See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer
Chapter 19: Interrogations, Weird Dreams & Slave Cults
Queen Vespa paced back and forth, a worried expression on her face; one of her numerous nursemaids, who were tasked with watching and caring for Fluke, stood near her with an equally worried expression. She had barged into the royal spa room while Vespa was getting a wing massage, and when she asked why she was being disturbed, the nursemaid explained that she went into the prince's room to wake him up from his afternoon nap for lunch but he wasn't in his cocoon.
She then enlisted the help of all the other nursemaids to search the entire castle but he wasn't anywhere, he wasn't even in the room where Vespa kept hundreds of toys that she took from the merchants in the city and would let Fluke play inside of after his lessons were done. Just then, Yellow Jacket entered the grand foyer with his group of soldiers, two of which were carrying an unconscious Knuckles.
"What is the meaning of this?", asked Vespa. "My queen, the red mammal had tried to escape but he didn't get too far in his condition", said Yellow Jacket. Vespa pondered the timing of her son's disappearance and Knuckles' escape attempt, and she didn't want to assume that the two events were connected but it seemed too perfect to think otherwise.
"Take him to the infirmary and place him into a healing tank. When he's fully healed, bring him to the prisoner hold so I can interrogate him. I've just thought of the perfect way to make him talk when I do", said Vespa with an almost sadistic grin. Yellow Jacket's subordinates carried Knuckles to the infirmary, where upon being told what needed to be done, the doctors took the unconscious echidna from the guards.
The doctors first cleaned the blood off of Knuckles' body, then they placed an oxygen mask over his muzzle and wires with electrodes all over his body; they then strapped him onto flat, table like platform with a pillowy cushion on it before sliding it inside of an oval shaped glass tank. One of the doctors pushed a button on the side of the tank, causing it to fill up with a light green liquid.
Meanwhile back down in the Honeycomb Mines, the others were hard at work digging the large hexagonal objects out of the cavern walls, hacking away with pickaxes just as all the slaves did. Rouge dropped her pickax as she had to stop for a moment; the air within the mines was quite hot, she was sweaty and thirsty, and her shoulders were starting to ache.
Shadow took notice of her dropping her pickax and grabbing her left shoulder, "Rouge, what's wrong? Are you okay?", he asked in concern. Before she could answer, one of the guards overseeing them walked towards them, "What's going on here?", he asked. Rouge strained herself to stand up straight, "Its hotter than a desert in Mazuri in here and my shoulders hurt like Hell", she complained.
The guard raised one of his hands, making Rouge flinch as she assumed he would strike her for complaining about her predicament, but in actuality he called another guard over; this one guard was a female Hornetite who gently lifted Rouge up and led her over to a corner of the cavern where she instructed her to sit on a large cushion. The male guard went outside and came back with a bowl of ice cold water, giving it to Rouge; she drank the water quite greedily before giving the empty bowl back.
Then the female guard walked around to Rouge's back, placed her four hands on her shoulders and upper back, and began to carefully massage her; Rouge tensed up before letting out a sigh of relief and leaned forward to give the guard a better angle to work from. The female guard gently kneaded the muscles within Rouge's shoulders and back, working out all the kinks and knots; after twenty minutes of this, the female guard finished her task and pulled away.
"How are you feeling?", she asked. Rouge turned around to look at her, "Much better actually", she said. The female guard helped her stand up before leading her back to the others and then walked away, Rouge picked up her pickax and continued to hack away at the cavern walls. "Did...did they just give you water and a back massage?", asked Amy. "I guess so but hey, I'm not complaining. It felt really good", said Rouge.
Just then, Silver felt something strike him in the back of his head; he let out a cry of pain as he turned to see that one of the Hobidons was giving him an angry glare while holding another rock in his hand. Shadow noticed this and rushed over, grabbing him by his chest fur, "Who the Hell do you think you are lobbing a rock at my husband's head?!", he screamed at him.
The Hobidon looked at him with cold eyes, "I think I'm a poor unfortunate soul being worked to the bone for the last ten years while your friend gets tired after two and a half hours, and she gets a back massage?! You people downright sicken me!", he said.
