Of the Same Coin
Part Three: Truth Hurts
"Amor, no es amor, (if this ain't love)
than what am I feeling,
what am I doing wrong?
Amor, no es amor (if this ain't love)
Is this an illusion
that I have in my heart?"
-Frankie J
"Just what exactly do you mean by 'he is you'?" True Heart Bear asked Defender Bear. She and Noble Heart Horse had overheard the white bear's hypothesis as they were walking into Take Care Bear's clinic. Defender looked around a few times.
"Would you mind if I explain this somewhere more private, like my place?" Defender suggested. "I can walk on my own, honest."
"Yes, that's fine," said Noble Heart. So the three plus Wish Bear walked out of the clinic towards Defender's house. They saw two other family members on the way there. They waved, and the group waved back, trying to appear as if nothing was out of the ordinary, though Defender kept his cloak closed to hide the bandage on his chest. When they arrived there, the white bear locked the door and drew the curtains closed.
"Okay, here goes. Now, I was telling Wish over there about how I could read No Heart's memories. To be honest, it actually began before that. Apparently, not having a body affords someone a greater awareness of things; not that I recommend that to anyone, mind you all.
"Anyways, while I was trapped in that crystal and being taken to No Heart's castle, I could sense some confusion in Shade Foyle. I could discern that being around us bears and cousins makes him feel uneasy. But, it's not from abhorrence of us. No, something about us seems familiar to him, as if he might belong here. That, of course, goes against everything I'm sure No Heart has conditioned him with. Well, I wanted to convince Shade that what he was doing was wrong, and so I brought up the memory of the first time I had fought with No Heart some time ago, and I tried my best to "project" it to Shade.
"And, what happened?" questioned Noble Heart.
"Oh, I could tell he got the message, although it only made him more confused. And, it didn't stop me from being taken to the castle. That was where No Heart tried to steal my magical powers for his own."
"You said you could read his thoughts, right, Phoenix?" asked Wish Bear.
"Yeah. I wasn't in any rush to give No Heart any of my memories, or my magic, for that matter. But, when he tried to steal my magic powers from me, that when I noticed that whatever incantation he was using left him very vulnerable. I was in condition to take advantage of that, obviously. But, that was when I noticed that I could 'see' into his mind."
"You saw his memories," said Noble Heart.
"Uh-huh, and most of them were horrible. I could see many of the times he tortured humans, took away their feelings, made them hostile, and him taking great satisfaction in all of it. I almost stopped looking out of disgust, until I saw one of his more recent memories. He was in his atelier, with something cooking in his cauldron. He was about to add something to that mixture, and that's when I knew I found something."
"What was he adding?" asked True Heart.
"Me. Or a piece of me, to clarify. You see, when I first fought No Heart, the last attack I used—that immense beam—it was so draining that it left me too tired to do much else. Like, for example, notice when No Heart had been beaten, he managed to steal some of my 'essence' before he fled his castle."
Noble Heart inquired, "And, by 'essence', you mean your soul?"
Phoenix had to think for a moment. "I…suppose, but I'm not certain; that was a separate memory. In any case, once he added that last ingredient, well, out popped Shade."
"I suppose No Heart's logic was that if he could make a clone of me with just a little bit of my essence, he figured he could do a lot more damage with the rest of me. Literally."
"What happened to Shade?" asked Wish.
"Oh, right. Well, after Beastly almost dropped my crystal, I got saved by Shade when he levitated the crystal before it hit the floor. I could tell No Heart was taken by surprise. It was like he didn't think Shade was capable of that kind of magic; and that made me think. As if I could do much else.
"Anyhow, Beastly ran off, and No Heart angrily stomped out of the atelier, which left Shade alone with me. He said that I knew something about him—which I now did, and he really wanted me to show him."
"And, did you, Defender?" True Heart posed the question.
Phoenix sighed. "Yes. I projected the same memory I saw to him."
"What happened?" asked Noble Heart.
"Well, I thought he was confused to begin with, but this last tidbit of information really threw him for a loop! He shouted, 'What am I?' like he didn't know where he came from. Which, I believe, was what set him off. Apparently, No Heart never told Shade that he was a clone of his hated enemy.
"That must be a shock, though: realizing that you came from a magical soup, more or less." The others nodded in agreement.
