Hello everyone... back with another episode! We're already at 22 episodes, wowie... I wouldn't have gotten this far if it hadn't been for my dear friends, and everyone reading this story! So thank again 3
As always, feedback of any kind is welcomed with open arms!
"Are you sure you will be okay? You don't want me to bri-?"
Ray held up their hand, silencing Bright. "That will not be necessary, dad!" They smiled, holding up the little bag filled with some of Bright's (rainbow-colored, of course) cupcakes. "I will do this on my own! With my own wits, and my own strength."
"But Connie's house is a bit of a walk... I don't want you to get lost." Bright replied as he carefully ran a hand through Ray's golden locks. "Again..."
"Believe in me. I know the way!"
Episode 22: Blending of Colors
It turned out that... Ray didn't know the way after all.
Making sure to stay on the sidewalk, Ray slumped through the busy streets. They were trying to find Connie's house. She had promised to give them a picture book, after all!
And Ray loved picture books. Bright had bought them a lot of those. They honestly preferred the innocent stories and imagery over the walls and walls of text they had been forced to read back home.
They caught their mind wandering off again, but quickly forced their attention back to the present. It was important to pay attention to your surroundings when walking!
If they were close enough they should be able to sense the presence of Aeri- Connie.
Ray shook their head.
No.
No more thinking like that.
It was Connie. Aeris didn't exist anymore. It was just Connie.
And Connie was their friend.
Hanan was their friend.
Beryl was their friend.
Morgan was their frie-
They had fallen so deep in their thoughts they didn't even notice the person in front of them. Before they knew it, they had fallen on their butt as the person, a woman, turned around and gasped.
"Are you okay?" She asked, reaching out a helpful hand to them.
Ray hesitated.
"Yes." They replied, not taking the hand and hastily getting back up and picking up the bag of cupcakes.
Thank goodness they were still good!
"Um... I would like your assistance!" They called after the woman as she got ready to walk away again. As the woman turned around, Ray got a little piece of paper with Connie's address written on it.
The woman narrowed her eyes while she read it. "That's um... right over there?" She pointed at the house a few feet away from Ray.
"Oh..."
After expressing their gratitude with a polite bow and a "thank you", Ray rushed to the correct address. They knocked on the door, again and again.
It didn't take long for Connie to open the door. Ray didn't notice her somewhat strained expression before she perked up at seeing the blond.
"Ray!?" She seemed quite surprised. "Why... um... are you here?"
"I have come to receive my present!" Ray grinned proudly. "You said I would get a picture book if I helped out with Victoria, remember?"
Connie gasped. "Oh!" Her mood turned somber again as she nodded and opened the door completely, allowing Ray inside. "I've got it. Why don't you come inside? Do you want something to drink? I was just making coffee."
Disgusted, Ray scrunched up their nose. "Coffee?" They shuddered as they briefly remembered trying to take a sip of Bright's coffee a while back. "Ew...!"
Connie giggled softly as Ray followed her inside. The two walked through a small hallway with quite a lot of family pictures. They even saw the little calendar hanging on the wall!
"I have brought some cupcakes for you to enjoy. Um... I would like to talk to you, if you do not mind..." Ray spoke shyly as they averted their gaze from Connie. "I also want to... um... ap- AH!"
Ray's face met the ground as they were suddenly tackled from behind. They felt a weight on their back and heard a high-pitched voice cheer loudly.
"Help me!" Ray yelled. "I am being assaulted!"
"Benny!" Connie cried out as she picked up the younger boy trying to jump on Ray's back. "I'm so sorry, Ray! Are you okay!?"
Ray looked up to see a Connie holding a little boy. They recognised him from the various pictures. He... barely looked like Connie. His hair was messy and black, unlike her light blonde. His skin was also somewhat darker than hers, and not to mention their facial structures didn't even remotely resemble each other.
That seemed odd. Weren't they family?
Again, the concept of people having a mother and father (or father and father, in Connie's case) was so strange to them.
But siblings... that was an entirely different story.
Ray had met Hanan's brothers before, and shared a dinner table with them once. They were a noisy bunch, but friendly and inviting at the same time.
They actually looked very alike. Their skin, hair, and facial structures were really similar. To make things a bit easier for themself, Ray had compared them to a tea set. Hanan and her brothers looked like they were a set. They were made to be a set.
