The Rookie Chronicles (ChaosControl VA's AU)/Chronology (Past - "New Generation" Saga)

==Pasthttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)#Earth_F1718_(The_Rookie_Chronicles)==
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===Sonic Forceshttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_Forces#Sonic_Forceshttps://youtu.be/NzHvB6PaZBU===
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====Prologue====
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Fueled by his years-long hatred of Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman prepares to take yet another shot at expanding his Eggman Empire across the globe by working on an "invincible instrument of destruction" within the confines of his laboratory, with Orbot and Cubot commenting on how serious Eggman is this time. 
====The Beginning Stages====
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[[File:ParkAvenueConceptArt.jpg|thumb|left|290px|Sonic staring at the destruction caused by the Death Egg Robots.]]
When everything is ready, he launches a large-scale offensive on Sunset Cityhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sunset_City#Trivia with his Death Egg Robots and Egg Pawns, where he captures millions of citizens (including Priscilla The Orchid Mantis and the Strays). As things get desperate for the residents and all hope seemed lost, Sonic appears on the scene, having answered Tails' emergency call, and makes short work of the Egg Pawns threatening Tails and several civilians before challenging Dr. Eggman. Eggman, however, having anticipated this, has a surprise up his sleeve. As Sonic charges at Eggman, the doctor summons his allies, who block Sonic from reaching Eggman in his Egg Mobile. To his surprise, Sonic sees that Eggman's allies are none other than Shadow, Metal Sonic, Zavok, and Chaos. Among the familiar faces is also a newcomer: an enigmatic and powerful being who acts as Dr. Eggman's right-hand man and the leader of the Eggman Army. Sonic tries to fight them but is overwhelmed and easily thrashed by the newcomer's mysterious power as well as his allies. Tails, unable to help or figure out the newcomer's power, could only watch as Sonic gets defeated and falls unconscious.
Meanwhile, Berri is on her way to Vanilla and Cream's house to introduce her girlfriend Rebel to them; Vanilla is the only one there to see Berri and Rebel together as she answers the door though, pulling Berri inside to have a private argument with her. Vanilla is enraged that Berri would dare try to show Cream any form of romance when she's still just a child, but she understands that her sister's intentions were genuine, so Vanilla simply requests that (while Berri will still be able to see Cream normally) Berri keeps her lifestyle with the Strangers away from her niece until she's old enough to understand. These words hit Berri deep, and after Cream finally comes out to greet her aunt, the attack from the Eggman Empire finally reaches the abode. Berri and Vanilla manage to get Rebel and Cream to safety at first as the Eggman Empire destroys their home, but they're soon cornered by their forces and captured...
====The Aftermath====
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With the world believing Sonic to be dead, Eggman and his forces quickly take over the world. Using the mysterious being's power, the Eggman Empire manages to conquer over 99% of the planetEarth F1718-1
https://chaoscontrolvaocs.carrd.co/#sonicocuniversesystem over the course of six months, with only but a few isolated areas still free from their control. All hope is not lost however, as those among Sonic's friends who managed to escape Eggman's invasion decide to continue the fight. Together, they form a rag-tag team called the Resistance to combat Eggman's forces, with Knuckles the Echidna as their commander. Other members include Amy Rose, Team Chaotix, Rouge the Bat and Silver the Hedgehog. Excluded from the Resistance is Tails, who vanished after Sonic's disappearance, having become distraught over his apparent demise.
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[[File:Spectrum in Sonic Forces (02).jpg|thumb|left|225px|Knuckles giving Spectrum the Burst Wispon (after making it to Resistance HQ).]]
Despite assembling a small army, the Resistance is unable to stop Eggman's forces led by the new enemy, and the innocent are starting to give up hope. As the Resistance's core members discuss their situation, they bring up a new recruit that is joining them. After accessing the recruit's file, Knuckles arrives with updates from the battlefield before introducing the new recruit: a cowardly soldier named Spectrum The Hedgehog who helped the Chaotix defend Sunset City against Eggman's forceshttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_Forces:_Moment_of_Truth and survived an encounter with the mysterious being months prior (during which his sister was included in those who seemingly died), whom the Resistance nickname "Rookie." Not long after, Knuckles learns from Rouge that Sonic is still alive and that he is being held prisoner onboard the newly rebuilt Death Egg. Formulating a plan to rescue Sonic, Knuckles sends Spectrum and a squad to the Spaceport, and after much effort, the Resistance manages to steal a shuttle.
====Tails and the Other Sonic====
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Meanwhile, Tails is in the City, trying to fix a badly damaged E-123 Omega. As he is about to give up though, he is threatened by Chaos, who managed to sneak up on Tails before he noticed it. Before Chaos can attack Tails, however, Classic Sonic arrives, emerging from a wormhole he was sucked into after his most recent battle in the distant past, and saves Tails. Tails theorizes that Infinite's strange powers are affecting other dimensions, which may have pulled Classic Sonic from his time period. Believing his appearance there as a sign, Tails regains his hope and sets out with Classic Sonic to save the world.
====Rescuing the Lost====
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Back with the Resistance, Rouge reveals that Eggman has only kept Sonic alive for the last six months so that the hedgehog could see his empire upon its completion before being banished into space. With Eggman moving the banishment ahead of schedule as a response to their rescue attempt, however, the Resistance heads to the Death Egg. Once onboard, Spectrum's choice of route leaves him as the only one able to reach Sonic, leading him to some detention centers that happen to be holding his friends, those being his sister Audrey (who he notices is looking worse for wear, learning that was from Eggman's torture sessions) and Berri's family (minus Cream, who he learns was "Robotomized" before he and the Resistance got to them just then),https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Robotomized_Cream along with Rebel and a few unfamiliar faces such as the Strays and Priscilla. As that is happening, Sonic is about to be escorted to his banishment by Zavok. However, the Rookie's commotion onboard the Death Egg undoes Sonic's restraints, allowing him to take on and defeat Zavok and his Death Queen, who mysteriously fades away upon defeat. As Sonic makes his escape, he finds the scared Spectrum under attack from Egg Pawns (as he was in the middle of getting his friends to safety) and saves him, and together they return to their world via a shuttle.
After everyone arrives back at Resistance HQ, Spectrum makes sure to visit Audrey (in her little guest room at the HQ) to make sure she's alright, happy to know that she's still alive; it is there that Audrey sadly reveals the truth that she learned during Eggman's torture sessions, that being that she is in fact a robot (apparently being made by someone called "Gerald Robotnik")... This surprises Spectrum as well, but he comforts her all the same while also suggesting that she keeps this new side of herself a secret for the time being (which Audrey agrees with).https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Audrey_The_Hedgehog Meanwhile, Berri returns to her own quarters after dropping her sister Vanilla off to the sick bay (as she has been in a state of depression ever since Cream was Robotomized),https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Robotomized_Cream#Vanilla_The_Rabbit feeling free to let her own feelings on the matter out now that she's in private; Berri looks upon her and Rebel's belongings (especially those that are pertaining to their memberships with the Strangers) that were recovered by the Resistance, but she can only see Robotomized Cream in them while she does, so she smashes them all to pieces in a fit of agony just as Rebel arrives to see the commotion and comfort her... After that moment of emotion, Berri tries to explain to her girlfriend what happened to Cream and why she smashed their belongings just moments before (the reason being that she cannot subscribe to what they represent anymore after only seeing what Eggman did to Cream in them), but that only makes Rebel confused and angry; it's only after she leaves that Spectrum shows up and listens to Berri's story more respectfully and supportively that Rebel before him...https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Berri_The_Rabbit
After meeting with Berri, Spectrum tries to introduce himself to and comfort the other prisoners he rescued, starting with Priscilla, who he discovers has a vanity problemhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Priscilla_The_Orchid_Mantis#Personality but also had her wings clipped by Eggman during her own torture sessions onboard the Death Egg... Spectrum tries his best to motivate Priscilla while she is upset about (basically) being an amputee now, telling her that she will have to adapt but that he is willing to help her if she wanted that, all of which Priscilla is thankful for as she places herself in his debt;https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Priscilla_The_Orchid_Mantis#Spectrum_The_Hedgehog at the same, Serena The Hedgehog spectates all of that from afar before running back to her fellow band members, expressing how she has fallen for Spectrum and getting her friends to sympathize before resolving that they will try to help him from the sidelines. After getting reacquainted with his friends and introducing himself to his new ones, Sonic is then sent to go with the Rookie to destroy a weapon factory supplying Eggman's war effort. Despite Spectrum's cowardice, Sonic quickly accepts him as his partner.
====Infinite====
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After the attack, Sonic is sent to Mystic Jungle to help Silver and the Resistance forces there, who are being attacked by the mysterious being and the Egg Fleet. Although the being has the upper hand in their clash, Silver manages to make him drop a mysterious gemstone. Silver is eventually beaten, but Sonic quickly shows up to take on the being, who finally introduces himself as "Infinite". Although Sonic puts up a better a fight than before, he is still defeated, with Infinite leaving without killing him as he does not see him as a threat.
====The Phantom Ruby Prototypes====
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Meanwhile, Tails and Classic Sonic continue their adventure to stop Eggman, hoping to end the war by defeating the doctor and discover the way to get Classic Sonic back home, and soon find Eggman talking with Infinite about their schemes. By spying on them, the duo not only learns that Sonic is alive, but also learn that the source of Infinite's power comes from a gem called the Phantom Ruby, whose defective prototypes have all been destroyed by Infinite to keep them from interfering with Eggman's plans. After the villains' meeting is dismissed upon the notion that the Resistance and the world will soon fall to the Eggman Empire, Classic Sonic emerges from hiding and takes out Eggman and the machines he uses against him, including the Egg Dragoon. Despite this, the doctor still gloats to Tails and Classic Sonic that the Resistance will be wiped out by his master plan in just three days. Before Tails can ask more about it however, Eggman makes his escape.
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Having helped rescue some civilians (and Vi) in the meantime (with the help of Berri, who wants to help Spectrum out more often with his Resistance business in the hopes of finding and rescuing Cream), Spectrum is sent to check out some readings in Mystic Jungle. There, he finds Infinite's dropped Phantom Ruby prototype. He also finds Classic Sonic and Tails, who had come to the jungle to find Sonic. After that, Classic Sonic and Tails unite with the Resistance and relay what they learned. Sonic soon after heads to Sunset Heights to find Shadow, who is leading an attack on the city. Upon finding him, however, the real Shadow appears and dispatches his imposter. Shadow then reveals that the Shadow following Eggman was a virtual reality copy created by Infinite, as are the other villains serving him, meaning the size of Eggman's army is limitless.
====Operation Big Wave====
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[[File:Spectrum in Sonic Forces (8).jpg|thumb|left|290px|Spectrum facing up to Infinite in Metropolis during Operation Big Wave.]]
During this, Knuckles launches a massive attackhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Operation_Big_Wave meant to seize Eggman's undermanned headquarters, Metropolis, only for Infinite to foil the attack and wipe out 80% of the Resistance's army with the Phantom Ruby, forcing the remaining troops to retreat before the Resistance is completely annihilated; meanwhile, Spectrum and his friends encounter Robotomized Cream during the attack, and their ensuing fight does not go well for the heroes either, forcing them to retreat with the rest of the Resistance as well...https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Robotomized_Cream/History_and_app.#Servitude_to_Eggman/Rescued_by_Team_Spectrum While retreating, Spectrum comes across Infinite alone, who attempts to scare him into running away again. Remembering Sonic's words of encouragement, Spectrum musters the courage to fight Infinite. Infinite attempts to kill Spectrum, but finds his power unexpectedly countered. Despite his confusion, Infinite leaves Spectrum alive, knowing that Eggman will crush everyone in two days. As the Resistance retreats, Spectrum tries to catch up with them as he's attacked by Egg Pawns, during which he is rescued by and meets Whisper The Wolf, who vows to aid Spectrum in the days to come.
====Discovery of Tumult====
Sonic and Shadow finally return to the Resistance, seeing the aftermath of Operation Big Wave. There, Shadow reveals that he managed to get his hands on the Green Chaos Emerald (which he used to dispatch his Phantom Copy from before), which unexpectedly releases Tumult shortly after it is revealed. After Spectrum and his friends contain him, he explains that he is guardian of the Chaos Emerald Shadow found, and we was created by a being known as the Beginning, creator of the universe,https://chaoscontrolvaocs.carrd.co/#sonicocuniversesystem who had (seemingly)https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Diabolus betrayed him and sealed him in his Chaos Emerald out of nowhere. Spectrum and the Resistance appreciates Tumult's warning, but they also express that Eggman taking over their world is a bigger issue they have to deal with. Understanding this, Tumult vows to help their cause.
====The Second Battle for Metropolis (Team Spectrum forms)====
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Realizing that they need to stop the Phantom Ruby to win the war, Tails and Classic Sonic infiltrate Eggman's computer network in Chemical Plant and find the Phantom Ruby's weakness: it is directly powered by the Death Egg's core, and without a power source it is useless. In the meantime, Sonic and the Rookie grow closer after going after and defeating a Metal Sonic Phantom Copy together. After their heroic return to Resistance HQ though, Spectrum is taken aside by his friends who wish to discuss the important matter of Robotomized Cream, feeling as though they should be a unified front in order to (hopefully) successfully defeat and capture her.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Operation_Big_Wave Spectrum reluctantly agrees, and they decide to form "Team Spectrum" (a name that Spectrum humbly regrets at first, but one that his friends insist upon on account of his growth with Sonic so far). 
Putting their next plan into motion, the Resistance has Spectrum stage a diversion in Green Hill while Sonic shuts down the Death Egg's weapon defenses, thus allowing Classic Sonic to destroy the Death Egg, which in turn causes Eggman and his motley crew to make a retreat to Metropolis. Believing they have the upper hand now, the Resistance target Eggman in Metropolis; during this, Team Spectrum puts their own plan into motion as they attempt to finally hunt down and capture Robotomized Cream in Metropolis. However, when Sonic and Tails find Eggman, the mad doctor has Infinite banish Sonic into Null Space, with Spectrum getting pulled along with Sonic while trying to save him (after breaking away from his teammates to help him after they successfully captured Robotomized Cream). Eggman then reveals to the confused Tails that he knew the Resistance would eventually target the Death Egg, so he built a hidden backup power supply for the Phantom Ruby underneath Metropolis. Meanwhile, Sonic and Spectrum manage to escape Null Space together and rejoin the battle in Metropolis. Catching Eggman off-guard with their return, Eggman retreats with his lackeys to prepare his endgame, which is only mere hours away, while Metropolis falls to the Resistance. After the battle, Team Spectrum brings the captured Robotomized Cream to the Resistance's HQ, where Tails successfully restores Cream to her normal state and reunites her with her mother (bringing her out of her state of depression).
====The Final Battle====
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The entire Resistance eventually confronts Infinite and his army of Phantom Copies at the Eggman Empire Fortress in an effort to reach the Phantom Ruby's backup power supply. As Infinite attempts to destroy the Resistance however, Omega, now fully repaired and ready to join the Resistance, arrives and distracts him. Having enough of the rabble, Infinite creates a massive virtual sun over the planet to destroy the entire Resistance in one fell swoop, which has been Eggman's endgame all along. During the chaos, Tails notices that Spectrum has the Phantom Ruby prototype from Mystic Jungle and deduces that he can use it to neutralize the sun. Since the prototype's design let's only Spectrum use it, the new hero climbs the Imperial Tower with Whisper and eliminates the virtual sun (although the prototype is destroyed in the process), giving the Resistance a fighting chance. At the same time, Sonic himself confronts Infinite while he is weak from having formed the sun, only for Infinite to regain his full power in his battle with Sonic. At that point, Spectrum comes to Sonic's aid, and together, the two heroes finally defeat Infinite, causing him to fade away. Despite this loss, however, Eggman refuses to give up and warns the heroes that his plan is now going into "overtime".
