Nega Finale

Shantae had been going through the motions for a while.

The period of time in which Risky Boots went to lick her wounds, plan her next attack or her next scheme was actually rather lengthy this time around, which was fine for her. After having lost her genie side, stolen and made evil by the titular Queen of the Seven Seas, Shantae felt much less than even half of herself and this had been going on for a while. It was not like her to be like this, to keep beating herself down in such a way as to make her depressed and somewhat useless. Her mother's heritage, her magic side, had disappeared and despite her friends and her uncle's help, nothing seemed to be possible to just bring it back. Even after defeating Risky, she still had lost something precious to her, an element of her that meant everything.

She tried to be strong, to appear as if nothing had changed by guarding Scuttle Town like she always did, yet people knew her and could see that her heart was not into it. Be it for her dancer's job at the parlor, venturing outside or fighting, anyone with half-a-brain could see that she had a serious case of the blues. Rottytops, Bolo and Sky, her three greatest friends and allies, went on to cheer her up, to listen to her plea and to try their very best to give her some space through it all, yet eventually even they stopped coming and Shantae felt all alone, as if abandoned by something even more precious to her. Caught in this cycle of self-pity, there seemed to be no getting out as the half-genie went out after yet another lazy morning, doing as she had done through the past weeks: going through the motions.

She ate breakfast, put on her outfit and went outside the lighthouse. Reaching the harbor of Scuttle Town, she was fully prepared to go on and try to appear full of enthusiasm and optimism like she always did...Yet the moment she stepped foot inside the place she felt that something was wrong. She could be absent-minded at times, it was true, but there was something completely and awkwardly wrong here: there was no one. Usually filled with activity, chatters and the like, there was not a soul in the port section of Scuttle Town. Either there was an event she was missing out on, some kind of speech or big reveal...Or a catastrophe had struck. Feeling guilty in advance for not acting upon this mysterious scenario, she ventured through every hooks and crannies that she could find. The bath house, Sky's house, Uncle Mimic's workshop, the item shop...Every houses and spots that she could find, she tried to investigate there and yet nobody was present. Not even the tiny old man in green who told her to save her journey in journal entries was there to be found. She had thought that maybe the Mayor had an announcement to make, or perhaps Risky had planned an attack and this time they'd move out of the way instead of letting Risky burn the place. So many possibilities that she anxiously considered, yet no answer or any clue could be found to dissuade some of them away from her thoughts. Night eventually fell upon Sequin Land and Shantae had gone everywhere save for one spot: the dance parlor. It would not make any sense for anyone to be there, as the whole town could not fit in this place, yet she felt that she had to try. If she could at least find someone, even one person, then perhaps she'd be closer to figuring out what exactly went wrong here.

As she entered, she saw that the place was pitch black, caught in complete darkness as obviously no one had lit a torch inside. She moved through the entrance toward the central room just in front of the stage, carefully trying to not crash against any tables or chairs and went on to try and get some light inside the parlor. Using an old trick she had learned in past adventures, she whipped her hair, her only remaining weapon and memento of her parents, to snap the air near a torch to light it up. She did not quite knew how it worked out, yet she was not one to really try to go too deep into explanations anyway as the whole place was now a little clearer to her...Which made her realize that she was surrounded by dozens of Tinkerbats.

"Ohohohoh~" a familiar laugh erupted from the scene, standing in front of closed curtains as Risky Boots made her entrance just like she always did: by boasting and showing off. "Finally you arrive, half-genie...Or should I just say half-nothing hero?"

To hear Risky say this hurt more than she thought, as Shantae was accustomed to taunts and teases coming from the lousy pirate herself, yet this one stung more than usual. She tried to pick up a fighting pose, yet she was indeed vastly outnumbered as the Tinkerbats let out their sword and got very close, threatening her life. They were so many, a lot more than usual, as Shantae knew that she was overtaken in but a few seconds. Again, despite herself, she was at the mercy of Risky Boots.

"No fighting for you, Shantae," Risky sternly said, crossing her arms as she showcased a lamp that she held, the very one who she had used to drain Shantae's genie side away from her. "No actually...I have come here to show you a little something...A performance you could say..."

"I'm not interested in seeing you dance, you fiend!" Shantae retorted, jumping to conclusions as she did not miss the important detail that was the lamp which Risky held. "If you came to drain my powers again, you're wasting your time. I don't have anything left and you know it. Now release the people of Scuttle Town and leave this place at once!"

"Such strong words for someone as powerless as you..." Risky teased, snapping her fingers as plenty of Tinkerbats moved a single chair behind Shantae, making her sit down and get closer to the stage in one very swift motion. "But futile. Believe me, I think you'll enjoy a lot what I'm about to show you...Though you're mistaken as to what it is, that I can assure~"

Before they could continue this verbal joust, Risky exited the stage by going behind the curtain with gusto and panache, clearly enjoying the moment as Shantae was held by the many, many pistols that were now aimed at her direction, joining the drawn scimitars of the multiple Tinkerbats. More of them went on to appear on the side of the stage, moving the curtains by pulling on ropes as they opened it near halfway, unveiling someone that Shantae had not expected to see in the slightest.

