Note: This is actually a small idea that came to me around two years and one I wasn't to sure where it would go. But I figured I'd give iit a shot now that I have some sort of idea.

Hatred

Hatred was nothing new to Eggman. How could it be? By his own admission the would-be conqueror of Mobius hated Sonic the Hedgehog, and had hated him for years now. In all those years, hatred had been his driving force. It kept him going in the face of uncounted losses, letting him pick himself back up time and time again. He always focused his hatred, channelling it into his next invention - his next scheme for world domination.

Very rarely did the Doctor get so lost into it though that he lost sight of everything around him. Days like today.

A gloved fist slammed into steel as Doctor Ivo Robotnik, better known as Eggman roared, throwing apart pieces of technology, breaking apart his many machines and smashed monitors with his hands. All the while he roared, the sound coming out of him belonging more to some rabid animal than a human being. From outside the lab Cubot and Orbot took a moment to look at each other as shards went flying in their direction.

"… the boss seems to be taking things well." Orbot simply looked at his counterpart in silence as they both saw something else fly by their vision. "Or not."

"I think it's best if we give the Doctor some space for a while."

"Yeah, I don't want to get dismantled." Smartest thing Cubot had said in a while. Both robots retreated, running away from the enraged scientists' reach and left him be. A good choice, because as it stood the Doctor would have taken them apart without a second thought. After all he did it to a few of his other models without so much as a second thought.

Still his rage induced rampage didn't - couldn't last forever, and after a good thirty minutes or so Dr. Eggman found himself running on fumes. He dropped to his knees gasping for air, weakly hammering a gloved fist onto the ground before stopping. "Damn it… why?" Eggman muttered as he stared at the ground before raising his bruised and battered hands onto his head and groaned. If he had hair he'd be pulling it out at this moment. "I was so close… so close! I almost had them, the world was mine and…" With newfound strength the robotics expert roared one last time before falling silent, slumping over in defeat as he stared at nothing in particular. Then the unexpected happened; he made a noise, one he hadn't made in a good long time.

Eggman wept.

Dr. Eggman, the would-be-conqueror of Mobius, cried. Tears streaming down his face and dropped onto the steel tile floor as he thought back.

He'd been so close this time. So close to ruling all of Mobius this time, but in the end he had failed, again. Never before had he gotten so far though; for six long months he had expanded his Eggman Empire across the globe, only to be foiled by that accursed hedgehog.

"Your plan will end like all your plans do: with you sitting in a pile of busted robot parts wondering how you failed so badly!"

Remembering Sonic's words the doctor cried harder. He hated it, the fact that the damn hedgehog was right in the end. His latest and greatest scheme, ended in failure, just like all the rest. So he wept, wondering what he could have done differently to change the outcome of his latest attempt at conquest. "What did I do wrong? Why did I fail?" No one answered, then again he doubted anyone would give him an answer to begin with.

Wasn't sure how long he kept crying, wasn't sure it mattered in the end. When his tears were spent the doctor wiped his face, picked himself up and dragged himself over to one of his destroyed inventions. Picking it's destroyed pieces up he set them on the table and started the repairs. As the old saying went; it was back to the drawing board. Time to get to work in his next scheme for world domination.

What to do, what to do? How will he defeat Sonic next time? How will he make certain his next plan succeeded?

Sighing to himself Eggman set his tools down, rested his hands on his head and said three words.

"What's the point?" A groan left the doctor as he ran a hand through his nonexistent hair. He was tired… tired of losing, tired of these failed attempts at world domination. He'd built war machines, literally sucked the life out of the planet at one point, he'd even raised the ancient mythological deities of Mobius… and in the end every attempt ended the same. He lost, Sonic won. Even his latest scheme with the Phantom Ruby ended in failure. Sighing, the doctor rested his head on the table as he stared at the pieces of tech. So many devices, so many weapons, none of them seemed to defeat Sonic. What were the chances his next one would? "It won't." Eggman muttered as he poked the tech for a moment. "I… I can't beat that blasted hedgehog." He'd said it, those few words he thought he'd never say. Bet if Sonic heard him, the hedgehog would laugh in his face, rubbing it in for finally acknowledging his defeat. "So, this is what it feels like to finally hit rock bottom." The doctor sighed to himself as he picked himself up and started to walk out of his thrashed lab.

