Ack….
That took a lot longer than expected what is wrong with me nowadays I'm so slow with updates despite enjoying this story soooooooooooooooooo much. Someone hit me on the head with a wooden hammer or something already…Well, hopefully the content of this chapter will make up for it all. I have to say that it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped but I guess it's still okay.
I don't really have much to say for the author's note for this chapter so I'm just gonna skip right to the review replies from here.
Review replies time:
Scourge From BloodClan: Well, I couldn't have cliffhangers all the time now could I?
NickyRockit: Lol really good guess with the queen. You'll see why in this chapter. I'm so glad I can rouse up readers' emotions when they're still halfway through reading the story so thank you for telling me that you got the feels! I'm very happy! I'm sorry though, you guessed wrong Ardor's identity here…sad…now, I wonder how this chapter will work out for you!
M3ccoSURF: My…your username is confusing I typed it wrongly more than three times…I must be going stupid or something…=_=" But oh well, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks a million for the compliments! I'm sorry you guessed Ardor's identity wrong as well…how sad, but I guess it's a hard question. Well, the team will meet Chaos now. See how it happens! And aw! Thanks so much for saying you love my fics! Here's a (virtual) cake! *hands over giant three-layered cake with lots of frosting and sprinkles*
There we are! Now enjoy the chapter please!
PART ELEVEN: TRUTH OF THE BLUE GUARDIANS
Chaos was in the medical room. He had finally regained consciousness. At first he was confused about where he was when he sat up, but before long all the memories came flooding back to him. He clutched his head in pain.
Pain. That was all he had been feeling since he was revived. He had gotten his sanity back, which felt like something that had become impossible after being trapped in madness for so long. The pain he felt, well, he'd be lying if he said he didn't mind it, but he did feel like it was a small price to pay for that. Chaos was truly grateful to Ace for breaking the madness in him. However, he knew that with his power depleted, it wouldn't be long before he disappeared forever. He knew he would be utterly destroyed.
"Heh...guess I'm payin' fer what I did ta ya..." He said as he recalled how Ace had forced himself into another fake body which would cause his own death once he beat his possessed real one, "It's only fair...ya didn't desoive it..."
The pain didn't leave, in fact it grew worse with his words. He clutched his head tighter and fell into a foetal position back on the bed. He was pretty close to the edge so if he fell off it wouldn't be too much of a surprise. He wouldn't even have cared. Chaos gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep his mouth shut and trap the scream threatening to escape from his throat. He felt like he was being by several blades over and over, and his body contorted in agony at the slightest movement he made.
Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped. Chaos looked down at his hands. They had been transparent a second ago, but the colour was flowing back to him and making them solid again. He let out a breath of both relief and worry. He didn't really mind the fact that he would disappear. His existence had never exactly been meaningful, but he was afraid that he would disappear before he could complete the tasks he set out to do. He had to stop the Blue Guardians and find Ace. He had to fix the problems he caused, and he wouldn't be able to do that if he no longer existed. What's more, he feared he would never be able to apologize or thank Ace for everything that had happened. He had no other reason to continue living aside from those...not anymore.
The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. His hearing wasn't super but it was still pretty sensitive so he could tell that the footsteps didn't just come from one or two pairs of feet.
A terrifying chill ran down his spine. If Nutrix and Tech weren't with him, they would be out of the tower or at least be on a different floor. If that was the case no one should be in the tower, since Chaos remembered the alarms which signaled trouble in the city, alarms that once rang because of his actions. That meant the Loonatics would have to go on some mission. But if he was hearing so many footsteps, did it mean they were back? Chaos had to admit he was scared. He was scared to face them. For so long he had been trying to contact them using the little amount of power he had retained since that day two months ago. Power he only got back recently. He could never get through. But when he finally did with Tech, who was the one he trusted the most in the group for some reason despite knowing that Tech actually hated him far more than any of the others somehow, he had only told the coyote minimal information and allowed the connection to break. That was when he realized his own fear. Fear of facing the Loonatics. When he met Tech face-to-face, he had felt so scared he allowed the pain to take over for a lot longer than it should have. Nutrix had been horrified but he managed to convince her to leave and find Tech in his place. He didn't regret that but it made him feel like completely useless coward. A pathetic fool who couldn't face his own mistakes.
