(A/N: For the mental battle sequence, plain italics are Swift Heart's/Chrissie's thoughts, bold italics are her dark mirror image, and underline italics are the spirit of her mother)
Meanwhile, up in Care-A-Lot, Bright Heart noticed something clearly off the scale down on Earth. Without a moment's hesitation, he picked up his phone.
"Come on...there's got to be someone there..." the raccoon muttered as the phone rang and rang. On the third ring, someone picked up.
"Take Care here...what's the problem?"
"Why are you...oh, never mind. I just got a reading of dark energy way off the scale on Earth. It only lasted for a second or so, but..."
"I just happened to hear the phone ringing. Was just taking care of a house call. Anyway, I suppose I can go check it out. It's been ages since I was on a mission, though." the Care Bear doctor answered.
"All right...just let me check on where it is...oh my..."
"What is it, Bright Heart?"
"It's Swift Heart. She's down there too. And from the looks of things, she was on the receiving end of whatever that was."
"I see. I'm on my way now. Have Grumpy fire up the Rainbow Rescue Beam."
"Will do."
Back on Earth, Glenn and Rhiannon were trying their best to take care of Swift Heart.
"Will she be okay?" Glenn asked.
"I don't know, Glenn. She's still out cold, and I don't mean just in terms of her being conscious. It's as if her whole body has grown cold...but she's still breathing, if only barely."
"Is she...?"
"Again, I don't know. I'm just a simple country girl, Glenn. These magics that your brother...and even my sister use...or whatever it is...it's way beyond me."
"I wish there was something I could do..."
"Why don't you start by explaining why your brother went totally nuts back there."
"I don't know, Rhiannon. All I know is that he's not himself. I've always known he was egotistical, and that he didn't agree with my father on many things. I also know he is quite vicious. But I also know he would never resort to an attack like this...besides, the look in his eyes was crazed..almost possessed. The brother I know is far more cunning."
"Possessed by what, though?"
"I don't know."
"Well...all I'm worried about is whether or not Chrissie pulls out of this. I'm not terribly worried about your brother..."
"I understand...but..."
"Glenn, I know he's your brother. But she's my sister...my only sister. I just now got to know her again. And I'm not going to lose her now." She sighed. "I wish it'd been me."
"You aren't the only one. I wish it was me instead of her."
They both nodded, just as a multicolored flash of light twinkled in the windows for a moment.
"What was that?" Rhiannon gasped.
"I don't know...but I'm going to go find out." Glenn answered and sprinted for the door. So help me, if it's another one of those creatures that attacked earlier, or the one responsible for what happened to my brother and Chrissie, they're going to wish they'd never been born...or spawned, or whatever process brought them into being...
"Who is it?" Glenn answered to the still night.
"A friend. I assure you, I come in peace. I am here for a friend." the voice answered back.
"Who are you here for?"
"I don't know if you know her name..."
"Swift Heart?" Glenn answered back. "She's here...but what do you need her for?"
"I see you do know her." a figure answered, becoming clearer by the firelight within the home that shone through the door. "I fear she may be in great danger..."
"Is that ever an understatement..." Glenn replied, lowering his guard, if just barely. "But you truly do sound like a friend of hers...she's in here. Come in, if you can help her."
"I don't know, but I'll try. By the way, I am Take Care Bear. I'm the doctor for the Care Bear family." the magenta furred bear answered, her form becoming much clearer now.
"So you're one of her...family. I believe she spoke of you."
"Yes." Take Care made her way into the room where Swift Heart lay--and gasped.
"Oh my...what in the world happened to her?" She ran over and grasped her paw, nearly dropping it when its temperature registered on her senses. "She's...ice cold."
"Yes, she is."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"She got hit with some sort of energy..."
"I see. So that was what Bright Heart was talking about."
"Is there anything at all you can do for her?" Rhiannon shot back.
"And just who are you?"
"I'm her sister, Rhiannon."
"Her sister?"
"Yes. It's a long story."
