AN: I couldn't let the 26th anniversary of my favourite character pass without doing something for it! So have this story inspired by a real life event that I remembered recently as I was going through some of my old things. All I ask is that you please enjoy!
~Still Someone's Hero~
The faint sounds of someone sobbing is what initially caught Sonic's attention. He paused in the middle of the hallway, ears twitching as he attempted to locate it's source. From what he heard so far, it sounded young and feminine, meaning it was probably one of the female Villagers. And if there were two things Sonic hated seeing, it was tears and upset children. Frowning, he followed the girl's wails all the way to the back garden where the little pink haired Villager - Rose - sat, head down and face buried in her hands. At the sound of Sonic's approach her head snapped up, staring at the hedgehog with watery eyes before she barreled into him, clutching onto one of his legs as she began to weep again.
"Aw Rose, what's the matter?" Sonic asked in a soft tone, bending his legs so he was at the girls level.
"M-my teddy," Rose began in a shaky voice. "S-someone s-s-stole my teddy!"
Ah, so that was the problem. Rose never went anywhere without her stuffed bear, her favourite thing in the entire world. To the point where Master Hand had even allowed her to give it a spot at the dinner table. Everyone in the mansion knew how much it meant to her, so what sort of awful being would steal it away from her?
"Do you know who stole your teddy?" Sonic asked, Rose sadly shaking her head.
"Uh-uh. We were having a tea party, and I went to pour Mr. Stuffy more tea, and then he... he..." Rose broke down again, clutching onto Sonic tighter. "He was gone the next time I looked up!"
Poor kid. Clicking his tongue he thought about his schedule for the day, coming to the conclusion that helping Rose find her teddy was more important than anything else he needed to do. Ruffling her hair, he gave her his trademark grin. "Don't worry, kiddo! I'll help you get your teddy back by the end of the day!"
"You will?" Rose asked, a small glimmer of hope in her teary eyes. Sonic nodded in response.
"Yeah, of course I will! Now, you said you were having a tea party, right? Can you show me where the tea party was being held?"
"Of course!" Rose exclaimed, a bit more perky now that she had someone to search with. "It was over there, near the flowers. Mr. Stuffy likes flowers."
"Well then, I guess we should see if Mr. Stuffy made his way back over there!" Sonic exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing the little girls hand. Together they made their way to the flowers, where sure enough Rose had set up a tea party for her and Mr. Stuffy. Using her free hand, Rose pointed to one of the chairs.
"Mr. Stuffy was sitting right there," she declared, Sonic letting go of her hand and investigating the area. At first Sonic didn't see anything out of the ordinary, until he noticed a disturbance in the bushes next to where the tea party was being held. Curiously, he pushed the branches aside and peeked into the greenery, smiling as he came across something that didn't belong in nature.
"I think we may have found our first clue," he told Rose, effortlessly tossing and catching the mechanical part in his hands. "An' I think I know just where it belongs."
/~/
Tracking down who Sonic believed to be the culprit was a bit more tricky than he anticipated. Clutching Rose's hand tightly he made his way through the winding halls of the mansion, head turning every way as he searched for the Smasher, finally locating them in the games room.
Rose's eyes went wide as she studied the Smasher. "Bowser Jr.? He's the one who took Mr. Stuffy?"
"This looks like in came off of his Clown Car," Sonic explained, holding out the part in his hands. "I mean, sure, there are seven other Koopalings here, but I know Bowser Jr. has stolen things in the past. So chances are high that he's the one who stole Mr. Stuffy."
"So what do we do?" Rose asked, Sonic closing his eyes and folding his arms. Normally he would just use his quick wit to get the true answer out of someone, usually with a large amount of sarcasm involved, but Rose was young and very impressionable. Even if Sonic's method was impactful most of the time, he realized that Rose should be taught proper manners.
"How about you go in there and ask for it back nicely. If he doesn't give it back, I'll step in an' handle it." Sonic instructed, Rose nodding her head.
"Okay," she agreed, taking a deep breath and wandering up to Bowser Jr. Sonic watched as she tapped on his arm, the young Koopa jumping and whirling around to face the intruder before sneering and flicking his eyes back to the screen.
"Go away, I'm busy!" he rather rudely exclaimed, continuing to smash away at the buttons on the controller. Rose frowned, turning to Sonic who gestured that she should continue with the agreed plan.
"Um... Bowser Jr.," Rose started, her voice quiet. "My teddy bear, Mr. Stuffy, is missing. I was wondering if you had it with you."
Bowser Jr. paused the video game and turned to face Rose again, looking annoyed. "Why would I want your stupid old ratty bear?
"Mr. Stuffy's not stupid!" Rose defended, her hands balling into fists. "He's my best friend and you took him and I want him back!"
Okay, maybe sending Rose in to deal with the situation wasn't the best thing to do after all. Sonic rushed into the room and stood between the two children. "Hey, hey, calm down now."
"He called Mr. Stuffy stupid!" Rose wailed, tears cascading down her cheeks. "He won't give him back and I know he has him somewhere!"
Sonic winced as Rose's voice got louder and louder. She was having a tantrum, and turning to her he said in a soft tone, "Go out into the hallway, Rose. I'll handle this."
As Rose left the room, Bowser Jr. snickered. "She's a crybaby."
"You be quiet," Sonic growled as he turned back to Bowser Jr., folding his arms and staring down at the Koopa with a look of malice. Holding out the machine part, he continued. "I found this in the bushes where Rose was having her tea party with Mr. Stuffy, which just so happens to be the time he was last seen. Based on it's appearance, I'd assume that it was off of your or one of your siblings Clown Cars."