Shadow was mere seconds away from wringing the Hobidon's neck when two guards came out of nowhere, separating them. "What's going on here?", said one of them. "This bastard threw a rock at my husband's head!", said Shadow. The first guard turned to his subordinate, "Take the slave to the Discipline Room to put him in his place!", he said. The second guard took the Hobidon away as the first one led Shadow back to the others and then inspected the back of Silver's head, it seemed the rock didn't do too much damage, it merely bruised his head and left a scratch.
The guard left and then came back with a large bandage and a cup of some pink salve that smelled like wildberries; he then rubbed some onto Silver's bruise and placed the bandage on it, "There, that medicinal salve should heal your bruise within a day or two", he said before walking away. Shadow then pulled Silver towards him and kissed his forehead, "Are you okay, Silvy?", he asked tenderly. Silver smiled and nuzzled into his cheek, "I'm alright. It doesn't hurt that much but I still wonder why he did that to me", he said.
"Its because many of the slaves are either afraid of or hate you".
A tiny voice caught the group's attention and they all looked to see a Hobidon child who looked to be no older then seven or eight; he had pure white fur, albeit it was scruffy and a little dirty, blue eyes and black fur on the tips of his ears. "What did you say, little one?", asked Silver. "We all have heard of the queen's plans for dimensional domination and how eight mammals from another dimension would be crucial to her plans.
"Then we saw you all being carried to the prisoner hold until you wake up, and we knew you were the ones the queen said she needed, and because she needs you alive and well, none of you will be allowed to become injured, sick or even filthy. Many of the slaves believe you can bring freedom to us all but others despise you for essentially being the queen's pets and being given such luxuries like water and medicine, even though we all know that you have no control over any of this, many of the slaves have been have in pain for so long that they've become irrational and spiteful", he said.
The group suddenly realized why that Hobidon had flung a rock at Silver's head, and now they actually felt bad that he was probably being beaten for what he did; it really wasn't the fault of Sonic and his friends that Queen Vespa needed them for her plans and that she needed them alive and in perfect health, they didn't even know what her plan was. Shadow turned to the young Hobidon, "What's your name, kiddo?", he asked. The little boy looked down at his feet shyly, "M...my name is...Kimba", he said.
"Where are your parents, Kimba? I'm certain they'd be worried if the guards beat you for not doing your work", said Nyx. Just then, Kimba started crying; he dropped down onto his knees while pressing his hands to face. "What's wrong? Why are you crying, kiddo?", asked Infinite. "I don't have any parents. When I was born, my mother got very sick but because there's hundreds of us, Queen Vespa isn't too worried about losing slaves. Especially since she just locks some of the males and females in the prisoner hold and forces them to make babies so she can have more slaves", he said.
He took a moment to let that information sink in because after realizing where they had woken up and sat in for several hours, Sonic and the others started making gagging sounds and reviled in horror and disgust; after they calmed down, Kimba continued to explain. "Anyway, my father had finally had enough when my mother died and the Hornetites didn't bother giving her any medicine, so he rebelled and actually killed one of the guards. Queen Vespa tried to break him by torturing just as she's doing with your friend, the red echidna, but like him my father's spirit was too strong so she just killed him.
"But she didn't kill him by activating his cuffs to sever his nerves and release the toxin so he could die a painless death, instead she ordered her guards to beat him to death. I was given to the counsel of elders of our former village to be raised, the only reason the elders were spared was because since Queen Vespa believed that elders are wise, they're perfect for inspecting the honeycombs for impurities before sending them to the merchants.
"The Grand Elder told me what happened to both of my parents and how we're powerless to stand up to our masters. Since I'm small like all the other children, I'm forced to crawl into holes in the walls to get the hard to reach honeycombs; I'm one of the Hobidons that believe you can help us, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up too high", said Kimba as he walked away.
Or he would've walked away if Shadow hadn't grab him by the shoulder and turned him around, "We may not know how to get out of here ourselves, but you don't have to be sad anymore, kiddo. Stay close to us, we'll keep you safe and we'll try to share some of the luxuries the guards give us; they may not like it but since they need us, they'll just have to deal with it", he said with a smile. Kimba looked up at him wide eyes before embracing him around the waist and crying happily.
Just then, they heard what sounded like a train whistle; they all looked up to see a rather large beehive shaped clock on the far wall, a whistle on the side of the clock let out another loud whistle before a tiny door on the front of the clock opened up and a tiny fake bee on a spring sprung out. "MIDDAY, BREAKTIME! MIDDAY, BREAKTIME! MIDDAY, BREAKTIME!", the tiny bee screeched before going back into the clock. "What was that all about?", asked Amy.
