Her Legend

Timeline Alpha

They cried.

Fire and flame engulfed their screams. Buildings collapsed, breaking through the already-shattered concrete beneath the countless helpless citizens. The massive towering living disaster echoed its laugh at them, mocking humanity's struggle. Whimpers and screams overwhelmed them.

"Someone do something!"

"Where are the authorities?!"

"We're all gonna die!"

But a calm female voice overpowered the chaos and madness. The speaker she spoke through cut through the noise like a knife through butter, enhanced by magic itself. "Everyone, can you hear me?" Everyone was stunned. "I know that you must be very afraid. It's understandable. You have no idea what's going on. But I need a favor from all of you. I am not asking you to be brave. All I am asking is….'don't give up.' Once you do, all you'll see is the ground. Look up, look at the sky. Survival is almost here. The disaster is almost over. Believe in me. My name-"

The name belonged to a single girl whose time had stopped, who had made up her mind a very long time ago. Her weakness turns into strength. Her strength turns into power. Her power turns into hope. To protect the girl she vowed to save. To catch up with the girl she loved. She will save this world, even at the cost of her life.

"- is Homura Akemi. I will not fail you."

Countless people looked up to the voice of comfort. Their eyes were still filled with incomprehensible fear, but there was something else as well in their eyes. Was it bravery?

"Each and every single one of you has someone special, someone who deeply cares about you. Even if you don't believe me now, survive. Survive so you can come to believe me another day. SURVIVE! DON'T DESPAIR! Just hold out a little longer! I promise you, it'll all be over soon. This day will just be a bad memory soon, I promise you. I, Homura Akemi, promises you this."

This was the end of the time traveler's story.

Countless stories and rumors surrounded this raven-haired girl. Many magical girls had come to both fear and respect her legend.

She spawned and placed countless bombs, missiles, and even a single miniature nuke right below the belly of the beast - Walpurgisnacht.

Fiery explosions caught the witch by surprise, her laugh twisted into a pained cough. The hurricane she brought about weakened, the skyscrapers crashed into the soil, but thankfully, everyone except for the sole guardian of Mitakihara City was away from the blast.

Her long black hair flowed through the feisty wind. Amethyst eyes glared at the abomination of a witch. She clenched her knuckles as sweat dropped from her forehead.

A girl with short pink hair with two familiar red ribbons fell, her back against a torn-down wall. Her magical girl attire was mangled and nearly torn apart. Blood dripped from her forehead. The girl in question gazed at Homura with glassy pinkish-red eyes, and muttered, "...homura-chan…" weakly.

"It's okay, Madoka," Her once-cold voice was now radiating in warmth, as she smiled to her one and only friend. "You can go to sleep," From her shield, Homura's hand revealed a small grief seed, and placed it on Madoka's nearly-black soul gem.

"H-Homura-chan!" Madoka cried out with sudden vigor, "You! You could've used this for-"

The time traveler shook her head. Madoka saw a sullen sad smile on Homura, and realized without words what the raven-haired magical girl was planning. She reached out to grab Homura, to make sure her friend wouldn't shatter into dust, but the girl refused to let Madoka touch her.

"You don't have to worry, Madoka," The bitter smile still on her face, "It'll all be over soon."

"W-wai…." Madoka's eyes drooped downward and closed against her will, the temptation of sleep was too strong. She lay limp, her breathing slowed as she finally went into the land of dreams.

She looked up at the Queen of Witches. It was still floating in the sky. Fortunately, there was progress. Flames consumed a good portion of its body as it squirmed in pain.

But it wasn't enough.

Homura needed more. She needed more firepower. She needed more strength, more power. Then, a sudden realization hit her.

The black-haired girl remembered a red-haired delinquent chewing on a piece of pocky, Kyouko.

Her tomboyish wildness knew no bounds. Kyouko was bound to no one, submitted to no one, and judged no one.

Homura had thought about bringing Kyouko into this battle, but through some cruel fate, the two girls ended up clashing. They argued, and Kyouko left the city, pissed at the amethyst-eyed mystery girl.

