I'm so sorry at how long this took. The chapter really got away from me, and ended up expanding well beyond what I originally had in mind.
Just an epilogue after this, and it really will be up fairly quickly. I promise.
Chapter 12: Witch of Despair
Shine barely avoided the crystalline projectiles. With the W-I3NK system active it was almost as if she could feel them whipping past her body. The Fairlion spun in a pirouette, Rolling Cannon blasts intercepting the largest of the missiles. The sky cleared for a moment, Cecilia and Elise popped from behind the Fairlion, and triggered their cannons. Bright blasts of energy impacted the monster, or more accurately, the monster's barrier. For a moment, a black spherical sheen appeared, stopping the attacks well before they hit the creature itself. Shine bit off a curse, "This isn't working. We can't get through that barrier." Even as she spoke, the monster's maw opened once again, spitting out a hail of crystalline missiles. "Cecilia, Elise; evasion plan delta-1" The W-I3NK system automatically transferred the new evasion pattern to Blue Tears and Bachastelze; their dance resuming once again.
While Shine coordinated the three machines, Astraea and Perrine were working together. Unable to tie into the W-I3NK system, they had to be even more careful around the monster's attacks. The crystalline breath was bad enough, but the tail and claws were just as deadly. Perrine's Bren had long since run out of ammunition, while Astraea lacked any long range abilities worth mentioning. They had no choice but to try and break though the barrier at close range. "Astraea, I'm going to try and weaken the barrier, see if you can break through immediately afterwards." The pretty faced Angeloid nodded, her shield vanished in a flash of light and changed to a two handed grip on her longsword. As the creature opened its mouth to attack the other three again, Perrine struck. "Tonerre!"
The electrical discharge arced from the tip of Perrine's Saber, joining her and the barrier with a writhing azure light. The barrier became visible at the point of impact. It was perversely both pitch black and coruscated with light. "Astraea, now!" A blue and gold flash shot by, Astraea had moved away, to get a good speed build up. Perrine's discharge ended moments before Astraea's sword impacted the exact same spot. The distortion on the barrier had spread, now the entire back half of the creature was obscured by the black rainbow. A sound like a thunderstorm was coming from the impact point.
Astraea heard someone screaming. It took her a moment to realize it was her own voice. She was screaming with all her might, even as she poured ever bit of power she had into her blade. "PIERCE THROUGH! CHRYASOR!" As she called out her blade's name, she felt something inside her change. She suddenly understood the nature of the barrier. She didn't know how, didn't know why. But she didn't care. She knew what to do now. A subtle shift in how she directed her power, a slight change in her stance. It shouldn't be enough, but it was. Chryasor sliced through the barrier as if it were made of cloth. Astraea, no longer blocked by the barrier, shot forward at an incredible speed, burying Chryasor into the monsters spine. The blade was tiny compared to the monster, it should have been a mere pinprick. The creature howled as if receiving a fatal wound. It whirled around in search of its assailant.
"The barrier went down! Astraea did it!" Elise's gleeful shout echoed over the comm channel. "This is our chance!" She unleashed all of Bach's weapons. Blasts of energy scoring deep into the creature's hide. Shine and Cecilia joined in moments later, their weapons inflicting even more grievous damage on the monster. Astraea's sword sliced through the creature like a knife through butter. It flailed about wildly, trying desperately to ward off the golden haired angel. It was all in vain. She was too fast, inflicting too much damage. Finally, she reached its head. Flying upwards, she held Chryasor to the sky. The blade shone brighter than the sun. But even as she began her descent, aiming to impale the monster's head, the fortress behind her exploded. Darkness enveloped them all.
Iczer found herself laid out on her back, amid the rubble of the golden throne. Galaxia's power was beyond imagining. She'd flicked her away without even a thought. Another reminder of that power was hanging lifelessly above her head. Scanning the body, she realized that "lifeless" was more than an expression, there were no signs of life at all. Iczer had witnessed much death in her life, she was not shocked by yet another corpse. However she felt a tinge of regret, she'd been interested in meeting the supposed vampire Testarossa and Tomoe had spoken of. She had a vague, hazy memory of the fight with Testarossa, and that Evangeline had been there for the first part, but not enough to have any impressions of what she was like. As she got to her feet, she saw that Bridget and Darkness were approaching the shattered throne.
"Is she…" Satellizer trailed off, realizing the answer even as she spoke. Her dress front had ripped once again, exposing generous amounts of her bosom, but she paid it no mind. "We should get her down." The statement was undirected, but Yami responded by slicing through the chains with two hair blades. The limp body fell into Iczer's arms.
Iczer's scans were confirmed by the cold flesh she held. Life left this body hours in the past. They never had a chance of rescuing her. Cradling the body, she exchanged looks with Bridget and Darkness. They failed the childlike vampire, but they would not let her go unavenged. Suddenly, the body twitched. Spasms wracked the thin limbs, dull lifeless eyes came back into focus. A soft sound came from barely moving lips. One word, over and over, soft, almost inaudible at first, but growing learer and clearer with each repetition.
"Blood."
The three looked at each other, not comprehending for a moment. Satellizer realized what was going on first. Neither Iczer nor Yami were from Earth. They didn't grow up with the legends. "She really is a vampire! No wonder you didn't register any life signs! She is dead, she's been dead for hundreds of years!" Yami and Iczer looked at her blankly, clearly unfamiliar with the lore behind vampires. Of course, Satellizer found it hard to believe that she was in the presence of one herself! "Give her here." Satellizer plucked the shivering girl out of Iczer's arms, and held her in a way that placed Evangeline's mouth near one of her own exposed breasts. The reaction was instantaneous. Evangeline's fangs barred for a moment, and then plunged into Satellizer's breast. Satellizer didn't even flinch, just held the tiny vampire like a nursing baby, letting her drink her fill.
