Gamelover41592: Thanks.
This one really shouldn't have come as a surprise. I couldn't do Pirate Queen's Curse as that wouldn't make sense in the story and the costume DLCs are meant to not have any bearing on the main story. Besides, Jasmine is going to do something awesome in this one. Let's begin, shall we?
Mimic grinned. This was it! Thanks to Shantae and Jasmine, he was finally about to complete his machine. Placing Poe's zombie hamster into a wheel on the Dynamo, he turned to face the girls and their friends.
"Gather 'round kids!" He said. "It's time to test out my latest invention! I call it...the DYNAMO!"
"So how's thing gonna work?" Jasmine asked as she looked over the machine. She had to admit, it was impressive. Even if she had no idea what it was for the most part.
"I'll demonstrate! Watch closely!" Mimic said as he fired up the machine. "See those crystals up top? One's made of dark magic and the other's made of light magic. When brought together, the crystals will generate energy, which the machine collects and stores for future use!"
"Huh?" Bolo asked, still not really understanding what Mimic was saying.
"What?" Rottytops asked, also not really getting what was going on.
"He means it makes electricity," Sky said with a tone that she thought the other two were complete morons.
"Precisely!" Mimic said, causing Sky to give a prideful smile.
"But what's the electricity used for, uncle?" Shantae asked, still a little confused.
"Why, to help you and your sister with your job, of course!" Mimic replied. "We'll use this contraption to light up the town all day and all night! Twenty-hour hours a day to keep pirates at bay!"
"If this works, we could finally take that vacation we've been talking about!" Jasmine realized as she slung an arm around Shantae, who smiled.
"Gosh, you think this could really work?" Shantae asked her uncle.
"Of course it will!" Mimic said, not realizing how much he had just tempted fate. "I followed the blueprints to the letter!" Almost as if on cue, the machine started running much faster than it should have, sparking and smoking all the while. "Uh-oh. I don't like the looks of that!"
"Everyone back up!" Jasmine ordered as she started walking backwards, throwing her arms out.
"Look out! It's going to-" Sky began to shout, only for a dark lightning blast to start hitting Shantae, causing her to scream in pain.
"What happened?" Mimic wondered aloud. Suddenly, everyone heard a familiar laugh. Risky Boots then jumped down.
"It's-" Sky began to say.
"Risky Boots! Queen of the Seven Seas!" Risky finished. Jasmine's hand was already on her necklace. She had so many ways running through her head on how she was going to tear Risky to shreds. "Sorry to drop in unannounced…but it's time I gave you all a demonstration of my own! Keep your eyes on the half-genie brat!" Everyone turned to see that Shantae was transforming. Her hair and eyes turned red, her skin turned grey and her outfit turned purple before she collapsed. "Since I couldn't get both of your brats, I had to settle for testing this on the one has more magic!"
"What did you do to her?" Jasmine asked, her voice nearly at a whisper. She didn't know how to react to this.
"Isn't it lovely?" Risky replied with a fake sense of cheerfulness. "I inverted her magic!"
"But...the magic was designed for such a purpose!" Mimic exclaimed. "How could-?"
"Fool!" Risky scoffed. "Don't you see?! You were building my machine all along!"
"Y-you inhuman fiend!" Mimic snapped. "You switched the blueprints on me!"
"That was why they were so easy to get back!" Jasmine realized.
"Ha!" Risky laughed. Their faces were amazing. "Don't look so glum! What you've built for me is so much better! You see...I can turn anything I want from good to evil!" Chains then lowered down, linking onto the top of the Dynamo, and then lifting it out. "And my next target will be the biggest source of light magic in the entire world...THE GENIE REALM!" Jasmine, Bolo, Sky and Rottytops all looked at each other in fear. They could tell that was most likely bad.
"No!" Mimic cried. "Do that, and you will drown Sequin Land in utter darkness!" Okay, so it was really bad.
"Ha! Now you're getting the picture!" Risky cackled. "I'm off to destroy the world as you know it! Have fun with your ill-tempered genie brat! Ta-ta!" With that, Risky jumped back out.
"We can't let her go through with it! We've got to do something!" Mimic cried.
"But what can we do?" Sky asked.
"I know what you can do…" Everyone turned to look at Shantae, who had managed to get to her feet. "YOU CAN SUFFER AND SQUIRM LIKE THE PATHETIC MAGGOTS YOU ARE! WALLOW IN TORMENT FOREVER IN OBLIVION!"
"Shantae's turned pure evil!" Bolo exclaimed.
"TAKE COVER!" Sky called out as she dove behind a nearby table.
"HIT THE DIRT!" Rottytops added in. Everyone else dove behind something as dark magic began seeping out of Shantae.
"I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!" Shantae roared as she let more dark magic flow out of her. Everyone held their breath….
