Sunny had not lied. When the new day came, Tsubomi could not tell it was a new morning, as the skies were still dark. When she went to the gallery to take a look outside, the black sun was high in the sky. When she looked at it, she felt weak, terrified, so weak. For a moment it felt so tempting to take a few steps forward, to fall down into the sunflower field, to join the flowers.

No, what was she thinking? It was a foolish thought, and she ought not to think about that. Love had told everyone not to stare at it, but it was hard to resist. It was as if that sadness called out to her. When Tsubomi turned her head away, there were tears in her eyes. Why? She had no reason to be sad.

Well, that was a lie. There was no lack of motive for sorrow: war surrounded them, took over their future, and so much had been lost already. Tsubomi had no doubt that when this was over, much more would be lost. The thought made her heart hurt. She remembered her grandmother at the Garden of Hope, her parents at Eclaire, capital of the Sweets Kingdom. She could only hope they were safe, but one look at the dark skies filled her with fear.

She could not bear to look at this. Tsubomi made her way down to the ruined gate and corridors, now empty and cold. On the wall, the shape of a man remained, and ashes were scattered on the floor. There had not yet been time to clean the Aegis, and there likely would not be any so soon. They had more pressing matters. When the black sun rose, Sabaku and Itsuki summoned all the Precure to the great atrium, as well as King Mephisto and their most trusted commanders. Even Soular and Westar were called, at Peach's insistence.

There were stains of inks on the corridors, and Tsubomi wondered if they should be washed away somehow. It did not feel safe to have them there, though they were unmoving. This was all the monsters left behind when they died, their accursed blood. No corpse was left behind, only the dark ink. Most of it faded quickly, melting into nothing, but a little bit remained, and Tsubomi couldn't help but worry.

She was the last to reach the great atrium, but she wasn't late. It was dark there, as was everywhere else, and candles had to be lighted. A great table had been set in the middle of the room, but many of its chairs were empty. Love stood up, walking in circles, while Ellen leaned against a pillar with Hummy comfortably in her arms. Sasorina sat atop the table with an insolent look to her face, and Mephisto didn't take his eyes off the great hole in the ceiling. Who builds a roof out of glass, he asked, annoyed.

In the middle of the long table, however, was the most interesting thing. The wounded fairy they had found the day before, poor thing, hungry and scared. All she could say was her name, Candy, and what she needed, help. She passed out before she could be taken to the infirmary, and Tsubomi feared her dead. She could hardly feel the fairy's heartbeats, and did not know what to do to save her. She had given up on hope when Inori got up from her bed, even though her own wound still hurt her greatly. Half of her face was covered in bandages, and she grunted with each step, but even so she made her way to Candy, gently took her from Tsubomi's arms and put the fairy close to her chest.

She opened her eyes. She needed warmth, Inori said, and a gentle touch. Tsubomi thought her own touch was gentle enough, but in truth, she didn't hold Candy close to her. She was too scared of hurting her even more. When she opened her eyes, she fraily looked around, and Inori gave her some of her own food, a small piece of a carrot, and then some water. It was precious little, but enough to keep her clinging to life long enough to be tended to.

And now she looked healthy again. Yesterday, she was half a corpse, her ears hanging so low, but today they were curled, and she was even smiling. Candy still looked too skinny and frail, but she was safe now.

"There you are," Itsuki said as Tsubomi sat beside Erika and Princess Ako. "We can begin now," she said, and Sabaku nodded.

"Princess, please," Sabaku started, but he was looking at the fairy, not Ako. That struck Tsubomi as more than passing strange. Just who was this fairy, and if she was a princess, what was she doing locked away in a chest? She was not the princess of the Sweets Kingdom, else Tsubomi would have heard about her, so where else? Märchenland? That was half a world away, across the ocean… Then again, Tsubomi did hear that the princess of Märchenland was partner to Reika, Miyuki, Yayoi, Nao and Akane. Akane… She was the one who held Candy prisoner. Tsubomi shuddered.

"I don't know where to begin," the fairy said, her voice loud and piercing, and looked around. When her gaze met Inori's smile, she took a deep breath to think.

"Take your time," Itsuki said gently.

"But if you could do it quickly we'd all appreciate it," Reina complained. She had taken a wound to the arm during the battle, but that did not seem to bother her at all, or make her any less abhorrent.

"I am Queen Beauty's fairy," she started. "Q-Queen Beauty and the others. Miyuki, Akane, everyone. You know who I mean, I hope," there were nods all around the table. "I am the princess of Märchenland, and heiress to the throne, though my brother Pop is two years older than I am."