"We found Shade sitting at the top of some stairs in No Heart's castle," Wish added to the story. "And, instead of attacking us, he told us where the crystal with Defender in it was."
"Still reeling from that revelation, I expect," Noble Heart pondered while stroking his chin.
"Where is Shade now?" True Heart asked both Wish and Defender. Wish shook her head. "Do you know, honey?"
"That I don't know. Admittedly, I was concerned more about getting the five of us out of there unharmed. Although I'm willing to wager that now that Shade knows, it could cause some friction between him and No Heart."
"Let's hope that'll keep them from causing any more mischief," said Noble Heart. Both he and True Heart stood up.
True Heart said, "We're going to leave, Defender, so you can rest. And, I want to tell you that we really appreciate your help in all of this."
Defender smiled. "Sure, anything to help the family, right?" He turned to Wish. "Are you staying much longer?"
"Just a bit more, then I have other things to attend to," she replied.
That night, Phoenix Audubon had a dream. He could see the vast expanse of an ocean, with a bright orange setting sun flooding the waters. The dream seemed to be leading him towards a small island—an atoll, surrounded by a coral reef. It seemed to be uninhabited, until Defender Bear was led to one end of the beach. Someone was standing there on the sand of the shore, the water almost at his feet. The figure had his back towards Defender, but with a Care Bear's body, black fur, and a leather trench coat and open-fingered gloves, the figure was unmistakable.
And, while he remained silent, two words seemed to resound through the tropical scene:
"Find me."
Phoenix Audubon awoke, sitting straight up on his bed and panting hard. He put his hand over his face. Was it just a dream?
"Or, was he trying to reach out to me," he though aloud, "as I had reached out when I was looking for somewhere to belong." Suddenly, Defender realized it was more than a dream—he knew where the scene in his dream came from. He jumped out of bed, threw off his nightgown and cap, put on his shorts, vest, and gloves, tore off the bandage over his tummy symbol, grabbed a few other "essentials", pulled his red-and-blue cloak around, and had just finished locking its clasp before he swung his door open to step out. However, someone was standing right at Defender's doorstep.
"Wish?"
"I had a dream," she said solemnly.
"Did it have anything to with seeing Shade Foyle standing on an island?" inquired Defender.
This made Wish's eyes widen a bit. "Y-yes, but how did you—"
"I had the exact same dream. Which also means I bet you know where Shade is, as well."
Wish thought about it for a second. "I…I do."
"Shall we be off, then?"
Wish gave him a surprised look. "What, you mean now? What if it's a trap?"
Defender shook his head. "Judging from the tone of that dream, and the way you described him at the castle, I'm not sure he wants to fight us anymore. It sounds like to me he needs help, and that's what we Care Bears do, right?"
Wish Bear sighed. "If I was to disagree with you, you'll probably sneak away by yourself, won't you?" she finished with a smile.
The white bear exaggerated a thoughtful pose. "Probably," he retorted with a wink.
"All right, then. Let's head off to the runway." The two set off that way. At the center of town, outside of the Hall of Hearts, they ran into Bedtime. "Rather late for a date, wouldn't you two say?" he said upon seeing the two.
Defender and Wish both looked at each other. "Um, that's...not it, my friend," replied Defender.
"You see, Bedtime," Wish explained, "Defender Bear and I had a dream about Shade Foyle. We think he was trying to ask us to find him."
"And, you know where he is?" asked a slightly skeptical Bedtime.
The pair looked at each other again, this time their faces a tad wrinkled from uncertainty.
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain," Wish started. Just then, Defender looked up from his thinking pose. "Actually, I think I can show you, Bedtime. Follow me." Bedtime and Wish followed him into the Hall of Hearts, and eventually towards the control center. Defender sat down at one of the consoles, entered some keystrokes, and brought a map of the earth on the room's gigantic viewing screen. He then picked up a stylus, put the tip on the monitor in front of him, which also had a world map on it, and closed his eyes. Slowly, he moved the stylus towards the left side of the map, which corresponded to Earth's western hemisphere.
He called out, "Here," tapped the monitor with the stylus, and opened his eyes. The three bears looked at the flashing red dot that was now on the screen, which was located very close to the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line. "That's where Shade is."
While Wish nodded in agreement, Bedtime reached over Defender's shoulder and pressed some keys. "Uh, Defender, do you what that area is?"
