Chapter Text
Madoka stares at the space where Homura's desk would be, as Mrs. Saotome rants about her last ex. She's too far away to see the text which indicates her absence on the display.
Homura... what is she up to right now? She can't help but worry if she's doing something dangerous in this moment. Preparing for such a big witch might need that sort of risk...
The lunch bell. She's pulled right out of her thoughts, looking around at her classmates all standing up to enjoy their break.
Suddenly, Sayaka speaks to her. "Hey, you ready for lunch? Something wrong?"
"Oh! Yeah, I’m ready! Sorry, I was spacing out..."
"Are you thinking about Homura?"
She briefly considers denying it. What good would that do, anyways?
"Yeah. I am."
"Can't say I blame ya! Come on, let's eat! All this 'impending doom' stuff is making me hungry!"
They emerge onto the school roof together, sun shining upon their faces, receiving some fresh air. The sunlight is warm on Madoka's skin, and the sky is weirdly clear.
Where are all the clouds? It should be impossible for them to have been clear for so long, especially when Walpurgisnacht is apparently coming soon...
What if this is all connected?
"Madoka. You're walking too far!"
She's torn out of her thoughts again, bringing her face down from the sky to her best friend, stopping in her tracks.
"Oh, right. Silly me!"
Madoka scurries over to sit next to Sayaka on their favorite bench, a lunch in each of their laps.
"Madoka... if you're feeling down, you can tell me. I can soak up your worries like a sponge! A very blue one!"
She giggles at that last remark. "Thanks, Sayaka. I've just been thinking... how hard do you think this witch will be for Homura and the others to beat? What if... what if they don't win?"
"I think you might just be paranoid. Come on, this is Mami, Kyoko, and Homura we're talking about!! There's no way that even a witch that powerful can stop those three!"
"Are you sure? Even Homura seems scared, like she's not even sure she can beat it..."
She wishes she could just explain to Sayaka the whole time-travelling thing. However, that's more of a secret to keep between her and Homura.
A different voice answers her doubts. "I’m quite unconfident in them as well, Madoka Kaname."
[{Facing the Truth #1}]
Madoka and Sayaka immediately began swinging their heads around to find the source of the comment. Kyubey.
When the two look back in front of them, they find Kyubey sitting just a few meters away from their seats. His tail sways to the other side, and his bead-like eyes stare intently into the pair.
"Kyubey!? What are you doing here? I told you to never bother me again!!!"
Madoka watches Sayaka get super heated. She awaits the incubator's answer.
"I do apologize for that, Sayaka Miki. However, I come under quite urgent circumstances. One in particular you both seem keenly aware of."
Madoka decides to question him next, though with much less anger. "Do you mean Walpurgisnacht?"
The creature nods, its eyes briefly closing while doing so. "It is my prediction that, even as a team, Mami, Kyoko, and Homura will be unable to defeat the witch. What I think they need is even more power..."
Sayaka fires back, ready for Kyubey to leave them alone. "Well, too bad! You won't get it from either of us!! Right, Madoka?"
She's put on the spot. "R-right! I made a promise, Kyubey!! I won't make a contract with you, after you've tricked so many girls!"
"Hm. Baseless and illogical accusations aside, are you sure you can keep that promise, Madoka Kaname?"
"She absolutely can!!! She's stronger than you could ever imagine! She won't make the same mistake as so many others!" Sayaka replies.
"That much is surprisingly true, Sayaka. Which is precisely why she should become a Magical Girl."
"Is this about that high potential you talked about before? When you said I could become a god?"
"Yes. As you already know, defeating this witch will be child's play for you, Madoka! If you were to only ignore Homura's pleas, you could save this whole city from the disaster in a heartbeat!"
"I won't do it!! I'll never ignore Homura!! Never!!!"
Sayaka seems surprised by the sudden change in her tone. Not even she has a remark or addition to this.
"Very well. Do know, though... you may have to watch her die in battle in order to keep such promises. Take of that what you will."
The incubator slowly stands up, before turning around. It walks away, tail swishing behind it in an almost menacing manner.
Madoka feels like she's going to cry. Sayaka clenches her teeth at the creature in rage, before realizing her friend is feeling scared.
"Sayaka... I don't want to break my promise. I love her too much!!"
"It's okay, Madoka!! You don't have to listen! He's just trying to scare you into becoming a Magical Girl! Don't let him get to you!"
She sniffles, before wiping newly formed tears from her eyes. "Yeah... maybe you're right. But what if he's telling the truth?"
"Don't say that, Madoka! He doesn't understand how strong our friends are!! He can't have hope like we can!"
Hope... isn't that what Magical Girls live for?
[{End of Facing the Truth #1}]
It's the night before Walpurgisnacht. At least, it should be. It's time to go to sleep and Madoka is wearing yellow pajamas, sitting up in bed.
She doesn't want to turn that lamp off yet. She squeezes Mr. Rabbit to help with her worries, but the pink stuffed rabbit can only do so much.
What she really wants... is Homura.
Out of nowhere, 3 knocks come upon Madoka's window. She jumps violently, startled and scared. Who could it be? A burglar?
She gets on her knees and crawls on her bed to look over at the window, fearful.
As if summoned, Homura is right outside, standing patiently.
Suspense drops as excitement takes over Madoka, carefully stepping off her bed before quietly opening her window.
"Homura!" She exclaims, trying not to be too loud at this hour.
"Madoka." she says, beginning to have one of her cute little smiles. "May I come in?"
"Of course!"
She steps back to allow the visitor some leeway. Homura steps up to the window, before pulling herself up with her arms and sitting on the window cill. She orients her legs around, spinning her body into Madoka's room. The heels of her Magical Girl uniform gracefully click on the floor.
As she stands into her room, Madoka asks Homura a question. "Why are you here? I thought you'd be preparing and all that..."
"I had just enough time to come see you again. I simply wanted to see your beautiful face before tomorrow."
She's flattered by the casual compliment, turning a little red. "Thank you... I—I wanted to as well!! I missed you."
Madoka suddenly feels the cool draft from outside, fresh air flowing in. The moment feels almost romantic...
She takes a step towards Homura, before putting her arms around the girl. Shortly after, she returns the hug.
"I really wanted to be close to you again..." Madoka admits to her, closing her eyes and basking in Homura's embrace.
"I did too. I hope that, when tomorrow passes... things will return to how they were before. We could spend so much time together. I'd love it if that was our future."
"It will be, Homura. And I want to live like that with you, too."
Madoka looks into Homura's hopeful, smiling face. Everything feels so calm, even when it doesn't make sense in the face of a horrible coming storm.
But it's okay to enjoy the last of the time they have together before then.
Tension is in the air. Madoka can feel it, even if she's not the best at all this. Homura probably feels the same, staring back at her with those deep lavender eyes through the lamp-lit room.
Their hug loosens, and they turn around parallel to the window.
They lean together and kiss, behind them the bright white moon, bathed in the black of night. Such a moment could be cherished forever.
