Hey, everyone! I'm back from my tour of Japan, and I gotta say, it was great! I had a lot of fun with my mom but now I'm back and ready to write! This was an idea I had a while back. Enjoy!
Chapter 9: A Trip to the Magic Kingdom Part 1
The final bell rang as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles packed up their bags and headed out the front doors of the school along with all the other kids.
"Alright! School's out!" Sonic cheered, pumping his fist.
"Wahoo!" Tails exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "Summer's here!"
"Come, brothers!" Knuckles grinned, scooping up both Sonic and Tails in his arms, placing them on his shoulders. "Let us begin our summer adventure!"
Sonic and Tails both laughed as their elder brother carried them off towards home. "Lead the way, Knucklehead!" Sonic said.
Carrying his hedgehog and fox brothers home, Knuckles marched into the house standing tall and proud as Sonic and Tails jumped off his shoulders, landing in front of him with a dramatic pose.
"Mom, Dad, we be home!" Sonic announced as he and Tails stood up, the three of them walking into the living room and finding their parents.
Tom and Maddie entered the room. "Hey, boys!" Maddie smiled, kneeling down and pulling all three of them into a hug. "How was school today?"
Sonic shrugged. "Eh, it was boring, as usuall, but school's out now!"
"Yeah! And our summer vacation has just started!" Tails added with a happy grin.
"I am eager to see what this 'summer vacation' is like." Knuckles stated.
Maddie glanced back at Tom, who grinned at her. "Well, speaking of vacations…" Tom announced. "We're gonna be going on one tomorrow."
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all blinked in surprise. "Really? Where?" Tails asked.
"Well, since this is going to be your first summer vacation, we thought we should kick it off with something fun." Maddie said as Tom handed her three small pieces of paper which she passed on to the boys.
Taking the pieces of paper into their hands, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles looked at the inscriptions on each of them before Sonic looked up at his parents with wide eyes.
"We're… we're going to Disneyland?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock and awe as a wide grin spread across his lips.
"Disneyland?" Tails and Knuckles both questioned in confusion.
"What's that?" Tails asked.
"Okay, okay, remember all those Disney cartoons and movies I showed you guys?" Sonic asked, turning to his brothers.
"Yes. They were quite enjoyable." Knuckles remarked with a somewhat nostalgic smile.
"Yeah, those were fun." Tails smiled, remembering some of the movies they watched including Aladdin (that one was fun), Pinocchio (they were still a bit traumatized from the boys turning into donkeys), Mulan (they all admired her as a warrior), Toy Story, and many others alongside several Mickey Mouse cartoons (where they had had a lot of laughs while watching).
"Well, Disney doesn't just make movies and cartoons." Sonic explained. "They've got their own theme park, too!"
"Really?!" Tails asked in surprise looking down at the ticket in his hands. "And we're going there?"
"You bet, buddy." Tom grinned, him and Maddie kneeling down and wrapping his arms their arms around their boys. "And we're leaving tomorrow."
"But, if we're going to go there, you three are gonna need some disguises." Maddie told them.
"Oh, not a problem! I've been working on a new setting for my holograms on my Miles Electric." Tails said, pulling out said device. "Basically, with one quick scan, it'll create a holographic disguise to hide our original appearance and create a human version of us."
"Meaning?" Knuckles questioned.
"We'll look exactly the way we see ourselves as humans!" Tails grinned.
"Cooool!" Sonic murmured in awe before he smiled excitedly. "Can I go first?"
"Sure!" Tails replied before twisting a knob on the device. "Just let me make a few adjustments and… there!" He then held his Miles Electric out at Sonic, allowing it to scan him in green light.
"Hehe, that tickles!" Sonic said before he was suddenly engulfed in a bright flash of light, forcing the others to cover their eyes.
When the light dimmed, where the blue speedy hedgehog stood now stood a young human teenager who looked to be around fourteen years old with light skin, blue spikey hair, a blue jacket with a white undershirt, navy blue jeans, and his red sneakers.
"Woah!" Sonic gasped, gazing down at his new appearance. "I'm totally a human now!"
"It works! It actually works!" Tails exclaimed happily, clutching his Miles Electric to his chest.
Knuckles, Tom, and Maddie all looked surprised as they gazed at the former blue hedgehog.
