Funny that this episode is Connie-focused, since today (april 22th) is Beryl's birthday actually! Next ep actually IS about Beryl though haha
As always, critique, thoughts and anything is always welcomed with open arms! Always love to hearfrom you guys, but if you're a shy like me then silent support is okay too! ;;v;;
Thanks to Nexus_Schwarz and SugaryDiamond for beta-reading again, and leaving wonderful comments and helping me improve! As usual! Be sure to check out their respective fanseries, Mythical Precure! and Weather Control Pretty Cure! *w*b
Today really sucked.
The last thing she needed right now was a big monster attack. She was already short on time!
Carly heaved a sigh as the people around her scrambled out of the park to escape from the giant monster that had suddenly appeared, along with the countless little humanoids tormenting the people by blaring their loud instruments.
"God, I am busy..." She mumbled to herself with a pout as she started to follow the people, but didn't realise herself stopping when she had shot a quick glance at the monster.
The monster was a huge flower with sharp, hole-filled petals in dull colors, glowing eyes, and a hole in its vine-like body, with a person floating inside it. It looked noticeably less humanoid than the ones Carly had seen on Scrapbook.
A flash of purple fluttered around the flower, which let out an inhuman shriek as thick vines came out of the ground. The vines flailed in the air and slammed on the ground, shaking it.
"... Cure Gale?" Carly whispered and hid behind a tree to witness the fight, holding her phone with shaking hands. "Of course."
Her eyes widened as she watched the lone, purple-clad heroine fight against the monster, sending blasts of winds towards it but not really dealing much damage. Despite the ineffectiveness of her attacks, Gale kept trying, even ramming herself into the flower and quickly moved out of the way before a vine could grab her.
The way the purple Cure hovered in the sky made her think of a wingless angel carried by the wind.
Carly grinned as she snapped a few pictures. Perfect.
It took a bit before the other three Cures arrived and it seemed like their powers were much better suited with dealing with this kind of monster. In less than a minute Terra created a hammer around her arm.
"Pretty Cure Earth Smash!" Instead of aiming for the monster, she slammed it down on the ground, causing it to crack and the flower to be uprooted.
Gale quickly flew in and raised her arms to the sky. "Pretty Cure Spiral Cyclone!" The huge flower was caught in a purple tornado, hit by Gale cloaked in purple wind, and disappeared, leaving behind an unconscious gardener.
"Yay! We did it! Teeeeeaamwwwwoooooork~!" Terra pulled Gale in a hug. "Your idea worked, Ember!"
"Thanks, I saw it on TV once." The red Cure grinned, giving Terra a quick high-five.
Terra tapped her chest with pride. "We totally kicked its bud!" She laughed and Splash gave her an irritated look. Terra replied with a wink. "Don't worry, Splash. Yours is still the biggest!"
Gale winced as the small humanoid marchers took this chance to ambush the four. They got quickly and almost effortlessly taken out.
"Up for another ass-kicking, Elegy?" Splash grinned as only the woman remained, who simply shook her head, created a portal, and silently went through.
With a loud gasp, Carly ran up to the four before they could even undo their transformation.
"Howdy! Greetings! Hola! Hallo!" A finger was pointed at the four, accompanied by a loud yell. Splash was visibly startled and almost kicked her.
"Where did you come from!?" She asked with a hiss. Carly's reply was snapping a picture of the blue Cure, who held up her middle-finger to the phone. "Screw off!"
Carly placed her hand on her hip. "You're a rude one, aren't you? Not sure why you are the most popular on the Scrapbook page..." She said, more to herself than Splash, who gave her an intense leer. Carly paid no attention to it, which arguably made the Cure even more angry.
"Hello, do you want a picture of us?" Ember stepped forward and imitated her transformation pose. "We can make it hap-"
"Nah."
Ember seemed a little disappointed as she was still in her pose. "Oh... um..."
"I want..." Carly paused for dramatic effect and held up her finger. "You." She pointed at Gale with a grin.
Episode 14: Skyhigh Palette: Euphoric Pigment
With a somewhat bewildered look, Gale looked around to see anything else the girl could have had pointed at, aside from her. The purple Cure looked like a deer caught in the headlights when Carly cried out again.
"Yes, ja, oui... you! Cure Gale!"
She came closer, inspecting her from hat to toe with an ambitious sparkle in her green eyes.
"Your face." She grabbed Gale's chin for a second and raised her head. "Your outfit!" A pat on the purple hat resting on the Cure's head. "Your figure!" Carly made Gale make a little turn, looking her over. "Exactly what I'm looking for." She concluded proudly.
Gale's expression seemed frozen in a state of confusion, so Ember was the one who made the first move. "Um, what do you mean?"
Carly gave her a somewhat impatient look. "Look, I'm already short on time. This assignment is due next Monday!" She cried out. "I've been searching for something all month but inspiration was nowhere to be found. Nowhere!" A brief pause and a deep breath.
Four different looks were exchanged between the Cures.
"But!" Carly yelled, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "You showed up and I want you as model, my muse, for my art project, Cure Gale... um..." She stopped, furrowed her brows thoughtfully. "I think they mentioned your real name on the Scrapbook page but... silly old me is bad with names."
Terra made a jump, raising a hand. "Oh! Oh! Me too! I always write them down so it's easier to remember!"
