Chapter 13

Outset

Like before, the first thing Madoka was aware of was the sound. She could hear bells tolling, somewhere nearby. She stirred, feeling as if she was waking up from sleep, grogginess and all. She wanted to just keep her eyes shut.

The bell tolled again like an incessant alarm, insisting that she couldn't sleep. Eventually, Madoka had to agree. She was on a mission, wasn't she?

She opened her eyes to find that she was sitting on a bench. The others were next to her and gradually stirring as well.

Madoka looked forwards, to see a great tower topped with the bells that had woken her. Lower to the ground, she saw a glass door, with a sign nearby saying "Twilight Town Train Station."

"Twilight Town huh?" Kyoko said. She looked up into the sky. "Seems kinda fitting."

Madoka followed her gaze, and looked up at the sky, which was a myriad of brilliant sunset colors.

"Whoa!" Nagisa shouted. "Look!"

Everyone turned, to see that Nagisa was leaning over a balcony. Madoka gasped as she saw a beautiful city framed by the setting sun. However, even more amazing were the sounds. She had only been without them for a few hours but hearing them now made her realize how much she had missed them. The sounds of the city, of vehicles driving, train whistles, of horns honking. The hustle and bustle of people going about their days, the footsteps and voices, the sounds of dogs barking and birds flapping and chirping. It was amazing.

"This is another World, right?" Sayaka said.

"Yes, that's what Ramuh said."

"Then we're on an alien planet!" Sayaka shouted. "Hold on! We're the aliens! That's awesome!"

"Hey, Sayaka, your clothes!" Mami said.

"Huh? What about- Oh cool!" Everyone turned to see that Sayaka's clothes had been repaired, and then realized that the same had been done for them. Cuts, scrapes, bruises, and burns had all been healed, and the damages to their clothing had been fixed.

"Now that's service." Kyoko said.

"So where do we go next! Let's explore!" Sayaka said.

"We do have a mission, remember." Mami said.

"Yes, we're supposed to board a train that will take us to the wizard Yen Sid."

"I didn't ask before, but what? Is this Harry Potter?" Kyoko asked. "Are we going to Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts? What's that?" Mami asked.

"Wait seriously? You've never read Harry Potter? Never seen the movies? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I haven't."

"Sucks to be you. I mean, that was one of my dad's favorite..." Kyoko trailed off, and then went silent.

She never really talked about much about her past. Madoka remembered hearing about it from Sayaka some time ago. It was clearly a sensitive topic.

"Let's head into the station." Nagisa suggested.

Twilight Station was no platform 9 ¾, but it was suitably impressive, being incredibly spacious, with numerous trains. Their attention was immediately drawn to a blue train bearing a pointy hat decorated with moons and stars.

"Soooo… can anyone tell which train will take us to the wizard?" Sayaka asked sarcastically.

"Well, then all that's left is to buy the tickets." Mami said. She pointed out a counter.

"You guys go ahead."

"Madoka?" Sayaka's tone became worried. "Why?"

She pointed towards the restrooms. "It's no big deal. Be back in a sec'."

Madoka looked over herself in the mirror. Her attention was drawn to the strip of gauze Mami had attached to her cheek. It felt funny, and she had to wonder why. If all their wounds had been healed, then it wasn't necessary, wasn't it?

And yet she felt nervous somehow. As she touched the patch, she felt a tingle. She hesitated, before gritting her teeth and pulling it off.

And there it was, staring back at her reflection. A scar. A big ugly claw mark across her left cheek. A permanent reminder of when her father's Heartless had attacked her. Of when she lost her family. Apparently, Ramuh had his limits, or maybe it was something to do with the darkness.

The flash of lightning as monsters leaped upon her.

The unearthly laughter as green fire enveloped her.

Waking up to see tears run down her father's face as a policeman spoke to him.

Madoka's hands began to tremble. She tried to lean against the sink, but her grip felt weak.

Her father bleeding out on the floor as a monster stood over him.

Tatsuya impaled upon a burning spear.

The world warping in impossible ways as Homura howled.

