Chapter Text
Mitakihara City, a new location with its own set of challenges. It would soon be the new home of a young, magenta-haired teenage girl named Mariko Takekawa. She had lived in Kawasaki for many years, but after losing her little sister to mysterious circumstances, her family decided it was best to move. Besides, Mitakihara held better business opportunities for her father anyway.
"We're almost there, honey." Her father told her behind the drivers' seat of their car. "Mitakihara City's only a few hours away."
Mariko didn't respond. She sat there looking at the floorboard as she reminisced about the good times she had spent with her sister.
"Mariko? Are you feeling okay?" He wanted to check up on her, expressing his concern for his only remaining daughter.
"I guess..." Mariko sighed, sorrow clear in her voice. It had been days since the funeral, but she still hadn't fully healed from the incident.
"I know... We all miss her... But she wouldn't want you to be sad. She'll always be with us in our hearts." He tried his best to comfort her. He too was feeling devastated, but he couldn't show it in front of his daughter. For her, he needed to put on a brave face. When they stopped at a red light, Mariko picked her head up and looked out the car window, wondering what the future held for her. "This is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives."
A new chapter... Right... The story didn't end here. She may have felt like she had lost everything, but after hitting rock bottom, it was only uphill from here. That didn't make things any easier though, but she knew that from here on out, things would be different. Mitakihara City... Just what is waiting for her here...? Only time would tell where fate took her next.
After arriving at her new home, Mariko wasted no time bringing in the boxes of her things into her new bedroom. She brought a cardboard box full of her belongings close to her bedroom window and set it down atop another box. Afterwards, she took a step back wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Whew... That's the last box. Now I just gotta unpack everything."
She gazed out her bedroom window, taking in the sight of her new yard. "Moving's always a hastle," she said to no one in particular, "but it's gotta be done." She rested her elbows atop the cardboard box she set down, supporting her head as she leaned in. "I just wonder if I can handle it... A new city... A new school..." She paused, taking out a sack of Grief Seeds from her pocket. "New witches..."
Suddenly, Mariko was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock at the door. With a gasp, Mariko quickly turned around to look at her bedroom door before hearing her mother's voice behind it. "Mariko? Can I come in?"
Quickly, Mariko scrambled to find a hiding place for her Grief Seeds. She lifted a pillow and hid the sack underneath it. "Y-yeah, Mom! Come in!"
Her mother opened the door with a solemn expression on her face. She knew Mariko had been through a lot recently, just as the rest of the family had. "I just wanted you to know... What happened with your sister? It wasn't your fault..."
She didn't know the full truth of what had actually happened, and even if Mariko told her, she wouldn't understand. Mariko knew who was truly to blame for all this. "I know, Mom... I just wish there was more I could have done..."
Mariko's mother gently placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder out of comfort. "I know, honey... But there's only so much we can do... I know you'd even turn back time if you could."
Hearing that made Mariko smile. If she could control reality, that would be exactly what she'd do. "Yeah. As many times as it takes!"
Her mother was more than happy to see a smile on her daughter's face. "That's my girl! Confident and defiant!"
A fiery determination began glowing in Mariko's eyes as she clenched her fists together. "Fate doesn't control me! I control my fate!"
This was the Mariko she knew and loved! The Mariko who never gave up no matter what. "Spoken like a true hero!" Her mother praised.
However, Mariko's smile slowly began to fade as a somber expression took hold once more. She folded her arms and looked off to the side. "If only a positive outlook was enough to bring her back..."
Hearing Mariko speak like this was painful. Her mother felt terrible that Mariko felt this way, but even worse since she lost one of her daughters. She understood how Mariko felt. "I know... What happened wasn't fair... We're all suffering from it, but we have to be strong. For her. She may be gone, but her memory will never die."
"Her memory..." Hearing that had truly spoken to Mariko. She found her mother's words to be very powerful. "Right... I'll cherish her memory."
Mariko's mother smiled and extended her arms to her daughter. "Come here." Mariko came closer and wrapped her arms around her mother, accepting her hug. Feeling she had done all she could for the time being, she let go of Mariko and smiled at her. "Alright. I guess I won't bother you anymore. You can finish unpacking. Just remember to come out for dinner."
Mariko nodded, a smile on her face. "Don't worry. I won't forget."
And with that, her mother turned and began to leave. "Your new school uniform's already in the closet! Remember that for tomorrow!"
