The brilliant light that had streaked across the sky created a domino effect.

It had begun in Brightown, the place Cure Ink and her friends hailed from, but had continued on, reaching Kyukai City, Shizenshima Island, Kazahana City and even further still. A quartet of Pretty Cure fought off Trou Noir in Koigokoromachi while in Shiroyama, a Cure clad in white led her team towards victory. Far off another coast, on a beachfront in Shore City, five Pretty Cure pooled their powers together and in another city entirely, a purple Pretty Cure vanquished a Trou Noir with a burst of gleaming light, her team behind her as they fought off other monsters. In Mitsumura, two Cures fought side by side, wielding sunlight and starlight, as their teammates attacked other Trou Noir from the sides, destroying them in gusts of wind and trails of flame. In Kochamachi, three Cures fought monsters with ease - this was, after all, not their first time up to bat against evil that threatened their home. And even further than that, in the gleaming city of Paris, two masked Cures used their smarts to outwit Trou Noir, cornering them before destroying them with theatrical, larger than life magic.

All across the world, Pretty Cure rose to fight the darkness that threatened their homes and loved ones. Whether they were Pretty Cure born in that moment from the fierce desire to make a difference, or Pretty Cure in the midst of their own struggles, one thing was certain - none of them had flinched from the call to battle.

The Earth was their home.

And none of them were giving it up without a fight.

OP: "Shooting Star!" – StarSHINE 5
EPISODE 28, THE FINALE - "Hope is the brightest star of all! Starshine! Pretty ✰ Cure!"

The light from the Star Pact had brought them to a wide cavern within Omega, a strange place where the darkness had form and shape, where it was real under the Pretty Cure's feet as they touched down. Their surroundings were dark, but not deeply so as it had been before, the air filled with something heavy and malevolent. Everything Omega was had to have stemmed from this place, a fact that was impossible to deny given what was before them.

It floated before them, a massive nebula cloud, so ornate in its construction that Aries could have sworn it had been plucked right out of a night sky lightyears away from where they stood. It should have been beautiful, with its array of reds, blues and purples coloring the clouds that made it up, or how the lights within it shone to illuminate the clouds just so. It should have been breathtaking, the way the light in the center pulsed with life. It should have been awe-inspiring, how they stood before something that no one would have been able to see without a telescope.

But it wasn't.

It was terrifying.

Queen Vega had told them Omega wasn't a person, but rather a concept, the darkness that lied within everything. The Pretty Cure had understood - or they had thought they did. But now, faced with the thing within the heart of Omega, it really sunk in. Omega was capable of speech and could interact with others, could force others to do its bidding - but at the end of the day, it was incorporeal, inhumane. It didn't think, didn't feel, it wanted nothing but the ability to destroy others and sought power only to destroy even more. Had Omega been a person, they could have been called selfish, but it wasn't a person, could never be a person.

Omega was a concept. A constant, something that was as ever-present as the sky or the sun, a thing that made reality what it was. Light and dark existed in everything, it was undeniable fact.

But despite all the realizations the Pretty Cure were having, something else was also unshakeably true: it was alive.

And that meant it could be defeated.

As the light within Omega's core pulsed, the cavernous surroundings writhed in response, the steady thump of a heartbeat echoing all around them, as impossible as that was. On instinct, the group recoiled, putting distance between themselves and the nebulous being before them. For several long, tense moments, there was nothing but the sound of quiet breathing from the Pretty Cure, interspersed with the steady heartbeat sounding around them - and then Omega's nebula shifted, the reds and blues of the clouds gradually turning a deeper purple as it did so. The lights entwined within the clouds dimmed, while two larger lights floated up to form bright eyes that stared down at the Pretty Cure, impassive and unfeeling.

"So you've come, Pretty Cure." Omega spoke, its clouds shifting again. Here at the heart, the voice of Omega had changed - while it still sinister and dark, the booming quality had shifted. There was no longer just one voice of Omega - it was now a chorus of voices, indistinct but apparent, a legion that echoed just as much as Omega's true voice did.

But, Aries realized with dawning horror, does Omega even have a true voice? And, swallowing that thought down, she stepped forward, Star Pact in hand. "We're here to stop you." she said, keeping the shaking out of her voice as best she could.

