I do not own any of the fandoms used in the story, which include:
-Puella Magi Madoka Magica
-Fate/Stay Night
-Yuki Yuna is a Hero
-Magical Girl Site
-Soul Eater
-Xiaolin Showdown
-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Concerning choices, there is something called a 'domino effect.'
One choice affects another, meaning there is no way to stop the path of fate.
Your future is already laid out in front of you. There is no way to fight it.
There is no true way to stop this domino effect. Every choice you make is predetermined, no matter how you fool yourself into believing you are not.
Evan if you resist fate, if you have the power to change the future, those actions are already set in stone. We have no say in these matters, and we humans have no way to go on living without fooling ourselves.
Perhaps with advanced technology, we could predict the future. To analyze every figment of a person, every action which affected them, we could see how they will turn out.
Evan time-travel does nothing against fate. You are already determined to time travel- it is your fate, your destiny.
But because we are humans, we attempt to change this. So no matter what, we can hope for another future, a happier destiny.
Is that what it means to be a magical girl?
The First Wish- For Want of a Grail
Sakura Matou was, all in all, a child who no longer had the capacity to hope.
Doomed, she had no choice in her life and her very existence was a tool to win the Holy Grail War.
Could one be called human if they do not hope?
Sakura peered at the small creature before her. It called itself a Kyubey, and it was a bearer of hope in a dark time. It could grant a wish, any wish to her.
"Really?" she asked softly, meek and timid. The creature nodded and padded over to her.
'Any wish,' it replied. Sakura considered her options, then decided to tell the Kyubey her deepest desire. A memory hidden deep within her.
"I want to be with Rin again," she murmured. "I want to be with her." Sakura felt an unpleasant sensation as a light purple glow traveled from her stomach up to her throat. She coughed up a small gem, the size of her eye, and watched as it took the form of a ring.
It was only a moment later when she realized what a fool she had been.
What she longed for was the life she lost, the happy one where she lived with her family. Not this. Never this.
"Sakura?" asked the girl before her. "Sakura, why am I-"
Crack.
The witch Laminae Tenebris went after the old Matou first. She took the form of a human, which was entirely his fault. He really shouldn't try such experiments. She killed Shinji next, but didn't kill her sister. Rin just stayed in the barrier...
Forever.
The Second Wish- For Want of A Body
Sonoko Nogi lay in her shrine, staring off into the brilliant blue sky. In the place she was, not polluted by light with an open roof, she could clearly see a few bright stars, their glow illuminating her face. Her visible eye focused on the small white creature before her.
"Kyubey, was it?" she asked.
'Sonoko,' it replied. 'Have you decided on a wish yet?'
"Of course." Sonoko turned away. "It was difficult because I have so many things I want. But, in the end, I know what I truly want." She smiled softly at Kyubey. "So, grant my wish. I want my body to be fully healed."
The Taisha declared it a miracle. Sonoko Nogi was the most powerful hero, and she was fully healed and ready for battle. Soon, she was sent to Sanshu middle school, and joined the Hero Club.
Oddly enough, Togo always got a funny feeling in her stomach when around the Hero. Nobody else seemed to feel it. Karin was only surprised by the nature of such a powerful Hero, and Yuna was always happy to make a new friend. So she decided to become friends with Sonoko too. It felt only natural.
All of them stared at their phones, one day. The fort size warning had gone off, and Sonoko summoned the courage to fight. She had a new body and a new power. She could do this.
Sonoko transformed, her outfit the same except for the crown on her head holding a golden jewel, the size, and shape of a tear. She raised her spear and defended the Hero Club against the vertexes attack, then jumped into the air, pushing through the masses. She easily defeated them, her powers surpassing even her wildest expectations. She turned back and smiled at her friends. It was over. She could do this. Every time, she would defeat the vertexes in one blow. Easy.
No.
For some reason, in the next battle, Togo used a minuscule amount of magic and finally went mankai. Sonoko realized too late, and she could only feel the tears well up in her eyes.
No.