"Starting at 7 AM this morning..."
A speaker mounted upon a car moves gradually along Mitakihara's streets. The sky above is angry, gray clouds rapidly and menacingly moving above, thunder cracking as bubbles of the boiling city.
"... an evacuation order is being issued due to extreme weather conditions."
"All residents must immediately evacuate to the nearest shelter."
"This is a public service announcement for Mitakihara city."
There is a pause, before the message repeats. Its words echo through the hollow city, from which most have already evacuated to the shelter. The city is like a cleaned stage, prepared for a grand show...
Walpurgisnacht.
Homura stands along the river. Her allies flank her, Kyoko and Mami. Never has she had this much help fighting Walpurgis—only one of them was typically left to help.
They look nervous. Anticipating a disaster they have never seen before. Homura very much has. She's alert, waiting for the usual signs of its manifestation.
The wind is violent. Her hair whips to the side, just a little bit into her eyes, which she ignores. Mami's drill curls point towards the direction of wind, while Kyoko's ponytail likewise blows in the storm.
This is for Madoka. For her loved ones. For everything she's ever stood for.
Suddenly, mist streaks across the water, summoned forth upon its surface. This seems to only worsen the nerve of her allies.
Eventually, a layer of mist blankets the river bank, creeping towards the Triple Alliance. Homura stands patient, waiting for the next stage of the witch's manifestation.
She looks up and around, spotting streamers, as if they were walking straight into a city festival of some sort. She considers gesturing to the other girls, but they soon notice the decorations as well.
"What is this? I thought this witch lacked a labyrinth?" Mami asks.
"It does. We're in the real world."
She looks in awe as the world seems to subtly transform around them. As the mist settles into a fog, a colorful group of entities suddenly are walking by. There are elephants, poodle-looking creatures, and little floating checkered familiars walking away from the river.
"Do we gotta fight those?" Kyoko asks.
"No. They will populate the Walpurgisnacht Storm Zone. These familiars are nothing to worry about."
"Storm Zone?" Mami asks, seeking clarification.
"What will very soon envelop Mitakihara. As I said earlier, it's similar to a barrier, except sprawled across the real world."
"What about those in the shelter? Will they be safe during this disaster?"
"As long as the witch itself is kept from it, yes. Else, everyone inside could die."
She keeps up her cold act, despite knowing Madoka could be one of those deaths if she were to fail. Mami and Kyoko both seem to feel a rise in the stakes. The latter gulps.
The familiars are now everywhere. Streamers connect all the light poles upon the bank, and the sounds of elephants and the other little familiars fill the air.
"It's here." Homura coldly states, before turning around to walk to the other end of the gray brick platform.
"Shall we get into position for our plan?" Mami asks her.
"Yes."
She continues walking. This will surely work. She's failed so many times fighting alone... this time will be different. It is different.
Homura stops, now behind 3 large artillery pieces, featuring intricate yellow designs through the black metal. She turns to the river, seeing Mami and Kyoko looking up through the fog in anticipation.
[{Surgam Identidem}]
Suddenly, blue curtains appear in her vision. She's seen them before. They draw out, building anticipation for the show.
5
Homura stands ready. She can do it all again.
4
The fog begins to slowly clear. A horrible, menacing figure is revealing itself. Even Mami and Kyoko know what it is.
3
She can notice incredibly long streamers stretching out far into the fog, connected to the obscured witch's neck.
2
The witch is nearly entirely visible now. Homura's shield prepares itself, ready to stop time in a moment.
She feels a little pressure on her ankle. She checks, and Mami's ribbon is secured.
1
The city skyline seems to warp and stretch higher all around her.
Almost time...
0
The rest of the fog clears. The whole Triple Alliance now clearly sees the witch. A great blue dress with white frills, a demonic face with only lips, a shaft coming from underneath, upon it which a series of incredible gears spin with a surreal sense of impending destruction about them...
[WALPURGIS NIGHT]
The time comes, and Homura's shield immediately spins into a loud click, echoing through the stopped air.
"Now!!!" She yells to her teammates, now sharing in her frozen time.
She fires the first artillery cannon, its boom shaking the air and ground. A yellow and black shell hurdles through the air, stopped once it travels 20 meters.
She watches as her allies spring into action. Red chains shoot up through the air, connecting earth and sky, secured taut. A long series of them are summoned forth, leading the way to the wicked witch.
She fires the second artillery cannon. The world shakes around them once more, and another shell ends up frozen in time, ready to bring hell upon the curses of this world.
Mami shoots forth her golden ribbons, curling around the red chains of Kyoko, pulling themselves tight between every single one. More and more come forth, and the two construct a bridge together towards the ultimate witch.
The third artillery cannon is fired. Three shells, well-spaced are prepared to make this plan of theirs work. Like the three Magical Girls determined to kill this witch.
The bridge is finished, and the other two girls begin to run up it. Homura's shield reaches the end of its time-stop, clicking the world into movement once again.
Three great explosions impact Walpurgis. It moves subtly backwards. Quickly, amidst the fading light and smoke, ribbons envelop the witch, yellow strips obscuring its form. Countless ribbons shoot to the ground, making the Storm Zone into the witch's very own prison. They bind tightly around Walpurgis.
Mami and Kyoko continue to hurry up their bridge. Time is essential. Time is what will keep them alive.
Homura throws out her left arm, her shield summoning a collection of RPGs all standing around her, perfectly spaced and ready to fire.
She picks up one, rapidly aiming it at the restricted witch. The rest of the alliance continues to approach it, high in the sky.
She fires. 2 seconds later, it makes impact, with a decent explosion.
She continues this routine. Gun after gun, rocket-propelled warheads make contact with the witch. As it struggles about, as much as an entity so massive can, the ribbons appear to only tighten.
Another time-stop is ready. Her shield spins around again, and everything freezes again.
Homura fires the remainder of this collection of guns at Walpurgis, while Mami and Kyoko are nearly to the witch, making ample use of the frozen time.
The shield slides into place, and time moves once more. The force of 6 warheads hits the witch at one time, before the other two girls leap up towards the witch.
It breathes forth a plume of fire, but this is quickly stopped by a tight wall of red chains, creating a barrier. Kyoko jumps above it, and slices at what bears resemblance to a throat. She cuts at it with great fury, over and over.
Mami summons five guns at once, before firing them in sync. She does this again, firing volley after volley. Homura can view a flash of yellow light with each round.
From the witch echoes out its signature cry, sounding of maniacal laughing—or perhaps sobbing. It's too warped to register as either.
The two girls continue attacking as Homura abandons her position, now having expended the arsenal planned for use here. She dashes to the bridge, hoping to meet with her alliance.
As the witch is hit with more volleys and slices, its gears begin spinning faster, gradually grinding away at the ribbons. Homura is making it up the bridge to unite with Mami and Kyoko.
"Legare!" Mami shouts. Ribbons grow from the water below, wrapping around the witch as to keep it pinned for just a while longer.
