#Within the cycle|Annette Monet

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@a0iakuma ToRmEnT

A deep breath was once again forced through her lips.

Having to force this body into being used to chaos energy, knowing that she was asking for far too much. He was gone, and will always be so. That was how death worked, as far as anyone was aware. Though her silver ears tilted down at the thought, self-awareness creeping in. This was years in the making, ever since the. . . Incident. Research and chaos, and arguments between everyone. Someone else is being forced to take his role, suffering all the while.

Everyone said it was the best option, but... If they let it continue, that girl was going to die, and they knew it. She wasn't as capable, unable to do the great feats that their blue hero could pull off without thinking twice. They were already at a disadvantage, losing their greatest asset. If the time came without either of them... There was no point fighting, and she knew it.

"... So many people are going to get upset with me." A quiet, nervous chuckle emitted from her, gaze moving toward the Master Emerald. She had what she could get hold of without too much question. A simple distraction for the echidna made it easy to get near what she considered an old friend. Multiple Jewels in her hand, and multiple Chaos Emeralds acquired.

She felt ill. Annette had never been one to be able to stay close to Chaos energy for long, much less this much of it. She would only have one chance to pull this off... And even then, she wondered if this single chance would end her.

All the fox could do, at least, is try.

Closing her eyes, both sets of rocks floated. "I trust you believe in me... Allow me to try, at least." His aura is particular; he would be easy to find in the 'sea' of souls. Zoey had spoken of this many times in the past. Even if this isn't something she was used to doing, it should be obvious enough to her, at least.

It was taking multiple minutes, she could feel her energy draining with each second. The fox assumed she had five minutes max to comb through as much area as she could, with the hope of coming across the one she was searching for--

Her eyes snapped open. "There-"

What magic she could manage in that space, a string grabbed onto the soul she saw, and she yanked as hard as she could. It wouldn't be the first time she kept one alive, but it would be another to make sure a body would form. There wasn't even a chance to think about just where this body and soul would end up--

"Come on, now; Sonic! You're not done yet!"

She could feel the raw pressure of the Master Emerald suddenly, the chaos energy being far too much for her to handle. But yet, she pulled one last time despite it, using what reservoir she had left--

But then, all she could see was darkness.

Meanwhile. . .

"I'm going out, mom!" The rabbit called out, small chao quickly moving to next to her. "I promised Maika I'd help her out with the chao gardens, since she hasn't had the time lately."

Vanilla, moving to look at her child through the kitchen door, took a good look at the other to make sure that she had everything she needed on her. "Make sure you contact me when you get there, Cream. And if you plan on staying overnight, she needs to be there, alright?"

"I promise!" The younger one chimed, smiling. "I'll be careful, I don't want either of you to worry." Both her mom and Maika had far too much to deal with, adding her to the mix would be too much and she knew it.

"Let's go, Cheese!" "Chao!"

The two were quick to get moving, knowing full well that there was still quite a trip through Green Hill ahead of them to get to where they needed to be.

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A certain fox was slowly looking over toward the unspecified species that was near her, staring her down with this sudden new revelation. "... What IS the name of your species?... Could you do that, theoretically?"

"I-I don't really know... I was born... Alone, with only him in sight. I think I have just as many, if not more, questions about what kind of being I really am." Cosmo spoke quietly, gaze moving off to the side. "I wonder sometimes, though... If there are more like me out there. Or... If there's more like him."

Annette thought about it for a moment before grabbing the smaller creature into her arms. "Then we may as well test some of the theories. Perhaps you are as plant-based as your appearance suggests."

And thus, Cosmo is getting kidnapped for some plant testing-

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A certain silver fox was watching, unamused, at the way others acted. The way others assumed and the way others held the raw audacity of how they spoke. She would never be cruel to those undeserving, though she shall be disappointed. After all, they weren't the ones that took the time to even try. Took the effort to figure out why and work to fix it. She highly doubted they ever would unless they found some sort of reason to on their end. That was how the mind worked, after all.

