Author Note: Thanks for everyone who read my story in the last few months. I wasn't expected that someone will read my unfinished story after six years when I started write this and get so many positives replies. Thanks to you I get motivation to write this chapter which it was drastically different from what I originally planned few years ago.
Chapter 3
It was a calm but cloudy and cool evening at Care-a-Lot as Take Care and Spooky returned home. They were both tired after over two hours of "examining" No Heart, which had been suspiciously quiet for almost the entire time. Take Care was also pleasantly surprised to emerge from their first meeting almost unscathed. Aside from his snarky comments and his initial attack on her, the sorcerer was extremely willing to work with her. Still, Take Care felt quite uncomfortable being almost alone face to face with Care-a-Lot's nightmare.
However, Spooky had been extremely sad and thoughtful since they left No Heart's cell. Even though the little bat was not attacked by the sorcerer and was a great help to Take Care, she was eerily quiet. Even though Spooky didn't openly show it, Take Care sensed that she wanted to spend more time with No Heart. Which was beyond the comprehension of a medical bear. How could anyone desire contact, affection from a being that was the antithesis of what the Care Bears cared about?
Wanting to somehow relax the atmosphere between them, Take Care asked Spooky, smiling slightly, "Is everything okay, Spooky?" It took a few moments for the little bat to respond to her question, "Hmm?" she replied thoughtfully.
"You've been very quiet since we left No Heart. You miss him a lot, don't you?" She continued Take Care. A few moments passed again before Spooky gathered her thoughts and replied, "Yes. I miss him very much, Miss Take Care. I know that he is very cruel and uncaring, and doesn't want to see me at all. But for some reason, I feel safe with him. Although…"
"Yes Spooky?"
"I didn't think that dadd... I mean Mister No Heart would react so 'positively' to you Miss Take Care. Even with me he wasn't so gentle or showed so much patience. I guess he liked you Miss Take Care." said Spooky innocently, who had calmed down a bit during the conversation.
Hearing these words, Take Care immediately blushed. "W-What are you talking about, Spooky?! No Heart is incapable of showing any positive emotions or concern. He can only physically and mentally harm his victims for his selfish satisfaction. However, his behavior today was completely different from what he usually does... Oh, we're almost there!"
Indeed, Take Care and Spooky quickly reached the door of the medical bear's house during this conversation. Like many buildings in Care Bear Town, it was a normal house, except it was twice as large. Additionally, it also served as a hospital in the Care Bear Town, where Take Care worked alone.
The medical bear immediately opened the door to her house and let Spooky through first with her medical bag. However, instead of going inside, Take Care started walking towards a large red building resembling a heart, which was significantly larger than the other houses nearby. Surprised by her behavior, Spooky asked. "Miss Take Care? Where are you going at this hour?" Take Care before moving on, she turned to the little bat and gently patted her on the head.
"I need to report back to the Hall of Heart on what happened today during our meeting with No Heart. Don't worry, Spooky, it won't take me long. While I'm at it, my dear, could you unpack my medical bag and leave the paperwork we did today on my desk? I need to go over it in peace. And don't forget to do your homework for tomorrow's school, Spooky."
"Yes, Miss Take Care," Spooky replied cheerfully, before closing the door to the Take Care house. Although Take Care noticed the slight frown on the little bat's face when she mentioned school. It wasn't that Spooky didn't like learning, on the contrary, she was quite good. But she was so bored with these classes that she almost fell asleep during them. However, Spooky was still a child, which to some extent justified her behavior, and Take Care hoped that she would grow out of it. With his mood so improved, the medical bear headed towards the Hall of Hearts.
Just as Take Care expected, the Care Bears and Cousins were very surprised by her report from today. They didn't think that No Heart would be so calm and so "submissive" during the meeting with Spooky and Take Care. Despite this, they had their concerns which they did not hesitate to express.
"You were very lucky today for your first meeting with No Heart, Take Care. It's a miracle that he was so 'nice' to you and didn't try anything suspicious on you." Wish Bear replied in surprise.J ust remembering her previous encounters with that red-eyed Care-a-Lot nightmare made her shiver.
"That sounds too unbelievable. Take Care, are you sure you haven't encountered some imitation that No Heart may have left behind as a decoy?" asked a golden bear with a muffin as a tummy symbol.
"Rather bleak chances, Birthday Bear. When I was in his cell today, there was no indication that he was planning to escape any time soon. Except for a few dents in the wall, but they were too minor to be of any help. Besides, as I mentioned earlier, No Heart tried to kill me by strangle. Luckily, Spooky reacted quite quickly and she calmed the sorcerer down enough for the rest of our meeting," Take Care then let out a nervous laugh.