"N-No...d'ey're all back...already...?" He whispered to himself as the pain which only stopped less than a minute ago threatened to return, "What do I do...I can't face d'em...I..."
The pain came back so suddenly, Chaos couldn't suppress his scream. That's when the footsteps came to an abrupt stop.
~0~
Everyone froze when they heard the scream. The scream sounded exactly like the former Loonatics leader's voice. To Rev, it brought back memories that he wanted to forget. During the final battle with the possessed side of Ace at that time, Rev had been controlled like a puppet through one of Chaos's special spells, which activated once he touched the Unbound Sword, the weapon Chaos wielded at the time. He ended up having to fight Ace while the others occupied Chaos. To make a very risky plan work, Rev had forced himself, with every bit if willpower he had, to stab his team leader right in the chest with the sword. The shock of actually doing it had allowed him to regain his control over his body, but he still would have preferred it if he was the one stabbed. Ace didn't die then, due to his false body being pretty much immortal at that point in time, but the feeling of fatally wounding someone he cared about nearly killed the roadrunner inside. Ace also didn't scream at the time, but Rev had honestly wished he had. He remembered wishing that the bunny would yell something at him for following the plan.
The sound of the scream that sounded like it could belong to Ace nearly made Rev lose his cool and speed right into the room the scream came from, which was the medical room. In fact, he would've done so, had Nutrix and Tech not beat him to it in his momentary stillness brought on by the shock. The two opened the room door and rushed inside, but before anyone else could get in they closed the door and pretty much locked it. At once Lexi started to pound on the door, clearly thinking the same thing Rev and everyone else was thinking.
"Tech?! Tech what was that?! Open the door! That's an order!" Lexi exclaimed, but all they heard was more screaming from whoever it was inside with the coyote and Blue Guardians nurse. It really did sound like Ace. Before long almost everyone outside the door was pounding on it and shouting, even Zadavia. That wasn't a good sign at all. Rev was on the verge of panicking, and he knew that everyone else was the same. He had never exactly realized how much Ace's death had truly affected them until that very second. The roadrunner could hear Tech and Nutrix shouting at whoever it was screaming to calm down, but that person clearly wouldn't, and even started to sound even more frantic. It was extremely painful and confusing to hear.
Then, finally, after a long time, the screaming stopped. It was pretty sudden, so the Loonatics also stopped their own actions. The door opened and Tech stepped out, forcing the others back before he closed the door again. The look on his face was one of agony, guilt and self-loathing. Why did he have such a terrible expression? It was so unlike him.
"T-Tech...what''s going on? Answer me. Now." Lexi said with a dark tone to her shaky voice. She was also trembling a lot, and Rev couldn't blame her. He was getting chills and feeling very uncomfortable as well. He wanted to support Tech, but he knew that there was no way he could at that moment in time. Tech clearly didn't want it, and besides, Rev knew no more about the situation or reason behind the coyote's actions than anyone else in the team. Tech bit his lip, forcing himself to look up at the current Loonatics leader.
"I guess there's no chance anymore. I'll tell you everything I know right now alright?" Tech said, and carried on without waiting for any form of answer and he already knew he wouldn't need one.
"The reason I kept this from you all is that this companion of Nutrix's...well, he's someone we all hate. He's the one responsible for Ace's death two months ago." the coyote told them. Rev froze. The one responsible for Aces death...? But that could only mean...
The door to the medical room opened and a bunny anthro in the yellow Loonatics suit appeared with Nutrix holding onto him. Rev was shocked beyond anything when he saw those prism-like eyes.
