"Can you believe it's been a month since the incident at the tunnels?"
"I know, I can't believe so much has changed since then."
"Mommy?" A small voice calls. Amy turns away from washing the dishes and smiles at the blue hedgehog, "Yes, baby?"
"Can I has baba?" she wipes her hands with a towel and heads for the fridge, "Of course, do you want milk or juice?"
"Juice pwease!" Amy pours some apple juice into a light blue baby bottle, screwing the top nice and tight; she walks over to the couch and hands the bottle to Sonic, sitting beside Shadow with his toys. "Tanks, Mommy!" She ruffles his quills, lovingly, "You're welcome, my little emerald." Sonic purrs and drinks, resuming playing with Speedy while cuddling with Shadow happily. Shadow continues to read his book and smiles, softly scratching the blue hedgehog's ears.
Since his little talk with Sonic a few weeks ago, the blue blur opened up and started to call Shadow and Amy his 'Mommy and Daddy' or 'Mama and Dada' while in his baby form.
Shadow couldn't stop blushing the first few days, slightly embarrassed but didn't say anything. He would never admit out loud that he liked being referred to as the blue hedgehog's Daddy and how it would make his heart swell every time Sonic called him that, or how cute Sonic looked when he was playing or blushing whenever Shadow called him his little blueberry so shut up!
Amy didn't mind at all, since she had referred to herself as Mommy already anyway, she thought Sonic calling her, and Shadow Mommy and Daddy was rather cute and warmed her heart. She had also come up with a little nickname for him, calling Sonic her little emerald referring to his sparkling gem-like eyes.
The three hedgehog's relationship with each other had changed dramatically since Sonic's accident. He and Shadow now no longer rivals; in fact, they were closer than ever before. However, they didn't see eye to eye in everything. The blue blur's had, at last, to come to terms with his feelings for Amy as his Mommy, and the awkward air that had plagued the two for so long was gone.
Sonic felt more loved, safe, and wanted than he had ever had in his whole life!
Things have also been quiet in the village for the most part since Sonic's visit with Eggman, thanks to the doctor's agreement with Shadow, Amy, and Tails. Since then, he has only instigated two battles (more like minor disturbances to the peace), which Shadow and Knuckles took care of on Sonic's behalf without much issue.
The villagers didn't notice their blue hero's disappearance more concerned with their day-to-day affairs. Usually, such a fact would have irked the speedster for their ungratefulness, but it worked to his advantage this time, so he paid no mind.
Other than the two Eggman encounters, Shadow and Knuckles stay pretty busy, helping Tails gather supplies for the machine to fix Sonic, patrol and protect the village from any other dangers that might pop up, and help Amy take care of the babyfied hero.
They were all busy but happy.
But sadly, all good things must come to an end, and we all must grow up.
"Just one more adjustment...aaaaand, done! Whew!" Tails wiped the sweat from his brow, admiring the results of his month-long hard work. It had been a struggle figuring out how to reverse and stabilize the solution to re-age his hedgehog brother, but he had done it. "Now for a test drive." Tails placed a young sapling into the chamber, sealing the doors and putting his goggles on. He pulled the lever and waited for the machine to do its job. Gas-filled the chamber, covering the sampling in a cloud of blue. He waited for the substance to dissipate before opening the door, "Eureka! I've done it!" Smiling, Tails pulled out a fully grown blueberry bush, plucking a few berries he tasted them, "Mmmh! Sweet too!" placing the plant aside and turning the machine off, he nodded to himself, placing his hands on his hips. "Well done, Prowler, well done."
The fox checked his communicator; it was almost time for dinner. Making sure everything dangerous was safely put away, Tails locked up his workshop for the night and spun his tails heading for Amy's to tell everyone the good news.
"Hey, guys!" Tails greeted, opening the door, "Tails!" Sonic zipped to the door and picked up his friend, spinning the fox around in a big hug, "Haha! Sonic, what are you doing?"
"Just saying hello to my best buddy!" He set the fox back on his feet and ruffled his bangs, "How was your day?"
"Great, I finished the machine to turn you back to normal!"
"Really? That's awesome!" Knuckles piped from the couch, "What's awesome?" Amy asked, appearing from somewhere in the house. "Fox-boy finished the machine to turn blueberry back to normal." Shadow explained, "Oh, that's wonderful!" she clapped, "Yup! We can get you set up and back to normal first thing tomorrow." Tails pat the blue hedgehog on the back.
Sonic froze, standing still as a board beside his friend, and gulped. He had forgotten all about the cure Tails had been working on for him, quickly he put on a big fake smile before anyone noticed his hesitancy. "Ah, great! Just great, can't wait!" he nervously chuckled.
