A shining, magnificent white castle. Sunlight streaming through colored windows, casting colorful shapes over the red carpets. The faint sound of chimes in the wind.

And no other sound.

The castle, normally abuzz with life at this time of morning, was lifeless save for the queen and the tiny creature in her arms. Queen Ivorie knelt in a safe room, her long white hair cascading around her shoulders. She wasn't wearing the finery befitting her; rather she still wore a thin nightgown.

The attack had happened so early in the day. She'd had no time to get dressed.

She hadn't even seen it coming.

"Why...?" the creature in her arms whispered, low and furious and broken. "Why would Onyx do such a thing?! We trusted him!"

Queen Ivorie said nothing, her gold eyes staring at the floor as she carefully petted the creature's head. A few feet away, her tiara lay in a pile of multicolored dust; the only thing that remained of the Miracle Gems.

"Without the gems... Without the Miracle Tiara at its full power..."

Queen Ivorie just kept staring.

"Lustre will... Everyone will..."

Something gleamed.

Ivorie's eyes widened. "Glimmer..."

"Your Majesty?" the creature looked up.

"Glimmer, I could be imagining it, but..." Another gleam. "No, wait, I'm not! Glimmer, look!"

Glimmer looked towards the Miracle Tiara. At first, she couldn't see what her queen had. Then her eyes widened as she spotted four gems on the bottom tier of the tiara. They were gray, and Glimmer couldn't sense their magic and Sparkle anymore, but they were still intact! "There's still a chance," she whispered. "There's still a chance to make things right again!"

Queen Ivorie set Glimmer down and reached for the Tiara. With a small grunt of exertion, she pried the gray gems loose and held them out in her palm. "Glimmer..."

"Say no more, Your Majesty." Glimmer's deep blue eyes gleamed with a fierce determination. "I'll find them..."


OP: Your Glow

Episode 1:

"A Sparkling Ruby! The Pretty Cure Awakens!"


The sun shone brightly on the quiet town of Kirazaka, which sat among soft green hills like a painting in a picture book. With its pastel buildings, window-gardens, and cobblestone roads in lieu of cement streets, it was clearly a peaceful place for all who lived there.

At least, that had been why the Natsukawa family had decided to move there.

In her new room, in her new house, ten-year-old Kumi stood in front of her full-length mirror, twisting her yellow ponytail holders into place. She hummed a cheerful, off-key tune under her breath as she finished, pausing to fluff up her dark red hair and fix her bangs. "Mmmm-hm! Perfect!"

"Kumi!" A woman poked her head into the doorway. "Are you ready yet?"

"Mama! What do you think of this outfit?" Kumi turned around and held her arms out at her sides. She wore a simple pink sweater with a tiny white bow on the upper chest and white trim that looked like a skirt, and pale blue jeans. But she modeled it as if she wore an extravagant runway gown. "Isn't this the most perfect thing?"

"Ku-mi," Wakana Natsukawa sighed, her tone tinged with affection. "Isn't this the fifth outfit you tried on?"

"Seventh!" Kumi spun back around, grinning at the mirror. "But this time it's for reals! This is the perfect First Day of School Outfit!" She took in her reflection one more time, practicing her smile.

Wakana sighed again and put her hands on Kumi's shoulders, steering her towards the door. "That's nice and all, honey," she said. "But it's time for breakfast. No matter how cute you look, you'll be miserable if you miss that."

"I do look cute!" Kumi cheered. "You think everyone at school will think so, too?"

"Yes, yes, dear, now let's go."


Kumi couldn't keep a smile off her face as she skipped down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. Her father, Michi, was already at the table, finishing a cup of coffee and scrolling through his phone.

"Morning, Dad!" she chirped, coming over to give him a hug.

"Finally came down, hm?" he chuckled, patting her head. "Are you excited for school?"

"Uh huh!" Kumi let go and hopped around to the other side of the table, sitting down in her preferred seat. "It's going to be great! I'm gonna make a lot of new friends, and think about what clubs I'll join in middle school, and try to get a prize at the sports festival, and-"

"One thing at a time, Kumi," Wakana interrupted sternly as she set down miso soup and natto in front of Kumi. "Don't get too ahead of yourself; let's just focus on getting through this day first."

Kumi chuckled sheepishly before digging into her food. She had to eat a little faster than usual, as she'd lost some time deciding on an outfit, but she also ate carefully. She would have hated to spill soup or beans on her shirt and have to change all over again. "Where's Natsumi?"

