Hey-o, it's SAYkokoro with the next episode! I hope you enjoy and thank you again for your continued support :D from Guest, MonoTheMonochrome, Cold-heart-Angel23, Amai Momoyama, and GuardianAngel1234567. Fairytale Pretty Cure Wikia is very up to date and I hope we continue to have a safe and friendly community and loyal support for Healin' Good PreCure :3

*Please forgive and excuse any and all grammar and spelling errors

OP: Your Story Fairytale Pretty Cure! – written by SAYkokoro

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

Episode 35: | The Music Box! Four Fairies Inside! |

"Do you not realize that we haven't had a proper meal in who-knows-how-long~gozo?"

"Of course we realize that, Gazo," says Sen as he fixes his star-covered wizard's hat. "We just didn't think our first meal upon our return would be green tea and stale biscuits dipped in chocolate~nene."

"There are called pocky, Sen," points out Orenda as she calmly takes a sip of her tea. "They are supposed to be that way~rena."

"I hate chocolate~nene."

"I LOOOVE chocolate~subu!" sings Tsubusu as she dumps all the sugar cubes into her cup. "And sugar too!"

Orenda takes another quiet sip. "Do you want any tea with that sugar, Tsubusu?"

"Nope!" pouts Tsubusu. "And I'm not loving your tone~subu."

Orenda blinks blankly. "What tone~rena?"

Tsubusu sticks out her tongue. "Stop acting so condescending, Orenda!"

"I'm not acting condescending~rena," hums Orenda as she twirls her spoon. "Some of us can handle bitter tea in its purist form~rena. Others have to smoother it in sweetening sugar~rena."

"Not everyone likes bitter tea~subu!" barks Tsubusu, flailing her arms like a child. "Bitter tea that's just as bitter as your heart~subu!"

"Oh no, stop it, Tsubusu, you're hurting my feelings~rena," says Orenda sarcastically.

"Orenda and Tsubusu at each other's necks~nene," comments Sen as he nibbles on his pocky. "Everything has returned to its natural order~nene."

"What are you saying, Sen?! This is terrible~gozo!" exclaims Gazo, hopping up to his feet with both paws on his hips. "We are the Legendary Four Guardians of Magic~gozo! We must be the embodiment of wisdom! Justice! Ethics! Hope—!"

Sen burps in Gazo's face.

He smirks cheekily. "Even after being imprisoned inside a box, you're still King Gazo McBuzzkill~nene."

"And I can see you're still that immature little runt who's forgotten how to address his king~gozo!" snaps Gazo with an angry mark on his forehead. He polishes his crown and places it back on top of his head. "That's King Gazo Castle Born Je Que Miracle! Memorize it right now~gozo!"

"Got it, King Gazo Lamey Lamerson McLamePants," smirks Sen, pawing his head. "Got it all memorized all in here~nene."

"Ha-ha~subu!" sniggers Tsubusu, clutching her stomach as she rolls over in laughter. "Sen hit the nail on the head~subu! Tee-hee~subu."

"NO, NO, NO, NO~gozo!" cries Gazo, flailing his arms wildly. "No respect~gozo! Absolutely no respect~gozo!"

As the Four Guardians of Magic continue to bicker, Imari, Tomoka, Nijiko, Masato, Kuiru, and Bukku could only look on in disbelief as they make of mess of Nijiko's apartment.

"That's it, I'm gonna say it," fusses Nijiko. "This is…not what I was expecting."

"Me either," agrees Tomoka as she puts away the kettle in the kitchenette. "Then again, I only heard of the Guardians literally a couple of hours again."

"It's a sheer miracle we managed to get them into my apartment," Nijiko sighs as she flops over on her couch.

"It's great that the Guardians are back~buku," admits Bukku. "Even after all this time, but how are they going to help us defeat Kuroizado?" Bukku turns to his elder brother. "Kuiru, what is—?"

Kuiru's emerald eyes are sparkling on at the Four Guardians of Magic arguing on top of Nijiko's coffee table. He hadn't said a word since they became out of the Music Box of Past Cures and his eyes have only grown wider and adding more and more sparkles in his eyes. Now, of them, not even Bukku had seen his brother look so star struck.

Bukku pokes his brother in the side of his head "Kuiru?" Poke. "Kuiru?" Poke, poke, poke. "Earth to Prince Kuiri Noble Heart Glory Sky?"

"Nee, is your buddy alright~rena?" asks Orenda, raising an eyebrow at Kuiru's weird behaviour.

"Maybe he's brain dead~subu?" guesses Tsubusu as she half-mindedly bats at her heart-shaped ears.

"It would explain the spacey expression~nene," agrees Sen as he licks the chocolate off his pocky.

Kuiru finally blinks his eyes and seems to have snapped out of his hypnotized state. "YOU'RE THE FOUR GUARDIANS OF MAGIC~KURU! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT~KURU!"

Everyone cups their ears as Kuiru squeals out in delight.

"Jeez, I didn't know your brother could hit that high of an octave," mutters Nijiko.

"Neither did I~buku," admits Bukku. "I've never seen him not be calm and level-headed~buku. It's kinda scaring me~buku."

Bukku lets out a yelp in surprise as his big brother ambushes him in a huge hug, squishing his face and spinning him in a circle they were dancing. "Bukku! Don't you realize what this means~kuru?! Who they are~kuru?!"

"Um~buku," mumbles Bukku with a squished face in-between his brother's paws. "Without stating the oblivious…no~buku. Not one bit~buku."

"They are the walking and talking history of our kingdom~kuru!" squeaks Kuiru as his eyes dart from one guardian to another. "Alongside the original Pretty Cure, they discovered light magic and built Fanciful Kingdom~kuru!"

"Whoa," blinks Imari. "That's…that's pretty cool."

"More than just cool~kuru!" Kuiru exclaims. "They are legends~kuru! The greatest beings to ever walk the earth~kuru!"

Gazo proudly puffs out his chest. "Well now, it appears someone recognizes our greatestness~gozo."

Sen rolls his eyes. "Oh please~nene. The last thing you need is an ego boost~nene."

"And who might you all be~rena?" asks Orenda the group. "Obviously, you must be special enough to get your hands on the Dreaming Heart Key and the Music Box~rena."

Imari lets out a breath. "My goodness, where do we even start?"

"At the beginning, of course~subu," chirps Tsubusu. "That's the best way to start any story~subu."

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves first," says Orenda. "We owe these children that much for breaking us free of the Music Box." The silver-coloured fairy stands up from lounging on the table and Imari can't help to notice that she's far taller than the rest of the Guardians.

Her body is white with slanted violet-coloured eyes with markings under her eyes that make it look like she has thick eyelashes. She has a lavender neck ornament with a silver stone attached to it. Her forehead marking is a soft lavender-coloured opal with a smaller white one on the top of the opal that almost makes the marking look like a crescent moon. Imari never knew which fairies were considered beautiful or not, but Orenda was gorgeous.

