A/N: To akibara: I'm afraid you will have to brace yourself for disappointment. Madoka is not the one driving the events, not even accidentally. I cannot say anymore without spoiling the rest of the story.

That is all. Enjoy.

-The source of the familiars-

Pop stared into the open doorway. Behind it was a short hall with several doors. Like the rest of the mansion, it was dark. But for some reason, it seemed devoid of arti-ghosts.

I better be on my guard, Pop thought, I have a bad feeling about this area. Pop checked the meter for Dark energy and noticed it was empty. She got out her poron. "Pipitto Purito Puritan Peperuto! Refill the meter!"

Pop's magic resonated with the Dark Medallion. At once, the meter did as Pop commanded and once again became usable.

Pop was about to step through when the All-in-One beeped. Pop answered it. "Hello?"

"Pop-chan!" Majo Toron said urgently, "Some of the rooms nearby couldn't be scanned! Be careful!"

"Ah, eh, okay!" Pop replied, "I'll be careful!"

Majo Toron nodded from the other end and disconnected.

Pop checked the hallway. To her left were two doors. Her right had four of them. She went over to the nearest one first and tested the knob.

She wished she didn't. The moment she touched the knob, she felt a rush in her head, as though memories flooded her mind in a deluge of horrendous proportions. The rose-haired Ojamajo immediately retracted her hand and withdrew from the door.

Wh-what was that? Pop took a closer look at the door; her glance caused her eyes to go wide. On the door were pulsing runes; the same runes that were present when she fought that familiar. Unlike those runes, these seemed to be aligning themselves in sentences.

Pop got out the All-in-One and scanned them. She then activated the internal translator.

Ich bin keine Narren…

Fools I don't like…

You invented Onee-chan's porons, made this powerful device so that I can save her and her friends, but you make a bad translator, Pop mentally deadpanned to herself, I'll call you out on it later.

The runes on the door changed. Once again, Pop scanned them.

Ich will nicht arbeiten…

I will not work…

Lazy translator. Pop sighed in annoyance. Onee-chan and the others had a com that translated English to Japanese perfectly but I have to get this?! Oh well, I'll get back to this later.

Pop turned to the next door and went to it. She turned its knob and pulled. Next thing she knew, she was being slammed against the opposite wall and then falling face-first onto the ground while the door shut itself.

When Shadow Ojamajos put trap doors here, they put it literally.

Pop grunted in frustration as she got back up. It was then that she noticed the lack of a doormat that the other door had. A quick glance at the others told her that there was only one other door trap, much to her relief.

Sorry, Shadow Ojamajos, but you're not getting me a second time with that!

Pop walked over to the door at the far end and turned the knob. The door creaked open…

The room was a fairly tidy bedroom with a king-sized bed and a mirror near the wall. It even had two large windows to give a view outside, though the curtains were drawn.

Pop was about to take another step inside when an arti-ghost appeared. It was tall and green and very much recognizable to Pop.

"You agai-" Pop didn't get the chance to finish her shout when she was driven out by its stench. "Not again!" Pop spent the next two minutes holding her nose and trying to give herself some fresh air. Next time I see that thing, I'll kill it with magic!

Pop, drawing her poron, got up and re-entered the bedroom. As if answering her wishes, the trashcan arti-ghost appeared. Pop held her nose. She then took one step forward to improve her odds…only to slip on something and fall on her back. The shock of the fall caused her to release her grip on her nose and the stench once again filled her nose.

Pop glanced at the arti-ghost long enough to see it vanish. No sooner than it did, the lights came on, much to Pop's dismay.

"You really like toying with me, don't you Gomibako-san?" Pop said with annoyance. Then her eyes went wide. "Great! Now I'm nicknaming it!" Pop got back up and dusted herself off. "What's next? Getting attached to that thing?!"

Pop would've ranted longer if she hadn't noticed the key on the floor. She wasted no time in picking it up and leaving the room.

Pop tested the locks on both of the opposite wall doors. Neither of them opened, leaving Pop afraid of where it went. Pop turned towards the door with the shifting runes on it and approached.

