Hugs and Tugs were looking at a scrapbook. Funshine peered over their shoulders. They were looking at pictures of Toyland. Funshine shuddered. "How can you two look at that? Those are before and after pictures of the time The Evil Vizier took over Toyland. Grumpy, Lotsa Heart, Brave Heart, Tender Heart and I were almost goners because of that Caring Mission."
Hugs looked at him with big expressive brown eyes. "Yeah, that bad Wizard guy made a spell and turned you into wood. He wanted to burn you for fire wood. I am glad he didn't." "Same here" said Tugs. "But it sure was fun to knock on you when you were wood!"
"Cubs!" said Grumpy sitting on a chair in the corner. "It was not fun, it was as if we had been dead. I never want to see that Vizier again!" Grumpy got up and left the room. "It sure wasn't fun" said Funshine. "The Evil Vizier makes No Heart look like a good guy. I don't think No Heart would ever kill us, the Vizier was going to by burning us as firewood."
Tugs looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean I wanted you dead, I would never want that!" Funshine put a paw on his shoulder. "I know that, but you have to learn to think before blurting out something upsetting to others. Now you two go upstairs and take a bath, you are dirtier than Treat Heart Pig after a mud bath!" "Aw" said the Cubs as they headed upstairs. Little could The Care Bears know that in a far off land an evil plan was being hatched. One that would shake the faith of any caring creature, and several evil ones too.
No Heart was even moodier than usual. He had returned from a Wizard's Convention that had gotten nasty. An argument had broken out as to who was The Number One Evil Wizard. The Elder Grand Wizard had been deemed unworthy and was tossed from power. No Heart wanted to be a great Wizard, but to be Grand Wizard would impede on his personal life. However he disapproved of one Wizard's attempt to take over as number one.
The Evil Vizier who had once overtaken Toyland was up to his old tricks. He wanted to be Grand Wizard. Wizards such as No Heart disliked and distrusted the Wizard who was the political might behind The Rat King. No Heart sat at the dinner table eating a bowl of gruel. Shreeky was barely touching hers. Beastly was gobbling his down. He barely listened to No Heart's rant about the convention.
"He would violate the Code of Magic which says to do no harm to another Witch or Warlock. Even powerful Mages and Wizards would be in jeopardy with him in control." Shreeky looked disgusted. "Yuck! Any Wizard that works with rats is not one I want to be around. A half Hog like Beastly looks down right clean and handsome compared to a dirty rat!" Beastly looked up from his bowl of gruel. He had gruel all over his piggy like snout. "Gee, thanks Shreeky. I hate rats, they are so yucky!" He put his head back down until his nose was practically in his bowl of gruel. No Heart looked at him in awe. How could any creature eat Shreeky's cooking so fast without throwing up? No Heart put a spoonful of gruel in his mouth.
Yes, to be Grand Wizard would be the culmination of any Wizard's career. But to do so would mean the life No Heart lead would be forever changed. He was comfortable with having Shreeky and Beastly as his non conventional Family. Yes, his Family was a strange mix of characters. None the less it was his Castle and his Family. He could barely swallow his food. All the talk of rats had made eating Shreeky's cooking even less appetizing. No Heart's dysfunctional family would soon have another reason to hate rats.
Treat Heart Pig smirked as she put away a book of simple magic tricks. It was the book that Shreeky had sent her after Shreeky had accidentally turned herself into a Pig. The two days Shreeky spent as a Piggy had been fun ones when she and Treat Heart spent time as unlikely allies. Treat Heart had used what she learned from the book to get even when ever she was teased about her weight. The tricks also came in handy whenever Brave Heart tried bossing her around. Treat Heart giggled as she thought of her latest trick of having a coconut fall out of an apple tree on Brave Heart's head. Would he ever catch on to what was happening?
Treat Heart was suddenly startled by the sound of The Caring Alert Alarm Bell ringing loudly. As she ran to her window she saw dark greenish black clouds gathering over No Heart's Castle. As she ran outside and headed for The Hall of Hearts dark clouds spread over Care-a-Lot. "This can't be good" she muttered to herself.
