General Makepeace was starting to get a little annoyed at their 'trek'. She was huddled inside Lucas's pocket, and was just... barely tolerating the situation. Being turned into a fairy was hardly improving her mood.
Still it did give time to contemplate how things had.. arrived to here. After the sun changed and 'chaos' of sorts was unleashed, it fundamentally altered the way mankind looked upon the earth, the universe... and even to other individuals. An aspect of tibalism was often a word the military was accused of being. Though the reality was far more complicated then that, and she wasn't sure she could convince her current 'keeper' of the need for... co-ordinated response.
General Makepeace felt that being in charge of project M-Gate was a privilege even if they didn't know quite what the dangers were. But certainly everyone had enough knowledge now to brush into other aspects of the prime reality and create 'magic'. Their project was designed to push through all that... and seek out the other side of reality itself. An audacious plan for a species that had yet to crack light-speed travel... They just didn't think they would encounter a 'rainbow guardian' or... other things in the strange cracks of reality. It didn't seem plausable that they would be walking through a forest that could easily be Earth. The fear of course was that what happened here, could affect the Earth in strange ways. Their world was here, physically... it was part of this world. As was all reality.
"We need to contact the base," Said Makepeace with her girlish voice a little dry. She was... worried. What was going on there?
The angel Lucas shrugged. "I'm sure that would be your protocol, but technology doesn't work right here."
"Not all of it. But some of it clearly," She said gesturing to the wire that dammed up the Whispering River. "I think... I might have been taken advantage of," The little fairy said, her wings drifting downward a little. Was that really the right word? His- Her's was a world of check and mate... to gain advantage or throw it away in hopes of gaining it later. But to admit she had been taken advantage of... by what though?
Lucas shrugged."Well our mission is to find these agents of yours, round them up and..."
"Are you going to kill them?" The General asked plainly.
Lucas stopped for a moment. "Eh, No. I'm not a killer."
"So what are you?"
"Keep asking and you may find out. For now you're the planner general, I actually 'do' stuff. My stuff. Get it?"
As they brushed passed the woods they found themselves in an odd clearing. There was a beautiful flowerbed in the center. A rainbow of colours to delight the senses. Even the new fairy-girl felt an instinctive tug to get closer. It smelled... wonderful. She felt a strange joy lighting her and yes.. it even made her wings sparkle a little.
The angel girl approached glancing to her left and right... when... suddenly one of the strange plants turned to them. Lucas took an instinctive step back.
"Oh, hello?" smiled the flower-girl. She was an impressive figure to look at with a lovely rose standing atop her head. Her body was humanoid though her clothes seemed to be made of plant materials, with a petal making up her skirt. Her white blouse protecting her top, and showed a somewhat woman-like curves about her.
Lucas blinked. She knew all of Jon's friends of course... but it couldn't be! "Steve?" Asked the angel girl. Had Steve ended up in this world too?
The flower girl looked oddly at them. "Goodness, what a strange human-name to call me. Actually I am Princess Flora, at your service." Smiled the girl with a bow. She walked- no- danced towards them, with a twirl of her legs. The flowers around her all seemed to open up, as if to greet them. "Weary travellers, what brings to you my little corner of the world?" Her eyes were the picture of true innocence... and yet carried such a regal nature to them.
Lucas couldn't help but stare. This was... physically, in every way possible the changed flower-girl known as Steve back in their own world. Steve was not happy being a flower-girl... and had to take a few years of therapy in the end to cope with it. It was so obvious that the two were not the same. so who was this and why did she look so identical?
"We... are on a mission," started Lucas.
Princess Flora nodded. "Please, let your fairy out to enjoy the delights of my children. I am sure she will enjoy it" she said gesturing with a small hand, and pink fingernails to the rose bushes.
General Makepeace arched an eyebrow. "...is she kidding?" Her... with flowers?
"Play nice for now, 'little fairy'," smiled Lucas as she plucked the creature into her hand. "She's still figuring out flying uh.. princess."
The flower-princess smiled at that. "Aww, how cute. Perhaps I can call other fairies to help her?"
"No! Uh.. no thanks" Said the general as she stood on one of the delicate flowers. It was able to take her entire weight. The idea of meeting other fairies... sent a small shudder through her.
