A Magical Revolution [Azecreth & Wingshadow]

Madoka nodded, starting a bit at the suddenly harsh tone in her friends voice, yet she couldn't help but stay a little longer, to listen to Sayaka get to work evacuating all those people. Her heart fluttered in admiration of her friend, the kind of a magical girl she was, and it most certainly helped that being a magical girl publicly meant you could boss people around, where before she probably would have had to settle for pulling the fire alarm or something.

She moved to leave then, but there was no time as the air filled with screams and cries, and she looked back just in time to be engulfed in the expanding darkness as the Witch's Barrier formed, adding her own surprised cry to the mix. "Sayaka-chan," she called, spotting blue amidst the storm, but it was no use as all the light drained away and darkness engulfed her.

When Madoka returned to awareness, she was quick to start. "Eh?" She found herself in a carnival, or some form of amusement park, with rides that spun and shuddered to loud music. It was familiar, but at the same time had been horribly twisted by this Witch's despair. She looked around, hoping to see people, but the only things in sight were these teddy bear type creatures, which she had to assume were the Familiars.

"Sayaka-chan? Sayaka, where are you," she called, at last realizing her own situation. To her misfortune, she had ended up inside one of the rides, standing in the center of the tea cups, which spun around at a rapid pace, a speed at which attempting to run across would get you swatted and thrown into a wall, with tragic consequences. She looked about, growing increasingly frantic, shifting left, then right, before sticking to the middle and hoping to avoid getting hit.

"Please show up soon Sayaka-chan," she muttered, arms clutched to her chest. She just had to wait, and hope. It wasn't like she could do much else in this situation, and the feeling of helplessness bit at her more than anything. But, she would wait. It was all she could do.
 
Sayaka stepped out into the wider room, which varied starkly from the one before it. Instead of gears and axles, merry-go-rounds and Ferris wheels stood on oblique angles to each other. The scene before her was a jumbled conglomeration of fair rides and attractions of all sorts, ranging from bumper cars to roller coasters, each moving of their own accord while loud music blared, drowning out any attempts at making herself heard above the ruckus. More teddy bear familiars began to gather in the open pathways between the rides, but Sayaka dashed past them, looking for any other living person, but especially her pink-haired friend. As she ran, the path she followed bent backward, her feet loosing traction as she slipped and almost fell backward, the path itself confusing her concerning which direction was up and which was down.

"I'm so stupid..." Sayaka paused for a moment as she looked about for another possible route to follow, "Why didn't I stay by her side? I..." Sayaka gripped her sword's handle tightly, "I need to find her. I need to save her before its too late!" Her conviction renewed, the blue-haired magical girl ran to the right, winding around the side of the attractions while avoiding the dangerously-outstretched limbs of the animals on the merry-go-round and the empty roller coaster cars which crossed the path on several points.

Just then, she stepped into a clearing where a large number of bears had gathered, their harmless smiling faces all directed inward toward a small group of humans who stood back-to back with absolute terror in their eyes. A few humans had become entangled in the balloon strings, their arms and legs flailing as they tried in vain to break free. Some had already been rendered incapable of struggling any further, their bodies limply hanging as the balloons ominously descended toward their still forms. Without a moment's pause Sayaka dashed forward, flying over the bear's heads and slicing across them, cutting them clean in half with one slice, then across the balloon strings with a second. The bears split into small tuffs of stuffing which scattered while the balloons floated upward until they hit the ceiling, whereupon they were struck by one of the roller coaster cars that ran upside down. The balloons then exploded, the detonation of one setting off the others in a chain reaction that rained fragments of coaster car and large metal shards down on them. Sayaka dodged left as the front car narrowly missed crushing her. She then jumped upward, cleaving a charred bit of track in two before twisting her body. She swung her sword back, concentrating her power into the blade before swinging wide to release a blast of wind which threw the remaining debris back.

"Are you alright?" Sayaka asked, landing beside the group she had managed to rescue but those that were able had already begun to flee in all directions, some running headlong toward the deadly attractions, "Wait, come back!" The remaining people who were too tried to run simply sat down on the ground, staring blankly back at her as if they had already accepted their fate.

"Have you... Happened to have seen a girl with pink hair?" Sayaka knelt down in front of a young man around her own age. He slowly looked up at her and shook his head. "Stay here, but don't get close to those bears... I'll put an end to this witch and save all of you, just you wait and see," Sayaka declared proudly before looking around for any sign of her lost friend.

She caught a glimpse of pink near the center of a teacup attraction and dashed forward, pausing briefly at its edge and slashign her sword near the base of one of the teacups. It broke loose from the spinning platform and flew outward, crashing into the wall and tearing a large hole in it, exposing the clockwork machinery. Sayaka slashed again and again, teacups flying outward from the centrifugal force. As she did so, however, one of the cups struck the main support of a large sideways-hanging Feris wheel, causing it to lean down toward the pink-haired girl standing in the center of the rotating disk. Sayaka dove forward without even touching the floor, Sayaka's left hand grabbing her as the dull groan of metal from the falling wheel hastened her movements. "Hold on, Madoka-chan!" Sayaka shouted, just as she caught sight of something blurred cutting across their path. Sayaka clutched her friend tightly, shielding her with her body just as one of the teacups she had failed to cut away struck her, sending both of them flying toward the far wall. Ironically, it had saved them from being crushed under the wheel as it collapsed onto the teacup ride a mere moment afterward.