Right. Her new school. Being reminded of this, Mariko waved to her mother as she left. "Thanks, Mom!" She called out just before her mother left the room. When she was gone, Mariko looked at the framed photo of herself with her little sister on her dresser. She frowned as she slowly walked over to the dresser, picking the photo up in her hand. She missed seeing her sister's smile in person, but at least it was captured in this picture. "I'm starting school tomorrow, Kotono..." She told the picture as though her sister were still here. "Wish me luck..."
The next day began as normal for three girls in particular. A pink haired girl named Madoka Kaname, a blue haired girl named Sayaka Miki, and a green haired girl named Hitomi Shizuki. The three girls were walking along their usual path to school. The three of them were locked into a conversation about boys and how to tell if one liked you.
"My mom said that if a boy can't say he loves you to your face, he's not worth your time." Madoka explained, taking her mother's advice to heart.
"Your mom is way cool, Madoka! I mean she's smart, gorgeous and successful." Sayaka admired, impressed by the wisdom of her best friend's mother.
Hitomi let out a sigh. "If only I could make up my mind as easily as that."
Sayaka couldn't help but tease Hitomi a bit in response. "If only everyone could have your problems."
"You know, she is right," Madoka lamented. "I wish someone would send me a love letter some time. It'd be nice to get one.
"Ah, I get it now," Sayaka grinned. "You want to be as beautiful and popular as Hitomi here, don't ya? I bet that's why you're wearing those ribbons to change your image." On this particular day, Madoka's mother had given her a pair of red ribbons to wear in her hair. Those ribbons had given Sayaka the ammunition she needed to give Madoka a hard time.
Madoka's eyes widened, surprised by what she was hearing. "That's not true!" She protested. "My mom picked these out and-"
Before she could finish her thought, Sayaka cut her off with a coy grin on her face. "You tricked your mom into telling you the secret to being popular, didn't you? Well, I'm not going to let that happen!"
Madoka realized what it was that Sayaka was suggesting. "No! No, stop it! No!"
"You're just too cute! I'm not gonna let you be popular with the boys. You're mine, Madoka! Mine, mine, mine!" Sayaka then playfully tried to grab Madoka.
"Sayaka!" Madoka squirmed, swerving and swaying away from Sayaka. Hitomi just watched the two of them unsure of what to make of the display before her.
As Sayaka was trying to catch her prey, however, a new, unfamiliar voice interrupted the group. "Um... Excuse me!"
"Huh?" Sayaka stopped in her tracks. The three turned to look at the source of this new voice. A girl with magenta hair who looked no older than them was standing across the street from them. She was dressed in the same school uniform as the three of them.
"Hey... Um... So... I just moved here," The girl began nervously. "Is this the right way to Mitakihara Middle School?"
So this was a new student? The three of them smiled at this new girl. Sayaka placed a hand on her hip as she smiled at the newcomer. "Yep! Sure is! Why don't you walk with us, newbie?"
Walk to school with them? She didn't know these girls. Would it really be okay? She wouldn't be stepping on any toes, would she? "Well... I mean, I wouldn't want to be a bother-"
"Nonsense!" Hitomi cut off the girl giving her a friendly smile. "You wouldn't be a bother at all!"
"You heard the lady!" Sayaka chimed in, a warm, inviting smile on her face as well. "Come join the Sayaka Squad!"
These girls were really nice! It was only her first day here in Mitakihara and already she had met some friendly people her age. "Really? I-... Well, who am I to say 'no'?" Excitedly, the girl ran across the street to meet up with the other three. "Here I am! Ready to go!"
Sayaka smiled brightly as the girl arrived. "Welcome to the crew, newbie!" She gleefully greeted.
"Hi!" Madoka greeted with enthusiasm.
"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance!" Hitomi politely bowed to her.
Sayaka placed her hand on the new girl's shoulder. She had a pretty good feeling about her. "Ya know what? I think you and I are gonna get along just fine."
Hearing Sayaka say that made the magenta-haired girl's day. "That means a lot. It really does."
But while Sayaka felt good vibes from this newcomer, the same could not be said for Madoka. Something wasn't right... She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt something... sinister about this girl... Something... Dark...
"Ya got a name or what?" Sayaka inquired, wanting to know more about her new friend.
"I'm Mariko. Mariko Takekawa." She happily introduced.
