Epilogue
Rouge Callisto felt nauseous. She watched the water drip from her chin in the bathroom mirror as she continued washing her face. It helped clear her mind when it was time to take her medicine.
Her chaos infusion wasn't the best. According to Rainy, her milk was perfect, but it seems the rabbit's opinion of "perfect" didn't conform to medical standards. She wouldn't be hospitalized for a week like her old partner, but she was prescribed some medicine to help her deal with the residual chaos, as well as the general pain from her injuries. Her arm still stung from where she was shot back in the BWW office.
It was her first day off-duty. To give her enough time to recover she was given a full two weeks off. She felt strange. It had only been a day since she said goodbye to Topaz. "Goodbye" was likely not the best word. The two promised to stay in touch and visit when possible, though Rouge didn't expect that opportunity to come so soon. It would be awkward to spend her vacation visiting her friend a day after they parted ways, but the thought of spending two weeks alone in her apartment didn't appeal much to her either.
This was how she found herself in some underground club full of indie musicians. It wasn't her usual scene, but with nowhere else to go, Rouge had little reason to turn down the invitation. The place was a bit too cramped for her liking, and after a few moments where she felt like throwing up, she had to excuse herself to take some of her medicine someplace quiet.
In addition to all her troubles, she had the issues with her chest to deal with. She had almost put her attention to the cool sensation underneath her clothes when she suddenly felt a pair of hands reach up from behind to cup her breasts.
"You're getting a bit plump. Did you induce today?" asked Rainy, who was gently rubbing against Rouge's bra to inspect the bat.
"Will you get off? I don't need help," Rouge responded.
"Breast health is very important, Rouge," the rabbit lectured. "If you don't take care of your milk properly it could lead to more complications as you heal."
Rouge attempted to resist as her shirt kept getting tugged at by Rainy, trying her darndest to undress the bat in the public restroom they found themselves alone in. Rouge was embarrassed enough having to wear the absurd Wonder Bra prototype that Dr. Prower had invented specifically for cases like hers. It was meant to be breathable and adjustable to any size, including the unnatural sizes for more explosive reactions to chaos energy. It also had maternity cups to collect any milk that leaked out.
While out and about, Rouge had to write up her thoughts on the experience every night for data collection. She had to admit, it was a lot more comfortable than walking around braless after growing three times her usual size overnight. It provided adequate support, and it looked like an average sports bra, while also suppressing some of her size, which had garnered a lot of attention while out in public. The stares from every man she encountered made her regret not going home instead.
"Slosh! You're sloshing!" Rainy exclaimed, jiggling Rouge's chest to demonstrate. "You need to empty out those cups! Come on, let me at em."
"You just want to drink it again! Quit grabbing them," Rouge said back to her companion.
"It's not my fault your tits are like…perfectly pure," Rainy said with an angelic hum. "It's good stuff, but only if you take care of them. Now quit stalling. We need to get this off you."
"You know, it's pretty unfair that you barely grew while I'm stuck with these ridiculous things."
"Well thankfully your purity meant you'll retain very little," Rainy explained. "I only grew a tiny bit, but this is permanent growth for me. You'll be back to normal eventually. Though if you've only shrunk this much in almost a week it's probably gonna be a while."
"Can you at least let me undress myself?" Rouge begged.
"Then quit being so slow! And stop squirming, you're gonna spill. We can't let that bat milk go to waste."
The door to the restroom opened and a yellow mongoose poked her head in at the squirming pair, both fighting to proceed in their own way. Mina watched for a bit, trying to figure out which one she should help, if any.
"Mina! Rouge has to be milked. Help me hold her down," Rainy asked.
"Cut it out! You're so annoying!" Rouge whined, failing in her mission to cover up while the door was open.
Mina giggled and pointed at the room behind her with her thumb. The sounds of the band playing had stopped and new crowd noises signaled the activity outside..
"I just wanted to let you know they're setting up to go soon," she said. "You two hurry up here. I'll save your spots up front. Can't let our guest of honor miss out on the show."
"Will do," Rainy said, one hand wrapped around Rouge's waist to hold her still while the other held the milk filled plastic cup she slipped out of Rouge's bra up to her mouth.
Rainy's right hand and both her arms were still bandaged. Chaos attacks combined with broken glass everywhere did a number on her. Plus Rainy had a large stab on her palm from when she had to pull herself out of the cockpit. It didn't seem to bother the rabbit anymore, since she had no problems gripping at Rouge's belly with full strength while her more dextrous hand enjoyed her bat milk.
Rouge had given up. She knew if any of what she had leaked out would spill she wouldn't hear the end of it. Despite all the important news and events that happened lately, her reputation online as the Milk Bat had not died down. She was the main character of the Internet for a while, and it was enough for people to begin recognizing her on the streets. She had hoped that with time, and once her chest was less conspicuous, that this phenomena would die down. She never asked to be a meme.
She also didn't ask to go on a trip with Rainy, but since she wasn't ready to head home yet, it was the only work-adjacent activity she had available. Rainy's future with GUN was uncertain, but she still had a few weeks of free time before she'd have to officially sign on as an agent. She clearly wasn't comfortable with the idea of staying on board, almost having had another panic attack during the meeting with Lanolin. It was unfortunately the only way to hold onto the resources she was requesting, though. Rouge pondered on the potential cruelty in holding Rainy's requests hostage until she agreed to work for GUN in a more long-term arrangement.
Rainy wished to follow up on her milkmaids and make sure all loose ends were taken care of. She could've left that to GUN, but perhaps didn't trust them to do things delicately enough. At least by suggesting she'd stick around she got to keep Vector as her driver for a while longer. He offered to take her back to Floral Forest and see her family again, with one quick stop back in Sunset City first to meet Mina again, like Rainy had promised.
Rouge could have ignored the offer to join, but she couldn't deny she was also concerned with the wellbeing of the people she and her now-former-perhaps-temporarily-future-partner had visited. She wasn't the best at dealing with people, but she still cared, and understood Rainy's concern with letting some officials handle any follow up calls. Talking to Rainy was the most likely way of getting everyone to cooperate and trust in GUN's willingness to follow through on their promises. As usual, this was all for her job, and nothing else, Rouge told herself.
While in town, Mina offered to get Rainy an appointment with Honey, who was very eager to spend time with the rabbit. Honey was bedridden still, not that she needed it. She couldn't do any modeling work until her body was fully healed, and she had gotten too used to doing business work remotely. She was tempted to handle as many future tasks from her home as possible. The visit was the first time Rouge ever saw Rainy look uncomfortable with touching someone's breasts, though that was likely from the shower of attention as Honey refused to let go of her hug once she had pulled Rainy into her cleavage.
Eventually, the pair called the inspection a job well done and excused themselves to go spend time with Mina, who invited them to a show at this club. Apparently her husband was performing with his band that night and wanted to dedicate the performance when he heard Rainy was coming.
Back out in the public space, once Rouge was finally allowed to become decent again, the bat made her way to the empty seats up front next to Mina. Rouge could feel her face still flush and red from Rainy's expert handling. She did not want to get used to the feeling and couldn't wait for the rabbit to run out of excuses to use her grabby paws on everything. She'd have to have to have a talk with Rainy about personal space and consent if the two would continue going on missions now that they no longer had an impending disaster or required lactation to excuse her behavior. For someone so socially awkward, Rainy was very hard to shake once she grew comfortable around someone.