Sayaka's body burned all over from the intense pain, but somehow she had managed to stay in one piece, despite the rather large hole she had torn into the wall when she crashed into it. Her vision was a bit blurry, but she could pick out their surroundings well enough to judge that they were safe from any immediate danger. The magical girl then slowly loosened her grip on her friend before looking down at her, "Are you alright, Madoka-chan?" She probably looked terrible herself, but as long as Madoka was alright, it would make all of it worth it.
 
Madoka waited, as she had no other choice. The music battered at her ears, the sounds and screeches of the machinery and rides a cruel mutation of what an amusement park was supposed to be like. Left with nothing else to do but stand as still as she could in the middle of the spinning ride, Madoka had to wonder what had inspired this landscape, what suffering. It would tug at her heartstrings, if she weren't currently fearful for her life. Even Madoka could prioritize once in a while, and being stuck in the middle of a death ride was one of those times. Luckily though, none of the Familiar's could approach her, since they'd be smacked aside by the ride.

Pink orbs darted about, hands clutched to her chest as she looked in one direction, then the next, seeking that familiar cerulean blue that meant her friend was coming to save her. "Sayaka," she called aloud, but she had to strain to be heard above the loud music. Her head fell, crestfallen, and she cursed her impotence again. If only she was a magical girl, if only she were stronger, then she could escape, and wouldn't force Sayaka to put her life in jeopardy coming to rescue her. But even if she wanted to make a wish, Kyubey was nowhere to be found at the moment, since he was currently suffering a case of acute aeration via gunshot wound.

Her attention was drawn away to another part of the labyrinth, rippling explosions blasting apart a section of roller coaster in the distance, and she watched, shock in her expression, as they fell. That could only be Sayaka, and she hoped that the other girl was doing alright.

At last her salvation came, Sayaka appearing from around a corner, looking a tad ruffled up, but otherwise fine. "Sayaka, over here," Madoka called, bouncing on her feet and waving anxiously. And that seemed to work as Sayaka charged over and got to work, slashing a tea cup with her sword and sending it flying into a wall. Madoka watched in awe as the blunette dismantled the attraction by force, certain that she was going to be saved.

But she spoke too soon, for one of the wheels Sayaka dislodged slammed into the oddly placed Ferris wheel overhead, sending it crashing down. "A-Ah," Madoka cried, taking a step back as she watched the thing come down like a deer in headlights, imminent death staring her in the face, only to be interrupted as Sayaka fairly flew across the gap and grabbed her, yanking her along, though Madoka didn't resist.

"O-Okay," she cried back, doing just that as she felt the impact through Sayaka's frame, crying in fear again as they were sent flying through the air, her friend acting as a cushion as they slammed through the wall and onto the ground. It still hurt a lot for her, even if she wasn't the one taking the brunt, since she was only human, and it took a short amount of time for her to recover from the flight and near impact, and she shakily lifted herself up as Sayaka let go of her iron grip, wincing a little.

"I'm okay," she replied, a bit unsteady on her feet from their flight, but she managed to rise regardless and look at Sayaka, starting at the appearance. "S-Sayaka-chan, you look terrible," she added, pointing out the obvious, even though she knew that with her magic the damage wouldn't last too long. "But, thank you for saving me." She looked away, a bit ashamed that she'd had to have her friend come save her when she was in trouble, again. Would she continue to just be a burden on people?
 
"Th-this is nothing," Sayaka forced a confident smile through the pain that racked her body. Given the dullness that came with being a magical girl, the fact that she had to endure this much told her that she had taken quite a bit of damage from that single blow. Still, if Madoka was alright, then it was well worth the sacrifice. Nothing in the world could replace her best friend, not even her own well-being. Using her sword to prop herself up, she forced herself to her feet, blue flickers shimmering across her body as her regenerative powers began to repair the damage she had sustained. If this was how hard the inanimate objects in the witch's barrier could hit, she could only imagine how powerful the witch who sustained the barrier could be.

"Just stay close to me, Madoka-chan," Sayaka motioned to her friend once the pain had subsided enough for her to move about comfortably, "I need to find the witch and defeat her, and in a barrier this dangerous the safest place for you to be is by my side." She held her sword up with a look of confidence and determination in her eye, but already she had begun to harbor doubts. Given the current situation, she had no other options left to her, though. If she waited, more of the poor unfortunate people who had become trapped in the barrier would die, and the possibility of running out of magic while inside the barrier would only increase the longer she delayed. Sayaka pushed the doubts to the corner of her mind for the time being, resolving within herself to defeat the witch and live to fight and defend the innocent another day.

Of course, Sayaka had no way of knowing what sort of witch awaited her at the center of the barrier...
 
Madoka gave Sayaka a skeptical look as her friend brushed her comment off with a smile, even though she did look like she was in a lot of pain. "Alright," she replied as she watched the blunette rise to her feet with assistance from one of her magically created swords, looking unsteady as blue light shimmered across her form, a sign of her magic kicking in to heal what had been done to her. To know that those wounds had been earned while trying to save her, it wasn't a pleasant thought, but to see her friend struggling on regardless, it only increased the respect she held for her.