Well, I guess this room might have one of the keys those rooms, Pop mentally guessed. She then face-palmed. You should really lay off the obvious, Pop.

The red Ojamajo inserted the key into the lock and turned, a resounding click confirming her fears. Pop, remembering the last time she touched the knob, slowly reached for it. She withdrew it at the last second.

Why do I still have such a bad feeling about this door? Is it one of the rooms that were blacked out?

Pop didn't have to wait for her next set of fears to be realized. As soon as she gave her thought, she heard what sounded like a high-pitched German babble. Suddenly, her arms were grabbed by small one-winged doll-like creatures. Pop immediately realized they were more familiars and that there were too many to fight off at once. At once, she began struggling in an effort to get them off.

"G-get off of me!" Pop screamed. The familiars ignored her and began dragging her towards the door. "I-I don't want to go with you! I just- No! NOOO!" Pop screamed as she vanished in chunks. She quickly found herself staring at the hall outside, as though she was being dragged through the door…

Pop felt strange. Darkness was all around her. Random lights spun around, surrounding her. She was floating in a seemingly endless void.

A few moments later, the darkness cleared, divided as though a great eye was opening. It was then that the true form of the void revealed itself: A bizarre, inverted fusion between a merry-go-round and a snow globe.

Pop stared up and saw two familiars descending. The red Ojamajo squinted and noticed that they were flanking and revolving around something. It looked like a computer monitor but with black wings protruding from its sides. Its screen had runes behind a roughly human figure. Pop scanned them.

ELLY

Pop then looked around and saw distorted horses. Monitors adorned them, showing various images. One showed Pop getting killed by her Shadow, Shadow Pop, that one time; another showed her and Shadow Pop getting slammed by a hexagonal barrier. Several others showed her with the other Ojamajos from various points in her life.

Pop recognized these; they were memories and thoughts. Her memories and thoughts

But why? Why would this thing do this? Pop asked herself, How is this possible?

Then a horrible sound echoed through her ears. It was the sound of distorted, high-pitched laughter. Pop's eyes went wide at it and even more so when she saw its source: The winged monitor itself. Pop stared directly into the screen, feeling as though it were the eye of a truly incomprehensible abomination.

The monitor spread its wings, signaling the familiars to take hold of Pop's extremities. When they did so, they began pulling, stretching the rose-haired Ojamajo apart.

Pop screamed in agony; she felt her muscles tear and her bones begin to shatter as she somehow stretched like rubber. Fighting the pain, Pop gripped her poron tightly.

"P-P-Pipitto Pur-rito Puri-it-tan P-p-peperu-ruto!" Pop painfuly chanted, "V-Va-ac-D-Dri-ive, blast th-that f-fami-ilair!"

Pop's magic did the trick. At once, a blast of Dark energy emerged from the hose and struck the familiar holding her right arm. Fighting through the pain, she grabbed the hose and blasted the other familiars off her. No sooner than she did so did her body feel normal again; her internal wounds mysteriously vanished though she still felt pain in her limbs.

The monitor turned towards Pop, anger clearly emanating from it. It rushed towards the red Ojamajo, but she struck it point-blank with another Dark energy blast. Pop then fired three more, hitting it dead-center and sending it reeling.

I need more than just this! Pop thought desperately, "Pipitto Purito Puritan Peperuto! Refill the meter!"

Pop's magic once again resonated with the Dark Medallion and her supply of Dark energy was replenished. The red Ojamajo then tapped four notes on her tap and summoned her broom. She mounted it just in time to avoid another charge from the now-recovered monitor.

Pop blasted it a few times, but the monitor weaved and zig-zagged around them, failing twice. She was again down to three shots. The All-in-One scanned the runes that were appearing.

KIRSTEN

4…3…2…1…

At this rate, I'm going to use up all of my magical spheres! Pop flew away from the monitor, trying to put some distance between it and her. I have magic of my own, so maybe…

Pop wasted no more time and chose to focus on evading the monitor's assault. "Pipitto Purito Puritan Peperuto!" Pop chanted, releasing a steady stream of Dark energy while doing so, "Turn the Dark energy into an edge!"

