Eggman looked over his Egg Mobile, using a cloth to polish out any scratches to the surface, as Louise shouted at him.

"Don't you ever listen to your master? You're worse than a dog!" she screamed.

To the noble's credit, she managed to lecture a good fifteen minutes at that loud of a voice. At this point, the doctor couldn't handle it anymore.

"I just put my life on the line to keep them from calling you 'Louise the Zero'. The least you could do is show some gratitude," he shouted, his voice easily drowning out Louise's.

Louise sighed, sitting down on the bed. "You've frightened them all. Now they're too scared to even come near me." she replied, gripping the mattress in frustration.

"It's better to be alone than being continually reminded of your failures." Eggman replied, making final adjustments to his vehicle.

"How can you say that?" Louise asked, astonished by the doctor's jaded response.

"I just can!" Eggman hastily replied, as he sat down in the Egg Mobile's seat.

Louise's eye twitched in annoyance as she shouted at her familiar.

"You're just a familiar! I demand you to explain what you just said!" she ordered.

Eggman gritted his teeth. "I'm getting tired of this familiar excuse. I'm not your slave, nor will I ever be one!"

Louise crossed her arms.

"I summoned you here."

"You merely opened a portal across dimensions," Eggman corrected. "I chose to enter it for research purposes. That doesn't mean you called me here."

"Regardless, the summoning brings a familiar most compatible with the summoner." Louise explained, as Eggman growled.

"In that case, I should have sent Cubot instead." he grumbled. "You two would be perfect: ignorant and lazy."

Louise's face turned red in anger.

"H-how dare you insult your master like that!" She cried out, trembling from sheer emotion. "Apologize, you dog!" she commanded.

Eggman crossed his arms in defiance.

"Like I said, I'm not your slave. I wanted to be kind and did a few favors, but your outburst confirms my suspicions. Louise," he said, pointing his finger at her.

"You are little more than a spoiled brat in need of a good dose of reality. So, I'm doing you one final favor: I'm leaving tomorrow morning. My original plan was to use you to find some way back home, but I can see that you're of no help. I've got an empire to run and a world to conquer."

Louise blinked in disbelief at what the doctor had said, as he walked to the door. She rushed forward, blocking the way, her arms spread out.

"No, you're staying here! I forbid you to leave this room!" She ordered, only to yelp in surprise as Eggman grabbed her uniform's collar, roughly lifting her off the ground to his eye level.

He glared at her with cold, merciless eyes. At least, that's what Louise assumed were under those tinted glasses of his.

"In case you didn't hear me earlier: I'm not your slave. I refuse to continue this fantasy for you. You can't stop me." He growled, before placing Louise to the side of the door and marching out.

"But..." Louise began, before shouting out into the hallway.

"Fine! Be that way! I don't need a familiar! I don't care if you get killed!"


Eggman stomped down the stairs, growling fiercely at anyone in his way, scaring off nobles and servants alike. It was the only thing he missed about people. Robots could be programmed to behave frightened, but what was the fun in knowing exactly how it would react.

"This place is insane. After I conquer my world, I need to return and fix this place," he muttered, scaring away another student with a scowl.

"I stuck my neck out for that brat and how does she repay me? She thinks I'm her pet or something because she just happened to open a portal..." he grumbled, before noticing that Siesta was approaching.

"Excuse me… Dr. Eggman?" the girl asked, as the doctor grumpily glared at her.

"What?" he asked, with just a faint edge in his voice.

"I just wanted to say..." Siesta began, her voice trailing off.

"Come on, spit it out!" Eggman snapped, "I've got important work."

"I just wanted to say I'M SORRY!" Siesta cried, bowing to the doctor.

Eggman raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected an apology from her. "For what?"

"I… couldn't do anything except run for help." Siesta explained. "I was really scared because there was no way a commoner that couldn't use magic could win against a noble."

Eggman laughed. "Well, that's because I studied hard and made sure I was smart enough to solve problems. Magic can't fix everything, you know."

Siesta nodded. "I'm not afraid anymore. I was inspired by what you did!" the maid blushed, moving close to the doctor.

"I feel like… I can do anything with you!" she said, gripping the doctor's arm.