Consciousness returned to Evangeline. Awakening from the vampire sleep, especially when forced into it due to brutal injuries, was always a confusing process. When was the last time she'd been defeated so soundly? It must have been centuries ago, long before she reached her full power. Before she knew how to properly measure her opponents, and not get into fights that she would lose. The thoughts ran through her head in a jumble, her mind reactivating in fits and starts. She realized she was feeding, that was why she was waking up. Blood trickled down her throat, not the constant gush of an artery, so she probably wouldn't end up killing whoever was saving her life. She moved her tongue, felt her fangs buried in flesh. She also felt something familiar…a protrusion of some sort. She licked it with her tongue, eliciting a squeak of surprise. Evangeline's still sluggish mind struggled to piece together the inputs, when her eyes finally started to work again, and she realized what she was doing. She quickly took her mouth off the breast she'd been suckling, as her head came up, she made eye-contact with the breast's owner. The golden haired woman's face was a furious red, nearly as red as the tattered remains of her dress. "Ah…" Evangeline tried to string her jumbled thoughts into words; she still needed much more blood before she could even begin to be truly functional again. "Thank you. I…uhh…" Evangeline knew she sounded like an idiot; she hadn't been this embarrassed since that time on the bridge. Blue and green eyes were still locked together; the blushing woman also seemed to be struggling to find words.
"Are you ok now?" The sweet voice surprised Evangeline. For some reason it brought to mind a certain painfully shy mind-reader. Evangeline nodded her head affirmatively, both because she was still having trouble assembling coherent sentences and to shake away the annoying tangential thoughts. "We thought you were dead."
Evangeline wasn't surprised by that at all, even Galaxia may have been fooled. "It was a special sleep, a 'Vampire Sleep', it looks very much like death, especially to those unfamiliar with it." Evangeline stopped a bit short, surprised she'd gotten the whole sentence out so easily. "Anyway, I will still need much more blood before I can fight again, but for now I seem to be functional once more. Do you think you could…?"
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I just…it kinda felt…" Satellizer cut off the rambling thought and gently lowered the smaller girl to the ground. Evangeline's legs buckled a bit, a small but firm hand grasped her arm, holding her up. She looked up; about to snap that she didn't need help, but found herself looking into a pair of intense red eyes. The girl holding her arm was only a bit taller than Evangeline herself, her eyes the color of fresh blood. She didn't say a word, just gave a slight nod and kept her grip firm. With a sigh, Evangeline gave in. Saving face at this point was impossible, and trying to do so would just exhaust what little mental energy she'd recovered. The third woman stepped forward, but before she could say anything they were interrupted by the most piercing scream of agony and terror Evangeline had ever heard.
Mami watched helplessly as her companions were effortlessly flicked away by Galaxia. She raised her rifles and fired on the woman, the magical bolts dissipated a foot from her body. She tried again and again, but nothing worked. Galaxia lifted her right arm, the crystal on her bracelet flashed, a beam of light struck Mami in the chest, lifting her off the ground and throwing her against the wall. Pinned to the wall by a force, Mami had no way of resisting what came next. Galaxia raised her left arm, another flash and Mami felt something being drawn out of her.
She felt her transformation cancel, her school uniform replacing the brown and cream magical girl outfit. Looking down, her eyes being the only part of her body she could still move, she saw her Soul Gem emerge from her chest. The golden egg was deeply stained with darkness, she'd never seen it so corrupt. Looking up, she saw Galaxia make a motion with her hand, causing the Soul Gem to float halfway between Mami and the golden woman. The gem pulsed. Alternating brilliant golden yellow and sickening black, Mami watched in horror as she realized that during the pulses of blackness, the Soul Gem was no longer a gilded egg, but a black sphere on a spike. A Grief Seed. She struggled against her bonds, but the magic holding her to the wall was beyond her ability to resist. She was unable to do anything but watch as her Soul Gem repeatedly transformed into a Grief Seed, and then back again.
Galaxia made another motion, and something truly bizarre happened. The Soul Gem and Grief Seed moved apart. They now existed side by side. The Soul Gem glowing a brilliant, pure gold, the Grief Seed emanating a black aura. They moved further apart, and started orbiting a common center. Faster and faster, outlining a circle in the air between Mami and Galaxia. The gems were but a blur now, the space between them was filled with the emptiness the rifts had shown. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Galaxia spoke.
"Come! Witch of Despair! Return to universe!" Those words triggered something. A surge of darkness out of the void between the spinning gems, gems that were still connected to Mami. She screamed as if her very soul was being torn apart. The agony seemed to last for ages, pain unlike any she'd ever felt before. Pain that reached down to the very core of her being, and then suddenly it stopped, and she fell to the ground. Looking upwards from where she slumped against the wall, beyond the…thing emerging from the portal, she saw a golden blade protruding from Galaxia's chest.
