Chapter Text
A steady stream of the summer sun hit the still-sleeping robotist directly in his face, causing him to wake up with a low groan. He tried to slightly open his eyes but quickly shut them as soon as the sun assaulted his eyes. And then, pain. As if he was getting stabbed a million times in his entire back, this was sadly not out of the norm.
For some reason, the great Doctor Robotnik had a strange habit of falling asleep on his desk rather than his actual bed, which resulted in his back always hurting like hell. But he couldn’t focus on that too much right now; he still needed to get his shit in order so he could go to work.
Mornings were truly the worst time of the day, if you were to ask the doctor. Although not so much for the typical reasons, such as having just woken up or any other trivial thing. If it was due to his age or his questionable sleeping on top of desks was truly anyone’s guess, but mornings were just something he hated.
Robotnik pushed himself up from the desk with a loud groan, which seemingly alerted his robots to the fact that he was now awake. Robotnik leaned back in his wooden chair and stretched, feeling how his joints popped as his beloved creations finally made their way over to their master, already swarming around him.
“Good morning, sir. How did you sleep?” one of them asked. A round, black and red little machine, which he had named Orbot.
“Horrid…” Robotnik grumbled, shooting a nasty glare at both of the robots. “I cannot believe you two let me fall asleep on my desk… again.”
“We tried, boss! But you didn't want to get up when we tried!” the other one spoke. Who also happened to be the stupider one of the duo. A cubed, black and yellow robot, about the same size as his brother, that the doctor had named Cubot.
Robotnik let out a loud sigh and looked away from the robots. “And to think that you two are supposed to be my most trustworthy companions when neither of you can even help me prevent extreme back pain…” Then he waved his hand in a general direction and mumbled, “Don't just stand there and look stupid; go make yourselves useful or something.”
For a minute or so the robots didn't move, instead, Cubot said. “Uhmm, boss… we don't have legs. We can't stand”
Robotnik whipped around, looking into the glowing blue circles that were the machine's eyes, and growled. “I am going to disembowel you and use you for spare parts if you don't shut your robotic mouth. Have I made myself clear?”
Both robots tensed up, looked at each other, and then quickly hovered their way into the kitchen. Most likely making good on their order of being useful. It was quite handy having his own machines at home to help him out with the… less desirable tasks. Like cleaning or washing clothes.
Originally, when Ivo had gotten the idea of infusing a part of his magic with a badnik, he hadn’t actually expected it to work all that well. But that was proven to have been a waste of brainpower and precious time he could’ve used elsewhere when he found out that it was incredibly useful. Not only when it came to combat and assistance—the entire reason they existed—but also in the regard of having someone who wouldn't leave him no matter how much he bossed them around.
The first two times Robotnik attempted to infuse his non magical work with magic, it didn’t end up quite like how he expected. Which resulted in him accidentally creating two very sentient, talking elemental creatures in a metal carcass with all sorts of mechanisms that allowed for there to be unleashed absolute chaos. It had been a lack of concentration and focus on what truly mattered for them to end up like this.
Originally, when he had tried to correct this error, as in stripping them of all the magic and redoing the experiment after recovering from the extreme exhaustion, the machines showed fear of losing their newfound sentience, to the degree that Robotnik almost got shot. And after quite a few tense days, he finally caved in and allowed for their continued existence.
To be honest, even if both Orbot and Cubot were incompetent—Orbot less so than Cubot. Robotnik was thankful that his twenty year old self didn't follow through with the removal of his magic from the bots. Not that he would ever admit it in public. But for once in ivo’s life, something—or someone—had needed him there, had wanted him there.
Robotnik returned from his thoughts once he felt a slight nudge on his shoulder and someone calling out “boss.”
He looked over and saw that Cubot was looking back at him, tugging slightly at his sleeve. This was often a way that they would both try to get his attention, if their insistent blabbering hadn’t done the trick. There had even been a time or two when they would start flashing their eyes at the doctor, which was specifically designed to stun, if not temporarily blind, whoever so happened to be within distance.
Cubot, having made eye contact, then turned and yelled out into the kitchen “nope, didn't turn into a sheep!”
“I said SLEEPING you idiot, not ‘SHEEPING’!!!”
“Ohhh, that makes more sense.” Cubot mumbled, then turned his attention back to Robotnik. “Breakfest is ready, boss.”
“Alright, alright… I’ll be there in a sec, just gotta find my glass—” the doctor began but was cut off by Cubot’s hand, quite literally handing his glasses to him. “Ah, there they are.”
