Songstress was apparently in what seemed like shock. She, Matchmaker, and Garden slowly took steps back and watch Malice grow before them. They couldn't understand how this was happening. Speechless, they watched Malice grow large enough to let the ceiling collapse above them and reach a height much taller than any skyscraper in this city.
"He..didn't deflect it, at least." Garden pointed out quietly.
"..Well that much is obvious!" Songstress snapped. Startled by her own tone and realizing she startled everyone else, she held her face in her hands and sat down for a moment.
"..I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I just, don't get what our attack actually did to him." Songstress explained.
"It appears, he absorbed it." Matchmaker declared.
"Absorbed..?" Songstress repeated as she double-blinked.
"How else would he have grown so quickly?" Matchmaker asked.
"I guess that makes sense..but now it's just..it feels terrible, knowing we're the ones who gave him more power." Songstress said.
"Songstress, please don't think of it like that-kore." Doki begged.
"Y..yeah, I mean it was an accident." Garden reasoned.
"An accident that got us farther away from defeating him, farther away from saving everyone's dreams..farther away from..." Songstress trailed off, her throat feeling like sandpaper and her mouth dry.
"Don't worry, like Hideki said, it's not impossible.." Matchmaker quoted.
"But now it seems too far from possible.." Songstress said," You're right though, I don't have a single bone in my body that's ready to give up just yet."
"That's the spirit!" Garden cheered. Songstress tried her best to smile with some success and Matchmaker put her hand on Songstress' shoulder.
"We should be on our way shouldn't we?" Matchmaker said as she looked at the roofless view above them.
"Yeah,'' Songstress said as the five of them left the castle.
As they were outside, the five of them were even more horrified, as it appeared the destruction to the city got worse. The desolate sight of unconscious people, a deathly black sky and the faint but piercing wind chilling them made Songstress pale, and almost faint.
Fortunately, Matchmaker caught her before she passed out.
"Not just yet," She reminded," We still have a job to do."
"It's..all too unreal.." Songstress seemed ready to burst into tears.
Matchmaker stiffly attempted to comfort Songstress, "Please don't-"
"-Just let it out now." Garden interrupted.
Following Garden's orders, Cure Songstress dropped to her knees and cried.
"Why did this have to happen?" She said between sobs.
Garden comforted Songstress with alot more than success than Matchmaker would ever attain and sat by her side.
"You know, this all makes me feel, awful." Matchmaker confessed.
Songstress and Garden looked up as an indication for Matchmaker to continue.
"I'm not only talking about all of this, but the aching pressure of knowing that we're the ones who have to put an end to this." Matchmaker said.
Garden put on a face that seemed to say 'Are you serious?' while Songstress looked as if she expected this response.
"Well, I guess it hurts you alot too..you're always so logical with all of your predictions based on probability and thorough observations.." Songstress sobbed.
Songstress eventually rose up.
"But now..we have to rescue everyone's dreamstones...we can't let them live in this void for any longer!" Songstress said as the rest of her tears sprang from her face.
"Now all that's left is to find him.." Matchmaker said.
"Toki, where do you think he is?" Garden asked as she crouched down to the blue fairy.
"Hm-desu..." Toki said as she thought. Matchmaker adverted her gaze, having a feeling Toki would give an uneducated and childish response.
"Up there-desu!" Toki said as she pointed to the sky.
"Glad I didn't expect any different." Matchmaker said as she folded her arms.
"No, she's serious-kore." Doki defended," Right now, the most malicious energy we can sense is up there!"
"Then it's settled!" Songstress declared," We're ending this up there!"
"Quick question..how are we going to get up there?" Matchmaker skeptically asked.
"Hm...:" Songstress sounded as she rubbed her chin.."..Aha!"
Songstress took out Angela's dreamstone, which had a broom on it, and inserted it into her dreamkeeper.
"Specialize!" She shouted. Suddenly, a large violet, red, and green bedazzled broom appeared before them.
"Wow! This thing's awesome!" Garden exclaimed.
"And you expect me to jump on that?" Matchmaker asked, sounding very freaked out.
"I don't see why not," Songstress said as she, Garden, and the fairies were already onboard.
"We'll look like witches!" Matchmaker shouted.
"But not we're witches..we're Pretty Cure." Songstress winked.
Rolling her eyes, Matchmaker climbed onto the broom and the three went off into the night sky.
