Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Madoka Kaname awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. "Weird dream." she mumbled before getting up. By the time she made it downstairs, all she could remember about her nightmare was that that one girl she’d met yesterday, Homura Akemi, was in it. Homura had been staring at Madoka with a creepy, demonic grin on her face, saying something like “I’ll never let you go again, Madoka!”. Madoka pushed it out of her mind as she looked out the glass door. "Good morning, Dad!"

"Morning, Madoka!" Madoka’s father, Tomohisa, shouted back. He’d been planting tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables in the garden of their new house. Hopefully they’d have a sizable harvest in the coming weeks. “Is your mother up yet?”

“I guess not. I’ll go wake her.” With that, Madoka went back upstairs and burst into her parents’ bedroom. She found her baby brother Tatsuya pounding on her mother Junko’s head to no avail. Madoka took a more drastic approach, flinging the curtains open and ripping the blanket off the bed. Junko screamed and wriggled around a bit before dragging herself out of bed.

“I still haven’t adjusted to this time zone.” Junko grumbled as she did her makeup, standing at the sink right next to her daughter. “So, how was your first day at school?”

As Madoka brushed her teeth, she carefully considered her answer. That strange encounter she had with that Homura girl still unnerved her a little, and that nightmare she had last night certainly didn’t help. Madoka decided not to worry her mother about it just yet. “It was great!” Madoka replied after spitting out her toothpaste. “Turns out I’m in the same class as Sayaka and Hitomi.”

“I’m glad for you.” Junko smiled at Madoka. “It’s always nice to see some familiar faces after a long time away.”

“I can’t believe we’re still friends after all this time.” Madoka sighed. “I thought they’d forget all about me.”

“Come on, why would they forget about you?”

“Well, there’s nothing really special about-”

Junko raised her hand, cutting Madoka off. “Oh, no! We’re not getting into that crap this early in the morning!” Junko shook her head. “You’re a wonderful person, Madoka. Quit selling yourself short like that.”

“Oh, you’re just saying that because you’re my mom.”

“Well, yeah, but still…”

Madoka giggled, then pulled out the red ribbons Homura gave her. She thought for a moment whether to wear them or not. Sure, they were pretty, but considering who they came from…

“Are those the ribbons you wore home yesterday?” Junko derailed Madoka’s train of thought. “I’ve been meaning to ask where you got those.”

“Oh, um… I bought them on my way home from school.” Madoka lied, grimacing internally. She rarely ever lied to her parents, and it never felt good when she did. “I saw them in a store window and I just couldn’t resist.”

“Well, you’ve got good taste in hair ornaments.” Junko helped Madoka tie the ribbons into her hair. “Now let’s go get some breakfast.” With that, the two of them headed to the kitchen and sat down at the table, where Tomohisa was struggling to get Tatsuya to eat his peas. Realizing she was running late, Madoka wolfed down most of her breakfast, said goodbye to her family, then ran out the door with a piece of toast in her mouth.

Madoka ran down the walkway to Mitakihara Middle School to meet her friends Sayaka Miki and Hitomi Shizuki, as well as a red-haired girl gnawing on some beef jerky. “Glad to have you back, Madoka!” Sayaka shouted as she ran up and bear-hugged Madoka.

“We missed you so much.” Hitomi added.

“I missed you guys, too.” Madoka returned Sayaka’s embrace, then wiggled out of it and turned to the other girl to introduce herself. Just before she could, Madoka got a strange feeling that the two of them had met before. Sure, they were in the same class yesterday, but it felt like they’d met somewhere else long before that. Just as the other girl started to tilt her head in confusion, Madoka shook it off. “Sorry, I kinda spaced out there. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Madoka Kaname.”

“Right, we never got to talk yesterday, did we? Name’s Kyoko Sakura. I’m Sayaka’s friend.” Kyoko and Madoka bowed to each other.

“You forgot to mention couch-dweller.” Sayaka added coyly.

“Yeah, well, your couch sucks.” Kyoko shot back. “I keep waking up with this nasty crick.” She added, rubbing the side of her neck.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t eat so much, we could afford better furniture.”

“What kinda sense does that make?!”

Hitomi shook her head. “It’s like this every morning.” she mumbled to Madoka before clearing her throat and pointing to the school clock, getting Sayaka and Kyoko to stop bickering. The four girls started walking to school as Hitomi continued. “So, Madoka, if you’re free this Saturday, we were planning on throwing a little welcome-back party for you at my house.”

“Really?!” Madoka smiled from ear to ear. “Thank you so much! I’ll definitely be there!”

“So far it’s just the four of us.” Sayaka added. “Not sure if that qualifies as a party, but it should be fun.”

“Yeah, about that…” Kyoko said through a mouthful of beef jerky, then swallowed. “Mind if I bring a couple friends?”

“Who would that be?” Hitomi asked.

“Oh, just Mami and Homura.”

Madoka suddenly felt uneasy, but Sayaka voiced her objections first. “What?! Mami I’m okay with, but why Homura? She gives me the creeps.”

Kyoko rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I really don’t understand your beef with her.” Kyoko turned to Madoka, noticing the strange look on the pink-haired girl’s face. “Something wrong?”

“Well, it’s just… She said some really strange stuff to me yesterday. She asked me some weird questions about the laws of the universe or something, and said that she and I might become enemies one day.” Madoka pointed to her pigtails. “Then she gave me these ribbons and said she’d wish for a world where I could be happy.”

“Did she really do that?!” Hitomi asked.

“See, what’d I tell you?” Sayaka said. “She’s a total nutcase. Better steer clear of her, Madoka.”

Suddenly, Kyoko burst out laughing, and the others turned to look at her. “Is that what Homura said to you?”

“Well, yeah…” Madoka muttered.

Kyoko took another bite of jerky. “Don’t worry, she just does stuff like that to mess with transfer students. When I transferred in, she suspected me of being a witch, and said she’d have to hunt me down if I started cursing people. Then she gave me an apple and called it a peace offering. I guess it’s just her way of saying ‘Welcome to Mitakihara Middle School.’.”

Hitomi and Sayaka both raised an eyebrow at Kyoko. “You never mentioned that to either of us.” Hitomi said.

“Probably because it wasn’t a big deal.” Kyoko took another bite, then turned to Madoka. “Look, Homura’s kinda weird, but completely harmless. She’s really not so bad once you get to know her.”

“Well, if you say so…” Madoka said. “I guess I’m okay with her coming.”

Sayaka hung her head and sighed. “Classic Madoka, too nice for your own good. Y’know, that’s gonna come back to bite you someday.”

“At least we know some things never change.” Hitomi added.

“Speaking of biting, do you guys want some?” Kyoko held out her near-empty bag of beef jerky. Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi all declined. “Oh well, more for me.” she said before scarfing down the rest of it. With that, the four girls arrived at the school entrance and went inside, barely making it to class on time.

Homura sat at her desk in the back of the classroom, brooding and staring at Madoka. It had been roughly a full 24 hours since Madoka’s appearance in this rewritten universe, and aside from a brief scare during break yesterday, all seemed to be going well. Madoka didn’t seem to remember her former godhood at all, much less all the pain and suffering it must have caused her.

After all that Madoka had sacrificed for the magical girls of the world, she deserved a happy, peaceful life like this one. No one did more than her. And if Homura had to sacrifice her soul and exist as a demon in order to give Madoka that idyllic life, it was a price she was more than willing to pay. Now the only problem was sustaining this ideal world. Homura suspected that it wouldn’t last forever, but she’d give it her all to keep it up as long as possible.

Before Homura knew it, Ms. Saotome had sent the class on break. Homura observed Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi going over to Kyosuke Kamijou’s desk, presumably to invite him to Madoka’s welcome-home party. Kyoko, however, walked up to Homura with a bag of potato chips in hand.

“So, I managed to smooth things over with Madoka for you. I told her that creepy stuff you said was just a joke. Looks like she bought it.” Kyoko said as she took a seat on Homura’s desk. “I even got you an invite to that party of theirs.”

“Your intervention wasn’t necessary.” Homura replied.

“Like hell it wasn’t.” Kyoko opened the bag of chips. “I’m no social butterfly, but even I know that’s not how you make a good first impression. You’ll have to take a different approach if you want to get on Madoka’s good side.”

“I wasn’t planning on getting close to her in the first place.” Homura turned her head away from Kyoko. “It’s better if I keep my distance, anyway.”

Kyoko shook her head. “Nice try, Homura. You can’t fool me like that.” Kyoko took a potato chip and ate it. “I know exactly how you feel about her.”

Homura fiddled with the jewel hanging from her earring. “Hmph, as if you could possibly understand my feelings for her, Kyoko Sakura.”

“Yeah, yeah. Enough with the emo crap.” Kyoko ate another chip. “Look, just go to the damn party. If anything goes wrong, Mami and I will be there to help.”

Before Homura could respond, Madoka approached her desk, flanked by Sayaka and Hitomi. Sayaka scowled at Homura while Hitomi hung her head in disappointment.

“Let me guess, Violin Boy couldn’t make it?” Kyoko asked.

“He has a name, you know!” Hitomi snapped. “But yeah, Kyosuke said he had to practice for his next recital.”

“As usual.” Kyoko scoffed. “I really don’t get what you see in that guy.”

Hitomi ignored Kyoko and turned to Homura. “So, um, Miss Akemi-”

“Please, just call me Homura.”

“Oh, okay. Anyway, Homura, we were going to have a party for Madoka this Saturday, and-”

“She already told me.” Homura interjected, jerking her head towards Kyoko. She glanced at Madoka for a moment, considering whether to go or not. Before too long, she decided. “I’ll be there.”

“Great!” Kyoko said as she finished off her chips. “We’ll see you there.”

“But remember, Homura…” Sayaka interjected, stepping between Madoka and Homura. “I’ve got my eye on you. You do anything to mess with Madoka again, and you’ll regret it!”

“Sayaka…” Madoka mumbled.

After that, break was over and their class resumed. Homura wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about this new development. Though if nothing else, it would at least allow her to watch over Madoka without arousing too much suspicion. She’d already been getting enough of that from Sayaka Miki, not that Sayaka was much of a threat without her powers or memories. Still, any outward aggression between them would distress Madoka. Homura would have to tread lightly around Madoka’s friends.

“See you tomorrow!” Madoka said to Sayaka and Hitomi as she left for home. As Madoka walked down the walkway, she noticed Homura walking alone in front of her. Perhaps this was a good chance to talk to her one-on-one and see if Sayaka’s suspicions were warranted or if Kyoko was right about Homura’s harmlessness. “Hey, Homura!” Madoka called out, waving to Homura.

“Oh, it’s you.” Homura replied after turning to face Madoka. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to talk.” Madoka ran up to Homura’s side.

“Are you sure Sayaka Miki would be okay with it?” Homura asked. “Actually, I’m surprised she’s not here to ‘protect’ you from me.”

“Well, she’s got kendo practice right now, and I figure what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Madoka replied, smiling coyly. “Don’t worry too much about her. I think it’s just force of habit.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“When we were kids, she’d always protect me from bullies and pranksters.” Madoka smiled. “I was lucky to be best friends with the toughest girl in school. But I have to admit she’s pretty stubborn and hot-headed, and she does tend to jump to conclusions. You might’ve just rubbed her the wrong way with that prank of yours.”

“I suppose I can’t fault her for protecting you.” Homura replied. “And I can see why she and Kyoko Sakura get along so well.”

“Yeah, if you call that ‘getting along’.” Madoka snickered. “Anyway, you got me pretty good with that stuff you said yesterday. For a while I really thought you were a crazy stalker or something.”

“Did you? Then it appears I was successful.” Homura pointed to Madoka’s hair. “You can keep those ribbons, by the way. Consider them a welcome-back present.”

“Thanks, Homura.” Madoka touched one of the ribbons. “They’re really pretty. Much better than those yellow ones, anyway.”

“Agreed. I always liked red better than yellow myself.”

“Hey, there’s a place I wanted to check out before I go home." Madoka said. "If you're not busy, wanna come with me?” Homura stood there looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Madoka wasn't sure what to make of it. She stepped back from Homura and turned away, slightly embarrassed. “Um, I understand if you can’t, but-”

“No, no, I just didn’t expect…” Homura fell silent for a brief moment. “Never mind. I’ll go with you.”

“Great!” With that, Madoka led Homura to the Mitakihara Shopping Center. Even after three years in another country, she still remembered the way there. Once the two girls arrived, Madoka made a beeline for the music store, Homura lagging behind. "It's just like I remember it." Madoka said as they entered. "Sayaka, Hitomi and I used to hang out here all the time. I wanted to bring them here today, but they're both busy."

"So I was your Plan B?" Homura asked flatly. 

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that." Madoka’s face went a little red. “I just… well…”

“It’s fine, I understand.” Homura cut Madoka off.

“Right.” Madoka led Homura to the classical music section. “I remember Sayaka’s friend Kyosuke sometimes came with us. He’d always drag us here and talk about all the classical composers and their music.” Madoka picked up a CD of Antonio Vivaldi’s music. “To be honest, most of it went completely over my head, and I kinda found it annoying. But I never said anything, mostly for Sayaka.”

“That must’ve been difficult for you, neglecting your own feelings for someone else’s sake.” Homura looked over Madoka’s shoulder at the CD. “By the way, Vivaldi was baroque, not classical.”

“Case in point.” Madoka put back the CD and started walking out of the store. “Sayaka really liked him. She never admitted it, but it was pretty obvious, even to me. I always hoped they’d get together, but I never imagined he’d end up dating Hitomi instead.”

“Well, if life has taught me one lesson repeatedly, it’s that things rarely turn out how you hope they will, if ever.” Homura replied as she followed Madoka. “No matter how hard you try.” she added softly.

“That’s a pretty bleak way of looking at it.” Madoka said. “I mean, yeah, things happen outside our control, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of it.”

Homura sighed. “If only I could have your optimism.”

Madoka smiled. “It’s just something my dad used to say.”

Homura and Madoka continued walking around the mall. Every so often, Madoka would stop by one of the stores and tell Homura a story from the good old days. Homura told Madoka that she didn’t come here very often, so she didn’t have much to say. Consequently, their conversations were pretty one-sided. Madoka felt a bit awkward about it, but Homura didn’t seem to mind.

Eventually, the two of them passed by a cheese shop. As they walked by, they heard a crash that sounded like a display stand being knocked over. Madoka ran in to check it out. She saw a blonde-haired girl wearing a Mitakihara Middle School uniform talking to a younger white-haired girl wearing a pink dress.

“Nagisa, that’s two display stands in two days.” the blonde-haired girl said as she bent down to pick up the cheese wedges that fell on the ground. “You need to be more careful.”

“Sorry, Mami.” Nagisa bent down and helped Mami clean up. “But look! They have Gruyère cheese! I’ve always wanted to try some.” she added, picking up one of the wedges and showing it to Mami.

Upon seeing Mami and Nagisa, Madoka felt that same sense of déjà vu she’d felt when she met Kyoko this morning, and this time she knew she hadn’t seen either of these two girls yesterday. Madoka had definitely met them before, but where? She started to remember something about her, Nagisa and Sayaka being part of something greater than themselves, watching over Mami, Homura, Kyoko and other girls all over the world as they fought…

Suddenly, Madoka felt Homura’s hand on her shoulder. Then she snapped back to reality. “Are you okay, Madoka?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.” Madoka rubbed her forehead. “I guess I just spaced out for a second. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Homura said. “You’re back now.”

“Oh, Homura…” Mami said as she turned to face the black-haired girl. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Nor did I expect to be here, Mami Tomoe.” Homura replied, then gestured toward Madoka. “She asked me to accompany her.”

“Did she…?” Mami mumbled.

“Mami Tomoe?” Madoka asked. “Are you Kyoko Sakura’s friend?”

“I am, yes.” Mami replied. “You must be Madoka Kaname. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Mami bowed to Madoka, then gestured to the white-haired girl beside her. “This is my neighbor, Nagisa Momoe.”

“Pleased to meet you!” Nagisa also bowed to Madoka, and Madoka bowed back to both of them. Nagisa then turned back to Mami, holding out the wedge of Gruyère she’d picked up. “Can we get this, Mami?”

“It’s a bit expensive, but maybe just this once.” Mami took the cheese wedge from Nagisa and walked towards the cashier. “I suppose it’s a special occasion.”

“Special occasion?” Madoka asked, walking beside Mami.

“Kyoko told me about that welcome-back party you’re having on Saturday.” Mami replied. “I’d be delighted to go.”

“Ooh, can I come too?!” Nagisa asked. “I love parties!”

“Of course you can.” Madoka replied. “The more the merrier.”

“Yay!” Nagisa shouted.

“You might want to think twice about that.” Mami said after buying the cheese. “Nagisa’s quite a handful. If something goes wrong, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Mami!” Nagisa scowled at her blonde-haired friend.

Mami chuckled. “I’m just kidding. We’d love to have you there. Right, Homura?”

Homura didn’t reply. She merely stared at Mami for a moment before Madoka led the other three girls to a coffee shop in the mall. The four of them each ordered a drink before sitting down to continue their conversation.

“Madoka, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Homura took a sip of her coffee. “How was your time in the U.S.?”

“Well…” Madoka began. “At first, it was kinda nice to see more of the world outside of Japan. New York City was interesting, provided you stayed off the streets after dark. I loved all the shops there, and the sites were pretty cool, like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.” 

“I’m so jealous.” Mami said. “I’ve always wanted to go to New York.”

“Yeah, it’s a great place to visit, but living there…” Madoka sighed. “To be honest, I felt like such a fish out of water. I missed Sayaka and Hitomi so much, I never really fit in at school or anywhere else, and I was never quite fluent in English. It always was my worst subject.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s such a complicated language.” Mami said. “I’m better with Italian.”

“Really?” Madoka asked. “You speak Italian?”

“Un pò.” Mami replied. “Me l'ha insegnato mia madre.”

“Um, I’ll take your word for it.” Madoka drank some of her hot chocolate. “Anyway, I’m really happy to be back in Japan. I feel so much more at home here. I’ve already made some new friends, and my old ones still remember me.” Madoka smiled. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, Madoka.” Homura said quietly.

"Did you hear that, Mami?" Nagisa said. "Madoka’s our friend!"

"Yes, I'm honored.” Mami shifted her attention to Madoka. “But I'm a little surprised you consider Homura a friend after that stunt she pulled yesterday."

Homura glared at Mami, but Mami didn't respond.

"Well, Kyoko told me it was just a joke. It did have me going for a while, though." Madoka turned to Homura. "Actually, I kinda had a nightmare about you last night. You were saying something about never letting me go while you turned into a demon or something. It was really scary."

"Oh." Homura sighed. "I'm sorry, Madoka."

"A nightmare, huh?" Mami chimed in. "Must be something going around. I recently had a dream where I was on the verge of death, but I sold my soul to a talking ferret to keep myself alive."

Nagisa laughed. "A talking ferret?! Where'd you get that from?"

Mami simply shrugged. “No idea.”

"I once had a dream where the city was nearly destroyed by a giant floating doll." Homura said. "But they're just dreams. Whimsical fantasies conjured up by our subconscious minds. It's nothing worth losing our heads over."

Mami's eye twitched involuntarily, then she finished off the rest of her tea. “I hate to cut this short, but we should get going.” Mami and Nagisa stood up. “We’ll see you at the party.” Mami took Nagisa’s hand and the two girls turned to leave.

“Hey, before you go…” Madoka began. She took a moment to find the right words. “Um, this might sound weird, but… Have we met before?”

Mami paused for a second, still facing away from Madoka. “I can’t say we have.”

“Me neither.” Nagisa added.

“Oh, really?” Madoka said. “I could’ve sworn I recognized you from somewhere.”

“Well, perhaps we’ve met in some other reality.” Mami said. Then she turned to Madoka and smiled. “But it was nice to meet you in this one, Miss Kaname.” With that, Mami and Nagisa took off.

Madoka stood up. “I’d better go, too. Mom and Dad might get worried if I stay out too late. Thanks for coming here with me, Homura.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” Homura replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Madoka.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” Madoka took off, waving goodbye to Homura. It seemed Kyoko’s assessment was right. Homura was a bit strange, but she seemed like a good person nonetheless. More than that, despite them having only just met, Madoka felt a sort of bond with Homura, like they were connected by fate. Well, maybe not anything that deep, but there was definitely something about Homura that drew Madoka to her. Whatever the case, Madoka was looking forward to getting to know Homura better.

At long last, Saturday evening had come, and Homura arrived at the opulent Shizuki house. By the looks of the shoes in the foyer, she was the last to arrive. As she took her shoes off, Hitomi came to greet Homura. “Hello, Miss Ake-” Hitomi caught herself. “Sorry, Homura. Everyone’s in the living room. Right this way.” Hitomi led Homura inside.

"Yes, thank you." Homura replied. Throughout all the numerous time loops Homura had been through, this was actually the first time she’d been to Hitomi Shizuki’s house. Which was fitting enough, since out of all of Madoka’s friends, Hitomi was the only one who never got involved with magical girls or witches. Kyubey hadn’t appeared to Hitomi in any timeline, much less offered her a contract. She never knew how fortunate she was to be completely oblivious to the existence of magic, and by extension, unharmed by its disastrous consequences. Homura allowed herself to smile, knowing that Madoka now lived in that same blissful ignorance.

“Glad you made it, Homura!” Madoka said as she waved to her black-haired friend. She, Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami and Nagisa were all sitting at the table eating cake and drinking tea. Homura took a seat next to Madoka while Hitomi sat down between Mami and Sayaka. Sayaka briefly glared at Homura from across the table, but Homura didn’t respond.

“This is great tea, Miss Shizuki.” Mami said after taking a sip. “I’m usually more of a chamomile person, but this peppermint is delicious.”

“Thank you, Miss Tomoe.” Hitomi replied. “I thought we could try something different than the usual green tea. To be honest, I’m a little sick of it after all those tea ceremony lessons.”

“Must you two be so formal?” Sayaka said. “Pretty sure we’re all on a first-name basis here.”

“Rich kids, go figure.” Kyoko added. Neither Mami nor Hitomi replied to them.

“Actually, I wouldn’t have minded green tea.” Madoka said. “You’d be surprised how hard it was to find good tea in the United States.”

“Huh, I thought they’d be all about the stuff.” Kyoko said. “Weren’t they founded at the Boston Tea Party or something like that?”

An awkward silence fell over the room. Madoka was the first to reply. “Um, that event wasn’t what you think it was.”

“Oh, whatever. You guys can keep your tea. It all just tastes like hot leaf juice to me.” Kyoko took a bite of cake, then pointed her fork at it. “This cake, though, this is the stuff that dreams are made of.”

“I can imagine. That’s your third slice.” Mami said.

“Yeah, well, you know I don’t like to waste food.” Kyoko scarfed down another bite. “Besides, if Violin Boy can’t be here, the least I could do for him is eat his share of the cake.”

“How very noble of you.” Hitomi rolled her eyes, then turned to Nagisa. “So, Miss Momoe, how do you like your cake?”

“I prefer cheesecake, but this is still pretty good.” Nagisa replied. “Oh, and thanks for letting me come. For some reason, Mami thought I’d make a scene or something.”

Mami sighed. “Well, it’s kind of my job to worry about that stuff.” Mami turned to the others. “She and her father live in the apartment building across the street from mine. He’s usually working late, so he pays me to look after Nagisa for him. Actually, he’s at his job right now, so I would’ve had to bring her either way.”

“I wish he were home more often.” Nagisa sighed. “But if he’s always working, that means I get to spend more time with Mami! She’s like the cool big sister I’ve never had.”

Mami smiled. “Lucky me.”

“I guess that makes two of us, Mami.” Madoka said.

“Huh? What are you talking about, Madoka?” Sayaka asked.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you guys? I have a little brother now.”

“No way!” Sayaka exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, it really is.” Madoka took out her phone and pulled up some pictures of her baby brother. Sayaka, Hitomi and Nagisa crowded around to take a look. “His name’s Tatsuya. He was born a few months after we moved to New York.”

“Aww, he’s so cute!” Nagisa said. 

“So what’s it like being a big sister?” Hitomi asked.

“Well, I gotta admit he’s a bit of a handful sometimes. And he’s pretty messy, in every sense of the word.” Madoka smiled. “But I love the little guy more than anything. When Mom and Dad brought him home from the hospital, that was the best day of my life. I could never go back to being an only child.”

Just then, Kyoko winced. “Can we please talk about something else?” she said through gritted teeth, facing away from the others. Then the room fell silent.

“Oh, um…” Madoka mumbled, but then Sayaka spoke up.

“Hey, Madoka, why don’t we tell them how we became friends with Hitomi?”

Hitomi’s face went red. “Do you have to? It’s so embarrassing.”

“Well, if you’d rather tell the story…” Sayaka replied. “But if you don’t, Madoka and I will.”

“Oh, alright. I’ll tell it.” Hitomi moaned.

Hitomi’s embarrassment seemed to snap Kyoko out of whatever funk she was in. “Ooh, this I’ve gotta hear.”

Hitomi cleared her throat. “When we were in 2nd grade, I’d been watching some Chinese martial arts movies, and I guess they had an effect on me. I wanted to try fighting in real life. I knew Sayaka had a reputation for being the strongest girl in school, and that Madoka was her best friend.”

“I like where this is going.” Kyoko said.

“So, naturally, I put two and two together and started bullying Madoka until Sayaka came after me. Then we got into a fist fight right on the playground.” Hitomi sighed. “As you can imagine, I lost and ended up with a black eye. Then the school called my parents about it and I got grounded for two weeks.”

Kyoko, Sayaka and Nagisa started laughing, Kyoko by far the loudest. Even Mami snickered a little. Hitomi’s face went even redder. “That’s such a roundabout way to do it.” Sayaka said. “If you wanted to fight me, all you had to do was ask.”

“Hell, I’ll go a few rounds with you right now if you want.” Kyoko added.

“Um… No thanks.” Hitomi mumbled. “Anyway, my mom forced me to apologize and explain myself to them the next day. And of course, they both laughed when I told them why I did it. Then after that, we just kinda started hanging out, and now here we are.”

“Thanks, Hitomi. I love it when you tell that story.” Sayaka said. “But you know, you didn’t lose that badly. You actually hit pretty hard. Ever think about taking kung fu or taekwondo or something like that?”

“Well, I would if I could, but you know my parents.” Hitomi said. “With them it’s all piano lessons and tea ceremony practice. Plus I have my schoolwork to worry about.”

“Gotta admit, I’m having a hard time picturing dainty, upper-class honor-student Hitomi as a martial artist.” Kyoko said. “But then again, maybe Violin Boy wouldn’t blow you off so much if he knew you could kick his ass.”

Hitomi was about to object, but paused. “Hmm. For once you might be onto something there, Kyoko.”

“What do you mean ‘for once’? Aren’t I just bursting with great ideas?”

“You don’t want to get me started on that.” Mami said off-handedly.

“Mami, you traitor!” Kyoko shouted.

As the others continued their conversation, Homura stood up. “Where are you going?” Madoka asked.

“I just need to stretch my legs.” Homura said, then walked over to the window. She looked outside, and off in the distance, she observed two wraiths kicking one of Kyubey’s bodies around. The Incubators were suffering for their crimes against humanity, and none of the non-magical girls in this room, especially Madoka, could see or hear them or the wraiths. They were free to continue leading their normal lives, free from the misery and despair brought on by Kyubey’s treachery. 

A cathartic smile spread across Homura’s lips. For the moment, everything was perfect.

Chapter Text

The Monday after the party, Madoka met up with Sayaka and Kyoko on her way to school. Today it was just them since Hitomi was walking with Kyosuke. "Good morning!" Madoka said to her friends.

"Morning." Kyoko replied through a mouthful of food. This time she was carrying a box of donuts.

"Morning, Madoka." Sayaka said. Then she noticed that the bow on Madoka’s uniform was missing. "Um, where's your…?"

"Oh, right. I was giving Tatsuya a hug and he blew his nose on it. I didn't have time to wash it before I left." Madoka shook her head, smiling. "I love the little guy, but he's such a brat sometimes."

Kyoko winced again, just like she did at the party. Then she scarfed down an entire donut. Madoka tensed up and turned to Sayaka. "Um, did I say something wrong?"

Kyoko swallowed. "The others already know, so I might as well tell you." She then proceeded to tell Madoka how one day her father, in a drunken rage, stabbed her mother and little sister, Momo. He then set fire to their house, killing himself in the process. Kyoko only survived because she ran away earlier that day after a fight with her dad, which she assumed was what triggered his breakdown. A day didn't go by that Kyoko didn't miss her family, especially Momo, who she should've been there to protect.

"That's… That's the saddest thing I've ever heard." Madoka said, trembling. "I'm so sorry, Kyoko."

"Well, I'm still alive, so I guess that's something to be grateful for. If it wasn't for Sayaka, I'd be out on the streets." She turned to her blue-haired friend. "I can't thank you enough."

"C'mon, what are friends for?" Sayaka put her arm around Kyoko’s shoulders. "Just be glad my apartment allows pets."

"Ha, ha." Kyoko replied sarcastically before brushing Sayaka off. "You know what's really sad is I'm not the only one in our little social circle who's been through something like that. Mami lost both her parents in a car accident, Nagisa’s mom died of cancer, and Homura…" Kyoko paused. "Well, she never talks about her past, but I do know she lives on her own, and she’s never mentioned any parents or siblings or anything."

Madoka nearly teared up as she took all of this in. She never realized just how horrible the world could be for some people. When she got home from school today, she'd be sure to tell her mom, dad and brother just how much she loved them. "Wait, why wouldn't Homura tell you anything?" Madoka asked Kyoko. "Aren't you and Mami friends with her?"

"Well, kinda.” Kyoko finished off another donut. “We hang out every now and then, but it sorta feels like there's a wall there, and none of us can get through to her." Kyoko shrugged. "But hey, maybe you can. She seems to like you."

Madoka blushed a little. “R-really?”

“Oh, no!” Sayaka interjected. “I’ve still got my doubts about her. I don’t want you getting too close to her, Madoka.”

Madoka hesitated, but Kyoko spoke up before she could. “Seriously, Sayaka? Name one bad thing Homura’s done to any of us. In the past year .”

“Well… She…” Sayaka paused. “I mean, there was that one time… Um…”

Kyoko shook her head. “Yep, that’s what I thought.”

As the three girls arrived at the school doorway, Madoka thought about Homura’s situation. If what Kyoko said was true, Homura would need all the friends she could get. And if Madoka was really the only one who could get through to her, she’d have to give it a try. No one deserved to be all alone in the world.

Once lunchtime rolled around, Madoka, Sayaka and Kyoko crowded around Sayaka’s desk and pulled out their lunches. Madoka and Sayaka each pulled out a bento box while Kyoko pulled out a meatball sandwich, some french fries, two apples, four taiyaki and a bottle of Morning Rescue. Sayaka rolled her eyes, then took out some chopsticks and dug into her fried rice.

Before Madoka started eating, her eyes wandered over to Homura, who was sitting by herself at her desk with no food. Madoka couldn’t bear to see her like that, especially now that she knew just how alone Homura was. She decided to do something about it, but as she got up, Sayaka stopped her. “I know what you’re thinking, Madoka, but-”

“Jeez, Sayaka, you sound like a broken record.” Kyoko interjected through a mouthful of apple flesh.

“Sorry, Sayaka, but I’m with Kyoko on this one.” Madoka picked up her lunchbox. “I’m gonna go eat with Homura.” With that, Madoka walked over to the empty desk in front of Homura. “Hey, do you mind if I sit down?”

Homura looked up at Madoka with the same blank expression she usually had on her face. “Go ahead.”

Madoka sat down and turned the chair to face Homura’s desk. “So, um, no lunch today?”

Homura paused before answering. “I didn’t have time to pack one. I’m not hungry, anyway.”

“Are you sure? If you want, you can have some of mine.” Madoka set her lunchbox between herself and Homura. She then opened it to reveal several mini-omelettes, cherry tomatoes and white rice. “My dad’s cooking is delicious, but I can never finish the whole thing, and I’m pretty sure Kyoko will yell at me if I let any of it go to waste.”

Homura relented and ate one of the mini-omelettes. “You’re right, this is good.”

Madoka smiled. “Yeah, they really are. I wish I could give Dad credit for the tomatoes, but they’re just store-bought ones.” Madoka ate one of them. “We’re growing some in our garden at home, but they haven’t come in yet.”

“Well, if your father is as good at gardening as he is at cooking, I’m sure you’ll have a bountiful harvest.”

“Thanks, Homura. I’ll pass your compliments onto him.” Madoka replied. She then felt an awkward silence coming on, so she looked for something else to talk about. “That’s a pretty interesting earring you’re wearing.”

“Thank you. I made it myself.” Homura touched the gem hanging from it. “Do you like it?”

“Well, the jewel is pretty.” Madoka replied. “But honestly, I don’t like lizards. I think they’re kinda creepy.”

“This is a newt, actually.”

Madoka grimaced. “Ugh, those are even worse. They’re like slimy lizards. I like cute, fluffy animals a lot better. I wish all animals were like that.” Madoka’s face went a little red. “No offense to your taste in jewelry or anything.” Homura said nothing in response. Madoka quickly changed the subject. “So, um, are you in any clubs? I’ve been looking for one to join.”

“I’m in the archery club.” Homura replied. “If you’re interested, we’re meeting today after school.”

“Archery, huh? I guess I could give it a try.” Even if Madoka wasn’t any good at archery (and she probably wasn’t), it would at least allow her to spend more time with Homura. Though for some reason, wielding a bow and arrow sounded like a perfect fit for her. Either way, she’d find out this afternoon.

As Sayaka observed Madoka eating lunch with Homura, the blue-haired girl thought about what Kyoko said this morning. Half-way into the school day, Sayaka still couldn’t think of anything Homura had done. But even then, Sayaka couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she had about Homura.

Ever since the day Madoka transferred in, it felt like there was something important that Sayaka had forgotten, something that had to do with both Homura and Madoka. But try as she might, she just couldn’t remember it. She’d talked to Kyoko about it a couple times, but Kyoko just scoffed at it, saying Sayaka was just paranoid. It was the same when Sayaka asked Mami about it last Friday. Apparently she was on her own here, unless maybe Nagisa knew something?

“Don’t tell me, your ‘Homura’s gonna do something horrible to Madoka’ alarm is going off, right?” Kyoko asked after finishing the last of her fries. “You really need to lay off her. I keep telling you, she’s harmless.”

“You’re one to talk, always taking potshots at Kyosuke and Hitomi.” Sayaka replied, her attention turning to the couple eating lunch on the other side of the room. “I mean, what’s your beef with them ?”

Kyoko stared back at Sayaka blankly. “Seriously? Of all people, you should know.” Kyoko drank some of her Morning Rescue. “I don’t understand how you can still be friends with them after all the crap they put you through.”

Sayaka raised her eyebrow at Kyoko. “Wait, is this all about that stupid love triangle? I mean, yeah, it stung for a little, but I’m over it. It’s not like a bit of heartache ever killed anyone.”

Kyoko took a bite of her sandwich. “You’d be surprised.”

“Well, I survived it.” Sayaka finished off her rice. “Tell you what, I’ll leave Homura alone if you can be a little nicer to those two.”

Kyoko sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“And that includes going with me and Hitomi to Kyosuke’s recital at the end of the month.”

“Jeez, twist the knife even further, why don’t you?” Kyoko finished her sandwich. “Okay, if it’s for you, I’ll go to Violin-'' Kyoko caught herself. “…Kyosuke’s recital.”

“Excellent.” Sayaka said. “Now, these things are black tie, so we’ll have to find you a formal dress before then.”

Kyoko gritted her teeth. “Homura owes me big time for this.” she grumbled as she bit into her last taiyaki.

Once school was out for the day, Hitomi walked out of class on her own. She stopped in the middle of the hallway as she passed by the club activities bulletin board. Remembering the conversation she had with her friends at the party, her eyes wandered to a flyer for kung fu lessons. But of course, they were at the same time as tea ceremony practice, so it was a no-go.

Even without the scheduling conflict, Hitomi's parents likely wouldn’t approve of her taking kung fu anyway. It would be a pretty big departure from the kind of traditional practices and values they raised her with. Besides, she wasn’t all that interested in martial arts, anyway. After all, she did associate them with one of her most embarrassing memories. Then again, if it weren’t for that embarrassing memory, she wouldn’t have met her two best friends.

“I hope you’re not taking Kyoko’s suggestion seriously.” Hitomi’s heart skipped a beat, then she turned around to see Mami standing behind her.

“Sorry. You startled me, Miss Tomoe.” Hitomi said. “Actually, can I just call you Mami?”

Mami smiled. “Only if I can call you Hitomi.”

“Works for me. And don’t worry, I wasn’t going to use Kyoko’s idea, if you can call it that.” Hitomi turned her attention back to the bulletin board. “Were you looking for any clubs to join?”

“No, I can’t. Watching over Nagisa eats up most of my time. Actually, I have to walk her home from school now.” Mami said as she started walking towards the exit.

“That’s so unfair.” Hitomi said as she walked alongside Mami. “Her dad keeps pawning her off on you and takes no responsibility for his own daughter? I hope he at least pays you well.”

Mami shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. Since Nagisa’s mom passed away, her dad has to keep working overtime to make up for the lost income. His job doesn’t pay very well and they live in a pretty expensive apartment, so that’s the only way he can provide for her.”

"Oh, I didn’t realize…" Hitomi sighed. “That poor kid. She lost her mother so young, and her dad’s never around for her. I don’t understand how she can be so cheerful.”

“Yeah, that’s why she needs someone like me in her life.” Mami replied. “I feel sorry for her dad, too. Losing his wife was bad enough, but having to work all the time to raise a daughter on his own can’t be easy. He’s doing the best he can, but it’s an awful situation for both of them.”

“He sounds like a great guy.” Hitomi said. “The way my teacher talks, you’d think men like him were all extinct.”

“Ms. Saotome?” Mami asked, and Hitomi nodded. “I had her last year. Tell me, does she still spend half the class venting about her ex-boyfriends?”