"You see, even though the Hornetites don't treat us when get sick and injured, they still allow us to have breaks to eat, sleep and use the bathroom, but we're only allowed to go number 1 and 2, they don't allow us to bathe", said Kimba. Soon a group of guards came by pushing a trolley holding two large metal pots and another trolley carrying bowls. Some guards passed bowls while others took ladles and poured what looked like grey oatmeal into the bowls.
"Ugh...what's that sloppy goop? It looks like what they serve you in hospitals", said Sonic. "Its gruel, it's all they feed us. Even though its supposedly served hot, it always tastes like cold mash potatoes and it has no nutritional value whatsoever, and even though they give us a lot of it twice a day, because it has no nutritional benefits, we stay hungry and are practically starving", said Kimba.
Soon the guards came up to Sonic and the gang, but they didn't give them gruel; instead, when they gave them the bowls, one of the guards dipped a ladle into the second pot and scooped out what looked like yogurt into their bowls. It was thick, translucent, smelled like watermelons and was a reddish orange color. "What's this? This doesn't look like gruel, not that I'm asking for it, but you've given it to everyone else so...why not us?", asked Sonic.
The lead guard shook his head, "You mammals are so simpleminded, that's ambrosia. It's a rare delicacy enjoyed by many of us in the upper class, it's made from the honeycombs excavated from the mines and Giant Mantizon milk, combined with a bacteria that converts the lactose to lactic acid, which thickens the milk and gives it the tangy taste characteristic of pudding. The ambrosia is then cooled and flavoured with fruit, sugar, and other sweeteners or flavourings; stabilizers, such as gelatin, may also be added but it's not always necessary to do so.
"Queen Vespa ordered us to feed you ambrosia to make sure you stay healthy since its provides protein and calcium, and it may enhance healthy stomach bacteria; the health benefits range from protecting against osteoporosis to relieving irritable bowel disease and aiding digestion. Even though ambrosia is regarded by us to be a superior culinary achievement not worthy of being served to lesser creatures like you, she wants you in perfect health. We suggest you be grateful", said the guard as he handed a bowl of gruel to Kimba before walking away.
The group looked down at the bowls of ambrosia in their hands before Infinite let out a sigh, "Alright. I'll try it first, after all I used to live out in the desert and survived on cactus fruit and any small aquatic creatures swimming in the waters of an oasis. This can't possibly be any worst that roasted newt flesh", he said as he lifted the bowl to his mouth and tipped it back, pouring a small bit of ambrosia into his mouth.
His eyes lit up as he swallowed the goopy substance, licking his lips. "My word...this is delicious! It almost tastes like strawberry pudding but it has the consistency of a thick yogurt or custard. Its amazing!", he said with a wide smile. The others tried the ambrosia and they also smiled and made noises of satisfaction at the heavenly taste of it; Silver looked to his left and saw Kimba barely being able to stomach his bowl of gruel but trying to eat it anyway as he had no choice.
Silver looked down at his bowl of ambrosia and turned to Kimba, taking the bowl of gruel from his hand and tossing it aside before handing him his bowl of ambrosia. "Here, take this", he said. Kimba was taken by surprise by this, "Oh no, I-I-I couldn't. You need this more than I do and it is forbidden for a lowly mammal like myself to taste ambrosia, at least...that's what the Hornetites said", he said miserably.
Silver surprised Kimba once again by turning him to face him, "Kimba...listen to me: I don't give a damn what the Hornetites think, they can all go to Hell for all I can. You are a young child with no family and if nothing is done to remedy that, you will struggle to live your life. Do you know who else was in the same position? My adoptive daughter Maria lost her mother shortly after she was born, and her father was killed during a war that took place long before she was born.
"My husband Shadow saw her and was reminded of a young girl he was friends with but tragically lost, and he promised to raise this baby hedgehog girl and protect her. I promised that I'd love him and help him raise that baby girl, that's why we got married. Because we love one another and we loved her, and so we could raise her into a bright and beautiful young woman and so she can have a happy life.
"I look at you, Kimba, and see what would've happened to Maria if Shadow and I hadn't adopted her; I mean, she probably wouldn't be in the exact same situation as you, but I know she would've been unhappy. You have no family, you have no friends, you're being forced to work for hours in a mine, you're barely fed and your bathroom breaks only extend to urination/defecation, you aren't allowed to take a bath and no one will treat you if you get sick or injured.
