Les Fleurs du Mal

by Masterdramon

"There are women who inspire you with the desire to conquer them and to take your pleasure of them; but this one fills you only with the desire to die slowly beneath her gaze." - Charles Baudelaire. The direct sequel and conclusion to "Spider Lilies."

6. Part VI: Carefully Crafted Paradise

Les Fleurs du Mal – Carefully Crafted Paradise

Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica. All Madoka-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Studio SHAFT and Gen Urobuchi.

[-]

Not for the first time, Oriko wondered whether she was doing the right thing.

To be clear, she had no ethical hang-ups with the plan itself. While far from her ideal solution, the shattering of the Law of Cycles was such a tremendous travesty that the ends justified nearly any means. No matter how…untidy.

And they wouldn't have to be controlled for long. Just Awakening every Magical Girl on the planet would likely be enough to shock her Goddess back to Herself. The sheer outpouring of mana alone would be impossible to ignore.

Plus, if Madoka Kaname truly was the Law given form…well, Awakening her might just solve everything in one fell swoop. Perhaps she'd prove to be immune to Suzune Amano's magic – but there was only one way to find out.

No violence. No bloodshed. Compared with some of her previous schemes, this one was practically merciful.

The real problem was her new partners in crime.

Alina Gray was a genuine enigma. Like many of the Kamihama girls, Oriko had virtually no data on her. But what she'd been able to surmise thus far didn't instill much confidence.

The girl was genuinely and severely mad. Based on her utter lack of empathy and objectification of others, there was a good chance she was clinically a sociopath.

Which…to be fair, Oriko was no stranger to mental illness. Kirika was a textbook example of any number of obsessive personality disorders, and she herself was at best borderline depressed. Whether their eminently codependent relationship was "healthy" was a question best left to psychologists, but they were at least functional.

Alina was a different story entirely. To use a metaphor appropriate to the mad artist, it was like her brain had been "painted" with an entirely different set of colors than the ones that made up the average person.

Sasa Yuki, for all her myriad faults, had at least been relatively simple to understand. She wanted one thing – power – and would stop at nothing to obtain it. She'd been, as Kirika would've termed it, a "basic bitch."

Oriko wasn't sure if even Alina herself knew what she wanted out of life. She was an agent of pure chaos; unpredictable, and thus, dangerous. For now, she seemed willing to cooperate…

But how long could that possibly last?

And then there was Matsuri Hinata. She was perhaps the biggest wildcard of all, because she was neither being directly controlled in any way, nor was there any chance she would've signed onto their plan willingly, if she understood it.

Thus, their best weapon in dealing with her was one of ignorance. Fortunately, Oriko had ample experience manipulating girls who were far too innocent for their own good.

"I'm still not sure I understand," said the blind girl with a frown. "You're saying that awful girl had Amano-san under some kind of…mind control?"

She was sitting in the passenger seat of a car they'd managed to steal, which was traveling along the freeway at something like double the posted speed limit.

As the eldest member of their group, Alina probably should've been the one driving, but she'd told them outright that she knew "assolutamente niente about cars!" and so it fell to Oriko to take up the task. As the most visibly…mature among them, she seemed the least likely to get pulled over, which was a hassle they simply didn't have time for right now.

That left Kirika, Alina, Suzune, and Umika to cram awkwardly into the back. Kagari and Tsubaki, still unconscious and wrapped in one of Alina's barriers, had been stuffed into the trunk.

"That's right, Hinata-san. We'd hoped that defeating her would free Amano-san from her control, but it seems it wasn't that simple," replied Oriko, faking a tone of lament. "That's why we're going to Mitakihara City. If we can find a girl named Felicia Mitsuki, then we'll have enough magic power on our side to break Sasa Yuki's spell once and for all."

"I just don't get why she thinks I'm the one who did it, though…" groaned Matsuri, wringing her hands despairingly.

Her tone was understandable, given that ever since Sasa's death, Suzune had done little more than mutter, "Obey Matsuri. Obey Matsuri. Obey Matsuri…" on loop.

Having thought this over extensively, Oriko had decided her best option was to tell the green-haired girl the truth. Well…most of it.

"Even though I wasn't able to successfully Awaken you, please trust me when I say you have memories sealed off from your mind as well," she said gently. "You may believe this is your first meeting with Amano-san, but in fact you two shared a very close bond. Intimately close."

"That wretched puttana used your bond to manipulate her. She made Signorina Amano think she was you, so that she'd do anything she asked," Alina continued her explanation. Crazed as she was, she at least had a talent for following Oriko's cues. "Now that she's gone, you are the only one that ragazza pietosa will listen to."

"Fortunately, we know exactly how to help her. But we'll need the help of Amano-san's own magic in order to fix things," Oriko told the blind girl. "That's why it would be oh so helpful if you'd instruct her to obey me as well. I know it must sound awful, giving orders to another human being like this, but…"

"But she ain't gonna be able ta cure nobody if ya don't!" piped up Kirika, who it seemed just wanted to contribute.

Matsuri nodded slowly, taking all this in.

"I…still don't think I get everything you're saying," she whispered. "But it's clear you know a lot more about this stuff than I do. So I'm gonna trust you."

Oriko took one hand off the steering wheel and placed it comfortingly across Matsuri's shoulder. "Thank you, Hinata-san," she said. "That means a lot."

The green-haired girl cleared her throat, before timidly speaking the words, "Umm…Amano-san? If it's okay with you…I think you should do what Mikuni-san says. At least for a little while."

That would have to be close enough. Unbeknownst to the blind girl, Oriko silently nodded toward Alina.

Just like before, the artist grinned madly as she summoned up a miniature barrier to encase Matsuri's Soul Gem. With their connection disrupted, she slumped over lifelessly against the passenger window.

"No need to crush this one. Magical Girl blood should not be spilt pointlessly," Oriko told her new partner. "We already have what we need from her, after all."

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing to Matsuri…?!" bellowed Suzune, fighting to extricate herself from her seatbelt as Kirika tried to hold her back.

A good opportunity for a test run. "Settle down, Suzune Amano," the seer commanded.

Suzune's crimson eyes fluttered as her mind seemed to struggle with contradictory directives. She saw herself as Matsuri Hinata's protector, and willingly served her as penance for the wrongs she'd committed as a Magical Girl assassin…

But by Matsuri's own orders – wishy-washy as they might've been – that service had now been transferred to Oriko herself.

Ultimately, it seemed the latter impulse won out. She sat back down and refastened her seatbelt, murmuring under her breath, "I should do what Mikuni-san says…"

Oriko smiled triumphantly. "That's more like it. As long as we don't run into anyone else with the surname 'Mikuni," I believe we should be fine," she said coolly. "Now, Amano-san. In a few minutes, we're going to stop at the side of the road, and you're going to reprogram Misaki-san to obey me as well. Then you'll do the same for Kagari Hinata and Tsubaki Mikoto. Do you understand?"

"I…" responded Suzune hesitantly. This time, though, her resistance subsided far more quickly. "I should do what Mikuni-san says."

"Eccellente!" exclaimed Alina, clapping her hands together. "That just leaves Signorina Mitsuki, and Alina will have all her piccoli pezzi preziosi."

"Will you have enough time to cast the spell?" Oriko asked, voicing the other concern that'd been rattling around her brain for a while. "We have less than an hour before sunset."

But Alina just waved a dismissive hand. "Non preoccuparti. Once everything is in place, Alina will only need a few minutes to set up her barrier," she declared. "Your job is to get her the mana she needs to fuel it."

"Oh, don't worry, Gray-san," said Oriko, hands folding over the top of the steering wheel. "I've got an idea for that."

[-]

Now that Sayaka had full knowledge and control of her powers, the return trip from Kamihama to Mitakihara went by much quicker than the reverse.

The way magic worked, on a basic level, was by folding pieces of space in on themselves until the laws of physics within that space were fundamentally altered. Thus things that would normally be impossible in the "real world," like creating or destroying matter, could be accomplished by any girl who was capable of tapping the energy of her own soul.

Her ability to generate swords out of thin air was no different. Even when she'd been an ignorant newbie, her cutlasses came to her almost by instinct, slipping in and out of folded space as easily as her body generated sweat or tears.

Now, however? She had all the knowledge of a full-fledged Messenger for the Law of Cycles. The laws of physics wouldn't know what hit them.

"Wh…What're we…even doin'…?" Kyoko asked queasily, as they sped through the skies at blinding speed. She was clutching onto her roommate for dear life, face buried in her azure hair.

"Umm…in a nutshell, I'm taking us in and out of the folded space I summon my swords from," said Sayaka. "It's not quite teleportation magic, but it pretty much amounts to the same thing. Picked up the trick from Abby. She does something similar with her daggers."

"Well I…dunno if I…like it…" Kyoko groaned, as her face turned green. "Who's…Abby…anyway…?"

"Friend. From, err…somewhere else," answered Sayaka evasively. She wasn't sure how much she should share about the Law of Cycles at this point. "You'd like her, though. You're both hardass bitches who won't take anything from anybody."

"I'd ask…but…" the redhead forced out. "Think I…should keep…my mouth shut…fer a while…"

Out of deference to her roommate's health, Sayaka elected to resume traveling normally once they were a few minutes outside the Mitakihara City limits. But slowing down also allowed her to get a closer look at their destination – and how much it'd changed since they left it.

"Two hours ago, there were just a couple gray clouds in the sky. Enough for a drizzle tonight, but that was it," she said in a low voice. "Now it looks like Noah should start building an Ark."

"Think this is what Miss Enemy-Ta-Chefs-Everywhere was talkin' 'bout?" asked Kyoko, once the color had returned to her cheeks. "End o' the world an' all that jazz?"

"Maybe. I mean, tonight is Walpurgis Night, but…" Sayaka replied, wracking her brain for more information from her past selves. "No, it can't be. Madoka took care of that. Walpurgisnacht doesn't exist anymore. Hell, now Walpurgisnacht never existed."

"There's more to it than that, Miki-sempai."

Both girls did a double-take toward the source of the high, tiny voice. There, standing under an overpass that led into the city, lurked Nagisa Momoe.

"I've been looking everywhere for you since the confrontation yesterday. Eventually I realized you must've left the city," she added, still clinging to the shadows, as if frightened about being seen. "Should I assume you've managed to Awaken?"

