"Why did it have to turn out like this?!" Homura cried, collapsing to her knees as the rain continued to fall rapidly, the two other remaining Puella Magi persisting in their fight towards Walpurgis Night. Vicious explosions sent blasts of light into the sky, lighting the stormy atmosphere and giving the magical girls sight in the darkness. Madoka noticed Homura on the ground, and immediately flew towards her.
"Homura-chan!" she shouted, bringing herself to her knees in front of the girl and examining her quickly. "Are you okay? Can you go on?"
"Why did this have to happen?!" Homura wailed, tears now freely pouring onto her cheeks. "All this destruction and pain…Sakura-san already died!" Madoka's eyes widened as Homura paused momentarily to let out several heavy sobs, before she continued. "Miki-san was right. 'The balance between hope and despair - it keeps itself at zero', didn't she say? Well, it's true; I can see it now. There's no way we can win against…against that. We might as well just kill ourselves now."
Madoka clasped her hands firmly on her shoulders. The sight of her friend like this, broken and suffering, made her chest constrict. "Don't say that!" she protested, tears of her own escaping her eyes. "We have to win. Think about all those families in that building, all the children! Who will protect them if we don't?"
A piercing scream startled them and they turned their heads towards the sound, just in time to see Mami fall from the air, several witches cackling at her downfall.
"T-Tomoe-san!" Homura yelled. She received no reply. She looked at Madoka desperately. "See? We should leave. We're going to die anyway. There's no way we'll be able to stop her."
Madoka sniffed, before giving a small smile. "But there is. There's always a way if there's hope, isn't there?" Her soul gem started to glow, and her bow re-appeared next to her side. "There will be no hope for those families, for us or the world if we stop fighting. As long as we continue to fight, there will be hope. That's why," Madoka stood shakily, extending a hand to the girl. "We'll fight until we can no longer stand."
"Kaname-san…" Homura whispered, taking her hand and standing along with her hesitantly.
Madoka smiled at her. "Let's go." Homura gave a trembling smile in return, but it soon turned into a look of confusion as the other girl's face morphed into one of pure fear. "Homura-chan!" The girl was shoved to the side, landing painfully on her shoulder. When her vision cleared, her stomach convulsed at the sight of a shadowy hand impaled through her friend's chest, where she had been standing only seconds ago.
"Kaname-san!" Homura screamed as pulled a gun from her shield and shot multiple bullets into the witch's body, more than needed, until it dissolved into nothing. Madoka fell to the ground, gasping in pain, and Homura immediately crouched to the girl. "Why…why would you do that?!"
Madoka opened her eyes, and forced herself to smile, despite the excruciating pain that spread from her chest to the rest of her body, effectively paralysing it. "Because you're my friend." Homura sobbed over her body, unable to produce any words that could possibly save her friend. Madoka's eyes flickered shut, and she found it was suddenly hard to breathe. "Fight on, Homura." she choked. "I…I believe in you." Her body stilled.
"Madoka!"
When Homura opened her eyes, it was March 16. She stormed out of bed, put her glasses on and changed into her school uniform. This time, for sure, she wouldn't give in. She would fight head-on into Walpurgis Night, and fight until her body broke. No, even then, she would continue to fight. Because Madoka was her friend. And she believed in her.