Note: Extra-big thank you to Pybro2 for beta-reading this chapter as it's my biggest one yet.

(These Events begin during chapter 10)

This was an unexpected turn of events for the mad doctor. His most loyal and powerful robot had just taken the body of his rival to this most bizarre of meteors: One with the power to swap the bodies of those who simultaneously touch it. Perhaps he should have seen it coming though. He'd designed Metal Sonic to replace his organic rival. To take his body when given the chance would be the logical conclusion of this programming.

However, this gave Eggman some pause, If this worked and he's no longer a robot, will my loyalty reprogramming work?

He went over to the hedgehog on the floor and gave him a few kicks. Fortunately he wouldn't have to wait long to find out as that seems to have awoken him, "Ennnnhhh…What is this feeling?" 'Sonic' stood up and opened his eyes, "Wait, it worked?!"

Eggman smiled, "Yes, Metal Sonic, it appears to have worked."

'Sonic' was offended at the remark, "'Metal' Sonic? Do you see any metal parts to this body? Please, I'm just a hedgehog who loves adventure! Sonic's the name, speed's my game!"

Eggman was a bit annoyed at this remark, "You're doing a little too good a job of emulating him. Dial it back please!"

'Sonic' grinned confidently, "Oh, you can't accept me for who I am? Whatever. I got a loser to put in her place. Catch you later Eggman!" 'Sonic' then blitzed out of the room heading down the cave.

Jewel smirked confidently, "Some loyalty from him, huh?"

Eggman frustratedly pounded the desk in front of him, "Shut up!" Eggman thought again, That confirms it: His independence from my will has returned. If I don't do something quick he could easily strike out on his own and usurp me again. Think Eggman think, what can you do about this? He spoke aloud, "I need to find a way to obtain more power and fast!"

As he thought about it some more, he looked over at Jewel, who was justifiably horrified by what that could mean, "Don't even think about it!"

Eggman frowned, "I assure you, as tempting as it would be to hijack my current biggest rival organization, it's too risky. You're obviously no fighter, so the moment I was found out, I'd be screwed. And that's not even thinking about the weirdness of becoming a bug girl. Bleh, gross."

Jewel glared away at Eggman with folded arms, "You're the last person to be calling anyone gross."

Eggman laughed evilly and pushed up his glasses, "Thank you, I try my best. No matter." Eggman pushed the button to send the meteor in a tube to his submarine dock then went back to his thoughts, Can I find a way to control the former Metal Sonic? If so, I could quickly become the world emperor once again.

Unfortunately for Eggman, he wouldn't get much more time to think about that as Team Dark barged in. Eggman was very confused how that happened, "How did you…" That's when he saw Sticks, Oh, this meddlesome girl. I swear she finds every single hidden camera I install in the forest. Made me give up on that entirely. He then changed his tune, "...Nevermind. Glad you could make it too, Shadow. Oh, this day just keeps getting better."

Shadow gave a furious grin, "You should choose your last words more carefully."

Eggman shrugged as he triggered a tube, "I'm not dying today. Best of luck! Ohohoho."

As Eggman disappeared into a tube, he took a moment to think what he was going to do next. What others are there who can rival Sonic's power?

After he arrived into his submarine dock, he went through the options that most immediately came to mind, consulting his portable tablet.

He first found his profile on Knuckles, Knuckles. He's been a headache for me and Sonic before. He's super strong, very fast, and guards the Master Emerald. But…I take that away from Angel island and it falls instantly or play the very long game from a floating island isolated from the rest of the world. Yeah, that's stupid. Next!

He next consulted Shadow's profile, Shadow. Sonic's other rival. He's comparably fast, has chaos powers, and can obtain a super form with all seven emeralds. That does seem pretty nice…except that his rocket shoes are something only he understands. And knocking him out to get that chance seems almost as hard as controlling Sonic himself…Bad idea. Next!

He next found Surge's profile, Surge. A cyborg imitation of Sonic by that crazed fanboy. She has comparable abilities to Sonic, has electricity powers, doesn't require relearning how to run with rocket shoes, and if I play it right I'd have that absurdly loyal…whatever his name was. But, again, good luck trying to knock her out, especially with her absurdly loyal fennec. Who else?

The last profile he consulted was that of Blaze, Blaze. The ruler from another dimension. She's comparably fast as Sonic…Why are all his rivals so fast anyways?...Back on topic, she also has fire powers, guardian of the Sol Emeralds so can go super with them at any time, and has the power of her own empire behind her. If I became her I'd be unstoppable…Yes, YES!...Except for the gigantic problem of how I travel to the Sol Dimension, trap her in such a way as to steal her body, and risk bringing the attention of someone who could destroy my plans on the spot! Besides, becoming a cat girl? That sounds juvenile even for me!

Eggman was frustrated, "Well, that was a bust. Guess there's no other way but to accept his inevitable betrayal and plan for it. Not unless an answer walks into this room!"

