OP: Magical Story~Time
In the depths of the Legendary Land, ruins of an old castle loomed. Any who looked could see that the walls were white marble, that the windows that appeared to be stained glass at first glance were actually paper-thin gemstones, and that the lights that floated around were miniature stars. However, the great obsidian doors had been decorated with bad graffiti in a multitude of colors. Paint splatters ruined the pristine castle, and over time the numerous shades had mixed together, so in some places, the decoration was a gross, muddy, brown.
Inside, in the rainbow-decorated former throne room, the Color War generals convened. Only one was excited for the coming meeting, and he was the one who spoke.
"You're all doing so well!" exclaimed Cardinal with a grin. "Oh, how those Precure think they're winning, but in reality, their meddling gives us more seeds of glorious fear to exploit. What fun! What strategy! Good job, everyone, and especially Plum! I'll admit, I was reluctant when you joined up, but you've become my best protégé yet!"
"I ain't your diddly darn protégé," Plum said with a frown. "I ain't really a fan of you one bit, in fact, let alone some greenhorn mentee who thinks of you as a teacher."
Cardinal flipped his long red hair and gave a dashing grin. "Regardless, my sweets, we're doing so well that I believe it is time to induct another into the dark, contrasting glory of our inner circle."
Across the room, Verte and Cobalt rolled their eyes in unison as they continued button-mashing. The large television screen in front of them now showed a street fighting game, and though Verte was winning, it was only by a little. "Whatever," said Cobalt with a yawn.
"No, not whatever," said a new voice.
The five villains immediately sat up straighter. Verte threw her controller down, sweating, and Cobalt quickly paused the game and did the same. As everyone brushed off their clothes, bit their lips nervously, and got ready to bow, a newcomer entered into the room.
Her dress was a reflection of the ancient palace that Color War now possessed; once it would have been pure, white, and regal, but now it was tattered and torn. Though previously floor length, the hem was torn right above the knee, and the fabric frayed. Ruined ribbons of dark pink lace criss-crossed the body, and the entire dress looked as though it had been the victim of several paint guns. However, this was not the only thing the lady wore. A hooded black floor length cape swept the toes on her bare feet, and covered most of her dark reddish-brown hair. Around her thin and delicate dark neck sat a necklace of misshapen grey Fearful Beads that glimmered like wet clay.
As she swept into the palace, she looked around, and as she did, her eyes glowed blood red. "Dreadful," she spat. "You say you've done well, but you squat in a ruined monument to my doppelganger's power, rather than the temples we six deserve. Why is that?"
"M-mistress… Infinite Rose… my goddess…"
"Don't flatter me, Cardinal. Simply inform me of what caused this oversight." As Infinite Rose barked her orders, her open mouth revealed pristine white fangs, the only thing in sight completely devoid of color.
"We don't deserve comfort until you are fully… yourself… again." Cardinal faltered. "I believe living like this keeps all of us generals motivated."
"It forces me to watch you roll around in a pigsty, that's what it does," said Infinite Rose with a sneer. "Find some better arrangements after you create your new general. This new member is a celebration of how well the preparations for seizing the planet Earth is going, is it not?"
"It is, my goddess."
"And you have no fear of the Precure there?"
Cardinal grinned, and for the first time in any of the other generals' memories, he looked truly sinister. "After tomorrow, no, I don't."
It was so good to be back in civilization.
Summerheart, New York was certainly not a city, and barely big enough to count as a town. Its claim to fame was Summerheart College, now all but closed for the summer. Downtown was dreadfully empty, with none of the sensory experiences Brooke sought out, but it was still nice compared to the isolation of camp. Brooke wandered the streets, visiting the same old familiar stops. She got a flavored ice after lunch as a special treat, and bought a few new books to read during rest hour at her favorite used bookstore. The craft shop offered materials for a new rag doll she was making.
By three, Brooke's arms ached with the weight of several shopping bags, but there was still one more place she wanted to go.
She'd seen the new thrift shop as she rode the bus into town, and rolled her eyes at how fast it had appeared. She hadn't even been away a week and things changed, but that wasn't too unbelievable nowadays... Brooke giggled at the thought… she sounded like an old lady… but it was true.
