Grumpy was finally strong enough to visit Share's house a few days and a ton of food later. He sat quietly on the Rainbow Ride next to Funshine and across from Tenderheart. His foot tapped nervously and his fur was a bit dim. Funshine nudged him and smiled.
"You okay, Grumps?"
A burble came from his mouth, a noise that conveyed a host of emotions without a word. Funshine grasped his hand, squeezing gently.
"It'll be okay, Grumpy," Tenderheart said, patting his blue knee. "They're eager to talk to you."
Grumpy shrugged, pursing his lips. His powers and ability to control his coloring and language were very rocky. He found that he'd be talking to Tenderheart or Funshine and before he knew it, he'd be rumbling and pattering in his native tongue. Funshine understood enough of Thunderspeak that it didn't matter. He'd simply switch languages like nothing was wrong. Tenderheart, on the other hand, would remind Grumpy that he didn't speak Thunderspeak and would ask that he repeat himself in English.
It bothered Grumpy how light his control had become. But honestly, what he'd done with the three Thunder Bears had required more of him than anything else ever had. Tenderheart was sure that the massive amount of energy Grumpy had expended was to blame for his relaxed control. That didn't make Grumpy feel any better about the situation. It was a new, scary vulnerability that he was reluctant to share with his friends. Did he trust them? Yes. But he was afraid of their reactions.
As the Rainbow Ride eased to a stop, Grumpy took a deep breath before he unbuckled and stood up. He followed Tenderheart down the bright forest path toward Share's house. The weather was nice, the air fresh. A small, natural rain shower had happened that morning, washing Care-A-Lot just enough to refresh nature. The path was damp beneath Grumpy's feet, and he enjoyed the petrichor scent as they walked. It was a nice day, and the short walk let him gather his nerve and relax a bit.
Share's house soon came into view, and Grumpy couldn't help but smile. Share, Cheer, and Harmony were carrying large dishes of food to the table. Wonderheart was pouring out cups of steaming tea, and she saw them first.
"They're here!" the cub sang, sliding off the bench with Floppy Bunny in her grip.
She ran over and threw her arms around Grumpy. Grumpy picked her up and swung her around. She laughed then grasped his paw and skipped along beside him as the three bears headed for the table. Harmony, Share, and Cheer set the last dishes on the table and smiled at them. Grumpy saw their eyes lingering on him, and he couldn't help but worry.
"Heya, Grumpy!" Cheer exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"
Grumpy kept his mouth closed, but he gave a soft smile and shrugged. Cheer beamed and gestured them over.
"Come on. Plenty of food."
Grumpy sat down, taking in the loaded table. Wonderheart passed him a cup of tea, which he doctored with honey before taking a long sip. He smacked his lips then surveyed his options. He went for the hot dogs first, smothering one with relish and mustard before taking a large bite. Share smiled at him.
"No matter what I make, I can count on you to eat."
Grumpy swallowed a bite, hesitated, then spoke carefully in English. "I guess you know there's a reason for that now."
"Funshine mentioned that you're always hungry because of your belly badge," Harmony said.
Grumpy snorted in surprise, inhaled some relish, then began to cough. He took a large drink of tea as Funshine thumped his back. When he could breathe again, he looked uneasily at the three females, who were looking startled. He gulped past the lump in his throat then shifted and looked down, trying to recall what Funshine had told him about what Great Giving had said.
"My powers aren't connected to my belly badge. My belly badge is a symbol of my powers."
Wonderheart looked at him with her bright blue eyes. "What does that mean?"
Grumpy found it easier to talk to her than the three fully grown Care Bears across the table. He focused his attention on her.
"It means that I don't need a belly badge to control the weather," Grumpy explained. "Instead, Great Giving gave me my belly badge to show what my natural powers were as a…"
He trailed off, a sudden fear gripping him. He'd always had trouble acknowledging what he was in front of Funshine alone. But to have the others listening made his heart hammer in his chest. He sat very still, trying to get a grip on what he was feeling.
"Grumpy!" Tenderheart jumped up and hurried around Funshine to reach for him.
