The Nile River Turns into Blood (version 8)

Later that day, Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Rouge, Silver, and Blaze left the palace and wandered around the building sites where the Hebrew Mobians were working on another temple, and they were all exhausted from all the hard work they were put through. The same old Mobian which Sonic and Shadow saved from the harsh flogging of Sir Ffuzzy Logik years ago, looked over at them and glared, "It's Sonic and Shadow!" He grabbed some mud and angrily threw it at Sonic and Shadow. The mud hit them in the face and they fell into the mixing area, getting covered in mud.

"Sonic, Shadow!" Amy, Rouge, Silver, and Blaze gasped in alarm as they ran down to help Sonic and Shadow. A familiar voice spoke up, "So, Sonic and Shadow, how does it feel when you get struck to the ground?" Sonic's group looked up and saw Manic standing above them and glaring. Sonic looked away in shame and said, "Shadow and I didn't mean to cause you more pain."

"We're just trying to do as God told us." Shadow reassured calmly and sadly.

Manic exclaimed in disbelief, "God? When did God start caring about any of us? In fact, Sonic, when did you *and* Shadow start caring about slaves?" The other Hebrews gathered over and Manic continued, "Was it when you, Sonic, found out you were one of us, and you, Shadow, realized how selfish you were towards us?"

"Don't listen to him," Rouge assured Sonic and Shadow. "Rouge's right." Amy agreed. "He just wants to make you feel bad." Silver agreed too. "Yes." Blaze said in agreement. Sonic and Shadow just sighed, "No, he's right." Sonic said softly. "Shadow and I did not see because we did not wish to see." Manic sarcastically said, "Oh, you didn't see because you didn't wish to see. Oh boy! Well, that makes everything fine, doesn't it?"

"Manic!" a feminine voice shot at him. Manic gasped when he saw Sonia standing in front of him and glaring at him. "You shame yourself!" she said in anger. She came down the mixing area and Sonic smiled, "Sonia." He hadn't seen his sister since the day he and Shadow found out about Sonic's true heritage, and he, along with Shadow, kept thinking about her since they started their new life with the Midianites.

Sonia looked down at him and Shadow with a soft and gentle smile. Sonic said to her sadly, "I'm so sorry." He didn't know what else to say and he put his hand over his face, ashamed of what he put her through. "Can you forgive me, for throwing you on the ground before?" Shadow calmly asked sadly, shedding a tear of guilt.

Sonia felt sorry for her brother and his stepbrother and knelt down to them. "Of course. Apology accepted." She said with a nod. Shadow and Sonic smiled softly and sadly, glad to see Sonia has accepted their apology.

Then she said to Sonic softly, "Sonic, hear what I say; I have been a slave all my life, and God has never answered my prayers until now. God saved you from the river, 'He' saved you in all your wanderings, and even now, 'He' saved you from the wrath of Pharaoh. And 'He' even blessed you...."

She gently lifted Shadow's chin up to look at her. "With a kind-hearted Egyptian prince who actually cares about not only you, but in all of us, in Shadow."

Shadow smiled calmly and softly, glad to see that even Sonia has placed her trust in him. Then Sonia said to them, "God will not abandon you both, so don't you both abandon us." They both looked over and saw Manic and the Mobian Hebrews looking at Sonic and Shadow. Their sadness turned into determination and Sonic grabbed his staff and used it to help himself off the ground with Shadow helping him. He and Shadow looked over and saw a riverboat on the Nile. They knew it belongs to Scourge.

With determination, they walked over to the shores of the river and Manic watched as Sonia followed him. He said in shock, "Sonia, where are you going?" She didn't answer and Amy, Rouge, Silver, Blaze, and the other Mobian Hebrews followed her. He wanted to know where everyone was going and followed them to the shores.

Sonic and Shadow looked over and saw the boat nearby. On the boat, Scourge was relaxing on his throne drinking wine while being fanned by two servants, and Decoe and Bocoe were entertaining Vanitas. The young prince laughed as Bocoe moved a few cylinders around on a table between them and said to him, "The ball disappears. Now, where is it? In his hand." Decoe took out a small ball from his hand and the boy laughed at their trick and he and Scourge applauded.