"Okay," Madoka confirmed, moving to follow Sayaka's instructions and stay by her side while unaware of the doubts her friend was beginning to have. As far as she was concerned it was true. With familiars all over the place, and the twisted reality, being by a magical girl was the safest place, even if she did charge into danger. So Madoka would follow along, letting her friend take the lead, and staying out of the way as much as possible. She would not be a greater burden, not if she could help it.
 
Sayaka took up the lead, heading deeper into the barrier as she reached forward, turning the knob of the second door they encountered. Much like the area she first found herself, this room was filled with gears and the occasional pendulum swinging across the room in slow sweeping motions. As they continued, they passed by more of the bear familiars, although most kept their distance such that Sayaka did not even need to bother fighting them, her eyes searching until she spotted a staircase of slowly turning gears leading downward. She carefully stepped down them with Madoka in tow, their footsteps resounding silently as the music began to grow much more distant and the sound of machinery taking its place. The air grew thick with the smell of lubricant and rust as the room became progressively darker the further they went down the winding staircase of floating gears, descending into a large expanse with seemingly no walls in any direction. In the distance gleamed search lights which crossed each other, standing upon unseen pedestals.

Finally, they reached the bottom of the staircase, the ground finally flat and solid, a pattern of black and white tiles covering the floor. In the dim light, a large figure lay before them motionless, just as the search lights abruptly dropped downward, focusing their beams at the two girls who had intruded upon the witch's inter sanctum. Lights flickered all about the massive room as the figure before them began to groan and sputter, its shape becoming more distinct with each passing moment. The witch's arms were as thick as tanker trucks, gears and clock-like components running alongside the cylinders that made up her forearms, hourglasses making up the connection between her shoulder and her forearms. The body sat upon a base made up of a series of stacked gears each progressively larger than the last proceeding downward resembling a wide dress skirt. Her head had no face, made up of a single polished spring, the life and drive behind a wind-up pocket watch. She turned and shifted, groaning and hissing as she did so, the abrupt movements more than slightly unnerving even without considering her massive size.

"I will defeat you, and free these innocent people you have taken as your prisoners!" Sayaka shouted, holding her sword with its tip pointed accusingly at the witch before dashing forward swiftly. The witch wasted no time in counter-attacking as two search lights remained fixed on Sayaka's position. Small round objects fell from the ceiling all around her, a dull ticking sound issuing from them causing Sayaka to sense up and her eyes grow slightly wider. She jumped, the objects exploding mere moments afterward to reveal their true nature. "Bombs?!" Sayaka looked up as countless more began to rain down upon her. She grit her teeth together and dashed forward, hardly touching the ground as she ran toward the stationary witch with explosions following close behind her.
 
Following along behind Sayaka, Madoka looked around nervously as they moved through another door and the environment shifted around them. From the demented amusement park it shifted, gears spinning and clicking, even a giant pendulum swinging overhead. It was like machinery, or a clock or something, and Madoka looked at it in wonder now that she wasn't in immediate danger of being painfully killed by Familiars or the inside of the barrier itself. She carefully followed down the turning stairs, the sound of music fading in the distance to be replaced by clacks and whirring. At the same time, the scenery changed, becoming darker, rustier, more like the inside of a factory than anything. It definitely intimidated her, and she kept close to Sayaka as she looked about.

Finally they reached the bottom of the stairs and the Witch that sat waiting for them across a floor of black and white tiles. She came to a stop with the blunette as lights dropped down to shine light upon them, a hand rising to shield her eyes from the light so she could see the clockwork witch as it awoke. It's movement was strange, abrupt, jarring, ratcheting, and it was definitely unnerving for Madoka, the normal girl here, and while she hated herself for it when faced with her friends example, she couldn't help but be afraid.

Mdoka watched on then as Sayaka made her defiant proclamation and charged in, heart swelling at the show of courage on her part. She still hung back though, since she interpreted 'staying close to her' to not include attacking the Witch by her side, much as she wished she could. So she was forced to watch from the back as the blunette charged in, spotlights following her, and the bombs following. "Aah," Madoka said aloud, startled by the explosions and with her hands held in front of her. "Be careful Sayaka-chan," she called, as if her friend really needed the reminder.
 
When Sayaka drew closer, the barrage of bombs abruptly ended, which she foolishly took as her opening to strike. She landed at the base of the witch's clock gear dress, firmly planting her feet before jumping recklessly toward her, slashing a wide cut across her midsection, the blow landing cleanly across her body which elicited a pained scream from the clockwork witch. A smirk slid across Sayaka's lips. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to take this witch down after all?

A flash of red followed by pain surged through Sayaka as the witch landed a firm punch directly on her body with a steel fist made of bits of curved metal and rusted hinges. The magical girl tried to gasp, but the blow had knocked the breath clean out of her. Tumbling backward while still in midair, she realized her mistake. Paying too much attention to the bombs, she had completely ignored the more obvious danger from the witch's own body.

She tumbled upon hitting the hard tile floor, her sword clanging loudly as it slid a short distance from her. Painfully she pulled herself back up onto her feet, stumbling forward to pick up her sword. The spot lights once again locked onto her, and she knew what would soon follow. She commanded her body to move as the timed bombs landed around her, the burning pain slowing her movements as she once again dashed forward with a renewed cry. She could do this... She had to do this, or they would both die in this place filled with despair, twisted desires, emotions given form. Sayaka jumped, narrowly avoiding an explosion directly to her right. This time she ran along her base, jumping and slashing at her while avoiding her arm swings, trying to get behind the witch in order to land a firm blow.

