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A Race

"I meant no harm-" The crowd all yelled over each other.

~~~~

Sonic stopped in front of the restaurant door, the sign still persisted.

Tails set foot down next to Sonic. "It's been a week, Sonic, why don't we find somewhere else?"

"It has to be worse than he's said, he might be old but he's stubborn as hell."

"He's not being the stubborn one here, pal." Tails put his hands on his hips. "Don't you have a restaurant, why don't we get Chilli dogs, like the old day's, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah maybe we should just give it time- race you there?" Sonic said, she stretched a small bit, a little stiffness sounding.

"Why not, you need a head start old man?" Tails asked, starting to get into stance.

"Who, me?"

"On your marks."

"Get set!"

"GO!"

~~~~

Orbot angrily opened the door.

"Dude, the restaurant was closed what-" The door was slammed.

Sonic knocked again. Orbot opened the door.

"Alright, I know you are the first gentleman and all and you're actually wearing pants for once but can you leave us alone, yes the restaurant is closed you can wait a few days!" Orbot yelled, suddenly Cubot's hand collided with Orbot's shoulder and he whispered something to Orbot. "He's in no state-"

"What the boss says goes, babe." Cubot reminded gently, Orbot shook his head.

"Will you be on your best behaviour?" Orbot hissed to Sonic.

"I always am!" Sonic asked, he was grabbed by his tie and pulled to Orbot's level.

"You better hope you are." And Orbot started to drag Sonic in.

"Hey I just ironed this." Sonic gasped as he was dragged by the noose.

"Whatever." Orbot soped infront of a door, knocked, then entered without Sonic. Down the hallways a loud noise sounded with squalling from Octbot and Cubot. Orbot poked back out the door, and looked down the hall at starting smoke, then at Sonic.

"He'll see you now." Orbot hissed, he opened the door for Sonic, and then slammed it behind him. Sonic looked into the dark and quiet study. One lamp illuminated the shape of an egg, and a drafting table.

"So, come to see your enemy, weak and feeble, huh hedgehog." Eggman said quietly.

"Look man, I'm sorry sometimes I just don't know what I'm doing, and I don't want you to stop what you're doing just because I-" Eggman put up his left hand, pencil still in his fingers.

"Sonic..." Eggman put his hand back on the board. "My dear Sonic, I remember the first time I saw you, smashing apart my beautiful robots." Sonic gulped.

"It's been a long time, 25 or so years." Sonic said, an awkward laugh leaving his lungs.

"I must say, you really haven't lost it." Eggman said, he glanced back, he gestured at a chair near him. "Come in, come in, don't just stand there, take off your pants and do some stretches, you never really have been the same since you started your meds, the same, hmm, what a funny word, same, as if nothing changes nanosecond to nanosecond."

"Always the exsetentulas, huh egghead." Sonic said as he, in one fail swoop, took of his pants, did a flip, and landed in the char on his side, posing as he looked onto what Eggman was working on. "Oh, making some bots to help people live longer, I know, lung bots that make your lungs and heart better with message!" Sonic jokes, Eggman glanced at his old friend making dumb jokes and prys at him as always.

"I don't want to live forever." He stated, Sonic looked up at him, blank, Eggman took a breath and rethought his words. "I mean, Sonic, that I don't want to exist longer than I need to."

"That's deep, but what about your title as smartest man alive, what about you're robots-"

"Of course, I never want to abandon them all, and I want to see Eggette graduate and I want to see her succeed and move forward with the empire, and I want to draw every robot I've ever had pop in my mind...." Eggman looked at the blueprint he was working on, a few little patches of liquid had already settled on it gently, he took a breath and neatly signed the robot, naming it, and giveing a tiny 'Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik'. "But, I don't have anything past that, do I?" Eggman gently rolled up the blueprint, and placed it in an overflowing slot in front of him, he pulled out a new sheet of paper.

"Oh, come on, what about your restaurant!"

"Empty."

"Or the times you took over mobius!"

"Overthrown near immediately."

"You got that rug?"

"Worth nothing, and Cubot set it on fire."

"Oh come on!" Sonic stood on the chair, spinning once or twice around on the swivel of the seat before glaring at Eggman. "You still took over mobius! You still have everything you made! And hey, it was a nice rug while it lasted!" Sonic announced, Eggman looked up from his drawing and glared at Sonic.

"But it's all in the past, it's a past life." Eggman said, he took a breath. "You haven't past your prime, you probably never will. It's a feeling that I can't, and don't want to, explain. What happened last week, it put everything in perspective."

"You're perspective has never been straight, Eggman." Sonic announced. "You've never let anything stop you from living before."

"I didn't have 50 pounds of oxygen to haul around."

"But you've always managed to pull hundreds of pounds of idiot robot." Eggman looked at Sonic.

"Thanks," Eggman looked back down at his drawing, he suddenly erased half of it, and passionately scrambled down a robot, he then held it up and scewed his view. He started to laugh. "Maybe a hundred pounds is a bit much but they can't be to idiotic if all they do is circle your lungs acting as makeshift lung muscel!" Eggman called, Sonic looked at him and smirked.

"That's the Egghead I know!" Sonic called, Eggman stood and turned towards the door.

"ORBOT!" Eggman clapped his hands. Orbot shot into the room, turning on the main light, and gripped a broom in his hands and ready to 'fight.' "Orbot, my tools please, we have something to build! Actually, set up the lab! It's inventing time!" Eggman announced, Orbot looked at Sonic, then to Eggman, he leaned the broom on the wall and took a a second to process before blowing a bit of air hard with his fans and slugging off to get fulfill his master's wishes.

"So, Egg Brain, when's the restaurant gonna be back open?" Sonic asked.

"Next monday, now, I don't mean to be rude but get out." Eggman chirped.

"What ever, see you on the back side, Eggman." Sonic started to the door.

"Sayonara, Sonic." Eggman called after him, Sonic laughed and then rocketed out.

~~~~

"You took your time, Tails." Sonic said as Tails arrived at the restaurant.

"How are you still in shape? It didn't take you that short, did it?" Tails painted.

"Oh, I took my time, longer than you think, little buddy." Sonic pondered. "It's you we need to shape up, you can start joining me on my morning 'jog.'" Sonic offred patting Tails on the back.

"No thank you," Tails then saw Sonic pouting. "Fine, maybe tomorrow."

"Alright! Now let's eat some chili dogs!"

"You're still the 8 year old I met."

"You love me!"

"Debatable."