[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/STARSABOVECover_3676.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[FlatEarthAtheist "Magical girls aren't real."]] [[OhCrap "Not in your world..."]]]]

->'''Kyubey:''' ''"I give my word that I will not make, nor will I ''attempt'' to make contracts with these girls... Contracting them would be foolish and irrational, no matter the circumstances. If they ever became Puellae Magi... it would mean the end of everything."''
-->--From the prologue

''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7371211/1/Stars_Above Stars Above]]'' is a fanfic started in September 2011, written by Tropers [[{{@/FringeBenefits}} BHS]] and [[Tropers/{{Forzare}} AshenDream]]. Based loosely on the events of a [[LongRunners long-running]] RP on the Administrivia/TVTropesForum, the story is a ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''[=/=]''Manga/LuckyStar'' IntercontinuityCrossOver which takes place after Madoka's ascension and ignores the events of [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Rebellion]], as the story was written and planned out long before the movie's release.

A [[NewTransferStudent mysterious transfer student]] arrives for her first day at a new school. [[EmotionlessGirl Cold and emotionless]], she treats everyone in her class with indifference... except for one [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent ordinary girl]], who is mystified by her attitude. Later on that same day, this girl and her friends are attacked by a hideous monster, only to be saved by a MagicalGirl...

[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Sounds familiar, right?]] Well, here come the twists:

The new school is [[Manga/LuckyStar Ryouou High]], the ordinary girl is Kagami Hiiragi, not Madoka Kaname, the monster is called a Demon, and the new transfer student is wearing a red ribbon in her hair...

A YuriGenre CrossoverShip fic that aims to be "as awesome as possible", [[WordOfGod according to the authors.]]

The story was [[CompletedFic completed]] in December 2014.

'''Now has a [[Characters/StarsAbove Characters Page]], under construction'''.

''Stars Above'' has BonusMaterial including two side-stories, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8522659/1/ My Sunshine]]'' and ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9153264/1/ Pioneer]]'', and profiles for each of the Demons of the Nine, which can be found [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/986141 here]]. The story is also posted on [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/979513 Archive of Our Own]] and [[http://tasakeru828.deviantart.com/gallery/36254251 DeviantArt]]

You may also want to check out ''{{Literature/Tasakeru}}'', an original work written by [[{{@/FringeBenefits}} BHS]], [[BlatantLies who wouldn't even think of indulging in]] ShamelessSelfPromotion.

There is a [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13271175450A15480100 discussion thread]] for this story on the Administrivia/TVTropesForum.

This fic and its related materials are also posted on [[http://tasakeru828.deviantart.com/gallery/36254251 DeviantArt]] and [[http://archiveofourown.org/series/57599 AO3 (Archive Of Our Own)]], in addition to its home on Website/FanFictionDotNet.

The fic has a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts in the form of ''FanFic/ShatteredSkiesTheMorningLights'', also by BHS.

Also see ''FanFic/{{Respect}}'', another unrelated CrossOver by the same author.

'''WARNING! Here there be SPOILERS. It is ''highly'' recommended that you finish watching the Madoka anime before reading the story or looking at this page!'''



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!!This work provides examples of:

