Epilogue

An arrow struck the tree next to her, digging itself into the bark. Electricity spread from the impact, burning part of the tree. Remembering how that had almost been her neck, Yachiyo grimaced.

I never thought I'd miss Witches.

At first, when the Witch supply diminished, Yachiyo worried many girls in the city would fall to despair. Instead, they had their soul gems 'fixed,' and were spending half their time in some unknown location. It meant less competition, but that didn't stop the fighting.

The woman firing at her was obviously not a Magical Girl. After her arrow missed its mark, she screamed. At first, Yachiyo thought she was enraged over missing her shot, but the force of the scream knocked Yachiyo off her feet.

Flipping in the air, Yachiyo summoned multiple spears and sent them down at her opponent. Rather than dodge, the woman simply turned intangible.

Yachiyo gasped for air after landing on the ground. Finding her breath, she called out to her opponent. "Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"

"Silence, creature!" the woman snapped. "You sold away your humanity, willingly turning yourself into a Stranger. I'll cut you down before you can pray on any innocent people."

Yachiyo had no clue what she was talking about, but it was clear that talking would get her nowhere. She raised her spear, ready to clash once more.

There was no need. A gunshot rang out, and blood spurted from the woman's leg. She crumpled to the forest ground. Immediately, she tried to push herself up, but her leg wouldn't support her. She frowned.

"Who's there?" the woman shouted. "What poison did you inflict me with?"

"None." The stoic voice came from behind Yachiyo. She turned, only to see a raven haired girl younger than her. In her hand was a simple pistol.

"You're not poisoned," the girl said. "But your powers won't work while that bullet is inside you."

The woman's eyes widened in realization. "My detection magic didn't work on you, and your attack got past my defenses. You're one of them, aren't you? A Magia."

In response, the girl flipped her hair back with one hand. Yachiyo understood the message she was trying to convey with the action. Complete and total control.

"There is nothing for you here," the girl said. "This is your chance to leave."

Snarling, the woman raised her bow. "Like hell I will! They say magic doesn't work on your kind, but an arrow will puncture your heart all the same."

She never got the chance to release an arrow. While her focus had been on the young girl, someone else had approached behind her. Another girl, also with black hair, but she seemed closer to Yachiyo's age.

Also, there was a knife in her hand, which she plunged into the woman's back. The woman screamed, whirling around while her bow shifted into a sword to slice her attacker apart. However, she was far slower than she had been while chasing Yachiyo, and the girl dodged with ease.

"You had your chance," the newcomer said. "Now, if you don't leave, you'll die. That knife contains a deadly toxin. Your healing should be able to take care of it, but only if you get someone to remove the bullet in time."

"You're monsters!" the woman screamed. "Letting Strangers walk among you, giving them the same powers as you? You're worse than any normal Stranger could be."

The younger of the two mysterious girls rolled her eyes. "Do all you traditionalist Heretics spout nonsense?"

"Most don't bother," her companion said. "Fortunately." She with that, she materialized another knife, turning toward Yachiyo.

"We would like to talk," the girl said, "but we should do so somewhere safer. Will you come with us?"

Yachiyo nodded, not trusting herself to respond. From the rumors going around through the city's Magical Girls, these were the people fixing their soul gems and recruiting them. Apparently they even let girls go back and forth between their base and Kamihama. There was still doubt in Yachiyo's mind toward the validity of those claims, but considering these two girls had just saved her, it would be foolish to deny their help.

She stepped to their side, and the older of the two threw her knife down. There was a flash, and when it vanished, she was somewhere else.

The room was simple, they were likely in an abandoned apartment. Even so, despite the bare walls and floor, the table and chair in the room were spotless, so there was at least someone keeping the place clean.

"Please sit. My name is Avalon Sinclaire."

Yachiyo took a seat. "Yachiyo Nanami."

"Homura Akemi," the final girl introduced herself. "I'm a Magical Girl from Mitakihara. Or rather, I was."

"Mitakihara?" Yachiyo asked. "Walpurgisnacht attacked Mitakihara last month."

"It did," Akemi said. "We killed it."

She said it so calmly, as if destroying the legendary Witch was hardly noteworthy.

"Now we're preparing for greater threats," Sinclaire said. "We would like your assistance in the future."

"You're recruiting Magical Girls," Yachiyo said. "Apparently you're fixing their soul gems as well."