"Here they come.." Malice grinned sickly as he looked down at the Cures coming towards him.
"I can see someone!" Matchmaker said as she pointed up while clenching the broom with her other hand.
"No doubt, that's Malice!"
The girls flew up towards him.
"We won't stand this for any longer!" Songstress declared as the three of them stood on a cloud.
Malice seemed rather unimpressed and simply crossed his arms. It appeared he was expecting to hear more from them.
"Everyone's dreams...we won't rest until we rescue everyone's dreams!" Songstress cried.
"Well, fine, have it your way..if it's a fight you want.." Malice began. He suddenly obliterated the cloud the Cures were standing on,"..It's a fight you'll get!"
"Agh!" Garden yelped as grasped Matchmaker's hand, whose other hand was grasped on the idle broom. Doki and Toki were standing on the broom petrified.
"Where's Songstress?!" Garden hollered.
Matchmaker just shook her head and bit her lip. She looked down and saw a faint orchid haired figure plummeting.
"Am I..going to die like this?" Songstress asked in her head hopelessly," No, of course not.."
"Songstress-desu!" Toki screamed at the top of her lungs as she dove down.
"Toki!" The three of them cried. Within a matter of seconds, Toki was in Songstress' arms.
"Here-desu!" Toki said as she held out the dreamstone with balloons on it.
Songstress nodded her head and put it in her dreamkeeper.
"Specialize!" Songstress shouted. Balloons suddenly appeared and brought Songstress back up with the others.
"Thank goodness you're safe!" Garden cried as she hugged Songstress.
"Not right now..this isn't over yet." Songstress said as she shot a glare in Malice's direction.
"Why..why would you say things like that to persuade Hideki?" Songstress asked.
"Because, he's has powers." Malice flatly responded.
"But, you don't honestly believe in nuetrality do you? This isn't anything near neutrality, this is..carnage." Songstress said.
"Call it what you what, it will all lead to neutrality once you girls are gone." Malice smirked.
"Did you even listen to a single word Hideki said to you?! Neutrality...is nothing. Tell me, what's so good about nothing?!" Songstress snapped.
"With neutrality comes equality, balance, consistence..what isn't good about nothing?" Malice asked.
"You're just twisting your words in an attempt to make us side with you.." Songstress choked out,"..But I won't listen to you! This orchestra-like world, full of different pitches and lyrics..with potentials that will take them farther they expect..I won't let you ruin this world!"
"You say you won't but..." Malice trailed off. He unexpectedly threw a painful blast of piercing black energy towards the Cures.
The Cures were thrown into different parts of the sky, now greatly damaged. Their outfits dirtied and torn, scrapes now covering their faces, the gleam in each of the Cures' now gradually dulling out, Malice couldn't help but laugh at the girls' appearances.
"Even I can tell you can't go on like this." Malice cackled.
"But..we will go on.." Matchmaker said.
Malice arched an eyebrow.
"We have to..otherwise...dreams will be erased!" Garden cried.
"That's why..." Songstress said," We won't let you take away the hopes of dreams of anyone else! Because, we are Dream High..Pretty Cure!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared before the girls. It was a woman. She looked like an angel with radiant blue eyes and wavy pink hair. She was transparent but not at all ghostly. Her smile was as immaculate as she was and for some reason, she seemed vaguely familiar to the girls.
"Are you..?!" Songstress appeared to have caught as she held her mouth in utter shock.
"I'm glad to have finally meet you, Sensaina." The woman said gently. Songstress felt weak, the woman's soft but rich voice was almost overwhelming.
"Is..is she...?" Matchmaker gasped.
"Cressida..it's been a long time." Malice said darkly.
"I know, how long ago was it when we last saw each other..sixteen years?" Cressida said light-heartedly.
Cressida then turned to Songstress.
"You must power up with the Wishing Coffret and the Destiny Casket." Cressida instructed.
"But we only have the Destiny Casket," Songstress said disappointedly.
"Are you sure?" Cressida pulled something from behind the music note on Songstress' headband. Songstress' eyes widened in shock.
"How'd that get there...?!" Songstress gasped, her mouth agape.
"Hideki can be very sneaky." Cressida giggled," Now.."
"Qu...queen Cressida.." Doki was stunned and held out the Destiny Casket.