Bowser Jr. nervously shifted after Sonic said that, but was quite persistent. "I don't have it!"
"Really?" Sonic questioned, his voice dropping in tone. "'Cause I'll have you know that I have connections with the leader here, who also happens to be the same person who fights you and your dad on a weekly basis. D'you really wanna get him involved with this too, 'cause I can go get him right now."
"For the last time, I didn't take her stupid teddy bear!" Bowser Jr. screamed, throwing down the controller. "I was with my Papa and my siblings all morning, you can ask them if you don't believe me!"
Sonic searched Bowser Jr.'s face for a bit longer before sighing. "Fine. But if you're lying, I will not be happy, an' I will get Mar involved as well."
With that Sonic turned heel and stalked out of the room, casually tossing the machine part in his hands as he approached Rose in the hallway. Sniffling, she asked, "Did you get Mr. Stuffy back from him?"
"Sorry, kiddo," Sonic said apologetically. "He said he doesn't have it, so we're gonna hafta try somewhere else."
"He's lying!" Rose cried, Sonic once again wincing at her voice rising in volume.
"Listen kiddo, I know you're upset, but throwin' a tantrum isn't gonna solve anythin'," pausing, he added. "I would know."
Rose pouted, but said nothing more and listened to Sonic.
"Now, how 'bout we look around a bit more an' see if we can find any more clues related to this machine part, shall we?"
/~/
Hours passed as Sonic and Rose headed through the mansion, hunting down anyone who had any sort of knowledge with machines. But it didn't matter who they asked - Shulk, Mega Man, Captain Falcon, Samus - they all came up with the same answer of not having any idea who it belonged to. Night was beginning to fall now, and Sonic felt horrible over not being able to keep his promise of finding Mr. Stuffy before the day was done. As he led Rose to her room in the dormitory, she finally managed to utter a single sentence.
"...I can't sleep without Mr. Stuffy," she mumbled, her voice wobbling. Sonic winced, figuring that was probably the case. He remembered back when Tails was her age he couldn't sleep without his blanket, it was just a thing that most kids went through. Ruffling her hair, he thought of a response.
"Well... I guess just try tonight. An' if you can't get to sleep, you can come wake me up, okay?"
"Okay," Rose replied, though she was clearly crestfallen. Stopping outside her room, Rose produced her key from her pocket and unlocked her door, wandering inside and flicking on the lightswitch. After a moment she screamed, Sonic being taken off-guard by the sudden noise and hurrying into the room.
"Look, Mr. Stuffy's back, he's really back!" Rose squealed, clutching her beloved toy to her chest as she pointed to the open window. "He was right over there!"
Intrigued, Sonic wandered over to the window and peered outside, searching for any signs of who could have returned the stuffed animal. He was about to chalk it up to dumb luck, until he spied tracks on the ground. Tire tracks. Narrowing his eyes as he pieced it together, Sonic turned back to Rose who was happily cuddling Mr. Stuffy and gazing at Sonic in adoration.
"Thank you for helping me find him," she giggled, hugging Sonic's knees. Sonic chuckled, once again lowering himself so he was at her level.
"Aw, you don't need to thank me. Just doin' what I hafta do," taking a peek at the clock, Sonic tutted. "Now you need to get to sleep, you've had a long day today an' a growin' kid like you needs rest."
"Okay!" Rose chirped, happily climbing into her bed with Mr. Stuffy and closing her eyes. Quietly tiptoeing to the door, Sonic flicked off the light and went to exit the room when he heard Rose murmur, "You're my hero..."
Sonic froze, his heart melting from the honesty dripping from Rose's voice. Chuckling, he turned back to her and smiled before exiting the room, softly clicking the door shut behind him.
"I still have one last thing to do," he mumbled to himself before taking off down the hall and out of the dormitories, having a faint idea of where the culprit could be.
/~/
Bowser Jr. was right where Sonic thought he would be - still in the games room playing the video game from earlier. Upon hearing Sonic's approach, he paused the game but didn't look up, knowing that he was busted.
"So why didja lie?" Sonic asked, folding his arms and tapping his foot.
"How'd you know it was me this time?" Bowser Jr. questioned, Sonic raising an eyeridge.
"Well, maybe next time you shouldn't use your Clown Car to return missin' items to little girls. I saw the tire tracks left by it and that's what tipped me off. Speaking of which," Sonic produced the part from his quills and kicked it over to Bowser Jr., landing a few inches away from him. "I think you're gonna need that."
"Am I gonna get in trouble?" Bowser Jr. asked, while Sonic shook his head.
"No, I don't think I'll report this to Master Hand since you learned on your own to give back what you stole. I will say, I wasn't expectin' that level of maturity comin' from you though."
"I didn't think she'd cry that much," Bowser Jr. muttered. "She made me feel all weird and then I felt like giving it back to her."
"That's called guilt," Sonic clarified. "An' the fact that you're showin' that proves that maybe you won't grow up to be so nasty an' evil after all."
Bowser Jr. said nothing, and Sonic felt he'd made his point clear. Before he left the room however, he added. "Thank you for returnin' it to her. I still think you owe her an apology tomorrow though."
And with that Sonic left the room, lacing his hands behind his head as he made his way back to the dormitories.
"Maybe Bowser Jr. won't turn out so bad after all." he murmured to himself.