Chapter 25 The Secret Garden
*Sorry you guys for disappearing on ya'll, I've been quite busy getting back on schedule, and it's been harder than anticipated.
Also, I've been dipping my toes in another fandom (hint hint "spider pig spider pig does whatever a spider pig does~") and found to my shock, TONS of Little and Agere stories on there! It's made me realize how little this fandom has in terms of "Little and Agere" stories. Seriously the Sonic fandom has like nothing compared to what I've found. And it's made me all the more determined to fill that hole! Granted, even with the number of ideas you guys have given me, I can only write so fast. Still, I will do my best!
I've been dying to post this chapter! It's my favorite part of the whole story. I hope you guys like it as much as I do! 😍*

A red shoe with a golden buckle tapped at a fast beat against the tile floor, the sound echoing on the metal walls. Emerald eyes were narrowed at the blank piece of paper on the crafting table; the white sheet flatly stared back, silently mocking the blue blur for his inability to write down a good idea.
Or any idea at all.
Well, he'd show that lifeless piece of tree pulp; he'd come up with a great idea and put it down to be permanently marked onto its pale skin. Then after that, he would crush up the parchment into a small wrinkly ball, taking away its flat surface and fill it with creases making it and the idea ugly and unusable, before coming up with an even better idea! And toss the old one away like the piece of trash it was for even daring to make fun of the Hero of Mobius!
"You have been staring at that paper for 20 minutes and 16.45 seconds." Metal suddenly spoke, breaking the tense silence. Sonic roughly grunts, keeping his piercing glare at the paper. Sighing, he falls into his chair, "I know! I just can't think of anything."
"Whatever you wish to do, Master will enjoy."
"I know that, but I wanna do something he'll really like, Metal. I want to show how much I appreciate all that he's done for me."
"Why do you not give him a card. It is customary to give one to thank the recipient, perhaps with an added personal note or small gift such as a macaroni necklace?"
"Really Metal? Pasta jewelry? That's the best you can come up with?!" Sonic scowled, appalled by the childish idea. Granted, he might have done such a thing any other time in his little space, but he felt that a gift like that was not good enough and wouldn't effectively show the doctor how much Sonic appreciated all the hard work, money, and love Eggman had given him.
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
A piece of dried pasta on a string was not going to cut it.
Metal shrugged, not knowing what other suggestion he could make that would appease his organic copy. Sonic laid his head in his hands, puffed out his cheeks then blew out a puff of air. Come on, Sonic, think! What would make Eggman happy? What does he like? Eggs, robots, science, space, spaceships...
The memorable space colony ark popped up in his head. With it, Sonic recalled his first adventure with Shadow and his first time using chaos control. He had made a quick get away from an exploding escape capsule and safely reappeared back inside the space station. Shortly after, while looking for his friends in the maze, Sonic had found a random Chao garden. Finding a Chao garden there in the middle of space had been so odd that the image had stuck with him.
Much later on, after saving the world and making amends with the Ultimate Lifeform, Sonic asked the dark hog about the garden. Shadow had said the Chao garden didn't exist before their first adventure together, of all the things Eggman had put it in! The human was apparently an avid Chao enthusiast in his spare time, which was not often.
Back in the present, Sonic's eyes lit up, "I've got it! Metal! What's on the doc's schedule for the next week?"

*Several days later*
The blue devil bounced on his heels with a big grin on his face waiting anxiously for Eggman to hurry up; he couldn't wait to take the doctor to his surprise! "Coooome oooon Eggiiiiiee!"
"I'm coming. I'm coming, you little pincushion. There we go. I think that's everything." Eggman grunts, walking up; he puts the picnic basket and diaper bag in the Eggmobile. The doctor ran through his mental checklist one last time, ensuring they had everything they needed for the day.
Eggman opened the door and took the driver's seat while Sonic crawls over to the passenger's side; the doctor buckles in his little one before starting the engine. "Can you see enough to tell me where we're going?"
"Yup!" Sonic nodded as they began to float and hover out of the garage, "Go that way." he pointed, the doctor turned the wheel, put his foot down on the gas pedal, and they were off.
The blue blur grinned widely, watching the clouds go by at a fast pace; today was a perfect day to be outside! Spring was just beginning, bringing with it the yearly showers that made everything blossom, the grass was vibrantly green, and lots of babies were being born.
"Turn this way," Sonic says, his diaper crinkling as he bounced in his seat, and he feels his stomach drop in a good way. His cheeks were hurting from smiling so much, and an excited giggle burst out of him, "Someone's excited." Eggman chuckled, watching the hedgehog from the corner of his eyes.
