Eggman did not remember how he returned to Eggperial City.

flicker

For one thing, despite how well designed and tasteful its layout, it clearly wasn't Robotropolis.

Robotnik struggled to keep the Egg Mobile flying, not helped by the fact that it switched between three different models in the time it took him to find the blasted retro-thrusters.

flicker

Eggman adjusted his glasses, wondering who had built such a wondrous city. He watched it flicker in and out of existence for a moment. Whoever it was, they should probably do something about that.

flicker

Realising he was just floating there, wasting precious time, Eggman dived down to his city's heavy vault. Not the one in the central tower – no, this was for the items he truly wanted nothing to happen to, ever.

The first two times he tried the unlock code it was the wrong code, and the next three times it was the wrong lock. He had the panel open and was frantically rewiring the controls, staying just one step ahead of his own security, before he could even remember what he was even trying to get.

Eventually the versions of himself and the lock lined up just long enough to get the latter open, and flicker Robotnik stumbled into the vault. flicker Scanning the shelves, Dogman (Eggman's cunning disguise) tried desperately to remember why he was here, until flicker he was the one who remembered again.

Scowling, and working as quickly as he could manage – no telling when he'd switch to being another one of him – Eggman overrode the "Stupid future me, this is a mistake!" security protocols and opened the triple-deadlock vault, watching every protection his genius could manage disengage.

The final lock was a simple key latch. Forgoing all subtlety, Eggman smashed the lock open and dumped the contents into his hand.

flicker

He held up the rewards of his efforts into the light. Phooey – he'd been hoping for a Chaos Emerald. This twenty-sided gemstone was clearly a ruby.

flicker

Slowly, Eggman's eyes refocused, and he shook his head. Just one more push…! Frantically, he ripped out components from his Egg Mobile, grunting at how it changed into some other person's Egg Mobile part way though. At least the other version of himself had had the same idea of deliberately building in redundant and useless components for just such an occasion…!

As he frantically touched the last wire to the ruby, there was a sound – like a clock spinning down, like a turbine spinning up – and a wave of red light erupted out of the ruby.

…

Eggman straightened up.

H-hey, what is this? I can see what's happening, but my body's moving without me controlling it!

Be glad it's at least your body! I can't see mine anywhere!

What is this? Who are you people? Stone! I demand to be let out at once!

Idiots! Haven't you figured it out yet? We're all alternates of each other! The one controlling the body used that ruby somehow to stop us switching out, with him in charge!

"Exactly." Eggman spoke aloud, smirking as he pushed back the glasses on his face. "Good to know that at least one other version of me has a brain."

What's that ruby you have there? Never seen anything like it in my world…

Eggman rolled his eyes at the transparent attempt to gather information, but decided to indulge the other him – one of the ones who never accepted the name 'Eggman', who still called themselves 'Robotnik'.

He held up the hodge-podge device – with the ruby inside – up to where the light was stronger. "Even I'm not sure where it came from originally – blasted thing seems to hop from dimension to dimension every time it gets excited. It even jumped into my future and back!"

Hmm… come to think of it, Eggman seemed to remember finding this marvellous ruby for the first time twice. He'd long suspected his failed efforts with the Time Eater had caused a divergent timeline, but apparently the Paradox Prism had reconnected them.

Setting the device down, Eggman interlaced his fingers and rested his chin down on them. "Convenient getaways aside, all it's good for is fooling things."

Oh ho ho ho! And so you 'fooled' time itself into thinking that this is how things are, did you? Ingenious!

Eggman smirked. "Well, if I do say so myself…"

Uh, not to sound ungrateful or anything, 'cause I don't miss the random switch-outs, but any chance we could take turns with the body? It's quite dark in here…

"No." Eggman's smirk grew sharper. "No, I don't think we will be."

Eggman then winced as every other version of him began 'screaming' loudly in his ear.

Come on! If we all attack him together, we can take control!

Scowling, Eggman pressed a button on his jury-rigged device, and suddenly his head was filled with silence.

He counted down slowly: 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

He pressed the same button again, and the voices came back, half of them gibbering fearfully like a drowning man might do after being pulled from the water.

"Gentlemen." Eggman smirked again. "I believe I have demonstrated fully that I am in charge, yes?"

All he got in response was some angry murmuring, but nobody was seeking to openly defy him anymore.

"Now then." He clapped his hands. "Cubot! Orbot!"

The only response he got was the buzzing of the city as it continued glitching, and a pair of fuzzy areas on the ground below that may or may not have been his lackeys trying to get his attention.

Sighing, Eggman rolled his eyes. "Must I do everything around here?"

Reconnecting his hodge-podge device to the Egg Mobile proper, he activated the mobile's computer and stretched his fingers out, before starting to type frantically. "Just need to do a general search for me and mine… select all… no, wait, just the city limits for now, no need to drain the power just yet… aaaannndd there! Stabilised!"

Eggman expected the city and the badniks within to stabilise.

He did not expect dozens of other figures to stabilise as well.

What the… hey, those are my lackeys! No fair!

Mine too… hmmm… all of ours, I suspect...

The sunlight glinted dangerously off of Eggman's glasses as his smirk grew so wide it reached his big bushy moustache.