As they fly over the land below, Tails and Clara get their first proper look at the landscape of the Lost Hex, and what they see boggles the mind, even when compared to the mysterious natural three‑sixty loops in Clara's native Emerald Hill Zone as well as many other Zones around the world. In the grasslands area they're flying over, several miniature planetoids float as if suspended by wires from an invisible ceiling, with no discernible links between them. The planetoids themselves vary wildly in size and shape, ranging from tiny spheres just a few dozen feet in diameter to mile‑long halfpipes and serpentine cylindrical planetoids stretching for thousands of yards.
But that's just the start. The planetoids are suspended above a much larger planet comparable in size to Little Planet, but that's where the similarities end. The planet at the heart of the Lost Hex has no core or mantle, only crust assembled from thousands of hexagonal segments. Yet even that is incomplete, with some segments floating in isolation and total coverage being a little over half the maximum possible surface area.
And the most amazing and perplexing aspect of all is how the entire arrangement looks completely stable in utter defiance of all known laws of physics.
"How…‽" is all Clara can manage, her mind simply refusing to accept what her eyes are sending it.
"I'm getting a headache just thinking about it," Tails replies, equally struggling to comprehend what he's seeing. "This is wilder than just about everything I've ever seen, and I've seen deities battling over the very existence of Mobius as we know it."
"When did you see that?" Clara asks, intrigued.
"At the end of the Shattered World Crisis, just before the planet was fully reassembled," Tails answers. "I thought I'd never see anything more spectacular than a collection of temples roughly in the shape of a person repeatedly punching a malevolent deity in the face."
"If I didn't know you're a world‑famous hero, I'd assume you're astronomically high right now," Clara quips. "Then again, I'm wondering if I'm astronomically high right now," she adds, looking down at the Lost Hex again.
"I wonder what Sonic's thinking as he runs through all that," Tails thinks aloud.
As it turns out, Sonic is even more perplexed by the landscape, as he's experiencing first‑hand the mind‑bendingly complex gravity patterns caused by the myriad planetoids. On multiple occasions, he's jumped to clear an obstacle, only to enter another planetoid's gravity well and land on his head, his side, his front, and most frequently his butt.
After the thirtieth time it happens, Sonic's had enough, and finds a relatively safe place to stop and activate his communicator. "Yo Tails, you seeing this crazy landscape?"
"Affirmative," Tails replies, the signal crystal clear. "Neither me nor Clara can figure it out."
"It's worse down here, I guarantee it," Sonic continues. "Gravity's all screwed up, and half the time I jump, I end up on a different piece entirely, landing on anything but my feet."
"I'm not really sure what to suggest," Tails replies.
"Just gotta keep going, I guess," Sonic sighs. "Any sign of Baldy McNosehair?"
"None yet," Tails replies. "I'll ping you if we see anything."
"Likewise. Fly safe." Sonic ends communications, takes a deep breath, sets off at a brisk jog of a couple hundred miles an hour, jumps to clear a high wall… and lands head‑first on a different planetoid. "Ow. Again."
"Baldy McNosehair?" Clara asks, trying hard not to laugh.
"Sonic coined it," Tails explains. "Yes, I laughed the first time I heard it."
"Who wouldn't?" Clara chuckles.
A few hours later, as darkness begins to fall, Tails lands the Tornado at the entrance to what looks like an old gemstone mine.
Sonic arrives just as Tails and Clara disembark. "No sign of Buttnik, I guess."
"None at all," Tails reports.
"I didn't see him either," Sonic replies. "Maybe this is all a ruse to get us out the way while he attacks Mobius?"
"Unlikely," Tails answers. "He knows the rest of the Freedom Fighters are more than well enough equipped to foil his plans without us."
"True," Sonic acknowledges. "They'd also call us back ASAP."
"Exactly," Tails agrees. "Anyway, we'll continue the search tomorrow. For now, we make camp near the mine entrance. Good thing we have plenty of emergency provisions that we can share with Clara."
"I have my own," Clara informs, already munching her way through a protein bar. "Could do with finding some water though; got bottles to refill."
"There was a river about half a mile back that way," Sonic informs, pointing back the way he came.
"Freshwater?"
"Fresh and crystal clear."
"I'll be back as quickly as possible," Clara replies before briskly jogging off in the indicated direction.
"One of us should go with her," Tails suggests.
"She'll be fine," Sonic assures.
"Last time you said that, she was captured by the Witchcarters, tied up and trapped in crystal, and left to die with no chance of escape," Tails reminds.
"Last time I said that, I didn't know the Witchcarters were in the Hidden Palace," Sonic replies.
"If that's meant to assure me, it's not working," Tails informs.
"OK, OK, if she's not back in thirty minutes, I'll go look for her," Sonic volunteers.
Ten minutes later, Clara's brisk jog brings her to the river, which she's thankful is running so clean and pure she can see the fine soil texture of the riverbed. After a quick taste test confirms it's as fresh and pure as it looks, Clara wastes no time filling her empty water bottles while also slaking her mild thirst and quickly washing the worst of the dirt from her face fur and aviation visor.
As she repacks her refilled water bottles, Clara hears a noise from the bushes. Figuring it's just a few Rickies and Pockies frolicking, she's not expecting an Ivory Wisp to dart from the bushes straight past her face, squeaking loudly in fear.
Clara jumps to her feet just in time to see a dozen badniks smash through the bush as they attempt to catch up to the Ivory Wisp. But when they see Clara, they switch targets immediately.