Sayaka swooped down, her cape billowing in the wind behind her, and tussled the hair of her diminutive kohai.

"Yeah, thanks! Cheese worked great. There were just some…complications. Had to go to the Kamihama Coordinator to help fix them," she explained to the younger girl. "But now we're ready. To help Devil Girl see the light – whether she'll accept our help or not."

"Let's be real here," interjected Kyoko. "It's gonna be 'or not.' Girl's as stubborn as I am hungry."

"You ate twenty minutes ago!" Sayaka couldn't keep herself from exclaiming.

Kyoko just shrugged one shoulder. "Yeeeeeeah, I don't think potato chips covered in white chocolate, liver, an' Mornin' Rescue really count," she said pointedly. "Anyway, spill, short stuff. What'd ya mean earlier? 'Bout this…vall-per-thingy?"

"You and I were Awakened in different ways, Miki-sempai. Mine came from Oriko Mikuni using her powers of foresight on me. It gave me a glimpse – no more than that – of what is about to come," answered Nagisa. "It isn't the same Walpurgis Night you may remember from previous timelines. But a Walpurgis Night all the same."

"Come on, we're on the same side now, aren't we?" asked Sayaka, practically begging her former protégé. "Can't you stop talking in riddles?"

Nagisa let out a tiny sigh. "I wish I could, but I don't really understand it myself," she told the blue-haired girl. "All I can say is that there's no way to know what form it'll take, until the moment it appears."

It was Kyoko, who clearly understood at best a third of what the other girls were saying, who nonetheless demanded, "How come?"

"Because this isn't an actual Witch," said Nagisa. "It's…"

[-]

If Homura was being generous to herself, she would've said that she was sifting through Iroha Tamaki's memories.

If she was being honest, it was probably more accurate to say she was drowning in them.

She had never felt like this, modifying another person's memories. At this point, it should've been as effortless as breathing; maybe even less so, given that she hadn't needed to breathe in over eight years.

Not only was it her province as the Devil – lording over the minds of all the poor lost souls wandering her universe-spanning Labyrinth, locking away the most dangerous memories in cages so none could disturb her carefully crafted paradise – but it'd also been the nature of her magic in the final time flow before her fall. Mastery over time exchanged for dominion over memory, the manifestation of her newest and truest Wish:

"Those are my feelings toward Madoka! That's why, once more, lend me power! Not as the shield that protects Madoka, but as the power that smites anyone who threatens her!"

To hold those memories, the ones that were hers and hers alone, close to her heart, and never let them go. That had been the core of her new Wish. For those memories had been the very last remnants of Madoka left in that Wraith-strewn world.

The only proof she had ever existed.

Now, however, she felt like a novice again, freezing time in a panic just so she could pathetically bash up a barrel with a golf club. She should've been manipulating these shards of the Kamihama girl's past as effortlessly as a master weaver sewing a scarf.

Instead it was all just so much noise. She tried to find some semblance of order within it all, but she had never touched a mind such as this. Whatever secrets Iroha Tamaki was hiding, they were far deeper and darker than her innocent appearance suggested.

It was especially strange because ordinarily, only Magical Girls had minds this complex. She'd seen them all, briefly, when she rearranged the universe and locked away their knowledge of magic.

Iroha Tamaki wasn't a Magical Girl. That much was absolutely certain. She had no Soul Gem, no mana to seal away. Sure, she might've been aware of the magical world through her relationship with Yachiyo Nanami, but that was all.

There was a piece to this puzzle she was still missing. And, if by some stretch of the imagination the Kamihama girls really were telling the truth…

She had less than an hour to figure it out.

Since she was having little success brute-forcing her way through Iroha Tamaki's psyche, the Devil elected to take a different tact. She centered herself, letting the cacophony of remembrances wash over her, yielding to their flow instead of fighting it.

This seemed to be the right move. It took a few moments, but Homura found herself in a location she didn't recognize. The neural pathways surrounding it indicated that this memory was fairly recent.

She guessed that she was seeing through the girl's rosy eyes, since those eyes were locked intently upon Yachiyo Nanami, transformed into her Magical Girl form. But something about her was different.

It took Homura a few seconds to realize that a wing was protruding from the other girl's body.

Curiously, though, there was only a single one. Even a Magical Girl wouldn't have been able to fly on its power alone.

Stranger still, though, was the other figure occupying the vision. It was as if Homura was viewing them through a heavily distorted filter, so that all she could make out was a vaguely humanoid outline.

And when they spoke, everything came out muffled and fuzzy, like it was playing through voice-changing software.

Yet, even though she had no way of identifying the speaker…

She could clearly hear every word.

"The danger comes from her subconscious," they said. "Even though she knows Walpurgisnacht no longer exists, she has spent more time than you can possibly imagine obsessing over it. Her fears and anxieties surrounding that day can't simply be turned off."

"And those fears and anxieties have been given form through her magic," Yachiyo added, her mouth a thin line. "Just as have her dreams and desires."

From Iroha Tamaki's perspective, she felt her mouth move, and the air filled with the girl's timid voice.

"If that's the case…" she muttered. "Then couldn't we just tell her? Ask her not to think about Walpurgisnacht?"

"Have you ever told someone not to think of pink elephants?" asked the mysterious voice. "The result is that becomes the only thing they can think about. Deepening her obsession will only make things worse. Our best hope – and it's a slim one – is that April 30 comes and goes without incident. But if you see those storm clouds start to gather…"

"We will be ready," said Yachiyo, nodding firmly. "We'll assemble our team again. Even with their memories sealed away, I would trust those girls with my life."

"I'm sorry I can't help you more. Those Messengers risked so much, simply leaving this Connection for us to use," replied the hidden person. "You won't have much time. Just a few weeks before Walpurgis Night to prepare."

"You've done more than enough. Without your guidance we wouldn't have even known where to begin," spoke Iroha's voice. "I know we can do it. We'll stop Walpurgisnacht…and we'll save that girl."

"I…" the veiled speaker whispered hesitantly. "I'm not certain she can be saved anymore. I know that's an awful thing to say, but…"

"You would know better than any of us, I suppose," stated Yachiyo. "But on this point, I'll choose to believe you're wrong. After all…we're Magical Girls, aren't we?"

"And that's just what we do," Iroha added in support. "We bring hope to the world. Even if everyone tries to tell us it's a mistake. No matter how many times it takes."

Suddenly, Homura found herself stumbling backward. It took her a few seconds to realize she was back in the physical world.

"Well…now you know…" said Iroha groggily, slumped across the ground from the sheer exhaustion of having her brain combed through. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise…"

"Who was that?" Homura demanded, clutching at the side of her head and wincing in pain. The residual effects of that vision still had her eyes blurred and her ears ringing. "Who sent you here?"

"If you couldn't recognize her in Iroha's memories, then it means you're not ready to face her. Not yet," declared Yachiyo, stepping between Homura and her partner. "But it also means there's no reason for us to hold back. Iroha-san…let's do it."

She offered the pink-haired girl a hand, which she accepted after a moment's hesitation. Both stood side-by-side, facing off against the Devil.

"Try not to freak out, guys," Iroha told their other friends, who were all still crowded over by their car, looking upon this scene with increasing bewilderment.

That bewilderment surely escalated tenfold as the same wing from the memory emerged from Yachiyo's back. And Homura joined them in shock as a matching one appeared upon Iroha.

Holding hands, the girls flapped their wings and rose into the air, two bodies moving as a single unit. Yachiyo held her halberd at the ready, gathering power within it.

But that wasn't where Homura's focus was. Now that she was seeing the wings as a pair, she realized something else about them. They were grand, and radiant, and majestic…

And tinged a very light shade of pink.

[-]

Madoka was sitting in her aunts' van as it drove to the airport, holding a sleeping Tatsuya close to her side and trying her best not to completely freak out.

Not half an hour ago, the woman in the seat directly in front of her had been replaced by an entirely different person. Right before her eyes.

Yet she was certain, deep in her bones, that Nadeshiko Hoshino was the woman her Auntie Akane had been together with for almost a decade. Shion Kunizuka had been the "fake," conjured as if from thin air and taking the other woman's place for days.

And worse…somehow, neither Madoka nor Akane had even noticed. They treated Shion as if she'd been there all along, quietly substituting her for Nadeshiko in every memory they recalled. Or conjuring up new memories to explain away any incongruencies.

After all, when she sat and thought about it, "Auntie Shion" hadn't really fit the "role" she'd been cast in at all. What kind of police officer got blackout drunk every night, sang in a heavy metal band, and made suggestive comments at teenagers?

Okay…maybe some cops did. But not the kind her aunt would ever date!

But all this just opened up an endless slew of new questions. Was she simply losing her mind? Had all her stress and guilt and turmoil built up until it reached a boiling point, and something inside…broke?

Except that wouldn't explain why Auntie Akane had been sharing the same delusion – or why she didn't seem to remember anything about it, unlike Madoka.

Unless Madoka's instincts were wrong, and Shion really had been her real aunt, and "Nadeshiko" was just a figment of her imagination playing over the real world…

The pink-haired girl let out a whimpering groan. There was no end to how far she could go down this rabbit hole.

And no guarantee she'd be able to come up to the surface with any answers.

"Are you feeling any better, Madoka-chan? Or should we stop again?" asked Akane, clearly concerned. Some of her internal anguish must've shown on her face.

"I…I'm fine, auntie. Thank you," she managed to mumble, not trusting herself to say much more than that right now. "I just…I really need to see mama and papa right now."

"Well, hopefully the landing will go fine," said Nadeshiko, adjusting the glasses on her face. Glasses that "Auntie Shion" had never worn. "That storm seems like it's getting worse by the minute. At this rate, there might be a…"

Suddenly, the radio switched from a jaunty jazz tune to the tinny voice of a woman.

"Your girl Minare here, interrupting your regularly scheduled jam session to pass along an oh-so-important alert from the Mitakihara Municipal Authority. Looks like there's a flash-flood warning across the whole city, going into at least 6:00 AM tomorrow morning. So stay indoors people, batten down those hatches, don't get on the roads unless you absolutely have to. We'll keep you updated as we hear more. Wheeeeew…how was that, Mizuho? Think I'm really starting to get a handle on this whole 'professional' thing. Anyway, what do you say we grab some takeout on the way home? My treat! I hate making you cook every night just 'cuz I'm absolutely hopeless at it. And I could really go for some…huh? Wait…what do you mean we're still li…"

Akane clicked off the radio and sighed.