By the stage, Mina was clearly keeping an eye out for Rainy, since she was already looking once she came into view. Rouge noticed the mild shock in the mongoose's eyes whenever she glanced at Rainy's bandaged up state. The firm grip Rainy held onto in the bathroom took its toll, and she had to rub her palms a bit, feeling a minor sting. A few bandages also covered up some scratches on her face, making it hard to ignore the ordeal the rabbit had recently gone through.
Mina did her best to hide her concern when speaking to Rainy. In addition to her physical injuries, Rainy just looked really tired all the time. When Rouge looked back at her to make sure she was following through the crowd, she noticed the cheerful expression was completely gone once Rainy was out of sight for a moment. The slight sense of satisfaction from a good sip of milk could only do so much, and though Rouge wasn't sure yet if Rainy had noticed, it was clear from her own perspective that Mina wanted to do everything she could to cheer up her friend where possible.
From experience, though, Rouge found it was best to let Rainy wallow in her sadness sometimes. She was definitely the type to hide her pain for the sake of others, and although the mongoose milkmaid clearly meant well, it was clearly taking effort on Rainy's part to play along with the cheerful friendly banter half the time. The other half, the rabbit's smile felt genuine, so it was likely a mix of personal space and socialising that was helping her most. It was a balancing act to make sure she wasn't left in one state for too long.
"Just in time," Mina said to the two as they approached their seats. "They're waiting for you."
The mongoose raised her hand to point out Rainy to the blue hedgehog on stage holding a guitar. As his bandmates behind him continued setting up, he stepped up to the mic to address the waiting crowd.
"Thank you folks for coming," he said. "I'm sure plenty of you have already seen, but in case you didn't know, we've got a very special guest with us. It's been a troubling time for everyone the past few weeks, but I think we can all recognize that it all could've been much worse if not for the one and only Rainy Bunbun. Everyone give her a round of applause."
Rainy took her turn at blushing as the entire crowd turned to her and clapped. She didn't usually have such a large group of people express approval of her. Rouge recalled a few sour moments on the drive over where Rainy had read the few social media responses refusing to let her accomplishments excuse the deaths at Station Square. Though Rouge tried to convince her to ignore them, Rainy clearly still felt she didn't deserve any praise. She refused to even celebrate the death of a war criminal like Barack Obama, getting quiet anytime he was brought up.
"Longtime member of the community, my wife Mina, thank you dear," the hedgehog continued, nodding his head at Mina when she waved at the crowd, "she's been friends with Rainy since they were kids. I heard good things about you, Miss Bunbun. I know you've probably dealt with some real assholes before, but just letting you know, you're always welcome here. Thank you for everything you've done for us. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but you still fought to protect us all. We can all respect that. This first song is for you."
The crowd clapped again, with a few of the people behind Rainy whistling to signal their approval. Rainy merely waved back nervously. Two other hedgehogs, one green and one pink, pulled up their instruments behind Mina's husband. The green one, with his wild hair, spun his drumsticks and began playing, leading into the other two joining in.
Rouge saw how Rainy was staring intently at the blue hedgehog, in particular. They were introduced briefly before he had to help his siblings get ready for their performance. Rainy tried hard not to laugh when she'd learned the husband's bandmates were his brother and sister. She later failed in her mission and began chuckling uncontrollably when she learned their last name. Mina was now Minerva Webster, married to Sonic Webster, the self proclaimed coolest dork around.
As soon as Rainy was away from either member of this family, though, her expression soured a little. Rouge caught the rabbit catching a few glances at her mongoose friend. She noted in particular the way Rainy twitched just now when Sonic claimed the two had been friends all this time. Rouge didn't have the full story, but she knew that Rainy hadn't been in touch with Mina since they were children. Being friends for fifteen years was not the same as being friends fifteen years ago. Mina had an entire life of her own, part of a community of musicians in scenic Sunset City with her loving husband.
Rainy stared longingly throughout the day, but never for too long. It was a life she could only be adjacent to, never a part of. Rouge understood the feeling. Or perhaps she was reading into it too much. The rabbit continued to be an enigma in many ways. As Rouge caught one last look at Rainy mid-performance, she noticed a tear drop down the rabbit's cheek. She instinctively pat her on the back and pulled her in to whisper in her ear.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Rainy said, wiping her face. She glanced back to make sure no one was watching her, confirming that all eyes were on the band up on the stage. "It's just…these guys suck. Don't tell Mina."
Rouge nodded in confirmation. Music wasn't really her thing either, and punk rock wasn't exactly what she was in the mood for tonight. Still, Rainy was being celebrated, and this slightly off-tune song was undeniably catchy despite the band's flaws. Rouge merely let her toes tap as she leaned back against her chair and enjoyed the show as best she could. Rainy would be alright.
Lanolin Coopworth watched the footage of President Biden's address once more. He gave a very safe response to the Obama disaster being dealt with, but provided very little information. Most of it was being kept confidential, for public security reasons. Unfortunately, it was Lanolin's job to deal with the public as they demanded more answers. She had spent the past several days giving more interviews on GUN's involvement in the incident and what they will do moving forward.
She sighed and slumped into her chair. She was already missing her stay aboard the ARK. Everyone was working together toward one goal, but now it was back to the world of politics. She especially wasn't sure what to feel about Joe Biden's lack of a concrete plan regarding what to do about future chaos technology, natural or manufactured. She would constantly rewind the video she had pulled up to pay close attention to his expressions as he responded to questions regarding this issue with his expected vagueness.
"You mean…the chaos emeralds?" he'd asked, with a smile.
The sheep wasn't sure what to expect. Public relations with the presidency were still soured after Obama's actions. Though he had been dealt with, his white haired replacement was still being scrutinized and feared. Everyone now knew how easy it would be for a president, or anyone in power, for that matter, to turn on the entire world. Biden was frail and weak, and therefore unlikely to use the emeralds in the same manner that Barack Obama did. With chaos technology growing more and more prominent, however, that would no longer make him or GUN any less of a threat.
Lanolin sighed, thinking of how many resources over the past year had been allocated to weapons production on the ARK. For a long time, she had worked hard to reform GUN's image, but unfortunately, by participating in the retaliation against Obama, she had also demonstrated that GUN was not just working on medical research anymore. She stared at the papers displaying her budget allocation. A larger sum of tax dollars were being funded into defense. She'd have a lot more responsibility on her shoulders, and she wished to take that responsibility quite seriously.
Her workload had only just begun growing, and behind the giant stack of papers, Lanolin began to wonder if she could do this. But she believed it was possible, still. She'd simply have to stay vigilant, and ready to make difficult calls, rather than just blindly placing her faith in the system. Obama proved its weaknesses, and she'd have to stand guard against those vulnerabilities. She was the Secretary of Defense for another term, under a new president, and she'd do her job properly.
The sheep pulled out a pen and began to work on her next press release speech. The future would have a lot in store for her.
Dr. Milla Prower tapped impatiently at her desk. She'd been getting instructions for safety procedures regarding her new Orbital Milk Cannon design. She could barely muster the strength to care about any of it, though. She saw with her very eyes how useless the cannon was against a Super being like Obama. There was even collateral damage caused by the weapon itself, all of which was blamed on the attack. She knew it wasn't quite that simple, though.
Having recently come out, with her new name, she was interested in reshaping her image. She tried out a few looks. Growing out her hair wasn't quite as nice as she thought, but she was eventually recommended to a good stylist by Cosmo, who had transferred permanently to the ARK after Secretary Coopworth hired a new team of specialists to support her in her work. The sheep was quite busy, but up in space things had quieted down.