Connie's little brother and her looked too different to be considered part of the same 'set'. As if they came from two different sets and put together...
After playfully scolding Benny, Connie went to make some tea for Ray. The blond sat down on the couch while Benny returned to drawing with crayons, which were scattered across the table.
"Chocowan!" Benny gave Ray a toothy grin as he showed them his crude drawing of brown colors with what was, apparently, supposed to be Chocowan.
"I love Chocowan!" Ray found themself smiling and leaning closer. Their body started glowing, causing Benny's eyes to grow wide "Um... I just do not see Chocowan in thi-" Aaah!"
Again, they let out a yell. Benny slapped his small hand on their face while the other pulled on their hair. "Glowy! Glowy!"
"Help me! CONNIE!"
Connie rushed back to the living room to, again, pry Benny off of Ray. Even in her arms, he still held out his hands to them. "Pretty! Connie, look!"
"I'm so sorry, Ray... he's a little energetic." Connie apologized and gave Benny a small frown. "Benny, Ray doesn't like that. Be careful!" She said with supposedly stern look. Even Ray found it somewhat laughable. "Oh, show off your dance to them! They'll love it!"
Benny's eyes widened even further as they looked from his sister to Ray. He nodded and started swaying his hands around while spinning through the room.
"I learned this at school!"
Getting excited too, Connie clapped as she watched her little brother laugh and dance around the room.
"That is not a dance...!" Ray frowned, standing up and getting in position as they had done countless times back home. "Allow me to show you a true dance."
They raised their hands, getting ready to do a dance that they had learned home, but Benny had already turned his attention back to the crayons. "How dare you not pay attention to me!?"
Benny didn't reply and continued working on his drawing of Chocowan, proudly showing it off to Connie, who smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.
"Ahem!" Ray cleared their throat as they set down the bag of cupcakes on the table. "Bright made a lot of cupcakes, but not all of them worked out... so, he asked if I could bring some with me since I was visiting you anyway."
"Really? Thank you so much!" Connie finally got Ray's tea ready and opened the bag. "Benny, look!"
Benny's eyes started to shine and he instantly snatched two cupcakes from the table, stuffing them both in his mouth. In less than a second, he coughed them back out. "Ew! Gross!"
Putting a hand over her mouth, Connie sputtered a meek: "B-Benny!"
"Bright did say he was ex-ex-...experimenting?" Ray coughed the last word out. "But he was sure that we would not be able to eat all that he made."
Timidly, Connie tried one as well and the second she bit down on the soft cake, her face strained. She didn't say anything and just continued to eat it.
"Bright says you do not have to force yourself to eat something you do not like." Ray told her, voice surprisingly soft. They carefully repeated the words Bright had told them. "Be honest."
His words always made them feel like they actually had a choice, and that their opinions and emotions mattered.
It had been the same with Lucille...
Mother's words never had given them that feeling of freedom. It was always her way or no way.
"No. It's all right. They're... nice!" Connie reassured them and slowly reached for another cupcake. Ray, hiding their hand in their sleeve, stopped her by lightly tapping her hand.
"That is a lie." They said as they narrowed their eyes. "Do not take me for a fool!"
Connie stepped back, fumbling with her hands.
"I have been truthful with you, so I expect you to do the same." Ray continued as their eyes stayed focused on her. She grew increasingly nervous and turned away from them. "We are friends, are we not?"
That made Connie turn back. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe what Ray had just told her.
"I want you to trust me, just as I trust you." Ray rubbed the palm of their hand but still kept their gaze. Their look softened. "Please, do not be afraid of me, Connie..."
Ray stood up, hands pressed tightly together over their chest. "That is also why I came here today. I want to... apologise to you."
"What... why?"
"I have been so cruel to you... to everyone... " Ray bowed politely and bit their lip. "It was not your fault what happened to you. You did not deserve to go through all that...! And if anyone is to blame then it is me! If only I had not... being so selfish..."
Connie reached out a hand to them. "Ray..." She shushed with a whispery voice. "No, no... it's okay. You went through a lot too. And, look!" Connie's smile was genuine. "We're both still here!"
Ray returned a smile of their own. "You are right! Earth will not meet the same fate as Primo. I will make sure of that. No matter what I have to sacrifice."
"You won't have to. We're here too... we don't want you to lose anything eve-"
A yell made both of them jump. It almost seemed like Connie's hair was pulled up by a quick breeze.