"So I don't care what the Hornetites think, I'll give you my food and I'll try my best to help you any way I can because I can't stand seeing a child suffering, I had enough of that during and after the war and even in future timelines, I don't want to see it anymore", Silver said before wiping his eyes furiously with the back of his hand as during his rant, he had started crying. The others heard his rant but none of them said anything for fear that they might upset him.
Kimba lifted his hand up to Silver's face and wiped away his tears, looking up at him with teary eyes as he took the bowl of ambrosia from him. "T-t-thank y-y-you so m-m-much. No one has e-e-ever cared for m-m-me this much, not even the elders who have t-t-taken care of me since I was a b-b-baby", he sobbed as he guzzled down the ambrosia quite hungrily due to its marvelous taste and his immense hunger.
Shadow pulled Silver towards him and hugged him, giving him gentle kisses on his face, "I didn't know you felt so strongly about that, Silvy. If you ever need to vent, you know you can talk to me, okay?", he said. Silver smiled and nuzzled his face again, "I know I can, Shads. I just didn't know when to bring it up, but now that I've done so, I feel so much better for doing so", he said.
After calming down, the clock blared out that the break time was over and everyone must immediately get back to work, this included our heroes; this time, however, Kimba stayed close by them since he didn't really have anyone who was supposed to be responsible for him and he was beginning to like them, especially Shadow and Silver. He did ask them quite a few questions about some things he was confused by simply because they never occurred in his home dimension.
"How can you two be married if you're both boys? Shouldn't it only be a boy and girl who get married? After all, two boys can't make a baby", he said. This made the group laugh, "Kimba, Silver and I are together because we love each other. Where we come from, gender isn't a factor when it comes to romance nor should it be: to us, it doesn't matter what gender you are or what gender you're attracted to, what matters is that both people truly love and care for one another, and that they'll always be there for each other", said Shadow.
"Hmm, that's not what I was taught but I guess different people have different ways of doing things and I guess that is true. I also guess you don't really need a girl to make a family, you did say you have an adopted daughter so I supposed it's not a requirement", he said.
The rest of the day went by with barely anything happening until the clock on the wall blared out again, "IT IS 0900 HOURS AFTER MIDDAY! ALL WORK WILL CEASE UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING! ALL SLAVES DROP YOUR TOOLS AND REPORT TO THE CUBBIES FOR NIGHTLY RESTORATIVE ACTIVITIES!", the tiny fake shrieked. "Does anyone know what that translates to in English?", Sonic asked sarcastically. "Its means its 9:00pm, and the slaves must stop working and go to sleep now to restore our energy for work tomorrow", said Kimba.
Sonic and his friends were led to the 'cubbies' the clock was referring to, which were actually small cave like spaces in the mine walls big enough to fit a small group of people, only unlike the slaves' cubbies that had a thin layer of rather musty straw on the ground, this cubbie's floor was covered by a giant pillow like cushion made from the finest silk and stuffed with goose down.
When they laid down, they couldn't wrapped their minds around how soft and plushy it was, it almost felt like lying on a cloud or a bed of cotton candy and it smelled just as nice as it was clean and smelt of fresh lilacs and lavender. One of the guards who led them there was about to take Kimba back to where the slaves slept when Silver stood up, "No! Leave him here with us, no one wishes to take responsibility for him so we'll do it. We'll make sure the little shrimp does his work and doesn't slack off", he said in a rather cruel and offhanded way.
Another guard smiled, "Ha! Even if they're lowly mammals, they too understand that the weak only serve one purpose of which to benefit the strong. It's a no wonder the queen wants to use them for her plans, leave the miserable fur bag with them. It'll do him well to be left in the hands of those who'll push him to really work", he said. The guard holding Kimba's arm pushed towards Silver before walking away with his comrades.
Kimba looked at Silver with tears in his eyes, "No no, don't cry Kimba. It was a trick, I had to make them think I really meant it otherwise I never would've been able to convince them to let you sleep in our cubbie", said Silver. Kimba looked on in surprise as he wiped his eyes, he had been convinced that Silver felt negatively towards him because of how he spoke but he had no idea it was a ruse to get the guards to let him sleep in the nicer cubbie.
