The summer sun rose lazily above the horizon. The sky melted from inky blue to bright shades of orange and pink.
It was perfect for a morning run. The air had just enough of a chill from the night still before the sweltering summer heat set in. A teenage girl, clad in a dark pink running outfit, ran up an inclined road, panting only slightly. She'd been making this run all summer long.
Trees shaded her run, for the most part, the only thing separating her from the sidewalk she ran on and the two-way road was a rickety fence. She could see her destination up further ahead – the city's namesake, a massive lake, its surface glittering in the morning sun.
The few cars that were driving this early on this road did so lazily. This country road was further away from the hustle and bustle of Highlake, though most of the city would find its way here later on.
For now, Marina had it to herself. It was one of the reasons she liked to run this early in the morning. A few paces later, Marina was at the sandy edge of the lake. As she checked her pulse, she glanced up from her watch every now and then to check the area. She was looking for someone. She took in the mostly empty scene before her.
Wooden piers jutted out into the calm water of the shallows. The occasional motorboat sped across the horizon. The treeline stopped several yards before the beach even started, though bushes littered the general area, stopping only when the dirt turned to sand. There were a few buildings that dotted the coastline, though they were mostly storage shacks. The main spectacle was a bronze statue of a man at the entrance of the lake's recreational area, said to be a statue of the founder of Highlake himself.
Marina checked her watch again. 7:15 AM.
"I wonder where she could be…" Marina muttered, wiping her sweat-laden brown hair out of her face. The two of them had agreed to meet at exactly this time, though Iris was nowhere to be seen. And she was never late. Marina, deciding to take advantage of the water, kicked off her shoes, peeled off her socks, and let the cool water lap up against her feet.
She spread her arms out, letting the morning breeze flow through her when suddenly, a vigorous rustling sounded from behind her.
It had been seven days since Clio arrived on earth. Afraid of the massive city sprawling in front of her, and the roar of the metal things on wheels (what were those things anyway? And why were they so loud?), she and the spirits had eventually settled in a small swath of trees near the enormous lake that hugged the city's western side.
It seemed about the only place she and the spirits could fit in. After her first encounter with another being in this world, it became apparent that animals did not speak here. In the trees surrounding her, she saw other squirrels, though these were all gray or brown, and spoke a more primitive language. But the spirits knew where they were, and as long as she stayed away from other animals, or people, she was content. Well, as content as she could be considering what she left back in Paint Town. Worry kept her from sleeping most nights. And her mission to find the Pretty Cure was vague and broad.
"Where should I start?" Clio asked the spirits one day. The three of them exchanged glances, having one of their regular nonverbal conversations.
"Here. On Earth," Flash said, his tail flicking back and forth.
"People with power," Cinnamon said, giving a shy smile.
"Potential to change!" Flurry hooted.
It was all the same. As powerful as the three beings were before her, their communication with beings other than themselves was limited.
People came and went up to the lake. It was busier during the day, which meant she needed to be more careful about hiding herself. Finally, however, on the seventh day, something caught her eye. Like most nights before, Clio hadn't slept. Rubbing her eyes, yearning to go back to sleep, she heard the steady pace of someone running. The girl was clad in a dark pink, tight-fitting tank top with equally pink and tight leggings. The spirits all peered over Clio's shoulder.
"Get closer," Flash whispered. The girl had run up to the water's edge.
"But why? Shouldn't we be staying away from people?" Clio hissed. Flash didn't answer, but his gaze was fixed on her. He flew closer to the girl, the pale red, four-pointed star on his forehead seemed to have a glimmer to it. Clio couldn't do anything but get closer herself. She left the safety of the bush, floating closer to the girl.
"Hide!" Flurry hooted in Clio's ear. Turning, Clio could make out another girl in a dark purple running outfit making her way to the water.
"Aaaah!" Clio scrambled into a bush right in front of her, branches snapping and leaves rustling as she did so.
"Marina!" Iris shouted, waving her hand as she ran up to the lake. Marina turned away from the strange rustling in the bush to see her best friend run up to her. She couldn't help but smile.