The two turned around to the source of the noise and saw that Benny was practically glued to the television screen. He was jumping up and down and cheering loudly.
"CHO-CO-WAN! CHO-CO-WAN!" He yelled as Connie covered her ears. "Chocowan is on TV!"
"Yes, but not so loud, Benny!" Connie reminded him and turned back to Ray... only to find out that Ray had sat down next to Benny in front of the TV and was cheering with him.
After blinking a few times, Connie smiled. She couldn't help but giggle at seeing Ray being completely engrossed in the brown dog in a chocolate wrapper on the television. They almost seemed more into it then Benny.
Just like a child...
"... Ray, if it is okay with you... um... I would like to ask you something..." Connie spoke up, fumbling with her bracelet nervously. "Can you come with me for a second? " She asked with a whisper, shrinking back. "I will give you the picture book too."
Ray seemed confused but nodded hesitantly. "Is something bothering you, Connie?"
It took a moment for Connie to reply. "I think...?" She finally muttered as Ray followed her to her room, leaving Benny to nicely play with his toys while watching the television.
"You really love your dads, do you?" Ray instantly took notice of the pictures Connie had of her, her brother and dads in her room. "You seem so close. Your... um... brother too."
"I love them so much. I am so lucky to have them."
As Connie took a deep breath, Ray felt their own breath being stuck in their throat.
Quietly, she picked up one of her sketchbooks. "Look, I often have... dreams... dreams of flying in the skies." She started, but found herself losing all words she had wanted to say right there.
Actually, most of her dreams lately had been all over the place. Sometimes she remembered soaring through the skies, freely and happy, while other times she experienced falling into darkness again. Sometimes she could vividly remember her dream or nightmare after waking up, while other times everything was a blur and only an intense feeling remained.
Sleeping had become quite scary because of the unpredictability of her dreams.
She didn't notice she was clutching the sides of the sketchbook. "Tell me about... Aeris."
"What?"
"I don't... don't want to be... I... I want..." Connie groaned softly as she stumbled over her words. "I want to be... me, and not her."
Ray was slightly taken back by Connie's request. "Why do I not show you instead?" They nodded with an oddly empathic look as they summoned their lantern.
A single, glass window manifested once again. On it was a mess of colors, swirling and struggling to actually take a form. Ray's expression strained heavily and Connie felt a slightly throbbing sensation in her head. Her Skyhigh Charm started glowing faintly with a purple light.
"For some reason... I cannot access your inner memories..."
Connie lowered her head, disappointed. "Oh..."
"That is odd. You are Aeris... I feel Aeris." Ray grumbled to themself, not noticing Connie's eyes widen with a hurtful look. "The memories should be there. It is like... they are locked away... or there is a piece missing... or..."
"It's okay. Thank you for at least trying..." Connie forced a small smile as she flipped through the sketchbook, showing Ray what was inside. "What I wanted to show you was also... also... um... this..."
After Ray had dismissed the lantern, Connie handed them the sketchbook to show the drawing. It was a sky in deep twilight. In the middle was a winged, monochrome figure in gray robes and big, distorted wings had sprouted out of its back.
"... Is that... me?" Ray's mouth was open in a gasp, eyes wide as they accepted Connie's sketchbook. "It is the tainted me..."
"There are a few recurring figures in my dreams..." Connie continued, looking down at the picture. "You are one of them..."
Reluctantly, Ray flipped through the pages. Most of the pictures in this particularly beaten up and stained sketchbook were of skies, or a dark abyss. Every once in a while an attempt at a portrait or drawing of the people who they had been fighting against showed up.
"I... I should apologise to them too... it is my fault they became like this." Ray mused softly. "Like you, they were torn away from their family. Victoria's memories were proof of that..."
Connie looked somewhat hopeful. "Yes... yes, yes!" She nodded, inching closer to Ray, who took a step back. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. "I keep... I keep telling everyone... they're not bad... they... they helped me... if it hadn't been for them, I would have gone mad in there...!"
At seeing Connie's little outburst, Ray felt a rare emotion. Sympathy? Pity, maybe? "Oh, Connie..." They said, wanting to make her feel better but they weren't sure how to accomplish that. "I used your egg to help you... but... they do not have anything like that, right?"
"I don't think so..." Connie replied, downhearted. She clenched her fist. "But we'll find a way... we have to find a way!"
"... I will." Ray's look was serious. "We will."
