Eyyyy, everyone this was one of my fave chapters to write actually (I know I keep saying that bUT...), because we're getting some info about Beryl's past, as well some... other stuff.
I do wanna put a little violence warning on this chapter. It's overly gory or bloody or anything, but I wanted to be sure just in case, so be cautious if you're bad with violence ;;v;; (also Ray's "death" from like a couple of eps ago was worse, if that helps haha)
Anyway, thank you all for still sticking with me this far in! I'm really grateful for each and all of you, even if you're not saying anything, and even those who are just checking the story out! Know that I really love you and the fact that my work is seen makes me feel absolutely great! ^/v/^
Amber was determined to make this birthday the best ever.
It would be Beryl's last one here before the family had to move away. Business was apparently way better in a town called Dawnbridge, and the family was starting to lose business. Although, that wasn't the only reason.
"Are you okay?" Suddenly a stocky hand linked with Amber's. She looked up at her husband, George, who gave her one of his usual, soft smiles. That exact smile she had fallen in love with. The smile that made her feel like she could take on anything.
"Don't worry, dear." She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder as the two watched five children play around in the garden.
Three of the five children were Amber and George's own. Seventeen year old Peridot -or just Perry-, fourteen year old Emerald, and lastly, the birthday girl herself, eight year old Beryl. Yes, from Amber's side of the family it had been a bit of a tradition to have gemstone-related names. Amber obviously liked the tradition, but still felt bad for Aunt Moonstone.
Beryl and her friends, Heather and Aurora, were eating the elaborately big birthday cake. Maybe too big for just the seven of them in total, but the true hunger of the Forrest family was not to be underestimated.
After the cake was done, the kids moved on to play hide-and-seek with Perry. Emerald wasn't participating in the activity and instead had her attention on her old, beloved GameGirl.
Amber suddenly stood up and clapped her hands together to get the children's attention.
"So, who is ready for the scavenger hunt!?"
Episode 15: Crystal Clear Crack
"So, who is ready for a scavenger hunt?"
All eyes turned to Beryl, who was holding some sort of map in her hands. She had called all the girls to Bright's house to show something she had found in her home. If she was talking about her actual house, or the cabin she spent almost all of her time in, was unclear.
"A... what?" Ray asked, trying to puzzle together another puzzle on the other side of the room.
"It's a map to a treasure! And the treasure will only appear on this day!" Beryl said, tapping her finger on the date that was scribbled on the map. "April twenty two, that is today!"
"Why that date?" Morgan leaned into couch with her hands behind her head. "What's so special about today?"
Behind them, Bright, who was cleaning up some glasses and plates, chuckled. On his wrist was a bracelet with seven colored beads.
"And what's so funny?"
"I think a little tour around the town is a wonderful idea." He replied, not flinching from Morgan's irritated tone in the slightest. "What do you think, Ray? Didn't you mention you wanted to see more of the town?"
Ray stared at him with a blank expression "I did..."
Putting the map under her arm, Beryl clapped her hands together. "Please, guys! I beg of you to join me! I will never ask for anything ever again...!" She looked up, giving an almost pleading look. "Never ever!"
"That sounds like fun." Connie said with a smile. Her quiet voice tore through the silence. "I'll join you, Beryl."
Hanan raised a hand. "Yeah, sure. I'll come along too. I have nothing to do anyway."
Beryl pulled them both in a tight hug. "Thank you! You guys are the best!" She cheered. "So, Ray, Morgan? What do you say?"
"Nah, I pass."
Ray returned to their puzzle. "I am occupied. Do not disturb me."
"It's okay, Beryl. Connie and I will go with you." Hanan assured and put a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "If they don't want to, then that's okay..."
Beryl leaned forward, puffing up her cheeks with a pout. "But! It has to be five! It says so right here!" She argued, shoving the map into Hanan's face. "The treasure shall disappear if the five fail to make their friendship appear."
"What?" Morgan and Ray shared a quick, confused look. "That's... really dumb."
"But... but, it rhymes!"
Morgan furrowed her brows thoughtfully. "You know what... fine. Let's go. I wanted to get some food anyway."
The four girls turned to Ray.
"I refuse." They spoke, finally looking up with a frown. "I will not go."
"I'm so glad you're here, Ray!" Beryl threw her hands in the air with a cheer. Her merry mood seemed unstoppable. "I'm so happy we're all together on an adventure!"
Ray, on the other hand, wasn't sure how to feel. They had really wanted to finish their puzzle... and not be around the Tita- Pretty Cures.
But they had promised themself to try harder. They played with the little bracelet Clyde had given them the other day.
They didn't notice Beryl staring at it.
