The Great Hall of Chireiden, days later.

"Is anyone going to tell me what this is all about?" A loud shout entered the chamber shortly before its owner, a small girl in a pink dress at first glance. Satori recognized the vampire's true nature immediately... this was Remilia Scarlet... a surface youkai of immense power. Following closely behind her was a platinum-haired woman in a maid's outfit... Sakuya Izayoi... the one who had actually been summoned.

"Yes. And don't worry, it doesn't concern you." Satori calmly explained. The Yama silently nodded in agreement, committed to remaining out of the conversation, lest she influence it. She wished to further observe Satori's progress, if any. Mami was nearby if her presence proved necessary, but had been advised to stay out of the entry hall while the meeting was in progress if possible. Vampires were dangerous creatures, and as an outsider, Mami wasn't protected by the contract Remilia had made with the surface humans.

"What concerns my servants concerns me as well." The nerve! Calling Sakuya and ignoring me!

"Perhaps I should say you should hope it doesn't concern you. If you are responsible for the sort of thing we're investigating, there won't even be fragments left of your soul when your punishment is completed." Satori's words incensed the vampire, who was about to shout out. Even before Satori could interrupt her, however, her own servant did.

"Mistress, please restrain yourself. We've done nothing they don't already know about. She's just trying to get under your skin." Sakuya mollified her master... And it's working.

"I hardly need to try, really. Sakuya Izayoi, you were called here merely to show me how one might use your power to extend your life. The Yama has heard of your talents, and your history is... odd."

The maid looked a bit nervous and confused, but shrugged it off before speaking. "Very well. First, a demonstration is probably in order, then." She produced a hairband of the sort Satori wore. Satori was completely overwhelmed at the sudden surge of memories that assaulted her. Memories of the maid walking through her halls, looking in several dozen rooms before finally stumbling across Satori's own. Searching each of the dressers in each of these rooms until she found Satori's spare clothes... deciding that a hairband would be a good enough proof of concept, taking it, wandering lost for quite a time, and eventually finding her way back to the entrance chamber.

Sakuya had experienced nearly three hours of time, and had just as much time to make sense of what she was doing. Satori had a mere fraction of a second to process it all. Sakuya stood as calm and elegant as ever. Satori clutched her throbbing head and screamed.

"I don't think she much enjoyed your trick, Sakuya." Remilia laughed over Satori's screams for some time and ignoring the Yama's baleful glare, only to be interrupted by Mami, who had rushed into the room.

"What did you do to her?"

"What she asked, and nothing more." The maid replied, still rather confused, but grinning alongside her mistress nonetheless.

"She didn't ask to have her suffering mocked!" The magical girl moved up to Satori, concerned. "Are you alright? Shh... calm down... everything's alright... What are you looking at?" This last was directed to Remilia, whose unblinking gaze was fixed on Mami. Several seconds passed, and Satori's screams changed slowly into short sobs as the headache began to recede. The whole time, Remilia never stopped watching Mami, though she did silently approach... then circle around Satori and Mami.

"I said, what do you think you're looking at!" Mami repeated herself, though fear crept into her voice.

"If I knew that, I suspect I'd have the answer the Yama seeks. What are you? Looking at you is like staring into a crowd. Your fate bears more weight than does the entire human village." The vampire spoke with a distant gaze, as though she were looking far past Mami. "With a destiny like that, you could change the world... destroy and rebuild it..."

Mami couldn't break eye contact... she could only gaze into the vampire's eyes as they gazed back, looking through Mami at... something as she continued to speak.

"Yet, your own fate is but a pale shadow, eclipsed and bound to another's... a blazing star to your candlelight... name your friends, girl."

Unable to do anything else, Mami complied... it wasn't a very long list. "Satori Komeiji, Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname" While the vampire showed rolled her eyes at the mention of Satori's name and reacted little to Sayaka's, she broke eye contact and fell to the floor as Madoka's name was uttered. She quivered like the small child she appeared to be... Sakuya rushed to comfort her, and Remilia didn't even move as she was embraced, clutching her legs on the ground and cowering.

Mami was confused, and turned to Satori, whose sobs had silenced. Instead of being calm, though, Mami now noticed that Satori shared the same spooked expression Remilia wore.