"Already left for school," Michi said. "She wanted to get an early start."

"Awww, but I wanted her to see my school outfit!"

"She'll see it when you get home." Wakana rapped her spoon against the side of her own bowl. "Now hurry up and eat."

Despite the slight irritation in her mother's tone, Kumi couldn't keep a smile off her face. She hummed to herself, spooning another bit of soup into her mouth. This year was going to be just perfect, she knew it! This was the year she was going to sparkle!


"I'm so happy to have you in my class, Natsukawa," Kumi's new teacher said as they walked down the empty hall. "It's always great to have new kids!"

Kumi was only half paying attention, looking around as she walked, taking in her new surroundings. Kirazaka Elementary was just as cute and charming as the rest of the town was. It sat on a tall hill that overlooked the town; thick wooden stairs had been put into the earth for people to climb there, instead of cement or stone as usual. It had only one floor, but was spacious and there were huge tall windows to let in the sunlight. The shiny, rich brown wood gleamed and sparkled in the light, as if it were just polished. Colorful posters and art projects lined the halls near their respective classrooms, and Kumi could hear the pleasant sound of idle chatter as they passed each door.

All in all, it seemed comfortable and happy. She was sure to have a good time here!

The two of them stopped outside one door in particular, and Ms Abe looked down at Kumi. "Do you want to introduce yourself, or do you want me to?"

"I can do it!" Kumi said with a grin. She took a deep breath, bringing her fists up to her chest. "I'm ready!"

"Well, good! See if you can keep that enthusiasm for the rest of the school year, by the way," Ms Abe laughed, tucking a caramel-colored curl behind her ear. "Let's go in."

The room went quiet as Ms Abe opened the door and strode in, Kumi right behind her. Kumi turned her head to look at her new classmates. They were already whispering and staring in curiosity.

Three girls standing around a fourth girl's desk were exchanging glances and subtly pointing. The girl at her desk, a brunette wearing a buttercup-yellow dress, watched from beneath her eyelashes.

A taller, fat boy with spiky brown hair nudged the dark-skinned girl next to him, smiling cheerily.

Kumi felt her heart swell and her smile widen.

Ms Abe leaned against her podium, addressing the room. "Everyone, I mentioned before that we would have a new friend joining us, and here she is!" She then turned expectantly towards Kumi.

"Hi there! I'm Kumi Natsukawa!" Kumi took a moment to turn and write her name on the board. "I just moved here from Shiroyama with my parents and older sister. I like fashion, stuffed animals, the color pink... I hope I can make friends with all of you!"

The class applauded politely, and Kumi bowed.

Ms Abe nodded. "Thank you, Natsukawa, that was very nice. I'm sure you'll get along with everyone, right, class?" A chorus of 'yes ma'am!' was her answer. "Okay, so you may take your seat behind Byron, over there. Byron, if you would please- ah, thank you."

The dark-skinned girl turned out to be Byron, sitting by the window. She had thick, blue-black hair that fell to her upper-back, and brown skin that made her navy blue eyes stand out. She was wearing a ruffly, white long-sleeved shirt under a dark blue plaid dress that briefly made Kumi reconsider her own choice in outfit.

That's so cute! she thought with a flash of self-consciousness. Wait, but my clothes are cute, too!

The girl watched Kumi approach, turning in her seat to speak to her when she sat down. "My name's Masako Byron," she said, pronouncing the English last name perfectly. "And this is Kazu Sasaki."

"Hi!" Kazu lifted a hand. Now that Kumi was closer to him, she could see how soft and earnest his face was, and how his eyes sparkled.

"If you want someone to sit with during lunch, you can join us."

"Really?" Kumi smiled. "That'd be great, thank you!"

"Alright, you three, you'll have plenty of time for socializing during break," Ms Abe called over, making them quiet. "Let's get started..."


The first half of the school day went quickly for Kumi. She found it easy to keep up with her new classmates, pleasantly surprised to find that they were on the same page in their studies. Math, literature, music... She found herself comfortably keeping up in all of it.

Soon enough it was time for lunch.

About half the class went outside to eat, situating themselves around the spacious courtyard and green fields. Kumi found herself sitting on the grass under the shade of a large tree, Kazu and Masako sitting on either side of and slightly in front of her.

"Finally," Masako sighed, popping the lid off her bento. "I thought music would go on forever..."

"Hey, music's not so bad," Kazu laughed awkwardly, casting a nervous glance at Kumi. "And maybe not complain in front of the new girl? Try not to give her the wrong idea?"