"Thank you, Doki." Cressida beamed as she motioned the fairy to give the Casket to Cure Songstress.
"She remembered me-kore..." Doki said as a tear slid down her cheek.
"So she had the Coffret the entire time?" Malice questioned," No matter, it's of no worth now.."
"..We'll bring back everyone's dreams..." Songstress said quietly.
"What was that?" Malice asked, cupping his ear.
"I said..." Songstress began, now shaking with anger,"..We'll bring back everyone's dreams!"
The atmosphere around them turned golden white. The Cures were enveloped in a blinding white light, a light that felt similar to the lights of their transformation lights. Once the lights had finally died down, three girls all dressed in white and their respective Cure colours stood before Malice.
Songstress' eyes were now gold, Matchmaker's were now copper, and Garden's were now silver.
"The dreams of all who once were and who will be, Destiny Everlasting!" The three shouted.
"This is.." Destiny Matchmaker held her hands out and examined the pure white fingerless gloves she had on.
"I look like a princess!" Destiny Garden chirped as she twirled around.
"Our Dreamkeepers.." Songstress held her now mainly white and violet dreamkeeper,"...Everything's different.."
"..But now.."
"...We will prevail."
Songstress' golden eyes gleamed and glared towards Malice.
"This ends now..!" Songstress screamed from the top of her lungs.
"You know..this might just be our last time being Pretty Cure.." Matchmaker pointed out.
"I know, but I want this experience to end in victory.." Songstress smiled.
"Then, what are we waiting for?" Garden giggled.
"I think you girls are overestimating your power." Malice said.
"Underestimating us will be the reason for your defeat." Songstress said, her bangs shadowing her eyes.
The Cures then summoned their scepters, which were also turned white and bedazzled with diamonds.
"With our powers as one, this nightmare shall come undone!" The Cures chanted. The scepters glowed a twinkling bright light and were aimed towards Malice.
"The heartbeats..." Matchmaker started.
"..the meadow..." Garden continued.
"..and the melody engraved into our hearts shall unleash strength you'll wish you've never witnessed!" Songstress shouted.
"Pretty Cure, Crystallized Paradise!" The three shouted. The atmosphere was pitch white and blinded Malice.
"They won't succeed, I'll make sure of it.." He groaned as he obscured his eyes with his arm.
Memories of every single Pretty Cure moments rushed through Songstress as the attack was delivered.
"Pretty Cure, Lyrical Resonance!"
"Musical Clash!"
"Music Heaven!"
"Singing the everlasting melody, Cure Songstress!"
"And now, without further ado.." Songstress winked.
"Awake!" The three screamed.
"This can't be happening...no...NO!" Malice screamed as he was erased and stripped of his existence.
Malice was now gone, and the damage he caused was slowly repairing itself. The girls rushed back to the castle to wake up Hideki.
Songstress attempted to shake him awake with some avail.
"Sensaina..?" Hideki asked.
"Good to see you are awake again, Etoile." She beamed.
"Oh yeah.." Hideki looked at himself, remembering he transformed into King Etoile.
"How are we going to get rid of this castle?" Matchmaker asked as she looked around.
"That won't be a problem." Hideki said as he stood up. Soon, they were outside and a few feet away from the castle.
"Star rod!" Hideki called upon a metallic blue instrument, similar to the girls' scepters.
"Indigo Storm!" Hideki shouted as he aimed a vibrant blue sphere of energy towards the castle.
The castle then collapsed as the sphere came in contact with it.
"Well..that was easy.." Garden stated.
"We have to return these to the Heart of Dreams-kore!" Doki said as she held the Destiny Casket and Toki held the Wishing Coffret.
"Then let's go!" Songstress said," Hideki, you come along too!"
Hideki seemed hesitant at first but went along anyways.
Doki used the key this time to take them to the Heart of Dreams.
At the Heart of Dreams, Titania was at the door of the castle and appeared to be waiting for them. She was attempting to look gallant and ungrateful but course with no avail.
"You did well girls." Titania praised.
"Long time no see.." Hideki said to Titania,"..Aunty."
"Aunty...?" Titania eye's widened as she instantly caught on," Hideki!"
She hugged him very tightly with tears in her eyes.
"Do you think she has any idea that he was Hatred?" Matchmaker whispered to Garden.
"Probably not." Garden shrugged.
As Titania received the Casket and Coffret from Doki and Toki, Songstress tried to lock her fingers into Hideki's.