At once, the energy stream transformed into a sharp blade; Pop wasted no time in putting it to use, running it right through the monster's screen. A multi-colored smoke spewed forth from the wound as it reeled. Pop immediately slashed at it once more, but it retreated and righted itself.

It's now or never!

Pop grit her teeth and tightened her grip on the hose. A quick glance at the meter reinforced her drive to end it now. At once, she rushed the winged monitor. It dodged, but the red Ojamajo spun around it successfully sliced off one of its wings. Pop, screaming in defiance, slashed downwards directly on the screen and drove herself and the monitor straight down.

The rose-haired Ojamajo broke off the slash just before she impacted with the surface. The monitor wasn't so lucky; it slammed down hard enough to be cracked in half. The force of the impact sent something flying out of the monitor. It seemed to resemble a doll but it was impossible to tell. It landed with a sickening splat.

Moments later, both piles disintegrated into darkness quite unlike the energy the red Ojamajo had been using. Pop looked at it for a while until she noticed the area started warping. In seconds, it resembled a normal room, complete with the lights on; a study to be exact. Pop landed on the floor and dismounted her broom long enough to investigate her surroundings.

The first thing to catch her eye was the black gem that was on the floor where the monitor had landed. Pop picked it up and saw that it was in some kind of metal cage with numerous patterns on it. It had a crest on top and balanced on a needle. Pop put it away just as the All-in-One began beeping.

"KRRZZZZ…Pop-chan…KRRZZZ" Pop pressed the button. "Pop-chan!" Majo Toron shouted from the other end, "Are you there?!"

"It's ok, Majo Toron," Pop replied, "I'm fine. I just had a bit of a surprise is all!"

"Pop-chan. You do realize the room you're standing in was blacked out a minute ago, right?"

"Actually, I didn't." Pop sweat-dropped. "But I think I know why some rooms are blacked out!"

"Oh?"

Pop explained to Majo Toron about the strange dimension she was pulled into and how bizarre it was. She described in detail the thing that rested within and how it had the same familiars that pulled her there in the first place.

"Interesting," Majo Toron said, "So these entities warp their surroundings to the point where it becomes an entirely new dimension?"

"I'd say so," Pop replied, "But there were other blacked-out rooms on the map. Doesn't that mean-?"

"I'm afraid so. And now I'm more worried than ever about your friends."

Pop understood perfectly. The thing that tried to kill her; there were more just like it. It is that they may have succeeded in killing her friends by now.

"I do have some news though," Majo Toron said, interrupting Pop's thought, "Your friends vanished in rooms that were normal; none of them have blacked out yet, not even by now! So there's still hope!"

"Thanks, Majo Toron," Pop replied, "And when I do, I'm going to make sure the Shadow Ojamajos pay for letting those things into Majo Kai!" Pop slammed her hand down on the desk to punctuate her point. Her action caused one of the drawers to open. Pop entered "deadpan serious" mode and went over to looked inside. "Oh look, another key. Now I wonder where this goes."

"Good luck, Pop-chan!" Majo Toron said. The All-in-One's transceiver clicked off.

Pop left the room and tested the key. After failing at the nearest door, Pop inserted the key into the second. The resounding click told Pop everything she needed to know, and she opened the door.

The room appeared to be a nursery. At least, it would've looked like that to Pop had it not been for the presence of a familiar. It was doll-like and rode a vehicle that couldn't decide on what it was.

"You again!" Pop shouted. The red Ojamajo readied her hose and the Dark energy.

To her surprise, the familiar turned into darkness. At the same time, the nursery turned back to normal. In the center of it all was a tiny metal cage not unlike the one that housed the black gem Pop had on her. At once, the cage sprayed crackling darkness everywhere and the nursery again distorted. Pop held her ground…

The nursery was no longer a nursery. Somehow, it had been completely transformed into a child's playroom that had been drawn with crayons. Runes were few and far between, but Pop managed to scan a couple of sets.