Sinclaire nodded. "Do you know . . .?"

"That we turn into Witches?" Yachiyo finished. "I have for a year now. But how confident are you in your methods?"

"They saved me," Avalon said. "They can save you as well."

Yachiyo looked away. "Even so, it might be for the best if you don't bother with me."

Sinclaire went silent following her words, but Akemi narrowed her eyes. She looked over Yachiyo, who couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking behind her emotionless gaze.

"Nanami," Akemi finally said. "No doubt you've noticed the oddities in the world. Magic which you can't understand. Our world has been limited to Magical Girls and Witches, but magic is far more boundless. I once thought our destinies must end in despair, but that is not the case." Her eyes met Yachiyo's. "No matter what our wishes were."

Once again, Yachiyo found herself unable to speak. Somehow, Akemi had seen right through her. Yachiyo's fears had kept her from seeking out those saving Magical Girls on their own, yet they had still found her.

Considering that, would her friends who would seek salvation themselves be waiting for her, should she follow these two? Would Momoko be there? Tsuruno?

Mifuyu . . .

"Tell me more," Yachiyo said.

"Kushiel," the woman spoke, stepping through the final portal to reach the lab. Behind her, another woman, one of Spanish descent, also stepped into the lab.

"Jophiel." Kushiel scowled. "Not only did you come here and disturb me, but you brought that ape with you."

"It seems she still hasn't gotten over the Seraphim's decision." The voice of her wife came through her head. Though they no longer shared the same body most of the time, they still often communicated mentally.

She doesn't have to, Jophiel replied. We proved our worth as partners to the Seraphim, and they have accepted that we work together. Kushiel may disapprove of a partnership between humans and Seosten, but she knows that disrespecting you would be on the same level as disrespecting me.

"I hope she tries that," Elisabet said. Pushing her down when she knows it's me would be extremely satisfying."

I'm sure you will get your chance, Jophiel assured her. Out loud, she said, "We are here to talk about Sariel's child. The one which escaped from your watch."

"Sariel," Kushiel snarled the name, "has continuously worked around her confines to hinder us. With my experiments slowing down, I've kept her in a constant state of unconsciousness. If anything, we should bring in her half-breed spawn."

"You will not touch any of Sariel's children," Elisabet ordered. "Neither the hybrids, nor the young girl with the Magias. Jophiel and I will watch over Earth. The remainder of our forces will continue to quell the rebellions surfacing on our slave planets, along with destroying the weakened Fomorians."

Already, work on Earth had been keeping the pair busy. The Seosten possessing Lemuel had killed him after being ejected, and had requested extra forces to keep the pack under control. Then there was the issue of finding a connection to the Magia base without worrying the gathered force there. Cahethal had offered to send some of the Calendar there, but that might lead to more headaches. Even so, it was their most promising option thus far.

"You will not lecture me on the Fomorians!" Kushiel snapped.

"Perhaps," Jophiel commented, "we could instead talk about the work of your daughter and her partner on Earth."

As expected, the words had a great effect on Kushiel's temper. "That creature is no child of mine. "She had her chance to rise above her weakness, but now she is nothing more than a traitor to be dealt with. Both her and the monkey-child she has partnered with."

"Perhaps you should stop underestimating them," Elisabet said. "Though given your previous lack of thinking, that might be too much to expect."

Kushiel drew her sword, prepared to slice her arm with it and transfer the damage to Elisabet. Chances were the gesture was merely a threat, but that didn't stop Elisabet from suddenly appearing in front of her, magic flowing from her hands.

Well, my love, Jophiel thought.

It appears you will get that chance sooner than expected.

"Are you sure you should come with me, mother?"

The Native American girl who asked the question shifted uneasily on the open field, as she waited for their escorts to arrive. After spending the previous few months hiding her true appearance, leaving it open for all to see left her feeling exposed.

Although, considering her mother shared the same blue hair and eyes as her, their presence together would have confirmed anyone's suspicions regardless.

"From what we can tell, these people will welcome us," Bastet said. "Even then, Grandfather's precautions will let us escape if necessary. For now, I would like to see the two girls who caught my father's interest with my own eyes."

