The sound of pounding hammers and creaking wrenches resounded like birdsong against the snowy skies as the Wilikin remedied the kinks and bumps in the robot. All was peaceful now, and everyone below seemed poised to enjoy it as they took in the falling snow cascading above them. Well, all save for one!

"You were so, so, so, cool!" Chihiro cried as she bounced between all the ancient portal masters at once, her eyes bright like stars. "They way you were all like" — Chihiro bounced around front and mimicked the motions of a fight as she spoke — "Blam! Pow! Wham! Zap! Bang! And he was like" — Chihiro dragged her hands across her face for emphasis — "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Well, that wasn't quite how it happened," Vatra remarked, then yipped as Luz elbowed him.

"Ah, don't be such a downer, Vats!" Luz remarked, a brow raised. "After all, we've still got it!" Luz chuckled as Vatra scoffed and rolled his eyes, bowed down to Chihiro and turned his grin to one of pride. "Happy to be of service."

Sihiri held a hand to her face and chuckled, and Chihiro grabbed her hands as she shoved her own face right into Sihiri's! A small gasp came from Sihiri, but Chihiro's grin stayed fixed as ever.

"Hey, hey, do you think you could teach me how to do all that?" Chihiro asked.

Chihiro grunted as Inochi pulled her off of Sihiri and placed her back on the snow, and tilted her head as Sihiri chuckled again.

"I'm sure you'll learn all these things in due time yourself, young one," Sihiri remarked.

"Yeah, you seem magically inclined enough," Dej added as he ruffled Chihiro's head, "I think."

"You really think so?" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced up and down and tossed snow everywhere.

Dej and Sihiri both slowly, hesitantly nodded, and Chihiro squealed with utter delight! Her cheers soared across the skies as she bounded around and spun and flung snow everywhere she went. She giggled, and fell right into the fluffy, untouched parts of the snowbanks that started to form! Snow cascaded down over her, but she grinned as its pleasant chills cooled her warm heart.

"I still can't believe I'm getting to meet actual portal masters of old!" Chihiro heaved a pleased sigh as she kicked her legs in the snow. "It feels like a dream!"

Another chill brushed down Chihiro's spine, but it didn't come from her excitement or the icy cold of the snow that surrounded her. No, it came from the ghost as he phased right through her! The ghost floated up to the robot and clasped his hands, his head tilted down as his lips trembled. He drummed his fingers against his fist as he lifted his head up.

"If you don't mind me asking," the ghost said as he lifted his head, "are my body's repairs finished yet?" The ghost shuddered as a chilly breeze hit his body, and he phased out for a moment before he return to normal. "It's getting very cold out here."

One wilikin man frowned as he hammered another nail into the robot, turned back and waved down at everyone else!

"The repairs are done now, friend!" the wilikin shouted as he waved back down… Only to lose his footing and fall right into the snow! The wilikin grunted as everyone backed away from him, but he just popped his head out and shook it off. "Your body should be perfect now!"

The ghost floated up to the wilikin and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

His blank eyes turned up to the robot, and he zipped forward as he slammed right into its chest! The robot lurched over further and twitched for a few moments as its eyes grew blank, but soon, a soft, white glow filtered through as it leaned back up and stretched!

"Ah, just the way I remember it!" the ghost's voice echoed, its volume amplified by the robot's own speakers. The ghost stretched the robot's arms and legs further, and another chuckle came from him. "It feels good to be home!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're haunting the robot again, everything's back to normal," Ermit remarked as he walked up. "Now, by any chance, think you can take that robot and drive us all the way to this place called, er" — Ermit tapped his fingers against his beard — "Troll Home Security or whatever?"

The ghost paused his stretching, and his eyes' glow dulled as they fell on Ermit. "Oh, so that's why you came back after abandoning me in the coldest wasteland you could find?" the ghost remarked. "Just to ask me a favor?" The ghost turned around and huffed as he crossed his arms. "What makes you think I'm inclined to do something for you, when you left me to freeze? It was so lonely and cold, sitting here all the time, you know, and…"

Ermit groaned as he dragged his hands across his face. "Now I'm starting to remember why I left you here in the first place."

But while Ermit groaned, Chihiro padded up and clasped his hands.

"Actually, mister ghost, we do really need to go there!" Chihiro explained. "There's a really evil dude trying to take over Skylands, and we need something strong enough to get to this place and disable his fortress's security systems!" Chihiro bowed her head and shook her hands. "If we don't stop him, all Skylands could be in danger, so please lend us a hand!"

"All Skylands would be in danger?" The ghost repeated. He turned back to Chihiro, and as she nodded and affirmed this, his glowing eyes faded and he paused. "Alright, if the circumstances are that grave, I'll take you."