"Hey stranger," Marina said, pacing up to Iris to lock her in a hug. "Don't ever leave me for two weeks right before summer break is over!"
"I'm sorry," Iris said, brushing her long, dark bangs out of her face. "And sorry I'm a couple minutes late," she glanced down at her watch. "Actually I'm exactly two minutes late, ha! I guess not going on a morning run every day for two weeks does something to your stamina."
"Well, all that matters is that you're here now," Marina beamed. "How was camp?"
"Marina, you know it was an extended college visit," Iris said. Marina slipped her shoes back on and the two sat at one of the many picnic tables along the coastline.
"I really don't want to think about college right now. It's bad enough school starts back up on Monday," Marina said, rolling her eyes.
"Marina," Iris said. "We're going to be juniors next week. We need to start thinking about these things. At least a little bit!" She quickly added, noticing Marina's exaggerated expression.
"Okay mom," Marina said with a smirk. She knew it was a minor pet peeve of Iris's to be called "mom," but when she took such a motherly tone like that, Marina couldn't help but poke fun, "C'mon. You can tell me all about the visit as we walk home. You owe me brunch and shopping."
The two girls got up and made their way to the entrance of the lake park. Quickly, Marina looked over her shoulder at the bush that caught her attention earlier. Whatever she had heard earlier must have been her imagination.
"Follow them!" Flash whispered. Intrigued by both girls herself, Clio didn't resist.
Changing Hearts Pretty Cure!
Episode 1: Summer's Light! Cure Spark Lights Up!
After a morning of brunch and a little bit of shopping, Marina and Iris finally made their way back to Marina's neighborhood. Houses lined either side of the wide street, a few cars hugging the sides. As the girls drew nearer to Marina's house, they noticed a large moving truck taking up most of the street.
"Oh the new owners are finally moving in," Marina said. The house had barely on the market for a month and was sold while Iris was out of town.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call this an undesirable neighborhood you live in," Iris commented. Marina chuckled.
"Iris, your house has a huge iron gate with lion statues in front of it," she said.
"You'll never let me live that down," Iris said, smiling. "Oh look. Your parents."
To the house on their left, a large burly man with graying brown hair was laughing boisterously with a slender, dark-skinned man. Marina's father had a laugh that could be heard from miles away. She wondered what they were talking about as they drew closer. Marina's mother chuckled lightly, her toned shoulders shaking at whatever comment the other man had said. She turned to catch Marina and Iris walking down the street.
"Marina! Come meet the new neighbors!" she called, waving a muscled arm.
"So what kind of restaurant we talkin' here?" Marina's father said, his baritone voice ringing in the morning air.
"Cajun," the other man said. "We just finished a two-day drive from New Orleans." The man said the city like "Naw Lins." "My wife, Ella, and I figured it was time for a change. Right, chere?" he said, wrapping his thin arm around the woman next to him. She was wearing a mint tube dress that hugged her curves. She smiled tiredly, wrapping her white cardigan around her, her blonde hair in a messy bun.
"Marty loves to cook. But I'd rather handle the books. We're a team. Oh, hello," Ella said as Marina and Iris walked up.
"This is our daughter, Marina. Oh, Iris! You're back from your college tour!" Marina's mother said. "Do you have any children?"
As if on cue, a girl hopped out from the back of the moving truck.
"Aaand we're here!" The girl held her arm out, her phone sideways as she filmed herself. "Oh, excuse me," she said, noticing the company. She was roughly Marina and Iris's height and looked to be about the same age, her skin a perfect blend of her parents.
"Our oldest, Lorynn," Marty said, beaming. "She'll be a junior starting next week."
"Nice to meet you all. Well, Robert and I better let you get to unpacking," Marina's mother said. "But we should let you know that there's going to be a big summer party up at the lake this evening. If you guys get the chance, you should come stop by!"
"We'll be happy to be there!" Lorynn said, speaking for the whole family, a confident smirk on her face.
Within the land of Chroma, pockets of gray began to spring up after Paint Town fell.