Just as she did so, however, yet another surprise awaited her. A large spotlight hung on the witch's back, which turned and flashed at her to blind her momentarily while her head turned back, staring at her with her eyeless gaze. With a hiss of steam, a sharp pain shot through Sayaka's shoulder, a clock-hand-like spear sticking out from the base of her left arm. Four more spears narrowly missed her, clanging against the tile floor loudly before Sayaka landed as well, her gaze once again growing hazy from the pain and fatigue that surged through her. No... She had to get up and keep fighting... Fighting for her own sake as well as that of her friend.

It was her own fault, after all... For asking to spend the afternoon with Madoka. If she hadn't suggested it, none of this would have happened... Madoka would be safe at her home by then, far away from this forsaken place. But she couldn't do anything about that now, especially since she could hardly even stand up at this point.

Why?

Did it have to end this way?
 
Sayaka was like a knight in shining armor, a valiant hero as she moved through the barrage of bombs that sent wind whipping and clothes fluttering in the wash of air. Yet Madoka ignored that as she watched her friend score first blow, with a great cleaving slash across the things midsection, earning a cry of pain from the Witch. A cheer died on her lips to be replaced by a worried gasp as the Witch struck back then with some facsimile of a fist, sending the blunette tumbling to the floor.

"Sayaka-chan," Madoka cried worriedly, starting forward, only to pull up and glance around. Oh, right. If she tried to intervene she would be attacked by the Witch too, and she had no means of fighting it. Her emotions were splashed across her face, her anger at her own impotence, even as she watched Sayaka return to her feet to try again, like the person she was. Fierce, determined, her friend never knew when to quit, would keep fighting, struggling, even if it might just be as a result of bull headed stubbornness. It was why Madoka respected her, looked up to her, and why she felt all the more inadequate in her presence. Even if she were outmatched, her friend wouldn't give up. She was what a magical girl should be.

And she watched on as Sayaka landed more hits with a new tactic, spinning around the base of the Witch, jumping and dodging, and landing hits in the process. "You can do it Sayaka-chan," Madoka called from where she stood, encouragement that just as quickly came too soon, and her expression died as a light flashed on and the blunette was struck in the shoulder by some kind of spear, sent clattering to the ground with missed projectiles, to struggle to recover once more.

"Ah, Sayaka-chan," Madoka called once more, looking about nervously. There had to be something she could do, some way to help her friend. She would not just stand here helplessly as her friend fought for her life, for all of them. Something, there had to be something. But no, she was stuck, impotent, and her head fell as tears budded in her eyes. There was nothing she could do, again. She was just useless, a bystander, relying on someone else to save her, and now that person would pay for it. If only she were stronger.

Ironically, now she would have made a wish, if Kyubey were around to hear it. She didn't know quite what she would wish fr yet, but she knew that to save a friend, she would indeed bet her soul on that wish. There was nothing more important for her. But Kyubey was nowhere to be found, so she was stuck as she was, just a normal human.

But she did act, moving around the side of the arena to get closer to Sayaka, who had landed at a far angle from her in the last impact. She didn't know what she would do, but she had to do something. She couldn't just stand by and let her friend's life be in jeopardy, even if she was just a normal girl with little chance of doing any real damage. "Come on, get up Sayaka-chan," she called, voice trembling. "Please, get up....It can't end like this!"
 
No.

It would not end like this.

Sayaka forced herself up from mere willpower alone, her legs shaking uneasily from the strain. Madoka's words reached the blue-haired magical girl as she flicked her left wrist and another sword appeared midair, the handle of which she grasped tightly before dashing to the right just before a massive explosion would have enveloped her and ended her feeble existence. She had to keep fighting, keep defending her friend with all her might until she drew her last breath. That is what it meant to be a magical girl, to give it all for the sake of others. She spun and slashed, with both swords, a dervish of raw determination and desperation with neither precision nor form, her sharp blades cutting across the witch's iron body while spurts of black fluid, a mockery of blood, followed each strike. The longer she fought the more distantly the pain faded into the backdrop of her mind, not that her wounds had healed in such a short amount of time, but they no longer mattered to her. She could feel the warmth of her own blood soaked into her left sleeve, mixing with the cold black fluid which splattered across the front of her clothes.

Just then, Sayaka realized that something was off... Why wasn't the witch attacking her? She turned and glanced back at Madoka, who had stepped too close. All five spotlights where centered on her, while small round objects rolled about her feet. Even if she ran, there was no possible way that a normal human could outrun those explosions. She cursed her own incompitence as she changed direction, throwing all her strength into one last burst as she dropped her swords, arms wrapping around her friend as she tackled her, sending both of them flying out of immediate danger. The fighting had taken its toil on Sayaka's condition, however, as the adrenaline rush began to fade.