Galaxia looked down in surprise as the blade emerged from her back. She'd been so distracted by the ritual she hadn't even realized someone had approached. "I have had quite enough," a brief pause for breath, "of you hurting my friends." Fate slammed the other Riot Blade into Galaxia's lower back, blood poured from the wounds. "That was for Evangeline." She deactivated the blades, letting Galaxia's limp body fall to the ground. Fate stepped over the Galaxia's body, and approached the portal. The room was filling with the darkness; it had to be stopped somehow. She reactivated Bardiche, combining the Riot Blades once again. "Riot Zanber!" she sliced through the portal, the spinning stopped, the Soul Gem and Grief Seed hovering still in the air. A thin line appeared across the middle of the Grief Seed, and it split in half. The two halves fell to the ground, but evaporated before they even reached it. The Soul Gem also fell, but Fate caught it before it hit the ground.
"Do you…" the voice was thin and pained, "…really think this will stop me? Stop her?" Fate ignored Galaxia's words, and kneeled down in front of Mami. Mami's eyes were fluttering, as if she were struggling to stay conscious. "It is too late. For you, for everyone!" Fate placed the Soul Gem into Mami's hand. It flashed for a moment, then turned into a ball of light which reformed around Mami's left index finger as a ring. Fate turned to face Galaxia at last, but her eyes widened at what she saw.
"Yes, it may be too late for us, Sailor Galaxia, but it is also far, far too late for you." The bruised, bloody figure stood above Galaxia's crumpled body. Satellizer and Yami right behind her. "I said you had a wonderful taste, and I'm here for the main course!" Evangeline knelt down and sunk her fangs into Galaxia's neck and drank her fill.
Fate turned and helped Mami to her feet. "Thank you, Fate-san." Mami averted her eyes from Evangeline's feeding. Galaxia may be finished, Mami didn't sound very convinced, but we still have that to deal with." She pointed upwards, where the darkness that had emerged from the portal was coalescing. Her point was well timed, for even as she spoke, the darkness became…something else. A wave of blackness exploded outwards, passing by the girls harmlessly, but blowing the walls of the fortress down effortlessly.
For all that the wave left them unharmed, the aftermath of the fortress's destruction was disorienting. Dust and smoke filled the air, but was quickly wiped away with a blast of cold air. Evangeline stood above Galaxia's motionless body, blood dripping down her chin. The wind she'd summoned to clear the air died down, and they found themselves staring at a massive…tree? Whatever it was, it reached hundreds of meters into the sky, and it seemed to be made of constantly shifting patterns of…something Mami could not even wrap her mind around. It was as if she were looking into a Witch's World from the outside. That thought caused everything to click, she understood, at least a bit, of what Galaxia had done. As if the realization in Mami's head was a cue, she saw the runes that always appeared around a witch, and as always, she understood them without being able to read them. She knew the witch's name.
"Kriemhild Gretchen"
The wave of darkness passed Astraea harmlessly, and she never wavered from her strike. Chryasor struck home, dead center in the creature's forehead. Its scream of agony overwhelmed her senses, she was whipped back and forth by its head, but she held tight. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the movement and roaring stopped. She pulled her sword from the monster's head. The blade was coated with black blood. Even as she flicked the blood off of the blade, the creature collapsed to the ground, dead.
Turning around, she looked to where the wave of darkness originated, and found the fortress gone. And in its place, a massive tree, or something that looked like a tree. A tree made of shifting, eye-wrenching darkness. A few moments later a second wave, a blast of freezing air washed over her, as it passed, the dusty air surrounding the base of the tree had cleared, and she saw the group who had entered the fortress, looking battered, but alive. She made her way towards them and landed. Followed shortly by Perrine, Elise and Cecilia, the Fairlion lightly touched down behind them. She saw that someone new had joined them, the Evangeline they had discussed earlier, she realized. Astraea then noticed that Evangeline was standing over the body of a woman she didn't recognize, and who was very clearly dead.
"Well, it looks like we're all here." Evangeline's tone was surprisingly light, considering that she was still naked and covered with her own and Galaxia's blood. "I thought we'd be done once we dealt with Galaxia, but it seems the real final boss has appeared. And completely out of nowhere, as is proper." She looked around, as if expecting a reaction from the rest. "Meh, you all are far too serious. Mami, you said you knew something about this…thing?"
Mami had been looking at her now cleansed Soul Gem, as if she expected it to suddenly bite her, but Evangeline's voice broke her out of it. "Ah, yes. Well, it's a Witch. I could see the runes when it formed; in fact I see them all over, though the only ones I can understand are its name. Kriemhild Gretchen." Mami closed her eyes for a moment and a yellow flash enveloped her, a moment later it was gone and she once more wore her Magical Girl outfit. "I've never seen a Witch that large before, or one outside of a Witch's World. I don't know why it's not attacking us, or doing anything really. I've never seen a Witch just…sit there before." Mami gave a slightly sheepish shrug at the last, but her eyes remained locked with Evangeline's.
"Does anyone else here…something?" Elise spoke up in the silence following Mami's words. "Like a…humming?" The others returned blank looks.
"Nothing is on my pickups." Shine's voice came over the loudspeaker attached to the Fairlion.
"I'm not…wait, I hear something now." Cecilia's tone shifted mid sentence, and she turned to look at the Witch Tree. "Blue Tears isn't detecting anything though, but I can clearly hear it."
"Are you picking up anything, Iczer?" Fate still couldn't hear the sound, and Bardiche similarly wasn't detecting any cause for it.
"No, nothing here either, but…" a gasp interrupted her statement. She turned to see Satellizer on her knees, her hands clasped to her chest. "Bridget. What's happening?" She rushed over to the red-clad girl.
