A/N: Mounty Heart Moose and Big Mama Tantan belong to Teacher Bear. Thank you for letting me use these characters.
Chapter 10: Celebrate the Future
Take Care sighed as she finished her examination of Maurice and Eagle, “You two aren’t badly hurt, though I would have preferred if I could check your injuries before Guidance used magic to heal you.”
Eagle shook his wings a bit to straighten out his feathers, “Before today I would not have believed magic existed in that form, but I cannot deny the evidence before my eyes.”
Take Care nodded, “Well you two can go, I have to file your medical reports.”
“Thank you, Take Care.” Maurice stood up from his chair, “that green bear, Love Heart, said he had to take us to a meeting with the other leaders. Should be fun eh?” he asked Eagle.
“Indeed.” Eagle and Maurice turned to leave the office, but Take Care stopped them.
“One last question: when were you born?”
Maurice only needed a moment to answer, “1964. I just turned 55.”
“And I as well, if my memory serves me correctly,” Eagle said.
Take Care bit her lip to hide her surprise, “Alright. I just needed that for my records.”
Love Heart was waiting outside and he escorted the two newcomers to the Hall of Hearts.
“This place is far more colorful than I could ever have anticipated,” Eagle said as he walked across the clouds and the roads.
“It’s like something out of the cartoons I used to watch as a child,” Maurice smiled.
“Well it’s going to be your home for the foreseeable future,” Love Heart said. “That man who attacked you is named Mental Heart and he’s hunting the rest of our kind.”
“I am curious: how did you reach us to rescue us in time?” Eagle asked.
“That would be Futureheart Bear.” Love Heart paused in his speech but decided to be truthful, “I know this will be hard to believe but he’s from the future and he came back to prevent Mental Heart and his master, No-Heart, from destroying the world and killing all of us. He told me about the sudden disappearance of everyone in Estevan then I was able to track you two down with my tummy symbol.”
Maurice stopped in his tracks, “Just a moment, eh, are you serious?”
Love Heart turned around to face the two middle-aged friends, “Yes, I am. I know it’s a lot to believe but,” Love Heart held up his hand and conjured a small tangle of electricity, “Magic is real, psychics are real, we are real, I know time travel is far fetched but if you can believe in this place and my magic then you can believe in time travel.”
Eagle clacked his beak then turned to Maurice, “He does have a point.”
“He does,” Maurice nodded, “So now what eh? I still need to go pick up my possessions from Regina.”
“Me too. We send them ahead of us to be picked up today,” Eagle said.
“Alright. I can assign you an escort once we get your tummy symbols and Care Bear names.” Love Heart turned to lead them to the Hall of Hearts.
“Just hold on, eh, why are you being so aggressive? You’re not being very friendly.” Maurice said.
Love Heart stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath before he turned around, “I’m sorry, I’m just under a lot of stress right now.” Love Heart released what looked like a ton of tension as his tummy symbol began to glow red, “I’m the only one who can track Care Bears without tummy symbols on Earth, I just adopted a new son and all of this apocalypse stuff is starting to get to me. I just want to keep everyone safe,” Love Heart took in a deep shuddering breath then calmed down and smiled, “Each of us picks a name that represents who we are and we get a tummy symbol that represents that.”
“I see,” Eagle thought for a moment then turned his fierce eyes to Love Heart, “Then I think I shall be Soaring Heart Eagle.”
Maurice smiled, “I believe the best name for me is Mounty Heart Moose.”
Love Heart sighed in relief then pointed to the Hall of Hearts, “Go meet Brave Heart in the Hall of Hearts, he can give you your tummy symbols. I’ll call Defender Bear and Truth Bear to escort you down to get your possessions. I think I need to go home.”
“Very well, thank you,” Soaring Heart bowed then turned and walked with Mounty Heart towards the Hall of Hearts.
OoOoO
Independent Bear finally worked up the courage to talk to Take Care as he headed for her hospital with a smile on his face. He spotted Love Heart leading the moose and eagle towards the Hall of Hearts but continued on his path, knowing that Take Care would be able to tell him anything he needed to know.
