This next story-arc is going to be based on Sonic and the Secret Rings, which I'm not personally a big fan of but I'm going to throw a twist at the end that makes more sense than the actual game so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 78: Help
It had been a few weeks since the world's continents were restored, and there were no signs of Dr. Eggman or his host Robotnik anywhere. While G. U. N. believed that he was buried underneath the continent that had been temporarily renamed Eggmanland, Sonny and the others figured he was still out there planning his next scheme. But in the meantime, Rouge Baxter started attending school again and she brought Blake, Silva, and Shawn with her.
"Ugh, I'm so bored," Sonic's apparition complained to Sonny during class Friday morning.
"Me too," Sonny whispered while he pretended to listen to the teacher who was talking at the head of the classroom.
"I'd rather be demolishing robots than listening to this guy. What's he talking about again?"
"A Thousand and One Arabian Nights."
"Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class, Sonny?" the teacher abruptly asked, glaring at Sonny.
"No, sir," Sonny said shaking his head.
"Then I would suggest that you stop talking to yourself and pay attention," the teacher responded.
While the teacher continued, Sonic scratched his head. "I don't know why, but this Arabian Nights thing sounds familiar."
"Could it be something related to your past?"
"Sonny!" the teacher yelled.
"He was talking to me," said a girl who sat next to Sonny. She had light-tan skin with pink hair tied up in a curled ponytail, and she was wearing a strapless magenta tank-top underneath a lilac-colored jacket with matching sweatpants. "I was filling him in on some of the things you were saying."
"Well, that's very kind of you, Shahra, but I would prefer if you filled him in after class if you don't mind," the teacher said.
"Sorry, sir," the tan girl responded and kept her head down for the rest of the class.
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After the lunch bell rang, Sonny was about to leave when he noticed something shining on Shahra's desk. He walked over and picked up a gold-colored ring with two intricate swirls. Figuring it belonged to Shahra, Sonny looked around but she was no longer in the classroom. So he went out the door and caught sight of her meeting up with a tall muscular guy with close-shaven hair that was dyed red. He wore a purple undershirt that made the crimson tribal tattoos on his arms visible with white sweatpants and brown sandals. Sonny then tried to approach Shahra but the tall guy pushed him into a nearby locker.
"Stay away from my girl, you rat!" the tall guy growled. Then he turned to Shahra and dragged her away from Sonny as they both descended the stairs.
"Are you all right, Sonny?" Miles asked as he came over.
"What is that guy's problem?" Sonny wondered as he backed off from the locker.
"That's Raza Jinn. He's apparently Shahra's cousin and doesn't like any other guy coming near her."
"I can see that, but why did he call Shahra his 'girl'?"
"This maybe a rumor, but I think they're engaged to be married when they graduate."
"Gross. How can you marry your own cousin?"
"It's actually legal in certain countries, Sonny, and even in some states within the United Federation."
"Okay, but that doesn't give Raza the right to push people around."
"No, but everyone's too afraid to go against him and so all the guys in the school try to avoid Shahra if possible. What did you follow her, anyway?"
"I just wanted to return the ring that she dropped," Sonny said as he showed the ring to Miles.
"Maybe it would be best just to give the ring to her on Monday."
"Yeah, you're right. I'd prefer my ribs to stay intact."
###
By the time Monday rolled around, Sonny had unfortunately caught a cold and so he had to stay at the apartment he and Miles shared. While Amelia called him throughout the day to make sure he was doing okay, Sonny spent most of his time lying on the couch and watching TV while his homework lay untouched on the coffee table in front of him. Miles noticed this when he got back from school and said, "Have you done any homework?"
"No," Sonny replied in a nasally voice.
Miles groaned. "Just because you're sick doesn't mean you shouldn't do homework. At least read A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The teacher's expecting us to read it all by this Friday."
"But that's insane," Sonny whined picking up a thick brown book with a picture on the cover and the title "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights" in gold lettering. "How am I supposed to read this entire thing by Friday?"
"By starting now," Miles said, turning off the TV. "And I'm going to make sure that you do."
So for the rest of the evening, Miles watched Sonny read A Thousand and One Arabian Nights and berate him when he wasn't. But as time wore on, Miles got too tired and went to bed. Sonny didn't notice as he was already asleep with the book over his face to fool Miles. By the time he woke up, it was four in the morning.
"Oh, man, I can't believe how late it is," Sonny said and as he got up from the couch he used the coffee table for support.
In the process, he touched Shahra's ring which suddenly glowed. Surprised, Sonny watched as Shahra herself emerged from the ring and floated in the air above him. She was now wearing a blue-teardrop gemstone on her forehead and neck, with gold bracelets on her wrists and arms, and pink slippers with silk laces around the ankles. The rest of her outfit was pretty much the same since Sonny saw her last, only she didn't have the jacket, her pants were silken, and she had a purple sash around her waist.
"This has got to be a dream," Sonny muttered to himself.
Shahra stared at Sonny with a confused expression on her face. "Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?"
"Uh, no," Sonny replied, trying to hide his sudden anxiety. "I'm Sonny Hedge. We go to Ancient Literature together. You defended me last Friday when I was…talking to myself."
"Oh, I'm not that Shahra," Shahra said, turning her head sideways to show off her pointy ears. "I am Shahra, the Genie of the Ring."
"Genie? Like from A Thousand and One Arabian Nights?" Sonny asked, picking up the book which was still open. He then noticed that the pages were blank, which wasn't the case before. Turning the page, he saw the words vanishing like raindrops on a hot pavement.
"I see it's already begun," Shahra said looking over Sonny's shoulder midair.
Surprised by her sudden appearance next to him, Sonny leaned back. "What do you mean?"
"There is an evil spirit who is absorbing all the stories from A Thousand and One Arabian Nights in order to invade your world," Shahra answered. "His name is Erazor Djinn, and Sonic is the only one who can stop him."
"So what am I supposed to do about it?" Sonny asked.
"Well if I can't find Sonic, then you'll have to do," Shahra replied, and absorbed herself back into the ring which floated as her voice came from it. "Now, place the ring around your finger."
Sonny did as Shahra said to his amazement, the gold ring fit perfectly around his index finger.
"Good, now rub the ring to summon me," said the ring in Shahra's voice.
Sonny did this and Shahra appeared before Sonny with her head bowed. "With you as my master, I shall do my best to grant any wish your heart desires so long as it's simple."
In response, Sonny sneezed. "Okay, how bout summoning a few tissues for me?"
To Sonny's amazement, several wads of tissues appeared on the coffee table with a wave of Shahra's hand after Sonny rubbed the ring. Sonny then reached out and grabbed a handful. After blowing his nose a few times, he smiled at Shahra.
"Thanks," Sonny said. "I needed that."
"You're welcome, Master," Shahra said bowing her head.
"You don't have to call me 'Master'," Sonny replied. "Sonny will do."
"All right then, Sonny, will you help me defeat Erazor Djinn in Sonic's place?"
"Sure. So where can I find this Erazor Djinn guy?"
"Inside the book, of course."
"Then take me to the world of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights," Sonny said as he rubbed the ring a second time.
At once, Shahra made an oriental rug appear in the room and it floated midair. While she sat down on it, Sonny hesitated. But Shahra's gesturing made Sonny get on as well, then the two of them shrunk down to the size of mice and they rode the floating rug all the way down into the open book.
To be continued…