A/N & Disclaimer. As I'm sure everyone figures, I don't own the Care Bears or any of the characters. If I did though, that would be awesome, because I would can the weird 3d cartoon of them going on now and continue the Nelvana series. Anyway, I was doing ffics for a while but stopped maybe two or three years. But as you can see that's over... I actually began to post a story but deleted it not too long ago. This is pretty much a bigger, better version of what I had in mind the first time so if you happened to be one of the people who caught that first chapter I posted you might begin to see similarities. But like I said, I just improved on it a bit. This chapter includes two OC's of mine, Esther and Marcus, but these guys really aren't all that important and were just necessary to get the plot rolling. I'll do more disclaimers and stuff as other characters are introduced. By the way, I'm an adult college kid who likes Care Bears (call me weird!) so this might be a bit more adult than other CB fan fiction so just be prepared in that aspect. Until then, enjoy, and I won't complain if I get any reviews! Thanks. –Rummybones
(EDIT. I just realized that there is kind of a Harry Potter reference in here… haha! I want to keep it… see if you can spot it.)

Prologue: Shaken by a Low Sound

Through the expanse of the castle, down each dark and cold corridor, two sharp knocks rang. It seemed as if all activity ceased in its following. Lethargic shadows lurking in corners floated into what light was available, their transparent features intrigued. Even the rolling storm clouds seemed to acknowledge the sheer peculiarity of the situation – that some mistaken person was actually and voluntarily asking for an invitation inside the dwelling they surrounded – and the thunder and lightning paused. Then there were sounds of huffing and puffing and claws scraping against stone floor as Beastly scurried as fast as he could towards the main entrance, talking to himself between breaths.

"The front door?" he panted, "That thing hasn't been used in ages! (Huff) Oh, don't mess this one up Beastly… (Pant) Boss really looked like he was serious this time…"

By the time the creature reached the front door he was out of breath with his hands on his knees, gasping with exaggeration. After a few moments, he had gathered himself and gulped loudly. All he knew was No Heart was expecting company… and that if he did something to embarrass his boss or ruin the visit his head was going to be on a platter. The two double doors were massive, and Beastly struggled to pull one side open before he took a step back and attempted to gather his nervous, shaking claws and clear his throat. "C-Come in…"

Two people were on the other side, oddly calm in the midst of the thunderstorm that raged around them. Beastly look up in wonder at the two while squinting against the bright lightning, and they stepped inside with interest in their eyes, looking at the insides of the castle with raised brows. Beastly momentarily forgot his manners and stared. There was a man and a woman, both in their middle ages though the male was visibly youngest. Dressed in long dark coats that were near to their feet, almost like robes, they exuded some sort of presence that gave Beastly a chill. The man had dark hair that was slicked back, she had a gray bob and almost sickly gray skin, and then they both turned their piercing eyes on to Beastly who stood there open-mouthed in silence.

"You must be Beastly," said the woman, and she flashed a fake smile to show her disinterest in him.

"Yep, that's me," the creature replied nervously, trying his best to control his stammer, and then awkwardly pointed forward, "You want to see N-No Heart? Right this way!"

And without another word he scampered off. Behind him, the two strangers exchanged interested glances before turning to follow stiffly, their eyes constantly surveying their surroundings. As he directed them through the system of hallways and dark corridors, Beastly could only think to himself anxiously – who are these people? Does No Heart have friends? No, couldn't be, he doesn't do friends. Did I do something wrong? No Heart said this was something pretty big; I better not mess up… They're making me NERVOUS. We never have visitors…

He came to the open doorway of No Heart's throne room and made a flurry of hand motions. "He should be in there…"

The two said nothing, just one at a time walked forward. Beastly found himself able to breathe again and then shut the door – leaving it open just a crack. He waited a second and then sat himself down to peer in. However, a tug on his fur made him jump a mile high, and he would've yelled out if it wasn't for a hand on his mouth. Wide-eyed, he turned to see Shrieky kneeling beside him with an exasperated expression, shaking her head. She shouldered him out of the way until they both came to a position where they could peek inside.

x

Sitting in near darkness, a figure anxiously sat. Almost as dark as the room itself, No Heart faded into the shadows save for his crimson eyes staring forward. The occasional lightning flash would illuminate the chamber, yet he sat unblinking in deep thought. He clicked a clawed finger against the armchair of his throne incessantly, thoughts churning. He was expecting the visitors, and the charmed door announced their arrival so that the knock was heard all throughout the castle, so now he waited. He knew of their plan to visit only two days before.