"It's fine!" Kumi said brightly. She popped the lid from her own bento and stabbed an octopus-shaped sausage with her pink spork. "Everyone has something they don't like. I'm not good at science myself!"

"Do you like it here so far?" Masako asked after taking a sip from her apple juice.

"Uh-hm! It's so nice here!" Kumi leaned back on her hands and let her gaze drift across the courtyard. She couldn't believe it was real; it looked and felt like something out of a picture book. Or an anime. It was wide, and had lots of bushes and trees, and if she stood up on her tiptoes and leaned waaay up she could see a little bit of the town far below in the distance. Further away from them was a forest, where she was certain cute animals lived. She could already see butterflies and bumblebees hovering above the garden, and even a little white hedgehog skittered around under the bushes close to their spot.

It's so nice... Kumi thought with a pleasant sigh. She could get used to this-

"Huh?" Suddenly she blinked, seeing something amiss.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Kazu asked, lowering his bento.

"What's going on over there?" Kumi pointed across the courtyard. Her new friends followed her line of sight, quickly seeing the problem.

The short-haired girl from earlier was standing against one of the brick walls of the school. She had her head bowed and her shoulders raised as if she were a turtle trying to tuck into her shell. From a distance, Kumi could see she was wringing her hands in front of her waist.

And the reason for her distress was clear. The three girls from earlier surrounded her, one in front and two on either side, effectively cutting off any escape. Kumi couldn't hear what any of them were saying, but given how the ringleader had her hands on her hips and the other two had their arms folded, it couldn't be good.

"Who are-"

Kumi saw the girl in front suddenly lean forward, slamming her palm against the wall and trapping the fourth girl further. The girl against the wall jumped, and shrank further into herself.

"Hey!" Kumi cried out, setting her bento down and jumping up. "What're you doing?!"

"Kumi-?" Masako started.

"Kumi!"

Kumi didn't hear either of them. She was already running over to the little group, jaw set. As she drew closer, she could hear some of what they were saying.

"I thought I told you to bring those cookies! Why didn't you? Now I don't get any dessert today!"

"M-my mom didn't order any this month..." the girl mumbled towards the ground. "I'm sorry."

"So just use your dumb allowance and do it yourself or something! You can buy them yourself, can't you?"

"My allowance isn't big enough for those. A-And I'm saving for something special, so-"

"Something special? What could you possibly be saving up for? You don't have any hobbies, you don't go to the malls, no celebrities ever come to town, there's nothing you could be saving up for."

"I- I mean, for a rainy day..."

"Hey, here's something you can spend it on when it rains; mine and my friends' dessert! Now we're stuck eating fruit cups because of your selfishness!"

"Hey!"

The quartet looked up to see Kumi standing right next to them, her legs slightly parted and her arms folded tightly across her chest. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, Natsukawa," the ringleader said, blinking her bright blue eyes. She tucked a strand of short black hair behind her ear and smiled, leaning back and giving her victim room to breathe. "It's nothing. Hachimitsu here-" The girl in question flinched. "-skipped out on her share of our group lunch, that's all."

"You share your lunch?"

"Uh-huh. All four of us."

"Then why does Hachimitsu look so upset?" Kumi pointed to Hachimitsu, who stood trembling against the bricks. "I saw what you were doing, friends don't treat each other like that!"

"It's her own fault," the ringleader said with a frown. "She's supposed to bring the Tachibana Cookies for our lunch, and this is the third time in a row she's stiffed us."

Tachibana Cookies? Kumi felt like the ground had dropped beneath her feet. Those weren't even local, one would have to order those special from the website, and pay for shipping and handling and...! What ten-year-old could afford to do that?

"Hey, look, it's Ms Abe!" Masako's voice suddenly came from behind Kumi.

The three girls immediately ran off, though the black-haired one threw a bitter glance at Hachimitsu as she did.

Masako and Kazu walked up just then, Masako wearing a sly grin on her face. "Ms Abe's not coming," she explained. "I just had to get Chino away."

"Hey, Hachimitsu, you okay?" Kazu asked.

"Uhm... U-Uhm..." Hachimitsu stammered in a soft, barely audible voice. "Thank you for the help, everyone, but- But I should be going now. Thank you, really, thank you!" she blurted out, her words in a rush. She turned and bowed to them, then bolted away, shoving past Masako and Kumi in her haste.

"A-Ah, wait!" Kumi tried to call out, but to no avail. Hachimitsu was already gone. She sighed glumly, shoulders slumping. "I was gonna ask her to eat with us... Does that happen a lot?"

