.:Chapter 3:.

The Floating Island

That night none of the girls could sleep well. Every time Jessica closed her eyes she saw visions of the past – adventures she and the others had embarked on with Sonic. She saw the evil sorcerer Ixis Naugus once again, casting the Spell of Darkness over the universe, and unleashing his legion of Night Demons to enslave all life. Then she saw the return of Mobius's oldest enemy, Dr. Robotnik, and his new robotic creation Black threatening to take over the Great Forest once and for all. Then, last but certainly not least, she saw Nihara before she had met Sonic and the other Freedom Fighters, standing at Robotnik's side with her swords drawn, eyes narrowed coldly, and scenes from the eruption of the legendary Final Power returned . . . There was Sonic, only he was glowing in a blinding white, his red eyes piercing through the air, wielding the strongest power of the Chaos Emeralds ever known. Jessica shivered.
She remembered how Sonic had triumphed in all of these remarkable escapades, how he had fought to his last reserve of strength – if there even was an end . . . how he had encouraged the others to look up and hold their heads high in the darkest hour, and stand together, no matter what the odds. He had battled the Night Demons and Naugus's Red Glow while the world burned and cracked open around him; he had looked Black in the eyes even when the robot had possession of all seven Chaos Emeralds without a trace of fear, and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to save Knothole and the entire planet of Mobius; and he had taken the very greatest of powers right out of Robotnik's hands, opened Nihara's eyes to the light, and even reversed death.
Sonic . . . It would be him she would miss the most. It was because of him that she was even living this dream. If she didn't believe in him, he would never have come to her in the first place. And after all, it had only been their last adventure where the girl had looked deep into his magnificent emerald eyes and confessed how truly she loved him, how she longed for him to love her in return. And even though she knew from the beginning that possibility was just too good to ever be true, her love for him still deepened with every day . . . deepened like the ocean with every step in his shadow she took, deepened like a midnight dream whenever she could be close to him. Oh, how could they ever expect her to leave him?
Then there was Natalie. Somewhere after midnight she found herself sitting up in her bed and gazing out into the night again, searching, searching through the darkness, beyond the stars and the silver orb of the moon, for something. Just what that something was remained unknown to her friends, but there was the deepest longing in her eyes as well.
"I know you're out there somewhere . . ." she whispered to herself. "And no matter what it takes, I'm going to find you."
There was something different beginning to show in the girl's eyes – something her friends had failed to notice yet. There was a spark, similar to the one that flared in Jessica's eyes whenever she saw Sonic, only it seemed to still be searching for the one it sought.
And finally, there came Kimberly. Ever since Uncle Chuck's announcement a strange sort of confusion had entered her mind. She didn't want to leave Mobius, but then again, she did. She missed Earth dearly, despite the fascinating things she had learned and seen in the world of the Freedom Fighters. But this wasn't what puzzled her so . . . Several times during the night, when she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, somewhere in the depths of her mind, there seemed to be a voice whispering to her.
"Home," it urged. "Earth is where you belong. This is all just a dream, a silly fantasy . . . You must return someday."
She knew that nothing could ever convince Jessica or Natalie to leave. But she couldn't possibly leave without them . . . could she? Leave her two best friends in the world? And would Natalie and Jess ever allow her to leave in the first place?
Sighing she sat up her bed too, and noticed the other two awake and uneasy.
"Can't you two sleep either?" she asked sleepily.
Jessica shook her head slowly, but said nothing. Her eyes were fixed on the floor sadly.
"What kept you up, Nat?" Kim asked, for she understood well why Jess wouldn't sleep.
"Nothing . . ." She replied lowly. "Just couldn't get comfortable . . . That moon is beautiful tonight."
The other two girls turned their eyes toward the great moon that hung far over the mountains in the distance. It was no Earth moon – it glowed white and wild, like a sphere of ice in the sky. And it was larger than Earth's moon, being younger and closer to the planet. And tonight there seemed to be an eerie beauty about it, a mysterious beauty that so many things on Mobius possessed.
Kim let out another sigh. "I wouldn't worry too much about leaving . . . After all, it might not even be that bad."
Jessica and Natalie looked carefully at their friend.
". . . Look, I know Mobius is a wonderful place," she said slowly. "B-but whether we like it or not, one day. . . One day we're going to have to leave. We can't stay here forever."
"I can . . ." Jessica whispered.
"And leave your home, your family and everything you loved on Earth behind?" Kimberly inquired.
Jessica just stared at the floor of the hut silently for a moment, and then nodded. "It's . . . hard . . . But I can't leave him again." She closed her eyes painfully. "It was just too hard the first time, and I nearly forgot the glory of this place . . ."
Natalie's eyes averted back to the moon again as she listened. That night sky seemed so strangely intriguing . . .
"Jess, I know how you feel about Sonic," Kimberly was saying. "But suppose you had to leave him someday anyway. What would you do then?"
"I'd never leave him," Jessica moaned, shaking her head defiantly. "Never . . . Nothing could ever force me to."
Kimberly looked hard at her. "Not even if he wanted you to?"
Jessica fell sullenly silent, and just hung her head as her eyes filled with tears. "They can't make me leave . . . S-Sonic even said that he'd prefer us to stay here, with him. I can't . . ."
Kimberly moved over and patted her friend's shoulder reassuringly. "I know," she whispered. "I know how you love him. If I found someone I truly loved, I wouldn't leave him either."
Natalie turned her head to gaze at her companions, when suddenly her eyes darted back to the window. A faint flicker of light had caught her eye. Curiously she squinted through the blackness to see the source of the light. For a long while she saw nothing, and was thinking it may have just be a distant signal light from Freedom Fighters on lookout, when suddenly it came again, and this time it stayed. There was a faint glow of green very far in the distance -- so far in fact that it was no bigger than the stars that surrounded it. But it was no star . . . For every few seconds or so, the light would pulse, the glow intensifying until it became a brief flash, and then it contracted again.

