Note: Dialogue may be missing or incorrect at points; the streams I watched were… testy, with attempts to pause more often than not causing pop-ups that set off my antivirus protection. So instead of being able to watch & type at the same time, I had to watch each episode in its entirety and then run off memory for the associated section of the chapter.
PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm PC-8
In the past few days since Maria departed, Iona had been acting a little… off. The girls (and Blue & Seiji) had realized that her sister was probably a very touchy subject right now, so they tried not to mention her within earshot of Iona. The girl had seemed a little listless, a little less energetic, not smiling as much or as brightly, and Glasan claimed her sleep was somewhat restless and fitful. However, she still tried her best to enjoy her time with her friends.
Before long, a school holiday arrived, and the girls decided to celebrate with a picnic by the town's river. However, the Phantom Trio, apparently desperate and convinced this would be their final chance, attacked and combined their powers to create a huge horde of Saiaku. But they'd underestimated how much the four Cures had grown, how strong they had become; as Kuro happily taught a swarm of Choiaku the meaning of terror, the Cure Quartet began bulldozing their way through the mass of Saiaku with ease, making sport of the once-fearsome foes. Even an extra-large Saiaku posed little threat, the lesser Saiaku being used as unwilling projectiles against it.
At the peak of desperation, Oresky, Namekeruda, & Hosshiiwa melded all of the dark beings together into an enormous titan of a Saiaku. However, not only did the Cures not need Kuro's help in bringing it down (as a side note, some of the Choiaku were even trying to surrender and pledge service to her if only she'd stop brutalizing and terrorizing them), they didn't even need their new 'Innocent Purification' ultra-finisher to finish the monster off; a Happiness Big Bang was enough to cleanse the Saiaku and free all the people, leaving the humiliated and nearly-purified Phantom Trio to beat a hasty retreat.
-Break-
The trouble came almost without warning, as suddenly, enormous red-framed mirrors appeared and projected Queen Mirage's image all over the world. Then, her power pulsed out, and thousands of Saiaku were birthed across the nations. Gathering in the Cross Mirror Room, the hero group realized it was time to travel to the conquered Blue Sky Kingdom and finally bring things to an end. Megumi, Hime, Yuuko, Iona, Kuro, Blue, and Ribbon & Glasan crossed through, appearing on the outskirts of Hime's old homeland.
The girls transformed, with Blue again using a bit of magic to give Kuro glowing blue wings of magic so she could join the Cures in the air. Unlike the last time they were here, the Happiness Charge Cures' powers were not weakened in the slightest, allowing them to easily bust their way through the horde of knight-themed Saiaku trying to bar the group's path. They carved their way through the resistance and pressed on, heading for the palace.
However, as they advanced, they soon flew into a thick bank of dark-magic fog; it didn't hurt them, but they were all left disoriented and became separated. Over the next several minutes, most of them wandered aimlessly, the dark mist obscuring their senses. Then, though, Cure Honey's voice rang out in a long, echoing, purifying note, and her teammates followed the sound, arriving just in time to see Blue getting back up on his feet and Cure Honey staring down Phantom, who suddenly roared out as a massive surge of Darkness power engulfed and emanated from him, blasting Honey back to be caught by Lovely & Princess.
"I feel a dark and terrible unknown power!" Ribbon cried out as she looked up at the red-enveloped Phantom. "A deep, poisonous sorrow and rage!"
Then, before anyone could react any further, Phantom's glowing-red eyes flashed as he released a rushing wave of red & black Dark magic that moved far too fast to avoid, engulfing the immediate area. When it faded, the four Cures, two fairies, and even Blue were all trapped in 'Mirror Coffins'; they were different from normal, the trapped victims' faces awake and frozen in expressions of shock, the glowing red binds across the fronts sturdier and greater in number than usual. Phantom slowly floated down to the ground, panting softly as he looked at his captures.
'Now Mirage-sama can finally-'
Acting on instinct, he threw himself forward, barely dodging the falling strike of a huge greatsword. His glowing eyes glared at Kuro, whose 'partial Sharingan' looked over him and the mirror-coffins.
