Through The Crack

by grimchi3f

Change Can Wait

Part 2: Dark Side - Chapter 5: Change Can Wait

The Doctor rushed into the TARDIS and carefully shut the door. Afterwards, he walked up to computer monitor on the control panel and pulled a small switch nearby which made a keyboard and mousepad rise up from underneath the monitor. The Doctor needed to research this 'Dr. Eggman' and the ones he called 'Sonic' and 'Tails'. Those names sounded awfully familiar and the way Eggman acted back in the void was pretty suspicious. Luckily for him, the TARDIS was still connected to his universe's internet. He wasn't sure why and, even though he often looked gift-horses in the mouth, he honestly didn't care right now. He had a more pressing matter at hand.

Once he had the internet up oh his monitor, he searched 'Dr. Eggman' on Google. The first link was a Wikipedia page, so he clicked on it. Wikipedia was one of the Doctor's favorite websites; it had tons of information on a large variety of topics. It helped sate his hunger for knowledge. Eggman's Wikipedia page loaded up and the Doctor began reading. After he finished, he knew exactly why the names had sounded familiar. He'd played the games they'd originated from.

There was a loud boom outside of the TARDIS, but the Doctor didn't notice, mostly because he was too busy re-reading the Wikipedia page. The man that this page described couldn't be the guy he brought here, could he? But... it had to be. The picture the page used looked exactly like the Eggman he'd brought here and, to top it all off, they shared a name! It even said that Sonic and Tails were his mortal enemies, although on the Wikipedia page, it said that they were the good guys and that Eggman was the bad guy.

Looking over the things that Eggman had done made the Doctor shake his head in disbelief. This guy was a monster, not as bad as some of the people the Doctor had faced over the years, but still pretty horrible. he locked animals in machines to do his bidding, he enslaved an entire alien race just to help destroy Sonic's planet, he's even released divine beasts without thinking of the consequences... this guy was most definitely a monster. And he'd just unleashed that monster on Equestria.

Suddenly, something cold and hard was pressed up against the back of his head, followed by the sound of a pistol cocking. "Take me to Ponyville," said a sinister yet familiar voice, pressing the gun harder into the Doctor's head. "Now!"

-------

Classic Eggman woke to the sound of a boom that sounded as if it had come from a very long way away. He immediately sat up and looked around for the source of the noise. Everywhere he looked, he saw the same thing: a white, never ending void. It looked like he was going to be stuck here forever. Classic Eggman fell back and sighed.

If only he hadn't listened to his buffoonish, insane future self. Then he wouldn't be stuck here! Classic Eggman didn't care that his future self had saved him from dying as the Death Egg crashed into that floating island. No, he'd rather be dead than stuck in this... this white hell, this never ending, undying white hell! Thinking of his future self made him wonder what had happened to his older counterpart. Had he wandered off, disappearing into this void forever?

Something else gnawed at the back of his mind: where had that boom come from? Could he have been hallucinating? Dreaming? No, it was too real to have been either of those things, even if it had sounded like it had been a good distance away. But... where had it come from!?

Classic Eggman closed his eyes and yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping that whatever had caused the boom would hear him. There was a sudden cracking noise and Classic Eggman froze, keeping his eyes tightly shut. He waited a few seconds before asking, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

There was no reply. Classic Eggman opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw. Sitting there, in midair, was a crack. A crack that hadn't been there just seconds before. A crack that seemed as if it was causing the whole of time and space to split at this one point. Classic Eggman stood up and went to get a closer look. Strangely enough, he could see what was inside it.

Through the crack, Classic Eggman could see a lush, green jungle. In the distance, he could see the wreckage of what appeared to be the Death Egg. Looking at all this, Classic Eggman realized that his must be right after his future self had saved him. Of course, he now knew how this little episode turned out; he'd seen the outcome when he and his future self had went through time undoing their past defeats. He knew this adventure on Angel Island ended in his Death Egg being permanently destroyed and him being back at square one.