"If they think it's going to get that bad tonight, they might well turn the planes around. And if they don't, the turbulence will be murder," she told her niece. "As for us…well, it hasn't started raining yet. But if it catches us near the airport, we might have a problem. Think we should turn back?"

"Flight status hasn't changed," Nadeshiko confirmed, after checking her phone. "I say we keep going. Worst case scenario, we can grab a motel room near the airport for the night."

"What do you think, Madoka-chan?" Akane turned the question to her. "I guess if Tomo and Junko-san do land on time, I'd hate to leave them stranded. Probably won't be too many taxis on the road after that flash-flood announcement."

It took Madoka a second to realize she was being spoken to. "Umm…yeah…" she said in a small voice. "Yeah, that…that makes sense…"

Inwardly, though, she let out an even harsher groan. When she needed them more than ever before, were her parents really going to remain separated from her because of bad weather?

Usually, she really wasn't a very superstitious person. But in her despondent state, it was hard to read the rapidly darkening skies as anything but an abysmal omen.

"You know, that's weird," Akane spoke again, peering out of the driver's side window. "That car over there's been drawing exactly even with us for the last ten kilometers. And do you see by the door handle, hon?"

Nadeshiko nodded. "Scratch marks. Signs of forced entry," she answered. "No doubt in my mind that's a stolen vehicle."

"I'd hate to pull someone over while we're in civvies. And with kids in the car," said her partner. "But they're not really giving us much of a…"

Before she could finish her sentence, however, the vehicle in question seemed to decide to up its cop-taunting game. It switched lanes so it was precisely parallel with their van, and rolled down one of its windows.

"That's her," declared one of the occupants, of whom there seemed to be a few too many. She had light green hair and an ear-to-ear grin as she locked eyes with Madoka. "Che divertimento."

That was the last thing she heard before she was surrounded in a cage of shimmering green energy, and everything else went silent.

[-]

"Kay, lemme get this straight," Kyoko drawled as she was carried by Sayaka, leaping across Mitakihara's rooftops. "Akemi's got god-mode powers she can't turn off. So this Wall-Snack-Thing is gonna happen, cuz she's dreadin' it's gonna happen."

"Yes, that's pretty much it," said Nagisa, nodding her tiny little head. "What she is now…we don't have precedent for it. But she started out as a Witch. A being born of curses. That means negative feelings, like fear and pain and despair, can easily spiral beyond her control."

"And she's got more negative feelings attached to this date than any other on the calendar," added Sayaka with a grimace. "She's seen Madoka die or become a Witch tonight, over a hundred times. If that's what she's thinking about when her powers go out of whack…"

"Pinkie could wind up gettin' hurt. Or worse," Kyoko finished for her. "I still don't get at leas' halfa what yer sayin', but I can tell that'd be a problem."

Her roommate nodded back at her. "Very bad," she responded. "World-endingly bad."

All three of them glanced at the sky above, a churning maelstrom of clouds dark as pitch. It seemed unreal that a single person could be the cause of this, without even intending to.

But Sayaka supposed that was just the nature of what Homura Akemi had become. All the power of the Law of Cycles, but none of its rules.

"How're we supposed ta stop her, then?" asked the redhead. "At least both o' ya have Sailor Moon powers ta defend yerselves. I'm still missin' that sweet spear I saw in yer memories."

"Wish I knew a good way to Awaken you. But every Magical Girl who could do it on such short notice is either an enemy or a wildcard," said Sayaka. "Still, I think it's best if you're there. We have no chance of beating her in a straight-up brawl, even if I wanted to. Our only option at this point is to try talking her down."

"In case ya haven't noticed, girlfrien'…" Kyoko remarked, shooting her a pointed glare. "Diplomacy ain't exactly my strong suit."

"It's not about that. Just us being there will hopefully make a big difference," Sayaka told the other girl. "We…mean something to her. Not anywhere near as much as Madoka. But something. It's the reason why she made us roommates when she altered reality. And probably why she placed you in Mami-sempai's care, Nagisa-chan."

"Mostly, I think it was to keep us docile. Too happy to question what was going on," spoke the younger Messenger coolly. "But why she picked those specific pairings? Yes…I can't imagine that didn't factor into it. At least a little bit."

"If only we could find Mami-sempai as well. The five of us in one place again – it should trigger something," muttered Sayaka. "After all…this trouble is being caused by Homura giving into despair. The only antidote is to make her feel hope again. And we do that by reviving the Puella Magi Holy Quintet."

Kyoko snorted so hard it almost caused Sayaka to drop her.

"Say that again. 'Holy Quintet'…damn, that's the corniest thing I ever heard. An' considerin' the quality o' yer jokes, that's sayin' somethin'," she said, fighting to keep further laughter out of her voice. "An' since when're ya on firs' name terms with Akemi, anyway?"

"I didn't make up the name! That was aaaaaall Mami-sempai," her roommate protested. "As for your second question…well, there's never been a time when we were really 'friends.' But I think I get her now. At least a little bit. And…"

She looked askance, wondering if she should share this part. But after quite literally melding minds, it seemed somewhat pointless to keep secrets.

"And I know for a fact that she and Madoka are both madly in love with each other. Even if they're too boneheaded to see that it's mutual," she finally continued, acutely aware of the irony of her saying that. "When Madoka was…up there…I could see how much it tore her up to be apart from Miss Transfer Student. She finally learned everything about what Homura had sacrificed for her, all the history they shared together – and a few minutes later, she had to go away."

"I knew them far less than you did. And even I could see it," offered Nagisa. "It's why Akemi-san made the perfect bait for the Incubators' plan. Kaname-sama knew it was a trap and she leapt into fire anyway. Nothing in Heaven or Hell could've stopped her."

"In the end, I wanna save Devil Girl…because she makes Madoka happy. Nothing more or less than that," said Sayaka, exhaling deeply. "And if we can get her to drop the whole 'woe is me I'm a tortured villainess' thing, then it can go both ways."

"That's askin' fer a lot. Don't really see how we pull it off, 'specially if we got less than an hour lef' ta try," replied Kyoko, matching her roommate's sigh. "Buuuuuut…I'm willin' ta give it a shot, if yer with me."

Sayaka pecked the other girl on the cheek; she wouldn't do more in the presence of her pint-sized kohai, but she hoped her meaning still shined through.

"Only question is how we find her. Like you said, we don't have a lot of time," she declared, peering shrewdly across Mitakihara's skyline. "If only we had some kind of sign to…"

That was when a column of pink light appeared over one of the freeways leading out of the city, and two distant figures rose up inside of it.

"Or…we could just go there," she finished lamely, doing an about-face right in the air.

[-]

"Y…You…" stammered Homura. "You can't! You can't have her power!"

"And we don't. Just…a tiny fraction," said Yachiyo imperiously. Looking down upon her from on high, wings nigh-identical to those of the Law of Cycles protruding from their backs, the two girls looked far more like "angels" than the Messengers ever had. "But it is enough for us to deliver your judgment. One long overdue."

As much as she tried to fight it, the Devil found herself trembling. Of all the things she'd expected to discover about this meddling pair, this hadn't been among them.

Sayaka Miki, Nagisa Momoe, Oriko Mikuni, Sasa Yuki…she'd thought that she had a full accounting of threats who even knew the Law of Cycles existed. Somehow, these two had completely snuck under her radar, gathering information and allies until it was nearly too late.

Her indigo eyes flicked to the darkened skies, as if to mentally add: If it isn't already.

"Explain yourselves. Who are you two, really?" she demanded of the floating duo, trying not to let her unease show in her face. "Unless…could you actually be from…?"

The corner of Yachiyo's mouth lifted slightly.

"It seems she's finally caught on, Iroha-san," she commented to her partner. "Well the answer to your question is yes…and no. Our souls do indeed hail from another timeline. But we are sharing the bodies of the Yachiyo and Iroha from this reality. You should be quite familiar with the concept."

Another tactical disclosure, letting Homura know the blue-haired girl knew a lot more about her than vice-versa. Somehow, she was even aware of the mechanics of her old time-traveling – sending her consciousness back through her Soul Gem and essentially "possessing" her old body, since for a Magical Girl it was little more than exterior hardware.

"The difference is that we did it with their consent. And we'll be leaving these bodies as soon as we've finished our mission," said Yachiyo. "There were complications; chiefly, that the Iroha of this timeline isn't a Magical Girl. But that had its advantages too. You completely discounted her because she was 'just' an ordinary human."

"I don't get what you're saying at all!" shouted Tsuruno Yui at the top of her lungs, before Homura could get a word in edgewise. "You mean you're not, umm…our Yachiyo-san and Iroha-chan?"

Iroha looked down at her friend sympathetically. "We never wanted to lie to you girls. But there was too much at stake, and we didn't have much time," she told them. "We gathered you all back together because we knew we could trust you. After tonight, everything can go back to normal."

"I'm sorry…I'm trying to wrap my brain around all this…" mumbled Sana Futaba, fists clenching tightly around clumps of her verdant hair. "But none of it makes any sense to me."

"Your friend is more correct than she realizes," said Homura, cutting back in. "This doesn't make sense. I have the same reach as the Law of Cycles, which touches all time flows. How could there be one I'm not aware of?"

"Because there is one, singular timeline that the Law cannot interfere with. One magical record, spinning on its own, that She may listen to but never play Herself," answered Yachiyo. "Or…perhaps it's fairer to say She chose not to interfere with it. On one occasion alone, at the climax of our Final Battle, She did reach out – to grant us our wings. We acted in Her name, and vanquished our ultimate foe."

She pointed her halberd to the volatile skies, and added in a quieter voice, "The very same foe whose advent you so dread."

"You expect me to believe you defeated Walpurgisnacht? Impossible!" Homura cried out furiously. "Your whole story is ludicrous. Some 'special' time flow that Madoka left behind, just because? One where you – you – were chosen to be her herald? How dare you even suggest such blasphemy!"

Iroha slowly shook her head. "We didn't defeat her, no. But with the power we borrowed, we did manage to drive her off," she said, in a tone she clearly intended to be placating. "I don't know what makes our world so…different. But since we aren't taken by the Law of Cycles, we weren't affected when you…umm…"

"When you broke Her in half," Yachiyo finished for her, causing Iroha to flush at her partner's bluntness.

