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Another defeat. Another plan ruined by a spiky, blue pest. As he lay in the wreckage of his latest and greatest machine, battered and bruised like never before, his archenemy saw fit to mock him once again.
“Come on, Eggman. We've been doing this same song and dance for so long; it's getting boring. You ever think about getting a new hobby? Or maybe just giving up? It'd save me a lot of trouble.” He ran off, leaving the defeated doctor to stew over his words.
“Give up”. The words were practically poison to his ears. He'd never done such a thing before. His persistence was part of what made him who he was: the greatest scientific genius in the world.
Although... what if he did? Sure, there'd never be an Eggmanland, but... maybe there didn't need to be. All of this running around, building thousands of robots, only for them to be destroyed by some quill-covered rat... what was even the point of it all? What's it all amounted to? He hated to admit it, but Sonic was right about one thing: they've been going through the same routine for what feels like decades now: he'd come up with a plot to take over the world, Sonic would find out about it, they'd fight, and Sonic would win. Sure, it varied from time to time, but it always ended the same way.
Maybe it was time to rethink some things.
About a week later, Sonic and Tails were relaxing in Central City, eating lunch on a bench whilst chatting about their latest victory over Eggman.
“Man, that's gotta be the most brutal butt-kicking we've given him yet! I almost feel sorry for the guy,” Sonic said.
“I'll say. So, how long do you think it'll be before he comes up with some new scheme?” asked Tails.
“Eh, give it a month. Maybe two,” he answered, finishing his chili dog.
Suddenly, the monitor that had once been used to broadcast Eggman's takeover announcement before blowing up half of the moon was displaying some different news related to the doctor:
“Breaking news!” said the anchor. “Dr. Ivo Robotnik, known to most as Dr. Eggman, has turned himself in to the authorities!”
This immediately caught then attention of the young heroes, who weren't quite sure if they'd heard that correctly.
“Earlier today, the infamous criminal made his way over to the Central City Police Station and handed himself over without resistance.” As he talked, footage of what he spoke about was playing for all to see. “When asked why he was doing this, he simply responded with the following: 'I'm done.'”
The sound of tires squealing near the duo caught their attention, finding a news van. After stopping, an albatross reporter accompanied by a human camerawoman exited the vehicle and started walking up to them.
The anchor continued. “We now go live to Morgans, no doubt ready to give us some big news. Morgans?”
The reporter turned to face the camera. “Thanks, Jim. I'm here today in Central City with world-renowned hero Sonic the Hedgehog. Say hello, Sonic!” he held the mic up to his face.
“Uh, hey. How's it going?” he asked, caught off guard by the sudden interview.
“Fantastic. So, what are your thoughts on your archenemy's apparent surrender?”
Sonic regained his composure and talked into the mic with more of his usual attitude this time. “Oh, that? There's no way that's real,” he answered with a chuckle. “He'll be back with some big, evil plot in no time.”
“You heard it here first, folks! Back to you, Jim!” The reporter and camerawoman ran back to their van and drove off, disappearing as abruptly as they had appeared.
“Well, that just happened,” commented Sonic, still caught a bit off-guard.
“They didn't even acknowledge me!” pointed out Tails, pouting. “I would've said something, too!”
“Ah, don't let it get to ya. Besides, I'll more than likely need your help once Eggman busts out of jail.”
“Yeah,” responded Tails halfheartedly. “So, you really think this is all some kind of plot?”
“It's gotta be. You'll see once his robots are running around somewhere, probably looking for the Chaos Emeralds or some kinda ancient, super powerful warrior or something.”
3 Months Later
“A visitor? For me?”
“That's right, Robotnik. Someone's actually here to see you.”
He walked behind the guard, curious as to who had the honor of being his first visitor. Upon reaching the visiting area and sitting in one of the seats, he was surprised to see his ex-enemy on the other side of the glass.
He picked up the phone. “Sonic. I'm surprised to see you here.”
“Likewise. What's the deal, Eggman?” He spoke as if he were a mix of upset and disappointed.
“Deal?”
“Yeah. You've been in here for three months already. When are you gonna break out and do your whole 'take over the world' thing again? I'm getting bored.”