"It's not like whatever spell you usually use to capture people" she observed. "You're having to devote a small piece of your power to continuously keep them bound and frozen. And I'd bet you can't cast it again to capture me without freeing them in the process."
"…It just means I'll have to deal with you the hard way" the man replied.
"I've realized you have some degree of sympathetic motive…" She summoned her mated blades, Kanshou & Bakuya. "But given the current situation, I don't have time to be nice. I'm going to rescue my comrades, no matter what I have to do! Trace: Overedge!"
Kuro's blades were engulfed in razor-sharp scale-like projections, nearly doubling in length. She charged, and Phantom drew his sword (presently red with a black edge) and went on the defensive, backstepping and blocking against her rapid swings & thrusts. Finally, he took a split-second opening, lashing out with a straight kick that knocked her back several meters. She threw her swords at him and triggered them to explode, but before the smoke from the blasts had even cleared a tightly-packed cluster of Dark-magic bolts shot out and slammed into her, blasting her back.
Gritting her teeth, Kuro 'Traced' Future Trunks' sword and flew upward, unleashing a barrage of ki blasts down at Phantom. Phantom's arm moved in a near-blur as he used his sword to bat the blasts away, and then flew up to meet her in a rapid exchange of clashing blades, the clanging of metal on metal ringing out like machinegun fire as the two fighters moved with blistering speed. Breaking off and getting several meters' distance, Kuro fired a Buster Cannon blast at Phantom, who countered with a focused blast of Dark power. After a few seconds, Phantom's blast won out, bursting through Kuro's attack and slamming into the surprised girl, who cried out as she was blasted back & down, crashing to the ground.
(MUSIC: Fate/Stay Night UBW OST 2 – "Into the Night" (extended?))
"You can make as many swords as you want," he said to her as she struggled to her feet, "it won't change anything. You can't beat me like this. Copying the weapons of others… You are a counterfeiter, a faker. And no amount of swords you make will bring you victory here!"
"…I think you're misunderstanding something. My Projection magic doesn't actually create these swords. My skill… is to give form to what lies within my soul!"
She held her hand forward, and it felt like the earth 'pulsed'.
"Waré wa Waga Tsurugi no Shin!" {我は我が剣の芯} {I am the core of my sword}
Wind surged around and out from Kuro. For a mere instant, a large dull-red magic circle formed beneath her feet, inscribed with incomprehensible runes from a language older than language, older than humanity.
"Chishio wa tetsu de, kokoro wa garasu…" {血潮は鉄で心は硝子} {My blood is of iron, and my heart is of glass…}
Crackling magical power began to build, swirling in the air.
"Ikutabi no senjou wo koete fuhai," {幾たびの戦場を越えて不敗} {I have overcome countless battlefields,}
Growling, Phantom fired a barrage of Darkness blasts at Kuro…
"Tada no ichido mo haisou wa naku, tada no ichido mo rikai sarenai…" {ただの一度の敗走もなく、ただの一度の理解されない} {Not even once retreating, not even once being understood…}
…only for her Rho Aias to spring into being, blocking the blasts and allowing her invocation to progress unmolested.
"Nitai-te wa koko ni hitori, tsurugi no oka de tetsu wo utsu…" {担い手はここに孤り、剣の丘で鉄を鍛つ} {The bearer lies here alone, forging iron upon a hill of swords…}
To Phantom, it felt as if the World itself was now trembling, power building within and around Kuro. He continued firing, trying in vain to batter through Kuro's shield.
"Naraba, waga shougai ni imi wa irazu!" {ならば、我が生涯に意味は不要ず} {Thus, my life needs no meaning}
Power grew and converged, reality itself beginning to ripple…
"Kono inochi wa, Mugen no Tsurugi de dekite-ita!" {この命は、無限の剣で出来ていた} {This life is made of infinite blades!}
There was a flash of light and 'flame' that engulfed all. When Phantom opened his eyes, he and Kuro now stood in the middle of an endless field, dusty earth broken by patches of living greenery, tall grass with red and golden flowers. Reddish clouds floated overhead, letting through patches of sunlight, revealing a blue sky with scattered rifts in reality, stable and hauntingly beautiful, together with a few giant gears slowly rotating. And hundreds, thousands of bladed weapons lay scattered all around as far as the eye could see, silent sentinels embedded into the earth.
