Chapter Text
The next morning, Shadow awakens in the guest room and heads to Sage's room to check on her. "Good morning, Shadow!" Sage greets him cheerfully as she hovers gracefully in the hallway before him. Shadow raises his hand in greeting, a warm smile spreading across his face at the sight of her.
"Let's head down to the dining room for breakfast," Shadow said, holding Sage's hand as they descended the stairs. Upon entering, they cheerfully called out "Good morning!" to everyone gathered around the large dining table. Eggman looked up from feeding Orbot and Cubot, perched in their high chairs. "How did you both sleep, Shadow and Sage?" he asked while continuing to spoon-feed his robotic sons.
The pawn eggs are served on plates set on the breakfast table. Shadow, Sage, and Metal are eating their breakfast quietly. Once they finish, Eggman wipes Cubot's bib clean and lifts him from the high chair, speaking to him softly.
"Excuse me, I feel so oily and heavy," Cubot said, tugging at his father's clothes. Then he had a little accident himself.
"I'll take you to the restroom!" Eggman says as he gently picks up Cubot. He quickly lifts the toilet seat lid and carefully places Cubot on the potty.
"It hurts so much!" Cubot whimpered, clinging to his father's clothes as he peered down into the toilet bowl filled with oil and bolts.
"Excellent job!" "Did you complete using the potty? I feel proud of you!" Eggman talks to his son Cubot, and then Cubot agrees by nodding.
Dr. Eggman carefully lifts Cubot from the potty and gently places him on the floor. With attentive care, he thoroughly cleans Cubot and applies a fresh diaper, ensuring proper hygiene and comfort. Once finished, Dr. Eggman helps Cubot stand up before retrieving and emptying the potty's container.
"Excellent work!" After inspecting its oil-stained components and worn hardware, Eggman carefully places the damaged vessel into the waste receptacle.
Eggman awards a star to his son, Cubot, and shows the chart where Cubot proudly displays his reward.
"I successfully used the bathroom independently today!" Cubot happily shares this achievement with his robotic siblings.
"Great job! How do you feel after using the potty?" Orbot asked his little brother,
"I'm not scared of using the toilet, but I get nervous when I look down into it," Cubot confides in his older brother, Orbot.
Eggman sat on the couch, watching his children. "I think so. But why did you go to work today?" Orbot asked his father, Eggman.
"I have good news—I'm finishing up my work at the hospital, but I'll still be around. What are your thoughts on this? I want to express my gratitude for everything, Shadow," Eggman explained to his children.
"Please, I want to play with Shadow!" Sage exclaimed as he was enveloped in a warm embrace from his cousin.
"Oh no! We need to teach and play with our new friends!" exclaimed Orbot and Cubot as they warmly embraced their cousin.
"Please, I want to stay and spend more time together!" Metal exclaimed, wrapping his cousin in a tight, affectionate embrace.
"Don't cry, little cousin," Shadow said softly, kneeling down and gently rubbing the child's back. "I promise we'll spend time together during the next holiday, or I'll come over when you have a babysitter."
"I will play a little with you!" Shadow tells his little cousin.
"What game do you play?" Shadow asked his little cousin.
"Let's pretend to play hospital!" Sage, Orbot, and Cubot say to him.
"Ok, let's go play!" Shadow tells them.
"I'm a patient," Shadow said as Orbot, who was serving as his doctor, examined him. Sage and Cubot, both working as nurses, assisted with the examination, while Cubot also managed the front desk duties.
They are pretending to be at the hospital while Eggman sits and watches his children and Shadow play. Eggman laughs at them, then sits on the couch and writes a check for his nephew, Shadow.
Shadow was preparing to depart from babysitting duties. "I need to return home to attend to my missions," he explained gently to his young cousin. Before leaving, he embraced his cousin affectionately with a warm hug and kiss.
"If you behave well and stay on track with the chart board, that's what big girls and boys do," Shadow explained to his little cousin. Then Shadow picked up the paid check and waved goodbye to them.
“I am very sorry. Farewell to my nephew!” Eggman says to his children.
“Have a good night and back to mission work tomorrow,” Eggman says, sitting on the couch and waving to his nephew.
"We still want to play!" Orbot, Cubot, and Sage exclaimed to their father, Eggman.
"Of course, I'll play with you!" Eggman watched contentedly as his children enjoyed their playtime.
Eggman settles onto the plush couch, his children gathering close as he opens an old leather-bound album. "Come, let me show you something special," he says warmly, turning to pages filled with memories. The photographs tell stories of his younger days aboard the ARK space colony, chronicling moments with Shadow and his brilliant grandfather Gerald aboard the massive living mothership that they once called home. His eyes sparkle with nostalgia as he points to each cherished image, ready to share tales of their remarkable life among the stars.
"That's me when I was a baby," Eggman replied with a slight smile, showing her an old photograph. "Your grandmother took this picture during my first birthday. Look at those chubby cheeks and that ridiculous bow tie your great-grandmother insisted I wear."
Sage giggled, tracing the edges of the photograph with her finger. "You were adorable! What happened?" she teased, earning a playful scowl from her father.
"Very funny, young lady. I'll have you know I was voted 'Most Likely to Build a Robot Army' in high school," he retorted with mock indignation, making Sage laugh even harder.
"This is adorable!" exclaimed Orbot, his mechanical eyes whirring with delight. Cubot bobbed up and down in agreement as they both gazed at the picture.
"That's an adorable sentiment!" Metal observed as he gazed at the picture.
“Hehe, this is me as a baby with my grandfather,” Eggman pointed at the picture.
"Who is this?" Eggman gestured towards the image, addressing his eldest creation, Metal.
"Oh, it's quite remarkable to think about the early days!" Metal excitedly shared with his siblings, reminiscing.
"Hey, look at this—check out who's turning into quite the little bot!" Metal said proudly to his little brother Orbot.
"Two prototypes? Father, what made you decide to create a pair of us?" Orbot asked curiously, turning to Eggman.
"I have two prototype robots before you—originally white but now changed to red. This is my first attempt at building a robot," Eggman explained to his son, Orbot.
"Look at this. Who is the second little bot?" Eggman asked, pointing at the picture.
“That’s me,” Cubot replied, glancing at the picture.
"You're right," Eggman said to his little son, Cubot.
On a perfect day for reminiscing, Dr. Eggman shared tender moments with his children, embracing them warmly. Later, while looking through a photo album, Eggman stepped away as Orbot, Cubot, and Sage curiously examined its contents. Orbot picked up a particular photograph, asking, "Who is this robot?"
The three siblings were startled by what they discovered in the picture, catching Eggman's attention and causing him to turn back toward them.
"That would be D-Fekt," Eggman explained thoughtfully. "He was one of my earlier robots—you could say he's your disconnected brother from the past."
The End