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*Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors

OP: Your StoryFairytale Pretty Cure! – written by SAYkokoro

ED: DREAM! DREAM! DREAM! ~Waking Up Your Future~

Episode 20: |Save Bukku! To Desolate Castle We Go!|

"And as to what you are; you can be anything you dream of. Even a hero."

Bukku grabs lovingly at his new red cape that has just been tied around his neck, "D-Do you really think I can become a hero, Kuroizado?"

The kind wizard smiles gently down on the young fairy prince, "Of course. I truly believe we all have the potential within ourselves to become a hero. I think it sounds like a wonder dream."

Bukku's eyes darken. "Nobody thinks I can do it~buku. They said I'm too small and weak to be a hero~buku."

Kuroizado chuckles to himself and pats the young fairy prince on the head. "You know, a true hero is not measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart." The wizard looks up to the bright blue sky and smiles. "A hero is someone who steps up when everyone backs down. A hero is any person truly intent on making the world a better place for allpeople."

Bukku's eyes light up, "Oh~buku! So you're a hero~buku!"

Kuroizado blinks at the small fairy in surprise, "W-What?"

"You wanna make our world a better place, Kuroizado! You said so yourself~buku! You said you wanna make Fanciful Kingdom thrive for everyone with your magic~buku! So doesn't that make you a hero~buku?"

Kuroizado indigo-coloured eyes soften and smiles with all his heart at the young prince. "I…I guess that does!"

"Will you quit touching me ears~buku!"

Bukku is trapped inside a small birdcage made of pure dark magic that shinned an eerie black colour with streaks of deep purple. It is like a black-coloured metal; cold and invincible. Trust me, Bukku had tried. Claws and fangs without even a scratch and it had left a nasty taste in Bukku's mouth. Like rotten black licorice. It was no use. He was snuck like a flightless bird—not that he could fly in the first place.

Thames is holding onto the top of the birdcage with one hand and is reaching his wormy fingers through the bars. "So these are your ears," he muses as he pinches open and close on the young prince's ears. "I couldn't tell if they're ears or just weird heart things."

"They're my ears, you moron!" barks Bukku baring his teeth. "And if you keep touching them, I'll rip your ears and feed them to you!"

"Ooooh! I'm soooo scared," Thames snickers amusedly.

"FIVE SECONDS INTO BEING OUR PRISONER AND YOUR ALREADY BEING A BRAT?!" scoffs Xoanon in disbelief. "SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE, RUNT! OR, I WILL DO IT FOR YOU!"

Bukku sticks out his tongue at the muscular Dark Charm Knight. "Hey, just because I came on my own free will doesn't mean I'm going to be the perfect prisoner~buku!"

Linda rips the birdcage out of Thames's hands and thrashes Bukku to meet eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose. "You better keep your trap shut, you brat!" Linda ignites a flame of purple dark magic in her hand and burns it right in front of Bukku's face "Or, I'll make you silent…permanently!"

Bukku doesn't even blink. "You're not going to destroy me~buku."

Linda grins humorously at the small fairy, "Are you so sure you want to challenge that? I hold all the power here. You are nothing!"

Bukku smirks, "Reeeallly~buku. Is that so~buku. Cause last time I checked Kuroizado holds all the power~buku. Yeah, I might be helpless in this cage, but I know Kuroizado wants me alive~buku. He wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to get me if he didn't~buku."

Linda narrows her eyes as Bukku continues. "I can just imagine what your Kuroizado-sama would do to you if you told him you had destroyed me~buku. He could always make new Dark Charm Knights~buku."

Thames and Xoanon exchanged a troubled look. It was only for a moment, but a flash of worry ran through Linda's raging eyes. "Tsk," Linda throws the birdcage away, shoving Bukku back into Thames's care.

"Maybe you do have a power," smirks Thames, "The power to shut Linda up!"

Linda glares down Thames, "I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL TURN YOU ALL INTO TOADS!"

Bukku's eyes widen. "She's joking…right~buku?"

"Yeah, Linda doesn't really do jokes," says Thames pointing to himself. "That's my job."

"YOU'RE NOT AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK YOU ARE, THAMES," Xoanon says bluntly.

Thames headbutts Xoanon in the chest angrily, "Ya don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, Xoanon! I'm hilarious!"

"SURE THAMES," snorts Xoanon humorously, "WHATEVER YOU SAY."