Sayaka knelt over her friend who lay below her on the cold tile floor, drops of her own blood and that of the witch's staining Madoka's clothes as she forced a smile across her lips, "I messed up, Madoka-chan... I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I wanted today to be a day where we would have fun together, a day that I could forget about my duties as a magical girl if even for a moment." She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her face looking up toward the unseen ceiling, "I thought I could do something worthwhile, that I could finally give my life meaning and purpose, but in the end I'm just a failure as a magical girl, too."
 
Hope blossomed once more as Sayaka heard her words and rose to continue the fight, even on shaky legs. In spite of her injuries, in spite of how she must be suffering, Sayaka fought on. Still, she fought on, dodging an explosion that would have shattered her soul gem to strike at the thing with reckless abandon. Madoka knew she should have been terrified, if not of the Witch then of the berserker rage her friend was putting on, attacking purely for the sake of attacking, with diminishing regard to her personal safety, but while it should have scared her, she didn't feel afraid. Not when she had a person such as her fighting.

It was in that apparent aura of safety that she stepped forward, tentatively, closer to the raging fight that she was witness to. Then she realized what she was doing, looking around in confusion as she suddenly found herself illuminated by spotlights, eyes blinking against the glare as she wondered what was happening. Why were they shining on her, when Sayaka was over there still fighting the Witch? What had she done to warrant their attention. She didn't even try to run, or escape, just looked around in confusion.

Then, a small object hit her feet, and she looked down to see small orbs all around her, but as she bent down to try and pick one up, a blue blur slammed into her, she and Sayaka sent flying again as the orbs all exploded, earning a cry from Madoka as she impacted the ground, the blunette atop her. Her back hurt, singed by fire and her nerves fairly screaming at her as she rested with her eyes closed, pain etched across her face. That had been close, incredibly close, and she chided herself for being so stupid. Still just a burden, especially when she did stupid stuff like this.

Feeling the falling moisture, her eyes flickered open, wincing in pain. "No...Sayaka-chan," she replied somewhat weakly. "Y-You saved me, again. I was the stupid one, for putting myself in danger like that." The sadness at herself and the admiration she held for Sayaka was evident in her smile and the twinkle in her eyes. "As long...as long as you save even one person, you'll never be a failure. Not to me anyway. " She couldn't stand to see the girl blame herself, especially when she'd done nothing wrong. "If anyone's to blame it's me," she added. "I was the one who suggested the store, and who didn't leave when you told me to." She glanced off to the side then, tears threatening once more. "I'm sorry."
 
"How can you be so strong, Madoka-chan?" Sayaka looked down at her, sadness breaking the pained smile that had graced her lips before, "You always try your best to help those around you even though you have no powers. You're so kind, Madoka-chan, and I envy your kindness and strength." Her hands tightened into fists, breaths drawn in shallow gasps. They didn't have much time left. The witch would resume her attacks soon enough.

"But I..." tears welled up in Sayaka's eyes, the translucent liquid dripping down her cheeks, "I can't even save my best friend! Why? Why can't I do anything?!" The bluenette's soul gem had grown almost entirely black, the grief and despair gathering inside her evident in her words as well as the tears which streamed down her face. The search lights centered on both of them, more round objects rolling about them in a scattered manner. Sayaka laid down on top of her friend, her arms wrapping around her protectively to shield her from the explosion with her own body, to give Madoka one last chance at life. If she could do that much, then it would be worth it... All the pain and all the suffering would be worth it.
 
Madoka watched on in shock as Sayaka broke down. What could she say? How was she supposed to answer that question? It was just who she was, how she had been raised, and she could barely comprehend how she'd be otherwise. But to see her friend in such a state, it brought her down as well, and she frowned sadly as she ignored how her clothes were stained by the falling liquid.

"S-Sayaka-chan," she muttered as the girl berated herself. "Your soul gem...." She tried to draw attention to the near black jewel that was visible to her, but was taken by surprise as Sayaka lowered herself again, acting as a protective shield from the bright glare of the spotlights and the incoming explosions. "Please...Sayaka-chan," she said, her own sadness infused tears falling freely. "Don't. Don't do this." She couldn't say more, and braced herself for the seemingly inevitable, eyes closing tight.

But the inevitable never came, as abruptly, all the explosives prematurely detonated before they could reach the duo, earning a confused look from Madoka as she started and looked about. Then the Witch would find itself on the receiving end of a barrage of explosions and anti-tank fire that would rip into it with a vengeance, searchlights shattering simultaneously at the same time. It was a devastating onslaught, conducted with cold fury, and the reason would quickly become apparent as a raven hair figure appeared with a buckler on her arm, facing the Witch, or what was left of it.

"Homura-chan," Madoka cried in relief, as one of the girl's spare Grief Seeds rolled up next to Sayaka in the meanwhile, with the indication being that she should use it. And if she didn't, well, Madoka would grab it and do the job for her. She wasn't about to let her friend die like this.
 
Sayaka braced herself, her body tensing, but the end never came. Instead the explosions detonated prematurely, with nothing but heat and the smell of scorched tiles reaching them. Had the witch missed? Her eyes weakly opened, her unfocused gaze looking in the direction of the witch's pained screams in the distance accompanied by flashes of light as the raven-haired magical girl unleashed her fury. Homura? Why was Homura, Kyoko's head of investigation here?

