I haven't posted in a while...sorry.

Anyway, that doesn't matter now because I'm back with a purpose! I've been trying to work on stories all of this time, trying to make sure I'm at a decent part in the story where I can post it! And that is the case with this one!

As of right now, I'm finished with Chapter 13 of this story and I'm working on more every day! As a whole (thus far), this fic has been a blast for me to write and I hope you all like it! If you would like to see this story with some pictures added into the mix, head over to my ABDL centered dA PaddedTeddyBear!

Without further ado, here's the story!

I own none of the characters! All of them belong to SEGA and Sonic Team!

Shadow woke up from his sleep drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

It was that nightmare again. He should've been used to the shock of it all by now. He was having it for the last couple of months and it had always been the same.

He could remember wind brushing through his quills as he ran with Maria down the ARK corridors. He could recall the scared but determined look in the blonde's eyes when she pushed him into the escape pod. He could still feel the sting of banging on the glass of the wretched thing, screaming for her to stop what she was doing and stop the GUN officer that took the fatal shot.

He put his face in his hands, shaking his head. He then looked around his dark bedroom and saw nothing move around within the darkness. He sighed.

"Relax…" Shadow told himself. "It's just a stupid nightmare…but why do I keep having it?"

He had tried multiple different things to stop the nightmare from happening. He tried changing his eating habits. He did more exercises during the day (when he wasn't working). He even started drinking warm milk before bed. Nothing worked.

And it was killing him.

He had to find a way to get rid of the nightmares. But how in the world would he do that? The methods he tried wasn't working and he didn't know if there was a scientific way to solve his problem.

Well…even if there was, he did know someone who could assist.

Tails raised an eyebrow when Shadow came knocking at his door.

The dark hedgehog had never came over to his house unless he needed help repairing Omega. And even then, he would be there as well as the mentioned robot to learn the fox's techniques. But today, Shadow was all by himself.

"Uh…" Tails didn't know how to start the conversation. Maybe a simple greeting would be nice. "...hi Shadow."

The hedgehog gave him a simple nod, glancing inside the fox's home before looking at Tails himself.

The silence between them was thick. The child felt like he was suffocating under the dark hedgehog's glare. But while looking back at Shadow, Tails figured out that he wasn't actually looking at him anymore. His eyes were glossed over, as if he was daydreaming. Or thinking.

Either way, what was he doing here?

"Shadow…?"

The Ultimate Lifeform blinked back into reality, a confused expression appearing on his face for a moment before he looked at the fox.

Tails stepped to the side of the entryway, giving Shadow some room to enter. "You want to come in?"

The hedgehog nodded once and walked inside the home. The fox shut the door afterwards, his blue eyes following Shadow as he sat in his living room. More specifically, on his gray couch that was placed parallel from the television, which was playing a Marvel movie. The boy walked over and sat down a good distance away from him on the sofa.

For a long time, neither of them said a word.

Tails would make glances at Shadow and noticed just how nervous he was. He was fiddling with his thumbs, his usually stern face contorting into small hints of worry and embarrassment. Whatever was on the hedgehog's mind, it was probably something secretive. Something he didn't tell anyone about.

That's the only reason why he would have came alone.

"Alright…"

The fox blinked as Shadow said his first word of the day. Red and blue eyes looked at each other as the hedgehog continued speaking. As the words flowed from the Ultimate Lifeform's mouth, Tails began to slowly notice his irises looking towards the wooden floor.

"Listen, I….need your help with something. You see...I…"

He stopped, took a deep breath, and looked the inventor dead in the eye. Tails gulped at the stern glare he gave him.

"Listen, what I am about to tell you is kind of...pitiful. Especially from someone of my marks. Don't tell a soul about what I tell you. Not your friends, not your family, not my teammates. Under any circumstances. Got it?"

The fox was quick to nod rapidly, a worried frown appearing on his face. Shadow then turned away and Tails relaxed, looking at the hedgehog with the utmost concern. What happened to him?

"Anyway, I've been having horrible nightmares ever since I defeated my father. And...it's always about Maria and...how she died…"

Tails winced. Dealing with the pain of death was always a bad thing. Not to mention the fact that Shadow hadn't really had the time to grieve the way he liked, considering that he had lost his memories. The fox really felt bad about this and he looked at the hedgehog attentively.

"How can I help?"

Shadow shrugged slightly, looking at the boy.

He was expecting the fox to find a way to help him.

"Right…" Tails smiled sheepishly before tapping his chin in thought. His eyes suddenly lit up. "I may have a solution in my lab. Wait right here."

The Ultimate Lifeform nodded as the child flew out of the room. He grabbed the remote and started idly flicking through the channels. Shadow's eyes lit up slightly as he moved through different networks with ease.

Being from the past, he wasn't really around all these different kinds of technology. The dark hedgehog was really intrigued by all of the things that the present had. He wanted to see it all. How it all worked, how it made sounds and noises. Even things like Omega and his cell phone were spectacles for him to behold on a daily basis.

He was a rather curious hedgehog but he kept it all to himself. He couldn't act like a child in front of his teammates, in front of...the others. He had an image to uphold. He was the Ultimate Lifeform.

"I got it! This is exactly what you need!"

Shadow blinked at the sound of the excited child's voice, his thoughts fading from his mind. He looked up and saw that Tails reentered the room, holding a jar of pills. As the fox handed it to the hedgehog, he stated.

"These are relaxation pills. It should settle your brain during the night while you sleep. Not shut it off but only focus on making sure your body is in tip-top shape for the next day."

"So…" Shadow started. "Once I take this, I won't have any dreams?"

"You shouldn't." Tails scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "I...haven't really tested those pills yet so…"

Shadow glared at the child for a second before letting out a sigh. He didn't like being someone's guinea pig but if this was going to possibly help him, that was just something he was gonna have to do.

The hedgehog sighed, looking up at the fox. He nodded and the boy copied his actions before they went their separate ways.

Shadow stared at the pill in his hand. The supplement was oval shaped, colored a soft fuchsia and had an imprint of Tails' tails on the front. He then looked around the clear pill jar before staring at the capsule once more.

Was this really going to work?

Tails had said that the medication hadn't been tested yet. Even though he said what the pill was supposed to do once it's in his system, anything could happen. It could do its job and make him feel better or do nothing. Who knows, maybe it'll make him feel worse.

But what other choice did he have?

He grabbed the glass of water from his nightstand and popped the pill into his mouth. He then guzzled down the water and let out a sigh.

Tails had informed him after Shadow had left to take a pill every afternoon before eating lunch. The effect should last during any naps throughout the day as well as when he goes to bed. So no nightmares should occur anytime while he slept. He had also told the hedgehog to document anything that happen to him by either write it down or calling him about it.

The hedgehog continued to look at the jar with uncertainty as he left the room. He still wasn't sure if any of this was going to work out in his favor. If anything, he had a slight feeling that this was going to make the previous night terror feel like an amazing dream. That's the downside of being a pessimist.

However, he had to stay positive. Besides, he was part alien so it wasn't going to affect him as bad or do anything at all. He should relax and just let the day roll by like it usually did. These pills were supposed to help him, not hurt him.

If he kept that mentality, he should be fine.

He checked himself to make sure he had some money on him before teleporting out of the house to get some food.