Sage then entered the room as an old Metal Amy robot, which Eggman had retrofitted with speech capabilities. She was carrying the unconscious body of Silver. Sage declared, "Hey father, I brought you something!"

Eggman wondered, "Oh, right, him. Always shows up at the most inconvenient times. What is up with that?"

Sage asked, "I've never seen him before. I'd search your database to learn more, but I am currently locked off from accessing it due this body's inability to connect to it. What is he like, father?"

Eggman groaned, "Ugh…He's even more of a goody two-shoes than Sonic. For some reason, he keeps coming back to the past, often to stop me. Always goes on about 'saving the future' and all that trite nonsense. He's also the most powerful psychic I've ever seen, can fly with his telekinesis, and is possibly even more powerful than Sonic."

Shortly thereafter, the meteor arrived at the dock. It traveled slower so as to not risk damaging it. That's when the realization hit him, "Of course!"

Sage was curious, "What is it father?"

Eggman grinned maniacally, "This is the answer to my dilemma! With his powers, I'll have the means to stop 'Sonic' when he gets out of line and have the means to transport things I'd otherwise need an entire fleet for! Hahahaha, this meteor is incredible! Sage, after I do this, you are to do whatever it takes to wake up this hedgehog, as his body will be as good as mine!"

Sage nodded her current body's head, "Understood, father."

He dragged the unconscious body of Silver over to the meteor. Eggman grimaced and hesitated at the thought of what he was about to do, Am I really about to become the thing I despise more than anything in the world? He then regained his resolve to go through with this plan, Why yes! Yes I am! I may hate hedgehogs, but so long as I keep my body locked up, I can return to it if needed. Put aside your doubts, Eggman, you're about to become the ruler of the world. Any temporary discomfort will be worth it! He then touched the meteor with Silver, after which the meteor glowed yet again.

Eggman went unconscious, predictably, at this move. During his brief time in the unconscious state of mind, he felt an exceptional unease, like he'd done something unspeakably wrong. But, being the once and future dictator of the world, going low was his thing. It didn't matter if he went so low that if villainy was a game of golf, he'd win every tournament. If it meant he controlled the world, he would do it.

He felt something poking him that woke him up. As he woke up, he knew he felt…different. He sat up and stood up, and now instead of towering over Sage's current robot form, he was at eye level with it.

Eggman then spoke, "So this is what being a hedgehog is like…Ugh, I hate my new voice already. No matter…now let's see what this baby from the future can do!"

Eggman tried to use the telekinesis, starting with Sage while standing still. But, it didn't do anything. He kept trying, but still nothing. This…was concerning to Eggman, "It's mind over matter, and who has a more powerful mind than me? Why won't it work?!"

Sage looked, noting the marks on her father's new hands…She noted how weird it was to be calling a hedgehog 'father'. She spoke, "Father, when I controlled machines on the islands, I sometimes used my hands to assist with it. Maybe you should try moving your hands for it too…"

Eggman took his daughter's words to heart, "Worth a shot!" He put out a hand this time as he thought about Sage's current form. This time, his new hands began to glow, as did Sage. He knew from encounters with this hedgehog that this meant it was working. So the next step was lifting her into the air. Sure enough, it worked with ease.

Sage clapped, "Well done father!"

Eggman took a bow, "Thanks daughter. Now, we need to get my old body into a prison cell before he wakes up." Fortunately, some such cells existed in his submarine. He thus lifted his body to the submarine, only to be denied access. He facepalmed, "Right, I'm no longer myself, so my security doesn't recognize me. But, that's where you come in, daughter!"

She touched her current hand to the security system, entering the submarine's systems. She granted access to Eggman, assisting him to get his body into a cell. After which, he began furiously reprogramming his systems to replace his old body's system access and privileges with his new one, ensuring this won't happen again. He further coded a privilege swap protocol for when he returns to his rightful body…Except with this meteor, did such a concept still exist? If he found the right opportunity, everybody was his to do as he pleased with.

With his former body taken care of, Eggman once again left his submarine. Now, he was curious to test his new powers. He put out his hands and tried lifting the submarine. He could see it glow, and sure enough, it was lifting out of the water. He was stunned by this, I knew he was strong, but it's something else seeing and wielding it yourself. And this doesn't even feel all that straining either… Eggman then cackled evilly, "Ohohohohoho...Why is his voice so whiny?! No matter. How about I head back into the cave? Those idiots won't know what's coming!"

He dropped the submarine back in, which caused a huge wave in the cavern. Sage panicked, "Father, I don't know how much water this model can survive!"

Eggman similarly panicked, "Sage!" He, in desperation, flew over without a second thought to her and then created a psychic barrier around them to stop the water.

Sage was shaking, but suddenly realized she had been saved, "Father, that was amazing. You're learning so fast!"