The five were, seemingly, aimlessly walking around town. The little map had five different crosses marked on completely different places. The first, most nearby mark was near the pier. While it was still early, the pier was packed with people. Most likely because it was a Saturday.
After looking around a little, they ended up on the beach underneath the pier. It was remarkably quiet here and this was actually Morgan's favorite place to be.
"Guys, look." Hanan suddenly came to a standstill and pointed at a colorful sticky note taped to a pillar. "A note?"
"It must be... a clue!" Beryl ran up to it excitingly with Connie following suit, leaving Hanan and Morgan to exchange some suspicious looks.
"Waterever happened to the good ol' days? I keep fishing for someone to tidey up the place and bring back my space." Connie read out loud, slowly. Morgan rolled her eyes, Ray blinked in confusion and both Beryl and Hanan snorted at the bad puns.
With hands hidden in her hoodie's pockets, Morgan turned Beryl. "You set this all up, didn't you?"
It took a good minute for Beryl to reply.
"... Nope." She sounded sure, but Morgan's expression revealed she didn't believe that answer in the slightest.
"Is it like... a riddle? A puzzle?" Ray asked, looking up at Hanan. For once, there was no animosity in their tone at all. It surprised Hanan quite a bit.
Hanan nodded. "I suppose." She stepped closer to the edge of the sand, just out of the water's reach. She narrowed her eyes and started scanning the crystal-clear seas to see anything out of the ordinary. "Water, fishing, tide." She whispered to herself.
Then she saw it. A small, black box(?), was a few feet away from them in the water. Were they supposed to get that?
"There!" The brunette called and the four instantly gathered around her, following her pointing finger. "I see something in there. It's like a little box or something."
"It's all the way in the water." Morgan put her hands in her pockets. "Don't really feel like swimming today."
Beryl made a little turn. "That's our first part of the treasure! We have to get it! Let's dive right in!" She suddenly gasped, as if realising something. "Or Morgan can move away the water!"
Waving a hand around, Morgan took a step back. "Nah. I can't do that." She shrugged, as her hand returned to its faithful place in her warm pocket.
"You can cry yourself a river and drown all those innocent people in it, Unda."
"Ugh, seriously? That again? You feel like 'flickering' again?" Morgan hissed, making air-quotes before turning away from the blond.
"No... No!" Beryl suddenly yelled, shoving Morgan and Ray away with her hands. Ray slapped her hand off of them. "No fighting. Not today." Her expression turned desperate. "Please...?"
Hanan nodded in agreement. "Let's enjoy ourselves, okay? But, sorry Beryl. We can't just go-" She stopped as Beryl suddenly, without taking off either her shoes or socks, ran into the water until it had reached her knees. "... Go for a swim..."
Connie noticed Ray staring at Beryl with wide eyes. They looked down at the waves, sunlight reflecting in the water.
"Ray...?"
They suddenly took off their shoes and socks and ran after Beryl. Their eyes were squeezed shut and Connie saw them shudder as the stumbled through the water.
"R... Ray...?" Beryl looked like she was about to burst into tears of joy. For once, she managed to restrain her grabby, hug-hungry hands and leave Ray alone. Their form started glowing again as they inspected the water around them, which looked like it was sparkling from the radiant light the blond emitted.
"Where is the box from the riddle?" They finally asked, bringing Beryl out of her trance. "... Beryl?"
Ray wanted to ask again but they had already found it, seeing it out of the corner from their eye. They carefully made their way over to a bit more shallow water and rolled up their sleeves. They dug a hand into the water and reached just far enough to grab the black box.
"Aha! I succeeded in-!"
A little wave pushed both them and Beryl to the side before they could finish. Droplets dripped off of them. Beryl laughed. Ray didn't.
"Unda! You assaulted me!" The blond shrieked, throwing the box in her direction. Well, they tried to throw it in her direction but Connie was the one who became a target instead. Hanan managed to skillfully catch it before anyone could get hurt.
Beryl shook her head to get the water out of her hair. "Don't you mean assaulted?" She asked, but Morgan apparently hadn't heard her because there was a distinct lack of angry leering directed to Beryl.
"Whaaatttt? I didn't do anything." Morgan said instead, not even trying to hide her sarcasm or amusement from Ray's suffering. She raised a hand, and another, small wave appeared. It didn't hit anyone this time. That was easier than she had thought it would be. "I would never do anything to hurt you, princess."
Ray glared at her. A lot of thoughts went through their mind.
Thank goodness it was a particularly warm day, and both Beryl and Ray's clothes were already starting to dry. That was probably why the pier had been so busy.
