Written by Joshua David Tarwater
Special Thanks - @Cutegirlmayra
Illustration - SmilesFPS (SmilesFPS www.twitter.com)
Logo Design - Xenoko (XenokoYT www.twitter.com)

♪ ~ [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – Opening Theme ~ Joe Hisaishi ~ Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Soundtrack: Towards the Faraway Land]

Towering peaks of white.
Winding cavernous tunnels.
Bolts of lightning turning snowflakes into specks of ash.
Ships of technology unfathomable and sail, steam, and wing.
Mountains built high of the decrepit lost vessels.
Tattered blue and white flags flying a gear over cogwheel.
An armored boot stamping down one such flag.

         “This delay is unacceptable,” a stern and commanding woman’s voice rose from a suit of armor like opaque white bubbles stretched over a clockwork skeleton. With glowing ivory eyes, the meter and three-quarters tall figure watched an airship rise through the clouds.

         The ship flew a white flag, a cross like sword at its center in black color with a split ring falling to its sides. The vessel itself was like a long tube forced into a “T” shape. The metal plating hid all semblance of the vessel’s interior or main balloon, but the passing of mist across its surface and beneath its belly clearly identified where the primary propellers were. It was a simple gangplank however that held the white knight’s interest as it was rolled out from the airship. As it touched down on the wreckage of airships that were identified as belonging to the Engineers, Rapier the White left her temporary prison and entered the vessel. She held only a moment however and looked out over the raging clouds.

         “Dreaded Yoluku has bought you and the Medium only a modicum of time, Sonic the Hedgehog,” Rapier declared coolly, her glowing eyes rising from the clouds to where she could just see Yoluku beyond another peak, ever eclipsing the sun. “And worry not abomination. This time, the Knights of the Sword will see you dead.”

- | -

          ~Ooh~! I know I need to practice, but some Zones seem like they want to do anything but let me.

          ~Hm? You want to know what Sonic and I have been up to? Hee-hee~♥ Well if you insist.

          ~Right now, Sonic and I have found ourselves in a Zone way up high in the clouds. It would be really peaceful if we hadn’t been separated from Sonic’s plane, the Tornado, but it can’t be helped. Sonic doesn’t seem worried though. He says once we find a Ring Gate Beacon that we should be able to bring the plane to us. The problem though is actually finding it.

          ~This Zone as I said is up in the clouds, and the only real solid ground is the various airships that are wrecked up here. It’s really weird seeing broken airships just stuck in the clouds like they were beached or something. Yet, that’s exactly what is going on. It’s kind of chilling really. Though that’s not the only thing giving me chills.~

         “Sonic,” a pink hedgehog girl garbed in a cute white leotard titled over on one foot while trying to get the attention of world-famous adventurer, Sonic the Hedgehog. Watching him with a blue pupil in her right eye, and a red Ring wrapped around a five-pointed star, three-fifths of it decayed away to reveal a turning cog wheel in her left, she tried to see what he was up to.

         “There aren’t any more Rings here so we can’t use your Light Speed Dash to keep travelling. We really are going to have to see if we can run on the clouds.”

         Spinning around, the pink hedgehog clasped her hands together and swooned. “Eee~! But it’s so romantic either way. Running along the clouds with you or being carried in your arms while you fly across the sky~♥ Ooh~! Sonic! Why can’t you find it romantic too?”

         Opening her eyes to peak behind her, the hedgehog girl could not help but spy Yoluku watching her through the snowstorm. A bolt of lightning momentarily obscured the small planet in the sky, highlighting the matching red Ring, a Red Gear Ring like in her eye surrounding it. Soon though, the planet returned as though to mock her.

         “Ooh~! It must be that creep Yolk’s fault!” She mispronounced Yoluku’s name as she eyed the planet with a puffy cheeked pout.

         “You can blame that jerk for a lot of things Amy–,” Sonic finally responded, only to be interrupted.

         “Rosy! Ro~sy~, Sonic!” Rosy the Rascal insisted on the use of her oft ignored nickname.

         “Whatever,” Sonic waved it off with a smirk and stood up. Looking back over his shoulder at what he had been working on, he pointed at it with his thumb. “Anyway, looks like we can get into the ancient ship through here. It seems to be the same technology as Ring Gate Beacons, so maybe with a few Rings in the right control panel we can get it moving.”

          “You sure you don’t want to try running across the clouds Sonic?” Rosy teased, covering her mouth and smile with a hand. “I can even see the snow building up on them so we should be able to.”

         “I prefer running on solid ground.”

         “That’s what you said about learning how to swim!” Rosy whined and thrust her hands down at her sides. Sonic offered her an amused smile and Rosy’s cheeks puffed up in response. “Ooh~! Sonic the Hedgehog! I just don’t believe you some days!”