“All the time. I don’t know if she’s unlucky or just has terrible tastes. Maybe both. And then we’ve got men like Nagisa’s dad that-” Something clicked in Hitomi’s head. “Hey, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Way ahead of you.” Mami said, smirking. “I’ll talk to Nagisa and her dad tonight. You talk to Ms. Saotome tomorrow morning. We’re gonna make this happen.”

“Will do.” Hitomi replied. Mami then left to go pick up Nagisa.

As Hitomi walked home, she thought about the last time she tried something like this with Sayaka and Kyosuke. She’d suspected that Sayaka liked Kyosuke for a long time, but unfortunately, Hitomi herself fell for him too. Since Sayaka had known Kyosuke longer, Hitomi had offered to let Sayaka confess first. However, Sayaka didn’t go through with it, so Hitomi confessed instead and ended up dating Kyosuke. Hitomi was lucky that her and Sayaka’s friendship survived, but to this day she still sometimes felt a twinge of guilt over the whole ordeal.

That aside, she looked forward to going through with her and Mami’s plan. Hopefully this time it would end happily for everyone involved.

“Nice shot, Madoka.” the archery club advisor said after Madoka hit her third bullseye in a row. “Are you sure this is your first time with a bow and arrow?”

“Yeah, first time.” Madoka replied. “Maybe I just got lucky?”

“Nonsense, you’re a natural! You might even give Homura a run for her money.” The club advisor turned to the rest of the club. “Alright, everyone, time to pack it in!” With that, Madoka, Homura and the rest of the girls went to change out of their kyudo outfits.

“You did well.” Homura said to Madoka as they exited the locker room.

“I guess so.” Madoka mumbled in response. “Sorry, this is kind of a first for me. I mean, there isn’t a whole lot that I’m good at, and I’ve never had any natural talents or anything.”

Homura clenched her teeth. She always hated when Madoka talked like that. Madoka always spoke so lowly of herself, never even considering how much she meant to those around her, especially to Homura. But of course, telling her just how important she was would awaken her memories and shatter the world Homura created for her, so Homura just had to grin and bear it. “Well, everyone has something they’re good at.”

“Maybe.” Madoka replied. “I’m not as good as you, though. You were great.”

“Only because I’ve been at this a while.” Homura said. “With practice, I have no doubt you’ll surpass me.”

“We’ll see. Either way, I’m definitely sticking with it.” Madoka then changed the subject. “So, what’s next for you? Are you just going home?”

“I suppose so. I don’t really have anything else to do today.” Homura replied. She then noticed a somber expression on Madoka’s face. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Well, Kyoko told me about your, um… living situation this morning. I just think it’s sad that you’re going home to an empty apartment.”

“It’s not completely empty.” Homura replied. “I do have a cat.”

A smile appeared on Madoka’s face. “Oh, I’m so jealous! I love cats!” Madoka hung her head. “But I can’t get one because my mom’s allergic to them. Dogs, too.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah. The only animals I have are the stuffed kind.” Madoka went back to the subject at hand. “Still, if you want some human company, I could maybe stop by for a while. Y’know, just so you’re not alone all the time.”

Homura paused, remembering when she first met Madoka all those timelines ago. Homura was completely on her own after six months in a hospital bed, with no family or friends in the world. Then Madoka appeared like an angel from Heaven, saving Homura from the depths of despair. It was that kindness and warmth that drew Homura to Madoka in the first place. Now here Madoka was, offering to save Homura from her solitude once again. Even though Homura knew she didn’t deserve it, she couldn’t help but accept Madoka’s offer. “Very well. I’ll show you the way.”

Homura walked back home with Madoka following behind. Once they stepped inside, Homura walked over to the kitchen and put on a pot of tea for them. Meanwhile, Madoka looked around at the minimalistic one-bedroom apartment Homura lived in. “It’s not much, but it has everything I need.” Homura opened one of the cupboards. “What kind of tea would you like? I have Jasmine, Earl Grey, Darjeeling-”

“Aw, you’re so cute!” Madoka ran over to Homura’s black cat, who had been sitting at the end of the couch. She then picked up the cat and nuzzled her. Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly), the cat didn’t resist Madoka like she did with most strangers.

Homura shrugged and decided on Jasmine tea. “Her name’s Amy. She was a stray that I picked up off the streets. But don’t worry, she’s had all her shots.”

“That was really nice of you, Homura.” Madoka sat down and Amy rested on her lap. “I can’t believe people actually leave their pets on the streets like that.” Madoka stroked Amy’s back. “That must’ve been terrible for you.”

“The world is filled with horrible people. It doesn’t surprise me that some of them would be cruel enough to abandon a living creature, alone and defenseless with no one to care for them.” Homura sat down beside Madoka and placed their teacups on the coffee table. “Perhaps I saw something of myself in that cat.”

“I wish I could save all the stray animals on Earth. If I could, I’d make sure they all had nice, warm homes and owners that-” Suddenly, Madoka looked up and stared off into space. Amy jumped off of her lap. “Wish… Save… Amy… Bow and arrow…” Madoka’s eyes turned from pink to gold. She then stood up as her ribbons came undone. Homura gasped, then quickly stood up herself and grabbed both of Madoka’s shoulders. Madoka shook her head, then looked back at Homura with her once-again pink eyes. “Um, did I space out again?”

“For a moment.” Homura retied one of Madoka’s ribbons. “You’re back now.”

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Madoka rubbed her forehead.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Madoka.” Homura retied the other ribbon. “You’re fine just as you are.”

Madoka sat back down and took a sip of her tea. “I’m sorry, what were we talking about?”

“Stray pets, and their heartless former owners.” Homura said bitterly as she also sat back down.

“Homura, you said you saw yourself in Amy. What did you mean by that?” Madoka asked.

Homura took a deep breath, then told Madoka about how she’d been abandoned on the steps of an orphanage in Tokyo as a baby, never having met her parents. She’d been raised by nuns and went to a nearby Catholic school until she developed a heart condition and had to be hospitalized. Once she was out of the hospital, she moved to this apartment and transferred to Mitakihara Middle School. Her whole life, she never fit in anywhere and never really had any family or friends. On top of that, her poor constitution meant she was never good at sports, and she was never all that smart, either. All her life she’d felt like a worthless waste of space the world would be better off without.

As Homura finished, she noticed that Madoka had been brought to tears. “Homura… You’re not a worthless waste of space. You’re a good person, and you didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.” Madoka grabbed Homura’s hands. “If you ever feel lonely, I promise I’ll be there for you!”

Homura froze up. In the very first timeline, Madoka had said more or less the same thing when Homura talked about her past. It was the same for the next couple timelines, until Homura began distancing herself from Madoka. But this time, Homura knew she wasn’t a good person. She’d betrayed Madoka, suppressed her godhood and imprisoned her in this false reality. Having this kind, gentle, selfless Madoka back with her was what Homura wanted more than anything. That was what Homura once gave up her soul for, and it seemed she’d done so yet again.

Suddenly, Madoka’s phone rang and she picked it up. “Oh, hi, Mom. I’m at a friend’s place. Yeah… Oh, okay… Alright, I’m coming. I love you, too.” Madoka hung up. “Sorry, I have to get going.” The two girls stood up and walked to the door. “Just… Remember what I said, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“See you tomorrow, Homura.” Madoka put on her shoes and took off. Once Madoka was out the door, Homura fell to the floor and cried.

Chapter Text

While sitting in class, Homura’s eyes wandered over to the calendar. It had been just over a month since Madoka’s reappearance, and during that time she and Homura had become closer than ever before, even more than in the first few timelines. The two of them ate lunch together every day, and Madoka hung out at Homura’s apartment just about every chance she got. And tonight, Homura was going to meet Madoka’s family for the first time. Or at least, for the first time in the current reality.

That reminded Homura that today was the day Walpurgisnacht would always show up and take Madoka away from her. Normally everyone would be in the evacuation center right now, waiting out the “natural disaster” as it destroyed Mitakihara City. Instead, they were all here at school like any other day. The weather was calm, without a cloud in the sky. This time Homura wouldn’t have to see Madoka die, become a witch, or worst of all, be erased from existence altogether.

Despite having everything she wanted, Homura was still at war with herself. Madoka was living a happy, magic-free life, but the means by which Homura made that happen still ate away at her inside. And despite knowing she didn’t deserve Madoka’s friendship, Homura simply couldn’t say no to it. Madoka’s kindness, her warmth, her selfless, caring nature… It was like an addiction, one that Homura craved like no other. Besides, apparently being around Homura made Madoka happy, so who was Homura to deny her dear friend that happiness?

Eventually, break time rolled around for the eighth-graders, and Homura, Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko, Hitomi and Kyosuke all gathered around one desk to talk. Homura noticed that Sayaka had become significantly less hostile towards her lately, no doubt due to her and Kyoko’s bargain. Kyoko, on the other hand, still seemed to struggle around Kyosuke and Hitomi, especially Kyosuke.

“Ms. Saotome’s in a pretty good mood today.” Madoka said.

“Yeah, she didn’t even chew me out for missing yesterday’s assignment.” Kyoko added.

Sayaka rolled her eyes, then turned to her green-haired friend. “Way to go there, Hitomi. Who’d have thought she and Mr. Momoe would hit it off like that?”

“Well, I can’t take all the credit. It was Mami’s idea, too. I hope their date tonight goes well.” Hitomi then turned to her boyfriend. “And I’m sure your recital will go well, too.”

“Thanks, I needed that. And thank you all for coming. It means a lot to me.”

“Don’t mention it, Kyosuke.” Sayaka replied. “We love hearing you play. Right, Kyoko?”

“Yep, really looking forward to it.” Kyoko’s eye twitched as she forced herself to smile.

“Oh, was that tonight?!” Madoka suddenly said. “Sorry, Kyosuke, but Homura and I already have plans.”

“Oh…” Kyosuke sighed. “Well, that’s alright. I guess I deserve it for missing your party. What are you two doing?”

“We’re going to the theater to see The Nutcracker.” Madoka replied. A couple weeks ago, Homura had let it slip that she’d been a fan of the ballet since early childhood. Madoka, either feeling obliged to pay Homura back for the ribbons or just as a kind gesture, had surprised her with tickets for tonight’s performance. And once again, Homura was unable to resist spending time with Madoka.

“Oh, yeah, I heard about that.” Kyosuke said. “I kinda wanted to go myself, but I’ve got my recital, of course. Tchaikovsky really was a brilliant composer, though I always thought Swan Lake and 1812 Overture were superior works. Actually, my personal favorite is his rendition of Romeo and Juliet. It’s a real shame that it never caught on like…”

“Great, he’ll never shut up.” Kyoko grumbled under her breath.

“Hey, remember our deal.” Sayaka whispered.

“Yeah, yeah.” Kyoko pulled out a pack of Rocky and ate some of it to calm herself down. To her relief, class resumed a couple minutes later, forcing Kyosuke to stop gushing about Tchaikovsky’s music.

As soon as class was dismissed, Mami walked over to Mitakihara Elementary School to pick up Nagisa as she always did on school days. After a few minutes, the white-haired girl walked out the front door, though she wasn’t in her usually cheery mood today. “Hi, Mami.” Nagisa said flatly.

“Hi, Nagisa.” Mami reached out to take Nagisa’s hand, but the white-haired girl refused. “Is something wrong?”

Nagisa started walking in the direction of her apartment while Mami followed. “Dad’s making me go to dinner with him and Ms. Saotome. This is his only night off this week, and I have to spend it with her , too.” Nagisa turned to Mami. “Why’d you and Hitomi have to set them up like that?”

Mami paused. Looking back, she probably should’ve expected Nagisa not to take her dad’s new relationship well. He already didn’t have much time for Nagisa, but now he had even less. More to the point, Nagisa still hadn’t quite gotten over her mother’s death. No kid who loses a parent ever does, as Mami herself knew all too well. From Nagisa’s perspective, it must’ve looked like Ms. Saotome was trying to replace her mom. “Look, I know it’s hard, but try to get along with her.”

“I can’t make any promises.” Nagisa said bitterly.

“Would it help if I came with you?”

“I wish you could, but Dad wants it to just be the three of us. He wants to make sure we’re ‘compatible’, whatever that means.”

“Oh, I see…” Mami sighed. “I guess I’m alone tonight, then.”

Nagisa didn’t seem to hear what Mami said. She started to sniffle, then suddenly stopped walking. “Why’d Mom have to die, Mami?” Nagisa buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

“I know it hurts.” Mami placed her hand on Nagisa’s shoulders and led her to a nearby bench where they both sat down. “I miss my mom, too. And my dad. It never gets any easier, not really.” Mami embraced Nagisa and allowed the little girl to cry on her shoulder. “I just thought that if things worked out with your dad and Ms. Saotome, he wouldn’t have to work as much and he’d have more time to spend with you.”

“I don’t understand.” Nagisa squeaked out.

“Maybe you will when you’re older.” Mami replied. “But whatever happens with Ms. Saotome, your father still loves you, and so do I. We’ll both be here for you no matter what.”

“Thanks, Mami.” After a couple minutes, Nagisa managed to stop crying. Then the two girls stood up and continued walking home.

“Hey, how about this? If you can get along with Ms. Saotome tonight, I’ll buy you a wedge of Jarlsberg cheese tomorrow.”

“Ooh, that’s one of my favorites! I’m gonna hold you to that.” Nagisa then changed the subject. “Hey, this might be kinda off-topic, but Sayaka asked if I could remember anything important about Homura and Madoka. Do you know what she was talking about?”

Mami shook her head. “Sayaka asked me the same thing a while back. I think she’s just being overprotective of Madoka. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Maybe you’re right. Still, I kinda get a weird vibe around Homura sometimes.”

Mami shrugged. “Me too, but we really shouldn’t judge people on vague impressions. Jumping to conclusions like that never goes well.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Nagisa replied.

Eventually, the two girls made it to Nagisa’s apartment and Mami rang the doorbell. Nagisa’s father, Shigeru Momoe, answered the door to let them in. “Hi, girls.” the tall, white-haired man said. He then turned to his daughter. “Are you ready for dinner tonight?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Nagisa replied.

Shigeru chuckled, then turned to Mami. “I know I say it every time, but thank you so much for looking after her. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.” He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and gave it to Mami. “Here, you’ve earned it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Momoe.” Mami took the envelope and put it in her bag. “Good luck tonight.”

“Thanks. I’m gonna need it.” Shigeru and Mami bowed to each other, then Mami started walking back to her apartment. On her way, she opened the envelope to find ¥25,000, which was ¥5,000 more than usual. She assumed the extra money was a bonus for setting him up with Ms. Saotome. If she was going to be alone tonight, at least she could treat herself to something nice for dinner.

“Well, here we are.” Madoka said to Homura as the two of them arrived at Madoka’s house. The plan was for the two of them to eat dinner with Madoka’s family before going to The Nutcracker. It also gave Madoka a reason to introduce Homura to her family, which she’d been wanting to do for quite some time now. Without further adieu, Madoka unlocked the door and the two girls went inside. “I’m home!” Madoka shouted.

“Welcome back, Madoka.” Tomohisa shouted from the kitchen, where he was preparing tonight’s dinner.

"Yep, welcome back." Junko added as she got up off the sofa. She then walked over to Homura to introduce herself. “So, you’re the famous Homura Akemi. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Junko and Homura bowed to each other.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kaname.” Homura then bowed in the direction of the kitchen. “Mr. Kaname.”

“Madoka’s told us so much about you.” Junko said. “Seems like every conversation we have, it’s all ‘Homura this’ and ‘Homura that’ and-”

“Mom!” Madoka’s face went completely red. Maybe bringing Homura here wasn’t such a great idea after all. Madoka turned to her friend to see that Homura was wearing that same stoic expression she usually did, much to Madoka’s relief. The pink-haired girl quickly changed the subject. “What’s for dinner, Dad?”

“Pork cutlets, curry and rice.” Tomohisa replied. “It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“In that case, I'll wake Tatsuya up from his nap.” Junko said. “I hope he won’t be too cranky.” Once Junko retrieved Tatsuya, all five of them sat down at the dinner table. Homura made the mistake of sitting next to Tatsuya, since the toddler kept trying to grab Homura’s earring.

“Hey, that’s not nice!” Tomohisa scolded his son, then Tatsuya backed off. Tomohisa then turned to Madoka. “How’s archery going?”

“It’s going great!” Madoka replied. “There’s gonna be a regional competition in a couple weeks, and they want me to represent our school.”

“That’s wonderful, Madoka!” Junko said. “See, I always said you were talented.”

“I never would’ve considered archery if not for Homura.” Madoka turned to her friend. “Thanks for introducing me to it.”

“It was nothing.” Homura took a bite of pork. “This is delicious, Mr. Kaname.”

“Thank you, Miss Akemi.” Tomohisa replied. “So, you two are seeing The Nutcracker? Why that of all things?”

“Oh, I just saw there was a performance tonight and I thought Homura would like it.” Madoka said.

“You were right.” Homura said. “Every Christmas Eve, the nuns would take me and the other orphans to see it. The others didn’t seem to care for it, but I always loved the performance.” Homura paused. “It’s one of the few pleasant memories I have of that orphanage.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But don’t worry, you’ll always be welcome here.” Junko gestured to her husband. “If you ever want a nice home-cooked meal prepared by the best cook in Japan, just stop on by.”

Homura smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Kaname.”

As dinner continued, Homura and the Kaname family continued to talk about other things like school, their time in the U.S., Ms. Saotome’s new boyfriend, Homura’s cat and Madoka’s other friends. Throughout the conversation, Madoka was glad that Homura got along with her family so well, not that there was any reason she wouldn’t. Hopefully this would make it easier for Madoka to tell Homura what she was planning to tell her after the performance.

Eventually, everyone finished eating. Homura thanked Madoka’s parents for the meal, then she and Madoka took off. “You have a wonderful family, Madoka.” Homura said.

A smile appeared on Madoka’s face. “Yeah, I really do.”

Kyoko reluctantly took her seat next to Sayaka as they waited for the recital to start. Hitomi then took her seat on Sayaka’s opposite side. Wasting no time, Kyoko pulled out a bag of jelly beans and started snacking on them. “Did you have to bring that?” Sayaka said.

“Yes, I did.” Kyoko snapped back.

“Well, are you at least gonna share?”

Kyoko groaned, then held the bag out in front of Sayaka, who helped herself to some. Hitomi also grabbed a couple, much to Kyoko’s annoyance. “I’m probably gonna regret asking, but what’s he playing tonight?”

Sayaka took a look at the program. “Looks like it’s Ave Maria.” A smile appeared on Sayaka’s face. “That always was my favorite.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that.” Hitomi said. “My favorite is The Girl with the Flaxen Hair. I wish he’d play that one.”

“Don’t worry. Looks like some other kid’s gonna play it.” Sayaka said, pointing to the program.

“Speaking of girls with flaxen hair, how’d Mami get out of this?” Kyoko asked.

“Probably had to babysit Nagisa again.” Sayaka replied.

“Actually, Nagisa’s joining her dad and Ms. Saotome on their date.” Hitomi said. “I’m guessing Mami’s at her apartment. I hope she’s not too lonely.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Sayaka said. Before any of the three girls could say anything else, the lights dimmed and the recital began.

Madoka and Homura both took their seats in the audience, then turned their phones off as instructed. Though Homura had been here several times before, this was Madoka’s first time seeing The Nutcracker, though she did know the basic plot of the story. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing the Mouse King when he arrived.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Homura said. “But don’t worry, they’re just dancers in costumes.”

“I know that.” Madoka replied. “Still doesn’t make them less creepy.”

“I’m surprised. I thought you liked fluffy animals.”

“Yeah, well, mice are an exception.”

A tiny smirk appeared on Homura’s face. “I’m sure you’ll love it. It truly is Tchaikovsky’s greatest work, no matter what Kyosuke Kamijou thinks.”

“Ah, forget about him.” Madoka rested her head on Homura’s shoulder. “It’s just you and me tonight.”

“I suppose it is.” With that, the two girls fell silent and the show started.

After Mami finished eating the rather expensive sushi she bought for dinner, she poured herself some chamomile tea and retired to her bedroom. Without much else to do tonight, she decided to get a start on her science homework, but stopped part way through and let out a long sigh. For the first time in weeks, it was just her, alone with her thoughts. Loneliness always was her Achilles’ heel.

Mami remembered how it was after she first lost her parents in that car crash. After the tragedy, her only friend in the world was Kyoko. Shortly after that, Kyoko lost her family as well, which led to her and Mami parting ways. But thanks to recent events, she had Kyoko back in her life, and a whole bunch of other friends as well.

Of course, they were all off doing other things tonight, leaving Mami by herself. Even though she knew it was just for the time being, she couldn’t help but sulk about it. She remembered how it was before, how desperate she was to escape her crippling solitude. She would’ve given anything to have even one friend to stay by her side, and it seemed she’d…

Suddenly, Mami’s doorbell rang. She ran to the door and opened it to find Kyoko standing there. “Hey, mind if I come in? I figured you could use some company tonight.”

Mami paused. “Um, sure, come on in.” Mami waved Kyoko inside. Both girls took a seat at the coffee table. “So what are you doing here?” Mami asked as she poured Kyoko some tea. “Shouldn’t you be at Kyosuke’s recital?”

Kyoko took a sip. “I was, but they kicked me out for snoring too loudly.”

“Kyoko-”

“Don’t start.” Kyoko cut Mami off. “Sayaka’s already gonna tear me a new one when we get home.”

Mami shook her head. “No, I mean… That’s not going to be a problem, is it? Leaving Sayaka alone like that?”

“I don’t see why. She’s with Hitomi and Violin Boy.” Kyoko took another sip. “Besides, I don’t see Nagisa around here.”

“She’s with her father and Ms. Saotome.”

“Well, there you go. What are you so worried about?”

Mami looked away from Kyoko and let out a heavy sigh. “What have we gotten ourselves into, Kyoko? Why are we doing this?”

“Because it beats the alternative, that’s why.” Kyoko replied. “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts now.”

“I’ve always had second thoughts. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing or not.”

“Well, I learned a long time ago that doing the right thing is highly overrated.”

“I figured you’d say that.” Mami sighed. “That always was the difference between you and me, wasn’t it?”

“Look, let’s not get into this right now.” Kyoko raised her teacup. “How ‘bout instead, we toast to your crazy plan actually working.”

Mami decided to humor Kyoko, figuring this conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “Very well.” She turned to face Kyoko and raised her teacup as well. “Here’s to the happy couple.”

“Hear, hear!” Kyoko said. She and Mami each took a drink. “So, you said they’re both with Nagisa right now?”

“Yeah. Her dad wanted to make sure she and Ms. Saotome got along.”

“Let’s hope they do.” Kyoko finished off her tea. “If they break up over this, I’m gonna hear all about it on Monday.”

Mami laughed, then finished the last of her tea as well. As she poured herself and Kyoko some more, she took a moment to appreciate that because of how things were now, the two of them could put their differences aside and be friends again.

Once the recital was over, Sayaka and Hitomi went backstage to talk to Kyosuke. After a moment, they spotted him packing up his violin. Kyosuke looked back at them, and the two girls walked over to him. “Congratulations, Kyosuke!” Sayaka patted her friend on the back.

“You played beautifully.” Hitomi added.

“Let’s hope the judges think so, too.” Kyosuke put his left hand in front of his face, then opened and closed his fist a couple times. “It’s like the accident never happened.”

“Huh?” Hitomi asked.

“When I broke my arm, the doctor told me I’d never play again. He said the movement in my fingers wouldn’t fully recover.” Kyosuke smiled, nearly crying tears of joy. “But look at me now, playing like I always have. It’s a miracle.”

“Way to make that quack eat his words!” Sayaka shouted. “We should’ve dragged him here so you could show him just how wrong he was.”

Kyosuke and Hitomi laughed. “We’ll do that when my next recital comes up.” Kyosuke said.

“Well, in the meantime, you’ll have to settle for us as your audience. Good luck with the judges.” Without thinking, Hitomi put her hand on Kyosuke’s shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. Then she realized Sayaka was right in front of them. Hitomi backed away from Kyosuke and turned to face away from Sayaka, her face going red.

After a brief awkward silence, Sayaka spoke up. “I’d better leave you two alone.”

“No, Sayaka, I-” Hitomi began, but Sayaka cut her off.

“It’s alright. I have to go have a word with Kyoko, anyway.” Sayaka slammed her fist into her palm.

“Give her one for me!” Kyosuke said rather obliviously.

“Uh, sure, will do.” Sayaka replied as she walked off and exited the building.

As Sayaka walked home, she thought about how just a couple months ago seeing Hitomi kiss Kyosuke like that would’ve tore her up inside. But now it didn’t bother her at all. She was actually kind of happy for them, at least when she wasn’t pitying Hitomi for having to deal with Kyosuke’s thickheadedness. Sayaka couldn’t even remember why she’d fallen for Kyosuke in the first place. Maybe it was just hormones.

Help me, Sayaka Miki! All of a sudden, Sayaka remembered being a magical girl, succumbing to despair from her unrequited love, and being taken by the Law of Cycles, a.k.a. Madoka. Then she remembered how Homura had become a demon and usurped Madoka’s godhood. Sayaka screamed, shut her eyes and grabbed the sides of her head as all these memories came flooding back to her.

When she recovered, she saw a tall, white humanoid creature standing right in front of her, which she recognized as a wraith. Sayaka looked at her left hand and saw her Soul Gem in its ring form around her middle finger. Knowing what to do next, she transformed into her magical girl outfit and magically conjured a sword into her hand. The wraith lunged at her, but Sayaka jumped at it and swiftly cut the wraith’s head off, killing it instantly.

“Thank you, Sayaka.” The blue-haired girl turned around to see an Incubator lying behind her, battered, beaten and barely alive.

“Kyubey…” Sayaka pointed her sword at the creature. “You’ve got some nerve asking me for help!”

“I understand, but I’m not your enemy right now. Homura Akemi is.” Kyubey struggled to his feet. “You remember now, don’t you? How she ripped the Law of Cycles apart and cut you off from it?”

As strange as it felt, Sayaka agreed with Kyubey. Homura had Madoka in her clutches, and they were alone together right now. There was no telling what Homura might do. Sayaka pulled out her phone and was about to call Madoka, but Kyubey interrupted. "Wait, don't be reckless!"

"What do you mean?!" Sayaka replied, her sword still trained on Kyubey.

"If you confront her now, Homura Akemi will just erase your memories again. But she can't tamper with mine. Because of my species' unique psychology, I'm immune to such mental manipulation."

Sayaka raised her eyebrow at Kyubey. "And how does that help me?"

"I can give you that same protection. I just need you to let me into your mind for a moment."

Sayaka hesitated. As much as she distrusted Kyubey, she didn’t have any other options at the moment. Besides, Homura was a real threat while Kyubey had been reduced to being the wraiths' chew toy. Sayaka lowered her sword. "Alright, do what you have to."

Kyubey telepathically connected his mind with Sayaka’s. It seems some of your memories are still missing. You don't seem to remember much from the Law of Cycles.

That made sense. Homura’s memory manipulation was bound to leave a few gaps. Is that a problem?

Not really. Kyubey paused. There, I'm done. You're now immune to all unwanted psychic intrusions. With that, the telepathic connection broke. Evidently Sayaka could even shut Kyubey out of her mind if she wanted. Perhaps that would come in handy. “Now hurry up and-”

Suddenly, another wraith appeared and shot an energy beam at Kyubey. Sayaka turned to the wraith and readied her sword, but stopped when she noticed that the wraith apparently wasn’t interested in her. It only seemed to care about attacking Kyubey. Deciding that Homura was a more immediate problem (and having no sympathy for Kyubey), Sayaka left the wraith alone and walked away.

Before doing anything, Sayaka tried calling Madoka, but it went straight to voicemail. Her phone must’ve been off. “Damn it!” Sayaka cursed. Thinking that she might need backup, she called Kyoko instead, and fortunately it went through. “Kyoko, you there?”

“Hey, Sayaka.” Kyoko replied flatly. “Look, I’m sorry I fell asleep, but-”

“Never mind that right now!” Sayaka interjected. “Where are you?!”

Kyoko paused. “I’m at Mami’s place.”

“Good. Can you put me on speaker?”

“I’m here, Sayaka.” Mami said. “Is something wrong?”

“You bet there is!” Sayaka began, but then paused, choosing her next words carefully. Kyoko and Mami probably wouldn’t just believe her about Kyubey and magical girls and such. She’d have to show them some kind of proof. “Look, there’s something important I need to show you both. Can you two meet me in the park? Like right now?”

Kyoko and Mami took a moment to respond. "Sure, Sayaka." Kyoko eventually said. "We’ll be there in a few minutes."

"Great!" Sayaka said. "Oh, and bring Nagisa if you can. This involves her, too."

“Okay, I’ll try to get in touch with her.” Mami said.

“Good, see you in a bit.” Sayaka hung up. She then sat down on a nearby bench, anxiously awaiting her friends’ arrival.

“You were right, Homura. It was beautiful!” Madoka said as she and Homura exited the building. “We should go to the theater more often.”

“Yes, we should.” Homura replied. Without a doubt, this had been the most wonderful night of her life. Seeing her favorite ballet with the person she loved most in all the world… Homura couldn’t have asked for anything more. Perhaps this was how things would have been if not for Kyubey’s intervention. No, it was how they should have been.

On their way back home, Madoka and Homura stopped by an ice cream stand and each bought a cone. Then they sat down on a bench to continue their conversation. “Got any other recommendations?”

“I believe they’re performing Journey to the West in a few weeks.” Homura replied. “I haven’t seen that one, but I’ve heard good things.”

“Well, maybe. I think I’ve journeyed to the west enough for one lifetime, though.” Madoka then changed the subject when Homura didn’t laugh. “Hey, Homura, there’s… there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now. I know it might sound a little strange, but I’ve thought about it and…” Madoka’s face went red. “Oh, look at me tripping over myself like I always do.”

“It’s okay, Madoka.” Homura said. “You can tell me anything.”

Madoka took a deep breath. “Homura, I-”

Suddenly, Homura sensed a disturbance. She looked over to a nearby lamppost to see one of her raven familiars, a Liese, perched on it. The familiar telepathically informed Homura that Sayaka Miki had made contact with Kyubey, and that Sayaka’s powers and memories had been reawakened. She was currently waiting for Kyoko Sakura and Mami Tomoe in the park, both of whom were on their way there.

Homura clenched her teeth. She should’ve expected that something would go wrong tonight. Feeling the need to handle the situation herself, she abruptly got up, cutting Madoka off. “Hold that thought. I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Um… Okay.” Madoka replied. Homura could sense the disappointment in Madoka’s voice, but if Homura didn’t attend to business now, it would only get worse for Madoka. With that, Homura took off.

Before too long, Kyoko and Mami arrived at the park to meet Sayaka. The blue-haired girl stood up when she saw her friends. “Where’s Nagisa?”

“We couldn’t get ahold of her.” Mami replied. “So, what’s this all about?”

“It’s about Homura.” Sayaka said. “Madoka’s in danger, and Homura’s-”

“Are you still going on about that?!” Kyoko interjected. “We’ve been over-”

“Yeah, but this time I know for sure. Let me show you some proof.” Sayaka stretched out her hand and conjured up her Soul Gem. She then used its magic to transform into her magical girl attire right in front of Kyoko and Mami. Both her friends stood there in shock. “Now look, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but Madoka used to be a god, but Homura stole her powers and trapped us in…”

Before Sayaka could finish, Kyoko and Mami produced their Soul Gems as well. Sayaka fell silent as she witnessed them both transform into their magical girl costumes. “We know, Sayaka.” Mami said. “We’ve known the whole time.”

Chapter Text

Kyoko sat at her desk in class, zoned out as Ms. Saotome rambled on about eggs or something. Obviously she’d just broken up with her most recent boyfriend, which spelled doom for the eighth-graders, especially poor Nakazawa. Just another typical day at Mitakihara Middle School. Except, of course, that there was a new transfer student joining the class today. Sayaka had mentioned that the new student was an old friend of hers and Hitomi’s named Madoka Kaname, who had moved to the U.S. a while ago and just recently moved back. For some reason, Kyoko couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d heard that name somewhere before.

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s give a big welcome to our new classmate!” Ms. Saotome turned to the classroom door and waved the transfer student in. “Miss Kaname, come on in.”

Madoka walked in and stood in front of the whiteboard. “Um… My name is Madoka Kaname. It’s nice to meet you.”

There it was again! Kyoko got that same feeling of déjà vu. It’s possible Sayaka had mentioned Madoka’s name around Kyoko before, but that wouldn’t explain why Kyoko recognized Madoka’s appearance or her voice. Kyoko had definitely met Madoka before. As Madoka continued introducing herself, Kyoko searched her memories trying to figure it out. But by breaktime, Kyoko was still drawing a blank, except for a vague feeling that this had something to do with Homura. Why her of all people?

Before Sayaka and Hitomi could get up, a bunch of girls from the class crowded around Madoka’s desk. They started to hound Madoka with questions about her life in America. “Think we should go rescue her?” Hitomi asked Sayaka.

“Nah, let’s let her be Miss Popularity for a while.” Sayaka replied. “I doubt she’ll get this much attention again anytime soon.”

“Hey, Sayaka, when did you say she moved away?” Kyoko asked.

“About three years ago. Why?”

“And I met you a few months ago, right?”

“Well, yeah, you were there. What’s with-” Sayaka suddenly stopped talking when she noticed that Homura had shooed the other girls away and was walking Madoka out of the classroom. “Okay, now we should go rescue her!” Sayaka stood up and gestured for Hitomi to follow.

“Uh… yeah… you do that. I gotta go to the bathroom.” Kyoko quickly left the classroom.

When she saw Homura with Madoka, Kyoko suddenly remembered when Homura, on the verge of succumbing to despair, betrayed Madoka at the last second. And after that, a whole ton of other memories came cascading back as well. Kyoko remembered being a magical girl and fighting alongside her friends in Homura’s witch labyrinth. Then she remembered Sayaka being taken by the Law of Cycles. Finally, Kyoko remembered the wish she made that wound up killing her family. She looked at her left hand and noticed a ring and a red decal on her fingernail, neither of which she’d seen there before. Kyoko recognized the ring as her Soul Gem.

There was no way any of that crazy stuff was true, yet it all seemed so real to Kyoko. To prove she wasn’t going insane, she’d have to see if someone else remembered it too. Obviously Homura would deny it, and she’d definitely notice if Kyoko approached Madoka. And Kyoko’s instincts told her not to talk to Sayaka about this just yet. That left but one option. With that in mind, she made her way to one of the ninth-grade classrooms and waited outside. Once class let out, Kyoko approached Mami as she exited the room. “Oh, hi, Kyoko.” Mami said.

“Hey, can I talk to you about something?” Kyoko asked. She noticed that Mami was wearing a Soul Gem ring as well.

“What is it?” Mami asked. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m about to find out. Does the name ‘Madoka Kaname’ ring a bell?”

Mami paused. “I think so…”

“And what about the term ‘magical girl’?”

Mami paused again. “Yeah, I think I’ve heard that before.”

“What about Soul Gems? Wraiths? Kyubey? Any of that sound familiar?”

As Mami took this in, she stared off into space. After a moment, she let out a gasp. “That’s right! I remember everything now.” She looked at her left hand and apparently just noticed the ring on her finger. “Homura tampered with the Law of Cycles, didn’t she?”

“Good to know I’m not crazy.” Kyoko said.

“Maybe.” Mami turned to look out the window. Kyoko looked outside too and saw a number of strange-looking ravens and living dolls, which she recognized as Homura’s familiars. Mami gestured to the creatures. “But what do we do about this?”

After sundown, Mami met up with Kyoko, then they both walked to the park. They knew this was one of Homura’s usual hangouts. Kyoko had been hesitant to confront Homura, but Mami insisted they do so to assess the situation as well as Homura’s mental state. Mami needed to know exactly what they were dealing with.

Eventually, the two of them found Homura dancing around a dying Incubator with her Soul Gem, or rather, the object that used to be her Soul Gem. Perhaps Dark Orb was a better term for it now. She ended her dance at the top of the hill, teetering over the ledge. Kyoko and Mami paid Kyubey no mind as they approached Homura. “We’re not interrupting anything, are we?” Kyoko asked.

Homura caught herself before falling and turned to her friends, staring at them with an uncanny expression on her face. The Dark Orb turned back into its earring form and attached itself to Homura’s ear. “Well, well, well. What brings you two here?”

Mami was taken aback by Homura’s demeanor, but managed to stand her ground. “We remember what you did, Homura. You broke Madoka Kaname off from the Law of Cycles and used her powers to rewrite the universe to your liking.”

“I must not have done a very thorough job modifying your memories.” Homura tilted her head. “So, now that you know the truth, what do you intend to do about it?”

“Nothing.” Kyoko replied. “I’m in.”

Mami turned towards Kyoko. “Wait, what?!”

"Well, this is an interesting development." Homura said. "Are you sure you don't wish to defeat me and return things to normal?"

"Why? So I can go back to fighting wraiths every day for the rest of my miserable life?” Kyoko shook her head. “No thank you."

"Kyoko…" Mami mumbled.

"Mami, let’s face it. Our lives sucked before this. If this new world lets us live normal lives with our friends, then I’m all for it." Kyoko sighed. "Maybe this is just a happy dream, but I don't want to wake up. Not yet, anyway." Kyoko turned to Homura. "Besides, you might need us to keep an eye on Sayaka and Bebe."

"Her name's Nagisa." Mami interjected.

"Whatever. We don't know when something might jog their memories and ruin the whole thing."

Homura paused. "Perhaps you're right, Kyoko Sakura. I only intended to bring Madoka into this new world. Those two are here by accident. Can I trust you to watch over Sayaka Miki?"

"Sure. I'm already freeloading off her folks, anyway." Kyoko then turned to her blonde-haired friend. "So how 'bout it, Mami? You in or out?"