"Let us open this treasure chest!" Ray announced and tried to open the lit to the little box. No matter how much they strained themself, they couldn't open it. They shook it in their hands and they heard something clattering inside it.
"Now, be careful!" Beryl warned them with a stern look. "We might need a certain something to open it." She added with an innocent smile.
Connie tilted her head slightly. "You mean... a key?"
"Bingo!"
"She soooo set this up." Morgan whispered to Hanan, who replied with a quick nod.
"Yeah, it's really obvious... but let's just have some fun together. She went all out of her way to do this."
Morgan sighed. "And for what!?"
"You know how she is." A shrug was all she got from Hanan. "And besides, I'm enjoying myself."
At the same date, in a different place and in the past, three girls were running around a small neighbourhood for their own scavenger hunt.
They weren't aware of Perry and Emerald, the latter who had somewhat begrudgingly parted ways with her Game Boy for now, following them and making sure they wouldn't get into trouble.
Little pieces of paper with arrows on them were placed on a few trees, and nearby each of those arrows was a little "task", like pinning the tail on the donkey, and each completed task got rewarded with a sticker.
"You look silly!" Beryl giggled as she placed a sticker on Heather's forehead. The brunette touched the sticker with her small hands before joining in the giggle.
Aurora took this chance to place a sticker on Beryl's cheek. "You too!" She poked out her tongue playfully.
"Almost there!" She said and held up the 'treasure map' Beryl's mother had given them. It was easy to read and she instantly knew the final spot was in the playground at the end of the street.
"Let's go and find the treasure!"
Even with a map, it was still a bit of a hassle to follow the crosses marked on the map. They found weird, pun-filled "clues" that barely had anything to do with anything and always had another box within eyesight yet just out of reach, mostly.
One was in an old, wrecked car left in a junkyard and another in a tree near the fountain on the town square, which Connie managed to get out with a weak breeze.
"Yeah! Teamwork!" Beryl cheered as Connie handed her the box.
"Seems like all of us can use our powers..." Hanan began, crossing her arms and stared at nothing in particular. "Even when not transformed..." She heaved a sigh. "I thought I was the only one.."
Ray gave her an odd look.
"If any of you decide to misuse your powers for evil purposes, or destroy anything... I will be forced to dim you." They spoke, voice low. "Ultimately, this time."
The mood turned tense as Ray let the threat linger for a minute. Their glowing eyes shifted from Hanan to Morgan, to Beryl, to Connie, and back to Hanan again.
"I will not allow any of you to destroy a world on a simple whim. Not again. Never again."
Hanan was the first to find her voice again. "Why did... we do that...?" She asked quietly. "Destroy your world, I mean..."
"And... um..." Connie had her eyes focused on the ground and didn't dare to look up. "Kill... kill people?"
Now Ray was the one caught in silence. They rubbed their palm nervously. Quicker and quicker.
"Okaaayyyy~! Let's continue!" Ray internally thanked Beryl for the suggestion and distraction from the topic.
The playground was empty, but that made it all the more fun! The three girls got distracted playing on the swings before finally noticing the arrow near the sandbox.
Beryl and Heather were all too happy to start digging into the sand. Aurora hesitated for a moment before joining in as well. She was more gentle, precise, and careful than the other two, who just threw sand left and right.
"Got it!" Heather cheered in an almost uncharacteristically loud voice. Smiling brightly, she got a small, plastic treasure chest on her lap.
She easily opened it and the three girls' eyes started to shine at what was inside. All kinds of wrapped candy and snacks. Chocolate crackers, truffles, candy corn...
"Yuck." Aurora scrunched her nose slightly at the bag of orange candy.
"Let's go back and share it at my house!" Beryl suggested and couldn't control herself enough to not steal a chocolate egg.
Beryl's expression soured slightly as she watched Aurora and Heather walk a little in front of her, the latter with the chest still in her hands.
They didn't know yet.
They didn't know this would be the last time...
Beryl had to tell them soon.
The second-to-last mark brought them to a gym, just in time to see a hulking beast of a man tear off the clue from the window. When Beryl ran up to him with a yell, he shifted his intense glare to her, clenching his fist with the paper in hand.
"Mister, no! Why did you remove my- I mean... the... the mysterious note from the scavenger hunt!?"
"So it was you who placed this here? That is vandalism!" The man yelled and stepped towards Beryl. "I can have you arrested for that, missy!"
Connie placed her hands on her ears from the man's loud, booming voice, and hid behind Beryl.
"Oh my god, that's Leroy Varman. He's a fitness coach. My mom hates him so much." Hanan whispered to the others with a quiet, slightly nervous chuckle as the man was reading a little notebook in his large hands. "She took a fitness program from him once and left in the middle of the first class. He's... um... bold."