* AllDeathsFinal: The Puellae Magi are well aware of this. The Kagami of 2012, [[BreakTheCutie however...]]
* AllThereInTheManual: The names, natures, origins, and background information about the Nine are explained largely though their [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/986141 profiles]], written in the style of the Madoka website's Witch Cards.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Homura, initially [[TheStoic stoic]] and [[IceQueen unfriendly]] as usual, [[spoiler:until she opens up to Kagami.]]
* AnyoneCanDie: And does die. Every single Puella Magi on Earth dies in Homura's time, long with Tsukasa, and in Kagami's time, quite a few innocents die. [[spoiler:Homura herself also dies at the end.]]
* ApocalypseHow: Vittoria's attack on Earth in the Madoka-verse resulted in one of Scope Level 3 (Planetary). The Severity is Level 2 (Societal Collapse), verging on Levels 3 (Species Extinction) and 4 (Total Extinction) due to the damage to causality and the climate. Only one or two billion people are left, and every city and town is said to be in ruins. The Demons are now aiming for a [[ApocalypseHow/ClassZ Class Z Omniversal Physical Annihilation.]]
* ApocalypseMaiden: Kagami contains the Demon that could destroy TheMultiverse... and by the final chapters Tsukasa contains another, unnamed one, similarly powerful. This overlaps with BarrierMaiden.
* ArcWords: "The [[TitleDrop stars above]] will fall, and all will come to ruin."
* BarrierMaiden: Both of the Hiiragi twins are this to TheMultiverse... their survival keeps everything from falling apart.
* BetaCouple: [[PairTheSpares Tsukasa and Miyuki.]] [[spoiler:Except not, as Miyuki has been replaced by a shapeshifting Demon.]]
%%* BigDamnHeroes:
%%** Homura's rescue of the Hiiragis and Konata on board the train.
%%** Konata's transformation and arrival during the final battle.
* BigDamnKiss: In Chapter 17, after a night of terrible battles and even more terrible trauma.
* BittersweetEnding: The Nine are completely defeated and everyone is saved. [[spoiler:However, Homura dies of Soul Gem corruption as a result of the fight. Kagami does manage to heal her timeline's Homura, but doesn't dare use her as a ReplacementGoldfish, and hopes to join Homura and Madoka one day.]]
%%* BreakTheCutie: ''Everyone.'' The casts of both series get put through the wringer.
* BreakThemByTalking: The Second is an expert at this, and takes perverse pleasure in it.
* CallingYourAttacks: Mami, of course, continues to do this as well as the [[Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica Pleiades Saints]]. [[spoiler: Homura also takes to naming her ultimate attack, "Requiem Violetta", and credits Mami for it. By the end, all of the Stars Above have named attacks: [[WaveMotionGun "Blue Moon]] [[Franchise/SailorMoon Sapphire Power Kiss"]] for Konata, [[FantasticNuke "Ult]][[Franchise/FinalFantasy ima"]] for Miyuki, [[EnergyWeapon "Demon Slayer"]] for Tsukasa, and [[SwordBeam "Starry Night"]] for Kagami.]]
* TheCameo:
** Madoka appears to Kyoko to take her Soul Gem when she runs out of power.
** In Chapter 5, Nurse Amahara from the ''Lucky Star'' manga makes an appearance. Creator/MinoruShiraishi has a single line in Chapter 6, [[spoiler:when he informs Miss Kuroi that Miyuki has been gone for a long time.]]
** Cameos of the [[Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica Kazumi]] and [[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko]] characters are found throughout the 2012 flashbacks in Chapters 7, 8, and 9.
** ''Every'' ''MagicalGirl'' ''ever'' appears in Kagami's dream in Chapter 12. Specifically alluded to are Anime/TokyoMewMew, [[Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Revolutionary Girls]], [[Manga/MagicKnightRayearth the Magic Knights]], [[Manga/CardCaptorSakura Cardcaptor Sakura]], [[Manga/WeddingPeach the Wedding Angels]], [[Anime/PrettyCure all of the Precure]], [[Franchise/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha the TSAB agents and the Wolkenritter]], [[Anime/DevilHunterYohko all 108 Devil Hunters]], and every [[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Senshi]] and [[Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi]] to ever exist.
** Soujiro Izumi, Yui Narumi, and Yutaka Kobayakawa appear in Chapter 18.
** [[spoiler:Minami Iwasaki cameos as a ChekhovsGunman in Chapter 20.]]
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: How Kagami finds out about Tsukasa and Miyuki's relationship.
* CirclesOfHell: The Nine modeled themselves after the Circles in Dante's Hell.
* CloningGambit: [[spoiler:Desideria pulled this with one of her Spawn. She let it feed until it transformed into a copy of herself, let it read her memories, and allowed the copy to take her place and be killed by Kagami.]]
