They were losing.

Cure Sword knew it. They couldn't win like this.

The world they had sworn to protect had turned against them unwillingly, and now they had to fight the monsters that were once their people.

Not even the Royal Pretty Cure could do such a daunting task.

"Princess!"

She turned her head to see Cure Ace, general of the Pretty Cure, with rare fear in her eyes.

"Princess, please run!"

Princess of the Trump Kingdom, Marie Ange, shook her head.

"I will not abandon my people!"

Ace narrowed her silvery eyes in frustration.

"Princess, please!"

Marie Ange tightened her grip on the Miracle Dragon Glaive.

"I will never leave my people, Cure Ace!"

Sword bit back a cry for her to give up her pride and just go.

Marie Ange was incredible to have hope at a dark time like this. She was radiant, truly. Yet, there was a difference between her heart's own strength and her safety!

"JIKOCHUUU-!"

Sword snapped herself out of her worries, and barely turned in time to see a massive gorilla Jikochuu bring back its fist.

"Dabyi!" she yelled.

"Ready, byi!" Sword's fairy partner called, heart mark on her forehead glowing.

"Flash! Holy Sword!"

Purple energy gathered around Sword's hand, just in time for her to jump out of the way of the Jikochuu's fist and cleave through its chest.

For a hopeful second, the Psyche of the Jikochuu fluttered free as the gorilla dissolved, purified.

Then, just as Sword had seen countless times before, it blackened and fell to the ground.

It would reform a Jikochuu soon enough.

The Pretty Cure hadn't fallen immediately. The curse permeating Trump Kingdom couldn't reach their Psyches, unless they took too much damage or lost their hope. And that was an all too real danger.

But the people of Trump Kingdom...the people she had sworn to protect, the people she had sung for, pledged for, prayed for, had fallen all at once. Their hearts had blackened, their very Psyches pulled out of their chests, to become gruesome Jikochuu. It hurt. It hurt.

But the only way to save them was to hold them off.

Sword looked back at the rest of her platoon, struggling against the hordes of Jikochuu.

Cure Fleur, Cure Bell, Cure Shield...everyone was fighting so hard.

So many of them had been lost already. The curse had taken them as they fell, and not even the Miracle Dragon Glaive could save someone unwilling to be saved.

Yet, her friends, her partners fought on.

Could she really hope to stay strong like them?

"Striking! Jack Kick!"

That sounded close. Wait, did the Jikochuu already-?!

Cure Jack slammed into Sword's rapidly reforming Jikochuu with a spike of green energy encasing her leg, putting it out of commission for at least a few minutes as the Psyche tried desperately to escape once more.

Jack landed, wiping the sweat off of her forehead, her fairy floating nearby.

She looked at Sword with sharp eyes.

"I know you're exhausted, Cure Sword." She sighed. "We all are. And I know you didn't exactly sign up for this. But we can't stop, not even for a moment."

Sword nodded. It was stupid to lose herself in thought. She had to use that time to protect the Princess.

"AAAGH!"
Jack turned, green pigtails hitting her in the face as she stared with wide eyes.

Cure Shield collapsed, holding her heart through her orange dress. Her eyes were clenched shut, her expression strained.

"Wall of s-steel! Blessed S-sh-shield-!"

A weak orange dome manifested around Shield, flickering in and out as her heart began to turn black.

"Shield…" whispered Jack.

Shield screamed once more, as her Psyche pulled its way out of her chest.

Orange light shone as Shield fell, her powers leaving her. Her orange outfit lost its sheen, and her eyes began to turn dull.

Sword squeezed her eyes shut. She had seen it before (too many times, now, one was already too many) but it was still a horrifying sight. Despite still having the uniform of a Pretty Cure that she had gained once she was knighted, Shield was now nothing more than a civilian.

"Cure Shield, para!"

Parala, Shield's fairy partner, was pushing on her unconscious body.

"Please wake up, para! Keep fighting, para!"

Jack looked at the ground.

"We can't stop, not even for a moment."

Sword nodded gravely.

"Cure Shield, please, para!"

Dabyi grabbed Sword's shoulder to get her attention.

"I'll take care of Parala, byi."

Sword nodded once more as Dabyi floated away, presumably to comfort the squirrel-like fairy.

That was...four. Four down.

Cure Coin, Cure Acorn, Cure Rose, and Cure Shield had now all fallen. Not dead in the physical sense, but good as.

Coin, from sacrificing herself. Acorn, from a nervous breakdown when fighting Coin's Jikochuu. Rose, from overconfidence. And Shield, simply from running out of endurance and hope to keep going.

And who was left behind to fight for them? Cure Ace, their fearless leader, but who couldn't fight hoards of Jikochuu by herself. Cure Jack, deputy general who was slowly beginning to show the strain she had placed on herself. Cure Bell, their healer, who was making clear the fact that she felt unable to save anyone. Cure Fleur, who had incredible speed but was barely out of training.

