Nick and Haruka were just laying there, arms around each other and fast asleep, as the night broke through the sky. The two of them were traveling through the massive desert of Mobius in their search for the Chaos Emeralds.
Not to worry, dear readers; these brave travelers had brought many supplies with them to last out the harsh desert terrain. The most peculiar of these was a Power Ring lent to Nick by Sonic that was engraved with a strange writing...
Nick had been able to translate it, unfortunately not knowing what it meant: "This trinket will enable the user to make a wish on the divine power. The seven rings of heart will open the gateway to the new world, but the collector of the rings will be offered in exchange for the gate to power."
Nick yawned, slowly waking up around 2:00 AM by a mysterious glow. "Oh... oh, man, is it that late already? Just what time is it?"
He reached for the source of the glow, which turned out to be the Ring that Sonic had given him. "What the...?"
Suddenly, Nick heard a mysterious female voice.
"You are the chosen one, aren't you?"
"Who said that?" Nick asked, being careful not to wake up Haruka.
Suddenly, as Nick touched the mysterious Ring, a beautiful girl emerged from it; a genie girl with bright violet hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a vibrant dress, to be exact.
"D-do not be alarmed," the genie girl responded to Nick's sudden gasp of shock. "I am Shahra, the Genie of the Ring."
"Wait. That sounds... very familiar somehow," Nick noted, looking towards the reading material he'd brought for the down time he'd have on his trip: that of the Thousand and One Arabian Nights. "You're that genie girl from Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, aren't you?"
"Exactly," Shahra replied.
"That's one of the best stories that I've read from this book so far," Nick stated, pointing back towards his book...
...only to find the page he was reading completely blank!!
"What the...?" Nick exclaimed, causing Haruka to wake up. "What happened to my book?"
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(I've always wondered if genies can experience love. Why not give it a try?)
S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
Sonic and the Secret Rings: Nick and Haruka's Story
Part 2 of my "Back-to-School Barrage"
Rated: K+ for intense scenes, romantic moments, and a bit of harsh language (may go up in later chapters due to certain scenes I took from the original)
Summary: Basically, this is a novelization of Sonic and the Secret Rings with my characters (Nick and Haruka) in the spotlight. Don't worry, Sonic fans, I will put Sonic into this story. I just have to find a way to make him fit in with the Arabian Nights worlds. (I'll probably have to do a little research, but that's what Wikipedia is for.) Mainstream couple will be Nick/Shahra for a while, but it'll change back to Nick/Haruka near the end of the story. You'll understand why a little ways into this first chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own anything related to Sonic the Hedgehog OR Sonic and the Secret Rings. They belong to Sega and Sonic Team. However, I own Nick and Haruka, as they are my characters. Just thought I'd get that out of the way.
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First Paragraph: Find the Secret Rings!
"That's why I'm here," Shahra explained. "An evil spirit, the Erazor Djinn, is sucking out the power of the Arabian Nights and using it to remake the stories as he sees fit. I have been seeking out the chosen one ever since he escaped from his imprisonment."
"I think I remember that from one of the stories," Nick replied, thinking back to what he'd read. "Wasn't this Erazor character imprisoned inside his lamp for all time, or at least until he granted a thousand people's wishes?"
"Yes," Shahra answered, motioning back towards the 1001 Nights book. "I was afraid I'd never find you. You are the only one who can stop Erazor from destroying the Arabian Nights. If he absorbs all of their power, not only will our worlds be forever gone, but he will have enough power to leave the book and take over this world as well."
"So, this Erazor guy needs someone to put him in his place, huh?" Nick proclaimed, shooting to his feet, fists clenched. "All right, I think I can do something about that. The only problem? This world is inside of a storybook, right? How do I get in there?"
"That's what you have me for," Shahra explained. "I am the Genie of the Ring. You summoned me, and thus, I am able to grant your wishes. Taking you into the world of the Arabian Nights is definitely within my power. Simply place the ring on your finger and rub it, just like Aladdin's lamp."