Tsubomi recalled hearing that Märchenland had no kings, only queens. Though the queens were expected to get married and have children, their husbands did not become kings themselves. It was almost like the Precure Kingdom, except the ruling queen's spouse ruled alongside her, be they men or women. The throne was not inherited, after all, so there was no great need for progeny.

"Shouldn't you have spent your life at Märchenland, then?" Kanade asked. "How did you come to be the partner of five Cures?"

"Mother wanted me to learn about the world," Candy said, her eyes full of longing. "The queens of Märchenland cannot leave our realm, and she did not want to inflict that upon me even before I sat the throne. So I travelled to Majorland, to the Sweets Kingdom, to the Trump Kingdom, and, at last, to the Precure Kingdom.

The Precure Kingdom terrified me at first. In all other places, you can find fairies everywhere, but there were few of them in the Precure Kingdom, and the few ones that I found were partnered to Precures. I was lost and alone for the first time in my life, and did not know what to do. But then I found Miyuki Hoshizora… Or rather, she found me roaming the streets of Calmtide. She smiled at me, and said it was dangerous to be all by myself in such a large city. Back then, her smiles were so different. They were true, each one of them, full of love and kindness and friendship.

And we were quick to become friends. She was training to become a Precure, I learned, and on a whim, I told her I could be her partner. She laughed, and said she still had much to learn and a long way to go before she could be bathed in the light of the Precure Altar and be enveloped by the power of the World's Heart, but she swore that if the day ever came when she became a Precure, she would take me as her partner.

Your religion is a bit odd to us from Märchenland, I must say. I did not understand it at first when Miyuki told me about it. Maybe it's just the way you found to explain your powers, or maybe you're right and we at Märchenland are wrong. But even so, I listened to Miyuki with joy, always happy to learn, and she was happy as well, grinning whenever I told her a fairy tale. She loved them, more than anyone I have ever known. I told her about princesses and the knights that saved them from dragons, as well as princesses that did their own rescuing, or ones who befriended the dragons. I told her about witches who could turn others into frogs, vampires who could turn into bats, humans who became fairies and fairies who became humans. She loved it all.

And I really mean she loved it all. She loved not only the heroes, but the villains and monsters as well. It baffled me, at first. They were killers, they hurt people, yet Miyuki said she did not hate them. She said that as she heard the stories, she learned that they were not evil. The wolves were starving, desperate for a bite of food, the witches were scared of their own powers, that they could not control, the mermaids longed for love, and the gnomes only tricked humans and fairies so that they could protect their lands.

No one is born evil, she said, and even those who we see as wicked often have their own reasons. At Märchenland, they were outcasts, despised by all, and they weren't welcomed in other lands. Those who reached Majorland were slain, as were the ones who somehow managed to reach the Trump Kingdom. In the whole world, there was no love for them, yet a girl in the Precure Kingdom held them dear, close to her heart.

I wrote a letter to my mother telling her about what I learned from Miyuki, from her kindness. I told her that perhaps the monsters from our tales were not worthy of hatred. Most of them had never committed any crimes, after all. They were just descendants of the devils reviled in stories from thousands of years ago. When I got a letter back from my mother, she said that Miyuki's words had touched her as well. She said I could not have found a better partner, and she would, at long last, reach out to Pierrot, a leader of the outcasts, who fought for what few rights they had. That was long ago, but it still hurts to think that I am to blame for what happened as well, for our ruin."

"The Bad End Kingdom?" Tsubomi said, after a paused that lasted far too long.

"Yes," Candy said. "Mother gave him a position in her council, in her attempt to alleviate the oppression that plagued Märchenland. This gave him power and influence. Not too long after, he would found the Bad End Kingdom, and start a bloody war. But I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

Miyuki was not my only companion. She introduced me to her friend Akane Hino, who in turn was one day visited by Yayoi Kise, who I befriended as well, and together, we spent a month at Crag's Watch, as guests of Nao Midorikawa, who hosted Reika Aoki as well. That is how we all met, and we quickly became close.

What a fateful encounter it was! All those girls were meant to become Precure, and they were all of an age, or close enough, at least. This meeting was meant to be, Miyuki said, and Reika was quick to agree. It was like a fairy tale, they said, and laughed, and I think they truly believed it, if only for a while. That was my fault, I have to admit, as I believed that as well. We were all heroines, we believed, and whatever a hero does is right. Soon they all became Precure together.

