Little(s) : Pepa Madrigal (age : 1 year)
Caretaker(s) : Julieta Madrigal and Bruno Madrigal
AU : The wind that blows free, my AU, aka Sonic the Hedgehog×Encanto crossover. Set during first arc, I like to call "Madrigal Underground".

Plot : Bruno asks Pepa to get few flowers for his research. Little did he know how could it turn out...
Request for : None! Just wanted to finally introduce the AU, I've been waiting to show you! (If I haven't posted the separated book about it already-) Also... it's kind of a spoiler to my future story-...

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The sun was rising over the forest, triplets chose to take a cover in for few days. The Lady Annabel's goons have lost the tracks of them and stayed low for few days now, so they had a small break to put together few clues for what they had so far on their main quest. To reunite with their Mother and once again bring the peace onto this land.

The morning started normal, with Julieta going on a little patrol, to find if there were anyone of soldiers or SWAP-team sneaking around, anyone of resistance looking for them, or anyone, who needed their help after attack. Pepa was fixing up something in the van, when Bruno called her.

"Pepa! Could you help me here!"

Pepa, being done anyway, got out, before she walked in to see her brother examinating a small letter, they got this morning.

"Whatcha don', bro?"

"Well... nothing much, just last message from Mother... she mentioned few types of flowers, I don't think I've seen before. I'd like to make an research on them, to find out, why she did that"

"And you need me to find those for you?" Pepa smirked.

"More like help me here and I'll go to find them... but it can work as well"

Pepa smiled, before snatching the paper from Bruno, looking at it.

"Just tell me, what you need~"

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

Pepa walked down the forest, flowers around her, as she sat down to look, examining few of them.

"Let's see..." She said to herself "Bruno said he needed... these ones?"

And then she picked one of them, only for it to blow it's pollen on her, in one small, pink cloud. The ginger girl started coughing and dropped the flower, looking at it in disgust.

"What the?!" She sighed, as she stood up "Chaos, NO! I'm not touching that again! I'm sorry, bro"

Pepa started walking back to the van, before she stopped, leaning against a tree, placing her hand on her head. 11 year old girl groaned, as she slowly slid down it.

The more Pepa looked around, the more terrified she became. She didn't know what was happening to her. Why was this was happening to her. Why wouldn't it just stop!? Tears started pouring down her face, as she started crying.

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

"Pepa!" Bruno screamed through the forest, trying to find his sister "Pepa! Where are you?!"

And then, he saw a figure came to him, to reveal to be Julieta.

"Did you find Pepa!?" The dark-haired boy asked, placing his hands on his sister's shoulder.

"Yes. I did. But you have to see that!" Julieta grabbed her brother by the hand, before running right back to where she was, as Bruno gasped at the sight.

Pepa was laying on the ground, her eyes red and puffy from crying, as she whimpered and suckled her thumb.

"Pepa! Oh, there you are!" Bruno jumped on his sister, holding her tight "Where were you?! What happened?! Did you get lost?"

Then, Pepa again whimpered, before looking at Bruno with hopeful eyes. And then, she said words, neither Bruno or Julieta ever expected her to say.

"Are you my Papa?"

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

They knew that Pepa was in mind of a baby, so, once back in the van, Julieta quickly went to a closest store to find few needed baby supplies, as well as going to pharmacy for a bag of diapers. Upon her arrival, Bruno was still examinating the flowers, they nearby Pepa.

"Any news?" Julieta asked, before coming to him.

"Not yet... But the carpet would need a washing... as well as Pepa's clothes..." Bruno nodded in direction of the middle triplet, who was mindlessly playing with some toy. Julieta sighed.

"Good thing I found something, that would fit her..."

The eldest of three started gently changing her sister, before putting her into one of simple yellow dresses, her clothes into the wash. She would attend them as soon as she could.

And yet, through, it was weird to see her little sister like a baby, Julieta couldn't help a smile over how cute she looked like.

Her hair were fluffed after the bath, now tied in ponytail instead of her normal braid. The dress, socks, pacifier and ribbon on the girl were all yellow color, that actually matched and fitted her little sister so much!

"You're little ray of sunshine, aren't you, sis?" The eldest triplet cooed, tickling little girl's tummy, causing her to giggle.

"Uh oh..." Bruno started in the concerned voice "Julie... we might have a problem..."

"I. Noticed. I swear Bruno. IF this has something to do with your flower research... pray to God, I'm too mad, when I put Pepa down." Julieta tried to sound angry, but with Pepa in her current situation? She just couldn't bring herself to be too mad.

"Look at this..." Bruno showed the book, as Julieta walked over. "This flower... I found it beside Pepa, when we found her. It's the Nouvelle Vie."

"Okay..? And what does it mean for us?" Julieta asked, slightly bouncing the regressed girl on her hip.

"It means 'A new life' in French. It's a normal flower, but the pollen has regression properties. A defensive mechanism. When the flower is threatened, it poofs some pollen onto the attacker... and it will regress whoever breathes in it to a mindset of a baby. What we can see on Pepa"

Julieta's eyes widened. A nature needed to give that property to small flower for protection!? What caused it!? But most importantly...

"Is it reversible?" She asked.

"Well..." Bruno again looked in his book "So far, the studies haven't been able to find a cure from it, but it does say it wears off overtime... so... I guess, we'll just have to wait..."

Julieta sighed, before slightly smiling at her sister. Well... it's better than nothing? At least, Pepa will be able to turn back... and until then... she'll get to experience the love and care, as well as childhood, she wasn't able to have in the streets.

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

The rest of the day went uneventful. Bruno and Julieta took turns to feed, dress, change and play with their regressed sister. They both enjoyed watching their sister, through Bruno saw that Julieta was having too much fun babying her.

But then again. She always liked to care and play with children, already making plans to have her own. And who knew that his sister could come up with a lullaby! Even Bruno doozed off, when Julieta was rocking Pepa to sleep with a self-written lullaby. 

The next day, while Pepa was napping, Julieta and Bruno were sitting on table, watching her and planning out the following steps.

"You sure it's a good idea to take her on missions? She has a mind of an infant!" Julieta said.

"We can't leave her at the Sanctuary either! I mean... how are you planning to explain that?!"

"Explain what..?" The third voice asked from behind

Julieta and Bruno looked back to see Pepa awake and it seemed like he was back to normal

"Pepa?" Bruno asked, looking at his older sister "Are you okay? You all in there?"

"Um... yeah? Why are you asking?"

Bruno's eyes started watering, as he jumped on his sister, hugging her close.

"Oh! Pepa! I thought we lost you there!" The boy cried, hiding his face in her neck. "I'm SO SORRY! I won't ask you to go for flower search again! Not after that!"

Pepa sat there, confused, looking around.

"I feel... like I missed something important..."

Julieta chuckled, as she walked to her sister, kissing her forehead.

"I'm so glad, you're okay, sis..."

After that, they promised not to go in contact with that damned flower...

But little did Julieta know that in few years, she'd return to that incident.