The silver fairy presses a paw to her chest. "I am Orenda, fairy partner to Cure Mystic, the Pretty Cure of Magic. It's a pleasure to meet you all~rena."

"The Pretty Cure of Magic?" echoes Imari as she exchanges a look with Nijiko. "Th-that doesn't make any sense, Nijiko is—"

"Oh~subu! My turn~subu! My turn~subu!" beams Tsubusu as she takes a huge bite out of a sugar cube.

The younger fairy trips over herself as she greets us, making Orenda roll her eyes at her. Imari couldn't help but smile at the pink-coloured fairy. She was a ball of energy, but very charming. She is pale pink with soft red heart markings on the corner of her eyes and her forehead marking is the outline of a heart with a loop through the center.

"My name is Tsubusu, fairy partner to Cure Cherish, the Pretty Cure of Love. I'm sure she'll capture all your hearts when you meet her~subu!"

Tsubusu bounces over to her fellow guardian, the aqua-green coloured one with droopy blue eyes, white cloak, and dark blue wizard's hat covered in stars clumped over to one side. His forehead marking is a turquoise crescent moon with similar markings hanging off the edges of his head. He had a peaceful expression to him like he could take a nap at any moment.

"And this is Sen! This is Sen!" Tsubusu grins. "Not only is he the Royal Wizard, but he's also the fairy partner of Cure Sage, the Pretty Cure of Wisdom!"

"Cure Sage?" echoes Tomoka as she looks at her friends worriedly. "No, no. I'm Cure Myth—"

Sen nods his head at us. "Nice to meet you and what not~nene."

"And then there would be me~gozo," says the final fairy as he straightens his crown.

Imari couldn't help but notice how different he looked from the rest of the guardians. He was the shortest, shorter than Tsubusu, but also looked the oldest. He had a silver beard and no visible ears except patches of fur that went around his head like he was a balding man. He was dark blue but possessed no markings unlike the rest of the guardians, not even a forehead mark.

"I am King GazoCastle Born Je Que Miracle, ruler of Fanciful Kingdom, and fairy partner of the one and only Cure Fantasia, the Pretty Cure of Dreams!"

Imari lets herself say her name. "Cure…Fantasia?"

"K-King?" stammers Bukku as he nudges his brother. "He thinks he's the king~buku."

Kuiru nods his head. "Still the king~kuru."

"Now then~gozo," says Gazo, crossing his stubby arms. "Who might all of you be, younglings~gozo?"

The group exchanged a nervous look with each other.

They all nudge Kuiru forward. "Hey~kuru!"

"You were the one who was freaking out about meeting your heroes, or whatver~buku," says Bukku.

Kuiru yanks his little brother by the ear to stand with him in front of the Four Guardians of Magic.

In respect, Kuiru takes off his crown and holds it tightly in his paws. Bukku is confused by this but follows his brother's example.

"I'm…um~kuru," murmurs Kuiru, searching for the right words. "I am Prince Kuiru Noble Heart Glory Sky, firstborn to King Sutori Golden Light Sword and Queen Peiji Harmony Flower Love, eldest brother to Prince Bukku De La Hope Wish Von Dream Star, and…um…first in line to become the new King of Fanciful Kingdom."

Gazo's eyes widen. "N-New king~gozo? That's…that's ridiculous~gozo. I'm the king~gozo! Or, did you not hear me the first time~gozo?"

"Gazo, let them speak~rena," says Orenda.

Gazo opens his mouth to protest but clamps his mouth shut.

"Go on," says Orenda to Kuiru with a gentle, yet controlled voice.

Kuiru nods his head and looks up to Nijiko. "Well…this…this is my partner, Nijiko Ōmitsu. She…she's Cure Enchant, the Pretty Cure of Magic."

Orenda gazes up at Nijiko who offers a small wave. "H-Hi there."

"And, uh, this is Tomoka Fukumoto," continues Kuiru. "Or, um, Cure Mythical, the Pretty Cure of Wisdom."

Sen steps past Tsubusu and looks up at Tomoka, tipping his head to the side as he looks her up and down. She nervously pulls at one of her thick locks. But, she's stopped when Masato reaches over and grabs her hand. She looks up at him in surprise, but he gives her a reassuring smile. She blushes but doesn't let go of his hand. "A-And this is my best friend, Masato Kashima."

His smile widens and Tomoka is able to shyly smile back.

"U-um," stammers Kuiru as he fiddles with his crown in his paws. Imari reaches out and grabs Kuiru's paw. He looks up at Imari and she gives him a supportive nod. He gives her a brave smile in return. "And this is Imari Suzukawa, Cure Fable, the Pretty Cure of Dreams. The leader of Fairytale Pretty Cure."

"Technically," says Nijiko. "I'm the leader—"

Tomoka jabs her in the side.

"This doesn't make any sense~gozo," mutters Gazo. "I remember everything as clear as day~gozo. We said goodbye to our partners—"

"You were weeping like a baby," points out Tsubusu teasingly.

"I did not!" snaps Gazo.

"We said our goodbyes, the Pretty Cure gave up their powers, and we sealed ourselves away inside the music box~nene."

"Yes—yes that's right!" says Gazo. "It felt like we went to sleep~gozo. I closed my eyes for only a moment before we were thrown out of the music box and ended up here~gozo!"

"Gazo," murmurs Orenda as she looked to her team with soft eyes. "I don't think we feel asleep for a moment~rena." She turns to Kuiru and Bukku. "Am I current~rena?"

"Y-Yes," stammers Kuiru as he gives his head a shake and puts his crown back on, feeling naked without it. "My—my Four Guardians of Magic…I-I'm afraid you've been asleep for…for—"

"Nearly one-hundred-years~buku," blurts out Bukku.

"Bukku!" snaps Kuiru.

"Well, it was taking you forever to spit it out~buku," squeaks Bukku, flailing his arms. "If we tried to let you finish your sentence that would've taken a hundred years~buku!"

"Yeah," says Nijiko, tapping Kuiru on his forehead mark. "Snap out of your meeting-your-heroes state and get your head back on straight."

"Right…right," murmurs Kuiru.

"A…a hundred years~subu," exclaims Tsubusu. "No—no that can't be right~subu! Cure Cherish was right here~subu! She was right here promising me that she would finish teaching me own to write~subu! We—we were going to finish my first story~subu!"

"Tsubusu, calm down," says Sen as he crosses his paws. "We have to accept what they said as the truth~nene."

"No, we don't~subu!" Tsubusu yells. "Because…because, if we do then that, means Cure Cherish—our partners are—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence~gozo," grumbles Gazo coldly.

"We're going around in circles~rena," says Orenda as she turns to the Pretty Cure team. "Why did you let us out~rena?"

