Spectator
By: Chicobo329

“Why is my arm disabled again?”

A small blue flicky, perched high atop a lone tree in a vast meadow, curiously watches a blue hedgehog standing in mild disgust below. The little bird had been curiously watching the hedgehog for some time, as he was practicing with a strange object in an even stranger arm for some hours on end.

Unbeknownst to the little bird, that object is a sword, an exotic-looking blade tempered from a far-off land. The arm…

“I don’t believe it…” The hedgehog muttered, using his right (and apparently organic) arm to inspect the frozen mechanical appendage to his left.

Flickies are naturally inquisitive beings, and it didn’t take this one very long to deduce that one of that hedgehog’s arms is not natural. The hedgehog below knew this all too well and it was an ironic twist in his long and storied history as Hero of Mobius. The flicky hopped up the branch it had perched on and peers down below to get a closer look.

The arm appears to have been completely frozen, not a single gear or joint within it responded to any of the hedgehog’s vain attempts to move it. It was easy for the flicky to read the despair on the blue one’s face, but the flicky has the luxury of seeing another spectator…

…for one look from the hedgehog to the bushes behind him showed the flicky another side of the story, mysterious foreigner. The little bird had traveled and migrated many miles in the ten years of its life, but never had it seen a denizen of Mobius so…peculiar.

The flicky had known that those on two legs, the mobians as they were called, had taken to the custom of wearing at least some article of clothing. Over the years the trend showed more clothing, but not as a means of fashion, but rather a need to facilitate more defense; the world was at war.

This mobian wore nothing.

And it was suiting; a strange mobian displayed strange customs. But this one…was floating. The foreigner, a weasel as the flicky figured out, was silently, calmly, and very casually, levitating while still behind the cover of bushes. He was shaded in a vibrant array of purples and violets, making it seem like the very color was that of amethysts. His eyes were as pure as the very gem, very deep and entrancing. Another mobian that would have more time to inspect such details (the flicky was fortunate) would have been caught in the glimmer of those eyes.

His arms are crossed as he watches silently, a very faint smirk playing through his lips. The weasel appeared to be a fairly tall mobian and one that was very fit for his muscles on his arms and legs appear well defined.

It was easy to see, for even the flicky that was watching, that the foreign weasel had something to do with the unresponsiveness of the hedgehog’s mechanical arm.

The bird pauses to preen its feathers, particularly its wings for they had seen a lot of flight today. However, some new sounds from the clearing cause the lone flicky to pause its moment of cleanliness to inspect. Beside the hedgehog were now two new figures, but the flicky had seen them before.

One of them was a fox of two tails, a trait that not a single beast or person in all the lands could forget. But it was nothing to fear, for the fox was young and bright. Intelligence was always shining in those azure eyes and in his paws was usually a strange contraption or mechanical device that performed some new and wondrous task. He wore simple, white gloves, a pair of small leather boots, and a long, thick aporn made of leather, presumably mechanic’s garb. Around his waist was a tool belt full of all sorts of tools and useful gadgets.

The other figure was a much larger one, but didn’t pose any real threat. The flicky had been weary of larger beasts and mobians before, but this one was friendly, it was sure of it. The other figure was a walrus, wearing the same garb as his smaller two-tailed counterpart. The walrus was carrying a box of what appeared to be spare parts. He was carrying it with relative ease but the flicky imagined it to be very heavy.

Carefully, the flicky watched and listened in.

“Tails, you and Rotor built yourselves a shoddy arm.” The hedgehog looked visibly annoyed; tapping his boot in what the flicky understood was a sign of impatience.

The young fox, Tails as he was called, walked over to the blue one’s mechanical arm and gingerly held it with both paws, inspecting every single detail that even the flicky cannot see. ‘Tails’ even went so far as to sniff the arm, using one of his keenest senses to find any flaws.

Unfortunately, nothing was found and the smallest mobian frowned, his ears lowering which the flicky saw as a sign of the fox’s mood. “What are you talking about, Sonic? This arm was spotless when we crafted it!”

The blue one, ‘Sonic’, simply glared at the fox. The flicky was unaware at the tone of his voice, but he was able to spot a slight smirk.

“Where’s my warranty? I want my money back!”

The flicky briefly turned to watch the foreigner, but he simply smirked too, it almost mirrored that of Sonic’s. Turning back to the trio of mobians, the flicky saw the fox and walrus shuffle their feet and look down to the ground, signs of uncertainty or embarrassment.

The walrus, ‘Rotor’, spoke up “Um…no refunds?” He even managed to look back at Sonic, but appears to be chuckling weakly.

The flicky was also able to hear silent chuckling from the foreigner behind the bushes, and was a bit surprised that the trio of mobians was not able to pick up the faint sounds. They all appeared engrossed in this…sticky situation.

Sonic inched towards the two mechanics, speaking in a firm, yet sly voice “I want my money back Rotor!” The smirk began to change into a grin.

The walrus, now confounded and anxious, dropped the box of parts with a loud ‘clang’, picked up his fox companion, and began to make a run for it! The flicky snickered as he watched the large mobian attempt to run as fast as he can from the hedgehog.

Sonic, interestingly enough, stood there and watched in amusement, merely yelling out to the walrus, “Hey!! Get back here!! Don’t make me come and get you!!” The hedgehog even shook a clenched fist, but the flicky can now see that he does this in jest.

The blue bird turns to the foreigner who is now wearing a satisfied smile. But for how long will that satisfaction last? It appeared the vibrant violet weasel had floated back now, away from the bushes. Curious, the flicky turns back to the hedgehog as it hears the mechanical arm whirr back to life.

The sounds of gears and joints reactivating made the mobians leap in surprise. Sonic curiously and cautiously moved his left arm to find all parts to be in working order. Tails and Rotor both sighed in relief now, Rotor pointing out an obvious statement (obvious to even this little flicky):

“I ah…guess it works?”

Sonic just grinned casually as if the whole thing never bothered him at all “You better be glad!” The flicky knew his voice all too well, that timbre always had a confident tone to it.

The little fox weakly chuckles while rubbing the back of his head, something the flicky figured out to be a sign of sheepishness. Sonic however, comforts him by patting his back and letting out a laugh.

“Just kidding guys! Let’s go!” Sonic pats Rotor’s back perhaps a little hard as if he got the point and the three mobians move along down the meadow.

The foreigner floats a safe distance behind them, apparently he is tracking Sonic down for something. But is it any of this little flicky’s business? Not a bit! The flicky lets out a few chirps and flies off to the east in search for food.

If the flicky could think though, it would have thought that watching Sonic is never a dull experience.