Mami considered her options. She realized she couldn’t argue with Kyoko. Her life truly was miserable before Homura’s intervention. And if this world came crashing down, that probably meant Nagisa would go back to the Law of Cycles, and Mami would be all alone yet again. In a moment of weakness, she sided with Homura and Kyoko. "Alright, I'm in. And I guess I have Nagisa covered."

“Then it appears we have an agreement. Oh, and if you ever need Grief Cubes, just let me know. I have an ample supply of them.” Homura turned her head towards a wraith off in the distance. Mami and Kyoko both transformed into their magical girl costumes and readied their weapons, but Homura gestured for them to stop. The two magical girls then noticed that the wraith was attacking another one of Kyubey’s bodies. “When I rewrote the universe, I ‘reprogrammed’ them to only attack Kyubey. I needed someone to take on the world’s curses, and the Incubators deserved to be punished for their transgressions. Two birds, one stone.”

“No argument here.” Kyoko dismissed her spear.

Once the wraith was finished destroying the Incubator, Homura pointed at it, and several of her Clara Doll familiars materialized from the shadows. They then ganged up on the wraith and destroyed it with ease. A Liese picked up the Grief Cubes dropped by the wraith and carried them over to Mami.

“Um, thanks.” Mami took the Cubes and handed half of them to Kyoko.

“Right now, you two are the only magical girls on Earth, and I’ve been seeing to it that Kyubey doesn’t make any new contracts.” Homura said. “I can’t risk any new magical girls falling into despair. It could trigger something with the Law of Cycles.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” Kyoko said.

“So, do you have any more business with me?” Homura asked.

“I just have one question.” Mami said. “Why are you doing all this?”

Homura turned away to look over the city. “For reasons you couldn’t possibly understand, Mami Tomoe.” She took a seat in a chair on the hillside. “As long as you benefit from my plans, you needn't concern yourself with my motives. If it satisfies your curiosity, the simple answer is that it’s all for Madoka’s sake.”

Mami decided she wasn’t likely to get anything more out of Homura. “Well, I guess we’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see ya, Homura.” Kyoko added. Homura said nothing in response. She merely sat there overlooking the idealized Mitakihara City she’d created. Kyoko and Mami turned and walked away. “So, what do you think?” Kyoko asked once she and Mami were out of Homura’s earshot.

“Well, she’s definitely gone off the deep end.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Kyoko said. “But I stand by what I said. I like this new world a lot better than the old one.”

Mami sighed. She didn’t want to go back to the way things were any more than Kyoko did, but Mami still had her doubts, and didn’t like the idea of keeping this secret from her friends. She’d play things Kyoko’s way for now, but if things got too hairy, she’d have to reconsider.

Sayaka stood there in shock, still trying to process Mami’s confession. “So… you knew? And you just went along with it?” She conjured a sword and pointed it at her friends, seething with anger and confusion. “Why would you work for that demon?!”

“We have our reasons.” Kyoko said.

“Look, we don’t want to fight you.” Mami added. “Let’s go to my place and talk this out.”

"You really think I'm gonna just sit back and do nothing while my best friend is at Homura’s mercy?!"

“I really don’t think Madoka’s in any danger.” Mami said. “Making her happy is the only reason Homura did this.”

“Yeah, but Madoka sure as hell didn’t agree to it!” Sayaka shouted. “There’s no way she would have! Homura’s only doing this for her own damn self!”

“Well, aren’t things better like this, anyway?!” Kyoko shouted back. “Wouldn’t you rather have this life?!”

Sayaka took a moment to consider her answer. “It’s not real, Kyoko. None of this is. And Madoka deserves to know the truth.” Sayaka turned away from Kyoko and Mami. “I’m gonna go tell her.”

As Sayaka walked away, Kyoko put up a chain barrier in front of her. “We can’t let you do that, Sayaka.”

Sayaka tightened her grip on her sword. “I’m a servant of the Law of Cycles. It’s my duty to protect Madoka.” She took a deep breath, then turned back to face the other two. “If you two get in my way, I will fight you.”

Kyoko winced, but Mami didn’t hesitate to conjure a rifle and point it at Sayaka. “Don’t do it. You can’t beat both of us.”

“We’ll see about that!” Sayaka pointed her sword at a nearby fountain, and her witch form, Oktavia von Seckendorff, emerged from the water. The mermaid witch raised her sword, and several large train wheels materialized above her. She then shot the wheels at Mami and Kyoko. Mami dodged, but Kyoko was hit and flew backwards. Sayaka then swung her sword at Mami, who blocked it with the barrel of her gun. Mami then jumped back and shot at Sayaka, but Sayaka blocked the bullet with her sword. Mami then tried to ensnare Sayaka with her ribbons, but Sayaka quickly cut through them and lunged at Mami again.

As Mami and Sayaka fought, Kyoko recovered and ran towards Oktavia, this time making sure not to be caught off-guard. When the witch shot another wave of wheels, Kyoko quickly put up a chain barrier to deflect them. Kyoko then conjured her trusty spear, jumped over the barrier and launched herself at Oktavia, hoping to skewer the witch. But before Kyoko could make contact, Oktavia batted Kyoko out of the air. Oktavia then waved her sword around, and several of her Holger and Klarissa familiars manifested around Kyoko as she stood up.

“Ooh, this is gonna be fun.” Kyoko said, noticing the familiars’ uncanny resemblance to Kyosuke and Hitomi. Kyoko swung her spear around, gleefully slicing and dicing Oktavia’s familiars as they tried in vain to gang up on Kyoko. The red magical girl made short work of the familiars, but that proved to be all the distraction Oktavia needed to pelt Kyoko with another barrage of wheels. Kyoko was knocked to the ground.

Meanwhile, Sayaka began to get the upper hand on Mami. The yellow magical girl’s use of rifles made her an excellent ranged fighter, but she didn’t stand a chance in close quarters. Sayaka had no trouble exploiting Mami’s weakness. Every time Mami tried to conjure another gun, Sayaka would slash at Mami, forcing her to dodge or take a hit. Before long, Sayaka had thrown Mami off-balance and took the opportunity to stab her through the stomach. Obviously that wouldn’t kill a magical girl, but it did bring Mami to her knees while the debilitating wound slowly healed itself with magic.

“I’m sorry...” Sayaka overlooked her defeated friends, then turned away. “But I have to save Madoka.”

Just then, Oktavia was swallowed by darkness, and Sayaka was surrounded by Clara Dolls that manifested out of thin air. Homura appeared floating in front of Sayaka in her demon form. “I brought you back from the dead, I gave you another chance at being human, and I let you be with your friends and family again. I even let you keep your wish.” Homura scowled at Sayaka, barely able to contain her anger. “And yet you still seek to undermine everything I’ve done for Madoka!”

Sayaka glared at Homura. “Please, we both know you did this for your own selfish desires. Don’t act all noble with me.”

Homura didn’t respond. She merely pointed at Sayaka, and the Clara Dolls attacked. Sayaka managed to take out two or three of them before the others managed to disarm and restrain her. While the Dolls held Sayaka by her arms, Homura closed in on the blue magical girl. “This should deal with you.” Homura clapped her hands. But nothing happened.

“Something wrong, transfer student?” Sayaka sneered at Homura.

Homura tried again to erase Sayaka’s memory, but failed. Then Homura realized that this was the result of a shield around Sayaka’s mind, which had no doubt been placed there by Kyubey. Sayaka Miki had always been such a thorn in Homura’s side, whether it was by zealously overprotecting Madoka, disbelieving Homura’s warnings, making Madoka suffer, or driving Madoka to sacrifice herself for Sayaka’s sake. The fact that she’d ally herself with Kyubey in order to undermine Homura’s plans came as no surprise. Homura had been patient with Sayaka thus far because of her and Madoka’s friendship, but this was the last straw. “If you won’t go along with my plans, then I have no other choice.”

Homura outstretched her hand and snatched Sayaka’s Soul Gem. Homura stared at it and it started to blacken in her hand. Sayaka struggled to break free, but with her energy being drained, she was powerless to escape. Eventually, her Soul Gem turned almost completely black, but before it did, it shattered. Sayaka’s lifeless body fell out of the Clara Dolls’ clutches, then disappeared without a trace.

Kyoko had recovered from her injuries just in time to see what happened. She stood there in shock, trembling with anger and sadness as she tried to process what she’d seen. “What did you do?!”

“She threatened to destroy Madoka’s happiness.” Homura replied coldly. “It had to be done.”

Kyoko’s eyes began to water. “You didn’t have to…” Her tears started to fall. “She was the only reason I…” Kyoko’s sorrow turned to insurmountable rage. She screamed as she readied her spear and charged at Homura, prepared to end her and avenge Sayaka. But before Kyoko’s weapon made contact, she was shot in the forearm. Kyoko dropped her spear and fell to her knees, clutching her arm in agony. “What the hell, Mami?!”

Mami, who had just recovered a moment ago, stepped over to Homura’s side, her gun trained on Kyoko. “I’ll deal with the traitor. You’d better get back to Madoka before she suspects anything.”

“Very well. I’ll leave her in your capable hands.” With that, Homura left. Kyoko and Mami stared at each other for a brief moment before Mami fired another shot.

Madoka’s eyes wandered over to a nearby clock. She noticed that Homura had been gone for a while now. Madoka wasn’t sure what for, but the first thing her insecure mind thought was that Homura left because of what Madoka was about to say. She shouldn’t have been too surprised. After all, Homura was so cool and Madoka was so talentless and ordinary. Madoka began to think this whole night was a bad idea when, to her astonishment, Homura had returned.

“Hey, you made it back!” Madoka stood up off the bench. “I was starting to think you’d run off on me.”

Homura shook her head. “Madoka, I would never abandon you. You are by far the most important person in my life.”

Madoka’s face went red. “You… you mean it? Do you really feel that way about me?”

“Yes. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”

Madoka smiled from ear to ear. “Well, then I think you’ll like what I have to say. Because I-” A gunshot rang out, cutting Madoka off. “What was that?!” Madoka heard another one, then ran towards the source of the sound.

“No, Madoka, don’t!” Homura ran after her, but unfortunately, Madoka was faster. The pink-haired girl stopped at a nearby bridge, and below it, she saw Kyoko and Mami fighting with a rifle and a spear. Kyoko’s body was riddled with partially-healed bullet wounds while Mami had several gashes across her arms and legs.

“What are you doing?!” Madoka shouted to her friends. “Stop it!”

“Madoka, don’t look!” Homura shouted as she caught up to her friend. But her warning fell on deaf ears. Madoka couldn’t take her eyes off the gruesome scene.

“Perfect.” Kyoko said to herself. She jumped up to the bridge and balanced herself on the railing. “Madoka, do you-”

Before Kyoko could finish, Mami shot her straight in the right temple. Madoka shrieked in horror as Kyoko fell to the concrete. Kyoko tried to heal herself, but between the magic she’d used fighting Oktavia and the despair she felt from losing Sayaka, Kyoko had just about reached her limit. Kyoko looked down to see her blackened Soul Gem, then turned her head to face Madoka. “Hey, Madoka, isn’t there something you’re supposed to do in this situation?” Kyoko wheezed. “Like saving my soul, for example?”

“That’s… that’s right!” Madoka’s eyes turned gold, and her hair came undone. “I’m the Law of Cycles! The savior of all magical girls!” A starry aura began emanating from her as she floated up off the ground. “How could I have forgotten?”

“No, Madoka!” Homura ran towards Madoka and tried to grab hold of her, but was flung back by some ethereal force. Panicking, Homura instead grabbed Kyoko’s Soul Gem and destroyed it in the same manner as Sayaka’s. Kyoko’s body disappeared, and Homura made another grab for Madoka, but failed again. Homura’s illusion started to shatter all around her, as did the tiny pink sphere at the base of Homura’s earring. This was it for Homura’s false reality. Her grasp on Madoka’s powers was gone, and Madoka herself soon disappeared. All that remained was a faint echo of Madoka’s voice. “Homura, what have you done?!”

After the ordeal, Mami leapt onto the bridge to join Homura. “I’m sorry. Kyoko got away from me. I shouldn’t have underestimated her.”

Homura scowled at Mami, then turned her head skyward. “I knew we would become enemies one day. I didn’t expect it to come so soon, but it seems it was inevitable. Nevertheless, I will create a world where you can be happy.” With that, Homura began walking home.

Mami looked up towards the city skyline. Off in the distance, she saw a tiny glimmer of white light floating up to the sky. No doubt that was Nagisa returning to the Law of Cycles. Mami hung her head in sorrow, then silently followed Homura.

Chapter Text

Sayaka awoke to find herself lying in ankle-deep water. The last thing she remembered was having her Soul Gem drained of its magic, then being taken by Homura. The sensation had felt oddly similar to when Madoka took Sayaka’s soul to the Law of Cycles. Evidently, Homura had stolen that power from Madoka. Sayaka wasn’t too surprised about that. Homura was never very creative or original. Sayaka stood up and looked around. Her surroundings looked like the water-logged ruins of Mitakihara City underneath a gray, cloudy sky, no doubt the aftermath of Walpurgisnacht’s attack. She then looked behind her and gasped as she saw the shadow of Madoka’s witch form, Kriemhild Gretchen, looming over the horizon. Sayaka shed a tear for her fallen friend, then readied her sword, prepared to slay the witch and save what was left of the world.

“That’s not really Madoka, you know.” Sayaka turned around to see Kyoko standing there. “Homura told me and Mami about this place. It’s a sort of pocket dimension that appeared when she rewrote the universe.” Sayaka glared at Kyoko, but the red magical girl kept talking. “I think I get it. If the Law of Cycles is Magical Girl Heaven, then this place must be Hell. Homura’s idea of Hell, anyway.”

“What are you doing here?!” Sayaka asked, pointing her sword at Kyoko.

Kyoko stared at the tip of Sayaka’s sword. “After we first talked with Homura, I was on board with her plans, but Mami still didn’t trust her.”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

“Yeah, well… A while ago, Mami and I made a little backup plan for if Homura ever crossed a line. One of us would sacrifice herself to awaken Madoka…” Kyoko pointed to herself. “… and the other would become a double agent. Now that Madoka’s a goddess again, she should be coming to rescue us. With Mami’s help, of course.”

Sayaka kept her sword trained on Kyoko. “Mind explaining why you two helped Homura in the first place?”

Kyoko took a deep breath. “First of all, don’t be mad at Mami. Working for Homura was my idea. I dragged her into it.”

Sayaka scoffed. “Nice of you to cover for her, but I still want answers.”

Kyoko looked away from Sayaka. “I know Homura didn’t mean to, but she brought you back from the dead. After I lost you, I was this close to giving up on everything when Kyubey did his little experiment with Homura’s Soul Gem. And let me tell you, being inside that witch labyrinth was the best time of my life. Know why?”

Sayaka lowered her sword. She was pretty sure she already knew where Kyoko was going with this. What she wasn’t sure of was whether she wanted to hear it. Sayaka said nothing as Kyoko continued.

“It’s because I got to see you again. Fighting alongside you, being friends with you, living with you… I loved every second of it.” Kyoko paused. “And Homura rewriting the universe let me be with you again. How was I supposed to say no to that?”

“Kyoko…” Sayaka whispered.

Kyoko turned to face Sayaka, looking her straight in the eye. “I love you, Sayaka! And I can’t live in a world without you!”

Sayaka dropped her sword. There might’ve been a time when that was exactly what she wanted to hear from Kyoko, but with their present circumstances and after everything Kyoko had done, Sayaka had no idea what to think anymore. All Kyoko’s confession did now was stir up a torrent of emotions in Sayaka’s mind. “Great. You lied to me for over a month, and now you lay this on me.”

Kyoko gnashed her teeth. “Well, I’m sorry, but that’s just how I feel about you.”

“What exactly was your long term plan, huh? Were you just gonna hold me and Madoka hostage as you and Homura lived out your fantasy world? Were you ever planning on telling me the truth?”

“Okay, you got me. I didn’t think that far ahead. Are you really surprised?” Kyoko’s eyes started to water. “Back in Homura’s labyrinth, you told me you regretted leaving me behind. Did you really mean that?”

Sayaka didn’t answer right away. Unable to sort out the mess going through her head, she walked over to a pile of rubble and sat down on it, burying her face in her hands. “I don’t know.” Sayaka cried. “I just don’t know anymore.”

Kyoko didn’t say anything. Unfortunately for her, Sayaka had a point. In Kyoko’s desperation to be with Sayaka, all she ended up doing was getting them both hurt. Both Kyoko’s plan and the two girls’ friendship, relationship or whatever there was between them had literally gone to Hell in a handbasket. All they could do now was sit down and wait for Mami to come save them. Then at least they’d have an eternity in the Law of Cycles to work things out.

After disappearing from the physical world, Madoka found herself in a celestial void. She remembered that this was the same realm she and Homura ended up in just after Madoka made her world-altering wish, but before she ascended to godhood. Madoka began to weep remembering that moment when Nagisa appeared beside her. “Looks like we’re going back.” the white-haired girl said.

“Yeah, I guess we are.” Madoka said, sniffling. Her attention was on Homura and Mami as the two of them made their way back to Homura’s apartment. Madoka also sensed the presence of the hellish void Sayaka and Kyoko were held in.

“I see it, too.” Nagisa said. “I don’t know how, but we’re gonna have to save them, aren’t we?”

“Yep.”

“Well, then we’d better rally the troops! I’m thinking we do a full scale assault on Homura, with-” Nagisa stopped when she noticed that Madoka had buried her face in her hands.

“This is so messed up. We shouldn’t be fighting her like this. She’s supposed to be our friend, and I… I…” Madoka couldn’t even finish her sentence before bursting into tears.

“I know what you mean.” Nagisa placed her hand on Madoka’s shoulder. “I don’t want to fight her either, and I especially don’t want to fight Mami.” The white-haired girl then turned her attention to her father and Ms. Saotome, who were desperately looking around for Nagisa after she’d “wandered off” in the middle of their date. “And to tell you the truth, I actually kinda liked Homura’s world.”

Madoka observed her family waiting for her at their house. Though she didn’t say it out loud, Madoka sort of agreed with Nagisa. A part of her enjoyed living a happy life with her friends and family. Thanks to Homura, she now knew what her life might have been like if she’d never made contact with Kyubey.

But that was a life that could never be. Madoka had given that up when she made her contract and became the Law of Cycles, and now it was her duty to save all the magical girls of the world. Now two of them needed her help, and if Madoka had to fight Homura and Mami to save them, then she’d just have to accept that this was her destiny.

“Nice place you got here.” Mami observed as Homura magically set up white walls and holographic images around her apartment. In previous timelines, Homura habitually set up her apartment like this when she made her plans for dealing with Walpurgisnacht. This layout helped her think by cutting down on distractions. Homura took a seat around the circular table in the center of the room. Mami sat down opposite her. “I have to admit, I never expected Sayaka to form an alliance with Kyubey.” Mami looked straight at Homura, who had transformed into her demon form. “I don’t blame you for wanting to torture him, but wouldn’t it have been safer to just erase him altogether?”

Homura paused before answering. “I would have if I could, Mami Tomoe, but even I'm not that powerful. I can defile its mind, I can destroy its bodies, but I still can’t get at its soul. As long as that still exists, the Incubators can’t be permanently killed. Perhaps one day I’ll find a way to destroy it, but Kyubey isn’t our top priority right now.”

“Right, Madoka…” Mami mumbled. “So what do we do now?”

"It's obvious, isn't it? My plan fell apart because I lost control of it, so I’ll have to try it again from the beginning. But this time with fewer moving parts."

Mami tilted her head at Homura. “And by ‘moving parts’ I’m guessing you mean Kyoko and Sayaka?”

Homura stared at Mami for a moment. “Anyone who would jeopardize Madoka’s happiness has no place in this world. They deserve to be kept in the Nexus of Despair for all eternity.”

“Nexus of Despair, huh?” Mami scoffed.

“Yes, that unholy realm that the Law of Cycles can’t reach.”

Mami fell silent as she took all this in. If neither Madoka nor any magical girl from the Law of Cycles could enter that place, it was up to Mami to rescue her friends. As screwed up as Homura’s plans were, Mami would have to play along until she found a way to save Sayaka and Kyoko, as well as take Homura down. “So how are we going to bring Madoka back to Earth?”

“Again, the answer should be obvious.” Homura looked up at the projected images, all of which changed to pictures and schematics of Kyubey’s isolation field. "As much as I despise that creature, I must admit its plan for capturing Madoka was clever, to say the least." Homura waved her hand, and an isolation field of her own appeared floating above the table in the center of the room. “My plan is more or less the same as that of the Incubators. All I need now is a Soul Gem.”

“Okay, but where are we going to get…?” Mami gasped, realizing just where Homura was going with this. The yellow magical girl quickly got up and made a run for the exit, but was stopped by Homura’s Clara Dolls manifesting in front of her. Unable to flee, Mami turned back to face Homura and conjured a rifle. She shot at Homura and missed, and the Clara Dolls started to gang up on Mami, eventually disarming and restraining her.

“Did you really think I didn’t catch on to what you and Kyoko Sakura were planning?!” Homura shouted as she floated towards Mami. “Like I said, anyone who would jeopardize Madoka’s happiness has no place in this world! I won’t give you another chance to betray me!”

Mami struggled in vain against the Clara Dolls as Homura snatched her Soul Gem right out of her hair. Homura then placed Mami’s Soul Gem inside the isolation field. Cut off from her soul, Mami’s lifeless body fell to the floor. Homura waved her hand and Mami’s body disappeared.

There had been a small number of timelines wherein Mami had succumbed to despair and turned into a witch. Because of that, Homura was familiar with Mami’s witch form. She would bring victims into her labyrinth and sit them down to a neverending tea party. Anyone that tried to leave would be swiftly dealt with by her familiars, who each bore a strong resemblance to Mami's friends. Such a witch would be perfect for luring Madoka back to Earth.

With her preparations complete, Homura grabbed the isolated Soul Gem and teleported herself to the same place Kyubey had conducted his experiment. The distance would ensure that Mami’s witch didn’t place a kiss on any innocent bystanders. Homura conjured a demonic black throne and sat down to observe Mami’s Soul Gem. With her plan in motion, all that remained was to wait for the opportune moment.

Madoka manifested inside Mami’s witch labyrinth, dressed in her pink-and-white magical girl outfit. The isolation field Homura crafted cut off Madoka’s access to most of her goddess powers, so this was the best she could do. Fortunately, it did allow her to bring along some of her allies from the Law of Cycles. She looked to her left to see Nagisa manifesting beside her. “Are you sure you’re up for this? I know how close you and Mami were.”

“All the more reason for me to help save her.” Nagisa replied. “Don’t worry, Madoka. We’re ready for this.”

Madoka raised her eyebrow at Nagisa. “We?”

“Yep.” Nagisa replied. Beside her, the rose garden witch Gertrud, the box witch H.N. Elly and the shadow witch Elsa Maria appeared out of nowhere. “I figured we’d need all the help we could get, so I brought a few friends with me.”

“Are you three staying in witch form?” Madoka asked. Elsa Maria nodded on their behalf. “Alright, then.” Madoka turned to her right and waved her hand. In response, four of the strongest magical girls who ever lived came down from the Law of Cycles: Joan of Arc, Cleopatra VII Philopater, Queen Himiko, and perhaps the strongest of them all, Saint Walpurga.

Walpurga was arguably the most powerful magical girl in all of human history, barring Madoka. Unlike most magical girls who died young, she lived long into her 60s before joining the Law of Cycles. She’d mentored and commanded numerous other magical girls during her lifetime, and before Madoka rewrote the universe, Walpurga’s witch continued that endeavor for centuries afterward, recruiting an entire “coven” of other witches and combining into the immensely powerful stage-constructing witch by the time she attacked Mitakihara City. Madoka hoped that Walpurga’s tactical and leadership skills would ensure victory.

“Alright, ladies, are we ready to defeat the demon and save Mami Tomoe?!” Walpurga raised her warhammer in the air.

"We’re ready!" Joan, Cleopatra and Himiko and Nagisa shouted in unison. The three witches beside them bowed their heads. Madoka said nothing, but went along with them as they followed Walpurga.

The entrance to Mami’s witch labyrinth resembled a forest with a rainbow pathway winding every which way through the trees. Madoka’s party followed the path, encountering several of Mami’s familiars, the Du Polignacs, along the way. They vaguely resembled Mami’s friends dressed up like maids carrying serving trays. Madoka and Nagisa felt rather uneasy seeing these caricatures of themselves and their friends. Rather than fight the magical girls as most familiars would, the Du Polignacs merely guided them along the path towards the center of the labyrinth.

Eventually, the party made it to a small house. A Du Polignac resembling Sayaka, Aoiro-san, opened the door for them, and they were treated to the sight of a room full of presents with a long table in the middle. A banner that read “Happy Birthday” hung on the wall, and a cake and several teacups sat on the table for the guests. A Du Polignac of each kind stood behind the table awaiting the witch’s guests, and the one resembling Hitomi, Midoriiro-san, placed a cloche tray on the table and uncovered it to reveal Candeloro, the dress-up witch.

“Mami…” Nagisa muttered.

Madoka readied her bow. She didn’t have time to indulge Candeloro by sitting down for tea. This wouldn’t be like infiltrating Homulilly’s labyrinth. The plan was for Madoka to literally get her hands on Candeloro as quickly as possible. Then she could erase the witch, destroy the isolation field and bring Mami’s soul to the Law of Cycles, hopefully before Homura could intervene. Madoka nocked an arrow and shot it straight at Midoriiro-san’s head, barely missing her target.

Candeloro’s familiars responded in kind. The one resembling Madoka, Momoiro-san, shot back. Cleopatra conjured a khopesh in each of her hands, then jumped in front of Madoka and deflected the arrow. Aoiro-san charged and slashed at Cleopatra with its sword, but the Egyptian queen blocked it masterfully. While the two of them dueled, the Du Polignac resembling Kyoko, Akairo-san, came to Aoiro-san’s aid and impaled Cleopatra from behind, taking her out of the fight as she healed the grievous injury. The red and blue familiars then turned their attention to Madoka.

“Something’s wrong here.” Himiko said as she jumped between the Du Polignacs and Madoka. “These are just familiars. They shouldn’t be this powerful.” Himiko conjured a katana in her right hand and a wakizashi in her left, then attacked Akairo-san, picking up where Cleopatra left off.

“It’s Homura.” Walpurga replied as she struck Aoiro-san in the head with her hammer. “She’s amplifying the witch’s power. But don’t worry. We’ll still win the day!” Walpurga then observed Candeloro latching on to Midoriiro-san and making a run for it. “You, take out the green one!” Walpurga yelled, pointing at Gertrud.

At Walpurga’s command, the rose garden witch summoned a number of her familiars. The swarm of Anthonies and Adelberts flew at Candeloro. Midoriiro-san punched and kicked some of them away, but was quickly overwhelmed. Gertrud lurched forward to finish off Midoriiro-san. In the green Du Polignac’s last moments before being stamped out, it tossed Candeloro to the familiar resembling Nagisa, Shiroiro-san.

“I’ve heard of being your own worst enemy, but come on.” Nagisa quipped. Shiroiro-san blew its trumpet and blasted a barrage of bubbles at Nagisa. The white-haired magical girl jumped out of the way and responded in kind, dealing some damage to the familiar. Nagisa and Shiroiro-san kept at it a few more times before Nagisa tried a new strategy. “Bet you can’t do this!” Nagisa then transformed into her witch form: Charlotte, the witch of sweets. In her serpentine second form, Charlotte lunged at Shiroiro-san with her mouth agape. Candeloro jumped off right before Shiroiro-san was swallowed whole.

With the dress-up witch temporarily unprotected, Elsa Maria launched her dark tendrils, trying to make a grab for Candeloro. Akairo-san jumped between the two witches, and Elsa Maria flinched, pulling back her tendrils. Joan took notice and joined up with Elsa Maria. “I know what you’re thinking, but you need to focus!” Joan shouted as she conjured her lance. The two of them then ganged up on Akairo-san and made short work of the familiar. Unfortunately, Akairo-san provided just enough of a distraction for Momoiro-san to swoop in and pick up Candeloro.

Upon seeing several of her “friends” be destroyed, Candeloro became enraged. She went on the offensive, taking possession of Momoiro-san and using its body to fatally shoot Cleopatra while she was down. Candeloro then ensnared Gertrud in a web of yellow ribbons. With the rose garden witch bound and helpless, Candeloro shot her in the head. Gertrud was destroyed, and her body faded to nothingness. H.N. Elly flew at Candeloro in a reckless attempt to avenge Gertrud, but the box witch was quickly shot out of the air, meeting the same fate as her cohort.

“No!” Himiko shouted.

“They’ll be fine.” Walpurga said. “If any of us die here, we’ll just go back to the Law of Cycles.” With that, Walpurga landed the final blow on Aoiro-san, destroying the blue familiar.

“That’s not the point…” Madoka mumbled. As Candeloro prepared another shot, this time aiming for Charlotte, Madoka launched an arrow at her Du Polignac doppelganger. The arrow struck true, and Momoiro-san was destroyed. Candeloro then fell into the hands of the only remaining Du Polignac: Kuroiro-san, who resembled Homura.

I think we’ve been at this long enough . Homura’s voice echoed throughout the labyrinth. Madoka and her party turned their attention to Kuroiro-san, who had been enveloped by darkness. After a moment, the shadows dissipated to reveal Homura’s demonic form looming over them, clutching Candeloro in her left hand. “It’s good to see you again, Madoka.”

“Homura… I don’t want to fight you.” Madoka said.

“Nor do I wish to fight you.” Homura replied. “But I can’t sit idly by while you suffer eternally. I promised I’d prevent you from making a contract, and if this is the only way to save you from your fate, then so be it!” With that, Homura crushed Candeloro in her hand, killing the dress-up witch.

Mami awoke to find herself lying face-up in shallow water in a ruined Mitakihara City. She then sat up to see Kyoko and Sayaka in front of her. It didn’t take long for Mami to realize she’d been sent to the “Nexus of Despair” as Homura called it. “Mami, what happened?!” Kyoko shouted. “Why are you here?!”

Mami looked away from Kyoko. “The plan failed.” Kyoko and Sayaka reeled back as Mami filled them in on what happened. She told them how she never got a chance to undercut Homura’s plans before her Soul Gem had been used as bait to recapture Madoka. Mami also mentioned that Madoka couldn’t reach them here in the Nexus of Despair, and that depending on the outcome of her and Homura’s battle, the three of them could very well be stuck here forever.

“Dammit!” Kyoko kicked a piece of rubble in her frustration. “I should’ve known Homura would throw you under the bus like that.”

“That’s Homura for you. Completely obsessed with Madoka and to Hell with everyone else. Literally.” Sayaka said. “So now what? How are we supposed to get out of here?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think we even can.” Mami replied. “Sayaka… I’m sorry for everything. Can you ever forgive us?”

Sayaka sighed. “I’ll see if I can. It’s gonna take time, though.”

Kyoko took a look around. “Well, we’ve got plenty of that.”

“No!” Madoka shouted. She, Himiko, Joan and Walpurga readied their weapons and stared up at Homura’s gigantic form.

“Give Mami back!” Nagisa shouted after she transformed back into her magical girl form. She and Elsa Maria joined up with the rest of the party.

“I can’t.” Homura said to Nagisa. “She was a threat to Madoka’s happiness, as were Sayaka Miki and Kyoko Sakura.” Homura stretched out her hand, and Candeloro’s labyrinth changed to resemble Homulilly’s. The Clara Dolls and Homulilly’s other familiars appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the six magical girls. “Madoka is mine. Kill the others.” At Homura’s command, her familiars attacked.

Joan and Himiko sprang into action. The two of them charged the nearest familiars, slashing at the dolls with their blades. They both put up a good fight, taking out five of the fourteen Clara Dolls before being overwhelmed and killed by a squad of Lotte familiars.

Elsa Maria called forth her familiars, the Sebastians. Each of the dark, serpentine creatures wove throughout Homulilly’s minions, constricting and swallowing as many as they could. But despite the shadow witch’s valiant effort, there were simply too many familiars to deal with. The remaining Dolls managed to close in and destroy her.

“We need a new strategy!” Walpurga yelled. She pointed at Nagisa. “Change into your witch form, now!” Nagisa complied, transforming back into Charlotte. Walpurga and Madoka jumped on Charlotte’s back, then the dessert witch flew them away from the familiars and straight towards Homura.

“Do you really think you can win?” Homura pointed her open hand towards Charlotte and blasted a purple energy beam at the witch of sweets. The beam grazed Charlotte and knocked Walpurga off of her. But before Walpurga fell into the mob of familiars, Madoka tapped into what little power she still had, and a pair of angelic wings sprouted from her back. The goddess took flight and caught her cohort just in time.

“Thanks. Now let me return the favor.” Walpurga threw her warhammer at Homura and hit her square in the face. With the demon momentarily distracted, Walpurga jumped out of Madoka’s arms and back on to Charlotte. “Take care of these familiars.” Walpurga ordered Madoka. “I’m going for Homura.”

“Alright, I trust you.” Madoka looked down at the familiars. None of them seemed to be paying attention to her, likely because of Homura’s order. Instead they were throwing their weapons at Charlotte, who barely managed to weave between their attacks. Madoka nocked another arrow, pointed her bow skyward and fired. An enormous sigil appeared in the air, and a hail of arrows rained down on the familiars, wiping out nearly all of them.

As Madoka dealt with Homura’s minions, Walpurga rode Charlotte towards Homura herself. The demon shot more energy blasts at the veteran magical girl, but Walpurga created a magical shield to block them mid-air. She then conjured dozens of hammers and flung all of them at Homura, dealing a significant amount of damage. “You might not want to make yourself such a big target!” Walpurga boasted.

Homura scowled at Walpurga, but took the saint’s advice. The demon shrunk down to normal size. She then spread her wings and flew towards Charlotte and Walpurga. Charlotte opened her mouth and tried to swallow Homura whole. Charlotte succeeded, but it backfired when Homura ripped Charlotte apart from the inside, destroying the witch and causing Walpurga to fall to the ground.

“Not bad, Homura.” Walpurga said as she recovered. “Maybe in some other timeline we could’ve been allies. Shame we were always enemies before.”

“What do you mean?” Homura asked as she touched down. The remaining three Clara Dolls joined up with her.

“Here’s a hint.” Walpurga performed several arcane gestures with her right hand, and the shadowy spirits of seven fallen magical girls appeared around her, cackling and dancing in circles. Homura flinched, having just realized who she was up against. Walpurga took the opportunity to charge Homura while the saint’s minion’s kept the Clara Dolls off of her. Walpurga’s hammer struck Homura’s shoulder, fracturing it and flinging her back. Homura winced, then materialized her Dark Orb and magically healed herself.

Walpurga jumped at Homura, about to strike another blow. But before it landed, Homura tapped into her Dark Orb’s powers and teleported away, reappearing behind Walpurga. The demon then spread her wings, launching the black feathers that fell from them at her enemy. The razor-sharp feathers cut down some of Walpurga’s familiars and slashed Walpurga herself, bringing the veteran magical girl to her knees. Homura raised her left hand, the Dark Orb floating above it, preparing to eliminate Walpurga.

Suddenly, one of Madoka’s energy arrows grazed Homura’s hand, causing her to drop the Dark Orb. Homura turned to see Madoka pointing her bow at Homura, trembling and barely holding back her tears. “Homura, please…” Madoka squeaked out. “Please stop. I didn’t want it to be like this.”

“Madoka…” Homura whispered.

“How ‘bout we make this simple?” Homura turned to see Walpurga holding the Dark Orb in one hand and a warhammer in the other. “This is your only chance. Give back Sayaka, Kyoko and Mami, or I’ll break it.”

Madoka gasped. “Wait, Walpurga, you can’t-”

Homura waved her hand, and her few remaining familiars rushed Walpurga in an attempt to retrieve the Dark Orb. “I see you’ve made your choice.” Walpurga made good on her threat and smashed the orb with her hammer. The familiars around her disappeared, and Homura’s lifeless body fell to the ground.

“NO!” Madoka shouted. She flew over to Homura’s body, clutching it as tight as she could right before it disappeared into darkness. Madoka fell to her knees, bawling uncontrollably. “How… could… you…?”

Walpurga looked away, surveying their surroundings as they slowly faded away. “Believe me, Madoka, I know a thing or two about endlessly spinning in circles. Homura was never going to learn, only pursue her obsession endlessly. That’s why she became that demon. I know it’s hard to accept, but the Homura you knew and loved died a long time ago, if she even existed at all.” Walpurga sighed. “We’ll have to find some other way to rescue your friends.”

Madoka had no words. She’d made her wish so she could save every single magical girl from despair, and yet the ones closest to her, the ones she most wanted to save, she couldn’t. As she and Walpurga returned to the Law of Cycles empty-handed, the goddess could only weep.

Homura awoke to find herself in the Nexus of Despair, the Hell of her own making. Having failed Madoka once and for all, she was truly beyond redemption. Madoka would be better off with Homura sealed away in this miserable place forever.

Homura looked up to see Sayaka, Kyoko and Mami staring down at her. She could feel the immense hatred and resentment emanating from her former allies. Considering all she’d put them through, this wasn’t surprising in the slightest. As the Clara Dolls manifested around her, the three magical girls silently turned their backs on the demon. Homura made no attempt to resist her own familiars as they dragged her into the false Kriemhild Gretchen's labyrinth. This was exactly the ultimate fate she deserved.

Hitomi took a deep breath, then rang Homura’s doorbell. Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. This was exactly how it had been with all the others. Hitomi had noticed that all her friends had been absent from school for the past several days. Growing concerned, she first visited Mami’s apartment only to find it empty. A distraught Mr. Momoe had been passing by at the time, and he told Hitomi that Nagisa had been missing ever since his date with Ms. Saotome. Hitomi then went to the Miki residence, and Mr. Miki said that neither Sayaka nor Kyoko ever made it back from Kyosuke’s recital. After that, Hitomi checked the Kaname household and found out that Madoka never came home that night either. At least that’s what Hitomi pieced together from Tatsuya’s crying and Junko’s drunken ramblings. Now here she was at Homura’s apartment, and without her, that meant all six of Hitomi’s friends were missing.