Linda singles the two of them to silence as they reach the end of the murky corridor and stand before a looming doorway. Grand double doors that stretched all the way to the ceiling with embroidered in webby dark magic.

Bukku's swallows his breath as the towering doors open. It wasn't like the dramatic moment where the doors creep open with a spine-trembling creak sound. The grand doors flew up without a sound. The room on the other side was practically pitch-black. All Bukku could make out was an outline of a throne that was lighted by two torches on either end that were burning with dark magic flames.

Silently, the Dark Charm Knight step into the room and approach the foot of the throne. With the leader in the center, Linda, Xoanon and Thames kneel to the ground and bow their heads. Bukku blinks in surprise that the Dark Charm Knights would bow down to anyone.

"Bukku."

The voice in the throne hit the young prince's ears hard and he immediately recognizes the voice, "Kuroizado," gulps Bukku. His old friend's voice wasn't like he remembered it. It wasn't gentle or kind; it was deep and raspy. The genuine still remained, but was that honestly a good thing anymore?

Kuroizado lets out a long breath before he spoke again. "It is nice to see you again, my old friend."

"That word means nothing to me anymore~buku!" hisses Bukku coldly as he grips hold of the bars of his cage. "Would a friend trap their friend in a cage, Kuroizado?"

"Yes. I do agree that the cage is quiet unnecessary." Bukku sees the outline of a hand catch the light of the torches, but can't find the wizard's face in the darkness. "Release him."

Linda lifts her head and blinks in surprise, "B-But, Kuroizado-sama…"

"Did I stutter?" booms Kuroizado, the rage in his voice making Linda flinch. "Release him! Now!"

"Y-Yes! Of course, Kuroizad-sama," gushes Linda, bobbing her head. With a snap of her fingers, Bukku's cage vanishes and Bukku can finally plant his feet on the ground. It was smooth, but cold to the touch.

"Ah, much better," murmurs Kuroizado as his hand returns to its place on the arm of his throne.

The small fairy tights his paws and looks up at the wizard, "You know, your plan won't work~buku!"

Bukku hears Kuroizado stir in his throne, "Hmmm? How so?"

"You took me to prevent me from finding the final PreCure~buku!" argues Bukku. "But, it won't work~buku! You forgot about my brother~buku! He can still find the fourth~buku. Then, with the four PreCure together, you will lose~buku!"

Bukku smirks victoriously, but the smiles melt away when Kuroizado lets out a blood curdling laugh that sends a chill down the young fairy's spine. It was even more surprising when he glances over and sees that the Dark Charm Knight look just as confused as he is.

"K-Kuroizado-sama?" says Linda. "I-Isn't that why we took him? I just assumed that's why—!"

"—Assumption leads to destruction," muses Kuroizado as he climbs out of his throne. Bukku never felt so small and weak as the dark wizard looms over him. "No. You, Bukku, are more special than you believe you are."

Kuroizado kneels down and Bukku is finally met with his warped indigo-coloured eyes. They were nothing like the eyes Bukku remembered as a kid. The gentle kindness was nowhere to be found. Dark magic had taken it all away. Now, dark eyes with slit pupils were in their place.

A hand reaches down at Bukku and a single finger touches the middle of his chest, "Inside you, Bukku, is the key to my destruction. Without you as the final piece to the puzzle, the PreCure will never be able to defeat me."

Bukku's heartbeat booms against his ribcage as he put a paw to his heart. "T-Then…then Imari and the others will come and save me~buku! I beat they're on their way right now~buku!"

Kuroizado gives the small fairy a malevolent smile, "Oh, my old friend. I am counting on it."

The girls all head back to Nijiko's apartment complex. No one spoke. I mean, what could they say? None of them could even look each other in the eyes as they walk through the lobby, up the elevator, and down the hallway to Nijiko's room. It was all quiet. Imari and Tomoka nearly jumped out of their skin as Nijiko smashes her apartment door open and storms inside.

As Imari and Tomoka quietly take a seat in the living room, Kuiru pops out of Nijiko's green PreHeartBook and shakes his head, "Please calm down, Cure Enchant."

"I can't calm down, Kuiru!" snaps Nijiko as she stomps into the kitchen. She opens one of the cabinets when another wave of anger rushes over her. She furiously smashes the cabinet door open and close. With each smash, Imari and Tomoka flinch.

