It is the dream of many a young Witch to become a full fledged Mage, a female Wizard. Shreeky was no different. At times she dreamed of attending "The Academy for Advancement of Warlocks and Witches". However, no matter how hard she tried her magical powers stayed weak. She despaired of ever being able to pass an entrance exam.
Even worse was the teasing she got from other teenage Warlocks and Witches. It seemed that Beastly was the only creature awed by her. He became the lightning rod for many of her new tricks and spells. The resilient Beastly always seemed to survive whatever she threw at him. He would good naturedly go along with her whims. He would even listen to her rants with sympathy.
Beastly was an enigma. For a cursed Wild Boar Care Cousin who lived at No Heart's, he at times could be a real scoundrel. He could raise heck as good as any bad guy. Yet sometimes he showed a softer side. When he looked at Shreeky his eyes reflected a look of love. A spark of warmth would enter his heart. It was not the type of love one has for a prospective girl friend. It is the type of love one has for Family.
Shreeky also had some feelings for Beastly. After getting zapped or chewed out by her or No Heart poor Beastly would cringe. He would cast his eyes downward and pout. He often reminded Shreeky of a naughty boy who has been punished. She would find herself feeling sorry for him. She would end up giving him a cookie or other treat. She felt like a big sister to a little boy. Perhaps it was this that kept her from getting the cold heart one needed to become a top notch Witch.
Shreeky sighed as she studied a Tome of Spells. Early that day her classmate Matilda had teased Shreeky at the library. When she saw Shreeky checking out the book she had laughed. "You need a Tome of Spells for beginners. I suggest one for kindergarteners." Shreeky wished she could have temporarily turned the other girl into some ugly animal. Of course the other girl would have just turned herself back to normal. Witches and Wizards could not do permanent harm to their own kind. That would create havoc in the magical realm. Still it would have been a good laugh. Shreeky tried to memorize some transformation spells.
"Ugh!" she said as she stood up. "Enough of this tonight. Tomorrow I will try a few spells while Uncle No Heart is at The Wizards Convention. That way I won't have to worry about messing up in front of him." She lay back on her bed fully clothed to rest and gather her thoughts. She was soon fast asleep. Meanwhile Beastly had gotten the urge to pee. As he made his way to the bathroom he passed Shreeky's door. He spotted her lying on the bed softly snoring.
"Oh poor Shreeky, she must have been really tired" he thought to himself. He crept into her room and took a blanket out of the closet. He gently covered her with it. He blew out the oil lantern. After using the toilet he made his way into his room. He looked into a full length mirror. He sighed as he stared at his reflection. '"No wonder Shreeky yells at me sometimes. I am such an ugly beast. If only I were a full fledged Boar Piggy and not a cursed animal. Maybe then Shreeky would understand me."
As he gazed at his reflection another thought struck him. "I wonder what would happen if Shreeky got turned into a Piggy for a day or two. I wonder if she would treat me better after returning to normal. Hmm, I bet she would make a cute sow. I wish she could spend some time in a Piggy's hooves."
Beastly went to his rickety bed and crawled under the tattered covers. He too was soon fast asleep. Over the castle the stars shone brightly. One shined brighter than the rest for a few moments. The Great Wishing Star had heard his wish. It usually granted wishes only to Care Bears and Care Cousins. However Beastly was part Care Cousin. The star often granted wishes if they taught a lesson. A beam of light streamed down from the heavens through Shreeky's bedroom window. The Great Wishing Star twinkled as if it were chuckling. As the new day dawned the stars faded from sight. Shreeky moaned and groaned her way out of bed. Beastly jumped out of his.
After breakfast No Heart got ready to leave for the convention. "You and Beastly take care of things while I'm away. I trust you are now old enough not to ruin this wreck of a castle while I'm away!" No Heart's normal fearsome tone of voice seemed softer. Although he would never admit it, he sometimes thought of how life would be when Shreeky was old enough to have a place of her own. It seemed as if that day was fast approaching, even though witches aged and matured much slower than mortals.
"I will take good care of things, Boss!" said Beastly. No Heart raised his arms up high. There was a sudden 'poof' and smoke as No Heart disappeared. "Alright" said Shreeky. "Now that we're alone I want to try some new spells. Don't worry Beastly, this time I am going to try some on myself. You can stop cringing!"
Beastly sounded nervous. "Okay Shreeky. Just don't anything that would upset your uncle." Shreeky cackled. "A lot of things we do upset him. Sometimes he worries more than a Father would. What animal do you think I should transform into for a minute?" "How about a piggy?" Beastly giggled as he said it. "After all you hate baths and are always getting dirty!"