"Oh. That could be a good idea, yes." Carly nodded before turning back to Gale again. She clasped her hands together, as if praying. "Please, please, I beg of you! The way you glided through the wind was so... so..."
"You want me to... be...?" Gale started, fumbling with her loose sleeves timidly. She averted her eyes, seemingly unsure of what to do.
Carly nodded as her grin grew back, even wider this time. "My model, yes."
Terra grabbed Gale's shoulders. "Oh my goooodd, Gale! You're gonna be a model, like Bright!" She yelled, causing Gale to wince in her friend's admittingly suffocating, tight grip. She didn't dare say that out loud though. "You're gonna be famous!"
With wide eyes, Gale tilted her head.
"My work? Famous? As if!" Carly laughed heartily. "I just meant for my project. It's about something that brings forth hope and happiness."
Gale relaxed slightly and finally dared to look the girl in the eyes. She was almost a head taller than her. Her auburn colored hair made the brightness of her purple earrings stand out even more.
"Hope and happiness? That's not me..." Gale said softly, casting her eyes down again. "Why me?"
"Well." Carly puffed her chest forward with pride. "I can't convey that with words. It has to radiate from my canvas when I'm finished!" Her smile softened. "That is when I will know if I succeeded as an artist."
Nobody said anything. Various looks were exchanged, most of them not being able to truly follow the situation.
"I'm Carly, by the way." She leaned forward, coming uncomfortably close to Gale. "So, what do you say?"
"Um... I think..."
"Hm?"
"... I..." Gale bit her lip again. "Y-Yes?"
"Okay, it's decided then, yes!"
"This is your house?" Connie asked softly, mouth agape at the mansion she had found herself in front of. Slowly walking through the iron gate, she was met with a variety of stone fountains adorning the yard and beautiful flower gardens.
Carly had pretty much dragged her along after all but agreeing to help her out. Truth to be told, Connie hadn't exactly wanted it. She didn't really understand why this girl seemed to adamant on her being a model for her art project but her submissive side won once again. The side that was terrified of unwrapping any potential anger or disappointment from others. The side that didn't want to be hated.
Although, Connie could relate to her somewhat. She knew what it was like to not have any inspiration. It sucked.
"Ah, Carlene! You're back!" A man with a curly mustache stepped forward the moment the two girls set foot into the mansion. "Who is this? A friend? Good day and welco-"
"Yeah, yeah, dad. This is Connie, aka Cure Gale, and we're going to my work room now." Carly replied and quickly pressed a kiss on his cheek before grabbing Connie's hand and dragging her to a huge set of stairs.
Connie could hear the man, Carly's father, call behind them: "That is wonderful. You continue making sure those villains stay away from our town!"
She felt something stir inside. She squeezed Carly's hand without realising.
"Don't mind my dad. He's a fan." Carly said, taking a quick look at her. "He was the last person I expected to like magical girls, but yeah..."
Walking through the halls of the old-fashioned mansion made Connie feel antsy. Every step they took echoed with a loud creak. It was a little too spacious and a little too dark for her liking. It almost reminded her of...
"We're here!"
They reached the supposed "work room" and Connie came to a standstill at seeing how dark the room was. From what she could see, it looked like something that would fit quite well in a horror movie.
The room was filled with paintings. Some were covered up with sheets, making them look even more eerie than it should be.
Most of the paintings in the room were portraits, though the only one Connie recognised was one of the man she had just met. Some portraits were finished, some weren't. Some people in the portraits smiled, some frowned. There was even one of a bulky man whose mouth was agape in a scream.
Eyeing the handful of paintings which were covered up made Connie briefly wonder if those were just failed, embarrassing paintings or the person on th-
"Helloooo? Are you listening?" Carly waved a hand in front of her face, dragging her mind back to reality. "Guess not." A giggle. "Were you too amazed by my work?"
Without meaning to, Connie made a small nod.
Carly smirked, leaning bit closer. "Oh, what's this? Are you wondering what kind of dark secret is hidden behind this hidden portrait? Well... " She unveiled the seemingly normal portrait of a blonde girl. "It's... Priscilla! I think that was her name, it's been years, shut up. I just hate seeing her face. Ugh."
She started a whole spiel about this Priscilla girl and how much she hated her, then she moved on to the unfinished portrait of a boy next, which Carly lamented over never getting around to finish it, then she went to the portrait of another girl, who Carly also hated for stealing her pencils once.
It kept going and going, and Connie could barely keep up. Carly rambled on about everything she knew about the person on each portrait. This guy owned seven cats, this woman worked late-night shifts every day, this child loved dinosaurs, the list went on. Carly talking so fast didn't help the already slow girl keep track.
Connie furrowed her brows tensely. The more Carly spoke, the more her words started to merge and become louder.
"P-Please... stop..."
In a moment of desperation, Connie took a deep breath, which caused Carly to suddenly stop and let out an almost choking cough.
"Oh, w-whoah. I got a little carried away, again." Carly gave a wry grin and brushed some hair out of her face. "That's so stupid, Carly...! You're already short on time, don't waste it by talking!" She scolded herself and then turned back to Connie with a softer expression. "Heh, sorry. Shall we start? Can you stand on that cross over there?"
Connie walked over to a clumsily painted cross on the wooden floor. She just... stood there, awkwardly fumbling with her hands.
"Um... transform?" Carly said bluntly, raising an eyebrow as if what she had said was the most obvious thing in the world.