"Heh, I've seen him around, yeah. I'm sure you can learn something from him." Morgan replied with a grin. "Especially with those tiny arms of yours."
Hanan frowned. "What is that supposed to mea-!?"
The man, Leroy, returned his attention to them and gave all five of them a look of disbelief. "Wait. Hold on. You're Cure Terra, and you're Cure Splash, Cure Gale, and Cure Ember." He frowned deeply and leaned forward slightly, but still towered over all of them. "Not sure about you, though." He pointed at Ray, who gasped.
"I am Radiant Lumiere, the light-"
He boomed into another laughter.
"Real cute, sweetie. But I hope you don't expect me to believe that's your real name." Leroy said between breaths. "Unless your parents wanted you to be 'special'."
"But... I am special." Ray corrected as they gave him a scolding look. "Are you aware you are acting like a barbarian and ruining an important occasion?"
"And that is...?"
"A 'scavenger hunt' made for me."
"Not just for you..." Beryl murmured softly and she got in between them before a potential fight could break out. Ray had a tendency to get into trouble and fights no matter where they went or who they talked with.
Hanan motioned the group away with her hand. "Let's go". She said as Morgan and Connie followed her right away. Ray huffed quickly and joined as well.
Beryl remained as Leroy handed her the little treasure chest she had hidden beside a chalkboard in front of the gym. She put it with the other boxes in her bag.
"Cure Terra. It's very clear to me you are the strongest of your group." Leroy's tone softened slightly, but his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent scowl. It was probably the eyebrows. "I've actually had students told me they were inspired by your heroics to become stronger."
Beryl didn't know what to say to that. She... had inspired people? Like a true hero?
The corners of her mouth turned upwards and she smiled brightly at him.
"I will continue to do my best." She said, determination clear in her voice as she placed a hand on her necklace. "We will. Me and my friends."
Before she knew it, the entire area was covered in dark smoke. She couldn't even see, or smell, where the others had gone. However, the smell of disgusting darkness was unmistakable.
She knew what it meant. She put down the bag on the ground next to her and grabbed her Earthbound Charm. "Primal Spirit Unleash! Precure Evolution!"
Rocks formed around her and it burst open in a flash of green light, Cure Terra landed, shaking the ground slightly, and posed. "The heart that grows with the steadfast earth, Cure Terra!"
"Can't ever teleport here without ending up close to you guys..." Smoky stepped into view, looking almost bored. "Every damn time, man..." He sighed loudly as he got his bottle of Dark Ink from his pocket and turned to Leroy. "Guess you will do."
Terra got into a fighting position but Leroy passed her and stomped over to Smoky. "You are one of those crooks turning people into monsters!" He grabbed him by the collar of his coat. "Beat it, squirt! Or I'll beat you."
"Whoah, whoah, dude! No need to be so violent." Smoky said, raising his hands defensively in the air, still with the bottle in one. "Let a man do his job in peace, okay?" He got himself out of Leroy's grip as Terra raised a rock-pillar in between them.
"Go somewhere safe, Mister Carman! He's dangerous!"
"Carman!? Carman!?" Leroy almost exploded at that and turned his fury to Terra. "It's Leroy Varman!"
Smoky came to a sudden halt and furrowed his brows. "... Leroy Varman?"
"Yeah, that's me! You gotta problem with that, kid!?"
He slowly put the bottle back in his pocket and summoned both his guitar and a horde of Poofs. He straightened his back and no trace of his usual, cocky smile remained.
"Actually, I do."
Now Terra came to a halt, confused. "Wha-?"
She didn't get a chance to finish as the Poofs tackled her out of the way and Smoky ran up to Leroy, kneeing him in the guts as the man doubled over in pain. Smoky lifted his guitar and proceeded to hit Leroy in the head. It almost seemed like some black sparks and smoke poured out from the impact and Leroy hit the ground.
"You... little shit!" Leroy coughed out and snapped his head up. "What's... the... meaning of this!?"
"This... this is for Mirna."
"Who-?"
Smoky struck his guitar back down and knocked the man unconscious.
Terra found herself frozen in place, watching in horror and disbelief at the scene in front of her. Never had any of them attacked a civilian personally. Never like this...
"Stop!" She finally managed to move and pushed Smoky away from the fallen man. "What are you doing!? Attacking an inno-!"
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS, CURE TERRA!" He now turned to her and she managed to block getting whacked with his guitar by forming an X in front of her with her arms. How the guitar wasn't broken yet was a miracle in itself, but then again... Terra had figured the thing was magical.
Terra got ready to run to Leroy but Smoky grabbed her by the arm and swung her against a wall. "I won't let you do that." He said and stepped with one foot on Leroy's body.