The blond continued flipping through the pages as Connie silently wiped her tears. Suddenly, their flipping came to a halt as a familiar figure showed up. They felt something stir inside them as they looked at it.
"... Shade."
Connie noticed it. "I don't... I don't understand how you can... how you can..." She bit her lip and looked away. "I'll never forgive him." She hissed softly as her entire body shook. "Never."
A certain silence filled the room.
Ray pressed their lips tightly together, not wanting to say anything... well, actually not knowing what to say.
"... Aeris. She was so sad during her last moments." Connie decided to be the one to break the silence. Her whispery voice was as soft as ever. "I could just... feel it. She was in despair... her mind was a chaotic whirlwind of raw emotions and pain."
Squeezing her eyes shut, Connie held her head with her hands. She remembered Aeris' inner feelings coming through when Ray had showed her the final battle. It hurt so much. She wanted to cry again just thinking about that heartache.
"I think..." Ray took a step forward. "She understood."
"What do you mean?"
Ray's eyes drifted away. They paused for a moment, as if they were carefully deciding what to say. "The visitors, right? The ones that gave me the notebook, and gave Bright his brooch?" They said and Connie nodded slowly. "Aeris was... in love with one of them."
"What...!?" Connie gasped while face was beginning to turn red. "I was!?" She blurted out. A million of questions started racing through her mind at that revelation.
"He was not from Primo, and he was not a Titan... or big... like you... so... uh..." Ray took a shaky breath. "It was not meant to be."
That actually did make sense... a lot of sense. Connie looked down, still embarrassed. There were still so many questions she wanted to ask.
"Can I... have the picture book now?"
Ray having said that confirmed to Connie that they wanted to drop the subject. Personally, she didn't. She wanted to know more... but Ray seemed incredibly tense from the moment she had brought up the topic of Aeris, and it only got worse when that revelation was unwrapped.
Connie decided to drop it for now.
"I'll go get it!" She said as she went to do just that. She opened her drawer to grab it. "This is a special autographed version! Very rare..."
For a moment Connie's expression turned somber as she let her fingers glide over the cover of the picture book. It depicted a cute drawing of an orange gecko carrying a stringless banjo on its back.
Connie felt pretty envious of the drawing skills of Carly's late mother, who was both the author and artist of this cute picture book (Emily was her name according to the cover).
Carly had given it to her a while back. Since her mother passed away a couple of years ago, she still had a handful of autographed copies of the officially unreleased picture book. According to Carly quite a few copies were made but she had passed away before she could properly publish them.
That was actually quite sad... it seemed like a lot of love was put into the picture book. Even from the cover picture alone, it just radiated personal feelings of happiness.
"Connie? Connie!?" Ray's voice brought her mind back to reality. "Are you listening to me?"
"Oh... oh! Sorry..."
It took a moment for Ray to reply again. "Do not be. I have the habit of getting lost in thoughts too." Their expression turned sad. "It is lonely..."
Connie looked away again. She wasn't really used to Ray acting... kinda considerate? They yelled at her way less than they used to, or at least tried to control the volume of their voice.
"Thank you, Ray." Connie muttered with a smile and handed them the book. "And... there's even a little plushy of the main character! Carly told me her dad made it! I forgot the little guy's name but look... isn't he super cute? He's a little gecko friend! He has a tiny banjo... gosh, that's so adorable!" She gushed at the keychain of a small stuffed gecko.
"I like Chocowan better."
Slightly taken back by Ray not accepting the little gecko, Connie held it close to her chest as the two returned to the living room. Benny was still in the living room. He had quietened down and was busy drawing again.
"Benny, do you want this?"
Unlike Ray's lukewarm reaction, Benny instantly adored the little plushy. He took it in his hands and started playing with it like it was a dinosaur.
"Can we go to playground? Please!" He hopped around, lightly pulling on Connie's shirt. "Please, please!"
"Of course! We can walk Ray home too."
Ray looked disappointed. "Oh..." They whimpered with a pout. "I actually wanted to stay... with you?"
Connie held back a gasp. She hadn't expected that. At all.
... But Ray seemed so sincere.
"That'll be wonderful, Ray!" Connie smiled widely and Benny followed her lead. The blonde's smile radiated such a nice fluttery feeling that Ray couldn't help but return a wide smile of their own.