Her father, Aylen's grandfather. The Heretical Edge. While everyone fled from Crossroads, Aylen had gone to the lighthouse where he was held. He sent her to her mothers, but not before telling her of two girls connected to the Committee's network. Normally, they would have lost that power after the death of the one connecting them to the Edge. However, Aylen's grandfather had taken the time to keep them connected.

"The rebellion joined up with them," Aylen said. "This new source of power they have, do you think it will help us save him?"

"We won't know for sure until we see it for ourselves, '' Bastet said. "But I don't want to keep him waiting any longer. "We'll do whatever it takes."

That sentiment, Aylen agreed with.

They were inside a Witch's labyrinth.

It had taken time to get used to that fact. For so long, being in a labyrinth had meant life or death for Mami. Often, they were dark places, filled to the brim with death.

Not this one, however. Gaia Sinclaire's work with Madoka on fixing her soul gem had gone further than anyone could have expected. Madoka had complete control over her labyrinth, and she could design it however she pleased.

In the end, she had made a paradise. They stood on solid clouds, connected by rainbow bridges. Falling off one of the solid clouds merely meant landing in the soft cloud sea below, on which were islands that connected back to the mainland. If their new home could be called mainland.

At the moment, it was the middle of the day. Not that they had to follow standard laws of time in the labyrinth, but a day and night cycle was familiar, and many preferred it that way. It helped that the sun was artificial, so creatures such as vampires could come out during the day without any worry.

There were multiple branching clouds, with many different purposes, but they all connected to the center cloud. That one contained the tower in which the older students studied, and where the Headmistress and some of the staff lived.

It was that building which Mami made her way to. Inside, she was met with a grand lobby, with signs to direct students and a longue for them to relax in. Most notable was the statue of a hispanic girl in tribal clothing, holding her head high and raising her arms toward the sky.

Thank you, Pace. We'll never forget you. With one last look at the statue, Mami stepped into the nearby elevator, having it take her to one of the higher floors.

Finally, she made it to Gaia's office. Knocking on the door, she heard Gaia's voice call for her to enter.

Though she had never seen the office in Crossroads, this was supposedly an exact replication of it. Gaia's desk had been expanded, however, so that more people could sit on the end opposite of the Headmistress. Right now, two people were seated there.

"Kyoko, Carmentae." Mami smiled, stepping beside the desk. "I'm glad you made it back okay."

"Of course we did." Kyoko lounged back in her chair, arms linked behind her head. "What, did ya think we wouldn't be able to handle it out there?"

"Not at all," Mami said. "Still, it's a relief to see you."

"Kyoko and Carmentae were just telling me about how their efforts went," Gaia said. "From the sound of it, Madoka will have to expand the Elementary cloud."

The Elementary cloud was where all the kids too young to fight stayed. They had their own dorms, dining hall, and academy. With the staff teaching them, they would be gently guided into a life of magic. All the ones without parents would still have people they could connect with.

"There were some real pieces of shit out there," Carmentae growled. "It feels like half the kids we saved would have been killed by their parents eventually. Especially some of the Alter children."

"Then it is a great thing you two were there," Gaia said. "Truthfully, helping kids whose lives have been damaged by magic has been a goal of mine for quite a while. I'm thankful that you two accepted my offer to search for them."

Kyoko flushed. "Well, someone has to help all those kids. Who better than two girls who know what they're dealing with?"

"Don't act like you can resist them." Carmentae smirked. "I saw how close you were getting to that Yuma girl."

"Shut up." Somehow, Kyoko's blush deepened. It was a sight Mami wasn't used to.

Gaia's amusement was clear on her face. "Regardless, thank you both. Mami is actually here because she wanted to speak with you about the Magical Girl children."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What's up, Mami? Still got girls flocking to you?"

Well now it was Mami's turn to blush. "It's not like that. The Magical Girls closer to our age want someone they can look up to. I just happened to be in the position to be that figure, due to my closeness with Madoka."

"Maybe if you stopped trying to train each one," Carmentae said, "they'd be less obsessed with you."

"That I won't do," Mami said. "This is how I can be useful around here. I finally found a direction, and I'll put everything I have into it."

And if I'm lucky, I'll never have to fight with the intention of killing again. After her breakdown, Mami knew she wasn't suited for true combat. Her spirit simply wasn't strong enough. After becoming a Magia through her bond with Madoka's soul gem, she had decided she would go down a different path with these new powers, one far different from her past.

"Your call," Carmentae said. "I'm guessing that has to do with why you're here?"