Lines of bright red are repeatedly drawn upon the thin throat of the wicked Walpurgis, made by the vigorous and unrelenting Kyoko. "Die!!!" she screams.
"Is it time, Miss Akemi!?"
Homura quickly nods, frantically sprinting upwards to join her allies. The elastic ribbons seem to bounce her towards the end.
"Alright, I’m ready for this!!!" Kyoko shouts at Homura and Mami.
Now all are close to Walpurgis itself. The three girls leap into the air, convening high in the sky.
Homura's shield spins and clicks into place. Then, from it spews a series of large and small pieces of metal, a slew of intricate parts for a great weapon.
The Triple Alliance orients themselves towards the ultimate witch midair. All three of their soul gems glow, yellow, purple, and red light illuminating this gray and doomed city, pieces of which they can view flying around in the Storm Zone.
The parts which have emerged from Homura's hidden arsenal come together and assemble before the Triple Alliance, creating their ultimate attack.
Their creation manifests: a tremendous cannon, featuring a long and relatively wide bore, pointed straight at the ultimate witch. It hovers in the air along with its creators, a beautiful design of yellow lines covering it, shining among the black of its body.
The flow of time finally resumes again, indicated by the sound of the gears within Homura's shield.
"Now!" Homura urges her teammates, holding out her soul gem upon her right hand. Their gems glow with hers.
A tremendous shockwave rings out as their attack is fired, a red spear-shaped warhead escaping in the blink of an eye from the cannon. It pierces into the great witch's dress, causing it to move backwards from the force. Then, embedded into its colossal form, the projectile explodes, purple light flashing outwards.
The witch lets out its maniacal cry once more. It's clearly not dead, yet... that did something. Something.
"Again!" Homura commands. Mami and Kyoko's soul gems glow along with hers, and the weapon is reloaded.
The Storm Zone quakes once more, and the projectile stabs through the area just above the neck of Walpurgis, causing it to curl inward like a ragdoll, before a second great blast envelops the witch. Its massive body is obscured by the lingering purple light and smoke.
A second horrible cry—or laugh—is let out. The aftermath of the blast fades as Mami and Kyoko watch in horror, seeing it still alive after all this. They stop hovering midair, and let themselves be brought down by gravity.
The three watch as more and more ribbons around the ultimate witch snap, regaining its ability to move.
"Fall back!!!" Mami yells.
Homura and Kyoko abide by those orders, using their magic to fly away towards the ground they had launched this attack from.
As the witch breaks free, a large chunk of building is sent into the bridge, and it crumbles dramatically as part of Mitakihara crashes into it.
In trying to avoid it, Kyoko and Homura both end up in the water, on opposite sides of where the bridge once stood. Walpurgis moves above them, now freed from its entanglement. An ethereal spinning cloak of sorts surrounds it.
The crash of an entire building into the river echoes out.
"Damn it!!! We gotta go after it!!" Kyoko exclaims, frustrated by the witch's persistence, treading through the violent waters of the river.
Homura levitates out of the water, intending to follow Walpurgis on its path of destruction. She sees Mami above, doing exactly that and firing shots at it, one musket at a time.
The battle will be long. But she cannot give up. Nobody can.
[{End of Surgam Identidem}]
Madoka looks to the window, on the far end of this wide and open space of the shelter. The rain is falling hard, in an angry downpour. The trees seem to barely hold on against the onslaught of the wind.
Meanwhile, she's in here, safe and with her family. At least, she thinks it's safe. Homura and the others should be fighting Walpurgis right now. She would never let it reach the shelter. Homura cares too much for her.
She looks across the countless rows and columns of mats, families upon them hoping to make it through this crisis. Sayaka's family has ended up a little ways away from her own family's space.
She looks back at her own family. Her father is entertaining Tatsuya and keeping him distracted, while her mother stares worriedly at the floor.
"Mom... could I maybe go see Sayaka?"
She's taken out of her mind. "Oh. Yes, of course you can. Just don't be away for too long, okay? You should stay where I can see you!"
"Got it, mom!! Thank you!"
They have moved to the edge of the shelter room, where Madoka's mom still has eyes on her. However, it's less public for her and Sayaka to speak here.
"Sayaka... I’m scared. I want to go see how they're doing. If there's anything at all I could have done, and I didn't... I don't know what I would do."
"Relax! Don't you have faith in them? When they have a cool name like 'The Triple Alliance', how could they possibly lose?"
"Aren't you at least a little scared? Even if they're winning, one of them could get really badly hurt!"
Sayaka looks off to the side, appearing less sure of her previous predictions of a resounding victory.
"To be honest... I wish I could see them too. I can't know anything when I’m in here and they're out there. I want to have more than just hope that they're okay—I'd like to see them for myself."
Somehow, they then hear the voice of Kyubey in their heads. "I could take you to them." He offers.
The two girls look over only to see the creature walking up to them. How does he just show up like that, anyways?
"Not you again!!!" Sayaka complains.
"I’m not here to ask for a contract. You and Madoka obviously do not trust me, but I could do you a service..."
"And what would that be?" Madoka asks, Sayaka too fed up with the incubator.
"It's within my abilities to lead you to where the battle is taking place. Given your previous expression of desires, I assume you would want that, yes?"
"How exactly can we trust you!? After all the times you've tried to get your grubby little paws on a contact from us!!" Sayaka gripes.
"You don't have to. You could stay here or travel there alone, which would be very perilous. I don't really care what you opt for, it's just that my help would be safest and help fulfill a need."
Madoka looks at Sayaka, who returns the eye contact. She seems to dull her stubborn attitude, realizing that there's no point in declining Kyubey's help.
"I think we'll do it!" Madoka decides.
"Alright, then. Follow me."
They run through empty streets of Mitakihara, though they are quite different. The buildings seem to stretch incredibly tall into the sky, as if it were transformed into a labyrinth—maybe it was.
Though, there is rubble and ruin up ahead. Clearly not all of the city appears intact.
"We're almost there!" Kyubey tells the pair.
Madoka, looking to her side, sees a strange dog-looking being along the sidewalk. Is that... a familiar? It's certainly too colorful to be an actual dog.
Doesn't matter. She keeps going. The wind swirls and rushes angrily around them, imposing a threatening feeling.
She and Sayaka come to where the wall of buildings cease, and the street abruptly ends, destroyed in the great storm. They both tread carefully upon the rubble.
[{Signum Malum}]
"Here. Lay your eyes upon... Walpurgis."
The girls look to their left, where the city has been flattened. Somewhat far away, they see the ultimate witch...
Only its shadowy figure can be witnessed, yet it is terrifying nonetheless. It is moving through the city, gears on its top and great arms of some sort below. There is a small shape of what must be the head on the bottom, like its upside-down.
This is Walpurgis. The witch she saw in her dream. It's the exact same being. The cause of Homura's suffering and fear, clear as day before her very eyes.
A chilling cackle, sounding kind of like crying, echoes across the Storm Zone, reaching the girls' ears.
She looks to Sayaka, to see how she is reacting. The blue-haired girl stares in a mixture of awe and horror at Walpurgis.