"W-We didn't!" says Tomoka.

"You sealed yourselves away to protect Fanciful Kingdom from Dead End, right?" steps in Imari.

"Yes, that's correct~rena."

"Well, to put it simply, a wizard known as Kuroizado managed to break Dead End free and took over Fanciful Kingdom. They plan to take over our world next too."

Orenda nods her head. "That makes sense~rena."

"What do you mean 'that makes sense'~gozo!" snorts Gazo. "It most certainly does not~gozo!"

"No, I agree with Orenda," says Sen. "It would explain how we got out, at the very least~nene. We only closed ourselves away to do the same to Ayumu, now that he's free we, ourselves, we're able to be let out as well~nene."

Imari furrows her eyebrows. "Ayumu? Who's that?"

"Oh, Dead End, my apologizes~nene," murmurs Sen.

"Who is this Kuroizado?" asks Gazo.

Kuiru's eyes darken as he looks down at his paws.

"What~gozo? Please, speak from your heart and mind, son~gozo."

"Kouzai," says Kuiru. "His name is Kouzai Aisaki."

"Kuroizado has two names? Why didn't you tell us this before, Kuiru?" asks Tomoka.

Nijiko frowns. "Kuroizado, Kouzai, Kurokouzadozai—what does that matter?"

"Well…" mumbles Kuiru. "Kuroizado is a descendant of Cure Fantasia—"

"No~gozo! Not possible~gozo!" roars Gazo. "No descendant of my partner would ever unleash such evil~gozo!"

"Well, there is and they have~nene," states Sen. "All we can do now is accept it and move forward~nene. You know that's actually what Cure Fantasia would say if she were here now~nene."

Gazo snaps his jaw shut.

Sen smirks. "Wow, a hundred years to finally find your shutoff switch~nene."

"Shut up~gozo," growls Gazo.

"Whoops~nene. Guess I spoke too soon~nene."

"But—but this is great~kuru!" Kuiru reassures everyone. "Now, with the Four Guardians of Magic on our side, we are sure to defeat Kuroizado and save both of our worlds~kuru!"

Sen lets out a snort and rolls his eyes. This doesn't go unnoticed by everyone, especially Gazo. "What are you chortling for, you buffoon~gozo? The boy's words ring true~gozo. We can finally defeat Dead End!"

"Oh, please~nene," chuckles Sen. "You make us sound like we're some sort of secret weapon~nene."

"But…but you are~kuru!" insists Kuiru. "You stopped Dead End the first time~kuru! You saved Fanciful Kingdom~kuru!"

"No, we failed~nene," says Sen, revealing the first trace of frustration. "Instead of facing Dead End still bitter end, we ran away and hid away like cowards~nene. We all failed~nene."

"Sen, stop talking like that~subu," whimpers Tsubusu. "If Dead End has gotten out, then everything we've done was for nothing~subu!"

"I-I'm sorry," murmurs Imari. "I…I know this must be overwhelming."

Sen snorts at this. "How would you feel if you locked yourself inside a box for a hundred years, knowing all your loved ones have been gone and everything you knew has changed~nene?"

Imari takes a breath and ponders this question. "I…I would be upset and lost and angry. But…"

"But nothing~nene," says Sen, trying to keep his mellow voice under control. "You should've just left us locked in that stupid music box~nene."

At those words leave the First Royal Wizard's mouth, the Music Box suddenly starts to quake where it sat on the coffee table. It was like when the guardians first came out, but it was thrashing about to let something out, it was shaking like it was trying to get something back inside. The lip flies up and a powerful vacuum of rainbow-coloured magic begins.

"No~subu!" wails Tsubusu as she grabs hold of the table for dear life. "Sen was just kidding~subu! Music Box, please~subu! I don't wanna go back~subu!"

Her desperate pleads fall on deaf ears as she can't hold on any longer and gets pulled back inside.

"Tsubusu!" calls Sen as he gets pulled in with her along with Orenda and Gazo.

"No! Wait!" gasps Imari as she reaches out to grab one of their paws.

"Imari, don't~buku!"

Gazo reaches his paw out to her. They barely touch fingertips as Imari is consumed by magic.

"Imari!" cries Bukku as he tries to grab hold of her, but only manages to get caught up in the magic too.

Imari and Bukku get swirled up and they get dragged into the Music Box along with the Four Guardians of Magic. Her team can only look on in horror as the Music Box top clamps shut.

It clicks locked.

"Imari? Imari, are you okay? If so, wake up already, you idiot!"

Imari's eyes felt heavy and as soon as she lifts her head, she feels a sharp pain. Her head feels woozy and fluffy. Even though she only barely tilts her head, she feels like she's getting thrown around in a tornado.

"Mhmm," groans Imari as she rubs her throbbing forehead. It was then, however, that Imari realizes that her hand is missing its fingers. She pulls it back and looks down at her hand. It was pale pink in colour. It wasn't even a hand at all, but a single point. A paw.

Imari tries to stand up but finds her legs are suddenly very stubby. She looks down at her feet that, like her hands, are missing their toes and isn't even wearing her shoes anymore.

"Bukku?" says Imari as she manages to scramble up to her feet. Although she was able to stand up, she found she was still very close to the ground for some odd reason.

She went looks around Bukku is nowhere to be seen. But, she was almost certain that she heard his voice. No one but Bukku calls her an idiot after all. Although that was something…off about his voice she just couldn't her finger on. Or, paw on.

"Bukku, I…I feel strange~suzu."

Imari cups her mouth shut in disbelief.

"Testing, testing~suzu. One, two, three~suzu—~s-suzu?!"

Hands—no—paws start frantically grabbing at her face. She could still feel her hair and her crisscross hairclip, but she couldn't find her nose or ears! And her face felt fuzzy and kind of squishy. Then, she looks down at herself.

"Ahhh~suzu! I'm naked~suzu!"

Well, that wasn't actually true. The clothes she was wearing were gone and replaced with a frilled pink collar with a big yellow bell.

"I'm a stuffed animal~suzu! No~suzu! I'm a fairy~suzu! Argh~suzu! Stop saying '~suzu'~suzu! Ahhhh~suzu!"

"Imari? Is...is that you?"

Imari looks up to see a boy racing towards her.

She had never seen this boy before. And yet…and yet he looked so familiar. He almost looked like…

"B-Bukku?"

The boy looks around Imari's age. He has deep rosy cheeks and fair skin. He has rich red eyes, thick but short eyebrows, and shaggy tangerine-orange hair with a golden crown slumped over on top. He is wearing a bright red neckerchief tied around his neck around with a pastel yellow shirt with light violet buttons doing down with puffed sleeves and a long-sleeve red shirt underneath as well as burnt orange dressed pants. The conformation was his dual orange-star marking on his forehead. Bukku's star marking.