“Hey, are you a friend of Miss Akemi’s?” Hitomi looked behind her to see a middle-aged man, who she assumed was the apartment manager. “Any idea where she is?”

“I wish I knew.” Hitomi replied. “No one’s seen her in days.”

“I was afraid of that.” The manager used his master key to unlock the door. Hitomi followed him in and saw Homura’s cat hiding under the couch. The manager walked over to the cupboard, took out some cat food and poured it in the cat’s food dish. “I’ve been stopping by to feed Amy here for the past couple days, but if her owner is missing, I’m gonna have to give her to an animal shelter. Terms of the lease, you know.”

“Would it be okay if I took her?” Hitomi asked. She figured that Homura wouldn’t want to go through the hassle of getting Amy back once she got home from wherever she was. Hitomi’s parents might not be too happy about having a cat in the house, but maybe they’d understand in this case.

“Yeah, if you want. I’m not sure she’s gonna like it, though. That cat never gets along with anyone.”

“Well, if that’s true, I don’t think she’ll like the shelter any better.”

“Good point. She’s all yours, then.” With that, Hitomi and the apartment manager packed Amy’s supplies into Hitomi’s bag, then spent the better part of an hour wrangling Amy into a cat carrier. As the apartment manager called the police to file a missing persons report, Hitomi took off with Amy in tow.

As Hitomi walked home, thoughts of her missing friends plagued her mind. Where were they, and how did they all vanish in one night? Were they even still alive? Between the immense worry and the pain of losing almost her entire friend circle at once, Hitomi’s eyes started to water. She pulled out her phone to give Kyosuke a call, but before hitting the call button, she stopped. Knowing him, he’d probably say something oblivious and insensitive, if he even picked up at all. Either way, that wasn’t what Hitomi needed at the moment. Realizing how alone she was right now, Hitomi’s tears began to flow.

Run, Hitomi Shizuki! A voice echoed in her mind. She opened her eyes to see a white weasel-like creature running away from her, then turned around and saw an enormous ghost floating towards her. Hitomi screamed, dropped her phone and ran away for dear life, holding onto the cat carrier as tight as she could. This way! That same voice, which Hitomi assumed belonged to the weasel, called out to her again. She saw him turn a corner into an alleyway and decided to follow it. Both of them hid from the ghost behind a dumpster.

“What is that thing?!” Hitomi asked. “And what-”

The creature put its ear over Hitomi’s mouth. Don’t speak. We can communicate using my telepathy.

Hitomi’s mind was racing, frantically searching for a logical explanation for all this. Maybe it was some kind of grief-induced hallucination? She put down the cat carrier and observed that Amy was also reacting to the creature, hissing and attempting to claw at it. Unless the cat was having the exact same hallucinations as she was, Hitomi didn’t have much choice but to take what she was seeing at face value. What’s going on?!

My name is Kyubey. And that thing chasing us is called a wraith. It’s a ruthless phantom born from the curses of humanity. Kyubey poked his head around the side of the dumpster to take a look. It won’t be long before it closes in on us, but you have the power to destroy it!

Hitomi stood up and saw the wraith lurching toward them. Okay, and how do I do that?

Simple. All you have to do is make a contract with me, and become a magical girl!

Chapter Text

Hitomi stood atop the roof of an abandoned building. She looked down at the street below to see a number of wraiths gathering beneath her. Kyubey manifested beside her, also surveying the wraiths. “You sure this is the last of them?” Hitomi asked.

“Yes.” Kyubey replied. “Once you destroy these wraiths, there won’t be any more left on Earth. Then if all goes as planned, you will no longer be a magical girl.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” Before jumping into battle, Hitomi closed her eyes and reflected on the year that had passed since she made her contract. At first she actually quite enjoyed the experience. Since she had to find a way to compensate for her “significantly below average” magical prowess as Kyubey put it, she decided to drop tea ceremony practice in order to learn kung fu, and it turned out she excelled at it. Perhaps her being a magical girl gave her an edge, but either way, she loved every second of it. From there she branched out into other martial arts like karate, muay thai and taekwondo, and before she knew it, she was one of the greatest martial artists in Japan, winning several national competitions despite having less than a year’s worth of experience.

Of course, everything went downhill once the time Hitomi spent fighting wraiths and learning martial arts started catching up with her. Quitting her other extracurricular activities caused plenty of fights between her and her parents, and without much time to study, her grades started to tank. Not only did she fall off the honor roll, she almost didn’t make it into ninth grade. And worst of all, she never had time to see Kyosuke anymore. That compounded with all their other issues ended up being the final nail in the coffin for their relationship, and they broke up about half a year ago.

To make matters even worse, Hitomi had just recently discovered that her Soul Gem was exactly that: a gem made out of her soul. Her body was an empty husk, and wasn’t it the perfect metaphor for what her life had become? In making her contract, she’d ended up losing everything she once prided herself on, becoming a barely recognizable shell of her former self. At this point the only thing that kept her going was her wish: to see her friends again.

According to Kyubey, the wish Hitomi had made was beyond her power to grant, at least it was at the time she made her contract. But he also said fate would ensure that her wish would come true eventually. Taking Kyubey at his word, Hitomi took it upon herself to fight as hard as she could until fate decided she was strong enough to have her wish granted, even if that meant wiping out every single wraith on the planet. Nearly a year later, and she was only five wraiths away from doing just that. And going by what Kyubey said earlier, the hellish experience of being a magical girl would finally be over. Hitomi took a deep breath. “Let’s end this.”

Kyubey jumped up onto Hitomi’s shoulder as he always did before battle, then Hitomi jumped off the building, transforming in mid-air. Her magical girl costume consisted of a forest green sleeveless shirt resembling a karate gi, a flowing knee-length skirt, spiked metal shoes, athletic tape around her hands and forearms, a scarf, and a headband. Her green, hexagon-shaped Soul Gem rested in the middle of the headband on her forehead. Once she landed in the middle of the wraiths, all five of them turned their attention towards her and Kyubey. Hitomi put up her fists and conjured up her weapons: a set of spiked knuckles on each hand.

Wasting no time, Hitomi rushed the nearest wraith and punched it in the stomach. As it buckled under the forceful blow, Hitomi jumped and delivered an uppercut to its jaw. She followed up with a few mid-air kicks to its head. The wraith fell onto its back, and Hitomi magically propelled herself downward to deliver the final punch to its face. The wraith was destroyed, and Hitomi got up and charged at another one.

Just before her fist made contact, her special power kicked in. Upon making her contract, she’d gained a sort of sixth sense that allowed her to foresee immediate physical danger. She could tell that another wraith was about to fire an energy beam at her from behind, although this was such a typical tactic that she probably would’ve foreseen that even without her magic. As usual, she jumped fifteen feet in the air to dodge, and the laser ended up hitting and killing the wraith she was charging at. Hitomi then magically changed directions mid-air and rocketed towards the wraith that shot her, punching it in the face and taking its head clean off. Three wraiths down, two to go.

One of the remaining wraiths swiped at Hitomi with its hand. She instinctively jumped out of the way, but the wraith managed to graze her in mid-jump and knock Kyubey off her shoulder. Hitomi gasped, sensing that the other wraith was getting ready to fire a laser at Kyubey. Feeling the need to save him, Hitomi launched herself at the wraith she was currently fighting and delivered a fatal kick to its chest. She then bounced off of the wraith’s body and dove between Kyubey and the other wraith’s laser, taking the hit for him.

“That wasn’t necessary.” Kyubey said as Hitomi lay there healing her body with magic. Hitomi said nothing in response. She’d long since gotten used to Kyubey’s blunt, emotionless nature. He wasn’t exactly great company, but he was all Hitomi had after her friends had gone missing and she’d distanced herself from everyone else in her life. No one else could possibly understand what being a magical girl was like, especially since she was apparently the only one on Earth. Part of her wondered how she’d explain all this to her friends when she finally saw them again, assuming they even believed her.

Once Hitomi recovered, Kyubey jumped back on her shoulder, then she ran towards the last wraith. It fired several energy beams at Hitomi, but she dodged each one masterfully. Once she closed the distance, the wraith swiped at her, but Hitomi grabbed its arm and flung it into the side of the building. She then launched herself at it and screamed as she unleashed a flurry of punches to the wraith’s face. As the wraith’s body faded away, Hitomi fell to her knees, breathing heavily with exhaustion.

“Well done, Hitomi.” Kyubey leapt off of Hitomi’s shoulder and surveyed the aftermath of the battle. “The wraiths have been wiped off the face of the planet. I must admit, I didn’t think you had it in you, but-” Kyubey paused when he noticed Hitomi walking towards the train station. “Where are you going? Aren’t you going to collect the Grief Cubes?”

“I don’t care.” Hitomi replied. Normally she’d use the Grief Cubes to purify her Soul Gem, but at this point it no longer mattered to her. “I just want this to be over with.”

“Very well, then.” Kyubey said as he gathered the Grief Cubes for himself. Once he was finished, he rejoined Hitomi and the two of them headed home.

As Hitomi opened the door to her bedroom, Kyubey leapt off her shoulder and onto the desk. Amy saw them and ran and hid under the bed as she always did. Even after almost a year of living at the Shizuki house, the cat still never got along with Hitomi, and she seemed to despise Kyubey. The Incubator didn’t care, though. Considering how far beneath him humans were, why would the opinion of one of their pets matter any more?

Hitomi dropped her nearly blackened Soul Gem on her desk. Kyubey could tell that Hitomi was near the end of her rope. All she would need now was a little push, and Kyubey knew just how to make that happen. “Alright, Kyubey. You said I wouldn’t have to be a magical girl after tonight. So what happens now?”

“I suppose it’s time I told you the full truth.” Kyubey replied. “Once a Soul Gem is depleted of magic and turns completely black, it turns into a Grief Seed, and you become a creature known as a witch.” Kyubey’s eyes turned to Hitomi’s Soul Gem. “It won’t be long now before you reach your limit. Such is the fate of a magical girl.”

Hitomi reeled back in horror at this revelation. “What?! You’re not-”

“I’m afraid it's true.” Kyubey said. “I’m sorry your wish wasn’t granted, but there’s no way out of it now. You will cease to be a magical girl very soon.”

Hitomi desperately shook her head. “No, you’re lying! We had a contract!”

Now was Kyubey’s chance. “If you don’t believe me, just look at what happened to Sayaka Miki.” Kyubey then telepathically entered Hitomi’s mind, showing her visions of the memories from previous timelines he’d gleaned from Sayaka a year ago. Hitomi saw how Sayaka had made a contract to heal Kyosuke, how she’d saved Hitomi’s life from a witch, how Hitomi had stolen Kyosuke from her, and how the despair brought on by Hitomi’s actions turned Sayaka into the mermaid witch. Then Hitomi saw Kyoko and Madoka attempt to turn Sayaka back, which got Madoka hurt and Kyoko killed.

What is all this?! Hitomi began to hyperventilate taking all this in.

It’s your friends’ suffering brought on by your actions, Hitomi Shizuki. Kyubey replied telepathically. I trust your relationship with Kyosuke Kamijou was worth it. Kyubey could sense Hitomi’s thoughts and emotions, particularly the immense guilt brought on by these visions. Hitomi initially thought that her wish didn’t work because she wasn’t powerful enough, but now she thought that the reason she didn’t get to see her friends again was because they were no longer her friends, not after everything Hitomi had done to them. If it was a magical girl’s fate to become a witch, then that was the fate Hitomi deserved. She was already a monster.

With that, the last glimmer of light disappeared from Hitomi’s Soul Gem. Just as it began to crack, Kyubey’s eyes lit up, and an isolation field manifested around it while Hitomi’s body collapsed to the floor. He then climbed out the window and onto the roof. Before long, he observed a small mob marching towards the Shizuki house, all bearing a witch’s kiss that resembled four diagonal claw marks. They were chanting variations of “kill the monster” and carrying random objects to use as weapons. It wouldn’t be long before the Law of Cycles came to save them.

Thus far, Kyubey’s plans had worked like a charm. A year ago, he’d manipulated Sayaka into awakening the Law of Cycles and getting Homura off his back. All that remained after that were the wraiths. Kyubey had used their instinct to only attack the Incubators to his advantage, recruiting a single magical girl to destroy them all without having to take on more of them than she could handle. And now that the wraiths were gone too, there was nothing left to stop Kyubey from repeating his experiment. This time he’d gain control of the Law of Cycles for sure.

Of course, contracting someone with as little magical potential as Hitomi might not have been the wisest decision. After all, there were dozens of stronger candidates in Mitakihara City alone, any of whom would have exterminated the wraiths much faster than she did. But there was something oddly compelling about using the only friend Madoka had left on Earth. Ever since Kyubey’s ordeal at Homura’s hands, he’d begun to think a bit… differently than before. Kyubey put that out of his mind for now and focused his attention skyward. “The next move is yours, Madoka Kaname.”

Once again, Madoka found herself in the labyrinth of yet another friend, and she couldn’t help but tear up a little. Even though she’d seen this coming ever since Kyubey targeted Hitomi, that didn’t make it any less painful. Madoka had already lost Homura, Sayaka, Kyoko and Mami to despair. The goddess couldn’t afford to lose Hitomi, too.

Madoka had been extremely upset with how Walpurga had handled things with Homura, and even more upset by how many of the other magical girls sided with the saint’s methods. They seemed to agree that Homura was irredeemable and that the others in the Nexus of Despair were beyond saving, but Madoka refused to believe that. Such notions undermined the Law of Cycles’ very mission statement.

With everything that was on the line, and wanting to avoid a repeat of last time, Madoka decided to leave Walpurga and her followers back, and only brought the two magical girls with a personal stake in the situation. She turned to her right to see Nagisa manifesting beside her. The white-haired magical girl brandished her trumpet. “I’m ready!”

Madoka nodded, then turned to her left, and the witch Elsa Maria knelt beside her. “You don’t have to hide yourself. Nobody in this labyrinth will recognize you.”

Elsa Maria stood up and spread her arms. The shadow witch was enveloped in crimson light, then the light faded to reveal a young red-haired girl dressed in a red robe, pink skirt and red boots that looked almost exactly like Kyoko’s. The girl stretched out her right hand and conjured a golden bo staff. “I hope you’re right about that.”

“Y’know, you can’t hide from your sister forever, Momo.” Nagisa said. “You’ll have to face her sooner or later.”

Momo sighed. “I know.”

“Let’s focus on the mission for now.” Madoka said. “We have to get everyone out of here before the witch wakes up. Then we break the isolation field and bring Hitomi to the Law of Cycles.”

“Just like last time, and the time before.” Nagisa added.

“But how long can we keep doing this?” Momo asked. “Even if we save Hitomi, there’s nothing stopping Kyubey from making more contracts. He’s just gonna keep doing this again and again until he succeeds.”

Madoka realized that Momo had a point. But even so, it wasn’t in Madoka’s nature to leave anyone behind. No matter how often Kyubey tried his experiment, Madoka would just have to keep coming every time. "We don't have a choice. Let’s move out!"

The three girls took a moment to observe their surroundings. Hitomi’s witch labyrinth was a dark, cavernous maze covered in briar vines with a number of cobblestone pathways leading in different directions. Several of her familiars were coming into view as well. Apparently they were divided into two types: short, goblin-like ones known as Georges, and large, ogre-like ones known as Sigurds. Each George wielded a small lance while each Sigurd was equipped with an enormous greatsword.

Madoka, Nagisa and Momo began searching for the victims. Before long, the first ones they found were Hitomi’s parents. Before Madoka’s world-altering wish, it was tragically common for magical girls to succumb to despair in their own homes, making their families the first victims of the girls’ witches. It was unclear if Kyubey planned for that this time, but apparently he did intend for Hitomi to become a witch in a place where there were plenty of people around to lure into her labyrinth. Mr. and Mrs. Shizuki were carrying a hockey stick and a floor lamp as makeshift weapons. They charged the familiars, shouting that they would kill the monster. Nagisa intervened by blasting the familiars with her trumpet, destroying them before the Shizukis could be harmed.

“What the hell was that for?!” Mr. Shizuki yelled to Nagisa.

“We had them under control!” Mrs. Shizuki shouted. Both of them advanced on Nagisa, brandishing their “weapons” at the magical girl.

Nagisa shook her head. The effects of this witch’s kiss seemed to send victims into a blind rage, driving them to fight the witch as well as anyone or anything in their way. Since the effects of the kiss would persist until the witch was defeated, Nagisa’s only option was to knock the Shizukis out. She waved her arm and summoned two of Charlotte’s familiars: nurse-like creatures known as Polinas. The Polinas grabbed Mr. and Mrs. Shizuki from behind, pulled out syringes and injected them with a sleeping agent. Seconds later, the Shizukis fell unconscious. Nagisa then ordered her familiars to carry Hitomi’s parents to the edge of the labyrinth and guard them.

“Good idea.” Madoka said. “We’ll round the victims up right here.”

“Got it.” Nagisa and Momo replied in unison. Momo called forth six Sebastian familiars and ordered them to guard Mr. and Mrs. Shizuki. Then the three magical girls proceeded further in to search for Hitomi’s other victims. After a while, Madoka, Nagisa and Momo managed to locate and round up almost everyone that entered the labyrinth, luckily without causing too much of a ruckus and awakening the witch. There had been a few close calls, but no one was seriously hurt by the familiars. Nagisa then left the other two and went back to the victims, awaiting Madoka’s order to take them out of the labyrinth.

Just after Nagisa turned back, Madoka spotted Kyosuke swinging his violin at a George. The familiar dodged and knocked the violin out of Kyosuke’s hands. It then readied its lance and moved in for the kill.

“Kyosuke, watch out!” Madoka shouted. She then shot an arrow at the George, destroying it and saving Kyosuke.

“Madoka, you bitch!” Kyosuke shouted back. “That was my kill!” He picked up his broken violin and advanced towards Madoka, a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. Madoka flinched, but before Kyosuke could attack her, Momo whacked him on the back of the head with her staff, knocking him out cold.

“Don’t tell my sister I did that. She’d be so jealous.” Momo summoned a Sebastian and had it carry Kyosuke’s unconscious body to Nagisa.

Madoka didn’t say anything. Even though she knew Kyosuke wasn’t himself right now, hearing that kind of talk from him was quite jarring. The pain of seeing Kyubey manipulate her friends like this was almost unbearable. The only thing worse about this was…

“Madoka! Just where have you been, young lady?!” Madoka winced, then turned around to see her mother standing behind her wielding a kitchen knife. “And more importantly, do you really expect to slay the monster with that thing?” Junko pointed at Madoka’s bow.

“You should be more like your brother.” Madoka’s father added. He was standing next to Junko carrying a shovel. “He’s on his way to the monster as we speak.”

Madoka went into panic mode and froze up. Before entering the labyrinth, she’d seen her family fall victim to the witch, but nothing could’ve prepared her for seeing them like this, especially after nearly a year of watching them worry themselves sick over her “disappearance”. She’d wanted to tell them what happened to her so badly, but being nothing more than a metaphysical concept, she couldn’t say or do anything about it. On top of that, Tatsuya was apparently even deeper inside the labyrinth than her parents were. There was a good chance he was seriously injured or even…

“Hey, snap out of it!” Momo shouted. Madoka came to her senses just in time to see a Sigurd advance on her parents. Junko and Tomohisa prepared to attack it, but Momo jumped in between them before Madoka’s parents could get hurt. “Go find your brother! I’ll handle this!”

“O-okay.” Wasting no time, Madoka ran for it, desperate to save Tatsuya. After several agonizing minutes of frantically searching through the labyrinth’s twists and turns, she finally found him still in one piece. He was carrying a toy sword and chanting “Kill the monster!” over and over.

“Tatsuya!” Madoka ran up and grabbed her brother, holding him as tight as she could. Tatsuya tried to wriggle his way out, but his toddler arms weren’t anywhere near strong enough. Madoka let out a sigh of relief, knowing her family was safe. She then took a look around and realized they were in the center of the labyrinth. Right next to them was a large pile of gold, jewels and other treasures, and around it were six stakes displaying the “corpses” of Madoka, Sayaka, Homura, Kyoko, Mami and Nagisa. In the middle of the treasure horde lay a glass casket with a caricature of Kyosuke lying inside it, and behind it, having just woken from her slumber, lay Hitomi’s witch form: Hildegard, the dragon witch.

Hildegard resembled a western dragon with four clawed legs, a pair of wings and a spiked tail. Her scales were a very dark green while her wings featured a rainbow pattern. Two curved horns and a mane of viridian hair sprouted from her head. She bellowed a deafening roar, then took flight and charged at Madoka and Tatsuya from the air. But before Hildegard made contact, she was hit by a barrage of concussive bubbles. Madoka looked to see Nagisa riding on a Sebastian and brandishing her trumpet. Nagisa jumped off and landed next to Madoka, then sent the Sebastian to distract Hildegard. “We got everyone else. Your brother’s the last one.”

“Thank you.” Madoka handed Tatsuya off to Nagisa. “You and Momo get them out of here. I have to save Hitomi.”

“We’re on it. Good luck.” Nagisa took off. Just as she left, Hildegard clawed the Sebastian in half. She then turned her attention to Madoka. With a bellowing roar, the dragon witch swooped in for the kill.

As Momo awaited her cohorts’ return, she thought about her sister’s situation. Kyoko, Sayaka and Mami were still stuck in Homura’s personal Hell, and as of right now Madoka still had no idea how to rescue them, if that was even possible. Though if nothing else, it at least gave Momo time to prepare for if and when she and Kyoko were reunited.

It was almost unbearable watching Kyoko from the Law of Cycles, seeing her suffer as she blamed herself for the loss of her family. Momo wanted nothing more than to ease Kyoko’s pain, but when it came time to rescue Homura from Kyubey’s first isolation field, Momo got cold feet. Worried about Kyoko’s reaction to seeing her, she decided at the last minute to stay behind, asking Sayaka not to tell Kyoko anything just yet and having Nagisa go on the mission instead. The elder Sakura sister wasn’t exactly the forgiving type, and if Momo told her what really happened, it could very well create a rift between them that would never be mended.

Momo temporarily put those thoughts to rest when she saw Nagisa come back carrying Madoka’s brother. Tatsuya kept flailing around trying to escape Nagisa’s grip, so she ordered one of her familiars to put the toddler to sleep. “That’s the last of them.” the white-haired girl said. “Now we just have to get them all outside.”

“Alright, let’s do it.” Momo replied. With that, the two magical girls turned to the edge of Hildegard’s labyrinth. Nagisa started by blasting concussive bubbles at the wall, then Momo struck at it with her staff. The two of them took turns dealing blow after blow to a single point until eventually they broke through Hitomi’s Soul Gem. Nagisa then transformed into Charlotte. Momo and the Polinas loaded the victims onto the witch of sweets’ back, then Momo transformed into Elsa Maria and got on as well.

Charlotte took to the air and flew outside the labyrinth. They quickly came up against the Incubators’ Seal. Madoka was currently preoccupied, so it was on them to break through it this time. Elsa Maria stood up, summoned all her available magic and channeled it into a single attack. An enormous “tree” shot out her back and smashed into the isolation field. Then it spread numerous branches in every direction, widening the cracks made by the initial impact until the whole thing came crashing down.

When the dust settled, the witches and the victims appeared in the backyard of the Shizuki house. Elsa Maria and Charlotte transformed back into Momo and Nagisa. One of Momo’s familiars had grabbed Amy on the way out and brought the cat outside with them.

“They’ll wake up sooner or later.” Nagisa said, observing the unconscious victims lying on the ground. “Then I guess it’s back to the Law of Cycles.”

Momo sighed. “For now, at least.”

“Hey, don’t worry.” Nagisa said. “We’ll find a way to-” All of a sudden, her and Momo’s eyes went blank, and their bodies collapsed to the ground.

Madoka dodged Hildegard’s attack by sprouting her wings and flying out of the way. The dragon witch looked up, and she and Madoka stared each other down for a brief moment. If Madoka killed the witch, Hitomi would die too, so that was out of the question. Fortunately, Madoka only needed to stall Hildegard long enough for Nagisa and Momo to break the isolation field. Then Madoka could take Hitomi to the Law of Cycles no problem.

Of course, as she knew from the previous rescue mission, Madoka’s power was greatly diminished within the confines of the isolation field. But unlike before, Madoka was facing the witch on her own. Hildegard was a very real threat and could feasibly destroy Madoka if the goddess wasn’t careful. And unlike the others who would simply go back to the Law of Cycles if they died, Madoka’s death would mean the end of the Law of Cycles altogether. This would be a difficult battle indeed.

Hildegard took flight and jetted towards Madoka again, swiping at the magical girl with her claws. Madoka dodged, then nocked an arrow and shot it at Hildegard’s wing, barely missing the target. Hildegard retaliated by biting at Madoka, but the goddess folded her wings and dropped out of the air before Hildegard could connect. Madoka then shot upwards, striking Hildegard’s left wing. The dragon witch roared in pain as she careened towards the wall of the labyrinth.

Clinging to the wall, Hildegard glared at Madoka below. The dragon witch inhaled, then breathed a cloud of toxic gas downward. Madoka covered her nose and mouth as the treasure horde around her began to corrode. To save herself from being poisoned, Madoka took flight. Hildegard seized the opportunity to launch herself at Madoka, but the hole in her wing made for a lopsided flight pattern, causing her to miss her target by a mile. Madoka shot another arrow and pierced Hildegard’s other wing from behind. Unable to fly, the dragon witch plummeted to the ground.

Madoka breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she’d have to do was stay in the air until the isolation field broke. Or so she thought, but Hildegard wasn’t done just yet. She bellowed, then her familiars appeared in the small caves dotting the walls of the labyrinth. The George familiars threw their lances at Madoka. She dodged most of them, but one struck her in the middle of her back, sending her into the wall. As Madoka healed herself, Hildegard blasted her with her toxic breath. Having inhaled the poison, Madoka’s body went limp and she fell to the ground below. Her vision blurred as she saw Hildegard advancing on her, certain that this would be the end for the Law of Cycles.

Suddenly, she heard the isolation field come crashing down, and her godly powers returned to her in an instant. Her body began to glow, purging the toxins and healing the wound on her back. Then in a flash of pink light, she escaped to the outside world, reappearing in her goddess form floating above Hitomi and her broken Soul Gem.

“Madoka?” Hitomi wheezed. The green magical girl could barely move her body. It was all she could do just to look up at her friend. “What… are you…?”

“It’s alright, Hitomi. You won’t have to suffer anymore.” With that, Madoka reached out towards Hitomi’s Soul Gem, ready to save her last friend on Earth.

All of a sudden, dozens of Incubators manifested in Hitomi’s room. Their eyes lit up, and magical restraints appeared around Madoka’s hands and feet, binding the goddess. Then an isolation field manifested around Madoka. She turned her attention outside and tried to scream for help, but Nagisa and Momo had collapsed. With Madoka trapped, those two were cut off from the Law of Cycles, rendering their bodies useless.

“We can’t thank you enough, Hitomi Shizuki.” one of the Incubators said to the fallen magical girl. “Without you, we’d never have captured your friend. At long last, the Law of Cycles is under our control!”

Hitomi didn’t respond. With her last bit of strength, she reached out towards Madoka. Then her Soul Gem shattered, and Hitomi’s body disappeared altogether.

“It’s over, Kyoko!” Sayaka shouted as she swung her sword at the red magical girl.

“Not likely!” Kyoko shouted back as she blocked it with her spear. The impact threw Sayaka off-balance, and Kyoko took the chance to kick Sayaka in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. Kyoko leapt into the air and dove at Sayaka in an attempt to impale her, but Sayaka rolled out of the way just in time. The blue magical girl stood back up, then conjured eight swords from beneath her cape and threw them at Kyoko one by one. Kyoko managed to block the first three, but the rest of them struck true. While Kyoko tried to heal her wounds, Sayaka charged Kyoko and knocked her prone.

“Give up yet?” Sayaka stood over Kyoko, her sword pointed at Kyoko’s throat. Kyoko merely glared back at Sayaka.

“Enough!” Mami shouted. Sayaka backed away from Kyoko in response. Mami looked back and forth between the two of them. “Point goes to Sayaka.”

“Alright, alright.” Kyoko said as she got back up. “What’s the score now? I lost count.” Sayaka and Mami both shrugged. “You too, huh?”

“Yeah, and who knows how long we’ve been here.” Sayaka said. She then turned to Mami. “You up for a match?”

“Sure. Anything to keep us from going insane.” With that, Mami stepped into the makeshift sparring ring the three girls had made out of pieces of rubble. Sayaka stood on the side opposite her while Kyoko took a seat on a rock beside the ring. Mami and Sayaka both readied their weapons and awaited Kyoko’s call to start.

But before the fight could commence, the girls saw a flash of emerald light in the distance. Mami and Sayaka dropped their weapons. As all three of them walked over to investigate, they heard a familiar voice shouting “Dammit!” over and over before breaking down into incoherent blubbering. “It can’t be…” Kyoko mumbled as they picked up the pace.

“I think it is.” Mami said. She, Kyoko and Sayaka started running towards the source of the flash, and sure enough, they found their formerly non-magical friend lying face-down on ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Hitomi?!” Sayaka shouted. “What happened to you?!”

Hitomi forced herself to stop crying, then she slowly turned her head up to see her friends, or rather, who she once thought were her friends. Between what she’d done to them in the past and what she’d done to Madoka just now, she didn’t deserve anyone’s friendship. “I think I get it.” she whimpered as she stood up. “I wished on a monkey’s paw, didn’t I?”

“You got that right.” Kyoko said off-handedly, but Mami gestured for her to stop and let Hitomi speak.

Hitomi stared up at the false Kriemhild Gretchen as if she were in a trance. “Isn’t it ironic? I made my wish because I missed my friends, and it turned out you’d all have been better off if you’d never met me.”

“That’s not true.” Mami said, but Hitomi didn’t respond.

“To think I caused all of you so much pain and suffering, all because of my stupid feelings for Kyosuke. I should’ve known he wasn’t worth it.” Hitomi sniffled. “And I should’ve known not to make that contract. I should’ve just let that wraith kill me. Then maybe Madoka wouldn’t have been-” Hitomi couldn’t even finish before she fell to her knees crying.

Sayaka approached Hitomi. “Wait, what about Madoka?”

Hitomi paused. “For some reason she thought I was worth saving and came to rescue me. I don’t really understand it, but I think Kyubey used me as bait to capture her.” Hitomi then went back to sobbing.

Mami, Kyoko and Sayaka reeled back in horror at this revelation. “Oh, man! This is really bad!” Sayaka shouted. “If Kyubey controls the Law of Cycles, he could bring back the witch system, or do something worse. We have to save Madoka!”

“Hey, I feel you, but we’re kinda stuck in this literal hellhole.” Kyoko replied.

Mami sighed, then gestured towards Kriemhild Gretchen. “As much as I hate to say it, that’s our best bet at finding a way out of here.” She then took a look at Hitomi. “But before that…”

Sayaka picked up on Mami’s cue. The blue magical girl crouched down next to her friend. “Hitomi, it’s okay-”

“No, it’s not!” Hitomi interjected. “Kyubey showed me everything, Sayaka. I know you turned into a witch because of what I did. I’m the reason you’re here, and I’m the reason Kyubey has Madoka. How am I supposed to live with what I did to my two best friends?”

Sayaka let out a heavy sigh. “Look, it wasn’t just Kyosuke. There was a lot more going on that had nothing to do with you. Besides, all that stuff happened in another timeline, anyway.”

“Huh?” Hitomi gave Sayaka a quizzical look. “Another timeline?”

“It’s a long story. The simple answer is that Kyubey didn’t tell you everything. He told half truths and lied by omission in order to trick you and get his hands on Madoka. Just like he always does. He did it to all of us at one point or another.”

“And don’t blame yourself for him capturing Madoka.” Mami said as she knelt down on Hitomi’s other side. “She would’ve come to save anyone.”

“Yeah, you know how she is.” Sayaka added. “Too nice for her own good.”

“Yep, and now we gotta go save her.” Kyoko said. “I never thought I’d say this, but let’s go see Homura.”

“Wait, she’s here too?” Hitomi asked. Thanks to Sayaka and Mami’s condolences, she’d started to feel a bit better, at least enough to stop crying.

“Yeah, but we haven’t exactly been on speaking terms lately.” Kyoko said bitterly.

“Why, what happened?” Hitomi asked. “And come to think of it, where are we even? How’d we all get here?”

Mami stood up. “I guess we have a lot to fill you in on.” She extended her hand to Hitomi. “Come on. We’ll explain on the way.”

Hitomi took Mami’s hand, and the yellow magical girl helped her up. As the four girls walked towards Kriemhild Gretchen, Mami, Kyoko and Sayaka filled Hitomi in on everything they knew about the situation. They told her how Homura became a magical girl in order to go back in time and save Madoka, repeating the same month numerous times and unknowingly building up Madoka’s magical potential to the point where Madoka made her world-altering wish, erasing herself from existence and creating the Law of Cycles.

The girls then explained how Kyubey tried to capture Madoka once before, using Homura as bait. After he failed, Homura hijacked the Incubators’ plan, became a demon and rewrote the universe into an idealized fantasy world for Madoka. Kyoko and Mami admitted to helping Homura maintain the illusion. But when Sayaka regained her memories and confronted them, Homura’s world came crashing down, and her failed attempt to recapture Madoka landed all of them here in the Nexus of Despair.

As Hitomi took all this in, she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about Homura. While keeping Madoka safe and happy was a noble goal, the means by which she tried to make that happen were questionable at best and downright atrocious at worst. And of course, hurting Mami, Kyoko and Sayaka in the process was unjustifiable, although it wasn’t like Hitomi hadn’t gotten them hurt, either. At the very least, she could try to make amends. “Sayaka, if by some miracle we get out of this alive, Kyosuke’s all yours.” Hitomi said. “We broke up half a year ago and I won’t mind if you go out with him.”

“Uh, thanks, but…” Sayaka took a quick glance at Kyoko. “I’ve been over him for a long time now.”

“Does… does that mean you forgive me?” Hitomi asked.

“Well, like I said, there was a lot more than just the love triangle.” Sayaka replied. “But if you need me to say it, then yes, I forgive you.”

Hitomi smiled. “Thanks, Sayaka.”

“Well, if Sayaka can forgive you, then I guess I can, too.” Kyoko chimed in. “Besides, I’ve got a pretty big sin I need to atone for myself.”

“Yeah, me too.” Mami said.

“Whoa, Mami, that was-”

“No, Kyoko!” Mami cut her off. “It might’ve been your idea, but I knew what I was doing when I went along with it. I could’ve told Madoka the truth anytime, but I didn’t. I’m just as much to blame as you are.”

“Look, we have bigger things to worry about right now.” Sayaka said. “We’ll sort out our emotional baggage once we beat Kyubey and save the world.” Mami, Kyoko and Hitomi all agreed. Once they arrived at the base of Kriemhild Gretchen’s looming figure, Kyoko, Mami and Sayaka each stretched out their right hands. Hitomi observed them and followed suit. In response to the girls’ magical energy, a gateway into the labyrinth opened up, and the four of them stepped inside.

Chapter Text

Upon entering Kriemhild Gretchen’s labyrinth, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi were treated to the sight of yet another recreation of Mitakihara City. This time it was the dead of night, with Homulilly’s familiars patrolling the streets and the skies. Eerily, none of them seemed to notice the four magical girls. Instead they just wandered about the city in endless loops. “Typical Homura.” Sayaka commented.

“I don’t get it.” Mami said. “Why does this look like Homura’s labyrinth? I thought that was Madoka’s witch out there.”

“Well, it was and it wasn’t.” Sayaka replied. “This whole ‘Nexus of Despair’ place is most likely just Homura’s labyrinth repurposed into her own personal Hell. The shadow we saw is just a mental reconstruction of Madoka’s witch form. Homura never fought the real thing, she just reset the timeline whenever Madoka became a witch. Looks like she filled in the blanks with stuff from her own labyrinth.”

“So where do we start looking for her?” Hitomi asked.

“I have a couple ideas.” Sayaka said. “Let’s start with her apartment.”

With that, the four girls boarded one of the double-decker buses looping around the city, driven by one of Homulilly’s familiars made up to look like a bus driver. The girls found their seats on the top deck amidst the false passengers. They traveled in silence until Kyoko eventually broke it. “Hey, Sayaka, how do you know all that stuff about Homura? Is it a Law of Cycles thing?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Had to know it for the rescue mission.”

“What’s it like being a part of the Law of Cycles?” Mami asked.

“I wish I could tell you, but a lot of my memories are still missing. Homura really did a number on me.” Sayaka grumbled, partially hoping to pay Homura back for it once they found her. “I do remember a few of the other magical girls, though. Hard to forget Cleopatra or Joan of Arc, or Saint Walpurga and that witch of hers. And of course I remember Nagisa.”

Mami winced. She had tried not to think about it for the past year, but in the back of her mind she knew she’d have to face up to deceiving her surrogate little sister. The two of them would meet again, if nowhere else than in the Law of Cycles once Mami’s time came. All Mami could do was hope that Nagisa would forgive her.

“At least you’ll get to see her again.” Kyoko said bitterly, having picked up on what Mami was feeling.

Eventually, the bus stopped near the recreation of Homura’s apartment building, and the four magical girls disembarked. As Sayaka was about to open the door to Homura's unit, she paused. Neither she nor Kyoko nor Mami had spoken to Homura ever since she trapped them here. Sayaka doubted she could ever fully trust Homura, much less forgive her actions. Yet as horrible as she was, there was no question that Kyubey was the greater evil. If Homura was their only chance at escaping the Nexus of Despair and rescuing Madoka from Kyubey, then so be it. With that, Sayaka opened the door.

Once Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami and Hitomi entered the apartment, they found themselves in an empty white room, save for an ornate, foreboding set of double doors and the Clara Dolls, arranged in two rows of seven on either side of the room. Unsurprisingly, none of them reacted to the four girls, instead they merely stood at attention as the girls walked up to the door. “Looks like you were right, Sayaka.” Hitomi said.