"So when Madoka didn't come back from her mission, the Messengers reached out to you. Connected to the Law, but not subject to it, you were the perfect stealth agents," Homura murmured, mostly to herself. As much as she hated to admit it, their story did seem to explain a few things. "But there was a middleman. That blurry individual I saw in your memories."

"You'll meet them when the time is right. No sooner," spoke Yachiyo sharply. "All this is beside the point, however. It matters less how we are here, and more what we are here to do. Which is to stop you, Homura Akemi…from dooming the multiverse with your mistakes."

Homura's scowl deepened. "And how do you intend to stop me?" she asked. "My power is equivalent to that of the Law of Cycles at her peak. A mere fragment cannot hope to defeat me."

To her great surprise, however, Iroha's response was a kindly, "We know that. So we don't intend to fight. Just…to talk. And convince you to stop all this."

The Devil crossed her arms in front of her chest, chewing over these words.

Even as she did, however, part of her mind was reaching out across the city. Summoning more of her Familiars to her current position…just in case.

"Others have tried. Ones who knew me far better than a pair of near-strangers, playing as being heroines," she said. "I have no use for your empty words."

"But you're the only one who can make things right. Please," Iroha all but begged. Her face was so similar to Madoka's when it was distraught that Homura had to avert her eyes. "You've seen inside my head. You know the truth of what's going on. Walpurgisnacht is coming, because you can't let go of your fear of her."

"And why should I believe anything coming out of your lying mouths?" Homura shot back. "Besides, it's not so simple. I'll prove it to you. I'll think about this storm just…going away. Using all my powers to make it so."

Indeed, in her mind's eye, she was picturing clear skies and a warm breeze – the kind that'd been blowing on the day she first met Madoka.

For a single moment, Homura let herself be washed away in the memory. The sweet spring sunshine beaming down on them as Madoka led her to the nurse's office. The softness of the grass underneath her feet as Madoka came up to her during gym class, and tried to cheer her up after her disastrous attempt at warm-ups.

…The moist feeling of Madoka's blood pooling around her feet, as she stood alone in the ruins of the destroyed Mitakihara.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Homura's blood suddenly ran cold as ice. Because that high, mad laughter hadn't just played inside her head.

From the looks on the faces of the other girls, they'd all heard it too.

Indeed, they were so distracted that none of them – save the Clara Dolls, which tried to no avail to alert their stunned Mother – noticed Felicia Mitsuki was no longer there.

[-]

Hitomi Shizuki sat with her boyfriend in her manor's drawing room, looking out the window and clutching his hand tightly.

"Still no evacuation or shelter order," said Kyosuke, checking his phone for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. "Don't know what they're waiting for. Y'know, it's weird…it's got clouds like a typhoon now, but we still haven't seen a single drop of rain."

"I'm more worried about Madoka-chan, Sayaka-chan, and the rest," Hitomi told him, her upper lip trembling as she glanced at her own device. "Nobody's answering their phones. Oh, I can't help but picture the worst happening…"

"They should be fine. Madoka-chan's aunts are police officers, right? They'd know what to do in situations like this," responded Kyosuke, though it didn't look like he fully believed it himself. "Besides, worrying won't help them any."

The green-haired girl let out a sigh. "I know that, of course," she whispered to her boyfriend. "But…oh dear, I just can't shake this feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" he asked.

"Like there's something those girls are hiding from us. Like we're just seeing one small piece of a much bigger picture," explained Hitomi. "Even when Madoka-chan was pouring her heart out to us today, I could tell she was still holding something back. I want to believe what she's experiencing with Akemi-san is simply a broken heart, but…"

"You think she's involved in something more serious?" said Kyosuke, before shaking his head. "If it was anyone else, maybe I'd believe it, but not Madoka-chan. She's too innocent. Honestly, the biggest thing I was worried about was that she might not be mature enough for a relationship."

Hitomi considered pointing out that he had stood her up three out of their last four dates, but ultimately held her tongue. It wasn't the time for such things.

Instead she declared, "Madoka…might surprise you. She's a lot stronger than most people think. Stronger than she thinks."

"I know that. And I know Akemi-san helps bring it out of her. Part of why I'm rooting for the two of them," spoke the violinist quietly. "But even if they are hiding something…I just can't see it being anything bad. Maybe Madoka-chan found out something about her home life?"

"Akemi-san certainly is a mystery in that regard," Hitomi mused, pressing her finger ponderously against her chin. "She's always so…closed off. Even around Madoka-chan, sometimes. I wouldn't be able to tell you what her hobbies are, or what're her favorite things to eat. Much less where she lives or who her parents are."

Kyosuke's frown deepened considerably.

"It's really quite strange, isn't it?" he said. "We've known Akemi-san since the start of term. Hung out with her dozens of times after Madoka-chan transferred back to Japan. It feels like we should know her better than this."

"Not really a mystery at all, honestly. Secrets and lies are the Devil's most essential tools."

Both of their heads whipped around toward the unfamiliar voice.

Somehow, a girl wearing ornate, frilly white robes had appeared in the drawing room without either of them noticing, and was taking a dainty little sip of the tea Hitomi had served earlier.

"Compliments on the blend, by the way. Gold Tips Imperial is one of my favorites," added the strange girl, once she'd finished her cup. "A perfect way to prepare for the ritual."

"Mio Dio! Enjoy that swill if you must. Alina much prefers a rich caffè nero," drawled another voice, as a green-haired girl wearing a bizarre conductor's outfit strode into the room. She left the door open behind her, as if there were yet more uninvited guests still to follow.

Once she got over her initial shock, Hitomi stood up out of her chair. "Now see here! You can't just barge into someone's private dwelling like this!" she exclaimed. "Please, announce yourselves."

But the girl in white ignored her demand entirely, instead turning to her compatriot and asking, "So, will this do? Can you cast the spell from here?"

Hitomi felt a chill run up her spine at the mad grin the green-haired girl offered in response.

"È perfetto. You've been such a good partner to Alina – nothing like that miserabile puttanella," she said sultrily. "Now she has all the ingredienti she needs to create her grandest barrier ever. Send them in, se tu per favore?"

"Of course," replied the girl in white, before raising her hands above her head and clapping them twice. "Servants? Come to me, please."

What followed was the strangest procession Hitomi had ever witnessed. Into the room walked six girls, five of whom wore expressions of near-identical blankness.

There was a girl with silver hair and a massive sword, who was so scantily clad Hitomi had to fight not to avert her eyes. An indigo-haired girl wearing glasses and a nun's habit. A purple-haired girl in a frilly dress, with a fake butterfly plastered over the chest area. A much taller and…maturer girl in a silky red kimono, a katana held at the ready. And a diminutive blonde girl in a light-purple outfit, who wielded a hammer bigger than she was.

Only the girl bringing up the rear, who wore a black trench coat and an eyepatch over her right eye, showed any emotion whatsoever. And that emotion was white-hot fury.

"Hey! I may not understand all yer stupid Italian, but I know flirtin' when I hear it! Stay away from my Mistress if ya know what's good fer ya!" she growled, extending her fist toward the green-haired girl.

Hitomi jumped and grabbed onto her boyfriend for dear life as three razor-sharp claws extended from her fingers, which the girl in back waved threateningly at her supposed rival.

The girl in white smiled indulgently and put down her cup, before sauntering over to place a tender hand upon the other girl's black hair. She tussled it, in a manner that Hitomi would've found insultingly patronizing, but the girl with the eyepatch absolutely melted at her touch, clearly in bliss.

"You have nothing to worry about, my dearest Kirika. You know that I am yours and yours alone," she said. "But there isn't time for such distractions right now. We have so much still to do."

"Giusto," agreed the green-haired girl. "We still have to charge up our batteria, after all."

Then she snapped, and one last girl entered the drawing room. Except that this one was imprisoned in some kind of floating green cube…

And Hitomi and Kyosuke both recognized her immediately.

"Madoka!" they cried out at once.

Their friend beat against the barrier with her fists and appeared to say something in return – but whatever it was, not a word penetrated the cube.

"Whether she turns out to be our Savior is still left to be seen. But one thing is clear – she is the focal point for a veritable fountain of mana," said the girl in white. "Mana which should be released if we simply evoke powerful enough emotions."

She gestured to her partner in black, who grinned sadistically and began stalking toward Hitomi and Kyosuke, sparks flying as she dragged her claws along the fine marble floors.

Her boyfriend threw out his arms, trying to protect her…but unfortunately that involved placing undue weight on his still-weak legs, which buckled underneath him. Hitomi caught his head before it could hit the ground, but it left both of them in a very vulnerable position.

The eyepatch-wearing girl turned back to her companion, as if waiting for a signal. The other girl simply nodded curtly.

And with that, the girl she'd called "Kirika" sank her claws right into both of their stomachs.

Within her prison, Madoka Kaname let loose a scream no one else could hear.

[-]

This wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible…

Those words kept echoing within Homura's head on a continuous loop, growing shriller and more discordant with each repetition.

She'd been…so careful. Hadn't she? Pulling Madoka out of the Law of Cycles, while doing everything in her power to keep the rest of the Law functioning the same way.

It'd been difficult work, but necessary. The Law of Cycles was as much an inherent part of the universe now as the Law of Gravity. Even divided in two, the Law was still out there, destroying Witches before they could be born. It wasn't just that Walpurgisnacht no longer existed – she had never existed, and never could again.

And yet…

Homura was still coming to grips with the notion that her subconscious mind was far more powerful than she could've ever imagined. Already it had brought life to her fantasies. Created matter, even entire sapient beings, from whole cloth.

Twisted the heart of a Goddess to match her own…

If it could do so much, working off her buried and secret desires, then it made sense it'd do the same with her fears. And there was nothing she feared more than the return of her ultimate foe.

The Witch she had never been able to defeat, even with the benefit of a hundred time loops to prepare. The Witch who descended upon Mitakihara like clockwork, erasing any middling progress she'd managed to make in that flow.

The Witch who, invariably, would either kill Madoka…or be the stepping stone by which she'd become something so much worse.

She tried to force herself not to think of such things. If Yachiyo Nanami and Iroha Tamaki were correct, then ruminating over how much she dreaded Walpurgisnacht would only make her more powerful. Hasten her arrival.

