Chapter Text
Here’s the thing you need to understand up front: It’s pretty hard being a Precure.
Especially a lone one, when you have to do everything on your own. You have to fight monsters on your own, you have to give motivational speeches on your own, to yourself, and you have to face your rival with no backup.
Still, Dottie did just fine. Pretty well, actually! She was hand-picked for the task when Rothbart rose up and threatened all of Marbleland.
Well, to be fair, only humans can become a Cure, and seeing as Dottie was the only changeling available at the right time, she was chosen.
Donning her new role as Cure Crown, she handled attacks as best as she could, defeated monsters, thwarted Rothbart and his right hand lackey whenever they bared their fangs and attacked innocent creatures, and she only got better at handling her responsibilities.
Which is also why Rothbart finally had enough, and decided to use an extreme measure against the cure. See, Marbeland is incredibly magical in nature, it’s a place where stories take form and songs take wing, and nothing is more magical than the Crea Books, ancient tomes filled with knowledge and raw magical power.
Over the course of many centuries, the number of the Books has dwindled. Used to counter disasters, sometimes used to help said disasters if they had fallen into the wrong hands, and now, only two books were left.
In the hands of the ruler of Marbleland was one of them, safe and secure, and the other, in the hands of Rothbart.
Frustrated, tired, and severely pissed off for the final time, he decided to use his most powerful item against the cure he had lured out.
And this is why she was now desperately fleeing, in a body she was painfully thrust into without her consent, entirely robbed of her powerful human form.
On exhausted, unsure wings, Dottie hurried as best as she could away from Rothbart. She had fallen into more trees and bushes than she cared to count by this time, and was silently weeping over the lost battle and the loss of her powers.
--
In their golden marble chambers, high above the land below, the ruler of Marbleland looked up, alarmed. Something had gone wrong, they could feel it.
Clouds gathered at high speed, promising thunder and chilling rain. The ruler stood up from the study desk where they were sitting and hurried over to the nearby window and looked out, worry written in their features.
They knew Dottie was out doing her duty today, had felt Rothbart move, and saw Dottie transform gracefully into Cure Crown and take off, nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet, as the storm clouds gathered closer, they could feel something had shifted and was somehow… Leaking out where it shouldn’t.
Minutes later, a small swan came crashing into the hall of the enormous castle. Out of breath, she collapsed to the floor and shut her eyes tight, willing her tears to stop. She was in bad shape, cuts all over her fragile body, and she couldn’t stop shaking.
Hurried footsteps echoed against the high walls as the ruler just about leapt down the stairs, down to the hall. Something had gone wrong, after all.
“Dottie!!” their clear voice rang out and bounced off the pillars surrounding them. They fell to their knees by the collapsed swan and gently held a hand out to hold the poor creature. Dottie winced at the light touch, but opened her eyes and looked up at their face.
“I’m sorry,” she choked out, voice unfamiliar to herself and raw from her hurried flight. “Avalon, I’m-” tears fell again and she hiccuped through her sentences now. “I’m s-so sorry! He-he did something to me, I’m-I’m not sure what happened!”
Avalan carefully lifted Dottie up and held her in their arms, shushing her and softly ran their long fingers over the ruffled feathers.
“It’s okay,” they said gently, “calm down, Dottie”.
Dottie hiccuped out a couple more sobs, but did calm down a little. She shifted in Avalon’s arms and looked down, afraid to meet their eyes now. It was so shameful, she thought, to be locked in this form and unable to do anything about it.
Avalon stood up and with quick steps walked back up the stairs, towards the tower they came from. Their grip on Dottie was gentle but strong.
“Um, y-you don’t have to… hold me anymore. I’l… I’ll walk.” Dottie's voice was half muffled from being part ways tucked under her own wing in an effort to look away from Avalon. They tutted, and hugged her just a little tighter to their chest.
“Nonsense, you’re hurt and obviously tired from your flight. You’ve never had wings before, it’s a wonder you even made it here in one piece.”
They smiled down at Dottie who had dared to peek out. “I’ve got you.”
Dottie let out a tired sigh, “Thank you.” She nestled her head behind her wing again. Funny, she thought. I just instinctively know how to do that now. She grimaced, it wasn’t funny at all.
The large oak doors were still open from when Avalon hastily threw them open a few minutes earlier, and they strode into the large circular room over to a particularly soft chair and slowly lowered Dottie unto it.
“We can assume Rothbart has moved onto the next part of his plan. I had hoped we had more time before this but-” they were speaking hurriedly while looking through the tall bookshelves that stood alongside the entire wall, all the way up to the ceiling.
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Dottie. I never thought he’d actually- ah!” Their hand came to a stop in front of a large dark red book with ornate golden decorations up the spine.