"Cure Enchant stop it~kuru!" demands Kuiru, angrily crossing his arms. "You're scary your teammates~kuru!"

"Nijiko, it's okay," Tomoka tries to say in getting up from her seat to comfort her friend.

"No, it's not okay, Tomoka!" yells Nijiko, slamming her hands on the countertop, making Tomoka jump. "We lost! We failed! They took Bukku! PreCure don't let that happen! PreCure don't lose!"

Tomoka puts a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't be silly, Nijiko. I'm sure that's not true."

Nijiko whacks her hand away. "Gee, thanks for your great words of wisdom, Tomoka."

"I'm just trying to think positive," Tomoka frowns.

"I don't think that's possible right now!" snaps Nijiko.

"Every hero falls, Cure Enchant," states Kuiru, coming between the two girls. "It was Bukku's decision to go with the Dark Charm Knight~kuru. All we can do if respect his wishes and try to find a way to defeat Kuroizado from here~kuru."

Without a word, Imari stands up, picking up her book bag, and walks past the group to the front door. "What are you doing, Imari?" huffs Nijiko, putting a hand on her hip.

"I'm going to Desolate Castle and I'm getting Bukku back," Imari says simple as she puts on her penny loafers.

"Going to Desolate Castle?!" scoffs Nijiko in disbelief. "You don't even know where Desolate Castle is!"

"Well, I have to do something," argues Imari at the door. "Bukku needs our help! If there's any way we can save him I'm gonna take it!"

Nijiko opens her mouth to protest, but Imari stands her ground. "Bukku would do the same for us! He did the same for us! He's our friend! And friends don't let friends get taken prison by an all-powerful wizard!"

A sweat drop appears and the side of Tomoka's head. "I don't think that's how the saying goes."

Nijiko clams her mouth shut and stares down at the ground, pondering it over in her head. Finally she looks up, "You're right, Imari. Yeah, alright, I'm coming with you."

"Yeah, me too," nods Tomoka. "Bukku is my friend too!"

"Now hold on a minute~kuru!" interrupts Kuiru. "Do you know what you're saying~kuru? Do you have any idea how danger that is~kuru?! Desolate Castle is the birthplace of dark magic~kuru! If you go there, you'll all be at Kuroizado's mercy~kuru!"

"Kuiru! Bukku is your brother!" exclaims Imari. "Don't you want to save your baby brother?"

Kuiru grudgingly crosses his arms. "You mean the one that destroy my home~kuru? The one that got my parents captured and put your world in danger~kuru? No, I don't~kuru. My dear brother had this coming for a long time~kuru."

Imari looks the older prince in the eyes. "Kuiru, you know that's not true. You were there with us when Linda told us the truth. Bukku was just a pawn in Kuroizado's game. And you heard your brother just as clearly as we did. Bukku didn't want this."

Kuiru looks away, but Imari continues. "I'm an older sibling too you know." The fairy meets her gaze. "Her name is Izumi and I love her so much! We can drive each other crazy sometimes. But, no matter how bad it gets, we would always make up and we're closer than two petals on a cherry blossom tree!" Imari smiles at the elder fairy brother. "Don't let one mistake ruin your brothership."

"I don't think brothership is a real word, Imari," points out Tomoka.

"Not the point she's trying to make, Tomoka," says Nijiko, bumping her friend playfully with her hip.

"Come on, Kuiru," presses Imari. "We know about the portal spell that got you here in the first place. I know you can cast it and take us straight to Desolate Castle."

Kuiru shakes his head. "No, I can't use the portal spell to take you to Desolate Castle~kuru." He shrugs his shoulders. "But, I can take you to Fanciful Kingdom~kuru."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" exclaims Nijiko, grabbing her book and swinging it over her shoulder. "Let's go save Bukku!"

"I got your guys' back," chimes in Tomoka.

"Alright," Kuiru sighs, "But, when we get there, please refrain from transforming unless absolutely necessary~kuru. Kuroizado would be able to sense your magic~kuru."

Kuiru begins murmuring an incantation, a strange language that neither of the girls recognized. A dark blue aura of light magic surrounds the fairy prince as he stretches his paws out to the air in front of him. The group gasps in amazement as a luminous portal of swirling purple and blue appear inside Nijiko's apartment.

