True Heart smiled as she put together the latest Caring Mission roster. She loved Oopsy but at times he could be a paw full. It was time for him to full fill a Caring Mission. He could do his duty, she could get some time doing what she wanted to do. As she wrote his name down she heard a crash in the kitchen. "Oopsies" she heard her Mate say. True Heart just shook her head as she looked at a Caring Recon Report.
Most Care Bears needed some sort of vehicle to travel great distances. Also to jump from one Dimension to another. However a few were true Inter-dimensional Beings. True Heart looked at a Report submitted by the Caring Team of Secret and Surprise. They could beam themselves most anywhere. It could be problematic though. Each had at times materialized in the wrong place. The first time a young Surprise tried her paw at it she had meant to materialize in the kitchen. Instead she materialized in the shower, nearly giving the bathing Funshine Heart a heart attack. Surprise got quite an eyeful that day.
True Heart had been looking over Caring Recon Reports. She was touched by one of those submitted by Secret and Surprise Bear. While still a teenaged Bear there had been a dance at school. True Heart thought a certain boy Bear would ask her out to it. Instead no boy asked her out. It had hurt her feelings. Now she could empathize with the boy she had just read about. True Heart needed to consider Bears who could deal with a teenage Human Male.
True Heart penned in Cheer's, Funshine's, and Share's name. "Share gets along with any creature" True Heart mumbled to herself. "She could probably use some time away from her Mate too." Besides, True Heart wanted to have Grumpy finish repairing the dish washer and vacuum cleaner. Some how both had stopped functioning while Oopsy was using them.
Then True Heart frowned. Harmony was also due for a Caring Mission. Harmony was hard to schedule in. Despite her name some Bears did not find her harmonious to deal with. Especially most Males. Harmony seemed like a Female who detested Males. This Caring Mission would involve dealing with a teenage Human Male. True Heart sighed. It was time to give Harmony another talking to. So True Heart paid Harmony a visit.
Harmony seemed to take the lecturing well. She would rather deal with a Human boy than a Care Bear boy. Harmony did like boys if she could rough house with them. So visiting a teen boy may just be a Caring Mission she would like. "Remember, this is a Human male" True Heart said to Harmony. "He is not built as rugged as a Bear. He is at an age when most Human Boys are just starting to get really interested in the Opposite Sex. The Teenage Years are a trying time for any one. Be they Care Bear or Human. So please just bear with the boy." Harmony ignored the pun. "Yeah, yeah" said Harmony as she shrugged.
Then True Heart told the other Bears of their Caring Mission. "It involves a Human boy named Ian" she told them. "He was the only Boy in his class not to get asked to attend a Sadie Hawkins Dance. No Girl would ask him to go with her. Ian likes writing stories. He is afraid of being teased for liking Cartoons and believing in Care Bears." Harmony huffed. "Humans! At times I kind of wish they were just made up like a Cartoon or a Comic." She was interrupted as Surprise Bear looked up from a computer. "That is a surprisingly mean thing to say" said Surprise. "I have had some real fun times surprising Humans. I've even rubbed noses with one Human Male!" "Ew" said Harmony. "Was his nose warm or cold" asked Cheer. "I don't even want to think about that" said Funshine. Oosy laughed so hard he spilled his coffee.
The next morning Harmony met up with the other Bears assigned to go. Share cringed as Oopsy and Funshine flipped a coin to see who would drive the Cloud Car. Either Bears' flying could be worrisome. Cheer just kept re-checking her Caring Pack. "Alright" yelled Funshine as he won the coin toss. "Boys" muttered Harmony as she took a rear seat. Share giggled as she strapped herself in. Cheer laughed. "Boys can be fun sometimes" said Cheer. "After all, boys will be boys!" "I just wish boys would be bearable" Harmony said with a sneer. "Ah" she yelled as Funshine pushed the throttle to full speed. Funshine smiled happily as they lifted off. A fast, nearly vertical takeoff was one way to quiet Harmony! Below them True Heart watched the Cloud Car climb away. "Ah, time for a peaceful cup of tea with honey" said True Heart to herself.
As the Cloud Car jumped into The Fourth Dimension Harmony cringed. The Cloud Car rocked a bit. It could have been from turbulence, but Harmony suspected it was from Funshine's piloting skills. "Oh" said Share who then opened a window and peered down at the ground below them. "What is this place called?" Harmony sighed. "For the umpteenth time Share, it is called The United States of America. Planet Earth in The Fourth Dimension."
Cheer giggled, "gees Share. Your sister, Surprise, has been here. Didn't she tell you all about it?" "Oh, yeah" said Share as she pointed to the northeast. "I think that is Maine over there." Funshine laughed. "I wish we could visit the Human she told you about. I got curious about how she had surprised him by materializing in the wrong co-ordinates. Surprise said he thought it was you, Cheer!"
