DISCLAIMER: THIS PICTURE WAS NOT DRAWN BY ME. IT WAS DONE BY THE INCREDIBLY TALENTED   Finimun

A shiver ran down her spine as she sat down and the cape was swept over her. It had been years - years of struggling with her feelings, of being a boy in everyone's eyes but her own - and now, she was finally doing something about it... So why was she nervous? If this was what she wanted, why was there a pit in her stomach right now?

Was it the fear she wouldn't be accepted? No, that wasn't it - the Sol Empire had full equality in that regard since before she was born, regardless of what reactionary fringe types would attempt to change every few years with zero success. And as for her family... well... she was fairly certain they already knew and were supportive, but were just waiting for her to tell them herself. And of the many ways to come out to them, this would certainly be a grandiose one.

Was she worried she wouldn't look as good as she hoped? That couldn't be it, either - Paula was an excellent stylist, not to mention someone who was just like her. The koala adored opportunities like this and, when she first reached out to her about it, sounded even more excited about this than she was. She had listened eagerly to her talk about what she wanted done, beaming as she assured her she'd look amazing while even offering up some suggestions of her own. Suffice to say, there was no doubt in her mind she was in good hands with Paula.

Maybe... Maybe it was just that change is always scary, no matter how much you want it. To put thought into action, to take the plunge and go from dreaming to doing... Hope becoming reality... Maybe it was just something that was always as overwhelming as it was exciting.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Paula swung in front of her, a spring in her step as usual, to throw a sheet over the mirror in front of her. It was something the koala insisted on doing despite her uncertainty about the necessity of it - she suspected Paula might've just had an affinity for dramatic reveals. Regardless, she took a deep breath as the stranger in the mirror vanished from her view for what she hoped would be the last time.

It was hard to describe what the next several hours were like. With the mirror obstructed, her memories of that time relied more on her other senses. There was the loud buzzing sound of the clippers that turned into a dull munching noise as they were pressed against her muzzle, working through overgrown cheek tufts and leaving only a velvety pelt behind. There was the putrid smell of the dye that was painted into her hair and fur, followed by being wrapped up in so much foil she was starting to feel like one of Dr. Eggman Nega's robots. There was the tactile tickling of various makeup brushes as they danced across her face, with Paula insisting on adding a little extra flair to it to "give some more glam" to her reveal. And with each new sensation, both anticipation and anxiety only rose. Eventually, after what somehow felt like both too much and too little time, the koala announced she was finished, and pulled back the curtain over the mirror.

And for the first time in her life, she saw herself staring back.

Dull brown and orange fur had been replaced with the most gorgeous lilac from head to toe, tipped with a darker shade of purple in all the right places. Her muzzle - once overgrown due to how uncomfortable standing in front of a mirror was to trim it - was now exquisitely groomed and styled, head-fur on either side swooped back to frame it in a most elegant way. New jewelry made her face literally sparkle; the earrings might've only been clip-ons for now, but already she knew she would need to take the time to get proper piercings for special occasions. Even her hair, in as simple of a ponytail style as it was, seemed to complete her look perfectly. And to the surprise of no one, Paula's insistence on a little extra makeup was the right call. She wasn't sure if she'd indulge so much on a regular basis, but for now... it was beautiful.

She was beautiful.

The longer she stared at the mirror, the more right it all felt. All her fears and worries had vanished the instant the mirror had been revealed, and now only a swelling sense of joy, of belonging... of pride remained. This was who she was, who she was always meant to be. She still felt overwhelmed, but now she knew that wasn't a bad thing. It was the culmination of years of struggles and doubts and tribulations finally coming to an end in the most wonderful way possible. As she felt tears of joy begin welling up in her eyes, Paula's comforting presence returned, gently squeezing her shoulders as she joined her in her happiness.

"Careful now, sweetie," the koala teased, "I'd hate to see you ruin that makeup I put all that time into, Ms...?"

For years she had experimented with finding the perfect name for herself, most of them unsurprisingly fire-related given her abilities, and practicing them to see how they felt coming out of her mouth. But now, it escaped her lips as if on reflex. Because, deep down, she knew it was who she was all along.

"Blaze... My name is Blaze."

(Happy Pride Month, Everyone! I've always had the headcanon that Blaze is a Trans Woman. Whether it's internal docs for Sonic '06 stating she's self-conscious about her chest size, her first appearance in the Archie comics involving her getting misgendered by SWATbots, official holiday art showing her struggling to choose between a Santa or Mrs. Claus outfit, being used to represent Sir Percival in Sonic and the Black Knight, who is male in original Arthurian Legend, or her normal outfit being inspired by costumes used for male roles in the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female Japanese theater troupe, she's always felt pretty trans-coded to me even without anything resembling official confirmation. It's not something I explore or make explicit very often in art I get of her, but I wanted to do something with the idea at least once in a way that's totally wholesome to celebrate all the awesome trans people out there. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful month, every month of the year!)