#gecky

Act 2

 Upon entering the castle, Sonic and Tails were met with its grand interior. A red carpet lined the floor and the brightly, torch lit walls were lined with book cases, each one full to the brim with colourful volumes.

“It’s not so creepy once you get inside,” squeaked Tails cheerfully, wringing out his tails of the remaining rainwater, “I think it’s really welcoming!”

“I’m not so sure about that,” replied Sonic, directing the fox’s attention to the ceiling, “Nothing says creepy like Robotnik!”

Sure enough, the ceiling was decorated with draped flags of assorted colours, each one baring a familiar moustached face with a sinister grin.

Not put off by this revelation, Sonic and Tails begun wandering down the halls, inspecting them for anything unusual.

“Now why would old Egg face build a place like this?” Sonic pondered. “I’d be on the look out for traps if I were you, Tails.”

Tails had become distracted by the discovery of a cosy bedroom area, and was excitedly jumping up and down on the soft mattress of one of the beds.

“I don’t know, Sonic, it seems pretty nice to me!”

“Yeah, but when has Robotnik ever made anything nice that wasn’t at the misery of others?”

Tails thought for a moment, and then cautiously slipped off the bed. Perhaps it would be safer if he stuck by Sonic’s side. But try as they might, neither could find anything remotely threatening inside the castle walls. Maybe Robotnik really did mean no harm this time. It was at the first sound of movement that Sonic and Tails decided that they didn’t want to push their luck and find out. They leapt for the nearest hiding spot among the ceiling rafts and held their breath.

“A badnik!” whispered Tails as an unsuspecting robot walked past, dressed fittingly as a knight. When the coast was clear, Sonic suggested that they stay low and try to figure out what Robotnik was up to. Tails believed that this suggestion was oddly out of character, as Sonic was normally the first to jump into action. Sonic explained,

“If we manage to stay clear of the badniks and go undetected, we may be able to camp out here ‘till morning.”

Maybe that trek through the woodlands really did tire him out, Tails thought to himself.

           As they continued to creep down the halls, Tails’ nose picked up a scent.

“Mmm! Do you smell that?”

The air was quickly filled with the pleasant smells of fresh cooking. Either it wasn’t just robots inside the building or they were heading towards a trap set out for them. It smelt good but spelt trouble.

“Sonic, I’m really hungry! Can I sneak in and grab a bite to eat? I promise I won’t get caught!”

Sonic knew that this was a bad idea but had trouble saying no to the kid fox’s sweet little face. Besides, maybe it would bring them closer to the bottom of the castle’s mystery, and he couldn’t deny that he was also feeling a bit peckish after all that running around. It was settled. They would aim for the food but stay hidden.

           What Sonic and Tails found was a grand dining hall, with smartly dressed robots laying a huge banquet table full of meals. Plates of ham, roast vegetables and elaborately decorated cakes were amongst the masses of food laid out before them. The whole thing resembled something of a medieval feast.

“I’m sure they won’t notice if one little pastry were to go missing” whispered Tails as he crawled under the table, Sonic following shortly behind him. But before he could steal anything above him, he was startled by a sudden fanfare. A robot with a large trumpet had summoned someone into the room, and that someone was none other than Dr. Robotnik himself!

           “Ladies and Gentlebots, it is a great pleasure to have such a large attendance for the official, grand opening of Castle Eggman,” boomed Robotnik, his voice echoing off the castle walls. “That is of course, because anyone who refused their invite would have found themselves as scrap metal!”

The hall was filled with awkward laughter from the robot attendees, as Sonic and Tails were forced to sit still under the table and remain quiet.

“We shall now commence with the grand feast!” Robotnik looked around at his robotic creations, and then grinned.

“That is to say, I shall!”

           It’s not fair, thought Tails. Robotnik had a whole banquet’s worth to himself, and here he was, starving and having to hide right under all this food! He couldn’t help his stomach from rumbling. He nervously clutched hold of it as Sonic mimed for him to keep quiet, but to his luck, no one else seemed to notice, and the banquet continued as normal. Sonic and Tails smiled at each other for their luck, but perhaps too soon.

Clink!

A fork had fallen under the table, and one of the servant badniks was quick to reach down and pick it back up. Only it hadn’t grabbed the fork, but Sonic’s foot. Sonic winced as the cold robot’s hand felt his shoe, but to his surprise, it unknowingly dismissed him and aimed instead for the fork. Two times they had gone unnoticed, but they knew they couldn’t keep up this hide and seek act for much longer, and were very keen for the banquet to end as soon as possible.

“Now that you are all gathered here,” said Robotnik between mouthfuls “It’s a fine time to go over your role in the castle. You are to patrol the halls at all times and deal with any unwanted intruders. It seems you’ve been doing a good job so far, save for tonight’s special guests”

A shiver went down Sonic and Tails’ backs as Robotnik suddenly cast and evil grin in their direction.