Omega laughed. "I'd like to see you try." And as his sentence finished, the nebula shifted again and dark energy shot from it, a tidal wave of darkness that crashed over the Pretty Cure -

"We won't lose!"

- and with a brilliant burst of light, the five Pretty Cure shot out of the blast, floating high for a moment - before star shaped shields sprung to life under their feet. Usami had created a separate shield for himself and Hirui, but even off to the sidelines, he wasn't going to idly sit by. As the Cures landed, they sprang off the steps, splitting up almost immediately, more star shields guiding their path.

"Pretty Cure Flare Blitz!" Aries shouted, body exploding with fire as she led the attack, letting out a fierce cry as she charged at Omega's true form. She swung, only for the darkness beneath her to shift, several Trou Noir forming to obstruct her path. One lunged to attack her in turn, only for it to be demolished by her fiery punch - and in one fluid motion, she'd drawn her scimitar, cutting down another Trou Noir in another burst of flame.

Pisces bounded off a Trou Noir's head, using her momentum to cover more distance. "Pretty Cure Aqua Rush!" she yelled in mid-air, several torrents of water surging outwards, tearing through several smaller Trou Noir before being stopped by a larger one. With a battle cry, Pisces called forth her trident and stabbed, vaulting over the hulking Trou Noir in an effortless move before landing in the midst of another crowd of monsters.

From the other side, Virgo already had her staff held high, shimmering lights spreading from her staff and floating onto the ground. "Pretty Cure Floral Strike!" she called out, the lights growing brighter before turning into large flower bulbs. Abruptly, the flowers burst into bloom, flower petals scattering in every direction before they turned razor sharp, tearing through Trou Noir with ease. As new Trou Noir rose from the darkness, new flowers and razor sharp petals bloomed forth, the golden Cure doing her best to keep the larger masses at bay.

Libra sped along, star shields created under her feet as quickly as Usami could create them. "Pretty Cure Aerial Assault!" she yelled, wind ripping through the monsters in her path. As the shadows struggled to reform, Libra sharply pivoted, cape swaying as she drew her sword. In a swift movement, she cut down a reforming Trou Noir, just before she took off again to rejoin Virgo.

The moment Libra had cut a path, Ophiuchus took her chance to close in. As she got closer to Omega's core, she rose her weapon above her head, dodging the Trou Noir that tried to pull her back. "Pretty Cure Shining Wave!" she shouted, a brilliant wave of light bursting from her, washing over the horde of Trou Noir. It was enough to cause the chaos to still for a moment - and a moment was all they needed.

Their powers combined with the Star Pact, an overwhelming burst of power shooting straight for Omega. It was enough to catch Omega off-guard, their attack striking the glowing center of its nebulous form - and as it did, there was a resounding crack in the air, the same that Hirui had inflicted before. At realizing this, Omega let out an infuriated roar - and with an echoing snarl, it fired another blast of darkness, overwhelming the Pretty Cure's attack and creating an sudden, violent explosion. The five Pretty Cure screamed as Usami let out a forlorn yell and when the dust cleared, the five were strewn on the ground, weakened and battered.

"A noble attempt, Pretty Cure." Omega spoke. Something about its nebula form had changed - wisps of light seemed to bleed out of its core, a shimmering substance that didn't seem right for its dark state. "But it was merely an attempt." its voice rumbled as something else changed too - the nebula shifted, radiating a malevolent aura, and as it did so, the Pretty Cure found themselves drawn into it, pulled towards Omega's true form with an unseeable force. "I grow tired of this charade."

Usami let out another yell, separating from Hirui. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!" he screamed as he raced towards the fallen Cures, only to be stopped by Trou Noir that rose from the ground.

Aries groaned, body shuddering with pain as she and the others got to their feet, despite Omega pulling them backwards. Beside them, the Star Pact gleamed to life - and as it did so, another beam of light shot from it, pointing at Omega's core. The five Cures traded a look - and then nodded, the five of them holding the Star Pact together. Farther away, Usami was yelling, begging them to hang on, that he'd be there soon, the boy tearing through Trou Noir as savagely as he could. He was close now and he lunged, hand outstretched to take a hand in his own -

- but Aries only shook her head, tears shining in her eyes. "Thank you. For everything." she said, a warm smile on her face.