Inside No Heart's Castle things were more chaotic than usual. A scroll had suddenly appeared near No Heart's Crystal Ball. After reading it No Heart had quickly summoned Shreeky and Beastly. His eyes were blazing red. He jotted some things on two scrolls and handed one to Beastly. He handed the other scroll to Shreeky.
"I have received a warning that The Vizier has stolen the Magic Amulet of Horace the Hated. Horace and I both opposed The Vizier when he made a move to become Grand Wizard. My Amulet is the next one The Vizier will want to get his claws on. If he succeeds he will have three Amulets counting his own. That would give him power greater than any Wizard has ever had. That would make him nearly unstoppable in his quest for power. The fact he now has two Amulets will mean he may be able to over power me and get his way. He must be stopped no matter what the means."
No Heart then did something that nearly made Beastly faint. No Heart tapped the Scroll in Shreeky's hand. Then he hugged Shreeky for a very brief moment as he whispered something into her ear. He also put something into her pocket which she quickly buttoned up. Then No Heart put his bony right hand on Beastly's shoulder. "For Oden's sake don't mess up this time Beastly! I am sending you and Shreeky to get help. Sometimes friends can be enemies, and sometimes enemies can be friends. Do what the scroll tells you to do." "Yes Boss!" said Beastly.
There was suddenly smoke and a loud "POOF". There stood another Wizard and three near Human sized rats. One rat wore a crown. "Oh yuck, rats!" blurted out Beastly. "I guess your disgusting half Piggy helper would like to be a wooden statue" said the other Wizard. He pointed to two Amulets which dangled around his neck. "I have the power to turn you all into scrap wood!"
Shreeky stepped in front of Beastly and pushed him back. No Heart stepped forward. "You can do no permanent harm to me or my Niece, that would violate The Code of Magic. If you harm Beastly I will see that you pay dearly for it, even if it takes centuries." As The Vizier raised his arms in a threatening manner No Heart jumped forward and knocked him down. "Shreeky, you know what to do" yelled No Heart. Shreeky saw the Rat King and the Rats jump on No Heart. She turned and put her arms around Beastly and yelled out a Spell. She and Beastly vanished.
"So you got me" No Heart said to his captures. "However you will never get the Amulet you came for." "We will see" growled The Rat King. The Rats and The Vizier locked No Heart into his own dungeon. Then they began to search the castle for clues as to where his Amulet may be.
The Care Bears and Care Cousins gathered in The Hall of Hearts were suddenly surprised as a loud POOF and smoke interrupted Brave Heart. There stood the unlikely sight of Shreeky with her arms around Beastly. Soon all present listened in alarm as Shreeky told of The Vizier and The Rat King's plan to gain ultimate power.
"I was nearly killed by The Vizier" growled Brave Heart. "We will do whatever it takes to stop him, even if it does mean helping No Heart. But what can we do to stop such a powerful Wizard?" "Leave that to me and one Care Cousin" cackled Shreeky. "My Uncle and I have a plan. Castles have secret passages and hiding places. I need a certain Piggy to volunteer to help. Stop quivering Beastly, I am not talking about you."
Treat Heart Pig stepped forward. "Do you mean me?" "Yes" said Shreeky. "It will be dangerous for a Mortal, but you have some traits of an Immortal. I granted you some limited powers when I recovered from the spell that temporarily made me a Piggy. I also sent you a Book of Magic. Plus there are the powers that you inherited as a Care Cousin. Are you game?"
Treat Heart suddenly seemed taller and slimmer to all present as she stood tall and said "count this Piggy in". All were shocked as Shreeky took something out of her pocket and put it around Treat Heart's neck. It was No Heart's magic Amulet. They then listened in amazement at what Shreeky said she planned to do. Then suddenly she and Treat Heart were gone. "I hope they succeed" said Funshine. "So do I" said Beastly with tears in his eyes. He then handed the scroll No Heart had given him to Brave Heart. "We can help them if we do what is written on this scroll." All gathered around Brave Heart to see the scroll.
Meanwhile No Heart sat in his own dungeon. He laughed as The Vizier and the Rats searched in vain for No Heart's Amulet. He also laughed as they threatened him. "I do not fear you. Even if you did succeed in turning me to wood I would eventually be avenged. I have something you don't have. I have something that is even stronger than the one thing we both despise, which is public displays of love. Yes, I have something more powerful which you can't comprehend. I have a Family!"