* ConflictingLoyalty: The reason why Homura decides to take some distance from Kagami. She thinks that she's betraying Madoka [[spoiler:by falling in love with another girl after Desideria goads her about it]], but she also doesn't want Kagami to get hurt in the crossfire that keeps getting violent. The later situation is ironically not unlike the events of ''Madoka Magica''.
* {{Continuation}}: [[spoiler:Of [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica the Madoka anime]]. The story deliberately ignores the events of [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Rebellion]], as it was written and planned well before the movie's release.]]
* CorruptTheCutie: [[spoiler: Desideria disguised as]] Miyuki does this to Tsukasa throughout the story.
* DarkerAndEdgier: At least when compared to the ''much'' lighter Lucky Star anime/manga. It's even pushing it at times in the Madoka-verse's case.
* DarkMagicalGirl: Homura, obviously. [[spoiler:Though significantly more heroic than she initially appeared in the Madoka anime, her determination and ruthlessness have not changed.]]
* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:Konata in chapter 15, given a Brand and forcibly converted into one of the Sixth's Spawn. Several chapters later, the Seventh briefly possesses Tsukasa when she seals it inside her body.]]
* DespairEventHorizon:
** The 2012 Kagami crosses it in [[TearJerker heartbreaking fashion]] when she learns that Homura can't make the pain of losing her sister go away.
* {{Determinator}}: All of the Puellae Magi, ''especially'' Homura. They fought on until there were only four left.
* DiesWideOpen: Tsukasa and Kazumi in the Madokaverse both die staring upward, at the sky and at the ceiling respectively.
* DopeSlap: First with a bento box, then with a pillow. Both times Konata is the recipient.
* TheDyingWalk: Homura does this after the final battle, shortly before she dies of corruption.
* EldritchAbomination: Vittoria fits the bill, and later Desideria mutates into a huge rift described as a living time[=/=]space paradox.
%%* EmotionEater: The Demons feed on a person's Heart, the core of their emotions.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: This will occur if anything happens to Kagami and Tsukasa, the "multiversal focal points".
* EnemyWithin:
** It seems like Vittoria already exists in Kagami's head, clouding her mind and making her almost lash out at the already beaten up Homura for letting Jovanni's monks take Konata hostage.
** A more obvious example is probably when Kagami accidentally snaps the neck of one of Kyubey's bodies when she's freaking out about Tsukasa going missing.
** She nearly gets loose at the end of Chapter 25 after Kagami's ExtremeMeleeRevenge against the Second.
* EverybodysDeadDave: Every Puella Magi on Earth teamed up to battle Vittoria, Kagami's Demon form. Only four survived.
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Kagami turns the Second into a]] ''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown bloody smear]]'' [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown with her bokken]].
%%* FantasticArousal: Played as darkly as possible with Desideria's rape of Homura.
* FeelNoPain: The mechanism of this one nature of magical girls is explained as the "pain switch", where in an extreme case, a magical girl sacrifices her movement and speed for numbness of their body. An example of the technique is when Homura takes a spear that almost severs her torso without dying, and lets Kagami hit her with her ''bokken'' to destroy Demon Spawn that latch on all over her body.
* GeniusLoci: Jovanni, the Sixth, takes the form of a twisted cathedral made from volcanic rock. He also has the ability to turn his Branded into his [[FacelessMooks monks]], which confuses Homura at first-she thinks ''they're'' the Demons.
* GettingEatenIsHarmless: Kagami is swallowed whole by the Third Demon Ciacco, a giant, emaciated dog, but the only real danger involved inside is his Spawn[[note]] Demon equivalent to Witches' Familiars[[/note]], a horde of maggots that eat everything he eats, depriving him of actual nourishment.
%%* TheHeartless: The Demons, feeding on emotions and possessing little to none of their own.
%%* HellHound: Ciacco, the Third, an enormous and emaciated rabid dog with a stomach full of maggot Spawn.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Homura suffers a terrible one after Desideria reveals all her secrets to Kagami, and [[MoralEventHorizon violates her Soul Gem while wearing Kagami's form immediately afterward.]]