A distinct pinging sound resounded in the air as a grief seed landed beside her, well within arm's reach. Sayaka reached out, her fingers grasping and drawing it close before placing it against her soul gem. The faint blue shimmer gleamed as the darkness receded, returning it to its former cerulean color. While the weight of death had been lifted from her shoulders, an even greater burden had taken its place. Once again, Sayaka had to face her own helplessness, relying on others to do what needed to be done while her own efforts were in vain. She looked down at her friend and slowly eased herself off of her, her legs folded up under herself calmly as she reached up and brushed a lock of her blue hair back, "I... I'm sorry, Madoka-chan. I almost gave up hope. Perhaps Kyoko is right, I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

The witch flailed about, blinded without its searchlights to illuminate its target while Homura coldly and efficiently beat it down under continuous barrages. Sayaka overlooked the scene briefly, her body healing gradually, before turning back toward her friend, "Are you alright, Madoka-chan?"
 
Madoka watched in relief as Sayaka opened her eyes and grabbed the Grief Seed, the dangerous black in her soul gem fading away to a normal cerulean blue once more, and she let out a sigh of relief as that one immediate danger passed. Explosions and screams echoed in the background as Sayaka got off of her and sat up, Madoka doing the same in turn as she watched her crestfallen friend.

“Maybe,” she ceded quietly, watching the blunette though her gaze was downcast. “Sayaka-chan can be impulsive, reckless. But the smart thing isn't always the right thing, and at the end of the day, as long as you believe in the path you choose, then it's okay.” She shot her friend a smile as she spoke. “Besides, you're so brave and noble and selfless. I'd rather you be that then only care about yourself. Otherwise, Sayaka-chan wouldn't be Sayaka-chan. As long as you save one person...As long as you make a difference in even a small way, it's worth it, isn't it?”

Across the way, Homura was undertaking pest control. Time magic allowed her to strategically place explosives to keep the Witch deaf, dumb, and blind, and fusillades of automatic weapons fire and anti-tank rounds ripped at it, tearing out great gouges that sprayed black liquid. This wasn't a Witch she'd fought before, but she had gotten the gist of it in the short time she had been around to watch, and having taken out it's searchlights, it was an incredibly one sided fight. All that was left was to deal the death blow and end this deranged game, which would be accomplished with an RPG to the face.
 
"Thank you, Madoka-chan," Sayaka gave her friend a genuine smile, reassured by her words, "I'll try my best to remain true to myself to the end. As long as I do that, I can face tomorrow without regrets." She looked down at her hand where she held her soul gem, the blue crystal glinting faintly in the dull light. "I'll become stronger and learn to be a better magical girl," Sayaka declared firmly, "I'll become strong enough to stand on my own to protect those important to me."

The witch let out one last chilling shriek as its head exploded, blood raining down on the three girls as its body slumped lifelessly onto the floor. The witch's barrier flexed and bended, fading away from before their eyes leaving them in the store they had been in not long ago as if nothing at all had transpired. Around them stood a dozen customers and store employees, who looked around in a slightly dazed manner. A dozen, no more, had survived the ordeal. The others must have perished in the barrier, their remains never to be found again. Not far from where Homura stood, the grief seed clinked against the hard wood floor, its point standing it upright. The shape of two interlocking gears appeared on its smooth, black surface.

"Homura-san," Sayaka stood up, approaching the raven-haired magical girl, "Thank you... I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have gotten out of there alive without you." Granted, Sayaka had never really carried much of a conversation with the mysterious reclusive Homura before then, so her awkwardness was a bit understandable. Still, she felt like she owed it to her to offer her thanks even if Homura simply ignored her and walked off ominously.
 
Madoka practically beamed, glad to see that Sayaka's confidence had been restored, and her soul gem glowed blue as she vowed to get stronger and fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. She nodded in affirmation, sharing the renewed positive emotions, and that Sayaka was not in danger of giving up hope, for herself or others, anymore.

With an explosion, the Witch died, black liquid showering them as the creature collapsed and faded away, leaving only the store as it had been before this whole incident, a dozen or so employees left. Madoka looked around, obviously distraught by the thought of those who hadn't survived, while Homura glanced at them from the corner of her eye indifferently, more fixed on the prize, the Grief Seed that stood upright on the floor.

Noting Sayaka's approach and thanks, Homura kept a neutral expression, much as she might want to rage at the blunette. But she knew, even if she did, it wouldn't change anything, and would only alienate Madoka to her. "I know," she replied simply to the statement that the two of them probably wouldn't have survived. "I didn't do it for you." Her head shifted to look at Madoka, who returned it with confusion, before she stepped forward, bending down to pick up the grief seed before tossing it to Sayaka with a smooth motion, apparently not needing it herself.

She then turned to face the duo, expression neutral, as it always was. "Tell me Sayaka Miki," she asked "What were you expecting your sacrifice to accomplish? Madoka would have perished after your death, thus rendering your actions pointless. So why did you persist in putting her life in jeopardy, rather than leading her out of the Witches barrier?" There was a sharp undertone to her voice, the very situation one she did not enjoy. It was lucky that she had been on patrol and sensed the clash of magic, or else it could have ended badly, and she would have had to reset everything. Again.
 
"Eh?" Sayaka blinked, surprised that Homura even spoke to her, let alone the implications of her words. Her eyes followed the grief seed as Homura tossed it to her, holding her hands out to catch it. The seed dropped into them as she stumbled forward to catch her balance. Where had this thing even come from? Surely it hadn't simply sat unnoticed in the shop for very long... She did not have much opportunity to ponder this question as Homura shoved a pointed question into her face.