Dr. Prower re-adjusted her Wonder Bra, which was still being redesigned as she and her primary patient Rouge Callisto continued to work on ways to fix it. Chaos infusions were becoming a bigger part of Milla's future research plans, and she wanted a way to provide adequate support for any potential reactions. Having seen Dr. Robotnik's old notes, as well as having been given a few pointers from Rainy, the fox began to realise how few important health concerns were being taken into consideration up until now.
GUN was only concerned with receiving milk. It was an emergency, after all. But this milk would prove valuable to Milla's research. Combined with her bio-organic transplant technology, she felt she was ready to make a breakthrough in medical research. And thanks to the campaigning of the famous Dr. Sol, public opinion of dairy based medicine was turning. It would take less fighting to get her research grants approved, though sadly, much of the doctor's attention was still being directed towards weapons research.
Most of the talk from the higher ups was focused on the failures to prevent Obama from escalating the situation. GUN's inability to keep the chaos emeralds contained, as well as the Orbital Milk Cannon alone being insufficient in dealing with this threat, was all being used to call the organization's capabilities into question, despite them being lauded as heroes to the public. The president wanted them to be further prepared for future attacks, with more firepower and control. Dr. Prower's methods proved unable to keep up with the expectations being put on those protecting the world.
After a serious phone call with Secretary Coopworth, Milla understood that priorities would soon shift, and she'd have to fight for what she felt was most important. She was drafting a new proposal for new medical studies that would prove essential. This of course meant she wouldn't be as involved in the new Milk Cannon technology research, which would result in less experienced researchers taking over those tasks. Lanolin advised that this could lead to issues, since they had no way of knowing what directions that new research branch would take when left to their own volition, but also to not let that control Milla's actions. If she wished to pursue medicine, that was something the Secretary of Defense would support.
There could come a day where the medical studies being carried out on the ARK would be shut down. Dr. Prower saw through many reports how Dr. Robotnik was threatened with that very fate before he had turned against GUN. It was something within the president's power, and all those under him, including Lanolin. The fox doctor would have to think of what she could do to continue her research should any further obstacles come up. She may have to learn how to carry on without all those tax dollars funding her efforts, something she knew would be difficult, but not impossible. Things were changing, and she felt certain that the options would be there when she needed them most. Keeping people safe was her priority, and she felt the best way to do that was through her medical research.
Dr. Prower took a sip of her tea, which was offered by her new assistant Cosmo. Her arm retained some permanent damage in the chaos attack, but not enough to get in the way of her duties. It was good to have a non-robotic second opinion around, too. Milla was quite happy to spend more time around the seedrian. Her bubbly personality and gentle laugh would soothe the fox whenever she was getting too stressed out, often resulting in a few awkward blushes.
Meanwhile, Milla's old assistant, Belle, was preoccupied with new ventures, which the doctor also had to manage for the time being. Why the AI wanted to become a milk model was beyond her, but it was always her philosophy not to stifle the machine's learning and development. It also helped raise awareness for the research of Belle's creator. Another plus in Secretary Coopworth's book.
The fox was proud of her work and the people she had formed connections with. She trusted them, and knew she'd have their support in her future endeavours. It may even be possible to ask a few to come with her should she work elsewhere. She certainly wouldn't mind having her seedrian companion around still. People like them simply wanted to help, and they didn't need GUN to do that.
Milla, having caught herself staring at Cosmo again, shifted her focus elsewhere. She didn't wish to make the seedrian uncomfortable. Cosmo didn't notice anything, focusing on her wrist stretches the doctor recommended to help with her arm. Milla offered some hand cream. Cosmo gladly accepted and allowed Milla to apply it. The two continued their work in silence that night, as they often would.
Shadow Terios would run for office. The headline by itself garnered little attention. Shadow held no notoriety of his own. He merely caught attention due to his relationship with his new fiancee, Maria. Miss Robotnik had spent some time in the hospital after the attack on her home by Barack Obama. Her grandfather's estate being similarly attacked right as Obama acquired another chaos emerald also led to speculation regarding her role in everything. She was under scrutiny once more, and her health had deteriorated severely.
Fearing her safety, her bodyguard and lifelong companion, Shadow, proposed to her. He did not wish to lose any more time with her and vowed to spend the rest of his life protecting her. Miraculously, her health conditions improved greatly after she accepted. She wasn't going to let any illness take away her time with the love of her life.
Shadow, meanwhile, had suggested taking a more public response to recent events. Maria agreed, becoming more vocal online about the problems with the government, as well as a few thoughts regarding her grandfather that would have once been deemed too radical to say aloud. With the attacks from Barack Obama fresh in everyone's minds, however, the public was more willing to address the true problems of society, rather than mere symptoms. It would be easy to sweep the problem under the rug now that the culprit was dead, but that didn't change anything when it was Obama himself who had slain the last target of scrutiny. These men had fallen for a number of reasons, and it was this platform that gave Shadow the edge in the world of politics.
Many were unsatisfied with the lack of action in the world, and with Maria's support, Shadow grew more passionate and headstrong in his goals. Eventually, after being denied representation in the major political parties, he and Maria began to work on building a new one. It was considered a death sentence in the political world. Third parties never gain any traction. But this one did. A few politicians even switched up their affiliations in support, though many were strongly opposed to this mixup. It was an uphill battle, but the online backing helped this new political movement gain traction as Joe Biden's approval ratings also went down.
At some point, in the not so distant future, Shadow Terios would receive a phone call, asking to be the vice presidential candidate for a certain influential sheep. Things would have to change, and someday, this future would take hold.
Whisper Phelan huddled up under her blanket. A fuzzy lemur cuddled up next to her, offering her support. The two held hands as they watched the latest episode of the Silver Chronoman Show.
It was the third guest appearance by Dr. Blaze Sol on the show, which had garnered a lot of attention as rumours spread regarding the doctor's relationship with the popular talk show host. She would behave uncharacteristically flushed whenever she was questioned about it and would merely dismiss it. She also rarely made multiple appearances on any other outlets, but would always be quick to pop in if her schedule lined up with the silver hedgehog's.
Whisper had her own theories of the closeness between the two. A while back, Dr. Sol posted online her approval of Diamond Dairy's milk during her visit to Central City for her second appearance on the show. Since the good doctor wasn't from the area, someone would have had to have informed her of local dairy companies. The business continued to grow, though the wolf continued to insist they only operate locally. No other milk would be used on her products without her approval, which meant they had to continue operating under a single factory. It was difficult to keep up with demand, but somehow they got by.
Of course, one of the reasons they had tuned in to the show, besides making sure no surprises would catch them off guard like last time, was because Tangle couldn't resist an opportunity to see her celebrity crush in action. She was a big fan of Dr. Sol, and had read all her books despite not being much of a reader. Tangle was especially interested in learning more about dairy health as she began taking on more duties in business management at Diamond Dairy.
Tangle insisted it was a harmless affection she held toward the cat doctor, though. She wouldn't want her new wife to get jealous, after all. In a move that surprised absolutely everyone, Whisper and Tangle got engaged. They were living happily together in their new home, just a block away from the office, still on the same plot of land Whisper had owned.