Madoka's throat felt raw. Her chest felt heavy. A knot formed in her stomach, and she started to feel nauseous. Her grip slipped and she collapsed to her knees. Hot tears streaked down her face as she began to sob. It would be fine, she told herself. She could fix all of this. So why did she feel so bad?

"Hey, Madoka, what's taking so long. Are you- Oh my god!" She heard Sayaka's voice, though it felt distant. She felt arms embrace her, and felt a warm body pressed against her. It didn't feel real.

"Madoka?! What happened?! You were taking a while, so I..." She paused, as she turned Madoka's head towards her and saw her scar. "Oh… oh… oh no..."

"I-it's f-f-fine. It's… it's… it's..." Madoka started to sob again. She couldn't form words, it was as if her tongue had gone numb. Her jaw felt weak.

The fiery explosion.

A blazing sword barely blocked.

Sayaka's burnt body.

Sayaka held Madoka's head beneath her chin. "Don't worry. I'm here. We're all here."

Eventually, Madoka managed to catch her breath. "I… I… can't..."

"You can!" Sayaka said. "We can! We'll win! We'll get everyone back!"

Crystal Clarity appeared in Madoka's hands. She let the Keyblade fall to the ground with a clatter. "Ramuh said that the Heartless would always be after me. S-so… even if Mama, and Papa, and Tatsuya come back, they'll still be in danger. W-will… will I have to leave them?"

"I… uh… I… don't know..." Sayaka paused, her voice trembling slightly. She then hugged Madoka tighter, and spoke more forcefully. "We'll just have to keep moving forwards. Besides, Ramuh said that Yen Sid is a former Keyblade Master, if anyone can figure this out, it's him!"

"R-right." Madoka took a deep breath.

"Are you okay to stand?" Sayaka asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Madoka said, as Sayaka helped her up. She picked up the Keyblade as well.

"Then let's get going, the others are waiting."

As she stepped out of the restroom, Mami turned to her, and gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. Nagisa started staring as well. Kyoko paused, scowled, and then turned away. At first, she though it was because she had been obviously crying, but then she remembered the scars.

"Madoka..."

"It's fine. It is what it is." She said. "Do you have the tickets?"

"Yeah… about that… there were some… complications."

"What kind of complications?"

"The currency kind." Kyoko huffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I went to counter to request 5 tickets. I went to pay, but apparently, they've never even heard of Yen. So… we need to somehow get 4500 Munny."

"Alien currencies." Nagisa said. "Not something you usually think about..."

"So were stuck here?" Sayaka asked.

As Madoka dismissed her Keyblade, she saw a group of people run out of the station.

"Maybe we can sneak aboard." Kyoko said.

"What? No! We're not going to stowaway."

"Why? It's not hard. I do it all the time!"

"I… no comment."

The girls exited the train station.

"So what now?" Sayaka asked.

"I could-" Kyoko started.

"We are not stealing anything." Mami interrupted.

"...I wasn't gonna say that."

"You definitely were." Nagisa said.

"Well who asked you?" Kyoko retorted.

"Well, we do still have to find a way to somehow get 4500 Munny."

"Maybe find some sort of quick job or something?" Madoka suggested.

"Nah, it's unreliable and we're pressed for time. I have a better solution!" Kyoko said.

"I said we're not stealing anything."

"I never said anything about stealing. It'll be totally earned!"

"And how?"

"Simple! We have Mami get naked!"

"W-what? No!" Mami's face turned a bright pink.

"Really?" Sayaka said. "Do you always have to go there? What's gotten into you?"

Kyoko leaned back. "Pfft… like you haven't been thinkin' it? We put on a show! It'll certainly draw a crowd! We-"

"Hey you!"

Everyone turned to see a group of people approaching them, two boys and a girl. The one in front had blonde hair, and he was flanked a rather portly boy, and a girl with brown hair.

"Who are you guys?"

"I'm Hayner. This is Pence and Olette." Said the boy in the lead. "We… uh... couldn't help but overhear your predicament."

Kyoko grinned and leaned forwards. "So you want to see Mami's-"

Mami held up her hand, silencing Kyoko. "What do you mean by 'predicament'?"