"Nice to meet you! Sayaka Miki. This is Hitomi, and last but not least is Madoka!" Sayaka introduced, motioning to each of the girls. Though the more Madoka stared at Mariko, the more she felt this negative aura coming from her... Maybe it was just her imagination. At least... she hoped...
When the trio got to class, their teacher, Ms. Saotome, was not in a very good mood. "I have a very important issue to discuss today. So eyes front, ears open!" She demanded, and began to teach her "lesson". "The correct way to fry an egg! Is it sunny side up or down?" Her date had recently left her due to the way she cooked her eggs, and as such, she was absolutely livid and had decided to rant to her students in order to vent her frustrations. When no one had spoken up, she looked around the classroom and called on the first student she saw. "Nakazawa! Come on, I don't have all day!"
The student jumped a bit in his seat, startled by suddenly being called on. "I-... You can fry it either way, can't you?" He answered nervously, confused by her sudden hostility.
Her expression immediately softened. She snapped her fingers and pointed at Nakazawa, happy to have gotten the answer she wanted. "Yes, precisely! You can fry it either way!" She exclaimed happily, but then she immediately shifted back to anger as she continued her rant. "Therefore, goes without saying that you should never judge a woman's beauty by the way she fries her eggs! Remember, girls, do not associate with men who refuse to eat eggs that have been fried sunny side down!"
Madoka and Sayaka both were a little befuddled as to why this was such an important topic of discussion. Though they both knew Ms. Saotome had a date coming up, they felt personal grievances like this shouldn't be brought up in a school environment. "I guess it didn't work out..." Sayaka muttered to Madoka in an annoyed tone.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Madoka sarcastically quipped.
"And you boys better make sure you don't grow up to be men who complain about how the darn eggs are cooked, understand!?" Ms. Saotome's grip on her pointer tightened as she snapped it in half in her hands. Now that she had gotten it out of her system, she started behaving as though that whole tirade never happened. "Well, now that that's out of the way, let's give a big warm welcome to our new classmate!"
"Uh, maybe that should've come first?" Sayaka playfully teased.
Ms. Saotome just let out an embarrassed laugh in response. She knew Sayaka was basically calling out, but she just brushed it off, returning to the point at hand. "Come up here, Miss Akemi. Don't be shy!"
On cue, the raven haired girl stood up from her seat and walked over to the front of the classroom. "I'm Homura Akemi. It's nice to meet you." She told the class, speaking in a cold, stoic tone. After introducing herself, she turned around and wrote her name on the whiteboard. Afterwards, she turned back to face the class. That's when she saw Madoka. The girl with violet eyes locked her gaze onto Madoka. The pink haired girl gasped as she noted that the new student was staring directly at her, not looking away.
"Uh... Miss Akemi?" Ms. Saotome was a little worried about Homura's behavior This was... odd to say the least.
"I am fine. Just... lost in thought." The girl replied before returning to her seat. How strange...
With the new student introduced to the class, Ms. Saotome left the room momentarily to turn in attendance. While she was gone, the other students began to crowd around Homura, fascinated by the new arrival. "What school did you go to before coming to this one?" One of the girls asked Homura.
"I went to a private Catholic school in Tokyo."
"Were you in a club? How about sports? Were you on any teams?" Another inquired.
"No, not really."
"Your hair is beautiful! What kind of shampoo do you like to use?"
While the other students were gushing over the new transfer student, Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi couldn't help but find her to be a little strange. "There's something awfully mysterious about that girl, don't you think?" Hitomi began to ponder.
Sayaka couldn't help but notice something off about her earlier either. "Hey, Madoka, do you know that girl? I could've sworn she was glaring at you when she was in front of the class."
"Well, I'm not really sure..." Madoka admitted. While the girl did indeed look familiar, she never recalled seeing her in person.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Homura had an objective. There was something she needed to do, someone she needed to speak to, and she was going to get it done. "I'm sorry. I think today's been a little stressful for me. I'm not feeling very well. May I please go to the Nurse's Office?"
"Ah, sure. If you want, I can take you over there," one of the students volunteered.
"Good idea! Can I come too?" another student offered.
For this, however, Homura needed to be alone. She pushed herself up from her desk and turned to face Madoka. "Please don't trouble yourselves," she told the other students. "I'll ask the Nurse's Aide to take me." With that, she walked over to Madoka's desk. Sayaka and Hitomi were a little unsettled to see her approaching to say the least, but they said nothing. "Miss Madoka Kaname."
