Ponies, Hedgehogs, and Genies

First Person POV: ???

Free. After months of imprisonment, I was finally free. All thanks to an old friend. She spent the last thousand years with me, trapped in the unbrum, getting to know it better. However, unlike her friends inside that accursed prison, I turned into an unholy shadow of my former self. I knew of my fate ever since I looked into the unbrum. My choices still haunt me to this day. However, what has transpired in the past is of little interest to me. It has been too long since I have walked among ponies. I know of what must be done now. Raidiant Hope has made that clear. It is time to take my revenge.

Third Person POV

(Cue Tee Lopes - Green Hill Zone '12 Extended)

As the sun shone over the land of South Island, local hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, enjoyed every second of it. His blue spines and slippery straps on his shoes made him easy to recognize. His green eyes scanned the land put in front of him. Sonic straightened the white gloves on his hands and smirked.

"Well, Green Hill Zone. It's been way too long. Lucky for you, I've decided to give you company for the day." In mere seconds, Sonic took off like a rocket, speeding towards the Zone's course.  As he ran through the twists and turns of the green plains, he felt truly alive. This is what he thought life should be like; carefree and fun. After clearing the shuttle loop, Sonic curled up into a spiky blue ball, spinning down a long slope before blasting through a small wall of rocks and continuing on. The hedgehog put a gloved hand to the ground, drifting along Green Hill Zone's sharp turns.

"Woo-hoo!" Sonic cheered while bouncing off of a perfectly placed spring, bouncing him up to a higher platform. He continued on, keeping a steady momentum while turning his head to admire the view around him. Paradise. That was how Sonic felt about his surroundings. He quickly skidded to a stop, taking note of what was put in front of him. "Well, well. What have we here?"

Sonic had found a large shuttle loop that then led to a corkscrew loop, finally ending in a golden ramp lined with colorful arrows in the middle. A large golden ring was located at the end of the course. Sonic pointed his finger in that direction before running up the large shuttle loop, grabbing a stash of gold rings floating along the track. The corkscrew loop was next. As Sonic navigated the twisting terrain, he stepped on a boost pad, doubling his speed.

"And now for the big finale!" Sonic launched off the golden trick ramp and started preforming freestyle tricks. As he landed on the platform, the goal ring disappeared.

(End Tee Lopes - Green Hill Zone '12 Extended)

As the music faded away, Sonic continued running, not sure where he was headed. For some strange reason, it was like the world was calling him to a new adventure. He was always one to trust his instincts. After a few minutes he stumbled upon a giant warp ring connecting to a wall blocking him off from continuing.  He skidded to a stop just in time before contact.

"Hmm... Now this looks interesting. " Sonic stated as he reached out and stuck his hand in the open part of the ring. His hand phased through with little to no resistance. Sonic pulled his hand out, checking to see if anything happened. When he was sure that his gloved hand was fine, he smiled. "Alright, new adventure. Here I come!" Without a moment to spare, the blue blur dashed through the warp ring.

Equestria was a world of peace. A world where friendship was magic and the population was not humans, but ponies, gryphons, and other mythical creatures. While peaceful, Equestria still had its fair share of evil beings threatening the land.

Currently, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane sat on a cloud, staring at the massive ring put in front of her. "So, what do you think it is, Tank?" she asked.

Beside her was her pet tortoise, Tank.

The pegasus sighed. "Tank, you're not very helpful." She turned back to the ring. "Let's see. It looks like  some sort of window, in midair. Only the other end isn't there." She spread her wings and readied herself to fly in.  "Hold the fort down, Tank. I'm going in!" She sped through the ring, leaving her pet to slowly trip and get stuck upside down in his shell.

The famous Scuttle Town was a popular fishing port town. With the many dangers that threaten the peaceful town, the place needed a guardian. Luckily, they had one; a half-genie if fact. Her name was Shantae. As a professional belly dancer, she wore red Harlem pants and golden jewelry. Shantae was olive-skinned with long purple hair tied back in a ponytail. As she sat at a table in front of one of her favorite restaurants, the half-genie urged herself to stay awake.

