Disclaimer: Sonic and associated characters are property of Sega ©. My
motivation for this story has been to throw a major spin on the
relationship Sonic and Tails have and what might happen if things were a
little.... different.
Station Square is bustling with activity lately, and why not? Dr. Egg Man's plans have been thwarted time and time again. The Evil mad scientist is currently behind bars so Joy Cookies, All's Well with the world.
Tails has just returned from the Mystic ruins, in time to catch the evening news as he passes by an appliance store. "...And just today, Sonic the Hedgehog announced his engagement to Amy Rose."
"W---wwwWHAAAT!?" Tails dropped the armload box filled with odd shaped pipes, tubing, pliers, tools, and other odds and ends, sending them to scatter across the walkway as he stared slack jawed at the news reporter on screen.
"...Though no date has been set yet, The Wedding may be some time next month."
"Hee hee!" Amy Rose giggled as they played back a recorded interview with the pink hedgehog. "I always knew, somehow, some day... Sonic the hedgehog would be mine! ^_^"
"No Wa---OUCH!" Tails yelped as he tripped backwards over the previously discarded box of odds and ends. "Owww..." He laid there blinking up at the sky a minute, groaned, and rubbed his aching head.
"What's with you?" A girl on the streets stopped and helped Tails up. "You look like you just saw a ghost or somethin'."
"Nah..." Tails shook his head then glanced back at the Appliance store window.
"And Here's Pete Watkins with today's Weather!..."
"Thank you Phil. The High for today is 75 ---"
Tails shuffled his feet and then looked down at the mess he made. "Ahg... Oh great..."
The girl looked at the TV then the kid. "You want some help?"
"No..." Tails said quietly and waited for her to leave before he picked up his things. 'Sonic... getting married? No way! I'd have known first... wouldn't I?' He thought to himself as he grabbed a fist full of bolts and tossed them into the box. 'I have kinda been spending most of my time at the Mystic Ruins though... Sonic and I haven't been so close lately...'
He stood up once his task was completed, then laughed out loud uneasily to reassure himself. "Nahhh..." he said. "Sonic wouldn't do anything crazy like that without letting me know." he smiled. "It's probably just some tabloid garbage is all..." he laughed again then continued on his way. *****************
Tails laid awake in his apartment, staring up at the ceiling and counting the cracks and bumps in it. 'Sonic's getting married.... he would have... wouldn't be getting married without telling me would he?' He continued staring, gazing up, trying to think things through. No, Sonic was his best friend, he'd never keep anything from the orange kitsune.
The young preadolescent fox drifted off into an uneasy slumber after what seemed like hours. It almost seemed light in his room at the time, maybe he was just getting to sleep as dawn was waking up... maybe.
Suddenly it was very bright, a forest surrounded him, out under the trees of the forest. The light almost tickled him, and made the fox laugh. Sitting up to look around him, he tried remembering what had brought him here. A man, another fox, older... there was yelling, lots of yelling. Couldn't remember why... was it because of his two tails?
Something struck Tails in this dream too. 'I'm a girl' she then thought. But this wasn't a dream, she really was a girl. It brought her back to the present, the 'here' of the dream. A streak of blue flashed by her and something inside her awoke, called her to follow this creature, away from the yelling.
The wings, the red wings. Shiny, vibrant, a name painted on the plane in white, pure white, also shiny, as if white could become brighter somehow. "SONIC" it read. Tails could read, a few words at least, she was only 5 or 6 maybe at the time, but she could remember, plain as day... she could read. "Son-ic?"
The voice, small as a whisper, attracted the blue creature, who turned brilliant emerald eyes on the fox. He seemed to shine to her, her heart was light, she knew there was something about him then, "Hey kid... what are you doin' all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Normally maybe, he would have taken off, but he didn't. Tails just gazed between Sonic and the shiny red plane, it fascinated her to no end. "Plane?" she said, and pointed in curious fashion.
"Yeah, a plane. A biplane." Sonic answered. "Built it myself" He smiled. He had too, although the plans and parts were all there for him, he could at least take credit for the slick paint job.
"Wowww...." Her little eyes widened. "Can I see?"
"Naaah..." Sonic said, pausing, not sure what to make of the Kitsune. "You all alone?"
"Uh huh." Tails answered, edging for the plane even if Sonic said no.
"Hey c'mon... don't mess with that. Lil' kids shouldn't play with big machines like that!"
"I'm not playing." Tails said broken hearted. "Why can't I play with it?"
"Only really cool guys can work on planes like this."
That was what started the lie right there. A lust for technology and the approval of one, Sonic the hedgehog. "I am a guy!" Tails said indignantly.
Did sonic believe it or not? "Yeah yeah..." He said as if he didn't care, but something in him stopped. The yelling, she could hear it still, faintly. It worried her now, they'd come for her, the two tailed freak. But Sonic hadn't met any foxes really in all his years to that point, so he could only assume Tails was a normal kitsune. Something did worry him though... "...Are you all alone?"
"Yup." Tails put in hastily.
Sonic sighed and glanced at the plane. "If you can climb in, I'll take you to the nearest city... Station Square. Have you ever been in the big city before?" Tails shook her head... "So what am I going to call you now?" he hopped into the plane and waited for the little passenger to board.
A miss label, The docs made a mistake, a few of them when this one was born. She never could get used to the name, no one ever bothered to change it after all. "Miles." she said with disgust, but her voice was close enough to a boy's to be mistaken for one. "Miles Prower."
Sonic wrinkled his nose, he wasn't sure he liked the name. He glanced over the bright eyed youth one more time, the two tails gently waving behind her even in the seat. "...how about Tails? You like that?"
"Oh yes!" she smiled brightly... and there began the friendship. ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tails woke up from the dream with a cry "Sonic!" The kitsune was breathing heavy and looked around her, clutching the blanket to her. 'No... I never told him the truth... never told him my secret...'
She paused, thinking about how that lie could have gone so far. At first it was easy, she was so young her body showed no distinguishing marks. Though now that she looked down at her transitional child-teen body, the subtle curves of her bosom and hips beginning to form were starting to betray her, and a score of needs that machinery could not satisfy. Her voice was another consideration, high pitched and friendly, but now starting to have a softer sweeter tone distinctly female... she'd been 'practicing' Tails' voice, what it should sound like, and Sonic noticed her having a sore throat more and more. That had worried him, and Tails tried to assure 'his' friend. But how had she become a he in the mind of not only Sonic... but everyone?
