A/N: Time for my annual Christmas Crack/Semi Crack fic...This idea popped into my head... And if you're wondering the Krampus is a thing, it was on the Colbert Report, American Dad and was the subject of a Familiar Faces episode...
Anyways enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica... if I did then I would reveal when and if a 4th Movie or season 2 would be out! Come on there's should be more... I mean come on it's been more than a year and there's no news! (coughs) but I do own any OC that may appear...
A Very Puella Magi Christmas
By Emma Iveli
Chapter 1: The Strangest Timeline Yet
Homura opened her eyes. She sat up put on her glasses, right now she did need them again. She looked at the calendar, but before she could brush it off, she had to look at it again.
It wasn't the usual month… it was late November.
"What…" she said.
She looked out the window, all of the trees had no leaves or flowers and the skies were cloudy.
She sighed, considering the city wasn't a mess it meant Walpurgis hadn't attacked yet.
Thankfully she knew that sometimes there were strange things with the time lines. Like the one with Oriko or those other time lines where Kyousuke played a different instrument which include the guitar, trumpet and other.
She might be surpassing most of her emotions but sometimes she thought back to that one where he played the sousaphone. Not so much that fact but seeing Sayaka's witch form wistfully listen to Polka was kind of funny.
Sad yes… but definitely funny.
She went to the bathroom and did her usual things, stop wearing braids and taking off her glasses.
And so she began to her usual thing. First she made sure that Kyubey wasn't after Madoka. Then she began her usual witch hunt to make sure that she had enough Grief Seeds for Walpurgis…
As she stalked the Labyrinth, she wondered would the giant witch show up this year? It was said she only appeared once a year on that day.
Even if there was no attack she still had to protect Madoka.
Maybe she could finally after that worry free month for once.
"Looks like a new Magical Girl is in town." Said a voice.
Homura turned around and saw Kyoko.
"What is she doing here?" thought Homura, then she remembered it was a strange timeline of course something would have happened that caused Kyoko to show up.
"If you want it can be yours." Said Kyoko, "I was thinking about retiring this year anyways… and I have plenty of Greif Seeds to last me a month."
"What?" asked Homura.
"You must be so new you don't know do you?" asked Kyoko.
"Don't know about what?" asked Homura.
"Your Christmas wish from Santa Claus." Said Kyoko.
Homura blinked.
"What?" she asked.
"I guess you don't know bur Santa Claus is real and he grants wishes to all Magical Girls every year." Explained Kyoko.
Homura just stood there processing the information.
"There's no catch?" asked Homura.
She flinched when she said that.
"There's no catch." Said Kyoko with a smile.
Homura stared at Kyoko… Kyoko seemed well adjusted… if that was possible.
And so they headed to the center together.
"This will be my third Christmas." Said Kyoko.
"What did you wish for the first two times." Said Homura wanting to make sure about no catch.
"You see something happened to my family before my first Christmas." Said Kyoko, "Thankfully I wished for it to never happened… but there was a side effect."
"Which was?" asked Homura.
"My father was arrested for public drunkenness and incident exposure." Said Kyoko.
Homura stared at Kyoko.
"It's the indecent exposure isn't it?" asked Kyoko.
Homura could only nod.
"Well anyways it made my mom leave him and stuff to happen. So my second wish was for the cause of my dad's drunkenness to never happen." Said Kyoko.
"Oh…" said Homura.
Homura already knew what both of those wishes meant, the first was that her father never murder her family and the other was that her father never found out she was a magical girl.
"So Santa Claus never asks for anything in return?" asked Homura.
"Well there is one thing… but it's only a few magical girls a year…" said Kyoko.
"What?" asked Homura.
Before Kyoko could answer they heard and inhuman scream. They turned to find they were in the center of the labyrinth.
After defeating the witch, they heard a laugh.
When they finished defeating the witch, Kyoko couldn't help but to stare at Homura.
"You're too good for a rookie." Said Kyoko.
"I just moved to town and I made a contract earlier this year." Sid Homura, technically it wasn't a lie after all.
That was when they heard a joyous laugh.
"Hohoho!"
They turned to see a man dressed like Santa, in fact it was Santa Claus.