And then the five Pretty Cure turned to face Omega and its nebulous form, determination etched onto all their faces. Star Pact floating in front of them, the five held hands as they leapt into Omega, swallowed by the core that had devoured so many others before them.

It was cold.

The nothingness the Pretty Cure were floating in was hazy, wisps of smoke curling around and wafting lazily. The Star Pact, back in Aries's hands again, remained at a steady glow, a beam of light leading them farther downwards. As they continued their descent, their surroundings grew lighter, that same shimmering substance that bled out of Omega floating upwards past them. Virgo found herself looking upward, trying to follow the path it took, but soon enough, it disappeared from eyesight, just like the opening they had come in from.

"It's funny, yanno?" Libra murmured, following Virgo's gaze upward. "Thought I'd be more scared right now."

"...yeah." Pisces said, voice cracking a little. She turned her head to the side, eyes red-rimmed. No one said anything - but they all understood. Aries squeezed her friend's hand a little harder, giving her a supportive smile.

As they fell farther still, their surroundings shimmered more. Ophiuchus saw it first - a large, sparkling structure - and as they descended towards it, the five found the source of the resounding cracks from before. Two large cracks had split the large, jagged crystal before them - not completely, but enough for it to bleed out that strange, shimmering energy. Though the crystal itself was cold and its very presence radiated malice, the energy inside it was warm, making the five feel energized somehow.

When they finally reached the bottom, their steps lightly echoing against the ground beneath them, the Star Pact began to glow, a wave of energy surging outwards. There was a moment where the five Pretty Cure looked at each other in confusion - but they realized something else immediately.

They weren't alone anymore.

Before them stood seven Pretty Cure and beside them, King Altair. Cure Scorpio stepped forward - and it was Ophiuchus who stepped forward to meet her, the small girl's eyes wide with fear. The green Pretty Cure trembled, a tearful apology on the tip of her tongue - and in response, Scorpio only smiled, reaching out to place a hand on Ophiuchus's head.

"Welcome to the team, Ophiuchus."

And then Scorpio ruffled the girl's hair, a bright grin stretching across her face. Something about the gesture made Ophiuchus laugh unthinkingly - and even when the tears she'd been trying to hold back fell, she didn't stop. Pisces moved to step beside her, pulling her back to let her calm down properly, leaving Scorpio and Aries to stand there, Aries herself in awe at the group before them.

"Pretty Cure, it's an honor to finally meet you." Altair said, bowing despite the protest of the Cures. "Though I wish it wasn't in these circumstances."

Aries found her voice. "...where are we?"

"The heart of Omega." a scarlet-colored Cure spoke up. Sagittarius, given the engraving on her brooch. Seeing the confused expression coming to the other girls, she continued. "Omega itself is a concept - but the bulk of its power comes from here, from all the power it's consumed."

Scorpio nodded. "We helped Ruru-chan - sorry, Hirui - damage it, and you guys managed to score a hit too. But fighting out there isn't enough, Omega has too much at its disposal. That's why we guided you here. We have to destroy it."

"But what happens to the power inside?" Virgo asked, frowning.

"It gets released." Capricorn spoke up now, clad in pale yellow colors. "And Omega can't use it against you."

"But this doesn't mean you'll destroy Omega for good. It doesn't even mean you'll win this battle either." Gemini chimed in, the pink Cure looking apologetic. "Darkness like Omega has to exist, as much as we don't want it to. But if you destroy this, you'll turn the tide."

"An' Deneb?" Libra asked.

"My son would be freed." Altair responded - but there was something somber in his tone. "However..." he continued, then looked over at Scorpio.

Scorpio hesitated, then sighed. "You guys have seen how Inner Stars work, right? When you free it, it goes back to its home. This place, this heart, it's all made up of Inner Stars looking to get back home. This space is the only place that can contain it - and us."

It hit Aries like a bolt of lightning. Altair had a place to return to - they had seen his body on Via Lactea, kept safe thanks to Vega's magic. Deneb had been physically consumed - and had to still be alive for Omega to draw on Deneb's power.

But Scorpio and her Cures had died.

There was no home for them to go back to.

"...you can't - you can't expect us to agree to that!" Aries sputtered before she could stop herself. And at the gasps, she knew the others understood in that moment as well.

Scorpio shook her head. "You and your mom are exactly the same, you know that? She said the same thing." she smiled sadly. "I know it sounds difficult but..." she trailed off, looking out at her team. "We're all ready to do this. Are you?"