Madoka was a little surprised to hear Homura addressing her directly. How did she know her name? "H-huh?"
"You are the Nurse's Aide for this class, are you not?" Homura asked. "Would you please come with me to the Nurse's Office?"
What was going on? How did she know Madoka was the Nurse's Aide? None of this made sense... This was all so confusing... But all the same, she asked to go to the Nurse's Office, so that's where Madoka would take her.
The walk there felt a little awkward to Madoka. She wasn't sure what to say or how to best go about this, but she had questions she needed answered. "Um, so... How did you know I was the Nurse's Aide for the class?"
There was a short pause after the question before Homura finally answered. "Ms. Saotome told me that you were..."
Oh! That actually made sense! "Oh, right, of course she did." Madoka felt silly for not thinking of that sooner. "Anyway, the nurse's office is right over-"
"This way, right?" Homura interrupted, heading in the direction Madoka was just about to tell her to go.
"Huh?" How did she know? She hadn't been here before, right? "Yeah, that's right. But, um... It... looks like you... already know the way..." This was so weird... Something about this whole scenario felt off, but Madoka couldn't place why... "Uh... Miss, um... Akemi?"
Another long pause before she responded again. "Call me Homura."
"Oh! Homura!" That was such an interesting name. Madoka liked how it sounded. Though when Madoka blurted it out, Homura seemed to think that she wanted something from her.
"What is it?"
Embarrassed, Madoka started trying to explain herself. "Uh, nothing. It's just that you have an unusual name. But not in a bad way or anything, I was just thinking how it sounded cool! F-for a first name, I mean..."
It hurt Homura to hear those words again. It reminded her of the past... Older iterations of Madoka from older timelines... But before she could process Madoka's words, something felt off when they walked past another classroom. Wait a minute... Had she seen something? She looked through the window of the classroom door, looking in. It was then she saw an unusual sight. A different girl? That was... Impossible! Something has changed... That girl with the magenta hair being introduced before this class wasn't here before. She didn't belong here, so why was she here now? It didn't make sense. Unless her constant resets somehow shifted the timeline...
"Um... Homura?" Madoka snapped Homura back to the present. "Is... everything alright?"
"I'm fine..." Homura answered. "I just... need to lie down... Are we almost there?"
"Oh! Yes, right. I-it's right this way." Madoka started to lead Homura away from the classroom.
Just before they could get to the office, however, Homura stopped in her tracks and turned to face Madoka. "Madoka Kaname, do you treasure the life you currently live? And do you consider your family and your friends precious?"
Madoka just stared at Homura completely blindsided by this question. How was she supposed to even answer that? She stammered for a bit, trying to find the right words. "Oh, well, I uh… Of course I do. I mean I do. My family and my friends, I love them very much and yes they’re very precious to me."
She stared at Madoka, that stoic expression never changing. "Do you mean it?"
"Absolutely. I couldn't lie about that!" Madoka answered confidently.
This answer was satisfying. "Good. Because if that’s the truth, then you wouldn’t try changing the life you have or the person you are. Otherwise, you’d lose everything you love."
"Huh?" That was... ominous. What did she even mean by that?
Homura then turned and began walking towards the nurse's office while Madoka stood there, stunned and dumbfounded. "Don’t change. Stay as you are, Madoka Kaname. Stay as you are forever."
This was... weird... and honestly quite scary. Madoka had no idea how to take this. Nothing about this scenario was normal. What was going on...?
Mariko had left the classroom momentarily to use the restroom. It took her a while to find, but she managed to find it on her own. On the way back, she simply mused to herself about the layout of this building. Mitakihara Middle School was a lot bigger than her old school, but she felt she was learning the layout of this place. Maybe within due time, she wouldn't need a map or anyone's help to navigate the whole school.
"You there..." An ominous voice stopped Mariko in her tracks.
"Huh?" She quickly turned around to see a girl with black hair and violet eyes.
This girl had a menacing aura about her... She seemed quite capable and powerful. "You were never here before... Who are you?"
"Never... here?" Of course she wasn't here before. She lived in Kawasaki her whole life! Why would she be going to school here if she lived in another city? "I-I just moved in!"
"That isn't what I'm referring to." Now this girl was making even less sense.
