Are you ready for this chapter? Too bad if your not. Just a note on a typo I made. At the end of the last chapter it's supposed to say, "Upon returning to the Main Area, Fauna gained her human form and trotted up to the two Pandas." Instead of her pegasus form.
He found himself on a dark plane. Looking down, he saw he was standing on clouds. Deciding to try and figure out where he was, he strode forward. As he walked a grey light began to illuminate his surroundings, he found he was in Care-A-Lot. But something was different. Flowers and ribbons had been tied everywhere. "There you are!" Looking forward he saw Hugs and Tugs running to meet him. "Come on, everyone's ready to start." Each grabbing a paw they towed him towards the star-o-scope. An arch had been set up and white roses decorated it. His family was seated in white lawn chairs, each dressed in dresses and tuxes. "Why do you all look so nice?" True Heart smiled at him, "It's not everyday one of our own gets married." He gaped, "Who?" She laughed and shook her head. "You silly." Swallowing hard, he looked down and saw he was wearing a tuxedo. Slowly he walked down the aisle and stood under the arch. The Great Wishing Star shone brightly overhead. Hearing his family get to their feet, he looked back up the aisle. His bride was coming and she looked beautiful. She reached him and smiled. "Hey." He smiled back ,"Hey." They gripped each others paws and the GWS began. "Today is a significant day in the Care Bear family. For upon this day, these two will be joined in marriage. If there is anyone who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." No one said anything. Although Brave Heart had begun to cry. "Very well. Do you take her to be your wife, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, as long as you both live." "I do." The GWS turned to the bride. "And do you take him to be your husband, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, as long as you both live." "I do." "Then by the power vested in me as the Great Wishing Star I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." As they leaned towards each other, Share cried out. Stopping, he saw the opposites back and starting to stare his family. Only now they were 6 ft larger and meaner looking. He stepped in front of his new wife, willing to protect her at all costs. "Let me pass, I have to help them!" "No, I won't loose you again." She looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry." He fell backwards, having been stared by her yet again. "No. No, this can't happen again." He watched her leading her opposite on, watched her knock into him, watched her get caught, and then watched her..."
"Noooooo!" Grumpy shot up in bed screaming. A moment later Fauna burst through his door, symbol glowing.
"Everything okay in here?" He was breathing fast and had the sheets clenched in his paws, "Yeah just a nightmare. Sorry if I woke you."
She grinned and sat on the bed. "You didn't, I have night shift. But even if you had, I'd understand. You've been through a horrible ordeal. You should try to sleep some more. The next couple of days are going to be long."
He nodded soberly and laid back down. Fauna started to head out of the room.
"You wouldn't have given up so easily. You would have done all you could to protect them."
Her shoulders slumped. Turning to remind him of how she had betrayed them, she saw him fast asleep. Shaking her head, she pulled the door closed. Her injured hand began to throb. Rubbing it with her other hand, she went to their mess area to make some tea. Sipping it slowly she felt her body relax. Looking around she saw she was alone. Closing her eyes, Fauna regained her true form.
Because of No Hearts changes in the world, such as the no grass policy, neither her nor Blue could survive in their regular forms. She hadn't changed back for over 6 years. It felt good to stretch her wings. Giving them a few experimental flaps, she heard Blue come up behind her. Folding her wings she turned, cringing at the lecture she knew was coming.
Blue placed his hand under her nose and kissed her forelock. "Don't worry I'm not gonna scold. I know you needed this."
She regained her human form, "I just wish I had room to fly."
Wrapping her in his arms he kissed her just under her ear. "Were going to beat him Fauna. We know how to get the Care Bears and Cousins back. No Heart and Spirit will wish they'd never heard of pegasus falls." He felt her nod and bury her head in his shoulder
"Thank God you're here with me Blue. I'd never have gotten through it without you."
His response was to hug her tighter. Blue spent the rest of Fauna's shift with her. They gathered all their belongings knowing tonight would be their last night in their lair.
At 6:00am the curfew on the city ended and cars began to rumble overhead. Perfect and Polite came out of their rooms, accepting the steaming cups of coffee from Fauna. Beastly joined them 10 minutes later. He sat down at the table, took one sip of his hot swamp water thingy, and slammed his head down on the table, snores coming from his mouth.