"This… This is not a normal Bounded Field" Phantom observed.
"It's a 'Reality Marble'" Kuro replied. "It is the manifestation of my Heart, my soul, made real to overwrite reality itself in this area. I don't create swords; I create a World that contains infinite swords. This is the magic of he who I inherited my powers from, the Heroic Spirit Emiya."
"…Hmph. And what can you do with this barren, empty mental landscape?"
Phantom began to charge several bolts of red & black Dark power around him. Suddenly, a 'copy' of Kusanagi no Tsurugi sprang up and slashed them all away, and his glowing-red eyes widened with shock.
(MUSIC: Fate/Stay UBW Unreleased track – that somber-sounding song that plays after Shirou slashes away Gilgamesh's first portals and then taunts him)
"Don't look so surprised. Everything here is technically a 'fake'. But, there's nothing that says a copy can't match or even surpass the genuine article. I have an infinite arsenal at my disposal, and I'm prepared to use every one of them to save my friends from you." Kuro smirked. "Let's go, 'PreCure Hunter'. Is your conviction strong enough to stop me?"
Phantom growled, glaring at her. "You do not fear me. That's a mistake I'm going to thoroughly correct…"
(MUSIC: Fate/Stay UBW Unreleased track – the classical-heroic-sounding, brass & strings song that plays in the middle of Shirou & Gilgamesh's fight)
Phantom formed & fired several spear-shaped masses of Dark magical power, sending them streaking toward Kuro. In response, an equal number of swords & polearms emerged at Kuro's mental command and shot at the incoming mana-projectiles, blowing them out of the air, and then more of them floated up from their resting points and flung themselves at Phantom, who barely leapt out of the way in time as they left little craters around where he'd just been standing. He rushed at her with blade drawn, and she called forth Sasuke's sword, Lightning-type chakra crackling around it as they clashed. After trying to push against each other's swords for a moment, Phantom had to leap back as Kuro willed a handful of blades to rise up and then stab down at him.
Kuro called forth the "Executioner's Blade" of Momochi Zabuza, the little girl now holding a sword bigger than she was as she made a seal with her free hand. Thick mist enveloped the immediate area, and Phantom went on-guard as he lost sight of Kuro. He waited for several seconds, and then abruptly threw himself forward to avoid an overhead swing of the massive blade meant to split him in two. He dodged a few more such 'Silent Killing' attempts, and then roared out and let his dark power blow the mist away, to reveal Kuro's hands weaving hand-seals around the hilt, a huge mass of water being conjured, swirling up and taking the shape of a massive serpentine dragon. Kuro bade the construct to rush at Phantom, but he charged power into his sword and cleaved the mass of water in two with a slicing wave of Darkness, dispelling it.
"Enough of this, Phantom!" Kuro shouted. "We came here to help Mirage, free her from the toxic Darkness that's got a hold of her Heart! Stand down and release my comrades, or you might not live to see her redeemed!"
In response, Phantom's dark aura flared larger, the red glow of his eyes brightening. "You know nothing! That self-righteous attitude is what has caused Lady Mirage such pain! I'll bring her happiness when I bring her all your heads!"
He charged, faster than before, and Kuro cried out as his blow knocked the massive Executioner's Blade out of her hands, sending it spinning into the distance. She quickly conjured Kanshou & Bakuya, going on the defensive against his frantic assault of rapid yet crushingly powerful blows. She willed several of the endless field's blades to fly up and attack him from different angles, but he spun like a top and generated a whirling, slashing Darkness-energy field that deflected them and also sent her flying back. As he came out of the spin, she spat a sizable Katon: Gōkakyū at him, but he stowed his sword and caught the fireball with his bare hands, straining for but a moment before kicking it up into the sky.
Phantom then fired a huge ball of Darkness energy at Kuro, who tried to leap away but was partially caught in the blast, sent tumbling across the dusty ground. She groaned as she got up on one knee, while Phantom stood watching and waiting, his eyes glowing red as a dark-red aura surrounded him.