"Yes...it's me..." Chaos said in a very weak voice, not daring to look up at anyone. As expected, Lexi got over the shock first and lunged at him, but Tech held her back. She started to squirm and tried to get the coyote to let go of her, but he wouldn't. Without thinking Rev pulled her back as well and asked Slam to help restrain her. The Tasmanian devil looked shocked at the suggestion and Rev felt guilty for asking. He knew that Slam wouldn't want to allow Chaos off easily either, but the roadrunner couldn't bear to see Lexi lost control of herself right then. Luckily for him, Slam did what he asked, though he was clearly distressed for doing so, and Lexi's thrashing and yells to let her go were only making them worse.
"Tech, what is the meaning of this?" Zadavia said finally, though her own rage, barely controlled. showed through easily, "Why is he alive, and why are you working with him?"
For a while Tech and Nutrix said nothing in response, and Chaos was staring the the floor with a strange expression. Rev really disliked the possessed bunny, but he never actually hated him, although he was sure he was the only one in the team who didn't. Even though it had been him who nearly witnessed his family members' deaths while almost dying along with them, having escaped due to no more than pure luck, even though it had been his home that was destroyed and his family ended up in comas in the hospital, how could he possibly hate Chaos? He was still Ace after all, and had been controlled by the Chaos Crystal right? Sure Ace had split them in half but they were definitely the same person, the only difference was that one side was possessed by an external force. To Rev, if anyone was to be blamed and hated it was without a doubt Deuce, for bringing the crystal to Acmetropolis in the first place. But once he saw Chaos standing there, in Ace's form, while Ace was supposed to be dead, Rev wasn't so sure if they really were the same person anymore. But they had to be...right...? Then Rev properly saw Chaos's expression. It surprised him. The guy in Ace's form looked like he wanted to die. His expression was full of what Rev had felt when he had to stab Ace-guilt. He felt guilty?
Rev remembered the personality Chaos had back when he was opposing the team and trying to destroy them all. He had been scary, murderous and cared nothing for anyone else. Also, he had been an extremely proud and arrogant person. For him to even look guilty, which should have been considered pathetic or weak to people like him, should mean he really felt the pain of what he had done. He had to regret his actions to have that expression right? That was when Rev noticed something else. He nearly slapped himself for not noticing something that obvious right away. He supposed the sight of Chaos's eyes, something he never thought he'd have to see again, just shocked him more than he realized. Chaos was clearly very weak, looking as if he was ready to collapse at any moment. He obviously couldn't even stand if Nutrix didn't hold him up, and the strangest part was that he seemed to be fading. It only lasted a second, but Rev could swear it on his life that Chaos had become almost fully transparent at one point.
"Tech..." he said slowly, his shock becoming replaced by something like concern, though not quite, as he uttered his best friend's name, making it the third time someone did so within the last five minutes, "Why...why is he in that condition? What happened to him?"
The surprise from everyone in the room hit him with the force of the truck. All pairs of eyes were on him, and while he tried his best to ignore them all and focus on the coyote, he couldn't help being unnerved. The surprise was expected though, he was pretty much showing concern to someone who caused their team leader to die after all. Even Chaos seemed dumbfounded as he was staring at Rev with wide eyes. He had opened his mouth to say something but shut it before he did. The roadrunner noticed this from the corner of his eye, but it wasn't important at the moment.
"Seriously-what-is-going-on-Tech-you-leave-suddenl y-and-then-when-we-need-you-at-the-hospital-you-sh ow-up-at-the-last-minute-and-with-a-Blue-Guardians -member-who-is-on-our-side-for-some-reason-and-the n-you-tell-us-she-has-some-companion-with-her-but- you-don't-say-who-and-it-turns-out-to-be-him-so-I- get-why-you-didn't-tell-us-at-first-but-why-would- you-trust-him-you-told-me-yourself-you-hated-him-e nough-to-wish-he-was-alive-so-you-could-kill-him-y ourself-and-also-something-is-clearly-wrong-with-h im-why-does-he-look-like-he'll-pass-out-on-us-at-a ny-second?!" Rev exclaimed, back at his normal speed when speaking. It was one of the only times when he had been allowed to speak for so long without interruption. The fact that he said so much so fast (despite being used to it) almost left him breathless, though the fact that he was yelling the entire time and that his emotions were pretty jumbled at that point contributed to that. Tech blinked at him, then let out a sigh of dread.