"Ya' hold too many secrets and too many inconsistencies," The hot-headed girl said, "I can't trust my back to someone like you! Someone who would murder another girl in cold blood!"

She chuckled at the flashback. She then remembered a different timeline, one where Kyouko fought Oktavia - Sayaka's witch.

That day, Homura found out about a magical girl's final attack. By exhausting every single last drop of power in her soul gem, Kyouko summoned her largest lance, and struck down Oktavia with her strongest attack.

If Miki-san and Kyouko were here, I wonder how'd they'd react to me sacrificing my live.

She chuckled. Sayaka wouldn't believe it, and Kyouko would try to stop her, calling her crazy in the process. "Have you lost your mind?!"

That's probably something Kyouko Sakura would say.

A big long sigh escaped her lips. She stretched out her arms in a crucifix-like fashion, and a purple soul gem emerged from her hand, maintained in the air by sheer magic. It shined brightly, with a burning intensity only available to those filled with purpose.

She imagined a bloodied Sayaka maniacally laughing at her. In this timeline, Homura was forced to put the blue berserker down before she transformed into a witch.

Homura was forced into battle against a vengeful Mami who wanted revenge against the time traveler for killing Sayaka.

The amethyst-eyed girl made enemies with nearly every magical girl in Mitakihara City.

Only Madoka knew the truth. It pained her heart, but she understood Homura's intentions, however cruel. The pink-haired girl couldn't bring herself to forgive Homura, but she couldn't hate her either.

Silent tears rolled down the time traveler's cheeks. An enchanted sniper flowed out of Homura's soul gem. The moment her hands grasped the sniper, she felt its crystallized power. She smiled.

Once she pulled the trigger, it'll all be over.

She aimed at Walpurgisnacht, and muttered something inaudible.

The bullet traveled silently, slicing through the air with ease, encased in a powerful aura of hot amethyst flames, before finally tearing a hole through Walpurgisnacht's skull. An intense purple fire engulfed the queen witch. Its screeching cry nearly tore through Homura's eardrums as she winced in pain.

Something stopped. Everything was quiet, too quiet.

There was no more rain. No more wind. No more disaster, and no more fire. The familiars retreated back as the mother witch lifted itself up into the gray-dulled sky. Nervousness struck Homura's nerves as she saw the gigantic monster ascend into the clouds

It started to retreat….

The time traveler was unable to defeat it, but she managed to push it back. She managed to scare it off.

Homura felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

A wry smile took control, and the stoic girl started to quietly laugh. She couldn't contain herself. A battlefield that constantly replayed for years had finally come to an end.

"I did it...Madoka…" Her cheerful teary eyes looked down at her feet. Without explanation, her legs started to disintegrate into bits and bubbles of magic, flowing into the stagnant wind. "Ahhh…." She sighed, somewhat bemused, "Looks like this is it for me…."

Her gaze looked up into the clearing sky, then glanced at Madoka. In this timeline, Homura wasn't able to stop her from contracting.

But at the very least, Madoka didn't transform into a witch. The rest is up to Madoka, and the time traveler felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders. "Haha...I really would've liked to have spent a little more time with you...Madoka…"

Finally, Homura disintegrated into the wind. Homura didn't die from soul gem destruction, nor did she witchify. Instead, her body disappeared, leaving only her shield behind. The last expression she had was pure blissful happiness.

The damaged shield dropped and flowed above the nearly-still water current.

"H-homura….chan…."

A Few Months Later…

"C'mon Tatsuya, don't make Papa wait," A light-brown haired middle-aged man with rimmed glasses chuckled as his son dashed around the house with a brand new toy car. The father in question was ready to take Tatsuya to his first day at school.

"Papa! Can I take this with me?" His squeaky voice was filled with excitement. It was something Tatsuya's father - Tomohisa, had never seen before. In Tatsuya's hands was a circular shield with scratches and dents in it, and a small sand-timer in the core.