'E… Even with Unlimited Blade Works, I'm… not strong enough? I was… going to introduce these girls to… Illya, and Miyu; they would've gotten along great. But… I…'
(MUSIC: Fate/Stay UBW OST 2 – "EMIYA" (extended?))
Images, memories, flashed through Kuro's mind – fighting beside the Cures, laughing and having fun together with Megumi, Hime, Yuuko, & Iona, being looked after by Blue, being shown kindnesses by other people in Pikarigaoka, the warmth she felt whenever she & the Cures saved someone from sadness and loneliness…
'No… No, I can't… I won't fall here. They're depending on me. My comrades, my friends need me! I'm the only one who can save them! And… And they're the only ones who can save Cure Mirage from her rage and despair, and in so doing save all the captive Cures, all the people of this world! I won't let my friends down like this!'
As she stood tall, an ambiguous long, thin mass of sparkling Light formed in her hands. Gripping it like a sword, she charged at Phantom, her body now wreathed in a glistening aura of Light, crashing her still-forming weapon against his Darkness-enchanted blade.
"You're not going to beat me," she growled, "not when so much is at stake! I'm taking my friends back!"
As she knocked Phantom's sword out of his hands and up into the air, the mass of Light in her hands finally took form: a red, one-edged sword with a white inner edge, with a yellow wing sweeping around it to form 'teeth' near the tip, a greyish hilt with a rainbow-colored ring, a deep-red handle with a sweeping blue wing as the guard, and a little shooting star with bow shock attached to the end of a small chain. This was no Traced copy; it was 'Divewing' – a real, true Keyblade.
"You… Damn you!" Phantom conjured a few Dark Spears that shot down at Kuro, who leapt back to avoid them in the blink of an eye. As he glared hatefully at her, several more blasts and spears formed around him, pointed at her. "To think I would have to go all-out against a little wretch like you!"
Phantom willed the mass of readied attacks to all fire at once. Kuro struck the first few Dark Spears with her new Divewing, shattering them, and then several different Traced Keyblades were willed into existence and flung themselves at the rest of the incoming attacks, some of them breaking through and flying at Phantom, forcing him to block and dodge. She then conjured a Sagitta Magica barrage that crashed against the second wave of blasts Phantom had been in the midst of conjuring, shattering them.
With a war-cry, Kuro charged, not even breaking stride as she used Divewing to smack aside the panicked dark-red blasts Phantom fired at her. She got in close, ducking under his guard, and hit him with a combo of blows that sent him reeling. Snarling, he blasted her back with a directed shockwave, and then conjured dozens of Dark Blasts and Dark Spears pointed at Kuro from all directions. They all came in at once, producing a mighty explosion that seemingly engulfed the girl.
Then, following an instinct, Phantom looked up to see Kuro high over the blast area, a Rho Aias shield partially wrapped around her. She formed a solid Rune Shield and kicked off it, launching herself down at him. Phantom drew his blade, which shone with baleful red & black light, and then thrusted it up at the incoming girl, releasing a tearing torrent of Darkness aimed at her. …And in response, she briefly vanished, teleporting herself a meter to the side, dodging the energy wave and still coming down at him with no speed lost.
Kuro struck true with her Keyblade, cleanly slicing Phantom's sword arm off just above the elbow. As Phantom reeled, an expression of horrified shock on his face, Kuro's left hand came away from her Divewing's hilt and manifested a Bakuya blade. She lunged at him with a downward swing, and he tried to jump back in a futile move to dodge. There was a sound of tearing cloth & flesh, and the World lurched…
(END)
With several muted flashes of light, the trapped Cures, fairies, and Blue were freed. As they regained their footing, they gasped as they were met with two shocking sights: Kuro holding a Keyblade as she softly panted for breath, and Phantom on his knees, the black & red aura around him wavering weakly, his right arm gone and a big, bloody slice cut down through his right shoulder and into his chest. By all rights, he shouldn't even be alive, yet not only was he conscious, he was slowly raising his left arm, pointing a hand with a slowly, weakly charging Dark Blast at the group.
