Wolf and Fox crashed through the glass windows, each tearing at the other and utterly heedless to the deadly shards raining down around them.
A snarling maw lunged for a vulpine throat only to be met by a hind-paw that threw the goddess into a support pillar. Concrete cracked and metal bent from the force, a yellow barrier shattering. Before the wolf could clamber to its feet a furry shoulder slammed into her, rending the pillar from its position and sending both tumbling forward in an explosion of red light.
The fox pulled itself upright quick, ready to tear its staggered prey's throat out. A fiery disk met its chin to its surprise, followed by the disk swinging around into its jaw. The fox fell back, spitting out a bloody tooth and snarled at the injured deity who was pushing itself upright, pieces of wood and glass embedded in its side.
Before either demon or god could react another scream of rage tore from Mami's throat as she pulled the trigger on one of her muskets, then another and another. Madoka was shrieking Homura's name behind her, held back from rushing to maimed girl by her friends. Vision blurry either from tears or anger she rained bullets onto the beast who wilted under the fire power the magical girl brought to bear on it. She didn't care how efficient she was being, showing off to her new friends or calling attacks. She just wanted this… this thing to die. Nothing like this should exist, take such savage delight in grinding her friend under its paw as blood splurted out with each movement and bones were audibly pulveri-
She screamed again, redoubling her efforts. The Fox gave a scream of pain as it flesh began to burn from the onslaught. It tried to dodge out of the way only for another bombardment to catch it mid-leap, sending it tumbling back. Spikes of twisted thorns shot out of the ground, acting as a shield between it and the enraged magical girl but even they were wilting from the bombardment.
Ignoring the shrapnel in her side Amaterasu charged forward, straight toward the wall of thorns. The barrage lulled for a second, allowing her to leap upwards, over the barrier to attack the demon from above, just as it ran from its cover. Sailing over the barrier, Ammy barely had time to bring the reflector down in front of her to block brunt of the explosion that sent her flying.
Mami's eyes followed the wolf as it travelled briefly before crashing into one of the few remaining stands. A momentary distraction, one that served the fox well a it closed the distance towards Mami. She froze, eyes peering past the row of razor-sharp teeth straight into the creature's gullet. Mami couldn't move, couldn't feel anything other than mind-numbing terror. She could feel its breath, smell its putrid stench. She could see the metal cylinder twirling in the air before a bright flash made her close her eyes.
There was a thump before Mami felt something akin to a truck hit her, picking her up and flinging her end over end. She came to a stop, fairly certain several of her bones were broken, only then noticing the fox had landed close by. It stirred, getting to its feet with astonishing quickness just as Mami heard what she would later learn was the sound of a Sumitomo MINIMI 5.56mm Machine Gun emptying its contents into the demon.
The fox weaved and dodged, desperate to get out of the hail of bullets coming from Homura, who had somehow managed to prop herself up enough to fire on the demon. Mami staggered to her feet, clutching her broken ribs with her unbroken arm. She watched the demon trip, landing in front of a group of upturned displays just as the bullets ceased. The elder magical girl expected another grenade to be thrown at the beast but Homura only glared at it, machine gun aimed but not firing. She almost shouted at the other magical girl to open fire when she saw a flash of pink peeking from behind one of the displays. It was where Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi were hiding. One burst of bullets could tear one of them to shreds.
Mami cursed her stupidity in not putting a barrier up to protect them and she desperately waved her arm, causing ribbons to explode from the walls around the trio and tie themselves together. One long piece shot from this tangle of yellow straight towards Mami. A baleful eye settled upon her, the fox's tail flicking back and forth. She willed it to go faster, to wrap around her arm. A small smirk settled on her face as she sent power through it, causing the ribbons to explode into light as a floral pattern barrier formed instantly. A smirk that was matched by the demons own. There was a moment of confusion at this, followed by one of utmost dread when she noticed the bomb burning down behind her barrier.
She pulled on the ribbon, unraveling her barrier as Homura desperately screamed "Madoka, RU-"
But it was too late for either magical girl to do anything. For a sun goddess though it might as well have been an eternity. A tree shot up between the girls and the bomb, crashing through the ceiling. It took the brunt of the blast, the girls only being knocked off their feet. They landed relatively close together, though not softly. Madoka was clutching her arm, the small girls entire side was bloody; the glass and broken wood had cut badly. Hitomi had landed on her back and was the relatively best off, though with how she was wheezing the wind had been knocked out from her. Sayaka with her delicate fins had it worst, they had been shredded by the broken glass that littered the area. Still not used to her body Sayaka writhed on the ground, doing even more damage.
She caught the fox moving, lunging towards the distracted Homura who had started to drag herself towards Madoka, A torrent of water then shot out from Sayaka's head, arcing through the air before slamming into the demon from below, sending it crashing into the ceiling and shattering one of the lights with a torrent of sparks. Then Mami felt her hair stand on end. An arc of electricity passed from the shattered light to the soaked fox. It convulsed, screaming as electricity poured into it, again and again, the air filled with the smell of cooking flesh and hair. It's eyes rolled in its skull, passing by Mami as its tail flicked back and forth.