Were they? Aries looked towards her team, taking in the looks of uncertainty on all their faces. She could see they all felt the same denial and horror at such an option - just as much as they came to the realization there was no other option either. Either they destroyed the source of Omega's monstrous power - or they didn't, dooming the entire world. There was no third option, no way to save them all. No miraculous power could bring Scorpio's team back to life, not when they had been dead for so long. And even if they could, Scorpio and the others had come to peace with their circumstances.

There was only one real choice. Aries looked to her team once more - and slowly, the five of them nodded.

"Yeah." Aries said, holding out the Star Pact. "We're ready."

Usami had returned to Hirui's side and fallen to his knees.

Omega was laughing around him, making everything in the cavern writhe and rumble. Usami couldn't hear it. Eyes wide and tears streaming, the boy stared at the place that Aries and the others had stood. Of all the things she could have said, she'd thanked him.

He didn't even get to say goodbye. There were so many things he wanted to say now - he wanted to tell them how much he loved them, how proud of them he was for continuing to go above and beyond. He wanted to thank them for fighting after they knew the costs, he wanted -

He wanted -

Beside him, Hirui stirred. "...Usami…?" she murmured as things came back into focus.

Usami's heart twisted with grief. "Ruru-chan, I..." he said, shaky. "I...they…"

What did you say? Usami certainly didn't know. If he apologized, then this was his fault - and grimly, Usami confronted the fact that maybe it was. If he had just been faster, if he had just been stronger -

Something rumbled deep within Omega's nebula form. Its laughter stopped, shifting into a brief noise of confusion - just before the clouds began to twist and shift.

Two things happened: the first was that something shattered. Wisps of energy flooded out of Omega as the being howled in misery, the nebula cloud losing more of its shape by the second. As the nebula contracted, the darkness around them did so as well, beginning to splinter and crack, breaking away to reveal a starscape beneath them all.

The second thing was that a brilliant pillar of light shot out of Omega, shattering and destroying even more of the darkness that surrounded them. The light cascaded all around, stretching out to where they had come from, darkness peeling away into nothingness as the light touched it.

And there, in the midst of that all-powerful light, were the Pretty Cure.

Hirui, who had been struggling to get upright, found herself glowing with an orange power as the light cascaded over she and Usami. In an instant, she was on her feet, regaining her form as Cure Leo - and in that moment, she knew what to do. Taking Usami's hand, the two of them were guided by the light of the Star Pact to join the others.

As they floated there, the twelve of them, Omega struggled to keep its shape together, absorbing what darkness hadn't been obliterated by the Pretty Cure. It hissed and howled, a shell of its former self, no longer threatening as it floated in a starry cosmos instead of all-encompassing darkness. "Impossible!" it roared, its voice of legion gone. "I am darkness! I AM ETERNAL!"

"So are we." the Pretty Cure said as one, twelve lights against the starry expanse of space.

Omega roared again and, though it was clear the tide of battle had changed, charged at the group. Its darkness lunged, attempting to swallow them whole. "I REFUSE TO BE DESTROYED BY THE LIKES OF YOU!"

The twelve Pretty Cure and Usami placed their hands over the Star Pact, holding it out. In response, the Pact opened, revealing a shimmering, iridescent light.

"With the power of every star around us!" they chorused, as the starry cosmos they floated in seemed to grow brighter, the stars themselves aiding them. "Together, we'll be the hope that shines through the deepest despair!" Twelve colors combined, concentrating into the light that was charging in the Pact.

"STARSHINE ETERNAL MIRACLE WISH!"

And with a rush of light, an iridescent blast shot out of the Star Pact. As it connected with Omega's shambling form, it pierced right through it, tearing it apart. As its form was annihilated, Omega let out one last roar of fury. "I AM INFINITE! I WILL RISE AGAIN!" it yelled, still trying to strike them, its form crumbling away before it could do so, its anguished howl fading away as it did so. The light from the Pretty Cure swept through everything that surrounded them, turning everything to white. And as the power faded, Scorpio and her team drifted away from them to face the Starshine team, just as Leo turned into Hirui once more. The two teams stared at each other for a long moment, neither knowing what to say.

In the end, all they could do was smile at each other.