"What is up with you...?" She quickly got back on her feet. Then a realisation hit her. "You... you know that man, don't you?"
"Actually, I've never met him until now." Smoky replied with a shrug as the cracks in his guitar slowly disappeared.
Terra took in a breath. "Then why? Why did you attack him like that...?"
"Oh, don't act as if this was any less brutal than what you and your little friends did to us." He adjusted his coat with his free hand before giving another rough kick to the man's side. "He deserves it."
"All of you did too!" Terra argued, clenching her fists. "Even when Connie gave you all a chance... you didn't take it and kept hurting people. There is no turning back now!" She stomped a foot down. "You can't expect to hurt people and not face punishment for it!"
Smoky let out a long sigh. "This is why I hate humans." He moved out of the way to evade a punch from Terra and returned a kick to her. Terra let out a ragged cough and quickly shifted around, grabbing his arm and a handful of red hair before lifting him over her shoulder and throwing him against the ground, creating a small crater from sheer impact. The three star-shaped clips in his hair fell on the ground and his guitar disappeared.
"You're ruining my day." Terra said, lips quivering. "Of all days... why today...?" A pause. "I don't want to fight..."
Smoky balanced himself on his knees, putting the clips back in his hair. "Oh, poor, poor you."
"Why can't it be like... back then...? Back home..." She mused to herself and caressed the flower-shaped crystal on her choker. Unlike all of her normal clothing, the lucky charm remained a piece of her outfit as Cure Terra.
It was her most important treasure, after all.
A bunch of Poofs tackled Terra from behind and exploded, sending her to crashing against a streetlamp. She was quick to recover and got right back up, just in time to see a handful of Poofs play catch with the little boxes from her bag.
"Hey! Keep your hands off of those!"
Stone pillars burst from the ground, hitting the Poofs, which exploded on impact. More came in their place and piled up on Terra until she couldn't move anymore.
Smoky picked up one of the boxes and held up his hand. A string of smoke slithered into the keyhole and it clicked open. Smoky took the item from the box, a red-colored bracelet, and put it on his hand. "Look at this, it's so shiny!" His usual cheerful mood returned for a brief moment as he emptied the three boxes the same way. All four containing bracelets made from different gemstones of different color.
"Those are not meant for you!" Terra used all her energy to raise another stone pillar under her feet, lifting her in the air. More Poofs appeared and she started clearing them out with the last remaining strength she had. For each she defeated, two more appeared in its place. It was like they desperately wanted to keep her away from Smoky, who had returned to stand over Leroy.
"Oh... okay, dude. Easy, steady." He held out his hand. Smoke started circling around it like a snake before it slid into an open wound on the side of Leroy's shaved head.
His concentration was lost when a ragged rock hit him in the back. He managed to keep standing but Terra hit him square in the chest.
"Can you... leave? I haven't made an Unbound so you're really overstaying your welcome." He snarled at her and continued to block each and every punch she threw his way. He considered himself lucky she hadn't summoned her gauntlets.
She grabbed Smoky's arm and attempted to pry the four bracelets off of it. "Give them back!" She gritted her teeth and the two continued struggling.
Not the treasures... she had worked so hard on them. She had even made a new one for Ray, after they had broken the last one.
She wanted it to be proof of their bond, their friendship...
Nobody else would get them. She wouldn't let them.
The little threads keeping them together broke and the bracelets fell on the ground and out of sight.
"... No!"
A sudden wind blew away a good portion of the smoke in the area, and the three remaining Cures appeared.
"Where's the Unbound?" Splash asked, sounding impatient.
With a concerned look, Ember ran up to the green Cure. "Terra!? Are you ok-!?" She stopped as she saw Leroy's bruised, unconscious body on the ground. "Wha... what happened...?"
Smoky picked himself up and used this distraction to grab Terra with the intent to toss her to the side. He grabbed her by the choker, fingers folded around the crystal-flower, and ripped it right off before tossing it aside.
It cracked when it hit the ground.
Something snapped in Terra and her mind drifted off to the past.
Coming back to Beryl's home, the three girls found a surprise waiting for them. A lot of delicious food, like s'mores, pancakes, and muffins, as well a pinata, and finally, crafting supplies on a table.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the three girls were completely engrossed in crafting something together, while Perry guided them.
"Why don't you come make a lucky charm too, Em!?" Perry asked Emerald, who simply shook her head and continued her game.
"Peeerrryyy!" Beryl called her older brother. "Can we make it a flower?"
Perry laughed. "Sure! Flower is easy! So what colors do you like?"
"Green!"