Cheer giggled. "Surprise said the poor boy was playing 'Nothing is Going Right' on a guitar. He actually yelled out in fright 'I am sorry I messed up your song, Cheer'. Then to his surprise he found out the Bear responsible was Surprise." Now Share giggled. "He didn't find out until a few weeks later when Surprise surprised him again. That time he nearly stumbled into Surprise out by his clothesline. He took it well, he even asked Surprise 'so, are you and Share sisters?' Surprise told me she just said 'uh huh. Do you want to try rubbing noses?' She told me her new Human friend had to bend down about four inches before they could try rubbing noses." "Ew, I don't want to hear about it" said Harmony.
They were interrupted as Oopsy checked the Universal Positioning Device. "We are almost there" he said as something fell out of his mouth. "Oops, I lost my gum" he said. "That gum had better not end up stuck on one of my foot paws" said Cheer. "True Heart told me she once had to trim most of her fur off her foot paws after stepping in your lost gum." Oopsy grinned, "yeah. She ended up with bare bear feet!" Funshine laughed as he brought them in for a landing. He made sure he had his homing bracelet on as he activated the Cloud Car's cloaking device. Oopsy was not the only Bear to forget where he had parked a cloaked Cloud Car.
Cheer looked at a map as the Bears made their way to the home of Ian's family. "Your sister's hand paw writing is surprisingly bad for a Girl" said Cheer. Share laughed as she took the map from Cheer. "You sound as bad as Harmony." "Hey" said the other two females together. "You said that in harmony" said Share. Share looked at the map prepared by her sister. She then pointed at a house. "This is the place" she said as she bounded up the home's steps. Oopsy suddenly remembered what had happened the last time he was on an Earthly Caring Mission. "Wait Share" he yelled, but it was too late. The door was opened by a woman who promptly fainted. Behind her a boy yelled "wow! They are really real!" Ian had just met a Care Bear for the first time. So had his Mother.
Despite the rough start the Bears and Ian's Family got familiar with each other. The boy's Human Family took the surprise of meeting these short, intelligent bears rather well. At first Harmony barely spoke to the boy they were assigned to help. That was no surprise to the other Care Bears. As Harmony and Ian eyed each other a strange thing happened. Harmony slowly reached out a hand paw, making sure her claw nails were sheathed. Ian looked a bit worried as this bear of a girl felt his arm. "You Humans have so little fur, I mean hair, on your arms and legs" said Harmony in awe.
Ian grinned nervously. "Your fur is colored differently than I thought it would be. It is sort of a brown color. But when the light strikes it just right it looks purplish." Ian peered at the fur over the Bear's belly. He could see a pattern in her fur. "Your Belly Badge is harder to make out than I thought it would be. Are you Harmony?" "I sure am" said Harmony in a sing song tone of voice. Harmony slowly turned around to give Ian a chance to really look her over. She then faced him again. Ian could now better see the pattern in the fur over her belly. The boy could see her hand paws were less rounded than those he had seen in pictures of bears. So were her foot paws. Harmony giggled as she unsheathed her foot and hand claws for a moment. They were polished a very light and glossy shade of purple.
Ian seemed frozen in place as Harmony took his right hand and put it on her shoulder. Ian had expected her fur to feel rough. Instead it was soft. Ian had heard bears smelled rather bad. The bear he was touching smelled rather nice to him. "So what do you think of me" asked Harmony. Harmony's face was beaming as Ian just looked awestruck. "You have pretty fur and ah claws" he finally said in a near whisper. Then he blushed. The other Bears nearly fainted as Harmony said "you are one boy I can like! So, do you want to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance?" Now Ian nearly fainted. "Sure" he said in a tremulous voice. "Wow, wait until the other Kids see you with me! This could be the most surprising dance in our school's history!" Share laughed. "My sister Surprise would love to hear you say that."
Ian smiled, then he frowned. "Oh gees, I had better get dressed in better clothes!" Harmony giggled. "Well, I am already dressed in my best fur coat." Behind them Funshine whispered to Oopsy. "I don't believe it. I think Harmony actually likes that boy! What does he have that I haven't?" "Uh, better smelling breath" said Oopsy. "Or maybe better smelling cologne." Funshine gasped. "Oopsy. I wasn't really asking for your opinion. And this cologne was a gift from a girl." Oopsy grinned as he though to himself "Funshine must of got that cologne as a gift from a girl skunk!" Then both boys grinned as Ian's Mother gave them a snack. She had heard bears would eat most anything. These Care Bears quickly and happily ate what they were given.
Harmony waited patiently for Ian to get dressed. "I hadn't planned on going out tonight" he said as he walked up dressed in his best shirt and pants. "I am also not that great of a dancer." Harmony smiled as she looked down at his still stockinged feet. "Put your feet on mine" she said. "Here is how one waltzes." Harmony sang out "one two three one two three" as she waltzed with Ian. Ian found himself wishing he was a Bear. He liked this girl! Harmony found herself wishing she was a Human. She liked this boy!