"Yeah..." Kazu sighed. "That was Riko Chino and her friends, Kaoru Amano and Meiko Minami. They're always hanging around Hachimitsu, but it doesn't look like she actually likes them."

"They're bullies," Masako huffed. "Plain and simple."

Kumi frowned, mulling over what'd just happened.


The rest of the school day passed without incident. Kumi kept an eye on Hachimitsu, just in case... well, she wasn't sure what, exactly. But she wanted to keep watch on her anyway.

But to her relief, nothing else happened. Chino and her friends kept a wide berth from her, and Hachimitsu herself seemed more relaxed. As the day went on, she even started to look happy.

Finally, the chimes sounded to signal the end of classes. Ms Abe closed her book with a snap and waved everyone off. "Alright, all of ya, get outta here, shoo! Off you go, get outta here!" she laughed as everyone filled out of the room. "See you all tomorrow!"

"Byyyye!" came an assortment of voices.

Once outside, Kumi hopped down the stairs that led to the main roads. Kazu and Masako passed by, both calling out their goodbyes.

"We're eating lunch together tomorrow, right?" Masako added.

"Yup!" Kumi said, but her focus was somewhere else. She reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped off to the side so as not to block anybody's path, then started to look around. Hachimitsu had walked out with the rest of them, headed off in the same direction, surely she'd - ah!

Hachimitsu was already walking towards town, her head bowed slightly so she was watching her shoes. She didn't seem to be talking to anybody...

"Hachimitsu! Hey, Hachimitsu!" Kumi called out, running after her.

It took a moment, but Hachimitsu eventually realized she was being followed. She slowed her steps and raised her head, shoulders relaxing. She turned around, and her brown eyes widened. "N-Natsukawa?" she mumbled. "Wha...what do you want?" she added, shrinking into herself again.

Kumi slowed to a stop, her brain already in high gear. She'd wanted to check on her and see if she was alright after all, but... With a reaction like this, simply asking if she was doing better after that confrontation might be a bad idea. She might think Kumi only felt pity for her.

So instead, Kumi smiled, and reached into her backpack. "I wanted to give you this!"

"Huh?" Hachimitsu watched, tilting her head, as Kumi held out her fist. She held her hand out, blinking in surprise when Kumi dropped a yellow ribbon into her palm. "What's this for?"

"I noticed your yellow dress," Kumi began with a smile. "And I remembered I have this ribbon, so I thought you might like to have it!"

"Me...?"

"Sure! Yellow's your color, and I think that bow would look cute on you."

Hachimitsu looked down at the bow again, biting her lower lip. It really was cute... "But why?"

"Well, you clearly like yellow, and I figured-"

"No, why me? We just met."

"Huh? Well... we're classmates now! That makes us friends, and besides." Kumi tilted her head, the sunlight catching her hair bobbles. "It's like my big sister always says; everyone deserves to sparkle!"

"Sparkle..." Hachimitsu mumbled. She seemed to be doing that a lot today. Her gaze went back to the bow... and then back to Kumi, a smile on her lips. "Thanks, Natsukawa..." She lifted her arms and began to tie the ribbon through her hair, making a little bow at the top of her head.

Kumi smiled. "You're welcome! Ah, hey, you can call me Kumi if you want."

"Kumi..." the brunette repeated, speaking slowly as if testing how the name sounded in her voice. "I'm Haru..."

"Uhm, I'm sorry to run off so suddenly, but I need to get home now..."

"Oh! That's okay! I'll see you tomorrow!" Kumi smiled, waving as Haru turned and walked away.

The other girl paused after she'd traveled a few feet, then turned back to wave once more. Kumi could see that she was still smiling, a soft light to her eyes now. She lowered her hand and started walking again, a slight spring to her step now.


Eyecatch 1: Kumi, Masako, Haru, and Rui are shown one by one wearing a princess dress in their theme colors. Then the four pose in front of a mirror together as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.

Eyecatch 2: Kumi is shown in front of a vanity, holding a series of earrings up in front of her. She cycles through pink hearts, blue diamonds, yellow teardrops, and green clovers before settling on white crowns. She then clips the crown earrings onto Glimmer's ears as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.


Kumi hummed a small tune as she walked down the road, hands lightly gripping her backpack straps. This was a good day so far, she decided. She made some new friends, she was cute, she sparkled...

'Everyone deserves to sparkle.'