"Of course, of course." Perry replied before turning to the two other girls. "Aurora, Heather? What colors do you want?"
Aurora thought about it for a moment. "Blue." She decided with a clear voice and a fresh smile.
"I like brown..." Heather raised her head. "Is that dumb...?" She said softly, fumbling with her hands a little.
"Brown? Good choice! Very, very underrated!" Perry was surprised but his cheery mood returned quickly. "That's actually my favorite color too!"
Heather perked up at hearing that. "Really...!?" She asked. "Most people think it's ugly..."
"They are poopie-heads!" Beryl huffed and crossed her arms.
Despite feeling a little restless, Amber still found herself giggling at the children's antics. Perry did his best to guide the three girls through the process of making a lucky charm. Soon, he didn't even need to help anymore since Beryl had picked up the process really quick and was helping Aurora and Heather finish theirs.
"Like... this?" Heather asked as she tried to weave the crystal 'petals' together into a flower shape.
Beryl and Aurora both nodded. "Yes, yes!" They placed their own crystal flowers next to Heather's unfinished one. "We all have the same!"
The finishing touch was a small, cut-out gemstone of choice in the center. A fresh, green beryl for, who else, Beryl, an earthly brown axinite for Heather and a clear, bright sapphire for Aurora.
"We did it! We did it!" The three cheered as they all lifted their crystal flower to the sky and watched the sun's reflections shine through. "So pretty!"
They would cherish it, as it was a proof of their friendship.
Crack.
A bloodcurdling scream forced Terra back to the present and slowly reality started to set in as she watched at the scene right in front of her.
What had she done?
Splash cringed and turned away, and Gale held tightly onto Ember, who clenched her fist and bit her lip. Just looking at unnaturally bent arm gave the red Cure a fiery, slightly painful sensation in her own. It was her mind playing tricks on her, sure... but...
With a weak yelp, Terra let go of Smoky's broken arm and he stumbled back. His shades fell off his face with a small thud, finally showing his eyes... or well... eye.
The right eye looked fairly normal, save for the usual black sclera but the left was like a gaping, black hole. Smoke poured out of it like it was an old-fashioned chimney.
"Cure Terra... you bitch!" He said between ragged breaths and clutched his limp arm. Smoke came out of both of his ash-colored hands as well. "That... hurts...!"
"I...I'm..." Terra tried to speak but the words got stuck. She stumbled back and looked at her hands with wide, terrified eyes. "I..." With tears forming in her eyes, she sank to her knees, slowly picking up the cracked crystal-flower and holding it against her chest.
Smoky took a few clumsy steps back and carefully let go of his limp arm, and his free hand grabbed the bottle of Dark Ink. With his heavily shaking hand, Smoky poured the remaining half of the bottle into Leroy's shadow and dragged it out. "Unbound, overshadow your light and dim your hope."
The Unbound that manifested was slightly taller than normal and resembled a muscular gorilla with some sort of armor on its arms and chest, hiding away the cage.
"... Unbound, get out of here and suffer forever until your darkness dries out and there's nothing left of you..." Smoky commanded coldly before he vanished into a portal.
The Unbound slammed its fits on its chest and let out a loud roar before jogging off out of sight.
Gale and Splash gave chase right away while Ember kneeled down next to Terra and placed a warm, yet firm hand on her shoulder. "We'll handle this. Go find Ray and rest, okay?"
Terra nodded weakly and Ember ran in the direction the Unbound and the two Cures had gone.
"Heather... Aurora..." Terra wasn't sure how long she sat there... just... staring at the ground and letting tears roll down her cheeks while she clutched her cracked crystal-flower against her chest. "I'm sorry... how can I... face you after this? I'm a monster..."
After a couple of minutes, she finally gathered the courage and willpower to get up and started looking for the loose pieces of the bracelets.
Her heart felt an immense amount of sorrow when she realised all of the pieces were cracked or broken.
"... Beryl?" Ray stood a few feet away from her, hands folded over their chest. "Why are you...?" They didn't finish once they noticed Terra's tears.
Terra continued picking up pieces. Aquamarines, pyrope garnets, ametrines, and opals. "Maybe... you were right, Ray..." She sniffed, voice and head kept low. "Maybe I am a monster, and don't deserve to be happy."
When Terra finally looked up to meet Ray's gaze, it brought back another memory.
"Fi... Firefly...?"
Giant emerald eyes stared right through her. She saw her own reflection, or multiple reflections even, in the eyes of the Titan and... what she saw... terrified her.
They found themselves at a complete loss of words, so they just decided to silently help Terra pick up the remaining gemstones.
"Opal..." They murmured. "Is that-?"
