Chapter Text
The three sisters lay on the hard castle floor, injured from the fight they had just lost. Even though they were known for being exceptionally strong, their opponents were seemingly far, far stronger than they had even imagined. Standing over them was a woman dressed in black armour, with a flowing skirt and a crown embedded with black gems, weapon in hand.
“How boring,” one of the men dressed in similar armour complained behind her. “For all they were hyped up to be, turns out they were just disappointing after all.”
“I know, right?” another woman standing next to him commented. “For a trio calling themselves the ‘Royal Warriors’, they were so easy to beat! The heck’s up with that?”
“Obviously,” another man added, “It’s because of how confident they were since they won the war. They underestimated us, didn’t they, my Queen?”
The queen lowered the sword she was holding, leaving a trail of shadows in its wake. “I hate to say this, but you must be correct,” she told them. “You three really thought that your country winning one war made you invincible, didn’t you?”
One of the girls slowly lifted her head. “Was that what you thought when you declared war on us?”
“Exactly,” another sister added. “Now you think you’re above us, just because you beat us in an unfair fight.”
The third sister spoke up. “When will the cycle end? Can’t we just declare peace and be done with this?”
“I never came here to ask for peace,” the queen told them sternly. “All I came for were the Cure Trinkets.”
The sisters gasped collectively, and struggled to their feet, only to fall again.
“We won’t… let you touch them.”
The queen smirked, before staring coldly at the three pedestals that held the brooch, hairpin and bracelet. “I couldn’t care less about what you three think,” she said, before walking over to the pedestals. She raised her sword, ready to swing, when suddenly-
“Royal Trio Blast!”
A burst of energy knocked the woman back, and she collided with the wall before falling to her knees. The unexpected attack had caught her off guard. She looked up to see the girls helping themselves up using the pedestals.
“The Cure Trinkets aren’t only important to our kingdom,” one of the sisters explained. “Without them, even your kingdom will fall one day. You don’t have any idea what you’re doing.”
The girls looked to each other and nodded, before taking one of the Cure Trinkets each.
“Give those to me,” the queen told them, “or you will really not like what happens next- to you or your country.”
“No, if you destroy these you’ll be the one regretting it.”
There was a bright flash of light, and the girls were gone, along with the Cure Trinkets, leaving the queen and her three knights alone in the empty castle. The queen stood, brushing her hair away from her eyes.
“We can’t waste any more time,” she told the knights, turning towards them with a solemn expression. “Can any of you feel their presences?”
There was silence for a few seconds, before they spoke up.
“No…”
“Ugh, I can’t find them.”
“They’ve vanished, your majesty.”
The queen thought for a moment. “If they aren’t here, there are only two other places they could be: My kingdom, which would make no sense… Or Royaume Terre.” She picked up her sword, which she had dropped when she was knocked back. “You three, travel to Royaume Terre and hunt down the Royal Warriors. Find the Cure Trinkets and bring them back to the palace. Do not disappoint me.”
OP: Beautiful, Belle, Pretty, Cure!
It was a beautiful spring day in the small town of Evertoft. The working day was in full swing, and the streets were quiet, with only the chirping of the birds to be heard. It looked like something out of a painting, with its vibrant blue sky, luscious green plant life and flowers to be found on every patch of grass or above every door in hanging baskets. While Britain was notorious for being a cold, almost miserable country most of the time, Evertoft was the exception, hiding away in the countryside.
However, it wasn’t like the town was deserted: this couldn’t be further from the truth. One place you could look for proof was the academy by the edge of town – Rose Quartz Academy of Art and Design. Despite the name, it was more of a glorified secondary school and sixth form that specialised in different aspects of art and design. Despite being in such an unknown place, it received a lot of funding, and was huge, with multiple buildings on and around the school grounds, and included its own private sports field, gymnasium and park area.
The school offered many different classes for its students to take: in art, you could take fine art, graphic design or photography lessons, and in design, there was the choice of woodworking, food tech, product design, or textiles.
