Hey, it's SAYkokoro will another chapter on a very special day. Canada Day! For me, it only seems appropriate to update today of all days. I hope this episode doesn't disappoint. Thank you again to enarmonois and AnimeGirl4Ever for reviewing my story :)

I hope you all enjoy and Happy Canada Day!

*Please forgive any grammar of spelling errors

OP: Your StoryFairytale Pretty Cure! – written by SAYkokoro

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

Episode 21: |The Caged Princess! Goodbye Xoanon?!|

Imari rubs her eyes to make sure she's really seeing what she thinks she's seeing. No. Her eyes aren't playing tricks on her. Standing before her, behind bars of dark magic is a real-life princess! And she is amazing; like she's hoped right out of a storybook.

The princess appears to be around Imari's age. She is kind of short, but so beautiful. Her pale complexion, her wide lavender eyes, and her wavy magenta hair are breathtaking. Her gorgeous hair flows down her back with thick locks curling down her shoulders and shorter bangs frame her face. Only one strand of magenta hair was out of place, sticking out in front of the princess's left eye, and yet, made the perfect picture. A golden crown sat on top of her petite head with a matching necklace studded with purple jewels. Then, to top of the already beautiful princess-sundae with an even beautifier cherry, was the princess's ball gown. It was a light lilac-colour with a sweetheart necklace dancing in soft sparkles.

Simple, but elegant. Which made the place she is in the even more confusing to Imari. The princess seems so out of place to her.

What is a fairytale princess doing in a place as evil and corrupted as Desolate Castle anyways? Imari couldn't help, but wonder.

Without making a sound, the princess approaches the bars of her cell and grasps them with both hands, eyeing Imari with the greatest fascination.

"How strange."

The first words of the princess's mouth and it captures all of Imari's attention. Her voice was like honey; sweet and soft-spoken. Yet it carried a strong sense of maturity to it, making her tone deeper than Imari had expected.

Imari blinks puzzled by the princess's chose of words, "W-What?"

The princess tips her head to the side as she gazes curiously at Imari. "I've never seen a Dark Charm Knight like you before."

"Oh! I'm not a Dark Charm Knight," says Imari pointing to herself. "My name is Imari Suzukawa! I'm a PreCure!" Imari gives the princess a warm smile. "I just heard you singing a moment ago. It sounded beautiful!"

To Imari's surprise, the princess takes a step back without a word as she bows her head and falls into a polite plié. "Thank you for you kind words. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Imari Suzukawa the PreCure." The princess lifts her head. "Please forgive my forwardness, but what is a PreCure?"

"PreCure are magical girls!" explains Imari with a wide smile on her face. "We protect the world from evil with our powers!"

The princess's nods in astonishment, "That…that is stupefying!"

A sweat drop appears on the side of Imari's head, "I have no idea what you just said."

"It is delectable to meet you, Miss Imari Suzukawa the PreCure," bows the princess again. "I am Kokona the Unbeloved Princess."

Imari's eyes widen in shock, "W-Why would you say that?"

Princess Kokona gives Imari a strange look, "Because that is my title." She said it so matter-a-fact, but Imari could only shake her head.

What the heck is she talking about? Imari thinks to herself. Her face plainly expresses her confusion and Princess Kokona quickly notices this.

Silently, the princess turns around and heads deeper into her prison. That's when Imari takes a moment to look around. Compared to the vivid princess, the room is very monochrome. Not a single colour others than grey-on-grey. Inside her little prison wasn't much either. A small bed with an itchy-looking blanket, a nightstand beside it, a sink in the corner, and a bookcase up against the back wall filled with books that Imari didn't recognize. At least she had a window. It was a small one and she would probably have to stand up on her bed just to look out, but at least it was better than nothing.

Princess Kokona walks over to her nightstand and plucks out a book that was sitting on top. She makes her way back to Imari and lifts up the book, "See."

Through the bars, Imari takes a look. She immediately knows what it is. It's a fairytale. It was a hardcover. The front cover had the picture of a petite princess that looked just like the princess. She was looking out a grey stone tower that was covered in red roses and thorny vines. Above her was the title: Kokona the Unbeloved Princess.

At least now I know what she means by her 'because that is my title' at least, pouts Imari. But, still. What a gloomy tilt to have. It's even worse than my Club Flunk nickname.