But, it was only half the size of Imari. "Sorry~kuru," pants Kuiru tiredly from using his magic. "I'm not use to making human-size portals~kuru."

Imari shakes her head and smiles. "No, it's perfect."

The three girls exchange a nod of determination. "To Desolate Castle we go~!" One by one, Imari, Tomoka, and Nijiko duck down and step through the portal. Kuiru goes through last and closes the portal behind them.

"Cure Fable, Cure Mythical, Cure Enchant," says Kuiru, "Welcome to Fanciful Kingdom~kuru..."

Imari looks up with a wide smile on her face. But, her smile fades as quickly as it appears when she gazes around. It wasn't at all what she had envisioned in her mind. Starting with the ground; it wasn't soft fluffy meadows spotted with rainbow-coloured flowers, the ground beneath her feet was dry, cold, and bumpy with an ugly brown-purple colour. Then, there was the sky. The sun was nowhere in sight. The dark, looming clouds blocked the whole sky, grumbling with thunder, making everything violet purple colour with hints of a fearful midnight blue. Finally, there was the castle. It was the most terrifying part. Dark, towering towers that stretched up into the storming clouds that swirls around its tallest peak. It was all pure black and shimming with wicked dark magic.

Imari, Tomoka, and Nijiko look on at the kingdom completely speechless. "…Or, more commonly known now as Desolate Castle~kuru."

Linda waves her hand over her magic mirror and the images of the girls ripple away. "Oh, those PreCure think they're soooo clever."

"Looks like Kuroizado-sama was right as always," Thames smirks, popping a lollypop into his mouth. "Humans are soooo predictable." He pulls out his candy and twirls around his fingers. "So, what should we do with 'em?"

"LET'S SMASH THEM INTO TINY LITTLE PIECES!" yells Xoanon, dramatically throwing Linda's desk chair across the room.

"That's your solution to everythin', Xoanon," snorts Thames, rolling his eyes. "As long as I get to see Pinky cry, I don't care what tactics we use."

Linda turns away from her mirror and sit down on top of her desk, crossing her legs with her bare leg covered in mismatching eyes at her comrades. "The PreCure think they're planning a sneak attack on us, but I say we give them a taste of their own medicine. As soon as the step through our doors, they are in for a surprise of their own."

"WHAT KIND OF SURPRISE ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?" demands Xoanon.

Linda smirks mischievously, "Thames." The youngest Dark Charm Knights turns to her with a curious look. "I leave Desolate Castle's traps to your disposal. You have fun with them."

"Fantabulous," Thames grins. "I think I know exactly what to do!" He stalks out of the room with Xoanon tailing behind him.

But, Linda suddenly reaches out and grabs Xoanon by the shoulder. "Wait, Xoanon. They're something more urgent I must discuss with you." She eyes Thames as he skips out of the room before she talks in a hush, "In private."

Kuiru looks up at the darkened kingdom with saddened eyes, "With his dark magic, Kuroizado corrupted Fanciful Kingdom and gave birth to a new evil~kuru. Desolate Castle; the kingdom of nightmares and misery; a place where hopes and dreams die~kuru."

"My father's home," gasps Nijiko as she kneels down and scraps the lifeless dirt with her palm. "It's all gone."

Tomoka's eyes soften. "Nijiko, I'm so sorry."

Imari puts a hand on her friend's shoulder and gives her a hopeful smile, "After we save Bukku. We will find a way to save your father's kingdom too. I promise, Nijiko."

"I know," says Nijiko, taking in a deep breath and stands up. "But, if I see Kuroizado, I'm taking the chance and punch him right to his stupid, wizard face!"

Imari and Tomoka share a giggle. "Okay, fair enough."

"Now, let's go save my dear brother~kuru," says Kuiru as he starts flying toward his home. "But, remember; no magic and stay as quiet as possible~kuru."

The three girls nod in agreement and make their way to the main gate of Desolate Castle. They reach the front door and Tomoka gazes up at the tall tower, arching her neck back just to see at the top.

"Are we really going to go through the front door?" she asks "I mean, I know we're the good guys and all, but it seems like we would just be asking for trouble."

Nijiko looks up at the towering castle too. "The closest window is a full two stories tall, so if you want to try climbing up the wall, be my guest."

"Good point," pouts Tomoka.

"LET'S STORM THE CASTLE!"cries out Imari as she grabs her friends with the arms and drags them through the front doors.