The picture book kept Ray occupied while Connie and Benny were playing around in the pretty calm playground. There weren't many people aside from a group of kids playing with a soccer ball.
Slowly, but surely, they were reading through the story. They mumbled the words to themself out loud and sometimes made a little comment, as if the characters in the story could actually hear them. The illustrations on every page were also admired for a long time by Ray before they finally managed to break away their attention to flip the page.
"Work hard, Ash!" They said with a serious but encouraging look. Connie noticed that they were teary-eyed. "Never give up on your dreams! Make friends!"
While Ray was occupied with the picture book, Benny went off the slide and laughed as Connie playfully lifted him a few inches from the ground with her powers, to his absolute delight.
"That was so good!" Ray sobbed as they closed the book. "I am so happy for Ash... he finally earned all the strings for the magical banjo, and made friends in the process! The crab is my favorite! Snip~snip!"
Connie giggled at Ray's enthusiasm. They were showing off some pages to Benny, who looked in absolute awe.
"And here is where he beat the fox in a game of tricks and wits!" Ray explained, pointing at the picture of a fox. "And they become good friends! That those who are so different can be friends!"
Nobody saw the soccer ball coming... that is, until it had hit Ray in the face. They fell backwards on the floor as they dropped the book.
"Ray!?" Connie cried out, concerned, while Benny let out an amused laugh.
The group of children who had been responsible for kicking the ball in Ray's face meekly walked up to them.
"Sorry..." The boy in the front muttered. "Can we have our ball back?"
"How dare you...!?" Ray got back up, holding the book in one hand and the ball in the other. "You assaulted me! I will have Mother hear of this and-!"
Some of the children snickered while Ray trailed off mid-sentence.
Quietly, Ray relented and handed the ball to the boy. He and another kid returned to playing soccer while the rest of the kids regrouped at the playground roundabout, jumping on and spinning it.
"Hey, big sis! Can you maybe help, please?" One of the girls asked Ray with a grin.
It took a while for the words to register in Ray's mind. "I am not your 'big sis'...?" They spoke up, sounding rather confused. After a bit more urging from the girl and her friends, Ray complied, handing Connie the book before pushing the strange disk-like device with bars to hold onto.
Again, Connie found herself smiling. Benny quickly joined the play as Ray ran around to spin the roundabout. They jumped on it as it was spinning and somehow managed to trip, get their leg stuck and fall as it was still spinning. After a couple of spins, Ray got free and was sent rolling on the ground.
"Ray!?" Connie's smile turned into a worried look as she ran up to the fallen Ray. "You're hurt!" She cried as she saw a little cut on Ray's knee. A little bit of white-pink blood was leaking out of it.
The blond was biting back tears with a loud sniff.
Ray frowned as Connie got a little band-aid and put it on their knee. "This is unneeded... I will- Chocowan!?" Their eyes grew as they noticed the band-aid having a small Chocowan on it.
Connie offered them another one of those gentle smiles. A smile that made them feel happy just being around. A smile they felt like they didn't deserve.
"Thank you, Connie..." And yet, they couldn't help but feel that joy as they smiled back.
Suddenly, Benny jumped on their back and they let out a fearful screech.
"Assau-!" They whined as Benny folded his small arms around their neck. They fell with their face in the dirt.
Connie picked up Benny, who instantly let go of Ray. "I'm sorry, Ray. Are you hurt?"
"I was just assaulted...!"
"Do you want another Chocowan bandaid?"
A sniff. "... Yes."
So Ray got what Connie promised them: a Chocowan bandaid on their nose.
"Would you like some ice cream?" Connie asked with a playful smile. Benny's face lit up and he nodded vigorously. She turned to Ray as well. "What flavor do you like?"
Both Benny and Ray grinned in unison.
"Chocolate!"
Connie apparently trusted Ray enough to look after Benny while she went to buy ice cream. They decided to sit down and read their picture book again. This time, Benny joined them, and they started reading out loud to him.
Their form started to light up significantly as they did, drawing the attention of the children in the playground.
"Whoah! It's like you're glowing!" Yelled one of the kids as they all gathered around Ray like a flock of birds.
Their smile grew even wider as their glow brightened intensely with it. "Haha, yes! Be honored to bathe in my pure brilliance!" They raised their nose in the air with a proud look on their face to match.
While still a little excited, most of the children started covering their eyes. "It's too bright!"