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Taking this warning seriously, Sonic and Spectrum destroy the Phantom Ruby's power supply after Classic Sonic finds them an entrance, seemingly winning the war. After Sonic and Spectrum meet up with Tails and Classic Sonic however, Eggman reveals that the power source was actually a decoy, and that the original Phantom Ruby has been incorporated into his trump card: the Death Egg Robot. With the Eggman Army on the rise thanks to the Ruby and beginning to outnumber the Resistance, Sonic, Classic Sonic, and Spectrum confront Eggman together and destroy his Death Egg Robot. This causes Eggman's army to vanish, leaving the Resistance as the victor. 
====Epilogue====
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With the war finally over, Classic Sonic returns to his own time period as a result of the Phantom Ruby's disappearance. After the Resistance bids farewell to Classic Sonic, the group sets out to clean up the mess that Eggman has left the world in. In the aftermath, Knuckles disbands the Resistance, although not without Silver noting that they still have a lot to do following the war. Feeling that plenty of people out there need his (and Team Spectrum's) aid, Spectrum parts ways with his new friends, who compliment him for his growth and gift him his own Resistance Battleship for his commendable service (that he would repurpose for himself). Tails then concludes that they all saved the world through cooperation, which will make their friendships last forever. Sometime after, Sonic and Spectrum meet up in the City to say goodbye to each other before setting off in search of new adventures.
==Pilot==
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==The Lights of the Hogferatu Arc==
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==The Forgotten Monastery Arc==
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==Madness in the Jungle Arc==
===A Kidnapping===
During a beautiful sunset, Amy Rose and her twin sister Marina Rose stroll down a shore, not wearing any shoes as they walk through the slowly-rising tides. They talk as they walk, with Amy mentioning how it’s been a while since they both have gotten a chance to actually talk like this, while Marina agrees before mentioning how she would prefer to have done so elsewhere, expressing how she prefers to be alone at the beach.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Rose#Personality Amy understands this and is sympathetic, remarking how she knows about Marina’s love for the ocean, and Marina herself says that she’ll get used to being with her sister on the beach for just this once, while also remarking on how she’s been so busy with her computer studies to go to the beach on her own as often as before anyway.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Rose#Amy_Rosehttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Rose/History_and_app.#Sonic_Forces Now curious, Amy asks about why Marina wants to be an analyst so much, but Marina gets nervous before changing the conversation to the subject of Amy’s love life. Amy now gets slightly nervous as she speaks about how she and Sonic are finally going steady, but then Marina asks about how she and Spectrum have been doing, causing Amy’s face to practically glow red while blushing.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Amy_Rose Amy tries to say how she and Spectrum are just friends now while trying to hide her (obvious) lingering feelings for him, all of which causes Marina to chuckle before she notices her seashell buzzing in her dress pocket, pulling it out to see how it’s glowing.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Rose#Calypso_The_Octopushttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Calypso_The_Octopus#Marina_Rosehttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Rose/History_and_app.#Meeting_Calypsohttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Calypso_The_Octopus/History_and_app.#Meeting_Marina Realizing what this means, Marina says that she needs a moment and immediately runs off to some massive rocks nearby, leaving Amy slightly confused but also relieved (not wanting to continue their previous conversation).
Marina cautiously makes her way around the rocks (the seashell still in her hands), looking around to make sure that Amy (nor anyone else) is watching her, before sitting down and becoming more visibly excited. Suddenly, something swims up to the rock and peaks its head up to view Marina, revealing itself to be Calypso. Marina is happy to see Calypso as she places her elbows on the rocky ground, greeting Marina with the fact that it’s been a while. Marina apologizes and explains that she’s been busy lately, with Calypso saying that she doesn’t mind before asking about Marina’s seashell and expressing how she was lucky to pick up its signal.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Calypso_The_Octopus#Skills_and_Abilities Marina explains how she’s still kept it on her person in the hopes of seeing her friend again, causing Calypso to feel flattered. Marina then explains how she might have to cut this meetup short as her sister is here, and Calypso gets slightly nervous as she hears this, saying how she would like to show her something before they part again.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Calypso_The_Octopus#Personalityhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Calypso_The_Octopus/History_and_app.#Meeting_Lamia/Joining_the_Order_of_Genesis Marina becomes instantly curious and awaits this surprise, only for Calypso to lift up what looks to be a seed in her hand,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia_The_Constrictor#Skills_and_Abilities beckoning for Marina to look closer. Marina does this and leans in, and the seed suddenly and quickly sprouts into some sort of unknown breed of flower, causing Marina to be left awestruck by the display. Calypso then passes the plant to Marina, explaining how she got it for a very special reason. After Marina asks for elaboration though, the plant suddenly squirts some sort of spore mist into Marina’s face, causing her to cough before becoming drowsy and suddenly falling to the ground, dropping the seashell in her other hand as she is now unconscious. Calypso then expresses how sorry she is for this, explaining how someone is dying to meet her.
Meanwhile, Amy is starting to get impatient as she just waits on the other side of the rocks, wondering what Marina is doing. As she stands there, Amy suddenly hears splashing, making her think that Marina must have just jumped into the waters as she rushes around to the other side of the rocks to check in on her. Once Amy arrives, Marina is nowhere to be seen, but she does spot Calypso swimming off into the distance (while obviously not recognizing her), looking as though she is an animal scurrying away in fear. Amy then looks down and sees Marina’s magical-looking seashell just lying on the ground before picking it up and looking back out into the horizon, realizing something that makes her face contort in horror: her sister has just been taken…
===A Welcome Home Party===
Days later, at the Whole Zone, Spectrum and his friends are partying away as the Strays performhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Whole_Zone#Booked_Performers on the tiny stage.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Whole_Zone#Description Spectrum is soon joined by Priscilla, who is utterly humbled by this welcome back party (which is only happening as a result of Spectrum and Priscilla having spent almost an entire month in Chun-nan),https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Forgotten_Monastery_Arc but is still allowing herself to party out with the rest of her friends as well. In (some sort of a) response, Spectrum merely acknowledges Priscilla’s presence and soon returns to being lost in thought. Priscilla becomes confused and intrigued, asking Spectrum what’s on his mind, but he only gives reserved answers in return. After a while though, Spectrum finally relents and explains to Priscilla that her father Asa told him that he needs to figure out what makes him a great leader in the first place, and he’s been struggling to figure that out; even as he’s been watching his friends party away, Spectrum is starting to question his leadership. Priscilla quickly becomes sympathetic (thanks to her recent adventure with him), and she reassures Spectrum that he is still a great leader, no matter what the reason behind that may be. Priscilla then stands back up to rejoin the party, but not before telling Spectrum to give it time. Now on his own again, Spectrum continues to watch his friends celebrate his and Priscilla’s return, still trying to figure out what makes him a good leader…
After snapping out of his concentration for a second, Spectrum then suddenly spots Amy Rose at the entrance to the bar, initially being happy to see her (due to Amy not seeking him out as of late) as he walks over to say hi. Spectrum, however, soon becomes concerned as he notices Amy’s similar expression, with her explaining how her twin sister Marina has gone missing a few days ago.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#A_Kidnapping As Spectrum is surprised by this revelation (that Amy has a twin sister), Amy starts to beg for him and his friends to help find Marina; naturally, Spectrum agrees.
===The Reflecting Pool===
With this in mind, Spectrum walks over to Carey and explains the situation to her,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#A_Welcome_Home_Party asking if she can use her magic to pinpoint the location of Amy's sister Marina.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Carey_The_Chausie_Cat#Skills_and_Abilities While sympathetic, Carey is initially hesitant, feeling as though she can’t do stuff like that yet, but she then changes her mind when Amy begs for her to help. Carey then takes Spectrum and Amy to a back room within the building, where she pours out some water onto the floor to make a puddle, while simultaneously explaining how her ancestors could peer into reflecting poolshttps://youtu.be/qra_prvwKIQ?t=1262https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Carey_The_Chausie_Cat#Family but how she hasn’t tried it herself before. With this information in mind, Carey then motions for Amy to give her an item related to Marina for the coming spell, so she gives Carey the mystical-looking seashell that she found at the scene of the crime.
With the shell in hand, Carey then starts chanting a spell that causes the puddle to become more perfectly circular as it starts to glow with runes, much to Spectrum and Amy’s surprise. After Carey finishes chanting, she drops the seashell into the reflecting pool, with it sinking into its new depths as the following ripples cause the glowing runes to fade away. The ripples soon dissipate and show the vision of a jungle, causing Carey to squeal in joy, ecstatic that the spell worked.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Carey_The_Chausie_Cat#Personality Spectrum tries to rein Carey in as he asks for her to focus, which she apologetically does as she leans in and gazes into the waters. As Carey focuses and gazes into the pool, she claims that the jungle seen in the waters is that of a country called Naagon, which no one there seems to recognize, before the waters shift to show the ruins of what is assumed to be an ancient and long-forgotten city. The vision in the reflecting pool continues to shift, next showing a shadowy hut deep within the foliage that sends chills down Spectrum’s spine, before showing an equally shadowy figure (seemingly from within that same hut) that seems to make the reflecting pool ripple violently, as well as make Carey incredibly nervous.
As Carey realizes that she can’t pull away, the figure in the pool’s vision seems to notice her, its eyes suddenly enveloping with orange and yellow spirals that soon consume the vision in the pool. As Carey continues to gaze into the pool, her own pupils start to glow in the same colors as she seemingly becomes entranced, soon starting to slowly lean in closer. Spectrum and Amy soon notice this and quickly grab onto Carey, trying their best to keep her from falling in as her mouth forms a blissful smile. Spectrum and Amy soon start to struggle a little bit more as the pool seemingly starts to pull everything within its reach with an air current, attempting to suck all three of them in as items on the shelves fly into the colorful waters. 
Eventually, with all their might, Spectrum and Amy finally pull Carey back as they all fall to the floor behind them with a thud. As Carey seems to snap out of the trance, the pool seems to respond by sending the air current in the opposite direction as it shifts its shape, with all the items it swallowed up just a moment ago (including Marina’s shell) being shot back out as the pool returns to being an ordinary puddle. As everyone sits back up and reorients themselves (with Amy grabbing the seashell), Spectrum frantically questions what just happened, with Carey responding with how she knows where Marina is.
===Journey to Naagon===
A few more days later, Spectrum’s Battleship makes its way over the jungles of Naagon, with the bridge playing host to Spectrum, Vi, Berri, Tumult, Sonic, Amy, Whisper, Priscilla, Carey, Audrey, Serena, and Ginger. As Spectrum pilots the ship further along its course, Carey guides him closer and closer to their destination by pointing out where to go.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Reflecting_Pool After a few final instructions, Spectrum puts the shuttle on autopilothttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum%27s_Battleship#Abilities_and_Features and walks over to talk with the other passengers.
Spectrum first walks over to Sonic and Whisper, thanking them for joining Team Spectrum on this endeavor. Sonic replies by saying that he’ll do anything for his new girlfriend Amy (which Spectrum mentally notes), and Whisper shares the same sentiment, but instead as a friend to Amy and Spectrum (which Spectrum greatly appreciates).https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Whisper_The_Wolf Spectrum then moves on to Serena, teasingly remarking on how it’s unusual for her to tag along on their missions, only for Serena herself to blush (doing her best to conceal her crush for Spectrum) and express her desire to help.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Serena_The_Hedgehog#Spectrum_The_Hedgehog Spectrum teasingly says that he’ll let this slide before Serena reveals that she’s also there because Priscilla told her about his leadership worries, and Spectrum’s playful energy almost immediately leaves his face in response. Spectrum tries to shrug it off, telling Serena that it’s no big deal, but she doesn’t take that for an answer; Serena says that Spectrum is still a great leader, regardless of what he may think, and that she will continue to stick around on this mission just to remind him of that, all because she cares about him (which she says in an almost unsubtle fashion). Spectrum is flattered by Serena’s loyal and caring statement, while Serena herself is surprised with how much emotion she just let out without thinking, with the both of them considerably blushing as they initially try to hide their feelings;https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Serena_The_Hedgehog eventually though, Spectrum verbally thanks Serena, who is happy to hear that she’s actually helping. As the two continue their conversation, Berri watches them from a distance, chuckling to herself as she leans against the wallhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Serena_The_Hedgehog before walking away to the Battleship’s kitchen.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum%27s_Battleship#Kitchen
While Spectrum is still talking with Serena, Tumult walks over to Audrey, asking her how she’s feeling about being on her first mission since she revealed she was a robot.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Lights_of_the_Hogferatu_Arc Audrey admits that it feels weird, not only because everyone now knows her secret, but also because she’s still getting used to her abilities (even after using them to help stop Hogferatu Spectrum). Tumult tries to be encouraging, saying that he knows she’ll do alright, causing Audrey to blush slightly. Audrey then asks how Tumult is dealing with the aftermath of their conflict with Dark Gaia, and he remarks on how he still hasn’t gotten over the revelation that the Beginning trapped Light Gaia with his darker counterpart in the earth for an eternity,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Diabolus/History_and_app.#Forming_the_Order_of_Genesis and he’s recently come to the somber conclusion that the Beginning’s actions run deeper than he initially realized… Audrey tries to comfort Tumult after hearing his response, saying that despite the things his Creator has done, his friends will do everything they can to help stop Him and make things right. Tumult is thankful for Audrey’s support, but he also wonders aloud if his friends will really keep to that once it’s the end of all things,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(%22The_Beginning%27s_War%22_Saga)#The_Beginning_of_the_End_Arc only for Audrey to hold his hand supportively…
Meanwhile, Ginger is preparing some lunch for the othershttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Ginger_The_Polar_Bear#Skills_and_Abilities when Berri walks in and strikes up a conversation with her. Berri initially talks about the food as she teasingly tries to get a taste, only to get playfully swatted away, before Ginger changes the conversation to Berri’s personal crusade.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Personality Berri’s demeanor changes slightly as she tells Ginger about how it’s slow going, especially with no signs of support from Rebel. In response, Ginger tries to assure Berri that she has her support, and Berri greatly appreciates it.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Ginger_The_Polar_Bear#Personalityhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Ginger_The_Polar_Bear#Berri_The_Rabbithttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Ginger_The_Polar_Bear As Ginger resumes her cooking, she asks if Berri has anything else she wants to talk about, only for Berri to clutch a picture of Vanilla and Cream behind her back as she starts to tell Ginger the reason behind her mission (which she had actually never done before). 
Suddenly though, as Berri is about to actually start her account (with Ginger’s attention being held), Spectrum’s Battleship starts to shudder and shake violently, with Spectrum himself swiftly returning to the controls to try and regain control. He tells everyone to brace themselves as the ship plummets to the ground and plows through the jungle soil. The Battleship eventually slows down to a halt, and the passengers onboard finally have the chance to recuperate. Some of them ask about what just happened, and so Spectrum looks at the ship’s interfaces, which tell him that something is clogging the right engine. After Spectrum explains this to his friends (and before he can volunteer himself), Priscilla volunteers to check out the engine room.