"Incredible!" Knuckles exclaimed.
Sonic grinned at Tails. "You've really outdone yourself, little bro!"
Tails beamed happily, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Thanks!" He said, blushing slightly.
"Looking good, blue!" Maddie smiled, kneeling down and affectionately pinching Sonic's cheek. "You look just like your father."
Sonic blushed slightly, pushing away Maddie's hand. "Moooom!" He said in embarrassment.
"Hey, it's not a bad look for you, buddy." Tom stated, kneeling down and patting Sonic on the back.
Sonic laughed slightly. "Thanks, Donut Lord." He smiled. "Tails, do Knuckles next!"
Tails grinned, turning to the red echidna. "You got it!"
Knuckles took a rather hesitant step back. "Are you sure this won't cause me harm?" He asked.
"Aww, you scared, Knux?" Sonic teased slightly.
"No, just concerned is all." Knuckles retorted.
"Don't worry, Knuckles. The change is painless and instantaneous." Tails reassured him, already pointing his Miles Electric at him.
"Very well." Knuckles nodded, allowing the device to scan him before he was engulfed in the same bright light.
When the light dimmed, what stood in the place of the red echidna warrior now stood another young human teenager, this time looking like a sixteen year old, with darker skin, red flowing dreadlocks, a red and white tank top, white ragged wraps around his hands, and black shorts with the same red and green shoes as before.
Sonic let out an impressed whistle. "Looking good, Knucklehead!"
Knuckles looked down at his new appearance in surprise. "Impressive. Well done, fox." He said.
"Thanks, Knuckles." Tails smiled, glad that his device worked a second time.
"You look great, sweetie." Maddie said, giving Knuckles a light peck on the forehead.
"Thank you, Mother." Knuckles smiled.
Tails aimed his Miles Electric at himself, pressing the button, allowing it to scan him. Once the scan was complete, he was engulfed by the same bright flash of light as before.
When the light finally dimmed, in the place of the two-tailed fox now stood a young boy at around eight years old with strawberry blonde hair, brown overalls, a yellow undershirt, with the same red and white sneakers as before.
Tails placed his hands on his hips loudly before he noticed everyone was staring at him.
"What?" He asked rather awkwardly.
There was a few more seconds of silence before Sonic finally broke it.
"Oh my god…" Sonic whispered before a huge grin spread across his face. "You are sooooo cute~!" He exclaimed, zipping over to Tails and hugging him from behind.
"You are adorable looking!" Maddie exclaimed, kissing Tails on the cheek.
"Not that you weren't adorable before." Tom said, hugging Tails as well.
"We must protect this child at all costs." Knuckles stated with absolute seriousness.
Tails blushed so brightly his face was as red as a tomato. "Guuuuuys!" He whined cutely, hiding his face in his hands.
He was at the very least glad his device worked.
Later that evening, the Wachowski family began packing their bags in preparation for the trip tomorrow.
Sonic and Tails were up in their shared bedroom in the attic packing their suitcases, the ones that Tom and Maddie had gotten for them.
"I don't think I've ever been to a theme park before." Tails remarked, stuffing a few books into his backpack.
"Really?" Sonic asked in surprise, zipping up his suitcase. "Not even back on your home planet?"
Tails shook his head. "The closest I've ever been to one was Casino Night Zone, and even then, I wasn't allowed in because of… well, you know." His tails swished for emphasis.
Sonic winced as he remembered Tails' less than pleasant backstory. "Sorry." He murmured. "Well, now you're getting to go to one, right?"
Tails smiled at his older brother. "Yeah! And if it's anything like those movies you showed me and Knuckles, then I know it'll be fun!"
Sonic chuckled, ruffling the kit's bangs. "That's the spirit." He said, earning some giggles from Tails.
"You boys got your bags packed?" Tom asked, peeking up through the trap door.
"Don't worry, Donut Lord, we've got everything we need!" Sonic said, giving his human father a thumbs up.
"Yeah, we're ready to go, Dad!" Tails smiled, his twin namesakes wagging slightly.
Tom chuckled at his boys' antics. "Alright, well, don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Okay, Dad!" Sonic and Tails both nodded, climbing into their respective beds.