"I... I got cocky," Sayaka admitted, "I thought I could take the witch on myself and protect everyone. But I was wrong, and by the time I realized my mistake I didn't have enough energy left to lead Madoka-chan out. I know it was stupid and foolish, but what about you?" The blue-haired magical girl pointed at her accusingly, "You were watching the fight the entire time, weren't you? Why did you hesitate to help me take down the witch until Madoka's life was in danger? Aren't we on the same side, Homura-san?"
 
Homura stood where she was, waiting for an answer to her question, when she had some idea of what it was already. It might be another timeline, but Sayaka never changed. Still idealistic, still delusional, still thinking this was some fairy tale or manga, where good always prevailed. And it was that misplaced belief that always doomed her in the end, either to die, or to become a witch, the latter resulting in...collateral damage, to put none too fine a term on it.

Still, she was slightly surprised, though it didn't show, as Sayaka admitted that she got cocky, and paid for it. Now, the blunette being willing to say that she was wrong was an unusual event to say the least, and it rekindled some hope in Homura that there might still be a chance for her yet, if things could be played out correctly. She still had her faith in humanity, still wasn't heartbroken over her inability to be with Kyosuke (as far as she could tell), and as long as she could be kept from knowing the truth about Witches (Her and Mami), then everything was on track to have her alive in time for the end.

Of course, Sayaka couldn't help but ask her own accusatory, pesky question, and Homura watched, batting nary an eyelash. This, she was used to, and she had an answer ready. "I wanted to see how well you fought," she replied smoothly, in that same dull monotone. "You would not have accepted my help even if I had offered it, and had you wanted help you would have attempted to contact any other magical girls in the area. Since you didn't, I decided it was better to wait and see what happened, until events forced me to intervene." She flipped loose hair over her left shoulder, having laid out a perfectly rational argument that she expected Sayaka would completely brush aside or disregard, like she had a habit of doing most times.
 
"Forced you to intervene?" Sayaka repeated, her hands tightening into fists, "I must have heard you wrong, Homura-san. You spend all your time keeping tabs on other magical girls, don't you? What in the world would force you to intervene? Aren't you a magical girl the same as me? I might be weak, but I know what I am fighting for." The blue-haired magical girl reached out and took Madoka's hand in hers, "Come on, Madoka-chan... I'll walk you home today. We don't need to listen to her nonsense, right?"

Without waiting any longer, Sayaka headed to the store's exit, leaving behind the pair of bracelets she had found before the witch's barrier had formed around them. A forgotten opportunity, path not taken, remained in the store while Sayaka's own mind swirled with the events which had just transpired. She had failed to protect her friend and those inside the store, but at the same time she had gained a new outlook, a changed prospective on her own life. There were many things in the world that she could not handle on her own, things that her own strength proved insufficient to handle. But she'd become stronger and learn more about this world she felt determined to protect...

Yet, the greatest obstacle of all remained hidden from sight, obscured through ignorance and her own self-delusions concerning the universe she found herself in. Sayaka, however, was not the only one whose fragile mental state hung in the balance, supported only through vain hopes and cherished dreams.

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Mami rested her head down on the desk, her blonde curls brushing against the stacks of paperwork piled high on either side of her. The time for her own routine patrol drew close, but already her eyes grew heavy from fatigue. This hardly came as a surprise, however, as the magical girl reserved little time in her schedule for rest. She had divided most of her time between filing through paperwork, performing her duties as a magical girl, overseeing the administrative staff, and working alongside Kyoko. Little time remained for such luxuries as sleep.

She yawned, stretching her arms up over her head, "I wonder if Kyoko-san is enjoying her afternoon at the arcade..." Kyoko, the closest person she had to a friend in the entire world, was probably having the time of her life beating the snot out of the highest-difficulty games she could find. A slight curve slid across Mami's lips as she looked about the room, shelves lining each wall of her personal study. The loneliness of her situation only became more clear at moments such as this, the only audible sound being her own soft breath and the turning of the pages between her fingers. She slid her seat back, setting her hat back onto her head before stepping around the desk toward the door, "I think I've done enough for today... I should get some fresh air, ne?" Mami spoke to nobody in particular. There wasn't anyone to talk to, anyway.
 
Aaand, just like that, all the respect that had been previously restored towards Sayaka vanished as the girl focused on the unimportant part of her statement, rather than the bit where she pointed out that offering her help wouldn't have mattered, since the blunette would have rejected it. But that shouldn't have been much of a surprise. They never got along in whatever timeline they were in, it seemed, so their quick return to one sided antagonism was to be expected.

"E-Eh? Sayaka-chan," Madoka cried as her friend grabbed her arm and pulled her along, looking back over her shoulder at Homura, who made no effort to follow them as they left the store. What had that been about? Homura had only intervened to save her? She wasn't that important, not compared to Sayaka, so why? But that was a question that would not be answered, not yet, not today, and the two of them left the store to head back to Madoka's house.