Mami nodded. "I was hoping you could refer the younger Magical Girls to me. They'll be sure to trust you two, and it will be easier for me to help them."

"That all?" Kyoko asked. "What, you gonna put up flyers in their school too?"

Mami's eyes sparkled. "That would be an excellent idea!"

Kyoko facepalmed. "Whatever. Any idea where Sayaka is?"

"With everyone else," Gaia said. "In Madoka's soul gem chamber."

Kyoko rose from her seat. "I'll swing by. You two coming?" Carmentae was already following her.

"Of course," Mami said, and she fell into step beside her friend.

"Hey. Why did you leave me as a werewolf? Back when you restored us."

Madoka closed her eyes, considering Sayaka's question. When the answer came to her, she opened them.

The room they were in was dome shaped, made of a soft, pink, fluffy material that they all lied down in. Hanging from the ceiling above them was Madoka's soul gem. She liked to be near it, even if she didn't have to anymore. It helped that she made the room so comfortable for everyone else. Even the door, at the end of the room opposite her soul gem, was a wooden door decorated with stickers. Of course, it only came after dozens of magical layers and other security measures, prepared so that even an army wouldn't be able to reach Madoka's soul gem. Only those magically intune with the room were allowed in, and even then, there were spells which would keep them out if one of them had malicious intent.

Even with the Seosten depowered, taking precautions against possession was never a bad idea.

Realizing she had gotten distracted, Madoka refocused. "I knew how much you wanted to be a hero," Madoka said. "I wanted to make sure you still had that chance." She felt Sayaka's hand squeeze hers. That left both her hands occupied, as Homura was holding the other one. The three of them, alongside Flick and Avalon, were lying on their backs in a circle.

From the other side of Homura, Flick spoke up. "I'm glad Madoka's soul gem worked on you. Alters can't become Heretics, but there's no similar limitation here. We all get the same powers, and are part of the same community. That will go a long way in helping my mom."

"Controlled resistance to all magic, the ability to snuff out other people's magic, being able to easily cast spells, having a personal weapon to summon like all Magical Girls, and apparently the chance to live for hundreds of years," Avalon listed. "Heretics, Alters, Magical Girls, former Witches, and even those who never had powers before get it all. In the end, we're all Magias."

Madoka smiled. Knowing all of this was possible because of her soul gem, and the nature of her wish, gave her a warm feeling. Already, she was seeing lives changed. Like her new friend Iroha, who had managed to cure her sick sister and those two other girls in the hospital. Iroha hadn't even known of magic before one of Gaia's scouts noticed her.

"That doesn't make the adjustment period any easier," Homura said.

Flick sighed. "Yeah. At least no major fights have broken out between anyone yet. I think my mom being such a public figure helps. Unity is her whole thing."

She did name the school Unity, after all.

"Speaking of which," Flick said, turning to Avalon, who was right next to her. "How are Sands and Scout doing?"

"Better," Avalon said. "Sands still isn't comfortable being around so many Alters, but seeing them and talking to them has helped. I'm just thankful she followed Scout, when Crossroads was evacuating."

Madoka's heart sunk at all the families that might have been broken up by her bringing back memories of the rebellion. Even the Masons themselves. Though the twins were together, their dad had stayed behind.

Her hand shook a little, until Homura gave it a reaffirming squeeze. Madoka smiled at her.

Before anyone could change the topic, the door to the room opened.

"Hey! What's up?" Kyoko called out. She bounced across the room, quite literally thanks to the floor, before shoving herself between Madoka and Sayaka.

"Hey, watch it!" Sayaka protested. Her complaints went ignored, however, and soon Kyoko, Carmentae, and Mami had joined the circle.

"Wait for me!" gasped the girl who had come into the room behind them. She was having more trouble navigating the floor, and ended up partly sinking into it along the way.

Flick giggled and stood up. "Here, sis, grab my hand."

Soon, the two returned, and the circle was complete. All of them lied on their backs, smiling, side by side. From Flick, to Avalon, to Carmentae, to Kyoko, to Sayaka, to Mami, to Madoka, to Homura, then lastly to Tabbris, nestled between Flick and Homura.

The conversation changed, as Sayaka brought up stories from her class. One of the other students, an orc, had challenged one of the Kamihama girls to a cook off. A magical cook off. The results had been explosive.