In the engine room, Priscilla cautiously walks through with a flashlight, as the pipes around her hiss and creak. Once she arrives at the right engine, Priscilla suddenly hears the noises of what she assumes to be a small animal coming from it, and so she cautiously looks inside the turbine to investigate. The ray of Priscilla’s flashlight eventually falls upon and reveals a small plant-like creature stuck in-between the turbine blades, which seems to get slightly aggressive on contact with the lights as it growls and snarls at Priscilla. Before Priscilla can fully comprehend what she’s looking at, an unseen attacker swoops in and grabs her by the neck, pinning her to a wall. Before Priscilla can fight back, the attacker’s pupils suddenly light up through the shadows and glow orange and yellow, which soon reflect in Priscilla’s own eyes as she stares into the attacker’s, with her face quickly softening into that of a blissful awe. A few moments later, Priscilla returns to the others (notably without Carey around, which Spectrum brings up right before Priscilla comes back), who are eager to hear what she found in the engine room. To their confusion, Priscilla says that nothing is wrong, and she simply goes about her business like nothing happened.
===Assessing the Damage===
Outside the Battleship, Spectrum and the others are busy assessing the outward damage when Carey finally reappears.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Journey_to_Naagon Spectrum is quick to ask where she was, but Carey seems to ignore him, much to his confusion. Spectrum’s friends then walk up to him and break the news to him that it will take a few days, or even a whole week, to fix up the Battleship. Spectrum is initially bummed about this, but he then reasons that they can search for Marina in that time. With this in mind, Spectrum then goes back inside the Battleship to deliver Amy the news.
Inside the Battleship, Spectrum finds Amy frantically rummaging through the piles of stuff that were thrown about during the crash. Eventually though, Amy becomes relieved when she finds some sort of flame-shaped pendant in the debris, only to be startled by Spectrum as he asks what it is. Amy explains that it is a gift from a princess called Blaze, a magical pendant that can allow her to open a portal to the Sol Dimension whenever she wants to visit.https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sol_Dimensionhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Blaze_the_Cat#Amy_Rose Spectrum remarks on how precious such a gift is, while Amy agrees and remarks on how friends like Blaze don’t come around often. Now getting curious (while also remembering how Sonic mentioned that he was Amy’s boyfriend now), Spectrum sits down next to Amy and asks her what she thinks of their friendship now, and she replies with how she wants their friendship to work, but it’s just so awkward now that they’ve broken up and she’s with Sonic again; Spectrum says that explains things, especially with how this is the first time Amy has really interacted with him in a while after their breakup during the war… After a moment of awkward silence, Spectrum suddenly pipes up and suggests that they should hang out again sometime, just to get used to being just friends again, and Amy says that she would like that in response. With that having been said, both of them nervously and almost instinctively inch their hands closer to each other before Sonic walks in and tells Spectrum that Carey found something (seemingly not noticing their subtle advances towards each other).
===Searching for Marina===
Back outside, Carey points at the jungle in front of her, claiming that she recognizes a path through the foliage from when she conjured her reflecting pool. Amy is now more desperate to find Marina, especially now that they have a new heading, and so she convinces Spectrum to have his friends ready themselves for venturing out into the greenery. As everyone starts to leave for their jungle trek, Ginger and Serena attempt to join them before Spectrum and Berri move to stop them. Ginger wants to be sure that Berri remains safe, being visibly concerned over this, but Berri herself confidently reassures her that she will be back to tell her the rest of her story. Serena, on the other hand, simply just wants to help instead, but Spectrum says that it’ll be too dangerous for her; eventually, Serena relents, but before going back to the ship with Ginger, she encourages Spectrum on his leadership qualities again.
Serena and Ginger watch from the bridge as the group disappears into the jungle, with Ginger especially praying for them to be safe. After looking off into the distance, Serena tries to make the most of them being essentially benched, and so she enthusiastically tries to get Ginger to help clean up the ship for their friends when they get back.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Serena_The_Hedgehog#Personality Before Serena and Ginger can do anything though, they suddenly hear the sounds of something moving along the outside of the Battleship. They are visibly shaken, with Serena remarking how they might not be safe after all…
Meanwhile, Serena and Ginger’s friends trek through the jungle, being guided by Carey. As they walk, Spectrum starts thinking about his leadership dilemma again, and so he starts to walk beside Sonic, asking him what he thinks makes a good leader. Somewhat caught off-guard, Sonic thinks about this for a second, explaining that he never really did so before, as he has never really considered himself his friends’ leader;https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog#Personality regardless, Sonic decides to guess for his answer, saying that he believes a good leader does what it takes to ensure his friends’ safety no matter what. Spectrum is confused by what this could entail, but he goes with it, thanking Sonic for his response. Now feeling a little awkward, Spectrum asks Sonic how things have been going for him after the war, and Sonic remarks on how his life has been getting back to normal since then in response,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog/History_and_appearances_(2007_-_present)#Sonic_Forces while also mentioning that things have also been even better with Amy now as his girlfriend (who is now not as obsessive over him as she was before).https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Rose#Sonic_the_Hedgehog Hearing this, Spectrum feels a little more awkward, and Sonic picks up on this, remembering aloud that Spectrum used to be with Amy before he was rescued from the Death Egg; Sonic tells Spectrum that he understands if he still has feelings for Amy, that it’s just natural, but he also hopes that Spectrum won’t let those feelings lead him to do things that might jeopardize their friendship.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Sonic_The_Hedgehog Understanding this, Spectrum nods in agreement.
===The Hut===
Immediately after that conversation, Carey stops the group, as they have found the hut from the reflecting pool’s vision. Spectrum congratulates Carey on her work, recognizing how she’s been leading them through the new landscapes with ease,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Searching_for_Marina but Carey doesn’t seem to respond like how Spectrum thought she would,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Spectrum#Carey_The_Chausie_Cat much to his confusion… Despite this, the group opens the door and enters the building, quickly realizing that it’s bigger on the inside.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia%27s_Hut#Interior The group sneaks through the hut and eventually make their way to a larger room, where they hide behind a corner and watch a snake-like figure yell at Marina to reveal how to get into the Sol Dimension.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Assessing_the_Damage The figure is only met with silence from Marina, and so she becomes more urgent and loud as she starts to violently shake Marina.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia_The_Constrictor#Personality While holding Amy back (as she wishes to rush to her twin sister’s aid more than anything else at the moment), the rest of the group is quick to note how Marina seems to be in some sort of trance, with her persistent blissful smile accompanied by glowing orange and yellow pupils while she’s coiled up in the figure’s tail.
As the group continues to watch, Carey and Priscilla suddenly stand up straight and mechanically step back, their faces becoming obscured in the shadows, all while the others are too focused on watching the scene in front of them to notice. Spectrum then says that they will descend upon Marina’s captor on the count of three, but immediately after Spectrum says one, Priscilla and Carey suddenly push the rest of the group into the room, causing them to yelp as they crash to the ground. This alerts the figure’s attention, who quickly turns around to face the intruders from the shadows, as well as to quickly wrap up Amy with her coils (having her squished up against Marina) before her friends can react. The figure slithers out of the shadows and reveals her unobscured form, remarking on how Amy looks so much like Marina.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Marina_Rose#Appearance After comparing the two, the figure concludes aloud that her “little helper” captured the wrong person (with this new figure having gotten the two confused based on appearance alone), and she thanks someone unknown for bringing her exactly what she needed. As the group stands back up and reorients themselves into defensive stances, they ask who they apparently delivered Amy to. The figure obliges the intruders’ curiosity, revealing herself to be known as “Lamia,” while also correcting them by revealing that she wasn’t actually talking to them; instead, Lamia refers to people who are apparently behind the group, and they instinctively look behind to see Priscilla and Carey mechanically step out from the shadows, their faces hosting wide blissful smiles while their pupils glow orange and yellow (their friends quickly note how similar they look to Marina at that moment).
Spectrum suddenly remembers Carey almost being sucked into the reflecting pool days earlier, quickly realizing that Lamia must have brainwashed her, and he naturally questions her about this with a fury.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Lamia_The_Constrictor Lamia slyly and sadistically confirms to Spectrum that she indeed hypnotized Carey, calling it “a gift bestowed onto her” that she now “bestows onto others”https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia_The_Constrictor/History_and_app.#Early_Life/Meeting_%22the_Beginning%22/Taking_over_her_Kingdom before she congratulates Carey on inducting Priscilla and luring her friends into Lamia’s home. Spectrum gets more silently furious over Lamia toying with his friends as he preparedly grips his Wispon’s handle, and he asks what the point of all this is for her. Lamia teasingly doesn’t want to tell Spectrum anything about her plans, and she also notes (as if to clarify) that she especially doesn’t want to explain anything to "a scummy man," which sends Spectrum over the edge.
Spectrum suddenly strikes Lamia across the face, and his friends spring into action in response to their leader’s sudden attack; Berri and Tumult come to Spectrum’s aid as they assist him in fighting Lamia, all while Sonic tries to free Amy and Marina, and all while Whisper and Audrey try to fend off and even wake up Priscilla and Carey. While Lamia is busy fending off Team Spectrum, she uses magic to summon plants to help defend herself, all while swinging her tail around to try to throw Sonic off and to keep Audrey and Whisper from breaking Priscilla and Carey’s trances (all with a scary level of focus). Despite Lamia’s attempts to shake him, Sonic manages to slip Amy and Marina out of her coils, but she is unable to get them back as Team Spectrum continues to overwhelm her, forcing her to whip her tail at them with a scary amount of strength. While all of this is happening, Amy manages to wake Marina up from her trance, being initially groggy before she realizes what’s happening, being confused about how she got there while still being happy to see Amy there with her; as she and Amy embrace, Marina looks around and notices how Amy brought her friends to help rescue her, and she comes to realize (with a surprised and grateful awe) the lengths that they all would go to for her.
Amy then shouts at Spectrum that they have secured Marina, which prompts Spectrum to call for a retreat, and the entire group responds by making a break for it. Before they can all make it to the entrance though, Lamia’s tail quickly wraps around Marina and pulls her back, much to her screams and Amy’s horror. As Amy tries to get back to Marina though, Priscilla and Carey block her attempts, and her friends are unfortunately forced to restrain her and continue their escape… After they’ve managed to escape the hut, everything calms down as Lamia has Priscilla and Carey come closer. Lamia then remarks on how it doesn’t matter that their intruders have escaped just now, as she still has the means to bring them back (saying this as she caresses a terrified Marina in her coils). Despite this advantage, Lamia notes how it doesn’t hurt to have a little insurance, and she chuckles evilly as Priscilla and Carey lean in on both sides of Marina…
==="Nowhere is safe..."===
Spectrum and the others continue their escape through the jungle, with Amy practically being carried along as she fights against them to get back to her sister.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Hut The rest of the group argues with Amy about how they can’t go back, as they’ve picked up on how this Lamia now wants her for some reason; they will still attempt to rescue Marina, along with everyone else they’ve lost, but they need to keep Amy away from Lamia in the meantime.
The group finally returns to the Battleship, only to find it covered in some kind of gooey fungus, much to everyone’s surprise and slight horror. They rush inside to see the place trashed, the fungus covering everything. Spectrum and Berri quickly run to the living quarters,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum%27s_Battleship#Living_Quarters with Spectrum not finding Serena in the guest room,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum%27s_Battleship#Guest_Room and with Berri not finding Ginger in her room.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum%27s_Battleship#Ginger_The_Polar_Bear's_Room As the others catch up, they find Spectrum and Berri full of seething rage, knowing exactly who took Serena and Ginger: Lamia…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Lamia_The_Constrictor
===Investigating the Engine Room===
Later, Spectrum and the others enter the engine room, slowly moving their way towards the right engine; Spectrum, still ticked about everything that had just happened, now believes that something of Lamia’s making must have happened when Priscilla came in there earlier that day, and so he climbs into the turbine to see what really happened to the engine. Spectrum shines another flashlight down the tube, eventually illuminating the snarling plant-like creature that is still stuck in-between the rotors, much to Spectrum’s shock and surprise. The creature swiftly launches itself from the rotors and latches onto Spectrum’s face, causing him to frantically exit the turbine and grab at his head in an attempt to shake it off. In Spectrum’s panic, Berri manages to grab the creature and rip it off of Spectrum’s face before slamming it down onto the ground and stomping on it repeatedly and forcefully with her boot, brutally killing it. Afterward, Berri takes a few deep breaths and remarks on how that felt good,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#%22Nowhere_is_safe...%22 while Spectrum catches his own breath before coming to the conclusion that Lamia had been playing them this whole time (fully understanding that she hypnotized Carey into enacting this whole plan (crashing the Battleship, hypnotizing Priscilla, and bringing them to the Hut) with her own reflecting pool, while also remembering how she was able to manipulate plants during their fight moments before).
Back outside the ship, the group huddles up and discusses their next possible moves, with some (such as Berri, who is still seething over Ginger being taken, especially after she was so worried about Berri not coming back) suggesting that they should go after Lamia and try to rescue their friends, with others suggesting that they should stay with Amy around the Battleship until they can make the necessary repairs, and with the rest suggesting that they should find shelter elsewhere (on account of the ship not being safe from Lamia now). They can’t seem to come to a decision, and so they turn to Spectrum, who is still pondering their options; while Spectrum thinks, he reminisces on everyone who reminded him how great of a leader he really is, wanting to prove them right, along with Lamia’s actions during their first encounter moments ago… With this in mind, Spectrum decides that they should find another place to regroup; despite Spectrum’s unsureness about this new path forward and this whole situation in general, his friends loyally agree with his decision.
===The Ruined City===
Later on, the group is once again cutting through the foliage as they search for a good place to rest for the night. As they walk, Spectrum notices Amy looking gloomy, so he walks beside her and asks her if she’s alright. Amy wipes away a tear as she remarks on how they were so close to saving her sister but they failed, thinking about how horrified she must be right now… Spectrum tries his best to comfort Amy by putting his arm around her in a side hug (which Amy greatly appreciates as she returns it), as he reassures her that they will get her sister back. Amy nods in appreciation as she now clutches her Sol Dimension Pendant, remarking on how she heard Lamia asking Marina if she knew a way to get into the Sol Dimension; Amy comes to the conclusion that Lamia was really after her, and not her sister Marina, for her dimension-hopping pendant, and Spectrum seems to agree after reminiscing on it himself (remembering what he and his friends heard Lamia yell at Marina while concealed, as well as when Lamia was commenting on how similar Amy and Marina look). In spite of this revelation, one question still lingers on Spectrum and Amy’s minds: “why does Lamia want to get to the Sol Dimension…?”
Before Spectrum and Amy can guess at the very least, the rest of the group halts in front of them, catching their attention. Spectrum runs up to the front and asks what’s going on before he looks out in front of them, gasping in utter surprise and awe: lying before them is a massive ruined city, looking as ancient as the greenery around them. As they all look upon these ruins in complete wonder, Spectrum remembers seeing these ruins in Carey’s reflecting pool, which he exclaims out loud. With that said, the group then walks through the decaying stone buildings, hoping to make camp within their walls for the night (like they had originally decided to do),https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Investigating_the_Engine_Room only to be captivated by the tragic yet mysterious story the ruins seem to convey; as the group continues to walk down the abandoned streets, they remark on how neglected everything seems, and on how it doesn’t seem like this city was attacked but that it was instead seemingly left to rot… Needless to say, the group is confused and somber over what they’re witnessing, with some of them even questioning what could have happened here out loud… Eventually though, after the group has ventured deeper into the ruined city, Tumult notices some hieroglyphs on some of the walls, with symbols that say things he seems to recognize. He hovers over to them, and the others catch up to him as he tries to decipher what they say.