"For you. I want to be your friend... no matter what..." Terra confessed as tears started flowing again. "But you're always so... so... so mean to us."
Terra figured to just keep her mouth shut, in fear of hurting anyone again. Her mind was a huge mess right now and her thoughts were all over the place.
Without saying a word, Ray dropped the remaining gemstones in Terra's palms.
Now Terra completely was out of it. She let out a cry of raw emotions as she held onto the cracked gemstones. Her own lucky charm laid on her lap, which she cupped in her hands too.
She had wanted today to be the best day...
But everything was ruined now.
"My friends are my treasure..." Terra's hands suddenly started glowing in a fresh, green light. The cracks from the gemstones slowly started to mend, repairing them. Even the lucky charm, slowly repaired itself, but not completely. "My friends are my power."
In another, quick flash of light, Terra unceremoniously turned back into Beryl. It was like all the life had been drained from her. She took a deep, albeit unsteady, breath. "What...? Did I...?"
"Earth can be destructive... but..." Ray's expression had a tiny hint of a smile. "It is also where all new life starts."
The chase was on. As the Unbound ran through the streets, the Cures kept striking their attacks. Kicks, blows of wind, streams of water, and fiery punches.
Gale managed to slow the raging Unbound considerably with blasts of wind but it swooped her out of the air and grasped her tightly with its free hand.
"Gale!" Ember rushed towards it, clenching her fist and setting it on fire. She made a jump and struck the Unbound's chin. With another quick swipe, Ember found herself caught in the Unbound's grip too.
"So useless! I really am better off alone." Splash sighed, shooting herself into the air with a stream of water and swiped her hands above her. Countless bubbles manifested around her.
The bubbles exploded once they came into contact with the Unbound's armor. More and more, until the armor disappeared, exposing its arms and the cage-like chest fully. The Unbound let go of Ember and Gale and started yelling even louder.
"Shut up!" Splash concentrated and released a sparkling torrent to the Unbound. "Pretty Cure Hydro Wave!"
Everything returned back to normal.
When the trio had detransformed and managed to slip away before the usual paparazzi could come, they had found Ray and Beryl sitting on a bench in a somewhat isolated spot.
Beryl was crying.
"What did you do this time?" Morgan groaned, shooting a glare at Ray. The blond instantly stood up to defend themself but Beryl shook her head with a sniff.
"Ray didn't do anything... don't be... mad at them."
In an attempt to reassure her, Connie sat down next to Beryl and gently touched her hand. Beryl jerked away from the girl with a cry.
"No, don't touch me! I'm dangerous!" She sobbed. "You saw what I did! What if... I break your spine, or your neck!?"
Connie retreated her hands to her mouth, obviously horrified at the thought.
"I broke his arm with my bare hands!" With an expression revealing anxiety and fear, Beryl looked at her hands. Her normal, dirt-covered hands. The hands who had both broken and repaired something today.
"Heh. More like bear hands." Morgan snorted. Beryl wasn't amused and gave the shorter girl an almost disgusted glare. "What?"
"But... you also repaired those gemstones." Ray chimed in with a clear voice, but didn't make eye-contact. "And did not eat any of them..."
Smoky sank to his knees when arriving back at the base. Elegy instantly rushed to him. Her eyes widened at seeing his injuries.
"What happened? Who did this!?" Bronze asked as she gritted her teeth at his obviously fractured bone. "It was the Pretty Cure, wasn't it?" She summoned a metal plate around his arm.
Smoky leaned on Elegy, who guided him to the biggest couch in the room. "Cure Terra..."
Bronze's expression turned dark at hearing that.
"Your eye... is it okay?" Hail asked, concerned and pointed at his own eye with an uneasy look. "I will still say it does not look pleasant but... you said it doesn't hurt, right?"
"Ugh, it's kinda... burning?" Smoky choked out. "I've never felt something like that before... actually, my entire body feels like it's on fire."
Somewhat reluctantly, Hail placed his cold hand over the gaping hole that was supposed to be an eye.
"That... feels nice... or, better said, ice, heh. Can't you just turn me into a popsicle or something, dude? My body is, like, smoking-hot, haha..." Smoky joked weakly. He looked like he could pass out any minute now.
"Can't exactly do that now, can I?" Hail replied with a smile of his own. "We kinda need you."
"Of course... I need you guys, too."
With heavy steps, Bronze clenched her metallic fists. "They will not get away with this." She raised her hand to open a portal, but Elegy placed a hand on her arm, forcing it down firmly.
"Don't do that." Hail, still sitting by Smoky's side, turned around to look at her with a stern expression. "Let's not be hasty. It'll do more harm than good."