Take Care was still seated at her desk, finishing the files on the two new arrivals, when Indy knocked on her door.
“Come in,” She said, not looking up.
Indy stepped in with a smile on his face, “Hi, Take Care.” He saw the serious look on her face, “What’s wrong?”
Take Care looked up, “Nothing’s wrong Indy, just confusing…” She motioned for him to come over. “I just finished giving our newest arrivals their introductory check-ups.”
“You mean the moose and eagle?”
Take Care nodded, “And I just found out, they’re both 55 years old.”
“Is that a problem?” Indy narrowed one eye in confusion.
Take Care looked up into Indy’s confused expression. Remembering that he had grown up on Earth she decided to give him a quick rundown. “Noble Heart was born in 1981 and from what he’s told me he was transformed from a normal horse into a Care Bear Cousin the night he was born; from what little we know about the catalyst crystal that created us we know that he, True Heart, Grams Bear, Sage Heart and Life Heart were all transformed on the same night.”
“Wait… so they’re only 38 years old?” Indy folded his arms as he processed the information, “And Grams is… at least 56?”
“Actually, Grams is only about 44, she was a normal bear for a few years before she had True Heart and Life Heart is… well according to her she’s older than human civilization but she’s only been a Care Bear Cousin for 38 years. Being a grandmother just made Grams feel older so she subconsciously aged to senior age, combined with how fast everyone aged in their first year,” Take Care put a hand to her forehead, the mechanics of Care Bear aging were becoming a massive headache to keep track of. “But back on topic: Maurice and Eagle, yes that was his name,” she rolled her eyes, “Said they were born in 1964, 17 years before any of that.”
“They’re older than the Care Bear Family?” Indy’s eyes went wide as he processed this new information.
“Yes and right now I don’t know what that means, or why the Great Wishing Star would have created Care Bears before us,” Take Care folded her arms and glared at the floor, trying to sort it out in her head.
Indy was also processing what had been said but he could see that Take Care was close to agonising over what that meant. “Take Care, want to go for a walk?”
“What?” Take Care looked up at Indy.
“You’re stressed and you can’t do anything about this right now and you don’t have anyone to look after. Let’s go out and clear your head,” he offered a hand to her.
Take Care couldn’t help but smile and took his hand as she stood up, “Maybe it will make more sense if I stop thinking about it for a while.”
Indy smiled as they headed out the door.
Take Care was immediately relieved as she stepped outside. Normally pulling her out of the office for any reason other than going to read in their secret spot was close to impossible, but at the moment she didn’t need to think about the possibly disturbing revelations the arrival of the two new family members could mean. She and Indy headed into the forest, both of them preferring the shaded paths and colorful trees to the open sky and quasi-urban environment of Care-a-Lot.
Autumn in the Forest of Feelings was a pleasant time for both of them. Normally the trees were a garish mix of bright and pastel colors (Bright Heart had discovered this was a magical effect that changed the color of the chlorophyll in the plants) but in autumn the leaves reverted to the more natural yellows, reds and oranges they would be on earth, something that suited Indy and Take Care just fine.
“All the girls are going to a baby shower in Paradise Valley later,” Indy said as he looked up at the trees.
Take Care shuddered, “That’s the last place I want to be…for number of reasons…” Take Care shook her head and changed the subject, “Bright Heart told me Slippy finally helped him make the Rainbow Rescue Beam work properly,” Take Care couldn’t help but chuckle, “That’s been a pet project of his for years, I’m just happy he finally got it working.”
“Really?” Indy turned to look at her, “Futureheart says they don’t have anything like that, teleportation technology I mean. I didn’t think we had anything Star Fox didn’t have…” he paused for a moment, considering if what he said made sense.
Take Care laughed, “Well, looks like the space animals aren’t completely beyond us,” she turned to look at Indy, “I took a look at their sickbay, if anything we might have a slight lead on them, especially since I helped them build that nanite healing chamber. Slippy said his girl back home was working on cybernetics to replace lost limbs but he didn’t say much else.”
