Mami Said Knock You Out, a Yuma Quest (PMMM)

So, I don't think this technically counts as an omake because it doesn't involve Kyouko or Yuma or the gang, but this whole idea of Magical GIrl teams crumbling and dissolving kind of... stuck with me. So here's a thing. Sorry, it's long.
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Run. Run. Run. Celeste St. Clair was running as fucking fast as she possibly could. The teenage girl bolted down the darkened alleyways that litter San Diego. This late at night that shit was typically incredibly dangerous, but she didn't care. Nothing she ran into could be more terrifying than what she had just fucking seen; and besides, she assumed that rapists didn't have shit on her now anyway.

Typically Celeste would be thinking about a lot of things. About how her mother was going to punish her for breaking curfew. How she probably would, at this rate, be too exhausted to wake up on time and be late for school. Again. How fucking weird it must look to see a girl in a frilly getup running around with a scythe in hand. She didn't care about any of that bullcrap right now, though. She cared about running. Getting home. Being safe.

She knew it wasn't Kyubey's fault, but she blamed that bunnycat bastard anyway. When they'd told her about fighting witches being part of the deal, Clair had just taken it as a given that they would be like the ones she saw in anime. Some of them could be weird or even a little creepy, sure, but... nothing like this. Absolutely nothing like this.

She'd honestly assumed her first fight would be a piece of cake. I mean, how hard could it be, right? She certainly hadn't expected... that. That thing. That monstrosity that seemed to defy Euclidean geometry and gravity at the same fucking time. And then it charged. It and those weird... little things. Things that looked like stencils and pencils at the same time, their forms seeming to change on whim. And that just make the whole scene in creepier. And they were coming at her. And just getting closer and closer and closer and clos-

So what could she do? She bolted. Scrammed. Took off. Whatever dismissive word or turn of phrase you want to use. As she ran, a tiny little voice in the back of her head berated her. Called her a coward. Told her that she didn't even try. And if she wasn't going to try, there was no way she'd get her wish. There was no way he'd come back...

And then there was a sudden bang, as two bodies crashed against each other. Celeste blinked, getting herself resituated, and then squinted her eyes, getting used to the lighting in this particular alleyway, provided by a street lamp. She had to admit the girl was cute, in her own way. She was pretty tall, taller than Celeste- though pretty much everyone was taller than Celeste at 5'4"- with blonde hair that almost shined in the artificial lighting. But what was most charming (almost enchanting) about her was her brown eyes that twinkled playfully in the light. Almost like diamonds. But there was something else concealed in her gaze, Celeste knew. Something she couldn't quite pin down.

She had a sword in hand- the steel reflecting instead of twinkling but shining true. In some ways, this girl reminded Celeste of a knight. Someone whose duty was to protect the defenseless, and give safety to those whom lacked it. So exactly the opposite of her, it turned out.

Celeste then jumped back when there was suddenly a hand being waved in her face. "Helloooo~" the other girl said, her voice bright and chipper, her tone playful. "Come on, snap out of it, MG buddy!" Celeste blinked for a second, but then blinked in confusion. "M...G... Buddy?" She asked, her voice soft and measured. The swordswoman merely nodded enthusiastically. "You know? MG? Magical Girl? C'mon, keep up!" All Celeste could do was give the other girl a weak nod. "Okay, that's settled! You want to hunt that Witch right? It's probably better if we team up, just in case. I'm not sure why you're running this way though? I sensed the witch in the opposite direction." Her voice rose in pitch slightly to emphasize her confusion.

Celeste didn't know what to say. The girl had been so nice to her. Should she just... openly admit that she was a coward? That she ran away? That she wasn't cut out for this? that that that that-

The other girl shook her head. "Oh well, I'm sure you just got mixed up. My name is Maria, by the way! Now, come on, let's go hunt together. It's a little risky, but I've found that two heads, or bodies, or pointy things, are much better than one!" She then dashed off, far faster than your average human could ever manage.

Celeste paused for a moment. She was still scared... terrified even. She never wanted to see that abomination of nature (or magic, she guessed) ever again. Then she remembered the sparkle in Maria's eyes. The shimmer of her sword. How almost.... hopeful she seemed, that she'd have somebody to fight alongside. How she would be abandoning the only person that had shown a glimmer of compassion to her since this whole mess had started.