And then Shantae collapsed.
"Well...that was anticlimactic," Jasmine said in what was a poor attempt at a joke.
"What in the world happened?!" Sky questioned. A strange portal had opened up next to Shantae.
"Hmm…" Mimic was thinking. He had an idea. "The dark magic must have overloaded her body. She's been knocked unconscious."
"So what do we do now?" Rottytops asked.
"Yeah, we can't just leave her like this!" Bolo added.
"How's about that portal behind her?" Jasmine asked, pointing at said portal.
"Perhaps we can use this opportunity to help Shantae before she wakes up," Mimic began. All the kids turned to him. If there was a way to help their friend/girlfriend/sister, they would take it. "If one of us tried to enter the vortex from the inside, we could try to rescue her from the inside! Assuming the good Shantae is trapped in there somewhere, one of us could make contact and bring her back!"
"I'm going in!" Jasmine declared. "I don't care how dangerous things are. I'm getting my sister back!"
"Jasmine!" Mimic said. This could be dangerous and he was already on the verge of losing one niece. He couldn't lose the other. But then he saw the look in Jasmine's eyes. It was a mix of sadness and determination. Mimic sighed. He knew he wasn't going to stop her. "Fine, you can go."
"I'll come back with her. I promise!" Jasmine said as she walked towards the portal.
"Hey, Jas!" Bolo called out. "Can I come? I'll be your back up!" Jasmine thought about that. Considering how powerful Shantae would be in her own mind, having back up could be a good idea. But before she could say anything, Sky spoke up.
"Ha, ha you?" She scoffed. "No offense Bolo, but Jasmine's trying to save her, not make things worse."
"And I s'pose you think you should go?" Rottytops questioned. "Who died and made you boss cow? I should be the one!"
"A zombie? No way! You're the last person Shantae'd want inside her brain!" Bolo protested. Jasmine rubbed her temples. She should have just jumped in.
"She'd like it the most because I like her brain the most!" Rottytops countered.
"Okay, that's it!" Jasmine snapped. With a quick tap of her necklace, she jumped behind the bickering trio, shifted into a bull and rammed all three of them through the portal, before jumping in herself. Inside, Jasmine found herself assaulted by strange images.
"Are you and I going to have a problem?"
"The koala says cluck to the platypus for luck!"
"You know you don't have to come with me just because Amy tells you too,"
"I think I've made a mistake!"
"Hey, I was wrong about you. You're a good guy,"
"No, I believe it's your move,"
"What the bloody hell was that?" Jasmine grumbled to herself. She came too in a strange realm. But she couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen. It was another life she'd lived. But what was she doing here then?
"Jas, what was that for?!" Sky snapped once she saw Jasmine was awake.
"I had to get in somehow and I panicked," Jasmine replied with a dismissive hand wave. She would think about her visions later. "What is this place?"
"Is this…" Rottytops began as she looked around.
"Are we inside her mind?" Sky asked.
"It looks like a storm!" Rottytops said. The purple background did give it a very stormy feel.
"More like a nightmare!" Bolo chimed in. Jasmine nodded. This had to be the dark magic at work.
"Blast it all! Now I'm stuck out here by myself!" Mimic complained from outside. How they could still hear him, the group didn't know or care. "What am I going to do if she wakes up? Fend her off with a broom handle? Well, at least you four made it in, anyways."
"Uncle, can you hear us?!" Jasmine called out. "We're inside Shantae's mind!"
"I call in the Nightmare Realm," Bolo commented. Jasmine had to admit, that was a pretty fitting name for whatever this place was.
"Who cares what you call it?!" Sky snapped. Jasmine groaned. Why didn't she just jump in alone?!
"Listen! You've got to find Shantae before it's too late!" Mimic ordered.
"Right! You can count on me and Jasmine!" Sky replied. "You two wait here. Jas and I can handle this ourselves!"
"No way!" Bolo jumped in. "Hero stuff is my jam and Shantae's my girlfriend! I'm going with Jas!"
"I say we split up, You slowpokes will just get in my way!" Rottytops argued.
"OH THAT IS BLOODY IT!"
Before anyone could react, Bolo, Sky and Rottytops found themselves tightly wrapped in the tail of Jasmine's dragon form. It was a lot bigger than they thought it was.