"I can't help it! I haven't been to this place in forever, and I just know yous gonna love your surprise, Eggy!" the blue devil squeals teetering on the edge of little space, trying to keep himself big long enough to guide Eggman to their destination.
They were going someplace only a tiny handful of Sonic's friends knew about. Hidden up beyond the forest of the Mystic Ruins was a mountain that held Sonic's secret Chao garden.
The blue blur had found the garden long before he had met Tails, and it had served as his temporary home between travels. After starting his adventures trying to defeat Eggman, Sonic would take any lost or hurt Chao he found along the way to his secret garden and take care of them until they were better. Where after he would take them to a more popular garden to get adopted. However, some Chao would become attached and refuse to leave; they became permanent members of the secret garden.
Over the years, Sonic had collected quite a mass of the cute creatures in his garden; it grew from just 3 or 4 Chao to almost 100! With new ones being hatched every year.
Sonic hoped they would see some baby Chao hatch today; it was always a magical experience to see the funny creatures come out of their shells wide-eyed and curious about the world they were born into.
The only twist about it today was there would be an additional baby in their ranks as Sonic was in his Little space. He was optimistic that today was totally going to be a blast!
The hedgehog saw Tails house from under them pass by, and he knew it would only be a few more minutes before they would arrive, "See that dark part of the mountain?" Sonic pointed out a large shape at the end of Mystic Ruins' forest in the distance to Eggman, who nodded in confirmation. "Go straight toward it then, hook a right. There's a waterfall we can go under, follow the tunnel."
Eggman flipped a switch for the bulletproof glass roof to cover them as he followed his charge's directions. They curved around the mountain and saw a tall waterfall flowing down the cliffside. They passed the rainbow cutting through the waterfall, showering over them, and entered the hidden cavern.
The eggmobile's glow-in-the-dark paint job lit up the way as the waterfall's thunder grew distant. The darkness of the cavern didn't last long before small streams of light flickered through, and they parted a curtain of vines, finally entering into the Chao garden.
Sonic's ear twitched, hearing Eggman gasp at the sight revealed before them. Using his worst imitation of John Hammond, the blue blur waved a hand, saying, "Welcome to Chaoasic Park!" he couldn't help but giggle at himself and how bad the reference joke was. If Sonic hadn't been fooling around, such a dramatic scene would have fit perfectly to the beauty that was in front of them.
Walls of green surrounded the area; trees of various sizes provided shade and held ripe and juicy Chao fruits ready and waiting to be plucked and eaten. The grass shined in the morning sun wet with dew, and small fluffy little nests were around the base of every tree, some holding Chao eggs of all different colors and patterns with a few adults hanging around watching and waiting for their young to hatch. Other groups of Chao floated around playing games or eating from the fruit trees with joyous chirps filling the air.
As the eggmobile floated to a large crystal clear pond in the center sparkling like a crown jewel, several Chao who spotted the familiar bit of blue fur in the vehicle cheered and surrounded the aircraft, thrilled to see their longtime friend and owner returning to them. Sonic laughed and made funny faces behind the window at his small friends as they descended.
Floating down, Eggman steered his hover vehicle to a patch of grass and parked. The moment he removed the cover, the Chao that had surrounded the eggmobile backed away with fearful cries, startled by seeing Eggman next to the blue blur. Other small Chao, hearing the commotion, looked over to see what was going on and screamed, running away from the human. Eggman's mustache wilted; he felt slightly hurt by the reaction and for accidentally causing the poor creatures such a fright.
"Hey, Hey, no, wait, come back, it's ok! He's my friend! He won't hurt you, I promise!" Sonic hurriedly called, waving for the Chao to come back.
He felt guilty for not having visited for so long and that Eggman's welcome was not going as planned, the blue blur had brought a few friends before, and the Chao had never acted this scared. But then again, he should have expected such as Sonic had told them before about all that Eggman had done, and some of the older ones probably recognized the human from the blue blur's past adventures. So it wasn't too shocking that they were scared. Still, Sonic had hoped that his presence would have eased their fears over the human.
None of the tiny creatures dared to make a move, too scared to come out of their hiding places in the bushes and trees. The blue blur does his best to reassure them that Eggman wouldn't hurt them and that it was safe to come out. Calls of encouragement, with promises of treats and playtime, go unnoticed except for some small whimpers of fright.
This went on for several minutes with no indication of progress until one little Chao, the eldest of the bunch, stepped forward from a bush, a few feet behind Eggman and, cautiously approached the human.