Nega.

Her opposite, her genie side corrupted and taken over by Risky, had seemingly survived their encounter as she had fought her right after Risky had summoned her. She had won after an arduous battle, convinced that she had destroyed that part of her forever, yet she was obviously still kicking as she moved to the front of the stage after her reveal, going for hip twists with each step she took before she then twirled and crossed her arms in the air before stopping and moving them down swiftly in a sharp introduction. "Shantae!" she said, her voice sounding like a distorted, though certainly beautiful version of Shantae's own. "It is so good to see you. I feel like we have so, so much to talk about you and I~"

"B-b-b-but I beat you..." Shantae went on to say, stupefied as the sight of Nega, who she had named herself like this, had more of an effect than all the weaponry pointed in her direction. "You exploded! You disappeared!"

"Oh, but you did beat me...Your human side really was stronger after all..." Nega went on to explain, enjoying the sight of Shantae's own look of confusion and shock. "But I'm your magic side, dear...To destroy magic you must use magic itself or else it just moves around in the void...And I escaped in the lamp when you beat me. I was weak, in despair...But then something happened...Something wonderful~"

It seemed like Nega really wanted attention, craving it even, something that annoyed Shantae somewhat, yet that she felt she had to entertain if she was to actually understand what was happening. "What happened exactly?" she asked, looking at Nega as she realized that there was some kind of aura over her, something that made her seem more powerful than when they battled a while ago. "Did you become stronger?"

"How astute of you!" Nega said with wicked praise, a little smirk on her face as she shimmied her hips, creating little sparkles of magic in the process. "Yes, I became much stronger as I absorbed countless artifacts, scrolls, potions and other such things, draining their magic for my own...And it was all thanks to him~"

She pointed at one spot and the curtain moved out of the way on cue, revealing something extremely sordid: a Tinkerbat who seemed quite different than the others. He had a yellow headband, blue hair and was naked as he was doing a particularly perverse act with no shame at all: masturbating. Sitting on the floor, this Tinkerbats had his eyes, filled with silver, purple and red swirls, set on Nega as he handled his penis and his balls with pure abandon to animalistic lust. The more Shantae looked at it in stupefaction, horror began to settle in as she realized just who this was. "B...Bolo?!"

"Oh yes, so good of you to recognize him~" Nega said with a satisfied smile on her face. She approached him and his swirls got more intense, his actions more determined as if Bolo could only see and hear Nega. "Mistress Risky went on to help me invade his dreams, my mist form entering in his head as I went on to make him fall head over heels for me. I made way to so, so many perverted little fantasies of him as I made him my slave and plaything...And he was just so eager to make sure I could manifest again in this reality too~"

She went on to blow some smoke with a kiss-like gesture as various scenarios went on to animate themselves. Lifelike, they represented so many moments during which Bolo succumbed to his penchant for pretty girls as she gave him a handjob, a titjob, crushed and rubbed his manhood under her armpit and then proceeded to ride him and steal his mind away from him. All of this as he looked like he was stuck in pure hypnotic ecstasy, caught in her sexy spell. Shantae couldn't help but look in disbelief, as if this was some bizarre event that she was just a spectator to and not the person of interest herself.

"And believe you me, he delivered on getting me so many magic items that it made me level up quite a bunch..." Nega teased as she then twirled and pointed at the other side of the stage, another set of Tinkerbats moving the curtains to showcase something almost equally as sordid: Rottytops and Sky, naked and touching themselves to sweet mindless oblivion. Their eyes were the same as Bolo, showcasing the red, purple and silver swirls that evolved within their irises as their smiles of pure bliss seemed to give them some kind of mindless quality, almost as if they were zombies...doubly so in Rottytops' case. "Which made it so I was able to go for the other two as well~"

They were gropping themselves, lost in a delusion of crazed pleasure as they were sloppily revealing their naked form for all to see. Be it the green tints of Rottytops rotten body or Sky's tanned complexion, all was there for anyone to see, which in this case meant Shantae, Nega, Risky Boots and a bunch of Tinkerbats. Sky's juices flew freely as Rottytops just seemed to mimic her as if animated by unseen strings, just as happy as her more alive friend despite the illusion of satisfaction keeping her pacified and mesmerized. And then mist erupted and visions went on to explain how they got this way, with Rottytops' brain being rewired and healed up much like some of her senses, all corrupted by a dance and some light teasing, some sweet promises. For Sky, a fixation on her bouncing, bountiful butt as Nega adjusted and rewrote memories so that Sky, who was actually in love with Shantae, believed that she had always been in love with Nega instead.

"Why?" Shantae managed to ask, almost getting up of her chair as she ignored the multiple weapons drawn against her. "Why did you do this? They did nothing to you!"

"They're your friends and that is enough..." Nega said with a certain cold glare, her amused behaviour broken as there was enmity within her yellow eyes. "But I do have to carry out my mistress' wishes and thus we have to get to you..."