A wind buffeted Mami just as she heard a clang, a white blur interposed itself between the fox and her, mirror forming a shield as something warm hit the side of her face. The pain registered a second later. She fell to the floor, head swimming. Her eyes slowly drifted to her arm, she knew what had happened. She didn't want to look, but she couldn't stop them.
Her arm was hanging off by a small strip of flesh, fingers numbly twitching as one of her hair-drills settled on the floor. Something had cut cleanly through her shoulder, stopping at her chest only by Amaterasu's timely intervention. Had she not been knocked to the side her entire head would have been cut in half. A miracle she could scarcely comprehend through the pain.
She heard Amaterasu roar before launching forward in an explosion of petals, the Fox demon meeting her half-way. She saw them snarling, biting and clawing at each other. The sounds of bestial carnage only interrupted by the occasional burst of machine gun fire. The demon was pushed back, dancing out of the line of fire and only just managing to knock Ammy back. It glared at Homura, unable to get close to the girl with her machine gun and Amaterasu's relentless assault.
And then its eyes brightened, an idea forming in its mind. Mami realized it too when she saw the three girls huddled far too close. A hoarse cry tore from her throat as the creature lunged, not at Homura or the goddess but at the three girls. She saw Hitomi move, trying to shield her friends. She heard the snapping of bones, saw the blood hitting Madoka's face.
Saw the mangled body of the wolf clutched in the foxs jaws as petals drifted down around them.
A look of confusion passed over the fox's face before with an almost casual shrug it bit down harder, prompting Amaterasu to let out a bloody scream before she smashed her mirror into the fox's throat. The demon let go, choking before a rain of bullets forced it further back. The now mostly red wolf struggled to stay standing, blood pouring from its wounds. Sayaka was curled up, sobbing. Hitomi was staring at the bloody wolf, completely frozen, Madoka tried to get close but she was kicked away by the goddess. Amaterasu then charged back into the fray, stumbling as she did so.
Mami couldn't watch anymore, it was hopeless. Despite everything, despite how much they refused to give up the demon didn't see any closer to dying. Her gaze searched for something, anything else to look at. And it found it, in the small girl staring at her ruined hands, oblivious to the battle raging around her.
Mami's felt nothing but sympathy for that small child. Used and mutilated by the demon, unaware what was going on…
"...This demon was likely given life by its host, feeding off her pain and misery…"
Wait, that couldn't be it…
"...took… everything."
Was it really so simple?
"Mommy...won't...die."
An unhinged giggle came from her mouth. That's why it was coming back from everything!
A switch seemed to flick in her mind, the pain vanishing. Ribbons burst out from around her, tying her arm into place. Slowly she pulled herself upright, dragging herself towards the girl.
"Something of yours is here, isn't it?" Mami managed, voice hoarse.
An expressionless masked turned towards her, staring at the girl approaching it.
"You want to bring it back to your mom, right?"
The girl seemed to twitch.
"Your mother must be very sick…"
The girl stood up suddenly.
"You must feel so scared."
She started to walk towards Mami, hands clenching into fists.
"I know how you feel, I lost my mother and father a few years ago."
The girl froze, letting Mami get close.
"I f-felt so alone, so scared. I-I was in a world I-I couldn't understand."
Mami wrapped her good arm around the girl, bringing the child in close.
"I d-didn't realize h-how important they w-were to me until they were gone."
Her blood was seeping into the girls dress, but neither cared.
"B-but my memories of them, they'll never go away. As long as I remember them, I will never be alone."
The girl was shuddering in her grip.
"Those memories we made of them will never fade away. They'll live on through them, and help us grow and move forward. They'll be there always with the morning sun."
A muffled sob came from behind the mask and Mami pressed her forehead against it.
"Never forget, always somewhere there is someone who cares about you. You aren't alone, I promise you'll never be alone."
She pulled back from the girl and gasped. The mask had changed. It had went from white to blue, the black lines turning to white. It had become more stylized, flatter. Where the white mask seemed threatening and malevolent this one carried the look of youth and innocence. Yellow, orange eyes stared out from its eye slits, brimming with tears.
The girl tried to speak, choking on words before she simply hugged Mami, sobbing into her chest. "Sssshhh, it's alright." Mami whispered, stroking the girls head.
A roar of pure rage snapped both of them back into reality. The fox demon was snarling at them, a look of complete loathing apparent on its face. It was shaking, strength leaving and injuries only now catching up to it. It leapt, intent on devouring both girls, only for a shard of ice to strike it in the face, sending it tumbling as a bloody Amaterasu interposed herself between it and the two girls.
Mami looked down. The girls arm was extended, frost tracing itself up her arm from her palm. The girl stared at her hand in amazement. "D-did… did I do that?" Mami didn't answer, she only kept staring at down, past the girls outstretched arm towards the glowing magatama beads lying nearby.
"The rosary!"
A ribbon extended out, wrapping around one of them. Mami pulled and the bead sailed through the air, the others following behind it as if they were tied together by an invisible string. With a bark Ammy jumped up, catching them. There was a flash of light and when Amaterasu landed the beads had changed. They had become larger, golden with blue swirls. The beads were floating, six in all, beside her mirror giving off a comforting golden glow.