Robotnik rose to his feet with a low groan and again stretched with a big yawn, this time cringing a little at the feeling of how even more of his joints popped.
Shuffling over to his wardrobe, he opened it and picked out his clothes for the day. He wasn’t going to bother with a bath since he had done that the day before; he put on the clothes, tied his boots, and swiftly pulled on his coat. Then he put on his glasses, fixed his hair, and walked off to go to the kitchen.
Robotnik lived alone in a secluded and small three-room cottage. Those three rooms were a small kitchen, a bathroom, and the room with the rest—which was literally just a bed, a desk, and a lot of books. The cottage was located just on the outskirts of the capital and a few minutes walk into the forest. It may not have been a lot, especially considering his paycheck was enough to probably build and maintain an entire manor. But it was enough and far enough away to not think about being bothered by any townsfolk or hunters passing by.
When the doctor walked into the kitchen, he was pleasantly surprised to hear the sizzle of cooking going on. “This should be finished in about a minute or so, sir.” Orbot said, holding up a spatula. Robotnik took a quick look at the pan and saw two eggs currently cooking next to a plate of cooked mushrooms that Orbot had readied for him. Robotnik walked over to his dining table and sat down, silently watching as the robot sprinkled some salt and pepper on it and put it down on the dining table.
“So, what are today’s plans, sir?” Orbot asked, “Will there be a possibility of downtime today?” with Cubot chiming in with a “Yeah, boss! Are we going to the market today?” he asked as he practically stumbled in, holding the doctor’s bag.
“No. I have my job to go to,” he responded coldly, taking a bite of one of the eggs, and continued. “I will be dealing with an entire lab with stuff that can get you killed, as well as juggling having to babysit three kids who feel the need to cause the biggest migraine all damn day.” Robotnik said, finishing off in a yawn.
“So there will be no market today?” Cubot asked, clearly disappointed.
“No. I will actually be needing both of your assistance in the lab today. We are getting a shipment of a mix of materials and some tools I ordered some time ago, and I don't trust any of the numskulls that dillydally about in the castle to not get acid burns all over themselves.”
The robots looked at each other with a sense of sadness or frustration, then they turned back to Robotnik and Orbot spoke, “Sir, how come whenever it comes to what we would like to do, we are never allowed?”
“Because you two idiots are supposed to assist me, not have a life of your own.” Robotnik snapped, causing the bots to jump a little. “I created you to make my life easier, and so I can spend my time on useful stuff, like figuring out how to reconstruct you morons not to disobey.”
The duo clearly looked displeased by what their creator had said, but not daring to answer with something that would fuel the genius’ wrath, they just continued to hover next to Robotnik until he had finished his breakfast, at which point the two bots quickly cleaned up after him, while Robotnik double-checked that he had everything before they left for the castle.
After a few minutes of checking and cleaning, the group re-gathered outside the cottage, and Robotnik proceeded to lock the door and reapply the magical seal, making the house invisible, and then they all turned and made their way to leave the forest.
It took a little while before they got out of the forest and reached the outskirts of the capital, walking through a small village before reaching the gate of the massive city walls and easily passing through it.
Once Robotnik got past the gates, he watched as people were scattered about, setting up their shops and whatever else they were up to. Robotnik took a deep breath, looked behind him, making sure that the robots were still following, and started walking with purpose. When Robotnik finally came into view of the people, he was met with most of them staring at him and parting to make way for him, clearly very afraid. The rest were left standing, just pretending that nothing was going on, but still making space for the doctor.
For as long as he could remember, Robotnik had been hated and had no one. No friends, no family. He simply had nothing.
When he was a newborn, the doctor was dropped off at the doorstep of a church in a town known for outlawing magic, located almost an entire two weeks's walking distance from the capital. All baby Ivo was left with was a sad excuse for a basket, a blanket, and a note that just said, ‘His name is Ivo Robotnik; please take good care of him.’
He was then raised in the church, simply because there was no room at the orphanage for him to stay. He was raised by nuns, monks, and the priest, all of whom hated him with all of their being and would borderline torture him. And why? Because he was of magical blood, with him being half elf, which was illegal if not just treated as such.
The outlawing of magic in this town was purely a religious thing. Only the almighty gods could possess it, and the people who could use magic were devilspawn, unless you were connected to the almighty, like the priests. The rest, according to the church, deserved to burn, drenched in holy water and burned at the stake. Everything about magic was wrong after all, so when Ivo was a young boy, having just turned five years old, and showed signs of possessing incredible amounts of intelligence and magic, he was forced into hiding it, and if that failed, he would get beaten within an inch of his life.