One by one, the previous team disappeared into shimmering light. The last to vanish was Scorpio, who stood in front of them all, smiling even as her friends vanished into the ether. "You're all going to be amazing." Scorpio said with a bright smile, just as her form dissolved into sparkling light, floating up and away until it was nothing at all.

And then the Pretty Cure were alone, only Hirui and Usami at their side.

But there was one last promise they had to fulfill.

[eyecatch 1 – A photo album opens up, showing several pictures. The first is the five girls at the park with Mei taking the lead, and the next is Sumire and Ibuki holding hands, with Ushio teasing them. Usami and Naori chase a butterfly in the fourth picture, and the last is the five girls and a human Usami taking a picture against the sunset sky, grins on all their faces. The photo album closes as the Starshine logo appears in the corner.]

[eyecatch 2 – Aries holds her hand out, a small piece of a star appearing in her hand, red in color. She passes the star piece to Pisces, who adds a blue star piece. Virgo and Libra add two star pieces, gold and purple in color, and the star bounces over to Ophiuchus, who adds the last star piece in green. The star turns white and flashes brightly, a starry backdrop appearing. The five Cures and a human Usami pose in front of it as the Starshine logo appears in the corner.]

The first thing Prince Deneb became aware of was a faint hand on his head.

"Deneb," a voice said, so warm and familiar it made the boy's heart swell with love, even if he couldn't place it just yet. "it's time to wake up."

So he did. It took a moment for his world to come back into focus as he sat up, but it definitely wasn't the last place he had been. Pure white surrounded him, as well as jagged pieces of a dark crystal that were breaking away - but more important, someone familiar was beside him, a person he never thought he'd see again.

"...Dad?"

Altair smiled in response. Deneb only stared - before his face twisted in pain and disbelief. There were so many things he wanted to say - but he opted simply for a heartbroken cry of "DAD!" before he hugged his father as tight as his little arms could muster, sobbing incomprehensible apologies as he did so. It was impossible for Altair to not cry in response, embracing his son with shaking, strong arms, and it was this scene the Pretty Cure came upon, the tearful reunion of a father and son.

They'd done it.

The group traded warm smiles, wiping away tears that came to each of their faces, but none of them moved to interrupt. Instead, they watched as the last fragments of crystal crumbled away, leaving only one last piece - a small, jagged stone that resembled black opal, dark in color but streaked with the colors of the twelve Pretty Cure on its surface.

"It's Omega." Aries realized, blinking. "Or what's left of it, anyways."

Libra grumbled a little, folding her arms across her chest. "All that an' we didn't even get rid of it fer good?"

Virgo laughed, patting Libra's shoulder. "We knew that going in though!"

"So do we do something with it?" Pisces asked as she frowned, looking towards the others.

"Can we do something with it?" Ophiuchus added, warily eyeing the stone.

"I can." Usami said as he stepped forward. Hands shining with light, the stone was encased in what looked like a glass inkwell, triangular and multi-faceted in shape. As it was sealed shut, the opal inside pulsed lightly with dark energy - but it was contained and more importantly, safe to touch. Usami picked it up, nodding to himself a little.

Hirui cleared her throat. "Are we all ready to go?" she asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Altair and Deneb were on their feet - but while Altair had nodded, Deneb looked unsure. "I ended up here because I was afraid of dying. That's the darkness Omega was drawn to." he said. "And I..." he trailed off, staring at his hands. He had been used for so much destruction. A kingdom had been destroyed and countless others had been killed. So much darkness had spread throughout the galaxy - and further still, he was sure. It - it was all -

Ophiuchus placed her hands in Deneb's own, causing the prince to look up in surprise. "It wasn't your fault." she assured, with such conviction that Deneb realized she really did understand what he was thinking. "So there's nothing to forgive, okay?"

"...okay." Deneb nodded, squeezing her hands in thanks. "I'm ready."

The group gathered together, the Star Pact between them. The white space they were in contracted, the immense power coming back into it. As it coalesced to a point, there was a brilliant beacon of light - and when it was gone, so were they, leaving only the endless starry cosmos behind.

Vega knew something had changed when the crystalline form over Altair's body faded away. For a long moment, the woman wasn't sure what to think - and then color came back to Altair's cheeks. Swept with emotion, the woman hurried to her husband's side, kissing him awake - and as Altair stirred, Vega let out a sob of happiness, hugging him tight.

