Episode 2: A Compass of Fate? Hidden?!

Miyako collapsed onto her bed. She was exhausted, but she had a feeling she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight. "Listen carefully, okay? I'll tell you everything you need to know." Miyako sighed, and listened.

"Long ago, long before Earth even existed, Yukino of the Cosmos came into existence. As Cure Cosmos, she created this universe, and every land within, including the world of Fairies. Earth, the sun, the moon; She created it all. Sensing someday, danger would come, she created the first Precure, the guardians of the north and the south. The three of them were the first to stand as the Star Shine Precure, warriors of light sworn to protecting life from despair. Eventually, she sent out fairies to other lands as well, creating more PreCure. For the last 2000 years, her kingdom has resided peacefully in the Milky Way Galaxy, along with her daughter, Princess Andromeda. For 2000 years, everything was... okay..."

"Until?"

"...Until an unknown evil emerged from the depths of this universe. They plot to erase the future of this universe, and claim to be guided by fate itself. They suddenly attacked the kingdom, and everything was thrown into chaos. As a fairy, Queen Yukino entrusted me with the last remaining Compass of Fate and Star of Protection, to Earth. Both Queen Yukino and her daughter are missing, and the three bringers of fate, Gemini, Leo, and Scorpio are hunting me. The entire fate of the universe is in grave danger, Kobayashi Miyako."

Miyako stared at Dawn, starry-eyed. "When you placed the star into the Compass of Fate, the fates of hope decided you were pure enough to become a PreCure. You now hold a legendary power within you. Whether you like it or not, it's now your duty to find Queen Yukino. She's the only one who can save us from the darkness that approaches."

"Alone...?" Miyako felt terrified. She couldn't possibly do something like that, especially not on her own.

"Not necessarily. There are two other Compasses nearby, mostly likely left by other fairies fleeing the kingdom. If we meet somebody who has a wishful soul, and pure heart, they should be able to create a Star of Hope."

"W-What about that thing I just fought? What was that...?!"

"That was a Fate of Despair, a creature forged from the power of a destroyed future. With Gemini already having found us, you'll have to fight a lot more. But your priority needs to be finding another compass."

Miyako stared out the window at the dark sky. This had to be a dream, right? She could seriously get hurt doing this... And it was all so... otherworldly. But, she thought back to the moment she had transformed. That feeling of warmth, like a shining star. The feeling of love from her mother. It was a feeling she had missed so much. "I... I need to sleep," she said, pulling her boots off.

"There's food on my desk, if you're hungry. Let me think about this."

"But-" Miyako held up her hand.

"Sleep."

She climbed into bed. "...T...Miyako, um..."

Miyako leaned out and scooped up Dawn, placing her on her pillow next to her head.

"Goodnight, Dawn."

She snuggled into the pillow, folding her wings. "Goodnight. May the Fates guard your dreams."

That night, Miyako had a strange dream. "Hello, Kobayashi Miyako." She looked up. A beautiful woman stood before her, with long, flowing white hair.

"Are you...?"

"Yes, I am Queen Yukino. Or rather, the small part of her contained within the compass of fate that you possess. I am simply using your dreams as a way to speak with you. You need to quickly find the second compass. It's much closer than you think."

"I know," said Miyako. "Dawn told me."

Yukino smiled. "I knew I could trust her. Listen carefully, Miyako. Dark times are approaching, and quickly. The beings known as the Fates are arriving on Earth. You need to find the real me, and who they are working for." Miyako nodded.

"And, Miyako," she looked at her softly. "Never forget the warmth you felt."

"Miyako! Time for school!" Miyako opened her eyes, exhaustion washing over her. Her eyelids were heavy. That's right, she was up way too late last night. So, it wasn't a dream. She sighed and sat up. Dawn was still asleep, lying next to her silently. Miyako rubbed her eyes. She felt exhaustion wash over her as she sat up slowly in her bed. Her mind flashed back to the events of last night. She tried passing it off as a dream until she turned to her right and saw Dawn peacefully asleep on her pillow. She sighed, and got out of bed, slipping into her slippers.

"I'm up," she yelled back, stretching her arms behind her. She did her hair up into its usual ponytail and changed into her school uniform. She ran downstairs and grabbed her bag.

"Morning, Miyako! Where you goin' with that?"

"H-Huh? Oh, uh, I left some notebooks in my room, that's all."

She sprinted back upstairs. Dawn had awoken, mostly likely by Miyako herself. "Ah. Good morning, Miyako. What's for breakfast? I'm kind of in the mood for eggs."

