Fairy-jon gathered her other council members over to the crystal ball. "Okay, I've set the spell to focus on Jon-boy of this other dimension." She pointed to see Jon- that is, human normal boy Jon going to college. He appeared to be talking go Karyn.
"Hey I'm still friends with Karyn in this dimension!" The fairy giggled. "Oh That makes me so happy!"
Harpy-Jon looked a bit confused at that. It was rare to hear anything of Fairy-Jon's past. "You mean when it happened to you, you stopped being friends? I thought our history is identical up to the point when we got the stone."
The slug girl version of Jon also glanced to them in confusion but nodded. "Yeah, that's when the timelines all started branching."
The fairy ignored them for a moment, her eyes brightening as she focused the crystal to her older yet at the same time younger self. "Man I sure was a handsome boy," Fairy-jon giggled.
The other versions of Jon looked a bit wistful, perhaps with some nostalgia at the novelty of being able to look at how one was in the past...
The fairy sighed again as memories started to flow. "Believe me my universe went through some absolutely crazy stuff. Not quite as crazy as catgirl-Jon though. Is she doing any better?"
Harpy-Jon looked awkwardly. "Well... she's.. doing well. So are her cubs."
"Oh goodness we're going to be aunts! It's not often a Jon goes that far from what I've seen of the multiverse! At least not that soon."
The slug girl-Jon gave a light blush and cleared her throat. "Not all universes work out both dimensional travel -and- time travel. That's the key to getting into the council. A fusion of both technology and magical energy" the slug-girl version of Jon thought wistfully. It was so much easier just dealing with one dimension. Still there were.. limitations on just what one can do with both cross-dimensional and time travel. "Do you think its odd that in all the universes where that has happened, I've turned into a girl?"
All the Jons looked at each other. Of course being the same person, they all thought that was weird.
"Maybe it's one of those universal constants we keep hearing about." said Harpy-Jon. "In an infinite multiverse so all things should happen. I should be seeing infinite versions of myself instead of the tens. So I suppose there is some finite to the infinite."
The fairy version of Jon sighed, fluttering her soft pink wings as she focussed on the crystal ball towards this one single dimension. "Why hasn't anything happened to this Jon yet? Something is supposed to happen to him. Come on do something!" She poked at the crystal ball.
"Hey, let him get on with his life. Maybe nothing is supposed to happen to him. Maybe this is a universe that isn't about him for once." Harpy-Jon waved her large red-winged feathers dramatically.
"Not about him?! He's got the wishing stone, he made a wish for something interesting to happen. He's the center of it all! Of course it's about him."
Slug girl Jon continued to just watch in silence. In truth, it was odd talking to the other versions of himself. Each part had a part of his own thoughts, voiced and coming out. The fairy-girl version of herself made her feel distinctly uncomfortable... with just how... feminine she was. She seemed to actively enjoy her change, far more then most. She had no idea why she grew to like it and it seemed impossible if they were the same people... yet whatever it was, the fairy always remained silent on her history. The idea that this fairy was part of the 'jons' of the multiverse made her cringe at times.
The three Jons continued to watch their history in this new dimension...
Michelle walked along the grassy fields with a bit of a skip in her step. The magic in her body was something she quickly adapted to. It was like flexing a new muscle she never had before. Then again, there were a lot of things she had now that she didn't before. She needed answers.
"So Belle? You mentioned this fox of the thousand tail..."
"Yes mistress! It was from a time long ago but we animals remember it."
"Hm.." Michelle closed her eyes recalling the image. "I had a dream... there was a huge fox in the sky... there were many tails all around her. More then I could count... it felt... nice..."
"That's the thousand tail. You're well- Her? Part of Her? She's very mysterious but they say there isn't anything she can't do. She's a goddess."
Michelle wasn't sure how to react to this. She felt like she was a goddess but that was hardly anything contradictory in what Belle said, given she was somehow part of this 'greater goddess'. She flicked her two tails behind her. "I've only got two tails..."
"Yeah, that's cause you haven't used all your powers yet. When you start using them, you get more tails. Each tail represents an element. Right now you got.. Earth and Fire. You could practice out here if you want."
"Water would have been handy earlier to cross the river." She muttered. "How do I get more tails?"
Belle glanced to the squirrel-girl Tiffany. She was further up ahead. She was not exactly in the same pristine state as her new mistress, being wet with cold and collecting a lot of mud, especially on that new bushy tail of hers. She kept really quite for most the journey while the two talked... slowly simmering.
Tiffany gave a slight glance back. All their talk of.. magic and power.. it was annoying her. She wished she had this magic too... but whatever power she had it felt like it just did its own thing. She couldn't even find how to call it or.. anything. The frustration of it built in her- as did one other slowly growing frustration...
The mouse-girl looked back to Michelle. "Well, I'm not really sure. It's easy to get the first four tails. Earth, fire, wind and water... you just got to learn how to connect and manipulate those elements with your magic. The other Five elements though are different... you might get them naturally, if you are really strong willed. From what I understand, no Kitsune has ever achieved a nine-tailed state though."