And while she had a reason for giving their Ivo redemption, never had she once claimed that it was impossible. "I had hoped that once the multiverse had opened up, we may receive assistance to our plight. That, perhaps, freedom from our troubles may be in our grasp. Perhaps somewhere had once dealt with similar to our living hell."

Spinning the red liquid in her glass, she let out a quiet breath. "But if they cannot accept each and every one of us suffering as we are, not even a single person, I highly doubt we would ever get looked upon in any light manner."

"Give it time dear. As you said, the multiverse has only just opened up. People only know what's on the surface right now. No one has tried to poke any deeper yet." As the greyed sea wolf inspected the readings, he let out a soft chuckle. He suspected it to be likely for things to start off like this. For people to make assumptions first, and ask questions later. Still, it was admittedly disappointing that there hadn't been anyone to have noticed or poked deeper yet.

It was just a matter of time, though. How many times might those outside end up witnessing their cycle starting over again before stepping in, he wondered. Maybe not at all. Or maybe it would be a dozen times over. He didn't speak this aloud, but he knew that his companion shared the same thoughts. They'd come to know each other's mindset and train of thought.

"Let's just. . . Let time and fate work it's magic. It always does in the end, and in the beginning."

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There is a tail slowly swaying side to side. It seems she had found her target with little issue. Much like he said, there was no such thing as mercy within the soul of the green rock that practically held the fate of the world in its hands. He shall not be free today, nor ever.

She made her way to him, moving to crawl up him without so much as a word. He didn't need to know what she was doing or why she was there. Though Annette assumed he knew exactly what she was doing.

Finally, she found herself comfortable sitting in lap, tail still swaying as she tilted her head to look at him. "... Lap check, Ivo."

. . . The brown rabbit was attacking others to 'vibe check' them, and the brown hedgehog had captured the yellow fox to cuddle check and force them into self care.

And as amused as he was, Eggman could only feel dread, because he knew that it was only a matter of time before someone decided to do some outlandish thing to him.

"Well, shit. . . Well, nothing more to do than to try and keep working on this new design, and hope everyone leaves me be."

He felt cursed just speaking those words, and was already praying to Chaos and the Master Emerald for mercy.

Though he knew no mercy lived in its geological heart.

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Known Team/Group Comps Part 1

A small list of some of the currently known team comps that seem most common within the Cycles, even with differences occurring. This will primarily use teams of 3, akin to Heroes, however, some groups have formed with more members over time.

Team Eclipse: Consists of Shadow the Hedgehog, Fisk Ashwell, and Zayn Meza. Occasionally, Rouge and Omega are also a part of this team, however, the group of Team Dark is still known to exist, with Shadow still working with the two on a regular basis. Team Eclipse had been usually created unwillingly, at least on Shadow's part. However, he tends to get used to it after some time, and LOTs of patience. Shadow is speed, Fisk is flying, and Zayn is power respectively. Rouge would be a replacement for fly, and Omega for power respectively when needed.

Team Collab: Consists of Vinzent Vogrand, Annette Monet, and Tikal the Echidna. Team Collab also consists of Curio and Zayn. This group was formed when the Trio Collaboration had started a long time ago. Having been known for how they understood one another before even acting, they are a formidable team when together. However, it seems that such a dream is impossible now. Vinzent is speed, Annette is flying, and Tikal is power respectively. Curio would be a reliable replacement for power, and Zayn is a good flying replacement.

Team Collab-Reformed: Consists of Dianne Simmon, Knuckles the Echidna, and Hero Vogrand. It is as if Team Collab had finally gotten together after far too long. While it may take time, this group can be capable of just as much, if not more than the previous iteration. Dianne is proven to be the primary peacekeeper in this group. Dianne is speed, Knuckles is flying, and Hero is power respectively.