"Do not be frightened, my light will protect and defend this world!" Ray reassured them, striking a pose, mimicking one they had seen Bright do earlier today. "You can depend on me."
They sat down again, with the picture book on their lap. Benny still had the little plush of the gecko with him. While he was pretty relaxed and more focused on the picture book, every time he did try to touch or hug Ray again, they flinched away from his grasp.
They weren't ready... not yet...
But, in a way, they kinda envied Connie in a way. She seemed so happy when she was playing with her brother. They shared loving hugs, they laughed... and those smiles... they were so sincere.
They were so happy...
Ray could feel the happiness practically dripping off of them.
It felt so nice.
Is that what having a family was supposed to feel like? Not the constant fear of rejection, the constant fear of not being good enough... fear of disappointing...
The constant need to adjust to Mother's liking and will...
Mother knows best, after all.
Ray shook their head. No. Mother didn't know best.
They had decided that dad knows best.
Or maybe... they, themself, knew best?
That's at least what Bright kept saying. Decide for yourself and all. It still was a hard concept to grasp. Such a responsibility to decide right and wrong for yourself.
A certain sense of loneliness started to creep in.
Benny's laughter tore through Ray's thoughts. He held the plush of the gecko in their face and made more sounds that sounded like small, imitated roars.
Just like the gecko from the story, Ash... he didn't feel right in the place where he was and eventually met friends who became this family!
Ray could really relate to that, in a way. It was like them... just minus a curse, a benevolent witch and a magical banjo with no strings!
"You will never be alone again, Ash!" Ray smiled, poking the plush with their finger and giving a playful wink. "Believe me!"
At hearing the blond's words, Elegy clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes while she could almost feel the rage throb through her body. As if on cue, their expression turned tense and they noticed her, standing on top of the slide.
A playground was not exactly where she had expected, or hoped, to end up at. She had been a little irritated lately but noticed that any negative feelings often drifted away as quick as they had come.
She felt a little shaky actually, like she had done earlier today. Maybe her powers were really taking a toll on her? Better be careful with using them today.
"You!" Ray called, forcing Elegy's attention back. "Begone!"
Elegy looked down at the noisy blond. Her eyes fluttered from them to the other children in the playground. They all stared at her with fear written all over their faces.
Not particularly a nice feeling, if she thought so herself.
Oh well...
"Light Up!" In a flash of blinding light Ray transformed into Radiant Lumiere. "I am the light of hope that-!"
They were interrupted by another voice. "Primal Spirit Unleash! Precure Evolution!" Elegy's eye twitched at seeing Connie turn her egg to transform into Cure Gale. "The heart that soars with the courageous wind, Cure Gale!"
"How dare you interrupt me!?"
Gale and Lumiere stood next to each other. "Sorry... but, let's do it together, Lumiere!" The purple Cure smiled while Lumiere nodded, expression serious.
"Embracing the past to pave a path for the future, Prime Pretty Cure!" The duo said in almost perfect unison. Gale lifted herself off the ground and raised a hand to the skies while Lumiere spread their arms wide, shoving Gale aside. They still needed a lot of practice, but it was a start!
"Ember will be so happy!" Gale commented with a cheery smile, clapping her hands together. "Okay, Lumiere... can you make sure the children are safe?" She asked as her tone became a bit more serious. She quickly eyed Benny, giving him a reassuring smile and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, your big sister is a hero! She will prote-!"
Benny pointed at Elegy, who slid down the slide and jumped into the air, making a few turns before landing right in front of him and Gale in complete silence.
With a cry, Lumiere shoved a shield into Elegy's face, making her fall.
The woman quickly rose back up and and, while holding back a joyous chuckle, she flicked her wrists to summon a horde of Echoes. The little marchers quickly surrounded Gale, Lumiere, and Benny, who was clinging onto Gale's leg.
In slight panic, Gale scooped Benny up and ascended using a blast off wind.
However, Elegy's reflexes proved to be too fast. She managed to grab Gale's leg and slammed her into the ground. The Cure still held tightly onto Benny, not intending to let any harm come to him.
Never.
Gale's head was throbbing from the loud noises the Echoes were making. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lumiere struggling to keep the minions at bay and out of the other corner she noticed Elegy raise her hand, causing the noise to intensify in volume and force.
"Connie...!" Yet Benny's voice sounded far away. "You meanie!" He poked out his tongue at Elegy.