Michelle looked very interested. "Oh? Could you tell me... what these other tails are?"
Belle looked a bit unsure again. "I really don't know. Things that go against the natural order and shouldn't really be. The first one is pretty easy... it's the creation of illusions. Stuff that is there but isn't there. You are manipulating light in ways that shouldn't be normal."
"So After Earth Fire Wind Water... I could get... power over Light and.. hopefully a few more tricks" She was practically waving her two tails at this prospect. "What happens if I get nine-tails?"
"I don't know mistress. Nobody knows... nobody ever achieved that."
They were then interrupted by Tiffany who was seriously starting to get flustered over something. It wasn't long before she finally just exploded. "How do girls go to the bathroom in a forest!" she finally relented to what was bothering her.
Belle tilted a slight eyebrow then glanced to Michelle. "Your friend is very strange."
"She has her uses," giggled the Fox-woman. "Even if she does smell like a wet dog right now."
"Hey!" Tiffany frowned holding her huge tail in her arms. She tried to brush away the water from the river.
"In answer to your other question, I suggest you just use the bushes."
Tiffany muttered something. This whole situation was so messed up to her. She parted a bush and found... tarmac? "Hey- wait a minute, isn't that a road?" Yes! Finally! With a road they could be home soon. They were almost home! Maybe she could hold it until then...
Belle looked at the strange concrete path. "The things that rolled over it turned everything to ash. You command those creatures?"
"They are called cars belle," Michelle whispered. "We created them."
"Don't think I like them, they are noisy." At least none of them were around right now though.
"Let's just hitch a ride." Said Tiffany.
"Oh good plan. You want to explain your bushy tail, the mouse girl and my foxy nature to them too?" Michelle asked innocently.
"I- well- what else can we do!"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Michelle yawned lazily, stretching her arms. She decided to sit down on the grassy verge, finding that for some reason dirt didn't stick onto her at all. The nice thing about it was that she could lie down pretty much anywhere. Belle smiled at the idea of resting next to the fox, and did so..
Tiffany glanced at them and groaned... well.. this shouldn't take long. Someone was bound to come by then help them. hey waited for a bit at the side of the road. No cars were coming yet... all was silent. Tiffany didn't like silence much and... decided to try for some small talk. "Say michelle? You going to you know try that job now that you have one?" she asked hopefully. She of course wanted to help her friend out but... it had been so long since she moved into his- well- her house."
"Eh? You're serious?" The fox-girl suddenly got up. "All THIS has happened, and you're wondering if I'm planning on attending a job cleaning up somewhere? Tiff, LOOK at us! Magic is REAL! And we can both USE it! Think about the possibilities for a second "“ Do you really want to be trapped somewhere, slaving away nine till five for minimum wage?"
Tiffany looked startled and shocked. "B-But- we don't know the consequences of using all this.. magic. Look what it did to a mouse!" She said pointing to Belle.
"I feel fine," said the mouse looking up with a smile. She was certainly looking adorable as she stood on her two legs, looking so very human now... She had human like hands, and.. a growing awareness of her surroundings. There was little doubt that Belle had gained the awareness that came with being human.
Tiffany looked back to Michelle. "The point is.. we still need money, clothes.. we're still human. I mean- what are you seriously going to do? Live here like a fox?"
During the argument, a car was speeding down the road... the sound of the engine roaring...
"That's what you're focusing on right now? That? You've been handed phenomenal cosmic power, and you can only care about the fact that you went to the bathroom as a girl?" she rolled her eyes as she stepped forward. "I just Don't GET you, Tiff! How could you be comfortable thinking about returning to the same world, living the same life, struggling to pay rent and eating cheap food when we can do THIS!" she flicked her tail at a nearby rock. It began to twist and reshape, until it was a rather artful statue of Tiffany, sans clothing. Admittedly, the statue -was- using her tail to cover herself up, but the artful blush on her face only makes it look MORE alluring.
Tiffany took a step back a little mortified. "I-"
The fox-woman growled a little not forgetting the insults to Belle. "The mouse you're talking about happens to be able to understand you, you realize. She could even before she started to change. Besides, she says she's fine, she looks happy "“ Just what's the problem here? Would you really want to turn her back to how she was?" She rolled her eyes again. "Look Money isn't a problem with magic. We'd have to be pretty unimaginative if we COULDN'T find some way to make money like this!"
The car... didn't even notice them as it sped on. They just missed a possible ride! Tiffany was staring at the weird statue that Michele had made of herself. "I- I don't look like that-" she insisted her fur bristling. "-and my name isn't Tiffany! It's Tim! You're Michael!" She glanced back to the statue. "Damn it- We can't leave that here! People are.. going to ask questions if they see it!" Whoever picked them up would think they were a bunch of weirdos!
"Another car is coming I think." said Belle pointing. "I could run in the middle of the road to stop it?"
"No! Don't do that- we just need to signal them.."