While everyone else was happily chatting and eating during dinner, Sonic stayed suspiciously quiet. He tried to listen to his friend's conversation to distract himself, but his thoughts kept wandering to what would happen tomorrow. It made his stomach twist and turn into knots. Slumping over, he pushed his food around on the plate. He couldn't bring himself to eat more than a few bites of Amy's tasty cooking tonight.
"Sonic?" his head snapped up, ears perked, Amy calling him out of his brooding, "Hm?" he hummed.
"Are you ok? You've been awfully quiet, and you hardly ate. Are you feeling alright?" glancing down, he noticed his plate was gone as well as everyone else's. Looking back up, he saw only Amy was still with him at the table. Everyone else had gone to the living room. "Oh, yeah! Fine!" He quickly lied and stretched his arms with a fake yawn, "Just tired; I guess hehe."
"Hmmm, maybe you should go to bed early tonight. You have a big day tomorrow, after all." Sonic shook his head, grinning nervously, "A-a-ah, it's okay! Honestly, I'mnotthattir-"
"Oh no, Mr., you've been spacing out all evening. I think you need to go to bed right now." Amy sternly said and picked up the hedgehog from his seat. "B-b-b-but Amy-"
"No butts. Come on." Sonic rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing he couldn't win an argument against the pink girl. He simply sighed, holding on to her as she carried him to the nursery.
Walking to the crib, she checked his diaper and found he was still dry. Amy gently laid him down, gave him Speedy, his paci, and pulled the warm blanket up to his chin. "There we go. Do you want your baba? Or anything else?"
"No, thanks." he mumbles under the covers, "Ok, sweet dreams, my little emerald." His heart fluttered as she kissed his forehead before she turned out the lights and closed the door. "Night...mommy." he sadly whispered, putting the paci in his mouth; he sucked and cuddled with Speedy.
Having nothing else to do, he tried to close his eyes and sleep but couldn't push past his anxiety for tomorrow.
On the one hand, he was excited to be back to normal finally. The daily transformations had gotten on his nerves, and he hated how he felt half sick every time for a few minutes afterward. He was more than ready to go outside again without supervision and run to his heart's content. He also wanted to bash a few Eggman robots before he started to get rusty.
On the other hand...he didn't want to go back to his lonely, boring shack.
He loved his soft and colorful nursery filled with fun toys. The only things he had back in his shack was a tv, a dartboard, a table, and a hammock. All boring and drab, no toys to play with, no stuffies to cuddle with, no changing table or diapers.
He'd have to quit wearing those entirely and go back to using the potty.
Sonic pouted ears drooping. I don't wanna use the potty...I want my diapees! He nuzzled Speedy. At least my hammock is kinda like a cradle, and I could get a toy chest and put some adult versions of some of my toys in it. I've seen some adult coloring books before, and everybody likes Legos and blocks! Looking into Speedy's eyes, he nodded resolutely. And I'm definitely not getting rid of you! He hugged the plush lovingly. Out of all the toys he had, Speedy was his favorite.
A new thought suddenly occurred to him, he wouldn't be able to call Amy and Shadow his Mommy and Daddy anymore either...at least not in public, that would be too weird.
No more bottles or sippy cups. No more paci. No more of a lot of things he now loved. Ears pulled further back; his bottom lip quivered. Sonic sniffed, eyes watering; a few tears fell down his muzzle as he continued to think of all the things he'd have to stop doing once he was Big again.
Quietly he cried himself to sleep.
As usual, Sonic woke up bright and early the next day. Today's the day. In a couple of hours, I'll be back to my normal adult self. He pulled the blanket over his head, sucking the paci. A shiver went up his spine, bristling his quills, nervously he sucked harder and whimpered.
Usually, Sonic would have left the nursery and started playing in the living room or gone to the kitchen to see what Shadow was cooking and maybe help prepare breakfast, but this morning he didn't want to leave his crib. Comfort was what he wanted right now, and staying in his crib with his pacifier, and Speedy felt like the best place to get it.
Feeling the need to go, he sighed as he released his bladder, the wet warmth of the diaper calmed him a bit, and he closed his eyes, trying to relax. Maybe an early morning nap would help him forget and calm his nerves. Snuggling further into the covers, he went back to sleep.
Amy tied her light pink robe around her waist, walking into the kitchen, "Morning Shadow." she yawned; the dark hedgehog turned and nodded in greeting before returning his attention to the stove. Amy smiled and looked around, surprised not to find the blue blur playing with his toys or chatting with Shadow in the kitchen as had been his habit the last few weeks. "Where's Sonic?"