It took a coward to run away from a witch. It took a monster to betray someone... that genuinely seemed to want to be your friend.

Celeste was a lot of things, but she was no monster.

She ran after Maria as fast as she could.
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A couple days passed. They were largely uneventful, though Celeste was merely grateful for that. Maria wanted to go on more "witch hunts" but Celeste managed to talk her out of it. While Celeste's first real fight didn't go badly with Maria there to provide backup, she still got her arm pulled out of its socket, and had to rapidly heal it so that her mother wouldn't ask prying questions, and given her meager experience (and skill, according to Kyubey), it had proven rather taxing. She didn't want to risk that again.

So instead, the two just chilled. The day after they met Maria and Celeste met up and fed the birds at the park, idly chatting about nothing. Hobbies, any friends they had, how school was going. Celeste noticed that Maria seemed far more interested in learning about Celeste than she was in letting Celeste learn about her, but she let it slide. Everyone had a right to privacy. So the conversations stayed limited and casual, basically conversations friends had every day.

And it was at the end of the second day that it hit her, as she absentmindedly worked on homework in her room. They were... friends. She actually had a friend. Someone kind and supportive and always willing to hear her out. Someone willing to accommodate her and lend her a hand, and pick her up whenever she stumbled. Celeste had little experience with that kind of thing... but it felt nice. She thought about how her heart warmed whenever Maria smiled at her. She thought about how strong it made her feel that Maria always had her back.

Celeste didn't remember the last time she'd felt like that... or any time she'd felt like that, really. The feeling was strange and alien- she thought she got along with kids in Elementary school... but it never really extended beyond "getting along". There were no real connections... and there never had been for Celeste. She wasn't sure why, maybe there truly was no reason, but nobody seemed to think that she fit into their clique in middle school or the beginnings of high school. So she continually was on the periphery- never quite bullied, but never quite acknowledged either. Always sitting at an empty table, watching the popular kids chatter. It was a small comfort that she wasn't picked on.. but sometimes she found it hard to care.

So just the idea of this supportive, sweet, beautiful girl always having her back gave her a sudden jolt of adrenaline. She couldn't sit still. She needed to do something, and calling Maria and talking about all her feelings felt... embarassing for some reason. They felt private. They felt like they were uniquely her's, and while she wanted to share them... she wouldn't just yet. It was a bit silly, but if Maria didn't consider them to be friends, hopefully she would in time anyway. And Celeste would let her actions speak louder than mere words.

Figuring out trig was now the least of her concerns, as she stood up and paced around the room. It did little to help. She needed to do something. Let out some steam. Truly feel like she was doing something worth doing. And with that, she said something to her mother- she wasn't really paying attention to what- and ran out of the house. She thought about calling her... her friend, but decided to not bother her. Not right now.

Besides, at the moment? She felt like she could kill a million fucking Witches all by herself.
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It was five days in when things got personal.

"So... you know... what did you wish for?" Maria asked. The two of them were in the arcade, Celeste trying her hand at the fighting game that they'd just put in. The question made Celeste's head dart toward her fellow magical girl, allowing the opponent to do a number on her health bar. For a moment, Celeste was unable to find the right words. But she decided that Maria deserved honesty. They were friends, right? She took a deep breath.

"For my dad to come back." Celeste admitted slowly, reluctantly. "Our family is hardly the worst around, my mom isn't... abusive or anything, but we're falling apart." A tinge of sadness crept into her voice, and Maria moved her hand to grasp Celeste's, but Celeste jerked it away. "No, don't worry, I don't need your sympathy. It's fine. I'm... fine." She closed her eyes. "My Dad left a couple years ago. It's not like he even fucking said why. Just... vanished. The police couldn't even figure out if he's still fucking alive or not." She paused. "You know? Maybe that's why the rat bastard hasn't granted my wish. Because... because he can't." Celeste wiped at her eyes rapidly, despite the fact that no tears had yet to fall. She struggled to get the rest of what she wanted to say out. "I just... I just want a happy family again."