With a grunt of effort, they pulled the book out. It was massive, easily obscuring half of Avalon's entire upper body while they walked over to their desk.
They placed the book down, and little dust clouds spilled from it. It was clearly not used very often, and Avalon had to use one of their long flowing sleeves to dust the cover off.
“Do you know what this book is?” Avalon looked over at Dottie, who was settled on the chair and trying to follow along.
She shook her head. “No. I’ve never seen such a huge book before”.
“Ah, you have, though,” they said as they tapped the cover with their finger. “Think back, what exactly happened to you when Rothbart did this to you?”
Dottie scrunched her face in confusion and tried to think back. It had happened so fast, one moment she was battling a monster, the next, Rothbart had appeared, clutching something to his side, with a sharp grin on his face.
Oh! He was clutching a book exactly like the one Avalon had laid on the desk. It had the same intricate golden decorations on the spine, and the same mass that seemed somehow heavier than the book should be.
“What… what is that book?” Fear tinged her voice as she spoke, if Rothbart’s book did this to her, then what could that one do?
Avalan’s face softened, their golden eyes focused on Dottie. “Don’t worry, it’s not evil. It’s raw magic, capable of both great things, and horrible things.”
They opened the book and turned to look at a page. “Depending on who has the book, of course.”
They got a very focused look on their face, and quickly flicked through the pages, coming to a halt after a few seconds of seemingly random page turning.
“Now, I don’t believe this form Rothbart has cursed you with is necessarily permanent, changing someone’s species is near impossible.” Dottie perked up at this, and looked intently at the book.
“It’s… It’s not?” she asked, straining to keep her voice level.
Avalon shook their head, “No, I believe you’ll be partly a girl and partly a swan, though I can’t say when or how the change will occur.”
Avalon sighed and flopped into their chair near the desk. “The problem is, that we’re without a warrior to defeat Rothbart's monsters.”
Dottie winced, she had been their only option, and now she wasn’t even capable of doing her duty. “If you say I’ll still be human sometimes… Maybe I can still fight?” Avalon smiled gratefully at her.
“Oh my dear, brave Dottie. I’m afraid that won’t be a good idea.” They stood up resolutely and again fixed their gaze to the large book still laying open. “You need allies.”
Dottie flapped her wings out in shock. “Allies? You mean, other humans that could be Cures? But there’s no one left in Marbleland!”
She hopped down from her chair and was now pacing the cold floor with a soft pat-pat-pat of her webbed feet.
Avalon gave her a wide smile. “No, there’s no one left in Marbeland .” Dottie came to a stop and stared at Avalon.
“You mean… Earth?”
“I do.”
“But no one’s been to Earth in ages! You know I’m the last recorded case of a changeling! We can’t go there anymore, not naturally.” Out of reflex, Dottie started pacing again to keep away the anxiety and worry that was threatening to make her tremble again.
“I can send you there.” Avalon said matter-of-factly. They patted the book fondly and looked at Dottie expectantly.
“With… With the magic of the book?”
“Exactly. The book holds enough magic to act as a gateway between our worlds, and I suspect that Rothbart planned to use his book in the same way, until he used it to turn you into a swan.”
Avalon rose again and walked over to a small shelf filled with odd trinkets and vials. They picked up a small wooden box, and a faintly glowing orb. They placed the box on the table, and held up the orb so as to get a better look. They stood like that for a few seconds, before letting out a small huff, and putting the orb down on the table next to the box, seemingly haven gotten some sort of knowledge from the orb.
“As expected, Rothbart has begun his plan to move his domain to Earth. Magic has seeped back into that world, and it’s throwing the natural balance out of order.”
They turned to Dottie with a serious expression. “We have to move fast. I know where the leak is strongest, and can send you there. Come here.”
Dottie nervously flapped her wings a few times, wobbly took off, and landed with a soft plop unto the desk next to the book. Avalon opened up the small box, and retrieved a necklace with four large round gemstones, all pulsing softly with a red glow.
“These gems will react to the people who will become your allies. You must be careful with finding these people, as to not tip Rothbart off, but also clever when deciding who it will be.”
Dottie gulped and nodded. This suddenly felt very real, and it all happened very fast.
“I believe I’ll be able to contact you on Earth, but it will be limited and sporadic, so you must be brave and rely on yourself until you have found all your allies. Do you think you can do this?” Avalon was gentle and soft, they wouldn’t just force Dottie to do this. It was her own choice, but Dottie also understood the consequences if she said no.
She nodded again, and Avalon gave her a bright smile. “You’ll be just fine, you’ll see. Earth is a wonderful place, and there’s magic there on its own.”
