Utilizing our Soul Gems, we retraced our steps back to the train station where Sayaka's Mermaid Witch was stationed. The familiar aura of magic came closer and closer which each step. Kyoko-san decided to fill the silence with talking about Homura's deal to us. "A few days from now, 'Walpurgisnacht' is coming to this town," she explained.

"Walpurgis...?" Madoka trailed, as the name wasn't familiar to her at all.

"It's this insanely huge and powerful Witch," she added. "Probably neither of us could beat it alone. That's why we teamed up with Homura. That's basically how it is."

We stopped just outside the labyrinth opening. "This is it," I nodded, glancing down at my Soul Gem.

"Are you sure it's really Sayaka?" Madoka asked. "And not some other Witch?"

"The magic patterns are the same as yesterday," I said. "No doubt about it, it's her, all right."

I glanced up at the wall and there was a purple heart painted outside the labyrinth, reading "Love Me Do" with a kissy face kaomoji below it. I shook my head. Further proof Sayaka was no longer really Sayaka anymore. "Okay, let me ask you again," Kyoko-san turned back to Madoka as we transformed into our Magical Girl forms. "You sure you're ready for this?"

"I've gotten kinda used to this, actually," Madoka nodded with confirmation. "Although...all I ever do is trail behind the others. I've never gotten to help at all...but please, take me along."

"You really are a strange one, aren't you?" Kyoko-san raised a brow as we stepped into the labyrinth.

We walked down a long, dark corridor that seemed endless. In the background, some sort of orchestra made up of only violins played and got louder with every step. The only thing that lit the path were the mirrors lining the wall that played Sayaka's memories all throughout her life, as if her autobiography was on full display for us. "Hey, Kyoko? Rei?" Madoka asked us and we walked down the narrow corridor. "Since I've always made others do the fighting and never tried to do it myself...I guess I'm a coward, huh?"

"Why would you ever become a Magical Girl?" Kyoko-san snapped, as if she was triggered by the question. Which, I don't blame. For us, we went through a and time and it's not a light subject we like to talk about, unlike Mami.

"'Why...?'"

"Don't underestimate it-its not just any job anyone can do. If you get to eat good food every day and live a happy life with your family...why would you give it all up to become a Magical Girl on some stupid whim? I'd never allow it to happen. I'll pound your face in first. I mean, putting your life in danger...only people who've got no other choice should do that. Anyone else is just sticking their nose in it is just paying around. But maybe a time will come...when you'll have no choice but risk your life and fight. You should wait for that time to come and think about it."

"Okay. Say, Kyoko, Rei, why did both of you--"

The whole labyrinth began to rumble, as if a earthquake was happening. We leaned back slightly to remain balanced on the ground. "She knows we're here!" I shouted. "She's coming!"

We ran ahead in the corridor and a doorway of light appeared. We ran straight into it and arrived at the core of the labyrinth. There, train tracks circled the walls and violins blared in the background. Blue, shadowy silhouettes of violinists playing and a conductor leading them were on one side. Sayaka's Mermaid Witch lead them all, swaying back in forth and waving her cutlass violin bow like a baton. Words appeared, reading Oktavia von Seckendorff. "Ready?" I asked Madoka. "Do it just like as we planned."

Madoka took a step forward, her thin legs quivering being so up and close at Oktavia von Seckendorff, especially that it used to be her best friend. "Sayaka!" Madoka yelled as loud and confidentially as she could. The shadow of the conductor was completely on her, like a looming giant. "It's me, Madoka! Can you hear me? Can you recognize my voice?"

"Keep calling to her!" I encouraged, her. Kyoko-san put her hands together and summoned up a red diamond chain barrier between us and Oktavia von Seckendorff and Madoka so we could protect Madoka and she can keep shouting at her.

"Sayaka, stop!" Madoka begged. "Please, remember! I know you never wanted to hurt anyone, Sayaka! You always wanted to fight for justice, didn't you? Please, Sayaka, go back to your old self!"

Kyoko-san lifted her spear and blocked Oktavia von Seckendorff incoming fist. "There should be a limit to how stubborn you can be...Sayaka!" She grunted.

Using Kyoko-san's distraction to her as an advantage, she raised her cutlass violin bow up and the same wheels she pelted down at us yesterday were all sent at me in a swarm. I clasped my hands together and then spread them, summoning up a shield to protect myself from the wheels. Unfortunately, the shield wasn't enough and the wheels broke through the shields as the butterflies flew away as they struck me. I could feel the splinters digging into my skin through the thin dress from exploding like bombs. Kyoko-san, as she blocked Oktavia von Seckendorff incoming physical attacks, and Madoka looked at me in horror. "REI!!!" They screamed.

As the smoke cleared, my knees trembled to keep standing as the burning sensation of having huge objects thrown at me went all over my body. I crouched, my bladed fans underneath the palms of my hands. "I-I'm fine," I stammered. "I'm not even breaking a sweat yet." Kyoko-san dropped what she was doing and ran up to me. "Both of you...go back to fighting Kyoko-san...I'll be back into the field in no time...and you just keep calling out to her."

Once I was stable on my feet, I positioned my fans in my hands and began to fight alongside Kyoko-san. Madoka continued to beg, now on her knees outside the fence. "Stop, Sayaka!" She cried. "Please recognize us!"