"Remember~kuru," says Kuiru. "Whatever happens, we need to stick together—!"

But, the moment the group enter Desolate Castle, Imari is met with a surprise when something dark and blocky practically jolts straight out of the ground and smacks her right in the nose. "Ouchie!" she gasps in shock as she rubs her poor little nose. Imari reaches out and her hands touch a stone-cold wall. Imari shifts her hands around and discovers that these strange obsidian-black walls were also on either side of her and her friends were nowhere to be seen.

Imari looks around in a panic, but can only make out the dark walls caging her in. "Tomoka? Nijiko? Kuiru?"

"Imari?" She hears her name being called, but it's not coming from either side of the walls. It's coming from her book bag. Curiously, Imari opens her bag and notices that her PreHeartBook's pages are glowing. Curiously, Imari pulls it up and opens the book.

The pages aren't filled without words or the Fairytale Puppets; it was a picture of Nijiko. Wait, no, realizes isn't a picture. Nijiko is moving!?

"Are you okay, Imari?" asks Nijiko through the pages of the PreHeartBook.

"Y-Yeah," blinks Imari in shock. "But…how are you doing that?"

Suddenly, Kuiru pops up inside the book too. "The PreHeartBook has the unique ability to communicate through its pages with other PreHeartBooks and their users~kuru."

"That is so freaking cool!" beams Imari.

Just then, the page beside Nijiko and Kuiru begins to glow and a picture of Tomoka appears. "Imari? Nijiko? Is that you?"

"Tomoka!" Imari smiles relieved. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine,"nods Tomoka. "But, I'm trapped! These dark walls just popped out of nowhere!"

"That happened to us too," explains Nijiko, looking around at the dark room around her. "I think Kuroizado must have sense we were here."

"How did Kuroizado know we were here?" wonders Tomoka. "We literally just got here! We didn't even use magic!"

"I was dreading this~kuru," mutters Kuiru. "Kuroizado must have known that we would come here to save my dear brother~kuru."

"What are we gonna do now?" asks Tomoka.

"We…we can still do this," states Imari to her friends. "We might be split up, but we can still find Bukku. The plan doesn't change. We're just gonna have to play by their rules."

"Okay. I gotcha," says Nijiko. "We'll find a way to regroup somehow."

"But, try not to transform yet~kuru," Kuiru reminds the girls. "They know we're inside Desolate Castle, but they're still a chance we can sneak around without giving away our exact location~kuru."

"Okay, okay," gulps Tomoka nervously. "We can do this! I'll meet you guys soon. I hope."

Tomoka's picture disappears and soon Nijiko and Kuiru follow suit and fade away. Imari is left again, surrounded by the darkened walls. She returns her PreHeartBook to her book bag. As she does this, the wall in front of Imari suddenly disappears and she finds herself in a dark hallway, the only source of light coming from touches dotting the walls.

Imari tightens her grip on the strap of her bag and takes a deep breath. "Don't worry, Bukku. We're coming." Not looking back, Imari takes her first step into Desolate Castle.

"YOU LOST THEM! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST THEM?!"

Thames whips the spit from Xoanon's yelling from his face. "I thought I had trapped them in my spell, but when I let them out, I lost track of them!"

"THEY ARE THREE MAGICAL GIRLS DRESSED IN BRIGHT COLOURED MINISKIRTS!" explains Xoanon in disbelief. "HOW DO JUST LOSE TRACK OF THAT?!"

"They hadn't transformed!" argues Thames, crossing his arms annoyed. "I couldn't track their magic!"

"Calm yourself, Xoanon," says Linda, crossing her legs like a lioness. "We know they're inside Desolate Castle and who they're after. Soon, they will have to make their existence know. And when that happens, we will destroy them before they have the chance to leave with the bratty prince."

"Yeah! Come on, Xoanon," smirks Thames as he starts levitating off the ground. "Let's go find us some PreCure! They couldn't have gone far!"

Xoanon turns to leave. "Xoanon," says Linda. Xoanon doesn't turn around to face her. "Will you…will you do as we discussed?"

Xoanon straightens his back, lifting his head. "YES." The bulky Dark Charm Knight follows after Thames who gives him a puzzled look as they soar down the empty corridor. "I WILL DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. FOR KUROIZADO-SAMA'S SAKE."