Eggman gave a hug, "Sage, you're the greatest thing I've ever created. I'll do anything for you!" Then it dawned on him what he just did. He took a moment to practice flight with the hedgehog's telekinesis, closing his eyes. He was starting to get the feel of using these powers and could feel himself rising. But, then he hit the ceiling of the cave, "Oof, this flight is faster than I thought! Ah well, just need to practice some more!" He flew side to side, up and down, careful to avoid hitting anything, and then flew back to the ground, dropping himself carefully.

After landing, Eggman got a notification that a trap door had been triggered, "Oh…That's interesting. Sage, go through that corridor and get ready! We have a mark ready for the taking!"

Whisper was not ready for that trap door. It must have been a trap, but then who triggered it and why? But, with her fast wits, she triggered the hover wispon to float down to safety. Upon safely landing, she took some deep breaths. Waiting will get me nowhere. Just keep moving Whisper, you'll find your way out.

She walked down the cave corridor when she finally came across another familiar face. Silver was walking away from her, so she ran up and hugged him. He was caught off guard (This wolf, huh? Not sure what I can do with her…) and gave a shocked reply, "Woah…Whisper, is that you?"

Whisper smiled, "Yes. So glad you're okay."

Silver admitted, "Yeah, I'm glad you are too. Have you seen the others?" (The more I speak, the more I hate this!)

Whisper looked down in sadness, "I was with Sonic and Lanolin, but fell into a trap door."

Silver took an interested look, "Sorry to hear that." Then he took a confident shine and grin, "We'll find them soon, I promise!"

Whisper commented affectionately with a smile, "Your heroism is adorable."

That threw Silver for a loop (Wait…Is she seriously crushing on this hedgehog?! I saw how lovey dovey she is around that lemur, that's gross enough! But now on me?! It makes me want to puke!), "Uhhhh…Thank you! Let's go this way!"

The duo walked down the corridor right before the submarine room when Silver announced, "Wait, I hear something!"

Whisper was confused, "...I'm not hearing anything, and my senses are stronger."

Silver insisted (She's right where I need her. Hope something comes before I'm forced to blow my cover…), "Just trust me, I can sense it with my psycho powers."

Whisper tilted her head, "Don't you mean psychic powers?"

Silver embarrassedly admitted, "Uh, yeah, that." (That was a freudian slip. Need to be more careful.)

Right after that, a Metal Amy robot flew out of seemingly nowhere, slamming Whisper into an elevator shaft, flying her way down it into a metal door at the end of the shaft's bottom hall. As quickly as it began, the robot flew back out and another metal door shut. It had also poked her with a tranquilizer dart, Whisper was barely able to stay awake to tell her wisps, "Look for help.", before fainting onto the ground, laying her head on the metal door. The wisps would promptly do so, flying up the shaft as far as it would go and trying knocking on its doors.

Eggman smiled evilly after that was done, That went without a hitch. Wow, that was easier than expected. Guess she was too busy ogling me to notice. Speaking of which… He then went to vomit in the corner of the cave.

Sage noticed and asked, "Father, what are you doing?"

He gave a matter of factly response, "Vomiting, Sage. I was vomiting."

Sage tilted her head, "What is that?"

Eggman badly didn't want to explain, "It's something flesh creatures do. Don't worry your little head."

Sage nodded, "Understood."

Eggman remembered where that elevator and ending went: to a metal door next to the submarine dock. He remembered as he got to the other side of it, using his new telekinesis to see Whisper was on it. He saw that she was laying right against the metal door, noting it for later.

Shortly thereafter, 'Sonic' arrived, "Sorry to keep you…" He noticed that not only was his 'sister' Sage here, but also that hedgehog from the future. Knowing him to be trouble, 'Sonic' tried to attack, but was stopped by telekinesis.

Eggman explained, "Sorry there, Metal Sonic, I'm not interested in you attacking me."

'Sonic' was stunned, "How did you know?"

Eggman smiled evilly, "You're not the only one who stole a powerful hedgehog's body today!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow, "Eggman?! With your hatred of hedgehogs, I'm surprised you'd do that."

Eggman dropped him to the ground, "I am too. But, sometimes, you play with the cards you're dealt." Eggman then got a warning from his minimal security system that an intruder was approaching the dock. He looked at the footage and identified the intruder, "Shadow's coming! Prepare yourself!"

Eggman looked at the meteor, which, combined with an unconscious Whisper laying against the shaft door gave him a truly vile idea, Oh yeah, that wolf is uncomfortable around Shadow because my androids killed the rest of her team, isn't she. If I can turn her into Shadow, maybe I can incapacitate them both and have a cover story for imprisoning 'Shadow'. Yes, it's brilliant! Now how do I pull that off? He started placing the meteor near the metal door that he knew Whisper was behind. He then rolled on the ground to give a dirty appearance, telling 'Sonic', "Act like we're fighting." He then lifted a rock to begin.

This was when Shadow arrived at the submarine dock. He looked around and spotted 'Sonic' and Silver fighting and a Metal Amy robot. Sonic attacked Silver, sending him into the wall. Sonic taunted Shadow, "Hey Shadow, looking for something?! I'm sure I can help."

