Chapter 2 Something Different
*Chapters 2 and 3 were inspired by an RP I had read on diaperedanime, I'm not into RPing myself, but I do enjoy reading others' RPs and getting ideas from them. The overall story is inspired by some Sonic and Eggman stories and other RPs I've read.
The RP that inspired this chapter is called: Sonic Unpredictable by SPARKLE123 and yoshiyos. I suggest you check it out as the story is quite good, even if it's one of the many that are, unfortunately, unfinished. :( *
Italicized text indicates a character's thoughts.

"Come have a seat." Eggman gestured to an extra chair stationed between himself and the ornate desk that matched his seat. Sonic stayed in his battle stance, warily taking in the odd scene.
Where were the robots? The evil laughter? The monologue of his latest scheme? The taunts and threats? Hell, why was Eggman acting like this was a business meeting with an important client?!
Relaxing his stance minutely, yet remaining on guard, Sonic crossed his arms, raising a brow, "What's the deal, Eggface? Finally figured out you couldn't handle getting your butt handed to you?" The doctor huffed, "Please refrain from your usual banter, hedgehog." he replied with a serious tone, "I don't want to fight you this time. I wish to discuss some matters regarding our future together."
"Our future together?" Sonic mumbles before green eyes lit up, sending the doctor a flirtatious smirk and batted his eyelashes, "Gee Eggman, I knew I was good looking, but I didn't know you had a thing for this?~" he proceeded to pose, flexing his skinny peach arms. "Not that kind of future, you insolent little-!" Eggman screamed, leaning back; he pinched the space between his glasses, muttering something about 'immature little rodents.'
Sonic chuckled, satisfied with his successful teasing at the doctor's choice words. "Sorry, I'm gonna have to turn you down. Nothing personal I'm just not looking for a relationship right now." he winked, placing a fist on his hip. "Hmph! Just sit down, hedgehog. I'm being quite serious."
"Ok, ok." Sonic put his hands up in surrender, rolling his eyes, "Calm down, Baldy McNosehair. You wanna talk, then let's talk." strolling into the light, he hopped up onto the human-sized chair and made himself comfortable. "So...what's on your mind?"
"Ahem, well. As you know, my last plan for world domination did not go very well." Sonic nodded, remembering very clearly what had happened, "The plan went so bad that an all-out war started while you were captured...I-I wish to apologize for my actions and the ramifications they had on you and your friends." emerald eyes blinked once, twice. Sonic dug a finger in his ear. Did I hear that, right? Eggman apologizing? Is he serious?! He leaned forward, narrowing his gaze at the man, "What's the deal, Eggface? You never apologize, especially to me. What's your game this time?"
"No game, no secret plans, or anything of that sort, I swear to you!" Eggman waved his hands peacefully, "This is all on the square. I...realized that my plans have gone too far, and I want to fix all of the destruction and misery I've caused over the years."
"Look, that's all fine and dandy, but I've heard this sob story before; how can I believe your lying ass that you're really on the up and up? If you really wanted to show the world the err of your ways, why not hand yourself over to G.U.N.?"
"Because I do not believe that would be the most effective way for me to show that I've genuinely turned over a new leaf. How can I better myself and contribute to society locked in a maximum-security cell with no ability or resources to fix all that I've done? You know as well as I do how restrictive G.U.N. is and how ruthless they can be."
Sonic couldn't argue with the doctor about that. G.U.N. barely forgave Shadow for his almost successful attempt at destroying the world. Under the impression that Maria had wanted him to enact revenge for her death under the veil of his misguided grief. Thankfully he had remembered his real promise to her just in time and had stopped the Eclipse Cannon. Sometime after that, Shadow had also defeated the Black Arms and saved the world again. However, G.U.N. was still very paranoid that the Ultimate Lifeform would turn on them. It was only because he saved the world twice and the fact that he was employed under their organization, allowing them to secretly keep tabs on the hog, that they allowed him to go free.