But that was easier said than done. She was the Devil, after all. Wallowing in sorrow, and regret, and guilt was simply her nature. And she had enough of all three right now to fuel a hundred Witches.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Her laughter was growing louder, closer. The same laughter that'd haunted her dreams for so long that she scarcely remembered how it felt to sleep soundly.

"Akemi-san, you need to stop this!" begged a distant voice. "The deeper you fall into despair, the worse it gets!"

But Homura just shut out the noise. Did they think she didn't know that? It wasn't that simple!

She couldn't just "turn off" the trauma of those hundred-plus repeated months. She couldn't stop the images from playing in her head, over and over and over again.

Of the city, in ruins, flooded and broken. And of Madoka's lifeless body lying at her feet – agonizing proof that yet one more attempt had ended in failure.

Except there was no going back this time. No convenient reset button. If Walpurgisnacht returned, even as just a facsimile…

Madoka's doom would be spelled once again. And it would be all her fault.

Her thoughts abruptly cut off there, as she felt a gloved hand slap her straight across the face.

"Sorry, Transfer Student," said an irritatingly familiar voice. "But I had to kick you out of your funk before…y'know. You destroyed the world with it."

Homura's indigo eyes snapped open, before narrowing at the confident face of Sayaka Miki. Transformed into her Magical Girl form, and with Nagisa Momoe and Kyoko Sakura standing at either shoulder.

"I take it you're fully Awakened, then," she hissed out.

"Thanks to the wonders of cheese and god-awful fusion cuisine, yes," the blue-haired girl answered cryptically, twirling a saber around in her hand. "Which means your vacation from me telling you what a dunce you're being is over."

As she said these words, Nagisa was bowing low to the pair still floating in the sky. "Thank you so much for everything you've done," she told them in her tiny voice. "But we can take it from here."

"I knew I should've dealt with you more decisively when I had the chance. I won't make the same mistake twice," declared Homura, raising a glowing hand in front of her face. "Tell me one good reason I shouldn't wipe all your minds to infancy, Sayaka Miki. Give me an excuse and I swear I will."

"Because right now, we're on the same side. At least on one thing," said Sayaka, taking a single step forward. "You want to protect Madoka, and so do I."

"Protect her? Protect her?" Homura repeated incredulously. "You want to send her back to that place! Tear her away from her family and friends a second time over. You have no idea how miserable she was!"

"I have no idea? Nagisa-chan and I are probably the only two people on the planet who would know!" the blur-haired girl fired back. "Fact is, you're partially right. Being the Law of Cycles was a lonely job. But it'll be her choice to take it on again. Not mine, and not yours."

"Come on. You know what she'll do. She'll sacrifice herself again, like she always does!" Homura was now screaming in the other girl's face. "I just…I wanted to give her a little more time. She got to live fourteen years, Sayaka Miki! Fourteen, before she signed away the rest of eternity to her duty! How is that fair?"

"And you think this is better?" Sayaka all but roared, pointing her blade to the stormy sky.

Homura froze in place. She had gotten so caught up arguing with her old rival that she'd almost forgotten the breakdown she'd been in the middle of.

Which, in retrospect, might've been the swordswoman's whole point.

"Once again, you're right. It wasn't fair," continued Sayaka, after taking several deep breaths. "Look, I get why you did what you did. I can even admire it…well, sorta. But you need to face the facts: it's not working. You're not cut out to be a god, Transfer Student."

The Devil would've been shaking with rage, if the other girl was saying anything she hadn't been telling herself already.

Just about everything that'd gone wrong with this new world – a world where Madoka should've been happy, a world where she should've been safe – could be traced back to her own flaws leaking into the design. Her own weaknesses, tainting and corrupting the balance she'd worked so carefully to build.

The laughter echoing in the distance was only the latest proof.

"You know what you need to do," said the blue-haired girl, her voice and face softening. "Release her, and she can stop all this. It's not too late to do the right thing, Homura."

Homura wanted to strike back at the insipid girl, with all the might and fury of a demon. Wanted to crush her into dust, if only so she would stop saying these things.

But all she managed to get out was a wretchedly pathetic whisper, "I…I can't. I told you already. There's no going back now."

She was gazing at Nagisa Momoe as she spoke these words, feeling those inhuman eyes boring into what tattered remains passed for her soul. But the person who responded was the redhead standing next to her.

"Look, I ain't got a clue what, like…ninety percen' o' this crap is about. But I'm gettin' sick an' tired o' this lame pity party," she spoke through a mouthful of Rocky. "Fact is, yer not nearly as much of a cold-ass bitch as ya want us all ta think. Otherwise ya'd have erased our brains earlier today without a secon' thought. So quit bein' so stubborn, an' let us help ya. Let Kaname help ya."

Homura seethed, her mind scrambling to come up with a counterargument. As she wracked her brain, she felt a subtle tug – the rest of her Familiars had arrived.

"I…can do this without her. Without putting her in danger," she forced out. "If this false Walpurgisnacht is just a figment of my imagination, then I'll simply have to imagine myself defeating her. I'm far more powerful now than I ever was, fighting her as a Magical Girl."

"You know that won't work," said Yachiyo, speaking up for the first time since the arrival of the Messengers. "Deep in your heart of hearts, you know that the only person who ever managed to defeat Walpurgisnacht is Madoka Kaname. Those feelings will become reality once she arrives."

"Just shut up!" Homura suddenly howled, a surge of demonic magic bursting from her body.

It took the form of spikes of black energy, gleaming with the numerous colors that'd filled her Soul Gem in its corruption. The spikes erupted in every direction, piercing through the pavement, and both Sayaka and Yachiyo were forced to summon numerous copies of their weapons to block them from impaling every girl present.

As she lost control, the numerous Familiars she'd summoned dropped their cloaks, surrounding the other girls in a swarm of dolls, soldiers, birds, and gnashing teeth. Even Lisa, the airship that floated overhead and maintained the barrier of her Labyrinth, had answered the call of its Mother.

"You're just trying to trick me…making me think I have no choice but to free Madoka…" she rambled, clutching at her shoulders as her body shook from head to toe. "But she's safe now, you hear me? I won't jeopardize that for anything! She's…"

And suddenly, her voice fell away. Her shimmering eyes slowly wrenched themselves to the Familiars now choking the sky.

"Where is she?" she asked, in a very hollow voice. "I just realized…I can't sense Madoka…"

After a few moments, one of her Clara Dolls stepped forward from the crowd, pushing the still-kneeling Tsuruno and Sana aside so she could address her Mother.

Pessimism spread her painted grin, and chirruped an answer.

T̸̛͖͋̾͗̾̐͝H̷̢̨̬̺̜̰̖̳̼̩͎̲̙̓͝Ẹ̴̢̳̭͇͔̤̩̰̠̠̰̀̃̾̈́͛̓ ̷͓̯̳̖͐Ǵ̷̭̍͊̌̆͂̄Ó̶̧̡͓̝̤̰̼͔͔̪̎͒̋́̅͆͗̓̄̊̍͝D̶̡̨̞͍̠̲̜͇͍̤̬͖͓̭͙͂́͌̈́͆̓̕D̴̢̳̪͚̬̞̬̝̞̬̄͒̋͂̃É̷̡̗̣̠͙̈̋̄̀̄̓͌͂́͗̀S̷̜̹̞̲̙̐͆͊̐̍̚S̷͈͒͂̎͐̐̄̒͑̈́͂̒͘̕͝͝ ̵̬́̀̃̾̂̊̆̆͌͘͘I̸̥̖̝̟̞͍̳̞͒̂̾̾̔͐̆͒̊͆̕̚͜S̵̗̎̈́̓͑͌̉͠͠͝͝ ̶̙̬̭̟̰͍͔͙̬̙̤̈́̎̒͒̔̏́͋̔͘͠͝Ì̷̛̯͔̣̞͎̬͈̟̼̃Ṅ̴̢̨̟͖̟̼̟̱̥͙̱̕ͅ ̶͎̱̭̾͑̀͠T̵̡̡̺̮̟͇̮̹̞͎͕̾̀̀͛͝Ḧ̷̢̧̯͍̱̪̲̟̦̣̥̰̼́̉ͅȆ̴̹̯̯͔̝̳̖̳͜ ̴̢̲̟̯̳̮̟͉̲̟͎͈̥̜́̎͐̾̽̽͋́͊͊͆̀̕͜C̵̰̙͑̀͆̄̒̔͗̀̀̋̉̕L̷̗̳̲͈̳͎̔̐̅̃̒͊̇̃̐̃͌̍̏̚͝Ư̷̢̠̣̬͇̌̈T̸̡̢̼͔̹̿́͊̽̄͋̄̾̆̒̐̂̋̾C̵̢̢̨̦͈̙̼̪̫͎̲̈͛͊̏̿̍̔̃ͅH̷̨̖̬̰̣͓͓̩̞͚̣̣̎͐͆̈̾̀̆̚͝E̵̡̧̡̨̜̘̼̖̖̻̥̝̖̟͊S̸̟̮̟͍̊̄̀̌ ̷̤̹͔͖̲̀͂̊͑O̵̡̨̢͇͕͍̳̼͈̝̣̝͎̖̦̿F̵̨̧̫̞̻̗͓̯͎̣̲̍̋̍̐̽̉̈̆͠͝͝ ̴̨̧̠̰̥͍̦̰̃̐͌̋̄A̸̛̯̖̥̖͖̣͎̞̩̞̙̠͒̈́̾̃̀̎́̓̕͝Ņ̶̰͒̀̀͒͘͠͠G̸̛̙̱̠͔̺͚̓̔̽̊̓̀͋͒̈̍̔͝Ú̴̧̞̖͖̱̇̈́̎̈̒̇̑̎̊̕͝͝I̶̯͉̳̫͍̮̠̹̭̞͈̻̋́͊͐S̸̨̞̹̩̬̟̫̃̒͂̊Ḩ̷̤̝̖̦̩̑͊̏́͘.̵͙͎͇͚̐̿̈́͂͆͘