"Listen to me you three!" Jasmine roared. She was really intimidating like this. Pure rage was seeping out of her voice. "I don't care which one of you comes with me. In fact, I almost wish none of you came! Want to know why!? BECAUSE YOU THREE CARE MORE ABOUT STROKING YOUR EGOS! I was hoping we could work together. I was! But it's clear to me now that you three are doing this because you think you have something to prove! Well guess what!? NOW YOU FUCKING DAGS DO! Prove to me that this wasn't just about satisfying yourselves!" Taking a few deep breaths, she turned to Sky. "You! You are Shantae's oldest bloody mate! You knew her before I did! And mate, let me tell you, YOU ARE NOT BEING A GOOD ONE! You always have to be in control and be in charge! But newsflash, YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING! Sometimes, BACK OFF!" Next on the hit list was Bolo. "As Shantae's bloody boyfriend, I really was hoping that you could tell how important this would be! But no! Thickskulled to the end! Get it through your head, mate! Shantae wouldn't want to see you fighting over who gets to save her! Or is that what you want? To be the knight in shining armor, rushing to her rescue? The knight that won't take help from ANYONE and will GET HIMSELF KILLED!" Finally, she turned to face Rottytops, who was already dreading her turn. "You wanting your ego stroked surprised me the most, you know? Considering how much you value Shantae. Although, I'll bet that's part of it! You're doing this because you'll do something selfish or stupid later! And hope she forgets about it! STOP TAKING HER FOR GRANTED!" Finally, Jasmine pulled her head back, giving her a good look at all three. Bolo was looking down, too ashamed to face Jasmine, while Rottytops and Sky were both on the verge of tears. Jasmine took a deep breath. "Look. Either work this out, or I'm doing this myself." She then let go. The same thought was running through all three heads.
"Jasmine's right. What is wrong with me?"
"Jas, wait!" Bolo called out. Jasmine then turned around. "Listen...just...I'm coming. I just want Shantae back."
"Me too," Sky agreed. "And I don't care who's coming with me."
"We're all her friends and she would want us to work together," Rottytops admitted.
"There we go, mates," Jasmine said with a grin. She really didn't want to give that speech, but she knew that her sister was counting on them to get this done and the bickering would only slow them down. Suddenly, the scenery changed. Now, instead of the swirling dark background of the Nightmare Realm, they were...back in Scuttle Town?
"Where are we?" Bolo asked as everyone looked around.
"Hey! This looks like the morning when Risky Boots attacked!" Sky realized. "Look! Jasmine was here!" Everyone turned to find another version of Jasmine.
"We just finished expanding!" Memory!Jasmine grumbled before running off.
"Wait, that's just what I said this morning!" Jasmine pointed out.
"Oh! Don't you see?" Sky asked. Clearly, she had already gotten what was going on. "We're inside her mind, so it's only natural that we'd be experiencing her memories!"
"So, this is her brain, eh?" Rottytops asked as she looked around. She then crossed her arms. "Oooh! Such torture! This is zombie cruelty! It's like going to an all-you-can-eat-buffet with no spoon!" Jasmine sent her a glare, but didn't comment.
"Shh!" Jasmine ordered, trying to remember what had happened prior that day. "Let me think! After we landed, Shantae and I chased the Tinkerbats all over town, which I now think was a distraction so she could pull the swap on us!"
"Then let's hurry! If we're quick, maybe we can keep it from happening!" Bolo said, not getting that they didn't really go back in time.
"Yeah!" Rottytops agreed, also missing the point. "Then everything will be back to normal!"
"Ugh! This isn't time travel, you lame-brains!" Sky snapped. "Changing the outcome in here won't have any effect on the outside world. The point Jasmine's trying to make is that if we follow the memory version of her we'll find Shantae! There, we can head her off and force a confrontation!"
"Well, that's the best plan we've got so far, so let's move!" Jasmine said, pointing her boomerang forward. She was already resigned to the fact that her three temporary partners were going to be fighting. As long as they worked together, she didn't care. Besides, she could ditch them if she needed too.
"Where is she!?" Jasmine panicked. While her memory counterpart was here, Shantae was not.
"Oh goodie," Rottytops snarked. "Here we are, and there Shantae isn't. Way to go, bird-brain!"
"But….I was sure she would be here!" Sky protested.
"Yeah, this is exactly when Shantae and I fought Risky and took that switched blueprint back," Jasmine agreed. She did have a few theories on why Shantae wasn't present.
"Well that theory's blown!" Rottytops snapped as she crossed her arms.
"Hold up you guys! We got company!" Bolo warned as he pointed towards Risky's rapidly approaching Tinkerslug.
"Tut-tut," Memory!Risky scoffed. "Call me Queen of the Seven Seas, if you please!"
"Huh? Is she talking to us?" Bolo asked. They didn't even say anything to Risky.
"You're dimwitted relic hunting uncle is always blah blah blah…" Risky trailed off. Jasmine snapped her fingers.
"I know what's going on!" She exclaimed. "We're taking Shantae's place!"
"Come again?" Rottytops asked, confused at what exactly that meant.
"Don't you see? She's helping us by leaving a trail of memories to follow!" Sky jumped in. She had hit the same conclusion as Jasmine.