Indy nodded and took a deep breath, nerving himself up to finally tell her how he felt. Take Care didn’t notice as much, just seeing Indy taking in the smells of the changing trees around them.
High up above the pair, Shrieky stood in a too small for her passenger car attached to a flying bicycle that Beastly was furiously pedaling to keep in the air. Shrieky stared into her magic mirror, now mounted on top of a meter-and-a-half-long staff, which showed her a picture of the two below.
“Look at that Beastly! Two lovey-dovey Care Bears on a romantic walk through the forest,” she made a retching noise, “Yeach! It makes me sick! I have to ruin their day! But how?”
“Why don’t you make it rain on them, or storm?” Beastly asked.
“Quiet, furball, that’s a stupid idea!” Shrieky shouted at him then turned back to look at her mirror. “Wait! I have a brilliant idea: what if I make it rain on them, or storm!”
Beastly used to protest Shrieky’s blatant theft of his ideas after ignoring him, but after a decade under her thumb even he was tired of the back and forth where he asked her why she took his idea then meekly accepted her ego while grumbling about how he never had a good idea.
Shrieky held up her staff and spoke her spell, “Magic mirror, ruin their day! Make it storm and blow them away!”
Indy was just about to say his piece when they both heard the sound of thunder overhead. Take Care looked up as the dark clouds piled up overhead. “Oh great, just what we need.” She glared then lowered her gaze, “Let’s get back before it starts pouring.” They turned and began to speed walk back towards the hospital, then there was a crack of lightning and they heard the rain start to fall.
Take Care was about to break into a run when Indy spoke up, “Take Care, wait.”
She turned to look at him as the rain suddenly started pouring, but Take Care wasn’t instantly soaked. She could see the rain, hear it, smell it all around her but she wasn’t wet. Indy was holding his left hand out, palm upwards, and he pointed with his right hand towards the sky. Take Care looked up and saw the rain stopping in mid air above them. The raindrops burst on an invisible barrier directly above them, the splatters forming a clear dome shape as they struck whatever was stopping them from getting soaked.
Indy smiled, “Psionic shield, or umbrella I guess. We can take our time, if we want.”
Take Care smiled as Indy walked up alongside her, then fell in step alongside him as they strolled casually back towards the hospital. “Thank you.” She looked up as they walked, “A very creative yet practical way to use your powers.”
Indy blushed, but thankfully Take Care didn’t notice, “I like the rain, it’s soothing and it clears the air. Not as bad up here but on earth it gets all the dust and smoke out of the city air.”
“I don’t hate it, but I prefer it when it’s clear,” Take Care didn’t mind that her feet were getting wet as they walked back through the forest. Neither of them were concerned even when lightning flashed and thunder boomed overhead.
Shrieky was dancing with rage in the sidecar, forcing Beastly to jerk the steering bar to keep them stable, “How are they enjoying this! They should be sad, or torn apart or running!” She ground her teeth, “Beastly! Take me back to the castle!”
“R-right away!” He turned and drove the machine back to the otherwise empty castle.
Take Care opened the front door of her house and stepped in, wiping her feet on the doormat as Indy followed, shutting off the psionic umbrella once he was inside.
“That went well,” Take Care was smiling when she turned back to Indy, who just stood at the front door, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Is something wrong, Indy?” Take Care’s voice carried a hint of concern.
Indy looked into her eyes, feeling his courage about to desert him. He took a deep breath and finally spoke. “I love you.”
Take Care took a step back, “What?”
“I love you Take Care Bear.” Indy took another deep breath and continued, “You have everyone’s respect, you help look after everyone and you’re always in control even when things go crazy, even when you’re looking after your daughters. I’ve seen you go through days that would break anyone else and always pull through for your friends and family.” He was smiling now. “You’re a wonderful person and I love you.”
Take Care just stared at her closest friend as he poured his heart out to her. Silence hung in the air but Indy made no attempt to advance or even offer a hand to her, waiting with baited breath for her answer.
“Really? You really mean that?”
Indy was still smiling, “Yes.”