"There's a lot to explain. Maybe we should all move to the main room." he suggested. Rev glanced down at Lexi, whom he was still holding onto, though Slam did most of the work. He wasn't sure how she felt about all this, but she had turned from staring at Rev to Chaos. Rev followed her gaze and realized that Chaos had also shifted his position a little and was trying to stand on his own, though Nutrix made sure she held on. There was definitely no way he was alright, and Nutrix knew it. So did Rev, and he was certain Chaos knew it too. So why was he trying to look like he was okay? Rev inwardly gasped. Could he possibly be trying to pretend he was fine so the Loonatics wouldn't pity him? But if he was trying to gain trust he shouldn't mind them pitying him right? Rev was confused, but he highly doubted Chaos was faking anything. So what was he trying to do by pretending to be okay?
"Just stop already!" Nutrix suddenly shouted, making everyone jump. She was glaring at Chaos with worry and anger in her eyes. "You aren't fine alright?! If you didn't have to explain yourself I would've thrown you back onto that bed and forced you to rest already!"
The atmosphere was still tense, but Nutrix had lessened the effect a little. Lexi still had her gaze fixated on Chaos, but some of her self-restraint had returned and she was no longer struggling. Rev wasn't too sure if it was safe (or smart) to let her go at the moment, but he did anyway, and Slam mimicked his actions, with some minor growls of apology towards the female bunny. However, Lexi ignored them both and Rev turned to say he was sorry to Slam, who forgave him, fortunately.
"Nutrix's right." Lexi said, which increased the surprise in everyone, including Rev. The current Loonatics leader had a look of hatred in her eyes, and though they didn't really come close to Tech's when the coyote had been angry about Chaos before, not too long ago. Rev never understood why Tech was the one who really couldn't stand Chaos at all. He doubted the coyote knew the reason either. However, he stayed silent as he listened to Lexi continue.
"You really don't seem to be in good condition. Whether you're lying or not, we'll have to see, but for now, I will trust Tech's beliefs in you." she stated seriously, casting the form of Ace a warning glare. He actually shrank a little under that, though Rev seemed to be the only one who noticed that. Nutrix gave Lexi a grateful look, but it wasn't even acknowledged and the current Loonatics leader stormed down the hall to the main room without a word. The rest followed, all except for Chaos, Nutrix, Tech, and Rev himself. Zadavia had given them a questioning glance, but for some reason she didn't show any signs of anger anymore. Did she know something the others didn't?
~0~
Lexi sat on one of the couches, doing her best to hold back her tears. It wasn't fair. She had wanted to see Ace for so long, alive and well, but she was starting to think that everything was trying to play cruel jokes on her. First, there was Jack, someone none of the Loonatics knew but he ended up looking and acting identical to the former Loonatics leader and reminded her of him. He was a puzzle she couldn't figure out. He saved others without a thought for his own safety despite his condition, and yet later trapped himself in a burning room while having an episode. Lexi couldn't believe how horrible she had been to him by yelling unnecessarily at him. She started a fight with him which only made her feel worse about everything.