"It is you~suzu," realizes Imari as the once-fairy prince hurries toward her. "You…you look…"

"I know right," Bukku grins as he puts both hands on his hips and proudly puffs out his chest. "I don't know exactly what happened. We got sucked into the Music Box and know I look—?!"

Imari laughs into her paws hysterically.

"What are you laughing at?!" snaps Bukku, an angry mark appearing on the side of his head.

"Sorry, Bukku," giggles Imari. "It's just…you look so silly~suzu!"

Another anger mark appears on Bukku's head. "What? Silly? I don't look silly! I look awesome!"

Imari continues to laugh, clutching at her belly. "You look like a little prince wannabe~suzu! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Stop laughing!" barks Bukku. "Have you ever seen what you look like?"

"Well, I'm a fairy, right~suzu?" beams Imari, tipping her head sweetly to the side. "So I guess I look kinda cute~suzu. Right, Bukku?"

Bukku blushes. He jerks his head away. "N-No! You're the ugliest fairy I've ever seen in my life!"

"No way~suzu!" whimpers Imari with wide crying eyes.

"A-Anyways, I have zero clue what the heck is going on!" says Bukku. "Or where we are—nothing!"

Imari realizes she hasn't had the chance to take in their surroundings. It almost looked like they stepped into a picture book. The meadow beneath their feet, the hills full of pink, yellow, and white-coloured flowers and the cloudy sky above their heads all look like they had been painted by hand. Yet Imari could feet the grass under her feet, can smell the soft scent of the summer flowers, the gentle breeze, and the warmth of the sun.

"Well, we must be inside the Music Box~suzu," determines Imari. "Maybe…maybe this is the world the Music Box created for the Four Guardians of Magic~suzu."

"Like…like a dreamland?" says Bukku.

"I don't know~suzu," admits Imari. "Maybe~suzu. It's possible~suzu. Regardless, if this world was made for the Guardians then they must be here to~suzu. We need to find them and return to our world~suzu."

"I don't think they'll be that enthused," Bukku frowns. "You heard them. They basically said they want nothing to do with us."

Imari shakes her head. "I think they're just overwhelmed and upset~suzu. But, if we didn't need their help, the Music Box would have kept them locked away~suzu. There must be a reason that they came back~suzu."

Bukku bobs his head. "Okay. Yeah, okay. So, what's the plan, fearless leader?"

"I don't know if you'd call it a 'plan'~suzu, but we should try and find the Guardians~suzu. We can go from there~suzu."

"You're the boss, applesauce," Bukku grins as he starts walking across the meadow ahead of them.

Imari tries to follow behind, but it becomes fairly obvious that her stubby legs can't keep up with a fully-grown Bukku. It was actually surprisingly tiring.

"Um…Bukku?" calls Imari. "I could use for help~suzu."

"Oh, right," chuckles Bukku as he turns back around and picks her up and holds her in his arms. "I can't say I miss that. Imagine having to be carried around in a smelly school bag all day long."

"Sorry~suzu," winces Imari.

"You smell like rotten fruit, Nijiko's smells like sweaty socks, and Tomoka's always has teeth-rotting romance manga that makes me want to vomit, but refrain because then I'd have to smell it."

"Fair enough~suzu."

"At least yours has the occasional candy bar."

"Hold on a second, Bukku," says Imari. "Can you put me down for a moment~suzu?"

"Uh, sure."

Bukku places Imari carefully down and she scurries over to a patch of flowers.

"Is something wrong?" asks Bukku.

"Take a look at this~suzu," nods Imari as she points to one of the white-coloured flowers.

Bukku crouches down and examines the small flower. His eyes widen as he sees it's petal and the grass beneath it was stained in black. "Is this ink?"

"I think so~suzu," says Imari. "And look, it's spreading~suzu."

Sure to her word, the black ink that seeping into the rest of the flower, slowly chewing away at its pure colour until the whole flower turned as black as night.

"Wh-What is this?" wonders Bukku in alarm as he reaches out to touch it.

"Don't touch it~suzu," squeaks Imari as she bats his head away. "This has to be dark magic or something~suzu. This could be a serious problem~suzu."

"Right," murmurs Bukku as he leaves the flower be. "This could spread to the rest of this dreamland. The Four Guardians of Magic could be in danger."

"Agreed~suzu," nods Imari. "Let's get a move on then~suzu."

Bukku didn't need to be told twice as he picks Imari back up and hurries out of the fairytale meadow.

As they walk, the meadow begins to fade away. The soft fresh grass starts to dry up a turn a pale golden colour. The wilting grass leads them down a cobblestone path that takes the two of them toward a bridge that would take them safely across a gentle river that leads down into a roaring waterfall.

But, they weren't alone. Ahead of them were three goat brothers, each one bigger than the other with thick and stronger horns.

Looking past the bridge, Imari could see that the field on the other side had much better grass and flowers then the side they were on. It seems the three goat brothers agreed with her.

"You have to go, brother," says the medium goat. "You're brave~baa. Braver then me~baa."

"No way~baa," bleats the youngest one, his legs shaking with fear.

The oldest brother nods his head intently. "I know you can out-think the troll under the bridge~baa. We believe in you~baa."

Imari's eyes light up. "Oh~suzu! I know these goats~suzu! I know this story~suzu!"

"What? How is that possible?" Bukku frowns.

"They're from a fairytale my mom use to read to me and my sister~suzu," beams Imari. "The Three Billy Goats Gruff!"

"Never heard of them," says Bukku.

Imari tips her head. "But, aren't you the prince of a fairytale kingdom~suzu?"

Bukku shrugs his shoulders. "I'm never going to be king. I guess I kinda tuned out the fairytale-stuff. What is it?"

"Well, the fairytale I was taught was that three brother goats had no grass left in the meadow they lived in~suzu. But, if they could cross the river, they could get to the beautiful fresh grass on the other side~suzu. However, the only way to get passed the vast river was to cross a bridge, but the bridge was guarded by a troll that would gobble them up if they ever tried to cross it~suzu.

"One by one, each brother manages to outsmart the troll to get to the other side of the river, promising the greedy troll that their elder brother is the biggest and tastiest to eat~suzu.

"When it's finally the oldest brother's turn to cross the bridge, his size and strength allow him to overpower the troll and throws the troll off the bridge and get swept away by the river's current~suzu. With all three brothers united on the other side of the bridge surrounded by a rich field, they live happily ever after~suzu."

"Hey, it's a fable, Cure Fable," jokes Bukku.

Imari giggles. "That's true~suzu. I guess the moral of the story is to not be too greedy~suzu. The troll passed up the two younger and smaller brothers to have a bigger feast, but it's the older brother's size that allowed him to overwhelm the troll~suzu. In the end, the troll didn't get any of them~suzu."

"So…what the, uh, Three Billy-Willy-Whatever Goats doing here?" wonders Bukku confusedly.