"Or the opposite. She could be using her memories to wipe us out!" Rottytops pointed out. Sky and Jasmine didn't want to admit it, but Rottytops had a point.
"We're gonna find out real quick, because Risky's wrapping up her speech!" Bolo warned as he pulled out his mace.
"...Blah blah, don't call it that!" Risky finished, snapping at what would have been Shantae's P.O.O.P T.O.O.T joke. "Men! Lock and load! Let's give these brats a proper workout!"
"Get ready!" Jasmine called out as she readied her boomerang. The fight was almost the exact same as Jasmine remembered. The only difference was she wasn't fighting with Shantae. Either way, Risky was quickly defeated.
"We beat her!" Sky cheered before turning to Jasmine. "Now what?"
"So you managed to get the upper hand?" Memory!Risky scoffed. Jasmine raised an eyebrow. Risky didn't say that. "But you'll never save the half-genie runt from a fate worse then death! So long, bunglers! Ho ho ho!" With that, Memory!Risky fled.
"Was...she talking directly to us?" Sky wondered aloud.
"Sees like it," Jasmine replied. "Risky didn't say that to us when Shantae I fought her."
"But you said Risky Boots was just a memory!" Rottytops pointed out.
"Looks like evil Shantae is starting to pick up on what we're up to," Jasmine said. "Things could get harder from here."
"But we're not giving up!...right?" Bolo chimed in. Suddenly, the scenery changed again. This time, Memory!Jasmine was standing in front of Mermaid Falls.
"Where are we? Another memory?" Rottytops asked. Jasmine nodded, but before she could say anything, her memory counterpart spoke up.
"Gotta move. Things won't be easy, but we can't give up!" Memory!Jasmine said before running off.
"I didn't say that," Jasmine noted. "But why did I sound...nicer?" Memory!Risky sounded very harsh with her tone and it was clear she was trying to put the group down. Memory!Jasmine sounded like she was trying to encourage them.
"Then let's go. If we follow this memory, it will lead us to the next piece of the puzzle!" Sky said as everyone raced towards the falls.
"Oh hey look! It's me!" Bolo said once they arrived at the end of the factory. Memory!Jasmine and Memory!Bolo were seemingly having a conversation with each other.
"Don't be stupid like me," Memory!Bolo scoffed(drawing a "HEY!" from the real Bolo, who was standing nearby). "You're pathetic and so are your friends!"
"They won't fail her and neither will I!" Memory!Jasmine replied before both ran off.
"Well we all know that didn't happen," Rottytops snarked as she crossed her arms.
"But why is the memory version of Jasmine not trying to put us down?" Sky asked. "Clearly every other memory has already been warped in some way."
"Maybe the evil Shantae can't corrupt her because of how highly the good Shantae views her?" Bolo offered. Jasmine couldn't fight the smile that came to her face. Her sister really thought of her that highly? For a second, Jasmine was worried she would tear up. But now was not the time to think about how tightly she was going to bearhug Shantae once they set her free. They still had a lot more memories to get through! And speaking of memories, Techno Baron was waiting for them.
"ARRggghhh!" He growled. "How did you get past my Techno Grunts?! Only the Guardian Genie runt should have been able to get to the top of my mermaid factory! There's no way four un-magical misfits like you could make it!"
"Wrong gator face!" Rottytops boasted. "My zombie moves saved the day."
"Sure kinda" Bolo chimed in. "But it was my mad bolo ball skills that tipped the scales in our favor!"
"My years of studying and training warbirds saved my skin! I didn't even break a sweat," Sky bragged.
"Well, I already got through the factory when I came with Shantae," Jasmine pointed out. "And of course, my boomerang and transforming skills took down way tougher!" Okay, so maybe she shouldn't encourage Sky, Bolo and Rottytops's bragging but she couldn't help herself. And it's not like it wasn't true!
"Oh dear, how utterly disgusting!" Techno Baron mocked. He quickly earned four glares. "You four are even more conceited then I am! No matter! I happen to know a queen sized buoyant beauty who's big enough...TO CUT THOSE SWOLLEN EGOS OF YOURS DOWN TO SIZE!"
"Someone else beat you to the punch," Rottytops grumbled as she glanced at Jasmine. "And it was one boast!" It didn't matter, as the Giga Mermaid rose out of the water, ready for a fight. Much like with Risky, the Giga Mermaid was the exact same as before, meaning she was a piece of cake for Jasmine to fight.
"So, you managed to conquer another memory, did you? Ha! You're not closer to saving your friend then you were before!" Techno Baron revealed. Jasmine then knocked him away before he could say anything else.
"Okay, Jas. After Shantae freed the mermaids, where did she go next?" Sky asked. "Because, for some reason...I can't remember anything!"
"Yeah, me neither. What gives!?" Bolo demanded.