"You're short on Munny that you need for train tickets, right?" Pence asked.

"We don't have much Munny to spare ourselves, but we do have a solution that doesn't involve… whatever it is you were going to do." Olette said.

"Like what?" Sayaka asked.

"Have any of you heard of Struggle?"

The city was on fire. Screams echoed everywhere as buildings collapsed. She was reminded of what had happened to her own World and it was not a comfortable feeling.

Had it been peaceful, the city might have looked beautiful, with stunning authentic architecture and impressive gardens. Now, however, it was in the process of a disaster. Heartless ran amok, with the civilians of the town fleeing for their lives.

Homura took stock of the options she had for herself. Apparently, outside her own World, she was significantly weaker, much to her frustration. Her ability to shape reality was lost. However, she appeared to have her shield back, though its powers over time were changed. She still had her bow as well, which was confusing in itself. But that wasn't a concern right now. Had Madoka really been brought to this place?

Earlier...

"Where is Madoka now then?"

Xehanort returned to looking at the sky. Whatever he had done was fading, and the storm clouds were reasserting themselves. He appeared frustrated again. "I cannot say for sure. There are too many variables at play. An Esper is called by a summoner. Maleficent may be responsible for that."

"But I saw Madoka summon Ramuh. There was some sort of magical circle she created."

"Maleficent is capable of ensorcelling others to do her bidding. A young man I like to think of as my pupil suffered this fate, and was made to use his powers to steal the Heart of another Princess for her against his will. Even if Maleficent was not directly responsible for Ramuh's intervention, Espers are fickle creatures, and Madoka may not be able to keep control over such a being. It wouldn't be anywhere near the first time an Esper has killed a novice summoner in a fit of rage."

"Killed?" It was as if ice was injected directly into her veins.

"If he somehow intends to 'help' her, there is a likely place he might send her, a world known for its legendary warriors who vanquish monsters. Other Key-bearers have come through there as well. It is also coincidentally, where Maleficent is likely to head next. And, if the worst has come to pass, we would be able to learn the truth of Madoka's fate as well, and then move from there. I can send you there if you wish."

"What about this World. What will happen to it?"

"Each World has a Keyhole, a portal leading to its Heart. It is possible for a Keyblade to seal this portal, preventing access, thus preventing the Heartless from consuming the Heart and destroying the World." Xehanort gestured to his Keyblade. "I have ensured this World's Keyhole is secure."

Xehanort gestured, and a mass of writhing shadows appeared, forming into a vortex.

"This will take you to the World known as Olympus, where you can begin your search. Be wary however, other Worlds may be dangerous. Also, our enemies may be everywhere! Never let on that you are associated with me, for both my well-being, and your own."

She had her mission. First, seek Madoka out in this world. Failing that, gain information from Maleficent, as she was most definitely here as well. And lastly, in the worst-case scenario, Hades was the God of the Dead. Should Madoka be dead, he would be able to tell her for certain.

But she really hoped it didn't come to that. She leaped out over the city, running along rooftops, keeping an eye out for anything that could lead to Madoka, though as she did so, questions ran through her mind.

This was the city of Thebes in Greece. Thebes existed as well in her own world, though more modern of course. This was also the case with the gods, as she thought about Hades. These gods had been worshiped once in her own world. Were they the same gods? Were there versions of these gods on her own world? Were ancient people aware of other worlds like this? Was it all some really bizarre coincidence? Were there worlds containing figures from other religions and mythologies? And speaking of worlds…

Xehanort had called this world Olympus, and she could see what she assumed was the titular mountain off in the distance. But… far out did everything go? Just this city and the mountain? The entire Hellenistic world? The entire planet of Earth circa whatever year BCE? The solar system, the galaxy? Surprisingly, it was all so very fascinating. She wanted to know more. There were a lot of questions like... was that screaming? Was that screaming getting closer?

Then, before she could react, something heavy crashed into her in midair, slamming her into the ground and knocking the breath out of her. Her vision blurred, and everything felt dizzy. She then heard a voice.

"Gawrsh, Sora, are you okay?"

Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!