"I'm not too sure~suzu," hums Imari.

"I'll gobble you up~toro!" threatens the troll crawls out from under the bridge and approaches the eldest brother.

The biggest goat smirks up at the troll. "You aren't going to eat one~baa."

As the troll charges at the oldest goat, the elder brother scoops the troll up by his giant horns and chucks him over the bridge. With a big splash, the troll falls into the river and gets swept up by the current.

"No~toro!" roars the troll. "Help~toro! Please, help me~toro!"

Imari looks down the river and sees the waterfall and the sharp rocks below.

"Help me~toro!" cries the troll as he chokes on water. "Please~toro!"

Imari's whole body starts to shake as her Pretty Cure instinct take over.

"We gotta help him~suzu!" gasps Imari as she frantically pulls as Bukku's sleeve. "Do you think I can transform while inside the Music Box~suzu?"

"I don't know," admits Bukku. "I don't even know if I can turn into the Dreaming Heart Key like this. Plus, what does it matter, he's the bad guy."

"I don't care~suzu!" snaps Imari as she squirms out of Bukku's arms. "If someone is crying for help, friend or enemy, I'm going to try everything to save them~suzu!"

Even with her stubby legs, Imari races across the river and down the hill towards the bottom of the waterfall.

Bukku rolls his eyes. "Jeez, not of this stuff is probably real anyways, you idiot!" Even so, Bukku hurries after Imari, quickly catching up with her as she stops at the bottom of the waterfall.

Imari looks around desperately and finds a branch lying on the shore. She quickly runs over to it and tries to pick it up, but her little arms aren't giving her any strength. She manages is to lift one side up by a centimetre before losing strength and dropping it on the feet. Regardless, she tries again to pick it up.

"Bukku, help~suzu!" calls Imari out of breath. "We'll hold this out for the troll to grab~suzu."

"Okay, okay," huffs Bukku as he helps Imari pick up the large branch.

"Ahhh~toro!"

The troll is nearly thrown off the waterfall but manages to grab hold of a stone that was sticking out on the edge of the cascade.

"It's okay~suzu!" calls Imari. "We'll catch you~suzu! Just hold on~suzu!"

"Please. Allow me to offer some assistance."

A pale-white hand that didn't belong to Bukku or Imari grabs hold of the broken tree branch.

Sen steps out from the other side of the river. "Don't worry~nene."

"S-Sen?" blinks Imari.

He gives them both a mellow smile. "Just leave it to my partner, Cure Sage."

Imari down in amazement as the girl's magic passes through the branch and it glows a gentle cyan-colour. As the troll loses his grip on the stone, the branch sprouts up like soft vines instead of ruff bark and grows around the bottom of the waterfall, budding sapphire blue flowers. With a single touch from her, the branch transforms into a blooming net that the troll easily falls into like he was caught by a soft pillow.

Imari and Bukku look on in wonder as the girl hurries over to the injured troll. Although she moves with determination and speed, she is able to with a beautiful sense of calmness and grace, using the rocks below the waterfall as stepping stones perfectly without a single misstep as her thigh-length light cyan-coloured hair trails behind her.

"Stand aside~nene," grins Sen as he flies across the river. "Cure Sage knows what to do~nene."

"S-Sen, it's us!" says Bukku, pointing to himself and Imari. "Bukku and Imari!"

Sen blinks. Then, he shifts his gaze back and forth between the two of them.

"…"

"Oh yeah, it is you two~nene. What happened to you two~nene?"

"That's what we're asking you!" exclaims Bukku. "We got dragged into the Music Box with you guys and now we're…we're…"

"Ooooh, I see~nene," hums Sen as he fixes his wizard's hat. "That explains it~nene. As you were both dragged inside the light magic mixed you two up and accidentally swapped your forms~nene."

"No way," whimpers Bukku. "Just when I hoped Human Bukku would be a permanent thing."

"That's what you got from that~suzu?!" says Imari in disbelief. "How could light magic make a mistake like that~suzu?"

Sen shrugs his shoulders. "Light magic isn't perfect~nene."

Imari takes in his words. "Light magic is…flawed~suzu?"

"Yeah," mumbles Bukku with darkened eyes. "That's…that's why Kuroizado wanted to perfect it. That's why he rediscovered dark magic. He thought he found the answer in it."

"Oh~suzu," murmurs Imari. She searches for words to say, but can't find any.

Now, Imari and Bukku can only look on as Cure Sage kneels down beside the hurt troll.

"You poor thing," says Cure Sage, her voice clear as water and soft as snow as she gazes down at the malicious troll.

"G-Get away from me~toro!" wails the troll as it tries to swing at her with his claws. "I don't need your pity~toro! I-I'll gobble you up~toro!"

"You poor thing," Cure Sage says again with the same tone Imari now understands as disappointment. "Desiring to devour ones that are weaker than you…your greed stopping you from sharing your bridge to help others…your heart has been corrupted by darkness. For that, I am sorry for you."

"S-Stop talking~toro!" cries the trolls, trying to attack swipe at Cure Sage again. "I-I don't need your pathetic kindness~toro."

Cure Sage shakes her head. "It's not kindness. It's mercy."

She kisses the troll on the forehead. A cyan sparkle splashes off the center of the troll's forehead as his whole body turns bright blue. The troll's large body swirls up into a small doll that Cure Sage takes into her hands. The vicious troll with big teeth and claws is now a cute doll with wide eyes and a crooked smile.

"Wh-What?" stammers Bukku as he looks to Sen for answers. "What did she just do?!"

"She turned him into a Fairytale Puppet~nene," says Sen simply. "When one of the fairytales we try to protect fall to despair and darkness, we purify them and return them to the pages of their story~nene."

"No way," murmurs Bukku.

"The Fairytale Puppets that Kuroizado stole~suzu," realizes Imari. "The Pretty Cure of the Past created them~suzu?"

"Yeah, that's right~nene," nods Sen.

"Wait! No, that's not what matters right now!" says Bukku. "Sen, we need you to come back with us! We need your help in stopping Kuroizado!"

"…"

"No~nene."

"No? What do you mean 'no'?!" exclaims Bukku.

"I want to stay here with Cure Sage," says Sen with a blissful smile.

"But, Sen," Imari frowns. "You can just stay here and—"

"I want to stay here with my partner~nene," snaps Sen with an ice-cold tone. He turns around. "Now leave us alone~nene."

Sen flies to his partner and grabs her hand with his small paw. "Let's go, Cure Sage."

"But, we should thank this gentleman and young lady," points out Cure Sage. "'Thank you' is easy to forget, but they're one of the most powerful words you can say to someone."

"Cure Sage," murmurs Sen, but isn't able to protest her.

The former Pretty Cure of Wisdom walks up to the pair of them and they're finally able to take her in. She is at least a foot taller than Bukku, but they're both taken aback by her face. There was nothing there. Her entire face was blank. No eyes. No nose. No smile.