Kuro sighed, gripping Divewing with both hands and pointing the tip at him, Light beginning to gather there. Cure Honey came up and placed her hands on the handle alongside Kuro's, and then the other three Cures did the same. They all transitioned to their Innocent Forms, and the Light grew and shimmered with rainbow hues. It fired as a thin beam which struck Phantom in the chest, and shining light spread to envelop him, Darkness visibly being burned away.
'That's right… My wish… I just wanted… to see her smile again, just like she did before…'
When the Light faded, Phantom had vanished; instead, lying on the ground was…
"Huh… Huh?!" Cure Princess stared, jaw agape. "Phantom was a fairy?!"
…A cute, doll-like little fairy like Ribbon & Glasan, albeit darker in color and wearing a jumpsuit or something instead of a dress. The little fairy opened its eyes, which glistened with a hint of tears.
"I see…" Blue said with realization. "Your loyalty to her… You're Cure Mirage's…"
The fairy nodded. "I am… her fairy partner, PhanPhan. After Cure Mirage fell to Darkness and sorrow and hate, I… I wanted so badly to help her, but I didn't know how! I… Please… You have to save her, before she's completely consumed by that Darkness!"
"…You've done so much to try to help her" Cure Lovely said. "Now, it's almost time to see that effort pay off. Are you willing to help us save her?"
"O… Of course!"
"Then let's go!"
-Break-
The castle doors were thrown open dramatically. As soon as the group stormed in, a humongous horde of Choiaku came out of the woodwork to bar their path. However, the mass of low-level enemies barely slowed the group down; the Cures easily bulldozed through Choiaku by the dozens, Kuro's Keyblade had them running scared from her, and even Blue got in on the action, launching one Choiaku that tried to attack him with a straight kick and then telekinetically grabbing a pack of them, hoisting them a few feet into the air, and then slamming them down so hard they bounced.
After clearing through the minions, the gang was hurrying across the bridge connecting to the castle's main tower when Oresky came diving in with a punch that knocked Cure Lovely back, followed by Namakeruda & Hosshiiwa floating down beside him. Cure Lovely, Blue, and the fairy trio went on ahead while Cure Princess engaged Namakeruda, Cure Fortune went one-on-one with Oresky, and Kuro helped Cure Honey against Hosshiiwa.
After being beaten around a bit, the three Cures found their inner strength and conviction, and used their Innocent Forms to not only defeat the Phantom Trio, but purify them, sending their essences floating away somewhere… However, Cure Fortune was left slightly confused after she reverted to her normal form; why did she feel a little winded and tight in the chest after using Innocent Form?
Meanwhile, Blue, Cure Lovely, & the fairies finally arrived at Queen Mirage's throne room, finding the woman lounging on her plush throne, eyes glowing red as a dull black aura simmered around her.
"Mirage!" Blue called out.
In response, the woman slammed the bottom point of her staff to the ground, releasing a hot red wind that blasted the duo back.
"Do not call my name so casually!" she shouted. "…Cure Lovely." She got to her feet, her dark aura growing larger and wilder. "I will make Blue suffer as he made me suffer… by killing you right before his eyes!"
A multitude of bright red ribbon-like Binds suddenly materialized around Blue, entrapping him and hoisting him into the air against the far wall. Then, the butterfly-like objects sprouted from Queen Mirage's back transformed into four large, grey-feathered wings. A dark-red aura seethed around her, as the throne room transformed, pillars emerging and tainted-looking water flooding in to shin height.
"This world is destined to be seeped in misfortune…" she proclaimed. "Happiness is fleeting, and love is an illusion that brings sorrow and pain. I will lead this world into ruin!"
"You're wrong!" Cure Lovely formed a Lovely Rising Sword. "Love and happiness are eternal things that everyone in the world has the ability to feel. I'm going to show you the Light you've lost sight of, and save everyone who's lost in darkness and despair, including you!"