Take Care needed a minute to process what she heard, “Indy, you’re my closest friend and I feel I can be more honest with you than anyone else. I’ve been thinking about our relationship and I have strong feelings for you too, I enjoy spending time with you and everything you’ve done for me in the past. I also got a message from my future self that said maybe I felt the same way about you but she didn’t know either. I’m not saying yes but I’m not saying no either, I’m saying let’s see where this goes… but I need time to figure out how I feel and… with everything else going on and all my responsibilities I don’t think I can handle this kind of revelation right now, or be putting my own needs first.”
“Get Well’s a doctor now too. I know this is a first for you, for me too,” Indy’s smile faded, “I want to see where this goes.”
“Get Well’s still new at this,” Take Care averted her gaze, “and I need some time to think about this.”
Indy felt his chest seize up but nodded, “OK.” He turned and immediately left, not bothering to put up the psionic umbrella as he trudged home.
It didn’t matter to Indy that he was getting soaked through as he walked home, he almost felt like his heart had been ripped out. Granted she hadn’t said no, she’d even said she wasn’t saying no and that she had strong feelings for him too but still, not having her say she loved him back right away still hurt, a lot. He finally got home and used a burst of psionic energy to force the water off his body, then went to make some pre-packaged ramen. He needed some comfort food.
OoOoO
Take Care just sat in her armchair in the living room, trying to read a book. She didn’t even check which one it was before she just opened it and started to read, trying to get Indy’s confession off her mind.
“Damn, listen to that rain.” Get Well Bear whistled as she entered the room. She saw Take Care and could instantly tell she wasn’t actually reading the book in her hand, “Mom, is something wrong?”
Take Care finally gave up on trying to read and shut the book. There must have been some shock to her system because she didn’t even try to hide what had happened, “Indy said he loved me.”
“What? Really?” Get Well stared at Take Care.
“Yes.”
“What’s going on?” Cautious Heart Cat entered the living room as well.
“Indy said he’s in love with mom,” Get Well said.
Cautious Heart stared at Get Well, then to Take Care, “He did?”
“Yes, he did,” Take Care put the book aside.
“So what did you tell him?” Get Well sat on the couch and gave her mom an eager look.
“I told him I had strong feelings for him, but I wanted to see where things went before I told him anything else.” Take Care took a deep breath and looked at Get Well, who was grinning, “What?”
“You love him,” Get Well said flatly.
“What?!” Take Care was taken aback by her daughter’s direct statement.
“Get Well, are you sure about this, I mean how do you know how she feels?” Cautious Heart looked from her mother to her big sister.
“I can tell,” Get Well stood up, “At university I saw a lot of young couples and people hooking up, I know how people behave when they’re in love or even when they’re uncertain.”
Take Care shook her head, “I don’t know and I can’t just drop everything to pursue a pipe dream romance when I have to get you trained and be ready for any emergencies.”
“Mom!” Get Well’s shout made her jump and Take Care was about to shoot back when Get Well started talking again, “Stop being selfless and think about yourself for once.” The strange reversal of the child’s lesson stunned Take Care enough for Get Well to continue, “You’ve been looking after the Care Bear Family almost your entire life, the Cousins as a babysitter, then everyone as a doctor then me and Cautious as a mother but you never take any time for yourself except when you’re reading. Because you didn’t reject him outright I think you feel the same way so stop hiding behind your responsibilities to avoid the subject and just let yourself feel happy about this.”
Take Care and Cautious just stared at Get Well for a moment before she finally spoke. “Get Well, even if I do feel the same way I’m not going to run off through the rain to tell him right this minute. I need time to process this, even if I think of myself this isn’t something I’m going to just dive into without thinking.”
Get Well smirked, “That’s fine, just don’t reject him outright until you know, OK?” She left before anyone else could say anything.
Cautious looked at her mother, “That was… a lot from her.”
While Get Well had been talking, Take Care’s thoughts had drifted back to the future message she had received from herself before she answered, “Yeah, but maybe she has a point,” Take Care sighed, “I kinda miss when she just looked up to me.”
“We still do,” Cautious Heart walked over to her and put a hand on Take Care’s shoulder, “That’s why we can be so honest with you.”