“Don’t give me too much credit. Homura’s pretty damn predictable.” Sayaka replied as she grabbed hold of one of the door handles. Kyoko grabbed the other, and the two of them pulled the doors open. The girls walked in to find a semi-conscious Homura, in her demon form, suspended by her wrists in the middle of a room full of gears and pendulums. A statue of Madoka’s godly form stood overhead. The walls were covered in graffiti insulting Homura. Among the words written were Liar, Selfish, Coward, Blockhead and Coldhearted. No doubt that was the work of the Clara Dolls.

“A bit on the nose, isn’t it?” Kyoko said. She and Sayaka used their weapons to cut the wires suspending Homura. As she fell to the ground, all four magical girls gathered around her.

“Get up, Homura!” Sayaka shouted.

“We need your help.” Mami added.

Homura slowly lifted her head up as she regained consciousness. She hadn’t the faintest idea of how much time had passed since Walpurga destroyed her Dark Orb and sent her here. Had it been days? Weeks? Years? Whatever the case, it probably didn’t matter. Time had long since become all but meaningless to Homura. She’d already resigned herself to the eternity in Hell she deserved. Yet something brought Kyoko, Sayaka and Mami here, something important enough for them to come “rescue” her from her well-earned suffering. Homura looked up to see not three, but four of her former friends staring down at her. The self-proclaimed demon took one look at Hitomi and figured everything out. “Madoka’s been captured by Kyubey, hasn’t she?”

“How’d you know?” Hitomi asked.

“Why else would you be here, Hitomi Shizuki?” Homura replied as she stood up. “The only reason that creature would’ve contracted you would be to use you as bait. You were never meant to be a magical girl.” Hitomi glowered at her, but Homura didn’t respond. “Madoka couldn’t take you to the Law of Cycles because Kyubey captured her, and you couldn’t turn into a witch because that would violate Madoka’s wish. The universe didn’t know what to do with you, so it sent you here.”

“Brilliant deduction, Sherlock.” Sayaka quipped. “Now how about you let us out of this place so we can stop Kyubey?”

Homura didn’t answer. She merely limped towards the doorway. Once she stepped out of this torture chamber, the Clara Dolls would string her up again. Then her eternal torment could continue. But before she made it out the doorway, Mami stopped her by snaring her wrist with a ribbon. “Where are you going?” the yellow magical girl demanded. “Don’t you want to rescue Madoka?”

“I can’t.” Homura replied. “Every time I try, I only end up making things worse for her. Madoka’s better off without me.”

“Are you for real?!” Kyoko shouted. “You spent years worth of time loops trying to save Madoka, and now you’re just gonna let Kyubey have his way with her?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Once again, Homura didn’t answer.

“Well, if you’re not going to save Madoka, then we’ll do it.” Mami said as she let Homura out of the snare. “Just tell us how we can get out of here.”

Homura looked away. “The Clara Dolls.”

“What, those creepy things outside?” Kyoko asked.

“Yes. They’re the keepers of this place. Destroy them and you can escape.”

“I wish we’d known that earlier, but okay.” Sayaka drew her sword. “Let’s do it!”

With that, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi exited the torture chamber. Apparently having heard their conversation, the Clara Dolls advanced on the magical girls, prepared to attack. “Fourteen against four, huh?” Kyoko said. “I like those odds.” She and her teammates readied their weapons and engaged the dolls while Homura stood behind observing the battle.

One of the dolls, Slander, attacked first. The doll rushed Hitomi and swung its weapon at the green magical girl, but Hitomi saw it coming and dodged masterfully. She then delivered a sweeping kick to the doll’s legs. With Slander knocked prone, Hitomi pounced on it and punched it until it stopped moving.

“So that’s what your powers are.” Sayaka said to Hitomi as the blue magical girl parried Jealousy’s attack on her. While the Clara Doll was thrown off-balance, Sayaka bisected it down the middle. “Maybe we should have a rematch sometime.”

“Pft, so you took some karate lessons. Big deal.” Kyoko said. “Let me show you how a veteran does it.” As Blockhead jumped at the red magical girl, Kyoko segmented her spear and used it to entangle the doll. She then slammed it into the ground. Before the Clara Doll could recover, Kyoko put her spear back together and impaled Blockhead with it.

“It’s not a competition, Kyoko.” Mami aimed her gun at Liar’s chest and pulled the trigger, hitting her target dead on. Yellow ribbons quickly spread from the bullet wound, immobilizing the doll. Mami conjured more guns and repeatedly shot the doll until it was swiss cheese.

Realizing that attacking one at a time wasn’t working, the remaining ten Clara Dolls changed their tactics. They attacked the magical girls in groups instead. Cowardice, Pride and Envy ganged up on Hitomi, using her special power against her. Sensing danger coming from three different directions split her focus, and with the magical girl distracted, the dolls effortlessly took her down. Sayaka and Kyoko stood back to back as the dolls encircled the pair. The magical girls blocked the first couple attacks, but were quickly overwhelmed and disarmed.

Once the Clara Dolls gained the upper hand, Mami retreated back into Homura’s chamber. The yellow magical girl extended a ribbon to each of her friends and quickly pulled them to safety. She then walled off the door with a web of ribbons. “Kyoko, help me with this!”

“On it!” Kyoko put up a chain barrier to reinforce Mami’s ribbons. How long their makeshift barricade would hold against the dolls wasn’t certain, but what was certain was that the girls had bitten off more than they could chew. It wouldn’t be long before they broke through Mami and Kyoko’s defenses. The team had to come up with some way to beat them.

“It’s pointless.” Homura whispered. “Just accept your fate as-”

“Dammit, Homura, stop beating yourself up like that!” Kyoko shouted, much to the surprise of everyone else. Undeterred by the sudden silence, she walked up to Homura and continued. “Look, I get why you did what you did. Hell, why do you think I helped you with it? I know how hard it is to lose the one you love, and to want her back more than anything. I’m just glad I didn’t have to go through it a million times over like you did.”

“Kyoko…” Sayaka mumbled, but Mami cut her off.

“Kyoko’s right. You’re not a demon, a devil or anything like that. You just wanted Madoka to be happy and wound up going to extreme measures. We’ve all made similar mistakes at one point or another.”

“There’s still a lot about this I don’t understand, but I know what it’s like to hurt people you care about.” Hitomi added. “I want to help fix this however I can.”

As the others tried to console Homura, Sayaka stood there deep in thought. Perhaps she had been letting her own bitterness towards Homura cloud her judgment. Despite their differences, they both wanted the same basic thing: to protect Madoka. Besides, Sayaka knew full-well that eternity in this self-made Hell wasn’t what Madoka would’ve wanted for Homura, not in the slightest. The blue magical girl took a deep breath, swallowed her pride, and approached Homura. “Look, it’s safe to say I know Madoka better than anyone, and I have to admit that you were kinda right. Acting as the Law of Cycles did cause Madoka a lot of pain, watching all those magical girls suffer horribly, knowing she couldn’t do a thing about it until the very end. And seeing her friends and family forget all about her didn’t help. Honestly, the only thing that kept her going was knowing that someday she’d be with you again.”

“Really?” Homura whispered.

“Yeah. I might have some problems with you, but I know Madoka loves you from the bottom of her heart, unconditionally. Locking yourself in this place and torturing yourself is only gonna hurt her even more.”

Homura winced. She hadn’t even considered that. “But every time I get involved, I-”

“Hey, don’t worry about that.” Sayaka cut Homura off. “Anytime someone tries to mess with the Law of Cycles, it always comes back to bite them. If we go back and fight Kyubey, I have a good feeling fate’s gonna be on our side for once.”

As Homura took in her allies’ words of encouragement, she remembered the wish she made all those timelines ago. In doing so, she had appointed herself as Madoka’s protector, her avenger, her unwavering champion. It was Homura’s duty to protect Madoka from anyone or anything that would do her harm, even if that meant fighting against fate itself. And now it was time to do so once again.

“Let them through.” Homura said as she conjured a demonic bow. As Kyoko and Mami dropped the barrier, Homura nocked a dark energy arrow and pointed at the doorway. She then shot it at Pride, the first Clara Doll to cross the threshold, destroying it in one hit.

The other dolls halted their advance, apparently stunned by Homura’s newfound resolve. As they hesitated, Homura took another shot at Pessimism. With two of their comrades killed, the remaining eight Clara Dolls snapped out of it and advanced on Homura, swinging their weapons with reckless abandon.

Rather than fight them head-on, Homura spread her skeletal wings and flew upward out of the dolls’ reach. In a show of her demonic power, she merely waved her hand, causing numerous tendrils of dark energy to sprout from the ground. The tendrils ensnared each of the remaining Clara Dolls. Homura waved her hand again, and dolls were effortlessly ripped apart.

Sayaka tilted her head and looked at Homura quizzically. Despite what she’d said earlier, Sayaka was still skeptical of Homura, and wasn’t sure she should be allowed to wield such immense power unchecked, given her history. The other four would have to do something about that.

“So now what?” Hitomi asked. As if on cue, the fifteenth Clara Doll, Love, manifested in front of the team. Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi prepared to attack it.

“No.” Homura said to her teammates, and they backed down. “It’s showing us the way back.”

Love raised its right hand and performed an arcane gesture. In response, the door leading out of Homura’s torture chamber disappeared, replaced by a window tied shut with a pink thread. At Love’s command, the thread unraveled and the window opened, revealing what looked like a time tunnel leading back to the physical world. As Homura was about to step through it, Sayaka put up her sword to block Homura’s way.

“You still don’t trust me, do you?” Homura closed her eyes. “I understand. I’m not sure I trust myself, either.”

“We’re gonna do something similar to what Nagisa and I did with Madoka. The rest of us will each hold on to a portion of your powers until the mission is complete. We’re also suppressing that memory manipulation thing you have.” Sayaka tapped the side of her head. “I’ve still got the mind shield Kyubey gave me, but I don’t trust you with it around anyone else.”

“Very well.” Homura conjured her Dark Orb. Sayaka held her Soul Gem up to it and gestured for Hitomi, Kyoko and Mami to do the same. Their Soul Gems siphoned off dark energy as they would with a Grief Seed. After about a minute, the Dark Orb reverted back to Homura’s purple, diamond-shaped Soul Gem, and her outfit changed back to her magical girl costume.

Homura held up her left arm, observing her shield. Both Homura’s bow and her memory alteration abilities had been sealed away, and she was back to fighting with time manipulation powers and the weapons stored in her shield. Surprisingly, she could sense that all of them were still there from previous timelines.

“Is everyone ready?” Mami asked. Everyone else nodded in response. “Then let’s go!” With that, Mami led the team through the portal, making sure Homura went through last. Love silently bade them farewell as it sealed the gateway to the Nexus of Despair behind them.

“That should do it.” Kyubey said as he finished setting up a forcefield around the Shizuki house. Now that the Incubators had the Law of Cycles under their control, they needed a base of operations, and this house would adequately serve their needs. Kyubey then turned to Madoka, who remained bound in her own isolation field floating above Hitomi’s bed. “I had no idea things would go so smoothly for us. The wraiths have been destroyed, your friends are trapped in another dimension, Nagisa Momoe and Momo Sakura have been neutralized, and the Law of Cycles is under our control. There’s nothing left to stop the next phase of our plan.”

“What will you do now?” Madoka asked weakly. “Contract more magical girls? Reinstate the witch system?”

“No, we won’t.” Kyubey replied. “We have other plans for you. You and Homura Akemi have shown us just how dangerous messing with human emotions can be. We won’t be making any more contracts, lest we risk creating another goddess. We were lucky that it didn't happen with Hitomi Shizuki, although considering what little magical potential she had, attaining godhood would have been extremely unlikely for her. But don’t misunderstand us, we still intend to harvest your species’ emotional energy. We’ll just be using a different method, one that’s less efficient but far safer.”

“You don’t really think you’ll succeed, do you?” Madoka said. “I know what you really are, Kyubey, and you’re not immune to the laws of karmic destiny. You can’t keep this up forever. Sooner or later, what you’re doing will catch up to you if you don’t stop.”

“If you know what I really am, then you know why abandoning my goals isn’t an option. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” With that, Kyubey’s eyes began to glow as he probed Madoka’s mind. The goddess screamed as Kyubey pored through everything Madoka knew about the timelines before the Law of Cycles, particularly what she knew about the nature of witches. “Oh yes. This will do quite nicely.”

After escaping the Nexus of Despair, Homura, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi found themselves in Homura’s apartment dressed in their magical girl costumes. “Just like I remember it.” Mami observed, noting the white walls, the pendulum swinging overhead, and the floating holographic images. This time they were displaying Homura’s memories of Madoka.

“There’s no time to waste. Follow me.” As Homura walked towards the front door, Sayaka raised her left hand and snapped her fingers. Homura’s shield activated itself in response, and Homura was frozen in time. The other three turned to the blue magical girl and gave her weird looks.

“Sayaka…” Mami raised her right hand and snapped her fingers, unfreezing Homura. The black magical girl turned around and glared at Sayaka.

“I was just testing.” Sayaka quipped. After she and Homura stared each other down for a brief moment, Homura turned back and continued leading the other girls out of her apartment.

When the five of them made it outside, they were met with pouring rain, howling winds and deafening thunder beneath an overcast sky. All the streets were empty save for a couple police vans announcing an evacuation order. “What’s with this weather?” Hitomi asked. “The forecasts didn’t say anything about a hurricane hitting Japan.”

“I doubt this is a natural storm.” Sayaka said. “I hate to say it, but I think I know what Kyubey’s up to.”

“Do you, now?” an unsettlingly familiar voice called out to them. The five magical girls looked to see an Incubator sitting on a nearby bench. All of them scowled at Kyubey, but he simply stared back with the same blank expression he always wore. “I must say, I thought the five of you would be lost in that abyss forever. Although, considering what I’ve seen you magical girls accomplish lately, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. After all, your very existence defies all logic.”

Kyoko conjured her spear and pointed it at Kyubey. “Where’s Madoka?! What are you planning?”

“Well, thanks to what we learned from our experiments, we now know all about witches, particularly how they spread despair and feed off of the negative emotions of humans. We’ve also found out that, just as magical girls can be split from the Law of Cycles, it’s possible to split unborn witches from it, too. So rather than take the risk of making any new contracts, we’ve decided instead to extract witches from the Law of Cycles and unleash them on your species.”

The girls reeled back at the horror of Kyubey’s new plan.

“Yes, that’s right.” Kyubey continued. “With no magical girls to oppose them, the witches will spread their curses across the entire planet. They’ll consume humans in droves, and once they’ve eaten enough, we’ll use Madoka Kaname’s power to destroy them and harvest their Grief Seeds. That should generate more than enough energy to fill our quota.”

“You’re insane if you think that’s gonna work!” Sayaka shouted.

“Or if you think we won’t stop you!” Mami added.

“Oh, our plan will work. You’re welcome to try and stop us, but I seriously doubt you’ll succeed. As it so happens, you’re just in time for our first test run.”

Kyubey turned his attention to the river that flowed through the city, and the five magical girls followed suit. A thick fog quickly spread from the river, enveloping them all. Out of the mists strode a caravan of familiars resembling circus animals. “We scanned some of Madoka Kaname’s memories and found this legendary witch, or rather, combination of witches. It appears that in other timelines, she roamed the planet for hundreds of years, bringing disaster and destruction to countless civilizations. She’ll no doubt make short work of you and consume all of Mitakihara City in a matter of minutes.” Kyubey hopped off the bench and disappeared into the fog. “Good luck.” With that, the immensely powerful stage-constructing witch, Walpurgisnacht, appeared in the sky, her loud, ominous laughter echoing throughout the city.

Homura fell to her knees. A faint “no” was all that escaped her breath. She’d expected Kyubey to put up some resistance, but never imagined this. Walpurgisnacht was the one witch she could never defeat. The one nut she couldn’t crack. Without Homura’s demonic powers, and with no time to prepare for this fight, there was no way she could win. It was all over.

Hey, Homura, ever wonder why you could never beat Walpurgisnacht? Sayaka’s voice sounded in Homura’s mind. Homura turned to look at the blue magical girl. It’s because of that barrier of hers. Sayaka pointed her sword at the patterned rainbow aura encircling Walpurgisnacht. Only magical girls’ weapons can break through it, same as how only magical girls can infiltrate a witch’s labyrinth. Any non-magical attacks will just bounce off of it. Even then, it takes a really strong magical attack to break it. Your battle plan was pretty good, but with the weapons you were using, you didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell.

Homura didn’t respond, not wanting to admit that what Sayaka was saying made sense. Homura had suspected Walpurgisnacht’s immunity to non-magical weapons herself, but it wasn’t like she could just stop trying. With the powers she gained from her contract, it seemed she was doomed to lose to Walpurgisnacht no matter what. Fate really had it out for her.

But our weapons will get through it just fine… Kyoko readied her spear.

…so you just stand back and play support… Mami cocked her rifle.

…and leave the heavy lifting to the four of us! Hitomi put up her fists.

Homura stood back up, some semblance of hope stirring within her for the first time in a great while. This was the first and only time Homura had faced Walpurgisnacht with a full team of magical girls. Even if she couldn’t beat Walpurgisnacht alone, there might be a chance the others could do it. Homura was willing to give it a shot. Very well. Homura raised her shield. Let’s try it.

Mami began by attaching partially dematerialized ribbons to herself and her teammates. Homura then activated her shield, freezing time for everyone except the team. As Homura and Mami spread out firing numerous guns at Walpurgisnacht, Sayaka, Kyoko and Hitomi leapt into the air. Sayaka and Kyoko slashed Walpurgisnacht’s barrier in an X formation, then Hitomi punched the center of the X with all her strength. As the blue, red and green magical girls landed on the ground, Homura unfroze time. Walpurgisnacht’s barrier shattered, and she was bombarded by a salvo of bullets and rockets, launching her backwards into the sky.

Hitomi turned her attention skyward. She raised her fist towards a funnel cloud behind Walpurgisnacht, summoning Hildegard out of the gale-force winds. The dragon witch dive-bombed at Walpurgisnacht, clawing and biting the stage-constructing witch upon contact. Hildegard then blasted her poisonous breath at Walpurgisnacht’s face, disorienting her and sending her falling towards a truss bridge.

As Walpurgisnacht fell, Homura pulled a flamethrower out of her shield and shot it upwards. Kyoko waved her spear, and her witch form, Ophelia the wǔdàn witch, emerged from the fire. At Kyoko’s command, Ophelia swiftly rode her horse up to the top of the bridge and jumped towards Walpurgisnacht. Ophelia slashed the enemy with her spear in midair, creating a flaming gash in Walpurgisnacht’s side and sending her plummeting towards the river.

Before Walpurgisnacht could hit the water, Sayaka pointed her sword at the river. In response, Oktavia von Seckendorff rose out of the water. The mermaid witch raised her own sword, skewering Walpurgisnacht through the chest. Oktavia then flung Walpurgisnacht off the blade and launched a barrage of train wheels after her, hurtling her towards a pile of downed buildings.

Mami then stepped forward. She stamped her foot, pirouetted once, and extended her hand in Walpurgisnacht’s direction. Off in the distance, Mami’s magic split the earth, and Candeloro emerged from the small fissure. The miniscule dress-up witch raised her yellow ribbon-arms, and an enormous mass of ribbons followed her out of the fissure, ensnaring Walpurgisnacht and dragging her down to the concrete.

With Walpurgisnacht tied up, Oktavia, Ophelia and Hildegard went in for the kill. Unfortunately, it was at that point that Walpurgisnacht got her second wind. The stage-constructing witch ripped through Candeloro's ribbons and blasted the other witches with tendrils of dark energy. Another blast came hurtling towards the five magical girls, but before it could hit them, Hitomi sensed it with her special power. She telepathically relayed it to Kyoko, who put up a chain barrier and blocked Walpurgisnacht’s attack just in time.

The dark energy from the attack coalesced into Walpurgisnacht’s familiars, shadowy doppelgangers of fallen magical girls. They attacked, but the five magical girls made short work of them. However, that was all the distraction Walpurgisnacht needed. By the time the familiars were dealt with, the stage-constructing witch was back in the air, hurling downed buildings every which way. The girls’ witches fought back, but without the element of surprise, they were easily outmatched.

Homura, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi leapt into the air, moving towards Walpurgisnacht so as to back up their witches. The stage-constructing witch responded by launching a building at each of them. Sayaka sliced the first one in half while Hitomi destroyed the second one with a single punch. Kyoko dodged the one coming at her just in the nick of time. Mami landed on the ground, then conjured a net of ribbons to catch one of them. She then threw the ensnared building back at Walpurgisnacht, but missed.

Homura pulled a live grenade out of her shield. She then attempted to stop time before the last building hit her, but it appeared she was a split second too late. Homura was buried by the downed skyscraper. Moments later, her grenade exploded, reducing the building to rubble.

Mami gasped, then quickly ran over to help. She tapped into her Soul Gem and conjured ribbons to clear away the rubble, but it appeared her efforts were in vain. Underneath the rubble lay Homura, her body battered, burned and riddled with shrapnel. The Soul Gem on her left hand was cracked.

“Homura, say something, dammit!” Kyoko yelled as she, Sayaka and Hitomi crowded around the black magical girl. Mami and Sayaka knelt down and attempted to heal Homura, but it wasn’t working.

“It’s too late. Tell Madoka I…” Homura’s last breath left her. Her Soul Gem shattered, and her magical girl costume disappeared, replaced by her school uniform. The other four girls stood there solemnly observing Homura’s body.

“So now what?” Kyoko asked.

Sayaka turned her attention towards Walpurgisnacht. “We’ll just have to finish the battle without her.”

Chapter Text

Homura emerged from beneath a manhole cover near Hitomi’s place, time still frozen from just before Walpurgisnacht’s attack could hit her. Before time unfroze, Homura quickly took cover behind some rubble. Several kilometers away, the building aimed at Homura made landfall, the grenade she left behind exploded, and the other four girls gathered to witness the “death” of the ribbon duplicate that Mami created.

As much as Homura would’ve liked to land a few more blows on Walpurgisnacht, the loud, flashy, bombastic fighting styles of her teammates were better suited for defeating the stage-constructing witch. Conversely, Homura’s powers lined up more with the stealth portion of their plan. Now that Kyubey thought Homura was dead, she’d have a much easier time infiltrating the Incubators’ base and freeing Madoka.

Of course, that was all assuming Kyubey believed their performance. It may have been a tad obvious, and normally Kyubey wasn’t very easy to fool. Yet Homura had noticed a significant change in Kyubey’s demeanor lately. He wasn’t acting much like his cold, logical self anymore, especially not with this crazy new plan of his. Perhaps it was because of what Homura put him through with the wraiths, or perhaps it was from spending millennia dealing with the unpredictability of human emotions, but either way, Kyubey was definitely losing it. Whether that was good or bad for the magical girls remained to be seen.

Then there was the more immediate problem of this forcefield around the Shizuki house. Going in through the sewers didn’t work since it was being projected in all directions. Consequently, tunneling under it probably wouldn’t work either. Homura could probably bring it down with some well-placed explosives, but Kyubey would definitely notice. He wasn’t that far gone just yet. With Madoka as his hostage, Homura would have to approach this carefully. Fortunately for her, Kyubey couldn't stay cloistered in there forever. Once Walpurgisnacht was defeated, he’d be forced to make a move. For now, all Homura had to do was observe the battle and await the opportune moment.

As Walpurgisnacht continued her rampage, her hideous laughter echoed through the city. Despite that, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi fought back valiantly. By this point the stage-constructing witch had already suffered considerable damage. All the girls needed to do now was land a killing blow. But hitting an airborne target with a strong enough attack was easier said than done, especially one as tough as Walpurgisnacht. And of course, she and her familiars weren’t going down without a fight.

Walpurgisnacht focused her attention on the four magical girls. She shot a barrage of dark energy blasts towards the ground where they stood. Sayaka called Oktavia to defend them from the attack. The mermaid witch jumped in front of the team and blocked the blasts just in the nick of time. The four girls then took cover behind Oktavia and began formulating a plan.

“Sayaka, is there any way to immobilize her?” Mami asked. “If we can do that, I think I know how to finish her off.”

Sayaka paused. “She stays afloat by spinning those gears. If we can stop them from moving, that should do the trick.”

“That’ll have to be me, then.” Mami said. “Hitomi, I need your witch to fly me up there. I’ll bind the gears with my ribbons once I’m close enough.”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Sayaka said. “You’re the only one of us with ranged weapons. We’re gonna need you on ground support.”

“What about your witch?” Kyoko asked Mami. “Couldn’t she do it?”

“I suppose so.” Mami mumbled.

“That’s perfect.” Hitomi said. “I’ll fly her up there and protect her while she works her magic.”

“You’re gonna need some backup. I’d better go too.” Sayaka added.

Mami didn’t like the idea of sending her friends into such a dangerous situation on her behalf, even if it was the most practical way to deal with Walpurgisnacht. But despite that, Sayaka had long since proven how capable a magical girl she was. And considering Hitomi had held her own against every wraith on Earth for the past year, Mami had no reason to doubt her, either. With that in mind, Mami picked up a rock and waved her hand over it. The rock split in half to reveal Candeloro.

“Good luck.” Mami said as she handed Candeloro off to Hitomi.

Hitomi nodded, then summoned Hildegard to her side. As she and Sayaka were about to mount the dragon witch, Kyoko grabbed Sayaka’s cape. “Huh? What is it, Kyoko?”

“It’s just…” Kyoko swallowed. “I’ve seen you die twice already, and I can’t go through losing you again. So promise me you’ll make it out alive, okay?”

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine up there.”

“Good.” Kyoko scowled at Sayaka. “Because if you don’t come back, I swear I’ll murder you in your sleep!”

“Uh, duly noted.” Sayaka replied. Kyoko then let go of her cape. Just as Kyoko was about to say something else, Oktavia was struck down by a dark energy blast. With the mermaid witch gone, Walpurgisnacht’s familiars charged at the four magical girls unimpeded.

“Sayaka, Hitomi, get going!” Mami shouted. “Kyoko and I can handle them.”

Hitomi nodded, then she and Sayaka mounted Hildegard. As Kyoko and Mami fought, the dragon witch took flight. Now that they were in the air, all they had to do was dodge the floating buildings and get close to Walpurgisnacht. Hildegard charged through the air towards the stage-constructing witch, maneuvering through the buildings as best she could. But as they were about to close in on Walpurgisnacht, the blue and green magical girls found out the hard way just how big a target Hildegard was.

“Sayaka, jump!” Hitomi shouted, having sensed one of Walpurgisnacht’s fire blasts hurtling towards them. She and Sayaka each leapt off in different directions onto nearby buildings just as Hildegard was shot out of the sky.

Once Hitomi landed, she set Candeloro down and instructed the dress-up witch to work her magic on Walpurgisnacht. But it seemed the stage-constructing witch was one step ahead of them. She hurled the building Hitomi and Candeloro were standing on to the ground. Sensing the danger, Hitomi picked up Candeloro and jumped onto another building just in time.

It’s no use. Hitomi telepathically called out to Sayaka, who was also being forced to hop between buildings to dodge Walpurgisnacht’s attacks. There’s no stable footing up here. What do we do?

There’s only one thing we can do. Sayaka replied. We’ll have to land on Walpurgisnacht herself.

Seriously?! That’s suicide!

Well, we don’t really have a choice. C’mon, we can do this.

Hitomi grimaced, but agreed that there weren’t any other options and went along with Sayaka’s plan. The blue and green magical girls moved towards the stage-constructing witch, hopping between the buildings like they were stepping stones across a raging river. Before too long, the two girls made the final leap and landed squarely on top of Walpurgisnacht’s spinning gears. “Go for it!” Hitomi said to Candeloro after setting her down. In response, the dress-up witch conjured her ribbons and began entangling Walpurgisnacht.

As the gears began to slow, Walpurgisnacht’s laughter suddenly halted, and the buildings she was levitating dropped out of the air. For the first time during the battle, the stage-constructing witch sensed that she was in genuine, imminent danger. She let out a hideous shriek, calling her shadowy familiars to her aid. Sure enough, all of the fallen magical girls flew back to her and landed on top of the gears, ready to take out Candeloro and save their master.

“This is nothing.” Sayaka quipped as she drew her sword. “We got this.”

“Ready when you are.” Hitomi put up her fists. And with that, the two magical girls charged into combat.

As Kyoko’s spear was about to impale one of Walpurgisnacht’s familiars, a piercing scream came from the stage-constructing. Kyoko dropped her spear and quickly covered her ears, gritting her teeth as the horrid wail permeated the city. Kyoko looked behind her to see that Mami was reacting the same way. As soon as the scream stopped, the familiars they were fighting flew back to Walpurgisnacht as the floating buildings fell to the ground.

“Ugh, that was unpleasant.” Kyoko muttered.

“No argument here.” Mami said. “Looks like Sayaka and Hitomi made it. Time for us to do our part.”

“Gotcha.” Kyoko replied, then called Ophelia over to her side. Kyoko jumped onto Ophelia’s horse, dismissed the wǔdàn witch and rode off into the distance.

As Kyoko sped off, Mami used her magic to conjure numerous ribbons out of the earth. She then wove them all into an enormous cannon, the largest one she’d ever created. She aimed the cannon at Walpurgisnacht and prepared to fire. “Tiro…”

Sayaka slashed at the closest familiar to Candeloro, slicing it in half. Just as another familiar was about to attack Sayaka from behind, Hitomi punched it in the face, destroying it in one blow. “Thanks, Hitomi.” Sayaka said.

"Don’t mention it.” Hitomi replied. As she and Sayaka each rushed towards their next target, they lost their balance and stumbled when Walpurgisnacht’s gears abruptly stopped spinning. Candeloro had finished entangling Walpurgisnacht. Now that the stage-constructing witch could no longer move, she screamed as she fell out of the sky, powerless to save herself.

It wouldn’t be long before Mami and Kyoko finished Walpurgisnacht off. Sayaka and Hitomi had to get out of the line of fire quickly. The two of them got up and ran towards the edge of the largest gear, slashing and punching Walpurgisnacht’s familiars as they tried in vain to stop them.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to jump.” Sayaka said as she and Hitomi teetered over the edge. “Good thing we have these durable magical girl bodies.”

“I suppose that’s one good point about them.” Hitomi replied. As off-putting as it was to be an empty husk carrying her soul in a jewel, the ability to shrug off otherwise life-threatening injuries did come in handy every so often. With that, the green and blue magical girls leapt off of Walpurgisnacht.

“…FINALE!” Mami fired her cannon at Walpurgisnacht, and an enormous beam of yellow energy blasted towards the witch. At the same time, Kyoko came riding back with her spear pointed towards the enemy. The red magical girl channeled her magic into her weapon and it began to give off a fiery crimson aura. She then leapt off Ophelia’s horse, and using the momentum she built up, launched her spear at Walpurgisnacht.

Sayaka and Hitomi rejoined Mami and Kyoko just as both attacks pierced Walpurgisnacht clean through. The stage-constructing witch let out one final blood-curdling screech as her body slowly disintegrated. Once she’d crumbled away to nothing, the storm around her subsided, and the clouds above dissipated to reveal the clear morning sky.

“Well done, Quattro Elementi!” Mami said.

Kyoko raised her eyebrow. “Quattro Elementi? Is that Italian for something?”

“Yeah, it means ‘Four Elements’.” Mami replied. “I thought it’d make a good team name for us.”

“I suppose it fits.” Hitomi said. “I like it.”

“Eh, Holy Quintet was better.” Kyoko said.

“Holy Quintet?” Hitomi asked.

“I’ll tell you later.” Sayaka replied.

“Maybe, but…” Mami turned to the remains of the building that crushed Homura, a somber look on her face. “We can’t be a quintet if there’s only four of us.”

“Oh, right…” Kyoko mumbled. With that, the four girls looked on at the pile of rubble with Homura’s “corpse” underneath it, bowing their heads and feigning sorrow just in case Kyubey was still watching them.

Mami telepathically reached out to the real Homura. Walpurgisnacht is down. Are you in position?

Yes, and it’s just as we suspected. Homura replied from afar. They've taken over your house, Hitomi Shizuki.

In that case, Madoka’s probably being held in my room. That's where I was when I became a witch. Hitomi envisioned the layout of her house and transmitted it to Homura.

Better be careful. Kyoko thought. I'm not completely sold on this whole “fake your death to get behind enemy lines” plan. And are you sure Kyubey bought that dummy’s schlocky acting?

Mami shrugged. I did the best I could with what I had to work with.

Homura hadn’t exactly been amused by it, either. Anyway, the four of you should advance on the Shizuki house. Kyubey will feel threatened and he’ll have to do something to stop you. That should give me a chance to sneak in and free Madoka.

Sounds like a plan. Hitomi thought.

But remember, Homura… Sayaka added. You try anything funny, and, well… Sayaka rubbed her thumb and middle finger together. 

Understood. Homura replied bitterly. She then severed the link.

The Quattro Elementi turned their attention in the direction of Kyubey’s base as Mami took point. “Okay, girls. The next order of business is to-”

“Sayaka? Kyoko? Hitomi? Is that you?” a familiar voice called out to them. The four girls turned to see Nakazawa, as well as a few more of their classmates, standing right outside the evacuation center, which the magical girls just now realized they’d been standing right in front of.

“N-Nakazawa?!” Sayaka yelped. “What are you-”

“Where have you guys been?” Nakazawa asked. “And what was up with that monster?”

“It seems I’ve underestimated you humans once again.” Kyubey seethed, having seen Walpurgisnacht’s destruction on a monitor he’d set up in Hitomi’s room. After a moment, he managed to regain his composure. “But at least I managed to kill the most bothersome one. Wouldn’t you agree?” Kyubey said offhandedly to Madoka.

Madoka didn’t respond. She was too busy bawling her eyes out. Thanks to Kyubey’s monitor, she’d seen her friends return to Earth to save her, only to lose Homura, the one she’d loved most of all. Even seeing Walpurgisnacht destroyed and Mitakihara City saved didn’t ease her pain. At least, that was Kyubey’s understanding of it.

When he saw Homura die, a strange yet pleasant sensation had come over Kyubey. It felt like another one of those intrusive, aberrant thoughts that had been plaguing his mind for the past year. And just now, when he saw Homura’s allies destroy Walpurgisnacht and foil his initial attack, he’d experienced another one of those thoughts, except he found that one rather unpleasant, opposite to what he’d experienced after Homura’s death. What could it mean? What was happening to him?

Whatever was going on, Kyubey still had four more magical girls to eliminate, as well as billions of human souls to harvest. He turned his attention to Madoka. As tempted as he was to taunt her and exacerbate her suffering, Kyubey had to act fast. It wouldn’t be long before Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi, or the Quattro Elementi as they were apparently calling themselves now, came to avenge Homura. He began probing Madoka’s mind looking for more witches, though it was doubtful he’d find one that could rival Walpurgisnacht. Kyubey once again saw visions of all the previous timelines Madoka was involved in, focusing on the witches she and her friends encountered. Now that Kyubey knew what witches to use, he began the extraction process.

“Wait, you guys actually saw that whole fight?” Kyoko asked the small crowd gathered around her and her teammates.

“Uh, yeah. Everyone in the center saw it.” one of the boys replied. “How could we not?”

“Well, normally humans can’t see witches or wraiths.” Mami said. “At least, not unless Kyubey reveals himself to them.”

“Kyubey?” a girl asked. “Are you talking about that weasel thing?”

The Quattro Elementi reeled back in shock and confusion. “How do you know about Kyubey?” Hitomi asked.

“Well, after we all took shelter from the storm, he suddenly appeared in the middle of the evacuation center.” the same girl said. “We thought he was kinda cute at first, but then he started saying some weird stuff about how our souls would be consumed to prolong the life of the universe. Then he told us to look outside and witness our despair or something like that. That’s when we saw the four of you fighting that monster.”

“You kicked ass, by the way!” another boy shouted.

“Thanks for saving us.” a girl added.

“How’d you get those powers?!” yet another boy asked. “You gotta tell us.”

“Yeah, I want superpowers, too!” someone else said.

While their classmates continued chattering, the four magical girls contemplated Kyubey’s recent actions. So Kyubey revealed himself to everyone, huh? Kyoko thought. Why would he do that?

I don’t know. Mami answered. Maybe he figured he didn’t have to hide himself anymore?

Could be. Sayaka thought. Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on with him. His behavior’s been so erratic lately.

Not knowing what to say about Kyubey, Hitomi changed the subject. Y’know, if everyone saw us fighting, that probably includes our parents. You think we should go talk to them?

Hmm, I guess we should. Sayaka replied. That’s gonna be awkward.

Speaking of awkward… Kyoko jerked her head towards Kyosuke, who was standing near the back of the crowd, apparently trying to avoid them. Sayaka spotted him as well and ran up to him before he could make a break for it.

“Hey, Kyosuke. Long time, no see.”

“Uh, hey, Sayaka.” Kyosuke muttered. “It’s… it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, I guess it has.” Sayaka turned her attention to the bandage around Kyosuke’s head. “Are you okay, man? What happened?”

“Ugh, I don’t remember.” Kyosuke rubbed the back of his head, gritting his teeth in pain. “I just kinda woke up like this outside Hitomi’s house. Me and a bunch of other people.”

Sayaka decided not to insinuate anything about what Kyosuke was doing at his ex-girlfriend’s place. It was pretty obvious he’d been drawn there by Hildegard’s kiss. Good thing Madoka was able to save him and the other victims before getting captured. How she managed that was anyone’s guess. “Speaking of Hitomi, did you want to say anything to her?”

Kyosuke looked away. “Uh, I’d rather not.”

Just leave him be, Sayaka. Hitomi thought. We have more important things to do now.

Kyoko couldn’t help but smirk at the sheer awkwardness of what was going on. It earned her a glare from both Mami and Sayaka, but it was worth it.

With that, the Quattro Elementi made their way through the crowd of students and entered the evacuation center. The four of them were immediately greeted with cheers and thunderous applause from the citizens of Mitakihara City. Given the typically thankless nature of being a magical girl, this was their first experience with any sort of gratitude for their heroism. None of them were sure how to take it, but they agreed that it was nice to get some recognition for once.