"Hello Kyoko, how are you doing this year?" asked Santa.
"Wait…" said Kyoko, "Then does mean."
"Yes." Sighed Santa, "The Krampus is coming to Karakura town this year."
"Should have known." Said Kyoko.
Santa Claus looked at Homura.
"She's new." Said Kyoko.
"I know." Said Santa, "Now we must get Mami so we can prepare for The Krampus."
Kyoko nodded and headed to Mami's apartment, after all if she came with Santa Claus that would just raise questions.
However this left Homura alone with the jolly fat man.
"I know you're a time traveler." Said Santa.
Homura didn't answer.
"Don't worry, I hate the Incubators as much as you do… perhaps even more." Said Santa.
"What?" asked Homura.
"You have that look in your eyes that you know the truth about everything involving witches." Said Santa.
Homura didn't answer.
"I don't know what the other timelines were like, but I have no ulterior motive than bringing joy the magical girls of the world…" said Santa, "Now Homura, let's go my sleigh so we can wait for Mami and Kyoko."
Homura felt like she shouldn't trust him, but did so anyways.
Indeed he had a sleigh being pulled by 8 Reindeer. Although the Reindeer weren't flying and were lazing about.
Soon enough Kyoko showed up with Mami.
"So Santa Claus is here." Said Mami.
"How did you find so fast?" asked Homura.
"I asked some of my school friends if they saw reindeer." said Mami holding her cell phone.
Homura looked at Mami.
"She's seems much more well adjusted too." Thought Homura.
"How are your parentis doing?" Santa asked Mami.
"They're doing very well." Said Mami, "But they haven't found out yet."
"Don't worry… remember last year's wish." Said Santa.
"I know." Said Mami.
"You might want to reinforce your stomachs… this is going to be a bumpy ride." Said Santa.
Less than an hour later… let's just say that Mami and Kyoko weren't feeling well.
"I don't think they know how to reinforce their stomachs." Said Homura.
"I should start telling them how…" said Santa.
Once the two emptied their stomachs, they headed into Santa's house where his wife was making a meal for them. She looked to be in her mid 20s, but gave off an aura of someone much older.
"There's no elves?" asked Homura.
"No that's just a myth." Said Kyoko.
"After we eat I'll explain the Krampus to our new friend." Said Santa.
Mrs. Claus proved them with food, Kyoko and Mami were of course hungry.
When dinner was over, Santa knew that he had to explain everything.
"Since we have a new magical girl, I should explain everything. I grant a wish every year… however the same day I grant that wish a fearsome witch appears. The Krampus!"
"The Krampus?" asked Homura.
"That's right. The Krampus appears and takes everyone who it deems naughty into it's lair." Said Santa, "While it can be killed it's only temporary. Where the Krampus first appears changes every year, and when that happens I gather the local magical girls and fight it."
Homura realized it was this time line's version of Walpurgis…
"We will train you three in fighting the Krampus over the course of the next month." Said Santa, "However it won't be every day, you do have to keep up appearances after all."
"And don't worry we'll be doing it at a house we have in Mitakihara." Said Mrs. Claus.
"Thank you so much." Said Mami.
"Yeah I heard stories about the Krampus… said Kyoko.
"Don't worry there hasn't been a fight lost yet." Said Santa.
"That's good to know." Said Homura.
"So you don't know about the wish do you?" asked Mrs. Claus.
"No I don't." replied Homura.
"I use my own abilities to grant the wishes… there's very limits." Said Santa.
"Which are…" said Homura.
"you can't become a god… or a demon… other than you can wish for anything." Said Santa.
Homura was shocked… she could use this wish to prevent Madoka from becoming a magical girl.
"Wait can you use it to prevent someone from becoming a magical girl?" asked Homura.
Both Mami and Kyoko looked at Homura.
"Of course!" laughed Santa, "And if you mange to survive until next year you can even retire if you wanted."
"I see…" said Homura.
She was still unsure, after all of this is too good to be true.
She could feel that Santa was not what he seemed… However she would learn eventually that it was the case…. Just not in the way she expected…
Next Time: Homura must make sure that Madoka must not contract in her timeline so can keep her promise. Thankfully it won't be that hard... why? Because Santa loves going Kyubey hunting.