Last time on Care Bears Z, Terrence pondered the new complications in his life, while the evil No Heart sent Beastly to set a trap for the two newly awakened guardians of caring. It turns out that this trap needed bait – and Terrence's friend Lisa was the perfect kind! Will Terrence and Tiara be able to rescue Lisa and escape No Heart's clutches unscathed? Let's find out in Care Bears Z Episode 5: Lovely Revelations!

~Z~

"Eek!" Lisa shrieked as the strange humanoid creature shoved her roughly into the cell. Her shoulder hit the cold stone wall hard, causing her shirt to rip a little. She looked up at the glowing yellow eyes of her captor.

"What are you? Let me out of here!" she gripped the iron bars of her prison. The creature merely laughed his bizarre-sounding cackle.

"I don't think so! You'll be taken care of soon enough when the Care Bears get here and are defeated!"

"Care Bears? What are you talking about?"

"Huh? You don't know?" the man-beast blinked in confusion. Then he shook his head and said, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. No Heart will deal with all of you." He cackled again and rushed out of the dungeon. Lisa gripped her head in frustration.

All she had wanted to do was to practice her lines. Drama was her favorite after school activity, and she practiced every day, even when she had just gotten home from a rehearsal. She always preferred to practice outside in the back yard, where it was warm and peaceful. This is exactly what she had been doing when something big and yellow had crashed into the maple tree she liked to rehearse under…

"Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself, to make a bondmaid and a slave out of me…" Lisa quickly glanced back at her script. "Believe me, sister, of all the men alive I have never yet beheld that special face…" she sighed. Of course, these weren't her real thoughts. Practicing the lines for her part in the drama team's play was almost a staple of her daily life. She knew how to act as if she were sweet, innocent Bianca, to pretend she didn't have a single special someone in her life. When she really thought about it, she was much like Bianca. Plenty of boys had asked her out before, and she had gently turned all of them down. Unlike Bianca, however, she didn't have a grouchy older sister (she did, however, have a very overbearing father). Also unlike this Elizabethan-Era beauty, she DID have a love interest…one she saw every day.

"…In time I may believe, yet I mistrust." she sighed again, and let her script fall to the soft grass below. It was so terribly ironic; to think that she, Lisa Clarke, affectionate lover of all things romance and constant, yet good-hearted meddler in the romances of others, could not start a love story of her own. She saw him daily, talked to him, laughed with him…yet she could never tell him. The nervous, fizzy feeling that formed inside her whenever she tried to do so always killed the words before she could say them.

She often wondered if that feeling would ever go away. COULD it ever go away? Would she ever be able to show these true feelings? If she didn't…what would become of her? What about him? Did he feel like this, too? Could he possibly know already? Squeezing her eyes shut, Lisa stomped in frustration. Why did love have to be so complicated?

Eventually, Lisa bent down and picked up her script. There was no use worrying about her real-world problems while she was supposed to be focusing on Shakespeare's characters. After all, the play wasn't going to perform itself!

"Oh fie, the treble-

Lisa was cut off as something crashed through the branches of the maple tree. Branches snapped and newly grown leaves fell to the ground as the old tree groaned under the weight of whatever had landed in it. Lisa shrieked and backpedaled across the yard to the wall of the house. Her eyes never left the tree, and they widened as a tall man fell out of it. She had never seen such a strange-looking stranger; he seemed to have animal features on his face. The man was currently cursing and rubbing his head, on which he had fallen when he toppled down. His yellow eyes snapped open and stared straight at the girl. He suddenly smirked. Lisa pressed her back into the wall, fear beginning to tingle on her skin.

The strange contraption that the man had been in fell to the ground with a heavy thud. It was some kind of helicopter attached to a bike, with a motorcycle-like passenger seat. The man jumped away just before it crushed him, and then leapt at the girl with a snarl and exceptional speed. Lisa, frozen with terror, could do nothing as she was grabbed and shoved roughly into the passenger seat. She swung her only weapon – her script – at his face, but failed to give him so much as a paper cut. He cackled oddly, then jumped onto the bike and began to pedal. Before she knew it, they were in the air, soaring toward the northwest. Lisa looked over the edge and gulped. She was far too high up to simply jump, and could not force him to land. A well of despair opened inside of her as she helplessly clung to the sides of the seat as the copter sped to who knows where.