"I'll have to hear it later, when we have time." Take Care nodded, fished through her bag for a few instruments, and spent some time getting some readings, taking measurements, deciphering their meaning, and then, at last, shook her head.
She turned to the other two and sighed. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What?"
"Well...she's still alive, that much I can tell. Her body, in fact, is working normally. But..."
"But what?"
"Her spirit...her soul is weak. It's as if she is a prisoner in her own body."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean just that. Darkness has possessed her. And this is one fight she'll have to take on her own. Only her own force of will can break the spell placed on her."
"Will she?"
"I don't know, I just don't know. Perhaps she has enough willpower to break the spell. But if not, she'll be like this forever."
"So what do we do now?"
She looked at the two of them with the most haunted of eyes. In all her time as a doctor, she'd never seen a case like this. "Care for her. That's all you can do."
"And what will you do?"
"I'm a doctor, and I won't turn my back on a patient. I'm staying."
Glenn nodded. "Thank you."
Suddenly, they heard someone stirring in the other room, and the three of them bolted to see who it was, wishing it was Swift Heart.
It wasn't though. It was Victor, rubbing his forehead, eyes closed.
Glenn and Rhiannon stood poised, ready to attack at the first sign of treachery.
But, the most surprising thing happened. When Victor opened his eyes, Glenn was shocked to see they had returned to their normal emerald green color.
"Where...where am I?"
"Do you remember anything about what had just happened?" Glenn finally managed to ask.
"...No," was his only reply.
Victor blinked, once to clear his vision, again when he'd noticed who was standing behind his brother. "How did I end up in a rabbit den?"
"Because you brutally attacked my sister." Rhiannon answered, pure--yet restrained--anger in her voice. "Be grateful your brother brought you back here. If you ask me, he should have left you laying there."
"I did?" Victor asked.
Take Care walked in behind the other two, tapping them on the shoulder. "I think I have a few things to ask him myself. It might help Swift Heart."
They both nodded and grudgingly took a step back to admit the doctor in.
"Victor, is it?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I'm Take Care Bear. Anyway, do you have any clue whatsoever what has happened to you?"
"No. The last thing I remember was walking through our forest. Suddenly this dark figure appeared in front of me..."
"Did it have red glowing eyes?"
"Yeah, I remember that much."
"Just as I suspected."
"Huh?"
"Victor, your soul was possessed by an evil wizard called No Heart."
"How so?"
"I don't know...but he tends to use anger and hatred against people."
"I see. I remember seeing what happened..but having no control over it or why I was doing it..."
"What do you remember?"
"I remember chasing a rabbit through the woods...and...oh my..." He got up and made a beeline for the other room.
"Don't you..." Rhiannon started to move just as quickly.
"Victor..." Glenn replied.
They both arrived to see him standing at Swift Heart's bedside, her unmoving form still laying on it.
"What...what have I done?" Victor asked.
"I don't know. Some darkness has taken over her soul..." Glenn answered.
"I...I did this...all I felt was anger..."
Glenn walked over to his brother's side. "It wasn't you. I mean, it was your body, but your mind was clouded..."
"Why was I so angry?"
"You were always the one that disagreed with Father over his decision not to hunt anymore...that all the creatures in his realm were free to come and go as they wished."
He nodded and sighed. "I did. I believed it was lowering ourselves. And yes, I fought him and lost. But, over time, I was beginning to see the wisdom in his words."
"But No Heart used the anger you still had and took over your mind...and your heart."
"I would believe so..."
"Brother...you are so full of pride..."
"Yes, and now look what that pride has done, eh, Glenn?"
He could only nod, his eyes never coming off Swift Heart.
Victor just chuckled. "If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I'd never believe it, and I'm not sure I believe it even now."
"How could you just laugh, Victor?"
"Not at what I did, Glenn. I know we've had our differences, and at times you and I never saw eye to eye. But I assure you, I never would have done this if I were in my right mind."
"Then what were you laughing at?"