If Eggman were in their custody, he would not have the little bit of freedom an average prisoner was allowed. He would never see the light of day again, and it was highly likely he would even be sentenced to death for his crimes.
Sonic was not a fan of the death sentence, especially if that person wholeheartedly wanted to change their ways. He believed that everyone deserves a second chance. But, this wasn't the first time Eggman claimed to have changed for the better. Sonic would not be so easily fooled this time.
The hedgehog sighed, glaring at the obese human. The doctor was hiding something, he could tell, but no matter, he would entertain the man a little longer. "Alright, I see your point. But I'm gonna need to see some real evidence that you are giving up your evil ways."
"Oh yes, of course!" Eggman exclaimed. Pulling a drawer open, he pulled out a small stack of papers and a pen while also flicking a switch hidden underneath the desk. The previously blank monitors blinked to life, showing something that made the hedgehog's jaw drop.
All of his friends were in a room tied up together, confined in two separate cages surrounded by a force field. Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Tails, and Cheese were in one, while Shadow and Rouge were in the other, all struggling against their bonds. Looking to the next monitor, he saw another side of the same room. Omega shut down and lying in the corner while in the center of one wall was a monitor showing Sonic's friends what was going on with him and Eggman.
Sonic couldn't believe his eyes. All of his friends had been captured, including the Ultimate Lifeform! How?! He had just left them 5 minutes ago, and they had demolished almost all of Eggman's robots! Yet, somehow Eggman had turned the tables on them, and now they were all effectively screwed unless he could quickly come up with a plan.
"What did you do, Eggman?!" Sonic roared, slamming his hand onto the desk, staring the human down, seething with anger. "Simple rodent. While you and your friends were busy destroying my lair looking for me, you never noticed the traps I had set up right under your noses. I knew you would separate from your team to confront me yourself, so after you left, I simply activated the traps and had your friends come together to hang out in my little hehe, waiting room until we were finished. Don't worry; they are perfectly safe."
A bead of sweat fell from Sonic's head, his conscious berating him for leaving his friends behind and falling for Eggman's trap. He scowled at the doctor, not wanting to give the scientist the satisfaction of seeing him weak. "What do you want?" he growled; Eggman gently pushed Sonic back into his seat, "Do you remember your time on the DeathEgg?"
"Yeaaaaah?"
"Well, I learned something...I'm sure you've wondered why I had one of my robots assigned to run various check-ups and tests on you during your stay." the hedgehog nodded, his foot shaking with nervous energy. Hurry up and get to the point, fatface, so I can break my friends out and pulverize you.
"You are a unique and powerful hedgehog, Sonic." the doctor spoke as if he were a professor lecturing his class, "You have the ability to harness the Chaos emeralds and achieve feats no other ordinary human or Mobian could dream of doing on their own. I'm a curious man, a scientist. I had theories, but until you were in my clutches, I couldn't do much more than theorize. It was a golden opportunity, and I took it. Thus why I ran you under several tests." the evil scientist then, oddly enough, went quiet, a somber expression somehow emitting behind those hidden eyes.
"And from the results of one test, I realized something...I realized that all this time...all these years, I thought I was fighting a powerful individual who the leaders of this world had tasked to protect it from my attacks. That could not be further from the truth...I have been fighting, mercilessly attacking, and almost murdered countless times, a 15-year-old boy, a child."
"Yeah, so? Didn't you know that?" Eggman shook his head, "Sonic. I am a man who has spent decades watching this corrupt world and wanting to better it through my inventions. And years of rejection, negativity, and injustice have left me with a skewed sense of morals. I have committed many crimes to accomplish my goals, but I would never ever risk the life of a child, even if that was the only thing standing in my way."
Emerald eyes scanned the doctor's face for his usual telltale signs of lying, but for once, Sonic couldn't find any. Even the tone of his voice sounded sincere. Either Eggman is getting really good at acting, or...he's telling the truth. Folding his arms, Sonic quietly spoke, "So because I'm the one foiling your plans. Because...'I am standing in your way'. Does this mean you really and truly are giving up?"