Knuckles silently packed his red backpack while he made sure everything would be neat and tidy in his bedroom after he left.
"You got everything ready to go, Big Red?" Maddie asked, coming down the stairs into the basement.
Knuckles nodded. "Yes, Mother, I believe so." He said rather stoically, calmly closing his suitcase.
Maddie raised a brow. "You feeling okay, Sweetie?"
Knuckles was silent for a moment. "I will admit, I am somewhat… hesitant to go to another amusement park." He explained, sitting down on the side of the bed.
"Why's that?" Maddie asked out of concern, sitting down next to the echidna.
"The last time I went to an amusement park was not voluntarily." Knuckles explained. "I had been captured by a group of hunters who then put me in chains and forced me to fight in an arena for their own amusement."
There was once again a brief silence in the room as Knuckles looked down at his knees, feeling unable to look up at Maddie.
"Hey," Knuckles felt his mother's hand touch his chin, gently tilting his head up towards her softly smiling face, " I know for sure that this is not gonna be like that. Besides, you'll have your family with you this time."
Knuckles stared up at his mother in surprise before he smiled. "Thank you, Mother. I will bear that in mind."
Maddie smiled back before she kissed Knuckles softly on the head. "Get some rest, okay? We've got a lot to do tomorrow."
Morning soon came as the sunlight peeped in through the skylight in the attic as Sonic and Tails slept peacefully in their respective beds, the light coming in and bathing them in its warm aura.
And as soon as the light touched him, Sonic's eyes snapped open.
"Today's the day!" He exclaimed excitedly, sitting up so fast that he almost hit his head on the roof.
Kicking off his blanket, Sonic zipped over to his little brother's bed, shaking him slightly. "Tails, wake up, wake up! We're going to Disneyland today!"
Blinking his eyes open, Tails groggily looked up at his older brother. "Sonic…" He groaned, trying to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes. "… I'm still tired."
Sonic smiled softly. "Sorry, little buddy. I'm just really excited today." He said, gently ruffling Tails' bangs.
Tails smiled as he playfully pushed Sonic's hand away. "Well, let's go!" He said, hopping out of bed and putting on his shoes before going down the stairs.
"Hey, wait for me!" Sonic laughed, putting on his own shoes before zipping down the stairs in a blue blur.
Heading downstairs to the kitchen, Sonic and Tails quickly found Knuckles, Tom, and Maddie already at the table with several plates of bacon and eggs set.
"Morning, boys!" Tom smiled as Sonic and Tails sat down next to each other at the table.
"Morning, Dad!" Tails smiled as he and Sonic dug into their breakfast.
"You boys ready to go, today?" Maddie asked them.
"You bet!" Sonic grinned, giving a two-fingered salute as he chewed his bacon while Tails nodded eagerly.
"Hey, no talking with your mouth full, okay?" Tom lightly scolded him. "And you're all packed too, Knuckles?"
"Yes, Father, I have everything I need for our journey." Knuckles said pridefully.
"Then let's finish up breakfast and get ready to go!" Maddie said.
After dropping Ozzie off at the kennel, the Wachowski quickly grabbed their bags as Sonic prepped his bag of rings to go.
"Welcome back to Sonic Air, the fastest way to travel." Sonic spoke dramatically, with him, Tails, and Knuckles all wearing a tie and sunglasses.
"Here on Sonic Air, your safety and enjoyment is our number one concern." Tails added, playing along.
"And if you are not compliant with the rules and regulations of this airline, we will be forced to resort to more… informal means." Knuckles finished, bumping his fists together as red chaos energy crackled along them.
Tom and Maddie both fought the urge to burst out laughing at how silly and cute their alien kids were.
"Calling Group 1, please step through security before you pass." Tails instructed as he and Sonic stood opposite of each other in front of the makeshift metal detector.
"Hold on, I have to get a picture of this." Maddie grinned, pulling out her phone and taking a quick picture of the boys.
"Thank you for the picture, Mrs. Wachowski, now if you'll please step through security?" Sonic stated, still playing along.
Maddie decided to go first as she stepped through the gate allowing Sonic and Tails to "scan" her.
"Everything good?" Sonic asked his fox brother, waving his mother over with a spatula.
"Yep!" Tails nodded. "She's all clear, just your regular loving mom."