The doctor shook his head. “Not this time, Sonic. I'm done.”
“What do you mean, 'done'?” he asked, disbelief now mixing into his tone.
“I mean I'm done fighting you. Done with losing. I decided to take your advice and just... gave up. I'll serve my time in here, and then... who knows? Maybe I'll go back to college and get my teaching degree or something.”
“But... but you can't just give up! What about all our time spent together!?”
“I'm sorry, Sonic, but that's in the past now. I intend to serve my sentence, to completion. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a cell to get back to,” he said as he hung up the phone and got out of the chair.
“Wait! Eggman, get back here! I'm not done talking to you! Eggman!!!” Sonic shouted to no avail. Eggman was already walking away, back towards his holding place just as he'd said he was.
As Robotnik was walking, someone in a uniform approached him. He was a tall, fit man of Mazuri descent, his gray hair indicating that he was likely somewhere in his late forties. “Robotnik,” he said in a firm, no-nonsense kind of voice.
“Ah, warden. Something I can help you with?”
“Yeah. See, we've noticed that you've been on uncharacteristically good behavior since you've arrived. Because of it, the higher-ups are willing to cut you a deal that'll allow you to be let go early... despite my objections.”
He was intrigued. Yes, he hadn't done a single bad deed since turning himself in, but now it's caught the attention of those above the warden? This was absolutely worth asking about. “A deal? What kind of deal?”
“You see, we've found that some of the other prisoners are lacking in formal education. In fact, some of them never had the chance to go to school at all. If you agree to teach them, your sentence will be reduced.”
An opportunity to teach? Great! He'd always enjoyed telling other people what to do! “Hold on, why me and not one of the guards or something?”
“We think that they'll respond better to a fellow inmate instead of a guard,” he elaborated. “So, you in or out?”
“I accept!” he said with glee.
5 Years Later
“No, no, Jerry, the 'c' in e = mc² stands for the speed of light,” Robotnik explained again.
“Oh, right,” said Jerry. “Thanks, Dr. Robotnik,” he said, erasing what he'd just written on his paper.
Robotnik walked around the impromptu classroom, thinking about his many students. Ah, Jerry. So young and full of potential. You'll make it out of here in no time. He then found himself next to another student, Terry, who was working on a much different, simpler problem.
“Having some trouble Terry?” This caught the attention of the man in question, his many scars and tattoos unbefitting of the brief look of surprise on his face. After getting over his surprise, he turned back towards his paper. “Yeah, actually. I keep forgetting how you're supposed to solve these damn triangles, doc.”
“First of all, language.”
“Right, sorry doc.”
“Second, it's actually very simple. a² + b² = c², remember? Meaning that if a² = 64, and c² = 100, then that means b² is...?”
Terry started counting on his fingers, attempting his best to do the mental math. “Uhh... 46?”
“No, try again,” he gently encouraged.
Terry did as he was told, recalculating as best as he could. A moment later, the realization had hit him, causing a metaphorical light bulb to go off in his head. “Ohhhh,” he went as he wrote down the new answer he'd come to.
Robotnik walked around again, back into his thoughts. That Terry. Might not be the brightest, but definitely a hard worker. Plenty of places would be lucky to have him. Finally, he'd made it to Barry, one of the most unfortunate souls in the whole prison. He'd been convicted for a horrible crime that he, in truth, had no actual part in. Just in the wrong place in the wrong time, but the evidence wasn't exactly stacked in his favor. An innocent soul in a place it didn't belong, only made worse by the fact that since he was homeless, there was nobody to stand up for him.
In the present, however, he was dealing with a much more mundane problem: math. “Hello, Barry. Any troubles so far?”
“No, doctor. Just double-checking my answers,” he answered, not even turning to face him due to his focus.
“Good, good. Never hurts to double-check. Especially with calculus. Keep up the good work, Barry.”
As he walked towards the front of the room, a guard opened the door and stood in the doorway. “Robotnik,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Yes?”
“The warden wants to see you. It's important. Come to his office once you're done for the day.” And with that, the guard simply left.