'It wasn't hard', she smiled inwardly. The mix up on her birth certificate coupled with the fact her dad wanted a son made the term 'he' apply to her much more easily. She also saw the words 'her' and 'she' being used frequently with the words 'can't' 'don't' and 'shouldn't' because 'you might get hurt' or 'that's not ladylike.' So, forget propriety, and anyway... Sonic didn't like girls. At least that's what he told Tails all the time... girls are trouble.
Trouble, yes. That was an easy label to give them, especially Amy. Whinny little crybaby always getting into trouble and expecting Sonic to get her out of it. She was a disgrace to the female 'specie' if you will. Tails snorted just thinking about it.
So the lie had perpetuated through their friendship... She knew it couldn't be kept much longer though... the way she was developing. She just didn't think it'd be this soon. "oh Sonic..." she sighed heavily. Now she had to find a way out of this lie... without hurting her friend. Now that would be a trick. ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tails headed out into the city, passing the day much like any other, but this time her mind was occupied. She was obsessed with the idea of Sonic and Amy together in wedlock, it angered her, she just couldn't accept that. Jealousy? She laughed, yeah maybe she was. Or just frustration knowing she and Sonic were best friends and that somehow he saw her as a potential mate rather than an annoyance. The idea of Amy as anything less than a parasite just sent shivers up her spine.
It was mid day before Tails noticed her hunger and stopped at a little outdoor café.
As had become the norm since she discovered her form shaping into that of a young woman, she'd worn vests to hide and flatten her appearance, and she felt very naked and exposed out there on the terrace even if it was an outdoor Café, and by all rights she had chosen to eat there.
"Hey toots how ya--- oh sorry, didn't notice you was a guy..." A male wolf said with a severe blush on his face. Tails just stared daggers at him until he moved off, then looked intently at her menu.
After a while, she ordered, then the boring wait began. Time was moving at a crawl today, she'd been all over the city and was dead tired, even though it was hardly noon. It wasn't even hot out, but her mind was swimming, stewing over the equation Sonic + Amy Rose = a Happy couple. She bunched up the paper from the straw now sitting in her drink as tightly as it would compact. She then took the straw and held it so her finger caused a vacuum which held in a few drops of the diet beverage. She then released her finger while the straw was positioned over the compact paper, which then unfolded like an accordion and wriggled like a live worm for a moment. Cheap trick, worthy of only a few moments of glory, a quiet smile, and more amusement than should be gained from a wet piece of paper. Yet it was a trick she repeated about 6 more times before trying to creatively stack her useless straws while the wind had other ideas, bringing a frown to her face. Folding a napkin into an Origami crane soon lost its charm too, and the fox set her head on her arms in a deep bored sigh.
It was then that a pink figure walked into the apartment building across the street. "Ami!?" Tails blinked in amazement just as her meal came to her. She was torn between hunger and hunger. Physical hunger and mental hunger... but the body won this round and she was soon delving into a large lunch platter complete with home fries and a side of cole slaw - not that she liked cole slaw but there was nothing better.
All through the meal her sights were set on the building across the street. If Amy came out before she finished lunch she didn't care, she'd be having a few words with her. If not, she'd be going up to confront her. But what would she say? She didn't care, her focus now lay in finishing her meal... and watching the building like a hawk. 'You little brat... I am going to find out what you did to MY Sonic....' ~~~~~~~~~~
At last it happened, and Tails had satisfied her hunger, "Check please!" she said in a rushed tone. She couldn't have gotten out of there faster if she were Sonic, and immediately bolted across to the apartment building across the street. As soon as her hand touched the glass of the revolving door it sent a shiver up her spine, some sense of loathing perhaps for the pink hedgehog.
'Sonic can't marry her.' was the one thought that was prevalent in her mind. No matter what, Sonic could not possible marry Amy Rose. And with that determined in her mind, she strode over to the elevators, trying to avoid people's gazes - they would see the sulking look in her eyes and try to cheer her up. She couldn't have that now, she wouldn't have that now, she must keep all her anger in sight so she can... can... can what? Completely tear Amy apart limb from limb, verbally demoralize her if nothing else.
A few people had noticed Tails, and many recognized 'him' as Station Square's hero from not too far in the past. Fortunately, to Tails' thinking anyway, no one approached her and that was for the best. But when someone is in such a mood as this, they can't help wanting to know what was being said about them, and everyone was talking about you when you're in a foul mood, at least the way you think.
Tails filed into the elevator, annoyed to see that there were other people also getting into the elevator with her. She wondered momentarily if she should have just flown up to Amy's balcony and saved some time. Still, she was here now, and pressed the button for the 6th floor. Then someone hit the button for the fifth, and fourth floors.
It would have only been a short ride, Tails glanced over at the people in the elevator, only four of them. Then the elevator stopped on the second floor and three more people filed in, and the third floor was also targeted. Tails tried not to groan, and held to the back of the elevator now.
People were tall, humans. A couple men were in business suits, and then there was a mother and father and their children, who were already taller than Tails. She felt hot, not from the addition of other people so much... it just... seemed so hot to her. Maybe it was the heat of her own fury, the sense of being small and helpless when around these giant two leggers.
She couldn't wait for the elevator to reach the sixth floor... just a little farther.... Third floor, fourth, fifth... The Sixth!
She found out how inconsiderate humans were and as the big people shoved out, a flock of them crammed themselves into the elevator like a high school Football team crams people into a phone booth. "Waah!" Tails was pinned, but by the time they realized the kitsune wanted out, they'd reached the tenth floor. Tails groaned in frustration when she finally got out at the eleventh floor and decided to take the stairs down to the sixth.
This was a much smoother ride, she used her tails to helicopter herself down between the stairwell to the sixth floor, though she was tired when she got there. As she reached the door and walked in, head bowed, she then lifted her eyes after a moment, to see Amy heading for the elevators. "NO!" She cried... Amy seemed to hear but shrugged it off and continued on her way.
"AMY! Wait!" Tails yelled and forced all her strength into her legs, dashing after the pink annoyance, and finally collapsing at her feet, grabbing her by the skirt. "Wait!" she huffed.
