Magia Tales

This is a Puella Magi Tart Magica fanfic that uses the rules of the Magical Girl War RP. This chapter consists mainly of simulated gameplay, and consists of a novelized version of the rolls of dice and calculations of stats.

Minou found her mind jumping back and forth between smugly confident and mortally terrified. She knew her sister would have never harmed her before, but something had clearly changed. Corbeau had become some totally different being from what she was before. There was no telling what she might decide to do to the little sister who had just carried through with an act that should have killed her. One thing was for sure; this was a very bad situation she was in. She understood that only four of the five of them would be escaping, but it seemed fair to assume she would have an easier time at it. She could find just one key, damn the rest, and let the heroes squabble over who deserved to return to the land of the living.

Unfortunately, her idea of an easy escape from a likely vengeful older sister who now controlled vast powers hinged on the belief that she need only find a key and reach the door first. Corbeau's explanation had mentioned nothing of any foes she might encounter along the way, or any obstacles Corbeau might herself place along their path. To make matters worse, Minou had seen other giant figures moving about in the distant red haze. She was sure they would get involved at some point, and it wasn't going to be a small chore to deal with them. She already had her suspicions about what dark intellects commanded those massive bodies, and she hoped she would never have the opportunity to confirm or disprove those suspicions.

As she leaped gracefully from one floating rock to the next on her way to where she hoped a key waited for her, she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. She frowned at the thought of having to deal with those pesky heroes so soon. It wasn't a fight she was looking for at all, but certainly not right away. Although, when she thought about it, everything would be all the more easy on them if she just killed one of them. She just had to send one tumbling into the fiery void below. Didn't matter who, even.

She turned to look behind her, where the movement had been, but saw not a sign of anyone. She knew La Pucelle would stand out in this terrain, so it struck her as odd. She quickly determined that she had only seen more of the floating rock platforms, as they shifted around rather liberally. Letting out her breath, she turned back to continue on her way, then stopped cold. There, ahead of her, on the very next platform she had been heading to, were several large Ravens. They stood still, staring at her with dull red eyes, though not quite still enough to make her think they were statues. They were quite clearly real, and she could see blood caked on their beaks. A couple even had scraps of flesh hanging from their mouths.

Each of these birds was nearly as tall as her, the tops of their heads equal to her shoulders. She took an extra moment to recount them. Seven of them. Seven hulking Ravens, feathers thick and beaks sharp, all staring at her like they'd found their next meal. One of the Ravens hopped closer to the edge of the platform, cocking its head curiously. The others bobbed around, waiting to take flight and swarm her the moment she turned and ran. She didn't intend to turn and run.

The Raven closest to her hopped across the gap between them, not even bothering to spread its wings. Its claws scraped the ground as it landed in front of her, and smaller loose rocks scattered at its feet, but none of the birds made a sound from their mouths. The Raven lunged at her, striking the air with its beak, then hopped back again. It watched her reaction, seeing how she would respond to its aggression. She knew that there was no guarantee of her survival if they were to attack her all at once, but they appeared to also know the same of her. Each could sense the danger the other posed.

Minou unleashed her weapon, coiling her whip around her. "What an insult. My sister sends crows to murder me. I'll have none of it." Lashing out at the venturous Raven, she watched with mild pleasure as it was torn to shreds by her weapon. Black blood and feathers covered the ground around whatever little was left of the bird

Then the others attacked.

The six remaining birds shot into the air, their wings lifting them off the ground and sending a rushing wind in all directions. They didn't seem the least bit deterred by her utter annihilation of their comrade, and one by one they dived at her. The first one to reach her beat its wings to angle itself upward and its sharp talons shot out and wrapped around her arm. She staggered back, but kept her footing. To her benefit, the large bird blocked the others from attacking her as well. It's claws hadn't actually even torn any of her flesh, so the advantage was now hers. An advantage she was certain to make good use of.

The coils of her whip drew back, following her command. The nine tails of her whip all lashed out, targeting four of the birds at once. Three hit the Raven on her arm, punching through it and spraying black blood on its companions. She sent two more tails at each of the other three Raven's closest to her. The now-corpse on her arm threw off her aim, but still two of them struck their targets. The two birds, though only clipped, drew back and flew away, circling around for another attack.

She dropped her heavy burden and ducked under the talons aiming for her head, dancing away fluidly. Drawing back her weapon again, she struck out at the last two birds as they flew past her. Four of her lashes caught the further of the birds and wrapped around its wings, tearing them off. It squawked madly in pain as it plummeted into the darkness. The other bird took a hit to its side and started limping its way through the air. Still, it turned to attack again. She continued dancing around and away from them effortlessly, escaping every attack they sent at her. Each time she killed one, the frenzied attacks became easier to dodge, so she aimed to take out the two that were already injured.

The most wounded of the four remaining birds was hit, and it spiraled out of sight. As they continued to fly around her, coming in to peck at her and snap their claws, she singled out the weakest of the birds, now numbering only three, and aimed her next strike at it. The whip cracked the air, cutting through the bird and splitting its body in two. The other two swooped around her. She caught one with her whip, snapping it downward and smashing its body into the ground with enough force to crack the stone and send fragments flying through the air. Turning on the last one, she brought the whip down on its head and shattered its skull.