It was Tangle who suggested they consider getting a license for chaos products. There was little market for chaos milk, since they were so difficult to store, but this was helped greatly by Whisper's chaos remaining quite pure. There were many more regulations for selling anything with chaos in it, but as with everything, the newlywed couple took on the task together. When the two received a visit from Rainy Bunbun on her way to some meetup in another town, they made sure to ask her advice on the matter.
Tangle, of course, didn't complain at the thought of Whisper being more swelled up on the regular. The only concern was Whisper's inability to produce normal and chaos milk at the same time. At least a month of downtime was needed before switching from one to the other, which was why she decided to make her dairy products all be seasonal. This helped significantly with the high demand for Diamond Dairy products, which only became more of a local delicacy. Come Springtime, Whisper's new line of chaos based dairy drinks would be a cool treat for some much needed refreshment as the weather would begin to warm up. And in the Winter, the pure deluxe milk would sell like hotcakes. Eventually, Diamond milk would be considered a holiday staple, well worth the increase in price.
Unfortunately, for the lemur, her wife was not satisfied with being unable to sell enough normal milk year-round, and she wasn't going to trust just any milkmaid to share some of the workload with her. When Rainy last inspected the wolf to ensure she could handle regularly producing chaos milk every year, Whisper asked her to check Tangle as well. Though a bit anxious, Tangle reluctantly agreed to learn how to produce pure milk as the company's co-milkmaid. This of course meant that Whisper would be very strict with the diet and exercise the two would share, and there were days that Tangle wished she could just order a pizza more than once every two months on her "cheat day", but she was still willing to work hard for her lifelong partner.
The two faced their turmoils, but there was nothing they couldn't handle as a pair. It was just good business.
Honey was an artist at heart. She legally dropped her last name, wanting no ties to the Viper family, despite them providing her with a hefty sum of startup money for her early business ventures, and giving her connections to many people in the fashion and modeling industries, as well as hiring dietitians and fitness experts to help keep her body in peak condition for work. Aside from that, though, she was a self made woman who worked purely for her art.
Lately, though, she had undergone a transformation. She wished to do more than just inspire with her fashion lines. She wished to change the world. Honey went back to modeling as soon as she was well enough to do so, having finally switched to milk modeling after years of insisting she'd keep her image clean. Her chaos infusion broadcast was fully censored, but she now understood how her previous views contributed to the toxic culture surrounding more risque forms of modeling. By baring her bare breasts for all to see, she was normalising a form of art that was not only underappreciated, but prone to abuse by bad faith producers.
Honey had become more vocal against the poor work conditions of women around many industries. Though she garnered a bit of pushback after her support of Rainy Bunbun, her selfies of the two cuddling in her bed as she recovered did even more to help the rabbit's rapidly improving reputation. She didn't stop there, though. She pledged her support for Sally Acorn, who was still receiving some negative attention for her switching to more overtly adult forms of modeling and entertainment. Honey even called the squirrel and arranged a nice lunch meeting for the two to bond over. There were many overlapping issues in the milk modeling and porn industries that the two would draw attention toward.
Her activism did not stop there, though. To Honey's surprise, she was contacted by another government official. It seemed an individual who worked for GUN wished to get into modeling, and as per Miss Bunbun's suggestion, Honey was given the opportunity to nurture the future milk modeling career of Belle (no last name). The AI's debut appearance was a topless shoot with Honey herself. Honey, of course, expressed great concern over the conditions of developing AI in the workplace, and was very happy to see Belle was given enough autonomy by the famous Dr. Prower to pursue these endeavours.
As Honey grew more prominent a figure in the public eye, she made sure to look after her employees. Honey Cat was ranked #2 in Mobian Magazine's Top Ten list for best work benefits. When her assistant, Tiara Boobowski, was diagnosed with breast cancer, it surprised no one that Honey funded all treatment personally, and worked directly to fund health insurance reform throughout the industries. She made many connections, eventually gaining a chair in the Dairy Health Foundation's financial board.
The foundation itself would receive more donations as the years went on, including rather large ones by the famous Maria Robotnik, another woman eager to help others that had earned Honey's respect. These donations helped fund all types of research, which made many significant breakthroughs once Dr. Prower became involved. Honey famously published a modeling print of her with "Trans Rights" printed on her chest in support of the doctor's career and life changes. Many felt the fox was wasting her talents leaving important GUN research to help some charity fund, but Honey would have none of it.
Honey's support would be arguably one of the biggest contributions to the rise of a new political platform gaining traction in the country. She'd been asked if she wished to join in on the sweeps and run for office, but she remained firm in her stance that she was an artist first and foremost. Her fashion line remained quite popular, and her decisions in both nude modeling and business led to many changes throughout the industries she was affiliated with. Honey was a busy cat, but she was only getting started. She wanted to make changes, but she would also never lose sight of her original goal to inspire. That was the power of art.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik had seen better days. His business was still holding on, though advancements in AI meant he had a lot more competition in his fields. There was also a significant decrease in demand for his combat machines. Even after Dr. Prower stepped down from her position as GUN's head researcher, Ivo was still not considered for the role. He was left with little freedom on what to pursue next.
He was especially struggling to make creative decisions now that he held less stock in his own company. The many shareholders were throwing their weight around, expecting him to do what was best for the business, and his suggestions proved to be wildly unpopular.
He was especially struggling with the constant news regarding his baby cousin. He was proud of her, obviously. He always knew she was bound for greatness. He merely thought that he'd be there to lend a helping hand, with some of his own accomplishments paving the way for the Robotnik family. He was very happy to know she would keep her last name after getting married. Ivo wasn't sure if that hedgehog partner of hers was up to snuff, but he trusted Maria's judgement enough to let it slide for now.
Ivo couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, though. He was losing so much, and gaining so little in the process. His tech business was struggling, and the demands from everyone around him made it difficult to think sometimes. Thankfully, he found a new ally amidst the chaos.
After being reimbursed for her losses, Tabitha Biggs, the famous Thunderbolt herself, spent her resources to buy as much stock in Eggman Enterprises as possible. She said a little rabbit gave her the suggestion, and was very happy to be among the company's brilliant minds. Ivo himself wasn't much of a fan of wrestling, and he hadn't really heard of this "Thunderbolt" before meeting her. She asked that he'd simply call her T.B., which he admitted had a nice ring to it. Apparently only her closest friends called her that. It was good to be trusted, Ivo felt.
Unlike the other shareholders, T.B. was very supportive of Ivo's ideas, and even helped him brainstorm. It was her suggestion that they buy out a social media platform, after she pointed out the number of meme accounts poking fun at him and making unfavorable comparisons between him and his relatives. No one else thought it was a good idea, and it cost the company billions of dollars, but Ivo felt it was the best decision of his life. Unfortunately, ungrateful celebrities like Honey pushed people to move to new platforms in protest of his buyout, but he got a slight amount of approval back once he donated to Maria's charities and made sure to promote them on the site's algorithm. T.B. wasn't sure this was what the company needed, but she recognized that family was important to the round human.
Social media also helped push for AI rights, which led to some of Ivo's robots rebelling. He eventually allowed them to hold stock in the company and be in charge of their own finances, though he made sure to let them know he was still their boss. Some claimed the doctor had mellowed out after befriending Miss Biggs, and appreciated her contributions to the company, even if most of her ideas were honestly quite terrible.