Amy gave Tails a well deserved look of 'what are you? Nuts!?' but saw the desperation in Tails' eyes and wondered why.. Had something happened to Sonic? That was her obsession, one Tails knew why, exactly why he was here. "Tails? What's going on?" She answered and helped 'him' to 'his' feet.
"I..." Tails hadn't thought this part through, "I wanted to talk." Tails glanced toward Amy's apartment. "Can we? Please?"
"Uhh... sure Tails.." Amy nodded and headed back into her apartment, opening the door for Tails.
The Apartment was just sooo Amy. Plastered with pink walls on which were painted pink hearts. Pictures of Sonic were hung everywhere in the neat little apartment, on every table that didn't contain perfumes and hair products - which the place simply reeked of "My Sweet Passion". Tails thought she might puke if she had to see any more of this than absolutely necessary. So Amy led Tails over to an overstuffed cushy lavender couch with pink hearts on it and the girls sat at either end of it.
"So... what did you want to talk about?" Amy asked quizzically.
Tails glanced her over, wondering what was so hot about her. He noticed there was a ring on her left hand and she grimaced. "Well.. I wanted to know something..." she then dared to make eye contact, trying not to look as hurt as she felt. "...Are you... really marrying Sonic?"
"Y-yes." Amy's confidence wavered at Tails tone... "Why?"
"How!?" Tails eyes widened, "How?! How did you manage to get... Sonic!?"
"Huh!?" Amy was taken aback. "I.."
"How?" Tails frustration grew. "He doesn't like you, he never liked you! Always having to rescue you because you're so helpless...!" Tails practically growled. "How could he even THINK about marrying you?"
"STOP that!" Amy slapped Tails across the face. Such a swift movement so completely unexpected, that she just sat there stunned, a look of complete surprise and indignation at the assault.
"...How?" Tails voice shook, as she finally began recovering from the smack. She brought a hand to her reddened cheek and her expression became confused on the edge of tears. "How... did you manage to get Sonic..." She said one word at a time, slow, shaky, but refusing to crack under the pressure, "...to agree to marry you?"
Amy wasn't sure what to think. Tails was, at the very least, acting out of character, and there was a growing sense of danger from 'him'. Something was wrong, and she knew that how she responded could send him over an edge she didn't know ever existed. Sure they were friends, but this was.... all too... much.
"Well..." Amy began, "I... I saw Sonic at the Mall and followed him around a bit." She coughed slightly, "and we started talking." Tails nodded, 'he' was watching her like a hawk. "So... I asked him if he'd marry me, and.." This was the part of the story she hated most. "He turned me down flat."
"Then how...?" Tails' amazement and bewilderment grew.
"...Well I told him all the reasons I thought we could be together and he said he could find someone better than me in no time... so..." Amy paused and took a breath, "I told him how about a month?" It was starting to make sense... "If he could find someone in a month, I'd back down... if he didn't... we'd be married." She blushed.
"That... That's how!?" tails was both relieved and stressed at the thought. However, he found himself laughing. What a fool he'd been, he knew Amy could never get Sonic on her own.... no way! And as for someone better well... the only thing was telling him who was better and why.
"Stop laughing Tails!" Amy scolded. "I'm going to win, okay?"
"Right.." Tails smiled now and pat Amy on the head like a little child. "Right Amy, you do that." And with that, the kitsune left the hedgehog in her apartment puzzling over what he said... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was mid to late afternoon now, with the Sun starting to come down from its highest peak, shining down on the world at a blisteringly hot angle. The sky hadn't changed colors yet, but the waters splashing against the Emerald Coast were coated with a million specs of white light skimming across the surface.
People walked up and down the coast in their bathing suits or hung closely to their beach towels and chairs. Parties and laughter were no doubt going on, kids splashing in the waves or running away from the unfamiliar shore - their first time there. And somewhere in there, Sonic was laying, reclined on a beach chair underneath an umbrella, with a boom box nearby shouting out tunes, and a glass of lemonade in his hand.
"Now this is what life is about." He thought aloud with a smile and then a sigh. Relaxin', chillin'. After all the things he'd gone through to save the world, he always felt entitled to more than his share of kicking back and relaxing, and why not? He would run at least once a day just for fun, and no one seemed to know how that energy kept going without running out. Yep, that was his little secret alone, and as long as he had a day or two of peace, he was happy.
"Sooooniiic!" Tails' voice cut through the sound of surf and music.
The blue hedgehog just about cringed, 'What now?' he thought. "Hey!" He waved to his friend anyway, then gave him a curious look. 'Something's different isn't it?' "Tails, What's up?"
Tails paused a moment to catch 'his' breath then looked at his friend with an unreadable expression, not yet blushing. "I wanted to ask you something Sonic."
"Yeah??"
"Are you really going to marry Amy?" 'he' asked plainly.
"What?!" Sonic began laughing out loud and had to set his drink down on a coaster beside him or else he'd spill it. "Hah! Where'd you hear a thing like that?" he snickered.
"Well... I saw it on the evening news last night." Her relief was growing, and she smiled genuinely now, the laughter was good to hear.
"Oooohg.." Sonic wiped a tear out of his eye he'd been laughing so hard. "That... Ahg! It was a stupid bet, but you know Amy." he rolled his eyes, "Never does anything half way." he grinned now and took back his drink for a sip. "Made me propose in case she won. I felt like I was bein' set up in some bad Shakespearean play like A Midsummer Night's Dream." he laughed then looked a bit more serious. "On the news? Aww man..."
"Yeah really, I just about fell over when I heard that. So... how are you going to get out of it?" tails asked, much more at ease now.
"Huh? Well..." Sonic sighed. "I might just have to break the promise to marry her." He grimaced.
"Why?" Tails blinked. "You can't find better?"
"Eh." Sonic shrugged. "It's not that... it's just..." And he smiled at a couple girls passing by. "I'm not ready to be tied down. I know lots of girls like me cause I'm 'Sonic the Hedgehog', and I got enough rabid fan girls to sink a ship but.." he paused, "I don't think about any of them in the long term y' know?"
"So you think you'll ever get married?" Tails sat down next to Sonic on a beach towel Indian style, and began enjoyin' the sounds of the surf and the gentle breeze in the air.
"Maybe... but it's gotta be to someone special. Really special." Sonic smiled softly.
"Really special?" Tail's ear twitched lightly, "Special how?"