That day, sitting in one of the textiles rooms was fifteen-year-old GCSE student Iris Bright, in the middle of a research lesson. While she knew that the work was important, she was busy with her own work – sketching out designs for dresses and shirts to be sold at her brother’s business. Most of her inspiration came to her when she was focused on something else, so the only times she would pay full attention in class were when she was out of ideas. As she was watching the video in class, a new idea for the print of a skirt came to her, and she was about to sketch it when suddenly-
“Iris!”
Iris looked up to see her textiles teacher staring straight at her from her desk. She had paused the video, so now everybody’s attention was focused on her. “Put that away and pay attention. Were you even listening? Tell me, what was the video just talking about?”
Iris tried to recall, but she wasn’t exactly sure. Something about ‘renewable textiles’…
“Hey! Iris!”
She looked over to the girl sitting next to her: Violet Beat, her best friend. “It’s about recyclable fabrics!”
“Err, recyclable fabrics and… the impact of the textiles industry on the environment...?”
The teacher sighed. “Yes, that’s right, but next time, remind Violet there to learn how to whisper a little more quietly.” She turned the video back on and the girls relaxed a little.
“Thanks for that…” Iris told Violet. “But yeah, you do whisper pretty loud…”
Violet grinned. “Hey, I could always have left you there looking like an idiot.”
Iris smiled, and tucked her sketchbook back into her bag. She would have to finish it after class.
“Aaahh!”
Lace could feel herself falling, and when she opened her eyes, she was proven right. She had safely made it to Royaume Terre, that was for sure, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be safe for. The ground was approaching quickly, and as she braced for impact, Lace took note of her surroundings. It looked like a small town, brightly coloured but quiet, luckily for her. She noticed she was falling towards a large area of green, before closing her eyes.
When she woke up again, she quickly realised she had landed on top of a bench. Scared that somebody would see her, she ducked underneath it, before looking for somewhere else to hide. Spotting a nearby hedge, she dived into it before catching her breath.
“That was close… Wait, where’s…”
Dread began to fill her mind as she realised what she had lost. She panicked for a few seconds, fearing that they could have found it already, before she realised.
“Oh… Ugh, how stupid am I?!”
Lace still had the Cure Trinket she had taken while escaping with her sisters, but in a way, she didn’t. She could feel its power, but she just couldn’t access it. Knowing that it was safe, she sighed with relief.
“Looks like I’ll be looking for a Pretty Cure…”
Iris carefully carried her sketchbook in her arms to the park. Students at Rose Quartz were allowed to leave school grounds for their lunch hour once they were in Year Ten, so she had started spending a lot of her time there that year. It was usually a peaceful place, and sometimes she would see people she knew there, like her brother or some of her friends.
Iris chose a bench near a few flower bushes and sat down, pulled a pencil out of her blazer pocket, and began to sketch the skirt she had been drawing in class earlier. As she sketched, she thought about what might look good with it, who would wear it, how it would look when it was done… She found it funny how she could never take her mind off work while at school.
To her, she had the best job ever: designing clothes for her brother’s clothing and tailoring business. She was usually in charge of designing the clothes, while her brother, Simon, would make and sell them. Sometimes she would make the clothes herself, especially if they were gifts, but she knew that her brother could make them quicker and better, so she normally left it to him. He was the one who had started the business and moved to Evertoft with Iris, so she knew that he knew what he was doing. For siblings, they got on almost unusually well, with Simon being closer to her best brined than her brother.
While she was thinking, Iris heard a sound coming from a nearby bush. At first, she thought it might just be the wind, but as it got louder and louder, Iris became curious as to what was happening. She pushed back some of the bush’s branches, only to find…
“Ahh!”
Iris jumped back at the sight of the tiny creature hidden in the bush. It looked at her with large, pink eyes, which began to shine with tears. It held its tiny arms over its body and began to tremble with fear. What surprised Iris most were the creature’s ears: They were long and loose, and looked more like hair, but each wore a red earring in the shape of a tiny diamond.
