Episode 12 - The Time of the Sealing of Fates
Dimensional energy surges out of the Garden of Time. Amy reports that Precia is overloading the Garden's power core in an attempt to compensate for the missing Jewel Seeds. If the reaction isn't stopped, it will cause a widespread inter-dimensional cataclysm.
Carrying the senseless Fate towards sickbay, Nanoha, Yuuno and Arf meet Chrono, on his way to confront Precia in person. With all the Arthra's warriors incapacitated, Nanoha and Yuuno volunteer to go with him. Lindy orders them to focus on capturing Precia, and says she'll follow along shortly.
Transporting to the Garden of Time, they find a vast number of magical automata now guarding it. They fight their way inside to discover that chunks of the walls and floor are breaking away, revealing the dimensional void beyond. Chrono tells Nanoha and Yuuno to head to the top floor and seal the main power core, while he goes to find Precia.
Arf watches their progress on a monitor in the Arthra's sickbay. She tells the still-unresponsive Fate that she's going to go and help them, promising to return later so they can build a happy future somewhere. After Arf leaves, Fate returns to her senses and considers her futile efforts to please Precia. Thinking about Arf's loyalty and Nanoha's kindness, she resolves to create a better life for herself. She picks up the damaged Bardiche and uses her own mana to repair it. Then, saying her true life is only just beginning, Fate activates her barrier jacket and heads out.
Over in the Garden of Time, Nanoha, Yuuno and Arf are facing off against increasingly large numbers of guardians. As things start to look grim, Fate arrives to help them. Fighting together, they destroy the guardians and clear a path to the top level. Fate tells Nanoha where to find the power core; Nanoha, realizing Fate is going to confront Precia, takes the other girl's hand and wishes her luck before they head off in opposite directions.
Meanwhile, the dimensional disturbance is spreading rapidly, and its effects are starting to be felt on Earth. Amy contacts Chrono, who is still trying to find Precia, and updates him on the others' progress. She says they still have time to avert disaster.
Nanoha and Yuuno reach the Garden's power core and start attacking its defenses. Down in the lowest level, Precia senses something interfering with her magic: Lindy has entered the Garden of Time and is magically suppressing the dimensional disturbance. She tells Precia that her plan has failed, saying the lost world of Alhazard is nothing more than a legend in any case. Precia retorts that Alhazard is real, and that she's discovered a path to it in the space between dimensions — by ripping apart the fabric of reality, she and Alicia will be able to reach it. The lost technology there, she claims, will let them erase the tragedy of the past and reclaim the lives they should have had.
Breaking into the room, Chrono says that the past, no matter how tragic, can't be changed. Moments later, Fate arrives and says she's come to tell Precia something: that she may not be Alicia, but Precia is her mother all the same... and she's willing to save her mother from anything if Precia will let her. Precia just scoffs and says she isn't interested.
Nanoha succeeds in sealing the power core, and the Garden of Time begins to fall apart. Amy confirms that the dimensional breach has been stopped, and tells everyone to escape before the Garden is destroyed. Fate desperately reaches out for her mother — but Precia, laughing madly, says she's going to Alhazard to reclaim the happiness she lost, and nothing will stop her. The floor gives way; Precia continues to smile as she falls into the dimensional void, Alicia's body alongside her.
Tropes
- Chekhov's Gun: The black "dead" zones in the dimensional void, which doom any who fall into them, are an interesting case — they're clearly set up as this trope, with the implication being that this is Precia's eventual fate. However, when Precia falls into the void, we don't specifically see her intersecting any of them, which leaves things ambiguous.
- Disney Villain Death: Precia falls into the dimensional void as the Garden of Time breaks apart, and disappears. We're given no reason to believe a person can survive in the void unprotected, and she's already dying from her illness, so she's almost certainly dead. Still, there's always that tiny room for doubt...
- Kirk Summation: Chrono confronts Precia with one, although she ignores it:The world is always filled with things that were never meant to be! Since long ago, at any time, or whoever's involved... that's how the world is! Do you plan to run away from a reality that "wasn't meant to be"? Or will you face it? It's up to you! But no-one has the right to interfere with other people's lives just because of her own selfish sadness!
- Last-Second Chance: Fate tells Precia that in spite of everything, she's willing to help save her. Precia refuses, making it clear she'd rather succeed or fail on her own.
- Mistimed Revival: Fate awakens from her Angst Coma mere seconds after Arf left to take part in the battle, leaving her all alone (aside from Bardiche) to do some serious soul searching.
- Motive Rant: Precia gives one, revealing that she plans to find the lost world of Alhazard and use its forbidden Magitek to bring Alicia back... even if she has to tear the space-time continuum apart to do it.I'll take it all back! The past and future that belong to me and Alicia! I'll redo it all... It was never meant to be this way... not any part of this world I'm in!
- Not So Stoic: Fate finally breaks down crying as she comes to terms with the truth. Only Bardiche is there to see it, however.
- Power Gives You Wings: When Lindy magically suppresses the dimensional breach, she appears to sprout ghostly fairy wings. This is actually a Mythology Gag — her character in Triangle Heart 3 was a fairy.
- Theme Music Power-Up: Take a Shot, performed by Nana Mizuki, plays throughout Fate's epiphany scene, and continues while she and Nanoha join forces to fight Precia's guardians.
