So, this is a drabble I came up with literally about half an hour ago, not to mention the first Puella fanfiction I've ever written. So, please don't be ruthless in your reviewing! :o
Honestly, I think Kyubey might be one of my favourite antagonists of all time - not only is he creepy, not only does he pose as a regular benevolent familiar, but his motives are extremely understandable, and yet the way he sets them out make you loathe him at the same time...
So, please enjoy...BTW, he speaks here with collective pronouns due to how incubators seem to lack any individual identity.
Madoka didn't seem any less traumatized after we had finished explaining the situation to her. If anything, her body language suggested a much deeper fear, even a particular repulsion to the concept. Well, let her. If what we understood about Homura Akemi and her story was correct, in time she would come to us.
Right now, we decided that trying to coax her now would be counterproductive. The grief she felt over the loss of Sayaka Miki was bound to give a feeling of antipathy towards us. We expected this, but it didn't make us any less impatient. Why do humans feel such prolonged and life-affecting attachments to each other? From what we understand, social organisation and unity may have been beneficial to them in the past, but now they are willing to run great risks, threatening their own lives for the sake of others. Modaka could easily slump into a state of life-threatening depression, simply down to the loss of another individual, one completely independent of her. Sayaka herself, had run the risk of leading a dangerous, irreversible life of a magical girl right after she witnessed the death of Mami Tomoe for the sake of restoring another human to health, despite the fact that he would have normally been destined to die at the hands of natural selection. It was insane – these attachments were nonsensical, and we were honestly perplexed to discover how mentally backward these beings were.
But that is their greatest asset.
For whatever reason, these strange, psychologically afflicted creatures carried with them the energy to save the universe. We cannot begin to explain quite how it counters the fundamental laws of entropy, but such a situation like this is not one we're going to pass up. These subnormal cattle are the key to saving all of existence, whether they like or not.
But Madoka Kaname, if you believe us to be evil creatures, you are grotesquely mistaken.
We are only as evil as you when you use and then eat the livestock you domesticate. In fact, we are even less so – we understand that you humans value your emotions highly, despite what our perspectives are on such constructs, and we make you magical girls with your utter consent. We even allow you to make a wish with only imagination as your limit, we allow you to act for yourselves, or for others you value for whatever reason. Why then do you feel betrayed? We did not betray you. We gave you what you wanted. Perhaps you're not satisfied, or unhappy with the concept of dying or becoming a witch as part of this construct. But humans die every day – you may live a privileged life, often forgetting that across this fleeting planet, millions are dying every day, often in great agony. If you are willing to lay down your life for others, then why is the universe, the ancient construct that governs everything we know about physics and a far greater entity than anything your underdeveloped minds could imagine, not worth dying for too?
If any of you were incubators, you would all be incurably insane. But because of that, we will not stop.
The key to saving the universe lies within the citizens of this planet. And until enough energy is found, we will not be stopped. We understand that you may not be happy with this, but ultimately, with the universe's final fate on the line, it doesn't matter what you think.
You do not matter. And nor do we. We only act as one throughout time, and although we have occasionally travelled philosophical mind-tracks on what it is that emotion has that gives it the power to save the cosmos, I doubt it's something we could understand, but that's probably better. Should we understand, we will soon be seduced by it, and then our mission would have failed.
We refuse to fail. Our mission is to make as many contracts as necessary.
That is essential.
And in this case, only one question remains to be asked.
How would you feel about helping to save the universe...?