Then again, since he now knew what the outcome was, maybe he could change it. Change it so that he, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, conquered the world. Classic Eggman smiled. He liked the sound of that.

Suddenly, he saw movement in the forest. The movement continued until a red echidna burst out of the underbrush, looking towards the wreckage of the crashed Death Egg, his back to Classic Eggman and the crack. This was it, the time to conquer the world. But first, he'd have to deal with this echidna.

Classic Eggman thrust his hand straight into the crack. As soon as he did, a sudden force began pulling the rest of his body through the crack. As his head passed through, a felling of bliss passed over Classic Eggman and he instantly forgot about everything that had happened since his future self had saved him.

-------

Eggman cocked the pistol that he held to the back of the Doctor's head. "Take me to Ponyville. Now!"

"I know who you are now, Eggman," the Doctor said, staring at the computer monitor. "You are a monster and I... I let you into this peaceful world. How stupid am I?" He paused for a moment before adding, "Tell me though, after all I read about you, it never said anything about you having a personal gun. When did you get it?"

"I've had it ever since that business with the Black Arms," replied Eggman. "I saw Shadow carrying one and I thought 'Hey, why don't I get one?' so, I got one. A nice, old fashioned revolver; crude, but effective. Of course, I only use it in emergencies... like this one. Take me to Ponyville, Doctor!"

"And why should I do that?" the Doctor asked.

"Because, if you don't, I kill you," Eggman answered, pressing the gun even harder into the Doctor's skull for emphasis. "Simple as that."

"That doesn't scare me," growled the Doctor.

Eggman leaned forward until his mouth was next to the Doctor's ear. "Oh, but I think it does. You said before that you came to this universe because you were running away from the death that was coming to you. You're a coward. You'll take me to Ponyville because you're too afraid to die."

The Doctor's face paled. He turned his head until he was looking Eggman dead in the eye. 'You-you're right," he whispered, a lone tear falling down his face. "Okay, fine, I'll take you to Ponyville." He turned off the computer monitor and began walking around the control panel, fiddling with the controls.

The devastated look on the Doctor's face struck a chord with Eggman. He hated to do this to the Doctor. He honestly did. What Eggman was saying now, doing now was the old him. But it had to be done. He had to get revenge on that blue pest. Change would just have to be patient.

The Doctor paused when he got to the T-shaped lever he'd pulled earlier and locked eyes with Eggman. "You can stop this, you know. We can forget this ever happened. You and me, we can stay in this universe and watch what happens. We can travel the stars, see if there are planets like yours or mine in this universe," the Doctor pleaded, a sad look in his eyes. "I can help you change."

"Change can wait, Doctor," spat Eggman. "It can wait until I've gotten revenge on the one person who ruined my life: Sonic the Hedgehog. That rodent has caused me so much pain and misery that I have very nearly gone insane. Every time I try to do something, he's always there to stop me, EVERY TIME! Well, no more. Once we get to Ponyville, I will kill him, even if it means the destruction of an innocent universe. You hear that? I WILL KILL HIM!" In a fit of pure rage, Eggman slammed both his fists onto the control panel, causing a shower of sparks and nearly jarring the pistol out of his hand. After a few seconds, he noticed that the Doctor still hadn't pulled the switch. "Well, what are you waiting for!? Pull the switch!"

"How do you know that Sonic's in Ponyville? Shouldn't he still be in--"

"Well, he's not!" shouted Eggman, pointing the gun at the Doctor again. "That loud boom from earlier? That was Sonic. I saw it. He's the only one who could go that fast."

"Well, actually, there's this one pegasus--"

"Pull the switch, Doctor!" Eggman interrupted, waving the gun menacingly. "Or die!"

"Fine, fine," said the Doctor, putting his hoof on the lever and pulling it down.