"I wonder if Haru will wear the ribbon tomorrow..." she mumbled to herself. "I hope so! She seems like she could use some confidence." And she'd definitely looked happier after tying the bow, Kumi remembered. With her hair out of her face and a cute accessory, it was as if Haru were Cinderella after being visited by the fairy godmother.

Kumi suddenly got the mental image of herself wearing a puffy gown and holding a star-shaped wand. She giggled to herself. "I better not tell anyone about that," she snickered quietly.

It was still a nice day, so Kumi took her time heading home. Besides, she wanted to explore her new home a bit more. She deliberately took the long way home, admiring the small shops on either side of her. A family-owned clothing shop, a jewelry boutique, a bakery with a giant display window... She was glad her family had moved here.

Gradually the cobblestone road branched off into a well-worn dirt path, which led to a park. On a whim, she turned onto the dirt path and picked up her pace, running until the trees cast dappled shadows over her and the scent of nature filled the air.

"Waaah, it's so nice..." she said.

Birds chirped overheard, filling the air with music. A few rabbits scampered across the path. The bushes rustled faintly in the breeze.

Someone sneezed under a bush.

"Hah?" Kumi stopped in her tracks, head tilting. A sneeze from under the bushes...?

Without a care to her clothes, Kumi loweredher backpack and knelt on the ground. Pressing her hands to the dirt, she leaned down to peek under the bushes. Her eyes landed on a white hedgehog - the same one she'd seen at school, she suddenly realized.

"Awww, hi again!" she cooed. "You're out a long way from the school, huh? Your little paws must be so tired!"

The hedgehog seemed to bristle, eyes narrowing. "Sh - shhhh! I'm not here!"

"Huh? 'course you're here, I'm talking to you, aren't I?" Kumi blinked.

"Pretend I'm not here! I'm trying to hide from-"

"Hel-loooo~" came a new voice from further up the path.

Kumi pushed herself off the ground, though she remained kneeling. She looked up as a teenage girl approached her, wiggling her fingers in a cheery wave.

The girl looked to be a little older than Kumi's sister, probably about 17 if Kumi had to guess. She had short, curly white hair that fell to her shoulders and light blue eyes. Her dress made Kumi think she was an off-duty model, or perhaps a ballerina. It had a glittering silver bodice, and a pale pink tiered skirt that fell to a little above the knee and showed off her long, black stockinged legs. White strappy platforms completed the ensemble, and she walked so effortlessly and elegantly in them that Kumi was sure she'd been on the runway.

She smiled, and seemed pleasant enough, but-

"It's Sterling!" Kumi heard the hedgehog whisper in fright. "I'm not here! Pretend I'm not here!"

"'scuse me, little girl," said the teenager, apparently Sterling. "I'm looking for my pet hedgehog. Have you seen her - she's blue and white, and is about this big?" She held her hands out in front of herself, about six inches apart.

"Uh- Nope, haven't seen her!" Kumi shook her head quickly, briefly stuck on the color. A blue hedgehog? Wait, no, blue and white? Hedgehogs weren't blue...

The teenager hummed, narrowing her eyes slightly and tilting her head. Kumi saw one of her hands drift in front of her chest, the thumb and forefinger rubbing together slightly... But then she smiled brightly, dropping her hand back to her side. "Oh, well. Thanks!" And with that, she stepped around Kumi and continued her way down the path.

Kumi watched her leave, waiting until she couldn't see her anymore before looking back at the bushes. "Okay, she's gone now."

"Phew! Thanks a lot, kid." The bushes rustled as the hedgehog crawled out, stopping in front of Kumi's knees. She stood up on her hind legs, and smiled. "I owe you one."

"Was that your owner?" asked Kumi. "Did you guys have a fight?"

Suddenly the hedgehog recoiled, looking horrified. "O-Owner?! Of all the-"

"Oh, I'm sorry! It's just that you're a cute little hedgehog and I just figured that-"

"I'm not a hedgehog! I'm a-" The hedgehog suddenly stopped, eyes closing as she exhaled forcefully. One little paw went to the side of her head, as if she had a migraine. "Never mind! I appreciate you helping me hide from Sterling, now... Wait, come to think of it..."

"Hm?"

"If she's here... that must mean they've figured out why I'm here! Oh, this is bad!" The hedgehog turned and tried to run... on its hind legs. "I've got to hurry and find- oof!" She tripped on nothing and hit the ground.