"Guys!" Natalie shouted.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked.

"Look at this," Natalie pointed to the pulsing light in the distance. Just as Jessica and Kimberly looked out the window, it's glow expanded again.

"What is that?" Jessica inquired.

"It's green . . . " Kim whispered. "What in the world--?"

"Whoa . . . " Natalie gasped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Jessica and Kimberly turned immediately toward her, but Natalie didn't answer. There had come another flash, but this time it was in her mind's eye. Abruptly the world around her faded away, and she was suddenly standing out in the middle of a great field of green, lost somewhere deep in the mountains. Directly ahead of her was a set of ancient ruins, some crumbled and covered beneath quilts of moss, while some still stood intact. She could just barely make out a stone stairway, lined with columns that were all rugged on the tops, as if the original tops had been blown off. The stairway went up and up to form great shrine, speckled with heiroglyphics that somehow seemed all too familiar to her. And then, at the very top of the shrine, she was suddenly aware of a massive glow of emerald green that blazed brighter than the sun. She couldn't see what the source of the light was, but the greatest sense of wonder, of belonging suddenly filled her heart that she just wanted nothing more than to run up the stone steps and be home. Then, all at once, it was gone.

"Natalie?"

Nat blinked to see Jessica and Kimberly staring at her. "Whoa . . . Suddenly I saw these ancient ruins in front of me . . . And a green glow . . ."
"What are you talking about?" Kimberly inquired.

"Jess, remember how you had that vision?"
"You had one too?" asked Jessica, her eyes widening.

"Yeah. . . It looked like a shrine, and there was this glow in front of me and it was so weird but I--I felt so at home there . . ."

"A glow? A glow of green?" Jessica looked out the window, and sure enough the flicker of green was still throbbing in the distance.

"So you both have had visions . . ." said Kimberly. "I suppose I'm next . . . But what in the world can they mean?"

Jessica was about to answer, when suddenly there came a flash of blue outside.

"Sonic!" said Jessica, and the girls all ran up to the window to see what was going on. Outside they found many of the Freedom Fighters gathered near the central plaza again, Sally, Rotor, Uncle Chuck, Geoffrey and Sonic among them.

"What's going on?" Kimberly whispered as they watched.

The Freedom Fighters seemed to be very excited over something, for they moved about hurriedly and talked amongst themselves loudly. Suddenly the girls heard Rotor say ". . . This sighting was on the Floating Island . . . the Master Emerald . . ."

"Did he say the Master Emerald?" Natalie gasped.