"No."
"Well, believe it or not, that dot is located within—get this—the Phoenix Islands."
"What?" Wish and Defender turned towards Bedtime, surprised.
"That's what the computer says. You think it's just coincidence?"
"I doubt it," replied Phoenix, "but I can't say if Shade also realizes the link. I suppose we can ask him that when we see him.
"Say, Bedtime? Did you want to come along with Wish and me? I don't expect there to be any fighting, but we could sure use the help in case it isn't a peaceful meeting."
"Sure," said Bedtime. The three left the marked map on the screen, and added a message box explaining the situation. Defender, Wish, and Bedtime made their way towards the flight line, where there was a cloud car ready for flight. Defender and Wish sat in front, Bedtime in back, and they took off for the Phoenix Islands.
Just before daybreak, the cloud car had reached its destination. The small, flat, sandy isle had only a few coconut palm trees dotting the landscape. From above, they had seen the entire island (but too far to make out any specifics, such as one lone bear), and Defender Bear and Wish Bear decided to land on the opposite side of the island where the dream sequence took place. Together, the three began to walk to the other side at a pace slightly slower than normal. They looked at each other with concerned looks the entire distance.
Phoenix was first to sense the presence of Shade Foyle on the island, even though neither he, nor Wish, nor Bedtime was still unable to spot him. To Defender, nothing he felt seemed as if they were walking into a trap. A short distance later, Wish Bear pointed out ahead of the group.them. Against a slightly brightening sky, they could make out the silhouette of someone standing at the edge of the shoreline. The three bears slowed down even more and tried to be silent, yet the individual kept his back towards them. Once they got closer, Defender held up an arm to stop Wish and Bedtime. At that point, all of them could see Shade Foyle looking out to the ocean.
"You came," said Shade in an empty tone, still facing away from his three visitors.
"Well, that's what you wanted us to do…wasn't it?" replied Phoenix, a little tremulous. He was hoping he could come up with the right words to say to Shade to assure him he was here to help him.
Shade did not answer. Even though dawn was still an hour or so away from them, the ocean breeze was warm, and it softly whistled past all of them. Eventually, the black bear did turn to look at Defender, Wish, and Bedtime with an expressionless face.
"Tell me, Phoenix Audubon. Has everything you've shown me…is it all true?"
"Y-yes, to the best of my knowledge." The fact that Shade was staring at Defender with cold, empty eyes made him feel uncomfortable, no matter how much he wanted to help. Finally, though, Shade closed his eyes, seemingly in acceptance.
"Then, that's it. I'm nothing more than a clone of you."
"Don't say that!" Phoenix found himself blurting out. "Listen, just because your past may have been a bit shady—no pun intended—that doesn't mean you don't have a purpose."
"My sole purpose was to destroy you. What would I do without a purpose?" in the same empty voice. "If I choose not to destroy you, I will have nowhere to go, nowhere to belong to."
"Well," Defender started, looking back at Wish and Bedtime, "that's what we are here for. If you'll let us help you, we could help you find a new purpose."
Shade turned his head slightly. "After all the distress I have caused you…all of you…I couldn't possibly expect you to just disregard it all like that."
"I think that just proves how little you really know about us," Bedtime joined in. "But, I'm sure we'd be more than happy to introduce you to the rest of us, and get to know us better. Right, guys?"
Wish Bear nodded. "No Heart cares about no one. Not Beastly…and probably not you, either. He will only cause you grief. And, none of us wants that to happen to you. Please, Shade, please let us help you."
Shade stood silent. No one could tell if he was thinking, or if their words had moved him. He must have been made so that he wouldn't have feelings, or emotions, thought Defender to himself. No wonder he's so confused. Poor guy.
"I will go with you," Shade finally answered. "But, not before one task is accomplished."
"What is it?" asked Wish Bear.
"Before I truly believe all that you have said, Phoenix Audubon, you must first fight and defeat me, right here on this island."
"What?" exclaimed Defender, Wish, and Bedtime. Shade moved his right arm behind him, as if reaching for something. When he brought it back out, he was now holding a wooden spear slightly taller than he was, topped by a curved, shining blade. He put it in both hands, and held it so that the tip was pointed towards Defender Bear.
"He's not serious, is he?" Bedtime asked aloud.