“W-what the…” Iris stuttered in shock. “What… who…”
The creature began to shake even more. “P-please don’t tell a-anyone I’m here!” It sniffed a little before a few tears fell from its eyes.
“N-no, don’t cry!” Iris picked it up from the bush and sat it in her lap carefully. She could hold it easily in her hands, and it felt like a stuffed animal. She rubbed the top of its head gently. “Are you okay? What happened to you?”
The tiny thing wiped its eyes. “P-promise you w-won’t tell anybody? I can’t have people finding me…”
“I promise. I doubt many people would believe me, honestly…”
“My name’s L-Lace…” it told her quietly. “I’m from Royaume Astre.”
“Royaume Astre?” Iris repeated. “I’ve never heard of it, where is it?”
“You d-don’t know? Oh, of course! Royaume Terre was said to be pretty disconnected from the other kingdoms…” Lace cleared her throat. “This world, where you live, is Royaume Terre. I come from a different world, called Royaume Astre. I was escaping from the queen of another different world, called Royaume Vide.”
“So, you’re… Like an alien?” Iris asked. Lace shook her head.
“I’m a fairy! So are my two sisters.”
“You have sisters? Where are they?”
“My sisters…” Lace sighed. “I don’t know where exactly my sisters are. We must have been separated when we got here… You see, my sisters and I are the protectors of the Cure Trinkets, with are basically three pieces of enchanted jewellery that protect the stability of the three worlds. The queen of Royaume Vide wants to destroy them, but if she does, not only would my kingdom fall, but hers and this one would, too!”
“Wait, so you’re looking for your sisters? Why don’t I help you?” Iris suggested. “They couldn’t be too far from here, could they? I live around here, so why don’t I help you find them?”
“That sounds… Fantastic!” Lace cried with happiness. “If we work together, with your knowledge of this world and my magic, we should be able to find them in no time!”
“Alright!” Iris picked up her bag and put her sketchbook away. “I have to go back to school in a minute, but after school, I can take you around town… And at night you can stay at my house!”
“Well, let’s get to your school then!” Lace smiled as she hovered over and into the bag. Iris zipped it up so nobody would see her, before setting off for the school.
♦ Break ♦
Meanwhile, at Rose Quartz Academy, a sudden cloud cover had formed, blocking out the sun. The school grounds, which earlier looked vibrant and joyful, had seemingly been clouded with feelings of apathy. Nobody liked this more than the lanky, young looking man who had just appeared there, and was resting in the shadows of one of the school’s oak trees. He drummed his bony fingers on his knee, as his dark hair was swept away from his face by a passing gust of wind. He was dressed only in blacks and greys, which contrasted little with his pale skin.
As he sat beneath the tree’s branches, a young girl walked past. As she saw him, she dropped the pencil case she was carrying in surprise. The man looked up at her slowly with his dull, tired-looking eyes, full of apathy, as if he was already sick of her.
“E-excuse me,” the girl stuttered, “but… you’re not a student here… are you?”
He stared, unblinking, into the girl’s eyes, like he was looking through her. “No…” he replied. “Does that matter to you?”
The girl stepped back, unsure of what to say next. “Well… U-um, unless you have a v-visitor’s badge, you’re… Not allowed to be on s-school grounds…”
The man stood up, towering over the girl who was trembling with fear. “Listen here,” he said almost monotonously, “Rules only make things boring. Nobody wants to spend their one life totally bored out of their mind, right?” He edged closer. “So, let’s do something interesting, me and you. Something out of the ordinary.”
“N-no, I…” the girl tried to step back, but the man grabbed her shoulder in an iron grip.
“Shatter, oh crystal soul!”
A bright light appeared over the girl’s chest, and suddenly a blue crystal appeared. It began absorbing something from the girl’s body: her soul. Once it was done, the man let go of the girl’s shoulder, and she collapsed unconscious on the ground. The man held the crystal in his hand, almost smirking, and looked around before picking up the girls dropped pencil case.
