Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero

Chapter 2: Scuttle Town Scamper to the Mermaid Palace

   "Now what did the thief look like?" Shantae asked slowly, leaning in with her hands clenched together on the table and her eyes tight on Sonic's own. "Hmm..." Sonic pondered, "Well, they wore a bandana, had some gear on a belt, I think they looked sort of lavender-"

   "AHA!" Shantae shouted, snapping her fingers into a point at Sonic, "that sea bound scumbag is at it again!" Sonic was scooted a way's back into his chair. "Wh-Who..?" Sonic nervously asked. Shantae looked to her rather ignorant friend in confusion. "Huh? Oh, sorry there," She said, "You see now, there's this supposed "Pirate Queen" from here in my world, and her name is Risky Boots. Or at least, that's what I know her by." Sonic thought to remember it. "Okay. So what's it going to take to get my emerald back from her?" Sonic asked.

   The two sipped their drinks of tea and coffee and pondered the challenge that was now before them. "What direction did you see her go while you fell?" Shantae asked Sonic. "Eh, might have been somewhere north, quite a way's off from town." Sonic answered. "That sounds like Mermaid Falls." Shantae said, "So how about looking there for a lead?" She asked, while finishing her tea.

   "Well..." Sonic said, finishing his coffee, "It wouldn't be too much a hassle if we can get there easy." "All right then," Shantae said, "I know a certain someone who can fly us there." "Flying friend, huh?" Sonic wondered, "That makes me think of what my bud Tails is doing now."

   Speaking of whom, cutting back to Tails, we'd find that he's still doing just as he was when we were last with him. Still on the hunt for that fabled statue he still believes to be somewhere in those woods. Though, he is quite upset at the sudden absence of Sonic, believing him to have run off to find something else to do instead of statue hunt with him.

   Sonic followed the half-genie to her humble abode where she packed up some tools she felt would be of use on their venture to the aquatic caverns. Sonic waited patiently by the nightstand as she ran, leapt and swung across snagging a handy array of items she dropped beside her lamp.

   "We're really going to need all of this?" Sonic asked impatiently. "If this is Risky we're taking about, heck yeah!" Shantae answered. Sonic rolled his eyes. "And how exactly will we carry this stuff?" he questioned. "Like this." Shantae said, tapping a bottle of hair cream on the lid of her lamp, and just like magic the pile at her nightstand started to glow a translucent lavender aura and absorbed itself into it.

   "Wow!" Sonic exclaimed, "That was awesome! How'd you do that?" "Magic, of course. I am half genie." Shantae explained, "But what'll I do with you?" she pondered, rubber her chin and looking on Sonic with a raised brow. "What?" Sonic asked, "Does your friend's ride not have room for three?" "Well.., no..." Shantae admitted. "Try this out," Sonic said, handing her his buddy ring, "Tails gave this to me so we could hear each other while in the woods. Maybe you can enchant it so it could hold me, and then you could wear it like a wristband!" Shantae nodded in agreement. "Hey, that's not a bad idea. Let's see if that'll do the trick." She said. Shantae then proceeded to do a little dance to make the ring slowly spin in the air and make the magic flow from the lamp and into the ring wherein it would bless it with abilities similar to that of the lamp.

   And just like that the ring was made magical. Shantae clicked the button and Sonic was pulled right in. "Hey look at that, it worked!" Sonic shouted from the speaker, "Little dark in here, though." "Woo, yeah!" Shantae cheered, with a joyful jump with ring in hand. "Now, let's get a move on and find that gem!"

   She then slid on the ring, slung the lamp over her shoulder using a strap and headed to Sky's place to hitch a ride with her off to Mermaid Falls. Meanwhile with Risky, she had already been investigating the mysterious properties of the supernatural stone of which she now held.