Honesty is the Best Policy {Comic Edition}

Chapter 69: A Change of Pace

And now, in the words of Dr. Eggman, it's time for a change of pace! (I'm totally not just doing this to take attention away from what Honest did last chapter.)

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The castle loomed over the desolate plain on the outskirts of the city, its ancient-looking tattered banners hanging motionless in the perpetually still air. A creeping vine twisted up the old stone face of the building beside the great wooden door Scourge had installed to fortify the entrance. The building was still a long way from being totally secure, but it was a start. It wasn't like the king had anything to fear from his people, but still, he was far removed from his days of living in an abandoned office building with a loyal (er, well, maybe that was a stretch) group of friends surrounding him at all times.

However, Rosy wasn't thinking about any of those things as a mist of rage flooded her vision. All she saw was red. Her vision was tinted red, and with a powerful kick, she burst through the door, sending tremors through the castle's walls.

There was one lamp lit in the throne room, where the king of Moebius was sitting, waiting for Rosy's return. He had lights hung up in all the most important rooms, but he was having trouble getting electricity to all of them. Scourge assumed the power issues were caused by rats chewing on wires, but he was unsure. He aimed to get into that problem at a later date.

Scourge's ears flew up, recognizing the unexpected sound. He jumped up from where he had been perched on the throne, swiftly locking his phone and tucking it into a pocket in his jacket. He called out, "Hey, Rosy! You're back! So, how did Doctor Kintobor react?"

Yesterday, Scourge had discovered that Doctor Kintobor's veterinary hospital had been ruthlessly attacked and thoroughly vandalized by an unknown group. Although the thought of anyone destroying property in the city besides Scourge annoyed him, the attack wasn't without benefits. In order to capitalize on the doctor's sudden strike of bad luck, Scourge had sent Rosy to the clinic with a care package that morning so that he could hopefully get Doctor Kintobor to start relying on him. It was small, but hopefully this little act of kindness would be enough to help him get the word out that he was indeed still the ruler of this planet. Not it seemed that Rosy had returned from her mission.

To his surprise and dismay, when Rosy came around the corner, she was clutching her hammer with both hands and glaring at him with murderous intent. "Exactly how you wanted him to," she answered, her voice laced with venom. "He genuinely believes you've changed." The fuchsia hedgehog looked tiny in the large open doorway that led into the throne room. However, Scourge could almost see the steam coming from her ears and her shoulders going up and down as her rage seemed to boil and bubble within her.

Scourge gave out a thoughtful chuckle and rubbed his chin. "Good. I can't wait to break his heart." He sounded cheerful. However, he would really have to be an idiot not to notice her sour mood. His smile died as he said, "Let me guess, you let him talk you into something."

Rosy gritted her teeth. She couldn't forget what had transpired shortly before her imprisonment in the castle. Buns had been visiting Doctor Kintobor for a while and had suggested to Rosy that she try visiting him as well so that, maybe, he could help her, too. It wasn't a guarded secret what Rosy had done to herself— no, what Scourge had done to her— with the Ring of Acorns. Buns knew that she needed help, but Scourge wouldn't allow Rosy to seek help, instead proposing that isolating herself in the castle might be what she needed. Maybe it was just because he was cruel, maybe it was because he truly and utterly hated her. However, it was probably just that he wanted to set a trap while he was gone to protect the castle, and what better dangerous obstacle to trap inside the castle than the very monster he had created?