Meanwhile, Marina and Lamia are now looking out over the city from above its former palace, with the still-hypnotized Priscilla and Carey keeping Marina in place (even though she’s still in Lamia’s coils). After Lamia remarks on how such a powerful kingdom can be left to collect dust so easily, Marina asks for an explanation on what happened to the city, even suggesting that Lamia might’ve had something to do with it. Lamia merely smirks, deciding to humor her captive, slithering over to circle around Marina as she talks.
Lamia and Tumult explain the history of the city to their audiences at the same time, with Lamia giving her personal account to Marina, and with Tumult reading out the hieroglyphs: in ancient times, the city that everyone is currently in right now was once known as the Kingdom of Naagon, a city of snakes. They were ruled by a powerful royal family, which Lamia was a part of, as a princess. Lamia became jealous of her older siblings being next in line for the throne, desiring more power than she was allowed, and so she secretly sought to become knowledgeable in the arcane arts.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Naagon_Royal_Palace#Lamia's_Secret_Chamber Up until her very early 20s, she became obsessed with finding a way to have power over others through dark magic, and she soon seemingly found it when she accidentally summoned the Beginning (which Tumult reveals to his friends with a silent sense of dread and shock)... The Beginning offered the power Lamia needed to bring her own kingdom to its knees, but only in exchange for her future servitude in His plans.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Order_of_Genesis Lamia didn’t care about the costs, and so the Beginning fulfilled her wish, granting her the power to control the minds of others through a form of hypnosis. With this, Lamia usurped the royal family, even executing them later on, stealing the throne for herself as she crowned herself the kingdom’s queen… Over the millennia that followed, Lamia would put the Kingdom of Naagon through utter despair, brainwashing most of its citizens and only making the males its slaves… All the while, the remaining free citizens would notice that Lamia wouldn’t age throughout the generations, giving them little to no hope of ever being free… From there, the hieroglyphs end abruptly, leaving Tumult and his friends in utter shock from what they had just read…
Meanwhile, Lamia finishes her story by claiming that her own citizens grew weak, and that they all died out over the last few generations, eventually leaving Lamia all alone with only the results of her work remaining… Lamia then coldly expresses how the citizens didn’t share her vision, and that they deserved to wither out in the end… Despite this, Lamia expresses how she is not done yet, hoping that her current plan will give her the power over others that she so desperately craves to have once again… Marina, on the other hand, is horrified by the story she just heard, shedding a tear while expressing how Lamia is a monster. Lamia argues back by claiming that everyone has their own truths, explaining that her truth is that she’s a rightful queen who only needs a good enough kingdom to properly rule over (unlike the “weak” Naagon, as she puts it). Marina then calls Lamia out for being so selfish in response, saying that if Lamia actually believed in people having their own truths, then she wouldn’t have to force hers onto others, just like she did with the Kingdom of Naagon (as Lamia just described) and just like she’s doing now with the very people who came to rescue Marina (who then takes a moment to take that fact in after finishing her rebuke, that there actually are people willing to rescue her). Lamia smirks as she ponders this, admitting that Marina may be right but that she doesn’t care, all before she moves to hypnotize her again, quickly putting Marina back under her spell again (much to her amusement). Before Lamia can do anything to Marina in this state, however, they are interrupted by the now hypnotized Serena, reporting to Lamia that Spectrum and his friends are now in the city. Upon hearing this, Lamia decides that it’s time for her army to get another workout in after all these years…
===The Stone Soldiers of Naagon===
Meanwhile, back on the ground-level, Spectrum and his friends are all spread out inside the crumbling remains of a building as they plan to stay there for the night, all while they silently recover from listening to Tumult recount those atrocities of the past earlier…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Ruined_City Audrey walks over to Tumult, who is sitting on a fallen pillar while also mentally recovering from what he just read; noticing this, Audrey sits right beside Tumult on the pillar, asking him what is specifically wrong. Tumult explains his thought process regarding the hieroglyphs to Audrey in response, expressing his disbelief at how the Beginning not only allowed Lamia to do those evil things, but also at how He directly gave her the means to do so; after having read all of that from the hieroglyphs, Tumult is now left questioning why the Beginning would even do all of this in the first place… Audrey initially doesn’t know how to answer Tumult, but she eventually says that maybe the Beginning does things for a reason, that maybe He uses things for a greater outcome. Tumult doesn’t know what to think about Audrey’s suggestion, but after pondering on it for a second, he says that he hopes she’s right before holding her hand, much to her silent surprise while blushing.
While that’s taking place, Spectrum and Berri walk over to Amy as she’s being comforted by Sonic and Whisper, asking if she’s doing okay. Sonic tells them that she seems to be just as mortified as everyone else is right now, after having heard Tumult read the hieroglyphs earlier, but that still hasn’t helped Amy figure out why Lamia is doing all of this now… While Spectrum and the others don’t have the answer to that question either, they still resolve to ensure Amy’s safety, as well as that of her Sol Dimension Pendant, even more so than before (now recognizing the true dangers Lamia presents)...
Suddenly, the group is startled by sounds of movement outside the building, instantly putting everyone on edge as they instinctively and slowly grab their weapons and brace themselves for possible combat. Spectrum silently motions for everyone to stay close to him as they all slowly move out of the building to check out the noises. Outside the building, the group checks both sides of the outstretching street for any possible intruders, but they find no one, and they all collectively sigh in relief; as they turn around to head back inside, however, the group suddenly comes face-to-face with an army of stone soldiers (each one resembling a snake warrior in armor that is carrying a weapon and a shield),https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia%27s_Stone_Soldiers#Appearancehttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia%27s_Stone_Soldiers#Weapons_and_Gadgets who all managed to stealthily get inside the crumbling buildings and position themselves behind their targetshttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia%27s_Stone_Soldiers#Skills_and_Abilities (despite the fact that they are all statues, which Audrey quickly points out). After being startled by this ambush (and after Audrey’s remark), the stone soldiers point their weapons at the group, preparing to kill them all right then and there, before Spectrum suddenly swats them back and leads his friends in counter-attacking them; Spectrum and his friends do their best to fight back with all their skill and perseverance, but the stone soldiers are just too strong for them, nearly overpowering them at times. As this tough fight continues, Berri’s attention is suddenly caught by Ginger, who calls out to her from nearby shadows before running away; still wanting to get her friend back from Lamia, Berri quickly dispatches the stone soldiers she’s currently fighting, and she rushes after Ginger, much to Spectrum’s surprise. Before Spectrum can do anything about this, his attention is drawn back to the fight, as he and his friends are losing more ground against the stone soldiers.
===An Arch-Rivalry is Born===
While the fight against the stone soldiers continues in the streets, Berri has finally arrived at some more old ruins on the outskirts of the city, and she proceeds to sneak her way through them, not wanting Lamia to get the jump on her like before. Once she's gone deep enough into the crumbling and aging stonework, Berri is soon alerted by the sound of Ginger's voice again, causing her to whip around defensively in the direction of the sound. Berri spots the silhouette of Ginger obscured in the darkness once again, who calls out for Berri to join and rescue her, saying that they can go home and continue their mission to help protect kids like her niece Cream. Berri eagerly and blindly reaches out to take Ginger’s hand in response, but she then starts to actually think about this, resulting in her pulling her hand back as she remarks on how she hasn’t told Ginger about her family yet... With this sudden realization, Lamia slithers out of the darkness from behind Ginger with a sudden low chuckle, bringing Ginger out with her to reveal that she too has been hypnotized…
Lamia remarks on how Berri appears to be smarter than she previously anticipated, revealing that she had actually been watching her for a while now (having initially found Berri while preparing to kidnap Amy (originally). To Berri's growing concern, Lamia explains how she pretty much knows everything about her now, having especially and particularly taken an interest in her personal crusade to protect the innocence of children (which she has now roped Ginger into); or more rather, Lamia is interested in the "hypocrisy" of Berri's mission (as she puts it), as she thinks that it doesn't make sense for people like them...https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Love_Interests Lamia even brings up how Rebel seems to practically agree with her on this, citing her recent fights with Berri over the subject, along with the rest of society; in fact, Lamia is delighted in the very idea that most of the modern world practically agrees with her, and she didn't even need to use her powers for that to happen (and she expresses as much to Berri)… When Berri asks why Lamia cares so much about this, Lamia gets violent and grabs hold of her with her coils and impervious strength, psychotically expressing how she utterly despises the fact that children have what people like her and Berri do not: innocence… Lamia explains that those without innocence need to imprint themselves onto others, feeling a desire to gain a sense of control over the new generations that they didn't have in their own abusive pasts, and since Berri is going against that purpose, Lamia considers her to be a traitor to people like them…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia_The_Constrictor#Berri_The_Rabbit/Ginger_the_Polar_Bear
In retaliation, Berri tells Lamia that the ruined childhoods of “their kind”Berri is merely quoting Lamia here. are, while tragic, no excuse for them to impose themselves onto children (while they are especially still underdeveloped, which Berri points out to not be a coincidence) and ruin their lives past childhood (with them only regretting such things when it is too late to turn back)… Berri then retells how she realized all of that when she saw Cream being Robotomized, explaining that the experience caused her to recognize how her niece's manipulation and abuse is repeated in almost everything “their kind” has done to other such children; Berri then boldly uses that story of hers as the reason behind why she can never align herself with “their kind” again, no matter what Lamia or anyone else says or does to her as a result. In response, Lamia simply expresses how she expected Berri to retell her “sob story” before proceeding to hypnotize her too, explaining how she can just force people to shut up when they don't agree with her... Despite attempting to resist, Berri finds herself gradually falling under Lamia’s spell, seeing visions of Lamia herself within the orange and yellow spirals, who express how she’ll go after Cream next once she’s done with her plan and once she’s done with Berri and Ginger; after seeing that, Berri’s resistance completely shatters under the weight of Lamia’s imposed power, and she is soon standing right beside Ginger in a shared blissful trance… With both Berri and Ginger under her control now, Lamia takes the opportunity to toy with them, demeaning them for their shared goal that she despises so much…
Back in the city, Spectrum and his friends are still losing the battle against the stone soldiers, and their confidence is waning considerably;https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Stone_Soldiers_of_Naagon Amy is fighting the stone soldiers alongside her friends, but everyone else is making sure that she remains protected during this, making a defensive circle around her. Understanding that they might not win this if they stay, Audrey volunteers to distract the soldiers while the others make their escape with Amy, but she doesn’t wait for approval as she immediately bursts through the stone hordes after that (leaving Spectrum and the others to protest this in shock instead). Seeing this and not wanting Audrey to possibly die, Whisper rushes into the hordes after her, much to Spectrum’s (now more urgent) protests as he’s now being held back by Sonic and Tumult, who urge him to retreat… They start pushing Spectrum away until he finally collects himself and starts running away himself, grabbing Amy and carrying her away as they all retreat (jumping over the army and climbing up to the rooftops of the crumbling buildings). As the remaining heroes recede from the battle and the city, Lamia, with the still-mesmerized yet (now) loyally affectionate Berri and Ginger by her sides, watches them from other rooftops, noting how pathetic they are…
===Dealing with the Losses===
Now back in the jungle (yet still close to the ruined city), Spectrum, Sonic, Tumult, and Amy finally come to halt, believing themselves to be out of the stone soldiers’ reach for the moment;https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#An_Arch-Rivalry_is_Born as they all catch their breath, Spectrum sets Amy down, and they all stand in shocked silence over what just happened… Amy speaks first and brings up how Berri, Audrey, and Whisper are now (most likely) gone, wondering what they all should do next… Sonic and Tumult also turn to Spectrum for an answer on what should be done next, but all they are met with is silence, as he is shell-shocked over the loss of his other friends (including his own sister)... As they come to understand the torment on Spectrum’s mind at the moment, Sonic and Tumult turn back to Amy and suggest that they should rest where they stand for the time being, wanting to come up with a rescue plan in the morning; Amy, after looking to Spectrum and only getting silence from him again, reluctantly agrees, and so Sonic and Tumult get to work getting a fire started and making beds out of leaves.
As the two of them work, Amy walks up to Spectrum as he is now looking out towards the city, hoping to comfort him as she asks if he is alright. After a while more of silence, Spectrum finally pipes up and remarks on how he thinks Audrey made a stupid decision (sacrificing herself the way she did), thinking that she (and the rest of their friends that they lost just then) would still be with them if he had done something better; Amy gets more confrontational as she gets in front of Spectrum, saying that Audrey made the right choice (explaining that she gave herself up to save everyone else), but then asking Spectrum what he thinks “he should have done” that would have made things so different. Spectrum struggles to answer, starting to break down a little bit as he admits he hasn’t figured that out yet, noting that it has now cost him and the remaining survivors… Seeing how hurt he is, Amy hugs Spectrum and allows him to let his tears out, trying to comfort him by saying how they will get their friends back and how she is sure that he will find the meaning of what it is to be a true leader when they do; when Spectrum asks how, Amy remarks on how he never gives up until a good outcome is achieved (just like with Sonic), before shyly stating that that was one of the reasons why she liked him before… With that, both of them blush before leaning into a kiss, one filled with passion after not being together for such a considerable amount of time. After they break away, Amy’s tone shifts to that of sadness, expressing how they shouldn’t do this on account of her being with Sonic now, and that this could get in the way of their current mission (which Spectrum, sadly, agrees with)... On that note, Spectrum leaves Amy’s side so that things don’t remain awkward, but Amy stops him shortly afterwards to tell him that, in spite of the circumstances, their kiss just then felt good. Spectrum merely smirks before resuming his walk away from her.
As Spectrum continues to walk away to be alone again, Sonic watches him and Amy from a distance while still working on the makeshift camp with Tumult, and he is happy to see that they made the right decision to not go further with their lingering affections (even in spite of their brief moment of weakness with their sudden kiss, which he did see). He turns back over to Tumult, and they start talking about what they found in the city some more while they work; Sonic finds it crazy how one person could be insane enough to destroy an entire kingdom like Lamia did with Naagon, but Tumult explains in response how it’s actually not that surprising, as “absolute power corrupts absolutely…” Moving on, Sonic brings up another question he has had on his mind: he has assumed that the citizens of Naagon all died (hence the hieroglyphs they all were reading before abruptly stopping), so that only leaves the question of “how; how exactly did they all die…?”
===The Lamia Effect===
Before Sonic and Tumult can start thinking of possible theories, the both of them and Amy suddenly hear rustling in the foliage around them, and so everyone there braces defensively for a possible ambush. After a brief moment of intensity, a couple of odd-looking seeds are thrown into the open, confusing the group at first, but quickly sprouting into plants before spraying a high quantity of smoky clouds that start making the heroes cough. As the group is distracted, obscured figures blitz through the fog with abnormal speed, quickly incapacitating the three of them. As the three heroes struggle to get off the ground, and as the smog dissipates, it is revealed that their attackers are Berri and Whisper; it is clear to the reeling group that the both of them have been hypnotized by Lamia, as they can not only tell from the state of both Berri and Whisper’s eyes, but also from the different outfits and matching demeanors they both now adorn, along with the army of stone soldiers that are backing them up from behind as they come out of hiding. Berri and Whisper kneel down to look at their new prisoners of war, cheekily commenting how it is a shame (for them personally) that Sonic and Tumult could have easily overpowered them (simply because of the fact that they are men) and that they were forced to get clever with this assault because of that, remarking how (to them) men seemingly have it so easy, which seems to set off the weak Sonic and Tumult a little bit before they are silenced; after that (and as they motion for the stone warriors to come over and take care of Tumult, who they specifically trap inside a magical jewel, and Sonic), they then walk over to Amy, kneeling down to look at her too and tell her that “the queen” has invited her to the palace, and that “attendance is mandatory.”
