Homura and Hitomi stood outside the crash of the Prometheus. Madoka was not far off, speaking to the four giant Witches. Captain Douglas was helping his brother and Fukawa out of the crash. Just as Fukawa was out, and the three of them were joining the rest of the group, Madoka returned from among the Witches.

"We can't really send you home, because you wouldn't arrive any sooner than several billion lightyears. We can't just leave you here either, because this planet's atmosphere isn't the safest. You would die a slow and very jittery death. What I can do, though, is put you in stasis where you would be frozen until the stasis capsule makes physical contact with something that matches... whatever parameters I want it to. We could make it Human, if that would be best."

Douglas nodded. "If that's the best you can give us, we'll take it."

"Okay." Madoka's gaze dropped to the ground. "Well... we can't stay here much longer. The presence of those three in that state is more damaging than the air here. Candeloro... Mami seems to be fine, though. Once I change into that state, we'll have to leave right away or the planet will be destroyed. It's going to happen really soon, so I don't have time for long goodbyes. Hitomi?"

Her childhood friend shuffled her feet casually. "It was... nice to know that you'll always be out there, Madoka."

Madoka let out a sad sigh. "I'm sorry. For everything that happened. I'm sorry about Kyosuke." She looked to Captain Douglas. "More for Mami than for me, but it was nice to see you again." She just nodded to Rory, who nodded back, and moved on to Fukawa. "I've never met you or even seen you before, but I'll remember you."

Fukawa shrugged. "Well, I don't suppose I can ask for more than to be remembered... what was it, for eternity?"

Madoka gave a somber laugh, and turned to Homura. "Now, I don't remember you either, but you feel so familiar. I think I understand why, too. Kyoko told me that it was your voice I heard coming from deep space. You, or some other version of you, called to me, and it's that voice I've been following out here. You are our objective Homura. You're more important than we know."

Homura lowered her head, sadly turning her gaze to the ground. "I didn't dream those horrible things. My friends really did die, and I'm the only one left. And now you're going to go away again. How am I supposed to live with this?"

Madoka put her hand on Homura's shoulder. "You've been alone a long time, Homura. But you're not alone anymore. Hitomi will be there with you. And Tyrone and Rory and Fukawa. You're not alone."

"Madoka... please... if I can't go with you, then there's no point." Homura took a deep breath, and Madoka could tell she wasn't going to like what came next. "Don't put me to sleep again. I want to stay awake. If I can't be with you ever again, then let me watch you go. I'll accept whatever end this planet can give me, but don't make me sleep so long again."

Madoka couldn't find any words to say. She let out a long sigh, but made no move to force her hand. Homura watched quietly as Madoka formed the static blue fields that wrapped around the others, placing them in perfect stasis. She turned to face Homura one last time before leaving. After a minute of silence, she just nodded and started walking back to the others. Homura could hear a tune that someone was humming. She naturally assumed it was Madoka, as no one else was around to do something like that. Watching Madoka leave like this hurt, though. Tears started to well up in her eyes as Madoka's body dissolved into tendrils of shadow that quickly wrapped around the three Witches and whatever Mami had become.

The tendrils came together, binding into a single solid wall and making a large egg-like shape. The black mass that was Homura's dearest friend lifted off the ground and floated up into the sky. She reached up and waved farewell to Madoka until the small black dot in the sky vanished. Crying, she dropped to her knees and clutched at her heart. There was a pain in her chest like she'd never felt before. She wasn't alone.

Madoka opened her eyes. Something was wrong. She was supposed to be flying through space as Kriemhild Gretchen right now, not lying on her back as Madoka Kaname and in serious pain. She rolled over and shoved herself up onto her feet. The ground was scorched and burnt, and she was in the center of a crater, like she'd hit like a meteor. Around her, Kyoko, Sayaka, and Mami struggled to stand as well. Nagisa shoved her way out of the ground where she'd evidently been buried.

The young white-haired woman spat out some dirt. "Blech. Overcooked chocolate cake."

Sayaka stomped the ground. "We're back on this miserable planet?! What happened?!"

Madoka tried to take a step, but the ground cracked and crumbled under her. She pointed to Kyoko, who was nearest the edge of the crater. "Go find Homura! Make sure she wasn't hit!"

Kyoko clambered up to the edge of the crater and looked out. "Oh." She turned back to the others. "It's... not good. We didn't hit her, but... she's already dead. One of those things... one of them was still inside her, and..."

Madoka hauled herself out of the crumbling ground, pulling herself along in desperation. "No! No, Homura! Not after everything we just went through! No!"

Mami grabbed Madoka and held her back. "Madoka, stop this! We have more important things to worry about!"

"You don't understand!" Madoka tried in vain to push Mami away. In spite of her attempts, Mami was physically the stronger of the two. "You don't understand! Any of you! Homura's the whole reason for all of this! It was her voice!" Madoka had started crying, shouting at them through her tears. "I heard her voice and that's why we're out here in the first place! There is nothing more important! She's the reason for everything!"

"Oh... shit." Sayaka pointed up at the sky. "I think Mami's right this time."

Madoka finally broke free. Slowly, she followed Sayaka's finger. Directly above them, hovering in the sky, was a massive sphere. Whatever it was, it was in orbit, it was bigger than all of them, and it hadn't been there before. Someone was humming a low tune.