When they learned that my mother wished to maintain friendly relations with the Bad End Kingdom, they all wished to help. This was a great mistake, it's clear now, but we were so foolish back then. We should have known that Pierrot did not want an alliance: he crowned himself not even three months after my mother gave him power. It was conquest and vengeance he wanted, not friendship, but we thought we could still negotiate with him. Reika had a way with words, so she began to write letters to Joker. Märchenland and the Bad End Kingdom were close to war, and we thought we could stop it."

"Excuse me," Miki said, raising her hand, and she got everyone's attention. "I know a little about what happened after that," she said, and told everyone her grisly tale of Reika's change. Tsubomi had heard it many times already, but it still terrified her. She took a look at Miki's wavering eyes, and saw that it was also deeply hurtful to her.

"I didn't know she hurt you as well," Candy said, crying, jumping on Miki to hug her, but soon she was the one needing comfort. "I should have told someone. But I trusted them, and they said they would find a way to fix it."

"And did they try?" Ako asked. "To fix it, I mean."

"No," she said. "A week later, the queen was dead, and Reika had taken the throne, even though it was not hers by right. She did not care about right. I tried to ask her what she was doing, but her words were cold, in a way they never were before. She never hurt me, or anyone, but when I asked her why she had usurped the throne, she told me she need not justify her actions to a mere fairy. She was queen, and she knew better.

She did not want me anymore. All she wanted was Miyuki and the others. One by one they changed as well, and I could only watch helplessly. Yayoi hesitated, as she also saw the kindness leave their eyes, and they mistreated her too, but in the end, she was changed as well. And then they went to war."

Tsubomi would see Love close her hand into a fist and slowly push it against the table. She had seen it herself, Tsubomi remembered. Small wonder she didn't want to hear about the Bad End War again. But there was no helping it, and Candy kept talking.

"I had no idea that they were changed by the Bad End Kingdom, not at first, so when they pledged to protect Majorland, I thought nothing of it. I followed them to war, to see what they would do, to stop them if I could… But I could not. We all know of the slaughter that followed the Precure Kingdom's army, and of Pierrot's murder, betrayed by his own retainers. They said Joker poisoned his wine at Happy's command, expecting to be spared, but Reika herself ran him through with one of her ice blades. We all know that.

What not everyone knows is that Pierrot did not die."

For a moment, no one said a thing. Each person in the atrium exchanged glances among themselves, their faces frozen in fear. Candy herself looked half-guilty at being to one to bring such terrible tidings.

"What do you mean?" Miki asked, hesitating, as if she was scared to hear the answer.

"It's just as I said. He was not killed, not fully. Pierrot rose to power because of his knowledge of magic so dark even my mother was unaware of it. Blood magic," she shivered. "Magic of that kind grants its wielders abilities far beyond those held by witches, fairies, anyone else. We are surrounded by the arcane, my mother taught me, and that is where our magic comes from, but Pierrot's power comes from within, from the heart. In a way, it's like the magic of the Precure, only-"

"Only twisted," Hibiki got up, outraged, and had to be calmed down by Kanade. "I saw what he did during the Bad End War. He and his soldiers didn't just kill. They left no corpses: all those who were slain were transformed into that… That ink, I think it's what it's supposed to be."

"You're right," said Candy, "Pierrot's power comes from those he defeats," she pointed at the sun above, "or those he corrupts. Which would be the entire Precure Kingdom, it seems, or even more."

Tsubomi looked above, in horror. Had the whole world been covered in darkness? Anxiety drove a blade through her heart, and twisted. She felt the urge to get up and run to her quarters, lock herself there and hide in bed under her sheets forever, tell herself it was not true. It could not be.

"By the end of the Bad End War, Pierrot had gained incredible power, fueled by all the death and destruction he started. When he was supposedly slain by Joker, he clung to life, in a meek form, powerless, but he lived all the same. When Reika walked out of Fabul, leaving ruins behind, she brought Pierrot's remains with her, locked away inside a great chest. A large rock, black and full of spikes. When Reika showed it to me, she was crying."

"Why?" Miki asked, concerned.

"Because that was when she came to her senses. She explained everything to me, she and all the others. Reika told me that she was tricked by Joker. When she opened one of the letters he sent her, the very ink rose from its words, sticking to her fingers, and no matter what she did, she could not get rid of that black goo. It reached her chest, and forced itself into her heart. She said she had never felt a pain so terrible."

"I was right, then," Miki said, tearing up. "Reika…"

"She said she could hardly control herself. Her heart grew black, cruel, and so did her ways. You witnessed it the first time it happened, Miki," Candy said, "but I did not. Reika said that by the time she was herself again, she had crowned herself. It was like she went to sleep, she said, and when she woke up, she was in an unfamiliar place. And then the memories came all at once, all of her cruelty, all the terrible things she did. It made her head hurt so much, she thought she would die. Her transformation lasted little more than a week, but it was enough time for her to taint the hearts of her friends as well and to ascend to the throne. I fear she even had a hand at the old queen's death."