Meanwhile, Spectrum is still by himselfhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Dealing_with_the_Losses when he hears the screams of Amy being snuffled out from a distance. Spectrum is startled at first, but he soon realizes that something is wrong, and so he draws his Wispon and rushes towards the sound with reckless abandon, determined to not let anything else happen to those who remain. Back with the others, the stone soldiers are carrying Sonic and Tumult away towards the palace, while a bound and gagged Amy is being carried over Berri’s shoulder.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Skills_and_Abilities When all hope seems lost to Amy, Spectrum suddenly leaps out of the fray and lunges at Berri and Whisper, only to be countered by them and pushed back. While Amy struggles about in joy, Berri and Whisper order the stone soldiers to continue taking Sonic and Tumult back to the palace, as they will deal with Spectrum themselves; the stone warriors do as they are told, walking away with Sonic and Tumult in hand, although Sonic does manage to yell at Spectrum to give them hell. After a tense staredown, Spectrum attacks first, but Berri and Whisper manage to dodge most of his attacks initially (juggling Amy around as they do to taunt him); this keeps up until they finally decide to fight back, with both parties managing to deal significant blows to each other. As Spectrum and Berri even lock arms at one point, he asks what Lamia has done to her (desperate to save his friends), but she says that Lamia only “liberated her and the rest of his friends from the likes of slimy men like him.” This sets Spectrum off, but his newfound aggression doesn’t seem to dissuade Berri and Whisper; under Lamia’s spell, Berri and Whisper seem to be more coordinated and thus more deadly. Eventually, Berri and Whisper manage to bring Spectrum down to his knees with their combined attacks and their taunting of him (to cloud his judgment), quickly throwing out more seeds that swiftly sprout into magical vines and wrap around him, holding him in place; as Spectrum is immobilized, Berri and Whisper kick and punch him while he is down, defeating and leaving him bruised and broken while Amy can only scream in distress and protest through her gag. Before they leave, as they pick up Amy and rest her on their shoulders again, they take the opportunity to taunt Spectrum again, saying how pathetic he is to have lost to them and that he is a sorry excuse for a leader; with that, they swiftly leap through the brush and into the night towards the palace, all while Amy’s muffled screams continue yet fade into distant echoes…
After they leave, the vines that bound Spectrum dissipate and free him, allowing him to stand up again. Despite being able to go after them, however, Spectrum doesn’t, and instead just continues standing there; now all alone, Spectrum finally begins to break down completely, with the emotions that Lamia has been building up inside him finally surfacing… He bursts into tears and falls to his knees, expressing (aloud) how he messed up; Spectrum cries over how he believes Berri and Whisper to be right, that he failed his friends as a leader and thinking (again) that they would still be with him if he had done better, though he still doesn’t know what he should have done to begin with… As Spectrum continues to cry, hanging his head low and dreading how alone he is, a featureless hand is suddenly and sympathetically placed on his shoulder from behind, causing him to jolt and turn around to see the Blank Figure he met when he fought Dark Gaia behind him. Realizing Who it is, Spectrum quickly hugs Him at His knees, much to the Blank Figure’s sudden surprise. As Spectrum sobs on the Figure’s legs, he starts to explain what happened before the Figure cuts him off, reminding him that He can hear everything. The Figure then walks around and comfortingly kneels in front of Spectrum, allowing him to express how he thinks he failed as a leader, being no better than Lamia was when she was a queen… The Blank Figure pauses (as if to think about His answer) before expressing to Spectrum that he will never be a leader like Lamia and that it’s useless to compare himself to her. Spectrum is naturally confused by this and he naturally asks what the Blank Figure means by this; so the Blank Figure explains that, unlike Lamia, Spectrum is willing to sacrifice everything to protect those under his care, and that (according to the Blank Figure) is what makes a true leader. Somewhat starting to understand what the Blank Figure is saying, Spectrum then asks how He knows all of this stuff to begin with, and He responds by explaining that He knows a lot about sacrificing everything for those He loves, or rather, He will come to know that; before Spectrum can question that last part, the Figure says that he’ll come to understand what He means later on.
Brushing that off, Spectrum rises from the ground, wiping the tears from his eyes and asking the Blank Figure what he needs to do now. Not saying anything at first, the Blank Figure merely pulls back some of the brush and points towards the Naagon palace in the distance, with lights from within shining like sparks against the darkness of the night. As Spectrum looks upon it, the Blank Figure asks Spectrum if he’s ready to sacrifice everything, walking away as He says this (without expecting to get an answer); Spectrum then turns back around and attempts to ask who the Blank Figure is again, but He’s already gone. With what the Blank Figure told him in mind, Spectrum’s face tenses up as he becomes more serious, understanding what he must do.
===The Hall of the "Queen"===
Meanwhile, Berri and Whisper are forcing Amy through the rotting palace doors and into the decaying great hall,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Lamia_Effect where she witnesses a shocking sight: while the stone soldiers line the walls, Amy’s comrades are strewn about in several spots around the room, each of them dawning new outfits and demeanors that reflect their new entranced servitude to Lamia (much like with Berri and Whisper). Above the throne, Sonic, Tumult, and Whisper’s Wisps are being hung by chains from the ceiling, with the blood really getting to Sonic’s head as he is upside down, with Tumult still stuck inside the jewel, and with the Wisps being trapped in an old Wisp Capsule. Finally, Lamia resides on the throne itself, with Marina loyally sitting on her knees beside her (having been given the same treatment as the others occupying the rest of the room). Amy is very visibly disgusted with such torture (in Sonic and Tumult and the Wisps’ case specifically) and manipulation (in everyone else’s case), yelling at Lamia and calling her a (metaphorical) snake once Berri and Whisper finally remove the gag from her mouth, only for Lamia to smugly just brush it off as stating the obvious. Still in a rage, Amy asks Lamia why she’s doing all of this, and Lamia replies by repeating what her “minions” have already been saying (that “she is liberating them from the grasp of men”), only for Amy to call out her bluff. Amused, Lamia rises from her throne and approaches Amy as she gives a different answer: according to Lamia, in this world, power is the only way to ensure prosperity, but more importantly, to ensure you are loved… Amy is somewhat confused, and Lamia elaborates further by mentioning her friend Blaze, in how she is loved only because she is a princess. Upon hearing Blaze’s name, Amy starts to put the pieces together, coming to the conclusion that Lamia wants what Blaze has, and that’s what she needs to go to the Sol Dimension for: to take Blaze’s throne and rule again… Lamia, smirking at and remarking on how Amy figured out her master plan, explains one last time that “power is everything” before finally hypnotizing Amy (much to the hanging Sonic’s horror and attempted protests); while Amy does try to resist, that doesn’t last long, and so she eventually becomes a drowsy and mindless wreck that falls into Lamia’s arms upon being released from her bindings… Lamia talks down to the now woozy Amy like a child, saying that she’ll make her feel better before kissing her; now fully hypnotized, Amy doesn’t even fight back, instead returning Lamia’s kiss while everyone around them merely watches (with the woozy Sonic feeling disgusted by the display)…
After that showcase of dominance, Lamia breaks away from the kiss and the now loyal Amy (who now smiles widely as a sign of her brainwashing being complete), asking her the same question that she asked her sister Marina before, that being how she can get into the Sol Dimension. In response, the entranced Amy merely reaches for her pendant and takes it off from around her neck, handing it to Lamia… Upon holding the pendant, it radiates with magical energy in Lamia’s hand, and so she immediately realizes that this is the (literal) gateway to the Sol Dimension (and she remarks upon it)… Now knowing that she has what she needs to finish her plan, Lamia starts manically laughing in victory, her laugh echoing throughout the hall for everyone there to hear; as Lamia continues to laugh over her triumph though, Spectrum suddenly interrupts her as he enters the throne room, with a determined look on his face.
All who were enslaved by Lamia, including Amy now, quickly get up and defensively stare Spectrum down, determined to protect their master; Spectrum doesn’t lift a finger or flinch towards this display of hypnotically-induced loyalty, and instead continues walking until he is a considerable distance away from Lamia, all while a still-woozy Sonic struggles to call out to him. Amused, Lamia teases him on what he’s going to do now that he’s all alone, with his friends now against him, but Spectrum gives an answer that she doesn’t expect: “nothing.” With Lamia confused, Spectrum elaborates, saying that he won’t fight her or his friends, instead requesting that his life would be traded for those in her enslavement. Now even more amused, Lamia is unsure as to whether or not to consider this to be noble or stupid (using the latter as a springboard to insult the intelligence of men), but after thinking on it for a second, Lamia agrees. Before she fulfills Spectrum’s request, however, Lamia first has his friends pummel him as a means of “humbling him;” Spectrum, having gotten what he wanted, just lets this happen, all to Lamia’s twisted enjoyment.
After Spectrum’s friends are done beating him to a bloody pulp, they lift him up by his arms and they present him to Lamia, all as he hangs limply in their grip. Lamia slithers towards Spectrum with Amy and Marina by her sides, summoning bowls of ritual paint into their hands as she has Marina go around towards Spectrum’s back, and as she has Amy continue her path towards Spectrum’s front. As Marina kneels down and traces markings along Spectrum’s ankles with the paint while Amy does the same with his wrists, Lamia bends down in front of him and looks him in the eyes, telling him how he is a fool for thinking she would honor any deal from any man; before Spectrum can react, Lamia touches his forehead with a single finger as Amy and Marina finish their work, with light radiating from that said finger as Spectrum’s eyes glow with the same light, reciting incantations as she initiates a ritual spell. Ultimately, the spell causes Spectrum’s body to dissolve into a spiritual dust, leaving nothing but his Wispon behind as he is sent into one of the dormant statues off to the side (with it looking like one of the stone soldiers), causing it to come alive and break free from its foundation as it walks over to Lamia; with Spectrum now having joined her ranks as one of her stone soldiers, Lamia remarks on how his determination will most certainly make him a valuable asset to her (at the very least, as she puts it) before having him join the other stone soldiers off to the side (much to the hanging Sonic’s silent despair)...
With that, Lamia finally resumes what she was doing before Spectrum interrupted her, and she finally activates the Sol Dimension Pendant, which opens a swirling portal in front of everyone there. Lamia laughs evilly in triumph again before having her new “followers” enter the portal, ready to initiate a conquest with them as she says how the Sol Dimension doesn’t stand a chance; after the corrupted heroes pass through the portal into the Sol Dimension, Lamia is about to enter when the stone soldiers start to walk towards it from behind her (hoping to enter the dimension and aid Lamia in her invasion as well), only to be stopped by her and commanded to prevent Sonic and the others from escaping, remarking how they wouldn’t want to see another kingdom’s citizens get enslaved like they did anyway… Before she actually enters the portal though, Lamia tosses the pendant away, not feeling the need to take it with her and thinking that Sonic won’t be able to follow her anyway; so with another evil laugh, Lamia finally and fully enters the portal, with it immediately closing after she disappears into it… With the room now vacant (save for Sonic, Tumult, Whisper’s Wisps, and the now dormant stone soldiers), Vi pops out of Spectrum’s Wispon and looks around before grieving over the apparent loss of his friend…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Vi Sonic, realizing the gravity of the situation, tries to break free, but fails as the blood is still rushing to his head…
===The Sheol of Naagon===
Meanwhile, Spectrum suddenly wakes up to find himself in a luminescent space, surrounded by what appear to be the spirits of the dead. After initially freaking out at the sight of these specters, Spectrum is calmed down and reassured by one of them that he’s not going to be harmed, explaining that he was the King of Naagon. He also introduces some of the other spirits to be the rest of the royal family, along with the remaining ghosts having been random citizens of the once lively city. Spectrum takes a moment to process this before asking how they all became spirits, and the King explains that Lamia (after Naagon fell to ruin) used her black magic to enslave the souls of the dead to form her own indestructible army, cursing the citizens of the kingdom with the inability to escape as their actions in the physical world became bound to her will…
Upon hearing this revelation, Spectrum feels his stomach drop, coming to grips with how evil Lamia really is (as she has ensured that her subjects would suffer her wrath even after death); everyone there agrees with Spectrum’s sentiment, stating that Lamia does not know what it truly means to lead others… The royal family then explains to Spectrum that he, in fact, can leave this purgatory and not share their fate, as the spiritual rifts are now thin for him; since Spectrum never was (nor is now) a citizen of Naagon in any way, the curse doesn’t apply to him.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia%27s_Stone_Soldiers#Past Just as Spectrum starts to leave though, everyone begs him to free them all once he’s back out there, to which Spectrum sympathetically agrees. With this in mind, he flies towards the wavy walls of the pocket dimension and passes through, with them hardening as soon as he’s gone…
Back in the Naagon palace, Spectrum’s statue starts to jitter and shake, cracking with a bright white light glowing from within, eventually exploding apart to make way for Spectrum’s spirit as it reforms his body.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Hall_of_the_%22Queen%22 Spectrum then reorients himself from such a trip, only to be tackled by a surprised Vi, who is happy to see him alive as Spectrum is happy to see him too; after that, once he picks up and puts away his Wispon, Spectrum then redetermines himself as he looks up and remembers his friends in their perilous hanging. Spectrum quickly runs over to the chains that bind them, undoing and carefully lowering them so that the captives would descend safely. Once on the ground, Spectrum quickly smashes the jewel trapping Tumult and releases him, with Tumult himself happy to not be experiencing that kind of confinement again, before helping Whisper’s Wisps break free as Spectrum releases Sonic. As Sonic reorients himself and catches his breath, he looks up to Spectrum and expresses his amazement at his attempted sacrifice a few moments ago, much to Spectrum’s nervously humble dismissal; still insistently reassuring as always, Sonic stands up (with a struggle, as he is still recovering from the blood rushing to his head) and places a hand on Spectrum’s shoulder, telling him how proud he is of the leader he has become.
As Spectrum is blushingly thankful, Whisper’s Wisps are finally freed, and they quickly fly over to hug Sonic and Spectrum, happy to be out of there and with people they trust besides Whisper herself. As the Wisps embrace the two heroes though, Tumult suddenly interrupts that wholesome moment to alert his friends about the stone soldiers, who are now slowly closing in all around them. Bracing themselves, the three of them frantically think about how to escape this, but Sonic suddenly remembers Lamia throwing the Sol Dimension Pendant to the side, and so he points to it lying on the ground for Spectrum and Tumult to see. Spectrum quickly dashes over and rolls as he grabs the pendant, standing up before shaking it frantically to figure out how to make it work; eventually, after Spectrum bangs it against his hand for a bit, another portal is summoned by it in front of everyone, and they take the chance to escape through it and free their friends. Sonic and Tumult quickly rush through the portal, but Spectrum stops right in front of it, hesitating before looking behind to see the still slowly-approaching stone soldiers; now understanding their horrifying story, Spectrum reassures his promise to the souls inside the stone soldiers to free them before finally stepping through the portal (bringing the pendant with him), just in time for it to close behind him as the stone soldiers come to a halt (having lost sight of all their enemies).