"Thank you very much for your help," says Cure Sage. Although neither of them could see a smile, Imari and Bukku could hear a warm smile from her voice alone. "Especially you, young fairy."

"Me~suzu?" says Imari.

"Even though you are small, you raced over to help without a second thought," explains Cure Sage. "Even though the troll was evil and there wasn't much you could do in this form. Regardless, you were determined to help. No matter what."

"Of course~suzu!" says Imari. "Whether or not I can do anything, whether or not I can save someone—I have to try! If you give up without even trying then I will just be filled with regret!"

Imari couldn't see her smile, but Cure Sage reaches out and pats Imari on the head. Through her soft touch, she could feel her kindness. From one Pretty Cure to another, their hearts connected.

"You know," whispers Cure Sage. "You can't save everyone. Some don't want to be saved and some can't be saved."

"But, if you don't reach your hand out to them, you'll never know for sure!" says Imari.

Imari hears Cure Sage let out a soft chuckle. "So determined. Just like her."

Almost like someone turned to the next page in a picture book, Cure Sage, Sen, the river and valley disappeared, sending Imari and Bukku tumbling into the next page of this dreamland.

Imari and Bukku soon find themselves in a shallow forest covered in giant, different-coloured mushrooms. Some grew taller than the forest surrounding them, other short enough for Imari to climb if she wanted.

"JEEZ! Where is it with this world?!" complains Bukku. "How is it possible that the Pretty Cure of the Past are here too?! Are we in their memories, or the past, or something stupid like that?"

"No~suzu," realizes Imari. "I…I think the Music Box created the Guardians' dream."

"Dream?"

"They all share the same dream~suzu. A perfect place where they can be with their partners forever and ever~suzu."

"Imari, look," says Bukku as he crouches down to look at some of the coloured mushrooms. "It's more of that black ink."

Sure enough, the dark magic ink was growing on the tops of some of the mushrooms, bubbling and slowly spreading to the rest of the bunch.

"They want a perfect world~suzu," murmurs Imari. "But, light magic can't create the perfect world~suzu. So, this make-believe world is destroying itself~suzu!"

"Destroying itself?" echoes Bukku.

"If we can't snap them out of their make-believe dream…this world…will destroy everything~suzu! Who knows what it could to the Guardians if they refuse to come out with us~suzu!"

"Oh no," whispers Bukku. He tightens his hands into a fist. "Well, we can't let that happen! It's just as you said Imari! Let's reach our hand out and save them!"

"Bukku," blinks Imari with sparkling eyes. She bursts into a bright smile. "Okay~suzu! Let's do it~suzu!"

The two of them pick a direction and stick to it as they head deeper and deeper into the mushroom forest. It doesn't take long for them to stumble upon an opening. They step through a patch of short mushrooms and find a dining room table filled with a complete tea set and guests sitting around it having a party.

A man with a big top hat sat at the head of the table, drinking a cup of tea. Well, "drinking" is the wrong word. He kept missing and spilling the tea on his dress shirt and tie.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" asks the Hatter as he offers his friends another cup of tea.

One of them, a hare, hiccups and doesn't reply. His other friend, a mouse, ducks away inside a cup of sugar cubes.

"Oh! I love riddles!"

A girl with golden yellow hair bounces up and down in her seat as she continues to dump more sugar into her cup of tea.

"Do you, Mystic? I though riddles just get your mad because you can never figure them out?"

Another girl with lavender-pink hair in low pigtails says bluntly as she promptly takes a small sip of her tea. She jerks back. "Ow! I bern mah tounge."

"Ha-ha!" laughs Cure Mystic. "Karma never misses its target, Cherish!"

"Change places!" announced the Hatter.

Like clockwork, everyone finds a new place to sit on the dining table. The former Pretty Cure of Magic ends up where the Hatter was sitting and the former Pretty Cure of Love finds a new stop where the hare had been sitting.

"Oh~suzu!" realizes Imari. "This is Alice in Wonderland~suzu! See, Bukku, see~suzu!"

"Oh, I think I remember this one," says Bukku pointing to the characters. "That's the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse, right?"

"Circle gets the square~suzu!" cheers Imari.

Imari and Bukku hurry to join the party. They each find an empty seat and sit down.

"No room! No room!" gasps the Hatter as he knocks over his cup of tea.

"What? There's plenty of room!" argues Bukku as he plants himself deeper into his seat.

"Have some wine," hiccups the March Hare.

Imari looks around. "I don't see any."

"There isn't any," the hare applies.

"Then why would you offer it!" snaps Bukku.

"Don't try to make sense of something that can never make sense," says Cure Mystic as she searches the table for an extra spoon. "It's more fun if you turn your brain off and just go along with it."

"When is your brain ever on?" asks Cure Cherish.

"You're so cruel, Cherish," pouts Cure Mystic. "I thought you were supposed to be the Pretty Cure of Love!"

"I show my love in a different way," her teammate simply replies as she sips her tea. "Ouch! I burmt muh tung again!"

"Thank you, karma~!" chimes Cure Mystic. "Luv ya~!"

Like Cure Sage, both the Yellow Cure and White Cure's faces were blank. Even still, Imari and Bukku could hear the laughter and charm in both of their voices.

Imari giggles. "These two kinda remind me of Tomoka and Nijiko before they became friends~suzu."

"Or like the present Orenda and Tsubusu," points out Bukku.

The two fairies were playing with the Dormouse in the center of the table. Tsubusu was chasing the mouse while Orenda was trying to hit either of them with a spoon. Maybe it's not so much of a game as Tsubusu and the Dormouse trying to escape Orenda's wrath.

"Stop moving~rena," says Orenda as she slaps her spoon down. "I can't hit you if you keep running around~rena."

Depression lines appear on Imari and Bukku's head. Yep. Not a game.

"It's funny~suzu. Tsubusu and Cure Mystic are alike just like Orenda and Cure Cherish, but they're partners with their opposites~suzu."

"Well, it's the same with us, right?" says Bukku. "I'm awesome and you're not-quite-as-awesome. Same with the level-headed Kuiru and the brash and impulsive Nijiko."

"That's true~suzu," smiles Imari. "We always do bring out the best in each other."

"Change places!" announces the March Hare.

Everyone stands up finds a new place to set. Imari ends up on the opposite side of the table from Bukku who ends up side-by-side with Cure Mystic and Cure Cherish.

"You there!" shouts the Hatter, pointing over to Imari. "Do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?"

"Does that have to be a reason~suzu?" wonder Imari. "I mean, everything is like everything~suzu. So does there have to be an answer~suzu?"

"Much of muchness," grumbles the Dormouse as he tries to go back to sleep. "You're saying much of muchness."

"Is that good?" asks Imari.