Maria immediately embraced Celeste in a hug. Celeste slowly returned it, and blushed as she thought about how soft and warm Maria's body was, and how comforting the embrace. It felt like a hug from almost anyone else wouldn't have done a damn thing. But Maria's... felt different somehow. She wasn't sure what to think about it.

She cleared her throat and the hug dispersed. Celeste cleared her throat, and tried to change the subject a bit. "And like... yeah. So that's what I wished for. Kyubey or whatever we're supposed to call him said that I was a bit... unusual or something? That I was on the 'upper limit', as he put it. But he said that he could grant my wish anyway. So I... did the deal, as it were." She coughed. "Anyhow, your turn! What did you wish for?" She asked playfully. But Maria's expression morphed. Her bright smile lowered into a thin line, and she said nothing. There was a silence after that; an incredibly awkward one. But then she spoke.

"My mom's business wasn't doing so well. So I wished she could become the businesswoman she always wanted to be." She closed her eyes. "My mom was successful, but... she never came home anymore. She either was pulling an all-nighter or staying at her job until past midnight." Tears began to fall down Maria's cheeks. "My father died in a car accident when I was young, so... I was just at home. Completely alone." She gave a bright smile, but even Celeste could see how ridiculously fake it was. "I ran away around... a year ago now. I was so scared. I needed guidance, compassion, love. And that's when..." She cleared her throat and looked right into Celeste's eyes. Her smile was as fake as ever, but the sparkle in her brown eyes, artificial or not, left the other girl transfixed. Moments passed, but it could have been hours or seconds or days or milliseconds for all Celeste could tell. "But that's a story for another time, I think!" The spell broke and Celeste was about to protest, when she sensed something.

A witch.

A mere look told Celeste that Maria had sensed it too, and the pair dashed out of the arcade, the fighting game having been forgotten long ago. But when they got to the witch side (a deserted alleyway, thank goodness)... they were in for something of a surprise, as they watched the barrier dissolve before their eyes. There were two girls there, one wielding a bow and arrow and one wielding a halberd. The pair looked completely identical- from their hair to their eyes to even their height. There were only three differences; their otherwise identical uniforms were colored white and black, and one gave the other two a soft smile, and the other greeted them with a scrowl. And the girl in black had a golden armband that glittered in the light.

"I didn't think this territory was claimed." The scowling one in black said bitterly. "I suppose we shall have to leave and hunt elsewhere."

The smiling girl in white lightly shook her head, playfully bopping the other girl on the shoulder. "You could at least talk to them first, sis. Maybe we can arrange something, you know?" She then turned to Celeste and Maria. "I'm Jessica Crusoe, and this is my twin Elizabeth. It's a pleasure to meet both of you!" She finished with a completely unneccesary curtsy, and it took all of Celeste's control to not laugh at the sight. Fortunately, Maria took the initiative. "Hiya you two! I'm Maria Rollands. This is my friend Celeste St. Clair." She gave the two one of her dazzling smiles, and Celeste tried to ignore the fact that this was the first time Maria had actually called her her friend. She felt her heart pound slightly faster.

"All these names are... nice." Elizabeth said coolly. "But rather pointless, don't you think? You two have rights to this territory. We should be leaving now."

Elizabeth grabbed her sister's hand and began to drag her along. Celeste... almost thought it was a shame. They were all magical girls, right? Couldn't they at least try to get along? Couldn't they try and arrange something?

And so, she spoke. In a quiet, slightly trembling voice that hardly felt like her own. "Why don't we... team up?" She said. Elizabeth spun around, the motion making her sister go into a light spin. "I mean... there's four of us, right? Any witch we face shouldn't be a problem if we work together." She motioned to Jessica's bow and arrow. "We don't have anyone that can fight ranged like that... it could be really useful, I think?" Hesitancy couldn't help but creep into her sentiment by the time she'd finished. Fortunately, Maria chimed in immediately afterwards. "Yeah!" She agreed. "The more people that work together, the more witches we can kill! And if we pool our grief seeds together, I'm sure there's enough for all of us. This city is huge, after all."