Sonic and Shadow ran down to the shoreline and Sonic called to them, "Scourge! Let my people go!" The royals looked over to see them standing there. Scourge chuckled and called to them, "Still gnawing away at that bone, are we?" He said to the priests, "Carry on."

Shadow took Sonic's left flank as they followed the boat and called to Scourge, You cannot keep ignoring us!" Scourge said in annoyance, "Enough! I will hear no more of this Mobian Hebrew nonsense." He said to his guards, "Bring him to me." Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts brought out their swords and jumped in the water and started swimming to shore.

Amy and Rouge yelled in shock, "Sonic, Shadow!" They tried running over to the shore, but Sonia, Manic, Silver, and Blaze grabbed their arms and held them back. The Mobian Hebrews all watched in concern as the guards started making their way to Sonic and Shadow and Vanitas also watched, but Sonic and Shadow just stood there on the shore.

Dark clouds started gathering to the land and Sonic and Shadow looked up and remembered what God said to Sonic, "Take the staff in your hand, Sonic." He held his staff in front of him and slowly got in the water as the guards got closer. He dipped the end of the staff in the water and suddenly, the water turned from clear to bloody red. The guards stopped to a halt at the water change, and Amy, Rouge, Silver, Blaze, Sonia, and Manic arrived at the shore when they came to a stop at seeing the water changing.

The red water reached the guards and Scratch dipped his hand in it to get a closer look at it. At the boat, Vanitas dipped his own hand in the water to feel it. He brought his arm back up and said to Scourge, "Father..."

"It's..." Sonia gasped as she, Manic, Silver, Blaze, Amy and Rouge backed away in calm shock.

"BLOOD!!" Scratch gasped in horror.

The guards were horrified and swam back to the boat, screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs. The Mobian Hebrews watched as the guards swam back to the boat and flailed about frantically. Scourge got off his throne and the guards came back to the boat and frantically tried to get on the boat, splashing blood all over him.

Scourge gasped in disgust at the blood and called to the priests, "Decoe! Bocoe! Explain this to me!" The priests were startled by his attitude and were shocked about this sorcery. Bocoe said to him calmly, "Rest assured, Your Majesty!" Decoe got out a bowl and jug of water and said as he filled the bowl with water, "Uh, yes, we're going to demonstrate the superior might of our gods."

He turned around to make sure no one was watching him, and he brought out some red powder from his robes. "By the power of Ra!" he said as he threw the powder into the bowl and in an instant, the water turned red like the Nile. Scourge dipped his hand into the water and watched as it dripped off his hand.

He chuckled in amusement and called out to Sonic and Shadow, who was surrounded only by clear water instead of the blood, "Abandon this futile mission, Sonic and Shadow! I've indulged you long enough! This must now be finished!" The Mobian Hebrews all watched as the boat rowed away and Shadow said quietly, "No, Scourge. It is only the beginning." "Yes." Sonic whispered in agreement.

Manic came over to them and said to them, "But, Sonic, Prince Shadow, d-didn't you see what happened? The priest did the same thing. Pharaoh still has the power over our lives." Sonic came over to his brother and said as he put his hand on his shoulder, "Yes, Manic, it's true. Pharaoh has the power." Shadow then said to the other Mobian Hebrews, "He can take away your food, your home, your freedom. He can take away your sons and daughters. With one word, Pharaoh can take away your very lives. But there is one thing Sonic and I do know he cannot take away from you; Your faith." The Mobians Hebrews all felt a little better and Sonia smiled. Even Amy, Rouge, Silver, and Blaze smiled calmly and proudly at them.

"Believe, for we will see God's wonders," Sonic added as they all watched as dark clouds gathered over Egypt.

"And in time, you will all be free because of Sonic and me." Shadow agreed, looking as well.