For the week, she had suffered nightmares warning her of an impending doom.

"Hey, Shantae. You okay?" Sitting across form Shantae was her long-life friend and ally, Sky. She had blonde hair held back by a blue head wrap, and a purple hood. She wore a blue tank top with pink outlines on it.  Finally, she had on white khaki pants and a pair of brown boots. "You've been acting weird for the past few days."

"No. I'm fine." Shantae raised her head up from the table, revealing the bags under her eyes. "I told you, I just need to stop reading comic books before bed and-" She yawned before continuing. "not eat an entire tub of cookie dough ice cream."

Sky shook her head. "You can't keep this from me forever. Sooner or later your gonna have to tell me what's going on with you."

"Okay, okay. I'll tell you." Shantae sighed. Before she could continue, an explosion emitted from Main Street. Immediately, the town's guardian jumped out of her seat, now fully awake. "Sorry, Sky. But the town needs me!"

Sky sighed in annoyance and called her faithful bird companion, Wrench. "Fine. At least let me give you a lift."

"Whoa!!!" Sonic emerged from the warp ring, landing face first into a pile of sand. He pulled his face out of the sand and sighed. "Every time. Why can't I just land on my feet for once?"

He turned to the sound of an explosion coming from a small town just within viewing distance. He smirked. "Alright, here we... GO!" Sonic darted off towards the town. He found the shortest way to the town was across the water. As he got a running start, Sonic surrounded himself in a blue aura, known as the Sonic Boost. His speed combined with the boost was enough to carry him on the surface of the water.

Rainbow Dash emerged from the massive ring, keeping her heroic face on.

"So, this is where the other side of the window, huh?" Rainbow asked to no one in particular. Ahead of her was a town built next to a large beach. The pegasus groaned. "So much for adventure. At least I get a nice view." After a few minutes, she was ready to head back. The warp ring still spun in place. It was slow, giving her an easy way back to Equestria.

Before she could, her head snapped to the side as she caught glimpse of the city she looked at before emit smoke from the back of the city. Her instincts kicked in. Being the hero of her world, Rainbow Dash knew that explosions meant trouble and that it also meant that adventure lied ahead.

"Well, well..." she started. "Never fear! Your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is- whoa!" Suddenly, a blue blur crashed into the pegeasus, knocking both of them to the ground. Rainbow Dash was given a good look of . A blue anthropomorphic hedgehog shook his head and jumped back up onto his feet.

"Sorry 'bout that. You see, I'm in a bit of a hurry with that town on fire." he explained.

Rainbow blinked. "You too? I was heading there myself. With my speed, it should be easy to get there in a dash!"

"Say, where're you from?" the hedgehog asked, walking down towards the town.

"Name's Rainbow Dash. Fastest flier in all of Equestria!" she boasted.

"Well I don't know where that is, but I can assure you that you're not the fastest around here!" Sonic chuckled.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Care to put your bits where your mouth is?"

"First one to the town wins! Ready?"

"Ready!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"Go!" The two speedsters darted off, leaving a massive dust cloud in their wake.

Twilight Sparkle was inside her crystal castle; her head face down on the table. Her lavender coat and dark purple mane made her identifiable from the residents of Equestria. She was the  Princess of Friendship and one of the five alicorns in existence. While her friends all either had chores or plans with other friends, Twilight was stuck in her castle located in Ponyville to do nothing but sigh and look at the large map in the room she was in.

"Why can't anything exciting happen?" she grumbled. Come on map! Give me a mission. Anything!"

As she continued rambling to herself, a young purple dragon with light green scales walked into the room. "Give it up, Twilight. You and I both know that the map's not gonna give in to your command." This was Spike, Twilight's faithful assistant. "Why don't you see what Rainbow Dash is up too? She probably has something you could do."

The alicorn instantly perked up. "That's it Spike! I'll go see what Rainbow Dash is up too!" She trotted out of the room, leaving Spike alone in the throne room. The young drake picked up a comic labeled "Power Ponies" and thought to himself about reading it. "Hmm... Nah."