"O-Oh, right!" Connie grabbed her Skyhigh Charm from her pocket and opened her mouth to say the incarnation but Carly interrupted her with a yelp, making her almost drop the egg on the floor.
"No wait! Maybe not..." Carly narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Maybe... hm, maybe showing you as just your normal self is more hope-inspiring and relatable." She sat down behind her easel, frowning deeply. "As way of saying... everyone can be important, in their own way, or something."
Connie didn't say anything. She wasn't even sure what to say, or if anything she could bring in the conversation would be worth saying. Carly seemed to carry the conversation by herself just fine.
The artist got her paintbrush and dipped it into purple paint, but didn't start painting just yet.
"Natural charm could be nice." The artist pondered, playing with her purple earring a little. "But then again, you're not that flashy-looking." Carly looked her over again and furrowed her brows thoughtfully. "Hm... I'm... not sure if I have some fitting clothes for you..."
Carly was right. The clothes she had didn't fit Connie. In length they were generally okay, although a bit too big, but chest area was just too tight.
The buttons of the blouse Connie had put on snapped off and fell on the ground. Carly let out a laugh and then quickly looked away, face a little red in embarrassment. "S-Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry... " Connie whispered, picking up the buttons and stepping back behind some curtains in Carly's big room. She tried on another shirt the other girl had brought back from her adventure through her own closet. Almost all of it was purple, or had something purple in it.
"For what? That one was old anyway. If anyone should be sorry it's Mother Nature!" A genuine laugh escaped Carly's mouth. "Screw you, Mother Nature for giving us weird body-types!"
Connie didn't reply.
"For real, you know how annoying it is to find something in my size?" Carly laid down on her bed with a sigh. "It's my stupid arms, yes."
As Carly whined a little more about the annoyance of finding the right clothes, Connie found herself loosening up just a little. They started chatting mainly about clothes and their favorite accessories.
Now that she finally sat down and relaxed a little, Carly was actually rather pleasant company. Although sometimes tended to ramble a little too fast, a little too loud, and a little too much. But Connie enjoyed listening more than she enjoyed talking.
Connie tried on a few more things Carly had given her to find the "perfect image" for her project (whatever that meant) but no luck thus far. While the pants and skirts all fit relatively well, none of the shirts or tops did.
"I guess I have to bring out a... secret weapon." Carly started with a serious look on her face.
Connie flinched.
"... The key to my mom's closet!" Smirking, Carly jumped off her bed and got said key from her nightstand. She held it up high as if she was holding a mystical treasure.
The taller girl walked out of the room and Connie followed. The two walked in silence through the spacious hall until they ended up in a dual bedroom with two big closets. Carly approached the the one on the far right and used the little key to unlock it. After coughing from the dust, she instantly started pulling all the clothes out.
"Mom, oh my god. Why were you so depressingly dark in your fashion escapades? It's so funny since my mom wrote children's books and yet..." Carly chuckled to herself with a soft smile. She looked at Connie while holding a black dress. "Um, I don't think dark colors suit you really, no."
Connie gave her a timid smile, agreeing completely with her statement. Dark didn't suit her...
"So much black... mom, please. You were so dark and broody, all right."
"... Is your mother okay with you going through her stuff?"
Carly stopped. "Oh, my mom's... uh... kinda not here anymore." She stated simply and shrugged. "Not much she can do about me going through her closet if she didn't like it."
Placing a hand on her mouth in shock, Connie tensed up. "Oh, oh gosh, I'm sorry... I...!"
"You're fine. Really, my dad is so... clinging onto the past... he doesn't want to throw anything related to her away, even if it is useless. It's been a four years or so..." She said with a little sigh. Her smile wavered. "I wish he would let go. I'm sure that is what mom wants too. Give it to charity or something. Along with her books, the autographed ones, that is."
Still feeling bad for bringing up something serious, Connie apologised three times in a row. Carly simply laughed it off.
"It's fine, really. Aren't you special? We've only known each other for a day and you're already getting exclusive sneak peeks in my 'dark past'." Carly's shoulders shook as she laughed once again. "You've got a 'dark past' to share?"
One thing instantly came to mind. Connie averted her gaze while her body shook. There was definitely a dark stain in her past. If anything, that exact same stain was still leaking heavily into the present. She didn't want to think about it. Not anymore. No more.
"Ah, I was kidding. Sorry if I upset-" Carly started, guilt shimmering in her eyes.
Connie shook her head. "No! It's not your fault..." She was startled by how loud those words had come out. "Sometimes I feel... I'm still..." She stopped herself and took a small step back, looking at her hands. They were still pale. They were fine.
Why had such a small question about something entirely unrelated set her mind off to that again? Why did that keep happening? "... I'm a mess right now... I feel like I shouldn't even be fighting with the others. I don't want to fight, honestly."
She instantly regretted saying that out loud. She wasn't thinking straight right now. She didn't even know why she was saying these things.
"Really...?" Carly looked surprised. "But, back there, you seemed so confident! The wind carried you, as a... ruler of the skies!"
Connie wasn't sure what to say to that. She silently watched Carly go through the closet, throwing clothes left and right before finally deciding to stop searching for something fitting. Connie helped her neatly fold back the clothing and the two returned to the "work room".
"Argg!" Carly suddenly cried out, burying her face in her hands as she sat down behind her easel. "It's almost dark outside and I've done nothing."