"Shut up!" said the sneering Vizier. "Such talk is enough to make this Wizard puke." No Heart's eyes glowed fiercely. "If you want to puke just kiss one of your Rats. I know they turn my stomach." Before The Vizier could reply the sound of a distant alarm and ringing bells could be heard. No Heart heard a scraping sound in the wall behind him. He looked at an old pocket watch. "Well I will be mortalized" he thought to himself. "Beastly got it right this time!"
"What is that racket?" said a Rat as he looked out the barred window. The bars were twisted into a magical shaped that allowed no creature through, not even a magical creature. They could stop most anything, but there was something they could not stop. A myriad of colored beams of light poured through the bars. "Ahh" screamed the Rat as he covered his eyes. The Vizier felt confused as a myriad of multicolored flashes illuminated the room. He did not see a panel in the passage way wall slide open.
Suddenly two Pigs wearing similar sweaters were standing before him. "Care Cousins" he hissed. "Time for two wooden Pig statues." He pointed his finger as a bolt of light struck the pigs. One pig froze in it's tracks. The other slowly approached The Vizier. "Ha ha" the Pig cackled, "you can't turn this Witch into wood."
The Vizier and the Rats closed in on the Pig. "You are one Witch against two magical beings. We will over power you just as we did your Uncle. You are his Niece Shreeky, I presume?" Unnoticed by The Vizier and the Rats the other Pig began to slowly reach under the neck of her sweater.
"You presume wrongly" yelled the Pig as she held out an Amulet. "Now Treat Heart, let's get them!" The Vizier was struck by beams from two Amulets. The Rats stepped back in fear. "Two Amulets against two Amulets, I may still be able to over power you" yelled the infuriated Vizier. The door suddenly burst open as Lotsa Heart Elephant threw his weight against it. Brave Heart, Grumpy and Funshine were right behind him.
"Get them boys" yelled Funshine. Brave Heart did a Care Cousin Stare striking The Vizier. Funshine and Grumpy aimed their Care Bear Stares for the Rats. The Rats backed toward the cell holding No Heart. No Heart reached between the bars and grabbed two Rats by the head. He knocked their heads together. Down they went for the count. The Rat King made a run for the door when suddenly he was hit by several beams of light. He fainted on the spot.
Before anyone could move Beastly ran through the shattered door. He stooped and grabbed the Crown off The Rat King's head. Then he went to a dark colored stone in the floor and lifted it. He then picked up a gold colored Key that had been hidden under the stone. He ran and unlocked the door of No Heart's cell. "Hey Boss, I didn't mess up this time" said a jubilant Beastly.
No Heart stepped out of his cell. "You have no Amulet, I will get you yet" screamed The Vizier. "We have Amulets" said the Piggys. As The Vizier reached for the Amulets around his neck he was hit by beams of light from two Amulets and Brave Heart's Care Cousin Stare. He was forced back through the door of the cell No Heart had occupied. The door slammed shut with a loud clang as one Piggy threw her weight against it. Then she dropped the locking bar in place. The other Piggy reached through the barred door and tore the Amulets off the stunned Vizier's neck. She then pointed at the two Rats whom No Heart had clonked heads and muttered a Spell. They were instantly transported into a nearby empty cell whose door slammed shut and locked.
The Piggy who had slammed the door shut on The Vizier's cell took off her Amulet and handed it to No Heart. "This belongs to you. I assume you will never use it against me or my Family." Without a word No Heart placed the Amulet around his neck. The red glow of his eyes brightened. All present watched in shock as No Heart silently took the Amulets the Piggy who was Shreeky had in her hoof and put one in his pocket.
He then held the other one out to the Piggy who had returned his Amulet. "The Vizier violated The Code of Magic and is no longer worthy of this. His days as a Wizard are over. You have willingly given me back my Amulet. You willingly gave up great power by doing so. Under The Code of Magic you have earned the right to wear this. I swear to never use the power of my Amulet against you, do you swear to never use the power of your Amulet against me, Shreeky, or any other Mage or Wizard?" "I do" said the Piggy in a shaky voice. No Heart placed the Amulet around Treat Heart's neck.