Before too long, Sayaka’s parents came running out of the crowd. The first thing Mrs. Miki did was grab both Sayaka and Kyoko and hug them as tight as she could. Mr. Miki joined the group hug immediately after that. “We’ve been so worried.” Mrs. Miki said. “Where have you two been?”

“It’s a really, really long story.” Sayaka replied before she and Kyoko began telling them what happened.

“Hitomi…” Mrs. Shizuki said to her daughter as she and Mr. Shizuki made their way through the crowd. She took a look at Hitomi’s magical girl costume. “This, uh, certainly explains your behavior this past year.”

“I’m sorry.” Hitomi replied. “I got tricked into this and-”

“No need to apologize.” Mr. Shizuki cut her off. “We’re just glad you’re safe.”

“Oh, and if you’re worried about that cat, we’ve got her right here.” Mrs. Shizuki held up a cat carrier with Amy inside it.

“Thanks, Mom.” Hitomi took the cat carrier. As always, Amy hissed at her.

As her friends were reunited with their families, Mami couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit envious. Her parents died years ago, and since then she’d been more or less on her own. It was moments like this that made her remember just how much it hurt. Mami cut through the crowd looking for Shigeru Momoe, the closest person she had to a family member. Considering his daughter had been “missing” for over a year, he likely wasn’t doing too well. At least Mami could explain what happened and maybe bring him some closure.

To Mami’s surprise, she ended up finding him sitting next to Nagisa, who was lying comatose on a gurney, dressed in her magical girl costume and hooked up to a ventilator. Kazuko Saotome was trying her best to console Shigeru, but it didn’t seem like it was working. Mami stood there for a moment trying to figure out what Nagisa was doing here, but before she could say anything, Shigeru looked up and noticed her standing there. “Hey there, Mami.” he said, trying in vain to mask the anguish in his voice.

“Mr. Momoe…” Mami took a seat next to him and Kazuko.

“Someone up there must really have it out for me.” Shigeru said. “I mean, she disappeared for a whole year and now I find her like this? What did I do to deserve this?”

“It’s not your fault, dear.” Kazuko said, stroking his shoulder. She then turned to her former student. “Mami, do you have any idea what happened to her?”

Mami explained everything she knew about Nagisa’s history as a magical girl. Right after her mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Kyubey appeared to Nagisa in that desperate moment offering her a contract, as per his M.O. Nagisa accepted, wishing for one last cheesecake to share with her mother before her death. When she realized that she could’ve used her wish to cure her mother’s cancer, Nagisa fell into despair and was taken by the Law of Cycles. Some time after that, she’d come back to help save Homura and wound up being pulled back to Earth as part of Homura’s scheme. She ended up going back to the Law of Cycles once Madoka got her memories back, and now she’d evidently come back to Earth as part of Madoka’s attempt to rescue Hitomi. None of it made any sense to Shigeru or Kazuko, but after all the crazy stuff they’d recently witnessed, they weren’t in any position to question it. “… But don’t worry, Mr. Momoe. She’ll be okay once we finish our mission.”

Shigeru looked up at Mami with a tiny glimmer of hope in his eyes. “You mean it? I’ll get to see my little girl again?”

“Yeah. I’m sure you will.”

Shigeru allowed himself to smile. “Then godspeed to you. Bring her back to me.”

Of course, that meant Mami would have to face Nagisa and own up to deceiving her. Mami had hoped that she wouldn’t have to until she was taken by the Law of Cycles, but it looked like it would happen much sooner. And considering how Sayaka reacted when she found out the truth, Nagisa was likely deeply hurt as well. Trying her best to mask her guilt, Mami nodded at Shigeru. “I will. You have my word.”

“And what about that other little girl?” Kazuko asked. “Will she wake up too?”

Mami quirked her eyebrow. “Another girl? Yeah, I guess so, but-”

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” Kyoko suddenly shouted from across the room.

Kyubey stood on the roof where he’d gathered the dozen or so witches he’d split off from the Law of Cycles. He’d primarily focused on extracting the witches he’d seen in Madoka’s memories of the timelines before her ascent to godhood. Each of them paled in comparison to Walpurgisnacht, but maybe deploying all of them at once would still be enough. Kyubey could only hope.

Witches were certainly odd creatures, at least from what Kyubey knew about them. Up until very recently, he and the magical girls he contracted dealt exclusively with wraiths. While all wraiths looked and acted more or less the same, each witch was unique in appearance and behavior. Apparently this was due to them being dark reflections of the magical girls they were born from. Kyubey didn’t care for that kind of individuality. Such a concept was quite off-putting to him.

In any case, one thing that all witches had in common was that they fed on human souls. And there was a whole city’s worth of them conveniently gathered in the evacuation center. Kyubey could sense the witches’ desire to go forth and consume them. He dropped the barrier protecting his base of operations, setting the witches loose. It was only a matter of time before they made it across the city to their prey, and with any luck they’d take out the Quattro Elementi as well.

Kyoko stood in front of Momo's body, trembling as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. As far as Kyoko knew, her little sister died years ago along with their parents, but now here she was lying on a gurney right in front of her, dressed in a magical girl costume nearly identical to hers. When did Momo make a contract, and why? And if she came down from the Law of Cycles trying to save Hitomi, why didn’t she come on the mission to save Homura? Had she been avoiding Kyoko for some reason? The elder Sakura sister grasped the gurney’s side rail, fighting back tears as her allies gathered around her.

Mami let out a gasp. “Is that… Momo?”

“Momo?” Hitomi whispered. “You mean that’s Kyoko’s sister? But wasn’t she-”

“I can hear you, you know.” Kyoko snapped. Mami and Hitomi promptly stopped talking.

“Kyoko…” Sayaka paused, trying to choose her next words carefully. She hadn’t expected to be put in this position. Momo had backed out of the mission to rescue Homura because she wasn’t ready to face Kyoko yet, so Sayaka and Nagisa agreed to stay quiet. If all had gone as planned that wouldn’t have been a problem, but now that Kyoko was standing right in front of Momo’s comatose body, Sayaka had to at least say something. “She’ll wake up once we save Madoka. Then-”

“Just leave me alone.” Kyoko interjected.

“O-okay.” Sayaka stepped away and gestured for Mami and Hitomi to do the same. Once they were out of Kyoko’s earshot, they continued their conversation.

“I had no idea Momo made a contract.” Mami turned to Sayaka. “How’d that happen?”

Sayaka looked away. “I can’t say.”

“So are you just gonna leave Kyoko like that?” Hitomi asked.

Sayaka didn’t say anything. Seeking a distraction, she turned her attention across the room, eventually spotting Madoka’s family. “Hey look, it’s the Kanames. We should probably tell them what’s going on.”

Figuring they weren’t going to get any more information out of her, Mami and Hitomi decided to drop the issue for the time being. Mami excused herself and went back to Nagisa’s family. Hitomi, on the other hand, accompanied Sayaka as she walked over to Junko, Tomohisa and Tatsuya.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kaname…” Hitomi began.

“Overly formal as always, Hitomi.” Junko said softly as she put on a smile. “It’s good to see you two. You and your friends were great out there.”

Tomohisa also put on a smile as he turned to Madoka’s friends. Tatsuya, however, was still crying over his missing sister. Tomohisa picked him up and tried to calm him down. “Sorry about this little guy.” Tomohisa said.

“Hey, we understand.” Sayaka said. “We miss Madoka, too.”

“Do you know what happened to her?” Junko asked desperately. “Please, tell us if you know.”

Sayaka and Hitomi exchanged a look, then agreed to tell them. They informed the Kanames how Madoka had given up her physical form in order to save fallen magical girls from despair, but that Kyubey had managed to trap her on Earth and gain control of the Law of Cycles. Madoka was being held at the Shizuki house, but they, Kyoko and Mami were planning to storm Kyubey’s base and free her.

“Wow…” Junko said as she took a moment to take everything in. “So, you’re gonna save Madoka from that creature?”

“Of course we will!” Sayaka exclaimed.

Fortunately for Tomohisa, that got Tatsuya to stop crying. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know where Homura is, would you?” Tomohisa asked.

Now that Sayaka and Hitomi thought about it, nobody had asked about Homura until just now. Apparently nobody saw her fighting Walpurgisnacht, or the “death” of her body double. While it was good that their plan was working, they couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for the dark magical girl, not having anyone here to miss her. “Well, about that…” Sayaka began. “We don’t really know.”

“Don’t lie, Sayaka Miki.” a familiar, unsettling voice called out. Sure enough, Kyubey had appeared on a railing nearby.

“You!” Junko shouted. As the others reeled back at her sudden outburst, Junko grabbed Kyubey by the neck and held him up against the wall. “Let Madoka go right now!”

“Oh, my.” Kyubey said flatly. “You want your daughter back that badly? I wonder if that’s something you’d trade your soul for, Junko Kaname.”

Junko merely scoffed at Kyubey’s offer as she tightened her stranglehold on him. To her surprise, Kyubey didn’t seem to be affected by it.

“Well, no matter. I’m not making any more contracts, anyway.” Kyubey turned his head towards Sayaka and Hitomi. “I only came to inform you that more witches are on their way here.”

“Do you really think that’s gonna stop us?” Sayaka asked sarcastically. “We just took down Walpurgisnacht.”

“Yes, but not without suffering a heavy loss.” Kyubey bit Junko’s hand, forcing her to let him go. Junko winced, clutching her hand in pain. “Let’s see if your luck holds out.” were Kyubey’s parting words as he ran away.

“It doesn’t look too deep.” Tomohisa said, looking at his wife’s hand. As he applied a bandage to her wound, he asked Sayaka and Hitomi what Kyubey meant by a “heavy loss”. The two magical girls didn’t answer.

“We need to get going.” Hitomi said. Without another word, she and Sayaka left the evacuation center. When they got outside, they found that Kyoko and Mami were already there waiting for them.

“You guys saw Kyubey, too?” Sayaka asked.

“Yeah, he told us everything.” Mami replied. The four magical girls turned their attention to the ruins of Mitakihara City, observing the gauntlet of witches and familiars that stood between them and Kyubey’s base. “It’s nothing we can’t handle. Let’s get moving.”

Kyoko pointed her spear at a flaming pile of rubble, summoning Ophelia’s horse from the flames. “Get on.” she said to Sayaka after mounting the horse herself. Despite the unease she felt from Kyoko’s tone, Sayaka complied. The red and blue magical girls rode off into the city.

“I guess you’re with me, then.” Hitomi said to Mami. She then raised her fist skyward, calling Hildegard down from the air. The green and yellow magical girls mounted the dragon witch and flew out.

Now was Homura’s chance. The second the forcefield dropped, Homura activated her shield and ran up to the Shizuki house. While time was still frozen, she peered into the window to find that the house was crawling with Incubators. She also saw a number of alien devices that Kyubey had set up. Whatever they were for, it couldn’t be anything good. Homura made a mental note to take them out once Madoka was safe.

It wouldn’t be long before time unfroze, and Homura had already used up a considerable amount of time sand faking her death. She’d have to use her time manipulation powers wisely going forward. Acting quickly, she opened the window, jumped into the house and closed the window behind her. She then dove behind a couch, hiding herself just before time resumed.

One of the Incubators glanced towards Homura’s hiding spot. Homura tensed up, holding her breath and doing her damndest not to move or make a sound. If she was spotted here, it would all be over. Kyubey stared at the couch for a few more agonizing seconds until, to Homura’s relief, the Incubator turned away and went back to working on one of the strange machines.

For a brief moment, Homura felt the temptation to pull out one of her silenced pistols and shoot Kyubey in the back. But she knew that all it would do was give herself away. She’d learned a long time ago that all the Incubators on Earth were little more than meat puppets animated by a single mind and soul. No matter how many of its bodies she killed, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. Maybe someday Homura would be able to find the Incubators’ soul and destroy it, but for now she’d have to settle for sabotaging Kyubey’s plans.

Rather than grabbing a gun, Homura instead reached into her shield and pulled out some C-4. She then armed it and stuck it under the couch. Once the opportunity presented itself, she froze time again, then ran from the couch and hid in a broom closet, arming more C-4 and placing it on the floor.

As she was about to leave her hiding place, Homura heard some noise coming from outside. From the sound of it, Kyubey sent the witches he’d extracted out into the city. Homura then heard the forcefield being reactivated. She clenched her fist thinking about what kind of horrific things Kyubey must’ve done to Madoka in order to extract those witches from the Law of Cycles. Homura swore to make sure Kyubey paid dearly for hurting Madoka. With that, she stopped time again, ran to another hiding spot and readied more C-4. Homura repeated the process several more times until she made her way to Hitomi’s room.

Just before opening the door, Homura paused, mentally preparing herself for what might happen next. This would be her first time seeing Madoka since their fight nearly a year ago, and Homura knew she’d have to answer for her transgressions. As Sayaka had said before, anyone who messes with the Law of Cycles is bound to face terrible consequences. On top of that, Homura would also have to contend with seeing whatever Kyubey had been putting Madoka through. But the longer she stayed out here, the longer Madoka would suffer at Kyubey’s hands. Homura took a deep breath, stopped time and turned the doorknob.

As Hitomi and Mami flew through the sky on Hildegard’s back, they encountered a squadron of Anja familiars closing in on them. Acting quickly, Mami conjured several guns and opened fire on the familiars. She managed to shoot down a couple of them before the rest of the squadron surrounded Hildegard.

Hitomi, unfortunately, was unable to do anything to help Mami. Being a fist-fighter, her biggest weakness was that she had by far the shortest range out of the entire team. Her powers were no good against airborne enemies. That never mattered when she was battling wraiths, but now… “Ugh, I can’t fight from up here.”

“Don’t worry.” Mami said as she shot down another Anja. “I can handle these things.”

“Yeah, but I should be helping.” Hitomi replied. “I feel so useless.”

“You’re not useless, Hitomi.” Mami said. “You’re a good friend and a valued member of the team. Don’t ever let yourself think otherwise.”

“Um, that’s not exactly what I meant, but…” Hitomi’s face went red. “Anyway, I should probably go fight on the ground. I’d be more helpful down there.”

“Well, alright…” Mami mumbled. Before she could object, more Anjas surrounded her. Mami readied more guns and began shooting down the familiars.

Wasting no more time, Hitomi stood up and jumped off of Hildegard’s back, landing squarely on the ground. In front of her was the witch commanding the Anjas: Albertine the scribbling witch. The blonde-haired patchwork doll had been sketching more of her familiars on the concrete when she noticed Hitomi. The witch instinctively tried to hide behind a downed skyscraper, but Hitomi was too fast for that to work. Hitomi charged at Albertine and punched her in the back of the head, knocking the witch into the side of the building. She then delivered blow after blow until the witch was destroyed.

With their master dead, the Anjas died with her. As they fell lifelessly to the ground, Hitomi's sixth sense suddenly went off. Gisela the silver witch, in her motorcycle form, was racing towards Hitomi at breakneck speed. Just as Gisela was about to run Hitomi down, Mami shot a single bullet straight through the witch’s front tire. Gisela spun out, careened off course and rammed straight into a propane tank. Mami fired another shot, blowing up the propane tank and incinerating the silver witch.

Hitomi looked up to see Mami smiling down on her. The two magical girls nodded at each other, then went their separate ways. Mami flew towards an airborne witch while Hitomi ran to meet up with Kyoko and Sayaka.

Homura opened the door to Hitomi’s room and entered with time still frozen. The first thing she saw was a lone Incubator operating another alien machine. Next to that was her dear friend Madoka trapped in an isolation field. Homura clenched her teeth, her blood coming to a boil imagining the immense pain and suffering Kyubey had no doubt put Madoka through. Homura pulled a Desert Eagle out of her shield. Figuring her cover was about to be blown anyway, she allowed herself the pleasure of emptying the clip into Kyubey’s skull.

With her gun depleted, Homura took a second to calm down. She turned to the isolation field, wincing at the look of anguish and sorrow on Madoka’s face. And considering the fact that she was dressed in her magical girl outfit rather than in her goddess form, Kyubey had most likely stolen a good chunk of her power in extracting those witches.

Whatever the case, Homura had to free Madoka before time resumed. She knew that isolation fields were effective at blocking magic, but were quite vulnerable to brute physical force. But since Madoka wasn’t at full strength, Homura couldn't risk using explosive or ballistic weapons. There was a good chance they would hurt Madoka, too. Fortunately, Homura had the perfect weapon for the job: that stupid golf club she’d bought when she first became a magical girl. Acting quickly, she drew the golf club from her shield and used it to pummel the isolation field until it cracked open. Once time resumed, the shards of the isolation field scattered about, and Madoka fell onto Hitomi’s bed.

Madoka blinked a few times as she got up, trying to get her bearings. Just a split second ago she was caught in the isolation field, and Kyubey was gloating about how he would destroy Madoka’s friends and harvest all human souls on Earth. But now Madoka was face-down on the bed and Kyubey was lying dead on the floor with several holes in his head. Madoka had seen this happen before, and it could only mean one thing. She turned to her left, and just as she’d hoped, she saw Homura standing beside her.

“Madoka, I’m-” Before Homura could finish, Madoka stood up and threw her arms around Homura, embracing her as tightly as she could, much to Homura’s surprise.

“Oh, Homura.” Madoka said as she fell into tears of joy. “I should’ve known you’d come to save me. Can you believe I actually thought you were dead?”

Homura felt a twinge of regret at causing Madoka more pain. Apparently her plan worked a little too well. “That was just a body double that Mami Tomoe made. I had to do it in order to…” Homura broke down into tears herself. She dropped her golf club and returned Madoka’s embrace. “I’m so sorry, Madoka. I shouldn’t have been so selfish. I should’ve respected your decision and-”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about any of that.” Madoka replied as she stroked Homura’s back. “I’m just so happy to see you again.”

“Madoka…” In that instant, it felt as if all traces of Homura’s doubt and self-loathing vanished into thin air. For the first time since she could remember, Homura finally felt whole. She wished that she could stay in this perfect moment forever, here in the arms of the one she truly loved. But they weren’t out of the woods just yet.

Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out. “I can’t say I’m too surprised.” Kyubey’s voice sounded in the dark just before the lights came back on. Homura and Madoka let go of each other, then turned to Kyubey, who had just conjured a new body on top of Hitomi’s dresser. “I should have known it would take more than an exploding building to kill you. I don’t know why I thought otherwise.”

Homura tilted her head. “Perhaps it was wishful thinking?” she asked sarcastically.

Kyubey chose not to dignify that with an answer. “You always were insufferably persistent, Homura Akemi. But it ends now. I had a feeling someone would come and try to save Madoka Kaname, so I kept one witch back here as a contingency plan.” At that, the room around them slowly disappeared, replaced by a chalky beige ground below and an unnatural red-orange sky above, looking as if it were drawn by an amateur painter. “Try getting out of this alive.”

Homura recognized this as the labyrinth of Izabel the artist witch. And sure enough, the familiar-looking archway appeared in the distance. Homura remembered her well. Izabel was the witch that almost killed her in the very first timeline, until Madoka and Mami saved her. Evidently Kyubey thought he could psych Homura out by reminding her of that traumatic near-death experience. Did he really think that would stop her from defeating such an average, run-of-the-mill witch? He really was getting desperate. Still, it was best that Homura didn’t take any chances, not when she was this close to finally saving Madoka. “Listen, Madoka. No matter what happens, I want you to stay close and let me protect you.”

Madoka smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Homura closed her eyes and held her left hand over her heart. Dark energy poured out from her Soul Gem and enveloped her from head to toe. The dark mass that was once Homura grew to about twenty feet tall, then dispersed to reveal the nutcracker witch Homulilly. Madoka spread her wings and flew onto Homulilly’s shoulder. The pink magical girl then shot an arrow at the stocks around Homulilly’s hands, destroying them. With her arms freed, Homulilly advanced on Izabel and her familiars, ready to eviscerate the only obstacle left in her way.

“Take that!” Sayaka shouted as she threw a sword at Roberta. The blade struck the birdcage witch and killed her in a single blow. As Roberta lay dead on the ground, Sayaka took a look at Kyoko, who hadn’t said anything since they left the evacuation center. 

Kyoko was still holding her own against the witches, though, and had been riding Ophelia’s horse masterfully, even with Sayaka as her passenger. As they rode by Suleika, Kyoko segmented her spear and whipped the bladed end at the dark witch, bisecting her with ease.

“Alright, Kyoko!” Sayaka exclaimed, trying to diffuse the tension. When Kyoko didn’t reply, Sayaka tried again. “Hey, are you still with me?”

“Sayaka, why didn’t you tell me about Momo?” Kyoko asked bitterly. “You had to have known she made a contract, so why did you keep it from me?”

Sayaka had dreaded that question, even though she knew Kyoko would ask it sooner or later. As much as it pained her to do so, all Sayaka could do was tell Kyoko the truth. “It’s… it’s because she asked me not to.”

Kyoko winced, gritting her teeth in anguish. “Why?! Why wouldn’t she-” Kyoko and Sayaka were suddenly bucked off of Ophelia’s horse. As they fell face-first onto the concrete, the horse was entangled by thorny vines tipped with rusty black pairs of scissors. The two girls got to their feet just in time to be surrounded by a swarm of Anthonys and Adelberts. And sure enough, their master, Gertrud, was just a few meters away, slowly lurching towards Kyoko and Sayaka.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.” Sayaka said as she cleaved an Adelbert in half. “I promised Momo I wouldn’t.”

Kyoko took out her frustration on a cluster of Anthonys, clobbering them one by one with the haft of her spear. “Look, is this about me working with Homura? If you’re still mad about that, I’m-”

“No!” Sayaka cut Kyoko off. “No, I’m not mad about that at all. I never was. Well, maybe at first, but…” Sayaka and Kyoko backed closer to each other as Gertrud’s familiars closed in on them. “Look, I get why you did it, I really do. I know how horrible your life’s been, and I don’t blame you for wanting to hold on to the one Homura gave you. And if there were some way we could have that life together without having to imprison Madoka to get it, I’d take it in a heartbeat. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is leave you behind again.”

Kyoko sniffled. “You really mean that?”

“Yeah, I do. I love you too, Kyoko. And I couldn’t live in a world without you, either.”

For an instant, Kyoko smiled brighter than ever before. After everything she’d been through, her feelings for Sayaka were at long last being returned. Kyoko started imagining the perfect, blissful life they’d have together after all this was through. But her smile quickly faded, knowing that it would likely never be. “But that’s exactly what’s gonna happen, isn’t it? You’re going back to the Law of Cycles after this, aren’t you?”

“Well, probably. After everything Homura did, I’m not really sure what’s gonna happen.”

“Then, just in case this is our last battle together…” Kyoko raised her spear towards Gertrud. “Let’s make it one to remember!”

Sayaka nodded. Acting in tandem, the two magical girls slashed through Gertrud’s remaining familiars and charged straight at Gertrud herself. The rose garden witch attacked by extending her scissor-vines at them, but it backfired on her when Kyoko put up her chain barrier, entangling the vines around its links.

“Go for it!” Kyoko shouted to Sayaka. Now that Gertrud was stuck, Sayaka quickly ran behind her while Kyoko maintained the barrier. The blue magical girl stabbed Gertrud in the side, causing the witch to lash out at Sayaka with one of her remaining scissor-vines. Sayaka jumped back to dodge. Enraged, Gertrud tried to lurch towards Sayaka, struggling to pull away from the chain barrier.

Seeing an opportunity, Kyoko dropped the barrier. Being suddenly let go sent Gertrud off-balance, and she toppled forward straight onto Sayaka’s blade. As the rose garden witch writhed in pain, Kyoko charged forward and impaled Gertrud with her spear. Sayaka then leapt up, conjured another blade and decapitated the witch with a single slash. Gertrud’s headless body briefly wriggled around before exploding in a burst of rose petals and butterflies.

As the rose petals rained down on them, Kyoko and Sayaka embraced each other in celebration. Then, caught up in the rush of their victory, they leaned in, closed their eyes and shared their first kiss. For that moment, the two lovers forgot about everything around them. It was just them, in a perfect world of their very own.

Unfortunately for them, a sound like shattering glass snapped them back to reality. As Kyoko and Sayaka parted from the kiss, they turned to see Hitomi standing nearby, next to H.N. Elly’s broken body. The green magical girl stared back at them, looking as if her brain had just short-circuited. “Um… did you two… just…?” she sputtered.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised.” Kyoko cut Hitomi off.

“Lemme guess, it’s forbidden love? Girls can’t love girls? Something along those lines?” Sayaka added.

Hitomi paused before answering. “Actually, to tell you the truth, I’ve kind of been… rethinking that lately.”

“Since you and Kyosuke split up?” Sayaka asked.

Hitomi looked away. “…Yeah.”

“Heh, Violin Boy strikes again.” Kyoko snarked. “Honestly, he should just marry that damn instrument of his.”

Sayaka and Kyoko both laughed. And to their surprise, Hitomi laughed too. “In that case, I’ll be the maid of honor.”

“Yeah, and I’ll conduct the ceremony at my dad’s old church.” Kyoko added.

“Well, if we want that wedding to happen, we’ll have to finish saving the city.” Sayaka pointed her sword in the direction of the Shizuki house. “Let’s go!” With that, the three of them continued pressing onward through the city.

Before too long, Sayaka, Kyoko and Hitomi closed in on the forcefield encircling Kyubey’s base. It was being protected by Patricia the class representative witch. The three magical girls charged at her, but before they could get close, Patricia spewed out a swarm of Mathieus. The familiars rained down on the magical girls, quickly overwhelming them. While they were distracted, Patricia skittered towards them on her spider-like appendages, ready to devour their souls.

Suddenly, Mami fell from the sky, making a flawless three-point landing on the concrete. She extended her hand, and the ground cracked beneath Patricia. Numerous ribbons sprang forth from the fissure beneath the witch, ensnaring her instantaneously. As Patricia struggled against her restraints, Mami conjured another cannon, and with a resounding “Tiro Finale!”, destroyed the class representative witch with a single shot.

“Thanks, Mami.” Sayaka said as she, Kyoko and Hitomi waded towards Mami through the dead Mathieus. “We owe you one.”

“It was nothing. Just doing my part.” Mami replied as she brushed herself off. “Oh, and congratulations, you two.” she added, pointing at Kyoko and Sayaka.

“You, uh, you saw that?” Kyoko said.

“Yep. Had a bird’s-eye view of the whole thing.” Mami then turned to Hitomi. “Took them long enough, don’t you think?”

“Um, right…” Hitomi mumbled, looking away. She didn’t feel like making eye contact with the others right now.

“Anyway, that was the last witch in the city.” Mami said. “Now let’s bring this forcefield down. Hitomi, go right. Sayaka, go left. Kyoko, other side.”

“On it.” the other three replied in unison. As per Mami’s plan, the Quattro Elementi positioned themselves at four equidistant points around the forcefield. Each of them readied their weapons and awaited Homura’s signal.

Just as expected, Izabel and her minions couldn’t hold a candle to Homulilly. The nutcracker witch tore through the Michaela familiars like a hot knife through butter. These creatures that once nearly killed Homura were now merely road bumps in Homulilly’s path. A part of her couldn’t help but take pride in how much stronger she’d become since all those timelines ago, and that this time, it was her protecting Madoka from the artist witch.

Before long, Homulilly closed in on Izabel herself. Homulilly stretched out the dark, ethereal appendages extruding from her back and grabbed each side of the archway. With minimal effort, Homulilly ripped Izabel in half. She then transformed back into Homura as the artist witch’s labyrinth faded out of existence. Homura and Madoka then found themselves back in Hitomi’s room.

“I don’t believe this.” Kyubey said with an uncharacteristic bitterness in his voice. “I thought for sure you’d-”

Homura silenced Kyubey with a bullet to his face. “Madoka, we have to get on the roof.”

“Um, ok…” Madoka replied as she stared at Kyubey’s body. Normally she didn’t like seeing Homura shooting Kyubey’s brains out like that, but considering the situation, she decided to let it slide. Homura took Madoka’s hand and activated her shield. With time frozen, Madoka picked Homura up, spread her wings and carried Homura out the window and onto the roof.

As the two of them landed and unfroze time, they looked down to see that their friends had surrounded the forcefield. Sayaka telepathically reached out to Madoka. Thanks to her mind shield, she was able to make contact even through the forcefield. Madoka, do you read me?

Loud and clear, Sayaka. Madoka replied. Is everyone okay?

Yeah, they’re fine. The whole city is safe inside the evacuation center.

Well, except Nagisa and Momo. Mami added. They’re still unconscious.

Madoka felt relieved for the citizens, particularly her family, but regretted putting Mami and Kyoko through seeing their loved ones like that. While she didn’t know their attempt to rescue Hitomi would end up how it did, she should’ve seen it coming and prepared for that possible outcome. The red and yellow magical girls had been through enough hardship already.

There’s no use dwelling on it. Homura’s voice echoed in Madoka’s mind, having sensed Madoka’s thoughts. They should wake up after we destroy this forcefield.

Right. Madoka replied. She then reached out to the Quattro Elementi. Is everyone ready?

Yeah! Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi replied in unison.

Madoka conjured her bow. Homura grabbed onto it, and the two of them pointed it directly upward, each channeling their magic into a single arrow. As they let the arrow loose, Mami fired her cannon while Sayaka, Kyoko and Hitomi charged straight at the forcefield. All five attacks struck simultaneously, and the forcefield shattered to pieces. At long last, Madoka was freed from Kyubey’s clutches.

“It’s great to see you again.” Madoka said to Sayaka as she and Homura landed in front of her.

“Yeah, it’s been way too long.” Sayaka replied.

“So is that mission accomplished?” Kyoko asked as she, Mami and Hitomi joined up with the rest of the group.

“Not just yet.” Homura pulled a detonator switch out of her shield. She pressed it, and the C-4 she’d planted exploded, sending the Shizuki house up in flames. The Incubators and their machines inside the house were completely destroyed.

“Aww, did you have to blow up my house?” Hitomi groaned. Homura didn’t answer.

“Ah, I’m sure you’ve got insurance.” Kyoko snarked. Hitomi wasn’t amused, but decided to leave it be. With that, Kyoko approached Sayaka, knowing that they’d be parting ways once again. “I suppose you and Madoka will be going back soon?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Sayaka replied softly.

Kyoko took a deep breath. “Well, if you love someone, set them free. I’ll see you in the Law of Cycles someday.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.” Sayaka said. “And so will Momo. I swear I’ll get her to tell you everything then.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Kyoko said.

Sayaka then turned to Mami. “Nagisa will be waiting for you, too. And I’m sure she’ll forgive you. She’s not the type to hold a grudge.”

Mami simply nodded.

As the others said their goodbyes, Madoka approached Homura, who had been looking away from the rest of the team. “Homura, are you okay?”

Homura sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. Though she didn’t want to admit it, there was still a part of her that longed to have a normal, happy life with Madoka by her side. Even now, after she’d long since accepted that such a life could never be, she still couldn’t face losing Madoka yet again. But at least this time she’d get to say goodbye, and she wouldn’t be the only one to remember her. Steeling herself, Homura turned to her dearest friend. “Madoka, I’m… I’m gonna miss you.”

“It’ll be fine.” Madoka said. “We won’t be apart for very long. Then we can spend the rest of eternity together.”

Homura said nothing. She merely shared one final hug with Madoka before letting her go. The six magical girls fell silent as Madoka and Sayaka prepared to return to the Law of Cycles. Yet after several minutes of silence, everyone was still here.

“Not that I’m in a hurry to see you go, but shouldn’t something have happened by now?” Mami asked.

“Homura…” Sayaka glared at the dark magical girl.

“I haven’t done anything.” Homura responded. “This must be-”

“Damn you, Homura Akemi!” Kyubey suddenly shouted as one of his bodies manifested closeby. “You and Madoka Kaname have ruined everything! Again! Why must you humans be such infuriating creatures?!”

As the other girls stared at Kyubey, Homura let out a tiny smirk. Kyubey couldn’t hide it anymore. He’d grown to despise her and Madoka. With his schemes in ruins and his base destroyed, he’d reached his boiling point, unable to contain his anger and frustration any longer. What was it he said once? That to his species, emotions were considered a mental disorder? If that was true, then Homura had succeeded in driving Kyubey mad.

“Y’know, you could give the rest of us some credit.” Kyoko said. “We helped ruin your plans, too.”

“What are you still doing here, Kyubey?” Mami asked. “You’ve lost. You’ll never gain control of the Law of Cycles now.”

“Capturing Madoka didn’t work, making contracts didn’t work, and using witches to harvest souls didn’t work.” Sayaka added. “Face it, Kyubey. None of your schemes ever succeed in the long run.”

“Just get off our planet and try again somewhere else.” Hitomi said.

“I can’t do that.” Kyubey seethed. “I have no choice but to harvest human souls.”

Kyoko quirked her eyebrow at Kyubey. “Oh yeah, and why’s that?”

“Because it’s in my contract!”

All of a sudden, a Soul Gem appeared floating behind Kyubey. Unlike the ornate, stylish, colorful Soul Gems belonging to magical girls, this one was plain and featureless. The symbol at the top was just an ordinary circle, and even its color was pure white. Or rather, it would’ve been pure white if not for the darkness of the curse tainting it. Both Homura and Madoka had seen this countless times before. Kyubey’s Soul Gem was at its limit, moments away from transforming into a Grief Seed.

“Kyubey, it’ll be okay. I can help.” Madoka stepped forward hoping to purify the Soul Gem, but she was too late. Kyubey’s body went limp as his Soul Gem cracked open, releasing an incredible burst of energy that flung the six magical girls back. As they struggled to their feet, a Grief Seed appeared in the epicenter of the energy burst. The first thing it did was shoot a dark energy tendril straight at Madoka. But without even thinking, Homura dove in front of Madoka, taking the hit for her.

Always a thorn in my side, Homura Akemi. A demonic parody of Kyubey’s voice echoed as the attack brought Homura to her knees. The dark tendril latched onto her Soul Gem, immobilizing Homura and draining her energy.

“No, Homura!” Mami shouted as she and the rest of the Quattro Elementi ran to help her.

Don’t make me laugh. Four more tendrils shot out of the Grief Seed, striking Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi simultaneously. Just like Homura, they fell to their knees while Kyubey drained their Soul Gems.

“Madoka… forget about me.” Homura rasped as she struggled against Kyubey. “Run for it.”

Madoka froze up. “I can’t. I-” Taking advantage of her hesitation, Kyubey shot yet another tendril at Madoka, this time striking her right in the Soul Gem on her chest. With the last of her strength, Madoka channeled all the magic she could spare into two arrows and shot them in the direction of the evacuation center. Nagisa… Momo… it’s all up to you now. Madoka thought as she and the others were enveloped by Kyubey’s labyrinth.

Chapter Text

Nagisa’s Soul Gem was struck by Madoka’s ethereal arrow. As it absorbed Madoka’s magic and gradually regained its color, Nagisa slowly regained consciousness. The last thing the white-haired magical girl remembered was escorting Hildegard’s victims out of the labyrinth, then suddenly collapsing in the middle of a conversation with Momo. Before she could remember anything else, she looked up to see an apparition of Madoka floating just above her.

Listen, I don’t have much time. Madoka’s apparition spoke to her telepathically. Kyubey’s Soul Gem has become a Grief Seed and we’re trapped in his labyrinth. Kyubey is- The apparition disappeared.

Once she fully regained consciousness, Nagisa removed the ventilator from her mouth and sat up in her gurney. She looked around to find herself in the middle of the evacuation center. To her horror, she saw her father and Ms. Saotome lurching towards the exit. Each of them bore a kiss resembling Kyubey’s face on their necks. Nagisa tried to get their attention, but both were completely unresponsive.

“Oh, this is really bad!” Nagisa said to herself. She then got up and saw that everyone else in the building was also under the influence of Kyubey’s kiss. The entire population of Mitakihara City was here, and all of them were slowly making their way towards the front doors. As much as it pained her to leave her father and Ms. Saotome like this, the only thing she could do to help them was to destroy the source of the kiss.

Nagisa hurried past the zombified crowd to the front door of the evacuation center. Momo was already there fending off the people closest to the door, trying to prevent them from getting out. “Good, you’re up.” Momo said to Nagisa. “Can you help me with this?”

“Gotcha.” Nagisa blew her trumpet, summoning several Polinas. At Nagisa’s command, the nurse-like familiars pushed the crowd back away from the doors. She and Momo then stepped outside. The two magical girls grabbed some nearby rubble and used it to barricade the doors. That wouldn’t keep the citizens of Mitakihara City in there for very long, but hopefully it would at least buy Nagisa and Momo enough time to save them.

“You heard from Madoka, too?” Momo asked.

“Yeah, I did.” Nagisa replied as she dismissed the Polinas. “I guess Kyubey finally lost it.”

The two magical girls turned around to observe the ruins of Mitakihara City, their attention drawn to the ominous dark cloud several kilometers away. No doubt that was where Kyubey had set up his labyrinth, and was attempting to lure everyone in the city to. “I sure wish we brought Saint Walpurga with us now.” Momo said.

“Yeah, that’d be helpful.” Nagisa replied. “I never imagined this’d end up falling on us. Two of the youngest, least experienced magical girls in history facing off against an entity this powerful. I mean, you know how quickly I witched out.”

“You still lasted longer than I did.” Not wanting to think about what happened back then, Momo changed the subject. “Anyway, we should get going.” Momo summoned a pair of Sebastians out of the shadows. She and Nagisa each mounted one and rode them across the city, eventually landing near the smoldering remains of the Shizuki house. They felt the distorted magical energy indicative of a labyrinth all around them. In unison, Momo and Nagisa held up their Soul Gems, and a portal into Kyubey’s labyrinth appeared before them. Steeling themselves for whatever horrors awaited them inside, they entered the labyrinth together.

Homura gritted her teeth as Kyubey’s attack sapped her energy. As if the physical pain wasn’t enough, strange, intrusive thoughts were entering her mind, eerily similar to those she’d experienced just before she’d transformed into a witch. She could feel herself losing the will to keep going, that she might give in and become Homulilly once again.