"What...? What is it?" Mami was confused and worried. What about herself was so special? What of Madoka? Mami turned to the Yama, that being of awe-inspiring presence, that rock solid foundation of law and certainty... only to see that expression of dread mirrored yet again. She looked to Sakuya, who bore Mami's own confusion and they looked at each other, extremely confused as they comforted their respective allies.

"That is a very, very good question."


Chireiden's Dining Hall, Soon Thereafter

"My apologies to you both, Mami, Sakuya. It seems your human spirits weren't able to feel that. I only felt it through Remilia, she only felt it because of her power over fate, and the Yama herself is simply tapped into the lifeline of the universe, so to speak."

"What happened, though? I just said the names of my friends... Sayaka and Mad-"

"Do not say her name!" Remilia, Satori, and Eiki Shiki all shouted at once, that frightened expression peeking through their otherwise composed masks. Sakuya might have objected as well on behalf of her master, but she was off busying herself with cleaning, sensing she wouldn't be needed.

"Why, though?"

"Remilia has the right of it. Your friend carries a cosmic destiny, enough to literally destroy reality itself. Not merely everything within it, but the very basis of reality. If she so desired... if she had some outlet to channel her power, there's nothing she couldn't do. She could change everything so that ice sinks in water, air is a solid, and the universe really did revolve around Earth."

"What are you talking about with an outlet? What sort of outlet?" Mami understood the gravity of the situation now, but wasn't sure what might serve as such a trigger.

"Myself, for example. If I met her, I could cut reality itself just by gripping her fate strands and pulling properly. I could perform miracles just by being in her presence. Truthfully, even with your own fate I could make the sun a dead star while life on Earth continued none the wiser." Remilia shrugged as she spoke. "And no, I'm not fool enough to actually -do- that."

"Not while The Yama's here, anyway." Satori added.

"That's what I meant, yes." Remilia rolled her eyes as she continued. "Thankfully, I've yet to meet another with anything like my ability, and given enough time, perhaps her destiny will unravel. It isn't uncommon for a fate to flare up for a short time... a small window of opportunity when even a nobody can alter the flow of the world. In this case, she had that ability already, and this is her hour.""

"Say, could you grant wishes with my destiny then? You'd be just like Kyubey then, wouldn't you?"

"Who is Kyubey?" Remilia asked, before noticing that Satori had frozen in place. "Ah, of course you'd know as well. Well, either of you can reply."

"Contact Yukari this instant!" Satori shrieked, snapping out of her stupor.

"What? Why?" The Yama asked, even as she began casting a spell to do just that. When Satori reacted like that, she had a very good reason to.

"Mami just said why! Kyubey can grant wishes! If he offers that girl a contract for a wish-"

"What do you want, Eiki? If you're calling in that favor, it must be desperate indeed." A young woman with a parasol stepped out of a truly bizarre distortion of reality. Mami saw a multitude of eyes within it before the hole itself seemed to wink shut as a Kitsune followed the woman out.

Satori answered her, speaking so quickly it was a wonder the newcomer (doubtless the Yukari the Yama had just mentioned) understood her. "Do what you must to stop someone in Mitakihara city from forming a contract with the being known as Kyubey. That person's name is..." Satori gave a brief moment to allow herself and the others to brace against the name, knowing that declaring it as part of such a weighty agreement would only make it even more powerful. "Madoka Kaname."

Once again, the name seemed to send shivers down the spines of everyone present. Even Mami felt it this time... as though Madoka's name echoed not only off the halls of the room, but throughout her own very being. Yukari was properly spooked as she replied.

"You know what, Eiki, you can consider it a freebie; I don't want to owe you for telling me this. I'll see to it. Now, I'm off...every moment counts. Something's happening in Mitakihara even as we speak..." The strange woman said before diving through another distortion like that she had arrived in, which she had opened as though prying open a door while she spoke. Once again, the Kitsune quietly and obediently followed her, and the strange warping of space once again closed.

"Yukari knows of what you speak. She's had little experience with Magical Girls and Kyubey. She knows a few things, but makes it a point to keep away from them, partially for fear she'd be seen as a witch." Satori explained to the others. "In any case, she's aware enough of what needs to be done."

