Aurelius had been stuck in the broken, harsh forest, subject to a rough life for weeks.
Her body craved food, though she realised she never actually got so tired that she suffered from malnutrition. Her body was always full of energy, supplied by some other means beyond material consumption. She also didn't produce any waste... which was... certainly helpful to the current circumstances, and in her opinion a very positive aspect to her transformation.
It didn't stop the craving though. This body was... strange. She didn't understand how it all worked, and was not really a believer of magic. She was sure she had not eaten a lot, yet was fine- if a little skinny.
The forest was in pain though... she could feel it. the loggers, kept cutting at the trees, and she wasn't able to do anything. She didn't even want to do anything. Normally she would just let it all be, but right now... she sensed that the forest was sustaining her very life force. If the forest died, she would die too. Aurelius would not surrender to death so easily, under any circumstances.
There was also the other... difficult issue.
Dragon fairies laid eggs.
Aurelius had to suffer that indignity and was glad that nobody else saw what she had to go through. But while most eggs simply decayed away, hers never would.
They were made of gold...
Aurelius... wasn't sure what to make of it. Her body produced no waste, except for...
... this.
Golden eggs, beautiful, meticulously made, shining like the sun... and she had to find a place to hide them! She dug deep and burred the first one as far down as she could... but as she produced more each month she was running out of good places to hide them. She dreaded her cycle, as her body produced the very thing she desired... riches and more riches, but nothing... nothing to use it with!
More weeks past, and the young dragon fairy was starting to get a sense of what it meant to be alone. She wondered of the strange witch-girl's words, of how she was cursed to be unlucky... yet, was also blessed with great fortune and luck. How this came to be they don't know... and perhaps she had abused such fortunes. 'Maybe'. She honestly felt her family created her own luck though.
The witch claimed that both spheres would be in play for her life... blessed and cursed... given what the end product of her body seemed to be, she was starting to become a believer.
Humans had started to explore the forest, looking for what was claimed to be 'Keith's Treasure'. Supposedly, a large amount of gold lost from a bank theft. Aurelius hid behind a wood stump as the latest cowboys started to seek the lost fortune. She tensed... as one of them had found her gold egg, hidden under a small plant.
There was great excitement, and before she knew it more humans came. All of them... looking for gold.
More trees were uprooted, more plants disturbed... the forest was turned upside down just to get a piece of the gold. The Dragon fairy couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. If she had only hid the egg better!
More months past, and eventually the humans left, never finding any more of it... Aurelius was never so glad to be in solitude. She also felt so sick now. They had dug so deeply in the rocks that it seemed to hurt her physically.
Her forest...
Her forest...
She was sure, this was the end for her. Something about losing so many trees, and the greed for gold hurt the little dragon fairy. She huddled herself into her nest, among the other golden eggs she had produced... feeling herself surrounded by wealth... hollow, empty wealth.
Then she felt footsteps at the ground below.
A little girl... with pointed ears. Aurelius tried to muster the energy to fly to her, but all she could do was fall into the air. The wind caught her, and swept her into the young girl's hands.
"Oh my! A- Hello," smiled the little girl. "I'm Velvet," she said with great enthusiasm to meet such a strange creature.
"Velvet..." said the dragon girl looking up at her. Of course she knew her. This was her ancestor... "H-Help... please..."
Velvet looked around the desolate forest, and placed a simple flower worn in her hair, onto the ground. The act of kindness seemed to kindle the raw emotions of the forest, that had long lost the magic... and Aurelius felt herself get stronger.
"T-thank you," She said.
"That's okay little one," Smiled Velvet looking at her so very curiously. "Though... could you tell me what I am?" She asked. "I always have to hide it, but sometimes other people don't see me like I really look."
Aurelius looked at her. "You seem to be an elf to me."
"Uh huh... I thought so too. But elves ain't real?"
"They are where I am from," said Aurelius. "Sort... of. I'm from... somewhere else. I want to get back now."
The young girl looked disappointed. She had met a mythical creature and it wanted to go home?! "But there's still so much we could do to help the forest!" said Velvet. "Arn't you a fairy? We could help the forest together! Please can't I help? W-what's your name?"
"J- er- A... I guess... you can call me... Aura."
"Nice to meet you Aura! I knew fairies must have cute names!"
Aurelius looked at the girl's beaming enthusiasm with a guilt ridden heart. All this was her own fault for just... being here. Still there was something about their chance meeting, and Aurelius actually enjoyed the presence of another changed.