"Sayaka... are you scared?"
"Yes. Who wouldn't?"
"Do you think Mami and Kyoko are too?"
"Oh yeah, definitely. Mami's never fought something like this. Neither has Kyoko, that's for sure."
Madoka sees an unsure look on her best friend's face as she evaluates the situation.
Then, other figures appear in the scene far away. First, a girl in a ponytail, thrusting forth with her spear. Second, a girl with long hair flying in the sky... Homura. Then lastly comes a girl with a musket, before it's fired and discarded. Yet, she keeps getting more of them.
"That's them." Sayaka says.
"Do you think they're winning?"
She looks unsure. "I hope so."
Kyubey decides to interrupt. "The witch is on the move. If you watch to continue observing the battle, I suggest we keep moving, while keeping our distance."
"Right!" Madoka answers. "We have to keep up with them!"
Sayaka seems plagued with worry, perhaps for herself, her friends in the battle, or both. "Yeah. Let's go!"
Despite how scary this all is... Madoka can't help but want to watch her girlfriend along with Mami and Kyoko celebrate, having defeated the ultimate witch. To be able to hug Homura and tell her how proud she is after a hard-won victory...
[{End of Signum Malum}]
The Triple Alliance chases after Walpurgis. If it is to reach the shelter, the worst would happen...
Kyoko is closing the distance, ready to thrust at Walpurgis. She throws out a red chain, casting it to become taut between the witch and the earth.
She grabs onto it and pushes off, getting speed towards the witch, momentarily stopped by the chain.
Homura watches from below as Kyoko thrusts her spear into Walpurgis with all her might, still having the determination left even after fighting this long.
She stabs it into the blue dress of the witch, a red glowing hole is put upon the impact. Then, Kyoko is suddenly launched backwards as a beam of black shoots out, having the texture of a starry night.
"Kyoko!!!" Mami screams.
The girl falls towards the city below as the chain she had just made breaks, allowing Walpurgis to begin moving again.
The extension of midnight sky summoned forth by the witch twists around, before forming into a group of three familiars, shaped similar to Magical Girls.
Maybe they were, once.
"Keep chasing Walpurgis!!" Homura commands Mami.
Her shield turns and clicks into place to stop time. The newly summoned familiars, of which Homura knows to be formidable, are frozen.
She flies down swiftly, purple light around her, to recover Kyoko. Air rushes past her.
Homura can hear Mami firing her muskets above, the sound quieting as she approaches the landing site of Kyoko.
Blood.
A gnarly and big gash has been put on Kyoko's torso. How the hell that little magical tentacle did this, she wouldn't know.
The quiet city surrounds her, lying in broken gray concrete. The clouds above have stopped moving—Homura's time magic.
As expected, she sees that girl heading down for her head-first, diving down through the air to come get her. Her black hair whips around like the cape of a great hero, one of those she once wanted to be...
Homura quickly flips around and lands onto the ground with her heels. Flashy.
"How badly are you hurt?" Homura asks, probably in a hurry before time starts up again.
Kyoko chuckles. It hurts. "Just a scratch. I've had worse!"
"And your soul gem?"
Kyoko takes the gem off her chest to see its color. Getting dark. Very dark.
"I mean, a grief seed would be handy..."
"We're out. I’m sorry, we spent the last of it."
"Shit..."
She places the soul gem back in its usual place. This might be it...
"I know what to do." Kyoko says. "I just need to give ya somethin' first, okay?"
She pulls out a crumpled letter from a pocket in her Magical Girl uniform, below the outer red layer. Unfortunately, it seems to have a good amount of blood on it.
It'll do. She hands it to Homura, who kneels down to her level to pick it up.
"I want you to give this to Sayaka after all this is over—assuming we win, of course."
"I'll do it." Homura answers, looking a little solemn. She seems to get it...
Kyoko gets up, dulling the pain somehow. Tiny pieces of concrete stick to her back. She stands up, beaten but determined.
Homura is looking at the blood-spattered letter. She sees the pen writing on the front:
in case I don't make it
From: Kyoko
To: Sayaka
"How much left until time starts movin' again?"
"5 seconds."
"Welp. Guess I gotta go now!"
She can't stay here on the ground of Mitakihara. This is her duty, the one she signed up for so long ago.
Using her remaining strength, Kyoko leaps forth towards Walpurgis, which is frozen in the distance. She watches as Mami continues to fire frozen bullets, which are on course to take out all the girl-looking space familiars, and hit Walpurgis itself.
Suddenly, everything unfreezes. All the familiars explode into space juice and their witch is hit with several bullets all at once. It does that creepy laugh thing again.
Mami looks up at her, seeing Kyoko's determination—and the open wound.
"Kyoko!?"
20 chains shoot from the ground, stopping Walpurgis again, this time for longer. Then, a giant spear bursts from the earth, before bending into great sections connected by the chain inside, just like the normal-sized ones she creates. Kyoko lands upon its thin tip, having a place to stand.
"Hey, Mami?"
"What are you doing, Kyoko?" the girl asks her shakily.
[{I'll be with you}]
She takes the red soul gem off her uniform. She looks at it, sullied and dark, yet just enough juice left for something really big.
Kyoko places it between her hands. She focuses the last of its power.
"I've really appreciated spending these last couple of weeks with ya. Means a lot to me, truly. Just don't get in the way of what I’m about to do, okay?"
"What is going to happen? What are you planning?"
"You'll see. I just wanted to tell you that I care a lot about you now. I’m sorry it's come to this."
Her friend is rendered speechless. Though, she heeds the earlier warning, and descends to air further away. Kyoko feels bad for her, but this has to be done.
Kyoko looks down at her hands, clasping the last of her hope between them. She puts her head down, closes her eyes, and kneels down upon the end of this great spear.
She begins to talk softly, not to herself, nor to anyone else nearby. "Sayaka... I know you can't hear me, being so far away..."
Walpurgis continues moving against the chains. There should be just enough time...
"I just hope that, somehow, someway, I'll see you again after this. Even if you're not here, I’m doing this for you. I want you to live the rest of your life, never having made my mistake. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ever bothered to help save this city. I’m so glad you changed me. Maybe, after my life is over, I can finally have a happy dream. I would love to see you, just one more time."
Her soul gem glows brightly with pale red light. She opens her hands, opens her eyes, and stands up.
Kyoko tosses her last magic before her, and quickly conjures a spear, holding it ready. She focuses on the gem as it slowly falls.
This is for that beautiful blue girl.
"Goodbye, Sayaka... wherever you are." she whispers.
"I love you."
She thrusts, stabbing and shattering her gleaming soul gem.
[{End of I'll be with you}]
A blinding flash of red light in the distance.
[{Quamobrem?}]
Sayaka stares in horror, before feeling the massive shockwave, earth and air alike quaking. Madoka can see it too.
The witch has been completely obscured by the crimson explosion. That color...
"Kyoko!!!" She screams.