"I-I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about... I only just moved in yesterday."
The magenta-haired girl really didn't seem to be aware of the previous timelines. Even still, her presence is an unknown variable. Would she benefit or hinder Homura? As of right now, she couldn't say for certain. "Very well... You may leave, but you must do me one favor."
A favor? What did this girl want from her? "Favor...?"
"Stay away from Madoka Kaname," Homura demanded. "I don't need you in my way."
"E-excuse me!?" Now this stranger was telling her not to talk to Madoka? Who gave her the right to decide that? "Who are you to dictate who I can and can't be friends with? I don't even know you!"
"I see... So you've already met her then..." This was going to make things harder. If Homura couldn't keep this girl away from Madoka, then she'd just have to plan around that. "Then make sure she has no desire to change." After declaring her terms, she turned and started walking away.
Mariko was even more confused than she already was. "Desire to cha-? What? I don't understand... Who even are you?"
"Homura Akemi." She answered without even looking at her.
This was weird... Mariko had no idea what was going on. Homura... What did she want with Madoka? She wasn't going to hurt her, was she? Maybe it was nothing...
After school, Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi were meeting at a café. Madoka had just finished telling Sayaka about everything Homura had said to her. When she heard the news, the blue-haired girl was shocked. "She said what!?"
"It doesn't make any sense, does it?" Madoka was hoping they'd agree with her so that she'd feel validated in how she felt about this whole situation.
"And there I was, thinking she was this awesome girl but it turns out she is a total psycho! Ah! I hope she doesn’t think acting like a weird transfer student is cool. That’s so immature, it makes me sick!" Sayaka ranted in frustration over this transfer student.
"This has to be misunderstanding," Hitomi suggested. "Are you positive you’ve never met her before?"
"Hmm…" Madoka thought about it for a while, trying to think about where she had seen Homura before, if anywhere. "I guess the sensible answer would be 'yes'."
Sayaka quirked an eyebrow, absolutely confused by this statement. "Okay, what do you mean by sensible? Either you met her or you didn’t."
"Well, it’s like…" Madoka began, trying her best to explain it. "You’re gonna think I’m weird but I first met her in a dream or something."
Sayaka's eyes sparkled in amazement. That sounded so cool! "That’s awesome! An anime character in you’s popping out, too!"
"Come on, that’s mean! This is really bugging me!" Madoka protested. "I don't want to think that every transfer student I talk to is going to be something out of an anime!"
After hearing this, Sayaka stopped gushing. She was confused again, but now for a different reason. "Wait... But the only other transfer student you talked to is Mariko. What's wrong with her?"
Madoka thought back to when she first met Mariko. That sinister vibe she felt... She remembered it vividly. "I just... get this eerie feeling when I'm around her... She gives off a really negative aura, and it's very unsettling."
"Mariko!? You're kidding, right?" Sayaka didn't feel that vibe from Mariko at all. If anything, she felt it when Homura approached Madoka in the classroom. "Are you sure you're not mixing the two transfer students up?"
"I have to agree with Sayaka," Hitomi chimed in. "Mariko has been nothing but pleasant."
It felt like Madoka was being outnumbered here. "I'm being serious! I hope I'm wrong, but I strongly feel Mariko's keeping skeletons in her closet!"
"Oh dang..." Sayaka could tell how serious Madoka was being right now. "You think there's something shady about her?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but something about her feels... off." That was the best Madoka could describe her suspicions.
Sayaka smiled at Madoka and nodded at her. "Don't worry. We know you wouldn't make something like that up."
"Certainly not." Hitomi agreed. "If you're really worried about Mariko, we'll be cautious around her." Madoka let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled at her two friends. Hitomi then started standing up from her seat, excusing herself from the table. "In any case, I should really get going now."
"Is it piano today or classical dance?" Sayaka asked curiously.
"Tea Ceremony lessons today," Hitomi explained. "Even though our Exams are coming up, my mother still wants me to continue taking them."
"Yeah, there’s another reason to be glad I wasn’t born a rich girl." Sayaka couldn't imagine what it'd be like to live like Hitomi, even for a day, nor did she have any desire to. She just didn't get rich people sometimes.
"We should get going too," Madoka told Sayaka as she got up from her seat as well.
Sayaka nodded in agreement, but before leaving, she remembered something. "Madoka, you wanna hit the music store on the way home?"
