Work Text:
“Alright, you two, moment of truth…”
Kit, Belle and Grease were standing beside an old, black car. You know, one of those vehicles that looks more like a horse chariot. It had come to them looking like a wreck, and they just got done putting it back in a state where it was drivable. At least, that’s what they were hoping for.
“Kit? Would you like to do the honors?” Belle asked.
“Guess so,” Kit shrugged. Grease tossed him the keys, and Kit climbed up into the driver's seat. He put the keys into ignition, turned, and lo and behold, the car revved up. Some old-timey music was even playing on the radio.
“Yes!” Grease pumped his fist. “And it’s got a great song on! Great job, kiddos!”
The oldest one in the trio is the one who jams to music that’s probably from the 1970s. Of course.
“This wasn’t too bad of a job, but why couldn’t we add any newer parts to the car?” Kit asked. “The sound coming from this is telling me it won’t go very fast.”
“Well, the folks that brought this in requested to only use stuff specifically made for this car,” Grease shrugged. “Meanin’ no Extreme Gear parts or anything like that.”
Kit looked down. “Wouldn’t be surprised if they were part of those old people that hate modern technology… Saying it’ll harm the kids or whatever.”
“Ha!” Grease slapped his knee. “If that’s the case, they’d sue us for all the other stuff we make here.”
Suddenly Belle jumped in the passenger’s seat.
“OoOoOoO, I’m made out of modern tech!” the tinkerer bellowed, wiggling her fingers and leaning close to the fennec fox. “I’m gonna turn your brain into MUUUUUSH, Kit!”
That got a snort and a hearty laugh out of Kit. Grease couldn’t help but snicker as well.
“Gears and starters, I sounded like Sticks for a second…” Belle blushed.
*cough, cough*
The entire room fell silent. Everyone slowly looked toward the source of the coughing, and found Ashley leaning her left hand on a shelf.
“Uh, I can come back later if you’re busy-”
“NO! No! You’re, uh… you’re fine,” Belle stammered, as she and Kit scrambled out of the car.
“What brings you here so suddenly?” Grease asked.
Ashley looked at Kit. “Well… I just need to talk to Kit real quick, if that’s okay.”
Kit paused, while Belle and Grease looked at him curiously. “Wait… just me?”
“Mhm.”
The leopard saw the hesitation on Kit’s face, and added, “It’s nothing big. It’ll only take a minute, I promise.”
The fennec thought for a second, and sighed. “...fine. But it’d better be quick.”
Ashley gave him a small smile and gestured for him to follow her. As she walked behind the shelf, Kit looked at Belle and Grease, who looked just as confused as he did. He only shrugged and went after the leopard.
Turns out, he didn’t have to follow her very far, because she was waiting for him at the middle of the shelf.
His eyes narrowed. What was her game here?
“You do realize how ominous this is starting to sound, don’t you?” he glared, eyes beginning to glow. “What do you want, and why couldn’t Belle and Grease come?”
Ashley saw some watery tentacles slowly forming from Kit’s backpack. Yeah, okay, she had to get to the point quickly.
“B-because…” She tugged on her tank top nervously. “Because I wanted to give you something personally!”
Huh?
The tentacles went back in his backpack, but he still stayed on guard. “...give me something?”
“Yep! It’s right…” The leopard reached into the middle row of the shelf, and pulled something out. “...here!”
Kit’s eyes stopped glowing. What Ashley was holding was a black gift box, with a bow in front of it.
“...what’s supposed to be in there?”
“Well… it’s something I’ve been working on on the side since you and the others gave me my arm,” the leopard answered. “I would have had it ready sooner, but I wanted to make sure there were no mistakes.”
Suddenly, Kit’s water tentacles rose out again, a lot more quickly this time. Ashley flinched, but eased up when all Kit did was use them to take the box out of her hands. She expected Kit to say something, but he only looked at the box as it was lowered towards him.
“Er, you don’t have to open it right now if you don’t want to,” she said. “I just wanted to find the right time to give this to you.”