One particular pocket of gray had been there since the beginning. Far to the edges of Chroma's border sat a grand manor house. Perfectly styled hedges lined a gravel road leading up to the grand entrance. Arching windows lined the three floors of the massive building. Inside, the house was mostly empty. A few maids, a butler, and some footmen all aimlessly walked the halls. It was their job to keep everything the exact same. Further into the heart of the house was a drawing-room. Large, plush, gray couches and chairs were in perfect alignment throughout the room. In the large mouth of the fireplace, a gray fire crackled. Along the back wall of the room hung a life-size portrait of a woman. Her gray eyes were piercing, her gray waves almost seemed to move in a wind that existed only in the painting. Suddenly, the door opened. The Gray siblings strode in.
"Lady Liath," the middle sibling, Daphne said. She knelt before the painting.
"Lady Liath," the remaining two siblings said in unison, following their older sister.
"The Unchanging is going well." The voice that spoke was cold, whispering, cruel. The woman in the painting was very much alive. "But I sense… disappointment."
"We incapacitated the Queen," Daphne reported, flicking her purple-gray eyes up to the painting. Liath had crossed her arms, a scowl formed on her otherwise perfectly painted face. "But an interpreter in-training escaped. With three of the spirits of the seasons."
"Only three?" Liath asked. The lone brother stood up, taking a few steps forward.
"We managed to capture the spirit of spring," he said. He opened his hands, a ball of light appeared. Inside, the butterfly floated, unconscious. Liath's eyes widened.
"Well, well, well, Keiran," she said. "Not a total success, but not a total failure either." Liath eyed the spirit hungrily. "I think I have a plan for her. In the meantime, you must go to where the other spirits and that interpreter escaped to."
"But, my lady," the final sibling, Saorise, said. "We don't know where they are. Or why." She kept her head down. She didn't like looking up at the painting. There was a long pause.
"They went, no doubt, to find Pretty Cure warriors. And there's only one place those are born," Liath's words dripped with anger and contempt. "Earth."
"Is this Earth our next target, m'lady?" Daphne asked.
"It is," Liath hummed.
"I'll go then," Keiran said, almost a little too quickly. "We need to finish what we started."
As the day went on, Iris and Marina continued to catch up, with Iris driving the conversation back to college talk.
"I'm just saying… yes there's the potential I go to a school further away than a couple of hours away from Highlake. Or even out of state. I don't know," Iris said, plopping down in one of Marina's bean bag chairs.
She had finished changing for the evening's event: a sensible periwinkle button-down with a navy pleated skirt.
"Don't make me sound like I'm guilting you into staying close," Marina said, her voice slightly muffled from the closet. "I was just asking where you were all considering." She exited her closet, now sporting a pink tank top with a sun on it, with dark pink leggings underneath a light pink skirt.
"But let's not talk about that anymore. We've still got all of junior year and senior year to fully worry about that, okay? Now c'mon. Let's head to the lake."
Outside, Clio was waiting in a tree out in the front yard, thankful that the trees hadn't started shedding their leaves.
"So Iris and Marina are their names," Clio said, recapping all that she learned today. "This is Highlake. And those things in the streets are called cars!"
"Marina... I like," Flash said, his flame-like tail flicking with excitement.
"Do you think she could be a Pretty Cure Warrior?" Clio asked.
"Not sure," Flash said simply. "Need to see more." Clio was thankful that the spirits had begun to open up more today. Though their vocabulary seemed limited, the fact that these two girls had presented themselves today proved to be the excitement the spirits needed to chatter.
Before they could say anything more, the front door opened, Marina, Iris, and Marina's parents all spilling out.
"Lori, you've got your potato salad, right?" Robert said, opening the driver's side door.
"Yes, Robert. You saw me pick it up," Lori said simply, the Tupperware container in her hands. Marina and Iris giggled. And Clio couldn't help but let out a giggle herself. It wasn't loud, but it had come out louder than she anticipated. From below the tree, she saw Marina cautiously look over her shoulder. The girl wasn't looking directly at Clio, but she was close. And despite her interest in Marina, being found out was not one of Clio's plans today.
"Marina, let's get going," Lori called from inside the car. With one last glance around the yard, Marina shrugged, got in the car, and shut the door.