The Hero Club visited their bed-ridden member in the hospital, and Togo looked very glad to see them. Because of stress, she had apparently lost hearing in her left ear.
No.
Sonoko didn't even notice her soul gem growing steadily darker.
The next vertex attack was only the Aquarius vertex.
"It's not working," muttered Sonoko. Itsnotworkingnotworkingnotworking, she thought.
"What do you mean?" asked Fu. She rushed over to check Sonoko's phone, and sure enough, it was set up, but no matter how many times Sonoko tapped the item's smooth surface, nothing happened. Sonoko looked at the golden gem clutched inside her hand...
and despaired.
One tear fell, pure and golden and beautiful, then another, so the gem was just gold, gold, beautiful gold. Then the darkness overtook it, stretching around the shining jewel like cobwebs of darkness, covering the gold with black, defiling the beauty, destroying the hope.
Sonoko knew why she no longer had her powers.
She was no longer a pure sacrifice of the gods.
How unfortunate.
Crack.
The nature of Sonoko's witch was unknown. Nobody truly knew of its existence, after all. In time, the witch was only the creature which stole the magic of Heroes, preventing them from going Mankai.
Of course, they all thought the maiden draped in gold with the garb of a Hero was evil. She was a killer of humanity, a true malevolent spirit. She was on the side of the vertexes, and that was all they knew.
How ironic.
The Third Wish- For Want of a Life
Kiyoharu Suirenji stared with bafflement at the small white creature before her. Its offer was strange, no doubt about it, but she was suited to the unordinary, being a magical girl. But being a double magical girl might be hard, and Kiyoharu was already dying because of her magical stick. But she had a wish. She needed this wish.
"I want to be a real girl," she blurted out. "I want people to see me as a girl, not as a boy, and not to make fun of me for it. I want to have friends- real friends, besides Amagai. If you can grant this wish..." She met Kyubey's crimson eyes, the color of the blood which ran from her scalp. "...then grant it."
Of course, Amagai was the first person she told. Her fellow magical girl seemed to understand Kiyoharu's desire and for that, the blonde girl was glad. She didn't have to hide. Didn't have to be upset. What a joyous miracle. Thank you for listening to my prayers, if someone is out there.
She still fought to prevent tempest, of course. She fought to prevent the end of the world. She fought to protect Amagai and her new magical girl friends. She fought for everyone.
Tempest had come and with it, Kiyoharu's mother had been taken. In the world where she had never made her wish, Kiyoharu's mother was her only confidant, and she couldn't let her die.
Wouldn't Shouldn't.
She needed to save her mother.
With this resolve in mind, Kiyoharu resolved herself. Her family, her world rode on this. She raised her pink soul gem, the color of the tips of her ashy blonde hair. She visualized her magical outfit.
A pink bow in her blonde locks. A bright blue dress with white stripes. A green and black striped tie over it. Lace. Definitely lace. And underneath, black leggings and simple brown shoes. This was her magical outfit.
Kiyoharu decided to climb up to face Rei. She was the most powerful, even if these powers were still weak. Yet, at the same time, she felt something barely perceptible rippling beneath her skin. Power surged through her body, and she clenched her fists, her body suddenly too weak and frail.
The mountain before her seemed to pull at Kiyoharu's feet, pulling her down. She barely stayed upright, and each movement drained her magic. The gem in her bow was tainted, and it was all the girl could do to not despair.
She was going to fail.
Rei was just there...
"The process is complete," announced the villain.
Crack.
In the new world order, a creature of despair had no place. Ichi gracefully got rid of her. After all, a human had no place obtaining the powers of the gods.
No place at all.
The Fourth Wish- For Want of a Scythe
Maka Albarn had one goal- to surpass her parents and create a better death scythe than her father. She had a partner already, though she wasn't sure how committed he was. Soul Eater seemed to have only two interests- his motorcycle and music.
At least Tsubaki seemed to understand how she felt. Tsubaki was the new weapon of Maka's longtime friend, Black Star. She was nice and sane, something increasingly rare in Maka's life. Tsubaki was also Maka's only female friend. She knew of other female students in the DWMA, but had never gotten close to any.