"Well.." Sonic laughed and laid back with his hands behind his head, tapping his foot against the air, so classically like himself, the black shades over his eyes masking his expression. "Actually Tails, I'd have to find a girl like you."
"Whaat?" No, he didn't know... "Sonic, I'm not a..." her eyes widened, did he guess?
Sonic laughed again and waved it off. "No no!" Sonic smirked, "I said a girl like you... I meant personality wise someone like you lil' bro." That title again, it soothed Tails' mind, he knew what he was getting at now. "No one knows me better than you, not even Knuckles. I mean, I'm not exactly the easiest guy to get to know, but once you gained my trust... we were inseparable."
"Yeah." Tails mused, "I remember, our first talk was over the biplane."
Sonic nodded, "Yep, and now whoa... Well I don't know anyone else who could build the things you have... and I've really enjoyed watchin' you grow up y' know?" He lifted his glasses and placed his friend with a soft look. Maybe Tails wouldn't ever get Sonic's heart but she knew he had better taste than to go for Amy. "You were so unsure and scared... you tried running after me, I think, just to have someone to talk to. It's not like me to be patient but something always made me wait for you. I'm glad I did, I woulda missed so many things... and..."
"And?" Tails was blushing now, but for a different reason than she thought she would.
"Well, I like bein' a loner, but you know, there's times when I needed you by my side. If I didn't have you there, well, I wouldn't have gotten through it." He smiled and sat up now, looking across the surf, laughing softly at the reminiscing.
"...And Amy?"
Sonic paused, Tails always made him think about things. Being so young, he had so many questions to ask, and while the blue blur didn't always feel qualified to answer, he did with what he thought to be the best answer. Maybe that was why they were such good friends, they seemed to fill in parts of each other that weren't normally there.. Sonic's haste, Tails' thoughtfulness... "You know, much as she annoys me, she does end up doing something right once in a while."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, hey, if she hadn't talked to Shadow... I'm not sure we would have pulled through."
"..Shadow yeah." There was a long silence between the friends, as every sight sound and breeze sank in. "Hey Sonic...?"
"Yeah bud?"
Tails paused again, and the silence returned. She didn't have to fight Amy, but 'his' secret would come out some time, some day. She could hope Sonic just noticed, but that was hoping for too much. "Sonic...? I have to tell you something and I don't know how."
"...What is it?" The concern he initially had returned, and he glanced away at the sun which was now setting, the light orange hue starting to tint sky, clouds, and water.
"Well, I want you to know that there is better than Amy. And... it won't be so hard to find a girl like me." she blushed and looked down. She could feel Sonic's eyes dart over to her but he said nothing. "Sonic... all these years we've known each other well... I ... I've been meaning to tell you... I'm a girl."
"WHAT!?" Sonic's eyes widened in disbelief. "No Way!"
"Yes!" Tails nodded, letting her voice slip to its true sound. "Sonic... I understand if you're mad at me." The hedgehog had gotten into a full stand, looking down on his friend with mixed feelings. "But I really am a girl."
"Holy... how'd you keep it a secret? Why." His amazement grew, though strangely, he didn't feel mad about it... All the things he and Tails had been through... As long as anger wasn't there, Tails's swallowed her fears and spoke to him heart to heart as the two hadn't done in a long time...
The moon had risen when they finished their talk, both laid out now on the sand, looking up at the stars in the sky, a long silence returned. But the air was different now, as the waves rolled up on the shore. It was a new, fresh crisp air, and both of them were smiling, sometimes the silence was broken with laughter.
"Well, I'll have to tell Amy honestly the wedding's off now." Sonic chuckled. "I know there's better." He smiled confidently.
Tails was blushing a little, but it wasn't so bad. "Glad you're not mad at me, though I should probably avoid Amy for a while." Her tails wagged slightly, kicking up sand at the edge of the towel she was laying on.
"Hey bud?"
"Yeah Sonic?"
"I don't know what's going to happen now, but you'll always be my best friend And..." He looked up toward the stars, and saw one shoot across the sky. "I'll always wait for you."
"Thank you." She smiled and the two got back to the silence and laughter, chatting, telling stories, guessing about the future. They didn't care what was thought now, they'd resolve with each other already the most important thing... We are friends. Always.
Epilogue:
"What a long day" Amy yawned and stretched. It had been a long day too, getting the media to buy her engagement bet with Sonic as a real deal was an all day project after all. She smiled down at the glittering ring on her finger. 'Hee hee, even if there was someone better for sonic, would they flaunt themselves to soon to be married man?'
She smiled to herself as she turned on the TV and heard the rumor she'd been spreading the top story this evening. She walked into the kitchen and got herself something to drink then headed over to her computer and booted it up.
Every evening she read her e-mail... a love letter dating service she was on was generally the highlight. Poetry lists, a few hard-core Sonic Fans who were in a club she ran... Her fingers danced over the keyboard typing in her password "4my7uvz$0n!c" and she was in... "Welcome! Amy Rose420" "You got Mail!" ... she really needed to change that sound.
She sighed and mildly glossed over the e-mail addresses... ImF4Sonik, Soniklurvzme, and Soniklvsme2, freebeestuff, click delete that one... She went down the list, sonic lovers and poetry, and occasional SPAM thrown in the mix... viagra sales, free vacations... and...
"huh?" Amy blinked, and glanced at an E-Mail from 2Tailz...
From: 2Tailz To: Amy Rose420
Subject: =? Tails' Little Secret.
!!body=!! header Hey Amy, Download this picture, you'll never believe it... the real Tails... is a girl! =^-^= ~2tailz
Download now? Download later?
"No way! No Way!!!" She gasped. "Gotta be a hoax...." Amy stared at the monitor a moment with her pink pointer hung over the Download now button, and at last she made up her mind, and directed the file 'tailsecret.jpg' into a temp directory. Almost instantly the load bar hurried to the finish, 100% "File's done!"
The Pink hedgehog fainted dead away leaving the image of a feminine looking Tails laying next to Sonic on the beach... When she awoke in the morning the headline in the paper read "Is Sonic the Hedgehog Gay?" While a local TV station had an interview with the fox explaining how she'd kept her little secret all these years... Incidentally, Amy needed a new monitor and TV that same day, strange thing happened where they both broke down at the same time when she took out her Piko Piko Mallet and smashed them... hmmm...