Celeste expected to be shut down. For the two to walk out of her life, never to be seen again. But Jessica nodded her head. "Come on, sis! She has a point, y'know? The more of us the better, and this is pretty good territory." Celeste was surprised a girl as innocent-seeming as Jessica could make such a predatory grin. Appearances could be deceiving, it turned out. Jessica looked up at her sister with the most adorable puppy-dog eyes Celeste had ever seen... and eventually Elizabeth caved. "I want it on record that I think this is a horrible idea." She stated firmly. "But... I can give it a try." Jessica let out a cheer, and Maria just smiled.

Celeste wasn't sure exactly how things were going to go from here-on, but they would... definitely be interesting.
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A couple days passed, as days are wont to do. The terms were agreed upon- the most important one being that they would place the grief seeds in a carefully sealed box. Celeste was determined to be the most trustworthy of the group, and thus it was her duty to place the box in a secure location. Elizabeth insisted that Celeste tell none of them exactly where the box was kept. While she thought it was slightly paranoid... Celeste agreed and kept to her promise, never speaking a word to any of them. Maria proved herself to be something of a social butterfly, flittering between Celeste's house and the hotel that the twins were staying in quite frequently. Celeste tended to give Maria free reign of the house when Celeste visited- Maria had most certainly earned that right at this point.

Regardless, things went really well. The clip at which Celeste managed to kill witches and collect grief seeds rapidly increased with all the help, and she found that soon they had enough that leisure became something that was far from a luxury.

And so it was that the four went back to Celeste's favorite arcade, for their first "Funtime Outing", as Maria called it, as a group. Elizabeth had been slightly grouchy about the prospect, but Jessica agreed almost instantly, and after a small amount of pleading the motion carried. Thus, here they were.

"And thus, here we are." Elizabeth said, echoing Celeste's sentiment. "What exactly are we supposed to do here?" Maria frowned. "Have fun!" Elizabeth tilted her head, her tone almost becoming condescending. "... Have fun? I gathered that, yes." The twin shot back, her voice almost scathing. "But how?"

Celeste decided to take initiative. "There's a bunch of games here, you know?" Her eyes darted around the large room, looking for anything that Elizabeth might enjoy. "There's a racing game over there, I guess." She said tentatively. "I'd play that one with you if you wa-" And before Celeste could even finish her sentence, Elizabeth had rapidly darted to an empty pair of seats, her shoes clicking loudly on the linoleum. Celeste didn't bother to match her pace, instead walking slowly and steadily. "Took you long enough." Elizabeth snapped when Celeste arrived, but the girl could tell Elizabeth's heart wasn't in it, and she just gave a light smile in response. "Ready to play?" She asked.

And the game began. And Elizabeth won. And won again. And won again. And around five more times before Celeste finally gave in. She got out of the seat and did some rudimentary stretches before turning to look at Elizabeth. And see her smile. Not a mocking or cynical one, but a genuine, happy smile. "That was... fun. You were a worthy opponent." She said, clearly trying to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. She was failing pretty hard. Celeste simply gave her a smile in return. "Oh yeah? Well you're way out of my weight class." She shot back. "Given your reaction to coming here, I honestly assumed that you didn't like arcades."

Elizabeth sighed. "It's been a while." She said firmly, clearly indicating that the conversation was over. Celeste wasn't particularly inclined to push her on the matter, but the bracelet Elizabeth was wearing caught her eye. "I've noticed..." Celeste said, slowly, knowing that she was most certainly pushing things to even broach the subject. "That you're always wearing that bracelet. Is it that important to you?" Elizabeth gave her a glare, and Celeste honestly expected her to just walk away. But... she responded. "It was my mother's." She said softly. "There was an... accident. A Witch spawned and..." her voice cracked slightly. Celeste moved toward her- maybe to give her a hug, reassure her that she didn't need to continue, even Celeste wasn't sure- but Elizabeth shook her head. "It's been a while now. A good long while. But I keep it. In her memory." Her tone is sharp and clipped... but more melancholic than hostile. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Regardless, let's see what trouble my sister has gotten into." She stated, and walked away. Celeste said nothing as she followed.