"Maybe..." the doctor sighed, brows furrowed, revealing the few wrinkles he had, showing how hard he had thought about this over the last year. "Had I realized how old you really were when we first meet, I would never have attempted to take your life, and I can assure you I will never do so again. However, I will only give up my goal and release your friends in exchange for one thing." Eggman pushed the small stack of papers to the blue blur, "This is a contract I've had written up. It stipulates that I will give up my quest for world domination...if you come to live with me."
All of the hostage's attempts to struggle against their restraints in the waiting room vanished as ears and eyes flew up to the monitor, hearing Eggman say those last few words; Sonic's reaction identical to that of his friends, "WHAT?! You-you can't be serious!"
"As serious as a heart attack. When I found out how old you really were, I realized I had made a grave mistake. For 7 years, you have been locked into battle after battle with me. Forced into dangerous situations and to make decisions, no child should have to do. I unknowingly and ruthlessly took your childhood from you and your friends, and I want to fix that. By having you move in with me."
Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing come out of the human's mouth. "You want me to come live with you?" He slowly repeated dumbly. Eggman nodded, tapping the papers, "Yes. It's all right there in the contract." Sonic picked up the small stack, quickly scanning it over. He didn't understand much of the legal jargon, but he got enough out of it to know that this was the real deal; Eggman was telling the truth! Sonic shook his head, "Hold on, let me see if I got this right. What your saying is...you'll give up being an evil villain and let my friends go if I...agree to-," he gulped, "to stay with you?"
"Correct."
Sonic flipped through the pages again and looked back up at the monitor, "Bring me Tails and Shadow. I want to hear what they think before I even think about agreeing."
"Of course, of course." Eggman consented, lifting his arm and tapped onto some weird-looking watch on his wrist, "Release the fox and black hedgehog. Then escort them to the meeting room."
While they waited, Sonic mulled over the doctor's words. Finally, after all these years, the human was giving up his world domination conquest and doing so willingly! Provided Sonic agreed to...basically surrender himself to the man. But why him? Why now? Why didn't Eggman just keep him while he was stuck up in space? Why did he want the hedgehog in the first place? Torture? Experimentation? He had just said how he was curious about what made Sonic tick. And he had noticed something odd in the contract. It had mentioned that Sonic would only stay with the doctor until he was a legal adult. Did Eggman want to adopt him? Because he felt bad for fighting Sonic, who was still basically considered a child? He could take care of himself and had done so for years even before meeting the evil scientist heck; he and Tails were raising themselves just fine without any adult supervision!
Sonic had been in such deep thought he didn't notice Shadow and Tails arrive until two other seats rolled up on each side of him. "Sonic?" Tails whispers, "What's going on?" Shadow, for once, instead of glaring at everyone and everything, looked just as confused as his little brother.
"I think..." Sonic stuttered, "I think Eggman wants to adopt me."

"I think Eggman wants to adopt me," Sonic quietly replied; Tails and Shadow were dead silent, mouths agape at the shocking news.
They had heard part of Sonic and Eggman's conversation when they were held up in the waiting room, skeptical of the human's announcement that he wanted to retire from the evil villain business. And now this new piece of information left their brains scrambled after so much had happened in the last half hour.
One minute they were all on the verge of finding the doctor and defeating him for the last time; the next, they had all been ambushed. Caught off guard by hoses popping up from the ceiling and floor, being gassed and passing out one by one. When they had woken up, they found themselves tied up in cages surrounded by a force field to ensure they couldn't escape. Even Omega had been taken down! The loyal and gun-happy robot left to sit in the corner like a rag doll.
"What? Why?!" Tails exclaimed; Sonic just shrugged with a blank expression handing his little brother the contract to read it over. The fox thoughtfully read over the document, "Wait a minute." Shadow pulled his hand up, "Why, Sonic? Why not Tails, myself, or anyone else?"