"No…not…again…I won't…I won't…I'm not…" Satellizer's words made no sense, and before Iczer could do anything, her eyes glazed over and she fell forward, unconscious. A soft thump caused her to spin around, to find Fate crumpled to the ground, also unconscious. "What is happening…" Her eyes met Evangeline's, who gave a wan smile, before she too fell unconscious. In moments, Iczer was the only one of the eleven still standing. The Fairlion was also slumped over, as if imitating the position its pilot must be in.
"You failed. Again." The voice rang in Iczer's head. A voice that should not, could not, be there. "They will die, just like everyone you've ever cared for. You are a failure, Iczer-1."
"No! I did not fail them! I did not fail her! I…I…" Darkness rushed over Iczer-1.
"Oy. Wake up. Oy!" A foot prodded into Mami's midsection. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself…somewhere…nowhere. Just grey, grey everywhere. "Oy!" Another prod, more of a kick, really, caused her to focus on the voice; a voice she knew, and knew could not be here. Rolling over onto her back, she sat upwards, and nearly bashed into someone's forehead. A someone with dark red eyes and somewhat surprisingly, red hair. Of course it wasn't so surprising considering who the voice belonged to.
"Sakura-san…"
"That's my name." Sakura Kyouko pulled a box of Pocky out of her slightly ragged jacket, extracted a stick and crunched down on it. "Now, you've gotten yourself into quite the fix, haven't you?"
"You came back. You don't belong here." The small blonde girl's voice had a very disapproving tone to it. "I explained this to you last time we met. This is a world that can never be." Fate looked down into eyes so very similar to her own, and tried to remember why her older sister was saying such things.
Iczer felt the sheets over her naked skin, and even more, the warmth of the girl in her arms. She pulled the small, warm body closer, nuzzling into the crop of short green hair. "Nagisa…"
"This isn't real, you know. It's just a memory." Iczer couldn't understand what her lover's words meant.
Yami sat on a bench, kicking her feet, her breath puffing in the cold air. "Here you go, Yami-chan." She smiled as she took the proffered taiyaki, and bit down into the warm treat. Her friend sat down next to her, and leaned her head into Yami's shoulder, her spiked up hair brushing across Yami's face. "You have a surprisingly sweet imagination, Yami-chan. If you want this to happen for real, you just have to ask. But this isn't reality."
Konjiki no Yami happily ate her Taiyaki.
Satellizer el Bridget sat on the ground in a lush garden, a picnic spread between her and an older woman. The woman quietly sipped a cup of tea. Sitting the cup down she reached over and cupped Satellizer's cheek. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay here."
"Mother…"
Astraea sat at a table covered with food. More food than she had ever imagined, ever imagined imagining! As she started to eat, a voice interrupted her. "Delta. What do you think you are doing?"
Astraea looked at the blue haired girl in confusion.
"Daddy! Look at how well I did!" Elise jumped out of the simulator and ran up to her father, hugging him tightly. "I defeated the WORM all by myself!"
"That you did sweetie, that you did. Unfortunately you need to go now." His daughter looked up at him as if she didn't understand his words.
Cecilia ran down the beach, laughing giggling as she went. She turned around to look at the boy following behind her. He was panting as if he'd just run a marathon. She smiled and ran up to him. He grabbed her hands, pulling her close. "Cecilia-san, I have something important to tell you." She smiled in anticipation. "You have to leave!"
She cocked her head in confusion.
Perrine flew through the sky, the wind blowing her hair back as she did loops and turns. As she came out of her final loop, she saw a figure standing on the pier far below. The figure held a sheathed Katana, an eyepatch covered one of her eyes. Perrine flew down and came to a stop before the woman.
"Ha ha ha! Great job Perinne. You've improved dramatically. However it is time for you to move onwards!" Perrine didn't quite grasp what she had heard.
Two robots, one red and gold, the other purple and silver, stood in a wide open field. Beneath them, two girls dressed in the same colors, spun around each other in an intricate dance. Golden curls and lavender tresses whipped about their faces. As they came around, they locked their arms and presented with a flourish. "Princess Shine," the lavender haired girl's tone was friendly, but respectful, "it is time for you to depart."
The dance began once again.
Evangeline stood in the grey emptiness, arms crossed, her left toe tapping impatiently. She was concentrating hard on a single thought, resisting the others trying to force their way into her mind.
"Fine! Fine! I give in. Here I am." The truly enormous figure appeared in an instant. The term "mountainous" came to mind when looking at him. Bare from the waist up, his chest and arms were covered with scars, his hair wild and unruly. However whatever intimidation his appearance would provide was spoiled by the massive, almost boyish, grin on his face. "But why me? Surely there are other people you would want to meet before me."
"No, really?" Evangeline's tone was withering. "Actually, I want you because you are almost the last person I would want to talk to. I need to keep my wits straight, and not caught up in some disgusting adolescent fantasy. That out of the way, I want to talk to whoever's behind this mess, 'Jack Rakan'"
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Rakan's tone was filled with wounded innocence. "Certainly the Witch out there is the one who did this, I don't know why you'd expect a figment of your imagination to be able to help."
"That witch tried to put us into a nightmare, but something intervened and shoved us into Cosmo Entelekheia-lite. I want to talk to them. I'm quite irritated with them." Evangeline may have been all of a third Rakan's height, and much less than a third of his mass, but she looked for all the world like she had no idea that that was the case.
"You can't."
"Oh, really?" Her voice could have dried up the Amazon, but Rakan was unphased.