"I... um..." Connie started. She didn't even know that it was already time for dinner. The windows in the room were also covered up so the concept of time was a little hard to grasp here. "I should probably go home... my dads are probably wondering where-"
Carly let out a shout. "But...!" She stopped herself, hanging her head slightly. "You're right. I'll ask my dad if he can give you a ride home. I don't want you to walk alone in the dark."
Connie smiled, nodding slowly. "Thank you. I've got an idea... um..." A brief pause. "If you'd like you can come over at my house tomorrow? I love drawing too, thought portraits aren't my thing, but... we have an easel you can use..."
A flicker of excitement appeared in Carly's eyes. "A new environment might help me get inspiration. A look behind the scenes of Cure Gale!"
The next day, Carly arrived an hour early than what the two had agreed upon.
She rang the bell like five times in a row which startled Connie, who had been drawing with Benny in the living room.
Aaron went to the door and let her in. "You must be Carly!" He said, excited.
"Yes. Nice to meet you, mister! You must be Connie's dad..." She trailed off when she followed Aaron in the living room and saw both Marco and Benny. "Or one of her dads. Oops, sorry."
"Carly...! You're earlier than expected!" Connie said, standing up from her spot on the ground next to Benny.
"As I've said, I'm already short on time, yes." Carly explained, dusting off her shirt before grabbing a restaurant coupon from her backpack and giving it to Aaron. "This is for you! Just a little something as thanks. A romantic dinner for you and your husband." She grinned before turning to Connie with a somewhat apologetic look. "Also, I didn't know you had a little brother. I would have brought something for him too..."
The two went to Connie's room and Connie got the easel from her closet, setting it up as Carly was inspecting the room.
Carly's hand reached for a certain sketchbook but Connie snatched it away before she could grab it. "... P-Please..." Was all she managed to say, clutching the sketchbook to her chest.
"Oh... so that contains your dark past?" Carly asked with a chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
Connie looked away, clutching the sketchbook tighter. She didn't want the other girl to see. One reason was that she was a little embarrassed since Carly's art had been so beautiful compared to hers, but the main reason was that inside this-
"Let's start, yes!"
This time, Carly did manage to keep focus. She forced Connie to stand in a few absurd, if not comical, poses, and painted a few more lines before letting out a frustrated groan and ripping off the paper to start over again.
To be honest, Connie would rather draw her instead of being drawn. Even if drawing people was not her strong point. The lingering attention that Carly had on her while working made her uncomfortable. She wasn't used to even being noticed, let alone get attention from someone like this.
"Too stiff! I'm not feeling it!" Carly declared with a pout and crossed her arms. "I have no need for a fake smile."
Connie turned away from the girl's gaze. "I'm... not sure what... um..."
"What?" Carly furrowed her brows a little. "You gotta speak up, yes. It's really hard to hear what you're saying."
"I... I'm sorry, Carly. It's just that I... don't really... know what you expect... or want from me." A brief pause and deep breath. Again, Carly felt the air being forced out of her lungs. "I wish I could help you but..." Connie trailed off.
Carly put down the brush. "... I was there when you first transformed a while back. Just out and about to run some errands for my dad and... a huge monster appeared almost out of nowhere!" She said, leaning back a little as the two girls' minds floated back to that day. "I was so scared." Carly admitted and looked up to meet Connie's eyes. "But so were you, weren't you?"
"I was."
Connie casted her eyes down.
"I am." She corrected, a little louder. "I am still scared."
While crossing her arms, Carly gave her a sympathetic look.
"Every day, every night... I'm scared." Connie continued, hugging herself. "Whenever I'm in a dark place... I'm... so scared of the darkness swallowing me up..." She bit back saying 'again'. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"... Sorry." Carly stood up, walked over to the blonde and reached out her arms, as if inviting her for a hug. Connie accepted it. "It must be difficult. Fighting that fear every day... and combined with the pressure of everyone putting their trust in you to protect them. Knowing that, if you lose, you let everyone down and... and..."
Carly cursed internally as that only caused Connie to sob more. Why couldn't she just keep her big mouth shut? "I see a scared girl before me now... but back then I saw a courageous warrior." Wait, no, no. That wasn't right. "I see a courageous warrior fighting her fears right now."
While still teary-eyed, Connie gave her a hopeful smile. "You think so...?"
Suddenly, Carly gasped. It was so loud Connie jerked away from her in surprise.
"That's really inspiring, yes!" She cried out, letting go of Connie. She sat down behind the easel again, with a newly determined glimmer in her eyes. "Show me your brightest smile, yes~!"
Connie forced a smile, wiping the last tears away. While the tension was still in the air, the two had calmed down considerably. After a while, Aaron popped through the door and offered a plate of some sort of filled buns.
"These are so good, mister! I've never seen these things before." Carly said as she took another one and ate it. A smile formed on her face. "Nice!"
"It's pirozhki. My mother used to make me for it back when I was a little boy." Aaron replied proudly. "That was really long ago, haha!"
This time, Connie perked up. "Oh, I love babushka's recipe...!" She grabbed a bun for herself. "It's been so long since you made them, papa."
"I felt like I had to, since I'm glad you're making so many new friends!" Aaron gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Especially since you've become a Pretty Cure."
Truth to be told, Aaron had wanted to say that she had been happier since she became Cure Gale, but he felt like that wasn't entirely true. Sure, she had gotten friends and become more social, and actually going out more, instead of being inside drawing or looking after Benny.