High-tech was the wrong word, but the strange shield looked like it came from another world, with a story to tell.

"Wow, where'd you get that thing, little guy?" Tomohisa said, startled.

"Madoka's room!"

"Madoka's? I've never seen her-"

"Tatsuya! That's mine!" In pink-bear pajamas, a groggy Madoka stumbled down a flight of stairs and tore the shield away from Tatsuya in a weirdly-aggressive manner, very different from the usual kind Madoka.

Her little brother was stunned by her sudden forcefulness. Tears started to swell up in his eyes. "Wow, Madoka, what's wrong with you?!" Tomohisa was about to scold Madoka when he realized just how attached she was to the shield in question. "Madoka, what is that?" He prodded unintentionally.

"It-" She glanced at her father than to her brother, before finally saying the rest of the sentence, "It...belonged to my friend, Homura-chan…"

"You mean the girl who disappeared in the storm?" Tomohisa felt a drop of sweat fall down his back. Madoka had to deal with many of her friends disappearing. It wasn't easy for her. Not one bit.

Madoka nodded quietly.

"I see...I'm sorry," He placed both hands on the head of both his children, and smiled, "Don't be too rough on your little brother, okay, Madoka?" He then turned to the teary-eyed Tatsuya, "And don't cry, okay, Tatsuya? You're a boy, boys don't cry."

"O-okay…" They both said hesitantly.

The solemn Madoka placed kisses on her family, hugging her little brother tightly, then giving a kiss on the cheek on her father, and lastly on her mother. With the biggest forced smile she could muster, she waved a 'See you later' to her family as she dashed out the door.

II

Mitakihara City was still rebuilding itself. Dozens of cracks were still very visible on the roads, making it somewhat difficult for cars to drive by.

When Madoka reached her middle school, her eyes gazed on its small one-building campus. A huge five-building campus now reduced to only one due to Walpurgisnacht was a heavy blow to the pinkette's heart.

Classes were cramped, with eighth and ninth graders sharing the same classes and same teachers. It was an academic nightmare for the once-prestige academy.

Her pink pupils focused on 2-B - her classroom. Everyday, she'd have to constantly remind herself of Sayaka's death. "Ah, Madoka-san…"

A familiar rich green-haired girl approached the depressed Madoka, with a silver-haired boyfriend in hand. "H-hello, Hitomi-chan."

"Ah, hello, Kaname-chan," Kyousuke looked over the downcast little pink creature, and said, "I still can't believe Sayaka died during the storm...I'm sorry." He tried to give his condolences, but that only stung Madoka's heart.

So that's what everybody believes…. Madoka thought, crestfallen. "A-ah….yeah…" Her eyes cast downward, awkwardly, "I miss her…"

Desperately, Madoka Kaname ran through the wet pavement, her breath chilled by the freezing downpour of rain. There, beyond the horizon, on an abandoned bridge, was two magical girls - one clad in a chaotic dark blue, and the other enchanted by a calm purple.

The blue knight held two rusted swords in her hands. Blood dripped from her forehead. Even through that pain, she laughed maniacally. "Hahahahah!" Sayaka screamed, "Don't you get it, traaaansfer student?! We're all zombies! Nothing more than walking corpses!"

Homura didn't respond. Instead, her cold amethyst eyes gazed through her berserk companion's soul, and silently loaded her pistol.

"We're nothing more than puppets controlled by our soul gems! Dead pieces of meat moved by some crystal ball! If that's who we are…" She raised her sword to the silent ravenette, "Then I'll kill every last one of you! I'll kill you, then myself!"

"Saya-" Madoka held up her soul gem, about to transform, but a fierce glint in Homura's eyes was enough to paralyze her in her tracks. Even though all of Homura's silent wrath was directed at Sayaka, Madoka couldn't help but experience it. Only a madwoman could withstand that quiet rage.

"You're nothing more than a bundle of half-assed expectations, Sayaka Miki," She raised her glock pistol to the berserk knight, "Since you are hell-bent on hurting those around you, especially Madoka, I'll offer you no mercy."