What is a hero? I've wrestled with this simple question my entire life. I always thought a hero was those superheroes I read about. The ones who wore the long red capes, the heroes with superpowers that swoop in and save the day. I always dreamed of being a hero like that. But, I was wrong. Who is a hero? A real hero.

I see now. A real hero is my father, King Sutori, who put the protection of his people before his own safety the day Kuroizado attacked. A real hero is Imari Suzukawa, who jumped in to save a life she barely knew. Because they both believed in doing the right thing.

Now, I finally understand what a hero is. A hero is someone ordinary who finds the strength to persevere in spite of the obstacles blocking their path. A hero is someone who gives their life to something bigger than themselves. Brave and selfless. That was my father and that was Imari.

Did I do it? Did I make my dream come true? Am I a hero?

No, I don't think so.

"Bukku?"

In his birdcage, the young prince fairy heard a voice. He pricks up his ears and peers through the bars of his cell. He can hear footstep running towards him.

When Bukku sees the ringlets of indigo-coloured hair and round glasses, relief rushes over the small prince, "Tomoka!"

His friend speeds over to him with a bright smile on her face. "Oh thank goodness I find you!"

But, just as relief filled his heart, worry soon replaced it. "W-What are you doing here~buku?"

"We came to rescue you!" beams Tomoka as she rapidly starts examining his cage.

Bukku quickly looks around for the others, but sees no one. "W-Where is everyone~buku?"

"We got separated," explains Tomoka. "But, don't worry. Now that I found you, we can find a way to regroup with everyone."

"I sure hope so~buku," murmurs Bukku, looking down at his feet. "I just…I just can't believe you guys came here~buku."

"We used that portal spell," says Tomoka.

Bukku shakes his head, "No. I mean…I can't believe you all would come here…to save me~buku."

Tomoka's eyes soften. "Of course we would. I mean…it's…you." Bukku looks to her with curious eyes. "If it wasn't for you…if we never met you…I wouldn't feel the need to be brave, Imari would still feel like an outsider, and Nijiko…we never would have met each other. None of us. All of that…is thanks to you, Bukku."

Bukku eyes sparkle and his smile beams, "Thank you, Tomoka."

"Now," Tomoka grins as she reaches into her book bag and grabs her PreHeartBook, "Let's get you out of here." She opens the pages until she finds the one she needs. "Fairytale Puppet Nutcracker, I need your help please."

The pages glow and the Nutcracker comes to life and looks up at Tomoka with his wide smile and sword in hand. Tomoka points to the lock on Bukku's cage, "Could you break the lock with your sword please?"

The Nutcrack Fairytale Puppet bows upon hearing her command and turns around to face the lock with his silver sword in hand. With a sling slash from his blade, the lock busts apart and the cage door swings open. The Nutcracker returns inside the pages of the book and Bukku jumps out of his cage and into Tomoka's arms.

"Come on~buku," smiles Bukku. "Let's go find everyone~buku."

Both Tomoka and Bukku nearly jump out of their skin when they spot a shadow down the hallway that looks like a toothless clown. Tomoka bites h tongue to stop from squealing out in fear. She cups her arms and, in her quietly scared state, continues down the dark and empty corridor.

Bukku swallows a breath and Tomoka quickly picks up on this, "Are you scared, Bukku?"

"No~buku!" he snorts. "I'm just…trembling with…excitement~buku."

"Looks more like you're trembling with fear to me," winks Tomoka.

"Whatever~buku," puffs Bukku. "I'm Prince Bukku De La Hope Wish Von Dream Star! I'm not scared of anything—!"

The floor creaks and the young prince lets out a small peep of fear. He puffs angrily at himself and Tomoka lets out a giggle. "Yeah, soooo brave, Your Highness."

In her arms, both friends go around a corner. Tomoka pushes up her glasses when she sees a darker side of the hallway. She walks over and notices that it's a flight of stairs. "This must lead to some kind of basement of sorts," she guesses.

"Or a dungeon~buku," mumbles Bukku.

She gulps, "Every instinct is screaming at me not to go down there. But…"

"…But, maybe Imari or Nijiko is down there," sighs Bukku begrudgingly. "But, if it's my brother, we can leave him~buku."

Tomoka lets out a nervous laugh and takes her first step down the basement steps. She quickly notices that the walls had changed from sleek black to dark-coloured stone walls. For support, Tomoka leads against the wall. It's as cold as ice.