"I don't know. He never came out of his room this morning." she hummed in concern. She had noticed Sonic acting strangely yesterday evening. He had insisted that he was only tired at her inquiry, but Amy had a feeling something was bothering the blue hedgehog. "I'm going to go check on him."
"Alright, breakfast will be ready shortly." nodding, Amy left, wondering what was upsetting her little emerald as she walked to the nursery.
Slowly she opened the door and poked her head into the room to see Sonic in his crib. Strange? Why is he still in bed? She wondered, tiptoeing to the crib bars watching him as he slept. She giggled when his legs twitched, indicating he was dreaming of running.
She would miss having the speedy hedgehog stay in her home. As soon as Tails fixed Sonic, he would probably go back to his shack without a second thought. Shadow would also go back to his cave, not needing to help her take care of their babyfied leader once he was back to normal. Leaving Amy to an empty house...well, not really... next to Tails workshop and Meh Burger, her home was where their group hung out the most.
Still, this place will feel empty once you go back home. She sighed. I can't think about it that right now. I need to think about what's best for Sonic; I'm sure he'll be relieved once this whole mess is over. It was nice while it lasted. Blinking a tear away, she composed herself, looking back at the snoozing hedgehog. He looks so peaceful I hate to wake him up.
"Sonic, sweetie." she softly whispered, rubbing his head, "It's time to get up." Moaning, he creaked open one eye muffling behind the pacifier, "Come on, sleepyhead. Let's get you changed. I'm sure you need one."
Pulling the blanket away, she picked him up, holding him against her chest, and rubbed his back before setting him down on the changing table. Sonic rubbed his eyes as she gathered the supplies, "Morning Mommy." he sleepy greeted with a crooked smile. Amy smiled back, "Morning. You sleep well last night?"
"Yeah." he stretched, a high pitched yawn escaping. She giggled at the cute noise, "Sounds like you're still tired."
"I'm not tired!" He whined, "Oh, then why didn't you get up out of your crib earlier like you usually do?" she asked with a hint of worry; she hoped he wasn't getting sick. "Just didn't feel like getting out." he said sleepily, "Ok. Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Amy hummed as she removed the wet diaper and wiped him dry; Sonic smiled a bit as she powdered. "I'm fine, Mommy, really." he insisted. Inwardly sighing, Amy decided to let it go for now. Perhaps he really had been tired the day before.
Throwing the old diaper away, she pulled out two designs for him to pick from, "Which diaper would you like to wear teddy bears or lions?"
Sonic's eyes lit up fully awake, pointing to the one covered with large yellow cats excitedly. Amy giggles. It's a good thing I made him go to bed early last night.
"Big kitty cats it is!" she unfolded the diaper and tucked it under his bottom, poking his tail out; she tugged the front and taped the sides. Patting his front when she finished, "There we go, your last diaper change, in a few hours, you'll officially be a big boy!" Sonic's eyes widened microscopically. He had forgotten about that as he had wanted, now Amy had so graciously reminded him of why he had decided to sleep in, "Yaaaay!" he cheered in mock enthusiasm.
Sonic chewed on his breakfast with a blank expression as he watched Shadow, Amy, and Knuckles eating and chatting across the table as if everything was perfectly normal. He hoped no one noticed his right leg bouncing erratically under the table, a nervous tick he had developed over the years. It did nothing to ease the anxiety bubbling up in his gut. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm never this nervous! Tails has got it all under control. I'll be fine. Nothing bad is gonna happen. It's just a simple...operation? No...cure? I'm not sick...ah hell, Tails is gonna turn me back to normal, and everything will go back to the way it was. Nothing to stress myself about, right? Right!
Sonic tried to reassure himself with a positive outlook; seeing things from a positive perspective came naturally to the hedgehog. There was no point in fixating on the negative it never got him anywhere. He had made it through life so far, pretty well thinking that way. Still, no matter how positive he tried to be, he just couldn't shake away the pit in his stomach.
Before he knew it, it was time to go to the workshop; even though Sonic had gotten the hang of walking and running on his own again, Knuckles insisted he carried the speedster to their destination, Amy and Shadow followed behind.
Sonic clutched on to Speedy as they drew closer to his friend's workshop, having decided he would take the stuffy with him for comfort.
"Hey, Tails!" Knuckles calls as they enter. The fox pokes his head up from a laptop. "Hey, guys! Just give me a minute to get everything set up. Ok?" Sonic doesn't answer; he was distracted seeing the contraption his friend built to return him to normal. Looking it over, he noted that it was similar in structure to the original he had stumbled into a little over a month ago. The only difference between it and Tails' version was that this one was new and shiny; it also had a cushioned seat inside.
Had that really happened only a month ago? It seems like it just happened yesterday yet so long ago at the same time.