Jessica and Kimberly nodded, and continued to listen. Sonic began to pace nervously.

"You know what happens when the island loses the power of the Master Emerald?" he was saying gravely. "It'll fall, right into the ocean . . . That village is going to be flooded in no time flat."

"We have to warn them," said Geoffrey. "Isn't there time before it falls?"

"The report came just two minutes ago," answered Sally, looking down at the screen of her portable computer, Nicole. "The only other thing the leader of the village said was that the whole area was being evacuated. If they have any type of vehicles, they should be fine."

"I think I remember seeing some old hover units and air cruisers," Hershey spoke up suddenly. "That's right, because Valdez helped one of the villagers to repair one."

"Well, at least they have a chance," Sonic replied. "But what about the residents on the Floating Island? How safe will they be?"

"That no one can answer . . . " said Sally. "I do know that the island has far more residents than any villages below it, no matter how forbidden it is. As for their safety, that's up to the Guardian."

For the second time that night, Natalie looked up immediately, her eyes now locked on Sally and the others.

"Where was the mate when the emerald was stolen is what I'd like to know," St. John muttered.

"Well who knows how dangerous whatever stole it was?" Bunnie asked. "We have no clue . . . And that's why this is so important."

"What should we do?" Rotor questioned, looking up at the leaders.

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "What else? We've got to head out there immediately -- not only to make sure everyone's all right and help anyone who may be in danger, but figure out what's behind all of this. Stealing a Chaos Emerald is one thing, but when someone takes the Master Emerald -- the one thing that is used to control and deactivate the Chaos Emeralds -- that's when we need to worry."

The girls looked at each other in astonishment. At first they could hardly speak, but suddenly Natalie was running out the doorway, exclaiming, "We're going to the Floating Island!"

"Nat! Wait up!" Jess smiled and she and Kimberly followed their friend toward the other Freedom Fighters.

In the center of the village Sally was already organizing the groups while Dulcy prepared for take-off. Sonic saw the three girls coming, and jogged over to meet them.

"You guys woke up quick--you heard the news then?" he asked.

"Yes," Natalie panted as she skidded to a stop in front of him. "About the Floating Island! Sonic, are we really going?"

Sonic nodded quickly. "Yes. We have no choice. Something fishy is up . . ." He suddenly noticed Natalie looked anxiously at the dragon as Sally mounted up front. "Everything OK, Nat?"

"Huh? Yeah." She answered shortly and began to walk closer to Dulcy.

"She said she had a vision, too, Sonic," Jessica explained. "About some kind of shrine . . . "

"Shrine?" Sonic tilted his head.

"Yeah," nodded Kimberly. "And just a few minutes ago, we saw some kind of green glow in the distance."

"Dulce said she saw that too," Sonic replied, looking up to the dark sky. "It must be the Master Emerald energy. But you said Nat had a vision too? Weird . . . Because the Master Emerald is kept on a shrine."

"That's probably what she saw, Sonic," said Jessica. "What do you think it means?"

"I'm not sure," he answered, shaking his head slowly. "I'd probably have to talk to Sal about it." Then suddenly his eyes gleamed. "You girls up for another adventure?"

"Let's go!" Jessica exclaimed excitedly, forgetting about the strange feelings that had come with her premonition.

Sonic tossed his head and twirled around gracefully, racing toward Dulcy with Jess and Kim following closely. Natalie was already up on the dragon's back, behind Sally, Rotor and Bunnie. The girls could hardly contain their excitement and concern as they clambered up onto Dulcy. What could have possibly stolen the Master Emerald? And why? Could the Chaos Emerald theft and that of the Master Emerald be connected somehow?

Sonic leapt up on Dulcy's shoulders beside Sally, and called for Nihara suddenly.

"Yes, Brother?" She asked calmly, bowing her head slightly as she approached.

"Come along with us, Nihara. We could use someone with some killer fighting experience on our side." He smiled and winked.

"Don't worry, mate, I'm comin' along." St. John suddenly called as he walked by, a haughty grin on his face.

Nihara pinned her ears at him and glared. "I see why you hate him," she growled. "It is one thing to have spirit and pride, but his vainglorious attitude disgusts me."

Sonic shook his head in annoyance. "Yeah. We could use someone to keep him in line, too."