As she continues down, the staircase keeps getting darker and darker until Tomoka can't even see what's in front of her. "This is no good," she murmurs. "I don't wanna fall down."

Tomoka manages to reach for her book bag and pulls out her PreHeartBook. She turns to whatever page she can find and presses her face as close to the pages as possible to the point where the tip of her nose brushes the pages. "Please, Wicked Witch," whispers Tomoka. "I need just a bit of light."

The small Fairytale Puppet of Wicked Witch of the West pops out of the PreHeartBook. She gives Tomoka a sweet smile as she politely tips her hat. The Wicked Witch pulls out her broom and lights it on fire with her magic.

Tomoka heaves a sigh of relief as the small bit of fire lights up the murky staircase. "Thank you."

"Clever thinking, Tomoka," nods Bukku.

The Wicked Witch winks at the two of them and takes a seat on top of the pages and Tomoka continues down the stairs with her PreHeartBook wide open for the Fairytale Puppet to light their way.

Halfway down the stairs, Tomoka stops. "Um, Bukku, do you hear that?"

Bukku pricks up his ears and takes a moment to listen. He could start hearing something. It's sound like voices? Murmuring? Whispering?

The moment Tomoka and Bukku reach the bottom of the steps the Wicked Witch flew up from the PreHeartBook and spreads her light of fire around the room below. They could see everything clear. Bukku was right. It was a dungeon. And the prisoners were all of the fairies of Fanciful Kingdom. Tomoka cups her mouth in horror as they see all the cages. They were like dark birdcage hung from the ceiling of the dungeon; all with trembling fairies inside.

"Mama~wawa?" Who is that~wawa?" whimpers a young fairy inside a cage to her mother who is lovingly holding her child. "Is that a Dark Charm Knight~wawa?"

"Shhh, honey~fafa," hushes the mother fairy. "I don't know~fafa. I don't know~fafa."

"Oh! No, no, no," reassures Tomoka as she steps deeper into the dungeon. "I'm not a Dark Charm Knight. I'm…" she takes a brave breath and reaches her face proudly to the light "…I'm a PreCure!"

"PreCure~wawa?" echoes the youngling.

Her mother spots the prince, "Wait~fafa. Isn't that Prince Bukku~fafa?"

Soon, the dungeon of fairies was full with loud murmurs. "Are the PreCure really here to help us~fafa?", "Are the PreCure here to save us~riri?", and "Is this possible~nini?"

But, out of the commotion of fairies sparking with hope, one voice reaches Tomoka, "PreCure~sutu. Step forward, my child~sutu."

Tomoka presses her lips together nervously as she takes a step forward. She notices a stubby cage with thick, ebony black at the back of the dungeon. It was small and low to the ground and Tomoka has to kneel down to properly face the fairy inside their cage. Now, Tomoka could see more clearly. She could see that there are two fairies inside this cage. One is blue, the other pink. One with strong dark brown eyes, the other with gentle sea green. One has a four-point star mark and the other has a pink mark on their forehead. But, both have beautiful capes and shimmering crown. Tomoka knew immediately who they were.

"King Sutori and Queen Peiji!" gasps Tomoka as she quickly bows respectfully. "It's truly an honour to meet you both! Bukku and Kuiru told us all about you!"

King Sutori raises his paw. "Please~sutu. No need to lower you head, my child~sutu. We should be the ones thanking you~sutu." Tomoka loved how his grey mustache bounced up and down as he talked.

Queen Peiji spots her son in Tomoka's arms and a wide smile spreads across her face, "Bukku luv~piji! You're here too~piji! Are you okay~piji! Quick~piji! How many fingers am I holding up~piji?!"

"Honey~sutu," chuckles King Sutori. "You don't have any fingers~sutu."

"Oh yeah~piji," she giggles. "I forgot~piji."

"I'm okay, Mom~buku," murmurs Bukku, looking down at the ground.

Queen Peiji's eyes soften. "Lift your head, luv~piji. Let me see your handsome face~piji."

Bukku hesitates, but lifts his head. His eyes shine with tears. Queen Peiji reaches her paws out to him through the bars of the cage and gives him a big hug. "Y-You're not mad~buku?"

"Bukku, why would we be mad~sutu," asks King Sutori with a puzzled look.