"The way you look at her. Only a few years ago, none of us would have ever thought of it. My, how times have changed, " he answered, then lowered his eyes. "But if what's happened to her can't be reversed..."
Glenn nodded. "It would take her will alone to break the spell..."
Victor glanced up at his brother. "Then perhaps she will break the spell..."
"What makes you so confident?"
"She has the spririt of a wolf, Glenn. Even if she is a rabbit--even possessed as I was, I could see that. And perhaps that is what you see in her, too."
Glenn looked at his brother, completely confounded.
"Glenn, I can see it from a mile away. You're in love with her...and perhaps you are the first of a new breed. It is what I was learning to accept...before what happened."
"I see."
"So she may just pull out of this after all..."
"Victor...thank you..."
"No, Glenn, thank you. If not for you, I might have never been able to see the light. And I am truly sorry for what I have caused."
Rhiannon just snorted. "We'll see."
Victor just shook his head, then turned to his brother. "Anyway, I have some other news to tell you."
"What?"
"Well, you know that blight that's been spreading through our lands, right?"
"Yes. It was the same fifteen years ago."
"Well, it's certainly not some fluke. Some force is behind it."
"How do you know?"
"Just before I was possessed--this much I clearly remember--a couple of shadowy wolves attacked me. I was out investigating the cause of what was going on. It all started in the vicinity of my den..."
"We were attacked too..."
Victor nodded. "I remember going back home to Father to tell him what had happened--yes, even after all these years since my exile...and he said that was what happened years ago too...just before he had ended all hunting in our lands...and I was so blind back then..."
"I see..."
"When I went back out to find you..."
"That's when you were possessed."
"Right."
"You think it's the same force that possessed you?"
"That No Heart person that Take Care was talking about? I'd just about bet anything."
Glenn nodded. "But how are we going to fight him?"
Victor shrugged, then turned to Swift Heart. "I don't think we can alone, Glenn. He was powerful enough to take over my mind. Either one of us, he'd probably do the same. But her... I have this feeling that she's going to be our only hope."
Glenn sighed, turning his eyes back to the one he'd fallen so helplessly in love with--and now was equally helpless to do anything but watch over her. "I pray that you are right..." I know you will too, but I can't do anything but watch. Just remember my love for you...
(A/N: This is the beginning of the mental sequence)
Where am I?
Swift Heart took a glance around. She couldn't recognize where she was...it was dark and black all around her. In fact, all she was aware of was that she was aware.
Glenn? Rhiannon? Anyone?
Nothing answered.
The last thing I remember...some bolt of darkness hit me...and...just what is all this around me?
You're trapped in your own mind. And you're not ever breaking out.
Who are you? Swift Heart asked, hearing herself even though she was sure she wasn't speaking out loud. Telepathy...great. The one thing I had a hard time grasping.
Your worst nightmare.
What's that supposed to mean?
Why do you love him?
Who?
That wolf. He doesn't really care for you. After all, it's his fault you and your sister got separated.
It wasn't him!
It was his kind, Chrissie. Even your sister can see that.
But at least she can accept that...
Can you?
Of course I can!
Then why are you afraid?
Afraid? I'm not afraid.
Sure you're not. You're always looking over your shoulder, waiting for him to turn on you...
I trust him...
Do you really?
I...okay, I admit I didn't at first.
So I was right.
Yes. To her, there was nothing wrong with admitting the truth. She really was scared at first. But I learned to trust him, and I even stood up to my own sister for him. And YOU aren't going to change that.
We will see.
She called out mentally to the mystery voice again, but got no answer.
What really did happen to me and Rhiannon?
You really want to know?
Yes.
It really was as you know it was. A wolf chased you and your sister through the woods, and you two got separated.
Yes, I know that.
So, why now would you trust the very cause of your losses? Your pain?
Swift Heart lowered her head, contemplating. It was as if she was battling herself.
Because...
Because why?
Because...because I love him.
There was a laugh echoing in her thoughts...made more menacing by the fact this was on the plane of her thoughts.