Alternate Addendum: ...From that day forth Amy Rose wore only black and became a Goth Chick, The End.
Station Square is bustling with activity lately, and why not? Dr. Egg Man's plans have been thwarted time and time again. The Evil mad scientist is currently behind bars so Joy Cookies, All's Well with the world.
Tails has just returned from the Mystic ruins, in time to catch the evening news as he passes by an appliance store. "...And just today, Sonic the Hedgehog announced his engagement to Amy Rose."
"W---wwwWHAAAT!?" Tails dropped the armload box filled with odd shaped pipes, tubing, pliers, tools, and other odds and ends, sending them to scatter across the walkway as he stared slack jawed at the news reporter on screen.
"...Though no date has been set yet, The Wedding may be some time next month."
"Hee hee!" Amy Rose giggled as they played back a recorded interview with the pink hedgehog. "I always knew, somehow, some day... Sonic the hedgehog would be mine! ^_^"
"No Wa---OUCH!" Tails yelped as he tripped backwards over the previously discarded box of odds and ends. "Owww..." He laid there blinking up at the sky a minute, groaned, and rubbed his aching head.
"What's with you?" A girl on the streets stopped and helped Tails up. "You look like you just saw a ghost or somethin'."
"Nah..." Tails shook his head then glanced back at the Appliance store window.
"And Here's Pete Watkins with today's Weather!..."
"Thank you Phil. The High for today is 75 ---"
Tails shuffled his feet and then looked down at the mess he made. "Ahg... Oh great..."
The girl looked at the TV then the kid. "You want some help?"
"No..." Tails said quietly and waited for her to leave before he picked up his things. 'Sonic... getting married? No way! I'd have known first... wouldn't I?' He thought to himself as he grabbed a fist full of bolts and tossed them into the box. 'I have kinda been spending most of my time at the Mystic Ruins though... Sonic and I haven't been so close lately...'
He stood up once his task was completed, then laughed out loud uneasily to reassure himself. "Nahhh..." he said. "Sonic wouldn't do anything crazy like that without letting me know." he smiled. "It's probably just some tabloid garbage is all..." he laughed again then continued on his way. *****************
Tails laid awake in his apartment, staring up at the ceiling and counting the cracks and bumps in it. 'Sonic's getting married.... he would have... wouldn't be getting married without telling me would he?' He continued staring, gazing up, trying to think things through. No, Sonic was his best friend, he'd never keep anything from the orange kitsune.
The young preadolescent fox drifted off into an uneasy slumber after what seemed like hours. It almost seemed light in his room at the time, maybe he was just getting to sleep as dawn was waking up... maybe.
Suddenly it was very bright, a forest surrounded him, out under the trees of the forest. The light almost tickled him, and made the fox laugh. Sitting up to look around him, he tried remembering what had brought him here. A man, another fox, older... there was yelling, lots of yelling. Couldn't remember why... was it because of his two tails?
Something struck Tails in this dream too. 'I'm a girl' she then thought. But this wasn't a dream, she really was a girl. It brought her back to the present, the 'here' of the dream. A streak of blue flashed by her and something inside her awoke, called her to follow this creature, away from the yelling.
The wings, the red wings. Shiny, vibrant, a name painted on the plane in white, pure white, also shiny, as if white could become brighter somehow. "SONIC" it read. Tails could read, a few words at least, she was only 5 or 6 maybe at the time, but she could remember, plain as day... she could read. "Son-ic?"
The voice, small as a whisper, attracted the blue creature, who turned brilliant emerald eyes on the fox. He seemed to shine to her, her heart was light, she knew there was something about him then, "Hey kid... what are you doin' all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Normally maybe, he would have taken off, but he didn't. Tails just gazed between Sonic and the shiny red plane, it fascinated her to no end. "Plane?" she said, and pointed in curious fashion.
"Yeah, a plane. A biplane." Sonic answered. "Built it myself" He smiled. He had too, although the plans and parts were all there for him, he could at least take credit for the slick paint job.
"Wowww...." Her little eyes widened. "Can I see?"
"Naaah..." Sonic said, pausing, not sure what to make of the Kitsune. "You all alone?"
"Uh huh." Tails answered, edging for the plane even if Sonic said no.
"Hey c'mon... don't mess with that. Lil' kids shouldn't play with big machines like that!"
"I'm not playing." Tails said broken hearted. "Why can't I play with it?"
"Only really cool guys can work on planes like this."
That was what started the lie right there. A lust for technology and the approval of one, Sonic the hedgehog. "I am a guy!" Tails said indignantly.
Did sonic believe it or not? "Yeah yeah..." He said as if he didn't care, but something in him stopped. The yelling, she could hear it still, faintly. It worried her now, they'd come for her, the two tailed freak. But Sonic hadn't met any foxes really in all his years to that point, so he could only assume Tails was a normal kitsune. Something did worry him though... "...Are you all alone?"
"Yup." Tails put in hastily.
Sonic sighed and glanced at the plane. "If you can climb in, I'll take you to the nearest city... Station Square. Have you ever been in the big city before?" Tails shook her head... "So what am I going to call you now?" he hopped into the plane and waited for the little passenger to board.
A miss label, The docs made a mistake, a few of them when this one was born. She never could get used to the name, no one ever bothered to change it after all. "Miles." she said with disgust, but her voice was close enough to a boy's to be mistaken for one. "Miles Prower."
Sonic wrinkled his nose, he wasn't sure he liked the name. He glanced over the bright eyed youth one more time, the two tails gently waving behind her even in the seat. "...how about Tails? You like that?"
"Oh yes!" she smiled brightly... and there began the friendship. ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tails woke up from the dream with a cry "Sonic!" The kitsune was breathing heavy and looked around her, clutching the blanket to her. 'No... I never told him the truth... never told him my secret...'
She paused, thinking about how that lie could have gone so far. At first it was easy, she was so young her body showed no distinguishing marks. Though now that she looked down at her transitional child-teen body, the subtle curves of her bosom and hips beginning to form were starting to betray her, and a score of needs that machinery could not satisfy. Her voice was another consideration, high pitched and friendly, but now starting to have a softer sweeter tone distinctly female... she'd been 'practicing' Tails' voice, what it should sound like, and Sonic noticed her having a sore throat more and more. That had worried him, and Tails tried to assure 'his' friend. But how had she become a he in the mind of not only Sonic... but everyone?