Growling, Queen Mirage flew down at Cure Lovely, staff and sword clashing. It didn't take very long for Mirage to outmaneuver and overpower Lovely, shattering the girl's mana-forged sword and hitting her with a sledgehammer blow of dark magic. They grappled, and Queen Mirage fired a finger-beam blast of dark power at one of the mirrors lining the upper walls of the chamber; it bounced to another mirror, and then came down and hit Cure Lovely from behind.
Queen Mirage floated up & back, firing a Darkness blast down at Cure Lovely, who batted it aside and then launched a barrage of bright pink energy blasts that seemed to go wide, missing Mirage by a mile… but they all hung in the air around her, and then Cure Lovely swept her arms inward, making the numerous magic blasts all shoot in at Queen Mirage at once. Unfortunately, the evil Queen formed a barrier around herself that protected her from the blasts and from Cure Lovely's follow-up punch. She grabbed hold of Lovely's wrist, and then flung her down into the shallow water with a splash and thud. This was followed by an explosive Darkness blast that sent Cure Lovely reeling, leaving her on her hands & knees in the water.
"This is pathetic…" Queen Mirage sneered as she set down, using her staff to telekinetically lift Cure Lovely up by the throat. Lovely managed to bring her hands up and break free, but then Mirage formed three magic-based Shadow Clones and proceeded to gang up on Cure Lovely, ruthlessly beating her around for a little while. Then, she cocooned Lovely in front of the massive 'Deep Mirror', which showed an image of Mirage wrapped in red binds, eyes closed as if sleeping. Reading the image's expression, Cure Lovely's eyes widened… just before a torrent of black & red lightning engulfed her from all directions. As she fell to the water-covered floor, Queen Mirage fired a tiny orb of Darkness power down at her… and when it hit, it expanded into a great explosion that engulfed her and sent shockwaves through the castle.
Queen Mirage stood in a little boat, slowly floating across the waters, stopping by Cure Lovely as the girl floated limp atop the surface.
"Foolish girl…" she said with scorn and the barest hint of pity. "See where your belief in 'love' has gotten you… There is no room for such painful things in my world. I will spread this misfortune and despair to all. That is my earnest wish…"
"…You're wrong" Cure Lovely got to her feet with only a little unsteadiness, to Queen Mirage's surprise. "As we fought, I could feel your conviction, read your emotions… And I know, without a doubt, that deep inside, you still love Blue with all your heart!"
Queen Mirage gasped, the boat rocking as she staggered from the shock, but then she snarled, brandishing her staff. "What do you know?! Love is pain! I cast it aside long ago! My wish is to spread misfortune across this wretched world!"
"Liar! …You're lying to yourself, Mirage. I've seen your heart, your true desire. …Losing friendship and love can leave great pain in your heart, but that wound can heal, and the good things that came from those feelings never leave."
"How… can you say that?"
"Because I feel the same way about him!" Lovely confessed. "I love Blue just like you do!"
After a few seconds of shocked silence, Queen Mirage let out a humorless laugh. "You naïve fool. He doesn't love you! He's just using you as a Pretty Cure, as a tool to protect his precious little planet!"
"Even if that's true… Whenever I'm with him, I've felt safe, warm inside, confident, happy, like I mean something. He's given me so much. And even though my feelings can't be returned… that happiness will never go away!"
Queen Mirage swung her staff at Cure Lovely, who ducked under and then formed her outfit's wings for a flying tackle that slammed Mirage's back into the massive 'Deep Mirror', cracking it. A brilliant light enveloped Lovely as she assumed her Innocent Form, pushing against Mirage and slowly forcing her back.
"Wake up, Mirage!" Innocent Lovely shouted. "I know this isn't the real you! You still love Blue, and I know without doubt that he still loves you! Whenever he's with the Axia Box, he always has a sad, heartbroken look on his face! He left you behind because he thought he had to, even though it tore him apart inside! I'm not going to let you allow yourself to drown in this despair! You still have a chance to reclaim that happiness! I'll save you from yourself, no matter what it takes!"
Finally, the 'Deep Mirror' shattered into a thousand shards of Light. Innocent Lovely had a hold of Queen Mirage's wrist as they slowly drifted down toward the ground, the corrupted woman's expression softening as Lovely's words and Light began to erode at the darkness and pain engulfing her heart, the red glow of her eyes fading.