A small, broken bell jingled as she pushed the door to the store open. Inside, the lighting was minimal, dark, gloomy. Stacks of books lined the walls, and the center of the small shop held displays full of jewelry, decorations, and other antiques. Off to the side was a single cash register that looked as though it had been plucked from the nineteenth century.
The young man behind it had hair even redder than Biddy's, and a dull, flat nose that was pressed almost completely against an old, thick book. He didn't even seem to notice the girl walking into the store, which Brooke was fine with. It meant less pressure to buy things, leaving a better browsing experience.
She spent a few minutes thumbing through copies of young adult books that had been said to be classics, but turned out to only be a fad, then moseyed over to the cheap beaded bracelets and necklaces. Most were the kind grandmothers wore, and a few were badly-made trinkets that were barely worth the fifty cent price tag on them. One was handmade, a child's art project probably, with many glass beads and a single bead of perfect black clay with a painted design.
Wait.
Brooke gasped.
The boy at the front counter finally looked up, and made his way over to her. "Does any jewelry catch your eye, miss?" he asked in a voice that was strangely enthusiastic for one who had seemed so bored.
Brooke held up the Courage Bead on its necklace. "This! Where is this from?"
The boy shrugged. "I don't know, it's something we got in a shipment from church donations. They said there was a note with it, it's supposed to be lucky. It can change your entire demeanor… bring out the best parts of you for all to see. Sounds like crap to me, but some people buy it, or they say they do anyway. As you can tell, it's still here, so take that as you will. It's only a quarter if you want it, though."
Brooke nodded and dug a twenty-five cent piece from her pocket. She handed it to the boy, who grinned. "It's yours," he said. "Hope for your sake it's as magic as they say it is."
She rubbed her fingers on the bead. "I know it will be," she responded with a smile.
Sunday afternoon came all too quickly after the weekend tasks of laundry, packing things forgotten in week one, and sleeping in a real bed for the first time in days. Still, Mallory was excited to get back to camp, back to Myfanwy and Precure duties. Sometimes she felt bad (was she supposed to enjoy being a magical girl? Was it supposed to be just a job? She should prefer being a normal camper with a normal life to having to risk hers to save the world, right?). She knew she could barely help it, though; she was an adrenaline fiend through and through.
As she entered the CIT cabin, she saw Vita and Harper already there. "Hey everyone! How was your weekend?"
"It was great! Mama and Papa took my sister and me to see a Broadway musical," Harper said with a smile. "I hadn't seen that particular one yet, so it was very fun."
"I slept!" said Vita. "Like, I slept the whole day. I'm still really tired, though."
Harper shook her head and snorted. "Sleeping all day makes you even more tired, so of course you are."
"It was fun, though!" said Vita. "That's what matters."
Mallory giggled. "Where are Biddy and Brooke?"
"Biddy is in the counselor room right now; she's talking with Myfanwy, trying to find Hestia. Brooke hasn't arrived yet," said Harper.
As though on cue, the door opened, and sunlight streamed through the trees into the cabin as the girl in question stepped in. Her hair was decorated with lovely combs, her outfit was better suited to a party than a summer camp, and sunglasses hid her eyes. On her wrist was a simple bracelet with not one, but two courage beads.
"Brooke!" exclaimed Mallory, Harper, and Vita together. They got up from their beds and walked over to meet her.
Brooke whipped off her sunglasses in a way that shouldn't have looked as cool as it did. "Looking for me?" she said with a knowing smile that was completely unlike her.
"Yeah!" Mallory clapped her hands together. "Brooke, you look so cool!"
"Thanks! I got this lucky charm over the weekend." She held out her bracelet so that the group could admire the new addition. The black bead had splatters of paint all over it in every color of the rainbow.
Vita made a face. "What was this nerd afraid of, paintball?"
"Be nice," chided Mallory.
"I can't wait to find out what it does!" said Brooke, her smile holding less of the newfound cockiness and more of its normal soft excitement. "It was really cool to see the bead there. I wonder how it got out of camp."
"There's plenty of counselors, maybe there's one in your town and they lost a bead and someone else found it," suggested Vita.
"Maybe."
A creak from behind the four made them look. Biddy stood at the doorway to the counselor's suite. "Can I see Mallory, Brooke, Vita, and Harper outside?" she asked sweetly.