Jessica and Maria were playing DDR together- and unlike Celeste's misadventures with the racing game, it was actually proving a close match, only a handful of points separating the two players. In the end, Jessica ended up victorious by a sliver and jumped across the stage and gave Maria a tight hug- Maria actually seeming to wince in pain. "That was a great match!" Jessica said, her tone radiating enthusiasm. Maria merely smiled back. "It was." She agreed. Something about the way Maria said it... bothered Celeste. But she couldn't quite pin down what it was. There was something alien in her tone that Celeste couldn't quite identify. Regardless, Maria turned toward them with a beaming smile and the oddness was gone. "Did you two have fun?" She asked cheerfully, and surprisingly Elizabeth nodded in the affirmative at the same time Celeste did.

They shifted to fighting games and played makeshift tournaments- Jessica creaming them all every single time- and then it was about time to go. But before Celeste left though, she pulled Jessica away from her sister to try to get an answer to something that niggled at her. "You're... really good at these games." Celeste began, speaking carefully. Jessica just obliviously smiled at her. "Thanks!" She replied. Celeste nearly sighed. Apparently she'd need to be more direct. "Your sister... hasn't been to an arcade for a long time, right?" Jessica hesitantly nodded. "I mean... you two are close. I'd assume that if she hadn't..." Jessica, rather unusually, interrupted. Her tone was sharp. "Sis is Sis, and I am me." She said firmly. Then shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I'll be clearer." Jessica wasn't perky anymore. Her tone wasn't aggressive, per se, but there was a firmness to it that seemed foreign out of Jessica's mouth. "Something happened at an arcade." She began. "Something bad. It's not my place to talk about it. But... I think Sis has been scared to come back. She thinks that it's spitting in the face of somebody's memory." The magical girl then gave Celeste a genuine, but weak, smile. "I don't like to think that way. I think that if something is scary, you should face it head on. Sometimes things can be painful. Like the truth. Like death. But you need to face them anyway, right? And this is my small way of... trying to do that, y'know? I think she'd want that."

Celeste wasn't an idiot. Between what the two sisters had told her, she could at least start to put the puzzle together. But then Jessica continued.

"Sis has a right to be sad. We all do. But I don't think we should let bad things haunt us forever. If we do that, we can't grow. So... you know, thanks. You and Maria too. Coming here... helped her I think. If only a little."

She didn't even allow Celeste to respond, running off immediately afterwards. Celeste decided that... she probably knew enough now. And to never bring up Elizabeth's bracelet again.
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After Celeste got home... she thought some. She thought about how much fun she had. About how much fun she'd been having ever since they became a team. Sometimes Jessica was too perky, sometimes Elizabeth was difficult to deal with, but they all had each other's backs. And that's what was important. And maybe things could get better. Even if not completely, Elizabeth had been willing to open up to her, and Jessica had too. Could they actually not just be teammates, but... friends? It seemed like a genuine option now. She felt a burst of joy, but tried her best to contain it. Just over a week ago, she had no friends. Now she possibly had two and had a... well, she had to think about that one. It felt... strange. How much difference a week made.

Her door opened. Celeste involuntarily flinched, and the flinch deepened when she heard her mom's voice. She was probably going to scold her for something she hadn't done, demand she start on homework she'd already completed, stumble in drunk and declare it was all her-

"... Honey?" Mom's tone was... unusual to say the least. It was soft, and tentative. Celeste didn't remember the last time it sounded like that. "You know... your father and I have been talking." She said, slightly unsteadily. Not from the alcohol, though, but clearly from uncertainty. As though she wasn't sure how Celeste would respond. "He explained everything. And he's been saying he's sorry and... well I thought about it for the last week but... I think he means it." She's still speaking slowly, carefully. "I loved him, you know. I really did. And I still am very, very, angry. But... and I want your genuine opinion on this too, you're a member of this family... I think I want to give him another chance."

Celeste leapt into her mother's arms. "YESYESYESYESYES" she shouted, having lost basically all self-control. Her wish came true! He was coming home! Mom could be Mom again! Everyone could be happy!

Mom gave a weak laugh. "I think I understand your opinion now, darling." She said. And gave one of her rare, genuine smiles. "I'll talk to him about it, and we can see what we can do."

