The barrier was dark, large swathes of black before them dispersed with shining twinkles of rainbow stars. They flashed across the barrier, growing and shrinking, filling the barrier with different fantastical shades and hues.

Homura and Mami stood back to back assessing their surroundings. Mami had a single musket drawn, alert and ready, while Homura's hand lay near her soul gem.

"No welcome party?" Mami lowered her musket slightly and stared at the shifting colours.

"Hmmm... it's alarmingly quiet." She took a step forward, musket in hand. "Well, it seems the hosts are waiting for us in the centre of the barrier."

She turned and beamed "Lets not keep them waiting, Homura, hm?"

"I-" She hesitated for a moment. Hands clenched whilst focusing on the anxiety bubbling within her. She could do this. No, she would do this.

"Let's… Let's go, Ms Tomoe!"

Mami let out an airy laugh.

They began with a running start towards the heart of the barrier.

A few minutes later, a call from outside could be heard by the pair.

'Hey, you alright?' Sayaka's voice, while muffled, came through the shared connection without issue.

'Yes, Sayaka. It seems this is a more passive one than anticipated.' Mami turned right ,nearly colliding with a shifting shard of starlight.

'She seems to be hiding in the centre of the barrier...' Homura chimed in to help explain the situation they were dealing with.

'At least you're safe, Homura! Thank goodness!' Madoka chimed in.

'And what's Mami then? Chopped liver!?'

'Ah, n-no I-'

'Don't worry, Madoka!' Mami smiled as she ran besides homura 'So far this barrier has been perfectly-'

And then the floor fell out from beneath them.

'-safe-?'

They fell.

"TOMOE!"

Their connection cut off as they fell through swirling colours and darkness indiscriminately, a loud wind beginning to blow them apart.

"I'm here!" A yellow ribbon suddenly lashed through the dark towards Homura's outstretched hand, missing it just within reach.

"Again!" The wind began to howl as they fell into the deep, making it harder to listen to one another. The fact their telepathy had cut out could only mean one thing.

"Tch! One more time!" Once more, desperately, the ribbon flew and while it teased the edge of Homura's fingers, it ultimately swirled it's way back to Mami.

She felt desperation take hold, if they got seperated by this wind they would get flung into different parts of the barrier, they would be alone, alone with-

"Akemi, watch out!" The ribbon finally caught hold of her hand and managed to yank her towards Mami, her breath stolen as she was pulled forth at high speed, barely managing to avoid being flattened by a large pink object.

She grabbed hold of her senior's hand and looked up at the retreating blur as they continued to fall in the seemingly endless hole. She watched it improbably stop in the flow, and before she could get a good look at it, the pink shape suddenly darted downwards, too fast to see and too precise to be an accident.

"Tomoe!" She shouted a warning.

"Right!" Homura felt heat between them grow stronger as the pink projectile drew closer at breakneck speed. Homura didn't have time to mix her own magic in but she could still alert Mami when the moment was just-

"Tomoe, now!"

Just before it hit, the air between them exploded. The pair were thrown apart, the ribbons connecting them seemingly insignificant in comparison to the sheer size and complexity of the large net of ribbons the creature was entangled with.

Homura watched as Mami drew her hands backwards and began to draw energy.

"Tiro-"

But with a BARK, the barrier shifted, and with a burst of energy and imagery that made Homura nauseous, they were suddenly grounded once more. The ribbons shredded into tatters around them into a large cathedral sized room, wood paneled walls stretching improbably high. A large bricked over entrance that if had been open would not dissimilar to a dog house.

"Tomoe… are you alright?" Homura gazed at Mami worriedly as she stumbled to her feet.

"Shaken, but fine." She brushed off her outfit and turned to smile at Homura to reassure her, but not before noticing something.

"Ah, Akemi, your-" The statement died on her lips as the pair heard low, hostile growling.

Before them stood a horse sized creature, like a dog but also nothing like a dog. Great tendrils of pink energy that Homura had seen earlier were part of a colossal mane, whipping round where a head would be in a style that was not unlike candy floss. Shapes like bows flowed within, half mixed in with the flow, the other half un-moving and seemingly locked in space. The bulk of the creature was skinny and disjointed, a white that would look like bone if bone could be bleached even whiter than white, and limbs seemingly twisted, as if drawn from an inaccurate caricature or a model that had been left in the kiln too long. Thin parts where too thin, and the wider parts were blown out in a way that would be cute if not for the aura of pure despair it emanated.

Before them, surrounded by rotating plasticine familiars, stood the master of the barrier.

Before them, stood the witch.

Homura readied her bow.

The fight had just begun.

Sie will Freunde

Sie will den Tod

Warum nicht beide?