She then turned toward the other Piggy. "Hey Shreeky, we have matching necklaces!" The other Pig squealed in laughter "we sure do Treat Heart." They were interrupted by Brave Heart. "I am confused as to who is who, can one of you Piggys turn back into Shreeky?" One of the Pigs lifted the hem of her sweater a bit. "If I do that I won't have a tail to cover my butt and curl up over my girl's thing. I will be naked from my belly button on down." Beastly squealed in delight. "Hey, I won't mind!"
"Boys" said the Piggy. "It doesn't matter if they are Wizards, Humans or Boar Pigs. They are all alike." "You got that right" said the Piggy that was Treat Heart. "Maybe he needs a coconut on his head." "Hey" said Brave Heart. "Something just dawned on me, I remember Shreeky saying she gave you a book of Magic a while back. I've had a few things such as coconuts fall on my head lately."
Treat Heart squealed with laughter. "So you finally caught on, are you going to be hassling me about my weight or bossing me around any more?" "No way! With an Amulet you may become a Piggy Witch. Please don't hurt me." Beastly laughed at him. "Don't worry, you will get used to being zapped. I know I have!" No Heart and the Pigs laughed. Brave Heart looked mortified. Funshine turned towards Grumpy. "I guess my days of playing tricks on Treat Heart are over" he whispered. "Oh no, I will have to be less grumpy with her" Grumpy whispered back.
"Hey, look at me!" Beastly was standing tall and proud with the Rat King's Crown on his head. "Do one of you Piggys want to be my Queen?" "Not I" said Treat Heart. "I do have a Sister named Sweet Treat who would rub snouts with any Boar. Maybe someday you two can be Mates." Treat Heart could not know just how prophetic that statement would be.
No Heart dragged the unconscious Rat King into another cell and slammed the door. "I need to think of some cruel and unusual punishment for The Vizier and the Rats. Hmm, I know! Ala Kazig, you are Pigs!" The sound of squeals and grunts could be heard as those in the cells turned into pigs. "What's so cruel about that?" asked Beastly. No Heart laughed in an evil way. "They will be fed nothing but Shreeky's gruel!" "Hey" said Shreeky. Beastly laughed.
No Heart fingered the remaining Amulet in his pocket. "Ha ha" he laughed in an evil tone. "Horace the Hated will owe me big time when I return his Amulet. I heard the old Hag he is married to is a great cook who makes killer cherry pies. We may get some good food yet, Beastly." He then went to the Magical barred widow and pushed a stone nearby. The bars swung open.
No Heart walked up to Treat Heart. "I am grateful for your help. Who knew that even supposed bad guys can use the help of Care Bears and Care Cousins. You and Shreeky really do look like Piggy sisters. I hope you enjoy your new found powers. The Magical barred window is open so you can try to leave magically if you desire. If you ever want to join The Dark Side feel free to drop in. Now I would really like some private time to be with Shreeky and Beastly. But first…" he finished by whispering in Treat Heart's ear.
Treat Heart smiled broadly. "Ala kazeer, we're out of here!" With a loud Poof Treat Heart, Lotsa Heart and The Care Bears disappeared. Brave Heart was still standing there. "Hey, what about me!" Out of nowhere a coconut fell on his head. He slowly faded from sight. Shreeky laughed. "I have a feeling Brave Heart's life will be a lot like yours from now on, Beastly. Now find me my clothes so I can turn back to normal, and don't you dare take any pictures of me as a Piggy!"
Beastly smiled. "Okay, Shreeky." As he walked away Beastly thought to himself "Oh good, she forgot about the security crystal ball on the wall. I will have to switch it with another as soon as she is not looking. I hope it has some nice views of her Piggy butt and Treat Heart's too. They were so busy with the Rats and The Rat King they just may have let their tails wander out of place. There is nothing cuter than a girl Piggy with her tail in the air."
Later that night Beastly was a happy Beast as he rubbed the Crystal Ball and saw what it had recorded. "Wow, Treat Heart's Piggy butt is even cuter than Shreeky's!"