A couple minutes later, after discussing homework and school and who gave a fuck, Celeste just sat at her desk. Dumbstuck.

Miracles were real.
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Then it all fell apart. Two days after their meet-up at the Arcade, Celeste had checked the container for the grief seeds and several were gone. There had been seven unused ones and two partially used. Only three unused ones were left. A fight was inevitable, really.

"You stole them!" Maria spat at Elizabeth, her voice venomous. Elizabeth had looked genuinely taken aback. "I did not." She shot back firmly. "Most probably what happened was a rival magical girl found out about the location of the seeds and..." Maria rolled her eyes. "And... what? They looked into Celeste's window? No wait, that wouldn't work, the box was under the desk for crying out loud!" Maria's tone was ferocious, her words biting. Elizabeth turned into her magical form, most probably on instinct, and Maria reciprocated. Jessica chimed in, trying to keep the peace. "Look, it must be some sort of misunderstanding, okay? Maybe we miscounted? We used some and didn't take it into account or something?" Maria simply rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah like we'd use six seeds and not notice. I know you want to defend your sister, Jessica. I can appreciate that."

Of course, Maria's tone suggested nothing of the sort. If anything, it bordered on condescending. "But facts. Are. Facts." She didn't wait for either of the two girls to respond before continuing. "Elizabeth never liked us! She never cared about any of us but you! She got some seeds for the both of you- it's a miracle she didn't take them all- and planned to bolt. Fortunately, Celeste discovered the theft before she found the opportunity. Where did you put them Elizabeth!?"

Celeste simply... stood there. She'd never seen Maria like this before- so furious, so accusatory, clearly not even interested in the possibility of forgiveness. It was like she was a different person. But... there was something else. Something about this whole conversation was bugging her... but she couldn't quite place what it was. A tiny voice in her head was saying she just didn't want to.

Things devolved from there into a battle. Honesty, Celeste had always assumed that Elizabeth was the best fighter of the group, but Maria clearly blew her out of the water, dispatching her in seconds. While Jessica managed to transform in time, a ranged weapon was hardly useful in this kind of fight, and she was dispatched shortly thereafter. It was so fast that Celeste simply... didn't know how to react. Maria turned, and her bright smile gave Celeste massive emotional whiplash. Something was so wrong.

And then. It clicked. And Jessica's words from a couple days ago went through her head.

I don't like to think that way. I think that if something is scary, you should face it head on.

"Um... Maria?" Celeste said, tentatively. Maria tilted her head, a picture of innocence. Celeste forced herself to continue. "A couple things... don't really make sense, now that I think about it."

"Hm?" Maria said, her voice full of confusion. Clearly feigned confusion.

Sometimes things can be painful. Like the truth.

"Like... I never showed Elizabeth where I kept the grief seeds." Celeste said. It was hard to speak. "Like... she never even would have wanted me to. She was the one that came up with the whole plan, remember?" Maria just shrugged. "She came by your house or something and found them then." A weak shake of the head. "You know we weren't that close. She never came over except for team meetings." And then she pasued. The moment of truth. "But... you did, you know. And... well... I have to ask..." It hurt to talk. "How did you know where the grief seeds were kept? I know I never told you." Maria didn't seem to know what to say. Her expression was shifting rapidly and haphazardly; it was almost like a mask slipping off. Celeste supposed one was.

But you need to face them anyway, right?

She decided it was time to cut to the chase. "Why did you do it Maria? Why did you do it? Why did you try to frame Elizabeth for it, and... why did you..." She couldn't finish her thought, but knew she didn't have to. And... Maria laughed. it was a high pitch cackle, shrill and hysterical. With growing dread, Celeste realized how much it sounded like a witch they'd fought. "Well, I guess I did kind of screw up there, didn't I?" Maria asked rhetorically. Her voice was... familiar, but manic in a way Celeste had never heard it before. "Buuuut does it really matter now, Celeste? A bit late. They're kinda dead." The fact that somebody Celeste cared so much about could say this so matter of factly brought chills to her spine. "But, I guess ya want answers, right? Okie dokie!" Maria closed her eyes, a peaceful smile on her lips, and began to speak.