'It wasn't hard', she smiled inwardly. The mix up on her birth certificate coupled with the fact her dad wanted a son made the term 'he' apply to her much more easily. She also saw the words 'her' and 'she' being used frequently with the words 'can't' 'don't' and 'shouldn't' because 'you might get hurt' or 'that's not ladylike.' So, forget propriety, and anyway... Sonic didn't like girls. At least that's what he told Tails all the time... girls are trouble.
Trouble, yes. That was an easy label to give them, especially Amy. Whinny little crybaby always getting into trouble and expecting Sonic to get her out of it. She was a disgrace to the female 'specie' if you will. Tails snorted just thinking about it.
So the lie had perpetuated through their friendship... She knew it couldn't be kept much longer though... the way she was developing. She just didn't think it'd be this soon. "oh Sonic..." she sighed heavily. Now she had to find a way out of this lie... without hurting her friend. Now that would be a trick. ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tails headed out into the city, passing the day much like any other, but this time her mind was occupied. She was obsessed with the idea of Sonic and Amy together in wedlock, it angered her, she just couldn't accept that. Jealousy? She laughed, yeah maybe she was. Or just frustration knowing she and Sonic were best friends and that somehow he saw her as a potential mate rather than an annoyance. The idea of Amy as anything less than a parasite just sent shivers up her spine.
It was mid day before Tails noticed her hunger and stopped at a little outdoor café.
As had become the norm since she discovered her form shaping into that of a young woman, she'd worn vests to hide and flatten her appearance, and she felt very naked and exposed out there on the terrace even if it was an outdoor Café, and by all rights she had chosen to eat there.
"Hey toots how ya--- oh sorry, didn't notice you was a guy..." A male wolf said with a severe blush on his face. Tails just stared daggers at him until he moved off, then looked intently at her menu.
After a while, she ordered, then the boring wait began. Time was moving at a crawl today, she'd been all over the city and was dead tired, even though it was hardly noon. It wasn't even hot out, but her mind was swimming, stewing over the equation Sonic + Amy Rose = a Happy couple. She bunched up the paper from the straw now sitting in her drink as tightly as it would compact. She then took the straw and held it so her finger caused a vacuum which held in a few drops of the diet beverage. She then released her finger while the straw was positioned over the compact paper, which then unfolded like an accordion and wriggled like a live worm for a moment. Cheap trick, worthy of only a few moments of glory, a quiet smile, and more amusement than should be gained from a wet piece of paper. Yet it was a trick she repeated about 6 more times before trying to creatively stack her useless straws while the wind had other ideas, bringing a frown to her face. Folding a napkin into an Origami crane soon lost its charm too, and the fox set her head on her arms in a deep bored sigh.
It was then that a pink figure walked into the apartment building across the street. "Ami!?" Tails blinked in amazement just as her meal came to her. She was torn between hunger and hunger. Physical hunger and mental hunger... but the body won this round and she was soon delving into a large lunch platter complete with home fries and a side of cole slaw - not that she liked cole slaw but there was nothing better.
All through the meal her sights were set on the building across the street. If Amy came out before she finished lunch she didn't care, she'd be having a few words with her. If not, she'd be going up to confront her. But what would she say? She didn't care, her focus now lay in finishing her meal... and watching the building like a hawk. 'You little brat... I am going to find out what you did to MY Sonic....' ~~~~~~~~~~
At last it happened, and Tails had satisfied her hunger, "Check please!" she said in a rushed tone. She couldn't have gotten out of there faster if she were Sonic, and immediately bolted across to the apartment building across the street. As soon as her hand touched the glass of the revolving door it sent a shiver up her spine, some sense of loathing perhaps for the pink hedgehog.
'Sonic can't marry her.' was the one thought that was prevalent in her mind. No matter what, Sonic could not possible marry Amy Rose. And with that determined in her mind, she strode over to the elevators, trying to avoid people's gazes - they would see the sulking look in her eyes and try to cheer her up. She couldn't have that now, she wouldn't have that now, she must keep all her anger in sight so she can... can... can what? Completely tear Amy apart limb from limb, verbally demoralize her if nothing else.
A few people had noticed Tails, and many recognized 'him' as Station Square's hero from not too far in the past. Fortunately, to Tails' thinking anyway, no one approached her and that was for the best. But when someone is in such a mood as this, they can't help wanting to know what was being said about them, and everyone was talking about you when you're in a foul mood, at least the way you think.
Tails filed into the elevator, annoyed to see that there were other people also getting into the elevator with her. She wondered momentarily if she should have just flown up to Amy's balcony and saved some time. Still, she was here now, and pressed the button for the 6th floor. Then someone hit the button for the fifth, and fourth floors.
It would have only been a short ride, Tails glanced over at the people in the elevator, only four of them. Then the elevator stopped on the second floor and three more people filed in, and the third floor was also targeted. Tails tried not to groan, and held to the back of the elevator now.
People were tall, humans. A couple men were in business suits, and then there was a mother and father and their children, who were already taller than Tails. She felt hot, not from the addition of other people so much... it just... seemed so hot to her. Maybe it was the heat of her own fury, the sense of being small and helpless when around these giant two leggers.
She couldn't wait for the elevator to reach the sixth floor... just a little farther.... Third floor, fourth, fifth... The Sixth!
She found out how inconsiderate humans were and as the big people shoved out, a flock of them crammed themselves into the elevator like a high school Football team crams people into a phone booth. "Waah!" Tails was pinned, but by the time they realized the kitsune wanted out, they'd reached the tenth floor. Tails groaned in frustration when she finally got out at the eleventh floor and decided to take the stairs down to the sixth.
This was a much smoother ride, she used her tails to helicopter herself down between the stairwell to the sixth floor, though she was tired when she got there. As she reached the door and walked in, head bowed, she then lifted her eyes after a moment, to see Amy heading for the elevators. "NO!" She cried... Amy seemed to hear but shrugged it off and continued on her way.
"AMY! Wait!" Tails yelled and forced all her strength into her legs, dashing after the pink annoyance, and finally collapsing at her feet, grabbing her by the skirt. "Wait!" she huffed.
Amy gave Tails a well deserved look of 'what are you? Nuts!?' but saw the desperation in Tails' eyes and wondered why.. Had something happened to Sonic? That was her obsession, one Tails knew why, exactly why he was here. "Tails? What's going on?" She answered and helped 'him' to 'his' feet.