Then, Chaos, the side of Ace that had been possessed during that first mission involving the Chaos Crystal, possessed when he tried to protect his teammates almost at the cost of his life. That side of him caused Ace and the team to suffer immense emotional strain as he tried to destroy them both physically and mentally. That side of him which forced the teammates against each other and killed Ace in the end. He was alive and had been standing right in front of her. Lexi had so wanted to avenge Ace, no matter what the cost, but the truth is she had felt really glad that she was held back by Rev then Slam. She knew she would have stopped before she could really do anything to the replica of Ace as the Loonatics leader. Even if it was Ace's killer, she couldn't let herself do it in the end. She couldn't kill someone and become like the monster Chaos had once been. Lexi wasn't blind. She wasn't stupid. Even if that bunny anthro really was the same person as that psychopath who only wanted to destroy them, he wasn't the same monster he used to be. If he was, he would not have even come to the tower. And once Rev mentioned the strange condition he was in, she couldn't deny that there was something seriously wrong with him. However, the thing that stopped her angry thoughts were seeing Chaos try and pretend to be okay. Lexi had seen through him the second he did that. After all, Ace had done the same thing once. He had tried to pretend to be okay so no one would worry about him, but at the same time he did that because he had made a mistake and didn't want to give anyone a reason not to beat him up for it. Chaos was the same. Lexi knew that was definitely true.
Lexi hated to admit it, but she found herself wanting to help Chaos and Nutrix. For some reason, she could really believe they were on their side and that they really had no evil intentions towards the team. She was trusting them completely. That fact made her want to either slap herself or cry. Why did she trust them once she saw the guilt and pain on Chaos's face? Was her judgement being judged simply by how he looked? But Jack also looked like Ace and even acted like Ace, while Chaos was completely different. And yet, she had reacted to Jack more harshly and could not trust him at all. What was going on? What was wrong with her?
Nutrix had told her one tiny detail as they had boarded the ship from the hospital. That they were one and the same, that their feelings to their respective teammates were exactly the same. It was the same for everyone on the team, with only two people being exceptions to that rule. Nutrix had not said it loud enough for anyone else to hear, and she had told Lexi this very discreetly so no one noticed the exchange at all, and did not elaborate beyond that. It was very confusing the the current Loonatics leader. If she was in her right state of mind she would had given those words more thought, but Lexi was mentally drained with everything already. She hadn't even been ready to see those prism-like eyes again, eyes which had lost the malicious light in them, replaced with nothing but emptiness.
'Why was all this happening only now?!' she thought desperately to herself. She kept a calm face on the surface as Chaos and Nutrix came to the main room at last, followed by Tech and Rev. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle the situation but she planned to sit through it as much as she could manage. Hopefully, she'd have enough willpower left in her to remain in control. She had lost control yet again when she saw Chaos, and she was extremely disappointed and ashamed at herself. If she lost it one last time, she really wouldn't know what she'd do. But then again, each event that was happening was always more surprising than the last. So, what's next?
Nutrix forced Chaos down onto the couch before taking her seat next to him, both of them directly opposite Lexi and facing her. Tech sat near them, but not too close. Rev sat with Lexi and so did the rest of the Loonatics. Zadavia, however, remained standing. For a few minutes, no one said a single word. The tension was so thick one could have cut it with a knife. Finally, Lexi broke the ice.
"Okay, Nutrix, you said you'd explain. So you start." she said, making it sound more like an order than anything else. The Blue Guardian member, the human version of herself, looked up and their identical lime green eyes met. For that moment, both just stared at each other, then Nutrix closed her eyes, let out a breath she had been holding and started to tell the Loonatics and Zadavia as much as she knew.
"I've already explained this to Tech when Chaos called him out earlier tonight." she said, and some pairs of eyes turned to the coyote, who said nothing and kept looking straight at the Blue Guardians nurse. "We, the Blue Guardians, are actually all mere fragments of the Chaos Crystal. We were created, one after another, to be alternate versions of all of you here, as the last thing the crystal 'memorized', to put it simply, was all of you, before it shattered."
"Wait, you mean this 'thing' was destroyed?!" Duck exclaimed suddenly. Lexi looked over at him. The mallard looked so mad he could practically roast himself in those angry flames that almost seemed to surround him. Like everyone else, Duck never did like the crystal or Chaos. The fact that he obviously referred to the possessed side of Ace as 'this thing' proved the fact. Chaos, however, said nothing and stared at the floor. Lexi almost wanted to comfort him, but she also wanted to slap herself for the thought. She felt her frustration building and pushed it down quickly. She refused to lose control again. She was the new Loonatics leader. Losing control wouldn't help anyone. Nutrix, on the other hand, was pretty much the opposite.