"Count me in, Brother," Nihara nodded, brushing back her black cape and mounting the dragon.

Last to mount up was Uncle Chuck, and then Sally signaled Dulcy to take off. Swiftly she climbed through the air, high over the trees, and seconds later they were soaring through a labyrinth of starlight, the glow of green pulsing far in the distance.

It was near dawn, when the first red rays of sunrise were appearing in the sky, when Jessica suddenly awoke to the sound of Sally and Geoffrey's voices. Slowly and quietly arose, as not to awaken the sleeping Freedom Fighters around her, and listened.

St. John had moved himself closer to Sally's side while Sonic stood closer to Dulcy's neck, looking out across the sea of clouds they were now flying over. He seemed to be completely oblivious to their conversation, but that was probably not so. Then Jessica saw his ear twitch slightly when St. John spoke up, and knew he was listening intently.

"A beautiful morning, isn't it Princess?" Geoffrey was asking casually.

"Yes. Very beautiful." Sally answered.

"The sunrise makes the clouds as red as fire," Geoffrey chuckled as the sun rays began to peak over the horizon. Then he turned to her. "Reminds me of the light that comes in your eyes with every new challenge."

Jessica glared and Sonic's quills bristled.

Sally was silent for a minute, and then she laughed quietly, blushing slightly. "Well, that's very sweet . . . But we have more important things we should be worrying about now, commander. We should probably organize scouting teams when we arrive."

"I'd be more than happy to serve on your team, Princess. Besides, I hear that this Floating Island is a place of magnificent beauty. Maybe we could visit a nice field of wildflowers in one of the mountain meadows, when everything calms down?"

Sonic's ears lowered with every word, until they were flat against his head. Jessica could see his fist tighten every now and then, and she knew that he must have been fighting with himself, fighting to keep control. He didn't want to aggravate Sally again, even though he didn't understand how it was fair to let St. John back him into a corner until he had no choice but to fight back. He tossed his head suddenly and gritted his teeth, and Jessica could only stare loathingly at Geoffrey St. John as he continued.

"Or, perhaps a peaceful waterfall one evening?" He smirked and leaned closer to her.

Sally chuckled and scooted aside slightly. "Thanks for the offer . . . But we've got a lot of work to do. But I did intend on letting you join our team. Your skills could prove useful."

"Your wish is my command, Princess. Don't worry -- my crew and I shall find out what's causing this trouble and stop it."

Sonic rolled his eyes and snorted.

"You say something, mate?" St. John asked suddenly, turning toward Sonic.

". . . No," Sonic answered lowly without turning his head. "Nothing."

Sally narrowed her eyes at him.

Nihara was sharpening the blade of her sword in the back of the group, eyeing St. John coldly.

And with Sonic's silence Geoffrey's boldness swelled. He leaned closer to Sally suddenly. "Just let him set out on a reconnaisance mission -- that way he won't trouble us with his ego."

And with that Sonic couldn't take it anymore. He rounded on St. John and looked him straight in the eye, the quills on his shoulders stiffening. "Listen here, commander, the only one here with the ego problem is you! I know what you're up to you punk, and you're not going to get away with it!"

St. John glared back fearlessly into Sonic's piercing emerald gaze. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about, mate."

"Don't give me any of that!" Sonic had his voice raised to a yell now, and suddenly Sally moved in between them.

"Sonic, stop it! You're going to wake the others."

"You gonna let him go on and say things like that?" Sonic asked angrily.

"No, that's enough. We have enough to worry about as it is without you trying to start trouble."

Now Sonic was outraged. He towered over St. John and Sally, and when he tossed his head furiously there was fire in his eyes.

"I start trouble! How dare you say that I started it! He's the one putting the thorn in my side, goin' and saying things like that! You don't think I hear it, do you? Oh, but I heard what he said. And I can't believe you of all people would go and let him say it!"

"Well, you didn't give me a chance to even say anything before rounding on him. He's our guest, so how about showing some respect? Or is that word not in your vocabulary?"

"He's the one who needs to get off his high horse." Sonic was trembling as he spoke, fury rising within him. He was losing in this argument against St. John again, and it was infuriating him.