He had noticed she had been a bit more jumpy and restless, if not outright anxious. At least at night. Out of seemingly nowhere, she suddenly had become absolutely terrified of the dark. Aaron had tried to retrace the steps to see if some event could have caused her to develop this fear, but all routes had ended up blank.
It had gotten to the point where he had bought her a nightlight. It was a cute, cloud-shaped one with a smiling face.
"I'll leave you two artists alone now." He said with a smile and gave Connie another kiss on the forehead. "I'd love to see your masterworks soon."
Connie giggled happily. "Thank you, papa."
As Aaron left the room again, Connie was still smiling blissfully. Carly stared at her with wide eyes.
"Keep that smile, yes." She muttered, sitting down behind the easel with swallowing up another bun. "That smile is exactly what I need!"
"I'm going."
Three heads turned to Bronze, who had stood up and took a few steps forward. Every step echoed with a clank.
"Are you sure?" Smoky asked, playing around with his guitar. "You don't have to if you're still not feeling up to it."
Bronze shook her head. "I'm fine. I have to be strong, and not let my emotions get the best of me."
"This is about Aeris, isn't it?" Hail looked up from the newspaper he had been reading. He groaned at seeing himself in a picture snapped by an obviously amateurish photographer. They never got his good side on camera, or any of them. Shame.
"Connie. That's..." Bronze corrected, then took a quick pause. "That's her real name."
"Does that matter to any of us?" Hail asked with a frown and flipped over a page. "You're letting this get to your head..."
Elegy raised a hand and an amalgamation of different, unknown voices entered Bronze's ears. "You are..." A shrill woman's voice. "... Projecting..." A croaky male's voice. "Not Good..." Finally, a high-pitched voice finished the sentence.
"I know, Elegy." Bronze narrowed her eyes at the other woman. It looked like she wanted to say more but closed her mouth before words could roll out. "You wouldn't understand." She muttered under her breath.
Judging from Elegy narrowing her eyes at her, it was obvious that Bronze's comment didn't go unheard.
"I really wouldn't worry about Aeris." Smoky spoke up, feeling the tension in the room rise. "I gave her those buttons a while ago and we even had a nice, little chat, until Cure Ember had to go and ruin it." He leaned back in the couch. "Ugh. I hate her."
"And, besides... maybe Aeris will be back sooner than you think..." Hail added as he looked at the four bottles with Dark Ink swirling in them. Three of them were already half empty while one was still completely full. "The Unbounds are changing too. They're becoming... slightly different each time." He looked up to the ceiling. "And this place is getting restored a little more every time we get darkness."
Bronze snatched the full bottle from the table, held up her arm, and created a portal.
"Exactly. No use in sulking around." She said as she stepped through. "See you guys later."
"You know, I also don't have a mother." Connie whispered suddenly. "I mean, I do... but... I've never met her." She looked like she wanted to add something, but kept her tongue.
Carly stopped painting and looked up at her. "Yeah... I figured. Did she... uh... you know?"
"She left shortly after I was born. That's what papa said."
"Don't you, like, want to meet her?" Carly furrowed her brows, going back to painting. "I do miss my mom. We used to paint together all the time." She gave a smile. "But I know she wouldn't want me to be sad. Dad needs me too, after all."
An unfamiliar feeling went through Connie's chest. She had never really given much thought about her mother, but she would be lying if she said she had never imagined or wondered what it was like to have a mother-figure. Until she was ten and she had moved from Russia to America, it had always been just her and Aaron.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
Connie made a little jump when her phone had started buzzing. She grabbed it and saw she had received one new message from Hanan.
[there is a monster near the aquarium. beryl is already there] Was the message. She looked outside and saw something soar through the sky in the far distance.
Hearing its inhuman screech from even here, Connie winced. She quickly got her Skyhigh Charm, holding it up above her head.
"I'm sorry, Carly." She spoke softly. "There is an attack... I'll be back soon."
"Primal Spirit Unleash! Precure Evolution!" A small cloud engulfed her and Gale flew out, landing in front of Carly, posing automatically. "The heart that soars with the courageous wind, Cure Gale!"
"... You probably won't be able to stay here while I draw you in that pose, will you?" Carly laughed somewhat awkwardly. "You're my fave actually."
It took almost all of Gale's courage to speak up. "No... my friends need me right now." She opened the window and lifted herself off the ground. "Everyone needs me right now."
She flew off towards the monster in the sky. Upon becoming closer it became more and more clear what it was. This Unbound vaguely resembled a giant jellyfish. It had long, tentacle-like appendages that it used to swim through the skies as if it was a vast ocean.
Gale saw the other three Cures had already arrived and were trying to get close to the Unbound. Terra raised herself in the air with a pillar made of rock, although she couldn't reach the height of the jellyfish Unbound. She threw some small boulders in the monster's direction but it quickly swimmed out of the way.
"Stupid! Fiiiiiiish!" The green Cure pouted as she landed next to Ember, leaving a crack in the ground.
The three Cures were surrounded by Chromies, most of them with angry faces displayed on their screens. Ember and Terra unleashed a barrage of punches to snuff them out, while Splash swung around, sending tendrils of waters their way.
Gale hovered in place for a moment. Chromies? That would mean...
"Gale! I'm glad you're here!" Ember said as soon as she saw the purple Cure, who came closer once she had been called. "Can you try to bring that Unbound down? It's flying too high and none of us can reach it."