"Don't call him a 'thing'!" she yelled at Duck angrily, jumping to her feet in rage. Duck mimicked her actions.
"I can call him whatever I like! This despicable 'thing' killed one of my friends!" he yelled back.
"You don't know anything! You...!" Nutrix started, but Chaos cut her off.
"Nutrix enough!" he shouted at her fiercely, but Lexi noticed something. His voice was shaking.
"Juz dun say anymore about tat and continue explainin'. Duck can call me whatever, like he said." he told her. She tried to protest but he shot her a look which definitely told her to drop the subject. Defeated, she sat back down.
"Sorry about tat." Chaos said quietly, directing the statement at Duck, who huffed and sat back down as well. Lexi noticed Zadavia flinch a little. The Loonatics boos didn't say anything though, and the Loonatics leader knew better than to question it, at that moment in time at least. Then Tech spoke up.
"Lexi, do you mind if I continue for now?" he asked, and the female bunny granted him permission. He nodded in gratitude and, ignoring Duck's 'traitor' comment which made Rev jab the mallard in the side with his elbow, carried on from where Nutrix left off.
"Based on what the two of them told me, the crystal was shattered during the first incident, when we had been sent to destroy it after it started wrecking the research labs. It was actually the energy trapped inside that possessed Ace at the time, who didn't have the protection of the Guardian Strike Sword then, unlike us." Tech winced as he recalled that day, but shook his head and continued, "But well, not all the energy was transferred to him during the possession. Some of it lingered in the fragments and somehow morphed those fragments into the Blue Guardians over time. According to Nutrix, without any host body or the core of the crystal to rely on, becoming life forms on their own was a slow process but eventually they came into being."
"So you're saying they were all simple broken pieces of the crystal in the beginning?" Zadavia questioned. All eyes turned to her standing figure, and Tech confirmed the theory was true. Nutrix did as well, with a nod of her head. Chaos did nothing though.
"Apparently, the crystal fragments formed what you could call 'fraternal copies' of us. Technically, the six Blue Guardians were modeled after us, but just not in appearance or powers." Tech added. Lexi looked thoughtful. She turned to Nutrix.
"So that was what you meant when you called me your 'other side'? And when you told me that our feelings matched one another's?" she asked the Blue Guardians nurse. Nutrix nodded, then suddenly started to fidget, as if she knew something bad would happen soon. She glanced at Chaos, who didn't return the gaze, then looked back up at the current Loonatics leader.
Slam let out a series of growls, asking for confirmation from Nutrix about how the Blue Guardians were copies of the six Loonatics. That was when Nutrix paled.
"You are...partially right..." she said softly, then even Chaos looked at her curiously.
"Nutrix...? What's wrong?" he asked. The Blue Guardians nurse didn't answer and instead took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry I lied to you about this Chaos, but I couldn't tell you just yet." she told him, then stood up to tell the anxious group about something even Chaos and Tech didn't know about, apparently. "I told both Chaos and Tech that all six of the Blue Guardians were copies of you all, but that isn't the exact truth. I told you that we had two exceptions didn't I, Lexi?"
"Y-Yes, you did. Who are those exceptions?" Lexi asked in return, feeling very uneasy all of a sudden. From the looks on the others' faces, especially Tech and Chaos's, they felt the same way. Nutrix had clearly been hiding important information from all of them. This made Lexi confused. Why would she do such a thing?
"Those exceptions...are the queen, and Chaos." Nutrix stated. Chaos shot up.
"W-Wha...!? Nutrix whad'dya mean? I'm not part of da Blue Guardians! Whad'dya talkin' about?!" he demanded, though he looked shaky when he stood. For a second his body looked transparent again, but he was evidently ignoring it.
