Riko, the tigress-digital fairy observed her new friend as they walked through the digital highway system. Above was a dark night sky of bright twinkling pointed stars and a bridge made of electrical light. It was a world few got to see. A shadow of the real world with its webs, connected to almost every technological wonder mankind had created.
It was a little strange to see a new digital fairy so late after most had been transformed and found. This kind of transformation was more common in the early weeks of the sun-change, not under the yellow sun. A new fairy was actually a bit of a celebration on the Internet, and an increase in forum chatter was around welcoming Hikari to their group.
There was something just a little off about her. Not in a bad way, but there was just something so familiar about Hikari. She seemed a little on the shy side and looked at her hands a lot. The new digital fairy was impressed by her environment and would marvel at the beauty of the internet, like anyone else seeing it for the first time. But probably strangest of all, was the lack of fear in her eyes. Maybe it would come eventually, just how removed this existence was from the reality they once knew. Riko didn't want her to be crushed, knowing the sad truth, as it eventually hit them all.
"So... how did you and Hiro meet?" Riko asked the rather 'human' looking digital fairy.
Hikari blinked, giving her very trademarked look of embarrassment while rubbing her hands. "Well- we- I mean he- I- I just ended up in his system when I transformed."
Riko gave a little smile. "That probably explains why you are so compatible with him. I'm glad. Hiro... needed a friend. I'm guessing he didn't change back then?" If anyone deserved to go back human, it would be him. That poor kid wasn't happy being a cyborg at all.
Hikari looked a bit sadly now. "I-I'm not really the friend you're thinking of," she explained quietly. "It's complicated. I'm part of his systems... I'm... I'm well... to answer your first question, no Hiro didn't turn back. But he kind of ended up with me," she explained a little quickly then with a guilty look. She had to tell Riko the truth. "Riko? The thing is... I'm..."
The two were interrupter by Nadine approaching them. She arrived on a strange ball of light in the ethereal darkness, fluttering down to their system as she synchronised to their local environment. The glow was ambient enough to light everything around her, like a blue fairy.
"Nadia!" Riko rushed forward embracing the young girl in a hug.
Nadine gave a smile but looked very sad in her eyes. "I... I didn't turn back. Maybe cause digital fairies can't get exposed to the sunlight?" she asked. How do you make sunlight enter the digital world?
"Not without a true AI host. Our interaction in the real world is really limited," explained Riko glancing to Hikari. Even then, she wasn't completely sure it worked. It would have to be a host capable of translating the powerful force of the sun in every way to their environment.
"My mom an' dad are really upset," said Nadine. "I'm... kinda sad too but- but- I also feel happy? I'm so confused 'cause I like being on the internet like this, and looking at everything. I like all the stuff I learn't from Amy about programs... but I.. I miss my mom an' dad!" The young child suddenly cried onto Riko's chest, wetting the tiger-girls fur.
Riko patted the young child. "It'll be okay, I promise... we'll take care of you, and your parents are still there. You know you can see them whenever you like."
Nadine sniffled but nodded. Still... it wasn't the same. It just wasn't the same. She was just on the screen, using cameras to look at them, unable to touch or feel them... and probably never again.
Hikari swallowed as she had a think. "I- I think there's another option," she offered.
"Do you know a host?" asked Riko.
"Even better," said Hikari biting her lip. "Nadine? What if... you could exist in the real world? As yourself?"
"I- I would like that a lot. But it can't happen," said Nadia.
"If you trust me... I might have a way to do that."
Hikari didn't know how she did it.. she just reached out on instinct to her, and somehow Nadine became linked into the system that 'Hikari' was inside. With the use of the peer to peer network, Hikari found she could use enough power to exist separate from her own host, and shifted the run time of 'Hiro' towards Nadia.
"W-whats happenin'?" asked Nadine.
The digital fairies were enveloped in a strange light, as they portaled into Hiro's cybernetic systems.
Are you the next part of my story? asked the space girl to the spider teacher.
Miss Andrea looked blankly. "Um... everyone, I'd like you to meet Astra. She is going to be studying with us."
Astra floated about the classroom, buzzing like a bee in the face of every young student. Most of the kids looked shocked to see her flying, and even more so as she breezed into their personal space with little regard. She seemed to study each face curiously and expectantly, but was as a fey in her own expression.
Astra was upside down in the air, her hair falling down,looking at Melanie who was just sitting on her desk paying the least attention to the space-child, unlike the other students. She glanced up from her book, and the two seemed to share a weird look at each other.
Are you the author?
Melanie shook her head. "I can not understand you."
Lilly seemed to be scribbling something down on a piece of paper. She hoped this would work. Magic was very fickle, even under the best of circumstances, but she had learned a great deal working with Jon and the others. Dungeons and Dragons it wasn't... for one thing, they got the scale completely wrong- though some things were more or less correct. The idea that you would need more energy to accomplish greater feats was certainly the right thinking... but it was also a lot more then that. The effect one wanted to do was about how far one could break 'the rules' of reality... and there was also the issue of just how unreliable magic was.
There was an element of chaos, and what one might call 'free energy' in the environment, but usually it wasn't sufficient to do a lot more then a few minor tricks.
The magic girls completely broke the rules though. Their powers was something... something else.
All this, Lilly knew by instinct... but she also knew, that the idea of understanding a foreign language did not require that much rule breaking, especially if you could find the smallest way to accomplish that desire.
She started to draw in the air the strange 'line' she saw between the world of magic... and the normal world. It was infinitely tiny, and yet so much closer the more she looked at it.
Her strange pictures seemed to come to life, breaking from their two dimensional constraints into the third dimension and beyond... she could see it so clearly. The picture started to turn into letters... words... a translation, before going back onto the paper.