"Yes, really. Sure, it would make things simpler, but if sh...they could just interfere like that, you wouldn't even be in this situation. So here you are, having a conversation with me." He stopped as if considering for a moment. "However I can tell you this, if you can deal with the Witch, at the very least you can all go home. Perhaps more will happen. I'm not really sure."
"So how do I get out of here, and get back to there, so I can deal with that stupid Witch?"
"Why that is simplicity itself, my dear Kitty," Evangeline bristled at that "all you have to do is want to leave. The only person keeping you here, is you." Rakan gave a wide toothy smile.
Kyouko knelt down before the prostrate Mami. "You see, you are in a special position right now. You provide a link, a connection to someone else. That link has its ups and downs. On the downside, it brought out Kriemhild Gretchen. However on the upside, it can save you, and all your new friends." Kyouko finished off her Pocky stick, and replaced it with a new one. "However, you are going to have to learn something horrible first. I wish there could be another way, but in order to connect to her, you have to have an understanding of what is truly going on."
Mami looked up at the redhaired girl, and finally nodded her head. She pushed herself upwards and sat cross-legged on the grey "ground". "I'm ready, Sakura-san. I want to save them."
Kyouko smiled, "good, though whether or not you'll agree after you learn the truth..." she trailed off a bit. "There are some others who need to be here as well. I didn't want to bring them in, since you don't know them yet." She made a motion with her right hand, and three figures appeared out of the grey nothingness.
A slim, dark haired girl, wearing a very severe outfit with a shield on her left arm. "Tomoe Mami. Are you prepared to learn the truth?"
A blue haired girl, who's outfit was cut with an angle, a white cape over her shoulders. "Mami-san, I'm sorry that you are going to have to find out about this this way."
Finally, walking up to stand between the blue haired girl and the dark haired girl, a small girl with pink hair done up in short twintails, a slight smile on her face. "Its good to see you again, Mami-san." She reached down and cupped Mami's face with a white-gloved hand. "I know this will be hard for you, but please listen and understand." She sat down in front of Mami, Kyouko and the others arrayed behind her. "My name is Kaname Madoka..."
Madoka stood up, and looked down at Mami. "I'm so sorry. I wanted you to not have to learn this until the proper time, but it was necessary. But I want you to understand that it will all be worthwhile. It was not pleasant for any of us, and even worse for some," she turned at that and caressed the dark haired girl's cheek lovingly, then turned back to Mami, "but it was necessary. It will be necessary. But for it to happen, you must do this now." Madoka gave Mami a smile, tinged with a bit of sadness.
Mami looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't want to believe what she had been told, but she looked up into the soft pink eyes, and knew that it was the truth. She felt a cloth on her cheeks, wiping her tears away. "Sakura...san?" Her voice was choked, trying to hold back even more tears. Kyouko grabbed Mami's hand, pulling the older girl to her feet. She wrapped her arms around the weeping blonde and held her tight. Mami felt the warmth of her friend, the trust and comfort in her arms, and she let go, and cried.
As the tears finally came to an end, Kyouko looked Mami in the eyes once again. "This is something only you can do, and I wish it didn't have to be you, that you didn't have to learn now what we know. I am so sorry to have to lay this burden on you. You were always an inspiration to us. Not just to me, but to Madoka, Sayaka and even Homura. I know you hadn't met them yet, but trust me, without you, none of us would have been able to do what was necessary." She turned and walked over to where Madoka and the others were waiting. Stopping behind Madoka, she turned once more and looked at Mami. "Go for it. Mami." She whispered something to Madoka, who nodded in response. For a moment it looked like Madoka's eyes flashed gold, and then the four were gone. Leaving Mami alone in the grey emptiness.
Lifting her hand, her Soul Gem appeared, balanced delicately on her palm. Mami closed her eyes, and concentrated on what Madoka had told her to do. A moment later she opened her eyes. She was no longer in the grey emptiness, but back on the blasted floating island, with Kriemhild Gretchen still looming high into the sky. "Oh good, you're back. I thought you would be the first one." Mami turned at the voice, it was Evangeline, once again clothed in her short black dress. Arrayed on the ground were the unconscious bodies of the rest, the slumped over Fairlion sat a short distance away. A low groaning sound started, emanating from Kriemhild Gretchen's enormous, looming form. "I don't think she's very happy. You do what you need to do, I'll hold her off." Evangeline began an incantation, on her left hand an orb of pure darkness appeared and on the right, a crackling orb of ice. Magia Erebea! ETERNAL QUEEN OF ICE AND DARKNESS! Evangeline's voice cracked through the air, air which had gained a sharp chill. A cape of formless night surrounded the vampire, wings of ice emerging from her back. Without another word, she took off towards the towering Witch.
"Good luck, Evangeline-san." Mami returned her attention to the Soul Gem in her hands, and what she had to do to bring everyone else back. She closed her eyes, and concentrated her mind, reaching out with her magic, she felt herself connected to something greater, a kind warmth that even in this situation filled her with hope. A pink colored warmth filled Mami, she gathered the warmth, combined it with her magic, and directed it outwards.
"Fate Testarossa Harlaown"
"This is no longer your dream. It was once, yes, but no longer. I'm honored that you wished to have known me, and I wish I had known you, the younger sister I always wanted. But you've grown beyond me, you have a family of your own now, you need to return to them." Alicia reached up, standing on her tip toes and just barely managing to touch Fate's face. She turns Fate's gaze, towards another figure. A woman with long, rust-red hair and lavender eyes, holding a blonde haired girl with mismatched red and green eyes. "See, they are waiting for you to return."