The battle hadn't begun quite the way she'd intended, but the outcome was all the same. She laughed to herself and moved on, hopping to the next platform. Perhaps this unexpected trip would be more entertaining than she'd thought.

Elisa stared off into the distance. "I think we might be dealing with big birds." She pointed into the distance where they could see Minou battling the Ravens. "I think Corbeau is getting a bit uppity, throwing her themed minions at us."

Tart held up her sword. "Then we must hurry! Elisa, Melissa, go find the exit! You must hurry there before Minou finds it! Riz and I will find the keys!"

Melissa nodded. "Understood!"

Elisa turned and hopped across to the next platform. "No time to waste! Let's get moving!"

As Melissa followed Elisa, Riz looked to Tart. "I'll do my best to keep you safe until we can return to France. I promise."

Tart tensed up. "What was that?" She whirled around, pointing her sword at the empty air behind them. "Riz, there's something else here with us."

Riz looked around for whatever had spooked Tart. "I don't see anything..." She narrowed her eyes at the place where Tart was pointing her sword. "But I'm sure there's probably something following us. Who knows what Corbeau has filled this place with."

Suddenly, out from the ground, a Ghost drifted into sight. It's transparent, ethereal body looked like a rotted corpse, its features too damaged to recognize as man or woman. Several unrecognizable organs hung out of its skeletal rib cage, visible through tattered clothes. All of it was but a vague image overlaid on the backdrop of this hell. Tart and Riz had prepared themselves to battle it, when two more appeared behind them.

While the appearance of two more distracted them, the first one floated closer to Tart and reached its hands out towards her neck. Reacting like lightning, Tart swung her sword around at the Ghost. It occurred to her a moment too late that she might not be able to even hit such a creature, but her concern was for nothing as the sword glowed brightly when it came into contact with the ethereal form. The magical sword struck the Ghost as if it were real, but still cut through it as though it was air. As the Ghost faded, wispy parts of its being flying in every direction, it let out a sorrowful moan.

Riz noted that Tart had already rid them of one foe, so she prepared herself to take on the other two. Her first instinct was to throw one of her knives at a Ghost, but she wasn't entirely convinced that such an attack would land on something non-corporeal. Maybe it had for Tart, but her weapons and Tart's weapon were quite different in many ways. She didn't want her weapons falling into the fire below them. Instead, holding one dagger in each hand, she slashed them across the chest of the nearest apparition. It fell apart under her attack, almost like it was a weak and frail mortal human being. She turned to the last one, but saw that Tart would get to it first.

As Tart closed in on her target, it swiped its ghostly, bony hand at her. It must have sensed how powerful she was, and was backing away as it struck out. The attack amounted to nothing more than patting the armor on her chest. It was enough to ward Tart away, however, and she jumped back from it. Her moment to strike had been wasted. Riz leaped in after it, swiping both daggers at it and severing its arm. The limb floated on its own for a second before disintegrating. The Ghost turned on her and reached for her throat with its other hand, but she simply stepped back away from it. That was when Tart moved back in and cleaved it in half. The two parts of the Ghost floated off into the void as it fell apart and vanished.

Riz shook her head as she sheathed her daggers. "That wasn't too difficult to face, with each other helping, but something tells me we've just barely seen the start of what Corbeau can throw at us."

This is a Puella Magi Tart Magica fanfic that uses the rules of the Magical Girl War RP. Chapter 1 is the opening scene, leading to the simulated gameplay. Most chapters following will consist of a novelized version of the rolls of dice and calculations of stats.

"But I do not love you any longer."

Minou broke her sister's soul gem in her hand and dropped the shattered pieces to the ground. Corbeau's body hit the ground in the next instant. There was silence around them. Tart didn't know what to do now.

Minou looked down at her fallen sister. "At the very least, I will tell Lapin that you died honorably in battle."

Tart was shaking. "Why... why would you do that?"

Riz ran up to join her friend, having seen what had just transpired. She shot a furious look at Minou. "That's pretty heartless. Wasn't she your older sister?"

"Yes." Minou looked up at her. "My older sister by blood. A very foolish older sister."

Tart shouted at her. "How can you say things like that without a trace of emotion? You aren't Human or a Magical Girl anymore!" She readied her sword. "You're already a Witch with a heart that's rotten all the way through!"

From behind her cat mask, Minou laughed. "If that's the case, what will you do, La Pucelle?"

"I will do what Magical Girls are supposed to do!" She slashed the air with her sword, glowing with energy. "I will destroy you."

"Well, that is something to look forward to." She laughed again. "However, I am afraid that I must retreat from the field of battle..."

Not long ago...

"You. Creature. Tell me now. What is your purpose here?"

Kyubey smiled up at the masked girl. "If you mean here on Earth, I'm here to create Magical Girls in order to save the universe. I make contracts with young girls and grant their wishes, and in exchange they become Magical Girls and fight Witches." His tail flicked innocently behind him. "If you mean right here and now, I'm here to talk to you."