For the second time that day, Altair sobbed right back, embracing his wife as tightly as he could. The two kissed again before reluctantly parting, foreheads together before Altair leaned in to kiss away his wife's tears, murmuring apologies over and over as he did so. Hand in hand, the two managed to tear their gazes away from each other, just as something began to shimmer before them.

In a burst of light, the group appeared. Hirui and Usami, faces beaming with pride. Aries, Pisces, Virgo, Libra and Ophiuchus, still in their Radiant Forms. And there, still holding Ophiuchus's hand, was Prince Deneb.

Vega and Altair were running towards the group before they knew it. In turn, Deneb let go of Ophiuchus's hand, running just as fast towards them. The three met in the middle and with a joyous shout, embraced each other, laughing and crying all at once. As the family reunited, the Pretty Cure looked on, warm smiles on their faces.

Once the royal family had calmed, the three of them approached the group. "Pretty Cure, Usami, Hirui - we all can't thank you enough." Vega said, smile warm and radiant. "You brought us back together, you saved the world. You're incredible." she said as the group blushed.

Usami coughed a little before he stepped forward, Star Pact in one hand and the captured opal in the other. "This belongs to you." he said, holding out the Pact. When Vega took it, he held out the opal next. "And this - this is what's left of Omega." Altair took the opal, handling it carefully. Usami hesitated, looking back at the Cures. "What's next?"

At that, Vega smiled again. "Firstly, I believe a change of scenery is in order." And together, with Altair, Deneb and the power of the Pretty Cure, they pooled their strength together. There was another brilliant burst of light and energy - and when it faded, the kingdom of Via Lactea had been restored to its former glory.

As the Cures and Hirui marveled over how beautiful the crystalline kingdom was, Altair cleared his throat. "It would be best to keep Omega contained. It's true that light and darkness exist in a constant - however, if we're able to monitor Omega, we can ensure something like this never happens again." he assured.

Deneb took a moment to look at his parents - and together, the three of them nodded. "You should keep it." he said, as his mother held the Star Pact back out. "It was for the Pretty Cure to begin with."

The five stared at the Pact, but none of them reached to take it. Hirui spoke up, gaze somber. "Scorpio and the others, are they really - ?" she began, only to stop when Vega closed her eyes and nodded.

"I'm sorry." Vega said, gaze falling to the Pact. "Scorpio and her team moved on, just as Ursa did so long ago." she flinched at Usami's sudden noise of sadness, giving the boy a moment to process this before she continued. "However, that is the nature of Inner Stars. Nothing truly fades completely. They'll return to Earth - or perhaps somewhere new, somewhere else in the universe, to start anew. We are all reborn, again and again."

Usami dried his tears and nodded. It hurt - and would keep hurting, he was sure - but deep down, he had always understood it to be true, from the moment Naori had told them the truth. His mother was gone, and though a part of him would always miss her, he was certain she would be proud of him and what he'd done.

And finally, Aries took the Star Pact. In response, it opened up - and inside were the eight stars that had been there before, gleaming in the starlight that surrounded them. "Will there be more Pretty Cure?" she asked, looking to the royal family.

At that, Deneb grinned. "I think that's up to you."

A year later, the Hoshino siblings had moved into a home of their own.

Naori Hoshino smoothed out the skirt of her Etoile Academy uniform one last time, just as there was a call from downstairs. "Coming!" she shouted, hurrying down the staircase as she fixed her hair. At the breakfast table, Celes and Masao greeted her, while Rei slid another bento on the counter.

"Thank you, Rei-nii!" Naori grinned. As she passed along the other lunches to her siblings, she peeked at the whiteboard on the fridge. "You're coming home late tonight?"

"It's 'cause he's got a date with Kirika!" Masao said cheekily, making kissing noises while Rei sputtered and flushed.

"It's not a date!" Rei tried to protest, only for his younger siblings to all look at him with the same doubtful expression. Blushing harder, the young man's shoulders slumped in defeat as he looked away. "...so it might be a date, fine."

Celes blinked. "Ah, that must explain why you decided to start working at the Teahouse. Quite responsible of you - "

"Agh, it's not like that!" Rei sputtered again, blushing harder. The doorbell rang and as Naori hurried to open it, Chie Tachibana smiled down at her.