Elegy's steps towards Gale were silent but she was so close that Gale could hear... a very quiet, excited chuckle.
Even with the mask hiding the lower part of her face, it was clear that Elegy's smile was wide. She was having a good time.
The smile disappeared once Benny wrapped his arms around her leg, making way for a more puzzled expression.
Something stirred inside her.
The little boy's eyes were gleaming with tears.
"There's a scary bear in my closet!" He sniffed, holding tightly onto her leg. "Mom..."
The woman kneeled down next to him, pulling the crying boy in a hug. She ruffled his hair while offering some soothing words.
A smile came across the boy's face.
Even in her memories, she couldn't remember what her own voice sounded like.
Elegy almost broke the bottle in her hands due to her tight grip on it.
"Leave him alone!" Lumiere yelled in between breaths, sending another small shield in her direction. They felt their heart skip a beat when they saw the shield slam Benny right into Elegy, making the former let out another cry.
"RAY!?" Gale's voice was shrill, and sounded uncharastically angry. "What are you...!"
Grabbing the shouting boy by the arm, Elegy took this chance to let some drops of Dark Ink drip into his shadow, and quickly turned him into an Unbound while she leaped out of the way.
The two watched in horror as the Unbound formed. This one was on the smaller side. It resembled a crested gecko, with bigger eyes than a regular Unbound, and had little hairs around the eyes with were reminiscent of said animal's "eyelashes". Its feet seemingly had some kinds of pads on them, which it used to very quickly crawl around the playground equipment.
"It reminds me of Ash the Ge-" Lumiere trailed off, instead finishing the sentence with a very nervous chuckle. They turned to their purple-clad comrade with an apologetic look. "I... I am..."
Gale roughly pulled on Lumiere's arm, bringing them close. "You little... bitch! Couldn't you be... be... be a little more careful!?" She spat at them before shoving them away and flying off before they could do anything.
Lumiere's eyes were wide, and started filling up with tears. They weren't sure what to say. They weren't even sure what to feel. Just seeing Gale angry was already a lot to take in, let alone be the target of that anger.
Their body almost went numb.
Gale evaded the Unbound and went straight for Elegy, lifting her off the air and quickly following up with a punch.
"I have given you so many chances! But I won't... not after this!" Gale hovered above the fallen Elegy. Her face seemed frozen in a very uncharastically dark glare. Seeing Gale look so angry just looked wrong. "You have crossed the line, Elegy..."
Elegy narrowed her eyes briefly, but otherwise didn't seem impressed nor intimidated by the purple Cure's fury. She quickly summoned another group of Echoes, their loud attacks overwhelming Gale and allowing Elegy to leap out of sight.
"Cure Gale!" On the other side of the playground, Lumiere was having a hard time evading the attacks of the Unbound. The shields broke apart each time the monster rammed, or jumped onto them. It was almost like it was playing around as it hopped from equipment to equipment, occasionally stopping to use its dark tongue to lick its eyes.
Feeling that certain happiness again, Elegy raised another hand and concentrated on Gale, causing the sounds she heard to be even louder.
The Echoes loud playing their various instruments hindered the purple Cure a lot.
Wonderful.
Even better was when Lumiere started yelling at her.
The exact words never registered in Gale's brain. Sounds warped together, but they became distorted. She couldn't make out any words and it felt like she was going to pass out.
"SHUT UP!" The Cure stopped and grabbed her head. Wind swirled around her, like a storm. The intense winds caused chaos in the playground and Lumiere, Elegy, the Echoes, and the Unbound all were sent flying in different directions.
Lumiere was thrown against the roundabout, which started turning from the wind. They looked up to see the winds surrounding Gale cease and she fell down.
The Unbound instantly took this chance to leap at her with the intent to crush the Cure.
"No!" Lumiere cried, using all of their strength to summon a very big shield in front of Gale. They jumped towards her, using a few more shields to shove the Unbound away. "Are you alright, Cure Gale?" They asked, reaching out a hand to her but hesitating to actually touch her.
"... I'm sorry... I don't know what happened." Gale murmured, as if she didn't want Lumiere to hear. She rubbed her head with a weary look.
Lumiere sighed. "Again... stop apologising." They said with a serious tone. "We are friends, are we not?"
Gale looked up. "Yes."
More shields manifested around Lumiere. "Let us do this! Do not think twice, like the witch told Ash, in the story!" They flashed a confident grin. "In fact, this reminds me of the part when the bird's egg was almost broken!"