"Once a fur-head, always a fur-head."
"Morning Grumpy. How are you feeling?"
He sat as far away from Beastly as he could. "Better now that I'm not 5 inches tall. I'll be even greater when we get the rest of the Care Bears."
"So will we."
He turned away from the Pandas and fixed his now burning gaze on No Hearts ex-henchman. "And you? I find it hard to believe our long time enemy is looking forward to reuniting us. You were part of our, oh how did Mean Heart put it, "our undoing."
Beastly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "And a fat lot of good it did me. No Heart kicked me out on the curb, gave me the pink slip, bamboozled me. I mean, I was the one who got your hairs,"
Grumpy's eyes narrowed, "I got the spell ingredients,"
His paws clenched on the table, "and I was the one who brought the opposites to Care-A-Lot."
Grumpy jumped from his chair and stared Beastly, who toppled backwards to the ground. Fauna put a restraining hand on Grumpy's shoulder to prevent him from further harming Beastly. He took deep breaths trying to calm his temper.
Fauna handed him a backpack, "It's time to leave. We're going to take the sewers outside of the city. The pipes emerge on the other side of the river. We'll start our search in Dead-man's Forest. You two felt crystals there before right?"
"Yes but if you recall, the opposites patrol that place now since they saw us there."
"True brother, but we also know where the crystals are. They don't have this advantage. If Fauna or Blue distract the 2 or 3 opposites there, then we can look for the crystals."
Grumpy, calm now, cleared his throat. "How do you know where the crystals are?"
Polite pointed to her tummy symbol, "It starts to blink when a crystal is near. Yours probably will too."
"Hey! What about me!"
Blue put his hand on Beastly's shoulder. "You get to come with me and the missus to distract the sentries."
Beastly started cackling before he let what Blue said sink in. "Wait! You two aren't gonna get all lovey dovey while we wait are you?"
He smirked, "You mean like this?" He bent Fauna back and kissed her deeply. Beastly turned green the Pandas laughed, and Grumpy looked away.
When Blue released her, Fauna grabbed her pack. "Everyone ready?" They nodded and fell inline behind her. They walked for miles through dark tunnels, smelling of sewage. Their flashlights helped show them the way, but they only made the shadows around them eerier. At one point, a troop of rats scurried in front of Beastly.
He cried out, jumping a foot into the air. "Shut up Beastly. Do you want someone to hear you?"
"Who's going to hear me Polite?"
"You never know. Sewers are great places to hide stuff. Some of the gangs stash their..."
Fauna stopped. Perfect didn't notice and ran into her. "What is it."
She pointed to a purple crystal and an orange crystal bobbing towards them in the murky water.
Perfect and Polite rushed to the edge of the water and pulled them out. Grabbing their flashlights, They shined them through the crystals. After a few seconds a milkshake came out of the purple one and a cupcake shone out of the orange one.
"It's Share and Birthday. How long will it take you to change them back Perfect."
He scratched his head thinking. "Now that I actually know how to do the spell, no more then 5 minutes for each." Going over to his bag he got out the spell book and the ritual items. Placing the crystals on the sewer floor, he began to chant. Blue and Fauna felt the strange magic and began shifting nervously from foot to foot. Share's crystal began to glow. Perfect chanted faster and began to wave his hands. The crystal lifted off the ground to levitate a few inches in the air. Perfect shouted a word that caused the crystal to flare and shatter. Share Bear sat on the floor, shaking her head.
"Where am I?" While Grumpy and Polite greeted their family member, Perfect got to work on Birthday. After the same reaction from his crystal, Birthday asked the same question. Looking around he saw Share sitting next to him. A grin broke out on his face, "Hey Share. Long time no see."
She grinned at him. "Your telling me."
"I don't mean to break up this little reunion, but I'd like to get above ground as soon as possible. We can stop for lunch and fill these two in on our current situation."
The others agreed to Fauna's plan and set off again.
Enjoy. Fell free to tell me who you think they should find next cause I really don't know. All I know is who they won't find but if I tell you that it will ruin the story. Okay. Gonna stop talkin now.