"I told you that there are six Blue Guardians. That is true. But the thing I lied about is that all of them were copies of the Loonatics. Let me explain. Among the Blue Guardians, I, the nurse, am Lexi, Veneficus, the wizard, is Tech, Bellator, the warrior, is Slam, Ardor, the flame wielder, is Duck, Rector, the guide, is Rev. And finally the sixth member of the Blue Guardians is our leader and the first one who was created. The queen, Regina, who is actually Zadavia."
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed all at once at the Blue Guardians nurse. Chaos was staring at Nutrix with such disbelief it was definitely impossible that he had known all along. He immediately grabbed Nutrix by the shoulders and demanded to know why she didn't tell him about that. Lexi wasn't too sure why he was so agitated. As shocking as the fact was, Chaos seemed to be overreacting.
"C-Chaos! Calm down!" Nutrix yelled, but Chaos had apparently fallen into a frantic state. His prism-like eyes were wild with panic.
"Nutrix, if da sixth member is Zadavia, d'en where's Ace?! Where's da real Ace?!" he shouted and Lexi froze. What...What did he mean? Ace was dead wasn't he?
"Chaos! Just calm down and let me explain!" Nutrix shouted back as loudly as she could. Lexi jumped. Fortunately she could control her super hearing or, her ears would be in a world of pain right then. Chaos was also shocked at the Blue Guardians' nurse's outburst, and he looked like he wanted to say something else, but suddenly he let go of Nutrix and both hands flew to his chest. An expression of shock flashed across his face then it became one of pain. Nutrix's eyes widened and she yelled out Chaos's name in horror, but Lexi could tell that he didn't hear her at all. He collapsed onto the floor and started writhing in agony.
"H-Hey! W-W-W-What's-wrong-with-him?!" Rev exclaimed but no one could provide an answer while Nutrix dropped to her knees. Her hands started glowing as she placed them both on Chaos's chest, doing her best to ignore the possessed bunny's thrashing. A few seconds later, Chaos calmed down and was breathing heavily. Nutrix let out a quick sigh of relief. Chaos forced himself to sit up, and Nutrix opened her mouth to protest, but the possessed bunny stopped her.
"Nu-Nutrix...juz tell me...tat I didn't..." he tried to say, "I didn't end up..."
"No, you didn't kill him. You can sense him can't you?" Nutrix replied, a frown on her face as Chaos looked up at her properly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I didn't want you to run off looking for him before we, I mean I, told the Loonatics the truth about Ace not being the sixth member."
"Wait, Nutrix are you saying that..." Tech started, and the Blue Guardians nurse glanced at him with a look of resignment.
"Yes...like Chaos told you, Tech, Ace is alive...and I know exactly where he is."
Instead of shocked outbursts like Lexi expected, the whole room was dead silent after Nutrix revealed that fact. Lexi was mostly surprised at herself, for not jumping at her copy to demand she tell her where the former Loonatics leader was. However, Nutrix didn't say anything related to that right then.
"Before I tell you where he is, you all need to know something." She said in response to the silence she received, "Chaos, your insanity didn't fade away that day when both you used the last of your power to change what was supposed to happen to Ace when you were supposed to be destroyed."
"What...?" Chaos said, who was just as confused as everyone else in the room. Lexi winced at Nutrix's words. She was saying that Chaos actually decided to sacrifice himself in the end to save Ace? But why? Lexi wanted to know the answer so bad, but the part about how his insanity didn't fade worried her. It sounded really ominous.
"When the first fragment was completed, the insanity that left you, well, it ended up being implanted in Regina. Her power is thus stronger than any of the rest of us Blue Guardians. That's why she commands us, that's why we must obey her or we will be destroyed. If she finds out about me here she will kill me. But that isn't the point. She's very dangerous and she knows both you and Ace are still alive. She sees you both as a threat to her plans to destroy this world, but it seems she is a far better planner than you were then. She couldn't find you, but she easily found Ace, and is still watching him as well speak. She intends to use Ace as some sort of sacrifice when the time comes in her plans, most of which are into known to her."
"A...A sacrifice...?" Chaos questioned. Nutrix nodded solemnly.