-------

"So, what's your plan if Sonic actually is in Ponyville, which I still don't believe he is," muttered the Doctor, stepping out of the TARDIS onto the tree lined path to Ponyville, followed closely behind by Eggman who was keeping the gun trained on the Doctor.

Eggman smiled. "Believe it, because I saw him. And don't worry, I have a plan," he said, looking up at the sun. "Good, it's only about noonish. That gives me plenty of light to kill Sonic by." He glanced at the Doctor and thrust his hand into his pocket before pulling out a small black cube with a blue button on top.

The Doctor looked curiously at it. "What is that?"

"This, Doctor," began Eggman, "is E-124 X. After I finished building my E-Series robots, I decided to make something that took the best attributes of all previous E-Series robots and put them together. This is that something." He layed it on the ground, pressed the button, and stepped back.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, the inside of the cube suddenly exploded outward, unfolding and expanding until it took the shape of a very sinister and deadly looking 20 foot tall mech. Eggman had based much of the design off of E-123 Omega. Large, rounded arms filled with all types of weapons, ending in sleek, metallic hands. The abdomen was wide and sturdy. On it's back was a bulky jetpack, on top of which, and hidden from view, was a launcher that held thirty missiles. The entire body had a red-black color scheme. Where the head should've been, was Eggman's Eggpod, open and ready to be sat in.

Eggman rubbed his hands together and laughed. "E-124, initiate protocol 1!" At his command, the Eggpod zoomed down to him and he climbed in. Once he was in, the Eggpod locked back into place at the top of the mech. Eggman put his gun back into his pocket.

The Doctor stared at the mech, a horrified look on his face. "And what are you going to do with that, exactly?"

"I'm going to rampage through Ponyville until I find that blue pest," Eggman replied bluntly.

The Doctor's face became suddenly angry. "No, I won't let you do this! I don't care if I die, I won't let you hurt innocent ponies just to kill one person!"

Eggman's glasses flashed. "I was afraid you'd say that. E-124, materialize cage and transport the Doctor into it." A cage materialized on the right side of the mech's body and the Doctor was instantly transported into it in a flash of blue light.

"I beg of you, don't hurt these innocent ponies; they've done nothing to you!" the Doctor shouted, banging against the bars of the cage with his hooves. "Please!"

"Quiet! I said before that I'll kill Sonic even if it means the destruction of an innocent universe, and I plan on sticking to that. You're just going to have to deal with it," growled Eggman, putting his hand on the mech's control stick and pushing it forrward, causing the mech to begin walking towards Ponyville.

There was silence, save for the mech's earth-shaking footsteps. Eggman was positively giddy with excitement. Finally, after so long, he was going to win! He was going to wipe Sonic off the face of the multiverse! Eggman idly wondered if the annoying fox, Tails, would be with Sonic. He also wondered if he'd feel bad if he killed Tails. Probably not, considering the fox had caused him almost as much trouble as Sonic had. Eggman hadn't forgotten about that missile in Station Square...

"When I left you alone by the Discord statue, did you, by any chance, try to release him?" the Doctor asked cautiously. "Tell me the truth."

"No," answered Eggman. "You said that you know who I am so I'm assuming the reason you're asking is because you know that I've released many divine beasts in the past. Am I correct?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, you are."

"I'm curious, how did you find out about me? You didn't seem to know me before, when you were showing me aroud Canterlot," Eggman observed.

"Well, when you told me your fake story about how you got in the void, the names you used sounded familiar," explained the Doctor. "So, when I left you by Discord's statue, I checked who you were on the TARDIS's computer which, funnily enough, is still connected to my universe's internet. You see, Eggman, in my universe, you are a video game character." He said that last line in what sounded like a very smug tone.

"A video game character?"

"Yes, you're the main antagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. I've played quite a few games in the series myself. Sonic CD is my favorite by far; I always appreciate a game involving time travel," the Doctor replied. "Oh, by the way, I'll be able to tell if you're lying about releasing Discord or not."

