The Land Without Feelings. It was quite a fitting name for the land Kevin found himself in. It looked as if the land hadn't had a proper daytime in centuries. The sun was blocked out by a thick blanket of black storm clouds that occasionally erupted with blue lightning. Below those clouds was a thick forest of solemn pine trees outfitted in shadow and frost. In the distance, he spotted a mountain with an unusual structure perched atop its peak.
That was where they were headed now. Kevin was riding behind Professor Coldheart on his motorcycle, the headlights of which provided a faint light to guide them. As they made their way out of the forest and up the mountain trail, Kevin could see the structure more clearly.
It vaguely reminded Kevin of Santa's workshop. The base consisted of grey cobblestone, but its spires were red and white and swirled like peppermint canes, sticking out at odd angles. Around the entire base of the castle were statues of snowmen carved to resemble gargoyles, their faces twisted into expressions of wicked mirth. Long icicles of what looked like cake frosting decorated the windows, and the entire structure and even some of the trees out in front were wrapped in chaotic Christmas lights. As frightening as it was, the castle exuded an air of fun and mischief. Kevin had to smile.
The two rode straight into the jaws of a stone ice dragon that took the place of the front gate. They ended up in a garage of sorts, all sorts of crazy machines lined up against the walls. In one corner, Kevin could see a massive tank shaped like a great white shark. Was this the Sharkmarine he'd heard the Care Bears talking about before?
Coldheart parked the motorcycle off to the side. He motioned for Kevin to follow him. The two ascended what seemed like an endless flight of stairs before arriving at a room in the top of the tallest spire. The entire room was filled with a massive, intricate apparatus that Kevin couldn't even begin to imagine the purpose or functionality of.
"This, dear Kevin, is my greatest creation. The Careless Ray Contraption," Coldheart explained.
"What does it do?" Kevin asked.
"Basically the same things that the freeze machines do, but on a much larger scale. When this beauty is turned on, it will drain the world of its feelings and turn it into a cold, unfeeling beam of light. When this beam of light is fired into the sky, it will turn the summer to winter and freeze the entire world over! Then, you and I will be partners and rule over this new world side by side. All you gotta do is put the batteries from the freeze machines into those slots over there, and our master plan will come to fruition! You and me, lording over a world where people are honest about who they truly are!"
Kevin froze in shock. This was really how he was going to get a new family? But he didn't want Coldheart to leave like all the rest of them. More than that, the mad scientist was more of a father to him than anyone else had ever been. This was the least he could do for him. He detached the batteries from the freeze machines and fit them into the battery slots.
All of a sudden, the machine hummed to life. Coldheart took a seat at the control panel in the center of the room. He flipped a switch, and Kevin could see a beam of blue light shoot through the sky from the monitor at the control panel. Already he could see more of the dark, blue-lightning storm clouds of the Land Without Feelings gathering around it. As they grew and gathered, a shadow was cast over Kevin's hometown as it began snowing. The snow turned to a flurry, which turned into a blizzard as its citizens stopped caring.
Coldheart gave a nasty grin at the sight, showing off all his pointed, dangerous teeth. His eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter than usual. As he began to orchestrate the wintry apocalypse, he burst into song:
"Allow me to introduce myself,
They call me Professor Coldheart!
I'm cold, cruel, and crafty,
But wait! Here's the best part!
I'll freeze your feelings, cold as ice,
And chill your cares! Oh, that sounds nice!
So listen up, some sound advice,
Be smart!
Don't mess with the Professor Coldheart!"
Kevin could only stand there, doubtful. As much as he loved seeing Coldheart so happy, he couldn't help but think of the town and how it was going to be locked in eternal winter. Was this really what he wanted?
…
All of a sudden, Tenderheart found himself being blown off course by a fierce, sharp wind. A snowstorm had suddenly broken out! He and his team were blown this way and that, the air becoming ever denser and whiter as ice crystals filled every inch of the skies. They couldn't see two feet in front of them as they careened through the clouds.
Finally, they smashed into a raging storm cloud, their cloud cars becoming lodged in Coldheart's raging black thunderheads. Fortunately, the blue lightning from the clouds did not shock them. Not immediately, anyway.
The team traipsed through the blizzard, looking out for any source of shelter. They found some of sorts in a bed of clouds that formed a canopy above their heads. At least this way, they would be shielded from the worst of the weather.
Tenderheart looked up. Even through the whiteout, he could see a blue beam of light firing into the sky. The storm clouds swirled around it.
His eyes followed the beam down to its source. Just as he feared, he could see it was coming from the Land Without Feelings. If he wasn't already sold on the idea that Coldheart was behind all of this, this confirmed it. Whatever Coldheart was planning, it was bad.
"What are we gonna do?" Gentle Heart asked.
"I'm gonna try and get ahold of Noble Heart Horse and the rest of the Care Bears." He took out a cell-phone communication device and dialed it. "Yes? Hello? Is this Noble Heart Horse? Oh, good. Yes, this is an emergency..."