===The Battle for the Sol Dimension===
Spectrum reappears on the other end of the portal (now in the Sol Dimension), just as it closes behind him. As Spectrum stands up, he soon sees Sonic and Tumult in front of him, horrified as they take in what’s in front of them: the Sol Empire is in utter chaos, with its now hypnotized royal soldiers and guards burning houses, beating up random citizens, and taking prisoners (both of whom are not also hypnotized at the moment). Spectrum walks up besides Sonic and Tumult, feeling as though they were too late (with Lamia having already taken over the Sol Dimension), but Tumult explains that time works differently during interdimensional travel. Sonic, still not one to give up, tries to reassure and encourage his comrades not to give up either, suggesting that Lamia and their friends might most likely be at the palace; Sonic says that they can still end this, and both Spectrum and Tumult agree out of determination. Suddenly, the royal soldiers and guards take notice of the three of them, dropping what they were previously doing to attack them, saying that they were supposed to look out for them as fugitives (Spectrum jokes about this, suggesting that Lamia actually did plan ahead). With all three of them fully committed to their united front, Spectrum, Sonic, and Tumult fight through the hypnotized military together and make their way to the palace through the streets and palace courtyards.
Once inside the Sol Imperial palace, the three heroes burst through the throne room’s doors, bracing themselves for a fight, but they soon collectively drop their guard in shock as they are instead greeting by an unexpected sight: up at the throne, Lamia reclines upon it with their entranced friends all around her (with Amy now adorning the same kind of uniform and demeanor as the others), now with the addition of an entranced Blaze sitting on Lamia’s lap, who is caressing her head like one would do with a real (household) cat… Lamia also now wears a crown on her head, that originally being Blaze’s, which has now been defaced with the scribbled-on words “MOTHER OF ABOMINATIONS…” Lamia casually and smugly greets the three heroes into her “new kingdom” (noting that it’s “under new management”), being admittingly surprised that they all managed to escape their bonds and her soldiers, but they are too disgusted by the display before them to respond in an equally “polite” manner, even expressing those exact feelings to her aloud... Lamia, however, shrugs this off, saying that men are just as guilty of being just as revolting, saying that such evils are necessary when leading (as she says all of that, the hypnotized Blaze cutely meows, having been mentally domesticated into being Lamia’s “pet cat”)... Spectrum, getting fed up with Lamia’s appropriation of leadership and her misandry, calls her out, saying that she’ll never be a true leader as long as she’s unwilling to sacrifice everything for those she rules over; Spectrum even mentions, as an example, how he now knows that she even imprisoned the souls of her family to serve her for an eternity…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Sheol_of_Naagon Lamia, now very fed up with being called out for her hypocrisies, merely engages menacingly in a staredown with Spectrum before admitting that she doesn’t have a comeback and doesn’t care to have one, calling upon her mesmerized goons to take the three heroes down.
A fierce battle starts between both parties, with Sonic and Tumult taking on their hypnotized friends (with the addition of Amy yet minus Blaze, who merely watches the fight while grooming herself from the seat of her “former” throne) while Spectrum takes on Lamia personally; not having initially expected their arrival, Lamia and her minions have no tricks prepared, so they are reduced to having to fight the heroes head on (something they have been hoping for). Sonic and Tumult are able to combine their moves and easily overpower their friends, but the hypnotized defenders remain determined to win the fight for their queen, so the said fight continues regardless. Meanwhile, Spectrum is still engaged with Lamia, who is constantly taunting him (about how pathetic she thinks he is, especially as a man, and how he is going to fail his friends again) to get under his skin while she summons plants to try and strike him down like before; Spectrum is able to dodge all of those attacks nearly effortlessly now though, and he still manages to land good hits on Lamia too as he snaps back and brushes off every single taunt she sends his way, not allowing it to get under his skin like before (which annoys Lamia more and more over the course of the fight). Eventually, Sonic and Tumult finish dealing with their corrupted friends, leaving them incapacitated on the floor as they start running over to help Spectrum, but they are soon distracted by Blaze as Lamia commands her to buy her more time and fight them off.
Lamia, now feeling desperate as she’s starting to lose ground, sees her unconscious minions on the floor and decides to get out of this situation by using a shield; Lamia quickly grabs Amy with her tail and drags her over at a blazing speed, lifting her limp form up to her side and threatening to kill her if Spectrum makes a wrong move… Spectrum naturally freezes and lowers his arms to protect Amy, much to Lamia’s amusement as she remarks on how she believes the compassion of men to be a sign of weakness; as Lamia victoriously starts monologuing though, Spectrum bids his time and allows Lamia to “get lost in her own sauce” while he prepares his Wire Attack, eventually firing it at her tail and pulling it back to release Amy when he is sure that Lamia is distracted enough, though this does cause her to jolt in surprise. After wittingly remarking on how Lamia talks too much, Spectrum then pulls on his wire and launches himself at her, striking her in the face. From then on, Lamia loses considerably more ground as Spectrum lands devastating blow after devastating blow, eventually managing to wrap her up in his Wire Attack and strike her down to the ground, ending the fight for the moment; meanwhile, Sonic and Tumult finish incapacitating Blaze too, just in time to see Spectrum’s takedown. Once Lamia is defeated, all of Spectrum’s friends (as well as Blaze and the Sol Empire forces outside) that were under her control are released from their trances, waking up and reorienting themselves as they try to figure out what’s going on.
Spectrum cautiously approaches the constricted Lamia, telling her that it is over before she suddenly whips around and tries to hypnotize him with her eyes; Spectrum (with his guard down) is quickly ensnared by her gaze as his eyes fill with the colorful rings, but unlike his friends before him, he struggles against the spell greatly. Lamia strains as she rises menacingly, actually struggling to enslave Spectrum’s mind as she becomes more enraged, yelling about how she will use him to kill very last one of his friends while making sure he’s the last face they’ll ever see before Berri suddenly leaps into the air and kicks her in the face, sending her back down to the ground as she’s now unconscious; Berri, now on top of the incapacitated snake, catches her breath as she states how that was payback for Lamia threatening her family. After that, she gets up and runs over to the mentally-reorienting Spectrum, hugging himhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Spectrum_The_Hedgehog before the others run over to join in. After breaking away, they reveal that they saw everything while under Lamia’s control, and they notably saw how Spectrum tried to sacrifice himself for their freedom, so they now express their gratitude to him for that and express how that was what a true leader would do (all of which makes Spectrum humbly blush). After that though, Marina shyly makes her presence known to the heroes and expresses her thanks to them for doing all of this to save her, only for her sister Amy to run over and lovingly hug her. Suddenly though, the guards of the palace finally enter the throne room, quickly running over to Blaze to help her up; once Blaze reorients herself, Amy runs over and hugs her, happy to see that her friend is safe too. After that, Blaze approaches Spectrum and his team, expressing her gratitude for them saving her kingdom. Feeling honored, Spectrum shakes Blaze’s hand, and the guards around them cheer it on.
After they shake hands though, Spectrum remembers something important. Spectrum walks away from the crowds and over to Lamia’s unconscious body, reaching behind her and pulling out a totem shaped in the form of a small skull that glows with dark smoke; thinking that this might be what is binding Lamia's former citizens to the stone soldiers, Spectrum grips it with his hand and smashes it to pieces. Meanwhile, at the exact moment that the totem is destroyed, the stone soldiers in the Naagon palace crumble to dust, releasing the souls of Lamia’s victims from them and allowing them to fly off into the afterlife (similar to how Spectrum was freed beforehand); as they all fly off into the morning sky, the former King of Naagon thanks Spectrum (to himself) for setting his people free, while the rest of them celebrate with cheering.
===Team Spectrum departs for Home===
Back in the jungles of Naagon, Team Spectrum is hard at work repairing the Battleship, now with the help of Blaze’s personal technicians.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Battle_for_the_Sol_Dimension Blaze herself is also there to oversee the work, and she’s talking with Spectrum himself about how it’s the least they can do for what Spectrum did for them. Changing the subject, Spectrum asks Blaze if she is sure that Lamia will be secure in her prisons back in the Sol Dimension, and Blaze responds by saying that she’s confident she will “stick around,” as she intends to punish her for the crimes she has committed (to the Sol Empire and her own kingdom beforehand). On that note, Spectrum then asks what Blaze thinks will happen with the ruined city of Naagon now that Lamia is gone, and she says that she’s considering restoring it for her empire, not wanting to leave it in such a sorry state after learning about its story from Spectrum;https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Naagon#Occupation_by_the_Sol_Empire Blaze also mentions that she might let Omega take charge of such a project if that goes forward, which confuses Spectrum before Blaze elaborates and reveals that she and Omega are now dating,https://twitter.com/El_Omar2203/status/1176137659607072769 which Spectrum cheekily finds to be humorous.
Down at the Battleship, Tumult is busy helping the Sol Empire workers with repairs when Audrey waves him over to talk; Tumult flies over and Audrey asks him if she was right (about the Beginning using bad things for better outcomes), and he responds by saying he thinks so now after seeing this whole situation push Spectrum down the right path to discovering what being a leader means, all of which makes Audrey happy that she was able to help (with Tumult’s prior depression) after all. After some acknowledgement from Tumult, they both suddenly realize that they are holding hands and so they quickly pull away, nervously looking away from each other while blushing. Meanwhile, Berri is helping some of the Sol Empire workers lift some heavy parts when Ginger approaches her. Upon seeing her, Berri excuses herself to talk with Ginger, who reveals that she heard the story that Berri gave to Lamia while she was in a trance earlier (about her family and Robotomized Cream being the reason why she is on her current crusade), saying how she never knew about that before. Berri then nervously explains how she was planning to tell Ginger about it before, and Ginger expresses how sorry she feels for Berri about that whole situation but then says that it doesn’t really matter what reason Berri has for her mission; to Ginger, Berri’s cause is still just (even on its own), and she will continue to support her best friend no matter what, something that Berri is thankful for as she expresses it with a hug. Alongside all of that, after Spectrum is done talking with Blaze, Sonic walks up to him and again expresses how proud he is of his buddy, all of which Spectrum is humble about. On a separate note though, Sonic brings up how he saw Spectrum and Amy kiss the night before (which Spectrum is surprised by) and he expresses how he is actually willing to step back if he and Amy want to get back together now, but Spectrum surprisingly (to Sonic) refuses, expressing how Sonic is better match for Amy than he ever was and that he needs to learn to accept that to preserve his friendship with Sonic. In response, Sonic merely smirks and says that he was only making sure, patting Spectrum on the back and walking away as Spectrum sighs in relief.
After a while, the Battleship is restored and finally ready to depart, and so the Sol Empire workers retreat from the flying fortress as the heroes load up. As Spectrum walks up to the ship, Serena and Amy suddenly walk up beside him, expressing how they knew he would figure things out (about the meaning of being a true leader) and that they’re proud of him. After a grateful three-way hug from Spectrum, Serena and Amy walk ahead to the ship while he stops to look behind and take in the jungle and city view; as he looks on, Spectrum is suddenly approached from behind by Marina, who again expresses her gratitude for him coming out to rescue her. Shyly, Marina then makes a request to join Team Spectrum, hoping to repay their services by being their informant, saying how she has learned the trade from the best. Unsure of how to respond, Spectrum looks behind Marina to the Battleship to see Amy looking on from inside, nodding as if to show her approval for Marina joining his group; with that confirmation, Spectrum agrees, making Marina all giddy as she thanks Spectrum again and awkwardly runs off towards the ship. Spectrum chuckles over this as he looks back on the jungle, taking it all in with a deep breath before expressing, to himself, his thanks to the Blank Figure for showing him the way forward, only to continue heading over to the Battleship on that final note. Amy and Marina wait for Spectrum at the door, and as he enters the ship, Amy gives Marina back her shell; as Amy heads deeper into the ship, Marina starts thinking about Calypso again as she looks at the shell, getting worried about her (after not remembering what happened during their last encounter) before entering further into the ship as well (as the doors close and the ship powers on). Inside the bridge, Spectrum lets Marina take the wheel and allows her to fly them home, though her driving is a bit rocky at first before Spectrum helps her out a bit. As the Battleship takes off, Blaze and her attendants wave their farewells before the ship finally blasts off into the horizon towards home.
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===Lamia is Summoned===
Back at Lamia’s hut, Lamia herself is busy rummaging through her magical belongings (having managed to escape the Sol Imperial dungeons already)https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Team_Spectrum_departs_for_Home with Calypso standing nearby; Lamia bitterly complains to Calypso about her loss to Team Spectrum (specifically and especially about how they took the Sol Dimension and her stone army from her), all of which Calypso tries to comfort her over as her friend.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia_The_Constrictor#Calypso_The_Octopushttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Calypso_The_Octopus#Lamia_The_Constrictor Lamia, determined to get back at Team Spectrum somehow, suggests that Calypso should see Marina more often again, hoping that she can get some information for her from their former “guest;” Calypso is unsure about that though (for reasons that she doesn’t reveal to Lamia), so Lamia tells her not to worry because she knows Marina’s type, and so she knows that Marina will be naive enough to always come back and trust Calypso no matter what happens, but that only makes Calypso feel (silently) guilty in response… Suddenly though, the two of them are interrupted by a Teizokuna Clan member who had stealthily entered the hut moments before and now requests Lamia’s presence on the behalf of something he calls “the Order,”https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Order_of_Genesis#The_Teizokuna_Clan saying that “it is almost time” for something that makes Lamia react with an knowing evil grin.
==Chaos in Cyber Space Arc==
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===Nightmare===
Spectrum and some of his friends hide behind cover in Sunset City, being under heavy fire as the city crumbles and burns around them. As his friends fire upon an unseen force from behind their debris covers, Spectrum starts to lose his grip and begins to shake uncontrollably as he curls up into a ball and hides behind his cover. Audrey rushes over to him, demanding to know what’s going on, but Spectrum is too afraid to utter a word. Suddenly, a large laser blast sweeps across and strikes all of Spectrum’s friends (including Audrey, who is still right in front of Spectrum) in one fell swoop, sending them flying back and hitting the ground as they are all now unconscious (seemingly dead to Spectrum’s eyes). As one of their Wispons lands in front of him, Spectrum winces in horror as his eyes open to see his fallen friends lying on the ground a few feet in front of him, as he assumes the worst for his companions in terms of their fate, before his attention is grabbed by the Wispon now lying at his feet.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#The_Aftermath
Spectrum quickly stands up and attempts to grab the weapon before he finally hears his attacker speak, calling Spectrum a child as he says he can taste his “delicious” fear and anxiety, causing Spectrum to look behind and see a menacing dark figure hovering above the ground in the distance. Keeping his eyes on the figure, Spectrum stumbles around in an attempt to grab the Wispon before finally grabbing and taking aim at the figure, unable to keep himself steady as the figure fires a bolt from his hand that knocks Spectrum back on his behind. The attacker then tells Spectrum to give into his fear and run away so that he may be spared, and after staring at the figure, Spectrum eventually does just that. Before Spectrum can gain some distance though, the lifeless bodies of his friends suddenly appear in front of him in a floating cluster of flesh, their mouths and eyes oozing out a black goo. The black goo forms into Infinite, but his face distorts into several horrifying images as he lunges at Spectrum and swiftly grabs him, saying that Spectrum can never really run away as his size expands to the point where he can hold Spectrum in one hand (like an action figure). Infinite’s mask then splits apart to reveal a dark gaping holehttps://media.tenor.com/WFGL7pTS6_IAAAAC/stranger-things-demogorgon.gif before he lifts Spectrum above it and drops him, sending Spectrum into an eternal freefall as his screams echo into the void that is Infinite’s mouth.