No, she couldn’t afford to succumb to despair. Madoka needed her now more than ever. Homura blocked everything else out as she focused all her energy into activating her shield. And it just barely worked. With time stopped, she was able to slink out of Kyubey’s hold on her. After struggling to stand back up, she looked behind her to find Madoka being drained by the same tendrils Homura had just escaped from. Homura grabbed Madoka and pulled her to safety just as time resumed. She then fell to her knees, heaving with exhaustion.

“Homura…” Madoka said as she knelt down beside her friend. “Are you okay?”

“I told you… to run for it.” Homura said weakly.

Madoka shook her head. “You know I wouldn’t-”

Well, color me impressed. Kyubey’s distorted voice echoed all around them. I see you’ve managed to break free. Shame I can’t say the same for the others.

Madoka stood up and looked around for the source of the voice, finding that she and Homura were stuck in an empty white void, with only a few black-and-white geometric shapes dotting their surroundings. The only thing that stood out was a tall ghostly figure manifesting in front of the two girls. It wore a white cloak covered in scarlet runes of an alien language, and sported a golden halo floating above its hooded head. Staring back at Madoka from under the hood were a pair of baleful crimson eyes.

“Kyubey…” Madoka whispered.

“Not anymore.” the figure responded.

“Right…” Madoka read the runes on the figure’s cloak. “It’s Mammon, isn’t it?”

“A rough translation, but if that’s what you want to call me-”

“Where are our friends?!” Madoka demanded as she nocked an arrow and trained her bow on Mammon. “What have you done with them?!”

Mammon didn’t answer. “See what you’ve pushed me to, Madoka Kaname? I tried everything I could to take control of the Law of Cycles, but you and your allies thwarted me every time. I knew I had to recapture you before you reconnected, and this was my only option left.” Mammon observed his spectral white hands. “But maybe I should be thanking you. With this form, I won’t have to deal with human emotions ever again. I can fulfill my contract on my own.” Mammon extended his left hand and conjured a sinister-looking scythe with a crimson blade and spikes at both ends of the snathe. “After I take care of some unfinished business with you, that is.” He then lurched towards Madoka, scythe at the ready.

In defiance, Homura struggled to her feet and limped over to Madoka. The dark magical girl stood between her and Mammon, wordlessly staring him down. Homura had long since vowed never to let the Incubators get their hands on Madoka, no matter the cost. Whatever form Kyubey took, whatever plans he concocted, whatever lengths he went to to get to Madoka, Homura would fight him to the bitter end.

“Oh, of course. Why should I expect anything less from you, Homura Akemi? How fitting that you’d be the last obstacle in my-” Mammon abruptly stopped monologing when he noticed Homura about to activate her shield. In response, he rushed her and stabbed the bottom end of his scythe into the shield, jamming its gears. “Sayaka Miki has been such a big help to me.”

“Homura!” Madoka shot her arrow at Mammon. In one motion, Mammon knocked Homura to the floor, dodged the arrow and lunged at Madoka with his scythe. Madoka barely managed to block the swing with her bow.

As Homura lay on the floor, she tried again to activate her shield, but it didn’t work. Mammon’s attack had broken the time-stopping mechanism. This was perhaps the most dire situation Homura and Madoka had ever been in. Madoka was still cut off from the Law of Cycles, Homura’s demonic powers were still sealed away, the Quattro Elementi were nowhere to be seen, and there was no telling when (or if) Nagisa and Momo would arrive, assuming they even stood a chance against Mammon.

But despite everything, there was a razor-thin silver lining here. In his desperation and his madness, Kyubey had exposed his soul. If Homura and her allies managed to destroy this Mammon creature, it would mean the end for all the Incubators on Earth. Of course, that would be easier said than done.

Once Nagisa and Momo entered the labyrinth, they looked around to find themselves in a room that appeared to have been cobbled together from elements of Octavia, Ophelia, Candeloro and Hildegard’s labyrinths. The room branched off into four distinct pathways, one belonging to each of the four witches. It was obvious that each witch was lurking at the end of the pathways, and that likely meant Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami and Hitomi were being held there too.

In addition to the four pathways, there was a fifth one on the opposite end of the room. Unlike the colorful, decorated labyrinths surrounding it, this pathway was monochromatic, straightforward and mostly featureless, dotted only by some black-and-white geometric shapes floating around. Evidently it was where Kyubey, or rather Mammon, was likely hiding.

Strangely, their surroundings didn’t feature anything from Kriemhild Gretchen or Homulilly’s labyrinths, even though Madoka and Homura had to be in here somewhere. The most likely explanation was that Mammon hadn’t taken control of their witches yet. But the fact that Mammon was still alive to maintain this labyrinth meant neither Madoka nor Homura had access to their godly powers, or they would’ve wiped him out in an instant. Nagisa and Momo needed to go help them, but if they were to have any hope of taking on Mammon, they’d need the help of the other four magical girls as well.

“We should split up.” Nagisa said. “We’ll rescue them faster that way.”

“Uh, sure.” Momo looked with unease at the foggy, lantern-lit bridge leading into Ophelia’s portion of the labyrinth. There was no doubt that her older sister was somewhere across that bridge. Momo trembled at the mere thought of it.

Nagisa took notice. “Hey, I can go instead if you’re not ready.”

“No, you were right. I’ve been putting it off long enough.” Momo conjured her bo staff. “I have to go face her.” With that, Momo began crossing the bridge.

“Well, good luck then.” Nagisa said right before she and Momo parted ways. The white-haired magical girl then walked off down the bright, wooded pathway into Candeloro’s area.

Thanks to being part of the Law of Cycles, Momo had seen visions of the few timelines wherein Kyoko fell into despair and became a witch, painful to watch as they were. She knew exactly what awaited her ahead. As expected, she soon encountered two of Ophelia’s familiars, the Zoes, wandering around. One Zoe noticed Momo and swung the torch it carried at her, but Momo knocked it away with her staff. She then struck the familiar on its side, knocking it off the side of the bridge. As it fell into the foggy abyss, the other Zoe tried to sneak up on Momo, but the magical girl spun around and delivered a fatal blow to its head. Momo then proceeded further into the labyrinth.

Before too long, Momo reached a wall of Zoes marching about. Behind them was a chain barrier blocking off the center of Ophelia’s portion of the labyrinth. The Zoes noticed Momo and began their attack, but Momo countered by summoning Elsa Maria’s familiars out of the nearby shadows. The Sebastians quickly devoured the Zoes, clearing Momo’s way to the center room.

Momo took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for what lay beyond the chain barrier. Fighting back the temptation to disguise herself as Elsa Maria again, she swung her staff at the barrier, dealing blow after blow until it crumbled away before her. Momo then stepped into the center of the labyrinth. To her shock and horror, Momo saw her older sister suspended from the wall opposite her, bound and gagged by mystical restraints. Kyoko noticed Momo walking in and tried in vain to yell something to her. Momo made a beeline towards Kyoko. “Don’t worry, Big Sis. I’m-”

Something struck Momo from behind, knocking her to the floor. Momo looked up to see Ophelia looming over her. The wǔdàn witch appeared the same as Momo had anticipated, except for a golden halo floating above her head. The halo looked exactly like the ones that adorned Kyubey’s ears. No doubt it meant Ophelia was under Mammon’s control. Momo wouldn’t be able free her sister with Ophelia attacking her, so she’d have to destroy the wǔdàn witch first. With that, Momo stood up and readied her staff, bracing herself for the next swing of Ophelia’s spear.

Nagisa hurried down the forest path. Normally Candeloro’s familiars would be here guiding the way, but for some reason they were nowhere to be seen. Nagisa wasn’t sure whether their absence was a good or bad thing, but it didn’t really matter. She was here to save Mami, and the fewer obstacles in her way, the better. Besides, the path to Candeloro was straightforward by design. Nagisa hardly needed the Du Polignacs to guide her.

Before long, Nagisa made it to the small house at the center of the labyrinth. She burst through the door to find all six of Candeloro’s familiars standing guard around the table. Candeloro herself stood on a tray in the middle of the table with a tiny halo above her head. Nagisa had expected such a welcome, but what she didn’t expect was to see Mami tied to a chair and gagged in the back of the room.

“Hang on, Mami! I’m here to-” Aoiro-san struck Nagisa with its sword before the white-haired magical girl could finish talking. While the blow did do some damage, Nagisa noticed the blue Du Polignac wasn’t hitting as hard as it did last time Nagisa was in Candeloro’s labyrinth. Homura had been boosting the familiars’ power back then, but Mammon didn’t seem to be bothering to help Candeloro out. Either that or he was preoccupied with something else, which gave Nagisa hope that Madoka and Homura still weren’t under his control.

Without any sort of outside assistance, the Du Polignacs posed no more of a threat than any other familiars. Nagisa counterattacked by blasting Aoiro-san with her trumpet point-blank. The concussive bubbles destroyed the familiar in one hit. Akairo-san charged in to avenge Aoiro-san only to meet the same fate. Nagisa effortlessly took down the other Du Polignacs until only Candeloro herself was left, at which point Nagisa simply stomped on the tiny dress-up witch to take her out.

With Candeloro destroyed, Nagisa picked up Aoiro-san’s sword and used it to cut Mami’s restraints. “Thanks.” the yellow magical girl said as she stood up. Nagisa noticed a strange listlessness in her voice, and that Mami seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her as well.

“Hey, no problem.” Nagisa replied. “Is something wrong?”

“Nagisa, I… I want to apologize.” Mami said softly.

Nagisa tilted her head in confusion. “For what?”

“For lying to you for a whole month. I worked with Homura after she rewrote your memories and trapped you on Earth. I knew it wasn’t real, but-”

“Oh yeah, that.” Nagisa interrupted. “Don’t worry about it.”

Now Mami was the one confused. Sayaka had said Nagisa wasn’t the type to hold a grudge, but forgiving her this easily… “Are you sure?” Mami asked. “I mean, what I did was-”

“Hey, if anything I should thank you for it. You think I’d want to go back to the Law of Cycles right away? They don’t even have any cheese there. Honestly, if you and Kyoko told me the truth, I’d probably have joined in on the cover-up too.” Despite Nagisa’s assurance, Mami still seemed to feel a bit guilty over it. “Tell you what, you get me that Jarlsberg you promised me and we’ll call it even.”

For the first time in this whole conversation, Mami cracked a smile. She was kind of surprised Nagisa remembered that after a whole year, but considering it was something cheese-related, maybe that was to be expected from her. “Alright, I’ll buy you a wedge after we’re done here.”

“Deal.” Nagisa said. “Although with interest and penalties, you’re up to an entire wheel.”

Mami let out a tiny chuckle as the two of them exited Candeloro’s area.

As anticipated, Ophelia took another swing at Momo with her spear. Momo barely managed to block it with her staff. She then leapt a safe distance away from Ophelia, but the wǔdàn witch quickly charged at Momo, closing the distance with ease. As long as Ophelia was on horseback, outspeeding her wouldn’t be possible. And given how short Momo was, she’d have a hard time hitting Ophelia as well. The horse had to be taken out first.

With that in mind, Momo dodged Ophelia’s next swing, then struck the horse with her staff. While it reared back in pain, Momo retreated a few meters away from Ophelia. The wǔdàn witch charged at her, but this time Momo was ready. She ran at Ophelia and swung her staff at the horse’s front legs mid-charge. The force of Momo’s attack tripped the horse and bucked Ophelia off. Momo then summoned Elsa Maria’s familiars to rip the riderless horse apart while it was down.

Now that the horse was dealt with, Momo sent the Sebastians after Ophelia herself. But the wǔdàn witch easily destroyed each of the familiars with her spear. That wasn’t too surprising. Mere familiars were typically no match for full-blown witches. But they did distract Ophelia just long enough for Momo to close in on her. Momo swung her staff at Ophelia, but it went straight through the witch’s body with no impact. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another Ophelia charging straight at her. Momo barely managed to get out of the way.

Momo was all too familiar with this technique. Her elder sister had possessed it before that fateful night and her subsequent disillusionment with the world. Kyoko had been able to create illusory copies of herself and use them to fool enemy witches (or wraiths in the current timeline). It stood to reason that her witch ended up inheriting it, but Ophelia wasn’t the only one who did. “Two can play that game.” Momo quipped. “Rosso Fantasma!”

Ophelia was suddenly surrounded by illusory copies of Momo. The witch looked around for the real one, but all of them were indistinguishable from one another. All she could do was pick one at random and rush it. And fortunately for Momo, Ophelia guessed wrong. The witch’s spear went straight through one of Momo’s doppelgangers. The real Momo seized the opportunity to strike Ophelia from behind with her staff, knocking the witch away.

Momo made sure not to look away from Ophelia as she continued pressing the advantage. Even if Ophelia used Rosso Phantasma again, Momo would still have her eye on the real one. Momo continued to force Ophelia back with blow after blow until the wǔdàn witch was teetering over the side of the bridge. Ophelia took one last-ditch swing at Momo, but the magical girl blocked it and knocked the spear out of Ophelia’s hands. With no way for the witch to defend herself, Momo struck the final blow, sending Ophelia falling into the abyss below.

With Ophelia defeated, Momo picked up the witch’s spear and used it to cut through Kyoko’s restraints. Kyoko fell to the floor of the labyrinth. “Momo…” Kyoko said as Momo discarded the spear and helped Kyoko to her feet.

“Hey, Big Sis.” Momo said. “I bet you’re surprised to see me.”

“Well, not really.” Kyoko replied. “I mean, I saw your body at the evacuation center.”

Momo stepped back. “Oh, you did?”

“Momo, please, just tell me what happened. Why are you a magical girl? When did you make a contract?”

Momo looked away. “It happened that one night. After you ran away, Dad kept going on and on about how you’d corrupted him and his followers with your evil witchcraft. But to tell you the truth, I thought what you were doing was really cool. You brought people back to the church, you put food back on our plates, and you were saving people from real monsters every single day. I mean, how was any of that evil?

“I told Dad what I thought of it and, well, we got into a pretty bad argument and I ended up storming off to my room. When I got there, Kyubey was sitting on my desk. He told me all about how you became a magical girl, and he said I could be one too if I made a contract with him. I figured you might need some help fighting wraiths, and so-”

“Momo, you didn’t…”

“I did. And the first thing I did after that was go up to Dad and boast about it. Then, well…” Momo swallowed. “That’s when he snapped. He said something about how he’d lost both his daughters to this vile witchcraft and came at me with a knife. Mom jumped in to try and protect me, but Dad overpowered her and stabbed her in the chest. Then he did the same to me. And when he saw that the stab didn’t kill me, that’s when he went crazy and set the house on fire. When I realized what I’d done, I gave into despair right on the spot.”

“So that’s what happened…” Kyoko whispered as she took in everything Momo was saying. “I’m afraid to ask, but… what did you wish for?”

Momo paused. “For Dad to leave you alone.” Kyoko stared at Momo silently. “Yeah, poor choice of words, I know. So, what happened to our parents… it wasn’t your fault. It was-”

Before Momo could say anything more, Kyoko grabbed her and embraced her as tight as she could. “It wasn’t your fault either.”

Momo returned Kyoko’s embrace, a wave of relief washing over the younger Sakura sister. Thinking back on it, Momo had been blowing this whole thing out of proportion. She should’ve realized Kyoko wouldn’t hold a grudge against her. Whatever happened in the past, the two of them were still family. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner.” Momo said softly. “I was afraid-”

“Don’t be.” Kyoko interrupted her again. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”

Eventually the Sakura sisters let go of each other. As happy as they were to finally be reunited, their friends (and the rest of the world) still needed saving. They turned and made their way back through Ophelia’s portion of the labyrinth.

After a bit of a struggle, Madoka managed to knock Mammon’s scythe away with the haft of her bow, throwing him off-balance. He was too close for Madoka to nock another arrow and shoot him, but maybe there was something else she could do. While she was still cut off from the Law of Cycles, she still had access to some of her abilities, including her power to erase witches. That was what she’d wished for, after all. With that in mind, Madoka opened her right hand and placed it on Mammon’s chest, ready to take away all his despair and purify his soul. But to her surprise, nothing happened.

“Are you trying to erase me?” Mammon scoffed. “You should’ve worded your wish more carefully. Humans never learn, do they?” Mammon struck Madoka with the back of his scythe, knocking her backwards. “You wished for the power to erase all witches, creatures born from the despair of fallen magical girls. But Kyubey wasn’t a magical girl, so I’m not really a witch, now am I?”

“No…” Madoka whispered, realizing her powers were useless on him. “Then… What are you?”

“Oh, you humans have come up with so many labels for me. Demon, monster, deceiver, trickster, devil, abomination…” Mammon cackled. “‘Fiend’ was always my favorite.”

“It doesn’t matter what you are.” Homura shouted as she drew an AK-47 from her shield. “If Madoka can’t erase you, then we’ll just kill you the old fashioned way!” Madoka jumped out of the way just before Homura opened fire, emptying the clip as Mammon stood there and took every shot. But the bullets simply bounced off the fiend’s body, not harming him even a little.

“Human weapons?” Mammon turned and glared at Homura. “Really, Homura Akemi?”

The fiend’s crimson eyes flashed for a brief second. Homura turned around to see another Mammon manifesting behind her. The duplicate conjured an identical scythe and swung it at the dark magical girl, forcing her to drop her AK-47 and dodge the attack. While Homura fought off his second body, the original Mammon set his sights back on Madoka. “Now where were we…?”

Once Mami and Nagisa made their way back to the entrance of Mammon’s labyrinth, Mami took a moment to observe the pathways leading to her friends’ witches. The last thing she remembered before waking up in Candeloro’s labyrinth was Kyubey hijacking her Soul Gem, forcing her to summon Candeloro from the concrete below her. Mami had been hoping against hope that the others had somehow escaped Kyubey’s attack, but seeing their labyrinths here proved they hadn’t. Evidently Kyubey had used the rainwater to summon Oktavia, the smoldering embers of the Shizuki house to summon Ophelia, and the gust of wind created when his Soul Gem cracked to summon Hildegard. But at least Mami’s friends were still alive, and would be rescued soon.

“Good, you two are okay.” Momo said as she and Kyoko emerged from Ophelia’s portion of the labyrinth. She then turned to Nagisa. “Nice job saving Mami.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t too hard.” Nagisa boasted.

“Long time no see, Momo.” Mami said to the younger Sakura sister.

“I guess it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Momo replied. “But we’ll have to catch up later. We still have to save Sayaka and Hitomi.”

“Well you know I’m gonna save Sayaka.” Kyoko declared, then put her hand on Momo’s shoulder. “And I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again, so you’re coming with me.” She then turned to Mami and Nagisa. “Any objections?”

“No, no objections.” Mami said. “We’ll rendezvous back here.” She and Nagisa took off down the cobblestone path leading to Hildegard’s area.

With that, the Sakura sisters entered Oktavia’s portion of the labyrinth. While she and Momo made their way towards the mermaid witch, Kyoko felt a faint twinge of déjà vu . The posters, the brick walls, the red carpeting, all of it seemed strangely familiar, even though Kyoko knew this had to have been her first time in here. Thanks to Madoka’s wish, witches and their labyrinths weren’t even supposed to exist, at least not before Kyubey started messing with the Law of Cycles. But as Kyoko understood it, that was only true for the current reality. “I’ve been here before, haven’t I?” she asked Momo. “In one of those alternate timelines I’ve heard so much about?”

“Quite a few of them, actually.” Momo replied. “Every time Sayaka made a contract she ended up turning into a witch. Then you came here hoping to change her back.”

“Hmph, sounds like something I'd do.” Kyoko said. “Did it ever work?”

Momo hesitated before answering. “No, witch transformations were irreversible. Used to be that once you made a contract, there was no hope of coming back from it. You either died fighting witches or lasted long enough to become one yourself.”

“I see…” Kyoko mumbled. She stopped to take a closer look at one of the posters on the wall. The words were written in a weird alien language she couldn’t read, but she did recognize the image of Kyosuke’s silhouetted figure on it. Kyoko clenched her fist at the mere sight of it, her blood nearly coming to a boil. “To think Sayaka put herself through all that pain and suffering, all for that oblivious, ungrateful little-” Kyoko slammed her fist into the poster. “It just makes me sick. She deserved so much better than that.”

“Hey, I totally agree.” Momo said. “But if she hadn’t made that contract, you never would’ve met her. Believe me, I’ve seen the timelines where she didn’t.”

“Yeah, but still…” Kyoko turned away from the poster. “Shame Hitomi didn’t turn him into witch food. At least she gave him a nasty concussion, I’ll give her that.”

“Uh, actually… I did that.” Momo brandished her bo staff. “He was about to attack Madoka so I bonked him on the head.”

Kyoko smirked. “You’re the best little sister in the world, you know that?”

Momo was about to say something, but the walls started racing away from her and Kyoko. Before they knew it, the Sakura sisters found themselves standing in the middle of a room vaguely resembling a concert hall, surrounded by shadowy familiars mindlessly playing their violins at the behest of an equally mindless conductor. Looming in front of them was Oktavia sporting a golden halo above her head. The mermaid witch drew her sword, ready to eviscerate Kyoko and Momo for disrupting her concert.

While Momo took a defensive stance, Kyoko scanned the room looking for Sayaka. She spotted her high up in the cheap seats behind Oktavia. The blue magical girl was tied to the seat and gagged by the same mystical restraints Kyoko had been. Without even thinking, Kyoko leapt towards Sayaka, hoping to vault over Oktavia and rescue her girlfriend as quickly as possible. But Kyoko realized her mistake in midair when she saw a number of train wheels manifesting in front of her. Oktavia launched them at Kyoko, but before they could hit, a Sebastian pulled Kyoko back down to the floor out of harm’s way.

“Thanks, I guess…” Kyoko grumbled to her sister as she got back up.

“I know how you feel, but you can’t just rush in against a witch like that.” Momo said. “It’s a good way to lose your head.”

“Achoo!” Mami sneezed.

“Gesundheit.” Nagisa said.

“Thanks.” Mami replied as she wiped her nose. She then took a second to observe her surroundings, noting the briar vines, cavernous walls and cobblestone pathway. Her experience with witches and their labyrinths was relatively limited, since up until Homura’s rebellion Mami had spent her entire magical girl career fighting wraiths. Even after that, a good chunk of her knowledge of witches came second-hand. Ironic that in the previous timelines she was supposedly an expert on the subject.

From what Mami understood, witches were supposed to be dark, twisted reflections of the magical girls they were born from. The girls’ thoughts, feelings, hopes, desires and memories all seemed to factor into whatever form the witch took. She briefly wondered what it said about her that her witch was a six-inch-tall dress-up doll surrounded by caricatures of her friends dressed like maids, but now wasn’t the best time to psychoanalyze herself. Rescuing Hitomi was her biggest concern right now. “So we just have to follow this path and we’ll find her, right?” Mami asked.

“Yep.” Nagisa replied. “But watch out for her familiars. They’ll show up any minute to test our skills and see if we’re worthy of slaying the witch.”

“Seems like you know your stuff.” Mami said. “Did you face her witch in any of those other timelines?”

“Actually, no. Kyubey never approached Hitomi before. He only contracted her in this timeline, and that was just to use her as bait to capture Madoka.”

“Is that so…?” Hearing Nagisa say that irked Mami. She remembered something Homura said to Hitomi in the Nexus of Despair: that she was never meant to be a magical girl. Mami had thought Homura was saying that to belittle Hitomi, but apparently she’d meant it literally. Mami had to agree, though. Hitomi should never have been subjected to the horrors of the magical girl life. Sure, that was true for everyone Kyubey tricked into making a contract, but knowing that Hitomi would normally have been left alone hit Mami differently. She’d be sure to make Kyubey suffer for roping Hitomi into his schemes.

“Watch out!” Nagisa shouted as a Sigurd appeared behind Mami and swung its greatsword at her. Thanks to Nagisa’s warning, Mami dodged just in the nick of time. She retaliated by conjuring a small cannon and blasting a hole clean through the ogreish familiar’s chest. At the same time, a few Georges descended upon Nagisa, but the white-haired magical girl easily destroyed the goblin-like familiars with a barrage of bubbles from her trumpet. Several more familiars approached Mami and Nagisa, but the duo made short work of them.

Evidently that was enough to prove their worth to challenge Hildegard, because in the next room the two magical girls entered they found themselves face to face with the dragon witch. Just like the others, she sported a halo floating above her head. Mami and Nagisa quickly took in their surroundings. The sight of their “corpses” skewered on pikes was unsettling enough, but seeing Hitomi tied up and sealed in a glass casket in the middle of Hildegard’s treasure horde was infinitely worse. Both magical girls drew their weapons, ready to slay the dragon witch and free their friend.

Homura’s ballistic weapons might not have done any damage to Mammon, but maybe a torrent of fire could hurt him. The dark magical girl drew her flamethrower from her shield and blasted the fiend with it, dousing him in flames. Homura kept up the attack until half the fuel tank was used up. But when the flames dissipated, Mammon emerged completely unscathed.

Mammon scoffed at Homura. The fiend retaliated with a blast of dark energy. Homura threw the fuel tank in front of the blast and jumped backwards. The fuel tank took the attack for her and exploded. Taking advantage of the smokescreen created by the explosion, Homura lobbed a grenade at Mammon from behind it. She then shot the grenade in midair, blowing it up right in front of his face. But once again, the attack had no effect.

“Are you done yet?” Mammon asked sarcastically. At this point it was clear that none of the weapons in Homura’s arsenal would hurt him. But the dark magical girl still had one technique at her disposal. Homura enveloped herself in dark energy, then transformed into Homulilly. In the form of the nutcracker witch, she launched her ethereal appendages at Mammon.

“Heh, fool.” Mammon snarked. Just before Homulilly’s attack could connect, the fiend simply put up his hand. Homulilly’s appendages went limp as the nutcracker witch froze in place. A golden halo started to manifest above her head. With Homulilly under his control, Mammon turned his attention to Madoka, who was busy defending herself against his other body. He gave the order and sent Homulilly after Madoka.

Yet strangely, Homulilly didn’t obey him. Instead she was struggling to break free of Mammon’s control. “I should’ve known...” Mammon muttered. For her to have survived through those countless timelines, Homura’s willpower had to have been truly exceptional, much stronger than that of her teammates at least. But the fiend had known for ages that every human has their breaking point. All he had to do was apply enough pressure and Homulilly would bend to his will, just like the other witches had. With that in mind, Mammon concentrated on Homulilly. The halo above her head glowed brighter as Mammon amplified his control magic.

Strange voices were sounding in Homulilly’s mind, and as Mammon focused, they grew louder and louder. Bring Madoka to me! Mammon’s voice echoed. Homulilly tried not to listen, but felt her will slowly giving in. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stave them off.

Then the voices went silent.

Madoka had wrestled away from Mammon’s original body just long enough to shoot an arrow and strike his other body in the back of the head. Madoka’s attack didn’t do much damage, but it did momentarily distract Mammon from forcing his will upon Homulilly. “Homura, change back!” Madoka shouted right before dodging another swing of Mammon’s scythe. Homulilly complied and transformed back into Homura before Mammon could refocus.

Homura figured that what Mammon just tried to do to her must’ve been what he’d done with the Quattro Elementi. Evidently Mammon had the power to control witches, which likely meant he was holding her allies somewhere in this labyrinth and using Oktavia, Ophelia, Candeloro and Hildegard for some evil purpose. Maybe he planned on making them the four horsemen of his apocalypse or something like that. But none of them were exceptionally powerful witches. Even with all four of them under his control, Mammon would only be able to spread his influence over a range of a few kilometers. That was about how far away a typical witch could plant a kiss on a victim. Homura only knew of one exception, which was-

Homura gasped, realizing what Mammon intended to do with Madoka. Homura had only seen it briefly before resetting time, but she knew how immensely powerful Madoka’s witch was. Kriemhild Gretchen, the so-called Witch of Salvation, could easily spread her curse over the whole planet and consume it in a matter of days, if not hours. With Gretchen at his command, Mammon would have dominion over all human beings on Earth. Homura couldn’t let that happen, no matter what.

“So you’ve figured out my plan, have you?” Mammon guessed. “That’s just as well. There’s nothing you can do to stop me.” The fiend brandished his scythe and lunged towards Homura.

Kyoko’s failed attempt to vault over Oktavia didn’t go unnoticed by the mermaid witch’s familiars. The conductor pointed its baton at Kyoko, commanding the other Holgers to march toward the red magical girl and her sister. At the same time, a number of Klarissas leapt off the center stage at Oktavia’s command. The Sakura sisters stood back to back as the familiars surrounded them. “This won’t take long.” Kyoko said.

Momo nodded, then swung her staff at a Klarissa. Kyoko bisected the nearest Holger with her spear. Another one tried to club her with its violin, but Kyoko dodged the attack and swept her spear at its legs. While it lay on the ground, Kyoko impaled it through its stomach, killing it. As expected, none of the Kyosuke-resembling familiars stood a chance against her. Once the familiars in front of her had been dealt with, Kyoko rushed the conductor and decapitated it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kyoko spotted Momo mowing down five Klarissas with a single sweep. After that fateful night, Kyoko never imagined she’d see her little sister again. But not only did Kyoko have Momo back, she was fighting alongside her, and doing a damn good job of it too. Momo certainly wasn’t the helpless little kid Kyoko remembered anymore. The elder Sakura sister couldn’t have been more proud.

While neither Sakura sister had any difficulty dealing with Oktavia’s weak familiars, they did provide just enough distraction for Oktavia herself to mount an attack. She conjured another round of train wheels and launched them at both magical girls while they were busy picking off the remaining familiars. But before the wheels could hit, Kyoko put up a chain barrier to block them.

“Nice try.” Kyoko said smugly. The mermaid witch already pulled that trick on her a year ago, but Kyoko wouldn’t fall for it twice.

Momo summoned a group of Sebastians as Kyoko dropped the chain barrier. The shadowy familiars launched themselves straight at Oktavia. The mermaid witch managed to kill the first few with her sword, but the rest of them quickly overwhelmed her. Before long they had her arms and tail pinned to the wall behind her.

“Go for it!” Momo shouted to her elder sister. Kyoko mounted a Sebastian as Momo sent it hurtling towards Oktavia. Using the momentum, Kyoko pointed her spear at Oktavia, preparing to ram it straight through her chest. The mermaid witch struggled to break free of the Sebastians, but even all her strength couldn’t break the familiars’ grip. She was powerless to prevent Kyoko from dealing the fatal blow, piercing Oktavia’s heart clean through.

Ignoring Oktavia’s death throes, Kyoko jumped into the seating area and ran straight for Sayaka. Kyoko cut through Sayaka’s restraints with her spear. “You okay, Sayaka?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Sayaka replied as she stood up. She then smiled at Kyoko. “No matter the timeline, you always come here to save me, don’t you?”

Kyoko smiled back. “You know I'd do anything for you.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sayaka was about to reward Kyoko with a kiss, but the red magical girl stopped her.

“Um, maybe not in front of…” Kyoko jerked her head towards Momo, who had just ridden a Sebastian up to the cheap seats to join them.

“Oh, don’t mind me.” Momo said. At that, Sayaka and Kyoko embraced each other and shared a kiss. Momo simply smirked at them. “You two finally got together, then?”

“Yep.” Sayaka paused for a moment. “So… I take it you guys got to talking?”

“Yeah, I know what happened.” Kyoko answered. “And I don’t blame her for it.”

“See, I told you she’d forgive you.” Sayaka said to Momo.

Momo sighed. “Okay, okay, I guess I was overthinking it.”

“Honestly, why would you think I’d blame you for that?” Kyoko asked semi-rhetorically. She then looked away as a scowl appeared on her face. “It was Kyubey’s fault.” Kyoko added, clenching her fist. “It’s always been Kyubey. He’s been tricking girls into making contracts for God-knows how long. We were just more of his victims.” A confident smirk crept onto Kyoko’s face as she turned back to face Sayaka and Momo. “So what do you say we get our revenge and wipe him off the face of the planet?!”

Sayaka and Momo nodded in unison. With that, the three girls left Oktavia’s concert hall and made their way back to the rendezvous point.

Mami considered making a beeline for Hitomi, but that wouldn’t be possible with Hildegard in the way. After all, what dragon wasn’t violently protective of its treasure horde? Mami and Nagisa would have to get rid of her first.

Why a dragon? Mami wondered. She also noted the surrounding area, particularly the caricatures of her and the other magical girls’ bodies displayed on pikes. Perhaps it meant Hitomi thought of herself as a monster who somehow caused the deaths of all her friends. Mami’s brow furrowed. Whatever half-truths or outright lies Kyubey fed Hitomi to make her believe that, Mami vowed to make him pay for it, ideally with his very life.

Hildegard made to blast Mami and Nagisa with her noxious breath, but Mami saw it coming. Thanks to fighting alongside the dragon witch less than an hour ago, Mami knew everything Hildegard was capable of. The yellow magical girl conjured a web of ribbons around Hildegard’s snout and tightened it before the dragon witch could exhale any poison. “None of that.” Mami quipped.

Naturally, Hildegard didn’t take kindly to being muzzled. If she couldn’t poison Mami, she could always rip her apart with her claws instead. Hildegard took to the air and flew straight for the yellow magical girl. Mami gestured to the ground below to summon her witch from the cobblestones. But to her surprise, Candeloro didn’t appear. Just before Hildegard’s claw hit her, Mami realized that since the floor wasn’t real earth, she couldn’t summon Candeloro with it. Hildegard’s attack flung Mami into a pile of gold and gemstones.

Fortunately for Mami, Nagisa blasted Hildegard with a barrage of bubbles before she could land another attack. As Hildegard shifted focus and charged at Nagisa, the magical girl transformed into Charlotte. Taking on the dessert witch’s serpentine form, she flew towards Hildegard and bit the dragon witch on the neck. Hildegard wailed in pain (as best she could through the muzzle at least) and counter-attacked with her claws. Charlotte and Hildegard wrestled each other in midair until Hildegard came out on top, pinning Charlotte to the ground.

With Charlotte at her mercy, Hildegard raised her claw and prepared to deliver a fatal slash. But before the blow could connect, Mami recovered and shot Hildegard in the forearm. The dragon witch glared at Mami, who had her rifle aimed squarely at Hildegard’s head. Mami fired, but Hildegard dodged and whipped her tail at Mami, knocking her into the wall.

With both of her opponents temporarily incapacitated, Hildegard tore off the ribbon muzzle. With a bellowing roar, she flew straight at Mami, who had just gotten up from the blow from Hildegard’s tail. The yellow magical girl conjured a rifle and took aim, but Hildegard blasted her with her toxic breath before Mami could fire. Mami dropped her gun and went into a coughing fit after inhaling the noxious fumes. As the poison took effect, Hildegard descended, unhinged her jaw and bit down on Mami’s head.

Only to discover it was a body double.

The fake head in Hildegard’s mouth burst into a mass of ribbons that wound themselves around the dragon witch’s snout, re-muzzling her. At the same time, more ribbons shot out of the dummy's neck, ensnaring Hildegard’s legs and wings. Unable to fly, she plummeted to the ground.

The real Mami popped out from behind the mound of treasure Hildegard had knocked her into, carrying a large rifle. While Hildegard struggled in vain against the ribbons, Mami simply walked up and put her gun against the dragon witch’s head. “Tiro finale.” Mami said softly as she pulled the trigger and executed Hildegard.

“Nice fake-out.” Nagisa said to Mami as she transformed back into her magical girl form. Mami smirked in response, then jumped up next to the glass casket holding Hitomi. Mami shattered the glass using the butt of her rifle. She then used one of the shards to cut through Hitomi’s restraints.

“Mami…” Hitomi said softly as she got out of the broken casket. “I had a feeling you’d be the one to save me.”

Mami smiled. “Don’t worry, I’d never leave you behind.”

Hitomi smiled back. The whole time she’d been dating Kyosuke, she couldn’t recall him saying anything close to that to her. And she highly doubted he’d be willing to literally slay a dragon for her like Mami just did. Granted, he didn’t have magical powers, but still…

“Hey, how much cheese do you think I could get for this?” Mami and Hitomi turned to see Nagisa holding a handful of gold coins and jewels she’d picked up off the ground.

“That’s not real treasure, you know.” Hitomi said, a twinge of disappointment and annoyance in her voice.

Mami sighed. “I guess we should go meet the others.” With that, the three girls made their way back to the rendezvous point.

“Good, that’s everyone.” Sayaka said as she and the Sakura sisters met up with Mami's group. The blue magical girl took a look down the last remaining pathway, where they’d likely find Madoka and Homura. “Well, almost everyone.” Not wasting another second, the six magical girls made a run for it.

Homura managed to block one swing of Mammon’s scythe with her shield. But on the next swing she wasn’t so lucky. Mammon struck Homura on the head with the blunt side of his scythe, throwing her off-balance. He followed up with a sweeping slash at her legs. The blow knocked Homura onto her back. Before she could recover, Mammon stabbed her in the side with the bottom end of his scythe. Homura screamed in agony.

As she looked up at Mammon, the hopelessness of the situation hit Homura all at once. Her shield was broken, her guns and bombs couldn’t hurt him, she couldn’t transform into Homulilly without being mind-controlled, and her demonic powers were still sealed away by the Quattro Elementi, who were still nowhere to be seen. There was no way for her to defend herself from Mammon, let alone protect Madoka from him.

“Now what should I do with you, Homura Akemi?” Mammon pondered as he kept Homura pinned down. “That witch of yours could be useful, but I won’t need it once I have her.” Mammon tilted his head towards Madoka, who was still fighting with his other body.

“Bastard…” Homura seethed. Mammon didn’t respond.

“Or I suppose I could force you to watch as I use your precious friend to harvest every human soul on this planet. I can’t deny I’d take great pleasure in seeing you suffer like that.” Mammon focused on Homura’s Soul Gem on her left hand. “But if probing her memories has taught me anything, it’s that as long as you’re still alive you’ll pose a threat to my plans. So I’ll play it safe and put an end to your pathetic life right here and now.” Mammon ripped his scythe out of Homura’s side, leaving a bloody, grievous wound. He then raised his weapon and prepared to destroy the dark magical girl’s Soul Gem. “Farewell, Homura Akemi.”