After a few years, the two would get married, though Ivo would say in interviews he wasn't even sure when the two had started dating. It just sort of happened and he stopped questioning it after a certain point. He wasn't getting any younger, and once the company grew stable enough to function without his constant supervision, he was more satisfied just leaving it be. He still had plans for greatness, and wasn't going to let his enterprise be the end of his ambitions. The world would recognize his genius someday, one way or another. It bothered him greatly that he wouldn't get the recognition he deserved anytime soon, however, but around his hot chinchilla wife, he felt like the biggest man in the world. For the time being, that was enough.
Tikal Soumerca was quite stressed out from having nothing to do while simultaneously feeling too busy. Her family had to skip the year for their annual harvest and holiday season businesses, but they definitely received their condolences from all their neighbours. Word had gotten out that Tikal had contributed to the milk that helped defeat the presidential threat, which did get a little bit of attention online. Unfortunately there were limits to what she could sell once eyes were on her digital storefront.
Still, there was a slight increase of sales for the family's home grown goods, even without milk products for sale. Tikal mostly just wanted something to do with her free time. Her brother and father refused to let her strain herself and would limit how much she could do around the farm, and there was only so much she could do in the area without some work to take her mind off things.
The biggest concern, however, was for her cousin. Shade Nocturnus had some health problems following her chaos infusion. She had a sudden chaos attack and needed to be rushed to the nearest hospital, which was unfortunately an hour and a half away. The local doctor couldn't do much for her, with how little they understood chaos conditions. Tikal especially had a rough time on the ride over, feeling guilty for letting Shade undergo a process she wasn't ready for.
Once they arrived, the doctor informed them that Shade would be fine, although her inability to get medical attention any sooner meant her recovery would be a slow one. While the family was in the city, they were visited by Rainy Bunbun. She was in tears and blamed herself even more than Tikal did. Everyone was at least glad to see someone wanted to take responsibility, even if it wasn't necessarily anyone's fault. Shade agreed to do this, after all.
The problem mostly stemmed from a heart condition Shade was unaware of, which added some complications the GUN agents couldn't have predicted and would have used as a reason to instantly disqualify her. Tikal's father was less lenient on the agents, believing it was irresponsible to make such important decisions without checking for health conditions, but Tikal and Knuckles had to remind him that even Shade was unaware of her health problems.
The one positive was that doctors could now begin treating her, and they could do more for her once she had the chaos out of her system. Shade would insist she was doing fine, and was very happy to see Rainy. She told the rabbit she didn't regret taking a chance, and was also glad to know that all that heartburn she had experienced over the summer was going to be treated. She'd begun to wonder if she'd never be able to enjoy hot wings again.
GUN, of course, payed for all medical expenses, as per the contracts the echidnas signed, and Rainy offered the family a phone number for a health company that had chaos specialists. She personally knew someone who worked for the business, a friend of hers who worked all the way out in Sunset City. After making a few phone calls, Rainy managed to find some good local specialists she could vouch for to assist the family. She even offered to pay for the service herself if GUN refused to. It was an optional service after all, not covered by the agreement, but the rabbit made sure the family was taken care of.
Tikal insisted on staying by Shade's side, though that was difficult to justify once it was learned that Shade might take an entire month to fully recover. Even once her breasts were back to normal, the impact of the chaos in her body only made way for more heart problems that would require further monitoring. Thankfully there were surgical options should things have gotten worse. If anything, Tikal was beginning to be frustrated by how nonchalant Shade was about the whole thing. She mostly complained about being bored in the hospital. Tikal could relate, somewhat. Feeling trapped in her own home whenever she went back.
The echidna woman sighed. She had taken up knitting again. It was another hobby of her mother's, although neither of the two women had time for it in a long time. The first thing she made was a scarf for her father. He was very touched. She worried about him. He clearly missed his wife, and was concerned for his family's health. Tikal recovered much more quickly, but it was too late to do much for the family business by then, so she merely took the opportunity to enjoy her little "vacation" while she still could.
Knuckles, meanwhile, was always eager to visit the hospital. He wasn't fully concerned over Shade, but more for the cute nurse he met once. Some pink echidna girl and him hit it off, and he'd look for her every time. Tikal would always roll her eyes, realising that everyone was taking Shade's condition much better than she was.
Shade would, of course, be let out eventually. She'd make a full recovery, and the family would make plans for the next year. They'd be greatly surprised when the famous model, Honey, gave the family a shoutout, after a close rabbit friend of hers recommended them. They would have a busy harvest season that year, with more to do than ever. Despite their success, though, they were comfortable keeping their simple ranch life mostly the same. They were a close knit family, ready to tackle any further problems that life dealt them. None of them would ever have to face anything alone.
Jennifer Topaz had some trouble adapting to life in X City again. She had initially planned to find her own apartment once she was well enough to start work again, but things had gotten so much more expensive lately. At her mother's insistence, she continued to stay with her parents, and even reconsidered if X City was a good place to stay permanently.
It felt unreal to be back. She had arrived by plane, since there was no warp station in the city. When she had landed, it was less than a few hours ago that she had said goodbye to several friends and coworkers. She was glad that Rouge managed to throw her one last party. Despite the bat's rough edges, Topaz understood how caring she was. She'd sigh deeply any time she remembered their time together.
Topaz held no ill will toward Rouge. Things simply didn't align for them, and perhaps she had made too many concessions for Rouge's sake, like the two discussed back on the ARK. Before leaving, Topaz was pulled aside for one last hug, and Rouge told her to focus on herself more. The blonde human struggled to even understand what it meant to treat herself. She was definitely a people pleaser. She had always worked for the sake of others, which perhaps led to a dependency on Rouge.
She also couldn't help but notice Rouge seemed more patient at the party. She was guiding Rainy throughout the event. The poor rabbit was still anxious around GUN's employees, and hadn't fully recovered at the time. She hid behind Rouge a few times, which Topaz reluctantly admitted was a bit cute. Rainy seemed to bring out more of Rouge's nurturing side, but it felt less like a dependency. Rouge wasn't babying the rabbit, but more often than not encouraged her to do things on her own. When Rainy didn't feel like getting a slice of cake herself, she said it was mostly out of laziness and she began to sigh into the crowd about how the great milkmaid hero of the world couldn't even get a single slice of cake as thanks. Several people offered to get it for her, and Rouge seemed disappointed, but couldn't deny it was fair play.
Topaz wondered if there was more to the pair than they let on, but perhaps she was merely overthinking things. Jealousy was unbecoming of her. Rainy and Rouge both clearly had their own issues to work out, and perhaps even if they attempted something more, it might not work out for them either. Sometimes that was how things went. For the time being, Topaz had decided she was done thinking about romance.
Things changed soon after, though. Topaz needed new bras. Enough time had passed for her to know what her new permanent size was. A full three cup sizes bigger than before, not that she had much to work with at first. It took some getting used to, now that she was no longer confined to a hospital wing, and the special Wonder Bra she was offered wasn't needed either. She decided to treat herself to some nice new underwear. It wouldn't be for Rouge, like she had perhaps wished for in the past. It wouldn't be for anyone but herself. Topaz had all sorts of new feelings when she saw herself in the mirror with her new assets in a nice, but crushingly expensive, set of lingerie. She could get used to being bustier, but definitely wouldn't get to splurge all too often.
On her trip to the mall, she had a run-in with an old high school friend too. Darren Tanaka somehow recognized her in the crowd on his way home from work at the nearby gadget shop. He definitely tried his best to hide his shock at seeing how much she had grown in certain areas. She neglected to mention how recent a development that was.