As Spectrum descends, he is abruptly awoken by his friends (Berri, Tumult, Ginger, and Audrey) onboard his battleship, explaining that he looked like he was having a nightmare and asking if he was alright. Spectrum takes a few deep breaths before (half-heartedly) confirming that he is alright, and his friends express their thankfulness for that before telling him that they’ve arrived; as they say this, Spectrum’s Battleship slowly descends upon the Starfall Islands.
===Landing on the Starfall Islands===
In the bridge,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum%27s_Battleship#Bridge Team Spectrum (including Spectrum, who is now dressed and prepared for his upcoming mission with the rest of his friends) stares out the window as Marina Rose pilots the ship through the clouds. As she does this, Marina briefs the group on the situation, explaining that Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, and even Knuckles have gone missing on the islands with no calls for assistance.https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_Frontiers#Plot
Everyone dissipates afterwards to prepare for the search once they land, with Spectrum staring out the window by himself as he thinks about his nightmare from earlier.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Nightmare Berri sees this and leaves Ginger to talk with Spectrum about it (causing Ginger to go talk with Marina), asking if he’s thinking about his dream (and what that dream was if he was indeed thinking about it). For an unspecified reason, Spectrum decides to keep his lingering traumas over what happened during the warhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Sonic_Forces%5B9%5D%5B10%5D to himself for the time being, much to Berri’s confusion. Attempting to change the subject, Spectrum notices Tumult and Audrey speaking to each other across the room and mentions it, with Berri even teasing Spectrum about it.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Audrey_The_Hedgehog#Tumulthttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult#Audrey_The_Hedgehog On a similar note, Spectrum then asks Berri how she and Rebel are doing, causing Berri to sigh in exhaustion as she explains how Rebel seems to be getting more hostile (verbally) when it comes to Berri’s new “hobby.”https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Rebel_The_Hedgehoghttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Rebel_The_Hedgehog#Berri_The_Rabbit Berri expresses how she wishes Rebel could understand what she felt when Cream was Robotomized and how she sees that manipulation in everything they had been doing beforehand,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit/History_and_app.#Sonic_Forceshttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Robotomized_Creamhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Berri_The_Rabbit#Cream_The_Rabbit and Spectrum tries his best to be understanding; Spectrum even teases her about hooking up with Ginger if things don’t work out with Rebel, considering how close they’ve gotten recently (as best friends), which only makes Berri annoyed as she nudges him, much to their chuckles.
While Spectrum and Berri continue to talk, Tumult and Audrey continue to talk to each other about they know Spectrum and Berri are talking about them, and they giggle in amusement. Tumult then mentions how the energy on the islands feels familiar to him,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Chaos_Emeraldhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult reminding him of an age-old past,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult/History_and_app.#Past which Audrey curiously asks about. Tumult doesn’t really want to explain much, bringing up the time when the Beginning trapped him in his own Emerald for an eternity and how that made him feel.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Diabolus/History_and_app.#Impersonating_the_Beginning Audrey tries to be sympathetic with Tumult, suddenly grabbing his hand and tenderly explaining how she might understand what he’s going through, referencing how Dr. Gerald Robotnik wiped her memory before he died and essentially left her to be trapped on Prison Island for a time before she reactivated.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Audrey_The_Hedgehog/History_and_app.#Early_life Tumult is slightly shocked by Audrey’s advance and Audrey soon follows suit, both of them widening their eyes and blushing before letting go of each other’s hands and nervously chuckling as they try to keep their eyes off of each other; to move past the awkwardness, Audrey asks how Tumult and Tangle are doing, and Tumult nervously responds by saying that they’re still figuring things out.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult#Love_Interests
As both pairs continue talking to each other, Marina yells for them all to get ready as they are about to make landfall. After the Battleship finally rests atop the mountains of Kronos Island, the doors lower to reveal Spectrum and Berri and Tumult ready to roll,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Spectrum#Main_Members with Vi following Spectrum close behindhttps://chaoscontrolvaocs.carrd.co/#vihttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Spectrum#Vi as Marina and Ginger are there to watch them leave. As they walk down the ramp, Audrey suddenly walks after them, ready to join them in their search, which Spectrum immediately protests to; Spectrum argues that Audrey will need to stay behind and protect the Battleship, referencing what happened to it the first time they met Lamia, which Marina does not wish to remember…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Madness_in_the_Jungle_Arc Audrey reluctantly agrees, walking back into the ship with Ginger as Spectrum is about to join his teammates on the ground. Before he can leave though, Marina remarks on how ironic it is that Amy needs to be rescued now before pleading with Spectrum to find out what happened to her sister no matter what, which Spectrum naturally promises to do. With that, Spectrum finally catches up with his colleagues as they finally and fully venture out into the island’s landscape, saying that they’ll be back at the Battleship by nightfall.
===Into Cyber Space===
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Team Spectrum descends down the mountain range, sliding and bouncing off the rocky surfaces as they go. Once they reach the ground level, Tumult suddenly senses that familiar energy again, noticing an ethereal trail of energy that only he can see. After hearing Tumult explain this, the others think that what he sees might be a clue as to the whereabouts of Sonic and his friends, and they agree to let Tumult take the lead. Tumult leads his teammates into a small ravine, with the energy trail leading him to a massive throne-like structure with a gear inserted near the bottom;https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/1-1 The team isn’t sure what to make of this discovery, coming to the conclusion that Sonic and his friends must have done something with this structure. Spectrum (with Vi close behind) instinctively and curiously gets onto its seat-like platform and places his hand on the gear to feel it, unwittingly activating the structure as red lines descend from above and connect to the gear. Spectrum panics as he cannot remove his hand, suddenly fading away in a glitchy red flash, much to Berri and Tumult's shock as they jump in after him and disappear too.
Team Spectrum soon reappears in a glitchy pocket dimension, unsure of what just happened and bracing themselves for any possible danger as the terrain forms around them. They soon find themselves in a weird recreation of Sunset City during the warhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/City (which they point out), with the buildings crumbling into rumble and fires blazing throughout, but most of it feels uncanny as parts of it are consumed by glitchy masses and the fact that the path ahead is floating above a massive void is quickly noticed. They cautiously decide to walk down the nostalgic pathway to see where it leads, as Tumult still sees the energy trail as it weaves its way through the path.The place is structured in the same way that Cyber Space 1-1 is normally structured in Sonic Frontiers, just with the look of Sunset City instead of Green Hill Zone. As they walk, they discuss how the dimension they are in looks (seemingly to them) like it’s trying to replicate a place they’ve been in before during a specific time,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Cyber_Space but Spectrum nervously doesn’t comment on that (due to the pathway reminding him of his nightmare); Tumult mentions how much everything feels like a computer to him, pointing out the random glitch-like masses taking up spaces that buildings should be in, similar masses moving along the path (seemingly with some form of intelligent purpose), and the occasional grid-like lasers that pass by above them. Taking this in, Spectrum surmises that they might be in a pocket dimension that’s meant to act like a database of sorts, but for what purpose is still unclear to him.
The team continues walking for a bit until they seemingly see the end of the path, with a floating metal ring that has a light glow enveloping its center. After questioning what it is, with Tumult noticing how the energy trail continues into the ring, the team assumes that it must be an exit portal and they start walking towards it. As they walk towards the portal though, the (seemingly) autonomous glitches they mentioned before start to move past them in droves, causing them to look behind and see the path starting to disappear. Realizing the danger of falling into the void, the team panics and starts to rush to the portal, doing their best to avoid bumping into any of the glitchy masses they pass. Spectrum is almost able to touch the portal when a random glitch slams into him from the side and envelopes him completely as they’re both flung to the side, with Spectrum starting to scream and contort in pain from within the mass as his teammates react in shock while trying to find a way to free him before the path completely disappears.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony As Spectrum writhes in pain from within the glitch, memories that are specifically about traumatic moments for him during the war flash rapidly in his mind, not just including his first encounter with Infinite (like in his nightmare) but also everything else. Eventually, Berri is able to safely grab Spectrum’s hand and pull him out of the glitch with the help of Tumult (and Vi), and they jump through the portal with him almost immediately afterwards and disappear with a white flash; the glitch stays in the exact same spot as the path and portal fully and finally disappear, leaving it floating above the void as its mass slowly turns red in color.
===Kronos Island===
Back on Kronos Island, another throne-like structure with a gearhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/1-3Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence showed that the Cyber Space Portals can take you to different portals on the different Starfall Islands aside from taking you back to the same portal after completing a level.
https://youtu.be/_gjszHTDjzo?t=187 lights up as Team Spectrum flies out from it in a red flash and (roughly) lands on the ground in front of it, with the structure seemingly powering down as they slowly get back up. Berri and Tumult immediately rush to Spectrum’s side and ask if he’s alright, to which he says yes to, as he slowly rises from the ground with the help of his friends. As he rises up, he quickly sees the rest of Kronos Island before him as he gasps in surprise, and his teammates soon join him, with them all realizing that they landed in a different spot on the island than before. They look back at the structure and determine that it is also some form of a portal too, specifically designed to transport people into and out of that pocket dimension,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Portal_(Sonic_Frontiers) but the reason why is still unknown to them. Tumult sees the trail again and the group decides to continue following it, but Spectrum stays behind for a moment as the rest of the team continues on, resolving to himself to not tell the others what he just sawhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Into_Cyber_Space before quickly catching up with them.
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As they walk across the fields of Kronos Island, Team Spectrum looks at the greenery around them and they take note of how the flora seems to be recovering from some kind of event,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Starfall_Islands#Descriptionhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Starfall_Islands#Past with Tumult even pointing out massive scorch marks strung about the place that he seems to recognize morehttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Landing_on_the_Starfall_Islands yet decides to keep to himself. The team also takes note of how there isn’t any form of native life on the island at all, aside from the occasional seagull or two, which only makes them feel worse when they see what they assume to be the remains of buildings (that have weird architectural designs). Later on, the trail leads them to a weird smaller structure with three large spires facing the sky, with the trail collecting in a mass in the center of it (specifically in a spherical empty space where something could be contained, albeit while floating)https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Chaos_Emerald_Vault before continuing its journey across the island. After seeing this, Tumult starts to have suspicions on whose trail they have actually been following this whole time, but he also keeps this to himself as he can’t be sure of it, much to the rest of the team’s confusion as they trek on. Despite everything the Team sees and what they come to assume, they keep moving, trying their best not to disturb the area too much.
As they continue through the landscape, Berri strikes up a conversation with Spectrum, asking about what happened during that glitch’s attack (seemingly to them) as she questions him on what he felt or thought. Spectrum nervously doesn’t tell Berri anything, which only rubs her off the wrong way, now thinking something is indeed wrong with him. Berri tells Spectrum that he can tell his friends anything that he’s going through and that they are there to support him, much like how (as Berri references) he helped them through their own struggles during the war.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Rescuing_the_Lost Before Spectrum can respond, Tumult announces that they found another portal,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/1-7 questioning whether or not they should go back into that pocket dimension through it. The team tries to have a brief discussion on what to do, noting how the trail leads into the portal like before, but also bringing up how the reminiscent path nearly disappeared under their feet. As they weigh their options, the portal suddenly activates on its own, much to the team’s surprise as it suddenly creates a powerful wind vacuum from within that threatens to suck them back into the pocket dimension.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony#Skills_and_Abilities Team Spectrum tries to keep their grip steady (or, for Tumult, to fly away),https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult#Skills_and_Abilities but their efforts are proven in vain as they are pulled into the portal and disappear in another red flash.
===Agony Appears===
Team Spectrum reappears back in the pocket dimension but the landscape is different this time, with it not resembling any place from any of the team members’ pasts at all but instead being a new and chaotic landscape with floating chunks of land everywhere. As the team braces themselves for any possible dangers, the glitch that seemingly attacked Spectrum before floats in front of them, confusing them as to what is going on further. As they try to understand what’s happening, the glitch suddenly and seemingly becomes partially solid, falling to the ground as a gooey substance.
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The team’s confusion then turns to shock and horror as some sort of form rises from the goo, resembling that of a corrupted Spectrumhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony#Appearance as it comes into being (which Berri and Tumult are quick to notice and point out). Before they can respond further, this new figure suddenly morphs its hand into some sort of blade and lunges at Spectrum with a freighting speed,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony#Weapons_and_Gadgets%5B13%5D grabbing and flying him into the floating rocks as it slashes at him with its hand-blade; Berri and Tumult yell for Spectrum as they watch the fight unfold, unable to full process what is happening before they start trying to catch up with them.
As the being continues to drive Spectrum through the floating masses, Spectrum manages to break free and land a few hits on it to send it back a distance, giving him space to pull out his Wispon.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)#Weapons_and_Gadgets The fight continues as the two land blow after blow on each other, running across the landscape at speeds Spectrum never thought he would need to run at before, all while the attacker seemed to manipulate their surroundings to its advantage. Every once in a while when the two could lock blows, the figure would get Spectrum to look into its eyes and he would start to envision traumatic memories from his past, feeling more and more uneasy as the fight continues on.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony#Personality Eventually, Spectrum manages to land a few good hits to seemingly injure the attacker greatly, with Spectrum actually being just as battered, and the two simply stare at each other before the figure disappears and seemingly flees (much to Spectrum’s confusion). Berri and Tumult finally show up and ask what happened, and Spectrum explains to them that he doesn’t know, only recognizing the agonizing feeling the attacker gave him (but neglecting to mention why); after saying that, feeling as though it fits, Spectrum decides to give the attacker a name based off of that feeling: “Agony.” Spectrum also mentions how it was extremely fast and strong, along with how it could seemingly control the pocket dimension’s environment, leading the group to the conclusion that this Agony could be one of their most dangerous foes yet.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Spectrum#Agony
After talking, they look around and quickly see another exit portal, quickly rushing to it as they don’t want to run into Agony again. Once Spectrum reaches the portal and reaches his hand out to it though, the portal shocks him. Confused, Spectrum tries to push himself through but he can’t, and he is eventually thrown backward with a massive shock. The team quickly realizes that they can’t leave and they attempt to call Marina for help via their communicators, but that fails too as they only receive static on the other end. As the team questions why they can’t leave now, Spectrum realizes something and reiterates to his teammates how Agony could control the pocket dimension, suggesting that he maybe could be preventing their escape too… With that possibility in mind, everyone starts to feel agony rising within them as they wonder if there’s another way out, as well as wonder what Agony really is…
===Searching for Team Spectrum===
Back in the real world, Spectrum’s Battleship has been flying over the Starfall Islands (now flying over Ares Island)Marina, Ginger, and Audrey figured that the team might be on the other islands, as they couldn’t find them on Kronos. in search of Team Spectrum, with its spotlights scanning the environments for any clues as to their current whereabouts. Inside, Audrey is very frustrated with the fact that they’ve been looking for their friends for days without any trace of them, not understanding how they even lose their tracking signals in the first place. Ginger tries her best to keep Audrey calm, while also expressing how she hopes everyone is okay; Marina, on the other hand, explains that they shouldn’t even still be on the islands anymore, as Sonic and his friends have finally made contact after leaving the islands before Team Spectrum even arrived to search for them in the first place. Ginger and Audrey urge Marina to keep searching for their friends so that they all can finally return home, and Marina does just that as she pilots the Battleship over to the next island.