"Sonic, your problem is that you can't stand it when another guy talks to me. You and that jealousy issue of yours. So I don't want to hear it." She turned away from him, and then added contemptuously, "At least he offers to do nice things for me . . . "

Now the whites of Sonic's eyes gleamed, and the red hue of the strengthening sunlight intensified the flame that was growing more vicious those emerald orbs. "Oh, so it's gonna turn to this again? Don't be fooled by him, Sally. He's nothing but a hot-headed idiot. You think he gives an emerald shard about your well being?"

St. John now leered up at Sonic, tail swishing angrily. "Don't listen to him, Sally . . . He's always been jealous of my methods. Only because he's a fool when it comes to strategy -- the way he jumps into everything, leaping before he looks."

Sonic pawed Dulcy's back so hard that the dragon jumped slightly, startled from her doze, and he advanced on St. John, turning his head so that he was looking at him from the corners of his eyes. His fists were tightened, and he didn't care who saw them, stiffening his arms at his sides in challenge. "Well, I see who the favorite of the group is," he scythed coldly through clenched teeth.

"Sonic!" Sally shouted in exasperation. "Oh, grow up! Do you have any idea how immature that is!"

Jessica winced and Nihara was now watching from behind, gripping her sword tightly.

"I'm afraid I must concure, mate. You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you." He saw the challenge in Sonic's eyes, and stood up defiantly.

Sonic's fury was getting out of hand. If ever Jessica saw a dangerous spark in his eyes when looking at anyone but Robotnik, she saw it now. Though she didn't exactly want to quell that fury in him either. In truth, she was hoping that he'd deal Geoffrey a good blow to the nose the first chance he got.

"You want this to end the same way as it did last time too?" Sonic snarled, advancing again, never once breaking eye contact with his enemy.

"Just try it mate!" Geoffrey retorted, standing as tall as he could, sizing up Sonic.

"Don't think I won't!" Sonic cried and suddenly lunged.

Then all at once a frenzy erupted on Dulcy's back. Nihara sprinted past Jessica and the others to, sword in hand, while Sally was yelling furiously and trying in vain to separate Sonic and Geoffrey. Kimberly and Natalie were startled awake, along with the others who were now grabbing the two antagonists and forcing them apart. Jessica cringed at the sight of Sonic as his eyes flamed and his bared teeth glittered red in the rising sun. He tore madly at Rotor, Bunnie and Uncle Chuck as they pulled him back, threatening to break from them by running if he had to. And the whole time St. John was calling it on, yelling fearlessly in Sonic's face encouragements to fight now that he was a safe distance away. Sonic attempted to plunge forward, and the suddeness at which he moved very nearly caused Geoffrey to lose his balance for a moment. It took nearly everyone in the group to restrain Sonic, and still he dragged them forward as he fought to advance and put Geoffrey in his place. He could have easily sent them all flying with just a short burst of speed and power, and Jessica cowered from his wrath, shivering close to her friends as they stared in astonishment. Then St. John tried and advance, and Sonic's rage mounted with every step he took. At last Nihara put a stop to the commotion by jumping in between Sonic and Geoffrey, her sword held at the commander's neck.

"That's enough!" She cried furiously. "You take another step, and I swear I will slice you straight through the jugular!"

Sonic trembled in the arms of the fellow Freedom Fighters, his breath coming in fuming gasps.

St. John tilted his head back away from the blade slightly, but chuckled. "Lookie here, Sonic. Got yourself a little defender?"

Nihara grabbed him by the fur on his chest and he cringed as she yanked him down with surprising force, bringing the blade up against his throat. "I said that's enough! One more word, and I will give you a gouging! And don't you even dare think I won't! You keep your mouth shut, commander, and we just might let you still ride with us."

"Easy, Nihara," Uncle Chuck said gently, coming up behind her and patting her on the shoulder. "Drop the sword . . . It is not like Freedom Fighters to resort to violence. St. John, do as she says, or we will make you walk."

Nihara hesitated, then finally lowered her sword a little, but never once taking her eyes off St. John's. She didn't release Geoffrey until he turned his head away from Sonic reluctantly and jerked himself free, trudging away from them, muttering under his breath.

Once he was away, Chuck then went to his nephew to calm him down. He was still in a rage, his eyes blazing and his quills all bristled.