The Tinkerbats went on to pick up rope to attach Shantae tightly to her chair, doing so with surprising speed as they really did capture her right there and then. Even her hair had been trapped in bondage, as if they had learned their lesson when faced against such capillary assaults that only she could deliver in spades. As she was captured completely and truly, Nega lifted her arms and hands in the air, crossing her wrists together as her silver armbands clanged together. "I would turn you into a Tinkerbats like the rest of the denizens of Scuttle Town, but she wants something more personal for you and so I shall oblige~"

And then the rest of the curtains were pulled, revealing a good number of Tinkerbats standing behind as a few of them played instruments to accompany Nega's upcoming performance. Low drumbeats were accompanied by the same two accords played by a sitar done in a slightly low-key fashion, as if waiting for something to strike. She shimmied very lightly at first, lowering her arms in perfect harmony and balance as Nega had closed her eyes, lingering on with an air of mystery and sensuality as her hips shook to the beat given out by the Tinkerbats. As soon as her arms reached chest-level, a resounding sound not unlike that of a gong echoed in the parlor as the beat went on to pace up significantly. Flutes went on to play, nearly drowned out by drums yet still audible as Nega opened her eyes and set her gaze upon Shantae...And then she unleashed her magic.

Shantae, fully expecting Nega to go on and to fight like she did in the past by using spells and transformations that she was familiar with, was left unprepared for whatever this was. As soon as they made eye contact, Shantae's sight went on to lock upon Nega as the light dimmed down, the music got slightly louder and flames went on to play in the background, highlighting what Nega was doing. Despite the fact that Nega was basically her in reverse, that this was a part of herself that she was gazing at, Shantae felt rather enamoured by this form and by this dance. Whether it was bizarre or simply wrong occurred to her, yet was overshadowed by the skilled steps and moves that Nega was showing off. Her silver jewelry and accessories, much like her pristine white skin, seemed to reflect the light of those strands of fire that danced along with the corrupt genie, giving way to a mesmerizing display that was very difficult to look away from.

"You've lost, Shantae...And I've had my revenge...You've given it your all...And yet..." Nega said, pacing out her words with her moves as her voice was like an echo separate from the music, overpowering it yet not entirely erasing it either. She went for a figure-eight with her waist, yet shimmied in slow and languorous motions all the while, to tantalize and tease while she danced. "Just like Sky fell for my rear, Rottytops for my sexy dancing and Bolo for my sexual skills...so shall you fall against my sheer power and superiority~"

The situation did nothing to help her fight as Shantae struggled, yet she couldn't even feel her muscles. Whether it was due to the tight ropes, the enchanting display presented by Nega or even her belief that she had indeed been bested she knew not, yet the effect was still there all the same. Her mouth hung open, her breathing was slow and her eyes were set on Nega as those hips...that sumptuous waist...that tender-looking belly...They all fascinated her to no end.

"Oh yes, it's so, so much easier to fall and to become my prey...Just let yourself go and accept your failure..." Nega said with a sweet voice of elation, as if surrendering was the greatest thing that Shantae could accomplish. "Join with your friends...They all look so happy to have lost against me, after all..."

They had been humiliated, abused and defeated...but they did not seem unhappy about it in the slightest. They were oblivious to their fate and clung to their altered state-of-mind, hypnotized into strange pleasure and addiction to Nega. Their fate was nothing to be envious about...and yet Shantae did seem to be somewhat thinking about submitting. She had lost so much lately, been a ghost of herself and she felt miserable. Why go on and continue? Whether this was manipulation from Nega or not mattered not anymore as the same swirls went on to appear in her eyes, leading Shantae toward depravity herself as the temptation, coupled with her own problems, proved too much for her mind to contend with and thus she simply stopped fighting.

"Oh yes...Just look at the dance and be mine...all mine~" Nega said with a tone of absolute ecstasy tinting her voice. She rolled her belly as the flames went on to surround it in circles, enlarging and diminishing in quick successions to truly give out a hypnotic effect, spinning while her stomach sent waves upon waves of careful and calm mind-numbing sexiness. Her hands went on to become a little tense, her finger-works amplifying the motions she made as she smirked. "Just look and lose yourself completely. Join your friends in this wonderful and hypnotic experience, Shantae~"

Nega seemed to be getting closer and closer, as if there was no stage to separate them, nothing in her way to lessen the sight of Nega dancing beautifully. There was no chair, no ropes, no music, no Tinkerbats, no Risky Boots, no parlor...Not anything really. There was only Nega, her voice, her presence and the dance that she presented to her. Shantae felt the hint of a smile form on her face as her troubles vanish. Her anxiety, her depression, her failures...They did not matter anymore. All that mattered was Nega as red, purple and red mixed themselves in her own eyes and soon it was all that she could see beside the flames and the corrupt genie. She hadn't realized yet, nor could she at this point, yet she had fallen deeply for Nega's spell, hypnotized into a deep trance that made it so Shantae was completely under Nega's control.