"Oh, thanks, sweetie." Maddie smiled, ruffling the kits' bangs, earning a giggle from Tails.
"And now for you, Mr. Donut Lord!" Sonic stated, pointing his spatula at Tom.
Tom rolled his eyes in amusement as he stepped through the gate and let Sonic and Tails "scan" him.
Sonic let out a loud beeping sound. "Terrible shirt alert detected!" He announced while Tails hovered in front of the Donut Lord, holding out his hands in a halting gesture.
Tom's shoulders slumped. "Really? This again?" He questioned with a joking smile. "We already did this with Hawaii." He gestured to his shirt, which was a plain and simple summer shirt.
"Nope sorry, that shirt is just way too much. Right, Tails?" Sonic said, turning to his little fox brother.
Tails nodded in agreement, lightly tugging at Tom's sleeve. "Indeed, Sonic. His shirt is clearly emitting dangerous levels of nerdiness."
Sonic nodded along. "We're gonna have to deal with this, STAT. Knuckles," He turned to the red echidna, "please give our beloved Donut Lord a makeover."
"I shall indeed, brother." Knuckles nodded, pounding his fist into his palm, red chaos energy crackling along the back of his palm.
Tom backed away slowly. "Woah, woah, hey, Knuckles. You-You don't need to do this!"
Knuckles grabbed Tom by the arms, pulling him over to the couch and setting him down. "Relax, Father. This will only take a minute." He grinned before he turned to Sonic and Tails. "Bring me my hair kit!"
Sonic nodded before rushing into one of the bathrooms of the house and bringing back a small kit for the echidna.
Tails, meanwhile, prepared Tom by getting him to sit up straight and squaring his shoulders. "Don't worry, Dad. Knuckles is great at this, you'll be fine."
"Your kit, dear brother." Sonic said with a fake-posh accent, gracefully handling the hair kit to Knuckles.
Said echidna, lightly took the kit from the hedgehog's hands, opening it. "Fear not, Father! By the time I am finished, you shall look more glorious than before!" Knuckles declared, pulling out some gel.
Sonic, Tails, and Maddie stood back and watched Knuckles worked his magic, applying the gel to Tom's hair and smoothing it out before brushing it and snipping at it with a small pair of scissors (which he was somehow able to operate with his gloves even though they had no fingers besides his thumbs).
"And… finished!" Knuckles declared, handing Tom a mirror before standing back and folding his arms over his chest proudly.
Tom looked in the mirror, seeing his hair completely smoothed out to the point where it looked like his hair had simply been drawn on with a sharpie.
Sonic and Tails covered their mouths to muffle their laughter as they leaned against each other for support.
"Aww, you look adorable, honey." Maddie said, finding her husband's appearance rather funny.
Tom chuckled slightly, running his hand through his hair and returning it to his original. "Alright, alright, very funny." He said, standing up from the couch. "Can I go now?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure!" Sonic said, him and Tails recovering from their little giggling fit as the blue hedgehog pulling out a ring and handing it to Tom.
"Oh, boys? Disguises, remember?" Maddie reminded the three mobian kids
"Oh, right!" Tails nodded in remembrance, taking out his Miles Electric and activating the holographic mode, coating himself, Sonic, and Knuckles in their human disguises.
Picturing the image of the hotel in his mind, Tom tossed the ring out in front of him allowing it to expand into a large golden portal.
Stepping through the ring portal, the Wachowski family was immediately greeted by the warm glow of the setting sun as they stood outside the entrance to their hotel, the Grand Californian.
Entering the doors to the lobby, Sonic, Tails, and even Knuckles all gasped in awe at how large and wide the whole room was, with several floors that just went up and up to the point where the roof seemed to touch the sky.
"Wow, you could fit our whole house into this place!" Sonic exclaimed, sitting down on one of the many couches in the room.
"Yeah, and there'd still be room for my workshop in here too!" Tails added. "This is where we're staying?"
"Yes." Tom answered, he and Maddie pulling the suitcases along with them. "Come on, let's go get checked in and then we can get some dinner."
Heading over to the reception desk, the Wachowski family quickly got themselves checked into a room (with the receptionist kindly handing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles each a 'my first visit' pin after hearing that it was they're first time visiting).