"That's…sad," Imari admits.

"Oh! Not at all!" beams Princess Kokona happily. "After Papa brought me here, everything has been so much better!"

"Papa?" echoes Imari, but quickly shakes her head. "No! This isn't better! You're in a prison for crying out loud!"

It's the princess's turn to shake her head, "No, not at all. Desolate Castle is my home."

Imari bites her bottom lip. "You should…oh—" an idea strikes her "—you should come with us!" Imari reaches through the bars and grabs Princess Kokona's hand, "Yeah! You can come with us back to Yūkibarano!"

The princess blinks in shock, "Y-Yūkibarano? W-What is that?"

"That's my home," smiles Imari, "And my friend's home too! It's beautiful! And everyone is super nice and kind!"

The princess smiles back for a moment, but it soon disappears. "I am sorry," murmurs Princess Kokona, pulling her hand away from Imari. "But, I cannot go." Her eyes darken. "If I were to leave, Papa would be sad. I do not want to make Papa sad."

Imari looks down at the ground. "I…I can understand that. I wouldn't want to do anything that would make my family sad either."

Just then, both girls nearly jump out of their skin when a loud crash echoes throughout the entire castle. The girls step away from each other and Imari desperately looks around, "W-What was that?"

"Papa," murmurs Princess Kokona in a very worried voice.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but I have to go!" huffs Imari. "My friends might be in trouble!"

"Friends?" repeats the princess. "You mean there are more of you?"

"Yes," nods Imari. "But, now they might be in trouble! I have to save them!"

She races to the door, "Oh, by the way." Imari turns around to face the princess one last time. "I don't think you're unbeloved. I don't know who your Papa is, but I'm sure he cares about you very much! And I care about you too, Kokona!"

"Why?" Princess Kokona asks confused.

Imari winks, "I care because, well, because I'm a PreCure!"

Nijiko walks down an empty corridor. The only company she has is the shadows and Kuiru flying by her side. She presses her hand up against the darkened wall and trails around with her finger as they continue walking. "My father's home, the kingdom of peace and dreams. How to Kuroizado manage to corrupt such a beautiful kingdom?"

"With dark magic, anyone or anything can be corrupted~kuru," mutters Kuiru. "My mentor, Kuroizado, was as pure and kind as you could get~kuru. Yet, with just a touch of dark magic, his heart became corrupted with selfish desires~kuru."

"If Kuroizado was your mentor, couldn't you just defeat him?" asks Nijiko. "You know, like, student surpassing the teacher?"

Kuriru shakes his head. "I am talented in the art of light magic without question"—Nijiko playfully rolls her eyes at his lack of modesty—"But, Kuroizado is on a whole other level~kuru. I wouldn't stand a chance~kuru. I'd hate to admit~kuru."

"Awww, your poor ego," jokes Nijiko.

"You and the other PreCure are the only chance we have at defeating Kuroizado," continues the elder fairy prince. "But, we can't even think about the defeating him or Dead End without the Fairytale Instruments, the final PreCure, or the Pink PreCure leading the way~kuru."

Nijiko rolls her eyes. "Geez, is Imari really that important? Just because she's the chick in pink."

Kuiru shakes his head. "It's more than that~kuru." The two go around a corner to another empty hallway. "Cure Fable is the Pretty Cure of Dreams~kuru. And without dreams there is no hope~kuru. And without hope we are nothing~kuru."

Nijiko snorts at this. "So being the Pretty Cure of Magic is completely useless then?"

"You are a very strong warrior, Cure Enchant," admits Kuiru. "But, the Pink PreCure can't stand alone~kuru. Cure Fable will near your magic, Cure Mythical's wisdom, and the Fourth PreCure's love if she's ever going to become strong enough to defeat Kuroizado. All of you are important—"

"—But, Imari is the one who gets to stand in the spotlight," snaps Nijiko.

"I'm sorry~kuru," says Kuiru. "I know how much you wanted to be the Pink PreCure~kuru. But, that's just not the destiny you were meant to have~kuru."

"I just don't get it," Nijiko sighs shortly. "I mean, what does Imari have that I clearly don't?"

"Come now, Cure Enchant," Kuiru grins. "Surely you already know the answer to that~kuru."