"Well, try doing small jumps. In the mean time, please make yourselves at home. All good souls are welcome to my garden. Mother will be home soon." the flower girl said with a gentle smile, as she looked down into a little pool of water.
Lucas thought about Steven's mother. "hmm... she wouldn't be like you, but green... with a leafy dress and a cloak?" Asked Lucas.
The princess smiled. "Why yes. Have you met her?" The flower-girl tilted her head.
"No.. well.. sort of?" This world just got a lot more complicated.
The flower-girl simply giggled.
"This is it guys. The Temple of Six," said the Neko-girl Esme excitedly. Her red furred ears twitched a little anxious for signs of danger. Being near these weird 'fundamental' cores of their world could be a little nerve racking. Honestly she wasn't sure she would find it for her new friends... but here it was. Surly they were meant to find it.
Leslie, the human elderly male looked at the curious building. He was certainly no architect but could appreciate the strange beauty of the whole temple. The number Six was written in glyphs, around a cubical structure entwined in hexagonal windows.The surface was a polished stone that glinted in purest white. There were also four columns along each side the top of which burned in green fire. Each one looked to have a facet of a dice.
Esme's twin, Cliff, looked at it quite wistfully. "So, inside... we can awaken a real magic girl?" With that on their side... they could go back to Earth.
Bryan looked annoyed at the cat-girl. Just what did she mean by 'real'? "'I'm doin' my best you know!" She was technically a magic girl...wasn't she?
"Well you couldn't defend us from that monster! Only Esme and Leslie did anything."
The young six year old looked at Cliff and wanted to say something.. anything. But something inside her broke. She had never known what it was like to feel so helpless... and all she did now was cry. A fountain of tears fell at the sting of Cliff's words.
Leslie picked up the young child taking her to his shoulder. "Come now Bryan, It's okay..." he said to her.
"C-cat girls are mean," She sniffled. Some part of her knew she shouldn't feel like this. But she was so upset. She rubbed her eyes on Leslie's cloak.
Cliff stared at them and her ears flattened ashamed. "Uh... I- I'm sorry," She said as her tail twitched downwards. She forgot how young Bryan was. Sometimes she acted older and she knew she was older. Given that she was about the same height as her made things even more confusing. "Hey come on you guys!" called Esme excitedly. "I found the front door. Let's sneak a peek shall we?"
Cliff however was staring at the door. The symbol, the way everything was sparked a memory. It couldn't be though... could it?"... I know this temple," he said quietly.
"... you do?" Asked Leslie.
"Yes... I... at least... I kinda heard about it."
They opened the door, with a strong push. A corridor was lit inside, in a perfect square. Lanterns suddenly lit in green fire, to a small anti-chamber.
"There's a trap in the corridor. Spike trap..." Said Cliff as he threw one of the torches on the ground. Immediately a spike-trap launched itself exactly where he said it would be. "And... further on, a slime creature and... and... a treasure room."
"How do you know about all this stuff?" Asked Leslie curiously.
"I... played here." The cat girl said with confusion in her eyes.
Jenny was in school... but now she was no longer there. She wasn't anywhere. The whole world around her just 'imploded' in a shower of light? "Where am I?" she asked. Was she... taken away?
Suddenly the rainbow guardian appeared. A strange mystical humanoid, that seemed to be made of the various colours of what was once the iridescent sun. "I'm afraid you were erased from your reality," he explained. "So you are here now. All who get erased from time end up here."
The young girl looked at the guardian her face a.. mask almost. She felt the guardian was telling the truth but the audacity of knowing one has been completely erased was a shock. Still she was a warrior that had faced a creature, that was trying to erase all of reality... she was stronger now, much stronger then people realised. "How?" she demanded.
The Rainbow Guardian showed an image of a spider-woman and another strange girl beside her. "The Time-Witch, known as Arachne. She has access to some of your world's technology now. She has altered your circumstances... you never became a magic girl."
"But I am a magic girl," said Jenny looking down at herself.
"That is the nature of the paradox. The events of your life still transpired... but they also did not. To.. correct the paradox, you have been transposed to this side of the universe. Where the game of reality is played. I'm afraid you are now a pawn piece in that game."
"... Then who are the players?"
The guardian sighed. "Who do you trust to play you, Jenny?" It then showed a set of cards. "...choose."
