Bonnie had no idea how much time had passed. 3 times a day the guards came and gave her a swig of warm water, likely what they used for the pets if they had any. And once a day she was fed some sort of meat that was cooked.
She remembered 8 different "water breaks", so it was at least two days straight in the blistering sun. At night, when the desert cooled, she tried to rest her strained eyes. She couldn't sleep, as the hot floor retained its heat until the next morning. She sweated nonstop, which only made her more uncomfortable. Her dark gray body had taken a soft red tone, while still retaining its gray color. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the gag had hardened into a proper hard lump, drying around her lips like glue. The herbs had helped to numb the pain of the sunburn, which seared each time she moved or stretched, but left her with hardly any ability to focus through the pain she did feel. She had never been so uncomfortable in her life, and begged for her friends to come and rescue her.
She remembered some things from her to take her foggy mind off the situation. Her boyfriend, her soft cozy bed, and ice cream. Oh, ice cream, she missed it most of all. She literally ate it for almost every meal, except special occasions with fancy food. Cold ice cream would be the first thing she'd pursue when she got home. Heck, Stuart would probably bring some for her. The only suffering he permitted was the kind he made. Not in an abusive way, mind…
Her musings were interrupted when the guards covered up the hole in the ceiling, dousing the heat. Bonnie was instantly relieved, almost giving up on floating and wanting to fall asleep. The guards gave her water, Unchained her, and carried her out. Her whole body stung to the touch, but the water was too nice to complain. Not that she could, with the gag in. She was sat down, in as close to a kneeling position as a shuppet could muster, in front of the leader.
"She is ready. Time for the final step. Get her dressed. We go to the throne in two hours when the sun is at it's highest!" The leader declared.
Bonnie tried to parse the new orders, shaking her head to clear it. There was another step?
She understood when her whole body began to sting. A yellow dress-like gown was being forced over her head. As they did this, the leader came down to forcefully remove the gag, which peeled off painfully from her sunburnt face. When it was out, Bonnie was surprised to see just how well it had formed to her mouth to keep her from speaking.
"O-ow! P-please, I'm sorry! Forgive me!" She begged the leader.
"You will have your chance to repent." the leader explained. "In our sacrifice, it is foretold that if anyone survives the final trial until we've gotten instructions from our deity, they will be set free and rule the desert. Perhaps you will survive… finish getting her prepared." He ordered.
Bonnie looked down at the dress. It went down the length of her body, but was frayed and tattered at the end. The white collar on the dress was thick and uncomfortable as well. It stuck painfully to her burnt body, making tears form in her eyes. White reflective face paint was appiled under her eyes, and a small veil was pulled over her face, hiding the bottom half of her face.
Whatever they were preparing her for, they seemed to want her to last. They brought in a large jug of water, cautiously tipping it so that every drop would be forced into her mouth. She drank voluntarily for a bit, needing the hydration, but it was clear they were going to be overstuffing her. Unable to pull away, the contents were poured into her until no water came out. She fell backwards, too heavy to float on her own, and any movement resulted in gross sloshing sounds from within her stomach.
She was carried by the leader for what looked like miles, through the desert towards what was no doubt it's center. The sun only grew hotter, though not yet as insufferable as the torture chamber. They soon arrived at what looked like a metal throne, a small yellow crown resting in the sand by it. Bonnie noticed a short cable connected to the throne, which made her curious as to it's purpose.
The leader and the pair of dwellers that came along chanted as the leader connected the cable to Bonnie's collar like a leesh. When he let go, Bonnie was forced back onto the throne, her back touching the hot back of it completely. The cable seemed to draw itself back in as much as it could, meaning that Bonnie was forced to sit properly on the throne for the duration of the twisted ceremony. To her terror, she figured out what the throne was for.
Sitting by her was a bone, possibly human or another humanoid species. Something had died on this seat, no doubt dried up in the desert sun, and wild animals had dragged the body away, only leaving a single bone they missed. This was their sacrifice.
"You guys can't leave me like this! Please!" Bonnie cried, flying off the throne as far as she could. She could get about three feet away before the cable refused to give her more length.
The leader grabbed the crown on the ground with a cloth, no doubt to avoid burning himself on the hot metal material. The crown was silver, with a round yellow silk cover giving it a more sophisticated look. Bonnie also noticed, on the inside, was a metal piece in the shape of a simplistic sun, matching an orange gem on the front. The leader applied a resin to the crown, attaching it to Bonnie's head like glue. She had never felt such a cute pain. The crown, which looked to be baking in the sun for months, felt like it would turn the top of her head into molten slag. The piece inside the crown pushed onto the top of her head like a brand, no doubt leaving a mark of the same shape. She screamed, and was flung back to the throne.
She tried to fly to the dwellers, but they backed off and began to go to their desert homes. Bonnie was stranded, trapped in this new royal attire and bound to the wickedly hot metal throne in the middle of the desert. She tried desperately to break away, not believing she had much time before the heat really got to her...