The lakefront had been transformed from the morning. Huge standing tents with various colors littered the shoreline. Families huddled underneath each of them, all laughing and enjoying themselves for one last summer hurrah. A small stage with its own standing tent had been set up just inside the entrance, just behind the bronze statue. A tall woman with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun held a clipboard and was reading it intently. Marina, her parents, and Iris all walked up to the stage.
"Mayor Chang!" Robert said, smiling widely and extending a hand.
"Mr. Roscoe," the woman said, tearing her attention from the clipboard, returning his handshake. "Thank you so much for looking after Iris today while I set this up."
"She was telling us all about the last two weeks. It's crazy to think our girls are already thinking about college. It seemed like just yesterday they were off to kindergarten," Lori said wistfully. Marina and Iris said nothing, but looked at one another, unable to do anything but roll their eyes and smile.
"Yes, it's a bit crazy to think," Mayor Change said, pulling her own daughter into a hug. "Selena wouldn't stop crying last night about it when they got home."
"C'est la vie," a new voice said. Everyone turned to see Marty and Ella beaming. Lorynn and her younger siblings stood to the side. "Hope you don't mind us interrupting here, neighbor. We brought gumbo." Marty hefted up the large silver pot he was holding.
"Not at all," Lori said. "Let's get you set up. Girls, stay around here. It was nice to see you, Maria." Marty, Ella, Robert, and Lori all walked off to a long string of tables full of food.
"So you guys came after all," Marina said.
"Oh, are you kidding? Wouldn't miss an opportunity for a vlog," Lorynn said spinning around, pulling out her phone. She opened up her camera app and hit record. "And just like that guys, we've moved in and already going to a new local event? Can you believe it? I couldn't have planned this any better. And look, I even made some new friends!" She had angled the camera mostly at her face, but when she mentioned friends, she lifted her phone over her shoulder to get Iris and Marina in the shot.
"They're gonna show me around. Montage time!" Iris and Marina exchanged shocked looks.
"Are you trying to be an influencer?" Marina said.
"Not trying," one of Lorynn's brothers said. He looked to be about thirteen, his arms crossed in annoyance. "To her, she is one. And she filmed the whole day today."
"Don't be such a grump, Louie," Lorynn chided. "You're just jealous I'm going to be famous one day." She winked at Iris and Marina at this. "Now come on. I was being serious when I said you two were going to give me a tour."
"Oh, actually, I need Iris for a few moments. This is the first time I've seen her all day," Mayor Chang said.
"Then I guess it's just you and me," Marina said. "I've got some investigating I want to do myself." Marina eyed the bushes near the entrance.
Keiran wasn't sure where Liath had sent him, but she seemed to have had a pretty good idea where the Pretty Cure warriors would spawn. High above a massive lake, he could make out people mingling on the shoreline. Cloaking himself with invisibility, he floated down to see what the commotion was about.
The entrance to the lake had been decorated with a massive arch that read "Summer's End: Lakeside Blowout!" Keiran groaned.
"Celebrating the changing of the seasons? Don't make me sick," he said to himself.
Marina couldn't shake the feeling she had been followed all day. Ever since the bush had been rustling that morning, she felt not just one pair of eyes on her, but many. Lorynn was off getting some shots of the lake while Marina poked around the bushes.
"I don't know what's following me, but I'd really prefer if you'd just show yourself," she said out loud. She wasn't confrontational about it. Just exasperated. "I promise I won't bite."
Far above Marina, Clio and the spirits watched her poke around the wooded area.
"She's talking to us!" Clio hissed. "What do we do?" The spirits all exchanged glances, before ultimately shrugging. "You three are no help!"
"Hello?!" Marina called up. "I hear voices!" At Marina's voice, Flash jumped down.
"Flash wait!" Clio shouted.
Before she knew it, Marina was looking at a small, floating fox. His tail flickered like a flame.
"Hi," he said. Marina didn't respond. She felt her jaw drop, unable to fully process what she was seeing.
"H-hi," she managed. "Is this real?"
"Real!" The fox said, dancing around Marina's head now.