"Okay." Madoka nodded, smiling at her friend. "Something for Kyosuke again?"
Her childhood friend looked away with a small blush on her face. "Yeah, maybe."
The trio left the mall café. Hitomi walked over to the escalator and bid her friends farewell. "Have fun shopping!"
"Later!" Sayaka smiled at Hitomi.
"Bye bye!" Madoka waved as Hitomi went down the escalator. She wondered just what they'd find in the music store. Maybe she'd discover a new artist she didn't know about before.
Deep within the restricted areas of the mall, a little white creature was running. Homura was in hot pursuit of this creature, shooting magical bullets at it with her handgun. It was running as fast as it could to try and evade its pursuer, but as the bullets whizzed past it, two large waves of black energy came barreling towards it as well. Someone else had joined in on the chase. Now flanked by two predators, the creature called out in desperation. "Help me!"
In the music store, Madoka and Sayaka were each listening to all sorts of different songs. Madoka was really getting into it when she suddenly heard a voice inside her head. "Help me!"
"Huh?" She took the headphones off and looked at them. Was that voice coming from the music?
"Help me, Madoka!" There it was again!
"Huh!? What!?" It was calling to her. And for some reason, Madoka knew where it was coming from, yet she couldn't explain why.
"Please help me!" It continued to plead. Quickly, Madoka ran out of the music store as fast as she could. Sayaka was confused as to where her friend was going or why she was in such a hurry. Was everything alright? Should she follow her?
The creature continued to flee, trying to find a safe spot to hide, but then it saw a dark figure jump from the shadows at it with red, glowing eyes. "Help me!"
A new pursuer? This had never happened in any previous timelines. Who was this? Why were they after Kyubey? Too many unknown variables... Homura decided to hide in the shadows, watching the situation unfold from afar.
Madoka cautiously entered the restricted area, ignoring the "Employees Only" sign. Where could the source of that mysterious voice be? "Hello? Who are you?" She asked as she searched the place. Instead of answering her question though, the voice just let out another cry for help. "Where are you? Um, do I know you?"
"Help me!" It repeated. When Madoka turned the corner, the creature fell from the vent. Its body was covered in cuts from what looked like a sword.
Madoka's eyes widened in horror as she rushed towards the poor, defenseless creature. "Is that you?"
"Help me..." The creature managed to weakly plead to the pink haired girl.
Feeling terrible for this creature, Madoka knelt down and picked it up in her arms. She looked down at it with a sympathetic gaze. Poor thing... Who or what could have done such a thing? Little did Madoka know, she didn't have to wait for very long. From the darkness, two red glowing lights shined through. Madoka's eyes widened as she slowly turned around to see the glowing red eyes and silhouette of an unknown creature. It looked to be humanoid in appearance with large, draconian wings. In its clawed hands were two katanas. Madoka felt unnerved by the very sight of this thing. She had no idea what this thing was or what it wanted with her. "W-who... are you...?"
The red-eyed creature knelt down as if it were about to tackle Madoka to the ground. It answered with only a single word, speaking in a harsh, whispered, raspy voice. "Incubator..."
Terrified for her life, Madoka began backing away slowly with the little white creature in her arms. But before the black creature could do anything, a white cloud suddenly blasted it. The creature screamed and started coughing. Sayaka sprayed this thing with a fire extinguisher she found nearby. This was nuts... She couldn't believe she was doing something like this, but Madoka was in danger! She couldn't just stand there and do nothing. "Don't come any closer, monster!" She demanded as the creature had a coughing fit. Once it dropped to one knee, Sayaka stopped spraying it and looked over at her friend. "Follow me, Madoka!"
"Sayaka!" Madoka was thankful for her friend coming to the rescue at the last moment. Without a moment to spare, she fled with her best friend.
The humanoid figure was coughing from all the gas expelled from the fire extinguisher, trying to gain her bearings. In that moment, Homura stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked towards her. It was then Homura got a better look at her. A girl wearing black. Black hair, black scales on her pale skin, clawed hands and dragon-like wings. This had to have been the most human-like witch she had ever seen, but there was still a lot of things wrong here. Regardless, she knew what needed to be done. "So... This is your secret, Mariko... You are a witch..."
Mariko. This witch was Mariko. Surprised, she opened her eyes and looked up at Homura. "Wait... How did you know my name?"