On that day, he had no choice but to perform a sort of rescue mission for his niece and idiotic assistant. In some way or another, their attempt to cause the Care Bears their weekly harassment somehow managed to backfire, and his gift of the magic mirror to his niece had suddenly turned on the girl herself through their use of "caring crystals." How specifically it had happened, he wasn't sure. But her shrieks were heard all the way to his castle, and he had no choice to fly out to the Kingdom of Caring and set another hex on the mirror, which had somehow gotten a life of its own and was flying after the two zapping them. It could have been comical if he wasn't enraged at the necessary actions he would have to take.

He had arrived home in the form of a crow, with the two sheepishly trailing in Beastly's flying contraption, and flew into his cauldron room with a vexed 'caw' before perching on the edge of his table. He turned his beak towards the two and glared upon them. "What happened out there? You're fortunate I could hear your yelling all the way from here!"

He shifted to his true form in a billow of purple smoke as they looked to each other in resentment, obviously blaming each other for what might've happened. Shrieky cleared her throat. "It's not our fault… I was just enjoying myself, zapping that Forest of Feelings… I didn't know they had a mine of caring crystals! It got everywhere…"

No Heart looked on this with arms crossed, his shadowed face featureless as she continued to explain the situation. Truthfully, he wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Situations such as these happened more frequently than he would like to admit. And the worst part was how many times they had failed in over such long time... Shrieky wasn't a child anymore. At the age of sixteen, she had plenty of shares in antagonizing Care Bears, and he could tell that she was beginning to tire of it all… possibly even No Heart himself and this attempt of a failing conquest. The girl was getting older, her visits less frequent and her irritation at their failures become more and more persistent. These were his thoughts as he watched the two begin to argue (though clearly not listening), when something out of place caught his eye from the table. He looked over to see an envelope.

As the two began to bicker more, and their voices escalate, he reached out and picked it up. Interrupting loudly, he held the letter up for them to see, "Which one of you brought this in?"

The argument stopped… Shrieky was effectively keeping Beastly's swatting attempts away from her with her hand on his forehead. They shook their heads 'no'. The sorcerer inspected the note more in his clawed hands. It was aged and most likely expensive paper, slightly yellowed with no more than a wax stamp sealing it. On further inspection, No Heart almost widened his eyes to see embedded in that stamp a cursive M with what looked to be a semi-circle of stars beneath it and a crown of witch hazel flowers (knowing these things as a sorcerer was necessary if not common knowledge…) above. He practically ripped the letter open. "The Ministry?"

By this time Shrieky and Beastly had gathered around as he read each articulate, slanted line of cursive. The head masters were coming to the castle... but why was still unclear. He said this out loud in confusion.

"Head masters?" Beastly repeated his words with a tilt of his head.

"Yes…" No Heart hissed, "Head masters of the Ministry of Black Magic. They want to come here to see me. Hmm. This is very unusual… therefore it must be very, very important."

He could not for the life of him imagine what they could want. He had not spoken to or appeared before either the location of the Ministry or the headmasters themselves in ages. The Ministry had managed to locate him decades ago, but as far as he knew they regarded him only as a reclusive, although powerful, practitioner who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, which he was quite content with… unless he needed the occasional aid of their magical assemblages.

No Heart rose from the throne at their arrival, opening his arms wide in a gesture of invitation. "Ah, Marcus… Esther… good to see you have made it safely."

Behind his cowl, the friendly words were empty and he glared at them imploringly, more concerned with their intentions than greetings. The two strode forward, also sporting mock pleasure in their expressions until they stopped a few feet in front of the sorcerer. The man now identified as Marcus continued his attempt at a grin, though it appeared to be more a grimace of pain. "I see our letter successfully arrived to you… good to know. I wasn't sure if the spell would make it through this hell of a storm you have going on," then he motioned with his head to the lightning flashing outside of the tall windows, "I am impressed. Fine magic at work here."

"Indeed," Esther agreed, "I hope this is not a bad time for you."

"Of course not," No Heart replied, "You are always welcome here."