Kimba crawled into the cubbie, cuddling close to Shadow and Silver. "Anyone else felt a chill run down their spine or am I just imagining that its a lot colder in here now than earlier?", asked Nyx as she rubbed her arms. She wasn't wrong, everyone else did feel a significant drop in the temperature, probably because of how it was nighttime and even if the day was blistering hot, the night air cooled everything down...but maybe a little too much.
"Don't worry, I've got a fix for this situation", said Infinite as he concentrated and made a pile of blankets appear in the center of the cushiony floor. Smiling gratefully, everyone took a blanket to wrap around themselves for warmth...all except for Amy. "Amy, aren't you going to take a blanket?", asked Nyx. Amy smiled, "No thanks, I've my own blanket right here", she said as Sonic changed into his werehog form and curled his body around Amy so she was lying on his right arm and held close to him by his left arm, his large and hairy body acting as a perfect insulator for heat.
Kimba was surprised by Sonic's transformation and Infinite conjuring the blankets, "How did they do that?", he asked as Shadow wrapped a blue blanket around him. "Its just something they've always been to do, they have special gifts unique to them. Now go to sleep, it's been a long day and you look like you're in real need of a good night's rest", he said. Kimba let out long yawn before curling up between the two male hedgehogs and falling asleep; Shadow smiled as he looked at Silver and Kimba, who were both asleep.
"Goodnight my little angels", he whispered as he kissed their foreheads and sleep himself. Amy let out a cute whimper as she snuggled close to Sonic, who was already snoring but thankfully not loud enough to keep everyone else awake; Nyx had fallen asleep as Infinite tucked her blanket around her, he was about to settle in when he noticed that the only one not sleeping besides himself was Rouge.
"Rouge, what's wrong? Is the blanket not warm enough? I could make you a quilt instead", he said. "No Infinite, the blanket's comfy, its just...I miss Knuckles. It's only been twelve hours since he was taken away but it feels like twelve years to me. I feel so...lost and sad without him near me and I'm scared that something might happen to him", she said.
"Now Rouge, I know you're scared but remember that Knuckles said you had to be strong and that he's been through worst so whatever torture methods they're using, and given that their queen needs us alive, chances are they won't -"
"I'm pregnant..."
"Wait...what did you say, Rouge?"
"I'm pregnant, Infinite! I found out last week and when I went to the doctor to see how far along I was, it turns out I'm already five months along. I didn't realize it at first because every since I went on that diet to lose all the weight I gained from my first pregnancy, I've been looking a lot slimmer than before I had Ruby. The doctor said its because of my toned body that I didn't realize I was pregnant and I only figured I was before I asked him because I had realized my period hadn't come for the past few months".
"Does Knuckles know about it?"
"No, I was gonna set up a little day out with him and Ruby where we'd have a picnic in the park and then I'd tell them, but we got ourselves kidnapped before I could even arrange it".
"Well...hopefully Tails and the others will rescue us before the time comes. We just have to hope and pray that they'll find us, and also that your water doesn't break prematurely and you go into labor and have your baby. The queen needs us so I have no doubt she might try to dispose of it".
That final sentence from Infinite scared Rouge but she knew he was right and she hoped to Chaos that she and the others are rescued before her second child comes. She sighed as she laid down to sleep, but she felt a shiver run through her spine, not out of cold because she had a blanket but because she usually slept with Knuckles' arms wrapped around her and since he's being held in the prisoner hold, she couldn't sleep.
Suddenly Rouge felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her midsection, gently rubbing her stomach; Rouge looked behind her to see Knuckles lying down next to her, she was about to ask how he escaped until she noticed this red glitchy effect that buzzed on and off around Knuckles' face. Rouge realized what was going on but she smiled as she curled up into Knuckles' embrace.
Infinite smiled as he twisted around to cuddle Nyx and fell asleep.
Meanwhile inside the prisoner hold, Knuckles had finally woken up to see that his head and arms were locked inside a stockade like a criminal in the Middel Ages; he also noticed that he wasn't in any pain, almost as if someone had healed him. Just then, the door opened to reveal Queen Vespa as she walked flanked by two her guards; Knuckles noticed that in her second right hand, she held what looked like a remote with a green button and a red button.
