Emiria sat down tiredly, at the steps of a building. She was too tired to care about the battle going on. She had to defend herself.

Homura flew through the air, her eyes locked onto the fast moving figure of Walpurgisnacht. The witch laughed as she floated around, breathing fire and sending large, gusting winds about.

Homura could see a large building next the witch. It's flat roof was an ideal place to set off shots. Reaching for her shield, she twisted it, hearing it click into place, as everything froze.

She sped up, leaping from building to building to catch up to the witch, to final land on that building. Flinging out an arm, she made pistols and various firearms appear along the length of the building. Running along each of them, she stabbed a button on each one, setting them off, making them fire a bullet into mid-air.

As she reached the end of the row, she reached for her shield, pausing, before letting it twist back, as time continued.

The bullets shot through the air at Walpurgisnacht, shooting into the dark blue skirts of the circus witch.

Walpurgisnacht laughed, despite the bullets knocking her backwards through the air. She roared more fire into the air, as she crashed into a tall building. The building smashed, its tall figure falling over. To land on the evacuation centre.

Homura's eyes widened as she realised this, and immediately reached for her shield. Time stopped, and the building hovered in mid-air, a second away from falling onto the evacuation centre.

Homura immediately began running, a gun appearing in her hands, as she landed on the evacuation centre roof. She would have to blow the building apart.

Letting out her magic, she made detonators appear with the building. Firing more shots for extra safety, Homura held her breath, letting the shield twist back, to let time continue.

The bombs set off immediately within the building, and the building exploded, larger fragments flying outwards, as the smaller pieces pattered against the centre's roof.

Homura could hear some faint cries rising up from the centre below her, as the people inside heard the commotion. She hoped Madoka was okay. Now she had to turn her attention back on the witch.

"Madoka," Kyubey called. "Do you still want to contract?" Madoka sat up.

"Of course," she replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm outside," the voice in her head replied. Madoka stood up.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she told her expectant family. Junko seemed to frown.

"Don't take too long," she replied, studying her daughter carefully. Madoka smiled at her.

"I won't," she promised. Turning around, she headed out, heading for the bathroom. As soon as she checked her family weren't looking, she headed for the exit.

As she reached the outside of the centre, she looked through the glass walls, at the grey, cloudy landscape, as the wind howled and trees swayed.

Kyubey stood at the entrance of the centre.

"Walpurgisnacht is too strong," he informed her. "You have to hurry up and contract."

"Arghhh!" Miku shouted in pain, as the winds knocked her against a building, knocking the air out of her. She felt herself begin to fall, speeding up, as the building itself began to fall on her, it's large shadow looming over her.

I'm doomed, she thought, bracing herself for the end.

Yuuki reached the top of a building, getting closer to the witch. Bracing herself, she leapt up, bringing her scythe up to strike the witch.

Walpurgisnacht's grinning mouth mocked at her, as she flew in on the witch. As she struck down, the witch's mouth opened, a rainbow hued flare of fire coming out. Yuuki gasped, trying to dodge it, but she was too late.

The flames seared the magical girl, sending her tumbling to the ground, landing with a crash, a wide spreading dent forming where she landed. Her scythe clattered to the ground, before vanishing in a cloud of sparkles.

"Who's that?" Kirika asked, seeing a figure fall from the sky. "Is that one of the other magical girls?" Oriko didn't reply, her eyes focused on Walpurgisnacht.

"Concentrate," she reminded the other girl. "As soon as she passes through this route, we strike." Kirika nodded, her teeth set in determination.

"Now," Oriko ordered, flying forward, blue and silver orbs at her fingertips, as she threw them at the large witch. Kirika leapt forward, slashing at the witch. She made contact, even tore the witch's conical-like hats, but the witch showed nothing, only turning to face the slashing magical girl, before sending furious gusts in her way, knocking Kirika out of the air.

"Kirika!" Oriko cried, seeing her friend fall to the ground. Diving after her without a thought, she landed next to the magical girl.

Kirika winced, from where she lay on the ground. Cracks has formed in the pavement from where she landed, and her red soul gem darkened dangerously. It was completely black, except for an occasional flutter of red.

"Oriko," Kirika whispered, looking up at the older magical girl sadly. "Sorry." Her fighting outfit disappeared, and her soul gem appeared in the palm of her hand. Raising it before Oriko could protest, she brought it down hard on the pavement.

The smashing sound was all that filled Oriko's head, as she stared numbly at Kirika's still body.

"Kirika," she whispered, shaking the body gently. "Why did you do this? Wh-" Giggling paused her speech, and Oriko looked up, to see the purple minions appear once again. They flew in on Oriko, and Oriko began casting her silver orbs at them. She hurled them with deadly accuracy, driven by grief and anger.

The purple minions exploded, vanishing, and when they finally stopped, Oriko stared down at her soul gem.

What had used to be a bright blue orb sparkling with hope was now the very picture of despair. The soul gem was a dull, miserable oval, a crack forming in it, as the last of Oriko's sanity disappeared. She let herself transform, let herself just disappear from the world. She could see Kirika in the next world. She was sure of it.