Onboard the Golden Grub, it had been smooth sailing across the Plains of Mist toward Sapphire Mountain. Yogi and his son, Digger, had alternated at the helm of the landboat, while Robbi cooked and performed small chores. She had just lain down to take a nap, when suddenly she sat bolt upright and loosed a horrifying scream.

Yogi rushed over.
"What's wrong? Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

Robbi was sobbing.
"Something terrible has happened to Arisha," she cried, "we have to hurry!"

Yogi did not question her further, instead he called back to Digger.
"We're hoisting full sail, let's see how fast dis ding will go!"

"You got it pops!" Digger answered, tying off the wheel and going to help his father raise the additional canvas.

Digger scanned Sapphire Mountain with his spyglass and although he couldn't see the summit, he was able to make out the large basket beginning its steady descent down the mountain. When he mentioned this, Robbi took the telescope and carefully studied the lowering platform.

"That's not right!" she said confidently, "Arisha lowers the basket at four times that speed. Something is very wrong..."

"Dere!" Yogi interrupted her, pointing to the base of the mountain, "Another boat, Oi can make out the top of da masts."

Digger and Robbi looked to where he was pointing and saw the unmistakable masts rising above the low hills and mounds at the base of the mountain. Yogi turned to Robbi.
"What do you want to do? Should we go to da land ship and see who's here?"

"No," Robbi said sternly, "something is very wrong with Arisha, we have to go to the summit."

Yogi and Digger looked at each other, shuffled their feet, but did not speak.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Robbi asked, seeing her friend's discomfort.

"Moles are forbidden on da mountain." Yogi said meekly.

"I know, but only by promise, not by any spell. I'll take responsibility for you both, Arisha will understand." Robbi could see that the moles were still uncomfortable with breaking their promise and added, "I'm going whether you come along or not."

Yogi thought for a moment, then broke out in a wide grin.
"Oi've always wondered what her lair looks loike. No mole has been on da mountain for centuries, it moight as well be Digger and Oi."

"Wilbur will be very jealous," Digger laughed, "dat alone is enough reason to come along."

Robbi hugged the two moles.
"Thank you both, I promise I won't let you get into any trouble." She became suddenly sullen, "It's probably a lost cause though, Arisha usually pulls me up. The one time I climbed the mountain, we would never have made it without Elliot flying me to the top, unless moles can suddenly fly, I don't think we can make it."

Everyone went silent, then a small smile spread on Yogi's face. He turned first to Robbi, then to Digger.

"We don't have to floi. Digger, take da helm, you know where to go."

Digger went to the wheel and guided the boat to the opposite side of the mountain from where the Deev boat and basket being lowered were. Robbi was confused.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Yogi sat next to the white rat and put his paw on her shoulder.
"Oi would say dat it's a secret, but you're a wizard now, on da council, so you have a roight to know."

"Know what?"

"Long before Arisha banned the moles, even before she shared her essence with da wizards, da moles tended Arisha, moined da mountain...we even built her temple...," Yogi's snout wrinkled into a grin, "but we didn't learn to floi. We did what moles do."

"I still don't understand," Robbi protested.

"We dig! Dere is a tunnel dat leads from da base all the way to da summit."

Robbi's face lit up and she kissed Yogi on the snout. The mole king blushed.
"It's a long steep walk, it will take hours. We'll need to take water and some other dings...," Yogi shouted towards Digger who was steering, "do we have da cloimbing gear aboard?"

"Sure pops, foive harnesses, and standard gear," Digger answered.

"I thought we wouldn't be climbing?" Robbi asked.

Yogi laughed.
"It's not for going up Robbi, it's for getting us down quicker."

Robbi went slightly pale.
"Please don't tell me about it now, I don't think I want to know."

"Probably not." Yogi laughed.

Digger secured The Golden Grub, while Yogi led Robbi to the face of the mountain and began to search behind the various clusters of gorse which polka-dotted its base. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Yogi let out a squeak of triumph and summoned his companions.

"Oi haven't seen dis entrance since moi dad showed it to me when Oi was a little toike, but here it is. Oi guess Oi'm not as senoile as Oi thought."

Robbi laughed.
"You're still a youngster, Yogi."

"If Oi'm a youngster, den you must be an infant and Oi don't dink Digger's been born yet." He chuckled.

"What do you mean Oi haven't been born yet?" Digger asked, walking up to the pair without having heard the entire conversation. He was weighed down with the climbing gear and a pair of lanterns, he huffed for breath, "You could have had me secure the boat a little closer."

"Oi wasn't sure where de entrance was, anyway, dat's what children are for, lugging stuff so dere poor old parents don't have to."

"Shame on you, Yogi!" Robbi chided while relieving Digger of some of his gear.

Yogi took his portion of the gear, a harness, a lantern, and a canteen and disappeared behind the gorse bush.
"Come on gois," he shouted back, "we have a long, a very long, walk ahead of us."

Robbi and Digger followed the mole-king into the hidden entrance to the tunnel. Once inside, the trio lit their lanterns and began their steep, but manageable ascent up the interior of Sapphire Mountain.