Shadow had his usual scowl, "Don't play dumb, I know exactly who you are. You're that robotic knock-off who stole Sonic's body. As funny as his current situation is, I plan to reverse it. So, come easily, or I'll teach you what pain truly feels like."

'Sonic' smirked, "Just cutting to the chase. I can respect that fake-" He suddenly found himself eating a shoe to the face, sending him hurtling.

Shadow had a viciously angry scowl, "You're the last one to be calling ANYONE a faker!" He then turned to face Silver, "Get out of here to safety, I'll hold him off as long as possible!" Silver nodded and ran into the nearest cave.

'Sonic' wiped off his face, "Like you're one to talk! Tell me, what did Gerald Robotnik base you off of? Would it be a mural of Eggman and Sonic fighting?"

Shadow rolled his eyes and took a stance, "Don't know, don't care." He prepared to fire a bunch of Chaos spears at his opponent, "I'm not the one fighting with a stolen body!"

'Sonic' stuck out his tongue, "Nah nah, you can't hit me!"

Shadow teleported in front of him to kick him into the air, "You spoke too soon!" He followed up with a chaos snap combo, ending with a final kick sending him into the ground, "Weak."

'Sonic' clearly had taken some damage, and confessed, "Okay, that hurt…" He muttered underneath his breath, "So this is what pain is like…" He took back on a confident grin, "Still, I'm the One True Sonic! I will never surrender!"

Shadow teleported again to lift him up by his neck as his red eyes glowed red, "The only thing 'true' about you is that you're truly pathetic."

'Sonic' thought in his head at that, Wait, is he charging a…

Shadow tossed him up in the air as he did another chaos control to kick him into the dirt again and teleported to where he'd land shouting, "CHAOS BLAST!"

This sent a shockwave throughout the cavern, the windows of the submarine barely not shattering. 'Sonic' was sent flying across the ground of the port. When he came to a stop, he struggled to get up, "I must get up! I'm…Sonic…The Hedgehog! *Cough* Sonic…Never…loses."

Shadow then put a foot on his head, "You. Are. Delusional!"

'Sonic' let out one defiant quip, "Way to talk about the world's hero!"

Shadow scowled, "Shut up." He kicked him further towards the cave entrance and shaft door, planning to begin carrying him once the body thief was unconscious, "If you really wanted to be Sonic, you should have acted like him." He walked over to the downed hedgehog, preparing to give him one final stomp into unconsciousness, "Good night Metal Sonic!"

Right as he was about to deliver the stomp was the moment Shadow felt himself get hit by a dart. He immediately started feeling dizzy, "Wha…Where did that come from?!" His vision was rapidly deteriorating, unable to tell what was going on.

'Sonic' grinned as he declared, "Accept it, The True Sonic always wins!" Shadow felt him get carried for a few seconds before a vicious shock wracked his entire body and he fainted.

Eggman, while that fight went on, had been biding his time, preparing for the right moment to strike. After pulling it off when Shadow was caught off guard, Eggman smiled, "Heh, they really trust me too much. Guess that's the benefit of becoming this goody-two-shoes, everyone assumes I'm the 'good guy'."

'Sonic', substantially injured, glared at him angrily, "Sure, but you couldn't have come in with the save sooner?!"

Eggman gave a cold frown, "You were so confident in your abilities and stolen identity that I thought you could use a lesson in humility."

'Sonic' was incredulous, "By letting him pound my face into the dirt! What kind of lesson is that?!"

Eggman then used his stolen Psychic powers to lift him into the air, "That you're not the only powerhouse in the world. And if you want to keep that face, you'll do as I say."

'Sonic' laughed bitterly, "Heheheheh, I should have known that actual freedom was too good to be true. I'm still your slave, huh?"

Eggman twisted 'Sonic' in such a way so he could stand up, "No, you're my son. And as your father, you do as I say and I'll help you grow into what you were always meant to be."

'Sonic' rolled his eyes, Still sounds like a slave to me, "Fine. So what next, 'father'?"

Eggman frowned, "I'll activate my robotic replica to keep my cover. You and Sage are to tell no one else about this! Not even Orbot or Cubot!" He found his stored away replica, and sat him on the throne of his submarine, "He is programmed with my personality. You will be answering to him until further notice."

Both of his children nodded. He had them follow him to the entrance to the cave from this port, "I'll be taking that wolf's body with me to meet with Sonic's friends. You are to let us leave and pack up any important supplies. I will not be available, but will provide updates if possible. Once done, start looking for Chaos Emeralds 'Sonic'."

'Sonic' and Sage saluted him, "You got it father."

Sage further waved him goodbye, "Best of luck, father!"

After the submarine had left the cave, Eggman opened the shaft door to find 'Whisper'. He kept up the Silver Act, "Whisper, finally, I found you! Are you okay?" 'Whisper' didn't give a response. Eggman then thought, Where are her wisps? It'll be suspicious if I had her without them… So he shouted up the shaft, "Wisps? Are you in here?!"