Nijiko goes to open her mouth, but ends up with a wall smacking her in the face instead. "Ow!" she gasps in surprise, rubbing her reddened forehead. "What the heck?"

Nijiko looks and quickly realizes that she hadn't run face-first into just a wall. It was a door. The first grand door either of them had seen since setting foot into Desolate Castle. It was an obsidian-black double-door that reached all the way up to the ceiling and was engraved in beautiful dark magic designs.

Nijiko smirks, "Let's see what's behind door number one!"

"Be careful, Cure Enchant," Kuiru tries to say, but Nijiko had already swing the grand double-doors wide open.

Either of them couldn't really tell what they were looking at at first. If the room was big, or small, or if it was even a room at all. It was completely pitch-black. Nijiko squirts her eyes, trying to make sense of the room. Then, she notices two torches on the other end of the room. The burning flames of dark magic were catching light on something solid in the room with them. Nijiko could see an outline of what appeared to be a throne.

Nijiko soon hears a low murmur coming from the throne and quickly reveals that she and Kuiru weren't in this room alone. She sees something steer in the throne her heart rate quickens.

"Go…away…" the voice moans faintly.

Nijiko's eyes ignite with anger, "It's him! Kuroizado!"

She grabs for her book bag and Kuiru rapidly jumps in. "Wait, Cure Enchant! It wouldn't be wise—"

"—I can end it all right here," says Nijiko as she reaches a hand into her bag. "I don't need any Fairytale Instrument! I know I'm strong enough to beat him! He's right here!"

"Go…away…please," groans Kuroizado.

"I can end this now!" She picks out her green PreHeartBook. "It can all end now and Fanciful Kingdom will be saved!" Nijiko flips open the pages.

"No, Cure Enchant!" cries Kuiru. "Don't—!"

"—Pretty Cure, Unlock My Story!"

Nijiko is consumed by bright green light and transforms into her PreCure form and strikes her pose. "The Story of Magic! Cure Enchant!"

"Please…" hisses Kuroizado from the shadows, "Get back…please…get away."

"Never!" yells Cure Enchant.

"Cure Enchant!" gasps Kuiru, trying to hold her back, "Don't be reckless~kuru!"

"I will never forgive you!" shouts Cure Enchant. She pushes the elder fairy prince assigned and charges at the dark wizard. Winding up a punch, she cries out, "THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY FATHER'S HOME!"

"I…said…" roars Kuroizado, "…GO AWAY!"

Cure Enchant's pupil shrink to the size of needles as the darkness lashes out and stops her attack in its track and sends her smashing into the wall, making the wall crumble to pieces. The green warrior cries out in pain as the darkness crushes her down in ground, making the ground break and fall apart underneath her.

"Cure Enchant! No~kuru!" cries out Kuiru.

The crash echoes throughout either inch of Desolate Castle, "Bukku, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, we better pick up the pace, Tomoka," gasps the young fairy prince. "Our friends might be in danger~buku!"

In her arms, Tomoka and Bukku sprint down an empty corridor towards the crashing sound.

The Dark Charm Knights linger in the darkness.

"Kuroizado-sama is losing control," murmurs Linda.

"Don't worry," insists Thames. "We can stop him then beat up the PreCure—!" He tries to jump in, but is stopped in his tracks when Xoanon reaches out and holds him back by his shoulder. Thames blinks at him in surprise, "Xoanon?"

"Don't bother," mutters Xoanon. He bizarrely quiet voice makes Thames flinch as Xoanon pushes past him. "I'll handle this. I know what needs to be done."

In a shatter of green light, Cure Enchant reverts back to Nijiko Ōmitsu and she collapses to the ground, her PreHeartBook falling to the floor. Her clothes are wretched and she is covered in scratches and scraps.

Nijiko digs her nails into the floor as she struggles to lift her head. "Why?" she gasps in pain. "Why did I change back? I'm not done yet!"

Nijiko struggles to get back up on her feet, but falls onto her knees. "I can do it!" She reaches for her PreHeartBook once more. "I can beat him!"

"Cure Enchant, stop~kuru!" cries Kuiru. Nijiko looks up and sees Kuiru standing onto of her PreHeartBook, keeping it closed under his weight.