"Ahhhhhhh…" Sonic and Tails sighed as they both collapsed on the king-size bed, their holographic disguises now off as there was no one else to see them or Knuckles aside from their parents.
"This is nice." Sonic said, folding his arms behind his head, making sure to avoid his quills.
"Mmm… these beds are really comfy…" Tails sighed cutely, snuggling against one of the pillows.
Knuckles straight-up crashed face first into the mattress. "I have not slept in a bed so comfortable in such a long time." He remarked.
"Well, don't get too comfortable, big guy. We're going to be going out to dinner pretty soon." Maddie told him as she and Tom set down the suitcases.
"Yeah. I hear Downtown Disney is beautiful at night." Tom added, lying down on one of the beds as well. "But right now, let's just rest for a little bit, okay?"
Maddie rolled her eyes, but smiled at her husband's words, laying down on the bed next to him and letting out a sigh as she let herself rest.
Night had fallen as eventually, as the Wachowski family finally set out for dinner, heading down through the lobby and out the entrance towards Downtown Disney.
"Wooaahh…" Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all gasped upon seeing the neon lights that appeared to be on every building, people walking through the streets laughing or having food.
"This place is beautiful…" Tails said, to which Sonic and Knuckles both nodded silently in agreement.
Tom and Maddie both smiled, amused by their kids' awe. "Well, c'mon, let's go get some food." Maddie said.
Snapping out of their shock, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles quickly followed after their parents as they walked down the street, gazing around at the multiple shops with the multiple Disney icons and the bright lights that surrounded them.
Eventually, they headed over to Naples for a nice pizza dinner, with Sonic and Tom getting pepperoni, Tails getting a simple cheese, and Maddie and Knuckles getting an olive pizza.
"Mmm… gotta say, this isn't the best pizza I've ever had, but it's fine." Sonic remarked, examining his slice of pepperoni while he chewed on the bite he had taken out of it.
"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full." Tom told him.
Tails quickly swallowed a bite of pizza before talking. "So, when are we going to go to the park?" He asked.
Maddie checked her watch. "Well, it's getting pretty late, so I don't think we'll be able to go to the park tonight, but we're going to go there tomorrow."
"Oh, it's gonna be awesome, I just know it!" Sonic exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, tomorrow's gonna be fun!" Tails smiled, finishing up his last slice of pizza.
"Ooh, ooh! Do you think after this we could stop by one of those stores?" Sonic asked, pointing to one of the many clothes stores.
"Sure." Tom nodded. "But first, we gotta finish dinner, okay?"
Once they had finished their pizza and paid for it, the Wachowski family headed over to some of the shops, with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles getting some souvenirs for themselves.
Sonic had gotten a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and a Stitch shirt, Tails had gotten a pair of Oswald ears and a Buzz Lightyear shirt, and Knuckles had gotten a simple Woody hat.
"Alright, look at us, guys! All ready for the park tomorrow!" Sonic grinned, slinging his arms around Tails and Knuckles and pulling them close.
Tails giggled. "I'm both nervous and excited!"
"Agreed, fox." Knuckles nodded. "We have no idea what to expect from this amusement park."
"What's there to expect? It's an amusement park, it's got rides, what else is there to tell?" Sonic shrugged casually as they, along with Tom and Maddie, walked out of Downtown Disney and back into the lobby.
"Well, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out." Maddie told them as they found their room and went inside.
"Yep, tomorrow's gonna be a big day." Tom remarked.
"A fun one, ya mean!" Sonic pointed out as he and Tails kicked off their shoes, getting ready for bed.
"I look forward to having the fun tomorrow." Knuckles remarked, climbing into the bed with Maddie.
Tom went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, feeling a swelling excitement in his chest at the thought of bringing his three kids to Disneyland for the first time.
Coming out, Tom found everyone else already asleep, with Sonic and Tails having conked out on the sheets of the bed while Maddie held Knuckles close to her.
Smiling at the adorable scene, Tom slowly got into bed quiet enough not to disturb Sonic and Tails, gently pulling the hedgehog and the fox close to him, to which Sonic and Tails affectionately snuggled against their father's chest.
Tom let out a happy sigh as he laid his bed back on the pillow.
Yeah, this was going to be a fun trip alright.
