From Hero to Father

4 Years Before Princess from the Unknown

     "Hehe, uuh, Jane? What are you doing? I understand you're probably starving, but I'm not--!! Ow-Ow-Ow!" Sonic tried to reason with the infant, only to feel a sudden shiver move down the hedgehog's spine, carefully slipped off his winter clothing with some help before looking towards Sally and then to the silver device that was peeking out from her pocket. Quickly getting the hint, the princess of acorn pulled out said device as she watched the hedgehog's freckled cheeks turn a darker red by the minute. Jane still held on tightly to Sonic's chest as she let out frustrated squeaks before starting to cry once again.

     "U-Um, N-Nicole Analyze! W-Why is the baby b-biting Sonic like that?!" Sally asked almost in a panic, holding the device closer to her friend as a green light admitted from a little camera-like sensor that glowed faintly before scanning over the speedster and the jaguar cub. Once done, however, two holograms appeared within an instant. One was a brown and black female lynx, her purple, black and white skirt flowing to the floor as her opal green eyes watched the struggling male worriedly as Sonic curled up like before, his blush growing. The other image being a much smaller hologram of the hedgehog himself as the lynx's cheeks started to gain a bit of color to them as well.

     "W-Well uh...It seems our little friend, Jane as Sonic has named her, has um...grown attached to him so much that she's now uh...trying t-to...--." Nicole started to explain, pointing around the hologram's chest. Her ears tilted back slightly before she watched the hedgehog calm down slightly before sighing as he hid with a free hand. "...Um...Tails? Little Buddy? Could you uh...leave the room for a bit? I uh...don't think you're quite ready to hear any of this...yet..." Sonic suddenly cut in, his voice almost cracking as he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. Although, the hero tried his best to hide it before cringing once Jane started to cry again. Those hazel eyes shut tightly as her white, marked cheeks started to turn red as she wailed.
"Wha--, but why?! Whatever Nicole has to say, she can say it in front of all of us! I won't judge, promise!" Tails tried to argue, even if he was smarter than the average ten-year-old however, the kitsune was still a child and there were some things that Sonic still felt a bit uncomfortable trying to explain to his adoptive little brother and this was one of those moments.

     "...I-I know you won't Little Bro, but u-um...l-let's just say...it's a bit of a...condition I have, like how you were born with two tails. I promise we'll have some bro time t-to talk about it. But uh...Right now, I'm not ready..." Sonic gently reassured the twin-tailed Mobian, his jade eyes now baring the softest expression the junior Freedom Fighter has ever seen. The older male's more feminine features now stuck out to him like a sore thumb. So, after letting out a sigh, finally giving up and calming down, Tails gave a small nod before walking out of the room respectively.

     Watching the junior Freedom Fighter for a moment, the azure male couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for having to hide something this important from his family. Although, unlike having an extra tail, this was a bit more personal to the hedgehog's personality traits, and he wasn't quite sure how people would react to a much softer side of their hero. They did look up to the speedster, after all, especially Tails.

     Suddenly, Sonic felt a light touch on his scarred shoulder, making the hedgehog snap out of his thoughts before looking back towards the group of older Freedom Fighters that looked back with concern once again. Sally sat a bit closer to the azure male before giving Sonic a quiet smile, telling him 'You did the right thing' even if it wasn't through words. Smiling back, Sonic's cheeks soon cooled down as he calmed himself, gently rocking the small cub in his arms as Jane kneaded her little paws against the older Mobian's chest. At first, this action still felt a bit awkward to Sonic, but he let her continue, his gaze soon focusing back on Nicole once Jane purred happily, her snout now snuggled against his other pectoral muscle.


     "W-Well...I guess it's a good thing Rad Red and I have been having some fun in between missions. A-Ahem, So uh..N-Nicole, you were saying?" The now flustered speedster asked, clearing his throat once he felt his voice slightly squeak. Not even a moment later, he with the rest of the team focused back on the hologram that the lynx had presented earlier. After a couple of awkward explanations about the speedster's anatomy, his condition as he worded it earlier to Tails, and how Jane now saw Sonic as her 'Mother', they were quick to brush the subject side, the group not wanting to make their speedy friend uncomfortable any longer as they watched him lovingly nurture the baby that now had gone back to sleep while the latter softly hummed.

     "So, now that we've had a lesson in Biology and uh, Mobian anatomy, shall we get started with why I called you all here in the first place?" Sally asked, clearing her throat slightly as she watched the hedgehog that had been mostly silent throughout everything look away while his freckled cheeks were almost as red as a certain emerald guardian's fur. Although, he soon gave a small nod in acknowledgment while he quieted down, carefully placing Jane into the crib that he had pulled next to the couch.