Love him? How can you be so absurd? You and him are from two different worlds!
I know...
How can you really make yourself believe that?
Because I do.
Heh...really.
She just nodded, as if her own feelings were giving her strength. Not enough to break out of this prison, though.
I love him just as I do Rhiannon, and my family...
Oh, so only a friend, huh?
Well...
How can it even be that?
Because I believe in him...
But you say you love him.
I do!
You hate his kind, though.
I never said that.
But you thought that.
Swift Heart closed her eyes and sighed. She wasn't going to give in to the anger of her darker thoughts..her doubts and fears.
You're right, I did. A long, long time ago, when I was so much younger. But then I grew up a Care Bear Cousin. And I learned what it was to care for others. It allowed me to control and eventually defeat my anger...even when it crept up inside my being...
I am your anger, Chrissie. Your darkness, your hatred.
And my doubts, I know.
Huh?
I know what you are.
It doesn't matter. You don't have the strength to break the spell on you anyway.
I have more than you will ever know. And it's time to show you that.
You can't beat me.
I have once before, and I will again.
You didn't beat me...you just hid me inside.
Maybe that is true. But, now is the time to put an end to this.
Very well, then...give me your best shot!
A shadowy figure crept into her awareness, and suddenly a great circle of light shone around them.
Swift Heart turned to face it, and shook her head. No big surprise. you look just like me.
That's because I AM you.
We'll just see about that, Swift Heart replied, bracing as she called forth her Care Bear Cousin Call.
Silly girl, haven't you forgotten I can do all that you can? Only darker, her mirror image replied as its own tummy symbol--a dark reflection of hers--started to glow with black energy.
She was quicker on the draw, too, a gout of darklight blazing into Swift Heart as she was thrown backward. Swift Heart stood and shook her head to clear it.
Did you think you could beat me that easily?
I will still win.
You're too weak, her mirror replied as she let forth another blaze of energy, this one only grazing her but still enough to send her slamming into the ground.
She just managed to roll out of the way of a third shot. It's as if she knows exactly what I'm going to do before I do it!
I can read your thoughts, Chrissie. Like I said, I am you.
Another blast hit Swift Heart, square and true. She slumped to the floor of the mentally created arena.
It can't end like this...
It will. And you will be here forever...
Swift Heart could only watch as her darker image started to charge up another blast. She closed her eyes as it fired off--
then opened them again as it bounced off a shield of pure rainbow light.
How did you do that?
Swift Heart stood up, if a bit woozily. I don't know...but I'll take that as a good sign. She charged up her Call and let loose...this time getting in her first strike.
AAAARRRGH...you will NEVER defeat me!
Swift Heart stood and faced her nemesis--just as she did Victor in the forest. Maybe I won't. But I'm not going to go down with a whimper. I'm going to give it everything I have...
You don't have enough to beat me.
Still...I have to...
This seemed to enrage her dark side as a blast of blackness hit her. Then another, and another...until it seemed as though she was being lanced with a stream of pure hatred.
YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!
Glenn...I'm sorry...
Twin lances of light severed the river of raw darkness that slammed into Swift Heart.
What?
Another ethereal form made itself known in the darkness of her mind. You need not worry, my child.
Mom?
Yes...
But...how?
I cannot explain, and my time is short. All I can say is that your love called me here.
How did you...?
Love is a powerful force, Chrissie. It conquers all.
It cannot conquer me...
The spirit turned to face Swift Heart's dark image. It can and it will.
She then turned to Swift Heart.
Call upon that love now. That of your family, your friends...even your mate. And yes, I know of him. Your father would have been proud..as am I. But I must go.
Thank you...
With those words, the spirit of her mother left.
Foolish...as if mere love could defeat me...
She started to charge up again...just as pure light lanced into her.
NOOOOOOO
Yes..I know now what will defeat you. The one thing you do not have. The love and support of others. They are counting on me, as I do on them.
The dark energy shot out to meet it...but was slowly pushed back.
