Sonic Who?

Tainted Love: Part3

Slowly she regained consciousness... everything seemed a bit blurry to the bat. After a few seconds everything was in focus but Chastity felt terrible. She was exhausted and in slight pain at the same time. The bat struggled to sit up but feel onto her stomach. Her eyes wandered over to her left and she saw The Guardian sleeping soundly with his back towards her. Slowly and quietly she got to her knees and crawled towards her clothes that were in a pile a short distance from her. Water dripped off of her as she slowly reached the pile and began to dress again keeping an eye on The Guardian.

After Chastity was dressed in her tattered clothes, she stood up quietly and hurried out into the main chamber. The bat then broke into a light sprint as she ran along the shoreline desperate to get out. But as she stepped onto the stone walkway and was on the staircase a light voice whispered to her.

"Help him..." the voice echoed.

"What?" Chastity asked turning around slowly.

"Help him. He needs your help." the child-like voice spoke again.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"I am the one that is imprisoned within the emerald."

"You must be Feared Chaos." Chastity walked down onto the stone walkway. "The Guardian warned me about you. He said that you liked to play tricks on people's minds."

Suddenly the small voice began to sob.

"He always says that about Feared Chaos... he's so cruel towards Feared Chaos." Feared Chaos sobbed.

"The Guardian is cruel towards you?" Chastity asked.

"Yes... he always talks badly about Feared Chaos and tells others that Feared Chaos does nothing but bad things. But I want to help The Guardian. Break him free of the evil spell."

"He's under a spell? He never told me that."

"No, one wants no one to know how evil he has become, why one is so lonely on this island. The Guardian wants to keep Feared Chaos here forever... so the world can suffer. But only Feared Chaos can save the world from its grief."

Chastity was suddenly confused. She knew that The Guardian warned her that Feared Chaos plays mind tricks on her victims. But this story that Feared Chaos has told... negated everything that Chastity knew about the powerful girl. Who was Chastity to believe? Where could the bat lay her trust? The answer became clear to her. The Guardian took away Chastity's most sacred seal. She was no longer pure and perfect as she was before. After being violated in such a way there was only one thing Chastity could think of: revenge. But it was unlike the bat to think this way so she figured the best way for The Guardian to redeem himself was to be cured by Feared Chaos. Hopefully being free from the spell that he was under would put him to rest and the echidna would finally regain his memory.

So it was decided. Chastity would help free Feared Chaos and hopefully save The Guardian and give the world a brighter future to look forward to. The bat walked down the stone walkway and onto the small island where the Mater Emerald rested.

"How can I free you?" Chastity asked.

"Y-you want to free Feared Chaos?" the small voice asked timidly.

"Yes. If it would help everyone then I will do it."

"Oh thank you so much! Feared Chaos will thank you very much once I am freed."

Chastity smiled lightly and then carefully examined the Master Emerald's structure. After walking around the green gem Chastity stopped and took a few steps back.

"I'm not sure if I'll hurt you when I get you free so brace yourself." the bat warned Feared Chaos.

"Feared Chaos will be ok." the voice replied.

Chastity took to the air and then quickly flew in kicking the emerald harshly with a loud yell. A small crack was made satisfying the bat as she went in for another kick. Over and over Chastity continuously kicked at the Master Emerald as the cracks became larger and larger with each kick. After another swift kick the emerald was just about ready to break. Chastity flew back a few more feet and dove in for the final blow.

"NO STOP!!" The Guardian yelled.

But it was too late. A shattering sound echoed throughout the entire cave as green emerald shard flew everywhere splashing into the water. The green glow died down quickly and Chastity found herself on her back on the stone walkway. She looked up to see a small girl hovering high above her. The girl was blue and translucent as if she was made out of water.

"Feared Chaos." Chastity whispered.

Feared Chaos opened her eyes and looked down at Chastity with a calm smile. The bat replied with a light giggle but suddenly a loud thump from behind her frightened Chastity. She spun around and screamed scrambling to her feet. The Guardian was on his stomach dragging himself towards Chastity. He green vain seemed to have opened up and a bright green liquid poured out onto the walkway. Frightened and confused, Chastity moved away slowly unable to speak.

"What... have you done?" The Guardian asked weakly as the green blood poured down over his face.

Chastity shook her head still unable to speak. Suddenly a sinister but innocent laugh came from behind the bat. She looked up at Feared Chaos who was looking down upon her with a malicious look in her eyes.

"Looks like one has made bad things come to The Guardian." the girl said.

"Aren't you going to save him?! You said that you would!" Chastity yelled.

"Feared Chaos would never save a being like him. Feared Chaos knows that he is only useless and has no greater purpose in life. Therefore Feared Chaos saves his sad, shameful soul from more grief."

"You liar! It was all a trick to get you out!"