"Nutrix, now that we know this, you have to tell us." Lexi interrupted with a grave expression on her face, as her heart seemed to grow heavier with each passing second, "Where is Ace?"
Nutrix looked up at her and their gazes met again. "You've all already met him. I'm surprised you didn't realize. Now, the queen, Regina, she is watching him under the name of Sylene Shorthair. A nurse at Acme General Hospital."
The room seemed to become ten degrees colder at the very least. Sylene...was the queen of the Blue Guardians...? That clumsy, yet kind feline anthro who ran into Lexi back when Veneficus took Dr Tyson Trueman? And the patient she was in charge of was...Lexi sucked in a breath of air swiftly as she made the connection.
"From the looks on all your faces, I supposed you've figured it out." Nutrix said, closing her eyes and facing the floor, "Then I'll confirm it for you all. And you're right. Ace has lost all his memories, due to something going wrong with Chaos's power that day. Now, he's just a bunny anthro who doesn't even know his real identity and uses a name someone else gave him. In other words, the rabbit anthro you all know as Jack Rabbit is really your former leader, the real Ace Bunny."
Well~!
I finally revealed a whole lot of truths. About the Blue Guardians, their queen and most importantly, Ace and Jack's connection! Wahaha! I may be going a little fast with this but I'm not one to like fanfictions which are too long...unless I'm reading them. Basically I'm a lazy author. Though, this story should be a lot longer than the prequel. Honestly I'm already doing my best to stretch everything. The part where it's revealed that Jack is Ace was supposed to come in earlier, when Chaos was explaining things to Tech alone, but I ended that one with just the fact that Ace was alive since I thought that was really way too fast to reveal it there. So it was moved here! Hope it's suitable.
Anyway, I think a little explanation is in order in case you got confused. Basically, Chaos used his power to save Ace and destroy himself to repay the Loonatics leader for "breaking him", as he called it, which means to pull him out of the madness. Something went wrong, then both of them ended up being alive, only Ace has no memories left and Chaos was forced into a half-existence state where his body is fading in and out and he is suffering from panic attacks like Ace in the prequel (this isn't a spoiler because this fact won't really be brought up in the story directly thought technically Chaos mentioned it when he said he was paying for what he did to Ace before). Fragments of the crystal from the very first incident (please read the prequel's first chapter) ended up being infused with the energy released from the crystal's core (now in the form of Chaos Ace) and Chaos's power at the end of it all had accidentally caused his madness to be transferred to Regina who was the first fragment to obtain a body of her own. I originally wanted the leader of the Blue Guardians to be a copy of Ace but since Chaos was already there to fill the role it became Zadavia's copy, who was actually sort of a last minute idea when I first posted chapter one of this story. Lyra was supposed to be the only nurse then, but Sylene came into my mind so...hehe...so, this list it out...
Crystal counterparts of everyone is basically:
Zadavia = Regina/Sylene Shorthair, the Queen of the Blue Guardians
Tech = Veneficus, the Wizard of the Blue Guardians
Lexi = Nutrix, the Nurse of the Blue Guardians who is on the side of the Loonatics
Slam = Bellator, the Warrior of the Blue Guardians (though he dressed like some medieval knight)
Duck = Ardor, the Flame Wielded of the Blue Guardians (his name means "heat" though, making him the only one who doesn't have his name as a direct Latin translation as his role in the group and he has only been mentioned so far without an actual appearance)
Rev = the Guide of the Blue Guardians (so far, no appearance and only just mentioned with good reason)
Ace/Jack Rabbit = Chaos, not a Blue Guardian and instead a split possessed consciousness of the original (only counterpart who looks identical to original)
So, in case you haven't noticed (which I think is impossible) the counterparts of the anthros are human in appearance while Regina, who is Zadavia's counterpart is an anthro since Zadavia looks human. Kinda a reverse-thing I am fond of. Well that's all for now. If anyone could've guessed any of this right you are no less than pure awesomeness as it takes a lot to understand my messed-up imaginations. Now, Xyla out! See ya!