"She's... askin' if you are the author?" said Lilly confused. Did her spell work right?
The entire class burst out giggling. They were used to Lilly saying weird things by now though. The teacher quickly hushed them.
Melanie looked blankly then to Lilly. "Oh... I am not."
Lilly turned the piece of paper over, to see words forming there. Ara... esa ni? she said reading it.
The space child gasped and floated right into Lilly's space, her antenna touching her ears. She looked right at her, nose to nose. The squirrel girl cringed at the close contact. "Uh... M-Miss? She's... um..." she asked calling her teacher hoping she could get the space girl away from her!
"Please sit down Astra," said the spider teacher.
Astra glanced back to the teacher, then at the chair, and decided to sit on it- as best she could, given she was still floating. However she kept on looking at Lilly, and Melanie. She was not the only one though looking at them.
Jenny was also looking at Lilly in quiet thought. The way the last battle went, and the way her friend had sacrificed all her power to save just one person in the world...
Jenny thought about herself and somehow knew, she wasn't exactly worthy to be magic girl four... and in the past, while Lilly had been exuberant and helpful, even admiring her as they undertook this journey- at some point the squirrel girl had become quiet. Since the final battle, their relationship had changed. Jenny wasn't sure how... and it did worry her. Her friend was still very supportive, but behind those eyes it looked like... it felt like something was bursting inside her. A heavy burden that Jenny wished she could help with. But her friend's lips were sealed. She would not speak of it... whatever it was. All she could guess, is that it was something... so horrible.
"You okay Lilly?" she asked.
"Yeah," she said looking around. "Have you seen Bruce?"
Jenny shook her head. "Our class is so empty of changed people. I feel kinda sad cause of that."
"Yeah," said Lilly glancing around too. "Maybe... Bruce turned back to normal?" There was a... slightly disappointed tone in that. Just a little. He was such an annoying wolf!
Jenny thought about it. "You want to go see him? We could go together."
"I..I guess."
Jenny smiled and whispered. She knew how she could cheer her friend up. "We could go by the rooftops if you can hold real tight."
Lilly's eyes practically lit up at the thought. "R-Really? Yeah!"
Riko recognised the strange architecture immediately. Programs that meshed man and machine but it all looked so much more refined now. More then that, it looked to be evolving in different ways, taking on a more organic form. If Riko had to guess, it almost looked like the inside of a TARDIS.
Hikari gestured for Nadine to stand on a platform. "If you stand there... I'll activate the holographic overlay," she explained.
"What are you doing?" Asked Riko.
"I'm letting Nadine use Hiro's body."
"But... you can't! Hiro would be so angry!" said Riko. "You can't force him to share his body with her!" she looked appalled at the very idea of it.
"Hiro is- sleeping at the moment," said Hikari. "Please Riko, you have to trust me. I know this seems weird but... Hiro really wouldn't mind. It's only for a little while anyway."
Riko stared at Hikari and those... eyes again. Who was she? Why was she making such personal decisions that affected her host's life? It seemed to go against what a digital fairy is supposed to do. The instinct was to protect a host!
Nadine started to float above the platform. Slowly the mechanisations were changing around her, as the cybernetic systems used her as their new template. It was like rebooting a computer, with a new operating system. Nadine was the heart of it all, as she took over the running of the BIOS, and from that the glands and mental processes of a real human-like being as they too re-wrote their workings.
Hikari felt... strange as she felt the lingering presence of her physical form disconnect. It wasn't painful. But it was disconcerting. Not every port was disconnected, certain core areas remained... but all it told her was that her body was still there, just being used- willed by another.
The nanites got to work quickly, adapting biology and technology to match their new make-up in the physical world. Nadine disappeared from the digital world...
Nadia looked about. She saw her body was... her own body? Her normal body? "I'm... I'm me again," she said in some surprise.
Kind of, she heard a voice in her head.
"Hikari? Riko? W-where are you?" asked Nadine.
In your head, and on the computer," said Hikari. "Hiro's body is in emulation mode. He- it's simulating your physical state based on your original code.
"So... this isn't just holography?" she asked warily.
Hikari shook her head a bit worried. Hiro's memory exists with me... what you're inside of right now is a shell, able to emulate your code and approximate your biology. More or less I think. (At least she hoped.)
Nadia looked at her hands. "Amazing... Hiro is amazing," she said in awe. This body was real... a real human body. It could re-write itself into any form desired? That seemed dangerous.. but the nanites must be taking care of any issues. "but what about Hiro?"
It'll be fine. soothed Hikari. Go on, I've uploaded directions to your parents. You should see an HUD now
Nadia wasted no time, running out of the house, to get to her parents. She was so excited! She could have the best of both worlds like this.
Riko looked at Hikari again in the digital space. "You know... a lot of digital fairies would pay thousands, for even a few minutes as themselves in the real world. What you're doing here is something many people want."
Hikari looked at Riko. "I- um- if they want to, I'm sure we can sort something out. I wouldn't charge them for it."
"Hiro might of," thought Riko.
Hikari looked guiltily again. "I'm... sure it would have crossed his mind," she said quietly. "But... I would have convinced him not to."
"You're... not exactly Hiro, are you?" asked Riko.
"Kind of... yes and no. I... I don't know. I am him and not him. I- I just don't know." She said a little upset that her very identity was being questioned. How was she supposed to know what had happened or why she was like this?
Riko quickly hugged the girl. "It's okay. I know this is confusing. Thank you for helping Nadine... both you and Hiro."
"It... it was my pleasure," said Hikari blushing.