"I..." Tails hadn't thought this part through, "I wanted to talk." Tails glanced toward Amy's apartment. "Can we? Please?"
"Uhh... sure Tails.." Amy nodded and headed back into her apartment, opening the door for Tails.
The Apartment was just sooo Amy. Plastered with pink walls on which were painted pink hearts. Pictures of Sonic were hung everywhere in the neat little apartment, on every table that didn't contain perfumes and hair products - which the place simply reeked of "My Sweet Passion". Tails thought she might puke if she had to see any more of this than absolutely necessary. So Amy led Tails over to an overstuffed cushy lavender couch with pink hearts on it and the girls sat at either end of it.
"So... what did you want to talk about?" Amy asked quizzically.
Tails glanced her over, wondering what was so hot about her. He noticed there was a ring on her left hand and she grimaced. "Well.. I wanted to know something..." she then dared to make eye contact, trying not to look as hurt as she felt. "...Are you... really marrying Sonic?"
"Y-yes." Amy's confidence wavered at Tails tone... "Why?"
"How!?" Tails eyes widened, "How?! How did you manage to get... Sonic!?"
"Huh!?" Amy was taken aback. "I.."
"How?" Tails frustration grew. "He doesn't like you, he never liked you! Always having to rescue you because you're so helpless...!" Tails practically growled. "How could he even THINK about marrying you?"
"STOP that!" Amy slapped Tails across the face. Such a swift movement so completely unexpected, that she just sat there stunned, a look of complete surprise and indignation at the assault.
"...How?" Tails voice shook, as she finally began recovering from the smack. She brought a hand to her reddened cheek and her expression became confused on the edge of tears. "How... did you manage to get Sonic..." She said one word at a time, slow, shaky, but refusing to crack under the pressure, "...to agree to marry you?"
Amy wasn't sure what to think. Tails was, at the very least, acting out of character, and there was a growing sense of danger from 'him'. Something was wrong, and she knew that how she responded could send him over an edge she didn't know ever existed. Sure they were friends, but this was.... all too... much.
"Well..." Amy began, "I... I saw Sonic at the Mall and followed him around a bit." She coughed slightly, "and we started talking." Tails nodded, 'he' was watching her like a hawk. "So... I asked him if he'd marry me, and.." This was the part of the story she hated most. "He turned me down flat."
"Then how...?" Tails' amazement and bewilderment grew.
"...Well I told him all the reasons I thought we could be together and he said he could find someone better than me in no time... so..." Amy paused and took a breath, "I told him how about a month?" It was starting to make sense... "If he could find someone in a month, I'd back down... if he didn't... we'd be married." She blushed.
"That... That's how!?" tails was both relieved and stressed at the thought. However, he found himself laughing. What a fool he'd been, he knew Amy could never get Sonic on her own.... no way! And as for someone better well... the only thing was telling him who was better and why.
"Stop laughing Tails!" Amy scolded. "I'm going to win, okay?"
"Right.." Tails smiled now and pat Amy on the head like a little child. "Right Amy, you do that." And with that, the kitsune left the hedgehog in her apartment puzzling over what he said... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was mid to late afternoon now, with the Sun starting to come down from its highest peak, shining down on the world at a blisteringly hot angle. The sky hadn't changed colors yet, but the waters splashing against the Emerald Coast were coated with a million specs of white light skimming across the surface.
People walked up and down the coast in their bathing suits or hung closely to their beach towels and chairs. Parties and laughter were no doubt going on, kids splashing in the waves or running away from the unfamiliar shore - their first time there. And somewhere in there, Sonic was laying, reclined on a beach chair underneath an umbrella, with a boom box nearby shouting out tunes, and a glass of lemonade in his hand.
"Now this is what life is about." He thought aloud with a smile and then a sigh. Relaxin', chillin'. After all the things he'd gone through to save the world, he always felt entitled to more than his share of kicking back and relaxing, and why not? He would run at least once a day just for fun, and no one seemed to know how that energy kept going without running out. Yep, that was his little secret alone, and as long as he had a day or two of peace, he was happy.
"Sooooniiic!" Tails' voice cut through the sound of surf and music.
The blue hedgehog just about cringed, 'What now?' he thought. "Hey!" He waved to his friend anyway, then gave him a curious look. 'Something's different isn't it?' "Tails, What's up?"
Tails paused a moment to catch 'his' breath then looked at his friend with an unreadable expression, not yet blushing. "I wanted to ask you something Sonic."
"Yeah??"
"Are you really going to marry Amy?" 'he' asked plainly.
"What?!" Sonic began laughing out loud and had to set his drink down on a coaster beside him or else he'd spill it. "Hah! Where'd you hear a thing like that?" he snickered.
"Well... I saw it on the evening news last night." Her relief was growing, and she smiled genuinely now, the laughter was good to hear.
"Oooohg.." Sonic wiped a tear out of his eye he'd been laughing so hard. "That... Ahg! It was a stupid bet, but you know Amy." he rolled his eyes, "Never does anything half way." he grinned now and took back his drink for a sip. "Made me propose in case she won. I felt like I was bein' set up in some bad Shakespearean play like A Midsummer Night's Dream." he laughed then looked a bit more serious. "On the news? Aww man..."
"Yeah really, I just about fell over when I heard that. So... how are you going to get out of it?" tails asked, much more at ease now.
"Huh? Well..." Sonic sighed. "I might just have to break the promise to marry her." He grimaced.
"Why?" Tails blinked. "You can't find better?"
"Eh." Sonic shrugged. "It's not that... it's just..." And he smiled at a couple girls passing by. "I'm not ready to be tied down. I know lots of girls like me cause I'm 'Sonic the Hedgehog', and I got enough rabid fan girls to sink a ship but.." he paused, "I don't think about any of them in the long term y' know?"
"So you think you'll ever get married?" Tails sat down next to Sonic on a beach towel Indian style, and began enjoyin' the sounds of the surf and the gentle breeze in the air.
"Maybe... but it's gotta be to someone special. Really special." Sonic smiled softly.
"Really special?" Tail's ear twitched lightly, "Special how?"
"Well.." Sonic laughed and laid back with his hands behind his head, tapping his foot against the air, so classically like himself, the black shades over his eyes masking his expression. "Actually Tails, I'd have to find a girl like you."