===Another Encounter===
Meanwhile, Team Spectrum treks through the landscapes of the dimension they’re in, having been walking for days as Spectrum’s injuries are bruising over.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Agony_Appears Everyone is very tense as Spectrum’s teammates complain about losing track of time while they continue to walk for seemingly no reason, but Spectrum counters that argument by reminding them about and pointing towards a mountain in the distance that has something glowing with a blinding light at its peak, believing that glow to belong to either another exit portal or something else that can help them escape.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Grid As they continue to walk, Tumult remarks how lucky they are to have some sort of landmark to guide them, bringing up how he can no longer see the energy trail anymore.Due to how the environment is completely foreign when compared to whatever came before. Remaining on that subject, the group starts questioning what that energy trail that Tumult saw really was aloud, and Tumult finally gives his word on the matter as he reveals his self-made conclusion: it was indeed Sonic’s trail, but also the Chaos Emeralds’ trail.https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog/History_and_appearances_(1991_-_2006)#Gameshttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog/History_and_appearances_(2007_-_present)#Games Tumult explains that energy from the Chaos Emeralds must have rubbed off on Sonic during his adventures, and he’s finally been able to pick up on it now. When asked why that is, Tumult says he believes that the Chaos Emeralds may have a deeper connection with the Starfall Islands than they initially realized, and the Chaos Energy that the islands have seemingly been absorbing must’ve heightened his senses for the time being. On that note, Tumult also mentions that he’s picked up on how every structure they had come across on the islandshttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Kronos_Island was built with the Emeralds in mind, making him think about a particular race of beings that the Beginning cherished above all others.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Diabolus/History_and_app.#Early_Life/Entering_into_Rebellion_against_the_Beginning Spectrum and Berri then ask Tumult who he’s referring tohttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Ancients out of curiosity, but he doesn’t elaborate any further and simply continues walking, only saying that he doesn’t wish to speak for the dead,https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Ancients#History with Spectrum and Berri catching up with him after shrugging it off in confusion.
As they continue to walk, Berri strikes up another conversation with Spectrum, asking him if he’s alright again. Spectrum once again refuses to answer her question, but Berri starts to get ticked off at this point, thanks in part to the group’s current situation. Berri expresses how she feels like Spectrum doesn’t trust his best friends with his problems, and she gets more flustered as Spectrum tries to deny this.
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Before their argument escalates any further though, the environment around them suddenly becomes tense with a red aura, causing the entire group to brace themselves for another attack.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony/History_and_app. As they predicted, Agony appears a few feet away from them and immediately lunges for Spectrum as he carries him away, separating Spectrum from his teammates once again. As Spectrum’s friends try to catch up, he does his best to shake off Agony, but his grip has become harder to break away from as he continues to project Spectrum’s traumatic memories into his mind. After Agony pummels him through more debris for a while, Spectrum finally gets away from him and pulls his Wispon out as he starts running away at high speeds, but Agony soon catches up with his own speed.
The violent chase continues for a while, with them avoiding attacks from each other as they run at high velocities, until Agony finally manages to grab onto Spectrum, forcing the both of them into close-quarters combat, with Agony even trying to send the floating pieces of the environment crashing into Spectrum. Spectrum manages to dodge all of the incoming debris as well as gain some distance at the same time, firing at Agony to maintain that distance. While that’s happening, Berri and Tumult finally catch up and descend onto Agony, but not before he manipulates the dimension to create a makeshift wall to block their attack, ensuring that they cannot help Spectrum; this action allows Spectrum to land a good shot on a now distracted Agony however, sending him flying backward as Spectrum powers up and fires one final blast in an attempt to finish him while he is discombobulated. With Agony being completely enveloped in the massive Wispon blast, he attempts to walk his way through it to reach Spectrum, only able to struggle doing so before he is eventually blown back even further. With that, Agony decides to retreat again as he disappears, finally allowing Spectrum to catch his breath.
With Agony gone once again, the barriers he created dissipate and finally allow Berri and Tumult to reach Spectrum. Berri is now livid as she explains how that was his fifth attack so far, and how she and Tumult haven’t been able to land a finger on him as he’s been keeping them away from Spectrum; Tumult agrees with this, pointing out how this glitch is very coordinated in its attacks, seemingly having a grudge against Spectrum for some unknown reason. Upon hearing this, Spectrum remembers how Agony has been showing him his traumatic memories, and so he decides to nervously shrug it off and suggest heading for the mountain again. Berri notices this and decides that enough is enough, angrily asking Spectrum to tell them what’s wrong, and that it’s not fair for him to not trust his friends with what’s going on with him. Berri continues to press Spectrum until he eventually snaps and yells back, finally telling her (and Tumult) how he has still not gotten over what he went through during the war, and that Agony has been (seemingly telepathically) showing him those moments in battle.
Berri and Tumult are initially shocked by this sudden outburst and revelation, but as everyone calms down, Berri and Tumult’s shock turns to sympathy while Spectrum starts to feel sorry over his sudden burst of anger and embarrassed over what he just revealed. Tumult explains how he had no idea this was going on with Spectrum and apologizes for not seeing it until now, but Berri instead asks why he didn’t tell them sooner, again as they are some of his best friends. Spectrum sits down and somberly explains that he thought he would be weakKind of ironic, don't you think?
https://youtu.be/F0DyBi2Yl64?t=192 if he got help from those who loved him and didn’t work these issues out on his own, especially now that he’s started to become a more renowned hero like Sonic who has so many responsibilities to juggle and standards to uphold on his own already…https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Spectrum_The_Hedgehog_(ChaosControl_VA)/History_and_app. Berri and Tumult become even more sympathetic towards Spectrum after hearing this explanation, kneeling down in front of him as they express how he’s not weak for asking for help, referencing how he helped them (as well as his other friends) through their own traumas and thus helped form them into the people they are today; they offer to help Spectrum through his struggles as he did with them, but only if he wants that. 
==="Therapy Sessions"===
Before Spectrum can respond to this, looking upon his friends as he’s initially unable to take in their loyalty, the ground suddenly opens up beneath them and they all fall into a deep and dark hole, being individually separated from each other as they fall further into the black darkness. All three of them eventually hit some kind of floor, still separated and surrounded by darkness as they painfully pull themselves up off the ground. On his end, Spectrum sees a bright light that’s quite a distance ahead of him, and he cautiously starts walking towards it (not seeing any other exits).
While Spectrum is walking towards the light, Berri and Tumult are simultaneously visited by Agony as he telepathically communicates to them with voices they know (with Cream’s voice for Berri, and the Beginning’s voice for Tumult);https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult#The_Beginning Agony even appears to them physically, much to their shock, taking the shapes of the people he’s verbally impersonating via Hologram Formhttps://youtu.be/Tl17D2Zlj6o?t=5526https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgZb_2cOe44 (however, Agony’s Beginning form is obscured in the shadows for Tumult). With Berri and Tumult in such a confused state, Agony takes the opportunity to taunt and remind them of their traumas (with Cream’s Robotomization and Rebel’s disregard for Berri’s personal mission,https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Rebel_The_Hedgehog/History_and_app.#Sonic_Forces_(and_the_Aftermath) and the Beginning sealing the Emerald Guardians away) as he reads their minds and telepathically projects it into their view. As Berri and Tumult relive those painful memories, they fall to their knees as Agony lowers his hand-blade above their heads (as if he’s about to kill them) and continues to taunt them (saying that the world is against Berri for her mission and that she has no need to go on with it, and that the Beginning is a liar who's new evildoings disavow everything that Tumult has stood for in His name).
Despite all of this, Berri and Tumult suddenly and slowly rise up and gain a new determination as they start to remember how Spectrum helped them through their traumas and was always there for them in general (with Berri saying how it doesn’t matter if anyone’s with her or not if she continues to do the right thing, and with Tumult saying that he may not know what is going on with the Beginning but what He taught him is still true), showing how they have truly moved on from their doubts and became better as they reinforce what they told Spectrum earlier.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Another_Encounter As Berri and Tumult start waking away while exclaiming how they are going to help Spectrum through his troubles just like how he helped them, Agony stops them and says how they can’t help him as he will die alone with his pain, only to disappear as they start to attack him in response. After this, and after Berri and Tumult receive a feeling of euphoria, a bright light suddenly shines in the distance for each of them and they start running to them, hoping to find Spectrum on the other side.
===Finding the Truth in the Grid===
Meanwhile, Spectrum finally reaches the end of the tunnel, finding himself in an open area with pillars surrounding a small module.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Grid#Description Spectrum cautiously places his hands on the module and it suddenly responds by glowing a light blue with his eyes doing the same, as holographic-like screens appear in-between the pillars. The screens reveal to Spectrum (by playing specific memories from others) that this area is called “the Grid,” and that it was one of many outposts made by a race of beings called "the Ancients," being commissioned and overseen by a leader of theirs called the “Master King,” to access the data from within the dimension that Team Spectrum is currently trapped in, known as “Cyber Space.”https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Grid#Past Now curious, Spectrum decides to dig a little deeper as he figures out how to access more and more data, all of which plays on the screens as well. The screens reveal how the Ancients were one of the Beginning’s most beloved creations before showing how the Chaos Emeralds arrived on their home planet, with the Ancients using them to fight back against the End once it arrived, before eventually and unfortunately using them to escape the End as it destroyed their world (and after it had wiped out four of their five subraces)...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpcdl8ceZI4
The showcase continues with how the Ancients arrived on Earth and how their greatest pilots sacrificed themselves to seal the End in Cyber Spacehttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/The_End#Historyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIoIApv9oPo before the rest of their race left the Starfall Islands and devolved. Seeing this, Spectrum feels sadness and sympathy for the Ancients, but he decides to dig even deeper as he looks for any sign of Sonic’s presence on the Starfall Islands and in Cyber Space. Eventually, the screens display the events that took place on the Starfall Islands and in Cyber Space before Spectrum and his friends arrived, starting from Eggman reactivating Cyber Space and ending with Sonic defeating the End (who had been released from Cyber Space), with everyone leaving the Islands afterwards.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)#Trivia After seeing all of that, Spectrum feels relieved that Sonic and his friends are alright, but also annoyed that they’ve been on a wild goose chase this whole time.
===Final Battle with Agony===
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Spectrum now turns his attention to finding a way out of Cyber Space, but before he can use the module for that, it shocks his hand off (with it now glowing red, and with Spectrum’s eyes returning to their normal color) as the screens start playing Spectrum’s traumatic memories on a continuous glitchy loop. Spectrum is initially confused by this, but then starts to put the pieces together as he remembers how Agony would project those same memories into his mind during their fights, realizing that Agony has something to do with those events somehow. Spectrum then turns around to see Agony standing behind him, and he braces himself as Agony starts to (or struggles to) speak with his own voice, remarking on how horrible Spectrum’s past was and how he needs to be put out of his miseryhttps://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Agony#Spectrum_The_Hedgehog before forming his weapons. Initially stunned, Spectrum’s expressions turn to determination as he pulls out his Wispon again, ready for one last fight. After staring each other down, they lunge at each other and the final confrontation begins.
Spectrum tries to hold his own throughout the entire fight but Agony still has the upper hand, easily getting a hold of Spectrum to pummel him in close-quarters, leading near fatal blows against Spectrum with his weapons, and even manipulating Cyber Space again to fling obstacles at Spectrum that he narrowly manages to escape. Throughout the fight, Agony doesn’t project Spectrum’s memories back into his mind again like before, instead pointing out the looping screens whenever they take a moment to catch their breath (or whenever Spectrum alone catches his breath). Eventually, Spectrum loses his edge and Agony finally strikes him down, sending him to the ground in a bloody pulp... Agony then walks up to and stands over Spectrum as he lies there while struggling to breathe, saying that there’s hope for him as he prepares to drive his blade through him…
Spectrum nervously embraces the end as Agony brings his blade down, but it’s suddenly stopped by Berri and Tumult, having arrived just in the nick of time to grab Agony’s blade and push him away. Berri and Tumult quickly pull Spectrum up, who is confused as to what’s happening. Berri and Tumult remind Spectrum that they’ll be there for him through his traumas no matter what, just like how he helped them through theirs, all of which brings tears to his eyes. After a quick hug, Team Spectrum then braces themselves for their final fight with Agony together, with Agony himself seemingly looking nervous over their unity with Spectrum himself. After staring each other down again, they finally attack each other, and the real final fight begins.
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Throughout the fight, Agony desperately tries to separate Spectrum from his friends again (mostly through manipulating Cyber Space again), but they now easily break through his obstacles, doing their best to stay close to Spectrum for support as they fight Agony with him. Together, they easily have a greater advantage over Agony, with the glitchy doppelganger unable to land so many hits on them as they pummel him with ease, even sometimes combining their attacks together to deal massive amounts of damage to him.i.e. Tumult's "Prism Focus" Move
https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tumult#Skills_and_Abilities Eventually, Team Spectrum has completely overwhelmed Agony, and they land one final blow together that sends him flying to the ground, twisted and mangled.
Team Spectrum walks over to and stands over Agony as they admire their work, with Agony struggling to say (even more so than before) how he only wanted to bring Spectrum peace. After taking a deep breath, Spectrum argues against this by saying how it’s better to work through one’s pain with those you love rather than succumbing to that pain by yourself, explaining how Agony’s way of “helping” Spectrum was just bringing him more of that pain. With that, Spectrum takes Agony’s severed hand-blade and drives it through his chest, causing the doppelganger to disappear for the final time…
===Returning Home===
After that, Spectrum thanks Berri and Tumult for being there for him and apologizing for not trusting them with his lingering traumas before, saying that he still has some issues to work on as his friends promise to always be there for him. Suddenly, the module stops glowing red and instead glows a light blue again with a spark, catching Team Spectrum’s attention as it slowly blinks. Spectrum walks over to the module and places his hand on it again, looking back to his friends with a smile as he uses it to allow their escape from Cyber Space, with them all disappearing a red flash once again.
Team Spectrum reappears back on the Starfall Islands in another red flash, finding themselves in the middle of a massive craterhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Ouranos_Island#Descriptionhttps://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Supreme#Boss_Battle on another island. Everyone exclaims how relieved they are to finally be out of Cyber Space, with Berri especially happy as she hopes aloud to never come back to this place again.
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As they all walk out of the crater, Spectrum spots a little stone creature he recognizes to be a “Koco” as heI absolutely hate how the dialogue in Frontiers that involves the Koco (and even the Ancients) makes it seem like no one knows what sex/gender they actually and individually are when you can obviously tell which sex/gender they individually are by simply looking at them (and also hearing them, in the Ancients’ case)! hides behind the trees, giving him a quick wink and a smile as he acknowledges his history.https://sonicfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rookie_Chronicles_(ChaosControl_VA%27s_AU)/Chronology_(Past_-_%22New_Generation%22_Saga)#Finding_the_Truth_in_the_Grid As they finally leave the crater and make their way out the foliage, they see a tall temple-like structure and multiple black towers in the distance as Spectrum’s Battleship suddenly hovers above them with its spotlight shining down on them, with Ginger and Audrey and Marina exclaiming with joy from within the ship (having finally found their friends).
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==The Long Valentine's Day Arc==
To be added
==Absolute Doomsday Arc==
To be added
==References==
Category:Owner:ChaosControl VA
Category:Owner:ChaosControl VA/The Rookie Chronicles
Category:Characters
Category:Groups
Category:Locations
Category:Team Spectrum Members
Category:The Strays Members
Category:Chaos Emerald Spirit Guardians Members
Category:The Hedgehog Syndicate Members
Category:The Kamakiri Clan Members
Category:The Order of Genesis Members
Category:The Teizokuna Clan Members
Category:International Rock Climbing League (IRCL) Members
Category:The Strangers Members
Category:Stories
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Category:Dark Gaia Transformations
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