And Cure Sword, the newest of them all. She had only been a Cure for a month. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she fought…!

She couldn't do anything to save anyone.

"Ringing bright! Clear Bell!"

The telltale sound of Bell's healing spell swept across the battlefield, fixing Sword's minor cuts and scrapes. It couldn't do much against the gash on Fleur's leg, but everyone else seemed to be fixed up.

"Jack."

Sword looked up from her rapidly-fixing injuries to see Cure Ace striding in front of her. Sword stiffened into a slight salute, but Ace only smiled sadly.

"Thank you, but that isn't needed, my Spade."

Sword nodded, relaxing. Jack looked at Ace warily.

"What do we do?" she asked, desperation in her voice. "Ace, so many...so many of us have fallen! If we can't break this curse…"

"We retreat," Ace stated gravely.

Jack looked shocked.

"How?! There's nowhere to go! The Jikochuu...they've taken over everything. The Seven Selfish have claimed our kingdom as their own playground!" Jack shook her head, eyes watering. "Their wretched king may be petrified from exhaustion, but he will wake! There's nothing we can do, Ace!"

Ace sighed. She placed a lone hand on Sword's shoulder.

"My Spade, you were a songstress first, a Pretty Cure second, correct?" Sword nodded, with slight confusion. Did Ace think she wasn't good enough to fight with them? At a time like this?

"Then you've been in the palace. You know of the Mirror Gate, and the strange world it connects to." Sword's eyes widened in realization. Ace couldn't be…!
"My Spade, take the Princess and run. Run, far away from here. We shall buy you time." Sword shook her head. She couldn't be asking her this!
"No! I can't leave you to die, General!" Ace just looked at her with weary eyes as Sword cried out. "Why me?! I'm not as experienced as any of you! Jack, Bell, anyone should take Marie Ange! I'm not...I shouldn't…"

Ace looked back, and Sword followed her gaze. Marie Ange fought against the Jikochuu as they talked, Miracle Dragon Glaive in hand. Exhaustion marred her features, yet she fought on.

Sword was unworthy to protect her, she knew.

"My Spade, Marie Ange is very dear to you. I know this. Even above all else, you would follow her, and protect her with your life. I doubt even I have such devotion." Sword simply looked desperately at Ace as she continued. "I know you will keep her safe. I believe that you can. No matter what."

Jack looked at Sword, and smiled.

"Take care of her, Cure Sword."

Sword nodded.

"Princess! Cure Sword will take you away from here! Head to the castle!"

Sword sprinted across the battlefield, dodging the swipes of Jikochuu along the way. She grabbed Marie Ange's hand.

"Princess, let's go!"

"I shouldn't leave them, Cure Sword…"

"We must retreat, Princess! Your safety is more important than anything."

Marie Ange looked unsure, but she began to run with Cure Sword.

Sword looked back to see Ace watching them go.

And to Sword's disbelief, she saluted the two of them.

Sword squeezed her eyes shut. She had to stay focused. She couldn't think of what Ace was about to do.

Pushing herself to her limits, she ran even faster, dragging Marie Ange behind her.

~
Cure Ace looked at what was left of her platoon.

"Jack, Fleur, Bell...I know I'm asking a lot of you."

Jack shook her head.

"Being captured is nothing, Ace. I'll follow you to the end."

Bell smiled weakly.

"It's okay. With all of you, I feel like this will amount to enough."

Fleur held her hands to her chest.

"This is what I trained for, General."

Ace spread out her hands. Jack took one, Bell another. Fleur took the hands of the other two Cures.

"Thank you. Everyone, now!"

They raised their heads and voices to the sky.

"The Pretty Cure's Five Vows!"

"A Pretty Cure always looks forward to the future!"

Their future was now in the hands of Cure Sword.

"A Pretty Cure fights for love!"

Their love had been corrupted by the Selfish.

"A Pretty Cure protects the people!"

The people were Jikochuu now, their own enemies.

"A Pretty Cure believes in themself and their actions!"

Ace could count the decisions today she believed in on one hand.

"A Pretty Cure fights for those they treasure!"

Marie Ange was running for her life. Ace hadn't been able to protect her.

And one last time, they yelled together to the sky.

"THE ROYAL PRETTY CURE WILL NEVER FALL!"

They said it as they were falling. These lies were their oath, their swan song, the last spark of hope they had in their own hearts. Cure Ace loved her platoon, and her people.

God, she didn't deserve to have Cures like these, who would follow her before anything.

That was Cure Ace's last thought before a bright pillar of light erupted from the four girls, spreading outward and encompassing countless Jikochuu.

And all through it, their hearts shined.