Kumi winced. "Are you okay, Miss Hedgehog? Here, I can carry you." Before the hedgehog could respond, she stood up and walked over, carefully scooping her up to avoid getting pricked. "Here, you tell me where to go, and I'll carry you, Hedgehog!"

"It's Glimmer," the hedgehog muttered. She sounded petulant, but she didn't attempt to escape as Kumi walked down the path, back the way she'd come from.


In town, Haru was walking home with a small smile on her face. She stared at her shoes as she walked, her hands tightly gripping her backpack straps so they wouldn't tremble in her excitement. I got a present... she thought, almost giddily. I got a present!

The ribbon was light, but with her focusing so much on it, she could feel the bow's weight atop her head. It was all she could do to not reach up and keep patting it. She felt so cute, so pretty...! She was like the other girls in class now-

Haru began to turn a corner, but skidded to a stop. The convenience store was right there, and she could see Riko and her two friends hanging out in front. They were standing in front of a gashapon machine.

Quickly, Haru moved backwards, ducking out of sight and praying they hadn't seen her. To her relief, it didn't sound like they had.

"What'd you get out of the machine, Riko?"

"Let me see... Oh! It's a hair clip!"

"Ooh, how cute, it's shaped like a shooting star!"

"That's good, I needed something to match my star t-shirt."

"Sheesh, Riko, you've got so many accessories and nothing to wear with that one shirt?"

"You have to match the symbols, Meiko! Everyone knows that!"

Haru continued to back up, holding her breath and hoping they wouldn't come this way. She was about five feet down the road before she turned and ran back the way she came, intent on taking another route. It'd be a longer trip home, but it was better than running into those three and being made fun of.

After she was certain they wouldn't cross paths, Haru slowed to a stop. She continued to stare at the ground and grip her backpack straps, but this time in sadness. Her eyes moved to her shadow's head; she could see the shape of the bow Kumi had given her.

Riko and her friends have bows and ribbons and cute things... Those all suit them. I just look like a big joke... Haru thought despairingly. She continued walking, closing her eyes and reaching up to pull at the ribbon.


"Sheez-louise..." Sterling grumbled, walking down the street. "How hard can it be to find a little hedgehog?" She sighed, folding her arms under her chest. "This is getting so annoying- hm?" Something caught her attention. She stopped, straightening her back and looking up.

A young girl was approaching her, her head down, a ribbon trailing from her clenched fist. But most importantly... Sterling could see the Glimmer in her heart was fading, being overtaken by a small dark cloud of miasma.

Her lips curved into a grin. "Well, this will still be useful," she said to herself. "That other girl's Sparkle was still bright and strong, but this one-!" Sterling held her arm in front of herself, her thumb and middle finger together. "Fade away!"

Snap.

Haru had no idea what happened. First she was trudging down the road on a bright, sunny day. Then there was a horrible pain in her heart, like some vital yet intangible part of her was being ripped out. She thought she might have screamed, but she couldn't hear anything but a dull roar in her ears. It was cold. Darkness swarmed into her vision.

And then she was lost in darkness.


Sterling grinned as a sparkling light appeared over her hand, as if she were holding a star. "Wow. Humans sure have a lot of Sparkle...I'll put this to good use!" Her other hand moved over the top of the Sparkle... and then she smashed it like a bug.

From her palms, dark mist began spiraling into the sky, going to a place unknown. And between her hands, something else began to writhe...


Kumi walked down the road, smiling cheerfully as she held the hedgehog in her arms. The hedgehog sat still, a resigned look on her face. She seemed to have just accepted the fact she was going to be carried around by a child, like a stuffed animal. "You know," she said quietly, trying not to attract the attention of any passers-by. "You haven't panicked over the fact that I can talk."

"Oh, that!" Kumi giggled, scratching the side of her face. "Well, I read a lot of fairy tales, and those always have talking animals! So it makes sense to me that some animals can talk."

"Really, that's it? That's why you just accepted it?"

"Uh-huh! We have a cat, and I used to try to talk to her all the time! I'd kneel in front of her and go 'meow, meow-meow!' but she never talked back. I figured maybe I didn't speak the language right."

"...That's a pretty smart conclusion to come to."

"Which one? Me talking to the cat, or accepting why you talk?"

"Both, I guess." Glimmer faced forward, subtly glancing at the various people she and Kumi passed. Come to think of it... she was being pretty calm about this whole thing, herself. She'd not only spoken in front of this little girl, but had told her she was looking for someone, and had allowed herself to be carried. This was the first human she'd done all this with. There was just something about Kumi that put her at ease.