All of a sudden, Homura pulled out her hand gun and pointed it right at Mariko's head. The witch let out a shocked gasp as she gazed up at Homura in fear. "I heard Madoka mention it," Homura answered. "Not that it matters anyway. You will be dealt with like all the others."
Mariko was terrified! This couldn't be how it ended! Her breathing became shaky as she stared down the barrel of the gun. But before Homura could pull the trigger, she spotted glowing butterflies starting to surround her. "Damn it... Not now..." Homura muttered.
Seeing the butterfly familiars, Mariko's eyes narrowed. "Another witch... Of course..."
Homura clenched her teeth as she looked behind her to see the witch's labyrinth open up before her. "I don't have time to deal with both this and you... You were lucky this time..." She muttered before rushing into the barrier.
Mariko got back on her feet. She'd go in there herself to try and help Madoka and Sayaka, but Homura seemed to have it under control. Besides, if she stuck around any longer, then Homura would come for her next after she finished off this other witch. "I should get out of here..." She muttered to herself, flying away from the area.
"What the heck was that thing anyway!?" Sayaka asked as she fled the scene with Madoka. "It looked like some sort of gargoyle! And what’s that thing you’re carrying? Looks like a stuffed animal. Is it alive?"
"I don’t know," Madoka answered honestly, "I don’t know why this is happening but we have to save him!"
Sayaka nodded, trying to lead Madoka back the way they came, but it was then she realized something was... different... "Where’d the exit go? Where are we?"
Madoka realized it too. What was happening? Why was the world warping around them? "I don’t like this place. Everything keeps changing!"
Soon nothing about this place looked natural, but then again, nothing about it looked man-made either. This place was an otherworldly enigma, as though they had stepped into a painting. "Oh, crap! What the heck’s going on?" Sayaka asked in a panic.
This couldn't be real! There was no way any of this was real! Everything felt so otherworldly! When Madoka turned around, she spotted an unusual sight. "There’s something over there!" She alerted Sayaka to the mass of fluff balls with mustaches. Their bodies looked like sticks and they had butterfly wings for legs. What were these things? They looked so fluffy... Madoka was half tempted to touch one, but she was too scared to even think about it at that moment. The fluffy creatures all started speaking in unison, but the language they spoke was unfamiliar to them... It sounded like broken German...?
"D̴̨̥̥̹̦͕͙̲̟͍͉͓̟̎͛̂̎͒̂͘̚á̷͔̰͉̹̫̗̼̝́̌͆̂ͅs̴̱͇̱̪͌͆̃̆͛̏̐͠͠ ̶̡̧͖̬͉̙̩̦̇͆͑́̇́̔͛͑͝s̸̢͇̞̤͉͈͔̳̺̫̚̕i̸̫̰̳̖̘̿͒͋̆̇̆̇͗͐͋͌ņ̶̠̻̖͔̻̣͖̼͈̥̬͊̏̐̋̅͐̆̋̾̽͆̈́͛̀͘ͅͅd̶̘̲̘͖͎̺̖̾ ̵̼͈͂̄̅͛̈́͛̂̏̔̎͌̋̕͜m̵̨̟̳̗͉͓͍̹͕̅̾̉̂̂̏̀̓̉́̇̚͠͝ì̵̡̨͉̬̯̪͈̖̰͕͓̱̈̂͊͂̑̈͜r̶̛̙̝̖͖̭̦̖͊͐̈́͘͠͝͝͝ ̷̡̞̦͖̻̗̻͕͈̣͍̚ȕ̷̧͖͙͚̿̾n̸̡̧̡̗̱̹̯̰̝̤̂̇͂̑̒̃̀͂́̿͘͝b̵̖̲̮̭͉͎͍̘̻͓̋̌͛̑͌͛̀͘̕̕͝͠͝ͅe̸̡͚͎͔͉̝͈͔͚̥͖͍̰̱͛̓̿̔̈̄̕k̴̟͙͔͈̀̑̑͠ȃ̵̤̤͎̰̞̹̫̞̼͖̰̲͜͝ͅͅn̵̡̤͊̓̔ͅn̶̡̡͈̟̞̰͋̒̌̄̾͘ͅt̷͔̰̮̖̰͈̹̥̭͉͙̖̲͎͎͆̓̓͐́̌̏͝͝ę̸̺̝͉̤̦̗̘̠̩̘͕̽̾̀ ̴̟̯͂̈́̌́̾́Ḇ̴̡̡̛̫̳͓͓͖͚͚͕̱̘̀̈́̿̄̾̊̒͝͝l̵̩̳͈̫̯͈͂̌̿̿̚u̸̬̣̤̺̭̟̤̲͙̞̪̪̮͝m̶̢̙͔̬̰̜͕̲͕̳̓̌́̋̾͑̅͆̆̃̏͆̚e̵̡̢̩͕̣̜̥̳̮̦̺̥̐̊́̔̈́͛͂͌̋͜͠ñ̵̲̯̳̞̋͝.̴̨̨̞͕̳̪͍͇̣̙̭͖̼͕̑͊'
What were they saying? It was strange... "This is some kind of joke, right? I’m stuck in a bad dream, but I am dreaming, right? Right, Madoka?" Sayaka asked, in denial about the whole thing as these creatures surrounded them and were slowly closing in. Madoka hugged Sayaka tight, fearing what would happen next, but just when things looked bleak, the ground started to glow. "What’s happening?"