Unconcerned, Homura watched them go, before letting the door swing shut and turning to leave as well. She wouldn't dwell on this too much, and accepted what had happened here. For now she had to focus, had to do her work with a maximum of efficiency. And a priority among that was finding Oriko and Kirika. She had to confirm that they were magical girls, and that they were working with the Shadow Compact. She wasn't going to fight them just yet, but she needed information.

And there was only one way to get that. So she casually departed, taking her path back to the rooftops.

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It was growing late in the day, sun sinking and painting the sky orange and fiery reds, the time soon to come when Witches would prey and Magical girls would go out on patrol to find and stop them, some from the goodness of their hearts, and some because they had to meet quotas if they wanted to stay where they were. Mami fell into the former category rather than the latter, and probably wouldn't have had to hunt at all if she didn't want to. But that was just how things went. What this night would hold was a mystery, one that would have to be experienced to be revealed.
 
Mami stood atop a telephone pole while overlooking the city as the afternoon lights began to ignite, shining like tiny gems which flickered and danced along the streets, gathering together more closely toward the urban center than toward the outskirts. She held her favorite teacup up before her eyes, resting just below the cityscape as if the city itself was nestled comfortably inside it from her point of view. The world before her remained within her care and protection, with thousands of individuals reliant upon her judgement. Even so, it did nothing to dispel the emptiness inside her, that gaping expanse which refused to be satisfied. She let out a soft breath before storing the cup away once again.

Mami jumped, flipping once in midair before landing lightly upon the empty street far below. Her footsteps slowly traversed the road, a flickering street lamp casting an uneasy light upon her chosen path, making her way toward the older part of town. In Mami's experience, witches tended to gravitate toward areas which drew strong emotions, preying upon the unfortunate persons who passed by. The hunters became the hunted when magical girls became involved, however, inverting the usual order.

Despite being significantly more popular within the general populace than Kyoko, Mami felt little genuine fondness from the people she endlessly toiled to benefit and protect. Sure, she was far more likable and approachable than Kyoko by comparison and received a more favorable approval rating as a result from the general population, but none of them made any effort to get to know her as a person, as an individual rather than an icon of authority and protection from both internal and external forces. Was it so wrong to desire even one person to actually care about her? Had she been bound by fate to search endlessly for someone who would care for her well being? She was not searching for romance, per se, as even a genuine friendship with someone who could understand her would have gone a long way toward satisfying the gripping loneliness which stabbed at her tender heart.
 
Some distance away from where Mami was, another magical girl was starting her patrol as well. Miyako Komatsu looked around somewhat nervously as she walked down the city streets, clad in a black cloak that covered her magical girl uniform, that black and varying shades of grey as well, designed around ease of movement rather than flashy theatrics. Which meant that she had no dress to go with it, but rather more of a minimalist design.

This was her first time going alone on patrol, and she nervously clutched her throwing knives as she moved along with her hood drawn up to hide her face. Most of the time she was with her sister, who was also a magical girl, but she was busy with other things, and so Miyako was forced to patrol by herself, in order to meet the quota of Grief Seeds that was instituted upon both of them. She held her grey soul gem in her other hand, checking it occasionally as she moved towards the nearest detected Witches barrier, anxious about doing this without her older, more experienced sibling, but if she was to be successful in the end, she knew she would have to learn to fight for herself.

So, she moved through one of the older sections of the city. Perhaps not the wisest choice with how strong the Witches could be here, but if she tried to wander then she risked being attacked by some other territorial magical girl, and she wanted to avoid that if possible. Which left her to angle in on the nearest Witch, whose barrier sat in an alleyway behind a closed theater. Arriving in front of it, she took a deep breath to steel herself before focusing her energy, and stepping inside the Barrier to whatever awaited.
 
The alleyway behind the abandoned theater possessed a unique sensation of gloom, as the place where dreams were said to be born now lay lifeless and empty. A thin stream of moonlight, barrowed brilliance from its daytime counterpart, stretched out across the soundless street. The edge of the barrier lay just beyond... As soon as Miyako stepped through, the world around her faded, instead replaced with the distinct smell of sweet frosting and lit birthday candles.

The interior of this particular witch's barrier seemed to be made up almost entirely of sweets and junk food of all kinds, from doughnuts the size of cars to cakes larger than sports stadiums. The various sweets were piled up in a rather haphazard manner, some practically melting into their neighbors, forming a cityscape-like landscape within the barrier. Among them wandered strange mice-like familiars which wore nurse hats, searching somewhat aimlessly for something that they never seemed to be able to find and were no closer to finding than when they started. Not far from where the magical girl stood was a pair of doors: one one pink, while the other one was red.
 
Stepping through the barrier, Miyako was alert for danger, though she was graced with the sweet smell of frosting and birthday candles, unusual and not all that unpleasant in the process. Looking around, it was like a candy store made for children, all sorts of foods and treats, with the traditional Witches twist. A cityscape seemed to be form of merged candy, amongst which waddled mouse type familiars, searching for something or other.

Looking about nervously, she sprang ahead, racing past familiars in a blur to the two doors. Fortunately her magic made her faster than normal, and wrapped in her cloak as she was, she could even mask her magical signature from whatever witch was inside this barrier. That would make things a lot easier. Stopped now, she looked between her two options, before going for the pink door, figuring that it more suited the theme, and that would lead her further in to the witch. Opening it, she stepped through, clutching her throwing knives and ready for whatever would come.
 
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