"By the way," she said. "I didn't get your name?"

"I'm Kumi! Kumi Natsukawa!" Kumi said with a smile. "And you said your name was Glimmer, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Who are you looking for, anyway?"

"Well... well, you see-"

Suddenly, the earth shook. Kumi yelped, trying to maintain her balance before falling painfully to her knees. She didn't let go of Glimmer; rather, she held her tighter so she wouldn't drop her. "Wh-What was that? An earthquake?"

She got her answer in the next second.

People were running, screaming. Dragging their kids behind them. Those who couldn't run fast enough took whatever shelter they could. There was a loud, dull thud and a crash, and the earth shook again.

And then there was. There was no other word. There was a monster.

Kumi stared up at the creature that towered over the buildings and trees. It was a horrible, writhing mass of darkness and shadow, with six bright, blood-red eyes arranged on its face. Six tall, spindly legs burst from its sides, while two more thicker ones lashed out from its front. It was shrieking, beating against trees and buildings, threatening to knock them down. Taking huge steps that broke through the concrete and left little craters.

"Wh-what is that thing?!" Kumi cried. "Mom and Dad didn't mention these in Kirazaka!"

"That's not a-! Kumi!" Glimmer shouted, leaning forward in the girl's arms. "Kumi, you've got to run!"

"O-Okay!" Kumi hugged Glimmer closer and took off. She didn't know where she would go, she only cared about getting to safety. The monster was still stomping around, but if she could just get away from it without it seeing her-

"I HATE THIS! I HATE THIIIIS!"

Huh? That voice...

"Oh no! Kumi, look!" Glimmer cried as Kumi turned a corner.

"A-AH!" Kumi gasped, eyes slamming wide. There, in the middle of the road, was a stone statue of a girl. But not just any girl. "It - It's Haru!"

"Haru?"

"My friend!" Kumi ran up to the statue that used to be Haru, circling around to see her face.

Haru was literally petrified in a state of fear. One hand was gripping her chest in desperation and pain, the other was outstretched as if to shield herself. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open in a silent scream. And, hanging from the fist against her chest, was a stone ribbon.

Ribbon... The one I gave her?!

The shadowy monster above shrieked, throwing its head in agony or rage or both. "I can't be cute!" it screamed.

Kumi gasped again. She knew that voice. "Haru?! Haru, is that you?!"

"Not exactly!" Glimmer cried. "That is an Usugurai!"

"Usugurai?"

"Wow, you sure know a lot..." a new, yet familiar, voice came. Kumi and Glimmer gasped, and turned to see the teenager from earlier; Sterling. Sterling was sitting on a low brick wall, one leg crossed over the other, smiling wryly. "It's funny. I was so sure I needed to find Glimmer, but it turns out I didn't have to at all. Look at that!" She pointed to the shadowy monster, which was screaming and slamming its paws at several trees, threatening to knock them over and crush someone or something. The monster's shadowy figure kept pulsing, shifting like miasma; Kumi and Glimmer could faintly see thin trails of darkness seeping into it from seemingly nowhere. "The Usugurai from that girl's Sparkle will take dark energy from everyone's fear and pain. At the rate it's going, your world will Fade away!"

"Fade- Sterling, you can't do that!" Glimmer cried. "You'll kill everything here! This world will become nothing but a lifeless stone!"

Fade... the world would turn to stone? Was that what it meant? With a monster - or maybe more monsters - running rampant? And... And what about the people? What about-

"...Haru."

Sterling and Glimmer looked at Kumi. She stood there, still in the middle of the road, her hands curled into fists, but no longer looking at the monster. Instead, she was looking at Haru. At the ribbon in her fist. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes were shining. "I said... what will happen to Haru?"

"Really? Your world is going to Fade, and you're worried about one little girl?"

"I can't be cute! I'm not cute or anything! Everyone else is, but I'm nothing! I can't stand out, I don't have good grades, I can't run or play sports! I'm nothing! NOTHING!" the Usugurai continued to scream.

"Well?" Kumi demanded. She turned her head sharply, tears flying from her eyes. She glared at Sterling, her lip quivering slightly before she said again: "What will happen to Haru?!"

Sterling seemed to actually feel bad. "Sheesh, kid..." she grumbled, rubbing the back of her head. "Your friend here's going to gradually use up all her Sparkle on my Usugurai. The Usugurai will live on, collecting more and more dark energy, and your friend - Haru - is going to be a stone statue. I mean, yeah, it totally sucks, but... Hey, least your friend won't feel so horrible anymore."