Trying to seem as harmless as possible, Eggman had taken to quietly sitting in the grass making no sudden movements. Hearing a shuffle behind him and realizing one of the Chao had come out to investigate, he stayed perfectly still as the blue creature made its way to face him.
With a slight scowl to hide its fright, the small Chao scanned over the doctor carefully, taking in his aura and looking for any signs of unfriendliness. Eggman laid out his hands with palms up as a gesture of peace, inviting the curious creature to come closer.
"Come on guys...what? What are you looking at?"
Sonic, catching on that the Chao were no longer paying attention to him, turned, surprised to see his eldest Chao, Speedy checking out Eggman. The hedgehog grinned widely, thrilled to see at least one Chao making an effort to meet his new guardian.
Quickly Sonic went to the nearest fruit tree and picked up some ripe fruit from the ground, dashing back to hand the doctor a few pieces for him to offer the Chao helping to speed up the welcoming process. Eggman did so softly speaking to Speedy, "Hello, little one. Would you like something to eat? Look here...um-"
"Speedy."
"Speedy, look, would you like some?" Eggman offers the colorful fruit to the Chao, who is very similar to his hedgehog owner in appearance. Speedy curiously blinks at the food, big eyes darting from it to Eggman and Sonic, determining if it was safe to take the fruit or not. When Speedy's gaze lingers at its owner, Sonic nods encouragingly, "It's ok. He's nice, I promise!"
With its owner's approval, the Chao gently takes the food using both stubs and bites into it. Sonic and Eggman watch anxiously, waiting for the creature's verdict as it chewed and swallowed.
"Chao!"
"Chao!" echoed a chorus of chaos as the swarm of creatures left their hiding places and surrounded the human and hedgehog. Sonic cheered along with them, thrilled that they were at last welcoming Eggman with lots of hugs and chirps before going and giving their hello's to him as well. The doctor let out a loud chuckle as the Chao gave him lots of kisses and hugs; he had missed spending time around these tiny creatures.
Once everyone had been introduced, playtime officially began!
The sounds of laughter and playful screams echoed in the garden. Eggman, Sonic, and the Chao played several rounds of tag, hide and seek, catch, and of course, what's a day spent with Chao without a race! Eggman had to take a break and catch his breath several times from the games being so out of shape but nonetheless had fun even sitting on the sidelines watching his blue baby dive into his headspace and play with the Chao.
The creatures had been unsure what to make of the odd behavior of their blue owner as he had never acted in such a way before, but the blue baby seemed enthused about their playtime more than usual, so the Chao didn't pay his odd behavior much thought. So long as Sonic was happy and they were having fun, what did it matter?

Soon enough, it was lunchtime. Eggman brought out the picnic basket and called Sonic to eat; the hedgehog crawled to the doctor with a small group of Chao following, and they gathered around the picnic blanket laid out. The doctor gave Sonic a few already cut-up sandwiches, chips, and a juice bottle; Eggman had a similar though smaller lunch while the Chao ate the fruit growing in the garden.
The doctor was shocked when Sonic had some of the same fruit himself for dessert, as very few people could stand the taste of the fruit that mainly only Chao ate.
Sonic just laughed with lips covered with juice at the doctor's shocked expression and teasingly gave him a piece to try to which Eggman politely declined, knowing he wouldn't like it. He had tried some years before and determined that he was one of many who didn't like Chao fruit. But at the blue devil's insistence, he took the fruit sample and pretended to eat it, making exaggerated eating noises before giving the fruit to a Chao sitting next to him. This display pleased the hedgie, and he went back to finishing his dessert.
After Eggman cleans the blue devil's face and begins to put away the rubbish from their lunch, Sonic looks around the garden taking in the atmosphere and notes all the new plants and Chao that had come in since his last visit. Suddenly his eyes widen, spotting a lone Chao egg in a nest just a few feet away from them. How did I miss that?! He gaped then gasps out loud when the egg begins to wiggle. Sonic grabs the doctor's coat and tugs on it excitedly, "Eggy Eggy Eggy! Lookie lookie!"
"What is it, baby?" Sonic emphatically points to the egg bouncing on his diapered butt; Eggman exclaims quietly, "Wow! Let's get closer, baby." picking up the blue blur, the doctor walks to the nest, depositing Sonic right in front of the increasingly wiggly egg now cracking. The doctor sits next to the squealing hedgehog shushing him to be quiet during this dramatic event, putting a finger in front of his mouth. Sonic lowers his voice and imitates Eggman with a giggle before watching the egg intently again.