"Nanoha...Vivio..." tears welled up in Fate's eyes as it all came rushing back. "How...how do I leave?" A pink light enveloped Fate.
Alicia smiled up at her younger sister. "Just like that. Goodbye, Fate. Remember. Trust in the light of hope."
Fate vanished into the light.
"Iczer-1"
Iczer was no longer in bed with Nagisa, she was now in the cockpit of the Iczer Robo, she could feel Nagisa's presence in the core beneath her. "How..."
"We both knew our time together was limited, and I wish it could have been another way." Nagisa's voice rang through Iczer's cockpit. "But even the technology of the Cthulhu could only do so much for a human." Iczer felt tears well up in her eyes as she remembered, Nagisa growing old and finally passing away, all while Iczer remained eternal and unchanging. "You cannot stay here, I know you want to be with me, but I will always be in your heart, when you fight to protect Earth you are strengthened by your memories of me. Go, Iczer. Your sisters await your return, and your fight is far from over...Trust in the light of hope"
As Nagisa's voice faded away, Iczer could no longer feel her presence in the Iczer Robo's core. "Nagisa!" But she knew it was futile. Looking upwards, she saw two figures hovering in the air before the Iczer Robo. A hard eyed woman with long, blood-red hair, and a young looking girl with wild, braided silver hair. Warm pink light flooded the Iczer Robo's cockpit.
"Konjiki no Yami"
Mikan used her finger to wipe a bit of Taiyaki filling off Yami's cheek. She stuck the finger in her mouth, "as good as this Taiyaki tastes, Yami-chan, it will taste even better when we do this for real." She smiled at Yami's confused expression. "I'm so glad that I'm the one you wanted to see, the one whom you most desired in your heart, but its no good if you don't tell the real Yuuki Mikan. I'm just a fragment, the real Mikan is waiting for you. Go back to her, and have some Taiyaki with her."
Yami felt something slick on her face. She was crying, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. "Yuuki Mikan, I..." she was at a loss for words, not knowing how to process the feelings she just finally understood. A soft hand wiped away the tears.
"Its ok, Yami-chan. Go back, and let the real Mikan know. She's been waiting for you." Mikan smiled, and started to fade away. "Yami-chan, Trust in the light of hope." And she was gone. Pink light enveloped Konjiki no Yami.
"Sattelizer el Bridget"
"I'm so sorry Sattelizer, I wish I could have done more for you, I failed you as a mother." The blonde woman set her tea cup down and looked into her daughter's eyes. "But for all of that, you cannot stay here, no matter how much you wish things could have been different."
"No, mother. You weren't a failure, its just...th..." a finger pressed itself against Sattelizer's lips.
"Do not dwell in the past. Go back, help your friends, and then return to the friends you left behind." She looked to the side, Sattelizer followed her gaze, and saw a teenage boy standing with two girls, one with braided blue hair, the other a redhead in twintails.
"Ganessa, Linchen...Kazuya..." tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered.
"Go, my daughter. Make me proud. And remember, Trust in the light of hope." Pink light enveloped Sattelizer as her mother's voice faded away.
"Angeloid Type-Delta Astraea"
"Delta." Astraea looked up at the blue haired girl sitting at the other end of the table. "Go."
Astraea continued stuffing her face with food, confused as to what the Beta was talking about. Suddenly she found herself laying on the floor. Her chair having been tipped over backwards. Looking upwards she made eye contact with a pink-haired Angeloid holding a watermelon. In a moment, the irritated Beta's head popped into view. "We don't have time to mess around with you, Delta. Go, and when you are done, you can have all the real food you want." Astraea popped into a sitting position.
"Wait, this isn't real?" Her stomach rumbled as if she hadn't eaten a thing. "How do I get out of here?" The Beta, no...Nymph, sighed.
"Just go. And remember, Trust in the light of hope." A pink light enveloped Astraea, the last thing she saw was Ikaros waving goodbye.
"Elise von Dietrich"
"Daddy! I did it! I defeated the WORMs!" Elise jumped up and hugged her father, hanging from his neck until he relented and picked her up.
"That you did, Elise. A great job. But your job isn't over yet." He looked down into his daughter's eyes. "I'm so glad you wanted to see me again, but this isn't a place you can stay. You need to return, there is a job only you can do, and you can't do it here." He lowered Elise back to the ground, but stayed knelt at eye level with her. "I am so incredibly proud of you."
Elise felt tears welling in her eyes as she remembered, remembered that day in Germany. "No, daddy, I..." He wiped her tears and smiled at her.
"You cannot change what happened in the past, but you can continue to protect the world, not from WORMs, but from new enemies. That is the greatest honor you could bring me. Go and help your friends, and remember that you always have people ready to support you." Elise could see over her father's shoulder, and behind him were three girls in nanosuits. She swallowed her tears and nodded in acknowledgement. "Thats my girl. Now go. And remember, Trust in the light of hope." Pink light filled her vision
"Cecilia Alcott"
"Ichika, I don't..." Cecilia couldn't understand why he said that. Leave? Leave for where?
He gripped her hands tighter. "You don't want to be here, this isn't real. Go and finish what you started, and come back to us." Cecilia looked down at the hands gripping her own, and then up again. Behind Ichika she could see her other friends, waiting. "I know you think you want to stay, but this isn't how things should be. Please, Cecilia-san. Listen."