It felt strange to meet someone who knew her in the past. She had wanted a new start, and had quickly realised how difficult that was when surrounding herself with old familiar things she had left behind after her school years. Being back felt new, but also old at the same time. Part of her had felt embarrassed to be recognized in the first place.
Tanaka understood though. He told Topaz about how most of the people he used to know had moved to the bigger cities, and he was struggling trying to keep his grandfather's dojo running with a part time job on the side. It definitely wasn't the most promising place to live in, but the two enjoyed talking about their respective struggles. By the end of it, Topaz was glad to have met an old friend after all. The two exchanged numbers and went on their way.
For the next several days, the human woman had wondered if and when she should contact her old friend. It had been so long since she simply enjoyed a nice night out, but she didn't like the thought of going someplace alone. What was the point of going to a movie cinema without any company to discuss the film with afterward? That was the best part, no matter how much Rouge told her that there wasn't much to say about movies if they were bad ones.
Topaz would have to buy more new clothes, though. She had new work clothes and a few loose tops for her new size, but it was still a slow process replacing her entire wardrobe. Something nicer would be useful, perhaps sooner rather than later. Like the rabbit and bat pair, Topaz and any future relationships she'd form in X City didn't have a set trajectory. Maybe something new could come out of it, or maybe it wouldn't. But it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. There was plenty of room for things to change for the better.
Vanilla Barony was cleaning her home for what felt like the dozenth time in a row. She wanted everything to be perfect. Her niece was coming to visit. There was no emergency or problem to be addressed. It would merely be family spending time together, plus a few guests.
The rabbit woman was glad she had kept in touch with Vector. If not for him, she'd have to have waited several days to hear back from Rainy in between the important developments happening with her. Plus the crocodile was just a really funny guy. Her conversations with him always left her smiling by the end no matter how dire things got. She was happy to have another adult she could connect with. It had been ages since she felt fully welcome among older company in the small town.
Sometimes she thought about moving, though it proved difficult to consider. There were too many fond memories to leave behind, and Cream insisted she had friends in town. Vanilla wondered how much her daughter was hiding for her sake, though. It couldn't have been easy for her to go back to school after the incident with Amy Rose. People talked, and everyone knew about the rabbit family that was once again to blame. Cream claimed that tons of people online were finally giving Rainy the respect she deserved, but walking around town, noticing the comments from townspeople who pointed and whispered when they thought Vanilla wasn't listening, it was easy to paint a different picture.
Amy herself was bedridden for a while, and there was little Vanilla could do about the girl's parents. She had felt bad that she couldn't give Rainy any updates. Eventually, though, Amy was allowed back in school, and Cream was able to get much needed information. Apparently the hedgehog girl insisted on walking to school and back together with her neighbour (but only once out of view from her home). The hedgehog even managed to sneak into the Barony household for a bit to ask about Rainy.
Vanilla was glad to see Amy in good spirits. She still had a bit of a weak condition, but she recovered relatively quickly, and wanted to get in contact with Rainy to let her know directly that everything was okay. She also wanted to apologize for her parents' behavior. Vanilla could tell these kids would grow up well, and also used this opportunity to urge Rainy to buy herself a cell phone, finally, instead of borrowing Rouge's. The poor bat was a saint for putting up with that silly niece, Vanilla thought.
After her own recovery, Rainy planned to meet with her family in Floral Forest again, but got sidetracked a few times. Vanilla encouraged Rainy's desire to take care of loose ends first if they were going to bother her. First she had to visit an old friend, then she made a few connections with some sort of supermodel, as well as visiting another friend in a hospital, then stopping to meet another once back in Central City. Once there, Rainy even bought a phone, making sure Vanilla was the first number she'd dial. Vector later told Vanilla this was not true, and that Rainy actually ordered a pizza first, since the GUN trio had been on the road all day. She had offered to let the others stay at her apartment for the night that day, putting off her family reunion once more. Vanilla was happy nonetheless.
Now, knowing Rainy would be back home before noon, Vanilla prepared some snacks to have with tea, as well as the lovely dinner she'd put in the oven soon. It being a school day, Cream would arrive afterwards, which meant Vanilla had a moment alone to sit down and rest. She cupped one of her breasts a bit, regularly inspecting them every day to see if she was still needing to be milked. It had been more than a few days, but she was still shrinking. Rainy said the process would speed up once Vanilla stopped lactating, which seemed to be proving true. She was finally able to wear one of her old bras again, though it still felt a bit too tight.
It was definitely a new experience, blowing up to such a large size. She'd been told that most women who get that big have a significantly longer recovery. It seemed that chaos affinity really did run in the family, and Vanilla's body managed to deal with the residual chaos relatively easily. It felt strange, having such a different center of gravity for a while, and even now, she felt unbalanced at times trying to do her chores and prepping for the get-together like she always did. The added sensitivity to certain areas was also something Vanilla usually didn't put much thought toward at her age, though she was tempted to mention it to her new gentleman crocodile friend over the phone once as a joke. Perhaps he'd have found it interesting.
More than anything, though, her new experiences with chaos made her think of what Rainy had been through. When the young rabbit was just a girl, the concept of chaos energy was so foreign to Vanilla and the rest of Rainy's family. She'd struggled to think of how it was even possible for such a young girl's body to become a vessel for such a destructive force. The weight of an entire city in ruins, flooded by a storm of milk and ocean, all coming down onto a single teenage girl. Now having felt a mere fraction of what Rainy had, Vanilla respected her niece even more. She was a brave girl for putting herself through that once again.
The rabbit woman was happy to have done her part to help her niece. When her sister passed away, she vowed to look after Rainy as if she were her own. She was proud of the girl, and couldn't be more excited to share this dinner with her.
Amy Rose had anxiety. She tried to put up a brave front, but the moment she was alone it would feel as if the entire world was crashing down onto her. She understood that her parents meant well, but was frustrated at how little they trusted her. The conversations she had with them in the hospital proved that they weren't willing to let go of their prejudice. Her mother would often talk about her friend who had lost a son in Station Square. Rainy really was a demon in their eyes, but they failed to see how much Amy related to the rabbit woman. Would they have felt the same if Amy had successfully helped with her milk?
The fact that she now had to worry about lactating was definitely an issue all on its own. On her first day back at school she had an accident and had to deal with visible milk stains on her sweater as she ran to the nurse. She had felt like she could die, and unfortunately, the small town school nurse didn't have much useful advice for her. Thankfully, Cream had informed Amy that Rainy would be in town soon. Amy was glad she could have a responsible adult to give her advice.
With Cream's help, Amy had snuck into the Barony household unnoticed. She told her parents she'd be studying at a friend's house. When they resisted she used her secret technique and released the limiters. After days of holding in all her anxiety and worries, she allowed herself to feel it all, provoking all too real tears as she recounted how awful she felt when the girls at school laughed at her. She simply wanted to hang out with a friend and feel normal again. Though she felt a bit guilty for lying by omission, she was glad it gave her the opportunity to hang out with Rainy again.
Amy learned so much that day. She and Cream made sure to head back quickly, and immediately the two teenage girls abducted Rainy and brought her to her old room for guidance. This time Cream was allowed to hang out with them during their topless meditation. Rainy insisted that Cream had to keep her clothes on and was not allowed to use any dirty words like "tit" or "grope". The younger rabbit still had her fun, watching Amy turn bright red any time she asked a personal question. Rainy was extremely unhappy having to tell her baby cousin that she was especially not allowed to discuss masturbation when Cream asked if Amy milked herself during her alone time. Cream was eventually kicked out, though her snicker as she left suggested she considered her mission accomplished and left Amy to learn more about proper breast health.