"You remind me of her." Maria began simply. "You remind me of the only person that truly showed me compassion once I became a magical girl. The person that showed me the ropes. The person that genuinely respected me for who I was, quirks and all." Maria wasn't even pretending to sound... normal anymore. Her tone was cheery and chipper, but in an alien way. But maybe it just sounded like that because she was talking like this after having murdered two people, one of whom she had framed. "You remind me of someone that I loved. More than I loved anyone else. And someone that actually accepted my love, even if they didn't share it." While Maria was talking, Celeste transformed. Maria didn't seem to notice.

"They died, though. A witch killed them. So I wandered from town to town, trying to find someone else. Someone that could ignite that spark in me. And then... you entered my life." Maria had a dreamy smile on her lips. Celeste slowly walked closer. "I was doubtful at first, that you could meet her standards. But you did! You exceeded them, in fact. I'm so proud." She was close to shouting at this point. "I love you, Celeste! And I couldn't let Elizabeth potentially steal those grief seeds away. I could never trust her. We could never trust her. She's better gone. Let's just forget about the both of them, what do you say? Just work as a duo, like at the beginning! Like it always should have been."

Celeste said nothing. Instead she pinned Maria to the ground, and readied her scythe.

She tried to think about how she felt about Maria. She felt a longing. A kinship. She felt compassion. She felt so many things. She wasn't sure exactly what form this took- friendship? A crush? Something more? But she didn't think it mattered. Because when she looked at this woman, the person that she now knew was the true Maria? When she thought about the joy that she felt racing Elizabeth at the arcade, the feelings she felt when the two twins had opened up to her? The thrill at knowing they had her back? The joy at having two real, honest to god, friends? She realized that she felt nothing at all.

Down went the scythe.
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Celeste lived on. She left home a couple months later- her father and mother never finding out why she had vanished from their lives, just as things were getting better. She left no note, after all. How could she explain any of it?

She became a vagrant, wandering from territory to territory, taking grief seeds where she could, making sure to have reserves. She passed on her story. Sometimes she redacted parts, sometimes she didn't. It depended on how well she thought the magical girl would understand. Eventually the story spread internationally and became part of magical girl lore, spread by a combination of word of mouth and electronic communication.

Celeste would never learn she'd become a legend. A year after leaving home, Celeste St. Clair disappeared in Seattle. She was never seen again.

The fact that a witch immediately appeared that was so strong that it took a team of 4 to properly take her down is surely purely coincidental.

[X] The formation...
--[X] You and Kyoko in front, Homura as backup.
[X] What do you say during the hunt?
--[X] Talk only about things relevant to the hunt; strategy, details you notice, any suspicions.

"Big Sis and I can go up front," you say. "Witch hunts can go wrong pretty fast, so having someone good watching our backs will make it a lot less scary"

"Well, if you're on board…" says Big Sis. You nod, and the three of you turn towards the barrier entrance. You all bring up your soul gems, transforming in a glow of light. You're the slowest, but you catch Big Sis shooting a jealous look Homura's way.

You take the first step, Kyoko and Homura following mere moments after you.

There's a feeling of distortion as you enter the barrier that has also been present for every other labyrinth you entered. It only lasts a few seconds before being washed away, and you open your eyes to see what exactly you've gotten yourself into.

You're in some sort of hall, walls, floor, and ceiling a white, unblemished plastic. The air reeks of chemicals, as if an over-enthusiastic toddler had taken it upon themselves to clean a hospital, and was given use of every chemical known to man to do so.

"Who died and put Mr. Clean's overachieving little brother in charge?" Kyoko says, pinching her nose.

"Kyoko Sakura, this is a witch hunt," says Homura. "We have far more important things to do than debate the Clean dynasty's line of succession."

She has a point, and Kyoko goes back to looking around the hall. There's not a lot to see, and with a nod from Homura, Kyoko starts going forward. You follow close behind, and Homura stays a few feet behind you, occasionally checking behind her back.

The hall retains its monotony, staying the same unblemished white, but after a minute or two of walking you find your first oddity.

There's a twist in the pathway.

It's not huge, only a few degrees to the left, but it's the biggest difference you've seen so far. The three of you stop, not quite knowing what to say.