They followed her out to the picnic tables some ways away from the cabin. "How was your weekend?" asked Biddy, speaking to the group, though she looked at Vita, expecting her to speak first.
However, Brooke took that opportunity. "Great, but not as good as this week is going to be. I'm ready to shred those Humglums and burn Color War to the ground!"
The counselor looked taken aback. "Um. That's good… I guess?"
"Yeah! Nothing can stand in the way of Brooke Hudson!" announced the girl, making twin fists. "I'm ready!"
Harper's face was concerned, and it was backed up with how she tried to change the subject. "So, Biddy, what's up?"
"I'll let our fairy friend explain. Myfanwy?"
The bird popped out of Biddy's backpack. "Hello, everyone!"
"Hi!" chimed the four CITs.
"We've got a lead on Hestia, sort of," said Biddy.
Mallory blinked. "Really? How good! What is it?"
"I explained to Myfanwy that many of my friends on other teams had mascots of sorts, fairies that fled from various worlds to Earth. Obviously, the youngest ones can't defend themselves or disguise themselves. They still need help to live, even having escaped Color War, and who better to take them in than the Precure?" Biddy nodded as she talked, almost as though she was explaining to herself. "It's likely that if Hestia got separated, came through the portal too soon or too late, she could have been found by another group."
"I figured something like that, but I'm still worried-crow," admitted the fairy, then immediately grew redder than normal. "I mean, I'm still worried."
"It's normal for fairies to speak like that, Myfanwy," Biddy said.
The bird made a face. "If they're babies."
"Show them you're no baby, Myf!" said Brooke out of the blue. "Prove to everyone you're as good a grownup fairy as they are! Fight them if you have to, ok-"
Mallory interrupted. "So, how are we going to search for Hestia then?"
"Myfanwy's going to look on her own. She can make an excuse for who she is, why she's here. We can't help her… no other Precure can know about you four, and I don't think I can leave you alone long enough to help her out myself," Biddy said.
Myfanwy saluted with a wing. "Then, I'm off! I'll tell you my progress tonight. Goodbye, Precure!"
The group watched her lift off and dart into the trees. For a moment or so, less than a hundred and twenty seconds, it was peaceful, quiet.
In retrospect, Harper would have seen everything coming. Nothing was quiet for long at Breezy Bridge, and so when the giant pencil monster showed up, nobody was completely surprised at the event, only at the timing.
Biddy looked up at the monster, eyes wide. "A Humglum? Here? That's odd. There's nobody besides us around… why would it be targeting our group?"
"No worries!" said Brooke happily. "We've got this, weird or not!"
"You seem a lot more confident lately. It's great!" said Biddy, though she was almost frowning in confusion.
Brooke grinned and spun around. "My new Courage Bead is certainly a lucky charm! I feel great, and there's no Color War general to antagonize us, just us, a Humglum, and some kick-butt action. I'm ready to transform when you all are!"
Mallory, Harper, Vita, and Biddy nodded. They formed a circle, slipped their brooches into their hair, and held hands as they shouted the magic words. "Precure, lead me home!"
Quintuple pops of shirts and skirts in five different colors defined the transformation, those little details such as Harper's glasses disappearing and the materialization of Vita's shorts adding depth to the event. One by one, as always, they introduced themselves as the transformation concluded.
"Protecting the promise of hearth and home, I am Cure Marshmallow!"
"Protecting the promise of safety and comfort, I am Cure Belay!"
"Protecting the promise of light and beauty, I am Cure Forest!"
"Protecting the promise of family and friendship, I am Cure Cocoa!"
"Protecting the promise of warmth and health, I am Cure Campfire!"
Then, in unison, they spoke once more. "The starlight that shines upon these woods, we're Care Package Precure! We'll conquer your fears all together now!"
As the girls transformed, a man with red hair and a frightening smile watched on from his treetop perch. Just as the five teammates began to pose, ready to announce themselves, he snapped his fingers and the Humglum disappeared.
The Precure noticed immediately upon finishing their poses.
"Where did it go?" asked Cure Marshmallow, blinking curiously as she glanced around the clearing. "Is it invisible?"
"Maybe. Do we have a bead that could help?" asked Cure Campfire.
