Noble Heart Horse searched the clouds below for what seemed to be the tenth time since he got there. He couldn't see anything in this blizzard. But he knew they had to be down there somewhere. All of a sudden, he could faintly make out a red shape in the fog. "Tenderheart?! Are you down there?!"
Faintly hearing Noble Heart's voice, Tenderheart waved his hands around, trying to grab his attention. It seemed to have worked. A shape grew closer and closer until Noble Heart's cloud car came into view.
"Oh, thank goodness! I thought we were done for!"
"Enough talk! Just get into my cloud car! I'll get us out of here!"
One by one, Tenderheart, Cheer, Grumpy, Brave Heart, and Gentle Heart piled into Noble Heart's cloud car. Noble Heart drove fast, concentrating hard to not let the wind blow the car out of line again.
Once they were a safe distance from the storm, Noble Heart spoke up. "That was some storm back there! Worst I've ever seen in my life!"
"Yeah. That Coldheart's really something. Fired a beam of ice energy into the sky that makes it snow hard. Not only that, but the entire town has no feelings," Brave Heart explained.
"Coldheart? He sounds like a real piece of work," Noble Heart replied.
"The beam's coming from over there," Tenderheart pointed out.
Noble Heart saw the beam coming from the icy land in the distance. All of a sudden, it cut out. Coldheart must have turned the machine off.
"Well, that's a relief. That gives us some time before he starts freezing people's hearts again. Best we set up camp below and get some sleep. We're gonna need it to rescue Kevin tomorrow."
They came to rest just outside the border of the Land Without Feelings. Even though they weren't in the accursed land, they felt a chill run down their spines. They didn't know much about Coldheart, but if what they assumed was accurate, he would be a tough opponent to take down. But as long as the six of them stayed together, they would see this through to the end.
...Right?
…
"Hey, there. You did a good job today."
Kevin looked up from the sink. He had just finished brushing his teeth. Coldheart was standing right behind him, looking very proud. Perhaps even... affectionate?
"I know you have your doubts. This is actually doing the world a favor. Even if people are still selfish and cruel, at least now they're honestly selfish and cruel. If everyone knows what to expect from everyone, no one will ever be caught off guard by another's cruelty again. I wish I had learned that lesson when I was your age. Perhaps if I didn't hold onto false hope that my family would love me one day, I could have spared myself a lot of pain."
Kevin still didn't get it.
"And maybe when no one cares about how other people feel about them, they might start to listen to themselves instead of just blindly following the herd. Doesn't that sound great?" He followed Kevin into the room he was going to be sleeping in.
It was surprisingly cozy. Not as ornate as some of the other rooms, but still comfortable. It was a thousand times more like home than some of the arrangements Kevin had slept in when he was in foster care. Had a nice view of the Land Without Feelings, too. For a land where no tender human emotions were supposed to exist, it sure was peaceful at night. Blackened pine trees covered the land as far as the eye could see, and the clouds above blocked any light from coming through. Perfect for when one was trying to sleep.
"I know. You still don't really understand." Kevin lay down. "Here. Look into my eyes. This should help you sleep." All of a sudden, Coldheart's eyes began to glow a lustrous red, and rings of magenta rippled and danced over them. As Kevin stared into them, he began to feel sleepy. A few seconds later, and he was out like a light.
Coldheart sat there and stared at him for a long time. A new feeling was coming over him. One he hadn't felt in a long time. It felt almost like... affection?
He shook his head. What was he thinking? He couldn't afford to feel those things. The world had taught him that lesson a long time ago. He got up and turned to leave the room.
But he couldn't help but take one long last look at Kevin before he shut the door behind him.