It's true that she had an exceptionally easy encounter with No Heart compared to the rest of her family. However, if it weren't for Spooky's quick intervention, her first encounter with the sorcerer could have ended much worse, perhaps even her death. Just remembering his shining blood-red eyes and his voice filled with hatred at that moment made her shiver. At this time, Brave Heart stood up from his seat and replied proudly:
"Ha! Finally that old fool realized he had no chance against us. One Stare at him today was enough to extinguish that nasty temper of his." and the lion proudly puffed out his chest, waiting for praise from the other bears. Instead, the purple horse with a mint-blue mane stood up and replied in a calm yet stern tone:
"Even if what you are saying now contains some truth, you are overconfident in your abilities, Brave Heart. Don't forget that No Heart not only possessed enormous, downright terrifying power that he currently does not have. He still possesses an almost devilish intellect and knowledge that he has used very effectively in trying to wipe us out all these years." and then, right after him, the cream bear with pink locks began to continue:
"Just like Noble Heart said, don't underestimate No Heart, Brave Heart. Even if the sorcerer can't harm us now, he is still a dangerous being. Probably now he is planning how to escape, thinking that we have no idea about it. The longer No Heart is in this cell, the greater the chance that he will escape. Therefore... Bright Heart, Grumpy, how are the preparations going on the project I asked about a few days ago - 'Caring Crypt'?" True Heart asked.
At the same time, a light purple raccoon and a navy blue bear stood up, holding notes in their hands. Brave Heart, on the other hand, sat down sulking that no one appreciated his effects and being scolded by the founders of Care-a-Lot. Bright Heart started:
"As you asked True Heart, Grumpy and I are currently preparing a 'Caring Crypt' that will finally seal No Heart. It will be much more durable than the cell in which the sorcerer is currently kept by us." Bright Heart showed sketches of this crypt. It looked like a typical crypt you would find on Earth, except without the religious markings, it had tinted heart-shaped windows. In addition, both the door and the roof were decorated with shimmering caring crystals, only much larger.
"As you can see from these sketches, we intend to use much stronger, modified caring crystals for the 'Caring Crypt' than the ones we placed in the door of the cell where No Heart is currently being held. This will cause the sinister power he was so proud of to be weakened even more. Even if by some miracle he does have enough power and strength to fight, the walls are made of a material that absorbs any attacks with even the slightest bit of malicious intent," Bright Heart added happily. The raccoon was truly proud of what he had managed to design in just a few days. This was one of the most difficult projects he had been asked to prepare and made.
Grumpy, however, added in a much less optimistic tone: "However, we are having a lot of trouble finding a way to restrain his movements. For now, the heavy shackles we have on his hands and feet are doing their job. However, if what Take Care said is true, No Heart may soon get used to their weight and use them as a weapon against us. We need something to really immobilize him, but we have no idea what. In addition, we are having a huge problem creating these enhanced caring crystals. The process of creating them is not as efficient as we originally thought, and the resulting ones are incredibly heavy to transport. There are a few other minor issues as well, but Bright Heart and I are working on it."
"Can you finish the 'Caring Crypt' in the next two weeks, my children? I am very concerned about time and everyone's safety." True Heart said. "Relax, True Heart. The work on the 'Caring Crypt' is already going at a surprising pace. With Grumpy and the help of others, we will be able to finish it in two weeks, maybe even less," Bright Heart replied confidently. This answer satisfied the founders of Care-a-Lot and almost everyone gathered inside the Hall of Hearts. Except for Brave Heart, who stood up abruptly and banged his fists on the heart-shaped table, shouting:
"Okay, maybe we'll soon have a place where we can imprison No Heart once and for all. Just tell me, how are you going to transport him to the 'Caring Crypt'?! I don't see No Heart willingly agreeing to be transported to a place where he's going to be sealed away forever. Any ideas?" With that, there was a huge commotion among the Care Bears and Cousins.
They'd completely forgotten about it! Despite his strange and often inappropriate behavior as a leader over the past few days, Brave Heart had made an extremely valid point about their plan. All the members of the Care Bear Family were so excited about creating a place where they could seal No Heart away once and for all. They had completely forgotten about to safely( mostly for them) transport the sorcerer to the place of his final sealing. And the distance between the cell they were currently holding him in and the 'Caring Crypt' wasn't small. And just like Brave Heart mentioned, the sorcerer would rather fight to the end, even if it meant losing his life, than surrender willingly for this.
However, not everyone seemed to care about this problem. The light blue bear with the moon as a tummy symbol was sleeping throughout the meeting, not paying attention to what was happening around him. Seeing him, an idea began to bloom in Take Care's mind and she suddenly shouted: "I think I know how to solve our problem of safely moving No Heart to the 'Caring Crypt'! However, I will need Bedtime Bear's help and some time to work it out." Take Care said.