As she rolled giant wheels at us, we jumped to dodge them, but some struck us and exploded into splinters. "Oh...I get it," Kyoko-san chuckled painfully. "This is payback, isn't it? How funny...the three of us started off trying to kill each other, didn't we? I thought you'd be a wuss. But no matter how many times we beat you up, you kept standing back up. Is it too hard to let go right now? I get it. But once you had enough, come back, okay?"

Once the wheels stopped rolling, Oktavia von Seckendorff swooped down and grabbed Madoka, holding her up and clutching her tightly, squeezing the air out of her. "Sayaka...p-please..." Madoka mumbled, turning blue as she fainted due to lack of oxygen.

"Sayaka!" Kyoko-san shouted as she slashed her spear at the hand clutching Madoka. Blue blood exploded and gushed out like a waterfall as the amputated hand still holding onto Madoka fell to the ground. "Didn't you tell me you believed? That you could use this power to make people happy?"

Ignoring Kyoko-san's words entirely, she brought down her cutlass violin bow onto Kyoko-san, crushing her underneath. "KYOKO-SAN!!!" I shrieked as the floor beneath us cracked and gave out and we fell to the floor beneath the one we were on.

I began to pray. God, even though I never believed you ever existed, please, spare me and Kyoko-san of this cruel nightmare we are on and give us a happy dream. Please!

I fell to the ground, landing on my face. My chest and stomach area began to burn from falling several feet down. I felt like I broke my ribs from the fall. Kyoko-san's spear landed not far away from me and she landed on her arm, gritting her teeth upon contact. Homura floated down, cradling Madoka in her arms as she landed gracefully on one foot and knee. I tried to get up, but the everlasting burning pain on my ribs made me fall back down. Kyoko-san struggled but managed to get on one knee. "Hey...take care of her for me," I asked Homura as I too was struggling even more to get on my knee. "I was an idiot for dragging her into this. You said you wouldn't fight when weighed down with a burden, right? That's fine..."

I fell from not being able to stand up because of pain and Kyoko-san helped me up. She had a fresh cut in her cheeks and parts of her dress were ripped and blood seeped from those open spots. "You've gotta focus...on the one thing that means most to you, and protect it to the end," she mumbled.

"It's funny," I laughed painfully, balancing in Kyoko-san's arms. "All this time...that's what I thought I was doing."

Kyoko-san sat my down so I was on my knees and she stood back up. She pulled the black ribbon that held her hair up in her ponytail out and her Soul Gem, in its Magical Girl form, came out. She knelt down, praying as a soft pale blue fire formed on her body. "Go," she ordered. "I'll take care of them both."

She got up and walked over to where I was, crouching down so she was at my level. "Kyoko..." I mumbled painfully, gripping my ribs. "Please...wait up a minute longer...I'll be up in a moment."

Her eyes widened and she smiled, a genuine one. One I haven't seen in a very, very long time. "That's the first time you've ever called me without honorifics," she laughed as she hugged me. "It's so sad..." she began to shake, and sounded like she was going to cry.

"Kyoko...?" I whispered back tiredly.

"It's so sad...that the first time I've ever heard you call out to me like that is the moment I'm about to leave," she cried as she pulled back, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Rei."

She kissed my forehead and stood up and walked to the center, clasping her hands again and making the soft blue fire burn more brightly and fiercely around her. "Don't worry, Sayaka," she assured. "I know you don't want to be alone. It's okay. I'll be here with you...Sayaka. But understand the sacrifice I'm making to my dearest friend. My closest friend. My only friend. My best friend." She summoned up multiple giant spears and rode on one of them. She looked down at me sadly one last time. "Rei...I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

"Kyoko...?" I asked her. "What are you doing...?" I struggled to my feet as I shielded my eyes to see what she was doing. She opened her hands and pulled out her Soul Gem and kissing it before throwing it into the air.

She summoned her spear and stabbed the Soul Gem, shattering it into millions of pieces. An explosion of red swallowed Oktavia von Seckendorff as she screeched, swallowed up in red. I cried out and covered my eyes, shielding them before they got blinded.

When I uncovered my eyes, the labyrinth was gone. Oktavia von Seckendorff was no longer in sight. But...neither was Kyoko. "Kyoko...?" I called out for her, stepping forward, ignoring the pain screaming all over my body. "Kyoko, where are you? You did it! You..."

I stepped on something and I looked down, lifting my foot up. I recognized it as Kyoko's pendent she wore in her hair, the Magical Girl form of her Soul Gem. Beside it was a Grief Seed. When I picked it up, the emblem was an oval. My eyes widened when I realized what Kyoko had done. She sacrificed herself and used the explosion of her Soul Gem to wipe out Sayaka. Tears welled out as I fell down on hands and knees, crying. "WHY KYOKO?!" I screamed, crying. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

I stoped screaming, pupils dilating, tears still falling when more pieces fell into place. No...it wasn't her fault. It...it was mine. It was idea to take on Sayaka with Madoka. Because I couldn't multitask of protecting Madoka, talking sense into Sayaka, and slaying her and ended up getting hurt, Kyoko was forced to sacrifice herself and use the power from it to slay Sayaka and protect me, which should be the opposite, because I wished for the power to do so and couldn't carry it out.

"What have I done...?" I whispered harshly, tears falling beside my hands. "It's all my fault..."