"Do you think it means something?" asks Kyoko. "It's all we've gotten so far…"

Homura opens her mouth to respond, but is cut off by a loud screeching noise coming from the ceiling.

You bring your mace up in a defensive position, as does Kyoko with her spear, while Homura steps backwards and puts a hand on her shield.

You all stare at the ceiling, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for whatever's making the noise to come down and attack you, but after a few seconds you breathe a sigh of relief, lowering your mace.

"Is… is that an alarm?" says Kyoko.

"I think so," you say. "We're not under attack, at least not right now."

"Something must have set off the alarm," says Homura. "Most likely either us or the witch. If the alarm was caused by us, or even a change in behavior by the witch, then it would be a good idea to find the witch before anything else goes off."

You and Kyoko both nod, and continue your trek down the hall, this time at a light run.

"So what is this supposed to be?" you ask. "Is it a hospital, an evil lair, or something else?"

"All of those are possible options," says Homura. "The cleanliness, the alarm, all point towards a highly organized set-up. It could be something entirely fictional, but I personally think it is based on a location from our reality."

You nod your head, but Kyoko shakes hers.

"So far, all we know is that this place is clean, white, and has an alarm," says Kyoko. "It could be lots of things."

"You have a point," says Homura. "Perhaps we should save such speculation until we find out more?"

You're all quiet after that, not wanting to be the one to break the silence, and Kyoko speeds up as time wears on.

You can hear your own breaths, coming faster now, and once again mentally thank Big Sis Kyoko for making you do all those exercises. You questioned when the stamina would be more useful than having cool magical skills, but you've since learned that the answer is "usually". Had you gone with your idea of "get awesome magic instead of doing boring jogs," you'd probably be breathing pretty heavily right now, but as it is you feel fine.

"Hey guys, wait a second," Big Sis says as she slows to a stop. "Do you hear that?"

You and Homura stop with her, straining your ears as you try to hear what Big Sis is picking up.

It takes you a few seconds, but you eventually notice a slight noise coming from down the hall, tiny voices and slight stamps.

"That sounds like familiars," says Homura. "Far away for now, but with the path having only one direction…"

"Then let's hurry," says Kyoko. "Maybe there'll be a split up ahead."

You don't think there will be, but the only other option is to keep jogging, and you're more than capable of handling some extra speed.

The three of you break into a sprint, feet pounding on the plastic floor as you hurry to beat the incoming wave of familiars. As you get closer and closer, you begin to hear them more clearly, but are still unable to make out what they're saying.
"Get away, get away!"
"They're getting close," Kyoko says in between breaths. You notice, with no small amount of envy, that she's barely out of breath despite sprinting for almost a minute.
Looking up, you make out a few spots in the distance, traces of movement and color in an otherwise still void of whiteness.

"I can almost see them," you say. "Maybe we should stop, catch our breath and get ready to fight?"

"It would be a tremendous waste of magic, taking care of them," says Homura.

"Do you see any other ways to go?" says Kyoko, annoyed. "It's just this one straight corridor, with a bunch of familiars getting closer every second."

Homura, looks down, hand on her chin, deep in thought. Her eyes shift to the side, and she frowns as she lightly shakes her head.

Is there any way to get past the familiars? You've got about a minute before they hit your ragtag group, and you can see them getting closer. There's quite a few of them, maybe around two dozen white and yellow figures, and though you and Kyoko can probably take them it will be an unwelcome drain on your soul gems.

And now that you think about it, Homura looks like she's got something she wants to say. She's holding it in, though, so you assume it can't be that big a deal.

What do you do?

[ ] I've got an idea…
--[ ] Write-In

[ ] Ask Homura what's on her mind.

[ ] Hold your ground.
--[ ] How do you fight?
---[ ] Clean up after Big Sis Kyoko. Keep her safe, and watch her back.
---[ ] Do your own thing. Yuma Smash!
---[ ] Keep Homura safe.

(Add on to any Fighting votes)
----[ ] Try out new techniques. (Write-In what you want to try.)

QM note, order in the vote will affect the order Yuma does them in, just for now. If you want Yuma to ask about Homura before she mentions her own ideas, then put that first.