"I want you two to wait outside, I'll summon either of if I need assistance", she said. The two guards bowed before stepping outside and closing the door behind them; Vespa then turned to Knuckles, "I'm sure you're very confused. Well, my guards caught you trying to escape so they brought you back and took you to the infirmary. The doctors healed you and then my guards brought you in here and placed you in that stockade.
"The reason for that is because my son, Prince Fluke, disappeared at the same time you had escaped and I'm under the suspicion that the two events are correlated. So now you're going to tell me where my son is...so...where is he?", she said. Knuckles huffed and turned his head to the side, Fluke helped him by turning again his mother to help him escape, there was no way he was going to tell her that and risk the poor boy being severely punished for it.
Vespa smirked, "Oh quiet are we? Well I have just the thing to make you speak, I'm sure you're wondering what this little device in my hand is. Well let me show you", she said. She pushed the green button on the remote, suddenly Knuckles felt an intense electrical sensation in his nether regions; he grunted as he struggled to break free but the stockade held him in place.
He looked up to see Vespa laughing, "This is hilarious! We Insectoids have no need for physical pleasure when we mate, it's more of a robotic process: the male gives the female his seed, end of story. We don't partake in any of that "foreplay" nonsense you filthy mammals enjoy, but during my time with my harem of male Hobidons, I learned it can be useful for something. So I'll ask you again: where is my son? And if you don't answer me, I will activate the nanobots attached to the nerves inside your reproductive organs, stimulating them but stopping short so you won't feel relief", she said.
This woman is downright sadistic and insane, thought Knuckles as he rubbed his legs together trying to relieve himself. When Vespa was met with silence, she pushed the green button again and Knuckles tensed up as he felt the strong electric currents travel through sex organs before she pressed the red button to make it stop. It hadn't matter that she stopped the current because the feeling was still there, Knuckles wanted so badly to relieve the pressure building up in his loins but the stockade kept his hands in place and rubbing his legs together did nothing.
"We can do this all day long, I'm very patient and quite frankly, I find it amusing to watch you squirm. Unable to release that pressure within you, honestly it's a disgusting practice you mammals partake in. I don't understand the appeal of it but then again I, along with every other Insectoids species, don't share the same anatomy so what would I know? But it does make for a better form of torture than simply inflicting pain on you because I can tell you like this but you can't take it any further", said Vespa as she pressed the green button again.
Knuckles moaned loudly as a thin stream of drool leaked out of the side of his mouth, his breathing becoming shallow and heavy and as the currents got stronger, one thought ran through his mind: Rouge. When he was being tortured, all he could think about was his wife and the look of fear in her eyes as he was taken away. He kept thinking about how she must've been feeling at the moment, maybe she was still scared.
It was then that Knuckles knew he couldn't give in, not when he had someone who loved him and was fearing for his safety, and he also knew he couldn't betray Fluke after he had turned against his mother and people to help him. Fluke was a good boy, he thought all of this was wrong and wanted no part of it; he kind of reminded Knuckles of his daughter Ruby, and if he would endure any form of torture for his family, then he'd take it to protect Fluke.
Knuckles looked up at Vespa with a strained grin of defiance, "D-d-do w-w-whatever you want t-t-to m-m-me! I'm strong enough to h-h-handle it!", he struggled to say. Vespa growled in frustration, "You know you're starting to remind me of a Hobidon who was just as defiant! He would say the same things as you and no matter how much and how long we tortured him, he never gave in. I was forced to kill him because I had ran out of ways to break him; consider yourself lucky that you won't suffer the same fate as I need you but prepare yourself for long hours of this because I won't relent in my goal of breaking you or demanding to know where my son is!", she growled.
She pushed the green button once more, sending more electricity through Knuckles' lower body but this time he took it in stride, even keeping that defiant grin on his face despite the fact that he was struggling to hold back his moans.
Back in the mines, Sonic woke up as he felt the need to use the bathroom; he slowly untangled himself from Amy and quietly walked out of the cubby without waking anyone else. He walked around the mine half asleep while looking for a guard to take him to a bathroom when his werehog ears suddenly picked up a weird sound coming from deeper inside the mines.
Sonic walked in the direction of the sound until he came to a hole in the floor about three feet wide with a glowing purple light flashing out of it; as he moved closer to the hole, he began to hear what sounded like voices. Sonic peered into the hole to see a small group of Hobidons and Insectoids gathered together in front of what looked like an electrical device, which was where the purple light came from, it was the bolt of electricity that buzzed through the device.