As Twilight trotted out of the castle, she looked up to the sky, knowing that Rainbow Dash was sure to be practicing her flying or sleeping on a cloud. However, what she got was two seconds to see a green shell bash her on the head. After she got back up, Twilight groaned. "Tank? What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be with Rainbow Dash?"

Tank looked up and slowly pointed his head up to a cloud.  She used her wings to fly up to said cloud and found a bright golden ring floating above. Curiosity filled her mind as she tapped the ring with her hoof, waiting to see if anything would happen. Her hand fazed through before she quickly brought it back.

This was Twilight's opportunity to finally do something besides wait in a castle. Rainbow Dash had probably went in earlier. With the thoughts of learning something about this mysterious structure and Rainbow Dash's well being, Twilight jumped through.

Shantae made her way to the middle of the chaos, taking a look around at the the remains of destroyed buildings around her. A cannon ball blast went off, this time aimed at her. Shantae managed to leap out of the way before the explosion went off. Turing her head, she saw the attacker.

It was the nefarious female pirate that was known throughout Sequin Land for her love of wealth, power, and all shiny things; Risky Boots. She looked down from her massive ship and smiled. "Well, well. I was wondering when you would show up."

"Risky Boots!" Shantae shouted. "I should have known it was you. What do you want this time?"

"Tut-tut! Call me Queen of the Seven Seas, if you please." Risky replied.

"Back to your old tricks, I see!"

Risky laughed at the aggravated Shantae. "You don't seem happy to see me. Looking for this?" Risky then pulled out a blue paper rolled up into a scroll.

Shantae gasped. "Uncle's blueprint! Give that back!"

Risky Boots shook her head. "Your dimwitted relic-hunting uncle is always unearthing valuables from the lost age. And whatever secrets this blueprint contains, I want them! How else can I claim my rightful place as ruler over all of Sequin Land? Ho ho ho!" She pulled out a green jewel from behind her back. But I suppose I should warn you, this little jewel right here makes my ship immune to your little hair whips!"

"Sorry, but I think that belongs to me!" a voice called out. Suddenly, a blue blur jumped off a roof and back flipped over Risky, snatching the jewel in the process.  The green aura that once surrounded the ship vanished. A Rainbow blur swirled in circle above the water, splashing it all over the pirate. Both blurs finally stopped in front Shantae. They both turned to the half-genie and smiled.

"Sit back and watch a pro, kid." the pegasus said.

"Thanks for the offer, but Risky Boots is my concern." Shantae smirked.

"Please. Your talking to Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" she exclaimed, loud enough for Risky Boots to hear.

"Hey, runts!" the pirate called out. "Step aside, or suffer the might of my Part Omni-Organic, Partially Titanic, Ocean-Optional Tinkerslug!"

"P.O.O.P. T.O.O.T?" Shantae tried her best to keep from giggling. The hedgehog and cyan pony, however, made no effort to hold in their laughter.

"Ha ha! P.O.O.P. T.O.O.T?! You're naming process is worse than Eggman's!" Sonic continued laughing, much to Risky's dismay.

"Don't call it that! Who do you think you are to insult the great Risky Boots? I'm looking at you, filthy rat!"

"I'm not a rat! I'm just a guy who loves adventure! I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Well, your adventuring days are coming to an end!" Risky retorted.

While Shantae and Rainbow got into their fighting stances, Sonic put on his game face and smirked. "Right. How many times have I heard that one before?"

(Cue Boss Battle - Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Music Extended)

Risky Boots pointed her finger towards the trio below as her pirate crew, the dark and silent Tinkerbats, started throwing bombs, aiming to hit their targets. Shantae quickly ran up to the Tinkerslug ship and flicked her head forward, cracking her long hair like a whip. However, it did not have an effect on the large slug. She backed up, trying to outrun the next bomb. Before the blast, Rainbow Dash swooped in and brought Shantae flying up with her.