"... I'll try!" Gale replied and took flight.
The Unbound swam and stretched out its tentacles towards her. Jolts of electricity went through Gale's body and she shook in pain as the Unbound hit her with another slap with its tentacle, sending her falling.
A stream of water shot her right back into the sky before she could collide with the ground. Gale looked down for a second and could just caught a glimpse of Splash raising her hand.
"Go get it!" She heard the blue Cure say.
Electricity shot surged through the tentacles of the Unbound as Gale hovered in the air, trembling. The crackling sound of the electricity made her even more nervous.
"I... I'm fighting my fears right now..." She whispered to herself. "Even though I have a lot of fears..."
She concentrated, sending all of her energy to her arms and thrust them forward. Sharp blasts of wind flung the monster back, making some tears appear in its body. The tears exposed pure, pitch-black nothingness.
Gale grit her teeth as she herself got knocked back slightly as well. This disorientation gave the Unbound a chance to hit her again with its electric tentacles. She shielded herself with her arms to protect herself.
A big rock hit the Unbound before it could, and it emitted a gloomy wail. The sound made Gale wince in pain again. She was so useless like this. Why did everything either scare or hurt her?
"You're my fave actually."
Why?
Gale didn't understand why she could be someone's favorite. Ember, Terra, and Splash. They had all shown their powers to the best of their abilities. They had been fighting longer than she had. They were brave, determined, and free of fear.
She was a nobody at best. People rarely, if ever, batted an eye at her. Not that she minded, really. Gale was always perfectly fine with being on her own.
But now... being alone was scary...
Taking another deep breath, she flew higher, evading the tentacles. Fear prevented her from coming too close as she kept shooting blasts of wind.
"What is she doing!?" She heard Splash's voice vaguely down below. The three were still fending off the Chromies.
They were depending on her.
Closing her eyes, Gale spiraled in the sky and landed a dive-bomb on the Unbound's head. She instantly followed with another gust of wind as she let out a cry.
The Unbound crashed into the ground. Ember just managed to jump out of harm's reach.
"Good job..." She said, still a little surprised from narrowly escaped being crushed under the huge monster. "It's eyes changed! Terra, can yo-"
Gale took in a huge breath. "I want to do it...!" She declared, placing a hand on her chest as she hovered above the fallen Unbound.
Ember blinked in surprise, but soon smiled and nodded. "Go for it!"
"But she did it last time too!" Splash objected with a groan.
"Pretty Cure!" The Unbound was lifted off the ground and got stuck in a purple-colored tornado. "Spiral Cyclone!" Gale embraced herself in purple wind and dealt the final blow, finishing the monster off.
Shade clutched his chest as a sharp pain shot through it. He raised his head to see dark energy crawl all over the wall, attaching itself to it. Slowly, it looked like it was getting denser.
Despite the almost unbearable pain, his face remained relatively calm. "It won't take much longer now..." He breathed, turning to the mass of a shadow hovering behind him. "I can't wait to show you, buddy."
Gale landed on the ground and sank through her knees. She just now realised how out of breath and tired she was.
"Gale!" Terra's voice was a little too loud for her. "Are you okay!?"
The only reply she got was a small nod and an unseen smile.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
That sound!
"Bronze...!"
Suddenly, she flew towards the woman, who had raised a hand to open a portal. Gale's tired body screamed in protest, but she ignored it. She almost bumped into Bronze but stopped as soon as she found herself staring into a cannon.
"... Please... listen..." Gale tried, feeling her brief courage disappear while Bronze didn't even look at her. "Please..."
Reluctantly, Bronze locked eyes with her. Gale could have sworn she looked sad for a split second, but quickly reformed her face into a steely glare.
It was that same glare Bronze had worn when she had aimed her arm cannon at Shade once. The first time Gale had seen flickering in action was Bronze shooting a gaping hole in his chest and him coming right back up, twitching and all, like nothing had happened.
Seeing the same thing happening to Ray a while back... that had been scary...
Gale shook her head furiously. That didn't matter now. That shouldn't matter.
Her fear gave birth to a new feeling. Irritation, if not outright anger. "I'm... I'm sick of you guys constantly refusing our help! We can help you! Stop being so stubborn!" Gale cried out and found herself sobbing again. "You don't have to do this!"
Her cry created an intense blast of wind, sending Bronze crashing against a wall.
The winds seized and left Gale even more out of breath. She placed a shaking hand on her throat.
"B-Bronze.. I'm sorry... I...!" She weakly stumbled forward.
"Whoah there, didn't expect you to be into screamo." Splash snorted behind her.
Terra chuckled. "You literally blew her away!" She passed Gale and held up her gauntlets. "Let's finish the job." She said, almost eerily calm.
"Hell yeah! Finally something we agree on!" Splash grinned, waggling her finger and letting a small stream circle around it.
Gale felt her heart skip a beat. "No...!"
The green and blue Cures didn't hear her quiet pleas and approached the fallen woman, weapons at the ready.
She took flight and landed in front of Bronze, the two Cures still running up to her.
"Don't!"
Gale spread her arms and splayed her fingers, sending Terra to the right and Splash to the left.
"You stupid boob! What are you doing!?" Splash hissed, leering at the purple Cure. She made a couple of wild turns and landed safely on her feet. Terra wasn't so lucky and her face met the ground, leaving a small crack in it.