Eggman chuckled. "And how will you be able to tell, Doctor?"

"Chaos comes with chocolate rain Eggman, chocolate rain," said the Doctor. "And also pink clouds made of cotton candy."

"This universe just gets weirder and weirder," Eggman said, rubbing his head.

About a minute later, they had successfully entered Ponyville. A crowd was beginning to gather around the mech, which Eggman had stopped so that he could talk to the assembled ponies.

Eggman cleared his throat and a microphone rose up out of the Eggpod's control panel. "Do any of you ponies know where Sonic the Hedgehog is?" he asked, his voice digitally magnified by the microphone.

The crowd of ponies continued to gawk at Eggman and his mech, although one mint green unicorn shouted, "I knew humans existed! I told you guys but none of you listened!"

This was beginning to annoy Eggman. "I said, do any of you know where--"

"He's over at the library," piped up a small orange pegasus filly with a magenta mane. "The one inside a tree."

Eggman smiled down at her. "Thank you." He looked up and scanned the town, looking for a large tree. He saw one near the cneter of the town. Eggman was about to start making the mech walk forward again when a cream colored Earth pony with a purple-pink mane stepped in his way.

"I won't let you pass until you tell me why you have that pony there locked up," she said, firmly planting herself between him and the road to the library.

There were mutterings throughout the crowd and the mint green unicorn from earlier shouted, "Bon-Bon, what are you doing!?"

Eggman's glasses flashed. "Argh, I don't have time for this, I have a hedgehog to kill! Out of the way pony, or you die as well!"

The crowd let out a collective gasp but the pony shook her head. "No."

"So be it," Eggman muttered as he lifted the mech's left leg and crushed the pony beneath it's foot. Moving the foot away form the broken corpse of the pony, he began walking towards the library. He heard the cries of what he assumed was that mint green unicorn behind him.

Suddenly, rocks, fireballs, and an assortment of other objects, began pelting the back of the mech. Multiple ponies began kicking the feet of his mech as he walked. Luckily for Eggman, the mech had plenty of shielding, so nothing short of an Eclipse Cannon blast was going to destroy this machine.

Eggman punched in a couple buttons on his control panel. "Missiles 1 through 15, lock on to random houses and fire!" The area above the mech's jetpack opened up and fifteen missiles streamed out, hitting homes all across the town and setting them ablaze. As expected, the ponies immediately ceased their useless attacks and began focusing their efforts on putting out the fires.

"I'm coming to get you Sonic!" Eggman shouted into his microphone, keeping his eyes on the incoming library. "You won't escape this time!"

"You monster, you horrible, horrible monster!" exclaimed the Doctor, stamping his hooves. "Killing innocent ponies, setting their homes on fire, for what? To get revenge on a hedgehog who was just trying to make the world a better place! You're much worse that I thought Eggman."

Eggman sneered. "I don't care about your opinions, Doctor. Right now, I only care about killing Sonic."

They were at the library now and Eggman could hear voices inside, determined voices. Eggman smiled. It was time, time to kill Sonic. Too bad Sonic wouldn't remember him. That took some of the fun out of killing the pest but not enough that Eggman wouldn't enjoy himself. He'd wanted this too much not to.

"Missile 16, fire!" said Eggman.

A missile flew out of the mech's back and hit the front of the library causing it to explode. Over the noise of the explosion, Eggman could hear a female voice shouting, "My mane! My beautiful mane! This wind is going to ruin it!"

After the dust cleared, Eggman got a good look at who was in front of him. There were six ponies as well as the cursed hedgehog and his annoying sidekick Tails. Eggman guessed that the six ponies were the Elements of Harmony. Of course, the heroes of his universe would find the heroes of this universe. Things always needed to be more difficult than they should be. No matter, these ponies wouldn't be able to stop him for killing Sonic.