"Gods," Erika said, horrified. "You can't be serious. Please tell me you aren't, please, please…"

"No use lying about it," Sabaku declared. "They need to be dealt with."

"You called it a transformation?" Ellen put Hummy down and approached the princess of Märchenland. "Sunny's clothes became inky black, and even her eyes became darker, hateful."

"This is a recent change," Candy said. "At first, it was not as extreme. They found that when they became angry, lonely, sad or hopeless, their black hearts took over, and they grew vain, wicked, careless. Soon, however, Reika learned to transform whenever she wanted."

"Why would she want something so horrible?" Tsubomi asked, and for a moment she thought of Yuri's sister. No doubt the did not want to turn into a monster when she became a Precure, so why would Reika desire that?

"Power," Candy said. "The power she needed to keep her realm safe. When the Bad End War started, Reika and Miyuki thought they'd be able to control it. As long as they kept thinking happy thoughts, they'd hold on to themselves. Well, they were wrong. They thought they were fighting for the Precure Kingdom, but they were being controlled by Joker and Pierrot."

"Why would Pierrot and Joker want them to ravage their own kingdom, though?" Erika scratched her head.

"It wasn't truly their kingdom, mind you. The Bad End Kingdom had merely conquered Märchenland, and Pierrot did not really care about the cities that were destroyed. And, as I've recently learned, Pierrot had greater ambitions. Overseas ambitions. The Precure Kingdom. The Bad End Kingdom was never destroyed, its armies were never defeated. When you fought Sunny, she was carrying the Precure Book with her, right?" Candy asked, and Hibiki nodded alongside Kanade. "When Pierrot's soldiers died, they turned into ink and disappeared. Did you not find that strange?"

"You can't mean-" Itsuki started, but couldn't finish.

"That's where they hid all along," Candy said. "In the words of the Precure Book, and in Beauty's tainted blood. Happy's blood as well, and Peace's, Sunny's, March's. The Bad End War was never over. It never even really began," she thought for a second. "No, that's not right. It began, but only now. Pierrot did not want only Märchenland and Majorland. He knew he could never really build an empire on Märchenland's ruins. There was old magic there, undying magic. But he looked across the sea and found the Precure Kingdom, ready to be taken, perfect for him to shape as he desired."

King Mephisto shouted and slammed the table, breaking it in half, and poor Candy would have fallen to the floor if Inori had not grabbed her in time.

"Damn them!" Mephisto said, shaking his fist at the sky.

"Easy, father," Ako rose and gave her father a stern look, but she was half his size, and he didn't even notice her there.

"Were we used all along, then, each one of us?" He yelled, seething. "I cannot forgive this, I will not forgive this."

"Please," Ako took his hand, her own looking so small. "Not now, father. The last time you-"

"I'm so angry!" He said, but that didn't need saying, as he drew his sword and began to swing at the air, almost cutting his own daughter. He took hasty steps towards the door, blade in hand, his face all red, cursing. "I'll kill them all with my own hands, I swear it! They threatened me, my kingdom, my beloved daughter… I heard Beauty is a renowned swordfighter. I will put her to the test, then."

"FATHER!" Ako's voice filled the atrium, so loud and angry that they froze Mephisto in place. "Stop being an idiot, sit down and shut your mouth!"

"But-"

"Do as I said!"

He did as she said. There was no table anymore, but he sat anyway, and afterwards he was so quiet that Tsubomi almost forgot he was there.

"Princess," Ako said, her voice soft once again, as if nothing had happened, "please go on. I think we still have need of more explanations."

"Ah," Candy nodded. "For a while, there was peace, as you know. Sometimes they would transform into their corrupted selves, but at least now they weren't starting wars. They were overcome with guilt once they understood what they had done, and they also knew that the Bad End Kingdom had used them. They locked Pierrot away in the heart of Solaris, so that if he returned, the castle would collapse on top of him, and the Five Suns would come down on him as well.

Reika wanted to find a cure for their curse. She took her Heart Flower from the Heart Garden, and gave it to me. A blue orchid, its petals with black stains of ink. She asked me to return to Märchenland with her Heart Flower, to find a way to heal it. Don't tell your mother, she begged me. She was so afraid of what she had become, but she was also afraid of others knowing. I did as I was told, trusting her as one of my closest friends. I learned healing magic, floral magic, I looked for skilled magicians, and I even sought help from the few witches that still lived, but it was all in vain.