While her friends laughed and continued exchanging tales, Madoka continued to smile. Next to her, she could hear Homura softly breathing. Turning that way, Madoka saw her eyes were closed. Homura must have fallen asleep.

Thank you. I know how hard fighting me must have been for you. We'll spend centuries together, I promise.

Kyoko was now trying to get Sayaka and Mami wrapped up in pranking other Magical Girls with her and Carmentae. The four lightly bickered among themselves, while Flick played peacekeeper. Avalon and Tabbris laughed together at her efforts.

It was, in Madoka's opinion, the most beautiful scene she had ever been a part of.

The two girls entered the room silently, not wanting to wake the occupants inside. That proved to be pointless, however, when both were awake and sitting on the couch.

"Hi, Mom, Dad," Flick said. "How was it?"

Joselyn smiled. "Gabriel might have a lead on who can help us recover Tabbris' mother. It will take months, and getting her out of wherever the Seosten have her won't be easy, but we'll do it."

Flick felt her heart swell. "You hear that, Tabbris? You'll see your other family. We'll make sure of it. Hope you don't mind being stuck with us weirdos until then."

Lincoln chuckled. "We're certainly not going to let you go, even after we save Sariel."

Tabbris shook her head. "I don't want you to. You're my family. I love you guys."

"Awww, bring it in, you three," Joselyn stood and held her arms out. No one was about to deny her request for a family hug.

A few seconds later, Flick found herself in three pairs of arms, their warmth and protectiveness enveloping her. No words needed to be spoken, because they all knew what the others were thinking.

Their family had been through countless hardships. No doubt, they would face many more. None of that mattered, because finally, they were all together. Nothing would separate them again.

Our wishes are supposed to come back to haunt us. I suppose mine did, in a way. It's a miracle the four of us are here like this.

No, it was more than a miracle. They were here because they persevered. Because they had never given up on eachother. Because they all loved each other more than anything else.

In the warm embrace of her family, Flick felt closer to them than she ever had.

A/N: And that's that. There's a lot more I could include in this epilogue. For instance, Miranda is at Unity, and she and Flick became friends again. There's plenty going on with the Seraphim, and the Heretics are scrambling to deal with this new "threat" that can nullify their power. There's even some fun stuff happening with Tristan on the Meregan planet. Still, I'm going to leave it here, as the story of Flick and the Mitakihara Magical Girls is complete.

That said, I might write a series of one-shots as a sequel to this story. That way I can keep writing in this world without fully committing to a new, multi-chapter fic. After the characters earned their ending, I wouldn't want to leave the plot hanging in the air again.

With that said, I want to thank everyone who stuck with me this far. This story has been an incredible experience for me. Even though the readership was smaller than my other fanfics, you guys were awesome. Seeing your responses to my posts was a joy, and I am still blown away that this story was my first to receive both fanart AND fanfiction based on it. When Your Mother is Khepri got omakes, but this felt like a step further, and it was a wonderful surprise. Between you guys, and my love for these two settings, this was definitely my favorite story to write. Which might explain why it's my longest thus far at over 80K words. Wow.

So what comes next? For Madoka Magica, I want to one day write a post-Rebellion fic, because I feel like none of the ones I've read managed to properly capture the message Rebellion was trying to convey. That said, I need a break from this setting, and there's no guarantee I'll still feel this strongly about my idea as time passes, so I won't be making any promises.

As for Heretical Edge, I have many ideas, both for crossovers and original stories. There's one crossover in particular that I can't get out of my head. Will I write it? Will I write one of my other stories? Who knows! I hope those of you in the discord are okay with me rambling about my ideas in the future.

Oh, and before you go, please consider checking out the fanfiction inspired by this one, titled Flipping Over the Hourglass. It's only one chapter at the time of writing this, but the author, Blaforan, plans on writing at least one more. The premise of it is that the characters of Wish I Were a Bystander fail to defeat Walpurgisnacht, and Homura resets time once more. This time, Flick is already a Heretic, and has spent a year at Crossroads. Even so, Homura holds out hope that Flick will save her. It's an awesome premise, and I'm very excited to see where it goes.

I'll miss this story, but at the same time, I'm glad I got to see it through to the end. Writing Wish I Were a Bystander has certainly shaped me as a writer. Once again, thank you for being on this journey with me!

I look forward to the next one.