"Ha ha, very funny" Shreeky said. "Hmm, I think that spell is ala kazam a swine I am." There was a sudden 'poof' and a blinding flash. Beastly nearly fainted as his eyes beheld what he first thought was Treat Heart Pig. For there was a Care Cousin look a like Pig. Around her hooves were the clothes Shreeky had been wearing. The piggy stood up. It nearly stumbled as it took a step forward. The clothes remained on the floor.
"What happened? Why are you staring?" it said in Shreeky's voice. Beastly was speechless. He realized the cute piggy standing before him was Shreeky. The piggy looked down at herself. She suddenly squealed very loudly. "I am a Pig! Oh dear, I am naked!" Shreeky didn't know what to do. "Just do a reversal spell" Beastly said as he tried not to stare. Shreeky muttered an incantation. Nothing happened. Shreeky squealed as something dawned on her. She had forgotten to end the spell with a time line. She would remain a piggy for a day or two before the spell would wear off.
"I guess I am stuck like this for awhile. I hope it wears off before Uncle No Heart gets back. And stop staring!" Shreeky went to a mirror. "Now I know why Treat Heart Pig wears clothes while most Care Bears don't. This pig hair doesn't cover much up. Oh my, I have six little boobies! I need more pig hair to cover things up."
"You look like a domesticated pig" said Beastly. "They don't have a lot of thick hair like us Wild Boars. Treat Heart Pig likes to wear sweaters to hide her girl parts." Beastly grinned as he said it. He had once spied on Treat Heart as she jumped into a mud puddle to cool off. She had taken off her sweater before jumping in. Beastly got quite an eye full that day. Secretly he had a bit of a crush on her from that day forth.
"Good idea, I think I have an old stretched out sweater that just may fit." After putting on the sweater she looked into the mirror. "What about my butt?
How can I cover that?" Beastly grinned ever wider. "You don't see Treat Heart wearing pants or dresses. They just don't make them for piggies. Just keep your tail down in public. By the way I got a good look at you with your tail up!"
"What!" Shreeky screamed as she ran to the wall mirror. She then grabbed her hand held mirror. She dropped it. She wasn't used to picking things up with hooves. She tried again and was able to hold it so it reflected into the other mirror. As she got the imaged focused right she nearly fainted from embarrassment. She had a thick curly pig tail and was holding it up in the air. She bent forward as she gazed back at the image. Her butt hole and what made her a girl were clearly visible. She lowered her tail and curved the tip up around her front a bit. All was covered. Now she knew why Treat Heart kept her tail down. It also dawned on her why Care Bears keep their tails down.
"Well that is a lesson well learned" she muttered. "Don't worry Shreeky, you will get used to it until you turn back to normal. By the way you are really something to look at with your tail up!" Beastly had that broad grin again. This was turning out to be a bad day for Shreeky. But it was one of the best days of his life!
"I aught to zap you. I wonder if I can do any spells?" She muttered a few spells. Nothing happened. "Why can't I do any magic? I guess I must have needed to add 'keep my magical powers' to that to the spell also. I guess I am stuck like this until the spell wears off." Her face suddenly brightened with an idea. "You stay here and keep an eye on things. This may be a perfect disguise to do some spying. If you tag along you will blow my cover."
As she hoofed it out of the door Beastly looked at her piggy butt with admiration. "She does make one cute piggy" he said to himself. He had grabbed a camcorder just in time to catch a shot of Shreeky. "Alright, I got a shot of her with her Piggy Butt! This is the best day ever! This should be good for a lot of laughs later on." Beastly was humming a happy tune as he headed for his room.
Meanwhile Shreeky headed into The Forest of Feelings. She suddenly heard the sound of water splashing. She crept up to a small pond. On the shore of the pond Treat Heart Pig was rolling in some mud. Her sweater hung on a nearby tree branch. Shreeky suddenly had the urge to roll in the mud. Without thinking she walked to the edge of the pond.
Treat Heart heard the sound of hooves squishing through mud. The startled pig turned around and beheld the sight of another female piggy. The piggy looked younger than her and was ankle deep in the mud. Treat Heart was so surprised to see another of her kind she squealed before speaking. "Squeak! Grunt! Hello!" said Treat Heart. "You should put your sweater on a tree branch. You wouldn't want to ruin it with mud." The younger piggy did just that and waded deeper into the mud.
"You don't have a Tummy Tag. Are you a Care Cousin?" Shreeky was about to say "yes". Then she lost all desire for an evil spy mission. The stress of what had happened to her caught up with her. Just as The Great Wishing Star had desired Shreeky broke down and cried. "I'm really Shreeky. I had a spell misfire on me." She sobbed and then sniffed, "I was going to use it as an opportunity to spy on The Care Cousins and Care Bears. For some reason I just don't feel like being a bad girl today."