"Well, that would make sense, I guess," Jasmine said. "You both didn't have any memories during that time."
"Well, I was there," Rottytops chimed in. "And I remember every detail!" Jasmine knew she didn't, but wanted to see how this went. "We just need to make sure things happen exactly as they did before. Don't worry. Leave everything to me!"
"Who's worried?" Sky asked. She had a gut feeling that Rottytops was lying.
"Come on. You two have a lot of work to do!" Rottytops said as she dragged Sky and Bolo off. Jasmine followed. She really needed a laugh anyways.
The scene had changed again. This time, the group was left outside of the remains of Tassel Town. Jasmine, however, still hadn't finished laughing at Rottytops 'helping' Sky and Bolo remember what went down.
"That was AWFUL!" Sky exclaimed once they were finished.
"Yeah, my body is aching all over," Bolo complained. He then turned to Rottytops. "Why'd we have to swap clothes and beat each other senseless with river trout?"
"I told you, we had to reenact the memory exactly like it happened," Rottytops answered in a false innocent voice. "Are you both still sucking on those ghost peppers I gave you?"
Bolo sighed, wishing he was still back in Mermaid Falls where he was surrounded by water. "Yeth,"
"Alright, you've had your fun," Jasmine said as she stood up. Sky and Bolo both took that as a cue to spit the peppers out. "Anyways, this is it. Tassel Town. Or, well, what's left of it. Shantae and I came here to find the lost memories. Instead, we found that no good imposter!"
"Imposter?" Sky asked. She vaguely remembered someone taking Shantae's job during parts of the adventure.
"The fake genie who took your memories, remember?" Rottytops asked, trying to lead them towards remembering. Behind them, Jasmine saw something glowing.
"Uh, mates?"
"Not ringin' any bells," Bolo replied.
"She stole Shantae's job," Rottytops continued.
"Guys!"
"Umm…" Sky still had no idea who Rottytops and Jasmine were talking about.
"Mates!"
"Come on, this is easy!" Rottytops snapped. Were they really this stupid!? "The fake! The one we all swore to never talk about!"
"OH!" Bolo realized who it was, but not that he should keep quiet. "HOLLY, THE MEMORY VAMPIRE!"
"MATES!" Jasmine shouted at the top of her lungs.
"WHAT!?" The other three snapped at her. Jasmine face palmed before pointing at Holly, who had just reformed behind them.
"Oh boy!" She cheered. "Did someone remember me?" Jasmine face palmed.
"God bloody damnit," She grumbled under her breath. Why did she have to face this annoying little faker TWICE!?
"Goodie! I'm alive all over again!" Holly continued. "But weirrrrrd. This all feels kinda...changed from the last time. Why is that?"
"It's 'cause you're a memory of a memory inside another memory!" Rottytops explained. Jasmine promptly knocked her head off for telling Holly exactly what was going on.
"How wonderful!" Holly cheered. "It's like a glorious 1up loop! Now I'll be more powerful then ever! I'm going to see if my sweet Wilbur is back as well! Bye now!" With that, she teleported away.
"We've really gone and done it this time," Sky lamented.
"Your fault! Boo on you!" Rottytops quickly said, forgetting she was the one that tried to get them to say her name.
"Look, we have a sand worm in need of beating up. Can you hash this all out later!?" Jasmine demanded. She wasn't in the mood for another big speech, but still was having her patience tested, so she needed to get snappy. Thankfully, the others seemed to get the memo.
"Oh! There you four are!" Holly said once the ground reached the top of the tower. She almost sounded excited to see them. That was worrying. "I was waiting for you." That was another red flag. "How do you like living inside a memory?"
"It's dumb," Bolo replied for the group. Dumb as he could be, even he could feel the red flags going up.
"I do it all the time!" Holly said, getting ready to go off on another story. "My unforgettable good looks and impressive history of volunteer work-unpaid, mine you-keeps me alive forever in the minds of my adoring populace! And now, thanks to that nasty genie, I'll be remembered out there AND in here! Isn't it nice? A redundant backup! A two for one deal!" Holly then squeed, causing everyone else to cover their ears. "At least...as long as I make good on my end of the bargain."
"So evil Shantae is trying to stop us," Bolo realized. The girls glanced at him. They were expecting to have to explain this to him.
"Hee hee!" Holly laughed. "Why don't you take on Wilbur and find out!" Said sandworm burst out of the top of the tower, but was quickly beaten down.
"These are a lot easier then I remember," Jasmine said. "Of course, I've fought all these guys already."
"No!" Holly panicked. "Our bargain!" With that, she faded away without another word. The heroes glanced at each other. Clearly, Shantae's darkside meant business.
"Hey, look over there," Bolo said with a point. Now, the heroes had arrived at the races when everyone was talking about the plan. Jasmine wasn't complaining about getting to rerun the race. Either way, she turned to see what Bolo was pointing at. Standing with Bolo and Sky was Rottytops's human soul!