"But why, Shade?" Phoenix pleaded. "There's no need to fight at all. I have no reason to tell you lies. Why would you want this?"
The empty gaze and tone continued to float from the black bear. "Because something about fighting feels necessary. It feels…right. Don't you feel it?"
In truth, Phoenix felt the same way, even if it seemed to contradict that which the Care Bear Family has taught him. Still, he would not let a chance to bring Shade Foyle to their side slip away.
Phoenix sighed disappointedly. "Very well, Shade. If that's what you really want, I shall oblige." The white bear reached underneath his red-and-blue cloak, and pulled out his compacted metal staff. It glowed for a moment, and became full-length.
"Not that," said Shade. "The other one."
Wish Bear looked at Defender. "What does he mean by 'other one'?"
Defender did not reply. He was keeping his eyes on Shade the whole time. He held out his staff in front of him, and it shrunk back to its original side, and he tucked it back into his clothes. Then, he reached over to the left side of his cloak, and slowly started to draw something out. It turned out be his silver sword.
"I didn't know he brought that with him," Bedtime said in surprise. "Did you, Wish?" She slowly shook her head. I just hope he knows what he's doing, she thought to herself.
I hope I know what I'm doing, Defender thought to himself. The chance to change his mind was cut short, however, once Shade Foyle had swiftly charged at the white bear and swung his spear at him with great might. Defender had just managed to parry the strike by holding his sword at the hilt and near the tip of it. (He was fortunate he was wearing his gloves at that point.) The two struggled against the other's pressure, until Defender pulled his shoulder to sidestep, and let Shade's own momentum force him forward. The black bear stumbled, but kept his footing. Shade quickly turned and continued to strike at Phoenix, who kept up his defense, but didn't counterattack. Phoenix couldn't help but notice that as strong as Shade's blows were, the look in his eyes weren't that of anger, or even determination. They were both empty and full of sadness at the same time.
"Why does…this feel…natural…if I've never…done this before?" Shade posed the question between strikes.
"I know how that feels, if that's what you're wondering," Defender replied hastily, "but I don't know the answer myself."
As the melee went on, Wish Bear and Bedtime Bear were watching the two bears fight from a safe distance.
"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" asked Wish.
"How? I don't think it would be safe for either of us to step between them," Bedtime cautioned. "Maybe Shade will be more receptive after a fight?"
"My stars, I hope you're right."
The clanging of sword and spear continued for quite some time, until finally, Phoenix decided that if he wanted a good chance at Shade's attention, he had better do more than just block his aggressor's swipes. When he dodged one of the black bear's swings, he saw his chance. Phoenix took his sword with both hands, and swung down, over his head, as hard as he could. He brought it down over the shaft of the spear with such force that it cleaved it into two. Shade answered by charging with his shoulder into Phoenix, knocking the bear onto the ground and his sword out of his hands. Phoenix got himself up, and both white and black bear stood there, watching for any sudden moves from the other.
"Are we finished here?" Defender called out to Shade. "Do you believe me now?" To this, Shade zipped towards him (about almost as fast as he could blink), arms reaching out for Defender's throat. However, Defender managed to grab Shade's wrists and keep them from his neck. Quickly grabbing one wrist with both of his hands, Defender pulled the black bear over his shoulder onto the ground, and pinned him there by holding down on his elbows.
"Please, Shade!" Defender pleaded with his opponent. "Enough already!" This was greeted by a double-footed kick-out by the black bear to Defender's chest, pushing him off and down to the sandy ground.
"Don't give up, Defender!" encouraged Bedtime. "You can…" He turned to Wish. "Wait, we don't wait either of them to get hurt, right?"
"I think that's Phoenix's plan, yes," answered Wish, though sounding not at all certain.
Both Phoenix and Shade got up slowly, panting heavily. Phoenix looked like he was ready for this to be over at any moment. But, Shade's face was just as emotionless as before, giving no clue as to his satisfaction or acceptance. Instead, his hands began to glow an ice blue, and waved them towards Phoenix. This made five large, pointed shards of ice appear and start to fly towards the white bear. Phoenix countered with a wave of his hand, which sent a fiery crescent to the ice shards. When they made contact, the shards melted and splashed onto the sand.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me, Defender whined to himself. Why can't he just believe me? Even I think this fight's pointless by now…But Defender wouldn't let himself simply give up. He suddenly leapt high into the air and then dove towards Shade. The two tumbled towards the ground, quickly turned towards the other, grabbed one another's arm, and simultaneously pulled something from within each other's clothes.