Eggman balked. He certainly didn't expect this kind of response from anyone. "It was my own intellect that gave me the upper hand. Much like the body, the mind requires training to be of use. Unlike the body, however, the mind can pass its knowledge without the use of magic. That's how communication was born."

The doctor turned to Siesta, looking into her dark eyes.

"So, is that all?" he asked.

Siesta shook her head. "The rest of the staff want to meet you," she said, walking off. "If you'll follow me, please."


Louise grumbled as she glared at the Egg Mobile. The sight of it disgusted her, but she also felt oddly drawn to it.

"What does he think he's doing, saying that he's leaving? He can't because he's my familiar!" she grumbled, kicking the vehicle and letting out a squeak of pain, hopping on one foot. She had forgotten: when foot goes against metal, metal always wins. Always.

During all her hopping, Louise didn't keep track of where she was and promptly lost her balance, falling into the Egg Mobile's chair, which was surprisingly comfortable. Louise had expected the seat to be hard, but it yielded under her touch.

Curious, Louise placed her hand on it, and watched in amazement as the material reformed back to its original shape when she removed it.

"What is this?" she wondered, "some kind of magical chair?" Louise looked across the front of the area, where rows of buttons, levers, and switches blinked on and off. On the front, there were a pair of levers that stuck out the most, opening to reveal one rod each meeting the curved rim of the levers. In between was a piece of curved glass, almost like a mirror, except it cast no reflection.

"What does this thing do?" she wondered, looking at the mirror closely. "It's definitely not a mirror." She noticed a large red button next to the mirror, and decided to press it.

A small red light blinked, followed by a strange set of runes appearing on the glass surface, flashing through phases before it changed completely.

Louise heard a strange set of music as the mirror showed a strange, metal room with lights flashing different colors and some strange, red… thing laying down on the console.

Louise watched for several seconds in fascination as a yellow thing slightly larger than the red one moved in strange, erratic motions. It couldn't be called dancing.

Suddenly the red one turned its head lazily and, upon noticing Louise, jumped up and screamed, followed closely by the noble screaming.

After both sides have calmed down, the strange creature silenced the music, as the yellow one walked over.

"Well, it appears that someone has figured out how to use the communications array," the red one said, as the yellow one cut in, looking closely at the screen. Louise was afraid that he was going to pop right through the screen and lunge at her.

"Yep, it sure does! Do you think she's the gal the boss was talking about?" the yellow one asked loudly.

"Hush, Cubot, I was just about to ask!" the red one replied, pushing the yellow one, Cubot, out of the way.

"I'm terribly sorry for the fright, miss, but we were not expecting a call just yet," the red one explained.

Louise stared blankly. This was some kind of scrying mirror, but who these two were was beyond her. They looked like golems, but the noble had never seen golems so small before.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The red golem replied, just as strongly, "You called us. Standard protocol requires you to identify yourself first."

Louise sighed, before responding, "I am Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere."

"Gosh, fancy name ye've got there!" Cubot commented.

"Ah, yes. I am Orbot, and the less than intelligent one here is Cubot." the red one replied. "Where is Dr. Eggman?"

Louise blinked. What would they want with that stupid familiar?


Eggman looked on in amazement as the chefs brought him the best-looking food he had seen in years.

"We're sorry. These are only the staff leftovers. Please, eat as much as you want," the burly chef said, as the doctor helped himself to some of the delicate foods, some of which he knew, but most of which he didn't.

But something bugged the doctor. The saying went, he noted in irony, there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Why are you doing this for me?" he asked.

The chef smiled broadly, easily rivaling the doctor's.

"Why, it's because you're our Sword. You're a peasant like us, and you managed to beat that snotty nobility boy."

Eggman thought about this for a minute, then replied, "Why sword, though? I didn't use one against him."

Another chef spoke up, "It's because you cut him down a peg, much like a sword."

Processing this, Eggman finished off another portion of his meal, before replying.

"There's no need for that title. Eggman will do fine."

"Are you sure?" the large chef replied, "Our Eggman doesn't seem to have the same ring to it."

"Like I said, my name, Eggman, will do fine."

The chef smiled again.

"Did you hear that?" he said to his fellow cooks. "A true master never boasts or puts himself above the rest! That's where he's different from those stupid nobility types!"