Although he did have someone that would be somewhat kind towards him. When he was about eleven, a new nun joined the church and began working there. A young nun named Sister Maria. Sister Maria was about ten years older than him and was truly a saint in young Ivo's eyes. She was kind and understanding, and while she still took part in the physical abuse and isolation he faced, it was more out of fear than feeling that he deserved it. But by far what set her apart from some of the more empathetic villagers was that instead of shaming the young boy into hiding his magic, she encouraged him to embrace it. Often saying to the young Ivo that ‘The fates gave you the ability to use this great power for good. You, my child, are a gift of the highest caliber,’ which had motivated him to quickly teach himself how to harness said magic in the form of learning easy cantrips.
But, just like all good things in the doctor’s life, it would only last a while and would inevitably leave him shattered and traumatized.
One summer afternoon when he had just turned twelve. Sister Maria had been caught taking off her veil, revealing her pointed elf ears, and not only that, but she was using magic. And all within one hour, as the sun began to set, he watched as his one and only friend burned for being just like him. It wasn't the first time he had been forced to watch an execution. His entire childhood he had witnessed countless men, women, and children burn alive for having magic.
But this, watching Sister Maria cry out in pure agony and the horrid smell of burnt flesh and hair, was by far the worst thing Ivo had ever witnessed.
All the messed-up things that he had witnessed in his childhood led Ivo Robotnik to grow up into becoming Dr. Robotnik.
An absolute genius, brilliant yet erratic, unstable, and malevolent. He often had extreme and violent mood swings and was described as ‘pure, unbridled evil’ and a ‘psychological tire fire’ by those who simply couldn't keep up with his mental prowess, which so happened to be everyone. He was a man completely devoid of empathy for any life form, be they humanoid or animals. With the opinion that humanoids were inefficient creatures of hubris and desire. And to be honest, they all bored the doctor to the point that he considered most people’s lives meaningless, and therefore he had no desire for having friends.
All of these things were floating around in his head in an attempt to avoid overhearing the villagers gossiping about him. Making snide comments and trading rumors.
It wasn't out of the norm, though. He was known far and wide not only for his inventions and endless skill in magic but also for his temper. As mentioned, Robotnik was quite erratic and had quite violent and extreme mood swings. Often lashing out at anything within a certain radius.
Once Robotnik finally made his way over to the castle gates, accompanied by Orbot and Cubot, he quickly walked up to the gate, reaching his hand out.
“Hey, sir, you can't do that!” Robotnik turned around to see two human guards with spears pointed towards him.
Robotnik gave a scowl. “Oh no, I’m shaking in my boots. Is that supposed to be effective?” The guards gave a wide-eyed stare as Robotnik continued. “Is that really what they teach you in the academy? Not even a ‘halt!’ or something like that?”
“Listen here, just step away from the gates and we won't have to arrest you,” the other one said.
“Oh really now, can't handle a little critique of what your buddy said, hm?” the doctor responded, a smug grin slowly forming on his face.
The guard that Robotnik had been talking to turned visibly enraged and started to tremble with fury. The other one tried to grab his partner by the arm, but he was quickly ripped off when the guard swung, but it never made an impact; hell, it never moved.
The guard looked down at his hand, looking confused, and then he looked up at Robotnik who was towering over him with one eye that had turned into different colors. The white of his eye had turned black, while the iris turned into a crimson.
“What’s wrong, my little guard? Weren't you about to swing?” Robotnik taunted, which made the guard’s facial expression turn from confusion into rage once more. He readied another swing. Although the same thing happened.
“Dr. Robotnik, what in the name of Gaia are you doing?!” An all too familiar voice came from off to the side.
Robotnik whipped around and saw Commander Walters standing with his arms crossed.
Walters was an old elfin man and so happened to be the highest-ranking military official there was in the royal guard, always wearing his uniform that was bedazzled with a ton of medals and whatnot. Walters was also one of the people on the ‘council,’ or, in less dignified terms, Robotnik’s unofficial employer. And not only was he Robotnik's employer, since Walters had known Robotnik since the doctor was eighteen years old, and for some reason that had led to Walters appointing himself as a kind of father figure.
“Ah, commander, what a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Robotnik hissed through clenched teeth, still having the guard in a magical restraint.