"Flash!" Clio shouted from above. She and the other spirits floated down to be eye level with Marina. "I guess we've been found out…" Clio said, hanging her head.
"Found out?" Marina repeated. "Oh… wait. You… you all were following me today? Oh my gosh, I don't know what's worse. The fact that I thought it was a creep or the fact that I've been followed by… speaking… animals." The words felt completely unreal as they fell out of Marina's mouth. Flying. Talking. Animals. Yes, that was the scene before her.
"I'm Flash," the fox said, finally settling down on Marina's shoulder. "And you?" Marina turned to the small creature on her shoulder. His small body seemed to radiate a large amount of warmth. His presence reminded her of the carefree feeling of the summer heat. The salty ocean breeze. The burst of multicolored lights as fireworks went off in the night sky.
"I'm Marina," she said. "Where did you guys come from? Why are you here?" For whatever reason, Marina felt she needed to play along. Though something about the creatures in front of her was very real. "And why were you following me?"
"We come from a land called Chroma," Clio said. "Our home has been taken over by followers of a cult that worships a witch. I always thought she was just a myth until we saw them turning our town gray. We're here to find the warriors that will save us!" Clio became more passionate as she spoke. She hadn't realized how much pain and anger had been sitting dormant in her since that day. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "My name is Clio, by the way."
"We follow because we like," Flash said.
"Yes," Clio nodded. "Flash took a liking to you this morning. We're not sure why."
"Warrior!" Flash shouted.
"What?!" Clio and Marina said in unison. "You think I'm one of these warriors that need to save your world?" Marina took the fox from her shoulder, holding his warm body in cupped hands. "That can't be true."
Before anything else could be said, two things happened at once.
First, Lorynn stumbled into the clearing that Marina was standing in. The second was the eerie silence that quelled the party noise just beyond. A dome of gray appeared, stopping just a couple of yards away from where Lorynn and Marina were standing.
Keiran, proud of his handiwork, swaggered around the party area. His gray-green eyes flicked from one person to the next. They were all still alive, just standing where they were, not a care in the world. No one wanted to change. No one wanted to do anything. It was perfect, unchanging bliss. He scanned the crowd, looking for his first victim of this world.
"Who's future do I make completely gray?" He ran his fingers through his spiky gray hair as if expecting someone to swoon over him. He landed on a girl dead ahead of him. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulder pulled into a messy loop at the very end. She was in the middle of a conversation with a woman in a suit (someone important, Keiran guessed) before he stopped everything. The girl practically glowed with disgusting potential. He made his way over to her.
"Show me your future," he said, turning her to face him. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly a small tapestry the size of the girl's chest materialized between them. "Ugh, disgusting. You wish to seek further education? To do what? Come back to this down? This dream isn't even yours… how sad. I bet you don't want it to change, don't you?" Keiran sneered. He knew the girl could hear him, but her indifference on the matter made it hard to answer.
"Paint this girl's future with an unchanging gray! Grayscale! Come forth!" Keiran's hands were dripping with dark paint. He swiped them over the tapestry, and let his magic do the work. The paint spread quickly over the tapestry, turning it a dull gray when it was dried.
Dark energy crackled around the tapestry before a pillar of gray burst forth, warping the tapestry's shape. The girl slumped to the ground as a tall, gray figure materialized. It was humanoid in shape and was wearing graduation regalia: a cap and a gown.
"Now, turn everything gray!"
"What's going on here?" Lorynn said, her jaw gaping at the animals floating before Marina.
"There's no time to explain!" Clio said, swiftly flying towards the dome of gray. "Unchanging gray… They're here!"
"The ones who did something to your home?" Marina said, pacing forward. Lorynn called after them, but when no one would answer her questions, she figured it was better to just follow.
"Yes! The Followers of Liath! They'll do the same to your home if we don't stop them," Clio stopped just before the ground before her turned gray. "Look!" She pointed at a man in dark clothing, standing in front of Iris.
"Iris!" Marina shouted. The man seemed to summon something from her. He swiped his hands on the object, and before any of them could react, the tall gray figure in graduation regalia stood.