"What... what will she do?" Mami asked, though she feared she already knew the answer.

"Kill her, likely. That may be locally catastrophic, possibly destroying the city she's in, but Her fate would unravel gently enough after death." Remilia explained. "She may also send her to meet my sister, though I'd hope she asks first. Flandre's quite good at making things disappear."

"I do not envy the Yama that judges her, though I suspect the task will fall to me, given my investigations into the whole affair." Eiki Shiki sighed as she rested her forehead on her hands. Satori turned to Mami, who was still in shock... Who... who could even think of killing Madoka?

"Mami, you know why this needs to be done. You felt the power that her mere name carries. You know that Kyubey isn't above taking advantage of people in desperate situations. Your wish was minor, but if your friend's wish is made under similar duress, the consequences would be far greater than Kyubey realizes." Satori's words may be as true as always, and only that deep bond of trust made her reconsider her position.

"You're right... I'd already given her up for dead, but... She's a bomb, isn't she? And Kyubey is the detonator..." two of Mami's closest living friends were dangers to the very world and people she had fought to protect... even the world she now lived in, it seemed. She was thankful she didn't need to be the one disarm that bomb, but all too aware that that is exactly what she would do if she had needed to.

"Yes. In Yukari's hands, it should turn out alright... But if something goes wrong... " Satori turned to Mami as she left the thought unspoken. "Whatever happens..." Satori's three eyes looked deep into Mami, revealing Satori's thoughts as clearly as if she'd spoken them. Thank you. I've had family and pets, but never before a friend.

Mami nodded, knowing her thoughts would reach her mentor... And thank you for showing me what I needed to see. I'll never forget all you've done for me.

Mami held her soul gem and hoped so hard that everything would turn out well as the rest of the room sat in ominous silence.

Then... everything...

...

..

.


Author's notes: I decided to leave it vague whether this was the series/movie 1/2 timeline or some other, late timeline (Like the episode one prologue one). Since yes, it was clarified that Mami's Soul Gem was properly destroyed in the Charlotte fight in the penultimate timeline, and really, it wasn't particularly relevant to this story whether Homura reversed time (likely because of Yukari's actions against Madoka; perhaps manifesting as Walpurgisnacht or perhaps simply mucking about some other way), or the world was destroyed and remade from Madoka's wish. The general tone and such of the story shifts slightly depending, but I still feel its appropriate to end the story here.

And if you want a happier interpretation, perhaps it was the pre-Madokami timeline... and perhaps Madoka let Mami and Satori remember each other as she let Homura remember herself.

I wrote most of this well before there was a 3rd movie... heck, before there were even the first two, though I did revise some of it later.

So... the sudden end here was partially meant to get across what concerns me about multiple timelines (And alternate realities such as the pre-Madoka world); what happens to the ones that are 'rejected'? If they simply end, how tragic would it be for all the others in that timeline, who may have grown or experienced things in a positive way... only for it all to be wiped away by, for example, one obsessed young girl's fixation on a friend?

Dammit, Chrono Cross.

Now, that out of the way, I do have another PMMM x Touhou fanfic that's going to have a much wider focus. I simply needed to get this all out because the cosmology of that fic's setting is... Very very different. It's in the Madokami-verse and much more deeply incorporates Touhou into its cosmology. I'll probably post some other fics I've got laying around before starting that one up to help seperate them, but I'm looking forward to it, and I hope all of you are as well.

Thank you everyone for reading.

P.S. When naming this chapter, I deliberated long and hard over a single detail no one would probably think twice about; indeed, I suspect many will immediately check once they read this: "The End" or "The End." None of the other chapter titles have periods, and so adding one here would be like a nail in the coffin; a definite statement that this was all there could be. While leaving it without a period to me implies that the story continues, just as it did in the other chapters, whether or not I'll ever write it. Such a minor detail, and no one would likely have thought of it even once if I didn't mention it, and even if I had ended up going with a period, hardly any more would question the significance of it.

Sometimes things -are- as they appear on the surface, but the world beneath can be even more exciting to explore.