Bukku's eyes darken. "Because…because this is my fault~buku. You're trapped here…because of me~buku."

His parents exchange a look and his mother shakes her head. "Oh Bukku, we know none of this is your fault~piji."

"But, I pushed you out of the way from the portal~buku!" exclaims Bukku angrily. "So I could escape like a coward~buku!"

"Then you would have been captured~sutu," points out Queen Peiji. "And we wouldn't let that happen~sutu."

"You're not the one at fault, Bukku," King Sutori reassures his son. "The only person to blame is Dead End…and us~sutu."

"You~buku?" repeats Bukku.

King Sutori nods his head. "We shouldn't have been so harsh on Kuroizado. He was a noble wizard~sutu. The greatest Royal Wizard we've ever had alongside Hikaru. But, we were afraid~sutu. And we left out fear blind our sense of judgement~sutu."

"You see, luv~piji," grins Queen Peiji. "Nobody is perfect~piji. Not even me or your father~piji."

"Everyone makes mistakes~sutu," states King Sutori. "But, what's important is how you try to fix them for the better~sutu. And I know that's exactly what you and your brother are trying to do~sutu."

"Tell me, PreCure~piji," smiles Queen Peiji, turning to Tomoka. "Have my sons been good to you and your friends?"

"Yes," nods Tomoka happily. "Kuiru has shown us wonderful wisdom and has taught us so much about our powers! And Bukku has been by our side every step of the way with his unwavering support!"

"I'm glad," beams Queen Peiji. Her face smile soon turns sad. "But, now, you must go~piji."

"W-What~buku?" scoffs Bukku.

"If you have any chance to escape, you need to go now~piji!"

"No!" gasps Bukku, "No, no, no~buku! Come with us~buku! Yeah~buku! You can come with us~buku!"

But, his father shakes his head. "We cannot~sutu."

"W-Why not~buku?!" demands Bukku.

King Sutori looks to all the fairies trapped in their cages. "Because we have a duty as the King and Queen to protect our people and continue to give them hope~sutu. We need to stay for them~sutu."

Bukku opens his mouth to protest, but uses every fiber of his being to closes it. "Tomoka, let's go find the others~buku."

"O-Okay," stammers Tomoka as she stands up and heads for the stairs.

"Mom, Dad~buku," says Bukku as he looks back one last time with his dark red eyes blazing with determination. "I will save you~buku!"

"Tomoka! Nijiko! Kuiru!" calls out Imari as she walks alone down one of the darkened corridors. "Anybody?! Castle pudding! Panna cotta! Tiramisu! Macaroon!" Imari huffs to herself. "Now I'm not even saying names! Just names of desserts and it's making me hungry!"

Imari goes around corner after corner, room after room throughout Desolate Castle, but only finds pure black rooms and empty hallways. "How bigisthis castle?!" No friends, no enemies. Just infinity amounts of dark corridors and shadow-filled grand rooms. "THERE IS NO SUPREME SMILE POWER ANYWHERE!"

"Standing in the dark~

Lonely as I am~

Humble as I am~

No spark of light to be found~

What is the point of my crown~"

Imari could hear it. It was a delicate and gentle voice, but Imari could hear it. Clear as day, "Singing?" Excitedly Imari follows the soft-spoken lullaby. She races down the hallway, the voice get louder and louder, but keeping its slow and elegant tune.

Imari finds the voice is coming from up of the tallest tower of Desolate Castle. She quickly makes a dash for the swirling staircase, running up as fast as she can, skipping steps on the way up.

"Dancing in the light~

Happy as I am~

Noble as I am~

My heart shines like a jewel~

I am no longer alone~"

Out of breath, Imari makes it the very top. She bends over, putting her hands on her knees, and tries to catch her breath. And when Imari lifts her head, she can't believe her eyes.

Imari is face-to-face with a real fairytale princess.

Next time on Fairytale Pretty Cure

Imari: W-Who are you?

Tomoka: Um, I think we have a bigger problem than that, Imari.

Imari: Like what?

Xoanon: LIKE ME!

Imari: Xoanon? What are you doing in our preview!

Thames: You're in Desolate Castle, Pinky.

Xoanon: YOU'RE ON OUR TURF! WE MAKE THE RULES HERE!

Thames: Including taking over the preview.

Imari: Oh boy.

Thames: The Caged Princess! Goodbye Xoanon?!