̴̧͖͎̳̠̭͎̰͉͔̣̱͇͙̾̿̆Ý̷̧͙̮͓̦̲̟̝͕̭̝̹̎̐͋̀̅̏̄͒̚͠͝Ǫ̷̛̝̮̐̔̒̆̃̏̈͝Ų̸͇̤͓͙͈̗̜͈͇̤̗̽̾̀̇̌̾̅̽́͆ ̶̨̢͈̰̤̹̠̻̮̤͊́̋͒͊̃̓̄̔̚Ḁ̶̧̧̨̱̥̹̹͖̤͈̳̈́̒̓̏̋͋̆̀́̏͜͠Ṛ̴̟̬͉͂̒̅̓͛̈́͛̈́̃̅̆̓̓̉Ẹ̶̛̯̟̲̗͙̪̝̀̓̇̋̾̑̅͌̊ ̶̡͍̙͖͍̦̀̂͂̄̈́̊̚͘͝͝A̴̧̺͓̽͜ͅĻ̷̢̛̫̘̪̤̈́͌͛̀͊́͒͌̈́̓͑͊̚͠R̶͓̝̯̺̦͌E̸̻̔̋̈́̕Ã̴̲̦̘̎͛̏ͅD̷̢̛̪̣̘̗͇̱̜̼̪̗͓͚̀̈́̽̑͌̆͐̑̽͑͑̕̕͝ͅY̸̡̰̬̍̾̇̿͊̑̈́̒̀̐͝͝͝͠ ̶̢̻̻̠̣̱̫̄̋͐́̀̾̊̑̀̉͝͠T̶̢̧̫̣͎̺̗̺̊̄͋̄͌͘͠Ǫ̸̛͖̳̟̗̪̤̹̠̫̥̘̼͊͑͊̀͗͛́̃͋̅̀̍̾Ô̴̼͒̽̍͑̽̒̓̍͝ ̶̧̧̛̙̤̤̼̫̼̝̬͓̞͈͔́̒̊͒́̾͛͌͗L̷̛̛͐͒̇̓͒̊̾̕͜Ą̷̛̫͖͕̹̀̓͆̄͒̈́̃̓͋̄̀̄́ͅṬ̶̢̭̜̱͍̣̜̤͕͔̣͖̄̀̎̒́͛̐̒̍̓̽̕Ȩ̷̮͕̤̣̗̫̠̖͚͇̈́̽̾̎̽̃̾́͝͝ͅ.̴̖̦̎̍̌

"No…" Homura whispered, every cell in her body feeling like it'd been submerged in ice.

But that feeling of helplessness only lasted for a fraction of a second. It gave way, quite swiftly, to a much stronger feeling of white-hot fury.

Obeying her silent command, the spikes of black energy reforged themselves, absorbing dozens of Familiars to increase their mass. Finally they took the form of massive black wings, as unholy as Iroha's and Yachiyo's were sanctified.

The remainder of her Familiars arrayed behind her as she rose into the sky, a procession of curses nearly a mile long.

"I…" she said, her voice echoing gutturally through the fog-strewn air. "Will deal with all of you later."

Then she raced off through the clouds, flying like a bat out of Hell.

[-]

Sayaka and Kyoko shared a dazed stare with one another, unsure what to make of what just happened.

"Correct me if I'm wrong…" muttered the redhead, as she swallowed her last piece of Rocky. "But that ain't whatcha were goin' fer, right?"

"We were so close to getting through to her!" exclaimed Sayaka, throwing her hands up in the air. "I could see it! Yeah, maybe it was kind of a low blow to leverage what's going on now…"

"But it was the truth," piped up Nagisa. "If Kaname-sama regains her powers, she'll be able to erase this pseudo-Walpurgisnacht with one shot. It really was our best chance to get her to stand down."

Meanwhile, Iroha and Yachiyo were lowering themselves out of the sky, their borrowed wings dissipating until they would be needed again.

"Hello again. My apologies for not greeting you properly," said the pink-haired girl, bowing her head forward. "You were both in the car that dropped me off last night, weren't you? I'm sorry I didn't recognize you then – my head was still scrambled from Akemi-san's Labyrinth."

"No prob. Lotta that goin' 'round lately," replied Kyoko, one hand extended genially. "I'm…"

"Kyoko Sakura. We're quite familiar," Yachiyo cut in. "In our original time, our two groups are close allies. It's good to see you all are doing well, even in a world that lacks Doppels."

Sayaka had about a million questions to follow up from that, but didn't get a chance to voice any before Iroha asked worriedly, "Wait…where's Felicia-chan?"

Both Tsuruno and Sana did a double-take, looking around the ruined street wildly.

"She was just here! I don't see where she could've gone!" yelped the brunette, leaping to her feet and peering under their car, as if the younger girl might've somehow got herself wedged there. "Did you see anything, Sasa?"

The green-haired girl shook her head timidly. "I got so distracted by everything that was going on…" she admitted, practically wilting out of shame. "Oh my…you don't think she was taken by one of those monsters she summoned up?"

"I feel like we would've noticed that. Felicia-chan isn't exactly the type to 'go quietly' in any circumstance," said Yachiyo pointedly. "No, I'm guessing that someone must've taken advantage while we were arguing with Akemi-san. Possibly the same malefactor that caused her to take her leave so abruptly."

"She mentioned something about not being able to 'sense' Kaname-san…" whispered Iroha with a frown. "Could she be in danger from something other than Walpurgisnacht? Oh, if only we knew what that Familiar of hers was saying…"

Sayaka and Nagisa shared a glance.

"Actually…the two of us have our Witch forms unified with our souls. Part-and-parcel of the Messenger package," the blue-haired girl explained. "So we can translate Runes. She said…'The Goddess is in the clutches of Anguish.' But what could that mean?"

"She's a Familiar, so she's probably referring to another Witch. That's the only thing they can see in Magical Girls," added Nagisa. "But who had the Witch of Anguish?"

The two of them wracked their brains for the "records" of Magical Girls they'd helped to ferry along to the next world. Breaths caught in their throats as they came up with the answer at the very same time: "Oriko Mikuni."

Sayaka immediately sheathed her sword and prepared to carry Kyoko again. Nagisa pulled out her trumpet, holding it at the ready.

"We have to get moving. If Mikuni has Madoka, there's no telling what she could do. Much less what Devil Girl will do once she finds them," said the blue-haired girl hurriedly. "You guys coming with?"

Iroha and Yachiyo unfurled their wings once again, the former taking Sana in her arms and the latter grasping onto Tsuruno.

"Lead the way," the model told them. "With any luck, we'll find Felicia-chan as well."

"Remind me what kinda superpowers yer missin' friend's got?" asked Kyoko. "Maybe that has ta do with why someone mighta taken her."

"She, uh…has this hammer," stated Iroha, frowning slightly. "That can erase or modify memories."

Sayaka and Nagisa exchanged another glance, alarm bells going off in both their heads.

"Okay, no way this is a coincidence. Also, sidebar, really not what we need when Walpurgis Night is like…twenty minutes away," groaned Sayaka, before pulling out her phone and checking the time. "Strike that, closer to ten. Shit."

"Least Akemi gave us a helluva trail ta follow," Kyoko remarked, raising a thumb to the sky.

Indeed, Homura had summoned such a large quantity of Familiars that their procession was still marching through the sky. It seemed she'd abandoned all concern for keeping things hidden from "normals."

"Alright, let's follow them. And be prepared. They're ignoring us now, but that might change as we get closer," said Sayaka. "Weird, though. Kinda looks like they're going to those really ritzy houses at the east edge of town. Only time I've ever been there was…"

Her voice fell away, as her azure eyes went wide as saucers.

"When I went to Hitomi's place…"

[-]

Kirika was having a grand old time, patrolling around the perimeter of that snobby rich girl's mansion and humming merrily to herself.

Seriously…a mansion. Sure, her beloved Oriko was fairly wealthy herself, but she didn't feel the need to flaunt it every chance she had.

That green-haired bimbo and her boy-toy had deserved what they got.

It was amazing how quickly the plan had come together, given how much her mistress had been forced to improvise. A few minutes more, and the ritual would be complete.

Just more proof – as if she needed any – that Oriko was the smartest, strongest, most perfect girl in all the world.

And soon enough, the entire world would understand the same thing. Kirika didn't understand all the details of the plan; complicated schemes were far more her mistress' wheelhouse than her own. But she knew that Alina chick's barrier was supposed to channel the magic of the other girls they'd kidnapped, erasing the minds of every Magical Girl on Earth.

Leaving them wide-open, to be molded however her mistress chose.

Kirika's chest burned with jealousy as she thought of the artist girl. That was the one downside of this plan: having to leave her beloved so close to that conniving bitch. She saw the way Alina admired Oriko's body, the flirtatious smirks and side comments she passed her way.

Once this was all over…and assuming that Kirika could get her mistress' permission…

She was fully prepared to introduce Alina to the business end of her claws. Nobody was allowed to look at Oriko that way. Nobody.

The black-haired girl paused mid-stride, having almost bowled over her fellow guard in her possessive rage.

Tsubaki Mikoto, naturally, didn't react one way or another from the near-impact. She never reacted to much of anything. Her brain had been wiped clean, empty of any thoughts save those Oriko had put there.

Which, of course…only made Kirika more jealous. God, that was so fucking hot. To be emptied out like that, becoming nothing more or less than an extension of Oriko's divine will…

Still, the thought also filled her with a certain measure of pride. Alone among the Magical Girls, she didn't need to be brainwashed into obedience to their savior.

She'd chosen her mistress, all on her own.

So wrapped up in the glow of love was Kirika, that she almost missed Tsubaki settling into a battle stance. The swordswoman was a far more experienced Magical Girl than the rest of them, and all her instincts had now been honed in a singular direction: protecting Oriko Mikuni from any outside interference, until the barrier was in place.

Which made it all the more surprising when a dark blur sped by in a flash, breaking through Tsubaki's wall of flame like it was paper and slicing her body clean in two.

Before Kirika even knew what was happening, a hand emerged from the blur and seized her around the neck, lifting her high in the air.

"Where is she?!" growled Homura Akemi, her body leaking corrupted mana out of every orifice. "Where is Madoka?!"

Kirika tried to struggle against the other girl's hold, but it was like a mouse trying to escape a trap. Homura was so much more powerful than her that it defied description.

"Not talking? Fine. I don't see any point in being gentle," she said, more and more of that shadowy energy escaping from her mouth with every word she spoke. "Not like there's much going on up there for me to damage."

Then, Kirika found herself letting loose a guttural scream, as her foe violently and uncaringly ripped straight into her mind.