Eggman shifted uncomfortably. He did put himself above the rest. He was a genius, after all! But, judging from their reaction, it was unlikely they'd listen to him.

So, the doctor just continued to enjoy the food, enjoying the company of the servants, and, for the first time in a long time, felt at home among people.


"Please come again," Siesta began, smiling as the doctor looked up at the sky, marveling at the twin moons, and wondering at how the environment here would be affected by twin satellites. Would the tides vary greatly? What about weather patterns? Could it be possible that the presence of free energy manipulation known as magic was influenced by combined gravitational well?

"Everyone here is a big fan of yours." she finished, causing Eggman to break his contemplation. He nervously rubbed the back of his head, chuckling.

"Really?" he asked, as Siesta nodded in affirmation.

Eggman considered this. He never really had fans before. At least, not living fans. Sonic was usually the one everyone adored.

Sonic… That hated hedgehog would love it here: plenty of grass and fields to run, annoying brats to put in their place, damsels in distress, the works.

Yet, he wasn't here; Eggman was. This was a chance to be different, to finally break the mold of conquest…

"Dr. Eggman..." Siesta began, once again interrupting Eggman's thoughts. She really needed to stop that.

"I would really like to have a long chat with you sometime," she finished.

Eggman smiled. "Of course. Maybe I can tell you a bit about my world. And my Empire."

Siesta blinked in shock. "I would really like that, but, please, don't mock me. I know you're nothing like a noble." She smiled once again before leaving.

Eggman frowned. She could believe in commoners fighting impossible odds, but she couldn't believe that he had an entire empire? Were all girls here so unusual? It would take some time to figure out that riddle… probably an entire lifetime.

Eggman was so wrapped up in his thoughts as he walked back to Louise's room that he almost didn't notice the large, red salamander blocking his way.

It hissed at him, as Eggman growled.

"What do you want? Out of my way, stupid beast!" he grumbled, making to step by the overgrown lizard, only for it to rear up and knock him down.

"Why you little..." the doctor hissed, ready to throttle that lizard, only to gasp in shock as the creature opened its mouth.

"I may look like an egg, but I'm not one, OK?" he shouted, as the creature picked him up and dragged him away.


"So let me get this straight..." Louise began, reclining in the Egg Mobile's chair. "Eggman is the ruler of some country called the Eggman Empire."

"It's not quite a country… more like a state of mind. Or a nomadic nation." Orbot interjected, as Louise waved her hand.

"Whatever. And you're telling me you two are 'ro-bots' or something."

"Well, technically, we are badniks designed for indirect combat." Orbot corrected, earning another dismissive wave from Louise.

"And you're saying that the only reason I summoned Eggman was because he wanted a vacation. When the summon spell reached him, he decided to go himself instead of sending one of you through?"

"That's right, little missy!" Cubot replied.

Louise blinked for several seconds.

"I don't believe you. The summoning ritual picks out the best familiar for the summoner. It's not arbitrary!"

Cubot let out a snorting laugh.

"Could you imagine if I had gone through? Serving a new boss?" He fell backwards onto the ground, pounding his fists while trying to get control of his laughter.

"Hmm… The change would do you some good, dolt!" Orbot replied, shaking his head, as a red light beeped, an alarm filling the room as another monitor clicked on, showing a smiling face and a red orb. Occasionally, a green circle would expand from the orb, resulting in a change in the smiling face.

"Oh dear, this isn't good. That's the doctor's distress beacon. That means he's in trouble!" Orbot said, nervously scanning through the computers.

Louise huffily turned away.

"Fine, let him be in trouble. I'm not helping him."

Orbot raised its finger in objection, before stopping. He had a better way of convincing Louise. One that, as hardheaded as she was, couldn't refuse.

"Miss Valliere, if I may ask: you are the one who brought Eggman to your world, correct?"

Louise nodded.

"And enslaved him?"

"He's my familiar! He's got the contract branded on him." she replied.

"Did he agree to the contract?"

"He doesn't have to. Familiars aren't given the choice."

"So, then he didn't agree of his own free will." Orbot concluded.

"What about it?" she asked, as the red robot pulled out a large, dusty book, flipping through the pages.