Lisa clenched her hands around the cold iron bars. Tears bubbled into her eyes as the gravity of her predicament completely settled in. She sniffled and watched as her tears dripped to the stone floor, and shivered as a draft whistled around her legs.

"Don't cry," a voice said. "We'll be okay."

Lisa's head jerked up. She peered into the dark cell across from hers, which she had initially thought to be empty. She gasped when she saw that it actually had an inhabitant. However, the appearance of this other prisoner made her back to the wall in shock.

"Don't be afraid," the strange creature continued. "I know I may look strange, but I'm a friend."

"Wh-who are you?" she stammered. "What are you?"

"My name's Niall Hart," he said calmly. "I…well, it's hard to explain. It's a long story…"

"Well, it looks like we'll have time," Lisa came slowly back to the bars, the fear slipping away. "I'm Lisa, by the way."

"Well, Lisa, it happened like this…"

"TIARA, RUN!" he shouted, still struggling to break free from the growing mass of shadows. He watched his wife look back once more before darting down the street.

Niall gritted his teeth as the shadows began to rise into the night, their smoky tendrils gripping him like icy claws. They sped through the sky, going faster than anything Niall could remember. He could not keep the ghastly things away, and when he looked down, he could only see more of them as they chased Tiara through the streets of Carenburg. Anger swelled in his chest. How could he possibly come to her aid like this? He had sworn to be with her for better or for worse, even before they had exchanged vows. Being unable to protect her riled his emotions like nothing had ever done before.

"Let…me…go!" he shouted, struggling even harder against the grip of the shadows. The dark, cold masses refused to release him, but suddenly began to howl. Niall finally realized that his body was emanating a warm, bright light. The shadows holding him hissed in pain and anger, but held tight, refusing to fail their mission. Niall could feel himself changing somehow. It was strange; he felt his body shrink slightly, and fur grow over his skin. His hair felt as if it was pushing itself out of his head. His feet melded together, forming two harder appendages with only a small separation where his toes usually were. Before anything more could happen, however, the shadows dropped him.

He was horribly disoriented, and the vertigo of spinning as he fell did not help. He didn't know where he was at first, but suddenly his body broke the surface of frigid water. The shock lasted an initial minute, but then he felt himself being lifted. He cracked open his eyes and saw a man wearing a long purple robe, and then everything faded to black.

…I am terribly sorry it had to happen this way. No, don't speak. You must rest and heal. I am known as the Great Wishing Star. You do not remember anything yet, but I shall show you the way of your past life.

…

Yes, there are memories, memories of you, and all of those you love. Do you understand now?

…Yes, you are Noble Heart Horse. You are a Care Bear Cousin. Yes, the one who has captured you is indeed No Heart. I know what he seeks to accomplish, but I cannot tell you this. Complications have arisen.

…No, I cannot tell you where True Heart is, but know this: she is safe. She is already on her way to reuniting the Care Bear Family. Do not fret; you will be saved. You will see her and all the others very soon.

Now, awaken. The time has come for you to meet No Heart.

"Ugh…" Niall groaned and sat up. His entire body was sore and cold, and his head pulsed as if someone had used it as a cymbal. Looking around, he noticed that he was lying on the floor of a dark, damp cell. The stone walls and floors were slimy with a strange, stinking mold. A horrible draft blew in from the far side of the room, which was blocked off by strong iron bars.

"Ah, awake, are you?" a cold voice asked. Niall turned his head to see the same man with the robe – which he could now recognize as No Heart – walk into the room. He was being tailed by an older-looking version of Shrieky and a strange man whom he could only identify, by voice and features, as a newly-formed Beastly.

"I told ya the shadow's spell would work, Shrieky," he said smugly. The girl merely rolled her eyes and scowled.

"Yes, a new spell I have invented," the evil wizard continued. "If one of you wretched Care Bears tried to transform while in the clutches of my upgraded shadows, I spell cast on them would prevent the magic from completing this conversion." Niall blinked, a bit taken aback by the wizard's sudden use of such genius. "That is why you are what you are now."

"Wha…?" Niall finally looked over his body. He was still clothed, thankfully. However, instead of smooth human skin, a light purple coat lined his body. He was still as tall as he had been as a human, but now he had elongated ears and hooves instead of feet. He quickly got over his amazement, though, and glared up at No Heart. "Release me, No Heart! I don't know what you're planning, but we'll stop you!"