"She's all yours, mistress," Nega said, stopping her dance as she went on to approach the one who had spawned her, her original vessel. Risky approached and tried to wake her up by poking around, as if to test the waters. "Oh, she will not wake unless I command her to...She is firmly under my power."

"Then let's get her on the boat as we ransack Scuttle Town before we do the same to all of Sequin Land," Risky commanded, leaving the Tinkerbats to lift up the chair that would guide Shantae below the deck of her new ship, one that Nega had upgraded beyond belief with her magic. "Revenge, it seems, is finally mine~"

Shantae heard nothing of this, too lost in her own blissful daze to comprehend anything. Her own mind was caught in a loop of Nega dancing sensually for her. Entranced by her own twisted self-image, Shantae was powerless, still firmly entrapped not only within the confine of her chair, but also of her mind as nothing seemed to be able to free her from this sweet trap in which she was caught. Nothing...save for one thing...

SNAP!

She got her bearings back, her senses woozy and somewhat groggy as her eyes adjusted themselves to an environment with very low lighting. She was still roped-up, unable to move a single muscle, yet as she managed to get a firm grip back on reality, she realized that she was inside of a ship, below the deck as treasure chests and piles of gold sat beside her, leaving her as just one treasure amongst many others inside what she assumed was Risky's ship.

"Do get a grip...I don't think we have much time..." a familiar voice rang out as Shantae tried to focus, something that proved difficult after such a mind-numbing experience though she did achieve it in time. "Now that the show is over, we really do have to talk."

It was Nega, this time with a more composed and less flirtatious, less sexy demeanor. She was a little tense, the sadistic glimmer in her eyes diminished to leave some place for other emotions like worry and uncertainty. "What do you want with me?" Shantae asked, feeling angry about this particular situation she was in and the role Nega had played to put here there. "Do you want to gloat some more? To punish me and my friends for existing? What more could you possibly want?"

"An apology," Nega went on to say without any hesitation or teasing quality to her voice. "I want you to apologize to me. To say that you're sorry."

"You corrupt my friend...You invade my town and the land under my protection...You strut around and use my magic for your twisted, evil schemes and then you want me to apologize?" Shantae said, trying to contain her fury. It had been a long time since she had felt anything but misery and numbness and Nega had given way to so many more emotions like lust, mindlessness, calm, peace along with fury, rage and anger. A whole rainbow of clashing emotions, all there for the taking. She wanted to scream, to insult and injure Nega with all of her might, to give it everything she got...Yet one particular emotion got the best of her at this precise moment: curiosity. "Why do you want me to say sorry? What should I even apologize for?"

"A fair question," Nega said, acting in a way that felt quite contrary to the showoff that she was in the parlor. "You probably think of me as an evil version of you, a twisted mirror dedicated to the contrary of your beliefs and values...Someone who likes sadness, misery and bad things just for kicks..."

"Aren't you?" Shantae asked, desirous to sound callous and abrasive, yet restraining herself for the sake of conversation.

"No...I am your other side, the one that came along with magic. I am your repressed side, your more explosive and carefree penchants so to speak," Nega began to explain, showcasing the spells that Shantae had learned over the years in a cloud of mist. "I am your genie self, the one that comes with all the magic and the wonder and all that it entails...The one you hate so...so much..."

"What are you talking about?"Shantae asked, genuinely confused about this sudden turn this conversation was taking. "I never hated my-"

"Oh, cut the crap. You never cared about your genie heritage, not for one single second," Nega said, seeming more vulnerable than she had ever been, a far cry from the potent mesmerizing seductress that she had been prior to this talk. "You tossed away your one chance to get into the genie realm for the sake of Scuttle Town and your friends...You never actively research things about your ancestry and your powers unless it's to protect those you care about...You learn and unlearn spells and you never really seem to care about your genie powers and how to understand them completely. You just go on and dance, fight pirates and have a carefree life whenever you can...and it's infuriating!"

This took a bizarre turn, but Shantae could somewhat see Nega's point in there. It was true that she did forget some of her more useful dances time and time again, always opting for more fun and intricate choreography and routines instead of those filled with the power and knowledge of the Genie Realm. She never actively, in her off-time, made much of any progress on deepening her knowledge and know-how of her genie side. She had figured that being a half-genie came with limitations that she had to accept...Yet there was nothing to certify that it was true, especially after seeing how stronger Nega had gotten on her own.

"I'm a side of you that could work up miracles if you only cared, if you only even tried!" Nega said, her voice a little louder now as she did not even mind being heard now that she was getting into it. "You care more about Bolo, Sky and Rotty than me and it's not fair...We could be granting wishes, solving great problems and keeping things from being worse all the time. You even stick with that silly mayor who keeps on firing you and yet you never really gave me the time of the day. You take me for granted...And for that I want an apology."

