Madoka Kaname had never been anything other than an ordinary girl. She had two caring parents and an adorable younger brother, and two wonderful friends in the form of Sayaka Miki and Hitomi Shizuki. She had no special talents or abnormal qualities, meaning her life had a monotonous and repetitive tone to it. That was alright, though – Madoka was perfectly satisfied with her normal life.

It wasn't every day she saw a dying kitten on the road, though. Madoka had never seen the dead body of anything bigger than a wasp, so the sight of the wounded cat gave her a shock. It was slumped on the sidewalk by the road, whimpering quietly, dark red blood pouring from a gash in its side. Presumably, it had been involved in a car accident.

'Oh, no!' cried Madoka without a second's thought, rushing over to it. Despite never having a pet of her own, Madoka had always been a great lover of animals, and would do anything to help one in need. She intended to do volunteer work at animal shelters when she was older, and had even entertained the idea of becoming a vet, although this ambition had started to fade ever since Madoka had the idea of becoming a nurse.

Just looking at the cat made Madoka retch, but she picked it up from the sidewalk and cradled it in her arms. Blood was spilling onto her skirt, but that didn't matter – there had to be something she could do to save this kitten.

'Somebody!' she called out to nobody in particular, well aware that the street around her was emptying as the evening began to draw in. 'Help me! Is there a vet near here? Somebody!'

Madoka felt her bottom eyelids begin to tremble as tears spilled out from within. It was pathetic, crying over a stray cat like this, but Madoka couldn't bear to watch this animal suffer any longer. It was such a beautiful cat, too – it had dazzling green eyes and a small, turned-up nose.

'Somebody…'

Oh, come on, this was ridiculous. And her skirt was getting dirty now, too. Just put the cat down. There's nothing you can do to save it.

'I thought I heard crying from this direction,' a high-pitched voice said from behind. Madoka's head spun around, shocked by the voice's sudden arrival. She couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman – it had almost inhuman qualities to it, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

'Are you alright?'

Madoka stared blankly at the strange creature as it began to approach her, wondering if she was hallucinating.

'What?' she said, her voice reaching an unusually high note.

The creature's expression remained indifferent. 'Are you alright?'

'I – I don't think so,' Madoka stuttered, not really sure what to say. The creature seemed real enough, but what sort of dog could talk? It wasn't even a dog – it was some kind of dog, fox and squirrel hybrid. Everything about this creature was too confusing and unfamiliar to Madoka for her to articulate.

'Madoka Kaname, do you believe in magic?'

Madoka was stunned that the creature knew her name, but chose to ignore that fact and answer the question. After all, there were much more important things to worry about right now – like how to save the dying kitten.

'I'm not sure,' Madoka mumbled, and looked down at the kitten. It had gone silent now, though it was still warm and wriggled every few seconds. Madoka could sense its life fading away. By the looks of things, the cat was now only inches from death.

'Do you have a wish you'd like to fulfil?'

Madoka racked her brains for an answer. Whilst her life was dull, it was satisfying and peaceful, and Madoka was confident that she wouldn't trade it for the world.

'I'd quite like this cat to survive,' she answered, surprised at herself for saying such a thing.

'All wishes come at a price,' the creature said, and took another step towards Madoka. 'My name is Kyubey. I have the power to offer you a contract that will grant you any wish you desire.'

Madoka may have been innocent, but she certainly wasn't stupid. Her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated on what the creature said. The way things were now, she had no choice other than to believe everything that was happening was real. 'What's the catch?'

Kyubey's tail swished majestically, and Madoka couldn't help marvelling at it. It really was an enormous tail – far unlike any she'd ever seen, whether it be on a squirrel or a fox. 'I expected you to ask that.' His expression didn't change, and neither did the intonation of his voice, but Madoka instantly sensed the atmosphere become serious. 'Listen closely, Madoka. In this world, there are creatures, evil creatures known as Witches, that spread hate and despair throughout the cities they inhabit. Yet these Witches can be defeated by girls known as Puella Magi, who are imbued with magical power and given magical weapons to fight with. Becoming a Puella Magi is the price of making this contract.'

Madoka mused over Kyubey's words. When she was little, she used to watch magical girl anime on television all the time. Perhaps being a Puella Magi was somewhat like that? Maybe it would even give her an opportunity to make some new friends. One thing was certain – it would definitely take her average life in a completely new direction.

'Is it dangerous?'

Kyubey shook his head. 'Oh, not really. There's another magical girl in the area, too – a very nice girl, may I add – who will most likely help you out anyway. I do believe she attends your middle school.'

Madoka's mouth popped open. 'Really?'

She'd never expected someone so close to her to have such an unusual life. 'Who is it?'

'Her name is Mami Tomoe,' Kyubey replied nonchalantly. 'She's in the year above you.'

Madoka had seen Mami Tomoe before, but they'd never spoken properly. The thought of working as a magical girl with a senpai made Madoka feel quite nervous.

'I… see,' she began, and bit her lip, leaving a pause that last for around thirty seconds. Her thoughts drifted back to the dying kitten that was still cradled in her arms. 'Alright.'

Kyubey raised an eyebrow, his first change of expression since the two met. 'I was hoping you'd say that.'

Madoka's heart began to race, faster than it had ever raced before, as the weight of her decision finally began to dawn on her. She had made a life-changing choice here, and now there was no going back.