"Now, turn everything gray!" The man shouted. The figure instantly jumped high into the air, careening in the direction of the lake. Neither the man nor the monster seemed to notice Marina's group. The monster landed in the water, a pair of comically thick glasses materializing where its face should be. From these glasses, beams of gray shot out, dulling the color around it, expanding the dome of gray.
"We have to stop this!" Marina said.
"But how? And please, tell me what's going on!" Lorynn said, stamping her foot in frustration.
"No time," the small bear, Cinnamon, said to Lorynn. "Unchanging spreading."
"I don't know how I'm going to stop this, but that jerk just did something to my best friend. I can't just sit by and do nothing!" Marina said. Before she knew it, she was running towards the man. As she got closer, she noticed a smug smile on his face, making her even angrier. The next thing she knew, she was tackling the man. She had never felt this rush of adrenaline before.
"What did you do to my friend?!" Marina demanded. The man was shocked for a moment, having not seen Marina charge at him. Recovering himself, he shoved her off of him.
"I'm doing what needs to be done. Making the world an unchanging gray!" He sneered.
"By ruining people's future?!" Marina shuffled over to Iris. "Iris! Iris! Wake up, please!"
"Shout all you want. She doesn't care," the man said. "I've dulled her future. She'll never change to achieve her dreams now."
Marina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Iris's future was what kept her going. To hear that it had been halted…
"Unforgivable…" Marina said. She looked over at the monster spreading the gray dome to the lake around it. "People have to change. It's what makes our lives worth living!" It wasn't a statement Marina had ever heard herself say before, but hearing the man before her talk about change being bad... it didn't sit right with her.
From afar, the four-pointed star on Flash's head began to glow with a reddish-pink light. He shot forward to Marina.
"Please! Change makes things unpredictable. Just accept the gray. It's what's best for you."
"No!" Marina shouted. Flash finally reached her, his whole body glowing with light. "Flash…" Marina held out her hand to hold him. But he never met her hand. Instead, he began flying rapidly around Marina's left wrist. Light concentrated into a solid ring before snapping to Marina's wrist. When the light faded, a thick white bracelet was on her wrist now. Three bright pink gems shone on the top, one large gem in the center, two smaller gems on the side. Flash floated up to meet Marina's eyes.
"You. Warrior," he said.
"Me?" The fox nodded. Suddenly, Marina seemed to know what to do.
"Pretty Cure! Soul Merge!"
The pink gems shone brightly as Marina floated around a space of pink light. Flash spun and danced around Marina before finally turning into light himself, entering the large gem on her bracelet. Four pointed stars burst forth from the gem, surrounding Marina and she spun around.
She was now wearing a blank, white tank top with a matching, white skirt. Light concentrated on her top, bursting into a pink sailor collar with two yellow lines of piping. A pink gem rested on her chest, holding together a light pink ribbon. On her upper arm, two arm pink armbands with the same yellow stripes had appeared.
More pink four-pointed stars flowed from her bracelet, before "pinging" into two pink wristbands with the same yellow stripes. Light flowed up her legs, revealing thigh-high, white socks and pink, heeled ankle boots.
Two pink bands flowed from the bracelet, circling the edge of her skirt, bringing more color to her outfit. Within the second band, a ring of yellow, four-pointed stars winked into existence. Finally, Marina's brown hair glowed pink, magical wind gathering it into a ponytail. Her hair now dramatically lengthened. Her bangs curled forward, and the left side of her hair split into three braids. When the light disappeared, Marina's hair was now bright, hot pink with a long purple streak flowing through the middle of it.
"The Season of Passionate Lights! I'm Cure Spark!"
Her transformation complete, Cure Spark struck a pose.
Keiran's eyes widened as he saw the Pretty Cure warrior stand before him.
"N-no!"
"Yes!" Clio shouted from the sidelines. Lorynn stared incredulously, unable to speak. "You have to fight now, Cure Spark!"
Spark took in a moment to examine herself.
"I… don't really know what just happened but… I guess it's happening now!" Cure Spark raced towards the monster in the water. "Hey, you! Pick on someone your own size!" The monster turned to face Cure Spark. It didn't seem bothered by her appearance. Instead, it readied another beam of light and shot it at Cure Spark.