The most painful thing was sending them letters that said I had accomplished nothing. They were all so hopeful. We believe in you, Candy! We are counting on you! They told me how they were still trying to control themselves, though they still failed from time to time.

That hope lasted a little over one year. Then came despair. Once their letters were cheerful, and they told me about their lives, but then they became sad, begging me to save them, to find a way. Reika told me the most terrible thing. One day, Akane lashed out at her own family and her friends at Solaris. She made some jokes about them, but they were hurtful, and when no one laughed, she became angry. She exiled them all from Solaris, saying she would feed them to the Five Suns if they didn't leave immediately. When she was herself again, she was so overcome with guilt and terror that she rushed to the Precure Palace to take her Heart Flower, a red larkspur that was now almost covered in black.

She…" Candy paused for a while to wipe her own tears away. "She destroyed her own Heart Flower! She set it on fire, to try and burn away the Bad End Kingdom's smear, but the flames only consumed the petals, leaving the ink behind. There's almost nothing left of her Heart Flower now. When she showed it to me, I…"

She did not have to say it. To lose your own Heart Flower like that was almost like losing your heart, Tsubomi knew. They were kept safe at the Heart Garden, and that's where they were supposed to stay. Tsubomi looked around her, and saw looks of disbelief amidst looks of horror.

"When I sent them a letter saying I would soon return to the Precure Kingdom, but I had no cure for them, they did not take it well. I fear that's when Reika came up with her scheme to frame Cure Berry and start a war. It was for the good of the kingdom, she told me, the only path she had to protect her people. The Desert Apostles were too strong, they had to be dealt with. It was a cruel, evil thing, she knew, so whenever she had to do something bad, she let herself be consumed by the Bad End Kingdom's curse, so that she could be as terrible as she needed to be. In a way, then, she had complete control over what she was doing, but at the same time, she did not.

In the end, she was hardly even Reika anymore, only that monster. When she learned about Labyrinth, then, despair took over her, and she decided to embrace that power. It was for the good of the Precure Kingdom, she kept telling herself, and I think she even believed it. Akane's heart was so broken that she simply followed Reika, and Miyuki was the second to be cursed, so she agreed with Reika's decision. Nao and Yayoi, though, took a little more convincing. Yayoi was easy enough to intimidate, and when Reika told Nao that if the Desert Apostles came, her family would be threatened, she reluctantly joined her queen. Besides, March and Beauty were always close.

When the armies of the Precure Kingdom and Majorland began marching north, then, they embraced the darkness. Peace is not completely corrupted, and maybe Nao isn't, but for Reika, at least, it might be too late. She's a Bad End Precure now, under the service of Pierrot."

"No," Miki rose, shaking. "No, it can't be too late. It can't… I don't want to believe it."

"Do you think we can save them?" Itsuki asked.

"Save them?" Marigold scoffed. "After all they've done? How can you be so quick to forgive them? It's their fault you almost died. If not for my help, the Battle of Sunflower Fields might have been lost!" She declared, oddly proud. Was that what they were calling the battle, or was it another of Reina's foolish notions?

"Are you deaf, or just stupid?" Love asked. "If this is true, then they are victims as well. They made mistakes, of course, but who hasn't? I don't believe they are evil. Even if it is hidden away now, I know there is still good in their hearts, and it's our duty as Precure to save them."

"And it's also our duty to protect our people," Reina reminded. "If you want to help them, fine, do as you will. I shall stay here."

"Good," Love said, unconcerned. "Candy, do you know where they are now?"

"I overheard their plans," Candy admitted, "which is why I was locked in that chest. I planned on coming to the Aegis to tell you all I knew, but as I was on my way, Sunny found me and captured me. They will awaken Pierrot. Reika clings to the belief that she can control him and use his power, but I know she cannot. In truth, she didn't plan on doing it this early, but after her army was defeated, she had to hurry her plans. For Pierrot to regain his strengths, they would need two things, I heard. First, the Precure Book, which holds the souls of the Bad End Kingdom's citizens. They'll unleash its power at the Palace of Smiles And they need Pierrot's remains as well, that rock I mentioned. They'll take it to a place with great magic. That's all I know."

"Great magic?" Yuri asked. "Well, that doesn't help much. There are so many places that could mean."

"I think I know," Ellen raised her voice. "Sunny told Peace to go to the Fairy Palace. Could that be it?"

"That would make sense," Yuri agreed. "So, the Palace of Smiles, and the Fairy Palace are our destinations. We'll need to split ourselves, then, I'm afraid."

