Tenderheart stirred from sleep. At first, he thought he was back in his bed in Care-A-Lot. As he opened his eyes, though, he realized that was not the case.
The room he was in was rather ornate, actually. While the walls were the same icy blue stone that the rest of Coldheart Castle was made of, there was no shortage of blue velvet tapestries decorating them. The sheets on the bed and the canopy above were the same shade of royal blue. To his right, Tenderheart could make out a large window from which the sparse light from the lightning clouds penetrated. Even in this low light, Tenderheart could tell that it was morning already. The clouds wore a golden lining in the morning light.
He sat up in the bed. The events of the day before churned in his mind. Why would Kevin call Coldheart "dad?" What had the two been doing ever since that day they met in the park? Tenderheart had thought that Coldheart was just feeding Kevin's angst to fuel his own ends, but now that he thought of it...
He kept thinking about what Coldheart had said the night before.
"Where were you when he was being mistreated in his foster homes? Or when he was confined in a group home with kids who picked on him every single day? The same place you were when I was being beaten! You were off kissing some pretty blonde girl's scraped knee or something!"
Now that he thought of it, when had he ever been there for the people who really needed him? After all, he'd never dealt with anything more serious than a kid being upset over losing a friend. He'd never even considered that not everyone had a loving family to go back to. Or even a family at all. Could he really tear apart the little family they had forged together in the absence of blood?
Tenderheart shook his head to clear it. What was he thinking? Coldheart was just cunning, that's all. He must have done a really good job of convincing Kevin that they were both on the same side. Just a sick, twisted monster who needed to be stopped.
Tenderheart froze. He was suddenly wracked with guilt, remembering what Coldheart had said back in the park. About how people only ever saw him as a monster. Tenderheart wasn't supposed to think like that. It was exactly that perception that led Coldheart to be so nasty in the first place.
And besides, Coldheart's apparent tenderness towards the boy could help him get through to the both of them. He just needed to figure out how-
Tenderheart felt weak all of a sudden. He looked down at his belly badge to find that its color was fading. His caring magic was losing power. Looking out the window, he could make out the blue beam of light coming from the Careless Ray Contraption overhead. Off in the distance, he could see that the entire horizon was blanketed in thick white snow clouds. Not a trace of sunshine could be seen.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Caring Meter dropped to zero. Then he would lose all his powers and just... fade away.
Time was running out. He had to figure out a way out of this room. Then he could find Coldheart and try to convince him to stop.
He didn't need to think much further. All of a sudden, the door swung open, and standing in the hallway was Gentle Heart Lamb.
"Coldheart told me to come and get you," she stated.
Tenderheart had a crazy idea. His belly badge powers may be weak, but he might still be able to turn Gentle Heart back to her old self. He charged up his Care Bear Stare.
"What are you doing? Get away!"
A small beam of light struck Gentle Heart in the chest. She staggered back, nearly falling. When she looked up, she saw Tenderheart smiling at her.
"Ah! Tenderheart! I'm so sorry! I ran into Coldheart on the way to the castle and he convinced me I wouldn't make it without his help. I believed him and I-"
"It's all right, Gentle Heart. He tricked everyone. I'm gonna need your help here because my belly badge powers are fading. If you see Cheer Bear or Brave Heart Lion, I want you to fire your stare at them. I'm going to try to get the others while we're at it.
Gentle Heart nodded. She would never leave Tenderheart's side again.
…
"Grr! Where is that Stone Heart?! She should have been back by now!" Coldheart griped. He had told her to bring Tenderheart to him, and he was becoming more restless by the minute. All of a sudden, he saw something on one of his cameras. He took a closer look.
Clear as day, he saw Tenderheart walking through the halls. Gentle Heart followed close behind, wearing a timid expression.
"Gah! That little interloper! I should've known he'd try that!" Coldheart knew that Tenderheart had changed Gentle Heart back. "I'd have half a mind to deal with them right now!Permanently!"
Kevin jumped at the word "permanently." "I... Professor? Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"
"Harsh? Since when do you care about 'harsh?' Don't you still want to rule the world with me?"
"I-I do! It's just... Don't you think that this is taking it a bit too far?"
"Too far? HAH!" Coldheart's sudden outburst startled Kevin. "It's only what they deserve! Face it, dear Kevin. This is the only way that we're going to be able to rule the world. If you're not willing to do what it takes, just stay out of my way." Coldheart located where the two Care Bears were and bolted out the door.
Now Kevin was torn. He hated disappointing Coldheart. He wanted to make him proud, but at what cost?