She disappeared, surprising Madoka. But what happened next was unprecedented. Sayaka's once-hate filled aqua eyes became glassy and uncaring. Her feet stumbled against each other, before hitting the pavement like a stringless puppet.

"Madoka-san," A voice creeped into the pinkette's ears, "M-A-D-O-K-A-san!"

Startled, Madoka flinched back, and noticed a worried Hitomi gazing at her, "Eh?" She asked, confused.

"I've been calling you for the past three minutes…" She grabbed the pinkette's hands, "Let's go to class."

"R-right…"

III

"And that's why you shouldn't be picky on overcooked chicken! Girls don't like that, do you understand, Nakazawa-kun?!"

"Y-yes!"

Madoka couldn't focus. The class wasn't boring in and of itself, but somehow, the pink-haired girl's attention was somewhere else. She vaguely remembered something that ate at her. It was back at the battle of Walpurgisnacht. When the pinkette opened her eyes slightly, she saw Homura disintegrate into the wind. There was no trace of her body.

Which meant there was a chance Homura was still alive. The biggest evidence to this was the shield Madoka carried in her bag. When a magical girl dies, everything magical about them disappears, from their soul gem to their clothes to even their weapons.

However, Homura's shield remained.

Madoka wanted answers.

The bell finally rang, snapping Madoka out of her daydream. "Alright class, make sure to finish your homework over summer vacation. I know you'll have no class for three months, but that doesn't mean you should be lax when you have all that free time, okay?"

"Yeees~" The class answered unenthusiastically.

"And, one last thing, be careful. I know we've all had our bad experiences the last few months, but hang in there!" Ms. Saotome enthusiastically pushed her arms together, with a look of determination glinting in her brown eyes.

Go to Mihama City….

"Eh?" Madoka heard a feminine voice, right behind her ear. The whispered trail trickled air down her neck. She clearly felt the sensation of someone or something breathing down her neck. The pinkette turned around, but there was no one there.

"What's wrong, Madoka-san?" Hitomi placed a hand on Madoka's shoulder, clearly worried.

"Ah! No, I just thought I heard someone call me, that's all."

That felt very different from the usual telepathy. It was closer, more physical, and much more personal. With telepathy, words are clearly audible. Madoka had to pick at what the strange female voice said. It was distorted and sounded trapped. If she had one word to describe it, it'd be - eerie. Madoka pushed back the emotion, making herself believe it was her mind playing tricks on her. Was it the stress? Probably. Without looking back, Madoka skittered through the stairs.

Her small steps scurried through the Mitakihara campus in a hurry, pushing through the crowds of students around her. She looked down at her vibrant pinkish soul gem. It was detecting something malicious.

Definitely a witch, She thought to herself.

Hiding herself in a strange alleyway, Madoka held up her soul gem, and transformed into a nostalgic pinkish-white attire, with a rose-bow in hand. With inhuman strength and agility, she jumped across buildings, stalking her quarry.

She finally jumped down from a hotel building titled Crimson Devil and found herself jumping straight into a newly-formed labyrinth. Madoka couldn't help but look back at the hotel's name before it disappeared from sight, and giggled, "Reminds me of Kyouko-chan."

Before her were several dozen gum-shaped familiars with crackling eyeballs like some kind of pink cyclops.

Madoka readied her bow, charged magic into it, and fired. The enchanted arrow dispersed into several dozen more, pouring down on the mob of familiars.

A gum cyclops sneaked its way behind her, and with its massive fist pushed down against the magical girl. It smiled, but to its surprise, its fist was behind pushed back.

Madoka, in defiance, blocked the attack with her bow, and smiled. "Sorry, familiar-san." With enhanced strength, she pushed the familiar off of her, and fired her arrows to her opponent, completely decimating it.

The pinkette's magic was completely overpowering, destroying any familiar that stood in her way. Madoka was confident but cautious. It was something she learned from Mami, Homura, and Kyouko. They all taught her how to be strong.