There, above them, Ghroth opened his eye and stared down at them. The entire planet was cast in the red glow of his eye. The voice shook the planet to its core. Come to me, Witch. Awake and be destroyed.

Madoka stood in defiance of the colossal foe. "Now you've done it, you giant floating gonad! You want me? Here I come!" Kriemhild Gretchen launched into space, aiming to collide with the Nemesis Moon.

The others followed right behind her, though less than enthusiastic.

Ophelia darted left and right, trying to size up their foe. "That's no moon! Look at the size of that thing!"

Oktavia chastised her. "Don't be a nerd."

Kriemhild streaked past between them, drawing Ghroth's gaze away from the planet. It was a wise move. His eye began to glow brighter and suddenly erupted, shooting off a beam of energy that rivaled a solar flare in sheer force. The blast that would have cracked the planet open instead struck Kriemhild dead on, sending her spiraling out into space. Taking the opportunity, Charlotte latched onto the top of Ghroth's mass with her mouth and began chewing her way through. The fiend was not made of rock, but rather something infinitely more vile, but much easier to chomp.

Candeloro emitted a bright white glow and flew past in front of Ghroth. He took the bait, following her farther away from the planet. He had started screeching repeatedly, but his one-eyed expression hadn't changed. Oktavia and Ophelia landed on either side of the giant eye, where they could feel the heat coming off of it, and stabbed their respective weapons into the softer tissues of the eye. When Ghroth tried to shut his eye, to protect it from further damage, they both grabbed the stone eyelids and held them open. Candeloro darted away. Behind her light, Kriemhild had been all but invisible, and was now charging at near light speed. She struck her foe head on, a bullseye, spearing him and breaking out the other side. Charlotte wormed her way out the bottom. Out of all four holes, Kriemhild and Charlotte's entry and exit wounds, molten plasma like from the surface of a star poured out into the black.

The plasma changed shape, revealing the true nature of Ghroth's form. Pure, bright orange, infernal energy. Three long clawed arms and one toothy maw, all formed from the same plasma. The moon shell cracked and began disintegrating. Ophelia flew away, trying to get out of reach, and one of the arms shot after her. Oktavia intercepted the arm and slashed the clawed hand apart with her sword. A second arm swiped after her, but she spun to the side and severed it as well. Pulling a u-turn, Ophelia hoisted her spear and launched it like a javelin. Ophelia's spear shattered the moon shell, and what was left of the rock melted into the core, Ghroth's true being.

Fangs of fire snapped after Charlotte, and Ghroth chased her farther from the planet. Charlotte led the fiend straight for the nearest star. Kriemhild's dark tendrils wrapped around Ghroth from behind and pulled him back. She was gaining strength as the battle went on, growing in size and power, feeding off of all Ghroth's endless rage. She hauled him back and spun around, slinging him straight at the star. He hit the surface with a splash, sending solar matter in all directions and warping the shape of the celestial body itself. He shoved off the surface and charged back at Kriemhild. Arms of plasma and tendrils of shadow clashed, and Kriemhild found herself staring into Ghroth's burning red eye. She caught his arms and kept the claws from snatching at her, but the jaws slipped through and tore a chunk out of her.

Candeloro rammed into the jaws, tearing the entire limb off and taking it with her. In retaliation, Ghroth's eye erupted again, blasting Kriemhild away from him. Oktavia landed on his back, driving her sword into the top of his being. Ophelia dug her spear into his side, plunging it in as deep as she could. Ghroth grabbed the both of them and flung them away, then retreated to the star. Kriemhild charged after him, but Candeloro moved to block her path.

"That sun is more powerful than any of us. We can use it to destroy him."

Kriemhild fell back. "I'm the only one who can hope to match his power. What do you suggest?"

Candeloro glowed brightly. "You're right about that. In fact, I think you're somewhat larger than him. So I'll be your support. You drive him into it."

The others were mounting another attack, distracting Ghroth. He dug his claws into the surface of the star, scooping out clumps of stellar matter and hurling them at his enemies. One of the balls of flame struck Oktavia, sending her reeling into the black. A small splash of fire from the impact hit Charlotte, causing her to dart away for the safety of the planet. Ophelia took the next shot head on and shot straight through it, only to be swatted away by one of Ghroth's limbs.

Kriemhild wrapped Candeloro in her substance, enveloping her whole, and charged. She put all her strength and mass behind the attack, shrugging off the blasts of solar matter that struck her, and hitting Ghroth, grappling with him. She plunged them both into the star, below the surface, where both their beings were burned away and destroyed by the solar might. Inside Kriemhild Gretchen, Candeloro struggled to keep up, healing Kriemhild as much as she could and as fast as she could. They wouldn't be able to last long this way, but perhaps longer than Ghroth.

Charlotte and Ophelia floated motionlessly. Oktavia had tanked the blast hurled at her by Ghroth and pulled her friends back to her. Ophelia was unconscious, but still living. Oktavia and Charlotte's gaze was on the surface of the star, watching and waiting to see if Kriemhild and Candeloro would return. The star grew dark, shrinking and dying. Suddenly, the surface broke apart, and Kriemhild Gretchen pushed her way out into space. She released Candeloro from her mass, and the two returned to their friends.

The eternal legends tell of the Grave Star, the final resting place of the Nemesis Moon Ghroth.