"Miyuki was the one who took Pierrot's remains to the Fairy Palace, and Peace will be there as well," Candy said.

"If Peace is there, it's where I'll go," Erika declared.

For a moment, Tsubomi wanted to say she would follow Erika, but then Yuri spoke.

"I'll seek out Beauty at the Palace of Smiles, then."

No, Tsubomi thought, please, don't make me decide. Yuri and Erika both needed her, just as she needed them both. Why must they tear her heart that way?

"I'll go with Moonlight," said Ako. It didn't need saying that her father and the Musketeers would accompany her.

"I promise I will stay by your side, princess," Ellen took her princess' hands. "Some of the blame belongs with me, and I betrayed Majorland. I will do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness."

"You already have it," Muse smiled, "but it warms my heart to have you with me."

"Who else will come with me?" Erika asked, her eyes anxious. It was obvious that most would choose to follow Moonlight and Muse, and no one in their right mind would choose to face Pierrot, but Erika alone could not do it.

"We will," Hibiki and Kanade said in perfect synchrony, then giggled.

"It's not like we can transform when we are apart, anyway," Kanade said.

Sunshine and Sabaku were the next to declare they would follow Yuri. Sabaku commanded his generals to come with him as well.

"Miki, will you face Reika?" Love turned to her friend.

"I cannot," she said with sadness. "Whatever else Beauty is, she is still my friend, and I don't want to hurt her. But I know she would hurt me, so I cannot march to the Palace of Smiles."

"Then I'll come with you to the Fairy Palace," Love smiled. Inori soon agreed, and they turned their eyes to Setsuna, expecting her to say the same.

"I'll go to the Palace of Smiles," she said instead, to Love's shock.

"A-Are you sure?"

"I would love to fight by your side again, Love, but… I know nothing of the Fairy Palace, but I've learned every secret passage in the Palace of Smiles. If I go with you, I won't be of much help."

"I understand," Love said, and she made herself smile, but did not fool anyone.

"You seem to be a bit short on hands, Love" Soular said with a sly smile, "so we'll help you."

All of a sudden, all eyes were on Tsubomi. She had not yet decided, she realized, but they were demanding an answer. She thought a thousand thoughts all at once, but could make little sense of them. Decide now, those eyes said, and she could not delay her answer.

"I'll go with Yuri."

When she saw the look on Erika's face, Tsubomi immediately wished she could take that back, but it was too late now. Erika lowered her head, and Tsubomi wanted to run to her, to hold her, to explain it, but she couldn't, not now.

"Well, there is only one question left, then," Soular said. "How will we stop Pierrot?"

The silence said it all. No one had the slightest idea. Some scratched their heads, others sat down to think, and Love walked in circles again, as if that would somehow give her an answer.

"I have an idea," Westar said, but Soular laughed at him. "I have an idea!" He repeated, and few paid him any mind.

"No, Westar, we cannot punch Pierrot to death," Setsuna said. "I don't think we can even punch him right now, he's not even alive."

"That's not what I was going to say! Pierrot has immense power, right? Well, immense is less than infinite, I think, I was never good with numbers…"

"What are you trying to say?" Sabaku asked, dismissive.

"Infinity is a source of limitless power, isn't it?"

"Her name is Chiffon," Inori said.

"I'm sorry. Chiffon is a source of limitless power. Can't we use her?"

"I suppose we could, somehow" Soular said.

"Chiffon would be happy to help us, wouldn't she?" Love asked.

"E-Even you, Love?" Inori wavered. "I don't want to put Chiffon in danger…"

"Buki, I understand your fears," Love put a hand on her shoulder, "and I understand why you are unwilling to let us have Chiffon. But if Pierrot is revived, don't you think he'll seek out Chiffon anyway? The whole world is endangered. So please, Buki. We need Chiffon's help."

"Alright," she sighed. "There's no other way, I guess. But it's such a risk, and we don't even know if Chiffon can stop Pierrot. And even if she can, it'll be no easy matter taking her to the Fairy Palace."

"We never thought it would be easy," Miki said. "Nothing that's worth fighting for is ever easy, after all."

"You're right," Inori said, and got up. "I'll go find Chiffon, and explain everything to her."

Inori ran off in a huff, stomping the floor, not pleased at all by this turn of events. Tsubomi looked at Erika's face, and she was unpleased as well, but Tsubomi did not know what to say, how to apologize.

"If Chiffon is going, then I'll go too," Hummy said, jumping on Ellen's shoulder. "I have to keep Siren safe!"