Team Isle: Consists of Dianne Simmon, Ray the Flying Squirrel, and Mighty the Armadillo. The three have been working together since Mighty and Ray ended up on the Archipelago, so they know how one another works and use it to their advantage. However, it had been a while since there was a major enough issue for them to have to team up in such a way. Dianne is speed, Ray is flying, and Mighty is power in this team comp.

Team Chaotix: Espio the Chameleon, Charmy the Bee, and Vector the crocodile have added a new member to their team, Woojoo Song. While she is a valid replacement for Charmy when the situation may be too dangerous, she primarily works as tech and support from the sidelines, entering data stages on her own with them defending the system she is in.

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The very fox that he had come across and was shaking awake remained still for some time. She was far from used to so much Chaos energy in one place, especially with it having burst at her to make sure that nothing fatal occurred. Though she had wondered for some time if, perhaps, it had been too much.

Then she felt the feeling of Chaos Radiation hit her.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped awake, and she felt herself instinctively swallow back her last meal to try and prevent herself from causing any more of a mess than she already had. Regardless, the fox had expected to be getting yelled at, whether it be from the echidna, or her lying in a bed being told off by one of her various companions. However, the sight she saw...

"... Sonic?" She muttered, being able to recognize the color in her blurry vision anywhere. Even when he came to, she expected him to instantly realize what she did and tell her off. Not... The immediate concern about her. Her gaze finally started to sharpen, her hand going up to her head as she forced herself to sit up.

Annette moved to look around, noticing that she was still relatively close to where she had been before she got knocked out. She could see the various stones spread out from where they had been before, and out in the distance, she swore she could hear...

Oh heavens no, the Echidna. He was coming.

She further snapped awake, stumbling to get up. "Not the time, we need to grab the rocks and get out of here." Oh heavens, if he caught them, there would be SO many issues. Without a second thought, she was already moving to grab, at the very least, the Jewels over the Chaos Emeralds. Those will always come back together eventually anyway, so the priority would always be the elusive Jewels, since they needed to be returned to the Archipelago eventually anyway. "Please be a dear and help me out, then we need to GO-"

As she was attempted to rush the hedgehog into assist her in covering up what she had done, it was as if on cue that the sound of the island's resident Echidna could be heard. "Hey, what's going on over here?! Who's messin' with the Master Emerald without askin' me first?!"

Well, shit-

It was quiet, almost peaceful but dull. He felt light, floating around somewhere. Anywhere in what was this supposed to be. Sonic had brief thoughts that just passes by; ( And are often forgotten. ) Nothing was fully corporeal, not when you happened to be dead. Just a soul or something, though Sonic had no idea. Peacefulness was dreadfully boring here. ( And this afterlife had no chili dogs at all! It might as well be hell! )

Then there's a tugging sensation and everything else became a kaleidoscope of colours that became more disorienting as it went on. From colours to darkness to the sudden bright light.

“ ⸻ Huh? ” It was the first word that came out of his mouth. He still felt light, floating— Not floating. Falling! Sonic shouted out, comedically trying to swim upwards and still falling down towards Angel Island. He screamed again: “ AAAAAAAAAA- ” Then he landed; arms and legs sprayed out, almost making a Sonic-Shaped Hole in the grassy ground. There's a sudden groan as Sonic eventually lifted his head up. What the hell? He groans again, sore all over. He screamed so much, he wondered if anyone heard him. ( If so, then that's embarrassing. )

Turning around, Sonic's eyes immediately snapped to the Master Emerald. He breathed in deeply, looking at himself. His hands, his shoes, quills and even his fingers. Everything was accounted for... Then he looked back at the Master Emerald and saw someone laying there and his eyes widened. Is she...? He stumbles, almost tripping over his legs.

Maybe being revived had its awkward setbacks, but he moved nonetheless, ignoring the achiness in favour of checking up on this person. He saw it was a fox. “ Hey... Are you okay? ” Sonic knelt down, gritting his teeth a little at the pain radiating in his body. He gently shook her shoulders, hoping that would be enough to wake her up. “ Hey. Hey! You good? Or are you dead? Please don't be dead... ”