So that was all that this was...a temper tantrum from her own less inhibited side. It seemed childish, downright ridiculous too, but it was also kind of a fair point. It was crudely, cruelly and even insanely brought up, giving ways to obscenities and particularly weird moments of sexual craziness...Yet it was somewhat correct as well despite it all. She had not really given that much thought about her genie side besides the occasional questions about who her mother is and where she was. She learned occasional dances, yet only ever got them through random happenstances, happy coincidences rather than actual research on her part. Nega was, in a way, kind of corrupt as in she was under the influence of Risky in some manner...Yet she was also Shantae's repressed side, one that she dared not face either through her own choices or her own blindness. And thus she did the only thing that she could think of.

"I'm sorry Nega..." Shantae said in a quiet, yet meaningful way as she looked at Nega in the eyes, which seemed to have somewhat gotten much wetter now somehow. "Why didn't you tell me this as soon as you could? Why all this craziness when you could have just talked to me?"

"Because I was angry and Risky is the one holding my lamp. She calls the shot and I just went along with it," Nega explained, sitting near Shantae's own chair, letting her stay put and roped-up for the time being. "If I had gone to you, things might not have gone so crazy, but then again I was just so furious and I thought that making you lose would make me feel better. It didn't."

Talking to herself felt liberating no matter how odd the situation seemed on the outside as Shantae tried to budge out of the chair, to no success. "Okay, but why exactly did you go with all that sexual stuff with my friends then? Why did you just corrupt them too in the process?"

"Because I represent something that you're not aware yet, that you're not entirely connected to yet: your sexuality. I'm, quite frankly, much more open about what I want and I think you'll find out soon enough what you like and what you don't like...It's just that I found it much faster due to me accepting who I am rather quickly," Nega went on to reveal, showing a side of herself in a whole new light. "That, and I'm also aware of how many people are in love with me, lusting after my body with no restraint. Seriously, you have no idea...and I mean no idea how popular you are. You could probably have your own harem counting in the hundreds if you managed to awaken your sexuality, girl."

Not entirely prepared to talk about this, Shantae blushed as she tried to dodge the questions of why exactly did her more openly sexual side went on to dominate Bolo, Sky and Rottytops. Changing the subjects rather obviously, Shantae looked at Nega as the other side of herself smirked at how befuddled she was looking. "Okay...Could you free me then? I need to save my friends and to make Risky pay for what she did."

"Sure...But you have to promise me something," Nega said, rising up as she looked a little friendlier now, as if she had attained some sort of peace of mind. "Never take me for granted again. Ever."

"I promise," Shantae said, meaning it as Nega turned into mist upon hearing this pledge. Purple, red and silver went on to sparkle in the air, Nega turning into vapor as she poured herself onto Shantae, going through the pore of her skin as she let herself be absorbed, the two halves of Shantae being in harmony once more.

"Now go on and make her learn her lesson once and for all. She's one of the biggest reason why you're always so busy in the first place..." the faint echo of Nega's own voice resonated within her psyche as Shantae's own body radiated with power, her own genie magic returned and multiplied many times over. "Let's show her that nobody can restrain a half-genie hero!"

She felt reinvigorated. Her power was back and she felt whole again, but more than that she also felt strangely at peace. She understood herself a little more after having experienced this bout of depression and all those emotions stirred through Nega's actions and words. She was still inexperienced and needed to learn many lessons and this one was big, perhaps even too colossal for her: to learn to be kind to herself. She could fail, she could mess up. Nega had messed up and given free way to her own anger and repressed urges, leading to all this chaos. She had failed herself, or so she thought, thus she failed everyone all at once, leaving her in the ditch of despair and darkness that was the recess of her mind. And yet she could still rise up, learn to be better and move on. And it was time to move on. She snapped her fingers and the ropes burst with no effort at all, leading to Shantae rising up and moving away from the treasure room. She used her hair to snap the door open and thus she saw many Tinkerbats either on guard duty or being too busy cleaning. They vastly outnumbered her, like they did in the dance parlor. However, things would be different now.

She danced anew, filled with passion and clarity as it took her a record two seconds to transform into an elephant and rush two Tinkerbats that stood in her way. As they gathered their wits and their weapons, she puffed into her regular form again, only to do some quick shimmies and a hip-drop to get into her harpy form, picking up a Tinkerbats and throwing it toward another while she flew in the tight corridor. Sensing that one of the guards, quicker than the other, took aim and was about to shoot, she landed, puffed back and twirled to turn into a monkey as she rushed from one wall to another, progressing in a quick-paced way. The shot missed as her monkey form dashed into the Tinkerbat, leaving him dazed and unconscious as Shantae puffed back again, this time snapping her fingers to summon clouds near her, leaving them the task to send thunder and lighting upon her foes. All of this and she had defeated a dozen Tinkerbats in about fifteen seconds, a new record for her as she felt more in control than ever. Almost invincible too. As she moved toward the stairs, she saw cages and inside them were whatever was left of her friends, trophies for Risky to gloat over as they each were still caught in their delirious act of sexual frenzy. They were still lost inside their head, transformed and altered in ways that Nega had intended for them...Yet somehow Shantae could see the pathways of enchantments, of corruption and felt that she could heal them. She approached them and knew that deep down they were like this because of many factors including infatuation to her. She was not responsible and not to blame for their predicament, yet she felt guilty somehow and thus she decided to heal them with a dance that she deeply knew how to perform in her subconscious.