     "You told us something about why you thought Robotnik had gone missing within the past five months?" Rotor chimed in, watching Jane for a moment as she tried to paw at and chew some of the accessories he had put on the little musical Mobil attached to the side of the crib. Smiling softly as Sonic tried to sneak a few silly faces and tickle fights in between the conversation. Only for the speedster to place his hands on his hips before standing up with a tap of his foot.

     "That's something I've been thinking about while on my run back here with Lady Jane. Why exactly do you think ol' Egg Breath would be up to if he's been M.I.A? I've been on plenty of runs around the world, and I haven't seen any good ol' 'Buttnik activity!" Sonic added, a bit of his cocky, impatient attitude mixing within his words. Carefully fixing up his gloves and shoes before jogging in place as he started to show off a little. Although, as he did this, the small cub watched with growing excitement, soon clapping her paws together before erupting into fits of giggles and incoherent cheers while her spotted tail flicked.

     "D-Da! Da!" The cub squeaked, who still had her hazel eyes locked on the speedster as he sat back down in his spot, carefully leaning into the crib next to him before blushing softly once he felt a light grip on his pointer finger. Although, his attention was still focused on the meeting.


     "I'm not a hundred percent certain, but I have this strange feeling that it's something big. About a week ago, I received a transmission from Mocha about sudden bursts of Dark Gaia energy that seeped from small fishers forming in the ground. Thankfully it didn't seem to be enough to harm anyone, so I guess it must have been some leftover energy from when Chi-..erm...Light Gaia resealed the last piece of the earth as he went back into the core with Dark Gaia." Sally theorized, her stubby yet fluffy tail twitching as she paced back and forth to think. However, she then glanced over to Sonic, who was now rubbing the little Mobian's arm in a circular motion while Jane giggled and tried to move around on her own, only really able to move her arms, ears, tail, and head. After a few seconds, the speedster met Sally's gaze, tensing up slightly before whistling as he tried to act like he'd not been spacing out and listening to her the entire time.

     "So, you're saying that he might be trying to find a way to harness more of that weird purple stuff Uncle Chuck and Ant' collected? The same stuff that turned me all angry and fuzzy at night? Why would he be trying to do all that in secret? That's never been Eggy's style!" Sonic questioned, hissing quietly under his breath as he felt his anger rise slightly. Although, once he heard more squeaks and mews, the speedster was quick to relax once he noticed Jane now trying to reach for him, her hazel eyes tearing up once more.


     Gears now turning, Sonic let his instincts take control of his actions, carefully leaning into the crib more before slowly picking up the cub into his arms like before. Rubbing between her ears as he placed the infant near the same place against his chest. Once he had, however, Sonic instantly felt his anger leave him as his mind became preoccupied with caring for Jane.

     "..Shh, Shh, It's ok, I'm a-okay. No need to cry. Hehe, I almost forgot babies could sense emotion so easily, guess I gotta watch my temper a bit. Sorry about that Kiddo." He cooed gently, ignoring his friend's confused yet somewhat amazed looks as they watched their speedy companion. Sonic now started to shift his weight a bit as he rocked the baby in his arms, gently rubbing her back. Deciding it would be better to keep Jane close, Sonic finally lent his full attention back to his friends, only to raise an eyebrow once he noticed their expressions.

"..Alright, I give. Why do you guys keep staring at me, it's kinda giving me the creeps." He asked, placing his right hand back onto his hip while he held Jane with his left arm. The triangular ears of the speedster tilted back in a bit of annoyance, yet Sonic's body language expressed exhaustion, once the others looked closer, however, their friend's breathing seemed to be a little off, his chest rising and falling almost shakily before a small wince came, making Sonic's scarred shoulder jolt slightly. A small gasp escaped his lips as the speedster sucked in a shaky, broken-up inhale.

     "Pardon my asking Ogilvie, but how come you seem so...how do you say...protective every time Jane's upset? To my understanding, you only found her about an hour ago, no? I can understand it somewhat given your close bond with Tails, but you almost seem like more what's the word for it?... Parental? When it comes to the cub you hold in your arms. I mean look at you, you are practically shaking! I think it would be better if someone else looks after the cub for a bit, perhaps so you can at least get the chance to calm your heart. It is not only emotions that babies can sense, they can sense stress and anxiety as well." The coyote Freedom Fighter asked, watching the hedgehog closely as Sonic thought about it for a moment, only to give the accented Mobian a soft one-sided shrug before looking down towards Jane for himself. Who had looked right back up towards him before carefully placing a paw onto the middle of Sonic's chest, where his surgical scar hid underneath his chest fur. Although once Jane nuzzled against the said spot, the speedster instantly let out a sharp gasp as he felt his legs quickly give out on him once he stood. Even so, Sonic tried his best to ignore the sudden shock wave of pain, his knees quickly buckling as he tried not to drop the cub.