ANJA Wachsmalstift

ALBERTINE

HIDE AND SEEK
HIDE AND SEEK
HIDE AND SEEK
HIDE AND SEEK
HIDE AND SEEK

Eh?

In the center of the room was a group of familiars. Behind them was a larger doll; it rode nothing and seemed to be the leader of the familiars.

More like their mother! Pop thought with horror, Alright, stay calm, Pop! I just have to beat this thing! It'll be easy!...as easy as the other one…

Pop dove behind one of the blocks and quickly used a spell to refill her gauge. She then dove behind one of the giant crayons and used a spell to get her Dark energy sword back.

Once she did all of that, Pop came out from hiding and began slicing through one familiar after another, taking care to dodge their attacks. It took a while, but Pop managed to slice her way over to the doll. With a loud scream, she slashed at it with as much force as she could, cutting a large gash into its chest. It leaned back and cried.

"Crying or no, I'll still defeat you!" Pop yelled. Using both hands, Pop swung her blade…but stopped short of a successful strike. Wh-what is this? Why can't I finish it off?

Pop didn't get a chance to answer her question; she was struck from behind by another familiar's attack, knocking her to the ground and allowing the doll to escape. Pop fought through her injury and struggled to her feet, cursing the familiar for getting a cheap shot. The red Ojamajo swung with her blade, slaying the familiar with one sweep. She then looked around but saw no sign of the doll.

Alright doll-san, Pop thought angrily, Where are you?! It was then that she remembered the translation. "HIDE AND SEEK". Fine. If I have to play your game to defeat you, then so be it!

Pop began searching the area, taking care to avoid the familiar's attacks and slay them wherever possible. After a while of frustration, Pop finally snapped and struck one of the blocks, reducing it to rubble. That's when it dawned on her.

Immediately, she began destroying the blocks. And sure enough, the doll had been hiding in them. Pop gripped the blade with both hands and leapt into the air.

"I found you!" Pop yelled as she came down on top of it. Her blade struck true, slicing the doll clean in half just as it was beginning to draw something on the ground. Within moments, it had dissolved into darkness. "I…I won! I really won!" Pop looked around and saw that the dimension was reverting to normal. Pop breathed a sigh of relief…and fell to the floor, breathing heavily. "I…I guess I…I was hurt more than I thought…"

Pop tried to get up. Her arms obeyed her, but she could not lift herself off the floor. Pop continued struggling to get up, but the more she did, the more pain she found herself in.

"Just…what am I…doing…?" Pop weakly said to herself. In moments, she fell unconscious.

Pop woke up feeling good as new. The lights were on, so that's a good sign.

"Ogghh, how long was I out?" Pop groaned. The red Ojamajo got up. Her eyes went wide. "Eh?!" Pop checked herself all over, discovering no sign of the wounds she suffered from the battle. "How did-How is this-OW~!"

Pop would've continued had something hard not landed on her head. Pop picked it up and discovered it to be a key; unlike the others, this one was pink with a heart-shaped handle.

"But, who did-?" Pop began. Something shimmering in the corner of her eye caught her attention. By the time she spun to face it, it had already passed through the wall. "Hey, wait!" Too late. It was gone. "Who is-?"

Pop quickly picked up the black gem leftover from the battle and whipped out the All-in-One. She activated the transceiver. As usual, Majo Toron answered.

"Pop-chan?" Majo Toron began.

"I just found out a lot, Majo Toron!" Pop replied, "I'll explain when I get back!"

Pop shut off the transceiver and made her way back. She had new knowledge but she wanted answers. What were those things and how were they spawning familiars? How did she get healed? Who healed her? And is that someone going to be alright?

A/N: I am aware that isn't how the runes are actually translated. Just to prove it, I'll provide it courtesy of the wiki. In order:

I do not like fools.
I don't want to work.

I deliberately mistranslated them so as to invoke an In-Universe example of Blind Idiot Translation (justified by a bad translator).

I will try not to waste the plots, but that's going to be hard at this point, no matter how much time I take. I am open to certain ideas, if you have suggestions.