They placed the necklace around Dottie's neck and carefully secured it. “I’ll tell your family here what has happened, but we must hurry, come now.”
Dottie straightened up. She could do this. She had to.
With a flick of their wrist, Avalon placed one hand just above the book. It made a low hum, and the room filled with a sort of soft buzzing. The magic all around them reacted to the book, and at once the room was lit up with a harsh light, spilling out from the book.
“Good luck, Dottie!” Avalon's voice rang clearly through the hum of the book, the light became stronger and Dottie could feel the world around her going soft around the edges. “You can do it!”
Instantly, the world went white. Dottie gasped, she couldn’t see anything for the light that now surrounded her completely. She was vaguely aware that she wasn’t standing on the desk in Avalon's study anymore, but she had no clue where she was, only that it was a temporary place.
--
Just as quickly, the world came back into view. Blinded by the sudden change in light, Dottie stumbled over her feet and landed ungracefully on her face into soft carpet.
“Wha-!” She blinked at her surroundings and sat up.
She was in what seemed like a library. It was evening, and the sun was casting its soft orange glow through the windows. She turned her head to get a better view of where she was. Rows of books greeted her on every side.
“Of course I’m dropped into a library.” She mumbled and properly stood up. “Well, better get out of here and see where I am.” Determined, she waddled out from the bookshelves, and out into the rest of the building.
It turned out to be quite a big building. The library led out into a wide hallway, which had a staircase leading down to the main hall it seemed. The hallway had multiple doors, and Dottie could hear faraway chatter from a particularly big door.
As quietly as possible, she walked over and pressed the side of her head to the door. She could hear the clanking of silverware on plates, and the happy chatter of people talking to each other. Food hall, she decided.
Just as quietly, and quite awkwardly, she walked down the stairs into the hall. A window next to the main entrance was propped open, and with a bit of determination and wiggling, she managed to get up to it, and out into the courtyard.
With a small oof, she reached the ground outside.
In front of the building was a large decorative fountain, and soft grass on either side, leading to what she guessed to be a garden. The world was quiet around her as the sun started to set. This is a lovely place, she thought to herself.
Dottie decided to walk around the building to scope out the size of it. It took her a good amount of time on her small new legs, and she came to the conclusion that this was a school of some sort.
There were three other smaller buildings, seemingly for other teaching purposes, and a large garden behind the main building itself. By the time she’d reached the front again, the sun had just about set, and she tiredly sat down on a flat rock near a bush.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here.” She sighed. “If this really is a school then maybe my allies will be teachers here? Or students. I’d like them to be teachers, I need mature and reliable allies.” She closed her eyes and imagined what sort of people they’d be.
She felt the sun go down completely, and with it came a weird tingling sensation. She snapped open her eyes, and was stunned to see that she was emitting a soft golden glow. In a sudden flash of sparkles and light, she found herself sprawled on the ground, legs entangled in the bush she was sitting near, and her head a lot higher than before.
When she tried to move, she gasped. She had her legs back! She stood up quickly and nearly lost her balance and fell over again.
She clasped her hands to her face and was delighted to find that she had long slender fingers again, and her regular face. No feathers! No wings!
Dottie looked up at the faint stars in the distance. “I guess I’m normal again when the sun goes down.” She stared down at her boots in confusion. “Wish this came with a manual”.
She looked at the huge mansion in front of her. She was suddenly insanely tired, and just longed for sleep. So with careful steps, she went back inside, down the stairs to what she assumed was the basement, and searched for an empty room to hide and rest in.
After a short search, she found what seemed like a barely used supply closet. With just enough room to sit in comfortably, she decided this was good enough. She had barely sat and closed her eyes before she was fast asleep.
--
Charlotte was on cleaning duty. Charlotte was always on cleaning duty. She scowled down at the supplies in her hands. So what if she fell asleep in class a lot and landed herself on cleaning duty? It’s not like she decided to sleep to spite the teachers, really. She’s just super tired all the time, and the desks really aren’t as uncomfortable as they might seem.
She reached the designated supply closet to deposit her cleaning supplies, sat down the bucket in one hand, and opened it up.
Full.
She scrunched her nose. Why do people only use this one? Can no one be bothered to stash their supplies elsewhere? Obviously not.
With a sigh, she slammed the door shut again, hauled up the bucket, and made way for the less used supply closet in the basement.
No one used that one, Charlotte only knew it was there because she hid in it during hide and seek one time.
So down the stairs she went, until she stood in front of the empty closet, and opened it.
Except it wasn’t empty.
There was currently a small swan sleeping inside.
With a loud crash, Charlotte dropped the bucket she was holding, startling the swan inside the closet awake.
It quickly stood up and looked around, almost confused as to what was going on, and how it even got into a closet.