"... What?"
Elegy still hadn't gotten the energy to get up after getting thrown against the fence. She felt so dizzy.
Seemed like Shade wasn't the only one who needed a nap. In fact, a nap sounded really appealing right now.
Suddenly she noticed a little picture book and slightly dirty stuffed animal laying on the ground next to it.
Oh...
It had been a while since she had seen that picture book.
Did that meant it got published after all? That would be nice...
He would be so happy if it did.
Elegy held it close to her chest, along with the stuffed animal, before she decided that it was enough for today. Quietly, she vanishing into a portal.
"Pretty Cure Spiral Cyclone!"
Benny was freed and Gale instantly pulled the little boy in a tight embrace. She sobbed softly.
After undoing her transformation, Connie gently laid Benny on a nearby bench and turned to Ray.
The blond couldn't read her expression. She was still angry, wasn't she? After all, they had messed up and pretty much pushed her little brother into danger...
They always messed up everything... they had really tried to help this time! They really wanted to be friends! They really wan-
"Ray..." As Connie noticed Ray's distressed look, she reached her arms out towards them, in a quiet invite for a hug. Obviously, they shook their head... but had hesitated.
"When I'm sad or scared... a hug helps me calm down." She said between quiet sobs.
Again, Ray shook their head. "I am all right. I do not need a-"
Connie hiccuped. "But I do! I am not okay!"
Ray wasn't sure how it happened but they allowed themself into Connie's arms. They seemed tense as her arms closed in around them, but eventually it became a tad soothing?
"Fighting just keeps being so... scary... how is everyone... everyone able to... keep up?" Connie asked as more tears threatened to spill over. "I hate this... I hate... I hate people getting hurt..."
They genuinely had no idea how to answer her question. They had no idea Connie felt like that.
And again, it was their fault.
If they had just listened to mother, this wouldn't have happened. If they hadn't been so greedy, Primo wouldn't have blown up.
The greed that had started with a simple touch of hands.
"I will make everything right. I promise." Finally feeling a bit at ease, they returned the hug. "Why... am I crying as well?" They asked softly, not fully grasping why tears were streaming down their face.
Connie managed to let out a small giggle. "We're such crybabies... we're the worst heroes!"
"No fair!"
Ray gasped when they felt someone cling onto their leg. They looked down to see Benny, still looking a bit sleepy, pouting.
"No fair! I wanna hug too!"
"Of course, of course." Connie cheered up significantly as she wiped the tears from her eyes and picked him up.
Benny gasped loudly. "No cry, no, Connie!" He yelled as he noticed her wet eyes and he started rubbing her face with his small hands.
"I still owe you two ice cream." Connie smiled brightly. Her joy spread to both Ray and Benny, who looked at each other and then back to her with anticipating eyes.
Elegy placed the book next to Smoky, and she shoved the small gecko plush into his hands. He looked a bit puzzled but once he took a look at what she had given him, he grinned.
"Sweet! I lost my copy ages ago...!"
From another couch in the room came a chuckle. "It wasn't that long ago." Hail commented, flipping through one of his own books. "But, now you can read that brat a bedtime story."
"Ah, would you look at little Ashy here." Smoky laughed loudly as he looked at the little gecko. He held it next to his face, grinning again. "Such a happy little fellow, right?"
Elegy smiled behind her mask as she sat down next to him. She wrapped an arm around the younger male's shoulder and pulled him close.
"Uh... El? What's up with you being such a sap lately?" Smoky asked with a confused tone, but returned the hug without hesitation. "You okay?"
When he noticed her sobbing, he gently patted her back. "I know you miss Shade a lot. I don't know how we will go on without him... how will we live without his screeching and whining every day! It's simply impossible!"
She let go of him and gave him a look that pretty much screamed: "Seriously?", then snorted as she held back a laugh.
"Yes. I'm crying myself to sleep every night!" Bronze chimed it with a laugh of her own. She and Hail came closer to console Elegy, who pulled them both in a tight hug too.
Another memory threatened to show up, but Elegy shoved it to the back of her mind as she held onto the others tightly.
They were hers. Nobody was allowed to make them sad, or take them away from her.
She wouldn't let them feel like they didn't matter ever again.
Activating her powers one last time, Elegy smiled.
"I love... you... guys."