** Kagami has one at the end of her fight with the Second. This time around, Homura talks her out of it.
** Konata suffers one after the battle with the Seventh, witnessing for the first time just how screwed up the Demons are- she managed to escape this due to LaserGuidedAmnesia after her encounter with Jovanni.
%%* HeroicRROD: Homura at the end of the final battle. This results in her death.
* HeroicSacrifice: The Yuki impersonator pulls one to save Kagami, Konata and the other bystanders from demon crows. She gets [[CruelAndUnusualDeath killed by being flayed alive]] for her troubles.
* HeroicSecondWind: Homura's Soul Gem is [[TheCorruption already blackened]] before the Third's battle and she is supposed to fade per the usual Law of Cycle, but not only does she ''not'' fade, her Soul Gem becomes bright again. Kyubey, who is understandably confused, discusses it with her. [[spoiler:She gets another one later when Kagami reminds her that [[YouAreNotAlone she's not alone.]]]]
%%* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
%%** Konata to Kagami once she realises Kagami is in love with Homura.
%%** Homura stops Kyubey from [[DealWithTheDevil contracting]] with Kagami for this exact reason, knowing full well she'll die from her injuries without it.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Just as in Madoka, the title of each chapter comes from a line of dialogue within it.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Homura at the end of Chapter 10. She gets TakenForGranite immediately after.
%%* ImprovisedWeapon: Kagami's school bag in Chapter 4.
* IntercontinuityCrossOver: Between ''Manga/LuckyStar'' and ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. The first work of its kind to do so. [[spoiler:The story also unites characters from the [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Madoka]], [[Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica Kazumi]], and [[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko]] timelines in the Madoka-verse.]]
* IsThatWhatHeToldYou: Said by Kyubey in Chapter 5. Homura's explanation as to what happened to her timeline's Hiiragi twins wasn't entirely truthful...
* ItCanThink: It's soon revealed that Demons are just as intelligent as humans, and capable of long-term planning. [[spoiler:And sadism, in the Second's case.]]
* TheJuggernaut: Gaspare, the Fourth, a knight made of solid lead. Homura throws half her arsenal at it, and nothing works until she impales it with its own lance and spears it with her FinishingMove for good measure.
* KilledMidSentence: Tsukasa, and one chapter later, [[Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica Kazumi]], as the first victim of Vittoria.
%%* LoveHurts
%%* MeaningfulEcho: [[Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica "Believe in us"]], [[spoiler:"Do your best", and YouAreNotAlone.]]
%%* MeanwhileInTheFuture: Chapters 4 through 9 use this trope.
* MortalWoundReveal: [[spoiler:Homura's Soul Gem is revealed to have been damaged in the final battle shortly afterwards. This changes the ending from a straight HappyEnding to a BittersweetEnding with Homura's death as a result.]]
%%* TheMultiverse: Kagami and Tsukasa are its [[BarrierMaiden Barrier Maidens]].
* NewTransferStudent: Homura, just as in the Madoka canon, [[spoiler:but with a twist...]]
* NotWhatItLooksLike: The title of Chapter 5, said when Tsukasa misinterprets [[LapPillow Kagami lying in Homura's lap.]]
%%* OhAndXDies: Tsukasa in the alternate timeline, leading to Kagami's StartOfDarkness.
* PreClimaxClimax: Kagami and Homura spend the night together in Chapter 27, just before they go to face the Ninth.
* PresentAbsence: Madoka. This being set after the series, she's serving as the concept of Hope and is unseen but omnipresent throughout the story, but she makes personal appearances to lead Kyoko, Nico, and [[spoiler:Homura]] to the afterlife.
* RapeAsDrama:
** The Second was doing this when she played with Homura's Soul Gem. Combined with the ''psycholoigical'' torture Homura was put through, it's no wonder she was catatonic by the end of it.
** She threatens this against Kagami in their rematch. Kagami, understandably, [[ShutUpHannibal does not]] [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown take any of that]].
* RageAgainstTheReflection: A variation of this. [[spoiler:The reflection Homura rages against is the Second, having shifted into a doppelganger of her past self. Kagami gets a turn at this several chapters later.]]
%%* ReplacementGoldfish: {{Subverted}}, Kagami refuses to use her timeline's Homura as this to the 2012 Homura.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Said by Kagami to Kyubey in Chapter 4.
%%* SecondLove: In a literal fashion for Homura, and a [[IncrediblyLamePun punny]] one for Tsukasa.
* SecretRelationship: [[BetaCouple Tsukasa and Miyuki]], [[spoiler:until Chapter 13.]]