Cecilia's mind was suddenly filled with the memories of what had happened, what was really going on. She knew that Ichika was right. She didn't want to stay here, in nothing more than a dream. "I'll be back, Ichika. For you. For all of us." She pulled away from his hands and stepped backwards. A pink light washed over her.
Ichika's last words reached out to her "Trust in the light of hope".
"Perrine H. Clostermann"
"That was a great maneuver, Perrine!" The eyepatched major pounded Perrine on the shoulder in congratulations. "But! Its not over, you still have a job to do, so no lollygagging around here!" The major laughed a hearty laugh as Perrine looked on in confusion. "Oh, do you not remember? You are still on a mission! Not with the 501st, of course, but we'll consider it detached duty. I wish I could be there with you, but it looks like you've found some good comrades."
Perrine remembered, and stood up straight. "Yes, Major! Flying Officer Clostermann will now return to her duties!" She saluted Major Sakamoto Mio, who saluted in return. And from behind Mio, stepped the other members of the 501st, saluting in turn. "Everyone...thank you!"
"Remember, Perrine." Mio's voice was more somber, "Trust in the light of hope." Light washed over Perrine.
"Shine Hausen"
"Princess. It is time for you to return to duty." Latooni stopped the dance once again, and looked into the golden eyes of her best friend. "We all have duties to perform, right now your duty is more pressing than it has ever been before." The lavender haired girl was always serious, but Shine could tell this was something even more important.
"Latooni, I...I..." Shine tried to remember, tried to recall what her duty was. And then in a flash it came back to her. "Thank you, Latooni. Thank you." She grabbed her friend in a hug. "I'll be back soon, and then we can go dancing for real." She backed away, till she was beneath her Fairlion. Pink light enveloped her vision, and a few last words drifted to her ears.
"Princess, Trust in the light of hope."
Mami opened her eyes, afraid at what she would see. Serving as the conduit, the way to bring her friends back...it had been even harder than she'd imagined, and she couldn't bear the thought of it not having worked. Light returned to her world, and before her were her new friends, the people she'd fought against and fought beside. Relief washed over her, along with the mental toll her work had caused. Her knees buckled and she started to fall to the ground, only to be caught by a pair of black gloved arms. "Fate-san..."
Fate held Mami as the rest gathered around. "We all seem to know what is going on, I guess that is part of what you did to bring us back. Thank you." The rest echoed Fate's words. Mami blushed a bit, but surprisingly she was already feeling better, so she pulled away from Fate and stood on her own.
"Evangeline-san is fighting Kriemhild Gretchen alone. We have to go help her. I don't know how we'll defeat a witch that powerful, but we have to try."
Evangeline was struggling. Kriemhild Gretchen wasn't fighting directly, she seemed to be generating other witches to fight against her. Every time she defeated one, another took its place. Right now she was locked in aerial combat against a massive witch, looking like an upside down woman with gears instead of legs. A creepy, cackling laughter filled the air. The events of the last 24 hours had left her exhausted, and even with the boost from Galaxia's blood, Evangeline knew she couldn't hold out much longer. The cackling witch spawned a dozen figures, looking like silhouettes of magical girls. They attacked with swords and spears and guns, each one Evangeline destroyed was replaced by another. She found herself surrounded on all sides, above and below, when without warning streaks of red and blue shot upwards, destroying almost all of the silhouettes. Two figures descended back towards Evangeline, Astraea and Sattelizer. Sattelizer had grown two wings of metal from her back, providing a sharp contrast to the elegant pure white wings of the Angeloid. Almost simultaneously, a shout from behind drew Evangeline's attention, and she saw the upside down witch split in half, top to bottom, cleaved by a massive sword of yellow light and then the Fairlion appeared, smashing straight through its back, the four pieces of the witch exploding behind the robot.
Even as the explosion faded, more witches appeared. shadow like a kneeling woman shot tendrils of darkness at Evangeline and the two swordswoman, but they were intercepted by golden blades of hair. Konjiki no Yami, black bat wings emerging from her back, intercepted each of the shadow witch's attacks. A quartet of green lasers pierced the witch's body, causing it to evaporate into mist. Yami looked up to where Cecilia hovered, as the four Tears docked back with her IS, a slight smile touching the quiet girl's face.
Iczer-1 was locked in battle with a massive black snake, its head a clown mask its mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. Each time she thought she destroyed it, it regenerated itself. It was like battling a single-headed hydra and while she was easily able to fend it off, she could not figure out how to keep it down. As it regenerated again, a yellow flash caught her eye, it was Mami, flying down towards the tail of the "snake". She could just barely see what happened, as the drill-haired girl pulled a pistol out of her skirt, mouthed a few words Iczer couldn't catch and shot the tail of the snake. The witch vanished, gone for good this time.
The clash of metal on metal rang in the air as Elise and Perrine dueled the Mermaid Knight. As they fought the witch, they could almost hear music, violins and guitars, so faint they might not even be there at all. Elise blocked a strike with her lance, as Perrine dashed in and stabbed at the mermaid's tail, but her rapier's point skittered off the armored scales. Retreating, Perrine looked up towards Elise and motioned with her hand. Elise nodded in response and then threw her lance with all the power Bachastelze could muster. The lance's monomolecular blade pierced the mermaid's chest, causing it to howl in anger. Before it could respond further, Perrine pointed her sword at the mermaid, "Tonerre!" her shout was followed by her trademark electrical discharge, which struck the lance like a lightning rod, frying the mermaid. The witch crumbled away into ash.