"You mean she's... going to stay like that? Forever...?" Kumi couldn't believe it. Haru wouldn't get to wear the ribbon again. Or eat lunch with her and her new friends. Or grow up. Or laugh, or run, or...

"I'm nothing!" the monster screamed again. A tree it was ramming furiously splintered and fell onto the road.

"That's not true..." Kumi mumbled, voice low and numb. Then her hands curled into fists again, and she stood firm as she looked back up at the monster. Eyes shining with fury and empathy, she began to shout. "That's not true, Haru! You're not nothing! You're a kind, sweet, great girl and a wonderful friend!" As she shouted, Sterling and Glimmer couldn't help but stare. "I know we just met, but - but if you'd listen to me!"

The monster's rampaging seemed to slow.

Kumi took that as a sign. "If you can still hear me, Haru-! You're not nothing! Nobody is! You're a great person, and you deserve to keep living! Because everyone..." Kumi squeezed her eyes shut tight before she straightened, and roared with all her ten-year-old might: "Everyone deserves to sparkle!"

Suddenly, a bright light appeared from inside Kumi's heart. As if her own Sparkle was reacting too now - but it wasn't because of anything Sterling had done.

"H-Hey!" Sterling cried, leaping to her feet in shock and mild panic. "Wh-what the-?!"

Glimmer gasped faintly, and held her tiny paws in front of herself. Her own small magic gathered between them, summoning one of the four grayed-out gems from her queen's tiara... Only now, it was a bright, sparkling pink. "The pink ruby..." she whispered. "It - it can't be?! This girl is-!"

As if in answer to her question, the gem flashed a brilliant pink light and zipped over towards Kumi. The girl instinctively lifted her hands to her face, but the light whirled around in front of her, growing brighter and brighter until-

-it seemed to burst into sparks, and Kumi now had the ring on her finger, and a compact in her hand. The ring had two silver bands with a bright pink heart-shaped gem. The gem - a ruby - had a tiny gold crown at the top, three small pearls at the bottom, and white wings on either side. The compact looked like a toy, thick and smooth with four tear-drop gems and a symbol of a rounded-tipped tiara.

"You-you've got to be joking!" Sterling cried.

"She's so young... but-!" Glimmer cried, running towards Kumi. "Kumi! You want to save Haru? You have to use that compact to become Pretty Cure!"

"Pretty Cure? I don't know what that is, but if it'll save Haru, I'll do it!"

The next motions and words felt automatic to her. She felt as if she were spiraling in a whirlwind of light as she held the compact in front of herself and flicked it open. Smiling at her reflection, she passed her other hand, the one she wore the ring on, over the compact. As she did, the compact burst into light and formed a bright, billowing dress over Kumi.

"Change! Elegant Crown Jewel!" she cheered, and flung her arms out at her sides.

It was so quick. And yet, she felt like it wasn't. She was weightless, elegant and spiraling. She would remember light splashing into ribbons around her arms, chest and torso. Bursting apart to reveal new clothes. She would remember the skirt of her dress of light exploding into a poofy skirt, boots on her legs, gloves on her hands.

And she would especially remember reaching up to grab a tiara that had materialized out of nowhere, delicately placing it atop her head. Her hair flowed out its pigtails, lengthening, curling and volumizing.

And when it was over, she felt like a new, better version of herself. But still undeniably her.

"This... this just can't be right..." Sterling muttered numbly.

Glimmer just stared, eyes shining with emotion. "I did it," she whispered to herself. "I found one..."

Kumi stood, staring at her hands, then down at herself. She wore a pink dress befitting a princess, with a poofy, layered skirt that fell to just above her knees, adorned with pearls. She wore a vest-like bodice over the top of the dress, with dark pink ribbon criss-crossing the front; a gold heart decoration was on her chest, with a dark pink bow and delicate white lace at the top. Her gloves were wrist-length with scalloped edges and dark pink pearl bracelets. Her boots were knee-length, sturdy and cute, the same pink as the dress with the darker ribbon lacing up the front. Though she couldn't see it, she knew she wore pink heart-shaped earrings inset in gold, a tiny rounded gold tiara, and a dark pink choker. Her hair was a bright pink now, one layer piled into a bun at the top of her head while the rest cascaded in waves to her rear; her eyes had turned into a brighter, rose pink.

She... she was a princess! No, no wait, not a princess... She was-

"Summer's jewel is full of love! Cure Ruby!"


ED: Miracles Can Happen