Kit stayed silent. ‘No mistakes?’
A sudden buzzing came from Ashley’s pocket. She reached into it, and pulled out her phone.
“Oh, Lanolin needs me for something,” she said, looking at the screen. “I’d better get going.”
Before Kit could say anything else, the leopard was heading off.
“Put it somewhere nice!” Ashley waved as she walked off. “Or… do what you want with it. It’s your's now, after all.”
As she disappeared, Kit was left holding the box, completely perplexed.
“...okay?”
-
A few hours later, Kit was at home, sitting on his bed with Ashura laying stomach-first on his head. He had the black box in front of him, and they were both eyeing it cautiously.
“I guess now’s as good a time as any to open this…” he said. He looked at his chao. “What do you think it is, Ashura?”
“Chao chao chao!” Ashura said, spitefully.
“...I’m pretty sure they would have caught her if that were the case.”
He sighed, and lifted the cover up off the box.
When he did that, he saw what appeared to be a snow globe.
Taking it out, Kit saw that was actually a bit bigger than he expected it to be. And when he and Ashura looked inside it, he could see why.
Inside the globe were two small origami figurines of him and Surge. They were posed back to back from each other, with cyan and blue glitter floating around them. They must be representing lightning and water. The ground they were standing on was painted to look like that of Green Hill. And on the stool of the globe, it said “Power Duo” in bold, all-caps letters colored in green and blue.
Going back to the figures, the detail on them was pretty detailed for something made out of origami, and something so small (even if the creative liberty of the eyeballs only being the colors of their irises had to be made). Every piece of paper was glued on and folded with straight precision.
“Was this what she meant by ‘no mistakes?’” Kit asked himself while Ashura’s eyes landed back on the box.
He decided to test the globe by shaking it in his hands. He stopped, and while glitter did float around the globe, the figures stayed intact. They didn’t fall apart, nor did they fall over.
“Chao!”
Kit glanced at Ashura, who was rummaging in the box. She looked up and held a battery in her hands.
“Huh? Where does that…?”
He rotated the globe in his hands, until he flipped it over. There was a small tab underneath it. He lifted it up, and under it was a battery terminal.
So it was one of those globes that lit up? Huh. He did recall Ashley saying she had some knowledge about tech, even if it was very limited.
Kit put the battery in and closed the tab again. Next to it, there was a tiny button.
He pressed down on it, and while he was correct on it lighting up… there was actually more to it.
When he flipped the globe the right side up, he and Ashura saw the “Power Duo” logo glow. The same went for the tiled ground he and Surge were standing on. It was enough to illuminate the entire glass. Not only that, but the figurines were slowly rotating inside the globe.
There was also a beautiful melody playing after it turned on as well. So she managed to get an audio chip in there as well? The sound quality was hig, too. No crackles or stutters anywhere in the song.
Wanting to test something, he put the globe on the dresser across from his bed, and went to turn off the light.
Once he did, the globe was like an advanced nightlight. And... were those clouds all around the wall and ceiling? They were like cyan and blue LED lights.
His pupils growing slightly, Kit looked over at Ashura. While it looked like she was trying not to, the chao was marveling at it all.
He looked back up again. The music, the lights, the display… despite the simplicity compared to what he’s made…
It was actually kind of beautiful.
[THE NEXT DAY]
Ashley was sitting on her couch, with a book in hand, when she heard a knock on the door.
After a quick stretch she headed to the door and opened it up… to find no one.
“...hello?” The leopard stepped out of her room and looked around. Still, she didn’t find a soul.
“Tangle, I swear, if this is you pulling a prank again, I’m gonna tie your tail to a pole!” she called.
Unfortunately, even after that threat, nobody made themselves known.
Ashley crossed her arms and sighed. Maybe I was just hearing things…?
She began to go back into her room, but something on the door caught her eye; a yellow sticky note. Curious, she peeled it off the door to read it. And it only said one thing, in rushed handwriting.
…
Ashley smiled and went back into her room, folding up the note and putting it in her pocket.
Thanks