There were shrugs all around, except from Cure Cocoa. "Let me try my new one!"
"We don't even know what it is, though," said Belay with a frown.
"Yeah!" Cure Forest cheered. "Which is exactly why it could help. You do it, Cocoa!"
"Alright, I will! Now, it's time to get real!" Cure Cocoa said with a grin. She double tapped her new bead. The words didn't quite come easily to her, but she knew them well enough from listening to her friends. "Let's go! Um, Courage Bead, courage up!"
The bead turned grey and misshapen, and dark light spilled rapidly from it. That was the last thing Cocoa saw before the blacked out.
EYECATCH 1: A brief montage of Harper moments: showing off a stylish outfit, singing songs around the campfire next to Mallory, and summoning wind as Cure Belay
EYECATCH 2: Myfanwy and Hestia fly in circles, then fall down, one landing on each of Harper's shoulders. Harper looks to Myfanwy, then to Hestia, and then to the camera, giving the last one a small smile.
Where once had stood their good friend Cure Cocoa, now stood a girl who looked almost the same.
Her dark skin hadn't changed, nor had her bright yellow hair and eyes. However, her overshirt had disappeared, replaced by a frayed, open vest that was the same yellow as an overcooked egg yolk. Her leotard was black, and her white gloves had been replaced with similarly dark fishnet sleeves that covered everything from her shoulders to her fingers. Her skirt had transformed into biker shorts in the same color as her vest, and her boots were dark as night and went above knee-length.
Most disconcerting, however, was the replacement's grin as she spoke, her voice low and chillingly amused. "Breaking the promises pledged, I am Poison Cocoa!"
Immediately, the other three CITs looked to Cure Campfire. "Campfire, what's going on?" asked Belay.
"I'm scared!" said Marshmallow, her lip quivering. "Where did Cocoa go?"
Poison Cocoa laughed. "Don't you understand, Cure Marshmallow? I am Cocoa! I just did the right thing… I let fear take over. You'll see in time that bravery is the denial of reality, and fear is the recognition. Once you let fear guide you… then you become transcendent. You become like me! You can use your own fears to make others as afraid as you are."
"I-I don't want to do that! Why would anyone?"
This girl who stood in place of Cure Cocoa took a step forward, holding out a hand. "Don't you want to live a life without lies? Where you can fully admit that you'll never be brave, and that being scared is the natural state of things? Let me help you to be fully honest about who you are. I can see who you are in your hearts… I don't even need a Fearful Bead!"
Cure Forest scowled. "No way can you!" she yelled as she darted forward to punch Poison Cocoa.
Poison ducked, then swept out a leg, tripping Forest and sprawling the green-haired magical girl onto the ground. Poison Cocoa stepped on top of her with one foot in a victorious pose, then looked down at her defeated attacker. "You," she said conversationally, "are terrified of monsters. That's why you foolheartedly attacked me. You see me as a monster now, and the worst kind, too. In the end, you can't stand to think of the kind of monster that you might become, right? Vampires, werewolves, Humglums. You always want to be Vita as you are right now. In the end, it isn't monsters you fear! It's that you're afraid of change!"
Watching, horrified, the three other Cure warriors saw tears well up in Cure Forest's eyes, and she limply stayed on the ground even as Poison removed her foot. She looked to all to be utterly defeated, and it was far from a pretty sight. "Brooke!" Marshmallow cried out. "Stop this! I don't know what's going on, but you're not Poison Cocoa!"
Poison glanced up, frowning. "Yes… and no. I am certainly Poison Cocoa, and I always have been. Of course, normally you would never see this part of me, but I initiated the change in myself to realize what the Precure and the Infinite Princess work to hide!"
"It's the bead," Marshmallow said, pleading with Cocoa, or perhaps with her partners, or even herself. "Everyone, it has to be the bead."
"Will it deactivate when she uses magic?" Belay asked Campfire.
Campfire shrugged in response. "I've never seen anything like this. How should I know?"
Poison Cocoa abandoned the defeated Cure Forest and walked slowly over to Cure Marshmallow. Marshmallow made no move to stop her, still pleading. "You can return to normal! Take my hand! We'll fight with you, Brooke!"