“Doctor, please let the guard go…” Walters sighed, and with a scowl on his face, Robotnik deactivated his magic, letting the guard drop to the ground with a loud thud. As soon as the guard was on the ground, both of the guards practically scrambled to get the one guard off of the ground, and when both had finally gotten to their feet, they ran at a speed Robotnik hadn't expected from the two.
“Look at them go. Oh, how cute they are to simply just watch from afar.” Robotnik said, a cruel smile plastered on his face as he finally got onto the castle’s premises, quickly making his way through the garden, past the massive castle doors, and down the hallways, making his way down to his lab.
Walters, seemingly not having gotten what he wanted from the doctor, began to follow him. “Robotnik, I thought we had talked about this. The royal castle’s personnel have their own entrance to the castle. This is the fourth time this month you have done this.”
“Done what? Self defence?”
“No, baiting a guard into getting mad so you can use your magic on them. You already know that it's a waste of time, and if you just showed them your badge, all of this would’ve been over and done with.”
Robotnik just looked at him with a slight scowl, and then he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”
Walters let out a loud sigh. “Oh well, what is done is done.” Then the commander stopped in the middle of the hallway and said, “Speaking of which, I have something quite interesting that I would like to discuss with you.”
“That’s got to wait; I have materials to pick up and a genius to prove to the world!” Robotnik said
“Wait a second, doctor—” Walters called after him, but Robotnik just continued to walk off to his lab. “Dammit,” Walters muttered and then left for his own office.
Robotnik’s lab was in a corner of the massive castle, surrounded by other academic rooms, such as the royal library and a few storage rooms, all of which varied in size. When the small group finally got there, Robotnik fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Once it was unlocked, he also undid the magical forcefield that the room had been enchanted with and entered.
Robotnik hung his bag on the coat hanger, walked over to his desk, and practically threw himself into his leather armchair. Orbot and Cubot followed after the doctor and hovered off to the side of where the doctor was sitting. “Alright, you two, the delivery is in a few hours. Until then I expect you both to shut your mouths so I can work in peace.”
Cubot and Orbot exchanged a look, and then they backed away into a corner of the lab.
And thus, the doctor was left to his own devices, and he started working. There were a few things on the agenda today outside the tutoring lessons and the delivery. He had been working on trying to make massive golems to protect the city walls, although a problem he kept running into was the material. They were supposed to be able to pack quite a punch, but massive rocks could be blown to smithereens with just one bomb, and while Robotnik had a massive amount of magic and magical stamina, he doubted it was worth it to use so much to shield the golems in combat. Especially considering that he was ordered to create at least twenty.
For at least a few hours or so, he had been working on the golems, looking at different scrolls of different designs, tinkering with different gadgets for the golems that lay scattered on his worktables, and testing said gadgets.
The doctor was sitting at his ‘aura microscope’ when someone knocked on the lab door. At first, he tried to ignore it, all too engrossed in his project. But the knocking continued. Quickly getting irritated, Robotnik turned and quickly spotted the two bots that had put themselves in sleep mode.
Alright, guess then I do have company.
Robotnik rose from the chair, and the two robots quietly and slowly awoke from their sleep mode that followed after the doctor as he walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.
“Oh, for the love of—” Robotnik ripped open the door quickly and stood face-to-face with Commander Walters.
Again.
“Hello, Doctor Robotnik.”
“What the hell do you want from me now?” Robotnik hissed, “Haven't you bothered me enough?”
“This is about earlier; you left before I had the chance to discuss the thing with you.”
Robotnik stared at the older man, squinted his eyes, and crossed his arms. “No, I don't have time to waste on explaining to you how the badniks work. They are quite literally idiot-proof, and that's not even to mention the fact that I need to tutor and practically babysit three morons that barely know what sound the different letters make.”
Walters sighed heavily. “This wasn't a request, doctor.”
Before Robotnik could even argue with him, Walters pulled out a contract and showed it. “This is a royal decree.”
The doctor’s eyes widened as he quickly grabbed the piece of parchment and read it through. And sure enough, it was an order from the entirety of the council ordering him to help them.
Robotnik looked back up at Walter's face and plainly asked, “Is this about the so-called ‘chat’ you mentioned earlier?”
Walters looked back at him and nodded, “Yes, that is exactly what this—” the commander held up the parchment and waved it a little “—is.”
“Okay… well, when you say ‘chat,’ how long will it be? Because I have a delivery I have to go and pick up in half an hour, and after that I have to go babysit.”
“I have already cancelled all the arrangements you had for today.”
Robotnik looked at the other completely shocked. “Say what now…”
All Walters did in return was say, with a strange smile, “I will escort you to the council hall.”