His ears twitched in attention, returning Sonic to the present as Tails turned on the machine. It clicked and started to hum; Tails threw a thumbs up. "Alright, we are ready to rock!"
"You ready little guy?" Knuckles asks lightly, bouncing Sonic in his arms, but the babyfied hedgehog didn't respond a lump formed in his throat, stopping him from saying anything.
As Knuckles carries him to the machine, Sonic starts to shake. His heartbeat quickens with each step. He hugs Speedy so hard the toy's eyes look like they are about to pop out of its head, and his emerald eyes water. He feels pressure build in his chest like something is about to explode, and it does.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" he screams, scrambling, turning his back, and hiding into his giant red friend's shoulders latching on as if his life depended on it. "Nononono!"
Knuckles stumbles back, holding the shaking blue blur; everyone is shocked at this display; red, green, blue, and violet eyes dart to each other curiously.
Amy silently asks Tails what's wrong; the poor fox shrugs, clueless about why his brother was suddenly so upset and what to do to help him.
Amy looks back to the weeping blue form, curling around Knuckles' shoulders like a python, "Sonic...What's the matter?" The blue blur shakes his head, mumbling incoherently in between sobs, ears flat against his head, refusing to look at her.
Shadow gestures for Knuckles to bend down a bit, so Sonic is at eye level with them. He and Amy gently approach them, not wanting to upset their charge further.
Amy strokes the speedster's quills, hoping to calm him down enough that they can figure out how to help. "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but...could you repeat that. I couldn't understand you." sniffing, Sonic raises his head slightly. "I-I *sniff* d-don't wanna b-be a big boy." he hiccups, "I-I don't wanna grow up."
"Oh, sweetie. It's ok. Sh sh sh sh, it's ok." Amy continues to pet his head; she couldn't say she wasn't totally surprised by this. She had had her suspicions last night but had brushed them aside when he had claimed to be tired. Honestly, Amy didn't want to lose her blue baby either but knew she couldn't keep him like this forever. The pink hedgehog wracked her brain, trying to think of a way to convince Sonic to get inside the machine.
"Sonic, look at me." he didn't respond at first, but slowly, Sonic lifted his head entirely for them to see his eyes. Both Shadow and Amy's hearts break, seeing those puffy red eyes looking back at them, still pouring with tears.
It almost makes her want to cry. Why? Maybe it was because she and Sonic had grown closer over the past few weeks. Or perhaps she viewed the blue hedgehog as a little boy now who needed love and attention, and she wanted to give that to him. Or maybe she was just soft-hearted, and seeing anyone of her friends as upset as he was made her want to cry also. Pulling herself together, she wracked her brain for a way to convince Sonic to go through with this. "I-I know sweetie, it's hard to grow up." she said gently, "But...you didn't like being a baby at first, did you?" he sniffs and whimpers, "No..."
"Uh-huh, so what did you do? You were a big boy and made the best of the situation, right?"
"Right, a-and I had fun with you guys." she smiled warmly, "So did we. But you don't like changing ages every day, do you?" he pouted. "No, it's yucky!"
"Yeah, and Tails' machine here is going to fix that for you." he followed her finger, pointing back to the device, "So what da ya say you be a big boy again for us and go inside so Tails can fix you up...ok?"
He sighed, looking at the machine with uncertainty. His ears tilted down; maybe it was time to be a big boy-no...a grown-up again. As much as he wanted to, Sonic couldn't stay in his little world forever. Shadow and Knuckles wouldn't always be able to protect the village themselves. They needed the team back, and Eggman won't go easy on them for much longer. And if he was genuinely honest with himself being a baby wasn't always a piece of cake. He had had his fun; now, it was time to get back to work.
Sonic blinked as Knuckles wiped his tears, smiling softly at him; he looked back at his Mommy and Daddy, also smiling at him. "Don't worry. We'll be right here waiting for you." Shadow took his gloved hand and squeezed it gently. Sonic nodded and took a deep breath, "Ok...I'm ready." Shadow did the same, "That's my little blueberry." he said, cradling the blue hedgehog's face. Sonic leaned into the touch and smirked for a moment, then turned his face back to the machine with a determination. He was going to face this head-on as he did with every challenge. Yeah, I'm ready.
Slowly Knuckles stood back up and walked to the machine; he hugged his blue friend close before gently placing him inside. Holding his beloved toy, Sonic waved at his friends as the doors closed, "See ya on the other side, buddy." Tails whispered.
Pushing the button, the dark blue gas entered the chamber. Sonic watched as the gas surrounded him. He felt the familiar feeling of warmth and comfort wrap around him one last time. "See ya soon, guys," he muttered as he curled up and fell asleep.