"Ha! Who is "we", Care Bear?" Shrieky scoffed. "The Care Bear family is scattered everywhere. You don't have any allies now!"

Niall opened his mouth to retort, but found he had nothing to say. It was true. He didn't even know where his wife was; how could he find his entire family? No Heart chuckled darkly as dread spread over the horse's face.

"I see you have no reply," he said. "No matter. We will have use for you, soon. We will find the Care Bear family and eliminate them all, even if it is one by one."

"No!" Niall yelled, but the villains only laughed as they exited the room.

"Wow…so, you're part of the Care Bear family? You protect caring throughout the world?" Lisa had sat down, and now she slumped slightly. "That's amazing…but, why did No Heart capture me?"

"My guess is that either you know someone who is in the Care Bear family…or you are a Care Bear or Care Bear Cousin." Niall looked at her seriously. "Tell me, what do you like most? Perhaps your personality matches one of my family members."

"Well…I do like romance," Lisa said. "I love romance novels, songs, and movies. I sometimes get into my friend's lives to help them with romantic issues…that's about it really."

Niall was silent. Lisa looked around before speaking again.

"I…I think that's very noble of you, to save your wife. It's so sad, though…that you were taken from her…" her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh…I wonder if Terrence is okay…he…he's my-

"Love-a-Lot."

"Huh?" Lisa looked back to the Care Cousin. Niall was fixing her with a very serious, yet awed gaze.

"You…are exactly like the Care Bear Love-a-Lot.

~Z~

"What do we do, Terrence?" Tiara gasped as she finally stopped running. The teen boy in front of her slowed down a little. "The heart faded a little. We must be getting close. But I don't think we'll make it to wherever we're going on foot."

The duo had been rushing after the heart for quite a while. Night was beginning to settle over Pennsylvania, though the darkness didn't obscure the heart that pointed in the direction of Lisa. It had become less and less opaque as they went on, and they assumed that this meant they were getting closer.

"What do we do, then?" the boy asked in frustration. He looked at the pen in his hand. Frowning, he clicked it again and again. "Isn't there a faster way to get where we're going!?"

On the third click, something happened. Terrence jumped back in alarm as a large white cloud sprang from the pen. It floated to the ground, where it finally shaped into what looked like a car.

"What in the…" Terrence blinked before realizing what it was. "It's a cloud car!"

"Great! This'll be much faster!" Tiara jumped into the driver's seat. Terrence quickly got in next to her. "Hang on!"

She pressed on the gas pedal, and the car zoomed into the night sky after the star.

~Z~

"Love-a-Lot?" Lisa tilted her head. "Are you sure? Could I really be a Care Bear?"

"Yes. Your personality…it's just like her!"

"Really?" Niall could sense the doubt in her voice, but he knew deep inside that he was right. The memories the Great Wishing Star had given him matched up to a T.

"Yes. I'm positive." He moved closer to the cell bars. "You are Love-a-Lot Bear."

"…" Lisa didn't know what to say. How could she possibly be a member of such elite-sounding guardians? She was just an ordinary high-school girl, who had gotten kidnapped by some strange people and was talking to an even stranger creature. She looked at him, eye to eye, but before a word could leave her mouth she heard the shadows begin to howl. Niall looked up sharply, his face stern.

"Something's wrong," he said. He looked to the stairs of the dungeon. Footsteps were echoing above. He heard a shout, and the hisses of the shadows as they were injured by whoever was up there. Lisa could only follow his gaze in slight fear.

The footsteps grew louder until they reached the dungeon's door. It slammed open, and the footsteps echoed through the stone prison. Finally, a figure leapt the last few stairs and planted their feet on the floor near the two cells. Niall's jaw dropped to the ground as he locked eyes with her.

"T-Tiara?"

The woman stared at him with wide blue eyes.

~Z~

OMG! New revelations! What will happen next? I can assure you, the next chapter will have both action and some TrueNoble fluff! :D Stay tuned!

FUN TWO CENTS OF THE DAY: I personally think there needs to be more romance fics of Care Bears. There are so many great pairings to choose from! And no, I don't mean the M-rated ones.

Not that those are altogether bad if you write it correctly…like, make it a really dramatic story or something...

I should probably shut up now.

~Smiley :)