She stared down at him. "What if I've already made a contract?"

"This is all at my discretion and mine alone. I can make a contract with you, but only one." He casually hopped up onto the table in the center of the room. There was no one else around for the time being, but she was beginning to worry that her rare time alone was nearing its end. Kyubey was now more level with her, staring not into her eyes, but into her soul. "Contracts with inferior beings are irrelevant."

That was it. "I want you to make me a Magical Girl. One of your Magical Girls."

"Very well then. What is it you will wish for, Corbeau?"

Low muffled laughter cut the tense atmosphere. Riz grabbed Tart's shoulder, pulling her back. Everything about this seemed suddenly very wrong. Minou turned to look back down at her dead sister, whose soul gem she had just personally crushed. A strange sensation started creeping up her spine as she saw that Corbeau was not quite so dead as she ought to have been. Staggeringly, she pushed herself up and back onto her feet, wobbling back and forth for a moment, but she continued to laugh. Not like Minou's amused little laugh. Corbeau's laugh had always been more harsh than her sisters', but now it carried something more with it.

Corbeau's cold grey eyes fixed on her younger sister. "So I guess I was right about you, Minou."

"How..." Minou stepped back, retreating towards her enemies as Riz pulled Tart out of the way. "How are you standing?"

Corbeau looked down at herself. She was indeed standing, and she could see her the broken pieces of her soul gem on the ground in front of her. She turned her hands over in front of her, staring at them intently. "It feels... strange. But that creature was right after all. Contracts with inferior beings are irrelevant." She looked back to her sister. "I think... you'll find that, since you did just destroy my soul gem, the one from the contract I made with our... your benefactor... that contract has effectively been terminated."

Minou frowned. "You can't turn on her now. Where will you go? With them?" She waved dismissively at Tart and Riz, just as Melissa and Elisa appeared through the trees. "There's nowhere else for you to go."

Corbeau shook her head. "La Pucelle's angel was just the way out I needed. His contract encapsulated my soul in a much more... refined place. Much safer." She took off her gloves and cast them aside, revealing the small ring on her finger. "A far smaller target, and with such an obvious one in plain sight no one would think to look elsewhere. Plus, I've added one more wish, all my own, to my ever-growing abilities. It's the best one yet." She narrowed her unmasked eyes at her sister. "Would you like to see it?"

Behind Minou, Melissa was furiously shaking her head. Elisa elbowed her. "Calm down. She won't unleash the Black Plague with her sister right here."

Riz glanced back at the two of them. "Her sister just tried to kill her. I wouldn't be surprised."

The world around them began to blur and fade as red bolts of lightning danced along every surface. The ground broke apart, the grass burning up as jagged stone erupted from below. The ground behind them fell away. Elisa lost her footing and tumbled backward over the edge. Melissa managed to grab her hand and keep her from falling at the last moment. As she hung over the new abyss, she could see the orange glow of fire far below them. Melissa pulled her back, and they landed on the reddish rock that now made up the platform they'd been given in this piece of hell.

Riz looked around in every direction, including up, to see only darkness, fire, and rock. She had a guess that the stone platform they were on was floating through the void on the end of a long chain, as the only things she could see around them were more rocks, all unnervingly chained to something too far away to be seen. All the chains, though, led in the same direction.

Tart looked over to Minou. She stood perfectly still, like the slightest move might attract the attention of some massive beast. Tart's mind went elsewhere, though. Corbeau was gone, and so was Tart's beloved France. She shouted at the void around them. "What have you done!? What did you do to... to everything!?"

Riz sighed. "Tart, I don't think..."

Corbeau's voice answered, booming through the air. "What have I done to it? I have done nothing but to the five of you. My most hated enemies... well, and the redhead."

Elisa shouted at Corbeau, wherever she was. "Well, I am sorry! Give me another chance, I'll make you hate me too!"

"That won't be necessary." Their rocky platform shook violently, knocking Riz and Minou over. Only Tart remained standing, having planted herself using her sword. "This is merely a demonstration."

Riz pulled herself over to the edge of the platform, looking over and into the fire below. There, curling up the side of the rock that they were all on top of, something held them in place. Further along, she could see another one in each direction. Gigantic fingers belonging to a hand that was below them, hidden under the rock. She turned to Tart and the others. "'Demonstration'. Emphasis on 'Demon', I'm guessing."

They all looked back up to find Corbeau's gaze bearing down on them. She was enormous, and it was clear that her hand now held them in place. Her lips curled into a smile wide enough to consume the rocky platform with them on it. She wore no mask over her eyes, which glowered at them malevolently. The gleaming steel of a silvery scythe blade arced through the air away from her, the giant weapon held firmly in her other hand.

"Behold. I have been granted power beyond that of the dark gods who ruled the world before the time recanted by Moses."

Riz stood and called up at her. "Who granted you this power? You were always a monster, but what kind of evil being have you become now?"