She pushed through the mansion-esque labyrinth, and finally found the core of the maze. Two massive gaping doors stood before her. Clasping the bow on her back, she noticed the time shield dangling right above her skirt.

A magical artifact - a memento from Homura herself. Ever since Homura disappeared, Madoka felt an urge to learn how to use the time shield. Would she be able to go back in time if she learned how to use it?

Probably.

Probably not.

With a heavy sigh, she gathered her bearings, and pushed straight into the core of the labyrinth.

There, she saw a malignant tumor-like spirit, squeaking and gawking as it spewed out blood. The stench was petrifying.

"Ugh! The smell!" Madoka winced.

Immediately, the Tumor Witch stretched out and grasped Madoka's right limb, sending her flying across the gigantic room, breaking through shards of glass before finally falling straight to the Gum Cyclops-filled floor.

"That! Won't! Work!" She aimed her bow down and charged her magic. In an instant, a downpour of arrows destroyed the familiars.

She clicked her feet to the ground perfectly, and raised her weapon against the Tumor Witch.

But before she could fire, the witch's outstretched hand smacked her straight across her face. The momentum sent the pinkette's body hurling towards the door. She screwed up.

Madoka felt nauseous, unable to move as the Witch's limbs stretched out inhumanely smacking her with intense hostility, each nearly breaking her limbs.

"AGH!" She had underestimated this witch. Her familiars were weak, but that doesn't mean the witch herself was.

"NO!" Her hand accidentally brushed through Homura's shield the moment she shut her eyes. Tears fell out of her cheeks.

Any more, and Madoka would most likely perish. She waited for her inevitable end.

Nothing happened.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and noticed a world devoid of color and sound. The Tumor Witch stood right before her, unmoving and paralyzed. Madoka looked down at the shield, noticing its faint glow.

A twitch of the lips and her blinked eyes assessed the situation, as a quivered smile eased its way to her pinkish lips. For the first time in months, Madoka had a genuine heartfelt smile. Homura had protected her.

She raised up her bow one last time, and fired.

The labyrinth warped and cracked, losing its own hold on the world as the source of its power - the Tumor Witch, died. From the ashes of battle, a small black pin laid peacefully. Her hand hovered over it, cupping the grief seed into her hand.

IV

A determined look on Madoka's face materialized, as she headed away from the hotel.

After an hour of walking, Madoka found herself looking up at a large fancy apartment building. Nervousness stopped her, but in a flash, she slapped her cheeks, pushing herself into the apartment complex.

There, at Room 2-B, stood a reluctant Madoka. Gathering her bearings, she knocked on the door three times.

She waited, no answer.

Her hand grabbed the doorknob and noticed it was unlocked. There was no light in the room. "Mami-san, I'm coming in," She said, her tone concerned.

The lights were off, and the only source of light was from the corridor that peeked through the half-open door. A crouched figure cuddled itself by the corners of the kitchen. As Madoka fully opened the door to let the light seep in, she noticed curls of blonde hair.

A constant sniffling permeated Madoka's ears.

It was Mami Tomoe. After Sayaka's death and Walpurgisnacht's arrival, the once-headstrong Mami was now curled up in a ball, completely devastated. Her murky-yellow soul gem was placed above the kitchen counter, slowly gathering up curses.

"Hi, Mami-san," Madoka said, as she stuttered next to her upperclassman, "I brought a grief seed. I-I'm going to cleanse your soul gem now."

No response.

Madoka shuffled through her skirt pocket and revealed a grief seed, and placed its clanked surface against Mami's seemingly-brittle soul gem.

She winced, "It...didn't cleanse at all…" Madoka muttered to herself, before moving her own pink soul gem to the grief seed for one last use.

The minor impurities of Madoka's gem disappeared. She was back at one-hundred percent.

However, the same could not be said of Mami Tomoe.

V

She whispered sweet nothings to a pair of deaf ears. Her purple lipstick twitched with each movement, smiling with infinitely-burning passion.

She waved goodbye at her beloved. Soon, everything will fall into place.