Wish and Bedtime were both shocked at the mirror image they were witnessing. Both Phoenix Audubon and Shade Foyle were now holding duplicate long-barreled handguns—one silver, one black—in front of the other's face. Neither one made a move; they both held this position until Phoenix slowly cracked a smile.
"Let me guess, Shade," he began to say, "You weren't really sure what you had when you conjured that thing in your hand, but somehow it felt necessary, right? Just like you thought it was necessary to bring it with you here." Shade didn't say anything, but his eyes widened a bit—the first look of emotion from the black bear.
"I bet you don't even realize where you are, do you? Take a look around you, Shade. This is one of the Phoenix Islands. Now, don't you think it's funny that you were waiting for me at this place with the same name as me? I'm sure even now, you don't think it's just coincidence, do you?"
"How do you know all this?" Shade's empty tone belied the onset of confusion.
"Heh, sometimes, I wish I knew. Nevertheless, I trust my feelings, and so should you." With that, Phoenix slowly holstered his firearm.
"So, what do you say? Will you give us a chance?"
The silence continued. And then, the sun finally broke over the horizon, the first rays of daylight pouring over the small island. And at the same time, Shade put his weapon away, too. Both he and Phoenix let out a deep sigh.
"Yes, I guess if you fought this hard to convince me, it must be true," Shade finally confessed. Bedtime Bear and Wish Bear ran to join them when it looked like things were finally resolved.
"So, what's going to happen now?" asked Bedtime.
"I think all of us—even you, Shade—need to get back to Care-A-Lot and sort all of this out. There's much to discuss; I hope you're ready to open up."
Shade nodded. "Yes, yes, I'll help any way that I can. And, I just want to tell you, Phoenix, that I'm really sorry for everything that I've caused."
Defender chuckled softly. "I'm sure you are, but we can settle that later. Let's go."
"But, why end such a touching moment?"
The four bears gasped at the sudden taunt; they all recognized that voice. Everyone looked around to find where it came from.
"AAAAAH!"
Something bright and purple hit Defender Bear from behind, and it flung him several feet ahead, sliding on the coarse sand. Wish Bear and Bedtime Bear saw what happened and went to go help Defender, but a cold, strong wind blasted up and tossed them as well. Defender tried to get up by himself, but found he was being pinned face-down at his wrists. He managed to turn his head to one side and saw that there was a transparent purple manacle locking him into the sand. He could feel them at his ankles, as well. Defender tried to look up.
"Shade! No!"
But, Shade was being restrained by the evil sorcerer, No Heart. Shade struggled to free his arms from the bony grip to no avail.
"Well, well, well, Care Bears," the wizard baited, "it seems you found my wayward assistant. I would thank you, if I weren't intent on destroying you all!"
"Let him go, No Heart!" Defender screamed at No Heart as he continued to struggle.
"After all the work I had to make him, you think I'd simply give him up? Ha! You bears are more deluded that I thought! I intend to get everything he's worth from him!"
"No!" Shade continued to resist. "I don't want to help you anymore!"
"You don't have a say in this. Now, be quiet!" Shade was hit by a purple flash that ran from No Heart's hands. He yelped, and then, his head drooped. No Heart let out a wicked cackle, turned himself into a tornado, and flew off into the sky.
Once the sorcerer had left, the purple shackles on Defender Bear had also disappeared, and he quickly got to his knees. By then, Wish and Bedtime had just gotten back from their 'flight'.
"Where'd they go, Phoenix?" Wish asked him.
Phoenix Audubon pounded the sand with his fist.
"I lost him," he moaned.
Author's Notes:
Project Date: January 6—February 21, 2005
Special Thanks To: "Swift Heart Rabbit" for criticism and editing.
The Care Bears and Care Bears Cousins are the property of American Greetings Corp, Those Characters From Cleveland, Inc, and Nelvana Ltd. No relationship with any of the aforementioned companies is implied by this work.
The story is the original idea of the author and is not intended to represent any real event. Furthermore, the uses of the characters are not meant to represent any real person, explicitly or implied. Any use of the story, in whole or in part, must not be completed without the prior consent of the author.