So this was the story of how Aurelius met her own ancestor.
Aurelius spent many years in the company of the little girl, while tending the forest, who kept the secret of her own existence and even provided her with some clothes. Each birthday, the dragon fairy would give her one of her golden eggs. It seemed to make the child very happy.
As the years went by, Aurelius in the end gave her all the gold eggs. The girl was family after all, and she wanted to help her own family as much as she could in this dark age. The girl grew up quite well, and before the dragon fairy realised, ten years had passed...
The witch-girl made her appearance, exactly as promised while The dragon fairy was resting in her nest.
"I see you've settled well," she said.
Aurelius frowned a little, tugging at the simple dress she now wore. "... I'm sorry," she said.
"What?"
"I said I'm sorry! Please... I want to go back now. I want to just- just go back to my old life now."
The witch-girl looked at her. "Do you really feel this is a punishment?" She asked softly.
"Isn't it?"
The witch girl looked at her sadly. "You are where you are needed to be Aurelius... and you are free to do as you please. This isn't a punishment... unless you make it one. Tell me, have the last ten years really been all that bad? Even the forest animals seem to like you. They tell me you made friends with the wolves and the bees."
Jeff frowned again. "It's only because you put me in this situation I've had to live as best I can!"
The witch-girl sighed. "You're not going to be hurt Aurelius. What you turned into, requires a lot of experience in learning how to be... that's all. That's why you had to go back in time. The Earth lost a lot of magic at this point, and the two of you are re-kindling some of it, for the future. The stories you will spread will inspire legends... and what do people tend to turn into?
"I'm.... what? I'm inspiring what they might turn into?" She said aghast.
"Why not? Humans need to feel like there's something beyond... and you are part of that. I'll see you in.. oh lets say, a hundred and fifty years? now that I know you got the hang of it, I'm sure you'll be fine."
"A- hundred- no wait please! I can't do this alone!"
"You have Velvet dear. She'll help you out. You are just so 'lucky'. You're her 'companion' now..."
A hundred years was quite a difficult time for Aura.
Her old life had become a distant memory, much like when one was a child and grows up... she was a dragon fairy, and had built up a hoard of golden eggs to protect in her growing forest, which was starting to touch and inspire many strange stories, often in the dreams or those who walked through her realm.
Still part of her yearned for more... Her only other companion, Velvet, was now very old... even for an elf-woman. She had many children herself, though fortunately (or unfortunately) they did not inherent her features... but they did seem capable of 'seeing' certain things.
Aura had realised that normal humans didn't see her much, though one nearly saw her shadow across scattered lights across a pane of glass, made to look like a rainbow. But her own family.. Violet's family, 'could' see her just fine. It was like they existed in a different time.. which was an apt description really. Though with each generation, the gift seemed to fade.
The dragon fairy made it a point to visit Velvet's children on each of their birthdays, and listen to that one wish they wanted... she found she could even grant minor wishes, if she sacrificed one of her golden eggs in the process. A strange 'magic'... to be sure. They couldn't do any 'world' changing wishes, or anything that useful... but a little luck, fortune, and the means to get what another would want... yes she could give them that.
"So this is how my family always were so lucky," she thought to herself.
In the end, Velvet had to spend all her time with the dragon-fairy, as it was becoming apparent she was very long lived, and it was drawing more attention with normal humans. Aura was glad though. The century they shared was a long and difficult one, but it would have been worse without anyone at all.
"Do you think you can grant me a small wish Aura?" Asked the elf-girl as she clutched her walking stick, taking a moment to sit down.
the dragon fairy gave a little smile fluttering to her. "Anything... what do you desire? The trees sing beautifully, and the ground is fertile. Seeds are simply yearning for sunlight... and the humans dream of things that can... not be. At least, in their time..." she said a little sadly of that. Aura took hold of a golden egg, and gave it to the Elf-girl.
Violet held it in the palm of her hand. "I just wish... you were not alone. Even after I go," she said smiling. With that, the egg disappeared in a flash of light.
Aura clutched her around her arm. "Please... Don't die. I've seen so many of your children die and I don't think I can take it if you did too!"
Velvet smiled again, as she wearily rested by the large tree. "I'm sorry Aura... seeing all my children age so has also... hurt me. I guess it is natural though. We live so much longer then others... and you so much more then I... I think we did well though. Enough for.. three life times or so."
"I'll take care of the kids! I promise! I'll give them anything they want!"