The blatant looks that went through the company then confirmed that this was a forced formality that no one was interested in, and that a new tactic needed to take place. No Heart attempted to stifle back a growl when the woman took his arm and almost sweetly gestured him forward. "Come, let's walk as we have this little meeting," she said, "We won't keep you waiting. I'm sure you would like to know why Marcus and I are here. We at the Ministry do in fact take your request seriously that you wish not to be bothered, but this is a situation that must call for our presence, I'm afraid. Here… why don't you show us your library or reading room? I'm curious."

"Yes…" No Heart said as the three slowly walked forward, "I'm sure it must be very important. To be honest I have wondered what it could possibly be since your letter arrived."

He could hear the sounds of Shrieky and Beastly scattering away from the door, and once more he found himself struggling to contain his irritation – he had specifically told them to give his company plenty of space and to remain hidden. "We passed that place on our way," Marcus remarked, "Those Care Bears I have heard of from you and some others. And I have to say that it's a dreadful little place, I don't know who would want to live in those conditions."

"Yes!" Esther suddenly cackled, "Did you see there was actually a building shape like a heart? How childish!"

The two laughed at that, and No Heart just looked down upon the stone floor with crossed arms as they slowly walked forward. "It is difficult enough being so close within their proximity."

"It must be awful," the woman said almost with a hint of empathy, "When I first heard, I thought it was some sort of joke. Little candy colored animals running around? Driving in clouds made of cars… how ridiculous. But it's real, and it's alarming because I didn't think it would be what I just witnessed."

No Heart suddenly turned his head to her in interest. "You think there is something that needs to be done?"

But she just screeched again. "Oh, of course not. You can have all the fun you want with the little creatures, but I don't exactly take those things seriously even now that they do in fact exist. I was remarking more on their disgusting little home. Telling children how important love is doesn't seem to be a threat to my Ministry. Waste of my time. They're nothing more than some sort of magical anomaly, just a little pest in the grand spectrum of white and black magic."

Marcus was laughing with her, but No Heart clenched his fists. He absolutely hated these people, and what he hated even more was trying to play this little game of polite. The Ministry was nothing more than a black magic organization that grew rich off of artifacts… they did not truly see the threat that the Care Bears had. And this is exactly why No Heart had explicitly requested that they leave him alone… he wanted nothing to do with these people. But here he was forcing a bitter laugh as the two humored themselves. Growing impatient, No Heart questioned, "So what are your interests? What brings you to my home?"

"Well, No Heart," Marcus began, "Let's be straight forward. You are quite the figure in the black magic world… you have obtained a level in mastery that most – if not all - dream of due to your immortality… talent as well. And self-taught? You can see why you have the Ministry's respect. As you know it's because of this that we are generous to you…"

No Heart knew that something was going in a direction he was not going to like at all.

"However," Esther interjected in a tone that meant business, "Now is the time you give back to us."

By this time they had reached the library. Taking a sharp breath to prepare him for whatever horrid suggestion they had in mind, No Heart braced himself. He already knew his answer: no. But he opened the door for them instead. "And how would I do that?"

"Old magic is becoming endangered, No Heart," Marcus said as Esther walked about peering into the several shelves of books. "The very magic you do is almost nonexistent… you and a very miniscule amount of mortals are all that's left. At least of your level and mastery. And as the heads of the Ministry… we can't allow that to happen."

No Heart stared vacantly at him.

"It's time you get an apprentice," Marcus finished.

"No."

The two laughed at his immediate response, angering the sorcerer even further. They both were looking into the books at this point, even handling them. No Heart was becoming increasingly annoyed with the two intruders. "I don't mean to be so… abrupt. But I have decided a long time ago that I was not going to do an apprenticeship."

"Historically, isn't it strongly recommended if not required for sorcerers to have one, though? Well, actually I know so," said Esther, and then with an amused grin added quickly, "And I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice to be honest."

"Is that so?" No Heart's voice was beginning to rise.

Marcus and Esther gathered themselves in front of No Heart. Though the two of them did not have as much magical capability, and No Heart intimidatingly towered over them, they intended to make it clear why they had the authority. Marcus muttered some words of a foreign language and held up his hands. Simultaneously, at least a dozen books pulled themselves from the shelf and hovered towards him under a spell incantation. As her partner seemed to arrange the books in the air through hand gestures, Esther explained to No Heart; "As I said, we've been very generous to you. You make it clear you want to isolate yourself from the Ministry, but then you appear randomly every few years just demanding books and artifacts that we try so hard to locate. And every time, you get what you want. These-" she gestured to the books, "are just a handful of some things that belong to us; that you have neglected to return. This one I haven't seen in over fifteen years!"