"Look at me and know your true self...Be aware of you who are...Let your memories flow back and repair what has been broken...what has been twisted..." she said, her own voice even and calm as she rose one arm in a round fashion, not unlike if her hand and arm were mimicking a snake as the other arm did the same while she bumped her hips in the air. She felt magic flow through her own body and extend itself as any pain that she had and the light cramps in her muscle were gone. Their eyes changed, as if mesmerized by her motions and obeying the suggestions she sent as the silver turned to gold. "Be repaired in body and in mind and be yourselves once again."

SNAP!

It felt easy and natural to do this and thus she knew how to wake them up from their trance with a simple snap of her fingers. After all, Shantae and Nega were one and the same now, reunited and stronger than ever. As such, they were technically enslaved to her will. However, with a little help of magic, Bolo's form seemed to hatch from his Tinkerbat shape as his humanoid features, his own skin and his regular size were returned to him. Rottytops own faults in her brain were brought back, erasing whatever addition that Nega had arranged so that she'd be addicted and hypnotized unto eternity as the ghost sensations faded, leaving her back to her regular self. As to Sky, intelligence and awareness returned in her eyes as her hand stopped being almost glued to her more private parts now. Each of them being naked, Shantae turned around to give them some privacy as all of them soon realized the predicament they were in.

"W...What?!" Bolo was the first to speak out, breaking the solemnity of the moment with his trademark boneheaded disposition. "Why am I naked?!"

"It does beg the question, really," Rottytops said, obviously not as disturbed as Bolo was as she checked Sky out. "Oh my, you're pretty well-built it seems~"

Covering herself up as she felt the prying eyes of the zombie girl, Sky was the only one to directly address Shantae as she tried to move past her own shyness. "What happened here? Where are we?" Sky asked, moving toward Shantae and feeling a little too self-conscious due to the situation now that this was all kicking in. "And...Where are our clothes?"

"You're in Risky's ship. She captured you and made you mindless for her own amusement," Shantae said, half-hiding the truth in order to spare them from certain facts. "She went on to transform the town into Tinkerbats and she left you in cages. And now I'm gonna save Scuttle Town and Sequin Land...and I started with you three."

The cages were opened with the help of a key nearby as Shantae managed to grab their effects from a nearby chest. "Is it just me or are my shorts far smaller somehow?" Bolo asked, oblivious to the fact that he had been smaller a few moments ago. Ignoring the question and their nudity covered, Shantae was filled with a certain vigor, a certain bravery that seemed to immediately catch their gaze as Bolo stopped talking right there and then, joining Sky and Rottytops in their amazement over how Shantae had gotten out of her stupor.

"There will be plenty of enemies on the deck itself before I can reach Risky. Will you three join me in my fight?" Shantae asked, feeling even more invincible now that her friends were safe and sound with her, returned to their rightful state-of-mind.

"We'll follow you until the end of the Earth, Shantae," Sky said with certitude, uncertain what she could do now yet determined to see this through.

"Friends to the end!" Rottytops cheerfully said, her own zombie state bringing an unfortunate gloomy side to this saying, yet her cheerful disposition somehow managing to downsize it despite it all.

They rushed toward the deck, arming themselves along the way as their destination seemed much bigger than she thought possible as Risky's ship was humongous. Dozens upon dozens of Tinkerbats, numbering more in the hundreds at this points, all looked up at them and charged, ready to unleash their hive-like mind and skills toward the four heroes that dared to fight back. Unbeknownst to them, they were no match for what Shantae and her friends had in store for them. As Rottytops picked up her leg and went on to bash a few heads in, Sky and Bolo used blunt instruments and tools in order to swat them back in quick successions. Their heart being in it much like their spirit, they were greatly helped by Shantae as she did some maya and some hip circles before transforming into her spider-form, shooting webs everywhere to trap the Tinkerbats while she jumped and swung away.

"Do remember that they are people from the town. Do not kill a single one of them!" she shouted as she puffed back and did some hip-drops in the air, a nearly impossible feat, in order to turn into a mouse and sneak past many of the enemies. Then, without further ado, she puffed back and turned into an elephant and charged, knocking back quite a few as a result. With Bolo, Sky and Rottytops following her, this battle took on many turns as they swatted away with Sky protecting Bolo's back while Rotty seemed to actually have fun in this somehow, her own bizarre mind at work again. As all of this went on, Shantae had another strike of inspiration as she went on to sway her hips to the side and then conclude with some reverse mayas as she transformed into a miniature tank, shooting small missiles at her enemies as they were blasted away while she aimed carefully beside them. This caused her trio of friends to stop and look at what just happened with incredulous eyes.

"Is it just me...Or did Shantae seriously get stronger while we were blacked out and naked?" Bolo asked, voicing what the other two dared not say out loud.

"My girl grew up to be a tank!" Rotty said with a cheerful glee, looking at the transformed and armed Shantae. "They grow up so fast..."