Hideki noticed quickly, but didn't draw back his hand, making Songstress smile to herself.
Titania took even quicker notice of this notion.
"Ah, I see what's going on.." Titania said," But.."
"..You better not impregnate her and leave her like your father!" Titania shouted as she drove a kick into Hideki that sent him flying a few feet.
"..I forgot about the fact that she's crazy." A dizzy-eyed Hideki said as Songstress ran up to him.
Songstress awkwardly laughed.
"Well, at least we can say we saved the dreams of this world."
Let's go six months into the future, shall we?
"Oh my gosh, Doki! It's been so long since we talked!" Sensaina cried into her dreamkeeper. It seems the Dreamkeeper was now able to act as a communication device between the two worlds.
"Sensaina, it's only been two weeks-kore.." Doki pointed out.
"But..we used to see each other every day.." Sensaina said," I'm trying my hardest here to make it feel like old times but I wasn't able to these past few weeks because exams just came up.."
"Do you know how you did on them-kore?" Doki asked.
"I only know about my score on my literature exam, and that was an 85%" Sensaina replied.
"An 85%-kore?!" Doki choked out," That's amazing-kore! You're really studying hard now aren't you?"
"Well yeah, now that I have a little more time on my hands. But, not only am I studying more often..I've also been singing.." Sensaina said softly.
Doki seemed excited but Sensaina just had to calm her down before she jumped to any conclusions.
"Not like concerts or anything, just you know..on command, the odd lullaby, and I'm planning on joining the choir next fall." Sensaina said.
"So, how's everyone else doing-kore?" Doki asked.
Sensaina smiled as she thought of her friends," We've never been better."
In Haruko's house, there was crying that sounded like it came from an infant in one room.
"Oh my, it appears he's awake." Rikka sighed.
"Can I help out this time?" Haruko asked excitedly.
"Sure, this will your first time helping out with him." Rikka pointed out.
The two girls walked into a room painted pastel green with a crib, rocking chair, and other things you'd expect to see in the room for a baby. In the crib, a baby boy was crying quietly. He had very soft brown hair and snow white skin. Haruko thought him to be pudgy, but Rikka said his 'fat' wouldn't be so visible when he got older. He opened his small hazel eyes and looked up to Rikka. As Rikka picked him up, Haruko looked into his crib. On the crib the name, Niwao was written.
"Can I try singing him to sleep?" Haruko asked.
"Why not?" Rikka beamed.
"Rock a bye baby on the treetop.." Haruko sang shakily. She had been trying to get singing lessons from Sensaina, but even with the lessons, she still wasn't good enough. She could see the discomfort on baby Niwao's face and grabbed her phone from her pocket.
"Who are you calling?" Rikka asked.
"Just a friend." Haruko said as she dialed a number.
"And not only that, I-" Suddenly, Sensaina's phone rang.
"Hello?" Sensaina said into the phone.
"Want to sing him to sleep again?" Haruko asked in defeat.
"Of course." Sensaina giggled. She took a deep breath and began to sing.
"Rock a bye baby, in the treetop, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock.." She sang gently.
Niwao already seemed to be at peace and was quickly fast asleep.
"...Down will come cradle, baby, and all.." She finished.
"She got him to fall asleep again.." Rikka said awestricken.
"As suspected from Sensaina." Haruko smirked quietly.
Elsewhere, Kintsuki was holding a magic show at a little girl's birthday party with Jonetsu and Meihime as her co-managers.
"And.." Kintsuki unrolled a newspaper cone,"..There is no milk in the cone!"
The kids applauded Kintsuki and her overdone trick.
"I can't believe we let her do that," Meihime facepalmed," Jonetsu, what are you looking at?"
In Jonetsu's hands was a digital camera she just took a picture of Kintsuki performing her trick with.
"It's nothing..it's just, photography is really fascinating," Jonetsu exhaled as she clutched the camera.
"Well I guess it is. There's so many ways to take a picture of something." Meihime said," You can use Macro mode, Infinity, Portrait..."
"And you know what they say, a picture can represent a thousand words." Meihime added.
Jonetsu didn't seem to be listening and was just gazing at her camera.
"Hey Jonetsu?" Meihime asked.
"Huh?" Jonetsu said as she turned abruptly to Meihime.
"Do you want me to take a picture of you?" Meihime asked.