He's not sure where he goes afterwards, just lets his feet carry him wherever they felt would be best. Turns out letting them lead brought him towards the kitchen. Without much of a thought the scientist reached into his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of liquor. It was one of many he had saved, scattered about and aged after countless years. Thought he would finally be opening one of these to commemorate his victory over Sonic and his friends.

Guess not.

"Cheers." He didn't bother waiting to grab a cup, he drank it straight, pouring the rich liquid down his throat as he took a seat. He didn't say anything for a while, simply drinking his sorrows away in silence as he started to think.

"Eh… boss?" Cubot muttered from around the corner as he caught the Doctor's attention for a moment. "Are you ok?"

"Do I look ok, you gastbucket?"

"Eh~ kinda. I mean your hands are pretty beat up. But other than that, you look fine." Orbot nudged his dim-witted counterpart. "What?" Eggman simply looked at his hands, finally realizing how beat up his hands were after his episode. Gloves were torn and his knuckles were bleeding. Hurt like hell now that he realized it. Rage induced adrenaline must be wearing off.

"Bah don't worry about it." Eggman shrugged.

"Uh, you sure?"

"But boss, how will you be able to continue building your inventions if your hands are all banged up?" A fair point. Would be conqueror or not Eggman was a scientist and mechanic through and through. His hands were as important if not more so than the rest of his tools.

"I guess you have a point. Orbot, fetch the first-aid kit."

"On it boss." Orbot disappeared not long after, leaving his counterpart with their inventor. Scratching his cubic head Cubot floated over as he made a show of his fingers.

"Hey boss, how bout a massage, think that I'll make you feel better?" Eggman glanced in his direction.

"I don't remember programming you to be a masseur."

"You didn't, I downloaded some videos off the internet." Cubot admitted proudly as Eggman raised an eyebrow. Well it wasn't like he kept track of everything these two did. He shrugged as he used one hand to pat his shoulders.

"Alright go ahead." If it was possible Cubot perked up as he floated behind his creator as started working.

"So boss, tell me what's wrong." Behind his glasses Eggman rolled his eyes.

"Nothing's wrong."

"You sure? You seemed pretty upset this past week."

"Really? How could you tell?"

"Well you did trash your lab earlier." Apparently Cubot didn't pick up on the sarcasm. "And since we moved in here you've been really quiet, you haven't berated us all week." That made Eggman raise an eyebrow as he turned his head.

"Really I could have sworn I berated you and Orbot for something earlier."

"Nope."

"You've been very withdrawn doctor." Orbot admitted as he floated back into the room and floated up to his creator, removing one of his gloves and started working on them. Some peroxide to make sure they wouldn't get infected, and then some gause to start wrapping it up. "In fact you have talked at all since your latest plan failed."

Eggman made a noise as he tried thinking back. Now that he actually thought on it, he had been a little quiet, letting himself recall everything that had transpired since coming into possession of the Phantom Ruby and in turn Infinite. So much progress, all of it wasted in the end. Sighing Eggman used his free hand to raise the bottle to his lips before downing another portion of it. He wasn't even angry anymore, he was just… drained. Mentally, physically, and most importantly, emotionally.

"I just keep replaying everything in my head," He began. "I almost had it all; the world, everything. I had the Resistance beaten… so why? Why did I lose - how did I lose?" The two bots looked at each other as Eggman took another drink. "99%." He muttered. "Just one more push and Mobius would have been all mine, so how did it end up falling apart in the end?" No answer. "Was it because I depended too much on the Phantom Ruby? Was it because I didn't blast Sonic into space when I had the chance? Was it because I didn't account for that other Sonic? That no name that showed up with one of the Phantom Ruby prototypes?" Eggman questioned as Orbot switched to his other hand and in turn he used his bandaged hand to lift the bottle to his lips. "I almost had it all… so… why did it slip through my fingers?" No one spoke for a while as Eggman returned to his drink.

"You know boss, maybe you should take a break. You know, get away from all this."

"What?"

