Mirage Pretty Cures

The Mirage Pretty Cures (ミラージュプリキュア Miraaju Purikyua) are the shadow-selves of the Heartcatch Pretty Cure, created by the Heartcatch Mirage. They appear as the Pretty Cures' opponents for their last test. They are actually a part of the originals and are not copies.

The known Mirage Pretty Cures are Cure Blossom Mirage, Cure Marine Mirage, Cure Sunshine Mirage and Cure Moonlight Mirage and are the counterparts of Cure Blossom, Cure Marine, Cure Sunshine and Cure Moonlight, respectively. After resolving the test, the Mirage Pretty Cures merge with their counterparts.

Appearances
All Mirage Pretty Cures look like their original counterparts, only with darker hair and eye colors and they have deeper, metallical voices. However, unlike their counterparts, Cure Blossom Mirage and Cure Sunshine Mirage wear their hair down and Cure Marine Mirage's hair looks exactly like Erika's civillian hair.

All four Mirage Cures wear a black outfit with a long and opened white cloak. Cure Blossom Mirage and Cure Marine Mirage wear short dresses and high boots, while Cure Marine Mirage's boots are thigh-high. Cure Sunshine Mirage wears a uniform, which resembles Itsuki's school uniform for boys. Cure Moonlight Mirage wears a long dress. Every outfit has seams in the respective theme color of Mirage Pretty Cures.

Personalities
The Mirage Pretty Cures are reflections of their counterparts past selves.

Cure Blossom Mirage (キュアブロッサムミラージュ Kyua Burossamu Miraaju): She is unconfident that Tsubomi can change and become a more confident person, and thinks that Tsubomi should give up or she will only get hurt.

Cure Marine Mirage (キュアマリンミラージュ Kyua Marin Miraaju): She is jealous of Erika's sister Momoka's beauty and success as a fashion model, and is disheartened that she cannot measure up to her.

Cure Sunshine Mirage (キュアサンシャインミラージュ Kyua Sanshain Miraaju): She feels indepted to suppress her girlish side in order to protect Itsuki's older brother Satsuki and the future of the Myoudouin family dojo.

Cure Moonlight Mirage (キュアムーンライトミラージュ Kyua Muunraito Miraaju): She regrets letting Cologne die and believes her own weakness is at fault.

Plot
Dune, the leader of the Desert Apostles sends a Desert Devil to earth, which is capable of transforming the entire planet into a desert. To become stronger, the Pretty Cure have to go through the ultimate test in order to rightfully obtain the Heartcatch Mirage. In the Pretty Cure Palace, the Heartcatch Mirage takes each Pretty Cure into separate dimensions to face their Mirage counterparts.

Each of them fights alone against their Mirage counterpart and learns that they are fighting their past selves who are driven to despair. Cure Marine, Cure Sunshine and Cure Moonlight are able to acknowledge their past selves and go on forward with their newly made resolutions. The three of them manage to pass the trial successfully, and they merge with their Mirage selves. Cure Blossom struggles to find her definite resolution, delaying the other Pretty Cure for a bit, before she is able to pass the trial, and the Pretty Cure obtain their Super Silhouette forms to defeat the Desert Devil.

Mirage Dimensions
The Pretty Cure faces the Mirage Pretty Cures at four different and separate dimensions. The respective places are modeled after the Pretty Cure's personality. The places of Cure Blossom Mirage, Cure Marine Mirage and Cure Moonlight Mirage have a night sky with a new moon. However, Cure Sunshine Mirage's place has a bright sunny sky.

Cure Blossom Mirage's dimension is an area with many cherry blossom trees. This place represents Cure Blossom's love for flowers and her blooming character development.

Cure Marine Mirage's dimension is a sea with some pillars. The infinitely wide sea represents Cure Marine's heart.

Cure Sunshine Mirage's dimension is a sunflower field which represents Cure Sunshine's sunny personality.

Cure Moonlight Mirage's dimension is a full with silver and purple roses which represents Cure Moonlight's cold, but beautiful personality.

Trivia

 * In the series, Cure Blossom Mirage is the only Mirage Pretty Cure to have stated her name.
 * They are the second dark Pretty Cure team, the first being Dark Pretty Cure 5 from the movie Yes! Pretty Cure 5: Kagami no Kuni no Miracle Daibouken!, and the third being Bad End Pretty Cure from Smile Pretty Cure!.
 * Unlike the other two teams, the Mirage Pretty Cures aren't evil, and merged with their original counterparts rather than dying.
 * The other two teams have five members, respectively. However, the Mirage Pretty Cures appear as four Cures who do not fight together, but alone.


 * Since the Mirage Pretty Cures only face their personal opponent, it is very probable that the Mirage Pretty Cures have never met each other.
 * It is possible that there are many other Mirage Pretty Cures, since the Mirage Pretty Cures are created by the Heartcatch Mirage, and there are statues of the other past Pretty Cure which are seen in the Pretty Cure Palace.