In a panic, wondering if she's badly hurt—or worse—Sayaka bursts into a sprint towards Walpurgis, running through the rubble straight ahead.
"Sayaka!! What are you doing!?" Madoka asks, seeing her bolt off.
"It's not safe! You shouldn't get any closer unless you're a Magical Girl!" Kyubey adds.
She hears the creature and her best friend try to keep up after her. It doesn't matter!
Sayaka feels tears begin to breach her eyes, blurring the rugged path forward. She persists. She can't stop.
Kyoko... she has to be okay. She can't die here! She didn't die here. She would never.
Homura's heels click onto the asphalt of the empty highway. Mami stands behind her, likewise stunned at the sacrifice of Kyoko.
The blonde girl begins to cry. "Kyoko... we just became friends again! Why?"
Mami puts her hands over her face, breaking down onto her knees to sob.
The witch hovers almost mockingly in the air, red fire burning at the white frills of its great dress. Its gears spin slowly.
"That thing should be dead." Homura remarks, staring into the sky.
Mami sniffles, before looking up to Homura. "Can we even beat it? What if Kyoko died for nothing!?"
"She didn't. We can win this battle. I suggest you and I avenge her."
The yellow girl stands up, pushing away her fear. For Kyoko.
"Let's go."
[{End of Quamobrem?}]
The remainder of the Triple Alliance leaps into flight towards the witch.
[{Surgam Identidem (Mid-Song)}]
Homura flies around the witch, firing a machine gun. She pushes against the recoil, not letting up any force on Walpurgis.
Mami is unrelenting as well. Firing, discarding, replacing, firing again. Her attack will not stop.
Another group of three ethereal familiars are spawned as the witch descends. Homura and Mami gun them down in seconds.
The witch is nearing the perfect spot.
Homura drops down from the sky into the river below. Mami seems to back away from Walpurgis, assuming correctly that she is going to attack it.
She lands into the river, only to be immediately raised out as a slew of anti-aircraft missile launchers emerge, brought forth by her magic.
Homura activates them all, commanding an all-out bombardment of the airborne witch. The weapons beneath her feet shake violently as missiles rapidly depart for their target.
Walpurgis is hit by blast after blast in rapid succession, clouded entirely by smoke.
Homura returns to the air with a jump. She waits to see the witch again before her next attack, now at its elevation once again.
The smoke slowly blows away, a sliver of the witch now visible again. She swiftly activates her shield to stop time.
She boosts forward towards the witch, coming to quickly make use of the frozen opportunity.
Homura reaches into her shield's arsenal, before throwing all of her remaining explosives at Walpurgis—13 pipe bombs and 10 hand grenades.
Then, the projectiles frozen in air, she pivots away and joins with Mami on a still-standing building of the city. The girl only stares at her as she lands gracefully to her side. Her shield clicks and the world moves again.
Another great boom envelops Walpurgis. Just how many times will this have to be done to finally kill it?
[{Nux Walpurgis}]
Mami is exhausted. "Do you think we're close to winning?"
Homura cannot lose determination, but they've fought this witch for 45 minutes now. They only have so much magic left to spare.
"I don't know, but we have dealt damage, I’m sure. It's moving nowhere near as fast as it once was."
Suddenly, her periphery is overtaken by a large gray object. Mami jumps away as the turns to see an entire building hurdling towards her from Walpurgis.
She looks to her shield, but to her horror, the central hourglass mechanism has completely ran out of sand. She has no time left to stop any longer. The only way to ever get it back would be to reset this timeline...
She looks up back at the incoming piece of Mitakihara, frozen in fear.
"Miss Akemi!!!" Mami shouts.
Impact. Building meets building, an unholy collision brought forth by this abomination. Homura is crushed between them, struggling as she tries to stay alive.
The debris she now is caught in tumbles to the ground far below, concrete chunks turning and slamming into one another all around. Homura is unable to do anything.
What was once two buildings falls to the ground as Homura tries desperately to disconnect from the pain.
Eventually, dust settles, and the girl is bloodied. She stares into the gray and violent sky above.
So much weakness... Homura raises her left hand to her face, vision blurred.
The gem is horribly tainted. It would be best if she stopped fighting. She cannot.
Madoka... even after everything, what if she just can't win? What if everything she has done, everything she has sacrificed, was for nothing? Will she see that radiant smile ever again? Does she have to leave this timeline?
Before she formulates a plan to struggle out of this position, she sees a glitter of yellow amid the sky.
Mami lands into the mess of rubble from above, like a golden angel.
"You've fought well, Miss Akemi. Please, let me take it from here."
"Mami... my soul gem." she chokes out.
Homura raises her hand, showing the dirtied gem. Mami does not look entirely hopeless.
"Just stay here, Miss Akemi. I can't allow you to fight any longer."
"What about you, Mami?"
Mami looks at her with caring eyes. "Don't worry about me. This city has been under my protection for years."
"Wait, you'll just—"
"Take care of yourself first, Miss Akemi. Fight for what you love until the end."
She accepts the girl's choice. Images of the beautiful, kind, and smiling face of Madoka flash into her mind.
Homura will accept whatever she must if it means she sees her again. If it means they can feel one another's love.
Homura stares past her ally to look upon Walpurgis. That spinning magical pattern is gone. For the first time, the witch appears...
Vulnerable.
[{End of Nux Walpurgis}]
[{Credens Justitiam}]
Giving Homura one last smile, Mami brings her head to the ravaged skies above, which hold the tyrant which has taken so much.
She bends her knees, before soaring into the air, ascending high into the sky. Air blows past her at great speed, and the ultimate witch grows closer, larger in her sight.
"For Mitakihara... for Kyoko!"
Without shouting the name of the move as she tends to, Mami casts ribbons to stretch, twist, and bind around the witch and the few standing buildings.
Walpurgis emits a forceful gust of wind at the yellow warrior. She is unmoved, even in air.
She thrusts both her arms forward, bringing them together. A cyclone of ribbons appear, growing bigger and bigger.
The ultimate witch needs an ultimate finale. The whirlwind of ribbons grows and grows, its ferocity exceeding that of Walpurgisnacht.
With a burst of flowers comes a colossal cannon, intricate and elegant—yet deadly. Fifteen meters long.
With righteous fury, Mami directs her greatest finisher upwards towards the wicked witch. It is silent, awaiting execution.
"Tiro..."
Walpurgis slowly turns to face the girl head-on.
"FINALE!!!"
The entire city tremors violently. A deafening boom fills the air.
A wide beam of bright, pure yellow light penetrates forth with the full might of Mitakihara. A hole in the dense clouds reveals the beautiful blue sky of before.
[{End of Credens Justitiam}]
The ultimate witch seems almost frozen. A large gaping void lies in its very center.
Its gigantic gears collapse downwards, the once-voluminous dress flattening between it and the lower body.
Walpurgis Night falls, descending to the ground like a meteor. Bursts of dark matter boil from around its body as the witch disintegrates. The previously unmoving mouth of the head is gaping open as a chilling cackle escapes from the dying disaster. The witch bears resemblance to cloth burning away into ash.