Not this time...
GRRRRRR
Her darker side pushed more and more hatred into her Dark Call, but even so it was steadily being forced back towards its source.
THIS CANNOT BE!
It is. She closed her eyes, pouring everything she had into her Call, taking all that she had. My friends, my family...even you, Glenn...I need your love...your strength...your caring...
ARRRRRRGH!
This is the end for you...now go back to the shadows that spawned you...CARE BEAR COUSIN CALL!
With those words, a great blast of pure caring energy, easily twice as wide as she was tall, speared forth from her tummy symbol, pushing through the Dark Call as though it wasn't there, smashing into her dark image...and completely erasing it from existence.
Swift Heart dropped to her knees, completely drained. I did it...but I couldn't have done it without the love of everyone else around me...don't totally understand it, though...a battle in my own head? Magic...I swear I'm never gonna get it...
Her eyes closed as everything started to disappear around her in a great light until----
---her eyes slowly opened again. This time, in the real world.
"Ugh...where am I?" she whispered. "And who's playing bongo drums on my head?"
"Chrissie!" Rhiannon and Glenn exclaimed. "You're back..."
"Yeah...I guess I am." she replied, then got up and caught Glenn in a bear hug.
"My...aren't we..." Victor started to say.
"Glenn, I'm so sorry...for ever doubting you."
"Chrissie, you don't have to be."
"But I did...I let my own doubts and fears get the better of me...I shouldn't have put you through that..."
"It's all right..."
"I love you...and I'm sorry I didn't say that from the start. I...I don't ever want you to leave my side...please."
"I won't, Chrissie. I won't."
She didn't give him too much time to say anything else, just pulled him down into a long kiss.
"Wow..." Take Care Bear announced. "I guess I can say you're okay now, huh, Swift Heart?"
She broke the kiss, if a bit reluctantly, and snuggled herself into Glenn's arms. "For the most part. Anyway, don't we still have a mission to complete?"
Victor nodded. "It's time to settle the score with this No Heart person. He's the cause of all this, after all."
Swift Heart nodded. "Yeah, we need to." She then looked up at Glenn.
"So, what's making you all affectionate all of a sudden?" he asked.
"Because it was your love...your belief in me, and in what we could be, against all the differences...that's what pulled me through. I still don't understand everything, though. Guess that's why I'm not an expert in magic. But I know what love is..."
"Well...it was also in no small part due to your own will, Chrissie."
"I know. But...I was still scared and lonely...I needed you...and you came through. Maybe not physically, but your love was there."
"I see. Still, shouldn't you give some credit to the others?"
She nodded. "They were there too. But you most of all."
"I see..."
"Glenn...when this is all said and done...will you come back with me?"
"Chrissie..."
"Please?"
"I'll think about it."
"Okay, Because I don't want to lose you, ever again."
He smiled back at her. "Truthfully, I don't want to lose you either." He leaned down to return her earlier kiss with an equal passion. "All right...I'll go back with you...if your family will have me..."
"I'm sure they will."
"So, when do we head off to do battle?"
"Anxious?"
"Chrissie, whoever did this to you will pay. I'm not going to lose you again."
"Be careful..."
"I'll try."
"Should we go now, or wait til the morning?" Rhiannon interrupted.
"Now would be as good a time to go as any. Besides, the longer we wait, the more chances we give No Heart to wreak havoc on us." Victor answered.
Swift Heart nodded, starting on her own way out, thoughts scrambling about in her mind--now that it was hers again and she wasn't a prisoner in it.
Why was my mother there? And how did I get such power? Yes, I know the power of love..but...wow. I guess it'll all come together when it's supposed to.
(A/N: The idea for a battle in the subconscious mind came from Lunar 2. Just so ya know where I found the concept. Anyone who's played it knows what I'm talking about.
And for those who haven't figured it out or are just confused, Chrissie is Swift Heart's given birth name in this story. Rhiannon hasn't known her by any other name, so she calls her that.)