Be Careful What You Wish For | Hey Arnold! x Puella Magi Madoka Magica Crossover

Chapter 6

"Alright – let's see what you can do."

It was late evening. Helga, Phoebe, and Gloria, stood behind the rear of an old abandoned building. Phoebe was standing opposite the two other girls as they observed and assessed her fighting abilties. Phoebe's eyes were glazed over, and she looked scared and unsure; she turned to Helga for guidance.

"It's okay, Phoebe," said Helga, reassuringly. "Gloria's here to help you. Just do what she says."

Phoebe sighed and nodded her head. In an instant, she was in her maid Puella Magi costume before them. She then forcefully outstretched both her hands; several fencing swords materialized above her head, then simultaneously struck the ground in a circular pattern around Phoebe. Gloria nodded approvingly while Helga just stared, her mouth agape.

"Whoa," remarked Helga, speechless.

"Not bad," admitted Gloria "Impressive, even."

For the first time in days, Phoebe allowed herself to smile weakly, feeling at home with the sound of praise.

"But wasn't there something else you could do?" asked Gloria innocently.

The smile on Phoebe's face quickly dissipated, and turned to apprehension as she immediately balked. "Well, uh…I can't really control it…"

"I see," Gloria said, pensively. She tapped her chin with her gloved hand. "Alright, then. Perhaps this will help to jumpstart it." She struck the ground with her staff and in an instant, the entire area that the girls occupied was shrouded in fog.

A low bleating noise seemingly came out of nowhere. Phoebe looked to her left; out of the haze emerged a large ram with a sharp pair of horns. The beast looked angry, and dug its hooves in the ground before charging straight for her.

Phoebe shrieked and attempted to run away from the ram, but it quickly close the gap between them. Finally, all Phoebe could do is shield herself from the impending attack.

"Phoebe!" Helga yelled.

The ram's hooves drove straight through her friends body, and she was literally lifted off the ground. Infuriated, Helga grabbed Gloria by the collar. "What the hell are you doing? I told you to help her, not shish-ka-bob her!"

"But I did help her," responded Gloria., pointing above her head. Helga looked upward; sure enough, Phoebe several feet in the air, dangling precariously from an emergency escape ladder attached to the building. Looking back at the ram, Helga realized that it was merely a decoy, the two puncture wounds were leaking rice onto the ground.

Phoebe let go of the ladder and Helga broke her fall. Gloria tapped her staff on the ground a second time, and the fog and ram had dissipated. "Interesting. Right now it only looks like you can use your second power in times of stress, but with enough practice, you should be able to control it to your benefit."

"So, will she be alright?"

Gloria smiled and nodded. "She'll be fine. She just needs to get her feet wet, but she has the potential to be a very powerful Puella Magi."

"You hear that, Phoebes? You're a natural!" Helga patted Phoebe encouragingly on the back.

"Now let's get going – perhaps we can find an easy target for you today."

"Wait, you're making her hunt witches ALREADY?" asked Helga, incredulously.

"Relax. I'll only have her fight the familiars for now, then when she hones her skill set and she thinks she's ready, Phoebe can tackle witches. Besides, it's in her best interest to become a competent fighter as soon as possible."