"Whoa! Yeah look at that!" Sky marvaled. She had never seen Rottytops like that before. "You look kind of...alive!"
"WHAT!?" Rottytops exclaimed as she looked over Shantae's memory of her. "It's like I'm not a zombie! What does this mean?"
"Mate, in our last adventure, Shantae and I had to go to this place called the Village of Lost Souls," Jasmine began to explain. "It was meant for those who have yet to move on. We met your soul back from when you were alive. And I guess it's how Shantae sees ya."
"WHAT!? Not possible!" Rottytops protested. But then the pieces began to fall into place. "Although...that does kinda explain why she's always so nice to me. Especially when other people run away."
"Right! It means she sees you for you!" Bolo said. Now Rottytops felt like crying. Shantae really thought of her like that? Maybe she could lay off the pranks for a while.
"Good luck!" Memory!Jasmine said as the alarm went off. The group jumped. They had forgotten she was still around, considering she didn't speak up during the revisit to Tassel Town.
Taking down Ammo Baron's big warship was fun for the whole group, considering what he did to Scuttle Town. But they still had the big man himself to deal with. But nothing could have prepared them for what was coming.
"Whoa! Hello ladies!" Ammo Baron said, talking in what could be only called the worst sauve voice ever mustered.
"Hey! What about me?!" Bolo protested.
"Whoa, sorry fellah," Ammo Baron apologized. "Didn't hardly see you there! But look kid, we're at max capacity here. So how 'bout you step aside and make room for a real man!? Eyes on the prize ladies! No one can resist a man in uniform! BOOM!" With that, he and his soldiers donned their magic carpet uniforms.
"He's...hitting on us?" Sky asked. This was an interesting change.
"I think Nega Shantae is trying to scare us into turning back!" Rottytops joked, using the new nickname they had come up with for Shantae's darkside.
"So, who's gonna be the lucky lass?" Ammo Baron asked. "I got a flying carpet uniform and about a dozen animated movie soundtracks to choose from. Ammo Baron's gonna show you the world! We're gonna soar over and under clouds, fly low and drag our fingers in a lake, all that garbage. Step right on up! Plenty of Ammo Baron to go around!"
"Pass," Sky bluntly replied.
"Hard pass," Jasmine chimed in before flashing back to her strange new memories. "And I'm apparently taken."
"Extra hard pass!" Rottytops finished.
"FINE!" Ammo Baron snapped. "Witness the fury of an AMMO BARON SCORNED!" He was quickly taken down.
"So, where to now?" Bolo asked. "When Shantae and Jas went off to stop the end of the world show, I stayed behind."
"You're lucky!" Rottytops told me. "I was left behind, thanks to her!" She got up in Sky's face and snarled. Sky glared back.
"You should have told us what Hypno Baron was planning from the beginning!" Sky fired back. Jasmine shoved them apart.
"Look, it doesn't matter who did what," Jasmine said. "What matters is that Hypno Baron's castle is the last place Shantae and I went before the Dynamo blasted her. We're almost there!"
"Fine, I can do this one more time," Sky grumbled.
"Then we never have to speak to each other again," Rottytops agreed. Bolo and Jasmine rolled their eyes.
"Alright, before we head in, let's go over what we know," Sky said once the group appeared in front of Hypno Baron's castle. "Each of these memories is an attempt by Nega Shanate to stop us. But surviving each one brings us closer to a pivotal point in time."
"And what moment would that be?" Rottytops asked.
"The very instant she was ambushed by Risky Boots and turned to evil!" Sky continued. "We have to warn her and stop the change before it happens!"
"And then we get back the Shantae we all know and love," Jasmine said. Before they went in, everyone turned to see Memory!Jasmine.
"Gotta move. I'm almost there!" She said before rushing into the castle. With Jasmine leading everyone throughout the castle, they reached Hypno Baron in record time.
"Blarrrgh, it's you!" Hypno Baron roared when he saw the group enter his chambers. "Wait...I only know one of you. Bah! No matter. My incantation is nearly complete! Tremble in fear as you-"
"JUST SUMMON SQUID BARON ALREADY!" Jasmine snapped. She was so close to saving Shantae and was starting to get antsy.
"Ugh, fine! But do you know how long I practice these monologues in front of the mirror?!" Hypno Baron huffed as he summoned Squid Baron.
"HA HA HAAAAAAA! QUIVER in the shadow of pure evil!" Squid Baron boasted. "Wha? Who are the new sidekicks? Stand-ins? I thought that the author could do better then this!" Jasmine struggled to bite back snickers at the over the top offended faces Bolo, Sky and Rottytops were making.
"Fool!" Hypno Baron snapped. "Stick to the script!"