About half an hour later, once his class had finished and everyone else had gone to their cells, Ivo was escorted by two guards straight to the warden's office. The warden himself looked nearly identical to the way he had 5 years prior, only with a few more gray hairs and an extra wrinkle here and there.
“Hello, warden. Something I can help you with?” Robotnik asked, still not knowing why he'd been summoned.
“Sit down, Robotnik. You'll want to hear this.”
He did as instructed, ready to get his answers.
“I'll make this quick: you're being let go.”
“Wha- you're firing me from my teaching job!? But my students have all been doing so well and-”
“No, Robotnik,” the warden corrected. “I mean you're about to become a free man again.”
He looked at the warden with surprise. His sentence was up? But he hadn't served the full amount of time yet! “W-what?”
“Your exceptional behavior combined with the high success rate of your students has resulted in the higher-ups deciding that you're fit for release. Starting this Friday, you'll be let out. Congratulations.”
The doctor was in disbelief. He was really being let go? No catch? No strings attached?
That Friday, true to his word, the warden personally saw to bring Robotnik to the exit himself. As they walked, the other prisoners started... cheering. Honestly cheering. For him. Some of them were so moved, they even had tears in their eyes!
“Thanks a lot, doc! See ya on the other side!” said one who was giving a thumbs-up.
“Bye, doctor! We'll never forget you!” said another, his voice threatening to crack.
“You were the best thing to happen to this joint in a while! We'll miss you, pal!” called out yet another.
The many thanks were enough to bring tears to the doctor's own eyes. These last 5 years had been some of the best he's ever had. Guiding minds young and old alike into the realm of greater intelligence, forging bonds that could potentially last beyond their days in this place, shaping them into something greater than what they were before. He was... proud. Proud of them. Proud of himself. And in the end... he was going to miss them. But there was no need to be sad. He'd see them again someday. And when that day comes, he'd make sure they'd find work, whether it be with him or with someone else, just as long as they were still themselves.
As he walked out, standing amidst a mostly empty parking lot, something caught his eye. Something blue. Something walking towards him.
He greeted his former enemy. “Hello, Sonic. Long time, no see.”
Sonic looked about the same as Robotnik had remembered. He seemed to be a bit taller, but he could just be imagining that. Actually, he also seemed a bit... disheveled. Unkempt. Like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days, maybe weeks.
“Eggman,” he said, his tone nearly nonexistent.
“How have you been?”
“I've... been better. Without you around, there... hasn't really been a lot of butt to kick. Sure, other bad guys have come and gone, but it's never been as... fun as it was with you,” the blue blur admitted.
“Well... I'm sorry to hear that, Sonic,” he responded, feeling bad for him.
Sonic's old attitude suddenly started to shine through now. “But that doesn't matter now. You're out. Now you can carry out your big, evil plans, just like the good old days, right?” he asked with what sounded like honest-to-goodness optimism in his voice.
Robotnik inhaled deeply, readying himself for the response to what he was about to say next. “No.”
“N-no? What do you mean, 'no'?”
“I'm done with the whole 'evil' business. I'm a changed man, Sonic. Giving up was the best decision I've ever made. Now, if you don't mind, I have a life to rebuild.” He walked past the hero, his head held high and his determination unwavering.
Sonic turned to look at him. “B-but what about those robots you love to build so much?”
“I'll still be building robots. Only this time, they'll be made to help people instead of enslave them.”
Sonic stood there, frozen in place as the doctor walked away. Had he truly changed? Eggman, a good guy? Was Tails right, after all?
…
No. No, that's impossible. Eggman would never change. This was all part of a long con. He must have some huge base that's been hidden somewhere for the last 5 years! Yeah, that's it! And while the whole world thinks that he's good now, his big, bad doomsday robot or whatever will pop out and show them the truth! All Sonic has to do now is wait for it.
It'll happen any day now.
5 More Years Later
The world has changed. Robotnik Inc. has completely dominated the tech and robotics industries with its genius machines, slowing turning it into a utopia. Elderly assistant bots, automatic street cleaners 100x more effective than manually driven ones, delivery drones that get food and packages to the designated addresses in 1/5 the time it would've taken for a car or truck to reach the same destination. These inventions and many more have turned Dr. Ivo Robotnik into not only one of the richest people of all time, but one of the most revered and respected.
