Shi looked solemnly in the strange world she had found herself in now. She didn't really know where this place was, but she had a vague idea of why. The bridge was gone, the one she felt a link to when she first came here. A bridge that connected to many worlds.
"I failed," She said softly.
There was no response in the myriad of light and darkness. Did she have a place in this strange world? Earth or the fringes that existed outside earth. What was this strange niche she had found herself in? A world in between worlds. But it wasn't just a place. It was a world where responsibilities were defined by form. What she became involved a role greater then she could have imagined... but...
She was simply, too human.
She sighed again. She had helped many digital fairies in her time, and there were still more to help. Those that were stranded in other worlds. Yet all that could be for nothing. By allowing the angel changed across, she had utterly failed and risked terrible consequences.
"I'm ready for my judgement," She said. "I can offer no defence. I allowed them to travel. The aberrations in reality are ultimately my responsibility." Shi thought about the person she used to be... how she wished she was him right now. Just playing his games, where nothing ever had any consequence. She wanted to be someone important... and didn't realise quite what she had become. Still she knew, deep down...
Judgement was happening.
She saw the light and dark disappear... and she found herself back on Earth. Back in her room. Her computer was there, her bed... she was confused a moment. Why was she back here? Then she realised... all her abilities were gone. She still had her form, but gone was the power to teleport and explore the other worlds connected to this reality.
"Of course..." She said looking sadly at her computer. "Game over."
Melanie took the information quickly, but it lead to even more questions. For some reason they brought about strange emotions in those around her. Lilly was covering her face and she could see it made Jenny's face go pink. What did that mean?
She put a hand over her own cheeks. Why did they feel a little warm? Was this some kind of signal? It's meaning however was lost on her. The highest emotion came from Lilly as always. She didn't really understand quite why she placed her hands over her auditory structures. It would hardly stop her from hearing every word spoken. Sound carried easily.
This place was so confusing... but this whole thing with babies intrigued her.
"Girls... can not die?" she asked hopefully. Is that how one progressed in this world? Is identity shunted into a new younger form? Was this how one circumvented the death? Of course! That must be it!
Jenny looked confused at that. "Um- everyone can die," She said softly. "Boy or girl" it made her sad to think about it. Whatever differences anyone had, that was always going to be true. Still they were all young and had their entire lives ahead of them.
"But girl's have babies?" Melanie said blinking her eyes. In a way she guessed she should be glad then. If the 'males' of this world died without being able to continue, their lives in another vessel... being a girl had to be better. Continued existence was always desirable.
Lilly had now uncovered her ears but tensed a bit as they realised they were still talking about that. She didn't need to hear this! She couldn't even remember much of it but it was just so embarrassing to even think about it!
Jenny shook her head. "It- it doesn't work that way. The baby is someone new. It ain't another you," What was Melanie thinking? That was just silly and.. more then a little creepy.
Melanie struggled to understand this. If anything it was harder then understanding 'death'. Things didn't work the same way she was used to. It would seem that transferring identity to another was not the goal of creating a new life. If that was the case, it would be perfectly understandable. A very similar process happened to them after all. Patterns became new patterns but could go back to a standard pattern if such was required. It was simpler but no less them then any of the others were them. "If we are not the baby... why have babies?"
Lilly glanced around a bit trying to steer the conversation away. "C-can't we talk abou' somethin' else?" Anything else!
"Why?"
"Because- I dunno-" the squirrel girl said in sheer embarrassment. This was just so wrong to talk about! They were only kids. She should ask an adult about this stuff. But didn't she once know this?
Melanie looked disappointed but nodded. "Not.. want to make Lilly or Jenny sad," She said meaning it. Emotions seemed to change the quality of what they were saying. Nuances that were too subtle for her to work out. yet her body seemed to know emotion, even if her thoughts did not.
"I'm not sad about it!" Lilly said quickly. It was embarrassing but it didn't upset her. Did it?
"We're just tryin' to explain it to you Melanie," Said Jenny. "It doesn't work like that."
Melanie sighed. "Don't want to die..." she glanced down at her body. Cells dividing but could not go on forever... things in this world decayed and ended by themselves. It was such a harsh existence and it was so.. pointless to her.
Lilly and Jenny looked a bit sad at that note. This knowledge more then anything seemed to shake Melanie to the core. It was the reason she ended her attack as the final counter against a magic girl. They just couldn't understand how she could not know any of these very basic concepts.
"I-If girls have babies and boy's can't..." Melanie began her logical statement and double checked it making sure it is consistent with what she had been told. "Then... are boy's less?"
"No!" Lilly almost shouted it- then stopped at a glance from Jenny. Honestly why did she have to jump in at this point? This conversation was horrible! Still she felt she had to. "B-Boy's arn't weak."
"Not said weak..." Melanie said wondering if she had been imprecise. But it was hard to convey what she was asking.
"B-Boys c'can't have babies.." Lilly explained as best she could. "But you still need a- um- boy. Otherwise there's no baby."
"Why?"
"I- I- I dunno" the child said shyly. It was true.. she didn't know. She thought she was supposed to know though? Maybe she once did and the knowledge was taken away from her. Like so many other little things. "But you gotta trust me. Boy's are import- important."
Jenny giggled a bit. "Boy's are important. yes!"
"M-My dad is really strong, smart an' he loves me a lot," Lilly explained. "Nobody's smarter then him an' he makes me feel happy."
Melanie looked blankly at this assertion but shrugged. So males were part of this bizarre creation process. However it did not take away the fact that she, as an identity will die. She didn't know what would happen at that point... did they know? But she could sense these questions made them uncomfortable. Still she had to trust them.
It was all so baffling to her.
"are you okay Harriet?" Asked Miss Violet. She was looking at her niece with some concern as she drove her back to her mothers. The arrangement generally worked quite well. She tended to drive her when she finished work. It also allowed the child to do extra work after school.
"I'm okay," She said. "I'm just mad at Lilly."
"Lilly is going through a very difficult time honey," sighed Mrs Violet. "Can't you be a little nice to her?"
"She's the one who should be nice to us! She was mean! She- she thinks I made her a squirrel girl an' I didn't!" Artemis clenched her fists. It was so insulting! She didn't even know what she used to be before she told her. And she's wearing dresses and certainly acting like a girl...
"She's also the one who found you dear" Her aunt reminded.
"I- I would h've come back myse'f," She said. "I jus' got a little carried away wi'h my other mother. I didn't even know how much time had gone." the moon child shook her head.
Miss violet glanced at her niece in the rear-view mirror. "Please sweety? Be nice to her. It's... its understandable how she's acting."
"No it isn't!"
"Dear.. she used to be a boy, and now she's a girl. She's going to lash out at things now and then. But if you stay friends, it will help her in the long run. You used to like helping people... she could really use a friend like you."
Artemis shook her head not really sure. "I don't know aunty. She's been so mean to me an' Jenny."
"Won't you think about it?"
