A bunch of Fan Kids

They were also used to her antics of racing off without a single care of the wildlife she startled out of the tall grass. While they didn't recognize Andie, they weren't worried when the boy chased after her. If anything, there was a soft bit of laughter that was dwarfed by the teens.

"If I wanted t' cheat. I wouldn't've warned ya first." She blew him a raspberry and allowed him to match pace with her as the hill the HQ came into view. It looked so inconspicuous on the outside, but once the pair reached the door and Harmony opened it...

The inside was cozy. A large sofa sat in front of a large TV with game systems beneath. The nearby kitchenette was stocked with all forms of snacks and supplies to cook basic meals in a pinch. But none of that was where Harmony was heading. She walked to a hallway off to the side that lead into what was called the 'War Room' after the fight with Eggman only a few years ago.

Inside was a Chipmunk, typing away on a small handheld computer. Her long red hair hung loosely over her light blue vest. And she all but jumped when Harmony spoke.

He slowed down as they approached the headquarters. His ears perked up and his eyes wide as he took everything in. He hadn't been here yet, despite knowing Harmony was a part of it. The younger hedgehog stuck close to his sister as she took the lead.

The snacks looked enticing, and he did get distracted by them before quickly turning his head all around to find Harmony again. His steps quickly coming up behind her into the next room. That was who they were here to talk to.

There wasn't much that could be done for Knuckles and Shadow, as far as Optimus could tell. They were outsiders to the process- apart from gaining their trust (whether tentatively or no), there wasn't much that could be done. Condensing down the explanation each time the group looped would be one of the only options available. And while he didn't like it,...once Kawiil grew accustomed, she would be the key to getting Shadow and Knuckles onboard. Hopefully, there wouldn't be that many loops. Hopefully, this would all be resolved this go, and no more.

"The amount varies,...some loops have been closed in as little as five iterations, some have taken...far more." Hundreds, if not thousands of times back through- repeating the same tragedies with minute differences, doing everything they could... The Prime resisted an audible vent of atmosphere. "Rest assured, my crew and I will do everything in our power to close the loop as swiftly as possible."

It crossed his processor that, unlike other loops, there was a chance he wouldn't be able to close it without a level of loss. Some of his troops might have to remain deceased, even after it was closed- he didn't want to risk the little one's mind more than necessary. And even that felt like a cruelty to her.

The multiverse had certainly not been kind.

"I still recall your orders from the previous loop, so I will go and get your food. I will return shortly." Presuming they wanted the same as last time, anyway...

Shadow had already placed their daughter into one of the beds, and was giving quiet reassurances that everything was going to be alright. Kawiil didn't look quite convinced at the moment, even as the two of them turned towards Knuckles as he placed the Master Emerald down.

"They're gonna get us some food." Knuckles said as he joined the two. "I'm sure you'll feel better once you've eaten."

A small sniffle from Kawiil before she leaned against him. There wasn't any hesitation to wrap his arm around his daughter as he glanced towards his partner.

"We only know of one person in our world with that name. Would it be safe to assume there's a relation to an Amy Rose in your world?" His expression softened as he looked over the metallic limb. The connection was vastly different from his own, but he could see it was well maintained. A nod of understanding and respect was given.

"Thankfully, I've had plenty of practice with this one." He tapped Gibbous in the nose with a finger before gesturing to the guitar case over his shoulder. "Although Maria seems to be a rather adventurous one."

"Gramma!" Maria said with an excited wiggle in her mother's arms. That is until she turned towards Light at the sound of her name. "Yes!" She was practically jumping in Jazz's arms.

"Carefully or I'll drop you." The older hedgehog said with a snort. "Of course I wouldn't mind Maria playing with her new friend."

"Now!" Maria seemed to be looking to find a way out of her mother's arms.

They watched as their makeshift bandage was applied. The dragon shifted uneasily, wings nearly flattening into tight bundles against their back.

Rather than feel any kind of accomplishment, however, Arrow frowned. He didn't like the implication.

"CONTROLLABLE ASSET." Omega pointed at Arrow. "A GROOMED REPLICA OF CHAOS POWERED SONIC THE HEDGEHOG." His hand fell, and despite not having a true face, the robot was definitely frowning.

@bundlesofchaos asked:

A letter, addressed to Atlas and Orion.

"I hope you two are keeping safe. I'm doing better at home now, although my lungs were not happy with me. I guess they have some scarring from your planet's air.

I hope there is a chance we can see each other again. Next time, I'll make sure not to cause a crater.

-Jazz"

[Unprompted. || Accepting!]

The letter had been found by Atlas after they'd woken up, one solar cycle. Partway into their day, they'd drifted into wakefulness- hearing Orion's pedsteps as they grew closer outside their base. The silver-haired entity's gaze drifted- only to lock onto a shift of color in their home. A plain-white envelope, save that it had their name- and Orion's- in English.

~~ Hey, Orion! ~~ Once he was back in their home, they'd clambered up to his pauldron. It was a little concerning, how seamlessly they could translate the text from English to Cybertronian. Orion didn't really need it, but...could never hurt to brush up on their abilities. They sighed softly, setting the letter down in their lap after they'd finished reading.