He stood in his office, located on the top floor of Robotnik Inc.'s headquarters. He pondered his life across this past decade. His time in prison, his inventions that had brought him here, that brief period where he helped GUN improve upon their own machines. All because a blue hedgehog had taunted him, told him to give up. He was glad that he'd chosen to listen to him that day.
A voice suddenly came over the intercom. “Dr. Robotnik, Miles is here to see you.”
“Ah, good. Send him in, Barry.”
Moments later, Miles Prower walked into the room. Now 18 years old, he was far from the little sidekick that once delighted in besting the doctor at every turn with his then-best friend. Instead, he'd been working for Robotnik for the last 3½ years, helping him fine-tune some of his more advanced machines and quickly working his way up the ladder as a result. While this would've been unexpected once, what happened to Sonic made it clear that this was his best option in life from that point onward. But now wasn't the time to think about Sonic.
“You wanted to see me, Ivo?”
“Indeed,” he confirmed. His tone was softer than what he usually spoke with and started slowly pacing back and forth. “Tails, as you know, this company is my life's greatest work. I've done so much, helped so many people. I've brought jobs to the unemployed, given homes to the homeless. I've cleaned the world's oceans and even started terraforming Mars. Yet despite it all, there's one problem I can't solve.” He turned to face the fox man and sighed. “I'm not getting any younger, Tails. Sooner or later, the reaper will come for me, and there's nothing I can do about it.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Miles asked, slightly shaken by his boss's awareness of his own mortality.
“Simple. I want you to take over the company when I'm gone.”
Miles was shocked. He never expected this to happen. He thought that it would've been left to Sage or some robotic replica of the good doctor. “B-but Ivo, I-”
“No buts, Tails. I've already decided, and nothing you do or say can change my mind.”
Just then, an alarm went off, bathing the room in a red light. It was a sight and sound that he dreaded every time it appeared. “Oh, no.” He ran towards his desk and pressed a button on it, causing several monitors to descend from the ceiling. As they turned on, what he saw on the screens scared him to his core. “It's Sonic. He's attacking Station Square!”
At Station Square, citizens were running in fear from the crazed blue hedgehog that had once saved them from certain destruction. He was running faster than any of the humans could keep up with, breaking robot after robot with Homing Attacks and Spin Dashes galore, all without a hint of remorse.
“It's all a plot, I'm telling you!” he yelled. “It's just part of his plan to take over the world!” He tore the innocent automatons limb from mechanical limb, sending bolts, oil, and sparks flying everywhere. Even now, he was fully convinced that Eggman's turning over a new leaf was all a facade, that at any moment he'd laugh his evil laugh and go on a monologue about how everything was his now or something.
Just like he used to.
Back when everything was the way it should be. Before everyone betrayed him.
Even Tails. That one still hurt most of all. Just thinking about it still made him tear up. They were supposed to be best friends, weren't they? Brothers in all but blood? So why? Why did he turn evil and start working for Eggman? Was he under mind control again, like that time at the interstellar amusement park? Yeah, that had to be it! Nothing else made sense.
Back at his headquarters, Robotnik pressed another button, this one meant to contact a certain other hedgehog.
“Shadow! Do you read me?” he asked with urgency.
“Loud and clear, doctor.”
“It's Sonic again! He's rampaging across Station Square! Where are you?”
“I'm already in Station Square myself, but I'm on the other side of the city. I'm heading towards him right now. Who else is nearby?”
“Metal Sonic is already on his way to assist you. You know what to do.”
“Capture, don't kill. I remember,” Shadow turned off his communicator and kept skating towards the explosions and screaming, ready to face his old rival for what he hoped to be the final time.
Robotnik sighed as he slumped in his chair. Sonic got his wish; they were fighting again like they were before. Only this was different. This time there were no world-conquering ambitions, no stolen Chaos Emeralds, awakened deity, or some other thing threatening to tear the world apart. Only a fallen hero and the redeemed villain doing his best to stop him.
