Phenomena.
They were interesting little things which came in many forms.
From the colorful glimmer of the rainbow to the most chaotic meteor showers, they were wonderful sights to see and furthermore, the world was full of them.
Sonic the Hedgehog had come seeking a phenomenon.
This in itself was not unusual; the blue hedgehog from Christmas Island frequently traveled all over the world in search of adventures and thrilling sights, moving far and wide to satisfy his wanderlust.
This time, the object of his whims was the Little Planet, a relatively small, well... planet that, every year, would appear in the sky over the Never Lake for approximately one month before disappearing.
The planetoid's routine of re-emergence was something of a legend among folks; some people even referred to it as the 'Miracle Planet'. In fact, some tales about the planet claimed that the planetoid contained gems that could control time itself, similar to the Chaos Emeralds the hedgehog had come into contact with in the past. Naturally, Sonic's interest had been piqued by all the stories of the enigmatic planet, and so the azure hedgehog decided to run all the way to the Never Lake just to seek out this phenomenon- for the adventurer always preferred to see the sights up close.
The blue hedgehog had moved fast, gracefully scaling hills, trees and mountains at his signature speeds as he made his way to the lake to observe the miniature planet. After arriving at the scene in record time - he was the fastest thing alive, after all - Sonic sped to the top of a high enough mountain to observe the spherical satellite.
Now, his original plan was to observe the planetoid for about a half-hour whilst relaxing and enjoying the scenery before finally making his departure.
What was the unexpected change? To put it simply...
Sonic had arrived expecting a rare phenomenon.
He found a disaster.
An anomaly.
A perversion of nature.
Quite harsh statements, but what other words could be used to describe the state that the Little Planet was in?
The planetoid's surface was a grey-ish black, and the hedgehog didn't need a telescope to tell that it - somehow - was covered in what must have been hundreds of kilometers' worth of solid metal. Attached to the baleful sphere was a long metal chain tethering it to a few nearby mountains.
To say the least, it was not looking at all like a miracle planet.
All Sonic could do for a hot moment was stare, inwardly flabbergasted and horrified at the scene in front of him...
Until the hedgehog came to a realization.
The humongous metal chain that kept the mechanized planet fixed to a spot had no signs of browning or reddish spots that indicated rust.
In other words, the chain was new.
Add this to the shell of metal that encased the Little Planet, and that could only mean one thing.
An incensed glare overtook the hedgehog's features, his quills bristling and beginning to stand on end as he clenched his fists.
Sonic had been dealing with Dr. Robotnik for a few years now, continously stopping the malevolent roboticist's plans of world domination. From the time the two foes had first met 'til now, somehow, someway the moustachioed human always found a way to make the azure hedgehog's life miserable.
This was no different.
But this? This was a special phenomenon, a once-a-year event. Sonic would not allow that egg-shaped fiend to ruin it for everyone.
Besides, all that metal around the planetoid made it look like an eyesore in the hedgehog's honest opinion.
Jumping off of the mountain he was previously perched on, the hero relished in the air that whipped across his quills for a moment before clicking his heels together and curling into a ball, the cerulean spinball tumbling down the stone landmass and launching off of a naturally formed ramp.
The hedgehog unfurled and took a moment to admire the scenery during his flight.
The land hundreds of feet below was rich with green grass that stretched for miles, and the crystal-clear waters of the Never Lake below seemed to twinkle as the sun's rays played on the surface of the water. Rocky hill formations accentuated the landscape and the clouds present did nothing to block the light of the sun above.
The sheer unspoiled beauty of the environment below him was a sharp contrast to the metallic monstrosity above him and it sucked the heat out of the hero's expression as he landed on the chain and began to run all the way up the sacreligious structure to the Little Planet itself.
Sonic the Hedgehog had been looking for a phenomenon.
But perhaps he could find an adventure.