"Because we have a history together," Eggman stated matter of factly, "Even though I've had encounters with you, the fox, and the others. Some for a similar period of time. The majority of you have stayed in the background, with Sonic taking most of the heat of our battles. Therefore I've affected his life to a greater extent, which warrants my responsibility to atone for my actions on his life."
"But why now?" Sonic interjected, "You figured this out when I was already stuck with you on the DeathEgg, right? Why did you let me escape then?"
"Honestly, with the war going on, I was overwhelmed with the news of this information. I needed some time to think about it and whether I would allow it to influence my course of actions in the future."
Shadow, having slightly come down from his shock, crossed his arms, "And what are those actions now?" he questioned. "My plan is for Sonic to come live with me. To provide a stable home environment for him. It will be my way of apologizing personally a...community service if you will. And as proof to show I have abandoned my previous goal of world domination."
"How do we know you won't just try to experiment and torture him?"
"Because G.U.N. will oversee the whole process." Sonic and Shadow raised eyebrows at that statement, "He's right." Tails piped up. Having been listening to the conversation while he had been reading the documents, "It says right here that you and Rouge will run weekly checkups on him and Eggman so he can provide evidence that nothing...fishy is going on."
"Right. If you look at this paragraph-" Eggman leaned over the desk pointing to a specific section, "it states that Shadow and Rouge on G.U.N.'s behalf will come by every week and conduct private interviews with us and also that Sonic will be allowed to leave the base once a week to visit friends, family, etc. to prove further that besides living with me and stipulating to house rules he is free to do as he pleases. Oh! And also after 6 months, Sonic is free to break the contract before he reaches legal adult age, no questions asked."
Sonic gave his brother a look, which he returned with a nod in affirmation, "I can't find anything in this besides having to live with Eggman for at least 6 months that would adversely hurt you. Eggman is the one taking the loss." Sonic thoughtfully rubbed his chin, "So if I agree, you'll let my friends go?"
"Yes."
"And if I decide to skip town after 6 months, you won't go back to trying to take over the world again?"
"I swear it." the doctor promised, placing a hand over his heart. "What if I don't agree?" Eggman deflated in his chair, "I will be forced to hold you all hostage and will continue to work to fulfill my goal while trying not to get you or your friends involved. Though as much as it pains me, there is no guarantee you won't be affected somehow."
So I'm pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place then—Sonic muses. If I don't accept, I'll be risking all our lives as Egghead's hostages until we either figure out a way to break out or are rescued. If I do accept...everyone goes free, and only I will have to spend a few months with the Eggface, and the world is as good as safe! Still, there is a strong possibility that this could all backfire on me, but Rouge and Shadow will be keeping tabs on me, and if they think something is wrong, G.U.N. will be on Eggman's ass in a second. And if I suspect something fishy is going on, I can always go to Tails on my day out to let him know what's up and have the gang come to my rescue. Plus, Eggman said I only have to follow a few house rules; besides that, I still pretty much have my freedom, and he's not locking me up for life. Maybe this won't be so bad?
Nodding once, Sonic declared, "I accept!"
"What?!" Shadow and Tails shrieked, "Why on Mobius would you accept? This is Doctor Robotnick we're talking about! This man has claimed to quit villainy countless times; how can you accept his claim and this contract?!" Shadow snapped, floored that the hero of Mobius and lover of freedom would confine himself to such questionable terms. Sonic placed a gloved hand on his rival's shoulder, "Because I don't want to risk all of our lives Shadow. I'm willing to bunk with the Eggman if it means my friends and the world will stay safe. Besides, everyone deserves a second chance...even Eggman."
"But-you-doah-just-how could-gah!" the ebony hog stuttered in dismay flailing his arms before settling back to stewing in the chair. There was nothing he could say now that his rival had made his decision; Sonic was as stubborn as he was, meaning there was no talking out of sacrificing himself for their and the world's sake. "Alright. But if anything happens, it's on your head."