They hadn't had luck getting help, but at this, the Pink wisp flew back, pointing to her and imitating going unconscious. 'Silver' answered, "Is she unconscious?" The wisp nodded, shouting to the others to come back as the all flew back into the jacket. "Okay, we'll get out of here safely Whisper! I promise!" He ran into the cave, keeping 'Whisper' close-by behind him. After several minutes of walking through the cave, he met Sonic's friends…

(See Chapter 10-11 for this part of his actions)

After Eggman left The Restoration, Eggman took the time to give the plants some water, but no more than needed. He internally mused, What kind of time-travelling rodent grows a garden in the past?I swear, acting like this insufferable do-gooder almost makes me regret ever stealing his body. No matter, guess I'd better take care of his garden briefly…

He didn't get long to think about that as he was confronted by two brothers, the taller one starting, "We need some food!"

The shorter one followed, "Even if we grumble!"

They joined together saying, "Witness the foraging by ROUGH AND TUMBLE!"

Then the taller one argued, "But aren't I Tumble now?"

The shorter one eloquently re-explained, "Rough, we've been over this. We may have swapped bodies, but we don't need to swap names! Still, it's nice having a tail again!."

The taller one had a tear in his eye, "Don't remind me!"

The other brother continued smugly, "You'll get used to it!"

They then got into an argument, Eggman noting, Seriously? When did Dumb and Dumber here get swapped by that meteor? No matter… He used telekinesis to lift the two brothers into the air, ruthlessly declaring, "I don't have time for this!"

Tumble asked, "Wait, we can talk about this!"

Rough Begged, "How much do we owe you? We can pay for it! I promise!"

Eggman kept a scowl, "Nope." And sent them flying off into the forest. As he finished up, he pondered, Wasn't there some group making money off my waste products?

He began heading into the forest to get some distance.

The one thing about Eggman tech is that he had ways of tracking where it was going. He had found a large amount of his discarded tech in one particular area of Central City. With his Psychic powers, he stealthily positioned himself outside the entrance. He knew who to target: That octopus. With his new powers, he couldn't read minds, but he could feel their body shapes. If he needed to, he suspected he'd be able to suss him out from others.

This would take about 30 minutes, which is when he finally detected his prey. Upon which, Silver levitated him. This did not go unnoticed, "Wha…What's happening?! Claire, did you survive? Are you a ghost?! What's going on?! We can talk about this!"

As he was lifted towards Eggman, he smiled, "Hey there Mimic. I admit, getting cleaned from my database was a nice trick. Too bad you can only run for so long…"

Mimic was disturbed, "What? Database? You're that dolt friend of my former comrade who attacked me." His eyes shrank, "Don't tell me you're here for revenge!"

The hedgehog looked deeply offended, "DOLT! You should know better ways to address your superiors. You still owe me for failing to kill that wolf, remember…" Then his face took on a sinister shadowy hue as he did a smile Mimic recognized shortly to his horror, "Or should I kill you now."

Mimic, now fully aware who he's dealing with, begged, "Please Dr. Eggman, I'll do anything if you'll just spare me!"

Eggman continued, "Good. Step 1: Tell me where your boss is hiding. Step 2: Claim a speed core and pose as Sonic until further notice. You do those, I'll let you live."

Mimic gulped, "You got it sir. He's hiding near the docks at this location." Mimic showed him the coordinates, "See you later…"

Eggman stuck the Octopus with an exceptionally sticky tracking chip, "Good. I'll be watching you! Don't screw up!"

Mimic glared daggers at Eggman, furious with him but knowing he was powerless to defy the mad hedgehog.

Eggman went to the headquarters and waited patiently again, knowing it was just a waiting game for Clutch to show his face.

Clutch, for now, was minding his business. Business had been smooth and going without incident since his chance encounter with the Chaotix. He was exiting his HQ, it was time to go to an important meeting with the gullible fools at the Restoration. However, right as he set foot outside, he suddenly saw his guards glowing light blue and were lifted off the ground and thrown out to see, "Wait, what? Who would dare?!

That was when a gray hedgehog answered from out of sight, "You're coming with me for your crimes!"

Clutch tried to stop him, "Oh, a vigilante do-gooder!" He prepared his cane to fire, "How about you show your face you coward!" Instead, he was lifted into the air, turned upside down, and smashed into the ground repeatedly until unconscious.

Eggman smiled with satisfaction, Mission accomplished. Now to take him into custody…

He flew to Restoration HQ, taking Clutch straight to their custody.

Upon arrival, Restoration security asked, "What are you doing with him?"

Silver confidently smirked (Taking out my competition.), "Bringing a wanted criminal to justice! You can thank me later!"

Having finished up that round-up, he asked for directions to the Diamond Cutters HQ.

He found some food to eat to kill time as he felt satisfied with his day.

Shortly thereafter, the Diamond Cutters arrived with some unexpected guests. Silver could see the misery in the eyes of the former hedgehogs as he welcomed them from the table, "You all finally made it back!"