"Oh yes, this rule is completely relevant..." he muttered, as Louise crossed her arms impatiently.

Orbot cleared his vocabulator, before speaking.

"In the event that the doctor is kidnapped or forcibly taken, the second-in-command, that is, Cubot and I, have the right to use whatever force is necessary to retrieve him. The offender shall be punished by..." he paused, horrified by the entry. "Oh my..."

"What?" she demanded.

"The offender shall be punished by death. And it just so happens that Cubot and I have you in the Egg Mobile. Therefore, we will initialize the remote self-destruct trap. If you exit the vehicle, it will explode, taking you, and anything within ten meters, to wherever you humans go after… deactivation."

Louise gasped, before regaining her hardened expression.

"You're bluffing. You can't control this thing," she replied, as the ship suddenly rose up, activating.

"I told you, Valliere, we are authorized to do what ever is necessary to retrieve him. Now, there is an exception to this rule. If Eggman pardons your offense, the crime is absolved and no punishment shall be inflicted.

"But… how can I help my familiar if I'm stuck in this? I've seen him fly this before but I have no clue how this works!

Orbot smirked, pulling out a book. Louise caught the title: Egg Mobiles for Dummies.

Cubot laughed again, as he spouted another strange Cubotism:

"Are you ready to fly now, little birdie?"


A/N:

Well… no Kirche yet, but some interesting character development going on.

Eggman: It doesn't have to do with extending my torment longer, now is it?

Louise: Speak for yourself. At least you aren't stuck in a flying bomb!

Eggman:… That's a great idea for a new robot against Sonic!

Uh… Louise, please don't give him any crazier ideas.

Louise: How about you address the reviews?

Right. Moving on now.

Nightmare Nursery, Yeah, I can see where it's confusing with the doctor going all Chuck Norris, but, there have been hints at his capabilities for quite some time. All the way back to the original Sonic games for Genesis, he's been as fast as Sonic, managing to always escape on foot from the world's fastest hedgehog.

Louise: So what? He's a hedgehog. Some earth mages get them as familiars.

Eggman: Oh, no… you mean Sonic could have been summoned?

Don't worry, Eggman, I doubt that those mages have summoned a talking hedgehog. Speaking of which, we haven't met Guiche's familiar yet…

Eggman: Don't tell me… *shudder*

KIDDING! I wouldn't pull something like that on you… maybe.

Anyway, back to what I was saying: In the Sonic Riders games, Eggman is classified as the Power type, where he can literally punch anything out of his way!

Eggman: Hey, I work out! I don't just spend all the time conquering the world.

Xavex, oh yeah. Eggman isn't just some doormat. We've seen how he treats mythical creatures over the years. Why would he put up with it from some noble? I like the idea for a satellite, though. Metal Sonic would definitely be too much at this time. I'm going to keep it as strictly Eggman as I can for now.

Orbot: It's mostly because the doctor doesn't want to dump a bunch of things here he can't return back to us later.

Cousland, I understand your annoyance with that. However, in the second episode of the anime, there is mention of the familiar's runes altering them to be more obedient to their master.

Eggman: Wait… WHAT?

...Which would explain why they're more likely to deal with Louise's bratty behavior. I have taken your criticism into consideration, and I must thank you for giving me the idea to include this bit of exposition. After all, what happens if Eggman were to be admired by people? But let's not forget that Eggman's main goal was to create a utopia where people could study and learn science… with him at the top.

Eggman: Back up! The rune does WHAT to me?

… Next Question!

Lean, if Eggman had his entire army, I could finish this story in three words: Veni, vidi, vici.

There would be no Halkeginia. There would be no Tristain, no Germania, no Gallia, no Romalia, no Albion, and no Promised Land! Only Eggmanland!

Eggman: And it would be an everlasting peace where science and technology would be freely practiced and researched. Nobody would suffer like my grandfather and his colleagues on board the ARK.

Louise: What about the royal families?

Eggman:… Moving on!

That Guy, yeah, I've been saddened as well. We need another good Sonic animated series.

So, once again, thank you all for the reviews. I've enjoyed the criticism and praise, and I look forward to continuing this series for quite some time.

Up next: Enter Kirche… for real, this time!