Nijiko narrows her eyes, "Kuiru. Move."

"That's not going to happen~kuru," says Kuiru with crossed arms.

"But, I can still fight!" yells Nijiko trying desperately to lift up the PreHeartBook from the bottom. "I'm strong! I can win!"

"NIJIKO, STOP IT~KURU!"

Nijiko flinches and lifts her head up to face the elder prince. He's shaking with anger as his partner. "You can't transform this way~kuru! You can fight with the anger you have in your heart~kuru!"

With his paws in a tight fist, Kuiru manages to regain his composer and release his clenched fists. "I…I want him to pay too~kuru. I want Kuroizado to be punished for what he did to my home~kuru! BUT, THAT WON'T FIX ANYTHING~KURU!"

Kuiru holds back the tears shimmering in his dark green eyes, "If we fight with vengeance in our hearts than we are no better than Kuroizado~kuru! He used revenge to break Dead End free~kuru! He used revenge to corrupt Fanciful Kingdom~kuru!"

Nijiko eyes soften and her eyes shake with burning tears, "Kuiru."

"If you fight with vengeance now, then this cycle of revenge will continue to go on and on~kuru!" trembles Kuiru as he roars out, "AND I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU, CURE ENCHANT!"

"JUST GO AWAY!" cries out Kuroizado as a ravenous shadow in the form of a beast with blazing indigo eyes jolts out from the darkness and attacks the two friends.

"Kuiru, get back!" shouts Nijiko as she grabs her partner and shields him in her arms.

"Dream Bubble!" Nijiko's eyes fill with bright pink as she and Kuiru become surrounded in an aurora-coloured bubble. Kuroizado's darkness clashes with the bubble, but it bounces right off and is pushed back.

Nijiko looks up in relief at the pink warrior shielding her and Kuiru, "Cure Fable!"

"Gee that was a close call!" gasps the PreCure of Dreams "Thank goodness I got here just in time! Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," nods Nijiko. "Just a bit scratched up."

Cure Fable smiles down on Nijiko. "You were trying to fight Kuroizado all on your own. Weren't you, Nijiko?"

Nijiko looks down at the ground in shame, "Kind of."

"They're four of us, you know," says Cure Fable. Nijiko blinks up in surprise at the pink warrior. "They're four PreCure who are meant to save our two worlds. So, you don't have to fight alone. We're your friends, Nijiko. We're here for you. To fight by your side and help carry your burdens."

"Fable," breathes Nijiko.

"So don't worry, Nijiko," smiles Cure Fable, "I'll fight for the both of us." With that, the Pink PreCure spins around on her heel to face Kuroizado's beastly shadow.

But, before she could make a move, the Dark Charm Knights appear before their master, dividing the battlefield. Linda and Thames nod to each other and mumble a strange incantation. An orb of pale purple light appears in both of their hands and they hold it out to the shadow.

"W-What are they doing, Kuiru?" asks Nijiko completely perplexed.

Kuiru narrows his eyes. "They're using a containment spell~kuru. I think…I think they're trying to repress Kuroizado's dark power~kuru!"

"But…why?" murmurs Nijiko.

The group watches at as a faint stream of sparkles dances out of the orbs of light. As the sparkles touch Kuroizado's shadow, the darkness begins to dissolve away. From the darkness of the throne room, Cure Fable, Nijiko, Kuiru couldn't make out Kuroizado, but they see Linda and Thames wrap their arms over his shoulders.

"Rest, Kuroizado-sama," mumbles Xoanon without his usual booming voice. "I will take care of things."

Linda and Thames nods to their teammate and teleport themselves away with their master, leaving Xoanon standing before the pink legendary warrior.

"I can't have you leave with Prince Bukku," murmurs Xoanon. "You know that."

"I do," nods Cure Fable. "But, I also know we don't have to fight each other. If we just—"

"—No, it's too late for that," states Xoanon.

Cure Fable's eyes soften. "Then why do you look so sad?"

Xoanon eyes fill with anger, "SHUT UP!"

With a tightened fist, he charges at the pink warrior and throws a punch. Making an X shape with her arms, Cure Fable guards herself from his strike, but not without getting pushed back with Xoanon's enormous strength. Cure Fable manages to dig her heels into the ground and stops herself from getting sent flying.