"No, Hummy," Ellen said. "It's not safe, not for you. You will stay."

"You can't make me stay! We should always be together, Siren! Aren't we best friends?"

"We are, and that is why I'm asking you to stay. Please, Hummy, you've suffered enough, and you've been through enough danger. If you go, how will I rest easy, knowing you could die at any moment? Please, don't do that to me, Hummy. Don't worry me anymore. I can't bear it."

"Siren…" Hummy looked at Ellen's tears, and looked about to cry as well. "Alright. I'll stay."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," she said, and that made Ellen smile again.

They had no time to waste, Yuri said, before Ellen could even stop crying, and they had to leave. She was the first to exit the atrium, and Tsubomi soon followed, not wanting to look at Erika's face. Yet she could not stop thinking of her.

Tsubomi had but few minutes to get whatever she thought she would need, to say her goodbyes. She found Chypre on top of her unmade bed, looking at something.

"Chypre," Tsubomi said, and her fairy jumped, startled.

"Ah, Tsubomi. I saw Yuri going to her quarters in a hurry, and when she left, she was carrying a bag. Does that mean you are leaving?"

"Yes, Chypre," Tsubomi took a closer look at what her fairy held in her small hands. It was a letter. "What is that?"

"Ah, it's Coupe's," Chypre said, her eyes shining. She had always quite admired Cure Flower's fairy, though at times, Tsubomi doubted that huge, hairy thing was really a fairy. Fairies were supposed to be cute, weren't they? Tsubomi thought of Coupe trying to write a letter with those awkward arms of his, and couldn't help but laugh. "Well, Coupe and your grandmother's."

"W-what does it say?"

"Oh, it's an old letter. You had just become a Precure. Coupe gave me some hints. He told me I needed to have a good diet so that I could give you my power when you needed. I wish you'd let me fight with you, Tsubomi."

"I know, Chypre, but it's dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But it's fine for you to endanger yourself?" Chypre asked, and Tsubomi could not answer. "Your grandmother told me that you were always willing to sacrifice yourself for others, you know. She said that you had precious few days to spend with your parents, yet even so you did not complain when they had meetings, even though no one would have thought you selfish if you told them to stay home with you."

"My grandmother said that?"

"Yes, and she told me to take care of you. So please, Tsubomi, let me take care of you, so you can take care of me as well."

"I…" This is a bad idea, Tsubomi thought. Chypre is absolutely right, but this is a bad, bad idea. "Fine! But we aren't supposed to bring our fairies with us, so you'll have to hide really well."

"Don't worry," Chypre said, and her body began to glow. Soon she was gone, yet Tsubomi could still hear her voice. "Behind you, Tsubomi!"

There was something on her back, Tsubomi noticed. Could it be…

"Yes, it's me!" Chypre said. Behind her, a shining cape gently flew by the breeze that came from the open window. Well, this was certainly new. "Only you can hear me, Tsubomi, so don't worry. No one will even notice."

Yes, no one will notice the sparkly cloak that I suddenly started wearing. Well, no helping it, Tsubomi thought. She crouched to open her chest and see if there was anything there she needed.

She wept when she saw what was inside. She took it out, and looked at it. A pink dress, so gorgeously made, and it wasn't there the last time she looked. Erika…

Where is Erika? She needed to find Erika. Tsubomi ran as fast as she could, but found her friend's bedroom empty. She could only pray that Erika hadn't left yet. She felt afraid again, afraid and stupid and weak.

She could not find Erika at the gates. It was still cold there, and Tsubomi looked outside, afraid that Erika might be gone already. No, it could not be, Love was still here, Tsubomi noticed, Love and Sabaku. Love held a book in her hands, and when she closed it, Sabaku turned to her.

"That book… May I take a look at it?" Sabaku examined its contents, and for a second, Tsubomi saw something in his eyes. "You found it at the library of the Palace of Smiles, I presume?"

"Yes," she said. Tsubomi could not understand what was so interesting about that.

"There are only three copies in the world," he said, returning it to her. "The tome you hold in your hands, one that was last seen in Snow White's library, and the one I own."

"Y-You have the same book?"

"Yes, but mine is special. You see, the one you have is only a copy that is missing a few pages. Do you know who is the author of this book?" Love shook her head. "Komachi Akimoto. Cure Mint. She learned a lot, you see. She learned about all the secrets the Precure Kingdom tried to hide, all the terrible things it had done in its past."

"I know that," Love said. "I know the Desert Apostles used to be citizens of a kingdom that existed alongside the Precure Kingdom, a thousand years ago."