Her body acting on its own now, Cure Spark felt her legs brace before shooting up high in the sky.
"Whaaaa!" Cure Spark looked down at the ground, now far below her. "How high did I just jump?!"
"Very high," a voice in her head said. Spark immediately knew it was Flash speaking to her. "Don't worry. I will help." Spark said a silent thanks, readying her body for the descent. She stuck her heels out, aiming perfectly for the monster's head. She fell from the sky in a blur of pink, her heels colliding with the monster's head. Dazed, the monster didn't seem to put up too much of a fight after that. It ambled to its feet, but it was clear the impact had damaged it quite enough.
"Brush wand," Flash said. Again, Spark seemed to know what to do. She nodded, extending her left arm. She tapped the top of her bracelet, and a pillar of pink light appeared. It morphed into an intricately designed brush made of durable, white material. The brush head at the top was a crystal blue, with a pink ribbon tied just underneath it.
"Brush Wand!" Spark said, brandishing the weapon with a flourish. The crystal brush head glowed with pink light. Cure Spark used the brush to draw a four-pointed star. The shape in front of her was filled with pink light as she readied her attack.
"Pretty Cure! Summer Illumination!"
Spark brought her arm back, before thrusting it forward. The pink four-pointed star burst forward from its fixed point in the air. It slammed into the monster, filling it with pink energy. It let out a weak shout before bursting into pink light, revealing the tapestry from within, now full of color once more.
"Y-you only won because I wasn't fully prepared!" Keiran spat. Spark turned to face him. She waved her Brush Wand, causing the man to wince. "Don't!" he said, covering his face with his arms. "I'll be back. And we'll turn this world gray! Just like the last one!" In a flash of greenish-gray light, Keiran vanished.
Spark cradled the colorful tapestry in her hands. Well, as much as she could. The magical object preferred to float, letting itself be guided by Spark. She made her way back to her best friend, and knelt.
"I believe this is yours," she said, coaxing the tapestry forward. Recognizing its home, the tapestry came alive, moving on its own now, glimmering with light as it returned to Iris. As it disappeared with a "ping," a ball of light formed in front of Iris. It floated down into Spark's hand, solidifying into a gem that seemed to be every single color at once.
The dome of gray began to disappear, and Spark, realizing she had no explanation for her current form, dashed back to Clio and Lorynn.
"I think we should hide?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Lorynn agreed. They all made their way back into the trees and the bushes, making sure they were all out of anyone's line of sight. Immediately, Lorynn exploded with questions. "What the heck just happened? Marina how did you just… do that? And why do you look like that? Oh man, I wasn't recording a single thing…"
"Lorynn, Lorynn," Spark said. "I'm just as confused as you are. But honestly, I think it's a good thing that you weren't filming…" The magic that Spark used to transform herself disappeared in a flash of pink light. She was Marina again, and she was thankful for it. Flash reappeared from inside the bracelet, zipping all around Marina.
"Well," Clio said. "Isn't it obvious? Marina just became a Pretty Cure Warrior!" The squirrel puffed out her chest proudly, a confident smile on her face. "It looks like Earth will need protecting from Liath and her followers, like the Queen predicted."
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Marina said, putting her hands on her hips. "But right now we've got to get back to the party. Everyone looks okay… It's almost as if nothing happened."
"As if we'd want them to remember what happened anyway," Lorynn said, despite her earlier disappointment at not having anything on camera. She linked her arm with Marina's. "I have one condition to my silence," she said. Marina's eyes widened.
"I don't think there should really be any condit-"
"You're going to help me become one of these magical warriors, too," Lorynn said, winking at Marina. And with that, the two girls returned to the party.
Preview:
Marina: I just have so many questions, Clio!
Clio: I may have answers!
Lorynn: Um, what about me? I want to become a Pretty Cure, too! How do I do that?
Clio: Umm
Marina: Why are these people attacking the town?
Clio: Ummmm, well we need a team anyway…
Lorynn: Perfect!
Next time on Changing Hearts Pretty Cure: Autumn's Scent! Cure Spice is Ready!