Then the two practiced a few more modern style dances. Ian and Harmony were so caught up in the moment neither noticed a camera flash. "I wonder if she will show up in the photo" thought Ian's Mother. For years after many would accuse her of using photo shop to get that oh so unique photo. Then it was time for Harmony to take her date to the dance. Bear and Boy were both beaming as they made their entrance into one school's History Book.
"Oh my God" Ian heard a girl shout as she and others pointed. Harmony grinned and shouted back "what's the matter? Haven't you ever seen such a handsome boy with his date before?" Ian thought he had died and gone to Heaven. The girl who had shouted had been one that Ian thought just may ask him out, but she hadn't. "This is going to be one great night" he said to Harmony. "That is one of the girls I thought might like me. Instead she is with that tough guy. He is a bit of a bully." "Girls can be bullies too" said Harmony. "Now let's show them how to really dance!"
Hand in paw they made their way to the dance floor. Mouths gaped as Harmony and Ian tripped the light fantastic. Just a few days ago Ian thought he would be spending this night in front of a computer. Instead he was spending it in the limelight. For Ian it was a dream come true. He had been asked by a girl to the Sadie Hawkins dance. His date was unequivocally "The Belle of the Ball!" It was a night that did indeed go down in his school's history.
It would also go down in Care Bear caring history. Secret Bear quietly spied from the shadows. So did Surprise. Each saw Ian and Harmony end a dance with their noses touching. Then their lips touched. Secret jotted something down in her log book. It read "Harmony kissed a Male!" That Male was still smiling and Harmony still giggling as they arrived back at Ian's home. Back at the school people were talking loudly about the night they found out Care Bears were real. Two girls were also talking, to themselves. Each had rejected the idea of asking Ian to go to the dance with them. One of the girls remembered a line from one of her favorite Cartoons of a few years back. Ren and Stimpy. She hit her forehead as she yelled to herself "you Idiot".
The other girl watched her date pick a fight with another boy. Each boy would get kicked out of the dance, along with their dates. "Well, I picked a loser" said the girl as she hailed down a cab. She had a lot to think about as she rode back home. Meanwhile back at Ian's home his Family and the Bears said their goodbyes. Ian's Family would never be the same. Nor would the Bear named Harmony. All had learned a lesson in caring for others, no matter how different they may be. Harmony and Ian would forever be linked in their memories and dreams. Becoming lifelong friends. Being separated by another Dimension would not stop their relationship. Ian would also find himself with many new found Human friends. Females who had once ignored him suddenly became friendly. Bullies backed off, this kid just may sic a Bear on them!
After completing their Mission the Bears made their Reports to True Heart. True Heart smiled at what they had reported. Also the Reports submitted by Secret Bear and Surprise. True Heart issued each Bear a Merit of Caring and one gold Care Credit. "Oh good, I can buy some more gum" said Oopsy. "And some coffee too." "Oh Oospy" said True Heart as she rubbed noses with him. She had missed him, and his messes too.
Grumpy had just grunted as Share rubbed her nose on his. Then he gave her hand paw a little squeeze. It was all Share needed to hear and feel to know how Grumpy really felt about her. Funshine and Cheer ran out the door. Each was always a busy Bear. Each bringing fun and cheer to any Bear, Cousin, or other creature they met.
True Heart asked Harmony to stay for a while. Harmony was amazed as Oopsy served them tea and cookies without making a mess. True Heart told Harmony "I just heard from Secret. Surprise, too. They said you turned out to be the perfect Bear to deal with that boy. You have really boosted his self esteem." Harmony sipped her tea and then said "his name is Ian. In Human terms he is not a boy, he is a young man. A fine young man."
True Heart cocked her head. "So, you finally found a male you could deal with." Harmony sighed. "If only he were older and a Bear." True Heart grinned. "Well, this may surprise you. Surprise suggested a follow up Caring Mission. This Boy, ah, Ian may need some help transitioning from teenager to manhood. Do you think it is possible for a female Care Bear to help guide him along that journey?" Harmony grinned from ear to ear. Now it was her turn to make a pun. "I believe I can bear with such Missions!"
Harmony left True Heart's home happily humming a Waltz. In her mind she was imagining dancing with Ian. She was so caught up in her fantasy she walked right into a Gumdrop tree. "Girl, what has gotten into you" she happily said to herself. In the Fourth Dimension on a place called Earth a teenaged boy looked at his computer. Ian had found a site for aspiring young Artists. He was looking at a drawing of a Care Bear and a Human holding hands and paws. Ian sighed happily as he muttered to himself, "if it can happen once, it can happen again." And it would happen, again and again.