"I don't know!" Madoka was just as confused as Sayaka.
"That was close, wasn’t it?" An unfamiliar voice spoke to the two girls. "But don’t worry, you’re safe now."
A blonde girl with spiral twin-tails and wearing the Mitakihara School uniform walked up to them. Did this girl save them somehow? "Thank goodness. You rescued Kyubey for me. I’m very grateful. He’s a dear friend of mine and I was so worried."
"He called out to me." Madoka explained. "I could hear his voice inside my head."
"Ah, I see. Judging by your uniforms, you're also Mitakihara students. Are you juniors?" The girl asked, quite curious about these two.
Sayaka didn't know what to make of this mystery girl. "Who are you?"
"Oh, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet." Before she could, however, chains began rattling as the place began changing again. "Actually, it’s going to have to wait a bit." She took out a yellow gem and held it out in front of herself. "Please excuse me. I have to wrap this up first." The gem began glowing brightly, and like magic, her outfit had completely changed. Now adorned in a white blouse with a black corset and a yellow skirt as well as a black hat, the girl jumped in the air and summoned forth a wall of muskets. With her command, they all fired at the strange creatures until none of them were left.
"W-wow..." That was all Madoka could say from this amazing display.
Once again, the world around them began to warp and shift almost like liquid returning to the restricted area of the mall. "We're back!" Sayaka exclaimed. They had returned to the real world from... whatever that place was.
Before they could celebrate, however, Homura landed onto the scene in front of them. She looked down at the three of them with a cold, unreadable expression. The blonde simply looked at her and smiled. "The witch managed to escape. If you wanna finish it off, you’d better go after it. I won’t mind if you take it this time."
"And what about the other witch...?" Homura asked, wondering if she ran into Mariko too.
"Oh? Were you tracking a different witch? Well unfortunately, I only ran into one. If you're willing to cooperate with me, however, I'd be more than happy to help you track it down later." The blonde girl offered. "Don't you think that would be better than needlessly fighting one another?"
Homura said nothing. She just stood there, staring for the longest time. When her eyes shifted to look at Madoka, the pink haired girl felt her heart rise into her throat. After a long bout of silence, Homura turned around and left. Just what was her issue...? Why did she have this attitude? And what did she want? So many questions and yet there was nothing to go off of. Madoka wasn't sure what to think of her.
When they left the mall, the girl used the yellow gem to heal the white creature, which they now knew as "Kyubey". Its eyes opened as it turned to look at the blonde. "Thank you, Mami." It spoke to her. "You're a lifesaver."
"You should thank these two." Mami told him with a warm smile. "I was just passing by."
Kyubey then turned to face Madoka and Sayaka. "Thank you very much. My name is Kyubey!"
"Were you the one who was calling for help?" Madoka asked, still unsure about the situation earlier.
"That’s right, Madoka Kaname. And Sayaka Miki." Kyubey answered.
The two girls looked absolutely flabbergasted when it spoke their names. "Wait, hang on a sec! How do you know our names?" Sayaka demanded to know.
But instead of answering, Kyubey just continued talking. "I came here because I have a favor to ask of you both."
"Huh? Favor? What kind of favor?" Madoka asked, curious about what Kyubey wanted from them.
The creature just smiled at them, its tail wagging as it revealed what it wanted from them. "I want you to make contracts with me and become Magical Girls!"