"That's not a bad idea doctor, some time away might do you go."Orbot admitted as he finished bandaging the Doctor's hands. "You're always working on trying to defeat Sonic, but maybe it would be best to take a break and just relax for a while. Take a vacation."

"A vacation huh?" Eggman muttered. "Can't remember the last time I actually took one." The doctor admitted as he leaned back in his chair as Cubot finished his massage. "Where can I go to relax though, I mean I'm the 'bad guy' you know. My face is pretty well known."

"Well you have a point there doctor."

"Oh oh I know!" Cubot flew around as he looked at his boss in the face. "Why not make a machine that transforms you into a Mobian?"

"… what?"

"What?"

"Think about it, if you can't go as you are, then why not go as someone else? You know in disguise." The room fell silent as the two stared at Cubot for a moment.

"That's… actually not a bad idea." Eggman admitted as he returned to his drink for a moment. "I guess you two gastbuckets have good ideas every now and then after all. I'll get to work on it later." The doctor shrugged as he took another swig of his drink before he pulled himself from his seat and started off. He paused a moment later though, looking back at the two robots as Cubot gave his spherical counterpart a thumbs up. Shaking his head Eggman walked back as he stared down his two robot companions before patting their heads.

"Boss?"

Eggman didn't say anything, instead patting the two for a moment longer before he turned and walked off. The two bots simply looked at each other in confusion before touching their heads.

To say it was rare that Eggman showed affection was an understatement, that didn't mean it was impossible. Despite how rotten and blackened it might have been, the man still had a soul.

Walking into his private quarters Eggman set the bottle down before dropping onto his bed and stared back into space. "A vacation huh?" Eggman repeated. "I could really use one when I think about it; get away from everything, get away from Sonic." He muttered in a rare state of melancholy. Making an unknown noise Eggman leaned forward, raising a hand to hammer his back before rubbing it a few times. He'll give Cubot one thing, he made a pretty good masseur. Shoulders hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Gonna have to remember to thank him later. At the moment though; Eggman rolled his shoulders one last time before winching slightly. Taking a sharp inhale of breath the scientist glanced over his shoulder before sighing to himself. Checking his surroundings he took a moment to himself before removing his coat.

He'd never really been the most built human, never really put on a lot of muscle despite being surprisingly athletic and strong. Heck he'd never really been much of a looker either, but now that he bothered looking at himself, he'd admit that he'd lost most of whatever points he had held onto. His beige skin was… a mess. A canvas of scar tissue and old burns born from having his inventions explode around him and being hit by metal shrapnel, and from falling from unprecedented heights. Countless scars, countless battles. Looking himself over for a moment he made a noise. "The years really do add up." Waving his arm in the air a screen of hard-light came into existence as he started typing in something. The room buzzed for a moment before his screen changed, showing a medical analysis.

A hairline fracture, eight cracked ribs, an artificial kidney, a battered spleen and intestine tract… Outwardly he was scarred, inwardly… it was amazing he was still able to move as he was. Dismissing the screen he reached for a nearby drawer and pulled out some painkillers and grabbed his bottle again. Throwing a few back he downed them with his drink before taking an exaggerated gasp of breath. "Amazed I'm not addicted to these yet." The doctor muttered as he finished his drink before laying back on his bed as he waited for the meds to kick in. Might of been a temporary fix, but it would have to due, before he got around to building some artificial organs to replace his battered ones.

'You can't keep this up forever.'

He really couldn't. He'd been doing this for how many years now? He'd lost count. To many years had been spent fighting Sonic and his friends. To many years of being beaten and blown up. It was only due to his stubborn pride that he didn't give up when he had. Pride kept him from giving up, hate kept him going. Now though; his pride had been shattered, his hatred was running empty and without those two things Eggman found himself thinking thoughts he normally wouldn't do. Why did he keep trying - why did he keep up these battles with Sonic? Why didn't he just give up this quest for conquest and just retire?

"Retirement." Eggman sighed as he stared off into space. Retiring from being the rightful overlord of Mobius; well it had always been an option. To actually throw in the towel, admit that Sonic had truly beaten him this time around. To cast aside his ideas of grandeur and live a simpler lifestyle.

Still, he wasn't sure what hurt more; the fact the voice in his head was recommending it, or the fact he was considering it.

