I being this honest? To a rogue of all people! He doesn't reply to me. I then add. "Why are you doing this yourself? Is it love?" It's the most obvious thing to go this far, in my opinion.
"Nah. Wave is my sister. Never seen her as more than that. It's just… a lot of Babylon traditions get in the way of a relationship like that."
"Would you let traditions like that ruin your relationship with her?" Jet never struck me as someone who would do that. I thought they were… more free.
"Old Babylon stuff has a mind of its own. You have seen it." The Babylon Garden's Guardian is what pops up in my mind. "I don't have a say in the matter."
"And what? If Tails and Wave hold hands, or kiss on the cheek, they will get smite by a Babylon God?" I half joke.
"They need to fuck before anything bad actually happens." I shuddered. That is not a comfortable thought. "Which part of the city do you live in?" He abruptly stopped. Huh. That was fast. We are on a rooftop of a maybe 3 story building.
"Actually, I will walk there." If Cream or Tikal see us… I shudder again at the possibility. He allows me to stand on my own two feet.
"How horny is the fox?" What the…
"Who asks that?!" I screamed at him! "What would you reply if I asked you about Wave?" He just laughed at my reaction.
"Forget it." He said, still laughing a bit. "Later!" He said.
"Leaving so soon?" We heard a third voice. I thought we were alone. And I know it. But I don't really process it until it's too late. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Cream asks and grabs Jet, but Jet instantly breaks free from her grip.
"Would you like to stay forever?" This time Tikal grabbed him and this time, he couldn't even budge her.
"Jet run!" I didn't intend to sound as terrified as I did, but it gets the message across, as Jet just flies away at crazy speeds, dragging Tikal with him. Cream was about to follow them, but I tackled her to the floor. "Don't you even dare…" I threaten.
"I am just calling it as I see it. And I saw him princess carry you!" Cream sang. And I feel my cheeks are heating up.
"Never bring that up again." I growled very loudly. I am thankful I can scare the crap out of her. Because I will be one heck of a headache if that gets out.
Finally done this. I had it for years! I wanted to release it on April 1st.