"Breakfast? Nuh-uh. You," she said, picking up Dawn, "are going in here." She threw her into her school bag.

"What?! You can't keep me in here!"

"Oh, yes I can! You're going to stay in there and stay quiet until I let you out, you hear?!"

Dawn groaned and curled up next to a book. "Fine. I'm gonna nap. You better not wake me up."

After breakfast, Miyako headed on the route to meet Ame. She thought hard about whether or not she should tell her about Dawn, and what had happened last night, but she decided against it. After all, Gemini had tried to kill her simply for being with Dawn. She didn't want Ame to become mixed up in all of that. "Good day, Miyako!"

Instantly, her face lit up at the sweet sound of Ame's voice. "Morning to you too, Ame!" She walked up behind her, her honey-brown hair in those two perfect braids, as usual.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mhmm!" lied Miyako. "Snug as a bug! How about yourself?"

"Rather well, I suppose, though I woke up to some ruckus not too far away. Have you heard about it? It's all over the news!"

"Huh? R-Really?"

"Yes! Some strange person was attacking a park, and some people say they saw a girl fighting them! It all sounds very exciting, does it not?"

Miyako stared at the ground. At least in her Precure form, she hardly looked like herself. She sighed. She really did need to find another Compass, and soon.

They arrived at school, and much to Miyako's joy, Ame was seated at the desk right in front of her own. The day went on usual, and even Dawn didn't seem to cause any trouble. When the lunch rang, Miyako sped up to the roof and to a spot just out of site, where she pulled out Dawn. "Finally! Jeez, it was getting way too warm in there. Is it lunchtime?"

"Yeah, but you're going right back in. I'm eating lunch with Ame."

Dawn scoffed. "Ugh, you gotta be kidding me! No wonder none of the fairies wanted to come to Earth."

"Oh, shut it, you." Miyako slipped her some rice and a rolled egg. "Here, it's your lunch. Happy now?"

"Happier than before, I guess. Just, let's get this over with."

Miyako shut her bag once more, and sped back down to the classroom, stopping at a vending machine along the way. She bought teas for her and Ame. "Ah, Miyako! I was wondering where you had run off to."

"Sorry for not saying anything! Here, this is for you." She set the tea on Ame's desk.

"Ah, really? Oh, you shouldn't have! Thank you so much, Miyako."

"Would ya look at that? Lil' Star Girl has a friend!" The hairs on the back of Miyako's neck stood.

"O-Oh, hey there, Rika…"

A few desks away sat a girl with dark hair, tied back into a casual ponytail. She was wearing her school uniform with sleeves too short and a skirt too long. She and her group of friends weren't what one would call "bullies", necessarily, but they weren't exactly the shining example of kindness and compassion. They never did anything drastic, at least not to Miyako. Miyako knew that Rika lived in a not-so-good part of town, and even heard rumors she was part of a gang dedicated to protecting kids walking home at night.

"Yo, Star Girl. What's your friend's name? She's cute."

Ame stood, and curtsied. "Ame Kurona, nice to meet you. And you are Rika Kagome, I assume? Miyako's told me about you." She smiled brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hmph. Nice friend you got there, Star Girl. Surprised, though. Never thought a kid like you could talk to anyone longer than 5 seconds."

Miyako looked away and blushed. She was pretty shy around, well; pretty much anybody but Ame, and everybody at school knew that. They all pitied her, she was sure of it.

Ame just smiled to Rika. "Kagome-san, yes? Miyako-chan is actually quite the joy to talk to; she can just be rather shy. When I first met her, she could barely look me in the eye!" Miyako's face grew more red. "It was cute, though. What is it called, moe? It's charming! Before I knew it, we were best friends!"

Rika tilted her head to the side. "Huh. You two really are pretty different. I'd figure any friend of yours would be just as weird, Star Girl." She smirked. "You're really cute together," and then she swiftly went back to her own conversation. Miyako could feel the heat in her cheeks as Ame just bowed her head in farewell to Rika. Had she even heard that last part?

The bell rang signifying the end of lunch. Her eyes widened. Her school bag! She looked around the room in a panic, trying to see if she was smart enough to have grabbed her homework before she took Dawn up there. And… of course not. She covered her face. She never missed an assignment! But if she asked to be excused before turning anything in, the teacher would be suspicious. She sighed and sunk down into her chair. The teacher called the class to attention just as Ame placed a notebook on Miyako's desk.