Everyone calmed down at this point, looking at the medical bear with some disbelief. Usually, except for today's report, she would sit quietly at these meetings. After gaining the attention of the entire Care Bears Family, Take Care continued her thought:
"What if we put a sedative in his food or water? A properly selected dose of such a substance can help us significantly in taming No Heart. In case he manages to stay conscious, we can use our Stare on him to knock him out. That, a well-fitted straightjacket and a working cloud car and the problem of transferring No Heart to the 'Caring Crypt' is automatically solved."
This unexpected proposal from Take Care completely shocked all the members of the Care Bear Family, that some of them almost dropped their jaws to the floor. What the medical bear proposed was surprisingly bold and unconventional even for them. However, considering who they wanted to trap, using sedatives on No Heart seemed like a smart and safe solution. Although Brave Heart, as usual, had to add something in an angry tone:
"Maybe what you came up with, Take Care, has a chance of success, but haven't you forgotten how giving No Heart the medicine ended? And correct me if I'm not wrong, but doesn't that red-eyed devil expect something like this from us after talking to you?" These words initially saddened Take Care and made her doubt. She remembered it well and was aware that it was partly her fault that Tender Heart almost died at No Heart's hands. However, she didn't intend to dwell on it and in a quiet but confident voice, she replied while looking directly into Brave Heart's eyes:
"I haven't forgotten how it ended last time, Brave Heart. However, we didn't have the proper data on No Heart back then, nor did we expect such a reaction from him. That's why today I went with Spooky to gather any medical data on him, so as not to make the same mistake. Additionally, as I mentioned before, I intend to ask for Bedtime Bear's help to increase our chances of success in this matter and..." at this point Noble Heart intervened:
"Also, let's not forget one important thing, Take Care and Brave Heart. Even if No Heart has great power and intellect, his pride and underestimation of our capabilities always led to his defeat in the end. I don't think he expected that we were going to use sedatives on him to subdue him. Besides, I believe that our plan will work," and True Heart added:
"We still have two weeks to work out our plan. In the meantime, please go home. Tomorrow is another day and we need to prepare for our duties." After these words, all the bears and cousin stood up and began to leave the Hall of Hearts. Just as True Heart had said, tomorrow was another day and there were children they had to help. Take Care also wanted to go home to check if Spooky was okay, but True Heart and Noble Heart unexpectedly stopped her. The surprised medical bear asked the founders: "Umm True Heart, Noble Heart? Is there something you wanted to ask me?" Take Care didn't know what to expect from True Heart or Noble Heart. They usually didn't ask her for advice. Then the purple horse said in a gentle tone:
"Take it easy Take Care, it's nothing. We actually wanted to ask you a favor. It concerns Spooky." The last words were hushed, so only Take Care, Noble Heart, and True Heart could hear them. Right after she nervously looked around, the cream-colored bear also added in a hushed voice:
"Make sure Spooky doesn't find out about our plan or the Caring Crypt. I know she's a good kid, but she can be irrational about No Heart. Spooky might accidentally reveal some details to the sorcerer, which could ruin the whole operation. Will you be able to hide this truth from Spooky for the next two weeks, Take Care?"
Take Care was still shaking on the way home after that small talk with the founders. She was grateful that True Heart and Noble Heart had temporarily taken over Care-a-Lot while Tender Heart was recovering. She didn't even want to know what it would be like to rule under Brave Heart's leadership. It was true that in the past, the lion had shown courage and willingness to act during caring missions. Additionally, he was responsible for preparing new members of the Care Bears Family to help children on Earth or to stop the forces of darkness. However, Brave Heart's behavior over the past few weeks had been unbearable, and not only her, but the other Care Bears and Cousin were displeased and questioned his leadership skills.
That didn't change the fact that what True Heart and Noble Heart had asked of her was a difficult task. Hiding such a truth from Spooky seemed like a relatively easy task for anyone unfamiliar with the subject. However... 'Even if Spooky can see No Heart for the next two weeks, what then? Even after the short interaction I had witnessed between them today, there was something special. The fact that Spooky was able to beg him to listen to me or her willingness to hug him goodbye spoke volumes about her attachment to him. I'm pretty sure Spooky's heart would break at the news that she would never see him again. And I doubt that we, the Care Bear Family, would be able to fill that void in her heart.'
Somehow, Take Care made it to her house and went inside. First, she went into the kitchen to boil some water for coffee, which she would need a lot during the analysis of this data. Then she looked into her office and was happy that Spooky had spread all the documents neatly on her desk as well as the rest of the equipment.
'Ah! I need check Spooky!' Take Care entered a small room, which was on the opposite side of her office. Inside there was a tiny desk with a chair, a wardrobe, some toys scattered on the floor and of course a bed. Spooky was already lying there, sleeping soundly under big fluffy sheets. Take Care smiled slightly. It was good that the little bat had finally found a peaceful sleep, because for the past week she had been having mostly nightmares. She just checked if Spooky had done her homework properly, then returned to her office.