Sonic watched as a Mothrel stood on a flat rock in front of a crudely painted picture of what looked like a dragon with black scales, red eyes and golden horns, and from the looks of it, the group was chanting some strange things.
"Hallelejah, Febreus is peace! Follow God's work! Deliver us! After only a slight punishment he received great blessings because the Cosmos had tested him and found him worthy to control the balance of life and death! In the name of Lord Febreus! In the name of Lord Febreus who sacrificed his happiness for us and became a God! Febreus, o holy Febreus! Hear our pain, hear our voices, hear our prayers! Accept our sacrifices! Yes! Accept our sacrifices!
"His end was regarded as a misfortune and his departure from us as annihilation. But he is peace! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! In the name of Lord Febreus, who now dwells among the immortals! He shall judge the people and rule over this world and the next! Those who trust in him, shall then know the truth! Grace and mercy shall be bestowed upon his elect! Deliver us! O Febreus, thou God of Death and Suffering! Our wounds are full of blood, as once your wounds were full of blood!"
Sonic watched as some of the Hobidons and Insectoids took sharp rocks and cut into their arms before throwing themselves into the bolts of purple energy, electrocuting themselves; they writhed and screamed in agony before falling over with singed fur and pained expressions. Sonic gasped in horror at what he was seeing, these people kept hurting themselves while screaming and chanting about some god.
Suddenly Sonic jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned around to see one of the night guards in charge of watching the slaves at night. "What are you doing outside of your cubby?", he asked. "I needed to use to bathroom and...", Sonic trailed off as he didn't know how to explain to the guard that he stumbled upon what he could only assume was a Slave Suicide Cult where a bunch of the Hobidon and Insectoid slaves were chanting about a God while trying to either hurt or kill themselves.
The guard simply led him into the castle to a rather extravagant looking bathroom before stepping outside to give him privacy; Sonic sighed as he walked over to the toilet and proceeded to take a leak, all the while thinking about what he saw in that hole in the ground. It actually terrified him that some of the slaves had formed a death cult, most likely out of desperation.
Kimba had told them that half of the slave population believed Sonic and his friends could lead them to freedom and, since Sonic did have friends back home who probably already knew they were kidnapped and were coming to help them, they'd be right; then there was the other half of the slave population that feared and hated Sonic and his friends because Queen Vespa needed them alive and healthy for her plans so they weren't allowed to become sick or injured.
They also weren't wrong for thinking so because the guards gave Rouge water and a back massage when she got tired, a guard put medicine and a bandage on the back of Silver's head after a slave pelted him with a rock, they fed Sonic and the others ambrosia which tasted like yogurt and had more nutritional value than the sloppy gruel they fed the slaves, they're letting him and the others sleep in a cave with a pillow for a floor and right now Sonic was being allowed to pee in a toilet in a bathroom as opposed to behind a tree or in a bucket or wherever they forced the slaves to pee at.
Basically, Sonic and his friends were being treated like the queen's pets and the slaves, who she cared so little about that she could kill them and force them to procreate as much and as frequently as she wanted with no remorse, despised them for it but what they didn't understand was that Sonic and his friends were just as much prisoners as they were. They had no say in any of this and if it wasn't for the cuffs that injected nanobots into their bodies to control their movements, they'd easily fight back.
Sonic sighed sadly as he realized that maybe a small group of slaves who felt that way about him and his friends had gotten desperate for freedom that they formed a cult, and began praying to some God they knew to be freed and then killed themselves because they thought that death was their only way out. Now Sonic didn't want to tell the guard what he saw because he felt that would only make things worse, make more slaves hate them, and that included the ones that did like him and his friends.
He finished using the toilet, washed his large hands and left the bathroom where the guard was waiting for him; he was led back to the cubby where he quietly crawled inside and curled around Amy without waking her and the others. Sonic figured he wouldn't tell the guards about the cult but he will make a note of telling his friends about it, they needed to know about this too and it wouldn't seem fair or even responsible to keep it to himself because he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he'll see that cult.
Author's Note: That's it for Chapter 19 and I'm sorry for taking too long to update but I have so much going on in my life that I don't always have the time to update my story but I thank all of you anyway for your patience and understanding. I'm sure you all know what it's like to make something on the internet people like but your personal life can get in the way. Anyway stay tuned for Chapter 20; until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out!