"I haven't the slightest idea," says the Hatter.

"Aaanyways," interrupts Bukku. "Orenda, Tsubusu, we need you to come with us—"

"Hey," chirps Cure Mystic as she pinches Bukku's cheek. "You're kinda cute. Cherish, do you think this kid is cute?"

Cure Cherish goes red. "Why are you asking me?"

The Yellow Cure grins cheekily. "Because you started blushing like crazy when he sat down beside ya."

"I-I did not!" says Cure Cherish as she tries to hide her face.

"Flustered Cherish is Best Cherish!" beams Cure Mystic.

"Change places," the Dormouse yawns.

Everyone gets up once more and finds a new seat. This time, Imari and Bukku find their way back to each other, sitting the closest to Orenda and Tsubusu.

"Orenda! Tsubusu!" calls Bukku. "We need your help! Sen won't leave! If you could with us, I'm sure—"

"I don't wanna leave~subu," hums Tsubusu.

"I'd hate to agree with Tsubusu, but I'm not leaving either~rena," says Orenda.

"Yeah, now go away~subu."

"W-Wait!" stammers Bukku.

"Bye-bye, cute boy," waves Cure Mystic.

Once again, the Mad Hatter party disappears and Imari and Bukku are thrown into a new scene. They end up on a blank page. No setting.

"AH!" huffs Bukku. "These Guardians are making me lose my mind! Don't they understand what's at stake?"

"No…no they don't~suzu," realizes Imari. "All they know is the world they lived in one-hundred-years-ago~suzu. They don't realize how bad it's gotta and how much worse it can get~suzu!"

"How can we get to see?" wonders Bukku.

"I'm not sure~suzu," admits Imari. "But, we'll figure it out~suzu. We have to~suzu."

The two start walking until anything comes into view.

In time, a castle came into view. Soon, a small valley surrounded it full of fairies just like Imari. They were all playing and laughing together. Imari almost hopped out of Bukku's arms to go join them, but gives her head a shake and kept herself focused on the task at hand.

The castle wasn't anything grand. It was just one tower and not a very tall one either. It looked like it was clumsily built too. Its single door and window were crooked and some bricks from its walls were sticking out in odd places.

"I don't recognize this castle~suzu," says Imari.

"I do," murmurs Bukku. "It's my home."

"Fanciful Kingdom?"

Bukku nods his head. "I remember seeing pictures of the kingdom when it was first built almost one-hundred-years-ago. My parents always told me stories. This was the first tower, the north tower before my family built the other three. It's so bare I almost didn't recognize it, but this is Fanciful Kingdom. The humble beginning of it, anyway."

"That's amazing, Bukku," smiles Imari as she gazes up at the kingdom. "I'm sure the Guardians would be so proud to see how much their small tower has grown."

Imari looks to Bukku, but he doesn't reply. He just stares up quietly at the tower.

"Bukku?"

Bukku places his hand on the wall of the small tower. He feels the rough bricks and grooves against his soft palm. It's not the same. Its touch is raw and flawed. It's not the tower Bukku remembers. His kingdom, the walls were faultless and clean. The walls were smooth to the touch, hiding its flaws underneath.

"Bukku, where's wrong~suzu?"

He lets out a pained chuckle. "I…I really use to hate Fanciful Kingdom. My parents, my brother, everyone. I was born with magic, I became an outcast. No one believed I would do anything useful. I hated them. I hate my home because of that."

"Bukku," murmurs Imari as she reaches her paw out and places it over Bukku's hand.

"Then I met…him," says Bukku as he grabs at his red neckerchief. "Kuroizado believed in me, gave me my cape, a reason for my life. He was more like family to me than my father, mother, or brother."

He takes his hand off the tower wall. "Kuroizado was the one good thing about my home. He was…my hope. But then…"

"He fell to dark magic~suzu," frowns Imari. "He turned Fanciful Kingdom into Desolate Castle."

"And do you know what the worst part is?" chuckles Bukku as he buries his hand into his face as he feels tears stinging his eyes. "Even after everything he's done, I can't get myself to hate him. Isn't that pathetic? He's hurt you! He betrayed me! He hurt our friends! He wants to destroy our worlds! He's done such horrible things, but I…I don't hate him. I just want to see him, no more time. I want to talk to him. I want to save him from the dark magic. I just want Kuroizado back!"

As Bukku cries, Imari wraps her stubby arms around Bukku's neck, gentling stroking the back of his head. "We will~suzu. I know we will~suzu."

"Imari," sobs Bukku.

"I don't up hope, Bukku," says Imari, offering him her best smile. "Don't give up your hope on Kuroizado. I'm sure dark magic hasn't destroyed all of him~suzu. We will save him~suzu. I promise~suzu!"

Bukku wipes the rest of his tears away. "It's not all bad, Imari. I found a new hope."

"You did~suzu?" blinks Imari obliviously.

"You, you idiot," laughs Bukku. "I would've fallen to darkness if I hadn't met you. You gave me friends. You helped me get my brother back. You gave me my magic, Imari." Bukku smiles with all of his heart. "I love you, Imari."

"I love you too, Bukku," beams Imari.

"Whoa~gozo! Cure Fable? Bukku? Is that you~gozo?"

Imari and Bukku spin around to see Gazo flying in front of a girl with flowing pastel pink hair walking towards them.

Imari's heart couldn't help but race as she saw the girl. Without a doubt in her mind, Imari knew she was her predecessor, Cure Fantasia, the former Pretty Cure of Dreams.

"Oh, you know these two, Gazo?" asks the girl, tipping her head to the side.

"Yes—I mean—no~gozo! I mean—"

"Gazo?" blinks Cure Fantasia. She looks past the two of them and her eyes widen. "Look out! Behind you!"

Cure Fantasia reaches out and pulls Bukku and Imari towards her, away from Fanciful Kingdom. The two of them spin around startled. The dark magic ink had appeared here too and consumed the whole tower, making it crumble to the ground.

"Wh-What is this?" gasps Cure Fantasia.

"Oh no~suzu!" says Imari. "We're running out of time~suzu! This world is falling apart~suzu!"

"King Gazo!" huffs Bukku. "We need your help! The rest of the Guardian won't listen to us! We need your help to convince them to leave the Music Box and join us!"

"What is this boy talking about?" asks Cure Fantasia. "Gazo?"

The former king stays silent.

The former Pretty Cure of Dreams raises her voice at him like a scolding big sister "Gazo!"

"We're…we're inside the Music Box~gozo," mumbles Gazo.

"The…the Music Box?" echoes Cure Fantasia. "The one we used on Dead End? You mean our plan worked? We saved everyone?"

"Yes, but Dead End broke out~suzu!" exclaims Imari. "We need the Four Guardians of Magic again~suzu!" Imari turns to Gazo. "This isn't Cure Fantasia, Gazo! The real Cure Fantasia! I know this hard~suzu! I know you don't want to move on and stay in the past, but we need you and the Guardians now~suzu!"