OoOoO
Love Heart started to run as the rain fell around him, just barely making it home as the downpour started. He swiped his forehead and spotted Shimmers sitting backwards on the couch, watching the rain fall.
“Hi Shimmers, waiting for me?” Love Heart walked over and sat down next to him.
Shimmers grinned and jumped on his father’s lap. “Momma said you’d be home soon,” he nuzzled his nose against Love Heart’s.
“Good thing too, I gotta get going,” Confidence Heart headed for the door, dressed in a yellow raincoat with her ears pressed down under a large floppy rain hat.
“Where are you going momma?” Shimmers turned his head, still seated on Love Heart’s lap.
“Gotta be a bodyguard for the baby shower, no sense taking chances,” she gave Shimmers a kiss on the forehead. “Be a good boy for daddy,” she ducked outside and headed for the Hall of Hearts.
“Guess it’s just you and me, Shimmers,” Love Heart ruffled his son’s head. Miracle Heart was still at school and wouldn’t be home for a few hours. “So what do you want to do?”
Shimmers didn’t reply, just hugging Love Heart and he smiled then hugged back.
A moment later there was a knock at the door, which opened as Life Heart Unicorn, Sage Heart Bear and their ten-year old twins Meek Heart Unicorn and Wild Heart Unicorn all burst in, all wearing the same raincoats Confidence had been wearing.
“Oof, didn’t think we’d get a storm like that,” Sage Heart helped his children undress from their raincoats, that he hung up on the coat rack before he took his own off.
“That was fun!” Wild Heart grinned and shook her head, sending some water from her long purple mane outwards. Her fur was Orange and her tummy symbol was a heart with a lightning bolt through it
Meek Heart held up a hand, his horn glowing as the water droplets bounced harmlessly off an invisible barrier between them, before running his hand through his short-trimmed orange mane, “Please don’t do that.” His fur was purple and his tummy symbol was a heart resting on a cloud.
Wild Heart stuck her tongue out at her brother, then turned to Love Heart and Shimmers. “Hey, big brother, is he our new nephew?”
“Yup!” Love Heart lifted Shimmers down in front of the two unicorns, Wild Heart with a huge grin on her face and Meek Heart with a gentler smile on his.
“You remember us right?” Life Heart stepped up behind her children, with Sage Heart alongside her.
Shimmer grinned, “Grandma, Grandpa.”
“And these are our youngest children,” Sage Heart gestured to the two young unicorns in front of him.
“I’m Wild Heart and the killjoy is my brother, Meek Heart,” Wild Heart pointed to herself and her brother with each hand.
“I’m not a killjoy just because I don’t rush into things without thinking.” Meek Heart replied.
“Whatever,” Wild Heart waved him off, “Wanna play with your aunt and uncle, Shimmers?”
Shimmers looked back up at Love Heart, who just nodded, “Grandma and I have to talk for a minute, just don’t be too rough, Wild.”
“Don’t worry, big brother, I got this.” Wild Heart took Shimmers’ hand and all but dragged him towards his bedroom.
“I’ll keep him safe,” Meek promised before he followed them.
Sage Heart, Life Heart and Love Heart all sat down on the couch, Love Heart heaving a sigh of relief and smiling after the three, “It’s nice to see kids just being kids.”
“Yes, it is, so let’s get the business out of the way first,” Sage Heart said.
“I scanned Shimmering Star when you brought him to me last week. He does have a great deal of magical potential, separate from the Unicorn genetics he inherited from you, but it’s largely undirected at the moment and forming a pool of potential power inside of him.”
“Should I be worried, mom?” Love Heart visibly tensed.
“Not at all, as long as you train him his powers should grow and come out naturally. But he might manifest powers none of us have seen before,” Life Heart smiled, “He’s going to be an amazing person when he grows up.”
“As long as he doesn’t find out about his past,” Love Heart mumbled.
“He won’t,” Sage Heart assured him, “and we’ll make sure he has a happy life this time around.”