Crabmeats and Buzzers, six of each. Easy. Clara leaps into action, smashing two of the Crabmeats with well‑placed kicks before the badniks can attack, her kitten heels easily finding the weaknesses in the badniks' armour. However, as she repositions to attack the Buzz Bombers she misidentified as Buzzers, one gets off a lucky shot that strikes her in the abdomen.
Clara rolls with the impact, leaping high into the air the instant she's back on her feet and hurling herself at the Buzz Bombers, curling into a Spin Attack and bouncing between the insectoid robots, sparking debris littering the grass and splashing into the river. Unfortunately, a Spin Attack cannot defend against the energy projectiles fired by the remaining four Crabmeats, the counter‑attack bringing Clara crashing painfully to the ground.
The Crabmeats charge, aiming to push their advantage‑
A violent discharge of electricity fries the circuitry of the four Crabmeats, reducing them to smoking husks.
What on Mobius‽ Clara pushes herself to her feet, wincing from the light burns caused by the badniks' attacks. Good thing I packed some salve. Once on her feet, she almost leaps out of her fur thanks to the happy Ivory Wisp floating less than a foot in front of her face, her yelp of surprise startling the Wisp and causing them to flee into a nearby bush.
Clara takes a few moments and deep breaths to calm her nerves, then looks towards the bush the Wisp fled into to see them peeking out nervously. "Sorry: you startled me," she apologises, smiling kindly. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
The Ivory Wisp nervously emerges from the bush but keeps their distance from Clara.
"Was it you who fried those Crabmeats?" Clara asks.
The Ivory Wisp nods, squeaking quietly.
"Thought so," Clara smiles. "Thanks for the help."
The Ivory Wisp cautiously approaches Clara, a hint of happiness in their unusually solitary eye as they squeak a little more confidently.
Clara takes a moment to mentally note the way the Wisp looks, their angular head topped with a long spike shaped like a child's depiction of lightning and having three triangular tentacles hanging below. "Hold on: you're not going to enter me, are you?"
The Ivory Wisp stops, squeaking in confusion.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend," Clara apologises. "It's just one of your pink buddies did that without warning, and I sped off at high speed halfway up a cliff before being deposited back where I started. And I'll be honest, it scared me a bit."
The Ivory Wisp's eye conveys their understanding, and they squeaks pleasantly as they resume approaching Clara, stopping a few feet away and maintaining a friendly expression.
I guess it's not going to try the same trick. "Thanks," Clara smiles. "So, do you have a name?"
The Ivory Wisp squeaks a response.
"…sorry, that was a silly question, given I can't understand a thing you're saying," Clara admits, blushing a little.
The Ivory Wisp's brow furrows a moment as if in thought, then returns to a happy expression as they emit a dense series of electric sparks.
"Why are you‑ Oh! Your name's Sparky!" Clara realises.
The Ivory Wisp nods and squeaks happily.
"I'm Clara," Clara replies. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she adds, extending a hand.
It takes a moment for Sparky to realise Clara's expecting a handshake. But when they touch Clara's hand with one of their tentacles, they inadvertently discharge through the polecat, causing her to yelp and pull back, her fur all standing on end due to the static charge, her hair twice its normal volume for the same reason.
"What was that for‽" Clara snaps.
Sparky squeaks sadly, looking very embarrassed and worried.
Clara lets out a sigh. "Sorry for snapping at you," she apologises. "I just wasn't expecting an electric shock, that's all. And don't worry, I'm not hurt."
Sparky visibly relaxes, a happy expression returning to their face.
"So, I better be getting back to camp before Sonic and Tails start worrying about me," Clara informs. "Stay safe."
Sparky follows Clara as she starts jogging back to camp.
Half an hour after Clara left for the river, Sonic's about to go look for her when he sees her approach camp. "Ah, you're back," he greets with a smile. "I was about to come look for ya. You OK?"
"Yeah, just had a run‑in with some Crabmeats and Buzzers," Clara explains, repeating her earlier misidentification, the static in her hair and fur having dissipated so it's no longer standing on end. "They were chasing an Ivory Wisp called Sparky, and together we defeated the badniks."
"Is that why they're following you?" Tails asks.
"Huh?" Clara turns to see a happy Sparky right behind her. "Oh… Well, uh, thanks for seeing me back safely," she thanks with a friendly smile. "You should get back to your friends and family before they get too worried," she suggests.
Sparky's happy expression vanishes, replaced by sadness and sorrowful squeaking.
"Did I say something wrong?" Clara asks, confused.
"Hold on a sec," Tails requests, jumping up to the cockpit of the Tornado and fishing out his MilesElectric. "If Sparky's willing to repeat what they said, I can translate it," he informs, opening the translator program.
Sparky takes a moment to compose themself, then repeats their sorrowful squeaking.
"What did they say?" Clara asks Tails.
"Just a sec‑ Oh…" Tails takes a moment before continuing. "They said they don't have any friends or family," he translates, the weight of the statement evident in every syllable.
"Oh… Oh Gaia, I didn't realise!" Clara turns back to Sparky, her eyes moist. "Now I understand why you followed me: you want a friend."
Sparky nods, though their expression doesn't change.
"I'm guessing it's been hard, given your… traits," Clara guesses.
Sparky nods sadly again.
Clara thinks a moment. I can't turn them away; I'd never forgive myself. "In that case, I'll be your friend."
Sparky's expression flicks like a switch from sorrowful to ecstatic as they throw themself at Clara and does their best to hug her. Unfortunately, they again accidentally discharge into her, causing her to yelp and make all her fur stand on end again, but she doesn't let that stop her returning the hug.
Sparky squeaks apologetically.
"We'll work on it together," Clara promises.