Miles looked down, still saddened by the fate of his former idol. “Sonic...” his voice was barely above a whisper, tears starting to fall onto the floor. He tried to hold back his tears, tried not to look as weak as he felt. Then a hand was on his shoulder. He looked up, and there was Robotnik.
“It's ok, Tails. You can cry if you need to.”
The floodgates opened. Tails got on his hands and knees, sobbing his eyes out. Sonic losing himself to his delusions was the worst thing Tails had ever gone through. He'd tried to talk to him, tell him that Eggman didn't have a plot and really was good now, but Sonic could never accept it. He was so sure that he was right that he lost sight of himself; to the point where he'd push anyone who disagreed with him away, accusing them of working for Eggman.
It only got worse when his friends started siding with the doctor. Shadow, Rouge, Blaze, Silver, Big, the Chaotix, even Knuckles eventually switched sides. But Tails was the last straw. When Tails left him, he finally snapped. He swore to “free them from Eggman's brainwashing”, as he'd put it, attacking his robots en masse to try and “liberate” the populace. Now the only one who truly held out hope for him was Amy, yet even she knew there was a very real chance that the hedgehog she loved may be gone forever.
“I know it hurts, Tails, but we'll do our best to try and talk some sense into him.”
Miles sniffled, his tears finally starting to stop. “I hope so. I just want him back.”
“Me too, Tails. Me too. Right now, though, all we can do is hope that Shadow and Metal can capture him without hurting him too much.”
Miles nodded, placing all of his remaining hope into the two artificial beings.
The battle against Sonic brought near-total destruction upon the city, going down in history as “The Battle of Station Square”. Everywhere you went, buildings were partially or totally collapsed. Stores, shops, and livelihoods alike ruined because one hedgehog couldn't accept that someone was capable of change. It was almost as bad as the time Perfect Chaos went on his rampage, only this time there wasn't a flood to worry about.
By the end of it, Shadow was not only exhausted but also covered in bruises and had several bad cuts on him, with one on his leg leaving him barely able to stand without feeling immense pain. Metal Sonic wasn't much better. One of his eyes was broken, part of his torso was missing, and an arm had been torn off in the scuffle.
But they had done it. Sonic the Hedgehog was captured within a containment device that even he couldn't break out of, especially not in his current state.
“Shadow...” Sonic groaned out, desperate to get free. “You've gotta fight it.”
“I've done enough fighting for today,” he managed between breaths.
“Eggman's controlling you, Shadow. He's tricked everyone. Even Tails.”
“Would you get over yourself already!?” Shadow snapped. He was so tired of this. Every single time they'd fought these last few years, Sonic always went on about “Eggman's secret plot” and how he was “totally gonna reveal himself any day now”. Enough was enough.
“There is no hidden plot! No mind control! Tails left because you've turned into a raving lunatic!”
“That's just the mind control talking, Shadow. You've just gotta-”
“NO! I'm sick of your insane ramblings and conspiracy theories! Shut your mouth!” Regaining his composure, he turned on the communicator on his wrist. “Doctor, we've done it. Sonic's finally been captured.”
Robotnik's response came quickly. “Excellent, Shadow. GUN should be there any moment to pick him up and take him away to Prison Island. Meanwhile, I'll send a bot to pick up Metal and bring him back to HQ for repairs. As for you, get yourself to a hospital. You've more than earned it today.”
Just as he said, GUN arrived to transport the unstable hedgehog away, much to his horror. Meanwhile, multiple ambulances arrived to tend to the many wounded in the area, Shadow included. As he was being treated, a drone dropped in and picked up Metal Sonic, then flew away in the direction of Robotnik Inc.'s headquarters.
And so, life continued onward. Sonic was no longer a threat to the public, Robotnik and Miles continued to use their inventions to usher in an age of peace and prosperity, and the people could sleep soundly at night, knowing that their lives were in far less danger than before. Everyone was happy.
Almost.
“No, you don't understand!” Sonic yelled from his cell. “It's all a conspiracy! He's got you all right where he wants you! Let me out!!! I'm the only one that can stop him!!! Please! Someone, anyone! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!
The End(?)