Tart nodded, jabbing her sword in Corbeau's direction. "Now we truly must destroy her! There's no telling how many she could kill like this! Maybe even the entire world! It has to end before it goes any farther!"

"Though try as you might to flatter me, you only insult my abilities. Destroy the world? How narrow your mind. I have a much greater object in my sight. But first, I want to... play a game with the lot of you."

Before they could inquire as to the nature of this 'game', she turned and threw the rock in her hand. Lost her footing and collapsed onto the rocky face as it flew through the void. She managed to keep hold, as the others mostly were able to keep their footing. Minou, however, was tossed off the platform the instant it was thrown and disappeared into the darkness. Snapping out of the trance she'd been stuck in, Minou lashed out with her weapon, which wrapped around the chain attached to the stone platform.

Tart looked ahead to see that they were careening towards another rock platform and were going to crash into it. There were other rocks scattered around it, some larger and some smaller, that offered an opportunity to avoid the collision. She shouted to her friends. "We have to jump!"

Elisa grimaced. "I don't like this!"

Riz looked up, seeing what was coming. "Oh... this is gonna hurt."

They jumped together, pushing off the falling platform and towards the nearest stationary rocks. They all managed to land on their feet just as the two rocks behind them collided, both shattering into thousands of shards that flew in every direction. Minou effortlessly leaped off the chain and floated down to another nearby platform. She took a deep breath and sighed in relief. She knew better than to think it was over, but she had survived the first assault from something beyond her understanding. She considered it a success.

Corbeau's voice echoed around them. "I have decided that you may leave of your own volition. The way out is in the direction you have been going, but I must warn you that the doorway only admits one at a time. To open it, you must use another key each time. Unfortunately for you, there are only four keys." Her laughter rang out, shaking the air.

Riz glanced back to where Corbeau had been standing, seeing the colossal figure stalking away. "So we find these keys, and she'll simply let us leave? I doubt it will be that easy."

"What about Minou?" Tart pointed over to where the other girl was making her own way from one platform to another. "If she gets out before us, we won't be able to all escape."

Elisa nodded. "And she's only got to find one. Assuming we're not just being lied to and toyed with for fun, two of us should head straight for the exit and keep her from getting out while the other two find three of the keys. She'll absolutely find one of them before us anyways, so we need to beat her there."

"Alright, everybody, settle down! Settle down... Hey, Kyoko! Shut up!" Everyone looked to Sayaka, and Kyoko stuck out her tongue. The blunette ignored it and continued. "Okay, so... Hitomi, your stomach okay?"

Hitomi nodded, though looked a little tired. "I'll be fi-"

Sayaka interrupted her. "Good, how about you, Kirika? How's your face?"

Kirika's forehead was still a little red from sliding across the ground, but she smiled. "Ready for battle!"

"Your face is ready for battle... okay... Well, now that everyone's ready-" Now Sayaka was interrupted herself.

Kyoko spoke over everyone else. "I'm fine too, thanks for asking!"

Sayaka adjusted the collar of her shirt. "I didn't ask. Anyway, it's time for the next event. Everyone, please follow me!" Regaining enthusiasm, Sayaka marched into another room, with the others following her. "If you'll all notice, this room contains many features that you've already been enjoying at this party, such as the couch, some chairs, a stuffed... frog... okay, but you'll also see that there is indeed a television affixed to the wall. This will be the point of focus for the next event! If you'll notice, there are three game controllers on the floor in front of the television!"

The girls noticed, and most quickly began envisioning having three arms.

Mami, on the other hand, went wide-eyed. "Oh my God! You have a Nintendo 64!"

Madoka cut in. "It belonged to my dad!"

"Belonged?" Kyoko wondered.

Madoka corrected herself quickly. "Belongs!"

Hitomi questioned Madoka. "Why are you being defensive about owning a Nintendo 64?"

Madoka shook her head. "I'm not being defensive!"

Sayaka nodded, agreeing with Hitomi. "Yeah, you kinda are."

Madoka looked pleadingly to Oriko. "Help me, I have no idea if owning a Nintendo 64 is good or bad!"

Oriko shrugged. "I dunno... Kirika has one."

Madoka whimpered. "Now I'm even less sure..."

Sayaka put a stop to the confusion. "Regardless, we are playing on that very same ancient piece of gaming technology! The game of choice is none other than the very best video game for playing at parties! Mario Kart! We have nine players, so we'll be going in groups of three! First up we have Madoka, Kyoko, and Oriko! Next will be Mami, Kirika, and myself! Then we'll have Homura, Hitomi, and the runt. The three winners will compete in the final round to determine who will wear the crown! Who will be the queen of Mario Kart!"

Yuma kicked Sayaka in the shin.

By the time the blunette had finished hopping around on one foot, the first round was already beginning. Sitting in the third player spot when selecting a character, Oriko was already on Princess Peach. Madoka looked dejected when Peach was no longer an option, but quickly jumped on selecting Yoshi instead. Kyoko went for Wario without a second thought. Looking over all the available races, Kyoko pounced on Wario Stadium before anyone could stop her. Just as the race was starting, Kyoko's face of glee dropped into a look of morbid terror at the realization. Madoka had this game in her house, and Oriko's best friend had one as well. They were likely both experts at the game.