But no matter how hard Maka tried, she and Soul never seemed to make any progress. They had hunted down a few kishin eggs, but they still had more than ninety to go. By the time they finished their task, Maka would be an old woman!
Maybe that was what spurred her to make this wish.
"I just want Soul to listen to me so he can turn into a powerful Death Scythe!" she exclaimed to Kyubey. The creature granted her wish.
When Maka got home, Soul was behaving oddly. His eyes had a glazed look to them, and he followed Maka's instructions to the dot. This was a dream come true.
Alas, she soon realized what a mistake she made with her wish. Black Star asked Soul if he wanted to play basketball with him, and Soul just didn't reply. Maka was forced to say, "yes, he does," and only then was Soul freed from his trance. Maka bet she could get her weapon to starve himself.
What a horrible gift.
Yet Maka was stuck with it, and like glue, she could never forget her awful wish.
Eventually, they were down to their witch. They chose the frog witch, Eruka. Maka had researched the witch and deemed her a worthy target. So Soul transformed into his scythe form, Maka picked him up, and off they went. Maka was brimming with excitement- she was finally going to make a death scythe! Her heart fluttered in her chest like a caged bird, and she felt like singing. A death scythe. She was going to make a death scythe.
"Soul," she ordered, "do everything you can in this fight. We'll do our best." She felt Soul agree, and Eruka appeared. "In the name of Death, we're going to take you down!"
"Ribbit!" croaked the witch, and she turned into a frog. Maka attacked, but Eruka managed to turn human just in time. "Please don't kill me!"
"Too late!" cried Maka as she brought down the weapon. "Let's go! SOUL RESONANCE!" The red gem in Maka's hair lit up, and Soul turned into a larger scythe. Eruka gulped.
"TADPOLE BOMB!" she yelled. An explosion rocked the ground, and Maka threw her hands over her face. Then, she felt a warm, comforting body over her own.
Soul.
Blood trickled down from the body onto Maka's coat, staining it red. The blonde girl felt her eyes widened.
And she bawled.
"Soul!" she yelled. "Don't die! I order you!"
"Hey, Maka," said Soul, his red eyes glinting in the fading light, his muscles rippling in waves, "just why did you make that wish?" Then he was dead, and Maka felt her body go hot and cold at the same time. Droplets of water leaved from her eyes, and she knelt over, one hand gripping her chest.
One thump. Two thump.
She was such an idiot...
Three thump. Four thump.
Why had she made that wish...
Five thu-
Crack. Maka's soul gem cracked and turned into a grief seed, casting long dark shadows over the landscape. Eruka turned into a frog, but a giant, monstrous creature made out of pianos scooped her up and ate the frog witch. Then it moved forward.
Towards Death City.
The Fifth Wish- For Want of a Dragon
Kimiko Tomohiko was the daughter of a famous video game designer. She had plenty of friends, and was quite happy.
One day, she was brought to the Xiaolin Temple. She learned about the mission to protect the world, and joined the mission. However, now she was here.
"I failed!" she cried miserably. "I lost three shen-gong-wu!"
"There, there," said Raimundo, the dragon of wind. "It's more like two now, since you got the new shen-gong-wu. Though… it really is useless." Kimiko glared at the boy and punched him in the arm. Raimundo scowled and casually walked off.
'Would you like to make a wish?' asked a mysterious voice. Kimiko spun and saw a small white creature.
"Huh?" she asked.
In the end, of course she made a wish. It was her destiny, her fate. Every incident in her life had propelled her towards this, this very moment. Kimiko was simply following the path of despair set out before her.
"I wish to be the greatest dragon!" exclaimed the girl, a fiery passion burning within her. "I want to prove Raimundo and Omi and Clay wrong! I'll be the best!"
'Congratulations, Kimiko,' said Kyubey. 'But really, that is a superfluous wish.'
"What?" asked the girl, grinning as she examined the orange gem in her pale hands. "Hey, tell me."