"Miyako, this is yours, correct? I found it lying on the floor in front of the door to the hallway. You must've dropped it on your way into class."

Miyako stared wide-eyed at the notebook. It was hers! But… How…? She just happened to glance at the window, and saw the top of Dawn's ears poking out from the bottom. She smiled. "Yeah, this is mine! I was wondering where it had gone. Thank you, Ame!"

Miyako sighed and threw her bag onto her bed. Today was definitely better than most days at school, all thanks to Ame. Dawn flew gently onto Miyako's desk and tilted her head at her. "Hey. Miyako. We gotta go search for the Compass, you know."

Miyako sighed. "I know, I know, but… I just. I don't think I'll be able to like, concentrate, you know? Especially after last night."

"Okay, that's cool and all, but I don't care. The fate of the entire universe is more important than your lack of motivation right now."

Miyako groaned. "Okay, okay, FINE. But we're going to make a stop first."

Hiding Dawn in her arms, she scurried past her father's study, hoping he didn't notice. "I'm heading out to the observatory!" she called as she slipped her shoes on.

"Alright, sweetheart, just try to be back before dark, okay?"

Miyako pushed open her door and started on the path that lead to a dead end on the road. She pushed through a thin wall of brush and foliage, arriving to a small, dirt path that winded through the trees up the large hill. "It's a bit of a hike, about 20 minutes," said Miyako. "So don't complain about being bored."

As she did often, Miyako climbed up the hill until there was a clearing in the trees. They were approaching a tall and rather antique looking building. "What's that?"

Miyako reached into her shirt and pulled out the necklace tucked in. At the end was a key, which she stuck into the keyhole on the door of the building.

"It's my mother's observatory."

She pushed the door open. It creaked loudly, and light flooded into the otherwise dark building. "Come on." She stepped in, and shut the door behind them.

"God, I feel like we're about to get murdered."

"Don't worry, let me just…"

Miyako felt the wall until she found the switch. "Ah! There we go!"

She hit the light switch, and the entire atmosphere changed. Strange, multi colored lights, almost like Christmas Lights, were strung all across the walls and ceiling. Shelves and shelves of books covered the left wall. There was a large desk in the center, pushed against the wall, covered in papers and astronomical devices. To the right was a spiral staircase leading upstairs. "This is where my mom did all of her research."

"Research?"

Miyako stepped carefully over the many notes that coated the room's floor and nodded. "Mom was an astronomer, sort of. She was really into older stuff, like Galileo. She studied the heck out of their drawings. This is where I and she would stargaze together."

She crept up the stairs that lead into the next room. There was a large telescope sticking out the side, and shelves and shelves of boxes and trinkets covering the wall opposite. There was another desk, this one much more clean and organized. Miyako smiled, thinking back to the first time she was brought here. She was only 4 years old, and her mother had held her up to the telescope, teaching her the names of stars.

"Mom sure was wonderful," she muttered. "But! That's not why we're here. I actually… I think the Compass could be here."

"Huh? But why would your mom have a Compass of Fate?"

"Well," said Miyako, beginning to pull boxes off the shelves. "Me and her used to go out to the forest every Sunday and look for stuff. For some reason, a lot of weird things end up there. She also has a bunch of stuff from when she was younger, and worked in America. I guessed this is probably the best place to start, since we really don't have anywhere else, right? Looking won't hurt."

Dawn sighed. "Well, I guess you're right. We better start looking, then."

They pulled all the important boxes they could find off the shelves, and laid them all out across the room. One by one, they dug through them, and to no avail. Miyako groaned. "So much cool stuff, but no compass! I… I just felt like this was right. I don't even know how I knew…"

Her mind returned to her dream from last night. The warmth she felt? The warmth from her mother. She stood up quickly. "I think I know where it is!" She went over to the telescope, which had a small chest just in front of it.

"Mom kept all the astronomy things in here, like maps and stuff. I remember standing on this to look through the telescope." She pulled things out, one after another, until- "Dawn, I found it!" She held the compass up, brushing dust off. It was old, but Miyako could tell it was what they were looking for. The slot inside was the same as the compass in Miyako's pocket right now.

"Oh my Fates, you did! You really found it!" Dawn's ears perked up in excitement. "Miyako, this is fantastic! If we can find another girl chosen by the Universe… This is FANTASTIC!" She began purring, her wings fluttering excitedly. "Come on… we gotta get this back to your house!"

Next time: The Warmth of the Earth! Cure Stardust Makes Her Debut!