Homura looked on helplessly at Madoka, who hadn’t been faring any better against Mammon’s other body. The fiend had sliced her bow in half and knocked her to the floor as well. It was only a matter of time before Madoka fell under Mammon’s control. Homura had come this far, defeated countless witches, even overcome time and space themselves, only to fail Madoka at the very end. I’m sorry, Madoka… Homura shut her eyes, accepting her fate as Mammon swung his scythe. I’m so sorry.

But the fatal blow didn’t land. Homura opened her eyes to see Mammon’s scythe ensnared by Mami’s yellow ribbons. Then a barrage of bubbles from Nagisa’s trumpet exploded in front of Mammon’s face, disorienting him just long enough for Hitomi to rush in and carry Homura away from danger.

At the same time, Kyoko conjured a chain barrier right in front of Madoka, blocking a swing from Mammon’s scythe. Momo sent in a number of Sebastians to distract Mammon while Sayaka rushed in and pulled Madoka to safety. “You alright, Madoka?” Sayaka asked.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Thanks for coming to save us.” Madoka then noticed Hitomi setting Homura down and rushed over to them. Overcome with relief, Madoka threw her arms around Homura, but quickly let go when Homura winced in pain. “Oh, sorry.” Madoka said, grimacing at the gash on Homura's side.

“It’s okay. I can still-” Homura attempted to take a step forward, but collapsed to her knees in pain.

“Easy there. I’d better take care of this.” Sayaka knelt down beside Homura and began healing her wounds.

Trusting Sayaka’s abilities, Madoka conjured another bow and turned back to face Mammon’s two bodies, who were still slashing away the ribbons and chain barrier. Mami, Kyoko, Hitomi, Nagisa and Momo stood beside Madoka in solidarity. So that’s Kyubey? Hitomi asked Madoka telepathically.

No, he’s called Mammon now. Madoka replied. 

Which one’s the real one? Mami asked.

Both of them are. Madoka answered. They each share a single consciousness. If we destroy them both that’ll be the end of it. But don’t use your witches. He’ll take control of them if you do.

Hmph, like we need them. Kyoko scoffed. This grim reaper wannabe is nothing the Holy Octet can’t handle! The other magical girls stared at her silently for a couple seconds. Well, if five of us were the Holy Quintet , then…

The magical girls noticed Mammon had just destroyed the chain barrier, and his other body had cut away the ribbons entangling his scythe. Both bodies turned their attention to the Holy Octet. At the same time, Sayaka finished healing Homura’s wounds. Both of them got back up and stood alongside their allies. Seven of the eight magical girls readied their weapons. Since Homura’s shield was still broken, Madoka conjured a second bow and handed it off to Homura. In the dark magical girl’s hands, the bow turned black and metallic, adorned with two purple diamonds resembling her Soul Gem. If Homura couldn’t hurt Mammon with her non-magical weapons, maybe this bow would do the trick.

“We have you outmatched, Mammon.” Madoka declared. “It’s over.”

“Is it? Or have you just made me even more powerful?!” Both Mammons’ eyes flashed crimson, and six more bodies manifested beside them. All eight bodies charged at the Holy Octet. 

Madoka, Homura, Mami and Nagisa opened fire. Their arrows, bullets and bubbles struck four of Mammon’s bodies, but didn’t do much more than slow them down. The four bodies that evaded the barrage of projectiles quickly closed in on the Holy Octet. They went straight for Madoka, but Sayaka, Kyoko, Hitomi and Momo got in their way.

Sayaka took point. The closest body tried to impale her through the belly with the bottom end of its scythe. Aiming right for my Soul Gem, are you? Sayaka parried the predictable attack. With Mammon thrown off-balance, Sayaka swung her sword at Mammon’s neck. Her attack connected, but rather than decapitating the fiend, Sayaka’s blade shattered, leaving only a superficial cut.

“It’ll take more than that to kill me, Sayaka Miki.” Mammon slashed her across the belly, fortunately missing Sayaka’s Soul Gem by a hair. The attack flung her backwards. As Sayaka healed her wound, she glimpsed Hitomi out of the corner of her eye. The green magical girl punched another body right in the face, but all she did was get her hand hurt. Mammon counterattacked with his scythe, sending Hitomi flying into Sayaka. Both magical girls were knocked to the floor in a heap.

“You couldn’t hurt him either, huh?” Sayaka asked.

“It was like punching a concrete wall.” Hitomi replied. She then sensed Mammon closing in on her and Sayaka. Both girls recovered and dodged a swing of his scythe just in time.

Momo jumped towards one of Mammon’s bodies and brought her staff down on his head. Mammon blocked with his scythe and knocked Momo out of the air. Momo quickly got back up. “Rosso Phantasma!” she shouted, and Mammon was surrounded by illusory copies of Momo.

“You think that’ll work?” Mammon instantly found the real Momo. The fiend slashed her across the torso, bringing her to the ground once again. Before Momo could recover, Mammon pinned her underfoot. He stared intently at her Soul Gem. “Even in physical form, I can still sense your human souls. They call to me like a beacon.”

“You bastard!” Kyoko shouted. She tried to conjure a chain barrier to protect her sister, but another body struck her before she could, thwarting her attempt.

“Momo Sakura…” Mammon held his scythe to Momo’s throat. “You were such a worthless magical girl. I don’t know why I even bothered contracting you.” Mammon’s free hand began sparking with dark energy. He aimed it at Momo’s Soul Gem. “But now you’ll be of use to me.”

Tendrils of darkness shot out of Mammon’s hand. The attack struck Momo’s Soul Gem, draining its crimson light. Momo wailed in pain as Mammon corrupted her Soul Gem. After mere seconds, it turned completely black, and Momo was forcibly transformed into Elsa Maria. A golden halo appeared above the shadow witch’s head.

Upon seeing what Mammon did to Momo, Kyoko flew into a rage. She charged at the body that took control of her sister, flailing her spear recklessly. Kyoko struck the scythe out of Mammon’s hand and slashed his defenseless body repeatedly. But despite throwing everything she had into her attacks, they barely even scratched him. Before long Kyoko started to tire out, which gave Mammon a chance to break Kyoko’s spear and grab her by the throat.

“Is that the best you could do?” Mammon threw Kyoko to the ground. He then turned to Elsa Maria. “Kill your sister.”

At Mammon’s command, Elsa Maria summoned her familiars. The Sebastians launched themselves at Kyoko, tearing into her flesh one after another. But before they could finish the red magical girl off, Hitomi jumped in front of Kyoko, punching and kicking the familiars away. The distraction allowed Sayaka to pick Kyoko up off the ground. “Thanks, Hitomi.” Sayaka said as she carried Kyoko to safety.

“Wait… Momo…” Kyoko wheezed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll save her.” Sayaka assured her, albeit with little conviction. As much as she wanted to help Momo, all she could do right now was retreat to a safe distance where she could treat Kyoko’s wounds.

Madoka gasped when she saw what happened to Momo. The pink magical girl had been too preoccupied fighting off Mammon’s other bodies to protect Momo, but maybe she could still help. With her powers, she might be able to turn Elsa Maria back into Momo, but she’d need to get close enough to the shadow witch for that to work.

With Madoka distracted, four of Mammon’s bodies tried to land an attack. But Mami put up a ribbon barrier just in time, ensnaring their scythes with her ribbons. “Go help Momo.” Mami shouted to Madoka.

“We’ll hold these guys off.” Nagisa added as she joined up with Mami.

“Okay.” Madoka turned her attention back to Elsa Maria, who was still bombarding Hitomi with her familiars. Madoka launched several arrows at the Sebastians, which gave Hitomi a chance to jump out of the line of fire. The shadow witch then turned her attention to Madoka and sent her familiars after her instead.

Homura caught sight of what was going on. As much as she despised seeing Madoka risk her life for others, there was nothing Homura could do to stop her. All she could do was give Madoka cover while she tried to save Momo. Homura dodged an attack from the body she was fighting, then ran to Madoka’s side just in time to shoot away a Sebastian that was about to strike her. “Thanks, Homura.” Madoka said. Homura simply nodded, and the two of them hurried towards Elsa Maria together.

As Mami suspected, her ribbons didn’t hold Mammon off for very long. The four bodies she and Nagisa were up against tore through them with little effort. Mami shot one of them in the head point-blank, but all it did was flinch a little. Nagisa’s trumpet blasts weren’t any more effective. One body closed in on Nagisa and knocked the trumpet out of her hand, then pushed her to the floor and pinned her down. Then dark energy sparked from his hand.

“No!” Mami tried to shoot Mammon before he could corrupt Nagisa, but the other three bodies blocked her attack and knocked the gun out of her hands. All she could do was watch helplessly as Nagisa’s Soul Gem was corrupted by Mammon’s attack, forcing her to transform into Charlotte. Mammon put up his hand, and a halo appeared above the dessert witch’s head.

“Kill her.” Mammon ordered Charlotte as his four bodies ran off, leaving Mami to meet her fate at the hands of her surrogate little sister. The mind-controlled dessert witch shed her doll-like exterior to reveal her serpentine form. She descended upon Mami, ready to swallow her whole, only for Hitomi to jump up and kick her in the face, saving Mami in the nick of time.

“Are you alright, Mami?”

“I am, but-” Mami looked on at Charlotte as the dessert witch recovered from Hitomi’s attack. Charlotte bellowed, summoning several Pyotrs and Polinas. As the familiars advanced on Mami and Hitomi, the two of them realized there was nothing they could do to help Nagisa at the moment. All they could do was retreat and join up with Kyoko and Sayaka, and hopefully think up a battle plan.

Madoka winced, but once she saved Momo, she promised herself she’d save Nagisa too. She and Homura continued advancing towards Elsa Maria, but before they could reach her, four of Mammon’s bodies blocked their way. Madoka and Homura looked behind to see Mammon’s other four bodies closing in on them, backed up by Charlotte and her familiars. The two magical girls were surrounded and hopelessly outmatched. Unable to fight back, Madoka and Homura had no choice but to make a run for it and join up with the Quattro Elementi.

Madoka turned to Homura. “Don’t worry, we’ll-” Mammon struck Madoka from behind. The blade of his scythe pierced her straight through the chest. As Mammon removed the scythe, Madoka fell to her knees, bleeding heavily from her wound.

“Madoka!” Homura aimed her bow at the body that stabbed Madoka, hoping to get him away from Madoka. But at another body’s command, Charlotte slammed into Homura and sent her flying. She landed right next to the Quattro Elementi, who had rejoined the fight just a moment too late to protect Madoka.

With all five of Madoka’s remaining allies gathered in one place, Mammon ordered Charlotte and Elsa Maria’s familiars to attack. Mami and Kyoko had no choice but to put up a chain-ribbon barrier as a small army of Sebastians, Pyotrs and Polinas surrounded. While they could probably fight their way through some of the familiars, as long as Charlotte and Elsa Maria were around they’d just summon more of them. Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka, Hitomi and Homura were boxed in, unable to get to Madoka and save her.

“Did you humans really think you could defeat me?!” Mammon bellowed. “Everything you hairless apes have is because of the contracts I made with your ancestors. I cultivated your species, guided your evolution, shaped your civilization into what it is today, all for my own ends. The only reason you even exist is for me to harvest your souls. This planet and all its resources belong to me!” All eight of Mammon’s bodies gathered around Madoka. “And now it’s time to reap what I’ve sown.”

Each of Mammon’s bodies shot dark tendrils directly at her Soul Gem. Madoka screamed in pain as her Soul Gem was slowly blackened by Mammon’s attack. Madoka resisted Mammon as best she could, but even the goddess had her limits. She couldn’t fight him off forever. Sooner or later, she’d give in and be forcibly transformed into Kriemhild Gretchen. Then Mammon would use her to harvest the souls of all humans on Earth.

“Madoka…” Tears began welling up in Homura’s eyes. She’d long since given up counting how many times she’d been forced to watch helplessly as Madoka lost her life to Kyubey’s machinations. At least back then she could always reset the timeline and try again, but that was no longer an option. There was nothing she or her allies could do to stop Mammon. It was all over.

Homura wasn’t the only one suffering. Kyoko was also fighting back tears as she stared hopelessly at Elsa Maria. “I just got her back, dammit!” she seethed through gritted teeth. Sayaka tried to console Kyoko, but it didn’t seem to be working. And Hitomi could do nothing but stand by, unable to think of any way to help her friends.

Mami’s mind was racing as she stared at Charlotte. As concerned as she was for Nagisa, she also knew they needed a plan. None of their weapons could even scratch Mammon, so that was out. And without any earth, fire, wind or water around, summoning their witches wasn't an option either. Even if they could be summoned, Mammon would just take control of them anyway.

Mami could think of only one way out of this predicament. It was extremely risky, possibly even suicidal, but the Holy Octet were beyond desperate at this point. Reluctantly, the yellow magical girl turned to Homura. “Get out your Soul Gem.” she said as she removed her own Soul Gem from her hair. “We’re giving you your power back.”

The others were taken aback, including Homura herself. But they knew Mami was right. There was no other way to defeat Mammon. Homura took her Soul Gem from her left hand. Mami held hers up to Homura’s.

“Make sure he suffers.” Kyoko grabbed the Soul Gem off her chest and held it up to Homura’s as well.

“I guess we have no choice…” Hitomi grabbed her Soul Gem off her forehead and joined it with the others’.

Sayaka reached for her Soul Gem, but hesitated just before grabbing it. Needless to say, she still didn’t completely trust Homura. There was no telling what she might do once she was off the leash the four of them had placed on her. Homura could very well rewrite the universe and imprison Madoka again. There’d be nothing stopping her. If Homura did that, what would happen to the Quattro Elementi? And would she even care enough not to just destroy Momo and Nagisa?

“Dammit, Sayaka, what are you waiting for?!” Kyoko shouted. Sayaka saw Mami and Hitomi staring at her as well, their expressions reflecting Kyoko’s sentiment. As much as Sayaka distrusted Homura, even she couldn’t argue that Mammon had to be dealt with, and there was no time left to be indecisive.

Sayaka took a deep breath and grabbed her Soul Gem from her belly. “Don’t make me regret this.” she said as she held her Soul Gem up to Homura’s.

Homura’s Soul Gem took its power back from those of the Quattro Elementi, gradually transforming back into a Dark Orb as it did. Homura’s magical girl costume ripped apart as she regained her demon form. At the same time, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Hitomi all collapsed. “What the hell?” Kyoko barely managed to wheeze out.

“We were on borrowed time.” Mami mumbled just before she lost consciousness, realizing the power the four of them had taken from Homura was also the only thing fueling their Soul Gems since they’d returned from the Nexus of Despair. The power they’d been wielding was rightfully Homura’s, after all. Not only could they not fight without it, they were just barely clinging to life. Everything was truly on Homura now.

With Mami and Kyoko no longer able to sustain it, the chain-ribbon barrier disappeared. Not paying the Quattro Elementi a second thought, Homura conjured a wave of hellish purple flames that incinerated the familiars surrounding her. She then fired an arrow of dark energy straight at one of Mammon’s bodies. The arrow struck his side, knocking him several meters back and grievously injuring him. Mammon’s other seven bodies let Madoka go and turned their attention to Homura. Madoka had passed out from the pain and fallen limp to the ground, but still had some light left in her Soul Gem. Mammon hadn’t fully corrupted her just yet.

“Well, looks like you-” Homura didn’t let Mammon finish. She shot another arrow at the body speaking to her, this time striking him square in the face. His head burst into dark purple flames that quickly spread down to his torso and limbs. In mere moments, the body had completely disintegrated.

The six bodies surrounding Madoka stared at Homura in disbelief for a fleeting moment. One of them rushed towards Homura while the other five turned their attention back on Madoka as she lay unconscious on the floor. Homura took notice and conjured fifteen pillars of darkness between Madoka and Mammon’s bodies. The pillars coalesced into the Clara Dolls. At Homura’s command, Love picked up Madoka and carried her to safety while the other fourteen held Mammon off. With her familiars protecting Madoka, Homura could focus on destroying the fiend.

As the body rushing Homura closed in on her, Homura made a slashing motion with her left hand, launching a crescent wave of hellfire that bisected Mammon. Both halves of his body fell to the floor and disintegrated. She then shifted focus to the body she’d attacked first, still lying on the floor. Homura shot another arrow at it to finish it off. The attack struck true, but in that body’s death throes, it issued a command to Elsa Maria and Charlotte.

Out of the corner of her eye, Homura spotted a pair of Sebastians hurtling towards her. Homura simply flicked her wrist and destroyed both familiars with another hellfire blast. As for Elsa Maria herself, Homura performed an arcane gesture with her left hand. A circular symbol resembling Homura’s shield appeared beneath Elsa Maria. The symbol flashed bright violet, and Elsa Maria was frozen in time. Homura turned to see Charlotte’s serpentine form aiming to bite down on her, but the dessert witch suffered the same fate when Homura cast the same spell on her.

Shifting her focus back to Mammon, Homura noticed three of his bodies hacking and slashing their way through the Clara Dolls. He’d already taken out Blockhead, Pride, Laziness, Slander and Inferiority, and the rest of the dolls weren’t faring much better. Powerful as her familiars were, they couldn’t protect Madoka forever, not against Mammon. But that wouldn’t be a problem for much longer. Homura waved her hand, and tendrils of dark energy shot out from the ground and ensnared the three bodies fighting the Clara Dolls. With a mere flick of Homura’s wrist, all of them were ripped apart.

In an apparent last-ditch effort, one of Mammon’s two remaining bodies put up its hand. A golden halo appeared above Homura’s head as Mammon attempted to control her mind. Homura’s demon form might’ve been close enough to a witch that she could be controlled by Mammon’s power, at least that was what the fiend was apparently thinking. For a split second it seemed to work, but Homura broke through Mammon’s control with minimal effort. If he couldn’t take control of Homulilly, what chance did he have against Homura at her full power? The demon retaliated with another blast of hellfire, incinerating the body that tried to brainwash her.

As Homura stared down Mammon’s last remaining body, she noticed the scythe trembling in his hands. Lately Kyubey had been showing a number of different emotions, but now he was experiencing perhaps the basest one of them all. Fear. He was afraid of the imminent end of his millenia-long life. A lesser person might have shown mercy and let him surrender, but Homura knew better than that. As long as Kyubey existed in any way, shape or form, he’d stop at nothing to bend Madoka to his will. The only surefire way to protect her from the Incubators was to end them once and for all.

With that in mind, Homura readied an arrow. She recalled every time Kyubey took Madoka away from her, channeling all her grief and rage into her weapon. Mammon tried to make a run for it, but Homura wouldn’t let him escape. She loosed the arrow, and Mammon was struck through the chest. Hellish purple flames slowly spread from the wound as the fiend dropped his scythe and fell to his knees, unable to move as his body gave out on him.

Homura briefly considered finishing him off with another shot, but decided that would be too merciful of her. Instead, she merely stood there as the dark flames slowly engulfed his body. Homura wanted to savor every second of her nemesis’ demise. He deserved nothing less after everything he’d put Madoka through. Homura floated closer, hoping to indulge in Mammon’s agony and terror in his final moments.

But strangely, Mammon wasn’t displaying any terror at all. In fact, he was calm, almost as if he’d accepted his inevitable end. “Seems I couldn’t defy fate after all.” the fiend mumbled. He then looked up to face Homura. “Well, Homura Akemi, you did it. It took you God-knows how many timelines, but you did it. You’ve won the battle for Madoka Kaname’s soul.” A faint cackle escaped Mammon’s breath. “But… somewhere in the back of your mind… you must’ve remembered why I was after her in the first place.”

Homura said nothing. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“That’s right, Homura.” Mammon pointed his finger at the self-proclaimed demon. “Madoka Kaname is all yours, but the universe is doomed to entropy. All because of YOU!” Mammon’s body disintegrated into nothingness, his psychotic laugh echoing throughout the labyrinth as it faded away with him. The white void of his labyrinth was slowly replaced by the ruins of Mitakihara City.

With Mammon gone, there was no longer anything tethering Madoka to the physical world. As she regained consciousness, her eyes turned gold, her angelic wings sprouted from her back, and her magical girl costume transformed into the immaculate white dress of her goddess form. Before long she began her ascent back to the Law of Cycles.

Freed from Mammon’s control, Charlotte and Elsa Maria turned back into Nagisa and Momo. Then their Soul Gems shattered, as did Sayaka’s. Having fulfilled their mission on Earth, it was time for the three of them to return with Madoka. And without Homura’s power to sustain them in the physical world, Kyoko, Mami and Hitomi’s Soul Gems gave out as well. They too were spirited away by Madoka’s power. The seven of them found themselves in the starry expanse between Earth and the Law of Cycles. 

But before any of them could cross over, Homura appeared out of nowhere. The demon grabbed Madoka’s wrist, stopping the goddess from disappearing. “Homura…” Madoka whispered. Sayaka reached for her sword, but Kyoko gestured for her to stay back. There was nothing she or any of the other magical girls could do to stop Homura. None of them were anywhere near strong enough to beat her.

Homura couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opportunity than this. All she had to do now was pull Madoka back to Earth and rewrite the universe again. And this time, Kyubey wouldn’t be around to undermine her efforts. As for the other magical girls, Homura could simply let them move on to the Law of Cycles so they couldn’t mess up her plans either. Or if they did get roped in with Madoka, Homura could just imprison them in the Nexus of Despair and erase all memory of their existence from her new universe. It would just be her and Madoka, with no one else to threaten the goddess’ happiness.

And yet, despite this perfect opportunity, Homura found herself unable to go through with it. Maybe because she knew it would just be a fantasy, maybe because she expected her plan would backfire somehow just like it did before. Or maybe it was because she didn’t deserve to be with Madoka, not after everything she’d done since her rebellion. Whatever the reason, Homura’s grip on Madoka began to weaken. “Madoka, I’m sorry for everything.” With that, Homura let go.

“Wait!” This time, Madoka took hold of Homura’s wrist. All the demon could do was stare back at her in utter confusion. “Homura, I understand why you did what you did, and I don’t blame you for it. Having to leave everyone behind really did break my heart. Seeing my friends, my family, everyone I knew forget all about me… it was unbearable.” Madoka looked away. “But the worst part was having to watch you suffer all alone. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I could see you starting to doubt your own memories of me. I wanted to tell you I was there so badly, but there was nothing I could do. At least not until you died.” Madoka sniffled. “How morbid is that?”

“Madoka…” Homura whispered, realizing she’d been right the whole time. Acting as the Law of Cycles really was painful for Madoka. Even if it didn’t turn her into a witch, Madoka’s wish still ended with her suffering. It was a fate no magical girl could escape from, not even the most powerful one of all.

“Believe me, if I could, I’d go back to Earth and spend the rest of my life with you. It’s what I want more than anything.” Madoka let out a heavy sigh. “But as horrible as it is, it’s still my duty to save magical girls from becoming witches. That’s the fate I accepted when I made my contract. And that’s why I have to return to the Law of Cycles. I hope you can forgive me someday.”

Homura winced. As painful as it was to see Madoka go yet again, she understood this was how it had to be. Homura turned away, preparing to be sent back to Earth once more. Knowing there was every chance she’d eventually go mad and rebel against Madoka once again, she planned to imprison herself in the Nexus of Despair, this time taking precautions to ensure she’d never escape. It was the only way.

But before Madoka could let go of Homura, Kyoko spoke up. “Hey, if Kyubey’s gone, doesn’t that mean there won’t be any more magical girls?”

Madoka paused, still holding on to Homura. “I suppose not…”

“And there shouldn’t be any more on Earth right now, either. We were the only ones left after Homura rewrote the universe.” Mami added, gesturing to herself and Kyoko. She then turned to Hitomi. “And I’m pretty sure you were the only new one.”

“Yeah, I was.” Hitomi replied. “I asked him repeatedly to recruit more magical girls to get me some help, but he kept saying he only needed one.”

“That’s right…” Madoka said. Homura sensed a twinge of joyous realization in Madoka’s voice. She could feel her own hopes rising as well, though after everything she’d been through, it was hard to trust any positive feelings like that.

Since everyone else seemed to be tiptoeing around it, Nagisa decided to just say what everyone was thinking. “If that’s true, then we won’t need the Law of Cycles anymore. You can go back with Homura.”

“I could, couldn’t I?” A smile slowly crept onto Madoka’s face. But before she said anything else to Homura, she glanced in Sayaka’s direction, almost out of force of habit. Homura did as well, and before long the blue magical girl felt all eyes on her.

Sayaka understood what those looks meant. The others were expecting her to object or say something else to rain on their parade. She sighed, realizing just how much of a wet blanket she’d been this whole time. But as much as she deserved the stare-down she was getting, even she couldn’t object to what the others were saying. “Ah, go back and live your life.” Sayaka told Madoka. “You’ve earned it.”

With everyone else on board, that smile finally found its way onto Madoka’s face. “Alright then. Homura, I want you to take me back to Earth.”

Tears of joy began welling up in Homura’s eyes. “Madoka… do you really mean it?”

“Yes, with all my heart.” Madoka put up her finger. “But I do have a few conditions. First, you can’t call yourself a demon, a devil or anything like that ever again. You’re not evil, and I don’t want you thinking you are anymore.”

Homura didn’t quite agree with that sentiment, but nodded anyway.

“Second, please don’t erase my memories this time. I want to remember so I can appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

Once again, Homura reluctantly nodded.

“And third, if they want to, you have to let our friends come back with us.” Madoka gestured to the rest of the Holy Octet. “And you can’t tamper with their memories either.”

Homura sighed. “Alright.” Homura turned her attention to the others. “Do any of you wish to return?”

Nagisa was the first to respond. “Well I’m definitely going back. There’s still so many different cheeses I haven’t tried yet.”

“Sheesh, what kind of heaven doesn’t have cheese?” Kyoko asked.

“No food of any kind.” Momo bemoaned.

“What?!” Kyoko shouted. “If that’s what I have to look forward to, then I’m going back and gorging myself every day till I die.”

Sayaka rolled her eyes. “Well, someone’s gotta make sure you don’t overdo it. I’d better go back with you.”

“Believe me, you’re gonna need backup.” Momo said. “I’m staying too.”

“Gee, thanks.” Kyoko mumbled sarcastically.

“I’d better go back too.” Mami looked towards Nagisa. “I still owe you that wheel of Jarlsberg.”

“I guess it’s unanimous then.” Hitomi said. “I’m going back as well.”

With that, the Holy Octet all joined hands. Homura and Madoka combined their godly powers and rewrote the universe once again.

Madoka was the first to reappear in the ruins of Mitakihara city, followed shortly by Homura. Both of them appeared in their magical girl costumes. Homura would’ve preferred for Madoka to be fully human again, but even she couldn’t make that happen. All she could’ve done was suppress Madoka’s memories of making a contract, and that would’ve violated Madoka’s conditions for returning. It seemed she’d be a magical girl for the rest of her life. But judging by the smile Madoka wore, she didn’t seem to have a problem with that.

Seconds later, the rest of the Holy Octet reappeared back on Earth as well. Mami grabbed her Soul Gem out of her hair and inspected it. It was glowing brighter than she’d ever seen it glow before. Looking around, so were everyone else’s. “Goddess-powered Soul Gems, I see.”

“Yep, those should last at least a few decades.” Madoka said.

Sayaka looked in the direction of the evacuation center. “I guess we should go see how everyone’s doing.” Everyone else agreed and started making their way towards the evacuation center, but stopped when Kyoko stepped on something squishy. She looked down to see Kyubey’s lifeless body lying there next to Mammon’s Grief Seed, which was just as plain and featureless as Kyubey’s Soul Gem had been.

“So he’s really dead, huh?” Kyoko asked as she poked Kyubey’s corpse with her spear.

“Yep, and good riddance.” Momo answered.

“So that Mammon thing Homura destroyed… What was it?” Hitomi asked. “Was it Kyubey’s witch? His true form?”

“No, not exactly…” Madoka said. She explained how millenia ago, when human civilization was in its infancy, an alien species came across Earth. They’d discovered how the emotional energy of humans could be used to combat entropy. Kyubey was the member of that species tasked with harvesting human souls as per the contract he’d made with his superiors. He gave up his body and placed his soul in a Soul Gem, which was then sent to Earth and hidden from humans so he could carry out his orders. Creating and maintaining Incubator bodies, cloaking them from normal humans, making contracts with magical girls, telepathic communication, all of it was fueled by the power of Kyubey’s Soul Gem.

Because his species didn’t experience hope and despair the way humans did, and because he had access to all the Grief Seeds (or Cubes) he could ever need, his Soul Gem could have lasted indefinitely, at least in theory. But between what Homura put him through with the wraiths, his repeated failure to gain control of the Law of Cycles, and millenia of dealing with the unpredictability of human emotions, Kyubey’s sanity had slowly grated away. He began experiencing emotions of his own, which for his species was a form of madness. In one last desperate attempt to capture Madoka, he gave in to that madness and became the fiend known as Mammon. And when Homura struck Mammon down, Kyubey’s soul ceased to exist, bringing an end to all Incubators on Earth.

Mami bent down and picked up Mammon’s Grief Seed. “But what do we do with this?”

Without saying anything, Homura snatched the Grief Seed out of Mami’s hand. Homura then waved her hand and opened up a portal to the Nexus of Despair. She threw the Grief Seed into her own personal Hell and closed the portal behind it.

“Yeah, I’d say that’s where it belongs.” Kyoko quipped.

With that, the Holy Octet continued venturing back to the evacuation center. Halfway there, they ran into the citizens of Mitakihara City. Evidently they’d broken through the barricade Nagisa and Momo had set up, but it did last long enough to prevent them from being pulled into Mammon’s labyrinth. The two young magical girls breathed a sigh of relief knowing Homura had defeated Mammon just in time.

Just as they did last time, the citizens of Mitakihara greeted the magical girls with thunderous applause. Sayaka was the first to find her parents in the crowd. She and the Sakura sisters went up to them. While Mr. and Mrs. Miki were relieved to see them okay, they did give Sayaka and Kyoko an earful for slinking off without saying anything earlier. Hitomi got it even worse from her parents when she told them their house had been blown up. Mr. Momoe and Ms. Saotome were much more forgiving, though. When Nagisa and Mami returned to them, all they could do was embrace the two girls warmly.

Madoka then caught sight of her parents and her brother. The pink magical girl took a deep breath and approached them, trying to suppress the tears of joy welling up in her eyes. “Mom, Dad, Tatsuya… I’m back.”

Nothing else needed to be said. Junko and Tomohisa simply embraced their long-lost daughter, elated beyond words to finally see her again. Madoka felt Tatsuya hugging her leg, apparently just as happy to see her.

After what felt like forever, Madoka looked back over her shoulder. She saw Homura taking her cat back from Hitomi, thanking the green magical girl for taking care of Amy for the past year. While Hitomi went back to her parents, Homura simply looked on at the Kanames, wearing a mixture of guilt and longing on her face.

“Hey, aren’t you gonna come join us?” Madoka called out to Homura, waving for the dark magical girl to come over. With a reluctant sigh, Homura walked over to them with Amy’s cat carrier in tow.

“We were worried about you, y’know.” Tomohisa said.

“You were?”

“Well yeah, you went missing for a whole year.” Junko said. “How’d you think we’d feel about it?”

That was the first time Homura could remember anyone other than Madoka being concerned about her. She wasn’t even really sure how to respond to it, having been alone for pretty much all her life. All she could do was stand there awkwardly. Madoka didn’t oblige her to say anything, though. She already knew Homura was always the strong silent type. Or at least that was the front she was used to putting on. Evidently Junko and Tomohisa picked up on that as well.

“Don’t worry, Homura.” Madoka said. “As long as you have us, you’ll never have to be alone again.”

“Yep, and if you want to stay with us while they rebuild the city, you and your cat are more than welcome to.” Junko added.

“But dear, what about your allergies?” Tomohisa asked.

“Oh, I’ll manage. It’s the least I could do for her.”

Homura sniffled. “Thank you, Mrs. Kaname.”

“No need to be so formal. You can just call me Junko. Or better yet, call me ‘Mom’, alright?” Junko said as she pulled Homura into the Kaname family’s group hug.

“Sorry we’re late.” Madoka said as she and Homura entered the Sakura family’s church. Mami had called the Holy Octet to meet here. While Kyoko and Momo didn’t like being here, it was the only meeting place the team had since Mitakihara City was still in ruins. Dilapidated as the church was, it was still in better condition than any of their homes, which would likely take weeks or even months to repair.

“Looks like that’s everyone.” Nagisa said. “So what’d you want to talk about, Mami?”

“About our future, to put it simply.” Mami replied. “I’ve been thinking about what Mammon said right before he died. As evil as his methods were, he was protecting the universe from a very real threat, assuming he was telling the truth. Without him, we’ll have to find another way to combat entropy.”

“And on top of that, we only got rid of the Incubators living on Earth.” Sayaka added. “I doubt Kyubey’s home planet is gonna take this lying down.”

“I don’t suppose they’d be willing to cooperate with us, would they?” Hitomi wondered. “If entropy affects the whole universe, shouldn’t we work together to solve it?”

“Not likely.” Sayaka said. “Those aliens don’t think like humans do, and they don’t understand our values either. We’re just too different for that to work.”

“I guess that was a bit optimistic of me.” Hitomi mumbled.

“Don’t get me wrong, killing Mammon was the right move. We had no choice.” Mami said. “But getting rid of him is gonna have some far-reaching consequences.” The yellow magical girl let out a heavy sigh. “Our fight isn’t over yet, not by a longshot.”

An ominous silence fell over the eight magical girls as they considered the implications of what Mami just said. The Incubators’ home planet was the more imminent concern. While it was hundreds of lightyears away from Earth, the space-travel technology at their disposal likely made that a non-issue. Kyubey’s superiors would almost certainly be here sooner or later. How they’d respond to Kyubey’s death was anyone’s guess. Knowing them, the best case scenario would likely be sending a replacement. And at worst, it could mean a full blown alien invasion, one that Earth would be ill-prepared to fight off.

Of course, entropy was the much bigger issue. Even the most brilliant scientists on Earth couldn’t overcome the laws of thermodynamics. Kyubey’s civilization was supposedly far more advanced, but the best solution they could come up with was harvesting human souls, and who knew how effective that really was. Finding a humane solution to the problem wouldn’t be easy.

“Hey, cheer up, will ya? You’re acting like we lost.” Kyoko broke the silence. “We beat Kyubey once and for all, we saved the whole world, and all eight of us made it out alive. Considering how things usually go for us, I’d say we did pretty damn good.” That seemed to lift everyone else’s spirits, if only a little. “And whatever Kyubey’s home planet throws at us, it won’t be anything the Holy Octet can’t overcome.”

“Well, let’s not get overconfident.” Mami said. “But I agree. As long as we stay sharp, we should be able to handle things.”

The Holy Octet continued to speculate about their upcoming trials until Sayaka noticed the sun setting. “Looks like I should get going. Gotta meet Mom and Dad for dinner.”

“Great, I’m starving.” Kyoko said.

“Yeah, me too.” Momo added.

Sayaka sighed. If Momo ate even half as much as Kyoko did, the Mikis would likely go broke in less than a month. But Kyoko was effectively family at this point, and that meant Momo was too. Putting her up alongside her sister was the least Sayaka could do. With that, the three girls walked out of the church.

“I’d better go too. I have to help plan Dad and Ms. Saotome’s wedding.” Nagisa said. “Mami, can you walk me home?”

“Alright.” Mami took Nagisa’s hand. “And I’ll get you that Jarlsberg on the way.”

“Hey, um…” Hitomi mumbled as she walked up to Mami. “When you’re done with that… you wouldn’t want to join me for dinner, would you?”

Mami smiled. “I’d love to.”

Nagisa simply cooed as the three of them left through the front door.

Madoka smiled, glad that she and all of her friends could finally be happy. Well, almost all of them. The pink magical girl turned to see Homura standing next to the ruined altar, brooding as she usually did. “Homura, are you okay?” Madoka asked as she walked down the aisle and joined Homura at the altar.

Homura took a moment to answer. “Madoka… I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you.”

“Hey, remember what we agreed to.” Madoka said. “You can’t keep beating yourself up like that.”

“But I betrayed you. I stole your powers, I wiped your memories, and I imprisoned you in that fake universe.” Homura looked away from Madoka. “How was I any better than Kyubey?”

Madoka shook her head. “No, don’t ever compare yourself to that monster. He only saw me as a means to an end. But you went through Hell and back to save my life. Even when you tore me from the Law of Cycles, you were just doing what you thought was best for me.”

“Madoka…” Homura gathered her courage and turned to face Madoka. “All I ever wanted was to have you back. I can’t live without you, Madoka. You mean everything to me.”

“Believe me, the feeling’s mutual. I can’t live without you either, Homura. I mean, I wouldn’t even be alive if you hadn’t wished to go back in time.”

Homura sighed. “I wouldn’t be alive if you didn’t save me from that witch.”

“See, we really can’t live without each other. All the more reason for us to stay together.”

Homura couldn’t argue with that. Staying together really was what was best for both her and Madoka, no matter how Homura looked at it.

“I can’t say for sure what the future will bring, and I can’t promise things will be perfect.” Madoka took hold of Homura’s hands. “But what I do know is that we’ll face it together. Besides, I did promise I’d always be there for you. Do you promise you’ll always be there for me?”

Homura closed her ears to that voice of self-hatred. Being there for Madoka was what she desired from the bottom of her heart. She had no reason to deny herself that happiness anymore. For the first time since she could remember, a genuine smile appeared on Homura’s face. “I do.” The dark magical girl took a deep breath. “And do you promise that whatever we face in the future, you’ll let me protect you?”

“I do.” Madoka smiled just as bright. “Hey, I just realized, we never finished talking after we saw The Nutcracker. I never got to tell you-”

“Madoka, you don’t have to-”

“Please, just let me say it.”

After a pause, Homura nodded.

“I love you, Homura.”

A simple “I love you, too.” was all that escaped Homura’s breath as the two embraced one another and sealed their vows with a kiss.