…And then, everyone 'perceived' a split-second image of a pair of glowing red evil eyes, and then Cure Lovely was thrown back by an explosion of Dark power around Queen Mirage, evil flames engulfing her. Darkness was poured into her Heart and mind, twisting and corrupting, filling her with an overpowering, toxic, universal hate. Outside, an enormous torrent of Dark power sprang up around the castle tower and spread out to rapidly envelop nearly the entire Blue Sky Kingdom, leveling buildings and engulfing the ruins in unholy flames.
Queen Mirage had now undergone a frightening transformation: her outfit and wings looked burnt and charred, her eyes glowed red, and her previously-immaculate hair was spiked out wildly. As soon as she saw Innocent Lovely setting Blue down at the base of the spire, she dove at the girl, hitting her with a flaming tackle that knocked the girl clear out of the castle grounds and down into the surrounding rocky ground far below. The two of them flew about, auras of pink and dark-red clashing into each other, sending shockwaves through the air.
"Stop this, Mirage!" Innocent Lovely shouted. "If you keep this up, you'll destroy the world, and yourself!"
"I don't care!" the corrupted woman snarled, trying to bash Lovely's skull in with her bare (well, gloved) hands. "I will burn everything!-!"
Knocking Innocent Lovely down to the ground, Mirage fired a wave of Darkness wreathed in evil fire, aimed to incinerate the pink-haired heroine. However, a shining blue & yellow wall of magic suddenly formed in the attack's path, stopping it cold. When the smoke and flames faded, Innocent Princess and Innocent Honey stood in defense of their leader, with Kuro and Innocent Fortune to either side.
"Are you okay?" Cure Honey asked.
"Thanks to you girls" Lovely replied. "She's suffering…"
"Then let's free her from her torment" Cure Fortune replied. "It's time to finally return good fortune to her life…"
"Give her the courage to let go of the Darkness…" Cure Princess continued.
"Offer her the kindness she's been without for so long…" Cure Honey continued.
"…And rekindle the light of Love in her Heart!" Cure Lovely finished.
Light swirled together, taking the form of the team's magical artifact wreathed in light.
"Sparkle! Shining Make Dresser!"
As the Dresser floated down before the quartet, Innocent Lovely used her pen/mic to draw an infinity symbol on the mirror-screen, which then flashed with vibrant color. The girls' heart-song began to ring out, resonating through the air and the Hearts of those who heard it. Light swirled and flashed, building and growing, until finally the music and the power reached a crescendo, enveloping the girls in their respective colors of Light, and they dove at the corrupted Mirage:
"PreCure: Innocent Purification!"
The brilliant, beautiful light exploded outward, engulfing the entire Blue Sky Kingdom. Damage was magically undone, the fires doused and the structures repaired, the castle returned to its former glory. All over Earth, the trapped people were freed, the darkness retreating; within the 'Cure Graveyard', all the defeated & trapped Pretty Cures found themselves freed and awakened.
Beneath a crystal-blue sky, the purified Mirage knelt, her grey wings slowly coming away; her hair had changed to its original black, her eyes their normal blue. She looked up as she heard footsteps, as Blue walked over and knelt down in front of her, embracing her.
"Mirage…" he whispered. "I'm so sorry I never said what I truly felt. I love you. I always have, even through all these centuries… I'm not going to let you go again."
Tears began to fall from the woman's eyes, erasing the tear-shaped mark on her left cheek. She held him tight, and they kissed under the sun's pure rays. At a distance, the girls watched, two of them holding hands to their chests; Cure Lovely shed tears of her own, feeling joy at the redemption and love, but also pain at the confirmation her feelings would never be requited. Fortune, meanwhile, was softly panting; why, after using Innocent Form and the team's ultimate purifying technique, did her chest hurt?
-Break-
In a dark room dimly lit by red light, a lone figure sat amongst several broken mirrors floating around him, sulking.
"To think they would purify Mirage…" he murmured in a low growl. "Cure Lovely is the key to all this, it would seem. …Blue. Just you wait; I will destroy everything you hold dear…"
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: the true enemy emerges.