     "...I-I'm...fine...'T-Twan. Probably j-just over accelerated my speed a bit...t-to get Jane the help she ne-..needed as fast as possible. I couldn't just let her freeze her tail off! I-I guess Mrs. P-Prower's care for Tails just rubbed off...y-y'know? Nothing big to w-worry about! N-Now, how do we plan on taking down ol'Buttnik? I'm sure with my speed I can--!!..c-can.." Sonic argued back, gritting his teeth to try to hide another wince before carefully moving Jane away from his chest and against his shoulder, once he found that she was comfortable again the speedster shook his head a bit before finally exhaling, only for a soft touch to his elbow to make him tense up. Both arms were now protectively around the baby as Sonic felt himself shift again.


     "Over accelerated--, Ogilvie, Dr. Quack told you to be careful when running at your full speed, or you could risk setting off a heart attack! Don't you remember the damage that Metal Sonic prototype caused when we were kids?! You could have died!" Sally added, trying to look into the azure male's jade eyes with worry and a bit of anger, carefully placing her hand onto the taller Mobian's scars, causing Sonic to try to hold back a small hiss as he felt his quills stand up once again. His body shook as more and more anxiety overwhelmed him.

     "B-Being careful isn't how I roll Sal, having to have stupid emergency open-heart surgery or not! If I had a little more training with my speed and reflexes, I could have handled that bucket of bolts easily! And if you really wanna push my buttons and bring up life or death here, If I remember correctly, it was because of Kintober that I'm still alive to this day!" Sonic snapped back, his breath now starting to hitch slightly as he watched those blue irises of Sally's quickly shrink, her face starting to show a bit of fear and panic as she placed her hands onto the speedster's freckled cheeks. Which resulted in Sonic's head tilting down before instantly leaning most of its weight against her left palm. A wave of dizziness and coughs soon mixed into the hero's strained breathing. Yet, not wanting to make it worse, Sally quickly took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling, watching as the speedster shakily placed a clawed hand over her own.

     "...Sonic, Professor Kintober is gone. I understand you miss being able to run as fast as you once had, and we're all very grateful for that...Jane, was it? We're all happy that she is safe, however, with the damage to your heart and right lung, I just worry that you might go a little overboard while still trying to be the hero you've always wanted to be. That's why I keep suggesting you be my consort, and rule by my side one day, this isn't the only way you can help Mobius!" The chipmunk spoke carefully, only for Sonic to move her hand away from his cheek before jade met light blue once more. Jane wiggled around slightly as she let out more mews and squeaks, almost hissing trying to protect the Mobian still holding her.

     "...S-Sorry to break it to you Sal, but I'm already taken...remember? L-Like it or not, I don't want to be held back by some crown or 'royal duties'. If I don't help the people fight, then w-who will, huh? Geoffrey went straight t-traitor on all of us and Lupe's been busy with her own Freedom Fighters. I made a promise to myself that no matter what happens to me, I'd keep everyone safe and that now includes Jane. I-If you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go get some f-fresh air." Sonic calmly, tiredly spoke back, his ears slowly folding back before resting limply on top of the hedgehog's head as his azure quills continued to shake. Another wince escaped the hero as tears tried to form in the corner of his eyes. He knew of the risks he was taking, but some medical condition wasn't going to stop him from doing what he enjoyed. Even if Sonic did have to push himself once in a while. Jane now starting to cry, the azure male's ears quickly perked up before he was carefully rocking and cradling the baby once more. Shushing her gently. Unfortunately, that's when the rest of the group approached their friends, causing Sonic to start feeling cornered.

     "Sally-Girl, Sugar-hog, I don't think this is the right time to be arguing like this. You're scaring Jane!" Bunnie's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, the cries echoing throughout the room before Sonic tiredly looked down at the cub. His breathing was still shaky as the azure male tried to calm the smallest of the group, nuzzling against one of her spotted ears while doing his best to let out strained purrs. Before anyone could even try to continue the conversation, an azure streak suddenly zipped past the group with winds so strong it could knock people over.

     Once the Princess of Acorn, half-robotic cowgirl, inventor, and swordsmen realized that the crying they were hearing has stopped, however, their eyes soon widened once they found Sonic stood was now an empty spot. The automated door to the room's entrance now sliding shut.