Homura stands up, weak but alive, watching in awe at the scene around her.
Walpurgisnacht has been ended!
Madoka is safe!
Tears overtake her, the weight of 72 resets coming upon her all at once.
Yet, she is given little time to process anything. Looking up, she sees Mami falling from the sky above.
Homura scrambles to catch her, the girl falling fast from the high point she fell. Mami lands into her arms, her weight harder to manage as Homura loses strength from her sullied soul gem.
Mami's legs dangle over her right arm, and her head slumps backward, eyelids just barely opening.
She sets the heroic girl down delicately upon the gray rubble. A flattened part of what she fought so long for. For what she's done, she deserves such a resting place.
"Miss... Akemi..."
"It's okay, Mami. Walpurgis is dead."
Despite her seemingly struggling to move, a faint smile comes upon her face.
Suddenly, an approaching voice calls out to them. "Kyoko!!! Mami!!!"
[{Facing the truth #2}]
Homura looks to see Sayaka frantically dashing over towards her and Mami. She looks down, realizing what Sayaka will soon experience...
Sayaka stops dead in her tracks, seeing the scene before her.
"Mami!!!"
The girl rustles to look at her visitor. Sayaka rushes over to her side, kneeling over. She looks desperate to stop whatever is happening and keep Mami with her.
That's not possible. She would know.
"What happened!? I thought you guys beat the witch!!"
Sayaka is tearing up. She doesn't seem ready to process this.
"We did. She used the last of her magical power to kill it."
Sayaka looks back at the fallen warrior. "Mami! Are you going to be okay!?"
The girl smiles, proud of her actions. "We defeated Walpurgis. I think it was worth it. I’m very glad to see you, Sayaka."
Sayaka darts her view back up to Homura. "Wait, what's going to happen!?"
Homura tries to look at her coldly... she can't. Somehow, empathy prevails. She knows how this feels.
"You know the truth, Sayaka. Look at her soul gem."
Sayaka gently turns the small brown hat on her head, examining the soul gem closely. It's nearly entirely black, only a tiny glitter of yellow left.
"Do we have a grief seed!?" She asks Homura, desperation ratting her voice.
"We used them all. This witch's grief seed would take too much searching to find. She will become a witch before we find it."
Mami's eyes completely open wide with terror. "B—become a witch!?!?"
Unfortunately, the truth kept from her this whole timeline for her stability is no longer something to be hidden.
Sayaka turns to desperately console her. "It's okay, Mami!! You won't become a witch! Just hang in there, okay?"
The girl begins to writhe in pain, her soul gem beginning the phase shift. The sounds of agony seem to rattle Sayaka's heart.
"Mami, you saved everyone in the city!! You're a hero! I’m so, so proud of you! Please, don't let the despair take you!!! Hang on!!!"
Tears stream down Sayaka's face as she tries to remind Mami of the justice she so well embodied in the time she knew her.
The breaking girl speaks again, turning to Homura. "Miss Akemi... I don't want to become a witch. Please, after all I've fought for, could you stop that from happening? This is my last request."
"Of course I can." Homura replies back. She walks over to her, before taking the flower-shaped golden housing of her soul gem.
"W-wait you can't!! Please, I don't want Mami to—"
Homura looks straight into Sayaka's eyes. Mami speaks before she does, a strangely peaceful and satisfied look on her face.
"It's going to be alright, Sayaka. I think I'm okay with dying here. Honestly... I don't think I have any lasting regrets. Just know that you were the best friend I've ever had."
Tears now flow like a downpour down Sayaka's face, and she starts uncontrollably sobbing. She collapses down on Mami, wanting to hold her in her final moments. She doesn't seem ready to say goodbye yet.
"Mami... you were such a great friend to me, too. You're my hero!!! You always will be!!"
She pauses for a moment. An even greater satisfaction comes to the girl. "This is exactly how I wished my story to end. A great friend by my side... being thanked for all I've done... I’m so happy, Sayaka. Thank you."
The hero's eyes look to Homura. She nods, knowing it's time.
Sayaka realizes what is about to happen and sobs into Mami, holding her close in these last seconds of life.
Homura holds out the girl's changing soul gem. The golden wire petals of its encasement seem to wilt as gem turns to seed.
She turns to face the shining sun in the now-open sky, holding the dark gem in front of it like an eclipse, warping golden frames surrounding it.
Homura reaches into the shield upon her left arm. A handgun emerges in her right hand.
"You fought valiantly, Mami Tomoe. Goodbye."
She fires the pistol. The gem shatters.
[{End of Facing the Truth #2}]
"Sayaka!!!" Madoka cries out, ways away. Homura turns her head to her.
She runs up and through rubble, trying to be careful as to not hurt herself. Homura would be so sad if she did...
Madoka begins to slow her pace as she approaches the depression of concrete pieces where everyone is.
She sees the unmoving body. Sayaka crying sprawled over the girl.
"Mami!?"
"I’m so sorry you have to see this, Madoka. Please, just go back... I will keep you safe"
"Wait... where's Kyoko?"
Sayaka brings her face off Mami, rising as she remembers why she first dashed here. She looks at Homura, awaiting the answer.
"Sayaka, it would be best you read this letter from her to explain."
Homura reaches into her shield and pulls out a letter. It looks... spattered with blood!?
The girl leans over to hand it to Sayaka. She accepts, her face horrified.
Madoka has a horrible feeling, compounded upon the sight of Mami dead. "Did... is Kyoko...?"
Homura only looks down.
[{Confessio}]
Sayaka delicately opens the envelope, trying not to damage anything. The cover hauntingly reads in case I don't make it.
Dear Sayaka,
If you're reading this letter, you probably know something happened to me. But, it probably also means that someone survived to give you this. I really hope we win, so I can tell you everything.
I didn't tell Homura or Mami, but I have just one last trick up my sleeves, in case everything goes wrong. I think it might just be what we need to take something big like this down.
But that's not important. What I really wrote this for is to tell you something I can't let myself die with, trapped in my heart.
I love you. After I've lost so, so much in my life... I ended up by your side. I thought I'd never care for anyone but myself after what happened to me, but then you stumbled along, with all that spunk and stubbornness.
Even when I was taunting you, and giving you such a hard time, I think it was just because I cared about you. I didn't even know who the hell you were, but hearing someone was about to throw their life away... I couldn't just sit around and do nothing.
I’m so, so glad I was able to save you. Frankly, I think it's the thing I’m most proud of ever achieving in my life. You were my light in the darkness, and I kept you alive. I feel like one of the fairytale heroes I once admired. Like Mami. Like you.
Of course, I don't think you feel quite the same way towards me. And that's okay! You have other friends and your family to cherish, as well as that violin prodigy! I wish you the best of luck with that boy. He'd be a fool to not like you back! You've a real kind heart, please never forget that.
I'm nowhere near as religious as I used to be. Yet, I still really wish I could see you on the other side. I already made my wish, but if I had a second one... I would use it to spend the rest of my days by your side.