Squid Baron gave what the group guessed was a shrug. "Meh. We'll fix it in post. Anyways, let's get this rehash over with!" Jasmine could swear this was even easier then when she first fought the Baron duo.
"We did it!" Bolo cheered.
"We kicked that squid to the curb!" Rottytops chimed in.
"We beat the final memory!" Sky said with pride.
"That means we should be back in uncle's workshop next!" Jasmine cheered. "We can turn her back! Although, before we go, I gotta talk to you guys. I'm sorry for snapping earlier. I was harsher then I should have been."
"I think we needed to hear it," Sky admitted. "Besides, Bolo was kinda right. I might have judged him too quickly."
"Heh, that's okay. No hard feelings." Bolo replied before turning to Rottytops. "And Rottytops, sorry about, you know...thinking you weren't loyal and stuff. I always knew you'd do anything to save Shantae, same as us."
"Don't let it happen again, food." Rottytops jokingly threatened. "And...well...as long as we're all saying stuff...Sky, you're sort of okay at...bossing people around and telling them what to do."
"Thanks," Sky said, deciding to just take the compliment, backhanded as it was.
"You know, you guys are almost as good as Shantae and I," Jasmine said, crossing her arms with a smile.
"We're no half genie, but we didn't do half bad!" Rottytops boasted.
"Sounds like we're all ret-2-go!" Sky said, playfully stealing her friend's old catchphrase.
"Next stop, Mimic's workshop!" Bolo announced. As if on cue, the scenery began to change, but they were not in Mimic's workshop. Rather, they were back in the nightmare realm.
"Why aren't we back in the workshop?" Jasmine asked as they looked around. Suddenly, the group heard laughter. Nega Shantae appeared in front of them.
"It's her!" Sky snapped as everyone got into battle stances.
"You fools stepped right into my trap!" Nega Shantae boasted. "This world is my domain! ALL OF IT! I'm annoyed you made it this far. So, I've decided to disband this troublesome foursome! I've prepared a special place for each of you. A private nightmare where your mind can suffer slowly while your body wastes away. Together, you might have stood a chance. But apart, you're nothing."
"Shantae…" Rottytops whimpered. She wanted her friend back.
"She isn't here. She never was," Nega Shantae scoffed. "You have no hope. Nothing to believe in."
"So...w-we really did fail her…?" Sky croaked out.
"Our friend...is she really gone?" Bolo asked. Jasmine just looked down.
"I-I can't believe this…" Jasmine said softly. Did she really fail her sister?
"NOW GO! WANDER FOREVER! LOST, SEPARATED, AND ALONE IN DARKNESS!" Nega Shantae roared before bursting into laughter. She then started dancing, teleporting the group away. Jasmine looked around. She had landed in some strange gauntlet. But she kept moving. She may have failed to get her memory back, but she wasn't going to let this mockery of her sister win!. Much to her confusion, the path seemed to be designed just for her to get through. It still put her boomerang and transformations to the test. But it was nothing she couldn't handle. Finally, she was placed in a dark room. She couldn't even see her own hands.
"Phew. I'm lucky to still be in one piece," A voice said in the darkness.
"Tell me about it, mate," Jasmine agreed.
"Speak for yourself. I nearly lost my head," Another voice chimed in.
"Rottytops? Bolo? Jasmine?" A third voice asked. Jasmine realized who she was talking to.
"Sky, is that you?" Bolo asked, beating Jasmine to the punch.
"Yes," Sky answered, her voice full of relief. "Jas, Rotty, are you guys here too,"
"Right here mate," Jasmine said.
"Yeah, I'm here," Rottytops replied. Suddenly, the area they were in was illuminated, revealing some kind of an arena.
"I don't get it," Sky admitted. "How did we manage to find each other?" Nega Shantae then appeared and she was pissed.
"You SIMPERING FOOLS!" She snapped. "You want to see your friend? Here! Take a good look!" Suddenly, an injured Shantae appeared in front of them.
"She-she's still alive!?" Sky exclaimed.
"Of course she is!" Nega Shantae barked. "I only told you she was to eliminate your hope! You had no hope! Why didn't it work!?"
"I can't speak for these two. But deep down, I knew that even if I failed, Jasmine would find a way to reach you," Bolo explained. "She would never give up on anyone. Especially her sister!"
"I wasn't sure I would make it," Jasmine admitted. "But I knew Rottytops would. She's one of the most loyal mates Shantae's got!"
"Same," Rottytops added in. "I was pretty sure Sky would outsmart you even if I couldn't find my own way out."
"And I knew that Bolo's determination would see him through any obstacle!" Sky concluded. "So there's your answer. We placed out hope in each other, like any good team would! Now it's time for you to listen to us. We're your friends. It's time to come with us, and leave this place behind!"