"Don't worry, I got ya'!" she announced, setting the half-genie down on an elevated plank.

Meanwhile, Sonic was darting back and forth, irritating Risky Boots in the process.

"What's the matter?" he called out. Sonic back flipped onto a platform connected to a still intact building. "Can't hit a hedgehog?"

"Silence!" Risky Boots commanded another strike to blast Sonic, this time in the form of a red explosive barrel. The blue blur jumped forward and boosted straight into it, bouncing it over towards Shantae and Rainbow Dash. The half-genie jumped off of Rainbow's back and whiped her hair once more, knocking the barrel at P.O.O.P T.O.O.T.

The Tinkerslug took the blast at point blank, knocking it out and leaving the ship defenseless.

"Wow, I've found more challenge in sparing with Applejack than you!" Rainbow laughed, grabbing Shantae once more and quickly flying her over to the ship. As Shantae and Rainbow Dash continued their assault, a group of pirates landed behind them, intending to end their strike.

Sonic then sped in front of them, wagging his finger to taunt them. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Hey Rainbow! Mind giving me a hand here?"

The pegasus nodded. "With pleasure." In mere seconds, Rainbow Dash spread her wings before tackling multiple pirates into the water. Sonic curled up into a spiky blue ball and preformed a barrage of Homing Attacks, aiming each strike at the silent Tinkerbats. He struck a pose between each attack before curling up and striking once more.

With the Tinkerbat's gone, Sonic and Rainbow Dash started attacking the ship with the half-genie. The trio quickly back up before initiating a combo. Shantae grabbed the spinning hedgehog with her hair before Rainbow acted as a flying mount for the two. The pegasus started speeding up faster and faster before Shantae jumped off and launched Sonic straight at T.O.O.T. P.O.O.P.

(End Boss Battle - Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Music Extended)

"You're finished!" they yelled as the Spin Attack dealt the final blow. As the blue blur bounced back, the ship exploded, sending all the Tinkerbats on board flying by the dozens. Risky Boots fell to the ground as the trio surrounded her.

"Surrender the blueprints, Risky Boots!" Shantae demanded.

Risky Boots scoffed. "So, you've managed to get the upper hand. But you're only postponing my inevitable victory!" The pirate dropped the blueprint on the ground. "Another time, runts! Move it, you lubbers! Ho ho ho!" She jumped backwards onto her ship as it quickly sailed away with the very few Tinkerbats she had left.

"And don't come back!" Shantae yelled once more. "Hey! How do you like that! I actually beat her right away for a change!"

(Cue Apotos Day - Sonic Unleashed Music Extended)

She scooped the blueprints off of the ground and turned to Rainbow and Sonic. "Thanks for the help. I owe you two big time. My name's Shantae, the half-genie guardian of Scuttle Town. Now, I'd better get these blueprints back to Uncle. Follow me."

As they headed back towards town, Sonic juggled the emerald he snagged from Risky in his hand. "So, what do you think was that all about?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Beat's me. That girl sure seemed too self-absorbed to just give up and go home."

"At least we stopped her. Now that Risky's gone, Scuttle Town can have some peace." Shantae turned to the emerald sparkling in the sun. "What I don't understand is why that one tiny emerald was so important to her."

Sonic turned and snatched the emerald in midair. "Well, you see, this is a Chaos Emerald. It has extraordinary power on it's own, and when all seven are gathered, their power is pretty much infinite."

Shantae's eyes snapped open. "Infinite!? You say that like it's completely ordinary!"

"Well, pretty much." the blue blur stated, putting a hand to his chin. "I've used these things to teleport, fly, save worlds; you know, the usual."

"Seems like you're no stranger to awesome adventure." Rainbow replied. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask. Am I going crazy, or do have a hidden radio in your quills?"

Sonic shook his head. "Nope. That's just the world being the world. I get to hear music almost wherever I go. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Can it take requests?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't think it works that way." As they finished their walk, the trio stopped at a large laboratory. Shantae opened the door to reveal the inside of the lab. Uncle Mimic, a relic hunter and one of the closest thing the half-genie has to family.