My deepest love,
Kyoko
Tears fall like raindrops upon the paper. Her grip on it tightens, yet Sayaka is careful not to damage it. She pulls it to her chest, closing her eyes.
"Kyoko... I was so clueless, I’m—"
She sobs violently, knowing even a lake of tears could never bring her back.
Why? Why did Kyoko have to sacrifice herself? How was Sayaka too stupid to see how much she cared about her?
Why didn't she talk to her, before this whole battle, and treasure the last of their time?
[{End of Confessio}]
Mami and Kyoko are both dead, before Madoka even got to know them very well. She watches her best friend lose two girls so important to her at once, breaking down amongst what remains of each.
She can't help but start to cry herself.
"I’m really glad I could at least save you, Madoka." Homura tells her. Her expression is far from happy.
This was supposed to be time for celebration... to jump for joy and embrace Homura, having saved the day and secured a bright and beautiful future together.
It's not. Girls had to die to reveal this blue sky once again.
"I... I don't want this to be how it ends."
[{Inevitabilis}]
Homura immediately looks scared. What relief she was feeling is gone. It's as if she's watching something awful develop before her very eyes.
"It has to be. You're safe, Walpurgisnacht has passed. I’m sorry that it went this way."
Does it? Will she just leave it all like this?
"Homura... I know how much I’m able to do. All this time I've spent with you has made me realize just how strong I am."
Homura is starting to cry. "No... not here. This is the best everything has ever been! Please, don't just sacrifice yourself again!!!"
Homura stumbles through the rubble, before hugging Madoka tight. She breaks down over her shoulder.
Madoka rubs Homura's back, making sure to hold her tight in return. She needs her.
"It's okay, Homura. I know what you're afraid of. But please, believe me when I tell you that I'll never leave you alone! Ever again!!"
"You're not going to make a wish, right? I promised to never let you do that. Just let me keep that promise..."
"I know why I made that promise with you so long ago."
"Why?" she asks, voice trembling.
"It was so I didn't contract before I knew what being a Magical Girl was really like. So I wouldn't have to sacrifice myself just to beat this witch. You've kept it so well, Homura! I know I don't remember the moment when you swore to me you would, but you have! I’m so proud of you, Homura!!"
The girl only sobs into Madoka's shoulder in response. Sayaka watches the two of them. Her face rises from Mami's body, soaked in tears. She looks puzzled, within all her grief.
"Wait... what are you talking about? A promise from long ago? I thought you two met just last month?"
Madoka keeps Homura in her arms, not making her answer all the questions. "Do you know what her wish was, Sayaka?"
"I've always wondered that. What was it?"
"To go back in time and save me. She's fought so bravely through so many resets just so I could be safe!"
"Wait, what!? She's... a time traveler?"
"Yes, but she's also so much more. I'd never let all her efforts go to waste."
Homura slowly lifts her head from Madoka's shoulder. She brushes back strands of Homura's black and silky hair from the girl's face, staring into her deep lavender eyes.
"Do you really mean that, Madoka? Can we stay together?"
"Of course! You've seen so many horrible things, but I think you've forgotten the incredible and beautiful things magic is capable of. I don't have to hurt you to let us all have a better future."
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to make a wish. One where fate will never separate us again! One where we can protect each other, and you don't have to bear all the pain alone!!"
"Are... you sure that will work?"
"I promise to you, Homura. With all my heart. I love you too much to ever let you fight all by yourself. Not one more time."
[{End of Inevitabilis}]
"I’m... I’m still scared. I don't want to let you go."
The embrace loosens, but Homura continues to shudder and tremble. Madoka grabs the hand which holds her soul gem, gently brushing the beautiful, albeit very darkened, hope of her soulmate.
"You don't have to. You never will again."
[{Sis Puella Magica!}]
Suddenly, Kyubey hops into the center of the rubble depression. Sayaka stares at him, distrustful as ever. He sits down upon a slanted fragment of concrete, tail swishing with anticipation.
"Are you really gonna trust that thing, Madoka? Are you sure this won't lead to anything bad?" Sayaka asks.
Madoka shakes her head slowly. Homura looks at her from the side, hopeful yet anxious all the same. Madoka doesn't blame her at all, continuing to hold her hand.
"So, Madoka. With what wish will your soul gem shine? What hope do you deem worth committing your very soul to?"
"I wish..."
Homura's tear-filled eyes widen as Madoka takes both her hands within hers, before bringing them to her heart, held tight. She turns her eyes to the Incubator, no grace afforded to a creature which has done so much harm. She looks coldly at it, just as Homura does.
"... to reset this timeline alongside Homura! I want to go back with her into the past, and meet her again—all our memories across time held with us! I will never forget anything that she has done for me, and will never be pulled apart from her!"
Sayaka and Homura both look upon her in awe of the confident wish. Her twin ponytails and red ribbons blow in a new wind, pink light shining around her. Homura's hair flows and sways in the wind as well, bound by her hands to the girl.
She continues, determined to get exactly what she wants from the creature. "We will share all our hope, all our despair, together!!! I want to be with with Homura until the end, fighting as one!! She and I will fight for the best world we can possibly make, where nobody has to sacrifice themselves to keep people safe!"
Madoka glows even brighter, light pouring out from her chest. She feels a pain throughout her body, squeezing Homura's hands while standing as strong as she can.
Everything is soon bathed in warm pink light as Madoka's soul is made into that of a Magical Girl's, leaving her body.
"Your wish has been made, Madoka Kaname! Embrace your soul gem, and accept your fate as a Magical Girl!"
Homura stares in a mixture of awe and terror at the bright condensation of Madoka's very soul. Madoka lets go of Homura's left hand, reaching out to take on her new destiny.
[{End of Sis Puella Magica!}]
[{Her wings}]
Madoka is transformed into her Magical Girl form, just as Homura remembers it: a pink dress with white frills and a wide, ruffled skirt, on which pink petal-like triangles give way to white. Her ribbons have become pink bows, similar to the bows on her red heels. Below her neck lies her soul gem, right on that kind heart of hers. She has returned to the form of a beautiful pink warrior.
In a strange way, she missed Madoka like this—yet also never wanted to see it again. However, this time is different; she has allowed Madoka to choose this wish.
Homura suddenly begins to feel lighter and regain strength. She looks to her left hand, still in Madoka's grasp, to see her soul gem somehow being purified.
"How?"
Madoka looks to Homura with sparkling eyes and a loving smile. "You don't have to handle all that despair alone, anymore! Our soul gems are linked, it looks like!"
Her eyes are drawn to Madoka's soul gem. Somehow, it seems just as bright. The girl's optimism is abundant, able to take on her pain and unending worry.
"Wait, Madoka..." Sayaka interrupts.
She looks to her friend. "What is it, Sayaka?"
"Are you going to turn back time soon?"
"Yes. I’m sorry to go, but I'll make sure to make things end better than this."
"Could I please make a request?"