The game started and Kyoko was left in the dust as Madoka and Oriko sped away. The entire race went by with Kyoko getting progressively farther behind. Madoka and Oriko consistently avoided all the items Kyoko got, and managed to stay practically tied with each other through the entire race. On the second lap, Kyoko found herself being lapped already by the other two. They were on their third lap. Madoka and Oriko sped off, heading up the ramp to the large jump.

The sound of Homura clearing her throat caught Kyoko's attention. Looking over, Kyoko saw in Homura's hands a crisp new ten thousand yen bill. Homura nodded suggestively. Kyoko understood. Looking back to the screen, she saw the green shell in her inventory. She may not be able to win, but by golly would the winner have her to thank. For a bonus, she could make money off of this. She just had to hit just this once. The green shell flew, striking true and sending Oriko flying and falling through to an earlier part of the track. Madoka made the jump, landing safely on the other side.

Acting as a rear guard, Kyoko stayed right behind Madoka until the end of the race, only to then realize that she was still a lap behind Oriko. She wailed in despair as she was smashed by a lightning bolt. A moment later, vengeful Oriko ran through her while shining with the power of a star. The race ended in a humiliating way for Kyoko, but she took consolation in her profit.

The next three jumped in eagerly. Kirika was quick to choose Donkey Kong, and Mami picked Toad. Sayaka chose Luigi, thinking that she related to the man in green somehow. With the same enthusiasm Kyoko had shown before the previous race, Kirika selected Banshee Boardwalk. The race begin and all three shot off. The first turn came and the difference between the player was obvious. Sayaka bounced off the wall, but kept going fast, while Kirika sped around the turn flawlessly. Mami hit the wall head on, not turning in the slightest.

Mami looked down at the floor. "I don't know how to turn." She remained in that spot for nearly the rest of the race, only escaping her predicament when she figured out how to reverse.

Already knowing she shouldn't have chosen Luigi, Sayaka found herself too far behind Kirika to hope for a win. Luigi is always second. Kirika, who had played this game every day of her childhood, was driving perfectly right until the end when, in front of her, she saw Mami going in reverse across the finish line. They slammed together, Donkey Kong's weight sending Toad flying. Unfazed by the impact, Donkey Kong soared across the line, winning the victory for Kirika. Sayaka passed in a measly second, but she was glad her loss was not as humiliating as Oriko's.

The third race began. Hitomi had chosen Peach, Yuma had chosen Mario, and Homura picked Bowser. The race selected left them all a little confused, as only one knew what they would face but had feigned ignorance. Hitomi had been to Madoka's house before. She knew what Toad's Turnpike held, and should have known better than to try navigating the never-ending onslaught of oncoming traffic. Her plan came crashing down on her as a large yellow bus smashed her less than two seconds after the race started.

Yuma took the lead, though mostly out of sheer luck. Homura kept a close second, out of sheer desperation. Hitomi only lost ground, unable to steer clear of the monstrous vehicles that seemed to aim for her. Nearly half the way through the third lap, Yuma lost focus on the purpose of the game and decided to try following behind a white car. While she succeeded, not crashing or hitting the wall, her speed fell and she never noticed when Homura passed her moments from the finish in a burst of mushroom speed.

With the three races over, Sayaka took to announcing the final round. "Now our winners will compete on the most obvious course made for victory, Rainbow Road! And our winners are Madoka, Homura, and myse-"

Kyoko hit Sayaka over the head with a stuffed frog. "You lost, damn it!"

Sayaka fell over, mumbling from the ground. "I meant to say Kirika."

The race went about as expected. The three girls had returned to their chosen characters of Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Bowser. While all were moderately deterred by the chomping creatures that chased them down the track, Homura predictably used every item she could get her hands on to keep Kirika behind Madoka. So strong was her determination that her aim was perfect. Her tactics were flawless. Her motive was questionable. Madoka would win.

The race went about as expected, until the beginning of the third lap where Kirika, still managing to stay not far behind, let out a mighty roar. "DESPERATE MEASURES!"

Immediately after crossing the line, reaching the third lap, Kirika hit the steep hill and pulled the right trigger, causing her kart to jump. Swerving to the left at just the right moment, time seemed to stand still for everyone as they watched. The kart flew into the blackness of space. Just when Homura's face began to show a grin of true victory, voices rose in a great cheer behind her. Kirika landed, safely across the abysmal void, on the other side of the track. Homura turned blue. True to form, Kirika was now well out of reach, thus making Madoka's victory equally out of reach. Homura had failed. Again.

After that, the win was assured. Kirika took the victory, and the even ended. Madoka, and all the others, cheered and praised the winner.

Finally snapping out of her trance, Homura stormed over to Kyoko. "Give it back."

"What? No! I did what you wanted. You're the one who sucked when it counted."