"PreCure Kick!" With the momentum of Xoanon's attack, Cure Fable winds up and, with a straightened leg, axe kicks Xoanon right in the chin.

Xoanon curses under his breath as he gets pushed back. He rubs his jaw before facing Cure Fable again. With a charge of power, flames of dark magic blaze around Xoanon's fists and the Dark Charm Knight rushes the Pink PreCure once more.

Xoanon strikes up a barrage of punches at Cure Fable and she tries to best to dodge them, afraid of getting burned by the dark magic fire. But, Xoanon is too fast and throws a hook punch right in her shoulder. Cure Fable has barely anytime to jump out of the way when Xoanon smashes down a powerful dropkick. Luckily, the pink warrior summersaults away just in time.

Out of breath, Cure Fable sees that the dark magic surrounding Xoanon's fists had burned away her side bubble sleeve and left a mark on her skin. But, it doesn't sting too much. Cure Fable stands back up and is ready to clash with Xoanon again.

Nearby, Linda and Thames quietly watch from the shadows.

"This is stupid," complains Thames with an obnoxious groan. "Let's get in there, Linda! Why are we just watchin'?! What is Xoanon doing anyway?!"

"He's waiting for an opening," states Linda crossing her arms. A wicked smile spreads across her face. "Just watch like a good little boy."

Nijiko and Kuiru have to watch desperately from the sidelines as the Dark Charm Knight and Pretty Cure of Dreams continue to clash. Back and forth, back forth. Xoanon delivering a vicious strike and Cure Fable countering with her attacks.

"Fable KaBoom!" Finally Xoanon and Cure Fable collide together. Dark magic fire versus pink light with either of them willing to back down. Their power is equally matched as they break apart.

"HAD ENOUGH YET, PRECURE?!" huffs Xoanon.

Cure Fable's face is shadowed and she lets her arms drop. Xoanon smirks victoriously at this. "Yes, I have had enough." Xoanon looks at her in shock when she raises her head to meet his gaze.

"We don't have to fight each other," reasons Cure Fable. "You don't have to fight me! You are your own person! You can decide what's worth fighting for!"

"You're wrong," murmurs Xoanon with narrows eyes. "I am not a person. A real person. Not like you. I am made of pure dark magic. I was created for one purpose and one purpose alone. To fight you PreCure."

Cure Fable eyes refuse to waver. "You have two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs, one nose, and one mouth. As far as I'm concerned, you are a person like me!"

"SILENCE YOUR NONSENSE WORDS!" shouts Xoanon. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

Cure Fable pulls out her pink PreHeartBook and holds it out in front of her. "I have only one chose then—!"

"—Cure Fable!"

The Pink PreCure snaps her head around at the sound of her name. Her heart flutters when she spots Tomoka at the door of the throne with Bukku in her arms. He waves to his friend with a wide smile on his face, "Cure Fable! We're here~buku!"

"Bukku!" beams Cure Fable with shimmering eyes.

Xoanon eyes widen. SHE'S VULNERABLE! NOW! NOW IS MY CHANCE!

Reuniting with her precious friend, Cure Fable lost her focus and dropped her guard and Xoanon seizes the opportunity. He strikes. With all of his might, the Dark Charm Knight pushes the pink warrior. She looks up at him alarmed and loses her footing, falling to the ground. She drops her PreHeartBook. It lands right in Xoanon's hands.

"CURE FABLE!" cries out her friends as the surprise attack sends her flying into the wall behind her. She smashes her back and collapses to the ground.

"YES!" gushes Xoanon grabbing the pink PreHeartBook in his hands. "I'VE GOT IT!"

"No~kuru! Stop, Xoanon!" gasps Kuiru. "You don't know what you're doing with that~kuru!"

"OH! YES I DO!" smiles Xoanon ravenously. With his meaty hands, Xoanon grabs either side of the PreHeartBook.

Cure Fable's eyes widen. "No! Stop! Don't do it! Please!"

Xoanon smirks, "LINDA FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT…"

Linda grabs Xonon by the shoulder. "Wait, Xoanon. They're something more urgent I must discuss with you. In private."

The two left Thames skip out the door before closing it shut, "SURE. WHAT IS IT, LINDA?"