"Rub the ring. Got it," Nick replied, placing the Power Ring on his index finger (a perfect fit) and rubbing it, similar to Aladdin's lamp.
Shahra disappeared, then reappeared in a flash of pink light. "O Master of the Ring, what is thy wish?"
"All right, let's do this," Nick stated, Haruka standing next to him. "Take me to this world of the Arabian Nights."
"As you wish, Master," Shahra replied, conjuring up a magic carpet.
Nick and Haruka hopped onto the carpet as the 1001 Nights began glowing.
"You know, just for the record, Shahra... you're kinda cute," Nick said completely out of the blue. This brought a blush to Shahra's face.
"You... you mean that?" Shahra asked.
"I don't lie about things like this," was Nick's simple reply. Before Shahra could respond, however...
"OW!" Nick cried out. Haruka had just slapped him on the back of his head. Nick knew she was just being playful.
"Can we focus on stopping Erazor right now? You can flirt with Shahra later," Haruka noted, flipping a few locks of her hair back.
"Right, right," Nick said, rubbing the spot where he'd been slapped. Focusing on the book, he shouted, "Let's do this, Shahra!!"
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Once they'd arrived in the Arabian Nights, the first thing Nick saw was a purple-ish genie (with one of the biggest swords he'd ever seen) sucking in a series of Arabian letters. He was already at it!
"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that's Erazor?" Nick asked. Shahra could only nod.
Just then, Nick sensed incoming danger, charging forward and pushing Haruka out of the way of a seemingly lethal sword swipe.
"MAN! Talk about close shaves..." Nick said to himself after picking himself up. Erazor stopped what he was doing to gaze at the new arrivals.
"You must be the new rats that just got added to the story," Erazor taunted.
"HEY! I'm not a rat! I'm a boy! Get your facts right, Erazor!" Nick shot back, clearly angry.
"Calm down, Nick..." Haruka stated softly.
Erazor held his weapon into the air. "I am the Erazor Djinn! I am the one who will carve up this world as I see fit!"
"Well, if you're going to do that, could you at least wait until I'm done reading it first?" Nick stated quite clearly.
"Nick..." both Haruka and Shahra stated, shaking their heads in frustration. Erazor didn't seem fazed.
"One hundred of the 1001 Nights have already been wiped clean. And the rest will soon join them, night by night. And then, with the seven World Rings..."
"World Rings?" Nick repeated, a bit confused.
"You have brought the seven World Rings for me, have you not, Shahra, my dear?" Erazor asked gracefully.
Shahra didn't take too kindly to this comment. "Are you still going on about those? I already told you, they don't exist, and even if they did, I would NEVER give them to you!"
"Oh, wouldn't you, though?" Erazor commented. "I suppose a suitable punishment is in order, then..."
Erazor held his hand out towards Shahra, which was glowing with a bright light.
"Shahra, look out!!" Haruka exclaimed, jumping in front of Shahra as a bright sphere of light burst from Erazor's palm. When the light cleared, Haruka was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, Nick didn't take too well to this.
"HARUKA!!" Nick exclaimed. "What did you do with her?!"
"So this is how judgment is dealt, huh? This should be interesting. Are you listening, rat?" Erazor explained. "Bring me the seven World Rings before the sun sets on the seventh day. If you do not, the girl's life is forfeit. Now, I think I'll go collect the life of King Shahryar..."
And with that, Erazor disappeared in a flash of dark light.
"This can't be good!" Nick exclaimed. "King Shahryar's the main character of the story! If he goes, the whole thing could go!"
"What are we going to do?" Shahra stated, worry evident in her voice.
Nick quickly took Shahra's hand into his own, making her blush.
"I'm a really fast runner, so we're just going to have to find King Shahryar first!" Nick exclaimed. "Let's rip!"
Shahra smiled brightly as the two headed for the temple in the distance.
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Next time:
Second Paragraph: The King is Found!
Nick and Shahra take a trip through the Desert Tempest in search of King Shahryar and the first of the World Rings.