"Just so," Sabaku said. "They fought Labyrinth alongside the Precure, and Cure White was a close ally to them. But then she died, and her daughter became queen. Cure Snow, she was called. She feared the power of the Old Kingdom, and so she invaded them before she could threaten the Precure. Does that sound familiar?"

Tsubomi had already cried too much, so all that came from her mouth was laughter. They were fooled, all along. All her life she had been taught that the Precure could do no wrong, that their enemies were wicked. She believed it, once.

"So Reika didn't learn from the past," Love said. "Is that all? I already learned that by myself."

"No, there's more. One of the missing pages is quite concerning. Did you know that during her reign, Cure Aqua became aware of the existence of Labyrinth?"

"What?" Love barely reacted. She stared at nothing, her eyes almost blank.

"It is true. No one believed me, thinking my evidence was too untrustworthy. This book, after all, had been hidden from the world, so who was to say I didn't write it myself and pretend it was Mint's work? No one believed me when I told them of the threat hidden just beneath us. But I knew of Labyrinth's power, and I thought they were the greatest danger to the entire world. Only the Desert Apostles listened to my warnings, as they still shared tales of Labyrinth among themselves."

"But why?" Tsubomi had to ask. "Why hide it?"

"I don't know," said Sabaku. "Queen Aqua's orders, perhaps. She is long dead, so perhaps we will never know. She was a wise queen, so, maybe, her reasons were just as wise… Or so she thought. If only we knew…"

"If we knew… I might not have met Setsuna," Love said. She gave her book to Sabaku again. "I don't want to think about it. Not now."

She loves Setsuna, Tsubomi realized. It was so plain to see when she looked into Love's eyes as she talked of her. Just saying the name made her eyes brighten. Tsubomi wondered if she looked the same when she talked of Erika.

Erika. She came down from the galleries with Setsuna by her side. What perfect timing, she thought, and then she remembered Erika's sadness when she heard that Tsubomi would not come with her.

Tsubomi walked up to her, as Erika stood still when she saw her. Tsubomi looked at her awkwardly, and stuttered some words that meant nothing. When she finally thought of something to say, Erika's arms were around her.

"I wish you could come with me."

"I wish I could go with the both of you," Tsubomi said, sadly. "But Yuri needs me more. Though she tries not to show it, she is still hurt, she is still sad, she is still angry. She'll need me, I think. But you, you are so strong."

"Stronger than Moonlight?" Erika was doubtful.

"Stronger than anyone who has ever lived," Tsubomi said, and slowly Erika's tearful face melted into a smile, blue eyes fluttering gently, almost like waves. "So, so, so strong! I feel like you can take on anyone, Erika, and never give up. I admire you. I adore you. I love you."

"Heh," Erika laughed. "Your praise means more than anything in the world to me, did you know? I sought it all my life, and I still do, but your kind words, your tenderness, your love… Why, I think they might be better than anything I ever dreamed of. I'll think of you while we're apart, so please think of me a lot, alright?" Tsubomi nodded. She would even if Erika didn't ask.

When Erika ran towards the gate, Tsubomi saw the most curious thing on her back: a cloak, exactly like her own… Tsubomi sighed, and could hear Chypre's laughter ringing in her head. Those fairies were too clever for their own good, Tsubomi thought.

"Hey!" Erika said from far away, like an afterthought, turning back to Tsubomi. "You'd better wear that dress when we're back! You wouldn't believe how many times I stabbed myself with needles while I was sewing it."

And then she was gone, and Tsubomi just smiled, unworried for now. She was afraid, yes, and she knew she was not a good fighter, that the dangers she'd face would be great, but what did it matter? She was not alone, she was never alone.

One by one the Cures began to leave the Sunflower Aegis, and soon came the time for Tsubomi to go as well. Outside, the skies were dark, oppressive and no stars dared to shine, a droning noise filled the world just as it did the day before, and wherever they went, the cold followed. But that did not matter as well. Yuri's light guided them through dark paths, Ellen's songs put their hearts at ease, and Itsuki gave them warmth even when the world seemed about to freeze. They still had a long way to go, and they would not fall into despair before they even reached the Palace of Smiles. When Tsubomi looked up again, she saw the moon, shining proudly beside the dark sun, as if to mock it. So long as they held on to hope, the Bad End Kingdom would never win.


I'm not making any promises, but when I'm done with this I may or may not write a short prequel about the Yes Precures. I don't know when that will be or if I'll even have the motivation to write more about this world, but I have it all planned, at least. This fic still has, I don't know, some fifteen chapters left, so that's plenty of time for me to make up my mind.