“Oh, gosh!” Charlotte squealed. “You are just so pretty! How’d you get into the supply closet? Are you hurt?”
She crouched down to the swan and was now enthusiastically holding out a hand to it. “What’s that around your neck? Is that a necklace? Wow, how’d you get that on, is it real gems? Are you a trained swan?”
The swan helplessly tried to flap its wings and take off, but it just sort of stumbled over itself and landed on its side, looking like it’d rather be anywhere but here.
Charlotte gasped in loud sympathy for the poor creature, and promptly scooped up the toppled swan.
“Don’t worry!” She said cheerfully, her curly hair bouncing around her with her motion. “I’ll take care of you! Poor thing, you probably have a broken wing.”
Bucket and cleaning supplies happily forgotten, she took off with a very bewildered swan cradled to her chest.
“There’s an infirmary upstairs, I know it’s not for animals but it’s the best we can do right now.” She chatted along the way.
She honestly didn’t stop speaking to the poor swan who was struggling to get away.
“I’m really good with animals anyways, so you don’t need to worry at all little swan!” The swan did, in fact, worry.
--
On the short way to the infirmary the swan had now learned that the girl’s name was Charlotte, she loved animals and napping, and apparently none of the girls in her class liked her.
Because she slept at the slumber party they had held when the year started, so now they ignored her and snickered at her when she fell asleep in class, something Carlotte didn’t understand. Aren’t you supposed to sleep at slumber parties?
The swan looked up at Charlotte’s face. She had a nice round face, soft slightly flushed cheeks from the excitement, and blonde curls that moved in rhythm whenever she spoke.
Poor girl, the swan thought.
The infirmary was empty, and Charlotte sat the swan down on a free desk.
“Now, don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” Charlotte hopped off to open a cabinet and started taking out things, humming to herself while she placed things in a pile in her arms.
How exciting was this! Taking care of what seemed like a tame swan who had found its way somehow into a supply closet. She grinned at the thought. Finally, she could help in some way that wasn’t just cleaning.
She spun around, supplies now gathered, and sat them down next to the swan, who looked quizzically at the pile of random things.
Charlotte gestured to the things with enthusiasm. “I got a bunch of stuff just in case! Now, let me inspect you.” She grabbed hold of one of the wings and stretched it out.
The swan squeaked and tried pulling its wing back. Charlotte tutted and held the struggling swan down. “Now, now, don’t be a problem patient. I need to make sure what’s wrong so you can get better!”
“There is NOTHING wrong me!” The swan snapped.
Charlotte froze.
The swan froze.
They looked at each other, and Charlotte slowly released the wing she was still holding, and let go of the swan.
--
This was bad, Dottie knew this. Animals do not talk on Earth, this much she knew. No matter what sort of magic had seeped into this world, animals still do not talk.
But it had simply been too much and too stressful, getting carried, talked to, prodded and tugged at.
“I-” Dottie started, but Charlotte let out a high pitched noise that made Dottie wince and pull back.
“You can TALK!” she slammed her hands down on the table and beamed down at Dottie.
“I...uh… well, yes.”
“Oh my god that’s amazing. I knew something was wrong, but this is more than I could have imagined!” She was practically vibrating with excitement.
Dottie squinted at Charlotte. “Wrong?” She asked, having completely abandoned even trying to explain anything at the moment.
Charlotte nodded vigorously. “Yes! You know, like with the languages? And the borders bleeding together? Also I read in a book about things I’m sure didn’t actually happen, but apparently happened!” She spoke apparently without breathing or stopping and Dottie was getting more and more confused.
“Languages? Borders? What are you talking about, I thought you all spoke vastly different languages?” Dottie had stood up and started her pacing on the table.
Charlotte nodded again.
“See that’s the thing! We do normally! But one day I woke up and I just sort of
knew
that something was off. I could understand what everyone was saying despite not being able to before, and I swear the borders between countries have shifted. We’re supposed to be in Germany right now, but for some reason people keep saying Germany is a little further south, but no one knows where we are now is named!”
Dottie paused and looked out the window. Magic really had seeped into this world and messed with how things functioned. This could potentially be bad.
Outside, it was getting darker. Apparently she had slept for longer than she thought, she must really have been exhausted when she fell asleep.
Wait. It was getting dark.
She spun around to face Charlotte who just looked at her with a happy smile.
Dottie opened her beak to say something, but it was too late. She could feel the transformation again, and with a flash, she was now a human girl, sat on the desk in the infirmary.
Charlotte gasped, Dottie held a hand to her head to stop the dizziness.
Outside, a terrible roar split the evening sky, making the walls tremble and shattering the hope that Dottie might have had more time.