"Whaat?" No, he didn't know... "Sonic, I'm not a..." her eyes widened, did he guess?
Sonic laughed again and waved it off. "No no!" Sonic smirked, "I said a girl like you... I meant personality wise someone like you lil' bro." That title again, it soothed Tails' mind, he knew what he was getting at now. "No one knows me better than you, not even Knuckles. I mean, I'm not exactly the easiest guy to get to know, but once you gained my trust... we were inseparable."
"Yeah." Tails mused, "I remember, our first talk was over the biplane."
Sonic nodded, "Yep, and now whoa... Well I don't know anyone else who could build the things you have... and I've really enjoyed watchin' you grow up y' know?" He lifted his glasses and placed his friend with a soft look. Maybe Tails wouldn't ever get Sonic's heart but she knew he had better taste than to go for Amy. "You were so unsure and scared... you tried running after me, I think, just to have someone to talk to. It's not like me to be patient but something always made me wait for you. I'm glad I did, I woulda missed so many things... and..."
"And?" Tails was blushing now, but for a different reason than she thought she would.
"Well, I like bein' a loner, but you know, there's times when I needed you by my side. If I didn't have you there, well, I wouldn't have gotten through it." He smiled and sat up now, looking across the surf, laughing softly at the reminiscing.
"...And Amy?"
Sonic paused, Tails always made him think about things. Being so young, he had so many questions to ask, and while the blue blur didn't always feel qualified to answer, he did with what he thought to be the best answer. Maybe that was why they were such good friends, they seemed to fill in parts of each other that weren't normally there.. Sonic's haste, Tails' thoughtfulness... "You know, much as she annoys me, she does end up doing something right once in a while."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, hey, if she hadn't talked to Shadow... I'm not sure we would have pulled through."
"..Shadow yeah." There was a long silence between the friends, as every sight sound and breeze sank in. "Hey Sonic...?"
"Yeah bud?"
Tails paused again, and the silence returned. She didn't have to fight Amy, but 'his' secret would come out some time, some day. She could hope Sonic just noticed, but that was hoping for too much. "Sonic...? I have to tell you something and I don't know how."
"...What is it?" The concern he initially had returned, and he glanced away at the sun which was now setting, the light orange hue starting to tint sky, clouds, and water.
"Well, I want you to know that there is better than Amy. And... it won't be so hard to find a girl like me." she blushed and looked down. She could feel Sonic's eyes dart over to her but he said nothing. "Sonic... all these years we've known each other well... I ... I've been meaning to tell you... I'm a girl."
"WHAT!?" Sonic's eyes widened in disbelief. "No Way!"
"Yes!" Tails nodded, letting her voice slip to its true sound. "Sonic... I understand if you're mad at me." The hedgehog had gotten into a full stand, looking down on his friend with mixed feelings. "But I really am a girl."
"Holy... how'd you keep it a secret? Why." His amazement grew, though strangely, he didn't feel mad about it... All the things he and Tails had been through... As long as anger wasn't there, Tails's swallowed her fears and spoke to him heart to heart as the two hadn't done in a long time...
The moon had risen when they finished their talk, both laid out now on the sand, looking up at the stars in the sky, a long silence returned. But the air was different now, as the waves rolled up on the shore. It was a new, fresh crisp air, and both of them were smiling, sometimes the silence was broken with laughter.
"Well, I'll have to tell Amy honestly the wedding's off now." Sonic chuckled. "I know there's better." He smiled confidently.
Tails was blushing a little, but it wasn't so bad. "Glad you're not mad at me, though I should probably avoid Amy for a while." Her tails wagged slightly, kicking up sand at the edge of the towel she was laying on.
"Hey bud?"
"Yeah Sonic?"
"I don't know what's going to happen now, but you'll always be my best friend And..." He looked up toward the stars, and saw one shoot across the sky. "I'll always wait for you."
"Thank you." She smiled and the two got back to the silence and laughter, chatting, telling stories, guessing about the future. They didn't care what was thought now, they'd resolve with each other already the most important thing... We are friends. Always.
Epilogue:
"What a long day" Amy yawned and stretched. It had been a long day too, getting the media to buy her engagement bet with Sonic as a real deal was an all day project after all. She smiled down at the glittering ring on her finger. 'Hee hee, even if there was someone better for sonic, would they flaunt themselves to soon to be married man?'
She smiled to herself as she turned on the TV and heard the rumor she'd been spreading the top story this evening. She walked into the kitchen and got herself something to drink then headed over to her computer and booted it up.
Every evening she read her e-mail... a love letter dating service she was on was generally the highlight. Poetry lists, a few hard-core Sonic Fans who were in a club she ran... Her fingers danced over the keyboard typing in her password "4my7uvz$0n!c" and she was in... "Welcome! Amy Rose420" "You got Mail!" ... she really needed to change that sound.
She sighed and mildly glossed over the e-mail addresses... ImF4Sonik, Soniklurvzme, and Soniklvsme2, freebeestuff, click delete that one... She went down the list, sonic lovers and poetry, and occasional SPAM thrown in the mix... viagra sales, free vacations... and...
"huh?" Amy blinked, and glanced at an E-Mail from 2Tailz...
From: 2Tailz To: Amy Rose420
Subject: =? Tails' Little Secret.
!!body=!! header Hey Amy, Download this picture, you'll never believe it... the real Tails... is a girl! =^-^= ~2tailz
Download now? Download later?
"No way! No Way!!!" She gasped. "Gotta be a hoax...." Amy stared at the monitor a moment with her pink pointer hung over the Download now button, and at last she made up her mind, and directed the file 'tailsecret.jpg' into a temp directory. Almost instantly the load bar hurried to the finish, 100% "File's done!"
The Pink hedgehog fainted dead away leaving the image of a feminine looking Tails laying next to Sonic on the beach... When she awoke in the morning the headline in the paper read "Is Sonic the Hedgehog Gay?" While a local TV station had an interview with the fox explaining how she'd kept her little secret all these years... Incidentally, Amy needed a new monitor and TV that same day, strange thing happened where they both broke down at the same time when she took out her Piko Piko Mallet and smashed them... hmmm...
Alternate Addendum: ...From that day forth Amy Rose wore only black and became a Goth Chick, The End.