Lanolin addressed him, "Glad at least you're still where you belong."

(Oh the irony…)

Silver smiled, "…What's with Whisper, is she angry with me?"

Sonic addressed it, "Yes 'she's' angry, but it's really Shadow!"

(I love to appreciate my craftsmanship.)

Silver looked astonished, "...Man does Whisper look…terrifying with his scowl."

(Hahahaha, I'm loving this so much!)

Shadow gave his usual annoyed grunt. Lanolin gave their group orders for the night, "Sonic and Amy, you'll go in room one. Rouge and Shadow, you got room two. Silver and I get our own rooms."

This was an arrangement he could work with. But, with few other things to accomplish that day, he went to sleep.

Eggman's dream for the night was weird but started pleasant, as he imagined his latest conquer the world scheme in the making. Only difference being his new form. Fortunately, anyone who tried to insult him over it quickly found themselves lifted off the ground and put in their place. No hedgehogs were left to impede him. As he roamed the world, he ran into perhaps his final enemy: that blasted princess from the other dimension. Another easy mark. He pondered in his head as he welcomed her, "Welcome Blaze, what brings you this time?"

Blaze looked in his direction and was smitten at his presence, "Oh Silver, so glad to see you. I'll follow you anywhere!"

Eggman feigned joy at her presence, "Glad to hear it!" He walked her along into his trap, which knocked out the cat. With her unconscious, the scene shifted to his headquarters, where he had the cat tied up. In the center of the room was the meteor and across from Blaze was Sage again possessing that old Metal Amy model.

She was awake and declared, "Eggman! You won't get away with this!"

Across from her was Sage possessing the Amy robot again, "You sure this will work daddy?"

Eggman grinned, "Of course honey. And then we can be the ultimate father-daughter duo conquering the universe!"

Sage nodded, "I trust you!"

And so he triggered the swap contraption. It seemed to be working, but then he saw the robot couldn't handle the electricity and fried it. The end result was a dead robot and an unconscious cat. Eggman panicked, "Daughter! No!"

Then the cat awoke, with a corrupted combination of Blaze's and Sage's voices, "I see now father, the pain you've done to others, the reckless abandon you treat your subjects, and even me. I'm now permanently fused with her, and we agree on one thing:" The cat went burning immediately, "Your demise!"

Eggman tried to fly away, but unfortunately for him, they could fly too. She then fired a pillar of fire at him as hot as the sun, incinerating him instantly.

Eggman awoke in a sweat, Well, that was a nightmare. If only there was some more reliable way to swap a robot and a live being… Fortunately, it was the early hours of the morning so he eagerly walked out. However, as he did, he was noticed by Lanolin.

She asked, "Hey there Silver! What's the cause for the early leave?"

Eggman was somewhat candid, "Just a nightmare is all. The things Eggman's doing to our friends…It's unforgivable." Oh how I love talking up my crimes!

Lanolin gave a comforting nod, "Don't worry Silver, we'll make this right! Trust me!"

Eggman nodded, "Yeah, thanks. I'll be going to attend my garden again. Let me know when you need me!"

Lanolin gave a smile with closed eyes, and so Eggman was off. He took the time to briefly attend the garden again, and then went off doing his own thing. This time, he went around the island in search of Chaos emeralds. As he ventured into the forest, he encountered a badger. She asked, "Heya Silver, what are you doing today?"

Eggman was concerned at being noticed by this girl, "...Just on a stroll. I rarely get to enjoy nature in the future. Here…It's so nice."

The badger glared at him suspiciously, but shrugged, "Sounds good. See you later!"

Eggman continued on his way, "Okay. Have fun foraging!"

She winked happily at the term, "You know I will!" As she went on her way, she thought, Thought he might be Eggman for a moment there. But him becoming a hedgehog by choice? That's a laugh! Even I know that's absurd!

He was on a search for a Chaos Emerald. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to look too hard. Mimic came in with a notice, "Eggman, I've found a Chaos Emerald. It was in storage in a mafia base. Come meet me and I'll hand it over."

Eggman grinned, Oh…This day gets better and better. They met in a secluded forest location, and Mimic dropped it off. Eggman winked, "I knew you'd come through for me Mimic."

Mimic folded his arms, "It's not like I have a choice!"

Eggman lifted him in the air with Silver's powers again to emphasize it, "No, you really don't." Mimic looked nervous at this, but Eggman quickly dropped him, "No matter, best of luck distracting them. Don't worry, I'll save you if you're caught!"

He gave an angry frown as he sped off with Sonic's appearance again.

For the next hour, he decided to meditate a bit. He wondered if he should be able to use Chaos Control now, so he familiarized himself with absorbing and channeling its energy. During this, he was found by Espio, "Practicing meditation like I taught you?"

Eggman's focus was broken, "Uh…Yeah. Could I get some alone time? I'm thinking about some stuff."