Reaching out clawed fingers, Poison Cocoa did take Marshmallow's hand, delicate as could be.
Then, her free hand grabbed Marshmallow's arm and twisted it painfully, sending Marshmallow sinking to the ground. "Oh, I can see your delicious, delicious fears as well, Marshmallow. You don't like losing friends, or even potential friends. Is everything you do so carefully crafted to gain sympathy and affection? Do you lie about who you are so you never have to be alone? Look at you now," she scoffed, "playing the leader so that they'll like you, even though you hate having the weight of leadership on your shoulders. What kind of counselor will you make? A fake one? Or will you finally give into the loneliness that you know is coming for you?"
Poison Cocoa dropped Marshmallow without fanfare, and weakly, Cure Marshmallow sank to her knees. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "It's true, isn't it? I'm sorry I'm not the leader that everyone expects from me."
Cure Campfire's eyes burned. "Belay, don't let her touch you. She's like…"
"Like a living Fearful Bead, but more powerful, harder to resist."
"Right."
Poison Cocoa grinned. "So smart," she said as she headed straight for Campfire. "I suppose, then, it's time for a game of tag? See how long you can outlast me!"
As Cure Campfire ran, unsure of what to do other than indulge the corrupted camper, she cast a glance at Belay. "Belay, we've got no choice but to beat her! We need to attack!"
"I'm not going to attack my friend!"
"There's no other way!"
Poison smiled as she raced to catch Campfire. Despite the horribly high heels on her boots, she jumped off trees and boulders, chasing after Campfire and catching her with ease. As Poison cradled Campfire's head, the counselor fighting against her with little progress, Poison spoke again of fears. "I'd never seen yours before. Wow, you're a bit of a loser, huh? Bears? And fire of course, but you spilled your whole backstory days ago. One thing you'd never admitted though, oh, that really sticks out. You never saw it, but you can imagine it clearly, right? I'm talking, of course, about dear old Amarantha's corpse, burned and scarred. Guess she isn't resting in peace."
As soon as she said that, Campfire stopped fighting, slumping forward and grabbing for her knees as tears rolled down her face.
Poison turned to face Belay. "Your turn. Come give me a hug?" she asked, and for a moment she looked to be her same cute self, the girl that Belay couldn't help be friends with, the Precure who she wanted to build more memories with. It wasn't fair to leave her waiting; it wasn't fair to be alone.
Maybe it is time for me to give in. It's not what the others would want, but I don't want to have to face Humglums on my own. I don't want my friends to be alone, either. Mallory, especially… I don't want her to live her fears. Biting her lip, still unsure of her decisions, Cure Belay turned to embrace Poison Cocoa.
"Don't do it, Belay!"
Poison and Belay looked up, trying to find the source of the voice that spoke. They located it in the form of a twenty-something year old woman with flowing silver hair and a magical battle outfit that was silver from her blouse to her lacy socks, which were covered in delicate designs resembling stars. She looked down upon the pair with a stern sort of determined anger, then unclipped a star-shaped pin from her hair and threw it upwards. "Starlight Staff!" she cried, and the hairpin transformed into a long baton that must have been three times the length of Belay's own weapon. The woman pointed it at Poison.
"Don't!" said Belay.
"Yes, don't interrupt me as I show this girl true fear," said Poison with a smirk, though it looked somewhat worried. "I'll take care of you next."
"No, don't because this is… was… is? Agh, she's my friend!" said Belay.
The mysterious Cure jumped down from her tree, front-flipping as she did and still managing to land solidly on her feet. "We have to purify the bead inside her heart. It shouldn't hurt her, in theory."
"In theory?"
Seeming to judge the newcomer a bigger threat, Poison shifted her attentions. "You think I need purified? Do you think I need to change? Don't you understand that I'm proud of who I am? I'm powerful, and now all you loser Precure can see it. Even when you pretend to be my friend, I know I'm pitied. Don't try to take away who I am."
She swiped at the mystery Cure with one hand, her claws seeming even sharper than before. The Cure jumped back.
"Don't try to remove me from what people see as a flaw." Her other hand shout out, but the Cure danced out of the way again.
Poison Cocoa cried out, her open mouth revealing white fangs, her claws extended and raised above her head. "And don't try to tell me I can't be dangerous, powerful, and glorious."
