‘….the fuck?’ ‘You heard me. Don’t do bad things anymore!’ Em exclaimed, not a single hint of sarcasm in her voice. That definitely wasn’t what Ami was expecting. Emri had just kicked their ass, and along with that destroyed the biggest project they’d had since they started. Yeah, sure they’d been a magical girl before, but that was long before Em and her team had gained their powers. Long before Ami had gone ‘bad’, as Mint would’ve said. Why was Em giving them this chance? They’d nearly killed her and her team, killing multiple citizens in the process. After all the taunting, all the nights Em’s team had spent chasing Ami down, fighting only to get bloody and tattered while Ami’s rage and old magic kept them going… Yet she says this? Part of Ami was outraged. Why should Em get what she wants? Why should she reach her goal, but not them? Ami had fought tooth and claw for their goal. Instead of newfound friends, safety, and a peaceful ending, the peaceful ending that Em was so close to.. Ami had just gotten their childhood ruined, and their partner killed right in front of them. Mint didn’t deserve it. No one did. Yes, Mint would never actually approve of this, but Ami was done. They’d done everything in their power, and it hadn’t been close. Their villain had moved, or disappeared, or retired. Either way, their villain was gone. Moved on, and so had Ami in their own way. A year after Mint died, Ami gave in. Set fire to their home, began using their powers working towards a new wish. Instead of giving hope to the world, they destroyed it. They had fucked up the world because the world fucked up them. Yet part of Ami was also curious. They could see the shock in the rest of the teams’ eyes. Clearly, this wasn’t part of the plan, so Em was just going off of instinct, right? Why did this girl trust in them? After all, they’d gone on quite the crime spree after Mint’s death. And yet this self proclaimed Emri Magica had just told them, wholeheartedly, that she knew they could do good again. Maybe they could. In the end, their curiosity won over their rage. “Why?” Ami prompted. ‘Why what?’ Em responded, innocent and open. God, to think they were almost the same age, Em’s team only appearing two years after Ami had stopped protecting the city, dipping their toes into villainy.. “Why have hope in me? After all that I’ve done?” ‘Well. Why do you think?’ “I don’t know. I’m a shit ass magical girl, an even shittier villain. Why do you trust I can do good again, when all you’ve seen of me is my worst at my best?” Silence. Emri’s team shuffled, clearly unsure what to do. Ami just stood there, their now-darkened blade at their side as they waited for an answer. Neither side lunged in the strange calm after the destructive battle that had just occurred. And finally, after what seemed like hours when there had been minutes.. ‘.. you were my hero’ “Excuse me?” ‘You and Mint. I’d watched MagicTube videos of you two as a kid. Yeah, the audio and video were absolute shit, and the videos were old. But I thought it was so cool how you two had fought together. The smoothness of your teamwork, your magic always complimenting hers and vise versa. Hell, I was even you for Halloween for like, three years straight! I remember seeing all the crimes you did… yet I still believed, and still do, that you can still be good. Do good.’ “… mint would’ve been so proud of you, y’know. Even if I weren’t your villain, she’d have cheered you on every step of the way.” Ami’s image flickered as tears appeared in their eyes. Their magic was dying. Their passion was. Maybe that was for the better. They let themselves down from the pull that their magic had on their heart, and for the first time in forever, instead of being Ami Madoka, magical girl.. they were just Amia, the schoolgirl. ‘I’ll try, kid. I’ll try. I can’t promise you anything.. but if it’s for Mint, and for you, I’ll try.”