No Heart eyed the books in the air. "And? Tell me one person other than myself who can even decipher these texts! They're useless to you."

"And," she suddenly snapped, "These 'useless' books are worth thousands on the black magic market! We've given you materials worth even more, and I don't even know what use you are doing with them or what condition they may be in. As powerful as you may be, you can't misuse the Ministry's possessions. Now, you and I both know that your supplies are quite limited. We are not a lending system; we're preserving something ancient, NOT a library. And as of right now, you're metaphorical library card is terminated. Unless you put something back into the system you so easily take from."

No Heart was stunned for a moment. Then he seemed to register what she was saying, and his eyes glowed dangerously. "How dare you! I am older than your little Ministry, and I won't allow you to tell me what to do! I need those things! I have work to do with those that are much more productive for black magic than sitting on them as you do like a stack of money! I don't want an apprentice, and that is final."

Marcus had piled all the books up in a large stack delicately, then turned from his work. "You can threaten us, but we both know that there's hundreds of us and one of you. Not smart, No Heart. We know how much you need us."

"And really," Esther rolled her eyes, "There could be far worse requests from us so you must calm down. You should know that. What about that niece of yours? She's at the ripe age for learning."

"Out of the question," No Heart growled.

"Then we will provide you with someone."

By this point No Heart was yelling. "Provide me with someone? The last time I asked you for some assistance, I ended up with that joke of a person 'Dr. Fright'! It was awful, and I think you intended to give me such as a waste! I don't even know what he was doing over at the Ministry, the man was a clown!"

"Nevertheless!" Esther yelled over him, and then gathered herself once more to explain in a calmer voice, "This is your liability. No more borrowing from us until you put something back into the system. We can say we're on good terms again when you get that apprentice. I don't want to be throwing any more money out of the door for you until that person can levitate a table or turn coal into a diamond. You have one month to find someone, if not, I'll make sure you get one… though I can't promise you'll enjoy him or her as much as you did Dr. Fright."

No Heart was stunned. "What? Are you mad?"

Marcus gathered the books and then tipped his head with laughing grin. "Nice chatting with you. You know where to find us."

That was the breaking point. No Hearts eyes turned to glowing embers and he began to point a finger at their direction (a gesture that could produce painful lighting or a number of other unwanted things from a sorcerer), but what seemed to be a shadow passed over each of the unwanted visitors. And then they were gone, the valuable books included. The wizard looked madly about, but they had left, using their magic to somehow teleport from the room. He cursed and then quickly looked through the remaining shelved volumes of his library, only to find what he had read only a hundred times each. Nothing of importance to him. "They took ALL of them?" He yelled in disbelief then lashed out to overturn the nearest thing: the table. "I HATE you people!"

He whirled around, eyes glowing hot and teeth grinding, only to see Shrieky and Beastly standing in the doorway with their mouths open. "What do you not understand about LEAVING US ALONE? GET OUT! GET OUT!"

There was a flurry of movement, and Beastly and Shrieky attempting to clear the scene, until No Heart was left alone to fume. He stalked back and forth in rage, spitting obscenities when he pondered on something especially problematic. What was he going to do? Those two miserable people who intruded into his castle were right as much as he hated to admit it… his resources were of no use anymore. Old things that he could gain nothing from… as powerful as he was, he just did not have the means necessary to continue and expand his magical capabilities! He contemplated on simply stealing the materials, but to be on the blacklist of the Ministry would be nothing but a constant nuisance directing more attention to himself than he would like – those two and all their followers would not stop until they got what they wanted back. What was especially problematic was the time and investment it took to take an apprentice under his wing… if their standards were really what they hoped for, as in levitating tables and such, they expected a kind of mastery that took years to complete. Even for a three hundred-odd some year old being, that was quite some time to devote into a thing he really did not want to, taking time away from his work. And the nerve! To see those disgusting Care Bears and only remark on them, take it as a joke! One day they would realize their mistake… but until then, No Heart was left empty handed. He kicked a candle that had scattered off of the table in a moment of anger and defeat.

There was no choice. He had one month to gather himself an apprentice.