"Whatever it is that she's done, we have an opening now. Let's go!" Sky said as they doubled their efforts, moving toward the tank that was also their half-genie friend.

Eventually, they reached Risky's cabin as Shantae returned back to her normal shape, her half-genie self, as the three others rejoined her and fought back the horde that was forming behind them. "Go get her, Shantae! Beat her down for us!" Rotty said with energy as she smacked a Tinkerbat with her severed leg, making him get tossed aside due to the surprising strength of the zombie gal.

"Wait, shouldn't we help her?" Sky suggested, showing a certain reluctance to leave Shantae alone as she looked in front of them and peeked back toward the half-genie guardian.

"Even I know that this has to be one-on-one, nemesis against nemesis, Sky!" Bolo said, going for the first savvy thing he said in a long while. "Let's just let her focus on her fight!"

Exchaning quick nods, the trio fended off the hordes as Shantae barged in Risky's cabin, snapping the door open with her hair as Risky was there waiting for her, the lamp in her hand. "So you managed to talk Nega, my genie, to your side? How annoying..."

"Enough. You've lost, Risky! Surrender now and help me turn things back to normal or else..." Shantae said, trying to retain herself as she felt a strong compulsion to strike first and not leave any chance for Risky to be somewhat decent in defeat.

"Or else what? You have no true power here, girl," Risky said as she taunted Shantae openly with the lamp that she held. "I still hold all the cards and nothing that you can say can convince me otherwise. Now, let's end this so that I can enslave your friends, your town and all sides of you again, foolish half-genie!"

Prepared for this, Shantae snapped her hair toward Risky as it elongated to a surprising length, snatching away the lamp that she held as Risky felt extremely vulnerable now. Shantae, instead of being this naive and easily fooled young one behaved as if she knew now what to do. She had matured somehow...and that made her more frightening than anything for the Pirate Queen.

"Very well...Then let us fight to see who'll stand on top after all of this," Risky said, getting her scimitar and pistol out as she was ready to duke it out like in old times. Shantae, however, was having none of it.

"No, I've given you every chances to be better, to do better, to repent and to apologize and you've never learned anything," Shantae began to explain, not even caring to take her battle stance. "I'm done and I'm gonna deal with you now on my terms...Not on yours."

Never one to let an advantage go wasted, Risky saw an opening and took it...Yet it was a ruse as Shantae simply twirled aside, doing a perfectly balanced spin as she threw a kiss-like motion toward the pirate, letting out a red, purple and silver mist. Coughing up as she inhaled this attack despite her best effort not to, Risky looked at Shantae in disbelief. "You call that an attack?"

"Absolutely. You're gonna taste some sexy, sexy justice, queen bitch~"

Recognizing this voice, Risky groaned and tried to attack, yet was soon assailed by a wave of fatigue as she fell on her knees in front of Shantae as the half-genie stood there with her arms crossed. "So what, you're gonna poison me, kill me after all this time?" Risky said with a scoff, managing some rebellious words despite her predicament. "You're gonna sick Nega on me so that she can gloat and kill me herself, keeping your precious hands oh-so-pure?"

"Oh shut up. She's still way too nice for that...Though her idea is pretty exciting, I must admit~"

In silence, Shantae uncrossed her arms and then went on to clasp the palms of her hands together in front of her chest...And then she swung her chest from one side to the other while raising her arms above her head. This made for a rather small beginning for one of Shantae's performance...Yet it was potent enough as Risky's vision began to fade away everything else but the half-genie into nothing but darkness. Lost in a void with Shantae being the only one still visible, Risky unwittingly clung on to her visually so as to have an anchor...And then she felt a hand on her shoulder...A white hand with shades of purple.

"Do enjoy the show...Enjoy it to your heart's content, Risky," Nega said as another hand went on to move on her other shoulder...And then one caressed her neck...And one unclasped her bra...And one stroke her thigh...All of them looked the same, with slender fingers or pristine and flawless white with highlights of purple and violet, all hands of Nega as plenty of copies seemed to take care to keep Risky in place and pacified while Shantae danced, giving Risky the performance of a lifetime.

She opened her arms and rolled her shoulders while her arms followed in grand gestures. She arched her back slightly and then used her right foot to position herself as she stood tall and proud, her chest high up as Shantae smiled...and seemed radiant. Flames went on to to go on and appear as little dancing highlights beside her as it magnified her tanned skin, her olive complexion while the gold she wore absorbed and reflected the light. She glistened, her skin luscious as she used her lower belly and her chest to make long and sensual waves, her knees even getting in on the actions as she placed her arms and hand behind her head, making for a killer sexy move that could melt the heart of anyone who'd look her way.

"She is so sexy like this, isn't she? No wonder you wanted to keep her in the treasure room~"

"She's so precious, so beautiful, so gorgeous. You just can't help but stare and do nothing else but that..."

"You always went to Scuttle Town just to see her, didn't you? You have a thing for that alluring and mesmerizing half-genie girl, don't you?"