Seeing Sonic and company gawk at his marvelous machine cause Eggman to laugh. "Hohohohoho! At last, after all these years, I'm finally going to win! You may not remember me Sonic, but I certainly remember you."

That last remark apparently confused Sonic because he asked, "What do you mean, Egghead? Of course I remember you. How could I forget?"

"What!? But how do you remeber!?" Eggman exclaimed, scratching his head. Didn't the Doctor say that if someone traveled into universe unprotected they wouldn't remember what happened in the last universe they were in? "No matter, I'll kill you anyway." He pressed a button on his control panel labeled 'Gatling Gun' and watched with satisfaction as his mech's left hand was instantly replaced with a large chain gun.

"But wait, how'd you get here?" questioned Tails, eyeing the chain gun nervously.

Funnily enough, Eggman had the exact same question for the both of them. "I might ask you the same question, fox boy!"

"Our answere is pretty simple," Tails said, taking his eyes off the chain gun and putting them on Eggman. "We were sucked into a crack in the fabric of time and space by the energy of pure love."

"Oh, that explains how you two remembered everything!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The power of love will protect anything through the void between worlds, even something as easy to lose as memories. Brilliant! It wasn't , by any chance, the blast that Shining Armor and Cadence used at the wedding, was it?"

"It was," replied the purple unicorn who was standing to Sonic's right.

So the power of love got Sonic and Tails into this universe and let them keep their memories? Fate must really not want Eggman to win. Too bad for fate though, because today Eggman was going to win.

"Ooh, you're Twilight Sparkle," the Doctor observed, "the unicorn who represents the element of magic. I was there, you know at the wedd--"

"Doctor, enough of this!" interrupted Eggman. The Doctor could ramble later because, for now, there was still a hedgehog to kill. "I don't have time to talk to these insignificant ponies!"

This remark caused the cyan pony to become angry. "Who're you calling insignificant, fatty?"

"I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!" Eggman lied, quickly getting impatient. "These inaccurate insults will get you nowhere!"

"You haven't answered the question, mustachio; how did you get here?" asked Sonic, his eyes narrowing.

That was an easily answerable question. "Hohoho," Eggman laughed. "It was quite simple really. You see, the Doctor here found me in the void using his TARDIS. I tricked him into thinking I was a good guy and he took me here. I saw a blue boom thing and knew you were the only one fast enough to create something like that."

"It's called a sonic rainboom," the pink pony piped up, "and Sonic is not the only person to create one. Dashie here has also--"

"Shut up!" interjected Eggman. "You will not insult my intelligence you--"

"Actually, she's right," the Doctor said. "In fact, I've seen it myself. One of the most amazing thins I've ever seen, and that's saying something.

The cyan pony smiled. "I don't mean to brag, but--"

"ENOUGH!" Eggman yelled, his arms thrown crazily into the air. This conversation was starting to get on Eggman's nerves. It was time to end this, once and for all. "After all these years and all these failed plans, I will finally win! I've waited a long time for this. Sonic, Tails, time to meet your maker!" He moved a joystick on his control panel until the mech's gun arm was pointing at the group assemble in front of him.

As the group tensed up, Eggman raised his finger to dramatically press the big red button. In reality, the chain gun was mostly for show. The button would actually fire fourteen heat-seeking missiles at the heroes. While they were busy dodging the chain gun, the missiles would come in and finish them off. Genius!

Just as he was about to press the button, the ponies gasped. "Yes, this machine is pretty impressive," gloated Eggman, smiling.

The purple unicorn shook her head and pointed her hoof to some point above Eggman's head. "Not you machine, look!"

Eggman looked up. Floating a couple feet above his head, was a bright pink cloud.

END OF PART 2

Comments

[mbpony 512]

So that explains how Classic Eggman escapes and then forgets the entire adventure.

Still, nice update and a nice lead into old Discord. However, it would be interesting to see what would happen if Dr. Eggman learned of the Changlings army and their queen ?

Please do keep up the good work upon such a great tale like this one.