"Give them... what they need... my fairy... my beautiful Aura... I finally remember..."
The elf-girl, seemed to just...vanish, in a flicker of irredecent light.
Aura stared at the empty space... and cried.
Aura was a companion to many children at this point in her life, the daughters of her friend the elf girl Velvet. Usually they could see her when young, but as soon as they got old enough they stopped seeing her. She was always present though.
Always...
She saw them live, she saw them die... she saw them have new families. She could only help one child at a time, and she had to pick the one early enough.
Many more years passed... then she found the one child that she had to help more then anyone...
...herself.
She stared at the boy born to her parents... had it really been so long? Now she was seeing him... could she be there for him-herself?
The magic girls companions were all together, hidden in a small corner of the school. There was still a lot of tension regarding the creature that Sakura was, mainly because they didn't know quite What it was.
"It's clearly a monster," said Tetra folding her arms, the motion raising her haunches a little. It was a bit of a cat vs cat battle to her, and she didn't want to relent quietly.
"Yeah," thought trident. "Except it isn't either. it's like it's been changed."
"Is that really so unusual?" asked Princess Vertex. "You would be surprised what else has changed beyond just people's bodies."
Tetra was still pensive and then relaxed reluctantly as she considered this situation.
"Why are you so worried about her anyway?" Asked Trident. "Sakura seems like a good ally to have."
Tetra started to lick her paws as she glanced over her shoulder, in case Sakura really was perceiving them still. They didn't really know what it- 'she' was capable of... but this thing was created from one of the most powerful of monsters they had ever encountered. The sheer aura of it was menacing. Despite this, it was on 'their' side.. or rather, on Lilly's side...
That was also a difficult thing to work out. "Because we all know how this is going to end," said Tetra. "We all remember certain things now... right? I'm not the only one?"
Trident glanced between them all. "The memories I do have are all jumbled. I just know I have to help my partner though. Becca needs me."
"And after the monsters are beaten... what becomes of the magic girls? Or... us?" asked Tetra.
"Maybe they get to be normal again? And... we do too?" Asked Princess Vertex. "Though I know that would not make Morgan particularly happy. She likes being a magic girl. As for me, I know I get to go back to my mom and dad... I don't know what happens to the rest of you though."
"I don't know about Becca," sighed Trident. "She had a difficult time at first, but she is really good at it now. I don't know if she will want to continue after everything though."
Tetra looked up a bit at that. "But that's the issue... we got to beat 'every' monster in order to 'win'. That should include Sakura... right?" Tetra asked carefully. It wasn't something she hoped would happen... but if they did beat the very core of the enemy, all that came from it... just might... go away. That might include 'part' of Melanie... though she was now mostly very human. Sakura however may just become an ordinary cat... she did not start with a seed of humanity in her.
Princess Vertex sighed. "Sakura 'is' a threat by her existence... but she's been purified, and was bound to Lilly. I think the girl even 'named' her... The Enemy- or monster was defined by her. Your squirrel friend has extraordinary will, to fight the Enemy without any magic at all... and to gain an ally out of one of them. Just being 'with' the magic girls at all..."
Tetra looked annoyed. "But it 'eats' time! Sakura is a ticking bomb. one day it could hurt us all. It's the magic girl's duty to stop it before that happens."
"If it's bound to Lilly, it wont hurt us.. at least as long as Lilly doesn't want it to," said Trident, biting her lip at that caveat. Tetra made a good point, and as always was thinking of the bigger picture- probably because she herself was bound to the largest number of the magic girl's so far.
"If we are starting to remember things, it means that the final battle is almost on us," said Trident. "I've been hearing news reports of a black cloud over the pacific ocean... I recognise it. I see 'them' in it... and its growing bigger."
"How big?"
"About the size of Hawaii, last I checked... but getting bigger and bigger each time. It's... also heading here. No light can pass through it... and I sense a power that's the antithesis of the iridescent sun. No matter what happens... we can't allow the magic girls, or anyone to get in contact with it."
"So... this could be it then," said Princess Vertex. "Another age of Earth upon us, another brush between the forces of creation and destruction... maybe we'll see each other on the next cycle?" said the fairy with a faint smile.
"I hope so," Said Tetra. "Though it would be nice if we could remember each time we do this. Still... this time it feels different."
"We made friends with our companions, and with each other." Said Trident. "And when the magic girls are needed again? Will we do this once more?"
"...maybe," thought Tetra.