"STOP IT~gozo!" shouts Gazo.

Suddenly, the world around them begins to melt away, all the colours swirling and blending together. The blue of the sky mixing with the green of the grass below. It felt like someone had slammed a book stuck as all the other pages come together in a splash of random and bright colours.

Sen, Orenda, and Tsubusu are forced together alongside Cure Sage, Cure Mystic, and Cure Cherish.

"Owie~subu," mumbles Tsubusu as she rubs at a fresh bump on her head.

Even Orenda can't hide her worry. "Wh-What is this~rena? What's going on~rena?!"

"We failed~gozo."

Everyone goes silent when the sound of Gazo's sobs breakthrough their panic. He falls to his hands and knees as he cries, his tears landing on his paws.

"Why~gozo? Why are we still here~gozo?" demands Gazo as he wipes away his tears in frustration. "We couldn't defeat Dead End the first time—we couldn't even imprison him properly~gozo! Nothing we did mattered~gozo! Our sacrifice was all for nothing~gozo! We couldn't defeat him then—can't defeat him now~gozo!"

Imari opens her mouth to protest, but Cure Fantasia is the one who steps forward. "Girls, I'm afraid our partners are in a bit of a pinch."

Cure Sage nods her head. "We know. We are just an illusion."

Sen's eyes widen. "You…you knew~nene?

Cure Mystic bobs her head too. "We wanted to give our best partners in the world time to move on, but not the Guardians need to be back in action!"

"C-Cure Mystic," whimpers Tsubusu.

Gazo looks up. "B-But—"

"I believe with all my heart that you were destined to help us~suzu!" says Imari, standing before the Four Guardians of Magic and the Pretty Cures of the Past. "Because—because you're here~suzu. Because you're all alive~suzu."

"We can't help~gozo," murmurs Gazo. "We can't help anyone~gozo. Nothing we did mattered~gozo. We couldn't even protect Fanciful Kingdom—"

"That's wrong!" says Bukku as he holds Imari in his arms. "You did protect us! Your sacrifice did matter! Because—because I exist! And Kuiru, Sutori, and…and Kuroizado too!"

"Bukku," blinks Imari.

"I exist because of your sacrifice," cries Bukku. "Because of you, Fanciful Kingdom was able to grow. Because of you, my father, my brother, and I were born. Because of you, Cure Fantasia, Cure Sage, Cure Mystic, and Cure Cherish were able to live out their lives and pursue their dreams. Because of that, Cure Fantasia was able to have a family—Kuroizado and I are proof ofyour sacrifice and your protection!"

Imari takes hold of Bukku's hand as they look on ahead as the dreamland begins to crumble around them. "I know what it's like to lose a friend. A best friend. Feeling powerless. Knowing who they would've become if they just had the chance. But the thing is, they did grow up. They got to follow their dreams, fall in love, have a family. Just because you didn't see it happened doesn't mean it didn't happen. They were able to live out their lives, fulfill their passions, and they were able to do that because of you. You let them live and now you get to live."

"Said like a true Pretty Cure," says Cure Sage with a smile in her voice.

"Alright, you guys," hums Cure Fantasia as she points at them. "Your job isn't over yet! Defeat Dead End once and for all!"

"Cure Fantasia," Gazo sniffles.

The former Pretty Cure of Dreams crouches down and pats her partner on his head. "I know you can do it. No one defeats the one and only King Gazo Castle Born Je Que Miracle! Now…what are you waiting for?"

"You heard your partner, Gazo," smirks Sen with crossed paws. "Looks like we got some work to do~nene. What do you say, oh fearless leader~nene?"

Gazo wipes away the last of his tears. He stands up and straightens his crown. "What are you standing around here crying for~gozo? It's time for the Four Guardians of Magic's beacon of hope to light up again~gozo!"

"You were the only one crying, Gazo," points out Tsubusu with a tiny giggle.

"Who was crying~gozo? I wasn't crying~gozo!" barks Gazo.

"Uh-huh," hums Orenda unconvinced.

"Let's get going~nene," says Sen.

One by one, the Four Guardians of Magic begin to grow their colour of green, silver, pink, and blue. It a bright pure-white flash, the Guardians swirl up into a corkscrew of light and leave the Music Box. As they do, the darkness of the dreamland fads away, leaving the world like a blank canvas.

Imari and Bukku both blink in surprise as they begin to grow too. Bukku a golden orange colour and Imari in pink.

"We don't belong here, Imari," Bukku notices, looking down at his hand as it begins to disappear. "I guess this is the Music Box's friendliest way of kicking us out."

"I guess you accomplished what the Music Box brought you here to do," says Cure Fantasia.

Bukku shakes his head. "We can here by accident."

"Or did you," muses Cure Fantasia.

Before Bukku can say anything else, he fades away in a swirl of golden-coloured sparkles.

As Imari starts to leave with him, she looks back at her predecessors.

"Thank you," says Cure Fantasia with all the sincerity in the world as her smile breaks through the magic. In her smile, Imari should see the heart and soul of a Pink Cure. "Please, Cure Fable, please stop Ayumu."

"Ayumu?" echoes Imari. Didn't Sen mention that name too?

"Dead End…my brother."

"Wh-What~suzu?" was all Imari was able to stifle out as the Music Box whirls her up.

"W-Wait~suzu!" Imari calls out.

All Cure Fantasia is able to do is give her successor a brave smile. "We believe in you, Cure Fable. You can do it. I know you can."

That is the last thing Imari hears as she is welcomed to darkness and a hard, stone-cold floor.

Through the darkness, a soft voice comes out.

"Oh my goodness! A-are you alright?"

Imari feels a hand on her shoulder and another grabbing her by the hand.

"Here," the voice says. "Here, take my hand."

Imari trusts this hand as it helps her to her feet. As she gets up, she realizes that the only source of light came from a candle sitting on a small bedside table. On the bed, Imari sees Bukku and the Guardians are fast asleep from the Music Box's magic.

Wait a minute…this…this isn't Nijiko's apartment.

Where…where's Bukku?

"Thank you very much," murmurs Imari as she lifts her head as her head throbs with pain like it did when she was first forced into the Music Box. "Please, can you tell me—?"

"I…I know you," gasps the voice as the hand pulls away.

Imari's eyes widen. She almost didn't recognize her. She was now somehow taller than Imari and her long wavy magenta and violet eyes were nearly drained of all colour.

"K-Kokona?"

Next time on Fairytale Pretty Cure!

Imari: Oh no! We're in Desolate Castle!

Bukku: The belly of the beast~buku!

Imari: We gotta get out of here, Bukku!

Bukku: No duh~buku!

Imari: But what about Kokona?

A Princess's Escape! The Truth That Could Destroy a Smile!