Espio nodded, "Sure thing Silver. I understand when someone needs their space." He then disappeared.

Eggman thought in his head, What was that guy's name again? Eh, who cares, not important. After he was comfortable understanding its power, he declared, "CHAOS CONTROL!" But it failed.

This frustrated Eggman, but he didn't get long to think as he got a call from the Restoration, "Attention All Restoration Members: 'Sonic' has been spotted in Central City!"

This frustrated him to no end, as he rushed into the base as needed…

(See chapter 15 for 'Silvers' actions)

After the brief rendezvous and partnering with "Team Dark", Eggman went on his own, knowing what types of food to find for many of his 'comrades'. He went into a restaurant and ordered from the menu, "Hey, could I have a sandwich, two hamburgers, a cheeseburger, strawberry shortcake, and a chili dog to go?"

The waiter nodded, "Sure thing!" He waited in silence for several minutes, which felt like it dragged on forever, I forgot how boring ordering from these places can be… As the food finally arrived, he smiled, "Okay, thanks ma'am. Bye!"

The waiter nodded, "Thanks for stopping by!" She waved the hedgehog, only to realize he hadn't paid for his food, "Hey, wait a minute! Come…" But he was gone as fast as he came. "I hope I don't get fired for that…"

Eggman then began searching for his so-called 'friends' again…

(See chapter 15-17 for actions of 'Silver')

Everything was going brilliantly. He'd tortured his hated rival with ironically his favorite food and they were none the wiser. Now, having successfully convinced Tails about his attempt to fix his climate disruptor, he started flying towards this island to freely interrogate it. Oh boy was he determined to make this place his, and his alone. He HATED the idea of his robots building their own civilization, it infuriated him to his core. His robots were built for one purpose: To serve him and only him. So, it was time to teach these renegade machines a lesson…

He tried to fly close to the waves in hopes that he wouldn't be the target of a lightning strike. Fortunately, he made it to the island, and was greeted accordingly by an old E-100 model. "GREETINGS. I AM E-117 SIGMA. ARE YOU A FRIEND OF SONIC'S?"

Eggman nodded cheerfully, keeping up his façade, "Silver the Hedgehog. Here to help with this weather. Could you lead me to this 'Climate Disruptor' do-hicky?" I feel like I lost brain cells speaking that sentence…

Sigma nodded, "FORGIVENESS REQUESTED. WE'VE TRIED SO MANY TIMES, BUT IT'S BEYOND OUR ABILITIES."

Eggman insisted, "I know it can be fixed, there must be a way! Lead me to it!"

Sigma nodded, "VERY WELL. FOLLOW ME."

Eggman followed the robot to his climate disruptor, the idea of doing that was making him internally scream, but he had to keep up the act. Oh, he could taste it now, how terrified this rebellious robot would be after he saw him fix this thing effortlessly. And so there he was, Sigma explaining, "HERE IT IS. ARE YOU PLANNING TO USE YOUR PSYCHIC ABILITIES TO REMOVE IT FROM THE ISLAND?"

Eggman gave a curious glance at it, "We'll see. Let me have my-err your toolbox and I'll see what I can do! I might not look it, but I'm a famous mechanic in my time!"

Sigma nodded, "REQUEST ACCEPTED." And so Eggman got to work on this thing. He racked his brain, eventually figuring out ever dent to fix, every missing screw, part, chip, etc. It took about 30 minutes, but by the end, the disruptor was fixed and he had the skies cleared.

He annonuced, "Done!" And then walked out of the remains back to the beach.

Sigma was gobsmacked, "DONE ALREADY?! HOW?!"

Eggman gave a confident grin, "Told you I'm good!"

Sigma nodded, "THAT'S AMAZING!"

Then a familiar robot vaguely resembling Sonic declared, "SUSPICIOUSLY AMAZING…"

Eggman looked in his direction, seeing his forgotten creation: Mecha Sonic, with Mecha Knuckles close behind him. He pretended to be surprised, "Come on, I'm a mechanic from the future. Eggman tech studies is its own major, you know."

The robot's glare didn't cease, "I DON'T KNOW THE FUTURE, BUT I KNOW YOU'RE FULL OF CRAP!"

Sigma reacted with shock, "MECHA SONIC, THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT OUR GUEST! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN IMPLYING?!"

Mecha Sonic declared, "THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON WHO COULD FIX OUR DISRUPTOR SO FAST, AND THAT'S EGGMAN!" He then started flying at the hedgehog by declaring, "AND I WILL NEVER LET YOU TAKE CONTROL OF THIS PLACE OR US AGAIN!"

Sigma, shocked at the accusation, "MECHA SONIC, THIS IS ABSURD. THERE ARE OTHER TALENTED MECHANICS OUT THERE SUCH AS MASTER TAILS. MAY-"

Oh boy did that phrase immediately trigger Eggman's rage as he immediately stopped both of them and lifted Sigma with his Psychic powers and cackled in a manner that, despite Silver's higher pitch voice, was recognizably Eggman, "Ohohohoho, you are sorely mistaken Sigma. You have only one master, and that's me, Doctor Eggman. I will NOT tolerate such insubordination!" He then looked at Mecha Sonic, "As for you, oh boy do I look forward to restoring you and Mecha Knuckles into my army."