They didn't want to say what they were thinking. The niggling thought of 'I hope we don't see her again.'- it wasn't out of a sense of malice, or annoyance,...but the memories of her slowly withering on this place, combined with how the planet's atmosphere had affected her,...

"...y'think she'll come back?" Their words were tinged, somewhere between unease and relief.

"...maybe. But- at least she was able to recover." The miner grinned. "We didn't lose her." Atlas smiled faintly.

"...yeah..." Maybe she'd come back, maybe not- hopefully, next time...it wouldn't be quite as harrowing.

"I'll miss you." She said, softly. Her hand moving to a small wave before she got too tired to keep it up anymore. "See you another time..."

"Yeah,..." they probably wouldn't. Or, if they did, it would be quite some time. It was- strange. Wanting, hoping the kid would visit again- and yet dreading it, the thought of her coming back only to suffer as she had before...it was...unpleasant.

The mech gave a nod of his own- but the other had already turned, hurriedly dashing back through the rift between realities. Orion's gaze drifted down to his other, then back to the place where they'd all disappeared. Maybe,- they'd see them again.

For now,...he would keep moving.

"Let's get you back to your place."

It was simple- but it was a start. Ex would take that. They shifted until they were within arm's reach, gaze sliding towards distant. After a few moments, they settled on a course of action. A hand was outstretched.

His eyes glanced towards the other before he moved to start setting the new bark onto his leg. One of the strings from his boots would work for now. It was only for a short time. Just until he was taken to somewhere he could heal.

It was easy enough to picture where she wanted to take them. The field just outside of New Mobotropolis. Large enough of an area that they wouldn't be bothering anyone inside the city or startle anyone. From there, it would just be a light jog for the two speedsters to get to the HQ where Sally was waiting.

A quick flick of her wrist and the device flipped end over end until it stopped midair. It spun, expanding as it did until the other side of the blue portal was an open field. Harmony gave her brother a nudge and then followed him through. She tucked the Ring back in her pouch and pointed to where a large flag was sticking out of a large mound.

It was always just a tiny odd to travel that way, but it only took the younger hedgehog a small shake of his body before he was alright again. His eyes already glancing around at his new surroundings and taking it in.

Of course all of that concentration on where they were went out the window as soon as a race was involved. "Hey!" There was a laugh of his own as he made sure his sketchbook was secure in his grip as he begun to run after his sister. He was definitely getting faster the longer he stayed with his new family.

Probably because he had actually had room to run in.

Thank Primus. The mech's optics had shifted to the pink one the moment she'd made noise. She was alive. That was hope enough for the mech, as he released a vent of atmosphere from his intake.- A vent that turned into a sharp intake, EM Field spiking all around his framework as his helm all but snapped to the noise.

It didn't,...what....he shook himself, gaze cast back. The trio didn't seem to think much of it- so he'd not let it bother him,...more than the fact it looked like a hole in his reality. Stable, but- concerning.

Home. She was going to go home- be taken care of. The mech picked himself up (hard to do when you've got a servo-full, but not the hardest thing in the universe), regarding the three. What...could he say?

"...take care." Even speaking it felt- awkward. Interrupting some moment he felt he shouldn't be privy to. But it would be fine- it was worth it. Jazz was going home,...she was going to be okay.

"I'll miss you." She said, softly. Her hand moving to a small wave before she got too tired to keep it up anymore. "See you another time..."

"Jazz-min." The pup repeated. Once, twice, and on the third time. "Jasmine. Pretty! Like flower?" Curiosity was the toddler's strong suit as the former soldier let out a soft snort.

"My name is Light, and this is Gibbous." He paused as she nuzzled into his shirt. "Or Gibbie, as many of her friends refer to her. I do hope you didn't run into trouble when you arrived."

"Yes! Like the flower." The older hedgehog gave a smile and a nod towards the toddler. "My last name is like a flower too. Jasmine Rose." It She was sure it had been done by her parents on purpose. A symbol of love, like the flower.

Optimus guided the mobians to their quarters. As he did, his processor murmured over the methods of explaining all this in future loops. Presuming this would not be the only time these days would repeat- moments would count. There was little that could be done for this loop, in particular...save gathering information, and attempting to prevent the loop to begin with.

What a horrible fate for a child to endure. No doubt, Kawiil would be changed- but hopefully, Optimus could keep those changes...to a minimum. Something told him the young one he'd met, all smiles and innocence,...was already gone.

"If you would prefer, I can have your breakfasts sent here. We can discuss what to do once you are feeling up to the task." For this loop, at least, he'd not press the matter. The same could not be said for future iterations. No doubt he would come across as less friendly in those, but...it would be what it would be. Time, for those two, would be limited. They would not have the small eternity he, Kawiil, and the other loopers would have.

This would be a 'new' problem for them, every time.

But Kawiil came first. As much as he went to say they should discuss matters right now, the small sniffles of his daughter held those words back. He gave a frown and a nod towards Optimus at the suggestion of breakfast before he turned towards leading Kawiil to a bed.

{➹} – IT WAS NEVER a position the hedgehog thought he would be in. A robot, one of Robotnik's even, in his home as a guest. All because of a child he had found randomly one day, who had integrated so flawlessly into his own family that even Omega was welcome there. Life really was funny at times.

He wasted little time with the first question on his mind.