The mystery Cure jumped back and raised her staff, pointing it menacingly at Poison Cocoa. "All you're saying is true, every word. You are dangerous, and powerful. You are glorious. All girls are, no matter what people say. Don't turn into a monster, Brooke Hudson, because monsters deserve less respect than girls." She paused, then cocked her head towards Belay. "Are you going to help, or not?"
Belay considered the harm it could do, then looked into Poison Cocoa's eyes. There was no sign of her friend there. "Yeah. I'm coming," she said, and ran the few steps to meet the mystery Cure, summoning her weapon on the way. "Breezy Baton!"
The two twirled their weapons and pointed them. "Let's hope this works," muttered the silver Cure. "Fears be banished!"
Cure Belay joined in for the final words of the finisher. "Courageous Finale!"
The magic hit Poison Cocoa in the chest, and magically, a Courage Bead emerged from her heart. As the appearance of Poison Cocoa faded, leaving only Brooke, the girl in question fell to the ground, and Belay rushed over to her. "Brooke!" she cried.
"She'll be fine. This isn't the first time something like this has happened," said the other Cure, though she looked concerned. "Normally, they turn into weird sorts of Humglums, not like a Color War general."
"Is that what it was?" asked Belay with a frown, looking up towards her rescuer. "What do you know? Who are you?"
The Cure shook her head. "You know way too much for a camper," she said with a snort. "You and your friends are very brave, going against everyone… even the camp director herself. And Biddy, well… I'd say she was shortsighted, but honestly, she's so passionate she forgets to see what's right in front of her sometimes, it'd be redundant to say it when it's obvious. And, well… I don't plan to tell her, or anyone who might pass this on, what she isn't open to hearing."
"What?"
However, the older Cure only curtsied and smiled. "Take care, Cure Belay, and know that while I'm fine with you doing as you're doing in secret, if you're found out, I'll be forced to take action against you. Goodbye."
"Hey, wait…"
"Oh, and that Bead should be safe now."
"Please, just answer me one thing…"
Too late. She was gone.
The others began to wake up within minutes. "What happened?" asked Marshmallow as she shifted back to Mallory. "One moment we transformed, and the next…"
"Ugh, did we get beaten?" said Vita, right after detransforming.
"No, there's no sign of that," said Biddy.
Belay let herself become Harper once again, and bit her lip. The last words of the Cure she'd met hung on her mind… while I'm fine with you doing as you're doing in secret, if you're found out, I'll be forced to take action against you. There was no way she could tell anyone, especially not in front of Biddy, and at least not that part.
Still, she couldn't resist a single question, something floating on her mind. "Hey, Biddy, what's Amelie's Cure form?"
"Cure Luciole? She's dressed in gold, with tiny wings on her back. Her hair is in two braids. Why do you ask?"
"Curiosity. So, you really don't remember what happened?"
"Did Amelie show up?" Biddy's eyes were wide. "She can't have found out about…"
"She didn't," said Harper with honesty. "We uh. We beat the bad guy. There was more power than I'd ever seen before. I guess something knocked you all out."
"Did we ever find out what the bead did?" asked Brooke as she slowly got up from the ground. She picked up the item in question to find that the splotches, previously all sorts of colors, were now shades of silver and white with reflective crystalline accents.
Harper bit her lip. "Um. No."
"So," said Cobalt with a sassy grin, "I heard you failed. Your noob got beat quick, huh?"
Cardinal shook his head. "Did I ever say that small, rookie Precure would be our new general? Think beyond the obvious, child. She was nothing but a pawn. However, she set the stage for our real target." His eyes gleamed as he licked his lips in thought. "Lies sprout from fear, and this incident is something no person could be truly honest about. Our time to break this group apart and take one for our own is at hand… and my plan is only now beginning."
ED: Summer Camp Can Can
Next time on Care Package Precure:
Brooke: What's that?
Harper: Looks like an invitation... but to what?
Vita: No way! You're invited to the coolest group in camp. Besides the Care Package Precure, of course.
Mallory: W-what? I want a chance to shine like this too!
Biddy: Maybe another time. It's another girl's turn to get this chance, next time on Care Package Precure!
All: We'll conquer your fears all together now!