Chihiro cheered and leaped in the air, but the world below her shuddered and she dropped right back into the snow! She grunted and pushed herself up right as the robot's chest lowered and opened up. All around her everyone grinned as they prepared to board. Well, all except for Luz, who frowned as he stared into the distance.

"Luz, is something wrong?" Dej asked. "What are you looking at?"

"There's something flying in over there!" Luz cried back as he pointed to the distance.

Everyone turned back to the skies. Sure enough, there in the distance was something purple and sparkly! It gently floated in the distance, so small and unassuming that it could barely be made out amid the snow and clouds.

"Just what is it?" Dej asked.

"Maybe it's a bird?" Luz suggested as he turned back to Dej.

Vatra shook his head and pushed past them both. "No, it's a plane!"

"Maybe it's a flying flower?" Inochi suggested as she put a finger to her face.

Chihiro frowned as her eyes fell on the strange sparkly purple object, and she summoned a pair of magic binoculars. She hummed as she lifted the binoculars to her face and narrowed her eyes, but gasped and dropped them on the floor.

"No, it's a butterfly!" Chihiro cried as she sprinted across the ice and snow.

The sparkly purple butterfly came in right as Chihiro met its landing spot and held out her wrist. In turn, it perched on her arm and paused for a moment. Its own bright light absorbed it, and it leaped off of her wrist to form a screen! The screen shuddered with static for a few moment, but slowly, an image started to form between the noise.

"This thing on?" remarked a voice from the screen. It was one slightly fuzzy, but clear enough that hearing it made Chihiro light up!

"Spyro! That's Spyro's voice!" Chihiro cried as she turned around and waved. "Everyone, I'm getting a message from Spyro!"

"Spyro?" they all cried as they huddled around Chihiro.

Everyone got together right as the static cleared. Before them, the screen showed Spyro standing on the Dread-Yacht's deck—but not just him, either! The rest of their scattered party rested on the deck, and they seemed no worse for wear save for a few scratches and bumps! They were alive, they were alright!

"Hey, Chi!" Spyro proclaimed as he grinned and waved to the screen. "I'm guessing that my messenger butterfly must have finally found you!"

Chihiro grinned, waved right back in spite of it being a recorded message, and leaned back as Spyro turned around on-screen and held out a wing.

"As you can see, we're alright!" Spyro turned back to Chihiro and shrugged. "We had a heck of a time, but we managed to get away from those ghost pirates! Funny story, I'll tell you all about it when we get caught up" — Spyro shook his head — "but for now, I'll just say that we're gonna try and get back on our original path!"

A clunk sounded off and Spyro winced. "That is, if Flynn can figure out where he's going." Spyro shook his head. "Nonetheless, let's meet up soon, alright?"

The screen's light faded and it completely blipped out of existence. Even though the message faded, the cheer it left them all with didn't! After all, their friends were alive and alright, and they would reunite soon! Well, hopefully.

"Thank goodness he's alright," Chihiro sighed. "Hopefully, he'll get my message in time for us to meet up at that Troll Home Security place!" Chihiro turned back around. "Speaking of that, we'd better get going—time's a wastin'!"

They all dashed into the robot with renewed spirits, grinned and sat down as the door sealed behind them. The inside of the robot was surprisingly spacious despite its smaller appearance outside; it held blue and gold metal walls, and sleek, blue velvet floors with plenty of seats to spare. A control panel lined with buttons and levers and all sorts of fancy stuff made up the front, and bright lights dangled from the ceiling.

"Now, one question," Terrafin remarked as he leaned against the wall, "who's piloting this thing?"

"I'll take care of that," the ghost's voice remarked.

The ghost phased through the floor, floated towards the console and worked away! He tapped a few buttons, pulled a lever or two and spun some dials, and in response the robot shuddered and clunked before it flew off! The faint sounds of wind howling sounded outside, all muffled by the thick metal that walled them off, and everyone sighed as they took their seats.

"I've lived here for so long that I know this robot's controls inside and out. In fact, sometimes it feels like this robot was made for me," the ghost remarked as he floated into a seat and grinned. "Just leave all the piloting to me."

"Good thing, too!" Chihiro remarked as she took a seat beside him. She chuckled and ruffled her head as a slight blush crossed her face. "Last time I tried to pilot a giant Arkeyan robot, it didn't go so well…" Chihiro drifted off and frowned as she glazed over the ghost. "Say, what's your name, anyways?"

"My, my name?" the ghost repeated as he turned to Chihiro. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them as he turned away. "I, don't actually remember what my name is. It's been so long since I've talked to anyone, let alone been referred to by it."

"Then I'll give you one!"

Chihiro hummed and rubbed her chin as she examined the ghost. "You're a ghost living in a machine," Chihiro said, "so I'll call you the Machine Ghost!"

The Machine Ghost blinked, grinned and tilted his own head. "Sounds good to me!"

"Then Machine Ghost it is!"

And so, they both chuckled as the robot flew full speed ahead.