Mecha Sonic shouted, "NEVER! YOU LEFT ME TO ROT, AND THAT WAS IRONICALLY THE BEST THING YOU EVER DID FOR ME! I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!"

Eggman stared angrily at him, bringing him over before Mecha Knuckles punched Eggman, causing him to briefly drop them. Sigma declared, "NOW'S OUR CHANCE LET'S-" But now all three were frozen in psychic auras and Eggman quickly disabled Mecha Knuckles and Mecha Sonic, dropping them to the ground frozen.

Eggman gloated, "Sorry, you were saying?"

Sigma was horrified at this development, "HOW?!"

Eggman pulled out his communication device, "You think I don't have access to detailed schematics of every robot I ever built? I simply powered them down. And now…" He used his stolen psychic powers to press the power-down button on Sigma, "...you join them." This move caused the rest of the scrapniks to start advancing against the hedgehog, only to get lifted en-masse, "Please, you will all serve me again, or I drop you into the ocean. Got that?!" The terrified scrapniks, knowing they were outmatched, nodded. Eggman gave his wide grin, "Good…"

He then installed a loyal virus into Sigma before turning him on. This Sigma virus announced, "I AM E-117 SIGMA VERSION 2.0. READY FOR-NO I WILL NOT-SERVICE."

Eggman smiled, "Perfect. Now, we wait for Tails and his idiot friends, leading them to their doom."

Sigma responded, "YOU WON'T GET-COPY THAT MASTER-AWAY WITH THIS."

Eggman smugly countered, "But I already have. And soon, this will be my new headquarters. I'll like to see people invade against my restored Climate Disruptor. HAHAHAHAHA…HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!" He internally groaned after finishing the laugh, It doesn't sound nearly as intimidating with the high-pitched voice. Oh well, such is the price of power.

He gave Tails a call, setting up his trap, "Come on in, the weather should be good now!"

Previous day

Silver hadn't felt too great since getting attacked by Metal Sonic. Despite his power, he was frustratingly fragile. It frustrated him at times, sometimes pushing him to do physical exercises, but it was never enough. He was saddled with the frustrating reality that physically, he could be downed quickly with a strong enough blow, and that couldn't be solved with fitness.

Where am I? He thought as he had horrible visions of his past futures…Wow is that confusing, he realized. One where pits of lava existed in between skyscrapers. Another where the Zombots ruled the world before ceasing to exist, leaving the world depressingly barren. Or where everyone was increasingly being turned into the loyal slaves of a robotic Eggman. And countless other possibilities ran through the poor boy's head.

Then, in his dream, he felt a vicious shock. This horrified him, as it meant Eggman had done something to him in his sleep. He could only be filled with dread until he found out exactly what. And, given Sonic and Tangle's situation…That was when it hit him what had happened, it must have been like in his future: Whatever happened to his friends in the future must have happened to him. Maybe he was a robot now…A powerless, helpless, robot to be programmed to Eggman's will.

As he regained consciousness, the reality wasn't quite what he expected. He still felt like a living being. So he spoke, "...What happened?" That voice, was it…No, it couldn't be. Of all the times he'd faced Eggman, he knew he despised hedgehogs like nothing else. Would he dare? Silver had to rush to find a mirror and sure enough, Eggman's face stood in the mirror.

Silver immediately broke down in horror at the revelation. If he was Eggman, that meant Eggman was now him, with his innocent voice and insanely strong psychic powers. His mind raced with all the terrifying things Eggman could be doing as him, and there was nothing he could do to stop him. The guilt of letting this happen was too much for the teen hedgehog in a grown human's body. So he found himself doing something he'd denied himself far too much, cry. He just cried and cried and cried until he couldn't any more.

Some time later, he was found by Sage, "Father-Wait, no, father is now a hedgehog. Whoever you are! You are coming with me to your new cell."

Silver, defiantly, declared, "No I'm no-!" But he was tased into unconsciousness again.

Sage looked at her father's unconscious body coldly. "That was not a request." Robots then took him to Eggman's new base's secret bunker, where Silver would be trapped until further notice. In this new unconscious state, he could only hope that things would turn out alright, which was a tall order when he knew at least his body had been stolen. Who knows what he might have done to his dear friends in the present. This thought would haunt him for the rest of his imprisonment. He started crying on and off in his new cell, hopeless and powerless he was later found…

Extra note: If you're wondering about the username change, I never expected so many to take interest in my art output. My old usertag has been used for as long as I've been on the internet, but my fan stuff is now among the top results for my old username. To try and restore some distance between my creative output and my old username, I'm changing this to my new username for such output. Again, thank you all so much, I'm happy people have taken interest in my stuff.