"Oh no... I'm sorry..." Gale apologized a few more times. Her voice grew more and more shaky with each word. What was she doing? She felt so powerless, despite the rather strong displays of her powers just seconds ago.
Behind her, she heard the sound of metallic scraping against the wall, but before Gale could turn around she felt a painful force in her back, throwing her forward. Time slowed down as she could see Bronze out of the corner of her eye, making a quick portal and going through.
Ember ran forward to catch Gale but couldn't reach her in time, and Gale's fell face-first on the ground. She kept lying there as her chest started to hurt. She had no energy to come back up at all.
"Gale?"
Aaaannndd... there it was. She was sobbing again.
"Gale...?" Ember tried again, kneeling next to her and rubbing her back. "Are you okay?" She helped her sit back up.
"I just..." A sniff. "Why won't they listen...!?" Gale buried her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated shout. "Why!?"
Splash rolled her eyes. "What did you expect her to do? They all kinda made it clear they don't want our help. Multiple times, even. If anything, you are the one who is not listening." She scoffed. "So, just shut the hell up about it and let me kick their asses!"
"It's okay, Gale. You did a good job today." Ember reassured Gale as she shot a quick glare to Splash. "Now, go home and take some well-deserved rest."
Gale nodded. "Carly must be waiting for me to come back."
"Oh, that girl from yesterday?" Ember asked, undoing her transformation. She was the only one to do so. "Say 'hi' to her for me, okay?"
Terra was staring at the place where the portal had been. Her expression was calm as her shoulder slumped slightly.
"I'm tired too." She muttered to herself, placing a hand on her temple. She forced a grin while she turned to the others. "That was a tricky battle!"
Splash stretched her arms. "I liked it! More of this please!"
Gale gave the others a meek, little wave before she ascended and flew back towards her home.
Bronze leaned against the wall, taking in the silence from the dark, empty hallway. The only noise was the sound of metal clattering due her shaking form.
She had actually shot her. She had hurt her.
"Ugh..."
Aeri- Cure Gale. She had looked so sad, so fearful. Bronze wasn't sure how to feel.
She wasn't used being the source of fear.
Bronze looked down at her metallic arms. "Is this what it feels like to be powerful...? To be strong?" She whispered to herself. "Why would anyone... want to feel like this?"
Gale, still transformed, instantly found herself in a hug when she returned back home.
"I'm so proud!" Aaron sniffed, releasing her from his bearhug and returning to Marco's side, who gave her an encouraging pat on the head. Hiding behind Marco's leg was a wide-eyed Benny and on the other side of the room was Carly.
"You were amazing." Marco added in his usual low, yet calm voice as Benny stretched his arms to Gale, who kneeled down and let him run into her arms for a hug.
Benny pushed his hands on her white, soft hair as if it was a pillow. "Softy!" He chirped happily, burying his face into it while Gale visibly relaxed.
In a quick flash of light, Gale undid her transformation and left Benny in even more awe than before. "Connie!" He cried out, hugging her yet again.
"You know, you've been my favorite from the start." Carly spoke up when the two girls had gotten back to Connie's room again. She emulated the pose she always took when she transformed into Cure Gale, while Carly sat behind the easel, finally unleashing her motivation on paper.
"... Why?"
"I like purple." Carly giggled and Connie blinked in confusion. "But, today, you gave me more than enough reasons to back up my claim."
Once again blaming her sensitive nature, Connie forced herself to not start crying. She felt unworthy of these words. She hadn't done anything to deserve this kindness. All she had done was crying and messing everything up.
"It's done!"
After what seemed to be hours, Connie finally lowered her now sore arm and walked over to Carly's side to see the finished product.
Wow... Carly was good. The painting was of Connie, of course, surrounded in a purple cyclone in a dark, starless sky. It captured her looks perfectly. If anything, it made her look more beautiful than she could ever hope to be.
"So, what do you think?" Carly rubbed some paint from her face. "Say the first word that comes to your mind."
"Happy."
Carly was slightly taken back. "Happy?"
"Yes!" Connie turned to her with a smile. "I'm happy at how wonderfully you managed to make someone like me look... enchanting?"
The grin returned to Carly's face. "You're here, and while you may be fearful at times... you still continue to fight, for all of us, and for yourself." She said, her eyes lingering on the painting. "That is the most hopeful thing to me. It inspires me to fight my own fears and insecurities, knowing that a superhero like you feels the same way. All four of you. It makes me happy, yes!"
"Thank you, Carly."
"No! Thank you!"
After Carly left, Connie started cleaning up her room, removing the little splashes of paint that had appeared on the floor. Carly had suggested to stay and help but Connie had reassured her it was okay.
It didn't take long and, as soon as she was done, Connie sat down on her bed. She exhaled a breath she had been holding. Today had been quite exhausting.
Her eyes wandered to a certain sketchbook lying on the table. She placed a hand on it, feeling the rough texture of it.
Suddenly, a wave of irritation overcame Connie and she tossed it out of the way. It hit the wall and fell on the floor.
Why hadn't she just thrown it away already? There was no need for that thing anymore. Only bad memories were associated with it. Looking at it only made her sad.
After what could either be seconds of minutes, The irritation had passed and Connie kneeled down to pick the sketchbook back up. She opened it on a random page with a trembling hand.
Her heart stopped as she looked at the drawing. A familiar, wide room in a dark abyss.