“Finally, something is happening.” He touched the two items together. “Corrupt, combine, corrode. Go, Malcassé!”
“Okay, nobody should see us here.”
Iris unzipped her bag and Lace stuck her head out for a breath of fresh air. “It sure got cloudy while I was in there,” she commented, stretching her arms.
“Now that you mention it, I guess it did,” Iris commented. “I could have sworn it was meant to be sunny out all day. Oh well, the weather forecast isn’t always right.” She reached into her blazer pocket and picked up her phone.
“Wait a second…” Lace concentrated for a second, before the orange jewels she wore as earrings began to glow with a soft light. “…Oh no… This is bad…”
Iris looked over from her phone. “What’s bad?”
Lace began to sweat. “I think… Yeah, I definitely feel an evil presence around here!”
“Wait, an evil presence?!” Iris echoed. “What does that mean?”
“Someone or something evil is around here somewhere,” Lace told her, her earrings still glowing. “You need to help me track it down! Somebody could get hurt!”
“Of course, you don’t know your way around… Okay, I’ll help,” Iris agreed, picking up her bag. “Let’s hurry!
Lace floated beside Iris, turning her head in a few different directions like she was looking for something. “I think it’s coming from that direction,” she told Iris, pointing in the direction of the school field.
“Let’s go!”
The two began hurrying towards the field. Luckily nobody saw them running, but only because most people’s attention was on something much more important.
“Everybody, assemble at the park! Hurry!”
A few teachers were busy ushering panicking students away from the danger before them. Some were walking quickly, whilst some were full on sprinting. Fortunately, nobody seemed to notice Iris and Lace amid the alarm, and they ducked behind a hedge. Suddenly, a huge crash was heard, before more screaming, and the teachers went running as well.
“What … what’s going on?” Iris asked hesitantly.
Lace poked her head out from behind the hedge, before immediately whipping it back with a terrified look in her eyes. “I knew it…” she trembled. “They followed us.”
“Who followed us? Who are they? What’s happening?!” Iris asked desperately.
“See for yourself…”
Iris peeked out from behind the hedge to an absurd yet chilling sight. She paid little attention to the tall man dressed in black as her attention was solely focused on the huge monster behind him. It seemingly resembled a pencil case, but it had short arms and legs with disproportionately large hands and feet. On its body, there was something resembling a face, with a visible nose and eyes with black sclera and pupils. The monster was busy pounding the ground with its huge fists, as the man looked on. Iris looked back to Lace. “What the heck is that thing?!”
“It’s called a Malcassé,” Lace told her franticly. “A monster created with a corrupted Áme! If we don’t stop that thing somehow, it’ll probably end up destroying the whole town!”
“Wait, what’s an Áme?” Iris asked her. “And how are we going to try to stop that thing!? It’s probably a hundred times bigger than you!”
“An Áme… Think of it like somebody’s soul,” Lace told her. “If it’s taken from somebody, they… Wait!” She looked out from behind the bush. “That girl!”
Iris looked to where Lace was pointing, only to see the body of a young-looking girl with long braids lying on the ground. She feared the worst for her. “Is she… dead?”
“No, she shouldn’t be,” Lace replied, reassuring her. “As long as her Áme is returned to her body, she should turn out okay… But that won’t happen until the Malcassé is defeated!”
Iris kept looking at the scene before her. Instead of being focused on the monster, now she couldn’t take her eyes off the helpless girl lying lifeless in the grass. ‘She must have been so scared,’ Iris thought. ‘She probably wasn’t even able to defend herself…’ She turned back to Lace. “There has to be something we can do!”
“I honestly don’t know what we can do,” Lace told her woefully. “As much as I want to save her myself, there’s nothing I can do without my sisters…”
“But…” There was another crash, and Iris heard the Malcassé’s footsteps coming closer. She was full of fear, but also anger. Anger that somebody would attack somebody as defenceless as a schoolgirl., and fear that she was going to be next. “Even if there’s the smallest chance of success,” she told Lace, “we have to try something! Nobody else is going to do anything, they’re all just running away!”