"Wow! This is so cool!" Treat Heart said. "Actually you and I are both bad girls today. We're swimming without our sweaters. If we were human one would say we are swimming topless." Treat Heart then laughed and squealed. The ever good natured Treat Heart was enjoying being with another Piggy. "How long will you be a Piggy?"
Shreeky looked puzzled. "I think for one more day. Oh dear, what can I do until then?" Treat Heart squealed with delight. "Well I am tired of having the others talk about my weight. Want to have some fun playing a trick or two?" Shreeky instantly cheered up. She grunted and then cackled. "That is what we young Witches like to do. I may not be a Witch at the moment, but that doesn't mean I can't still act like one!"
Treat Heart squealed with delight. "Let's wash up and get dressed. Brave Heart often gives me a hard time about being fat. Let's go prank him first!" Shreeky let out a squeal. "Hey, my bad day just may turn into a good one!" As she and Treat Heart headed down the path both kept squealing in delight as they made plans.
Brave Heart was looking down at a clip board. "Hmm, I had assigned Treat Heart to dump the Hall of Hearts garbage. You would think a pig could at least remember an assignment involving garbage. I wonder if she's home?" He went to her doorstep and knocked on the door. He heard Treat Heart's voice yell from inside."I'll be right there. I am not feeling like myself today."
The door swung open. Brave Heart's jaw dropped as a skinny Piggy wearing Treat Heart's favorite sweater stood before him. The sweater was too large and looked as if it would soon fall off her. Brave Heart stammered "I I am s-sorry for disturbing you!" He turned and ran off yelling "ah". The air was filled with squeals of delight as both Piggys laughed. Shreeky took off the sweater she was wearing and gave it back to Treat Heart.
Next on the list was Bright Heart. Treat Heart called Bright Heart. "I had trouble with my old duplicating machine. Can you have a look?" Bright Heart was grumbling as he knocked on her door. "She probably just forgot to refill the toner. Pigs just are not as bright as we Raccoons."
The door swung open. There were two Treat Hearts standing there. "Oh my stars! This is beyond my expertise!" Bright Heart turned and ran down the path way. He ran so fast he left Swift Heart Rabbit in the dust as he did his daily exercise run. "What the heck was that!" said the startled rabbit shaking dust from his fur.
Shreeky lifted her sweater up and let a fluffy pillow drop out. "I don't know who enjoyed that more" she said. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun" Treat Heart said." Gee, I wish you could be a Pig more often." "Well it is fun being a Piggy. If I can ever learn to do spells correctly I just may use this as a Halloween prank. I have really enjoyed being with you. I have to get back home. If any Care Bear or Care Cousin ever gives you a hard time drop by and tell me. I will let you use my mirror to give them a little zap."
Treat Heart looked fondly at the other piggy. "Oh that sounds like fun. I will certainly miss having you around as a piggy." Shreeky grunted softly. "I don't have much luck making friends. Uncle No Heart says friends interfere with being bad. Today I had fun while being bad with a friend. I certainly do hope we can do something similar in the future. By the way you will never have to fear my uncle or any Witch or Warlock. As soon as I get my powers back I will make a spell to protect you from Black Magic. Only White Magic will have an effect on you. I need to pluck a few pig hairs from you to use when I do the spell."
Treat Heart let out a little squeal as Shreeky plucked some of her hair. "Sorry if that hurt" said Shreeky. Treat Heart smiled."It's okay, I have full trust in you not to use them to harm me." "I could never harm you" Shreeky replied. "You have opened my eyes in so many ways. It is almost as if you were a piggy sister of mine. Well, good luck!" "Same to you" Treat Heart yelled as Shreeky headed home. As she watched Shreeky head up the pathway Treat Heart grunted to herself. "I sure am going to miss that Piggy. Who knew that Shreeky could be fun to be with."
As Treat heart headed for home she felt as if she had lost a friend. Then she remembered what Shreeky had said about using her mirror if any Bear or Cousin teased her. Treat Heart chuckled as she thought to herself. "Just wait until the next time Brave Heart irritates me. This good Pig just may go bad for an hour or two."
When Shreeky got back to the castle the smell of something cooking hit her snout. As she entered the kitchen Beastly turned as if startled. "Oh Shreeky, you made it back. I was worried about you. I got hungry and made a pot of Pig Slop Stew. There is plenty here if you want to try some." He ladled some into a bowl.
"Thanks, I am hungry as a hog. Wait, I am a hog!" She had a hard time holding a spoon in her split hoof. "To heck with trying to eat with a spoon." She put her snout into the bowl and greedily slurped it down. As he watched Beastly thought to himself "Wow, she really does eat like a hog!" He noticed some mud on her legs above her hooves. "Do you want me to get a bath ready for you?"