"Don't touch him!" Funshine shouted.
Everything began to fall away around him as overwhelming terror filled him. And suddenly he was swept away back to when he'd felt so terrified before. It was the only explanation for why the fear buffeted him like a buoy on the ocean. He wasn't with the Care Bears anymore…
He hadn't ever felt like this before. Why were they hurting him? What had he done wrong? He just wanted them to be happy. One big, happy family. But was anybody really happy around here? All dark clouds and howling winds, misery around every corner. Why couldn't they cheer up? The storms lay heavy over their land, with no sunshine to break its joyful beams over the black bears that inhabited the grim thunder clouds.
He had only been playing, that much he knew. Mama and Papa were watching him and grumbling about something. His brother Maelstrom was racing around with some older cubs. They were wrestling. Sometimes they'd bleed, like the pain that screamed inside of them oozing out of physical wounds. Everybody felt like pain to him. He wanted to help, but how could he? He was so little compared to everybody else. What could he do?
The little black cub had wandered farther away as the rain pattered down around him. They were never bothered by rain, so as far as they were concerned, it was still playtime. He had jumped from cloud to cloud until he was caught up by a breeze and blown away from his home. He'd never been that far away before. He wasn't worried.
He had watched as the clouds grew less grey, turning into big puffs of white that stretched out across the sky. And then he saw the prettiest thing he'd ever seen. It was a multitude of colors, far brighter than anything in his world. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, spread in a giant bow across the sky. He gazed at it in wonder as the wind shifted and he began to head back to his world.
He didn't know that in just under an hour, he'd learn what burns were…
"Grumps? Can you hear me?"
…how much a scream could hurt his throat…
"Focus, Grumpy. Focus on me."
…how scared a bear could really be…
"Come on, Grumps. Can you hear me?"
…and how hot lightning really was.
The world came back into focus slowly. Funshine was sitting on his knees on the bench beside him, his brown eyes full of compassion. Grumpy blinked and coughed.
"What happened?" he asked blearily.
"Not sure, Grumps. Are you okay?"
Grumpy shrugged. "Dunno."
He shifted and found that he was extremely sore. His paws were clenched around the edge of the table, and he tried to lift them. His claws were out, sunk deeply into the purple-painted wood. He grimaced and yanked his paws out. The wood crackled as he released it. He gingerly rubbed his heart-shaped paw pads.
"Flashback?" Tenderheart asked, his voice faint and worried.
"Yeah. Never seen one that bad," Funshine murmured. He focused on Grumpy again. "What happened?"
"I remembered why they hurt me," Grumpy said, bemused.
That certainly startled Funshine. "Your parents?"
"I saw a rainbow. And they got mad at me when I told them about it." Grumpy tilted his head, staring at his paws. "They got so mad that they created a lightning storm. And I was scared. So scared. I didn't understand. I didn't understand the terror."
Funshine pursed his lips and switched to Thunderspeak. "Is that what you just felt? Terror?"
Grumpy nodded. He began to realize that his tender paw pads were black. And his fur was black, too. And he was speaking in his native tongue again. He scowled, shaking his head.
"Coming out here was a mistake."
"What makes you say that?" Funshine asked, switching back to English.
"I can't even control myself anymore."
"We don't need you to control yourself. Not like what you're thinking, anyway," Funshine said sternly. "We need you to stop hiding. That's why you're here."
"I can't hide, Funshine!" Grumpy exclaimed. "Look at me! I look nothing like a Care Bear!"
"Why do you feel you need to hide?" Funshine exclaimed, standing up. He crossed his arms, his stance stubborn.
"Because you don't need something like me!" Grumpy snarled, the growl of thunder in his voice cracking so loud that the Care Bears flinched.
"You are not a thing!" Funshine boomed. "You are our friend!"
"But why?!" Grumpy shouted, grasping his ears as electricity snapped at his fingers. "Why would any of you want to be the friend with a monster?!"