"Just watch and say nothing...It'll feel so nice to just do that and relax~"

Nega kept on talking to her, yet Risky couldn't help but focus on Shantae now. Part of her wanted to resist, desired nothing more than to rise up and fight on grounds she knew everything about. She could parry, dodge and shoot her way out of anything...Yet why would she even harm someone moving as beautifully as her. It would be insane to disrupt something as amazing as this. Right away, Risky's capacity to concentrate was more than cut in half, putty in the hands of Nega and Shantae who really collaborated with one another now. They were a formidable duo, two sides of the same coin working in tandem to finally vanquish the nefarious Queen of the Seven Seas...and it was working.

Shantae made one step forward and the effect on Risky's psyche was immediate. The half-genie was pulsating now, the fire and flames near her somewhat giving her an aura of pure appeal as Risky felt weak and complacent, her mouth hanging open as swirls of purple, red and gold appeared in her own eyes. The dance was sumptuous and yet it hadn't really changed. All that had been altered was her perception of it.

"Give yourself some pleasure while watching her. It would feel so good."

"She wants you to feel nice. That's why she's dancing."

"Aren't you happy while watching her, as if nothing could go wrong?"

"Masturbate for her. Prove that you're enjoying this~"

She had no control over her actions anymore as Risky was like a puppet, hypnotized by this performance as the many copies of Nega went on to encourage all sorts of sordid behaviour and thoughts. Soon, her fingers and hand went on to caress her crotch, this gesture turning into fingering and particularly rough rubbing as the Pirate Queen moaned openly, her mouth turning into a subtle smile that turned absolutely goofy and obvious while Nega went on to grope her breasts and massage her shoulders to encourage her.

And still Shantae danced, pulsating as she added some slight hip twists as her body bent and flowed like water, going right and left as her hair, her smooth and silky-looking hair moved along with her body. Her eyes were as intense as her dance and Risky felt entirely fascinated, a captive of those wondrous orbs that had captured her soul and spirit.

"You're entirely hypnotized...At her mercy..."

"She's entranced you...enslaved you..."

"It's so great to be hers and her alone..."

"She is your mistress...your everything..."

"Kiss her belly and pledge yourself to her completely~"

She crawled awkwardly on all fours, helped by the guiding hand of Nega as Risky had lost her mind. She drooled and had strong and quick swirls of gold, red and purple in her eyes. She was woozy, groggy and disoriented. Except for Shantae, nothing existed. And still she managed to get on her knees, wobbly as they were, assisted by numerous hands who pushed her along and she planted her lips on the stomach that had stolen her heart, her mind and her spirit. She smirked...giggled...and then collapsed with a huge smile on her face. As Shantae said nothing, Nega looked at her with a smirk and then exited Risky's body, dismissing the illusions as the mist returned inside its rightful place.

Shantae's body.

Everything had returned to its rightful state in Scuttle Town.

The mayor was its own childish self, Rottytops was still lingering about while trying to "corrupt" Shantae, Sky took care of her birds including Wrench and Bolo was still out to prove himself. Not a single townsfolk knew exactly what had happened, going on with their life as per usual. Everything was quiet and as things were supposed to be. There was one person still missing, though, someone who was usually there at the earliest start of the day, perhaps the hardest and most devoted worker of them all.

Shantae.

Unbeknownst to them, she was still at home as she looked at a mirror and saw two persons in the reflection. Herself...and her other self, Nega.

"Why didn't you tell anyone what happened yet? Are you scared that they'll freak out? That they'll blame you for what happened?"

"Perhaps...Though I do wish to avoid them unnecessary pain too," Shantae admitted, aware that she couldn't lie to herself in the most literal way possible. "I will tell them someday...Just not now. They've earned some peace and quiet."

"Pretty nice of you to give them something back too...I mean...Risky does have one hell of a body and she'll make a good dancer with the right mindset."

"Maybe...I just feel bad that this is how I beat her, though..."

"She wasn't harmed, you didn't kill her and you gave her some poetic justice. You'll release her someday knowing how you operate...But for now she's at the perfect spot to be kept on watch and to make sure she doesn't do anything wrong. You just have to hypnotize her every now and then and she'll be out of trouble...and she will become a better dancer too. Everyone wins."

"I know," Shantae said, knowing full well than to argue with herself was futile, knowing that whatever Nega said was something that she was thinking too. She wanted to be more in touch with her genie side, though she hadn't exactly considered doing it this way.

"Well...Now you gotta keep your promise. To make amends with what I did, I'll help you out from now on but you have to work with me on your genie side too. This is what you said you would do."

"You're right," Shantae said, opening her window to let some light penetrate in her lighthouse home. She looked at Scuttle Town and at the sun at the horizon and felt as if a great darkness, a veil of doom, had been lifted off her head. She breathed, smiled and then exited to do her job as the guardian genie of Scuttle Town. Determined to never take anything for granted again, be it her friends, her duty or her genie side, she greeted yet another day of adventure, chaos and magic.

And she wouldn't live any other way.