Lace thought for a moment. “Hmm… wait, maybe there is something we can try!” She turned and stared Iris in the face. “Iris, would you do anything to help not only this girl, but everyone?”
“Of course,” Iris replied. “There are so many people that don’t deserve this! My family… my friends… Yes, I would do anything I could!”
Suddenly, a bright light appeared between Lace and Iris. The light began to change shape into some sort of jewel, before Lace grabbed it. As the light began to fade, the jewel revealed itself to be a brooch with a pink backing, and set with a sparkling white gemstone. Lace began beaming.
“I knew you could do it!”
Iris was confused. “What do you mean, I could do it? And what’s that?”
Lace held out the brooch. “This is the Moonstone Brooch!” she told Iris. “You summoned it with your desire to help everybody!” When Iris still looked puzzled, Lace explained it further. “The Cure Trinkets only respond to those with strong hearts! I brought the Moonstone Brooch with me when I my sisters and I fled the Royaume Astre, but I couldn’t summon it myself – what it needed was somebody with a strong heart to become a Pretty Cure!”
“What’s a Pre-ˮ Iris was cut off by another loud crash, and the realisation that the Malcassé was nearby. Both she and Lace realised that they had to act quickly.
“Quickly!” Lace told her. “Put the Moonstone Brooch on! Hurry!”
Iris took the Moonstone Brooch from Lace, which began to glow as she held it. Without hesitation, she pinned it onto the flap of her blazer, where it shone with a bright light.
“Great!” Lace beamed. “Now, all you need to do is say, ‘Pretty Cure, Shimmering Makeover!’”
“This sounds strange, but…” Iris put her hand over the brooch, which was positioned near her heart. “If it means I can stop that thing…” she clenched her fist, and raised it into the air.
“Pretty Cure, Shimmering Makeover!”
The brooch suddenly shone with a dazzlingly bright light, which Iris felt surround her. Her body began to feel warm, and when she looked down she saw herself covered in white glitter, like sequins. Then, bright white ribbons appeared and wrapped themselves around her body, legs, arms and neck. She began to spin her body around, as the rest of the ribbons trailed behind her. The ribbons on her body formed into a white top with a pale blue triangle pointing up from her waist to the neck of the top. Next, a white, layered skirt appeared, with similar blue ribbon lining the edges, and a white bow on the back. On her legs, white, knee-high boots appeared, and on her arms, white gloves formed. She put her hands over her face, covering it, and she felt her hair loosen and come down, before feeling it pull itself into a side ponytail. Pale blue streaks began to grow from her roots, before soon her hair was entirely pale blue. A ribbon appeared, tying the ponytail in place. She moved her hands from her face, before opening her eyes, showing her new pink and shining eyes. Around her next, a choker necklace appeared, before a large bow appeared on her chest, with the Moonstone Brooch in the middle.
Meanwhile, the pale man in dark clothes stared at what he had just seen. He had been somewhat aware of Lace’s presence, but hadn’t realised she must have been so nearby. It was when he saw the tower of light that he realised he had missed something.
“What… is this? This is amazing!” Iris admired her new outfit, as Lace was almost dancing with joy.
“You’ve actually done it! You became Cure Moonstone!”
Iris looked at her, confused. “Cure Moonstone? Is that me?”
Lace nodded. “Yes, and as the legendary warrior Cure Moonstone, you have the power to defeat that Malcassé and save the girl’s Áme!”
Iris grinned. “Alright! Just tell me what I’ve got to do, and I’ll save that girl!”
“First,” Lace told her, “You should go out and face your opponent! And think of a catchphrase,” she added. “for dramatic effect.”
“Okay!”
Iris stepped out from behind the bush, and Lace followed. Once the man spotted them, he jumped a little. “Aren’t you…”
Iris put her hand over her brooch, and crossed her feet over. “The white gem of protection!” she shouted. “Cure Moonstone!”
ED: Crystal Clear