"You know… I've always believed that if I was going to stop all this, I'd end up going in a blaze of glory, taking that blasted hedgehog with me." Eggman sat up as he finished his drink. "But retirement…" He fell silent before shaking his head. "What would I do if I did? I can't imagine my life outside of this." Again no one answered, not that he was expecting it. Groaning Eggman massaged his temples, or at least he tried to, the moment he reached his head he suddenly gasped in pain as he doubled over. "Grah!" Grabbing his chest, Eggman struggled to breath as he felt something clamp down on his heart. "N-not now… not now."

Heart attack.

He'd been having them for a while now, the last being when he discovered Sonic had escaped his Death Egg.

"Boss?" Orbot and Cubot rushed into the room, internal programming telling them the doctor's life was in danger as they found him on the floor. "Boss!" Orbot reached for Eggman's dresser as he pulled out some heart medicine while Cubot started compressing his maker's chest.

"Here take these." Popping a few pills into Eggman's mouth and he helped him swallow. Didn't take long for the meds to kick in as shortly after the doctor started to calm down.

"Th… thanks… you two." Eggman choked out as he sat up and continued shaking for a moment.

"Uh… boss?"

"What?" Cubot didn't say anything as he pointed at the doctor's hands watching as they were enveloped in a strange purple aura that suddenly glitched. "What on Mobius?" A few seconds later the glow faded as Cubot and Orbot looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh...what was that?"

"Hm..." Eggman made a noise as he looked at the reading on one of his biological scans.

"What is it boss?"

"It appears that overclocking the Phantom Ruby has caused some unexpected side effects." The doctor stated as he frowned. "When it was destroyed its energy was distributed throughout my body in a manner similar to that of when it was in Infinite's possession."

"Oh… does that mean your magic now?" Eggman didn't say anything, simply looking at Cubot before shaking his head and looking back ahead.

"No… it doesn't mean that I'm magic." The Doctor said as he fell silent and just stared at his screen. "It means that I'm dying."

"Oh… what!?" Both bots shouted as they looked at the Doctor. "How? Who are you dying?"

"The power of the Phantom Ruby blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy." Eggman states with a frown. "If you believe something is going to happen your body experiences it as well. Its energy residue is making my mind believe I'm dying, and in turn my body believes it as well."

"If that's the case, then all you need to do is think you're not dying and you'll be fine, right?" Cubot looked at Obot as he gave a thumbs up.

"It's not that simple you gastbuckets." Eggman muttered as he rubbed his temples. 'With how damaged my body is, my mind must have already been thinking I was dying. The residue from the Phantom Ruby must be amplifying those thoughts and making it reality.' "Damn…" Eggman muttered as he stared at the screen and checked it. "Two months." He muttered to himself.

"Boss?"

"I have two months to live… that's what the readings say. If I don't do any strenuous activity to accelerate the progress, then I have two months left." A sense of melancholy left the doctors voice as he looked at his heart. Would replacing that do the trick? No, it was his mind that was telling him he was dying, not just his ticker. "I guess this is it." The Doctor muttered as he leaned back in his seat, resting a hand on his chin.

"Boss?" Eggman didn't respond as he took a breath, tuning out the rest of the world as he just looked at the readings on his monitor. "So what… what are we gonna do?"

"Well we're going to make things easy for the doctor from now on." Orbot stated as he looked at his counterpart. "That way the Boss doesn't have to stress and he can stay with us as long as he can."

"That's… kind of you." Eggman muttered after a moment, trying to find the words and picked himself up. "But there's no need." He started walking off, his mind a bit clearer from before as his two bots followed him. "I'm going to die, but not before I challenge Sonic one last time."

"But Doctor why?" Orbot muttered as he floated beside his creator. "You're dying, you challenge Sonic again then you'll just speed up the process, right?

"That's right." Eggman admitted as he took a breath. "But if I'm going to die, I'm not going to just wait for it to come for me." He muttered. "I'm going out on my own terms."

"Boss… what about the idea of going on vacation?"

"I'll have to forget about it... besides." Eggman paused as he looked at the two bots and smiled tiredly. "What's a man to lose when he lives on borrowed time anyway?"