Linda takes a seat at her desk. "I believe I discovered a way to defeat the PreCure without fighting them."

"WHAT?!" blinks Xoanon in disbelief, "HOW?!"

"Mind you, this is just a theory," points out Linda. "But, throughout all our battles with the PreCure, they first appear as normal human girls."

"RIGHT," Xoanon nods along.

"But, then they magically gain the ability to transform," says Linda. "It always happens when the girls pull out an item I've heard them call the PreHeartBook." Linda folds her arms over the desk. "I believe these PreHeartBooks are their transformation items. If we can destroy these PreHeartBoosk, the girls might lose the ability to transform into their PreCure forms."

"THAT…THAT'S AMAZING!" Xoanon gushes. "BUT, WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?"

Linda eyes her teammate carefully. "I imagine the power these PreHeartBook must contain is elusive and unpredictable. You were created with overwhelming strength. You might be the only one strong enough the destroy them!"

Xoanon nods his head, "IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO DEFEAT THE PRECURE, I WILL DO IT FOR KUROIZADO-SAMA'S SAKE."

Linda smiles wickedly. "I was hoping you would say that."

"…THE ONLY WAY TO DEFEAT YOU, PRECURE, IS TO DESTROY YOUR PREHEARTBOOK!"

"No," breathes Nijiko in despair.

"Please, don't do this, Xoanon." The group turn in astonishment to see Cure Fable stammer to get back on her feet. Clutching her injured arm, the PreCure of Dreams staggers over to the Dark Charm Knight.

"GET BACK!" yells Xoanon. He creates a spell circle and surrounds himself with a wall of lavender-coloured fire.

Cure Fable gets blasted back, but she crawls back to her feet and keeps moving forward. "I know you were created by Kuroizdo to carry out his will, but that doesn't mean you have to! This is your life! You have a free will of our own! You can choose to stop!"

Xoanon grips hold of the PreHeartBook tightly, making his body tremble. "No! I…I was created to bring Kuroizado-sama happiness! Destroying you will make him happy!"

"Your happiness matters too!" cries out Cure Fable, "I don't know Kuroizado very well. But, I do know the kind of man he once was. And I know this won't make him happy! Destruction, hatred, and revenge will never lead you to true happiness. Only sorrow and despair!"

Cure Fable approaches the wall of dark magic fire and reaches her hand out to it. Her hand goes straight through without a single burn. She reaches out to the Dark Charm Knight. "Take my hand, Xoanon. We'll show you another way to reach true happiness."

Xoanon looks down at her open hand. He chuckles, "No. No, it's too late for that. It's too late for me." He begins to pull the PreHeartBook apart.

"Cure Fable! Get back~kuru!" cries out Kuiru.

With sad eyes, Xoanon smiles tenderly, "Goodbye."

Xoanon tears her PreHeartBook right in half and unleashes a singularity of light magic. The throne room becomes blinked by the white light and everyone shields their eyes away.

When the light died down, the group looks up and sees Cure Fable was no more and it is Imari Suzukawa standing alone in the middle of the throne room with her clothes scuffed up and scraps on her skin. Her friends rush to her and they cup their mouths in horror. Her tore PreHeartBook is lying lifeless on the ground with its pages shattered freely on the ground.

Xoanon is gone.

Thames looks on in shock, his mouth hung open, "W-What happened? W-Where is Xoanon?"

Linda stands unmoved with her unblinking eyes. "We as Dark Charm Knight are made up of pure dark magic. Destroying her PreHeartBook unleashed all the light magic is contained and purified Xoanon. But, since all we are is dark magic, it simply made him…fade away."

Thames tightens his hands so tight he hears his knuckles crack. "You knew. You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"A small price to pay for an even greater reward," Linda smirks malevolently at Thames's shocked expression. "Oh, come now, Thames. Don't look so surprised. You have to admit, it's nice to be free from that annoying loudmouth."

Thames flinches as Linda teleports with that self-satisfied smile on her face and evil gleam in her eye. Thames flashes his fangs upset and pulls his attention back to the PreCure.

Tomoka and Nijiko exchange a horrified look with each other. They reach out to their friend. "Omigod, Imari. I'm…I'm so sorry. You're PreHeartBook…"

From the shadows, Thames rolls his eyes. Of course! All they care about is their stupid PreHeartBook—!