"Noted."
"As for you..." Shadow glared daggers at the doctor, speaking coldly, "I will be keeping an eye on you." Eggman sweatdropped, tugging his jacket collar, "Yes, well, ahem. I-I would think it right for you to do so. Now..." he pushed the pen towards the blue hedgehog signaling him to sign the contract.
Sonic picked up the pen and took back the papers from his brother, flipping to the page where he needed to sign—staring at the dotted line.
Tails watches Sonic's eyes lock onto the contract, a flicker of fear passing through them. "You sure you wanna do this, Sonic?" Tails worriedly asks. Sonic snaps out of his reluctance, quickly re-adjusting his cool and collected facade, "If I wanna give the world a chance to have peace from Eggman...then yeah." he sighed before giving the fox a reassuring smirk, "Don't worry, Tails, it'll only be for a few months after that I can come home." looking back at the document Sonic signed his fate.
x Olgilive Maurice (Sonic) the Hedgehog
"Excellent!" Eggman smiles; a menagerie of clicks and beeps go off after Sonic writes down the last letter. On the screen, Sonic sees the rest of his friends are untied and released with a doorway opening to the outside world. A world he wouldn't be able to run out in again for at least a week, it had only been a few seconds since he accepted Eggman's offer, but already Sonic was starting to have second thoughts about this contract. Maybe I should have thought about this a little more?
A loud clap startled the hedgehog out of his thoughts, "Well, Tails, Shadow. Thank you so much for your assistance, but now I must ask you and the rest of your friends to leave. Sonic and I will be on our way home now. But don't worry, you'll see him again in about a week!"
Right. Sonic gulped, rubbing the back of his head. My new place for the next six months.
"Oh! Before I forget. Is there anything you need from your previous home? Any personal items that need to be picked up?" Eggman inquired his ex-enemy, "Ah-no no. I've got everything I need right here," he said, feeling for the chaos emerald and house keys he kept in his quills. "Perfect! And Sonic, would you please give Shadow your chaos emerald. You won't need it where we're going." Sonic slumped, begrudgingly handing the gem to his rival. How did the doctor know he had one? "Of course."
Tails jumped from his seat, gazing at the exit door opening behind them and back to his brother. His twin tails twisted in a knot, worried about what would happen to the hedgehog while they were separated. He didn't trust Eggman one bit, but he trusted Sonic and his decisions. He always put others well being before his own. If Sonic thought this was for the best, Tails would do all he could to support him until he thought of a way to get his brother out of this mess.
"Sonic." he whimpered, scuffing his shoe against the floor; the speedster jumping down from his seat looked at his fox brother. "Yeah, Tails?" the young fox held up his arms, wanting a hug. Softly smiling, Sonic pulled his little brother close, kissing the top of his head, "Hey, everything is gonna be ok. I promise." he whispers comfortingly. Squeezing tighter, Tails mutters, "You better. I don't think I can stop Amy from destroying the house by myself if she decides you've been gone for too long." Sonic chuckles at the poor attempt of a joke, giving his brother one final squeeze before pulling away, ruffling the fox's bangs, "Aw, you can take her Tails. I believe in ya!"
Turning to his rival with a sad smile Sonic offered him a handshake. The black hog accepted, firmly grasping and shaking it, "See ya round, Shads. Send everyone my thanks and goodbyes?" Shadow rolled his eyes in irritation but smirked, "Will do. See you later, Sonic." sighing, the blue hedgehog pulled himself together, gazing up at the rotund man waiting for him. "Oh, don't act like you'll never see them again, Sonic. You can visit all your friends this time next week!"
Yeah, but it will feel like an eternity in Hell until then. Nodding, Sonic walked up to Eggman with his head held high, and chest pushed out. He wasn't going to show his little brother or rival how nervous he was on the inside.
Waving sadly, Shadow and Tails excited the room, Sonic waving in return with a fake smile before the door slammed shut.