"Sonic, what's gotten into you?" Chuck was asking. "You know he ain't worth it . . . "

"Did you hear what he said, Unc?" Sonic's voice was laden with anger and disbelief.

"Yes . . . I heard him. And I don't really blame you for getting angry. But someone could have gotten hurt, Sonny boy."

"What do you expect me to do?" Sonic asked, shaking. "I can't let him get away with that! Do you realize what he's trying to do. . .?"

Uncle Chuck fell silent, and that's when Sally stepped in again.

"I hope you're happy, Sonic." She sighed, shaking her head. "Boys. . . " And then she sat back down, looking away from him.

Bunnie leaned over to Rotor. "It wasn't really his fault. . . " she whispered.

Rotor shook his head. "No. . . He's right. St. John is at it again . . . And I'm afraid that-that this time he's winning . . . "

Jessica was stunned. Never had she seen such a dispute between Sonic, Geoffrey and Sally. She had witnessed him fight for the ones he loved, fought with all the strength and ferocity of a storm, and she had seen him as Super Sonic with all seven Chaos Emeralds harnessed, and how his wrath could create universal destruction. But never had she seen anything quite like this. For some reason it was different. And she could see that Sonic was confused now -- it shone clearly in his beautiful eyes. And she had learned a lot from his eyes. He was also having trouble getting control of his fury. He closed his eyes and swayed his head from side to side, still shaking and breathing hard.

Suddenly, without even thinking at all, she found herself walking toward him.

"Jess," Kimberly called after her. "You'd better let him calm down first."

But Jessica was at his side in a matter of seconds, speaking softly to him.

"It's OK, Sonic," she whispered in his ear. "I heard him too. And I agree with you. It's not right."

"The nerve!" Sonic cried in disgust, and he began shaking violently again, working himself into a sweat. "Can you believe him? . . . And Sal?" There was almost a twinge of pain and confusion in his eyes as he said this. Jess couldn't mistake it, for he looked right at her. Suddenly a fury filled her too. Nothing hurt Sonic. . . Not while she had anything to do with it.

Gently she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Easy," she said softly. "It's not your fault . . . I can't believe his nerve either. And I don't blame you for going after him. Someone needs to knock some sense into him. I think the others feel the same way. But he's not worth getting all worked up over, fella. Easy, Blue, easy . . ."

Little by little Sonic's anger began to subside as he continued to listen to Jessica, his ears turned toward her voice. After a while, and much to the other's amazement, his breathing was relaxed again and he stopped trembling. But it wasn't until near nine o' clock, when the sun had fully risen, that the fire began to leave his eyes. Jessica stayed right there beside him for nearly four hours, and her friends could only watch. After all, they were witnessing one thing they thought would never happen: tension between Sonic and Sally. . . After all, the two had been close friends for their whole lives. They had grown up together. And while it was true there was always trouble whenever St. John was around, it seemed that the two were inseperable.

Sonic was utterly confused now that his anger had died down a little. He stood beside Jess with his back turned on the group again, head lowered slightly and eyes fixed on the clouds blowing by below them. He had trusted Sally with all his heart. . . Yet, here she was, for the first time since he had met her, turning her back on him. And all out of the blue. Well, at first, there was a overwhelming sense of loneliness that took over him, a sense of being abandoned. It had been this that had fueled his anger more than anything. And at first he didn't want to talk to anyone, to see anyone. But suddenly, for some reason unknown to him, he was glad Jessica was at his side. . . And that her hand, out of all of theirs, was on his shoulder. . . And he didn't feel so lonely with her there. Maybe it was because he knew Jessica had strong feelings for him, and that he could trust her. Maybe he was just glad someone agreed with him about Geoffrey St. John. But the fact was, he was glad she was there beside him, and he finally allowed himself to relax.

"What was it all about?" Kimberly asked, turning to Nihara.

"The commander was running his mouth again," she replied, sliding her sword back into its sheath. "And he was aiming all along to provoke Sonic too. . . Any fool could see that."

"What'd he say?" Natalie inquired.

Nihara's eyes blazed as she remembered St. John's words. "He was trying to wedge himself in between Sonic and Princess Sally if you know what I mean. . . That's all I can say."

"Oooh. . ." Kimberly murmured. "That's--that's deep. . . "

"You shoulda done it, Nihara. You should have sliced him right then and there." said Natalie.