"Naori-chan, Masao-kun, sorry I'm late!" Chie said, "Are you ready to go?"

"We are!" Naori and Masao said together, matching smiles on their faces.

As the three of them departed for school, Chie waved at Rei. "Have fun on your date tonight, Rei-san!" she beamed, the door shutting just as Rei choked on his coffee. Celes laughed and shook her head, just before she went back upstairs to get ready for work.

A year later, double dates had become routine.

Sumire kept her fingers laced with Ibuki's as she, her girlfriend, Kiyomi Saito and Momoe Honda all waited for their orders. Amidst the chatter in the Tachibana Teahouse, the quartet felt at home. Yobaiboshi was fun with its hustle and bustle but it was here, in Lucente Bay, that they all enjoyed themselves the most.

"Say, did you guys ever figure it out?" Kiyomi asked, once Momoe finished talking about how happy her sister was with Rei. "Who those other Pretty Cure were?"

Ibuki blinked. "What, Styx and Sanzu?"

"Yeah!" Kiyomi nodded fiercely. "I mean, of all those Pretty Cure that showed up that day, only those two never got reported, right?"

"Cure Ink said they'd disappeared too." Sumire recalled, laughing a little as she remembered how Ink had been so eager to introduce Styx and Sanzu, only to realize they were gone. "But no, we never found them."

Ibuki sighed. "Wish we could! Ink made 'em sound amazin'! And I'd like t'thank 'em, o'course."

As their orders arrived and the four girls continued to talk about the two mystery Pretty Cure, two girls a table away were finishing up their tea. As they paid for their bill, they listened to the conversation a little longer. The friendlier looking of the two paused for a moment, wanting to interrupt - but as she traded glances with her eye-patched partner, she changed her mind.

They'd checked in merely out of curiosity, but there was no need to come back. The group would be fine.

In the blink of an eye, the two girls were gone, leaving only black and red butterflies in their wake. Momoe blinked as she saw something flutter past Ibuki's head for a moment - but in another eyeblink, that too was gone. She thought about asking if anyone else had seen it, but it was obvious no one had. Maybe it had just been a trick of the light?

A year later, the Hoshizora twins reflected.

Ushio knew there was something Kaiyou wanted to talk about the moment they'd woke up that morning. Her sister had prepared her favorite breakfast and had, with no preamble, decided the two of them were going to the Lucente Bay aquarium.

It was as they were walking through the overhead aquarium tunnel that Kaiyou finally spoke up.

"It's not your fault, you know."

Ushio flinched before she could stop herself, then laughed to cover it up. "C'mon, don't say stuff like that! Y'make it sound like someone died."

Kaiyou only shook her head, giving her twin sister an over-the-glasses look. "You're not the reason they split up."

Ushio inhaled sharply. It had been a stupid gambit, that much she could admit now. After saving the world, she'd told her parents the truth about being a Pretty Cure - and while it had been enough to mend their marriage for a over half a year, soon enough it had completely fallen apart beyond repair. Before Ushio knew it, the divorce had been finalized and their father had moved out. She'd shouldered it well in the past few months - but, well, maybe her shadow self had an inkling of truth in its words.

Maybe it would be okay to rely on others a little more.

"Okay?" Kaiyou said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

Ushio nodded - and for the first time in three months, allowed herself to cry openly. It hadn't been the first time she cried at the aquarium, she realized dimly, but a warm hug from her sister made all the difference. When she'd calmed, a weight had left her shoulders and the two sisters continued their tour. Kaiyou knew Ushio was feeling better when her sister started rambling about the various aquatic life.

As they left the exhibit and stepped back into the warm sunlight, Ushio smiled.

Everything was going to be okay.

A year later, Mei's decision had remained the same.

"Usami, dear, could you get another onion from the fridge?" Hirui asked as she sampled the bubbling cream stew.

"Got it!" Usami beamed, bringing another onion over, marveling at Hirui's quick knifework. "Uwaah, you gotta teach me sometime, mama!"

"Next time for sure, all right?" Hirui promised as she slid the onions from the cutting board into the stew. There was a knock at the door, giving Hirui pause as she checked the time, before she poked her head out of the kitchen. "Mei, honey, it's for you!"