It was as she was pondering whether this was the right decision that her heart began to physically hurt. It was an intense, sharp pain that soon began to ravage throughout her whole body. Madoka tried to cry out, but it was as though her vocal chords had briefly been disabled.

Was she going to die?

Oh God, am I going to die?

After around ten seconds of agony, the world around Madoka instantly returned to normal. During the process of her transformation, it was as though time itself had stopped. And since then, something was now very different about Madoka.

Madoka breathed in delight as she looked down at herself. She had now changed into a completely new dress, consisting of a pink bodice that fanned out into a lavishly decorated skirt, complete with stiff petticoats. Her hands were adorned with a pair of pale pink gloves, and on her feet she could feel a pair of cerise tap shoes. It was an outfit Madoka had dreamt of ever since she was a little girl, back in those times where she wanted to be a royal princess when she grew up.

She felt something cold brushing against her collarbone. It positioning meant she could only see a little of it, but when she tilted her head down she made out what appeared to be a small, magenta gemstone.

'That's what's known as your Soul Gem,' Kyubey informed her, a solemn tone to his voice. 'When you aren't in this form, it will appear as a ring on your finger. You must never take it off.'

'Why not?' Madoka instantly questioned.

Kyubey briefly hesitated before saying, 'You won't be able to transform anymore.'

Without even thinking about it, Madoka began to detransform upon these words. She felt the layers of the dress falling away, leaving her school uniform behind, as though she had been wearing it the whole time.

'So…' Madoka studied the ring on her finger. It was inscribed with strange runes that she couldn't read. 'This is my Soul Gem?'

Kyubey nodded. 'Never, ever take it off. I'm warning you – you'll never know when you need it.'

'I understand,' Madoka declared, and was about to take a step across the road before remembering something incredibly important.

'Oh, no!' she yelled, slapping herself on the forehead. She instantly crouched down to look at where the black kitten was, now completely healed. It was a miracle, really – Madoka could hardly believe her eyes. This creature, once so weak, was now just about to stand up and looked completely healthy.

'Thank you,' a female voice came.

Madoka nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around in an attempt to find the voice's owner. All she heard was a tinkling laugh. It took Madoka a good few seconds before she realized that the voice actually belonged to the cat.

'That's a gift linked to your wish,' Kyubey piped up. 'You now have the ability to talk to animals, in either form.'

'Amazing,' Madoka breathed, staring down at the cat that was now stood up and licking itself as though nothing had ever happened.

'My name is Amy,' she said, flicking her head backwards. 'I'll never forget what you did for me. Until we meet again.'

Madoka watched as the cat strolled across the road. It was getting late, and Madoka had only just realized she too should make her way home. Her parents would be worried sick about where she was.

She shot Kyubey an apologetic look. 'Sorry, Kyubey… I really need to get home. My parents will be worried about me.'

'That's not a problem,' Kyubey said perkily. 'As you're now a Puella Magi, you can telepathically communicate with myself and other Puella Magi at any given time.'

Madoka nodded, hardly surprised anymore. Today had been full of revelations – and she knew her life would change forever.

'Please introduce me to Mami later,' Madoka smiled, waving as she left. 'Bye-bye!'

There was a spring in Madoka's step as she skipped home. She was well aware of how serious what had just happened was, but for some reason she just felt so happy, almost as though she'd won the lottery. Finally, her life was going to become interesting! Just wait till she told Sayaka!

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' came another female voice. Madoka stopped in her tracks instantly, before realizing the voice must be a telepathic communication of some sort. She'd heard Mami speak before, and her voice didn't sound anything like this.

'Who is it?' Madoka asked suspiciously, casting a glance around her to check nobody else was around as she hesitantly continued to walk.

'That's for me to know and for you to probably not find out,' the girl answered. There was a patronizing tone to her voice, as though was mocking Madoka. Madoka scowled, determined not to react. She wanted to hear what this girl had to say. 'I'm just warning you. Being a Puella Magi isn't all fun and games, no matter what that ridiculous thing says. I was just like you at first, you know – thinking I could be a defender of justice, thinking it would all be like one big magical girl anime. But I can promise you that it's the complete opposite. I've lost many friends throughout my journey so far. Many from death, but others – including somebody important – from disputes. Being a Puella Magi has changed me, and it'll change you too. I can promise you that.'

'Listen,' Madoka said, 'can't you just tell me your identity already? You're not Mami and you're not Kyubey, so who are you?'

'Mami?' the girl sneered. 'Oh, so Kyubey told you about her? She might seem kind and caring on the outside, but in reality she's a selfish little bitch who only cares about herself. You can definitely trust me on this one. She tried to tell me what to do, trying to manipulate every battle to help herself. She doesn't know how to live with other people. Haven't you ever wondered why she's got no friends? You go to the same school, right?'

'You seem to know a lot about me,' Madoka mumbled sullenly, wishing that whoever this girl was would just shut up and leave her in peace. 'Can't you tell me something about you?'

There was a faint laugh. 'Alright, then. Here's the first one: I'm going to die soon.'

Madoka's foot crashed to the ground as the rest of her body froze into position. 'What?'

'You heard me,' the girl replied indifferently. 'And it's not just me they're after. Once they're finished with me, they'll be after Mami – and then you. I'd warn you not to make the contract, but I guess that's too late now. How pathetic, making a contract over something as small as a cat! Idiot. All I can say now is that you should leave this town before it's too late.'

Everything was quiet.

Madoka took another step towards home.