"Here she is! The one and only... the myth, the legend, the murderer...!" Shade's painfully loud voice echoed throughout the dark room as he widened this arms and paused purely for dramatic effect. "It's Aeris, the Primal Titan of Air! The Endless Tornado of Chaos!"
Four heads were raised to the girl hanging in the arms of Shade's shadow. It set her down, being surprisingly gentle, but she wobbled on her knees and sank to the floor with an unheard yelp.
Her entire body screamed in pain. Everything hurt, but her back cried out of the loudest. These wings were too big and too heavy.
"Uh... what?" She heard a male voice say. "Dude, were you using my tablet for online dating?"
Shade snarled, walking past her and closer to the other four people in room. "Shut up, Smoky." He hissed. "I wouldn't touch your filthy, primitive 'tablet' if my life depended on it."
"Heh, don't you mean your unlife?" The male from before replied and a chorus of laughter boomed throughout the room. The loudness throbbed her ears. She covered them with trembling hands in a desperate attempt to reduce the noise.
"Is she okay?" A woman's worried voice asked. "... Did she...?" She didn't finish. "Did
you...?"
This time Shade laughed. "I found her, by chance even! So that means the other three bitches are somewhere out there too!" The laughter gained a malicious tone.
"You mean... those four, gigantic women who destroyed your world?" Another male's voice spoke up. "If she is one of them, then why is she... human-sized?"
"It's because of Radiant Lumiere, I'm sure! She must have depowered them, or something." Shade replied with another snarl and clutched his wrist. "She was really powerful..."
Weakly, she managed to raise her head slightly. It was just enough to see four figures looking down at her with unreadable expressions. They were all but shadows in the already dark room. It was so wide, so high... she felt tiny.
The four turned to each other before returning their attention to Shade, who now stood behind her. She flinched when he placed one of his hands on her shoulder.
"She is gonna do what you four couldn't."
One of them scoffed quietly at that. She couldn't hear, or see, who it was.
"Now, don't murder them just yet, Aeris." Shade's smile was full of disdain as he gave her a pat on the back, making her let out another weak cry of pain. "I still need a backup plan." He added, so soft that she was almost entirely sure she had been the only one who had heard it.
He walked out of the room and his shadow slammed the door shut behind him.
"Guys, I swear I was joking when I said 'get a girl' to him! I didn't mean to literally get a girl!" A red-haired boy wearing dark shades was the first to speak up. He slowly turned to her and seemed more confused than anything. "Uh... you weren't really planning on killing us, right?"
"Do not waste your powers, whatever they are. We are as good as dead already." The older male said before she could reply. He sat on a long couch and held something in his hands. Behind him stood another woman, who avoided eye contact with her entirely. She didn't look all too happy, though.
The girl tried to speak, say something, but fear and confusion kept her speechless. Her breaths became shorter and she wrapped her hands around herself as if to protect herself. The wings twitched somewhat, still aching.
The last remaining woman carefully approached her, like one would to a scared animal, and kneeled down in front of her. The girl locked eyes with the woman. Her sclera were dark, and almost petal-like marks leaked out on her cheeks.
"Hello... Aeris, was it? I'm Bronze." The woman said in the gentlest voice she could muster. "Did something happen to you? Did you...?" Again, she stopped mid-sentence, as if she didn't want to say her words out loud.
The next minute or so was completely tuned out. The pain and exhaustion finally caught up with her as she bursted into tears again.
Bronze placed a hand on her arm, bringing her back to reality. It was cold but, in a way, somewhat comforting.
"Can you tell us what happened?" She said. "Let us help you."
Bronze had been so kind. Where had that kindness gone?
"... I don't... understand..." Connie clutched the side of the sketchbook and bit her lip. 'Why are you so damn stubborn?"
She didn't want to be enemies.
Connie flipped over to another page. Unlike the previous one, this one actually was a drawing of a person. It was a somewhat clumsily drawn, brown-haired woman.
As seen from the sketch, drawing people just wasn't Connie's forte (she was practicing, though!). Her speciality laid in landmarks, and actual people was a lot harder for her. Despite this, the picture was still obviously supposed to be Bronze. The robotic arms were quite unmistakable.
Another, more recent memory creeped into her mind.
"If you take out the darkness inside of us, we will most likely not survive."
"It's what is keeping us alive. It's all we are."
A vision of Bronze shriveling and turning into dust crossed Connie's mind and made her feel a cold chill.
That hadn't happened to Connie. She had been fine when Ray had helped her. That had to be the case for Bronze and the others too right? Or was something different? Was it because Connie was related to Aeris, the Titan of Air?
Aeris.
Just thinking about that name made her heartbeat quicken.
As soon as she felt tears swell up in her eyes, she closed the sketchbook and placed it on the table.
Now she got herself sad again.
Connie placed a hand on her temple as a sudden wave of exhaustion overcame her. Her head throbbed and she just wanted to rest her eyes, and her body.
A few uneventful days later, Connie received a message from Morgan, of all people.
[hey my dad looked over some work from the academy and said this piece is his fave (whatever that is worth) just wanted to show you] The message read. Connie noticed a file was attached to it. She opened it and saw Carly's painting of her, flying in a dark sky like a goddess of the wind, going against all odds in spite of being seemingly stuck in the darkest hour.
Looking at it made her smile. It brought her a certain kind hope and bravery.
It made her happy.