The eyepatch-wearing girl tried her hardest to hold Homura at bay, but for all the good it did she might as well have been throwing tissue paper at her. Against her will, she felt Homura probe through her recent memories, seizing the details of Oriko's brilliant plan.

As soon as she had what she needed, Homura threw Kirika brutally to the ground, exposing her Soul Gem along the back of her waist.

With a single, uncaring stomp of her foot, the Gem was crushed into powder, and Kirika Kure was gone.

[-]

"They're definitely conglomerating in that area…" whispered Iroha as she peered into the distance. Even from here, it was obvious the Familiars were forming a ring around a single point.

She and Yachiyo were flying through the skies of Mitakihara as fast as they could, Sayaka and Nagisa following in their wake with great, leaping strides.

"Yeah, that's Hitomi's house alright. Not sure why, but this can't be good," said the blue-haired girl through gritted teeth. "And the clock's running out. If this fake-Walpurgisnacht situation gets worse with Miss Transfer Student's mental state…"

"Then there could be few things more catastrophic than abducting Madoka Kaname. Much less harming her," Yachiyo finished for her. "I don't know how this 'Oriko' of yours managed to take the apocalypse from bad to worse, but she did it."

"She is…a unique soul," Nagisa told the others. "Her goals, in the end, are always noble. I'm sure today is no exception. But her methods…"

"Ah, gotcha," Kyoko muttered darkly. "I know the type."

"Maybe she's trying to put an end to the Walpurgis-y threat in her own way. But if so, she chose the worst possible timing," replied Sayaka. "Either way, we gotta get there now."

"I think…" said Sana in a tiny voice, clinging onto her rose-haired housemate for dear life. "That might be a little easier said than done."

With a trembling finger, she pointed to the Familiars strewing the skies. All of whom, as they neared the street where the Shizuki estate was erected, turned in their direction simultaneously.

"Oh, balls," groaned Sayaka, summoning an array of sabers around herself. On either side, Yachiyo and Nagisa did the same.

Even as the Familiars began to attack in full force, however, her eyes drifted to the mansion that belonged to her second-best friend in the world.

And the enormous hole that'd just been blasted in it.

[-]

"Oracle Ray!"

Dozens of orbs floated behind the seer, releasing their golden energy all at once. The converging beams would've had enough power to scorch an entire building to ash.

But their target just walked through them, as if they were nothing more than a midday drizzle.

Homura Akemi was a juggernaut, in the old-fashioned sense. Appearing as if from nowhere, demolishing half of the manor simply by entering it, she shrugged off anyone or anything that stood in her way, an aura of unfathomable darkness surrounding her and absorbing any attempt at a counterattack.

To keep her from disrupting their ritual – which Alina had arranged in the foyer, since it had the most room for them to spread out – Oriko had been forced to engage with the intruding force in direct combat. Something that, needless to say, was not her strong suit.

Where was Tsubaki Mikoto? And more importantly…where was her Kirika?

"You're wondering what happened to your little attack dog?" said Homura, her voice coming out an inhuman, guttural echo. "I killed her. I crushed that simpering little puppy into dust."

Oriko's entire body stiffened like a board. "Y…You're lying…!" she stammered out, even as she was forced to dive out of the way of a mass of dark energy. If she hadn't moved in time, it would've taken her head clean off.

"You know well that I don't kid around, Mikuni," hissed the other girl, swatting aside another volley of her Oracle Ray like it was a meddlesome mosquito. "Now…give me Madoka!"

Finding herself backed against the wall, both literally and figuratively, Oriko found that she had no choice but to snap back, "I can't do that. Not yet. Just give me a few minutes more, and the spell will be complete. Then you can do what you want with her. She isn't the Goddess."

Homura's footsteps intensified, so that each one left cracks in the marble floor as she slowly trudged forward.

"Why do you say that?" she demanded, seething so hard that shadows leaked from her mouth like drool. "What have you done to her?!"

"Nothing worse than what you've done!" said Oriko, which probably wasn't a good idea, but it was clear her usual tactics of honeyed manipulation would be useless here. "I didn't harm her, physically. But she was practically dripping with Despair. Whatever happened before we found her, it broke her heart in two. All I needed to do was…give her an extra push."

Somehow, that was what stopped Homura in her tracks. Her head darted in every direction, like a wild animal searching for predators.

"That…can't be…" she whispered. "Madoka…couldn't be…"

"You're right that our Goddess couldn't. She is Hope itself. That Madoka Kaname could fall into such deep Despair is proof enough that she isn't who you claim," Oriko attempted to argue, pressing her advantage. "But even if she can't vanquish Walpurgisnacht on her own, she is still the key to our salvation. The sheer amount of mana she wields will be enough to complete the ritual. After that, I'll have the army I need to destroy the Stage-Constructing Witch. To destroy anyone who threatens this world you've built."

Homura Akemi stood there, still livid, looking as if she was seeing the prophetess properly for the very first time. For just a moment, Oriko thought she might've successfully talked her way out of this.

Then Homura raised her palm, and released enough energy to vaporize Oriko Mikuni, Soul Gem and all, until there wasn't so much as a speck of dust left.

"At least now you're with the one you love," the Devil muttered, before blasting through to the next room. She didn't so much as glance back.

[-]

"Jesus…" said Sayaka, as she finished slicing an oversized Lilia to pieces. The large, teethlike Familiars were every bit as tough as actual enamel, and it'd taken her fourteen swords simply to cut down one. "This isn't going well."

"Gee, ya think?" called out Kyoko, whom she'd been forced to deposit on a nearby rooftop to concentrate on the battle. "Missed one on yer left!"

"Enough with the backseat fighting!" the blue-haired girl shot back, though she turned around to bisect an approaching Lotte nonetheless. "Anyway, we don't have time for this! Nagisa-chan, Nanami-san…we have to find a way to push through!"

"We're trying!" replied the younger Messenger, before taking a deep breath and blowing a stream of bubbles from her trumpet, knocking aside a blockade of Luiselottes. "But I don't think Akemi-san has control of them anymore. They're attacking wildly…and there's just too many…"

Yachiyo waved a hand, sending dozens of halberds flying forward, clearing the skies of countless Liese. Since she was unable to fly without Iroha at her side, and the pink-haired girl otherwise had no powers of her own, she was necessarily somewhat limited in battle.

"We're not all going to be able to get past in time. I think our best chance is for me and Momoe-san to make an opening for you," she told Sayaka. "You and Sakura-san almost talked her down before. We've got five minutes…and that means you've got one last shot."

Sayaka gritted her teeth as she felt the skies rumble with another spate of laughter. With every repetition, it seemed to be growing louder.

She wondered whether all the regular people across the city could hear the same thing.

"Alright, no pressure," Sayaka said to herself, as she scooped Kyoko up into her arms once again. "We've just gotta convince the stubbornest girl in the world to completely change her entire philosophy, while she's in the middle of a cosmic-level breakdown. In the time it takes to microwave a TV dinner."

"Eh, from what I saw in yer memories…" commented the redhead. "Not the firs' time we've done somethin' like this."

"Get ready, Miki-sempai!" shouted Nagisa, before pulling her hood down and unleashing her secret weapon.

Charlotte's worm-like form erupted from her mouth, whipping around the battlefield and knocking as many Familiars as she could reach out of the sky. Yachiyo and Iroha paused briefly in the air, stunned by the sight.

"Maybe I was wrong," spoke the model. "I guess they do have Doppels. Or something like it. Either way…"

And with that, she took one of Iroha's hands into her own, and raised the other into the sky. Her halberds multiplied still further, until there were nearly a hundred arrayed above them.

"Absolute Rain!"

The weapons, sheathed in water magic, plunged down from the heavens in a great storm of lances, impaling numerous Familiars who'd managed to avoid Charlotte's attacks. It left the path to Hitomi's ruined mansion wide open.

"Okay, Kyoko…" said Sayaka, swallowing hard and steeling her resolve. "Hold on tight. We're gonna go fast."

Then, shooting off like blue-and-red streaks of lightning, the two girls hurtled forward. Hoping against hope that they weren't already too late.

[-]

Everything was going perfectly.

Alina had all four of the memory-altering girls standing in a circle, all of their expressions save Suzune's identically blank. The artist wasn't able to direct them herself – Oriko still didn't trust her enough to share command, which frankly was probably a good call – but their role in this was fairly simple. All they had to do, quite literally, was stand still.

She looked over their faces, appreciating the features as she would an arrangement of sculptures in a garden. Suzune's loyalty, Umika's steadfastness, Kagari's malice, Felicia's innocence…all of them wiped away, sanded to a smooth uniformity of vacant obedience.

There was something so…bellissima about that. The knowledge that all they were, and all they had ever been, was locked away behind those empty stares…oh mio, it made Alina absolutely shiver with excitement! Like a painting with an entirely different picture sketched on the canvass, hidden to all but her.

Perhaps, when all was said and done, Oriko would let her keep a few as toys.

Meanwhile she had the power source for the ritual floating at the center of it all. Madoka Kaname…Alina knew even less about her than she did the other "participants," but the pink-haired girl intrigued her.

And seemed to intrigue her benefattore as well, given how their voice practically purred after they kidnapped her.

Still, she'd never seen so much raw magia leaking out of a single girl in her entire life. Alina had expected that powering her planet-sized barrier would require draining at least a hundred Magical Girls. Instead, this unassuming little mouse was fueling it all single-handedly, with mana left to spare!

Alina placed a finger in her mouth, tugging at the side of her cheek. Oh, if she wasn't allowed to keep any of the others, then if she could at least turn this girl into a work of art…

"At last…" she whispered to herself, chuckling giddily. "Alina thinks she has found her capolavoro."

That was when an explosion sent the mad artist flying.

Summoning up a small barrier at the last moment to cushion her fall, Alina clutched at her head, fighting a wave of disorientation. Above all, she couldn't allow the circle to be disrupted.

Once she'd regained her bearings enough to comprehend what she was seeing, she realized that the mansion's entire atrium had just been demolished in a single stroke. And striding through the wreckage was a very pissed-off Homura Akemi.

"Ah, Signorina Diavola. Alina meets you at last," she said, placing herself between the approaching Devil and the rest of the girls. "Should she assume this means Signorina Mikuni has been eliminated? What a shame. Alina quite admired her meravigliosa body."

But Homura didn't bother answering her. She stared straight past, until her eyes fell upon the figure at the center of the circle.