Sayaka jumped up, standing on her chair and calling out to everyone gathered at the party. "Alright, everyone! It's time for the next event! If you'll please draw your eyes to the center of the room you may see that the lovely Miss Junko Kaname has set up for us eight boring, normal-looking plastic chairs back to back. But if you would look closer, you may realize that these are no ordinary chairs, but that they are in fact magical chairs!"

Junko looked up from her seat next to the CD player. "Musical. They're musical chairs."

Sayaka glowed. "Music and magic are the same thing." She cleared her throat and continued with her announcement. "There are nine contestants this time, as our wonderful birthday girl Madoka Kaname will be joining us in this event! Everyone, give her a round of applause!" As the clapping went on from the other girls, Sayaka held her hand out to Madoka as if she was holding a microphone. "Do you have any words to say to the peoples?"

Madoka giggled when everyone went quite, waiting for her to speak. "Oh, um, thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday." The clapping started up again.

Sayaka moved on. "Now to meet the other contestants! First up, we have the blushing hopeful bride to be, the mysterious transfer student, Homura Akemi!" She repeated the microphone mime.

Homura, as Sayaka had stated, blushed profusely at the insinuation. "Ah, I, um... I'm going to try harder to win this time!"

Dancing across the room, Sayaka introduced the other girls one by one, getting some words from each. "The mature and lovely maker of sweet cakes and tea, Mami Tomoe!"

"Thank you, that means a lot to hear you say that." Mami smiled.

"...The wild and crazy, punisher of all who dare to waste food, Kyoko Sakura!"

"Bleah!" Kyoko stuck out her tongue.

"Uhh... cute and adorable, total master of mooching off rogues, Yuma Chitose!"

Yuma jumped up in the air. "I don't know what mooching is!"

"Seer of all things past, present, and future, the oracle Oriko Mikuni!"

Oriko stood up calmly, correcting Sayaka. "Only the future, actually."

"Mentally unstable, easily manipulated, and great entertainment when left to her own devices, Kirika Kure!"

Kirika laughed wildly, then stopped. "Wait, what?"

"And last but definitely not least, beautiful and talented, sound of body and mind, your host and guide throughout this day and the one whose advice you can always count on and trust, yours truly, Sayaka Miki!"

There was silence as everyone stared at her awkwardly.

Offhandedly, Sayaka waved her hand in the general direction of the one girl remaining. "Oh yeah, and Hitomi's here too."

"Hey!"

Sayaka put her hands on her hips. "You're not magical, so you don't get a super-awesome introduction."

As silence was again starting to fill the room, Junko cleared her throat. "The game?"

Sayaka straightened up. "Oh, yeah, right, um... there are eight chairs before us here! Now, you may be wondering to yourself why there are nine of us and only eight chairs." She looked to Hitomi. "Well..."

"Hey!"

Sayaka snapped back to the explanation. "There's a good reason for that! In fact, as the game progresses there will be less and less chairs in the middle! Each round of the game, the contestants walk, dance, prance, skip, hop, and flounder around the chairs in a single-file line as music plays. When the music stops suddenly, everyone must find a chair to sit in! If you are left standing at the end, unable to find a chair and thus making you the odd girl out, you lose the game and must sit at the sidelines until the next game! Everyone stands up and one chair is removed, making the number of chairs and contestants dwindle as the game continues! In the end it comes down to two girls and one chair, and when the music stops, the girl who sits in the chair first is the winner of the game!"

Kyoko's head was spinning. "Why is this game so confusing?"

Sayaka stepped over to the chairs. "Music supplied by Miss Kaname! Let's go everybody! Times a-wasting!"

The music started and the nine girls all joined in, happily dancing around the chairs, most still not quite sure why they were playing this silly game. While Madoka, Sayaka, and Yuma were all perfectly happy to go along with it, the rest were more subdued. They looked around, looking to Madoka's mother at times, trying to glean any sort of purpose behind the exercise.

Then the music stopped, and eight girls halfheartedly rushed to sit down. The unfortunate Mami had been facing away from the chairs and had only managed to turn around by the time everyone was sitting. She realized that she was out of the game, hanging her head in defeat and moving to the side of the room. Standing up as one, the girls watched as Junko got up and removed one of the chairs. Then everything changed.

Oriko and Kirika exchanged a severe glance. Kyoko's eyes flashed. Homura felt the atmosphere of the room shift. Sayaka and Madoka saw the changes in the others. They had all sensed it. Even Hitomi knew what was different about this game. It was more than just a game now. It was a matter of survival of the fittest. It was now apparent to all, except Yuma, that this game was serious business.

The music started up again, and the eight girls walked around the circle, watching each other. Everything else was left behind, except for Yuma's skipping and Kirika's floundering. But the floundering was a front, of course, meant to drop the enemies' guard. The music stopped again, and the rush of air could be heard outside. Madoka plopped down in the chair on the end of the side with four, Kyoko and then Homura taking the next two. The three on the other side were taken by Hitomi and Sayaka, who pulled Yuma down to sit between them.