Perrine and Elise looked around, no more witches filled the air, just the massive looming bulk of Kriemhild Gretchen. "Everyone, gather around the Fairlion." Fate's voice crackled over Elise's communication channel, and looking she saw that the rest had already gathered near the red and gold robot. Motioning to Perrine, the two flew over to join the other nine. Arriving, they found most of them standing on the Fairlion's outstretched palms, with Cecilia hovering just beyond them. Neither being equipped for standing at the moment, they joined the British girl. Moments later a massive roar filled the air, and the towering tree that was Kriemhild Gretchen began to shift.
"We don't have much time, but I think I understand now what we need to do." Everyone looked over towards Mami, who had changed back to her civilian clothes, and was holding her Soul Gem. "We can't defeat Kriemhild Gretchen, but we can serve as a channel to the one who can. We need to trust in hope, and use its power." The rest, remembering the last words they had been told in the dreams, nodded in agreement. Mami closed her eyes and held her Soul Gem out before her, and she hoped. The rest did the same. What they did precisely they could not say, but they knew what to do regardless. Power flowed through them, from somewhere else, into their bodies, and then out once more, gathering into Mami's Soul Gem. As one they opened their eyes, and found Mami's Soul Gem to be glowing with a brilliant, blinding pink light. The light grew till they couldn't bear to look anymore, and then vanished, in its place was a bow, floating in the air. Mami reached out and grabbed the weapon, looking up towards the massive witch. Kriemhild Gretchen had changed completely, instead of a featureless tree, she now appeared as a terrifying face, looming down from above, descending towards the eleven girls. "This is our last shot, I can only do this once. Lets make it count." Mami's voice was firm.
"Alright everyone, lets soften it up so Mami can make her shot count." Fate's command instincts took over, and she quickly directed the others in what to do. They nodded in response and scattered away, except for Astraea, Satellizer and Yami, who would stay with Mami, just in case. The rest took up their positions, Kriemhild Gretchen descending towards them slowly, filling the sky above.
Fate opened the assault. Hundreds, thousands of brilliant yellow lights appeared below her as she quietly chanted. Reaching the end of her chant, Fate thrust Bardiche towards the massive witch "Photon Lancer Genocide Shift!" her and Bardiche spoke in unison, thousands upon thousands of missiles shot forward, impacting on Kriemhild Gretchen. A roar of outrage and pain came back from above, felt as much as heard. Moments later, Cecilia and Elise opened fire with all of their remaining weaponry. Brilliant lasers followed Fate's missiles, normal missiles, the last aboard both Blue Tears and Bachastelze followed. A rolling explosion skittered across Kriemhild Gretchen, the roaring intensifying in response.
"Tonerre Ecclamente!" Perrine threw all the magic power she had left into one last discharge, a massive blue-white bolt of lightning connected her and the witch for the briefest of moments, it illuminated the sky darkened by Gretchen, showing the mask was pitted and scored by the attacks, and in a few gaps, a void of nothingness could be seen.
"Everyone! Open up those gaps! That is what I need to hit!" Mami's voice came to the others. As she spoke, Kriemhild Gretchen began to spawn Witches again, Mami found herself in the middle of a storm of combat as her three guards fought off assaults by half a dozen witches. Even more were confronting the rest, each one which was destroyed was replaced by another. Mami felt the air grow cold, and a prickling on her skin like static electricity, a voice chanting in a language she both did, and did not understand came over the air.
Evangeline was in the middle of the storm of witches, chanting. She effortlessly dodged attacks as she spoke. "Heed the Contract and Serve Me, Darkness, Ice and Snow, the Queen of Eternity! The Coursing White Rose of Ice, the Sleeping Eternal Garden! Come, Unending Darkness, Eternal Glacier! Imprison the soulless puppets with frozen Lightning! The enchanting tranquility, The eternal prison of White roses blooming in profusion! ENDLESS WHITE NINE HEAVENS!" The moment the chant stopped, every witch was frozen in place, floating in mid-air encased in a block of crystal clear ice. Since they weren't destroyed, they weren't replaced. "This won't last long, finish it off! Shine, Iczer!" Evangeline's voice was strained but firm.
Iczer concentrated, gathering all the power she had remaining. A blue fiery glow surrounded her. She brought that power to her outstretched hands, bringing them together with a crash. "Iczer Beam Full Power!" A massive beam of blue light shot towards Kriemhild Gretchen, the accompanied by the Fairlion's golden Vostock Laser. The two beams twisted together, seeming to grow in power as they spun in a blue and gold spiral. They didn't just hit the mask, they blasted straight through it. A gaping hole of swirling nothingness left in its wake.
Mami raised the bow, it was fairly plain brown wood, without even a string to pull back, but that didn't matter. She reached for where the string would be, her fingers caught anyway, and as she pulled back, a brilliant pink string appeared. As she drew the bow, a similarly pink arrow flared to life and the bow itself began to grow, as if it itself were a living piece of wood. The bow and arrow alike grew larger and large, finally at full draw the arrow was over a meter long, the bow had grown to massive proportions and at the very top a brilliant pink rose had bloomed. Mami felt energy pour into the arrow, for a moment it flared in different colors. Gold, red, blue, purple and finally back to pink. It was time. It felt like she hadn't aimed at all, but at the same time she knew she would not miss. Her fingers released the arrow. It crossed the space to Kriemhild Gretchen in an instant, vanishing into the dark nothingness. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, but then a brilliant pink light burst out of the holes in the mask, cracks appeared in the rest of it, and without any further warning it shattered.
Moments later, the very fabric of reality shattered as well.