"Yes one is correct. Now Feared Chaos can spread her fear to others and seek out new friends who want to hurt."

Chastity suddenly felt something grab her ankle. She spun around to see The Guardian grabbing onto her ankle and quickly pulled away.

"Why?" he asked in agony.

The Guardian's face became horribly discolored and was now full of wrinkles with green blood all over him. Chastity winced at the sight.

"The emerald... it was my life force." he gasped.

"I... didn't know." Chastity said with guilt falling onto her heavily.

"I gave you... my love. And this is... how you repay me."

"Please stop!" tears filled Chastity's eyes.

"No one... is safe. The world... is... cursed."

Suddenly he screamed out in agony as his skin began to melt off. The dark red color mixed in with the pool of green blood on the walkway leaving behind The Guardian's skeleton. Chastity screamed out horribly as Feared Chaos laughed at the sight. The bat turned around with tears pouring down her cheeks and anger burning in her heart.

"One should not be mad at Feared Chaos. Oh no, one should mad at herself. Look at what grief one has caused!" Feared Chaos said arrogantly.

"No! It's not my fault! You tricked me!" Chastity shouted, her tears falling to the ground.

"This is not what one wanted is it? One did not want everything to turn out this way. And now she is no longer perfect and no longer pure but tainted. Tainted with murder on her hands and guilt in her heart. How can one live with this?"

Chastity fell to her knees sobbing loudly. She knew that Feared Chaos was right. How could she continue living with such a heavy sin upon her? She broke The Guardian's spirit and took his life with no intentions to do so. And now it's written in stone, there's no changing it. Chastity slowly looked up at Feared Chaos who simply smiled down on her. The translucent girl held out her hands and they began to glow a bright blue color.

"With The Guardian gone and the Master Emerald no more, Feared Chaos sees no purpose in this island's existence."

Chastity's eye's widen as the whole cavern began to shake. She quickly stood up and flew for the exit as stones and stalactites fell into the lake. Chastity flew into the cavern hallway and quickly flew out of the mountain side entrance just as a large boulder fell down blocking it. The bat landed near the forest catching her breath from the rush. She looked back at the blocked entrance and shook her head in shame. Chastity then took to the air again heading towards her plane.

She was there in just minutes and quickly rushed inside heading for the controls. Chastity tripped over something just as she reached the cockpit and looked down to see and unopened present from her birthday a few months ago. Slowly the bat opened it to reveal a make-up kit. Although she never did have to use one in the past because of her beauty, Chastity felt unusual for some strange reason. She walked over to a mirror hanging on the wall and looked at herself. She was horrified at the sight she saw. An ugly bat with a terrible discolored face and mangled hair stared back at Chastity.

The bat jumped a bit from the unbearable sight and quickly opened up the make-up kit. She began to apply some mascara onto her face to give it some more color. Then she went for the eye shadow and began to cover her eyelids heavily with a light blue color.

"Must get rid of... imperfection." Chastity thought.

After finishing with the eye shadow, Chastity pulled out the pink lipstick and applied it to her lips. Finally Chastity was finished. She stepped back from the mirror and smiled at the perfect face she saw. After combing her hair, the bat sighed contented and closed up the make-up kit. She then sat back down in the pilot's seat but then a thought came to mind.

"I can't travel the world looking for more of its history."

It wasn't that she hated history now, she just felt that more grief would be brought upon the world if she were to uncover anymore secrets or ancient relics. Chastity sat back and pondered about what to do with her life... an idea came to her almost immediately.

"Feared Chaos. I could try and find a way to stop Feared Chaos from harming anyone else." she thought.

But the only way Chastity knew how to contain Feared Chaos was by trapping her inside some kind of gem. So it was decided. Chastity would spend the rest of her life searching for the right gem that would imprison the monstrous Feared Chaos and hopefully put her imperfect soul at ease. But before Chastity started the engine she felt that there was something else wrong about her. She went into deep thought until the answer was finally found.

"Chastity..." her mind whispered.

Purity, virtue, and innocence. That's what her name meant but the bat was no longer any of these. She had to have a new name, one that would still dazzle and wow people when they heard it but at the same time remind her of the imperfection she had become. She went through a whole mess of names until one rang a sweet bell in her head.

"Rouge." she thought.

Although it was more of a reference to the color red, it was enough to remind her of what she had done. Yet somehow Rouge had an air of elegance to it... a sassy kind of elegance that would turn peoples heads. That's what Chastity wanted to do. She wanted to get the people's attention so they would know whom to turn to when the world would be saved from Feared Chaos.

And so with a new identity, new purpose, and restored perfection, Rouge started her small plane and took to the morning skies just as the sun began to rise on the horizon. But in the distance behind her the floating island began to fall apart as a spot of blue light zoomed away from it.