"Oh, I agree," Nihara snarled. "and I would have!"

Kimberly turned and gazed back toward Sonic. Jessica was still standing beside him, and it seemed as if she hadn't moved an inch since she had walked over to him.

"She's been there all day. . . It's nearly one o' clock. . ."

"You know her," Natalie smiled. "She'd spend the rest of her life just standing beside him, and she wouldn't even notice."

Kimberly chuckled quietly. "Yes, . . . No doubt she would."

Suddenly Dulcy tossed her head. "Look! There it is! Straight ahead!"

In one motion all the Freedom Fighters on board suddenly flocked onto Dulcy's shoulders to see, Natalie and Kimberly ahead of them all. At first all they could see were the thin wisps of clouds below. . . But then, as the sun penetrated the misty skies, and the clouds parted, there appeared suddenly a towering chain of mountains that reared higher than any that the girls had ever seen. They soared thousands of feet until it seemed that they'd pierce the sun--and on their peaks snow glistened like diamond dust. As Dulcy gradually flew lower, a land beyond imagination opened up in front of them. Below the mountains lay vast jungles, where the vegetation was as green and brilliant as an emerald, and great waterfalls thundered down the forbidden cliffs that belonged to nothing but the wild. Here and there they could see ancient ruins hidden within lost chasms or scattered about in some forgotten terrace, quilted in moss and vines. Some where shattered stone columns and plinths that had once held up a great temple, others were still intact, great structures made of nothing but pure marble that stood proudly above what had been their kingdoms long ago. There were sparkling fields of snow, and just adjacent to them blazing valleys of magma. There were golden deserts that spread farther than the eye could see, and just too many treasures than the eye could ever behold at once. It was a land like no other, a land that was unreal, yet right there in front of their eyes. The Floating Island.

"It's. . . More beautiful than I ever imagined. . . " Natalie gasped.

"It is remarkable," Kimberly nodded, spellbound by the mystic beauty that seemed to surround the place.

"Natalie, you were right," Jessica smiled. "It is the most beautiful place on Mobius."

"Coming in for a landing!" Dulcy called, and swooped down toward the island that now lay half-submerged in the blue ocean below.

"Not so fast now, Dulcy," Uncle Chuck called. "You're bound to crash!"

"Don't worry! I got it!" she assured them, but as soon as they neared the slopes of the mountains, she got caught in a powerful gale, and suddenly flailed sideways, nearly spiraling over.

"Everyone hang on!" Sonic called, holding onto the dragon's neck. "It's gonna be a wild ride!"

Dulcy fought to regain her balance and control as the ground continued to rush up at them. But her small wings weren't strong enough to battle the wind, and she soon tired herself out. The gale dragged her downward, and she grazed the edge of a cliff as she descended, causing her to capsize. There was a brief panic as the Freedom Fighters on her back clung desperately to whatever they could find to avoid falling to their doom, and then the dragon righted herself again.

"OK, I think I got it now," she panted.

"Dulce, watch it!" Sonic yelled suddenly, for they were flying straight toward a stone spire.

Dulcy pulled up and backwinged, but her momentum was too great and the crashed right into it. Down they went, nothing but a steep mountain slope rolling for hundreds of feet below them. Dulcy caught the ground with her feet, but once again lost her balance and slipped downward.

"Brakes, Dulcy! Put on the brakes!" Sonic shouted.

Clenching her teeth, Dulcy dug her claws into the rock beneath her, and at last she began to slow down.

"Don't worry -- I got it under control now--WUH!" Just then her hindleg caught on a boulder and she toppled right over with a heavy thud. But, fortunately, the trip had stopped her wild descent down the mountainside.

On her back everyone was frozen with their eyes clamped shut, still clinging on for dear life. Sonic was the first to recover, shaking his head and jumping off before anything else happened.

"Dulce. . ." he panted, patting her shoulder. "We gotta do something about this."

"Do something about wha, Ma?" she muttered dazedly.

"Everyone OK?" Sonic asked, turning to the others.

Nihara released the back of Dulcy's neck that she had plastered herself too, and looked over her shoulder to where the commander and his troops were sitting. Then she gave a disappointed sigh. "Blast. . . He didn't fall. . . "