Funshine didn't answer at once, his expression pinching as he stared at Grumpy. The Thunder Bear was near hyperventilation, his bright yellow-white eyes frantic and afraid. The others stood back, unable to understand a word that Grumpy was shouting. All they knew was that he was hurting, frightened, angry. They didn't know why, but they wanted to help.
After a long silence, Funshine swallowed. "Is that what you think you are?" he asked.
Grumpy was struck by the tone of Funshine's voice. He sounded odd, a bit strangled and pained. It was a tone that confused him. Grumpy's breathing slowed and he gazed with wide eyes at Funshine. His bottom lip trembled as he realized just what he'd said. He'd called himself a monster. It was the greatest fear in his heart, borne from his parents, reinforced by Tenderheart and the Care Bears' fear of Thunder Bears. Not once in all of his time had he ever spoken his fears aloud. But now it was out. And Grumpy waited for the answer, terrified that his fears would finally be confirmed.
"What did he say?" Tenderheart asked, gazing from Funshine to Grumpy and back again.
"He thinks he's a monster," Funshine croaked. He was staring hard at Grumpy, who hadn't moved. The yellow bear took a step closer to the black bear. "You are not a monster, Grumps. None of us ever thought that of you. And we certainly don't think you're a monster now."
The other bears looked horrified.
"Just because you can't control some aspects of yourself right now doesn't mean you're a monster.," Tenderheart said, tears welling in his eyes.
"You're still our Grumpy Bear, black fur and all," Harmony said, her voice soft and husky with emotion.
Cheer smiled gently and winked. "Grumping included."
"You're no monster, Grumpy," Share insisted. "We don't know this part of you, but we're not afraid of it. We want to know more. If you'll let us."
Grumpy stared around at all of them, then Wonderheart, who had watched the entire scene without comprehending the flashback or the Thunderspeak, approached and embraced him.
"It's okay to be upset," she said quietly. "But you're not a monster. You're the nicest, bestest, goodest bear I've ever met. Even if you aren't a Care Bear, you still care. And we all care about you."
Grumpy's glowing eyes turned blue and he looked around, his heartbeat slowing as his panic ebbed away. They hadn't affirmed what his parents had said. And for the first time, he believed that they could be wrong. He held out his paws, desperate for a Care Hug. They all obliged, surrounding him and hugging him. The buzz of electricity in his veins changed, became softer. He sighed and relaxed in the middle of the circle.
"Thank you," he said in English, an underlying crackle noticeable in his voice.
They all pulled back and he looked at the table. His claws had caused a large crack over one side, and he grimaced.
"Sorry. I'll fix that in a day or two."
"Eh, we can still eat at the table," Funshine replied.
"I was actually wondering if we could move the food inside and continue in twenty minutes."
"Why?" Cheer asked.
Grumpy hesitated then held up a paw. Lightning crossed between his fingers, and the wind began to pick up as the sky darkened.
"Looks like a storm's coming," Funshine said with a crooked grin. "Better get the food inside."
"Sorry," Grumpy repeated. "I can't help it…"
"No problem," Share said firmly. "Can you hold off for a few minutes?"
"Yeah."
Then we'll get the food inside. Let's go!" Harmony declared.
The bears grabbed dishes and Wonderheart picked up the teapot and they hurried up the stairs to Share's front door. Tenderheart placed his copper paw on Grumpy's shoulder. Grumpy smiled, the wind carrying tiny droplets into their faces.
"You'll be okay."
Grumpy nodded. "I will."
And what he said was true. He knew that with sudden clarity. It might take a while, but he had the best group of friends in the whole world. They would be with him no matter how long it took. And they had plenty of time.
When the table was cleared off, the bears all gathered on the stairs to watch. Grumpy still felt nervous, but he grinned and let out a booming bark of thunder, not a word but a noise of joy. The wind whipped the branches of the tree as fat droplets of rain began to fall from the sky. Grumpy winked at them and threw his hands up, lightning dancing at his fingertips. He rather enjoyed Wonderheart yelling with excitement. But he did notice Cheer shivering and gripping herself. Grumpy and Funshine would have to talk to her. But first, it was time to dazzle his audience.