'She left.'
As soon as Take Care closed the door to her room, Spooky woke up and carefully got out of bed. She listened for Take Care's footsteps for a while until she entered her office. Just then, the little bat approached the window and she gently began to crack it open enough to squeeze through. When she did, she quickly closed the window and as if nothing had happened, Spooky took to the air.
She loved the moment when she could move quickly and freely in the air instead of walking everywhere, e.g. to school. Of course, Spooky could also fly during the day, but then the sun, other cloud cars or the din made it very difficult for her to navigate in the air. And so, under the night sky, she could fly wherever and however she wanted without having to worry about anything. After a few minutes of playing in the air, which consisted of doing pirouettes or fast zigzags, she finally headed towards the Forest of Feelings.
Spooky flew relatively calmly and straight, only sometimes she adjusted to unexpected gusts of wind, which were quite gentle. During the journey, she watched with curiosity what was happening down below. Almost everyone in Care Bear Town was getting ready for bed or was sleeping, except for Bedtime Bear, who was just going to start his shift. Once she had passed the town, she started approaching the individual Care Cousin houses, where of course at the start you could see Brave Heart's house, which must have looked like his head from the outside.
Suddenly Spooky noticed something that immediately caught her attention, that for a moment she hung in the air, flapping her wings vigorously. Because she noticed Grumpy, Bright Heart and the pink elephant pulling something shiny and long into the truck cloud car. Despite the large difference in distance and height, she could more or less hear what was happening there:
"Careful Lotsa Heart, this reinforced caring crystal is very heavy and delicate, we can't damage it at any cost!" Grumpy grimaced. You could already feel from his voice that he was barely able to hold this mysterious thing.
"Easy Grumpy, you know you can count on me for things like this. Besides, it's not as hard as it seems."
"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF LOTSA!" Grumpy and Bright Heart yelled, followed by a sound like glass breaking. Immediately afterwards, an argument broke out between them, but Spooky decided to ignore it since she had other things to do and flew in the opposite direction.
Although what she had heard made her think. Why did they need such large, reinforced caring crystals? For a while, nothing sensible came to her mind, but then she remembered. Reinforced caring crystals were a relatively new invention created by Bright Heart and were supposedly much more powerful than their regular counterparts. They were created due to the appearance of mysterious dark creatures in the Care-a-Lot area in recent months. If the reinforced caring crystals were to create some kind of special barrier against them, then Spooky became much calmer because of this. She had reason to fear these creatures.
After half an hour, Spooky finally reached the place she wanted to go. It was a much less frequented part of the Forest of Feeling, where the vegetation was dense and there was little light. After a slightly awkward landing, Spooky began to carefully and silently look around the area.
It reminded her of the times when she and No Heart traveled this way, avoiding contact with others. Spooky took advantage of this and tried to teach him anything, such as moving quietly, in order to gain his approval. Usually, this ended with him punishing her, mainly because she irritated him a lot when he wanted to have a moment of peace to himself, for example. Although there were some exceptions, when he rewarded her for following his orders, such as petting her head or told her story when they rested. These were the "good" times.
Finally, Spooky found what she was looking for - a fairly large flock of star buddies, carefreely flying around the lake. It made her feel both excited and sad at the same time, because what she was planning to do was not pleasant.
Spooky began to quietly and slowly chant a spell, one of the few that No Heart had taught her, her eyes glowing bright purple. A barely visible but durable net with small meshes slowly appeared over the star buddies, then quickly fell on them. Some of these stars flew away in terror, of course, the rest tried helplessly to get out of this trap, while Spooky quietly approached them.
When she was close enough, she gently grabbed one of the star buddies and put it to her lips. "Sorry," she said quietly and dug her fangs into the little star's body. It squealed in pain, tried to pull itself out of her claws, but after a few moments it was still. All that was left was an empty shell, which the little bat gently placed on the ground. Then she repeated the whole process with another star buddy and did this six more times. After that, Spooky quickly covered the bodies of the star buddies with leaves and branches. Then she put her paws together as if in prayer and began to apologize them quietly.
The Care Bears Family thought that Spooky was just a timid and quiet child they had saved a few months ago. However, the little bat had a dark secret that she carefully kept from them. For as long as she could remember, Spooky had to feed on magical energy every few days, which she could only obtain from living beings, in order to function normally. The way she obtained it was quite painful for the victim and sometimes deadly, as in the case of star buddy.
However, Spooky was not proud of what she did. Ever since she attacked No Heart (which she deeply regretted to this day), when they traveled together, she tried to feed on star buddies or heart buddies to satisfy her incomprehensible hunger. It was still cruel, but Spooky did not have the courage or heart to admit it openly. She did not want the Care Bears Family to hate her for it, or worse, treat her as a monster that should be killed as soon as possible.