Rainy talked about her own teen years, and how milk health was less common back in the day. She had unfortunately dropped out of school after becoming a milkmaid, so she never had to worry about accidents in public, though she definitely remembered feeling humiliated even when they happened in the privacy of her own home. She also warned Amy that her current size was likely permanent, after inspecting her for a bit. Amy grew an even deeper shade of red as she realised she'd eventually have to explain this to her parents. She had already assured them she'd be back to normal soon.
It was fortunate that the rabbit had some old clothes still in this house, including some old bras she had outgrown. She let Amy try them on, after the hedgehog's eyes nearly fell out of their socket as she looked at the tag. She was even more surprised when it actually proved to be a much more comfortable fit than what she was used to. She gave Rainy a good hard look as she realised this bra that already looked gargantuan was apparently too small for the rabbit woman now. Knowing that Rainy continued to grow a bit even in her early twenties left the hedgehog girl wondering about her own future. Amy would have to get used to being at least an E-cup from now on.
After putting the issue of clothing aside, the two then talked more about Amy's issues with her depression and anxiety. It felt more like a therapy session. Amy felt comfortable around the rabbit. As an only child, she had felt a bit jealous seeing Rainy and Cream interacting, but was beginning to view the rabbit like an older sister as well. Rainy seemed so mature as she talked about the last few days, following up on the various milkmaids she had helped. She took her work seriously, and wanted to give Amy all the support she could. Amy's eyes watered, feeling like she had someone she could rely on.
Rainy told the hedgehog so much that night fell by the time they received a call from Amy's parents. Amy asked if she could spend the night over at her friend's house, and eventually got the okay. By that point, the two had gotten hungry, and realised they missed dinner, though Rainy already ate lunch with her aunt and friends. Amy felt a little bit guilty afterward for hogging Cream's cousin. During lunch, she kept quiet and let Cream have normal family time in the dining room. Though it didn't take long for Cream to find another opportunity to embarrass Amy and bring up that tenrec girl who was totally checking her out at school the other day. Amy could barely handle any more of these interactions.
That night, Amy would sleep in Cream's room. As much as she learned a lot talking to Rainy, it took her getting some alone time with Cream to notice how many things she still couldn't bring herself to say around adults. The two discussed how they'd handle any future issues at school, but Amy had to accept that she was a high school senior, and she couldn't rely on her freshman neighbour to shield her forever. She thought of how Rainy mentioned sometimes still feeling like a child. Amy definitely felt helpless on her own, and she concluded she'd done a terrible job demonstrating that she was the older of the two teens.
Amy wanted to be reliable like Rainy, and brave like Cream. She wanted to change herself, but didn't know how. She had noticed that Cream hadn't been hanging out with her friends lately, and wondered how all the news about Rainy was affecting her. She managed to get Cream to open up a little, but eventually the rabbit girl grew tired and fell asleep. Amy would definitely have to keep an eye out for Cream from now on and tackle those issues when the younger girl was ready to talk more. In the meantime, the hedgehog was left thinking of her own plans.
She originally thought of going to the local community college. Her grades weren't the best, and she wasn't sure what she wanted to be when she was older. After that day, she began to consider her options of moving to Central City. She'd be closer to Rainy, and away from this backwards town. It wasn't as if Amy had many friends at school here anyways. Cream could also maybe benefit from having more friends outside of this town once it was her turn to graduate as well. Maybe college would prove to be the change Amy needed to finally figure herself out. And maybe some distance would also help give her parents some perspective.
Amy shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She breathed in and out, rhythmically, like Rainy had taught her. She felt her chest rise up and down, still getting used to the idea of her growth being a less temporary issue than she initially thought. So much had changed in such little time, and it was only going to continue changing even more. As long as the hedgehog remembered to pace herself, though, she knew she'd get through it.
Rainy Bunbun stared out at the stars. She was scared to be out and about during daylight. A few people saw her when she had arrived, and they very rudely walked away when she waved at them awkwardly. It didn't seem the people of Floral Forest would ever warm up to her or her family.
The past several days had been spent running errands and helping people. She had told Rouge it would only be a day or two, but they had spent an entire week on the road again, following up on every loose end Rainy could think of. She had the contact information of all the milkmaids, and her connections were only growing. It was strange, being so social.
With her new phone, and also sneaky abductions of Rouge's prior to that, Rainy managed to see what people were saying about her. It was…a complicated issue. The story of Station Square had of course cropped up again, with a few remembering it more favorably for Rainy. Others wouldn't forget, however. It wasn't Rainy's fault, but she was still involved, and she couldn't blame them for not letting go of the painful memories associated with her. She was unable to do the same either.
Aside from doom scrolling, though, Rainy had plenty of people saying nice things about her. Not just celebrities like Honey, but complete strangers, ordinary people, had plenty to say about Rainy in all the trending discussions. More people understood her than she could have ever imagined. She was beginning to feel whole again.
But nothing would ever fix the tear in Rainy's heart. She still felt that emptiness she had carried all this time. She'd still shiver a little whenever she saw Maria Robotnik's last name, or when the news would mention Obama. Even the current presidency made her worry. Rainy doubted that she could be a GUN agent after everything that had happened, but without their resources it would be too difficult to get around and do the things she wanted to do. Vector was technically being paid to drive her around this week, and even with everyone's phone numbers, being able to have Rouge call some coworkers and arrange for things Rainy would never have access to was handy.
There was only so much Rainy could do alone, and she worried how powerless she'd be if she gave up the connection with GUN. She knew there were good people there too, like Dr. Prower and Topaz. Even Lanolin clearly wanted to do good despite her intimidating position. Just like the people who couldn't move past Rainy's negative history, she had trouble letting go of GUN's past. She'd still feel Gerald Robotnik's gaze cursing everyone from beyond the grave.
Perhaps it was fitting, though. Rainy was never going to be free from GUN. They could always find her, like they did at the start of all this when Rouge had located her in some seedy bar. Any sense of freedom was an illusion. The people that harmed her would always hold real estate in her mind, and that list had indeed grown the past few weeks, despite things being mostly positive changes. The golden image of Barack Obama trying to break her spirit, like his had been broken by society, would always linger for her. Rainy would forever be haunted by her past, and there was no escaping that. All Rainy could do was learn how to live with this pain again. It never went away, but she had more support to help her carry that weight now. She'd be able to learn again.
Rainy scrolled through her phone, checking in on all the updates from Mina. The rabbit still felt uneasy anytime she saw a picture of her old friend with that hedgehog husband of hers. If only he could've at least been a little cooler. As long as he made Mina happy, though, Rainy could accept him.
Mina wasn't kidding about her scenes, though. She was very active in all sorts of indie communities. She even sometimes guested on her friend's podcast from time to time. Minerva was definitely a social media queen, capable of far more social skills than Rainy could ever have. Maybe Rainy could stand to learn a thing or two from all the exposure though. A little bit of socialising was doable, at least.
Looking at even more pictures, Rainy saw how many of Mina's friends would repeatedly show up on her feed. She had clearly found a close-knit group of trusted companions, and she managed to live a good life. Rainy was glad Mina had the support she needed during any of her struggles in life. She was well taken care of, and didn't need Rainy around, but still welcomed her back in with open arms. Rainy wanted to make sure that would become a worthwhile decision, even if she'd struggle to have as much of an impact as everyone else in Mina's life.