"Come on; yous can do it!" Sonic whispers as a piece of the shell pops out and falls to the ground, a tiny round head rises out of the egg, and big shiny black eyes open, staring at the two. "Chao?" the newly hatched baby softly chirps. Sonic gazes at the baby Chao in wonder as if seeing one for the first time, slipping deeper into little space. "Ba-babie," he mumbles, then looks up to Eggman; the little Chao does the same.
The doctor nods his head, speaking softly, realizing Sonic had slipped deeper, "Yes, it's a baby just like you."
"Babie?" Sonic mumbles again, slipping his thumb into his mouth, then looks at the baby Chao again with a smile; the little Chao smiles back and cooes shuffling out of the egg and hugs the hedgie. Sonic squeaks hugging back with one arm, "Babie!"
Eggman laughs and watches as older Chao come to greet the newest addition to their family.
During the welcoming party, he notices Sonic's wet diaper; getting up, he quickly goes to get the diaper bag setting it on the picnic blanket before getting his charge. The blue blur busy with his new friend doesn't notice Eggman had gone nor his return until a pair of large hands grab his waist; he furrows his brows in question. "Let's get you changed, baby boy," Eggman informs as he walks to the improvised changing station; Sonic giggles and claps his hands, "Wet! Wet!" he cheers.
Eggman lays him on his back and unzips the diaper bag; the blue devil waits patiently, sucking his thumb. The group of Chao with the new baby follow the two chirping curiously, watching the strange actions, having never seen something like this before. Sonic laughs as Chao quickly surround him, checking to make sure he's ok; his giggles are muted when Eggman replaces his thumb with a pacifier. "Babie," he mumbles.
"Yes, they're curious, aren't they? They've never seen a cute baby hedgie before." Eggman cooes tickling the blue blur's tummy and begins the change; Sonic lets out a high-pitched giggle making the Chao around him coo and chirp with joy, seeing the blue baby so happy.
The baby Chao chirps and sits next to his head, yawning; Sonic does the same and rubs his eyes, feeling very relaxed and comfortable laying in the warm afternoon sun with all his friends. Eggman awws at the two, "Are my babies sleepy? It's hard work hatching and playing, isn't it?"
"...Babie seepy." Sonic mumbles as Eggman tapes up the new diaper; the little Chao next to him yawns again and lays down.
The large group of adult Chao surrounding the two begins to separate; some leave to continue playing or eat while the rest cuddle up around Sonic and the baby Chao to join their mid-afternoon nap. The blue blur sucks in content as his eyes begin to droop; the last thing he sees is Eggman softly kissing his forehead and hears the gentle snores of the Chao already asleep next to him.

Several hours later, after the nap and cuddle fest, Sonic and Eggman went back to playing with the Chao a bit longer before the doctor announced that it was time to pack up and go home. Sonic refused to leave until they named the baby Chao together; they decided to call it Huevo.
Once he said his goodbyes and told them he would be back soon, the hedgehog and human climbed into the eggmobile to begin the drive home.
"Eggy?" Sonic squeaks as the doctor buckles him in, "Yes, baby?" the hedgehog nervously taps his two fingers together. The doctor acted like he had a good time today, but the blue blur wanted to be sure that he really had fun and wasn't just pretending for his sake, "Dod-did you wike your gift?"
"I loved it, baby! I had so much fun playing with you and all the Chao. Eggy hasn't gotten to do that in a long time, thank you!" he says with all sincerity; touched by Sonic's thoughtfulness, he kisses the blue devil's nose, making him giggle. Sonic smiles widely, feeling proud for giving Eggman this chance to interact with Chao for the first time in a long time. Though chills ran down his arms, he felt very warm for sharing his most cherished secret with the doc.
His smile faded a little as he began to tentatively ask, "Can-can I sits in your lap and dwive?" Eggman hums, pretending to think carefully about this before breaking out in a smile. "I don't see why not. You've been a very good boy today, absolutely!"
"Weally?! Yay!" the hedgie cheers as Eggman pulls him into his lap and buckles them both in, "Now put your hands here, I'll start the vehicle..." the doctor mumbles, placing Sonic's tiny hands in position and starts the egg mobile. "Now, you steer while I give it gas. Ok, do you know the way home, baby?"
"Yes, Eggy!" Sonic giggles as they begin to float, his heart doing the same at the mention of home. His home. At the base with the doctor, Metal, and all the other robots. Something he could never have imagined before.
Sonic carefully turns the wheel heading for the vine curtain that separates the secret garden from the rest of the world, ready to go back, "Bye-bye, evewyone!" he calls. All the Chao smile and wave bye as the egg mobile disappears behind the curtain.