In her room, Mei fussed over her outfit one last time, jumping a little at her mother's call. "I'll be right there!" she called back, cursing under her breath a little as she looked around for her purse. She'd left it around here somewhere…

As she looked around for it, she caught a glimpse of her photo board and smiled fondly. Pictures from the past year littered the corkboard. The picture of her Pretty Cure team triumphant together - Ibuki had insisted on it, declaring she had to show her cousin up - and another picture of herself and Cure Ink's team. But there were other pictures too - the pictures they'd taken after helping Naori and her siblings move in, pictures of Ibuki being fashionable at the mall, of Ushio geeking out over a new aquarium display, of Sumire surrounded by flowers, of she and Arata smiling warmly, of the royal family of Via Lactea coming to visit, of birthdays and sports days and festivals and anything in between.

And there on the dresser was the Star Pact, eight Pretty Cure stars still inside of it. She had decided it, but the others had agreed too - there would be a time they'd be needed, but not just yet. Five Pretty Cure, like five points of a star, were enough for now.

Purse finally in hand, Mei hurried out the door and down the hall, beaming as she greeted her boyfriend at the front door. "Arata~!" she said, giving him a quick kiss.

"Don't stay out too late, all right?" Hirui called out.

"Got it!" Mei called back, just before she and Arata went on their way. As they walked towards the Lucente Bay Observatory, Mei sighed in contentment, leaning her head against Arata's arm.

Arata smiled, but as he caught a glimpse of the stars above, something came to mind. "Not that I'm not glad you guys haven't needed to fight anything since then, but you ever figure out a group introduction?" he asked. "You said you were still havin' trouble with that yesterday..."

Mei grinned in response, puffing out her chest in pride. "I figured it out last night, actually!" she said, excitedly beginning to talk about it, and about how she and some other Pretty Cure teams were going to meet soon. There were so many people she wanted to meet and thank!

Above them, the stars shone bright in the sky. And while there would come a day where there would be no stars, where Omega would rise again, something else was just as certain.

There would always be Pretty Cure to protect the stars too.

ED: "Across The Sky" – Claris feat. StarSHINE 5

"The three stars that shine with the holy light, the Serpens Trio!"

"The star that guides and protects, Usami!"

"The fire star with the determination of a ram, Cure Aries!"

"The water star with the grace of the sea life, Cure Pisces!"

"The earth star with the maiden's innocence, Cure Virgo!"

"The air star with the balance of truth, Cure Libra!"

"The aether star with the holy light, Cure Ophiuchus!"

"The stars that shine with the light of all hope! Starshine! Pretty ✰ Cure!"

"Everyone, thank you so much!"

And now, a final note from the author:

AND IT'S DONE!

This has been a long journey, but it's finally come to an end. When I started Starshine back in 2012, it wasn't the story it became - and while changing it so many times was a hassle for a million reasons, the end result is something I take pride in. I love all these girls and the journey they took together - and honestly, it was a journey I took too.

Thank you to everyone who followed along, no matter how big or small it was. Thank you to anyone who ever left a review, a comment, a kudos, to anyone who asked about my characters or made fancures, to the people who told me they started writing a fanseries because of me, to anyone who ever drew fanart, to the kind confessions left on the Fancure Confessions blog, to those of you who voted in the Fancuries, to anyone who put in a good word, to anyone who ever made a fanmix or added to the TVTropes page, to all the people who let me ramble at them or just read along. Your support kept me going, even when I was too shy to thank you all properly.

Thank you. So much. Back when I started, I didn't expect my story to be so well-liked and even now, over 5 years later, it's still so overwhelming. I'm glad I was able to write something that touched so many people!

And to those of you that decided to steal from Starshine and put it in a Sailor Luna story: yes, I've been aware of you for quite some time and no, I'm not happy with it. Unfortunately I can't stop you either. I guess all I can do is hope that you one day become confident and competent enough in your own writing to not steal completely wholesale from others.

With that out of the way, you might be wondering what's next. Styx and Sanzu will be returning for their own fanseries, Ferry Crossing Pretty Cure - but as to when that goes up is anyone's guess. And beyond that? Well, I can't really say how many more of my personal fanseries stories will be sticking around - though the collab fanseries stories will definitely be staying!

For the time being, I'd like to step away from the fanseries fandom and pool my creative energy into original work - there's another project I'd like to finish, and another original project I'd really like to start.

Again, thank you so much! I love you all!