* SelfCensoredRelease: The Fanfiction.net version omits most of [[PreClimaxClimax chapter 27]].
* ShapeShifter: The Second, who [[AndIMustScream imprisons Miyuki in the lens of her own glasses]] and assumes her form. [[Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica Airi Anri]] also this, and she's in the force of good now unlike in [[DiscOneFinalBoss her series]].
* ShoutOut: Most of them come from Konata, [[{{Otaku}} naturally.]]
** Konata talks the Hiiragi twins' ears off about Anime/CodeGeass in Chapter 2. The first season was airing at the time the story takes place.
** Kagami's ringtone is the OP from the first Literature/FullMetalPanic anime.
** Konata quotes ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' when showing Homura that [[LetsGetDangerous she means business]] in Chapter 13. [[spoiler:She also lets out Kenshiro's trademark FunnyBruceLeeNoises and pulls off some RapidFireFisticuffs before being abducted one chapter later.]]
** Kagami changes her ringtone to the first ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' ED theme, [[Music/RieFu "Life is Like a Boat"]].
** Upon finding out that Homura's a MagicalGirl, [[OtakuSurrogate Konata]] pesters her to do the [[Anime/SailorMoon original]] InTheNameOfTheMoon speech, complete with posing.
** And later, during Kyubey's [[NoSell ultimately failed]] attempt to forge a contract with her, Konata whispers [[ByThePowerOfGrayskull "Moon Prism Power Make Up."]]
** [[spoiler:When she finally ''does'' transform into a Magical Girl, her costume is clearly based on Sailor Moon's, and she gives the full speech as she arrives at the battle.]]
** In chapter 19, Tsukasa mentions that [[Creator/EmiriKatou Kagami and Kyubey]] sound the same. Later, Konata brings Kagami a [[Anime/PowerpuffGirlsZ Hyper Blossom]] transformation [[TransformationTrinket compact]] as her birthday present, saying that "I thought it would really suit you".
** Konata and [[OccidentalOtaku Patty]] put on a show featuring [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure the original Pretty Cure]] at the cosplay cafe in Akihabara.
** Konata gives Tsukasa a [[Anime/CardcaptorSakura Cardcaptor Sakura]] costume for her birthday. It's the infamous pink and black rubber catsuit.
** When visiting Miyuki in the rehab hospital, Konata plays [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Monster Hunter Portable]], and later quotes [[Anime/DigimonTamers Terriermon's]] trademark ''[[GratuitousForeignLanguage "Moumantai."]]''
* StarCrossedLovers: Homura and Madoka prior to the story, and [[spoiler: Kagami and Homura after the latter dies at the end.]]
* StartOfDarkness: Chapter 9 shows the 2012 Kagami's gradual descent into Demonhood.
* SupportingLeader: [[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko Mikuni]] takes command of all of Earth's Puellae Magi in the 2012 timeline.
* SwallowedWhole: Kagami gets eaten by the Third in Chapter 15.
* TakenForGranite: Homura gets temporarily turned into a gold statue by the Fourth.
* TheStoic: Homura, [[CharacterDevelopment though she's a little more free with her emotions than she was in the Madoka anime.]]
* ThemeNaming: The Nine are given sobriquets that are patterned after the [[Literature/TheDivineComedy nine circles of Hell]].
* TitleDrop:
** Done twice in Chapter 5, the first time by Oriko [[spoiler:and the second by one of the Demons.]] Done a third time in Chapter 25 by [[spoiler: Desideria]].
** Used several times as ArcWords towards the end: ''The stars above will fall, and all will come to ruin.''
** And, finally, Stars Above is [[spoiler:adopted as a name by the team of Magical Girls]].
* {{Tsundere}}: Kagami, as always. Konata mentions this by name.
* VisionsOfAnotherSelf: Oriko reveals to Homura that she has dreams of the other timelines, and knows of [[BreakTheCutie all the hell Homura's been through as a Puella Magi.]]
* TheVirus: Jiovanni's Rite of Coversion turns humans into his grotesque red-cloaked monks. Poor Konata.
* WeirdnessMagnet: As "multiversal focal points", Kagami and Tsukasa are living {{WeirdnessMagnet}}s, and irresistible targets for the Demons.
* WhamLine:
** Two in rapid succession in Chapter 4: [[spoiler:"We're all that's left," and "Neither of us killed that Demon... you did."]]
** One in the final chapter: [[spoiler: "It's breaking...", referring to Homura's [[SoulJar Soul Gem]].]]
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 9.
%%* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter
%%* YouAreNotAlone
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Homura and Kyubey's trip back from the 2013 Madokaverse was one-way. It took a significant power boost to go back that far, and there's no way to return to their own time or universe.

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