In a somewhat passive aggressive move, after seeing a post of Sonic's band performing a cover of a well known song, Rainy pulled up the original and let the more competent performers soothe her late into the night. She gave one last look at the night sky. The ARK was not visible, but she could easily imagine the battle she partook in happening up in that dark sky. It was frightening, and nothing like the idolized version she'd hear in media coverage. No one would ever truly understand how it felt. But it was over now, and things were moving forward again. Like the song said, she would live and learn.
Saying goodbye to the stars for now, Rainy turned to head inside. Everyone else was likely asleep. She was glad to have finally had a lovely time chatting up with her aunt earlier. She had already offered some medical advice on the phone, but still offered a full inspection. Once the two had found someplace private where Vanilla could undress, the older rabbit made a comment about Rainy having a potential career in medical training. Rainy, having had enough worries thinking about her future with GUN, didn't wish to further complicate her future career options, but made sure to keep that suggestion in the back of her head.
Much more of the afternoon was spent enjoying the snacks and lunch Vanilla had made. She was surprisingly curious about Rouge, asking her all sorts of questions about her life and giving Rainy a glance or nudge at certain responses. Rainy never knew her aunt was such a gossip. She had also never heard Vector be so talkative. She felt a bit bad for spending so much time around the crocodile and not learning much about him. He and her aunt got along well enough, however, and helped keep conversations going whenever Rainy or Rouge were too tired to be the center of attention.
Now, hours later, once things had died down, the house was quiet. It had already grown more peaceful once Rainy went to work inspecting Amy and answering questions, but now it was completely silent. Or mostly silent, at least. Vector was snoring on the couch as she made her way upstairs. Vanilla didn't have any spare mattresses to unfold, and not wanting anyone to sleep on the floor, Rainy offered to let Rouge share a bed with her. Thankfully, Rouge still had a bit of plump to her chest pillows, so Rainy was looking forward to a nice soothing sleep. Getting to sleep in her own apartment the night before reminded her of how much she had missed her body pillow, and Rouge made a great substitute for the time being.
When Rainy stepped into the room, Rouge was in the middle of undressing. Rainy excused herself, trying her best to respect boundaries, as Rouge suggested she try to do more often. The bat had stopped lactating, sadly, but if she hadn't, Rainy would have resisted the urge to continue emptying the cups in her Wonder Bra for her, as a sign of what a good and respectable friend she was.
Rouge eventually found an old t-shirt of Rainy's that wasn't too tight, buried deep in the closet. All of the effort to become decent was thrown out the window when Rainy merely slumped on the bed in her underwear. The bat merely sighed and got in the bed.
"Hey Rouge?" Rainy asked, turning to face her guest.
"What?" the bat asked in monotone.
"Just so you know, I toss and turn in my sleep," Rainy said. "Sorry."
"Yeah, I know," Rouge replied. "Even when you fell asleep in a moving vehicle with your seatbelt on you'd still find a way to shuffle around in the car."
"Okay, well since I do owe you," said Rainy, "I'll let you know that I'm very ticklish on my sides. If you need to wake me up, that should do it."
Rouge groaned, muttering to herself something about sleeping on the floor. Rainy was glad to have a friend around to keep her grounded. A lot had happened to her, and it would've been impossible to get through it all alone. Of all the milkmaids she had helped, Rouge was the only one that baffled her. The rabbit's attempts to help Rouge with milking were rebuffed, and there was little Rouge needed that Rainy could help with. The bat was already Rainy's primary way of getting things done through GUN's connections.
Rainy couldn't forget Rouge's sacrifice, though. Even with her injuries, Rouge managed to produce pure chaos milk and give Rainy the final push needed to save the world. Rainy simply wanted to give her partner some recognition for her efforts. She had shown everyone else her gratitude, but around Rouge, she always fell short of being anything more than a nuisance.
"What are you gonna do after this?" Rainy asked.
"I don't know. I still have another week of paid time off," Rouge answered.
"Wait, they're paying you for this?"
"I'll probably head back to my place and just…rest for a bit," the bat sighed.
"Where do you live anyway?" Rainy continued with her questions.
"Central City."
"No way! So we're neighbours!" the rabbit exclaimed.
"Oh no," said Rouge.
"Hey, can I visit? I don't have anything else going on after this."
"Just do whatever you want," Rouge answered. "Can we go to sleep now?"
Rainy murmured and nodded, tossing herself onto her back and away from her optimal cuddling position. She would try to be content with her actual pillows for the time being. The rabbit stared at the ceiling, unable to close her eyes. She'd often spend nights like this, worried of what nightmares awaited her. Would she be on the roof again? Or in the ocean? Or perhaps drifting through space? She wished it were morning already. Then she could skip over any quiet moment she'd have alone with her thoughts. As difficult as they were, nights like these wouldn't end, and that was simply a matter of life. Rainy was used to this knowledge by now.
"Hey, Rouge," she said again.
"What now?"
"Thank you."
The two laid in silence for a bit. Rainy didn't know what specifically she was grateful for. A number of things, really. She just wanted to thank the bat. Perhaps her company would give her enough luck to get through the night.
"You're welcome," said Rouge.
The two drifted to sleep, their missions finally done for now. They had no clue what the future had in store for them. No one did. For now, though, it was time for bed. They'd face the unknown world of tomorrow one day at a time. Everything would be alright.
I debated long and hard about whether I should leave a note here. I figured anything I could write after the end could be best left unsaid. I doubt many people would read this story to completion anyways. If the absurd premise didn't turn them off, then the seriousness and tone might. This story was meant to be confusing. It's all a joke, but also not really. The joke is only funny if the story is a hundred percent genuine, and the further I got in, the easier it was to treat it seriously despite the absurdity in what was happening. I wanted a story where people weren't sure how they were supposed to feel at any given moment, and for many people, that sensation is enough to drop something completely.
To those who read through to the end, all twelve of you, I hope you enjoyed the experience, whatever that experience was. Maybe you found it funny. Maybe you were engrossed by the narrative in a manner you weren't expecting. Maybe you're just still confused, and reading something from the author does nothing to change that. If you're still unsure what the hell you just read, good. If you're thinking of recommending it to a friend and don't even know where to begin describing it in a way that sounds appealing, good. As long as someone felt something they couldn't quite identify, I'll consider this story a success.
I had a lot of trouble getting the tone for this story just right. I didn't want it to just be a goofy parody. Like I said, the funniest thing about it is how genuine it is. I had to take the story completely seriously and get invested in it to find the humour in it. I also had to keep the story from being too "mature". "Wholesome Milk Only" isn't just a joke, I genuinely did not want any of the story to be sexualised in any way, despite involving a very fetishy concept. I wanted the serious aspects to be there, but still give readers something to chuckle at. Everything about it is a contradiction. I guess that's just how I approach most of my works, and Sonic, a series I notoriously hate but appreciate at the same time, was a good venue for that.
I experienced a lot of difficulties over the past year. Several aspects of my life just blew up in my face, and having something to write was a good distraction. Even now, as I upload the final part, I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to feel about things, and that's just the mental state I wanted to convey. I hope I succeeded. I hope someone out there enjoyed my breast expansion/lactation Sonic fanfic about childhood trauma and social anxiety in a world that expects you to keep moving forward. I hope you're just as uncertain about how to feel, but in a good way.