"Uncle! I'm back!" Shantae called out.

"Hello, Shantae." Before he could continue, he took notice of Sonic and Rainbow Dash standing beside her. "I-um- It seems you've found some new visitors."

"These are my new friends, Sonic the Hedgehog and Rainbow Dash."

"Well, I happen to have some new acquaintances as well."

As he finished, a two tailed fox and lavender alicorn walked out from another room. "Hey, Uncle Mimic. We got that electrical wire you asked for." the fox started.

"And the battery." the alicorn added.

"Tails?"

"Twilight?"

"Ah, it seems you all know each other. I'll just give you some time to chat." Uncle Mimic signaled for Shantae to come over whie the blue blur and pegasus met up with their friends.

"Sonic! What are you doing here?" Tails asked. He was Sonic's sidekick and best friend.

"I could ask the same for you." Sonic gave Tails a noggie.

"Egghead!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Stop calling me that!" Twilight scolded. She then turned to the blue blur. "So, you must be the Sonic that Tails told me about. My name is Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine!" Sonic looked at Tails and Twilight before continuing. "Now, do you two mind telling us why you're here?"

Tails and Twilight both scratched their heads. "Wait, let us guess." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You got bored and Tank pointed you in my direction."

"And you tried messing with the frequency of a warp ring, Tails." Sonic finished.

"Really? You don't say." Twilight replied in a nervous tone.

"And you say Risky sailed off after that?" Uncle Mimic asked, gaining the attention of the others.

Shantae nodded. "She gave me the slip. I'm sorry, Uncle."

"Hey, look on the bright side!" Uncle Mimic  said. "No one was hurt and you managed to return to blueprints."

"He's right. You probably did what you could to stop her." Twilight added.

Just then, a short fat man wearing a turban walked in the open door with an unimpressed look. This was Mayor Scuttlebutt, the leader of Scuttle Town. "Well, you're fired."

Shantae gasped. "Fired? Again?!"

The Mayor nodded. "Yah. Main Street is in shambles and pirates are running pell-mell all over town. I'm off to place an ad for a new guardian genie! One who can get rid off these pirates for good!"

"Wait a minute!" Sonic interrupted. "She just helped save your town from Risky Boots and her minions and you're firing her as guardian just because a few buildings didn't make it?"

"That's just lame." Rainbow added. Tails and Twilight gave dirty looks to the Mayor as he continued.

"I'm sorry, but I feel as though I've given her too many chances." He then turned to Sonic. "Now, I did see you fighting exceptionally well. You wouldn't happen to want to transfer here, um-"

"Sonic the Hedgehog. And before you say anything else, let me set you straight. There is NO WAY that I'm taking Shantae's job. She's done nothing wrong!"

"Fine. At least I can still find a proper guardian. Looooots of half-genies guarding towns these days. One of them's bound to want to transfer. Free rent! Amazing ocean view! Negligible fish smell! Apply today!"

"No. I don't wanna hear this anymore." Rainbow scolded. "Listen here, buddy! None of us are taking her place, so take your news, take your fliers, and just leave!"

Mayor Scuttlebutt took his leave as Uncle Mimic and the others fumed.

"I never got free rent." Shantae whined.

"The nerve of that guy!' Rainbow added.

"I don't think he values the meaning of someone doing a great job." Twilight sighed.

"Mayor Scuttlebutt seems really stressed out. Maybe we should give him some space." Tails suggested.

"Bah. Ignore him. Uncle Mimic scoffed. "He'll come around once the Dynamo is completed."

The half-genie shrugged. "If you say so, Uncle..."

"In fact, how about you treat your new friends to some food. I hear they're selling chili dogs today."

"Chili dogs?!" Sonic gasped. "Now we're talking!"

While the others laughed at his enthusiasm (Minus Twilight and Rainbow, who didn't know what a chili dog was.) Shantae gave her uncle a thumbs up.

"Alright. Good luck, Uncle. I'm Ret-2-Go... ...if anyone needs me."