The beast climbed to its feet, even more enraged. It lunged only to be met with a golden whip, the beads contained within it, that smashed it into the ceiling. As it fell another lashed out, smashing into its side. In an instant the tide of battle turned, the fox unable to even hit the ground as Amaterasu struck again and again, rending great bloody gashed in the creature. With a final crack the golden whip slammed the fox into the ground leaving a great crater.
The demon struggled to stand despite its injuries, defiant to the last. It roared at the goddess, only to stop short as two ribbons wrapped around both its top and bottom jaw. They then pulled tight, a loud crack making it clear they had been dislocated.
"Finish it Amaterasu!" Mami screamed.
The wolf barked and a bead shot out, smashing into the fox like a cannonball. Another and another followed, blood splattering everywhere. Soon there was only one and with a final, triumphant bark It shot forward, straight into the demon's mouth. Blood, brains and skull sprayed everywhere before the creature and its foul ichor disintegrated into petals, flowers blooming where it fell.
The red clouds that surrounded them, the whole scene then faded. Much of the destruction disappeared, leaving all traces of the battle to disappear. Except of course the injured girls left behind and, curiously, several glowing orbs of various sizes. The girls gave a collective sigh, those still capable of standing collapsing, too tired to even think of cheering. Amaterasu walked up to one of the larger one's and with a bat of her paw sent it flying.
A hand caught it with ease. Bringing it to her face Homura examined it. "What on earth..?"
"Those are spirit globes! Humanities faith made solid!" A cheerful voice answered her, emerging from behind one of the displays.
"They are often kept by demons as an energy source! Breaking it will return a bit of good to the world as well as heal injuries and remove corruption!"
Glancing down at her destroyed lower half Homura found she didn't have any room to argue so she crushed the orb in her hand. Instantly a warm glow filled the room and when it subsided there was no trace she had sustained injuries at all! She climbed to her feet, jumping a bit to test if everything was back in place. With a flash she changed back into her normal clothes, bringing her soul gem to her face as she inspected it. "I… I don't believe it. It's partly cleansed."
"W-what really?" Mami managed to say before her own globe was tossed at her. She just caught it, holding the pleasantly warm orb in her hands before she broke it. A warm, pleasant sensation shot through her body, all signs of pain or fatigue vanishing. She rolled her shoulder and finding it completely functional returned to her normal attire. glancing at her own soul gem she saw that it too had been partly cleansed. "In-incredible." She breathed.
Ammy tossed the remainder of the orbs to the other girls, their injuries disappearing one by one though she did not use one for herself. Though the young childs did not disappear completely, having received one of the smallest orbs along with the others. She sniffled, staring at the cuts on her hands. Almost immediately Mami hugged her. "It's okay, we'll get those healed up as soon as possible."
The girl nodded, "T-thank you...ummm…"
Mami smiled. "I'm Mami Tomoe, a magical girl." The girls eyes widened at the mention of 'magical girl' "Over there is Homura Akemi, another magical girl." Homura didn't even notice, she was fretting over Madoka, making sure all of her injuries had disappeared. "That's Madoka Kaname." Madoka gave a small wave at the child, giving her a warm smile. "The mermaid is Sayaka Miki." The child whirled, gasping when she saw Sayaka's fins. Sayaka laughed and gave the girl a thumbs up. "Hehe, hey kid! Awesome ice attack!" The child shrank a bit, embarrassed or shy Mami couldn't tell with the mask. "And there's Hitomi Shizuki, she lives here and without her we'd never have saved you." Hitomi jumped at her name, tearing her gaze away from Ammy. "I-I didn't do anything, y-you saved us."
The girl shrank even further, unsure of how to act. Numbly her hands went to her face and slowly lifted her mask up. Eyes brimming with tears she bowed to them. "M-my n-name i-is n-n-Nagisa Momoe. T-thank...thank you for saving me!"
Mami hugged Nagisa again, "It's alright, we're here for you." She felt Nagisa nod as she sniffled. "Ummm…"
"Yes, Nagisa?"
"Who...who is that?" She asked, pointing at Ammy who was beaming at them.
"Her? She is Amaterasu, the sun goddess."
Almost immediately Amaterasu stamped a paw down as she threw her back and gave a victorious howl. The room brightened as flower petals rained from the sky. Nagisa was staring, awestruck.
And then giggled when Amaterasu jumped a foot in the air, looking utterly shocked.
"Eh? What is it AmmyAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Sayaka screamed as the wolf charged and threw her into the air. She landed sitting in her wheelchair, dazed. "W-what is-Hey!" She managed as Ammy threw a blanket over her tail, covering it completely. "What's the big ide-"
"OH MY GOD!!" Hitomi's mother screamed from the entrance way.
Shortly afterwards the girls learned just how fast a mother can drive a limo to a hospital when her daughter, her friends and an eight year old "victim of kidnapping" were attacked by "robbers" who were only fended off due to Madoka's heroic pet wolf.
A wolf who was enjoying the car ride despite her injuries, head safely poking out of the sunroof.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