Madoka Kaname, trapped in a glowing green barrier. Madoka Kaname, her power being siphoned to slowly expand the barrier outward.

Madoka Kaname, fallen to her knees and weeping uncontrollably, as the freshly slain corpses of her two human friends lay piled before her. Sacrifices to draw her into greater and greater despair.

"You…" breathed Homura, sounding more like a wild beast about to pounce than a human girl. "You…"

"To be fair, Alina didn't do anything but the barrier. Signorina Kure murdered the cuccioli, and this whole plan was really more of Signorina Yuki's idea…" Alina began.

She didn't get a chance to finish. Before she could so much as erect another barrier, Homura transformed into…something. Something dark, and formless, and utterly inhuman.

And that something swallowed up Alina Gray in a single bite.

Curiously though, this wasn't the end of her consciousness. Instinctively, her Soul Gem had formed a miniature barrier of its own to protect itself, stubbornly pouring out every last bit of mana it had left to keep from being "digested."

Which only caused the curses within Homura to work more furiously. All of the rage, and pain, and sorrow she'd felt over the past hour piled onto each other, building and expanding, until it was as overwhelming a force as an atom bomb.

Alina's soul felt, rather than saw, what happened next. A twisted sensation that mixed distant sound and overwhelming emotion.

A crash, as someone or something burst through one of the foyer's windows. A raspy shout of, "Transfer Student, stop!"

A tearful, agonized whisper of, "Homura…chan…?"

Then, Homura Akemi released a scream that was louder and shriller than any roar of the oceans, and more furious than the deadliest of flames.

And everything was darkness.

[-]

It felt like Homura was waking up from a dream. Or a nightmare.

But as she blurrily blinked awake and stumbled to her feet, she realized just how far from the truth that was. This was the nightmare.

It was like the aftermath of an earthquake. What had once been one of the most illustrious estates in Japan had been reduced to little more than wreckage and smoldering rubble, with bloodstains running across it all.

Human bloodstains.

Summoning strength she no longer possessed, Homura forced herself back to her feet, stumbling through the debris. This couldn't have happened. She…couldn't have…

Homura didn't have to search long to find her. She was the only person in the ruined mansion still drawing breath.

"Homura-chan…" Madoka choked out, through thick wet tears. "What've you done…?"

Physically, she was unblemished. Alina Gray's barrier had protected her to the very end, until the girl's death freed her from it. At worst, she had some soot-stains on her hands, and her school uniform had been torn in a couple places.

But her heart was another story entirely.

As she knelt before the mangled bodies of Sayaka Miki and Kyoko Sakura, their Soul Gems reduced to fragments.

"Madoka, I…I…" Homura tried to say, but her throat closed off before she could finish. So much of the last half-hour was a blur. What had she done? What had Madoka seen? "I…didn't mean to…"

"You didn't mean to what? To kill them? All of them?!" Madoka wailed, throwing her hand out toward the center of the demolished foyer.

And indeed, while her slaying of Oriko Mikuni and Alina Gray had left no traces behind, the same could not be said of the others. Having read Kirika Kure's mind, she knew that the only crime Suzune Amano and her various brainwashed pawns were guilty of was getting caught up in someone else's scheme.

Yet here they all lay, lifeless. Even one of those Kamihama girls, tiny in death.

"I…wasn't myself, Madoka…" she tried to explain, withering under the other girl's glare. That look – of disgust, of revulsion – was yet one more stab to a heart that'd already taken so many. It was as far as possible from the loving gaze she'd offered her mere hours ago. "I was already so…confused. Angry. And then when I found out they took you, I…"

Desperate for Madoka to stop looking at her that way, Homura tried to reach out, to comfort the distraught girl. But Madoka just flinched back.

That's when it hit her. Madoka was afraid of her.

"When you first came through that wall…for a second there, I was so happy," said the pink-haired girl, in a very tiny voice. "I didn't know who those girls were, or why they took me. Or why they did…that…to Hitomi-chan and Kyosuke-kun…"

Madoka paused for a moment, letting a fresh volley of tears drip onto the wreckage below. She covered her face with grime-covered hands to hold them back.

"But then I saw…I saw…" she tried to continue, but something seemed to catch in her throat whenever she tried to describe it. "Whatever…came out…I know you didn't mean to do it. That you lost control. But that doesn't change the fact that…"

A sudden impulse seemed to strike the girl, and she began scrambling along the ground, stumbling and tripping over jagged piles of rubble. Until she reached Sayaka Miki, and clasped her cold hand between her own.

"Sayaka-chan…tried to stop you…" Madoka mumbled out. "And she paid the price. They all did. Homura-chan, what are you, really?"

How could she even begin to answer a question like that?

"I…I am…" said Homura, her voice hollow and lifeless. "I am…someone who doesn't deserve you. Someone wrong. That's why this happened."

Steeling herself with resolve she didn't actually feel, she hastily added, "But…But don't worry. I can fix it. Just let me…"

"How?!" Madoka screamed, cutting her off. "I know you're powerful, but how do you fix this? They're dead, Homura-chan!"

Sayaka's hand fell from her best friend's grip, as Madoka wobbled back to a standing position. There was now an enormous hole where the west wall of the mansion used to be, and she began staggering toward it.

"They're all gone. Hitomi-chan, Kyosuke-kun…Sayaka-chan, Kyoko-chan…who knows how many others…" the girl began to ramble, as she made tiny, unsteady steps toward the outside. "I have to get back to…to my aunts. To Tatsuya-kun. And then…see mama and papa again…"

"Madoka, wait!" Homura exclaimed, grasping for her hand to keep her from leaving. But the pink-haired girl jerked it away.

"Don't touch me!" she cried. "And don't follow me! Have to…Have to find them. They should be landing any minute now…"

The reminder of time sent Homura's eyes darting to the side. Miraculously, an ornate grandfather clock had survived the ordeal, and had just ticked 6:25 PM.

Precisely one minute to sundown.

"Madoka, I'm serious! Please don't go!" she begged. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but it isn't safe out there! You need to stay by my side!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And even as she spoke, the laughter returned, the loudest and most spine-chilling yet. If Madoka heard it, however, she didn't let it deter her.

"Homura-chan…just stop. I don't know what's going on, but I can't take it anymore. I can't take you anymore," she said, and though her back was turned to the other girl, she could tell her lips were quivering. "Please, just…leave me alone. Please."

Homura threw an arm out helplessly toward the girl she loved more than anything else in the universe. With her powers, she should've been able to stop her from leaving in a million different ways, but right now she just…couldn't.

She simply stood there, as Madoka walked away. Letting the final seconds of the world tick by.

[-]

Thirty…twenty-nine…twenty-eight…twenty-seven…

Homura knew she should've been doing something. In just over twenty seconds, her worst fears would be realized. More to the point, they'd be realized precisely because they were her worst fears.

Some kind of pseudo-Walpurgisnacht would descend upon Mitakihara City, while Madoka was wandering it alone. Trying to stumble her way toward the airport and meet a plane that, if Homura's luck held true, would all but certainly be knocked out of the sky by the titanic Witch.

At that point, Homura's gravest nightmare – Madoka Awakening to her latent powers, vanquishing her old foe, and returning to the heavens – would become the best-case scenario. Right now, she could think of about a dozen worse ones.

She'd fucked up. In every conceivable way, she had spent the past couple hours undoing every bit of progress she'd accomplished by creating this world in the first place.

And Madoka, as always, had been the one to suffer for it.

Fifteen…fourteen…thirteen…twelve…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The laughter was deafening now. A continuous cacophony that assaulted not only Homura's ears, but all of her senses.

Everywhere she turned she could see Walpurgisnacht, feel Walpurgisnacht…

And she knew that was only making it worse. Making her enemy even more powerful. But that knowledge wasn't enough to stop these intrusive thoughts.

After all, if this false Witch was being created from her negative emotions…

Well, she'd never in her life felt worse than she did right now.

Five…four…three…two…

Homura stared up at the sky, knowing that behind the pitch-dark clouds, the sun was setting.

And as it did, like clockwork, those clouds began to part.

But something curious happened in that instant. An instinct, intense and overpowering, seized her entire body.

She realized, in that moment of clarity, that she had only one chance. Only one choice.

"But…" she said, very quietly. "I swore I'd never do this again. I swore…"

Yet that didn't stop her. In that moment, nothing could stop her.

Power that'd been building up within her all week – just a fraction of which had just wiped out every living thing in sight – erupted forth. Using her Familiars as conduits and spreading out, out, out.

Until once more, the entire universe was within her grip. Until she had as fine control of it as she had any of the guns or missiles she'd enchanted in the old time flows.

Then, with all her might, the Devil exerted her will upon the world that was within her Labyrinth.

And turned.

[-]

The first thing Homura noticed was that there were no clouds in the sky.

In fact, it was clearly midday. Birds were chirping, as a cool breeze blew through the trees surrounding them.

But where was she? When was she? This jump had been fueled by pure emotion, not with any kind of destination in mind.

She'd just been so desperate to get as far from Walpurgis Night as possible…to find a way to make things right again…

So what point in her past would that have taken her to?

The next thing Homura noticed was her location: Mitakihara Middle School. This was the rear courtyard, where the foliage was so thick that students rarely came around.

And the final thing she noticed – which, really, should have been the first thing – was the girl standing right in front of her. A girl who was leaning in close.

"This…" whispered Madoka Kaname, wrapped in the top of a boy's uniform Homura had stolen from someone's locker and dizzy from their recent battle with Sasa Yuki's forces. "Is how I really feel."

And suddenly, for the second time – though to the other girl, it would've been the first – Madoka's hot lips were on hers. She held Homura close, hands seeking purchase in her black, silky hair.

In the previous timeline, Homura had pulled away quickly. Too quickly. So overwhelmed by what she was feeling that she couldn't stand to run away fast enough.

But maybe…that had been her first mistake.

So in this "version," she allowed Madoka all the time she needed. Let her pepper her with sweet, tender kisses, with just the slightest hint of hunger beneath. Until the girl finally backed away, gasping for air.

Homura looked upon the girl she loved, and made her choice. It would be different, this time.

It would be better, this time.

"I…I'm so glad you said that, Madoka," she said, taking the girl's dainty hands in her own. "Because I feel exactly the same way."

[-]

COUNTDOWN TO WALPURGIS NIGHT

Seventy-Eight Hours Remain