Shreeky frowned. "Nah, I will just take a small sponge bath. Dirt doesn't bother me." Beastly laughed. "Well that sounds just like your normal self." "Beastly!" she said in a loud squeal. Beastly laughed again. "You sound normal too!" Beastly wanted to have as much fun as he could before Shreeky could regain her zapping power. He knew she would probably zap him later on for revenge. He didn't care. This was way too much fun.
All to soon it was time for bed. Shreeky found a night gown that might fit her. Before putting it on she tried to sit on the toilet. She nearly fell off. She was finally able to go potty successfully. She then picked up the night gown. As she got ready to put it on she gazed at her body. She now understood why Beastly was so clumsy. The castle was made for those with a humanoid body. She sighed as she thought of the many times she had been harsh with him.
She put the gown on after a bit of a struggle. It was not a good fit but it would do. She then went to Beastly's room and gently knocked. She had a nearly new blanket in her front right hoof. After Beastly let her in she grabbed his hoof and led him to his bed. She tenderly tucked him in. "Here is a blanket for you to keep."
She sat on the bed beside him. "Even though you are technically older than me I think of you as sort of a younger brother. Especially now that I am a piggy. I want to give you something before I turn back to normal. Brothers don't usually like to get kissed by a sister. However you are getting this." She leaned down and rubbed her snout on his. Then she rubbed her fore hoof through the hair between his ears.
Beastly sighed contently. "That means so much to me. I am sorry I teased you earlier." "Hey, I deserved it" Shreeky said as she got up to leave. Soon Beastly was fast asleep. He would have a wonderful night's sleep full of good dreams.
Shreeky had a hard time getting comfortable in her bed. She finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. In the morning she was still a piggy. Even so she prepared a breakfast for her and Beastly. She was wearing a short sweat shirt. After breakfast she and Beastly washed the dishes. She turned toward Beastly. "I feel a little dizzy" she said. "Your snout is really pale" replied Beastly. There was a sudden loud 'poof' and smoke.
As the smoke cleared a startled Beastly could see Shreeky standing there. She was back to her human form. "I am me again! The spell has worn off" she exclaimed. "What are you staring at now?" "Ah, look down" Beastly stammered as he reached for something on a stand. Shreeky looked down at herself. The sweat shirt ended just below her belly button. The rest of her body was bare. "Hey, put down that camcorder!" Shreeky turned and ran to find some pants. Beastly had a wide grin as he checked the image on his camcorder. "Oh goody, some more embarrassing shots of Shreeky!" He ran to his room to hide his video treasure. He was one happy beast. He had just had two of the most fun days of his life.
After getting dressed Shreeky took the pig hairs she had collected from Treat Heart. "This may be a good way to see if my powers are back." She placed them on a crystal ball. She suddenly had a vision of Treat Heart getting teased. "Hmm, I wonder how I can help her to get even if I am not around?" She smiled as an idea came to her. She placed a small pamphlet of basic magic tricks by the crystal ball. With her hands she made a magic sign over the pamphlet, crystal ball, and the pig hairs.
"Ala kazig, protected from Black Magic is Treat Heart Pig! Abbra kazower, may she have limited power!" The hairs and pamphlet disappeared in a puff of smoke. At her home Treat Heart suddenly felt a surge of confidence and power. She laughed in what sounded like a cross between a squeal and cackle. A pamphlet fell out of nowhere in front of her feet.
Later that day as she walked behind Brave Heart he kept dropping his pens and clipboard. It seemed as if something were tugging them out of his paws. Apples and walnuts fell out of trees on his head. He could have sworn he heard Shreeky softly cackling behind him.
Late in the afternoon a tired and irritable No Heart arrived back at the castle. To his surprise Shreeky and Beastly went out side to play together in a sand pile. For once they got along with no arguing. They got along so well for the rest of the day it made No Heart suspicious. After supper he confronted them.
"Alright, why are you two so quiet?" Shreeky looked sheepish. Beastly had promised her he would not tattle as long as she was nice to him. She had promised Beastly she would treat him nicer. She also had empathy for him. The Great Wishing Star's lesson had not been lost on her.
"We know you must be tired from your trip. We just wanted to give you a break." No Heart looked around the rooms. "Hmm, the bathroom looks like two pigs have been in there. Shreeky's room is more of a pig sty than yours, Beastly. Well, everything looks normal as far as the rooms go."
No Heart looked at Shreeky and then Beastly. "Well, Shreeky is dirtier than you, Beastly. Nothing unusual there. I swear there is a little bit of piggy in you Shreeky!" Beastly burst out laughing. "You don't know just how right you are about that, Boss!"