"Sky…" Shantae said so quietly, it could have been a whisper. Her friends cared this much about her?
"Poor, weak, half-genie runt," Nega Shantae scoffed. "She tried. I'll give her that much. She was even able to use her memories of her sister to try and warn you about me. But in the end, she was no match for me!" With a snap of her fingers, Nega Shantae caused normal Shantae to fade away. "That's it. She's gone. I'm all that's left of your friend."
"No…" Rottytops whimpered out.
"It can't be true!" Sky protested.
"Shantae…" Bolo trailed off.
"Sis…" Jasmine said, sounding dead inside.
"Now then…" Nega Shantae began before igniting her powers. "HOW ABOUT I PUT AN END TO THE FOUR OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Jasmine wiped her tears away and gripped her boomerang, even letting out a growl that could have come from her animal forms.
"I'm not letting this faker run around and pretend to be my sister!" She snapped, getting into a battle stance.
"Try it. I'm done pulling punches," Bolo agreed. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did!"
"Yeah!" Rottytops chimed in. "It's four on one and we're not holding back!"
"If Shantae were here, she'd stop you at any cost! And so will we!" Sky added. Everyone was ready for what they knew would be a fight to the death.
Nega Shantae cackled with laughter. Whether or not it was from being high on her own power or mocking them, the group couldn't tell. "So you're finally ready to fight, are you? Then LET'S SEE IT! COME ON! GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" With that, Nega Shantae launched forward. She had all of Shantae's transformations at her fingertips, from dashing around as a monkey, dropping down as an elephant, trying to divebomb as a harpy, plunging the room into darkness as a bat, rapid fire mermaid bubbles, spitting spider acid, rushing through water as a crab and teleporting around. She surprisingly wasn't using Shantae's hair whip, but Jasmine had a theory that it was because Shantae came up with that one herself. And of course, because it was Shantae, Nega Shantae was powerful. By the time the fight was over, everyone was on their last legs. Using the last of her strength, Nega Shantae had sent everyone into a void. Sky, Rottytops and now Bolo had all found their way back to Shantae and had spoken to her in order to bring her back. Now it was Jasmine's turn.
"Shantae, I know this isn't you!" Jasmine began, putting all her remaining strength into this. "My real sister would never let this crook take over. She cares too much about us. Bolo, Sky, Rottytops, Mimic, me! We're all worried about you. And well...I know where I'm from. But I know where I belong. I belong with you! Come back to us!" With that, Jasmine felt herself forced out of Shantae's mind. She was back in Mimic's workshop. It was so strange.
"What...what happened?" Shantae asked. Everyone gasped. She was back to normal. "Where am I?" Before Mimic could say anything, Shantae was quickly tackled into a group hug/dog pile by her very happy friends.
"We've been trying to reach you for hours!" Sky exclaimed.
"Are you okay?" Rottytops asked.
"I was afraid you'd…" Bolo trailed off.
"Glad to have you back!" Jasmine said. Shantae was slowly trying to remember what exactly had happened. All she knew at the moment was she liked the hug.
"How do you feel?" Mimic asked.
"I'm fine, I think…" Shantae replied unsurely.
"You were overcome by dark magic," Mimic explained to her. Shantae slowly nodded. It was also coming back to her. "It was my fault, I'm afraid."
"No uncle…" Shantae began as Jasmine finally set her down. "It was mine. I wanted so dearly to be one of the heroes this town expects to be. But somewhere along the way, I've come to only trust my genie half and looked down on my human half. But today I learned something. That without the help of my human friends and sister, I'd be lost right now. The dark magic fed on my fears and turned them against me. I put you all in so much danger. I'm sorry."
"We're just glad you're back," Jasmine said with a smile.
"If I may be bold, I'm beginning to think your human half is the stronger part of you!" Mimic admitted.
"Heh, thanks uncle," Shantae said.
"It's good to have you back," Sky said with a sigh of relief.
"Now you know how much we care!" Rottytops said.
"We'd never give up on you!" Bolo chimed in.
"Couldn't say it better myself!" Jasmine said with a laugh. Shantae smiled, then her face turned determined.
"Ok. There's no time to waste! We've got a pirate queen to catch!" Shantae explained. No one decided to admit they forgot about Risky. "Who's with me?"
"Do you even have to ask me that?" Jasmine asked as she spun her boomerang around.
"I'm in!" Bolo declared.
"Me too!" Rottytops chimed in.
"Friends to the end!" Sky boasted.
"It's time to save the day!" Shantae announced. "And this time together!" Everyone cheered. It was time to take Risky down!
This one honestly should have been two parts. But wow this one was fun to write! And of course this was where Jasmine was getting her memories back. After all, this had a lot to do with memories already! Next time, we take down Risky! FireFlamerx9z, out!