'You would be a great dragon anyway,' said Kyubey without any enthusiasm or emotion. 'You could have wished for anything, but placed your life on the line out of jealousy. I will never understand you humans.'
"I-I-" Kimiko began to tremble, and her gem grew darker, until it was almost the shade of her hair. Finally, she composed herself, and smiled at Kyubey. "But it's fine. Not like I had another wish."
The next day, the team went on a hunt for the newest shen-gong-wu. Using her new powers, Kimiko obliterated Jack. The other dragons cheered her on, and Kimiko allowed herself to feel proud. This was what she wanted. She would never regret this wish again.
Alas, nothing truly lasts forever.
"Kimiko?" Dojo came up to her about a month later, after the monks had met Chase Young. "Um, bad news, kid. Um… you might want to sit down. This is really bad. So… well... your father's missing. We… it feels as though… we're doing our best to find him, but… Kimiko, are you okay?"
"I NEVER MEANT TO WISH THAT!" wailed Kimiko. "TAKE IT BACK! I WANT DAD BACK!"
'Humans,' sighed Kyubey. 'Goodbye, dragon of fire.' The alien tilted its head. 'I wish you well during your transformation.'
Crack.
A symphony of despair.
A fire of rage.
And…
I never wished for this to happen.
The Sixth Wish- For Want of a Transmutation
Winry Rockbell glumly stared at her best friend and most prized customer, Edward Elric. He sheepishly held up a broken automail arm while his little brother, Alphonse, backed away nervously.
Winry hit the boy with a wrench.
But really, it was quite annoying. She had to be stuck at home while Edward fought with his life on the line. The best the blonde girl could do was fix his automail, and the alchemist couldn't even rely on the machine. Winry wanted to do more, but she had nothing. She was just a weak little girl.
So when Winry was working on automail and a small white creature came up with the offer of a wish, she accepted.
She was a magical girl now damnit. She could help the brothers.
Her outfit was awesome, at least in her opinion. The top was the same as her work outfit, and only the bottom changed into a black miniskirt held up by a belt filled with wrenches. She had long socks reaching above her knees, and plain brown shoes. A mixture of the practical and pretty.
"Yes!" Winry cheered so loudly Granny had to shush her. This was an opportunity. She would do her best!
Edward woke up in the morning to find an excited Winry.
"HiEdhowwasyoursleepIcanhelpnowEdlook!" Edward gaped at her then held up his hands in defense.
"Wait… What did you say again?" Winry sighed.
"I said," she said with more than a trace of annoyance, "I'm going to learn alchemy so I can help you!"
"What!" Edward shook Winry. "Don't do that! You don't have to do that!"
"But I already did!" she giggled. "See, Ed! See!"
"Ah…" Edward watched as Winry drew a circle on the ground- not one he had ever seen, but something completely different. It was simpler, and probably inferior to the ones he drew, but oddly enough, energy, not unlike that from the Homunculi, radiated from it. Winry pressed her pale hands against it, creating multiple wrenches floating in midair before they tumbled to the ground. "That isn't alchemy."
"Then what is it?" Faced with a question he couldn't answer, Edward sighed and drew his own circle for a similar wrench after grabbing Winry's wrench. Blue alchemical light crackled and…
The wrench vanished.
"See?" he replied. "That power is an anomaly. It's as though the wrench wasn't actually there…" Edward examined another of the wrenches and looked his friend right in her blue eyes. "Listen, Winry. You can help us by fixing the automail. Please, don't put yourself in danger." Tears began to run down the girl's face, and her cries could be heard even in the next room, past the closed door.
"I just wanted to help! Ed, please… one of these days you'll get killed. I'll be the one to save you. I'll change your destiny by doing this. I wanted-"
"SHUT UP!" roared Edward, and Winry was stunned into silence. "You can't get hurt! Who will we come home to? Al and I sacrificed a lot to get here, and you shouldn't too!" Winry began to laugh madly, and Edward peered at her from the corners of his eyes. "Um… Winry?"