"I guess you can." Jonetsu said. She gave the camera to Meihime and stood awkwardly.
"Pose!" Meihime said.
Jonetsu made a heart with her hands and winked.
"How does it look?" Jonetsu asked.
"You tell me." Meihime said as she held the camera out to her.
"Better than I expected." Jonetsu shrugged.
"So yeah, they've all been pretty preoccupied." Sensaina said to Doki.
Doki nodded," So how you'd like that surprise visit last weekend-kore?"
"Let's just say we liked it more than Hideki did." Sensaina snickered.
"Sensaina, what are we all doing here?" Haruko asked last weekend.
"Hideki said something was coming from the Heart of Dreams for him." Sensaina responded.
"And what does that have to do with us?" Jonetsu asked.
"Well, maybe we'll get some sort of letter from Doki and Toki," Sensaina suggested.
Jonetsu shrugged and Haruko looked around as they continued to walk to Hideki's house.
Hideki was outside his house waiting for the girls.
"Hideki!" Sensaina waved.
Hideki waved back and as Sensaina ran up to him, the two hugged.
"They're practically a couple." Jonetsu said under her breath.
"So, what'd you get from the Heart of Dreams?" Sensaina asked.
Hideki held out a glittery blue and pink package.
Cautiously, he opened the package and with one tear, a woman with pure blue shoulder length hair and dull rose coloured eyes materialized from the package and clung onto Hideki.
"Hideki! Did you miss me?" She cried hysterically.
"Aunty Titania, What are you doing here?" Hideki said as he tried to shake her off.
"Well, you can't just live on your own at your age!" Titania pointed out loudly.
"You aren't.." Hideki's eyes shrunk in fear.
"Aw, relax! I'll just come once a week to see if things are in order and help pay the rent." Titania winked.
"Thank goodness." Hideki said quietly.
"We're sorry we couldn't make it-kore." Doki said sheepishly.
"Oh it's alright," Sensaina said," Listen, I got to go so I'll talk to you soon ok?''
"See you later Sensaina-kore." Doki said as the call was dropped. Sensaina grabbed her bag and headed out.
"I'm off!" Sensaina said.
"See ya!" MiMi cried in unison.
"Be back before dark." Yamato said.
"I'm making onigiri tonight." Chitsuki said.
"Can't wait." Sensaina beamed as she left her house.
She left the house at her favourite time of the day, sunset. Tonight, she was able to witness the most breath taking sky she had ever seen. A magenta and light orange sky lit up the surroundings. This time, Sensaina was walking down a different path, a path she hadn't walked down in quite a while. A feeling of satisfaction and awe came over her as she knew she needed more than ever. She still needed alone time, time to reflect, time to look back on her Pretty Cure times. Soon, she was at a small field, a field that the sun was enveloping and the other citizens had forgotten about. She was glad she was here alone. She was also relieved she was able to find the place without getting lost.
She sat at a bench and acted as if she was waiting for someone.
"Without Pretty Cure, I would be someone so different than who am I right now." Sensaina thought out loud," I would've never met Jonetsu, Haruko, Doki or Toki. I would've have realized the significance of dreams, I wouldn't have realized how special dreams are to everyone.. I would've never known how much I would amount to without Pretty Cure.."
"Thinking aloud again are we?" Hideki asked from a few feet away.
"Took you long enough to get here!" Sensaina yelled.
"Sorry, sorry. I had trouble finding the place." He said sheepishly with an awkward laugh," But that doesn't matter."
He sat on the bench and put his arm around her. He leant in and suddenly, Sensaina's heart began to race.
"I..I couldn't. I'm way too young..but I can't retreat." She thought.
Finally, they kissed. Sensaina felt as if her heart stopped and with her eyes shut, she began to contemplate even more.
"And, without Pretty Cure, I don't think I would've ever been so close to Hideki.." She thought. "Without Pretty Cure, no, I wouldn't want my life any other way.. I'm glad I am who I am. I'm happy I was Cure Songstress, I'm happy I saved the world. I'm more than happy I was a Pretty Cure. And no matter what, I will my dream alive, because..I'll always be, a Pretty Cure!"
In four days time, I'll be given another year, not that anyone cares.
Author's note: *50 chapters later* Thank you for reading this little fanfiction of mine, I've appreciated your readership. I always have and I always will.