         “And yet you’re heading down below anyway,” Sonic teased Rosy and made her flush, flustered by him having the upper hand.

         “Well, the sooner we find out if we can fly this ship or not, the sooner I can go back to seeing us running together along the clouds as more than just a dream. Wah~!”

         Falling backwards onto her rear, Rosy looked with wide-eyed shock at the ghost that had exploded out of the hole in the airship. It was barely more than a sheet hung over an orb, but it managed to surprise her before fading in the eclipsed sunlight.

          ~And that is what else is giving me chills. Sure, the snow is cold, but these old, ruined ships are all haunted, and the ghosts aren’t nice at all. Yet Sonic still insists on going down inside of the airships.

          ~Ooh~! I should be enjoying this! Sonic and I alone together in a haunted ghostship! His arms waiting to hold me if a ghost scares me! It’s perfect, but Sonic is being overly serious again. Hmph!~

         Though Rosy dreamed of a romantic escape, she had little choice but to follow Sonic into the heart of the jumbled together vessels.

         Inside it was even easier to see the differences between the technology of the Engineers and the ancients who had made the vessels they had crashed into. Whereas the Engineers’ ships were of steel and canvas, the interiors narrow and lined with steam pipes and wire mesh floors, the ancient ship was an altogether different beast. Black material of no discernable origin comprised it, no seams giving away a hint to how it was built. The interior seemed to not have any practical function either like the Engineers’ airships. It was simply large, empty, and cavernous.

         It was also dark, and full of malicious ghosts, not unlike the one that recently spooked Rosy. Save for large, curved horns protruding from above their angry eye holes.

         “So~ni~c!” Rosy yelled as she dodged one and Sonic dispersed one vainly with a Spin Attack. “I don’t think this was a good idea! They’re really angry!”

         “They just need someone to play with,” Sonic laughed and dodged another one while stepping behind Rosy. “So why don’t you play a little bit and I’ll go see if I can’t activate this ship.”

         “Don’t you dare run off Sonic!” Rosy yelled and spun around, to see another ghost rather than Sonic. “Eep!”

         The ghost rammed into her, but asides from knocking her backwards it did her no harm. It had intended to, but the Rings she carried protected her, the golden hoops scattering and bouncing around her in response to the impact.

         “You jerk!” Rosy wailed and curled into a tight protective ball. “Some of those may hold my missing memories!”

         Hearing the scattering of Rings, Sonic looked back to help Rosy out, but stopped. Not to watch her perform a Spin Dash right through a ghost while collecting her Rings, but because the Rings she failed to collect were absorbed by the ship. As the Rings disappeared a faint blue light traced its way through the vessel’s interior following geometric patterns to somewhere in the distance.

         “Come on Amy!” Sonic yelled back at Rosy. “Forget the ghosts and run!”

         “I thought you wanted me to play with them!” Rosy complained about the whole situation as she chased after Sonic deeper into the vessel.

         “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting them to rough you up,” Sonic admitted while looking away, hiding his expression from Rosy. “But they were nice enough to show me what I needed to see.”

         What it was that Sonic was seeking was none other than a simple slab of the same material as the rest of the ship. It stood out however as it was alone in the middle of the floor. Its isolation was only interrupted by the arrival of Sonic and Rosy, as well as more ghosts in pursuit of the two hedgehogs.

         “Sonic, I don’t think we really have time to stop,” Rosy laughed nervously and leaned into Sonic’s back for reassurance.

         “No problem!” Sonic flashed Rosy a toothy grin and touched the slab. Instantly the jingling of Rings could be heard as the slab took all of Sonic’s and came to life. Somewhat.

         The entire vessel came to life in red light, the illumination banishing the ghosts. Words of some ancient script appeared as red glowing holograms all around the two hedgehogs, the message long lost on them. Before they could attempt to guess however, the geometric patterns that ran through every surface of the ship became visible as they too came to red glowing life. Life that fueled the vessel to reconstruct its own side, the wall tearing away in the form of blocks covered in the glowing lines.

         “Sonic, look…” Rosy pointed out at the cloud filled sky that served as the ship’s resting place.

         The red glowing lines left the ship, turning it once more into a black husk, and traced out a halfpipe-like road into the sky itself.

         “Some sort of emergency feature?” Sonic asked as he walked towards the open side of the ship. He frowned as a bolt of lightning illuminated the clouds and demonstrated that the weather phenomenon hid all view of the road’s destination. Rosy however was already past him, her tail wagging with excitement.

         “Aah~! Sonic! This is amazing! We have to see where it goes! And look! Look!”

         Watching Rosy point out at the road, another bolt of lightning obscured the red glowing lines and Sonic could make out the familiar golden glow of Rings along the road. And it seemed solid enough as the snow was already starting to build up on it.

         “Alright, Amy,” Sonic conceded with a smug shrug. “Let’s go for a run.”