"But you see," she cackled, "I already have." She held out her hand and opened her fingers to reveal a green gem. "Our fates are intertwined."
Intertwined.
Intertwined.
Intertwined.
Winry's outfit changed, and she clapped her hands together, creating a gun. Edward's eyes widened and he felt himself shake.
"Wi-Winry…" he managed. Fortunately, all the blonde girl did was shoot the wall and make the gun vanish.
"I could defeat you like this," she boasted. "Against this alchemy, you're powerless. But you just CAN'T SEE IT!" Winry aimed a kick at Edward, and the alchemist was tossed across the room from the blow. How had she become so strong? "So, Edward, I can help you both. Just accept it."
"Winry, you can't…" pleaded Edward. The blonde girl raised her chin, revealing a choker which held the green soul gem.
Don't.
Don't.
Don't.
"I just wished to have the power to fight alongside you," she croaked. "I was stupid, wasn't I?"
Crack. Winry's lifeless body thudded to the ground, and Edward scooped her up. The witch above was made up of metal, and the familiars were automail arms. How predictable. How human-like.
How undeniable.
"Winry?" said the boy, and the metal hunk, the witch heard him, and she continued her rampage. "I know you're in there."
'Then free me,' begged a voice. 'Ed, kill me.' He didn't hear, and was forced to use his alchemy and create a giant hand of metal.
"Please listen," he begged. "Come back to me."
'Kill me or die,' snarled another voice, another familiar. A second familiar bonked that one on the head, and shouted out its own phrase.
'Die, die, die!' it chanted. A few more joined in, and the automail minions surrounded the blonde boy. He barely managed to defeat them, and the alchemist was forced to run right up to the witch.
'Free me,' begged a familiar.
'Save me,' cried another.
'Fullmetal alchemist!' chanted a third.
"Ah…" muttered the boy. Blue light crackled and the minions molded to become a cage holding the witch. "I'm sorry, Winry."
Then everything went black.
Crack.
There is no denying fate. All that is planned will happen. The magical girls cannot go against destiny, and every path they take is that of despair.
Some describe choices as a crossroads- a crossroads they may be, yet we still choose only the path we can. A fork in the road, they may say, a fork only fate chooses. Every choice is the same, the ending never changes. In the end, all we can ask is whether this symphony of music will be one of sadness or hope. This is a moment lost in time… but will resolve shine through and save the dearest ones?
Just a note about this chapter:
First of all, I have a rant to introduce about Xiaolin Showdown. Ah, the show of my youth. When I was about 8 (which wasn't actually that long ago, now that I think about it) that cartoon was my life. Or something like that. It really is a good thing I hadn't discovered fanfiction yet... Really, really good.
But now that I'm writing about it, I realize what a sexist show it was. There was only one main female character (flying witch lady doesn't count) and the character was the 'sassy girl,' the 'short-tempered girl,' the 'fashionista,' and the 'technology geek.' Basically every stereotype for females imaginable.
And going back to flying witch lady, she also fulfills many stereotypes! She's sadistic, a liar, a cheater, and a back-stabber. Though all of the villains are similar to that, for a main evil character, witch lady gets very little chance to do things.
Anyway, that was my small rant. If you have different views on the subject, I don't mean to mock what you think, and you can ignore this completely. Just go to my next, and much more important authors note.
Concerning the Fate/Stay Night part, Sakura's witch name was gotten from google translate. Since Madoka Magica seems to take a lot of stock in Latin, I used the words 'Laminae Tenebris,' which Google claims to mean dark petal. If anybody knows the actual translation, I would be glad to hear it. Or, if anyone has a better idea for a witch name, please comment below.
For the Yuki Yuna is a Hero part, Sonoko couldn't transform because she was tainted. After all, the gods won't accept impure sacrifices.
Finally, I probably should make Winry's witch Walpurgis Nacht. After all, Artemis seems to be a lot like Germany, and, well, Walpurgis Nacht. Maybe Winry's witch could be one of the many which make up Walpurgis Nacht...