Madoka nods, allowing the girl to voice a wish of her own—no Incubator needed.
"I want you to make sure me and Kyoko will become close again. I know I was really stubborn and all at first, but if I did it this time... I’m sure I can do it again. She deserves to be friends with me another time."
"I can do that. I promise to you, Sayaka."
"Thank you, Madoka." she responds, beginning to cry. She looks back down to the fallen Mami Tomoe, the letter of her other friend held in her hands.
"And make sure she's also not alone, okay? Can you two fight along with Mami?"
"Of course. We'll stick together, all of us! I know we can!"
Sayaka collapses back over Mami, holding her body tight, missing a courageous friend. They'll be all meeting again soon. Surely, their five paths will cross once more.
Madoka turns back to her soulmate. "Are you ready to go, Homura?"
She nods. She's done this many times before, but always alone. For once, her hand lies in Madoka's as she prepares to turn everything back.
Madoka summons her magical staff, with its wooden body and graceful pink flower upon the very end.
The flower opens, petals folding outward. Somehow, her shield is starting to turn on its own, preparing for the next timeline.
"You're not the only one with time magic anymore, Homura! Sorry if that makes you feel less unique..."
"It's okay. That doesn't matter to me one bit. I'll be happy as long as I can be with you."
"Well, that is what I wished for!" Madoka tells her, shining smile upon her face. The kind to break the darkness of this world.
The two lean towards each other. Homura takes her right hand to the back of Madoka's head.
The Magical Girls share a passionate kiss together, blue sky above. This will be their last memory in this bittersweet timeline.
"Goodbye, Sayaka." Madoka salutes.
"Goodbye, Madoka. I’m sure you'll make everything end much better than this."
"I will."
The flower upon Madoka's staff begins to spin, more and more rapidly. Homura's shield turns counterclockwise, before its gears turn and click loudly into action.
The world around them disappears, giving way to the usual strange space, straight lines stretching outwards as they are rapidly pulled forward, time itself moving backwards around them.
Homura sees that Madoka is still with her, assured that everything will be okay. Their flower and shield both spin around in a vortex-like pattern behind them.
[{End of Her wings}]
[Timeline 73]
Black. Homura opens her eyes, finding herself in the hospital room. Over her lies the white blanket of her white bed. The one she had in another time been bound to. To her side hangs long blue curtains.
Madoka! She flings off her blanket, throwing her legs off the bed and standing. However, Homura becomes dizzy from getting up too quickly.
She takes out her pure purple soul gem, bringing it to her heart. She heals its maladies with focused magic as fast as she is able.
Homura considers healing her eyesight as well, but realizes that Madoka has not seen her like this since Timeline 2. For deciding to stay with her, she deserves it.
She rushes over to the small dresser of the room. She's released today, but packing up can be saved for later.
Homura throws open the drawers, frantically searching for something to wear. She grabs a purple sweater and black leggings. Not exactly of her modern style, but that is irrelevant.
Madoka opens her eyes. She's in her bed. Plushies flank her, and she is surrounded by the warm pink and yellow of her room. She is clad in mint-colored pajamas.
She rises quickly out of her bed. It makes sense that Homura isn't with her, but she still wishes that were the case.
Is she still a Magical Girl? That should be the case, but just to be sure she checks her hands. She has the fingernail marking and soul gem ring.
Wait, what day even is it? Homura never told her when those loops begin...
She picks up her phone from the nightstand.
March 16th? But... she met Homura the week after this?
After thinking about it, she was in the hospital for a long time, so it probably has something to do with that! Homura protected her in that last timeline for even longer than she thought...
Madoka throws her soft and comfortable blanket off, getting out of bed. She hurries to complete her morning routine, hoping she might be able to see Homura before school.
Having breakfast with her family, Madoka eats with haste. Her father's cooking is very good, but she can't let that slow her down and stop her from seeing her girlfriend as soon as possible!
"Why are you in a rush, Madoka? You have plenty of time before school!" her mom asks her. To be fair, this is probably really random and weird to them...
"I just have to do something quickly before class starts! I don't want to miss my chance!" she answers. Not a lie.
She quickly goes back to finishing the last of breakfast. Don't want to keep Homura waiting!
"Looks like you'll end up out of the house before I even leave for work!" her mom says, impressed by the girl's speed.
She finishes the very last of her meal. She tries not to be too impolite, and scurries around the table to give her mother a high five. She then makes her departure, school bag over her shoulder.
"Bye mom!! Bye dad!! Bye Tatsuya!!"
Her family all bids her farewell, as she can hear behind her. She's so blessed to have them and Homura at the same time!
[{Connect}]
Homura runs to intercept Madoka on her way to school. Her twin braids bob around in her love-driven hurry.
She passes by trees, some confused Mitakihara middle school students, and takes a shortcut to get around in front of the school quicker.
This is kind of embarrassing... but she's dealt with worse than this. None of that matters. Only Madoka does.
Madoka has long ran past the usual point at which she convenes with Sayaka. She feels bad, but this is very important.
She's not even sure if Homura will be near the entrance to the school, but her heart tells of a girl similarly hurrying to meet her love, who she will soon cross paths with.
A side path is coming up, one which leads to the city center... maybe Homura will be coming from here? It's more narrow than the main roads, shaded by trees, but shows much promise.
She reaches the mouth of the path. Nobody there, except for her soulmate.
Homura immediately is struck with a wide, overjoyed smile, synchronized with Madoka's own excitement.
They both transform their rings into normal soul gem form, freezing this moment in time. Just for them.
They run towards one another, finally reuniting in another time, where none of the Magical Girls—potential or active—are in danger. The sky is blue and beautiful through the dense leaves above.
Madoka and Homura throw their arms around one another. The former jumps up and down with ecstasy and pure, radiating happiness.
"Homura!!! I love you so much!! I’m so happy to see you again!!" she says, ponytails bouncing up and down, held in place only by her cute pink ribbons.
A life with someone so pure and kind is all Homura needs to feel happy. Madoka knows how much she needs her. In the end, all of their promises have been kept.
"I am too!! I love you, Madoka!!!"
Madoka settles to the ground again, the two girls smiling gleefully at one another, seeing the love and happiness in each other's eyes.
"You're so cute with those glasses and braids!! Did you leave it like that for me?"
"Yes, I did. Thank you!"
Homura quickly thinks of how to express her overflowing, unprecedented excitement. She brings her face to Madoka's, rubbing and nuzzling against her cheek.
Madoka giggles, nuzzling against her girlfriend in return. They can both feel the warmth in the other's face.
Their energy mildly depleted, the two stare into each other's sparkling eyes once more. Madoka wraps her arms around Homura's waist, who does the same to hers.
Madoka and Homura feel no hesitation to embrace this new and beautiful future.
The two both shut their eyes, lean in, and passionately kiss.
MADOKA MA-GAY-CA
By MadoHomuPatriot
— Don't forget.
Always, somewhere,
someone is fighting for you.
— As long as you remember her,
you are not alone.