"—Xoanon. No."

Thames eyes snap to Imari in surprise. She falls to her knees where the tattered pages from her PreHeartBook lie and the final play Xoanon stood. She hugs her chest and a tear falls down her cheek on lands on the tore cover of the PreHeartBook. "I tried, but my feelings couldn't reach him."

Tomoka's eyes soften, "But, Imari, your PreHeartBook—!"

"—I don't care about that!" croaks Imari, letting the tears stream down her face. "I couldn't…I couldn't save him! He was just trying to make Kuroizado happy! And…he gave his life to try to do it! But, I couldn't help!"

Imari buries her face into her hands and cries. Tomoka and Nijiko kneel down beside her and wrap their arms around their dear friend. Bukku hops out of Tomoka's arms and stand atop of Imari lap. He brushes away a tear from her eyes and she pulls him in for a hug.

"Tsk," snorts Thames with disgust from the shadow. "Humans are their sensitive li'l hearts are so weak—!" The young Dark Charm Knight felt something wet roll down his cheek. He touches he faces and his fingers brush against fresh tears, "W-What? What's this? W-Why are my eyes so watery? W-Why are they leakin'?"

Thames grabs at his shirt. "And why was has crest hurt all of a sudden?" He chuckles to himself, "Stupid humans. What kind a spell is this?"

Princess Kokona lies soundly on her bed, reading, rereading, and re-rereading her storybook. "As the winter touches the young Princess Kokona's heart. A song of love breaks through the chilling snow. With tears in her eyes and bravery in her heart, Princess Kokona looks out her tower and sees…"

But, the princess never finishes the fairytale. She cuts off before the end and places her storybook back on her nightstand. She didn't need to know what how her story ends; she already knows that it will end with every fairytale: and they all lived happily ever after. There was no point reading what she already knew.

"Kokona!"

By the sound of her name, Princess Kokona jumps out of her bed and races to the edge of her room. She grabs either side of the bars and pokes her head out.

The dark wizard appears before her with a worried expression on his face. "Kokona, are you alright?"

Princess Kokona bobs her head, "Yes of course." Her eyes darken. "But, I heard you lose control again.

Kuroizado fidgets where he stands. "I-I am sorry for that, Kokona. I-I am trying to control my power, but…" He lets out a deep sigh. "But, we had…visitors."

Princess Kokona perks up. "Oh! I think I met one of the visitors!"

Kuroizado goes quiet, "What?"

"Yes! Miss Imari Suzukawa the PreCure!" smiles the princess. "She was very nice and—!"

"—What did she do?!" roars Kuroizado smashing his fists against the bars. "What did she say?! Tell me now!"

Princess Kokona stumbles back in surprise. "S-She didn't do anything. S-She just wanted to tell me she loved my singing. Then she left."

"And she didn't touch you?" presses Kuroizado with fiery eyes.

The princess shakes her head. "No. We both heard a loud crash and she took off to go see if her friends were in trouble."

Kuroizado lets out a sigh of relief. "Good, good. Thank goodness."

"Why?" asks Princess Kokona. "Is she…is she bad?"

"Yes," says Kuroizado nodding his head. "Imari Suzukawa is very dangerous."

Princess Kokona blinks in surprise. "B-But, she seemed so nice."

The dark wizard shakes his head, "Imari Suzukawa and her friends, the PreCure, are trying to destroy Desolate Castle. Our home. She is the enemy."

"Oh," mumbles the princess as she looks down sadly at the grey stone ground.

Kuroizado reaches a hand through the bars and puts her hand on the princess's shoulder. "I am sorry, Kokona. That girl was only trying to deceive you. But, I will make sure that she never gets near you ever again. I will always be here to protect you."

Princess Kokona smiles gently at the dark wizard, "I know…Papa."

Next Time on Fairytale Pretty Cure!

Tomoka: Are…are you gonna be okay, Imari?

Imari: Oh yeah! I'm fine!

Nijiko: Huh? But, you were just crying!

Imari: Yeah, but I'm all better now! Don't worry!

Tomoka: B-But you just lost your powers! You can't—

Imari: Don't worry! I feel great now! Supreme smile power!

Nijiko: Imari.

Imari: A Bittersweet Return! Behind the Smile!