"Look at what she did to him!" Bronze objected instantly. "You expect me to forgive that!?"
Hail and Elegy exchanged some vague looks. Both seemed just as tense as she was.
"Bronze... I'm sorry..." Smoky broke the silence with his weak, almost eerily quiet voice. "I was so ready to throw away the last... bit of morality... I have left. I was so ready to..." He bit back the words.
Still pacing around slowly, Bronze turned to him, brows furrowed in a questioning frown. "What do you mean?" Her voice was low, yet soft.
"I tried to kill Leroy Varman."
The clanking noises from Bronze's boots seized as she stopped.
"... You met him?" She kept staring at the ground. Her eyes focused intensely on the dark floor underneath her. "You should stay away from him."
"I couldn't...! When I heard his name, I just...something snapped... exploded..." Smoky tried to sit up. "He hurt you, so much... and that made me so angry." He exhaled another puff of smoke. "I was so... angry... it was like I wasn't thinking..." Another pause. "My mind was... clouded and I was just so... angry."
Bronze leaned against the wall, body trembling. "I'm sorry... I need a minute." She folded her arms around herself in an attempt to emulate safety.
"I'm so tired, guys. Don't worry, just resting my eyes a little. The darkness will do the rest and heal me right back up, just like with you... " Smoky said with a reassuring tone as he closed his eye, smoke still pouring out of the other one. "You guys promise to still be here when I wake up?"
"Yes, we'll always be."
"You're back!" Bright instantly greeted the five with a hug once the last mark on the map had brought them back to his house. "I saw what happened... are you all right?"
They all nodded somewhat reluctantly.
Stepping into the living room, all of them were surprised to see decorations all over the room. Balloons, streamers, a table filled with food, and a couple of presents and a huge rainbow cake, and lastly, a banner which read; "Happy Birthday!"
"Wa... wait...!" Morgan snapped her head to Beryl. "Today is...?"
Beryl offered a grin. Everyone could easily see it was forced.
"Yup. Today is my special day." She said with a smaller, but genuine this time, smile. "I wanted to spent it with you guys." Beryl looked away. "So, I asked Bright to help me with my scavenger hunt. The treasure chests... Bright has to key to open them, but... that's not really needed anymore."
Bright held up his arm to show the colorful bracelet on his wrist with a proud smile. "I already got mine yesterday. Isn't it lovely?"
"The gemstones...?" Ray pointed at the loose gemstones still in Beryl's hand. Unlike the still slightly cracked crystal-flower, the gemstones were completely restored by Beryl's powers.
Beryl shook her head. "I wanted to give them to you guys, as a proof of friendship." She offered a timid smile. "Originally wanted to do it at the sleepover... but that didn't really go through. So! I decided to give them as presents for spending the day with me!"
"But... it's your birthday! We should be getting you presents." Hanan spoke up, crossing her arms. "Why didn't you tell us? I would have gotten something for you..."
Beryl smiled back at her. "You guys already gave me the best present I could ask for." Her smile grew wider. "Being my friends."
Nearby the forest, three girls were playing in the twilight. They played tag, hide-and-seek, and eventually just laid down in the grass to watch the beautiful skies.
Beryl bit back some tears. Was there a way for this moment to last forever?
Holding up their crystal-flowers in the air, prisms of green, brown, and blue danced in the last rays of sunlight as the three girls exchanged smiles.
This was a proof. A memento of their friendship. No matter how far apart they would be, as long as they had these, nothing would be able to drive them apart. They would always make them find a way back to each other again.
This was a treasure for them to share.
"I have two more friends counting on me." Beryl got her crystal-flower. Seeing the crack in it made her feel... worthless. There would surely be a way to repair it too, like she had done with the gemstones. "I will do everything in my power to protect them... even if that means losing myself in the process."
"Don't say that..." Connie folded her fingers around Beryl's hand.
Hanan was inspecting the gemstones Beryl had laid down on the table. "I've got an idea. Beryl, why don't you show us how to make them into a bracelet? We can do it together?"
Perking up, Connie clapped her hands together with a smile. "That sounds wonderful! Teamwork~!"
"Really? You guys want to do that?"
Morgan shrugged. "Yeah, sure. It's your day."
"Even you... Morgan...?" Beryl started to tear up again, but the tears were of happiness this time.
Ray stepped forward as well. "Show us the procedure, Beryl." They said with a more demure voice than expected. "Maybe, we can learn something from you."
Wiping more tears away, Beryl managed to give another smile. "... Thank you!"
Beryl gave one last look to her own lucky charm and she remembered her friend's smiles. The main thing she wanted to protect.
"Heather, Aurora. I'll keep doing my best. For you, and them..."