Oriko was standing next to the last empty chair, a moment from sitting down, and Kirika was at the other end of the row. In a flash, the black magical girl leaped over Madoka, Kyoko, and Homura all at once, landing squarely on the chair and clamping her hands down on the sides of the plastic seat, holding her leg out to push Oriko away. The chair flipped onto its side from the momentum, but she still held herself on to the seat. Her victorious laugh was cut short when she saw the look of utter betrayal on Oriko's face.

Kirika couldn't look up at her friend, but what she said surprised everyone. "Yeah, but you have to admit that was an awesome move."

Oriko let out a sigh. "I guess you're right." She took Kirika's chair and stepped over to join Mami, setting the chair down and pointedly sitting in it.

The music began again, with each girl's eagerness to win growing exponentially. Three chairs on each side, and seven girls walking around them. When the music stopped, the rush was even more intense. Madoka sat down in the middle on one side, and was immediately squashed between Kirika and Kyoko. Yuma and Homura got their seats fast enough, but Sayaka had to run all the way around the whole setup to get to the last seat. By the time she got there, Hitomi was already seated.

Hitomi looked up at Sayaka. "You have to be more competitive, Sayaka."

Saying nothing, but taking a chair, Sayaka moved away to the side of the room. The music started, and six girls walked around five chairs. It wasn't two seconds before the music stopped, sending them all scrambling for the chairs. Unprepared, Madoka tripped and fell. As she went down, she saw four of the five chairs being occupied, only the closest remained. It was so close, yet out of her reach. Homura appeared out of nowhere, catching Madoka before she hit the ground. The dark-haired girl reached down and grabbed her friend around the shoulders, hauling her up and over her own head, falling backwards and dropping Madoka in the remaining seat.

Madoka, slightly dazed, looked up to see Homura casually flick her hair over her shoulder. Madoka blinked in surprise. "Homura..."

Homura's voice was low enough that only Madoka could hear it. "Anything for you."

Four chairs. Five girls. The music plays. Ten seconds in, with all the girls watching each other carefully, the music stops. Three girls sit, and two hit the ground. Just a fraction of a second before Kirika could get herself seated, Kyoko tackled her onto the floor. They rolled around for nearly a minute, each trying to break free of the other. As the time went by, the scene slowly became clear to one of the onlookers, though she was actually quite mistaken.

Hitomi turned red. "G-g-g... girls... can't... love... girls..." Hearing her cause Madoka to also turn red.

Kyoko and Kirika separated themselves, standing up and shouting together. "THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING!" They looked at each other, then both bolted for the last chair.

Kirika got there first, pouncing at the chair with ferocious speed. Unfortunately for her, on the other side of the chair was Yuma. The young Kyoko sympathizer pulled the chair back, causing Kirika to hit the seat face first and bounce off. Kyoko sat down, nodded her thanks, then looked to the pile of Kirika on the floor. The very sore loser inched away in shame, dragging her face along the floor as she went.

The music returned, and Mami helpfully removed a chair. The four remaining girls walked around, with Yuma jumping and clapping as they went. The music went off, and Kyoko pounced for her seat with all the enthusiasm she could muster. Madoka and Hitomi claimed the two side by side. Yuma, filled with party cheer, sat on the last chair even as Kyoko pounced. Seeing the smaller girl was right in her path, Kyoko realized her trajectory might harm her young friend. Twisting her body around, she missed and sailed past Yuma's face. Kyoko flailed wildly, crashing to the ground and sliding several meters before slamming into the wall.

She struggled to push herself up on one hand. "D-dammit... I have failed." She collapsed.

Picking up her chair, Hitomi handed it off to Mami. The last two chairs were back to back, with Hitomi, Yuma, and Madoka all aiming for the win. The music started. Yuma was still just enjoying herself, and her attitude was affecting Madoka as well. Soon, the two girls were both smiling and skipping and clapping, singing along to the music. Madoka was pulled out of the happy game by Hitomi's voice.

"Madoka, are you alright?"

Stopping and looking around, Madoka realized that the song had stopped and Yuma and Hitomi were already sitting. "Oh... well, uh, good luck to both of you!"

The two finalists stood up, and Madoka took one chair away. Yuma and Hitomi faced off, the last chair between them. Yuma smiled up at the older girl innocently. Hitomi's mind was beginning to be overridden by the thought that she was moments away from winning two events in a row. There was no way this little girl could beat her. The position she was in was getting to her head. The music started. They walked, Hitomi wary of getting lost in the cheer like Madoka had. Yuma danced as she had the whole time. The music went for more than a minute before it finally cut out.

The whole world seemed to slow down for Hitomi. She was in front of the chair, and Yuma was behind it. There was no way the short girl could climb over the back of the chair. Victory was assured. Various gasps from around the room confirmed that the outcome was already decided. Hitomi dived for the chair, not wanting to waste any time. Then, when her moment of glory was shining, Yuma's face appeared right in front of her.

Yuma, you see, is quite small. Smaller creatures are known to quite often have faster reflexes and smaller reaction times. Yuma started moving so soon after the music stopped that one watching might have thought she had known exactly when it would stop beforehand. In truth, Yuma simply had been paying attention to the music the whole time, instead of the other girls playing the game. She had been watching Junko. When the music stopped, she already knew she was behind the chair, and there was another advantage of being small. Yuma dived under the chair, sliding along the floor between the chair's legs and coming up between the chair and Hitomi. Jumping up, she saw Hitomi right in front of her. The two collided, Yuma's head hitting Hitomi in the stomach. The impact sent Yuma bouncing backwards and landing right on the seat. Hitomi fell to her knees, then onto her side.

It took a moment for what had happened to really sink in, but when it did, Yuma threw her arms in the air. "I won!" Cheering and clapping commenced.

In the corner, the three wipe-outs grieved for their losses. Kyoko threw her hands in the air. "My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Kirika held a plastic butter knife in her hands. "Death before dishonor..."

Hitomi:  Umm... what weapons did you say you have?

Juubey:  Glad you asked! I have the 'It's also a gun!' branded Nunchucks, several 'It's also a club!' Flintlock Pistols, and my personal favorite, the 'It can suck a ghost through a drinking straw!' Vacuum Cleaner.

Hitomi:  Are there normal weapons?

Juubey:  By normal, I assume you mean boring.

Hitomi:  Shall we... just go?

Sayaka stood up on top of the table, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Hey, listen up everyone! Announcement!" Once she was sure she had everyone's attention, she gave the announcement. "I'd like to first officially welcome you all to Madoka's birthday party, and thank you all for coming. Now, in your invitations, you should have gotten the message that you were supposed to bring a costume. Our first contest of the night is the costume contest, with Madoka as the judge! We now take a moment to change into our costumes. Now... GO!"

Seven girls got up and rushed out of the room to change into their costumes, leaving Madoka in the room alone with her mother and one other. She smiled over at the magical girl oracle. "Didn't you bring a costume, Oriko?"

Oriko looked down at herself. She was wearing as elaborate a dress as ever. "I didn't know it was part of a contest. I just came dress like this. It's my magical girl costume."

Junko gave a little giggle. "Aww, that's adorable." Oriko politely smiled in response, but rolled her eyes as soon as Junko looked away.

The wait was not long before the first contestant returned. Kyoko stepped into the room with her hair let down and a pair of headphones over her ears. Madoka stared at the well-made costume, but had no idea what it was.

Kyoko realized this soon enough. "Oh, come on. Luka Megurine?" She shook her head in disappointment. "Well, then Yuma's is gonna fly over your head."

As if on cue, the younger magical girl popped into view. She was wearing a gray shirt and skirt with a little tie around her neck and her hair in pigtails. "I'm Miku Hachune!"

Madoka and Junko started clapping, not because they understood it but simply because it was so cute. Yuma held up her leek and prodded the air with it, enjoying her moment of victory.

The next contestant appeared shortly after, wearing a long tan coat with a hood and mask that covered their face and large cat-like paws on the ends of the arms. The mask under the hood had a mad grin on it, and there were slits in the paws for potential claws to appear.

Oriko tried not to laugh. "Kirika, is that your costume?"

Kirika's voice came from under the hood as she placed her paws on her hips. "While I am wearing this costume you shall refer to me as TaoKirika!"

Kyoko sighed and started to take her headphones off. "Damn. I lost."

Yuma tried to comfort her friend. "Don't worry. It's not like you'll get last place." Mami appeared wearing a white sheet over her head. It had to circles cut in it for eyes. Yuma pointed at it. "See?"

Mami tried to play it off. “Uhh... boo? I’m a ghost.”

Amid the laughter, and Mami's shame, Sayaka's voice come from just outside the room. "Aw, crap! You thought of the same thing! Wait, actually, this could work if we just roll with it! Let's go out together and maybe we can both win."

Sayaka and Homura appeared next, wearing matching costumes. Only Homura's had red where Sayaka's had blue. They gave classic poses, with Homura introducing herself first. "I am Sailor Mars!"

Sayaka added, "And I am Sailor Mercury! We fight for love and justice!"

Homura finished. "And in the name of the moon, we will defeat evil!"

Mami pulled the sheet off her head. "I should have thought of that..."

Oriko looked over to Madoka. "Now all there is left is..."

Madoka shouted up the stairs. "Hitomi, we're waiting!"

Hitomi slowly descended the stairs, appearing before them all wearing a big fat cat costume. Madoka gaped in awe while everyone else burst out laughing. Even Homura was having difficulty holding back her laughter. Hitomi looked lost.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Sayaka shook her head, speaking around her laughs. "No, Hitomi. That's hilarious."

Madoka jumped up. "It's adorable!" She ran over and hugged Hitomi's giant cat costume.

Sayaka jumped back in surprise. "What?!"

Homura looked at her costume in disappointment. "Where did I go wrong?"

Mami and Oriko just clapped while Yuma looked on in confusion and wonder.

Kyoko patted Yuma's head in reassurance, vowing to make certain the younger girl won at least one event at the party.

Junko stood up, clapping. "I think we have our winner!"

Amid the clapping that followed the proclamation, Oriko looked up at the girl standing beside her, arms raised. "Kirika, go get changed."