“EEEHAAHAAHAHAHAA!” Shimmer’s laughter suddenly rent the air and Love Heart was on his feet in an instant and dashing to his son’s bedroom. He found Shimmers lying on bed, orange and purple shackles of magical energy holding him down as Meek Heart and Wild Heart tickled the young bear under his arms and on his feet.
“What are you two doing?” Love Heart didn’t raise his voice but his sudden voice made his twin siblings turn towards him.
Meek Heart blushed and got off the bed, “She convinced me to try this, I’m sorry.”
“Aw com’on you had fun!” Wild Heart grinned and elbowed her brother as she turned back to Shimmers, who was still smiling while being held down.
Love Heart rolled his eyes and smiled, “Meek, you can go back to mom and dad, I’ll handle this.”
Meek Heart just nodded and retreated from the room. Love Heart turned back to his youngest sister and his son, “now then, where were you? About here?” Love Heart started tickling Shimmers’ paw pads, which set him up laughing again.
OoOoO
Confidence burst into the Hall of Hearts, water still clinging to her raincoat from the storm outside. She grinned and tossed her outdoor clothing into the entrance closet then sent out a small burst of wind to dry her fur before she headed to the Rainbow Rescue Beam room.
Slippy and Bright Heart were standing at either side of the Rainbow Rescue Beam platform. A large circular platform with a heart-shaped arch that was capped off by a large heart-shaped caring crystal with identical controls opposite each other from the outside.
Nearly every woman in the Kingdom of Caring was assembled and waiting for the go ahead, with six of the seven expectant mothers standing right next to the platform.
“Hey Confidence!” Sweet Heart trotted over to greet her sister-in-law, “Ready for the shower?” Sweet Heart was an adult now and stood nearly as tall as Confidence.
Confidence Heart smirked, “More than I was for the shower out there.” She scanned the crowd, “Where’s True Heart?”
As if in answer to her question, Confidence heard the front door of the hall open and turned around to see True Heart. The cream colored bear had been letting her hair grow out and the once short tuft of pink, purple and blue hair now reached down the sides of her head. Her own baby bump showed more prominently than the other girls as she all but skipped towards the head of the group.
“True Heart, you look so radiant!” Love-a-Lot wan up to meet her.
“I feel so light on my feet these days!” True Heart did a little twirl in place, “And you should see Noble Heart,” her face flushed and she giggled and toyed with the radiant heart crystal attached around her neck, “I haven’t felt this energetic since we started the Care Bear Family.”
“Good for you!” Cheer gave a thumbs up then turned to Bright Heart, “How much longer is this gonna take?”
“Be patient Cheer,” Gentle Heart tapped her on the shoulder, “We don’t want any mistakes.”
“If thisss takesss too much longer, I’m going lay my eggsss right here on the floor.” Cozy had become more irritable during her pregnancy, if one could call it that. Shortly after the baby boom had started, Take Care had done a more thorough examination of Cozy Heart, as both she and Jolly belonged to species that laid eggs and the doctor’s best educated guess was that even though the size of the eggs made Cozy look as pregnant as the others, she would lay both her eggs after about six weeks whereupon they would need to be incubated for about the same length of time before they hatched.
The mass baby shower had been planned to be hosted in Paradise Valley so Polite could join in as well, since they couldn’t risk bringing her up to the Kingdom of Caring even temporarily.
“Alright, one coming through,” Bright Heart spoke up. A moment later a beam of rainbow light lit up the huge caring crystal then shot down onto the platform.
A moment later, Perfect Panda materialized on the platform. He shook himself, “Oh my, that tingles and makes my head spin.” His brief disorientation vanished as soon as he saw Proud Heart. “Proud Heart, my lady.” He walked over to Proud Heart who embraced him in a hug.
“Oh Perfect,” Proud Heart purred and gave him a soft kiss, “I cannot wait for you to move up here.”
“It won’t be much longer, next month then I will be here for you and our child.” Perfect said.
“Children,” Proud Heart took his hand and placed it on her baby bump. “We’re having twins, Perfect.”
Perfect chuckled, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, Polite and Good Luck are having twins too. Must run in the family.”
“So with the pandas, me, Cozy and True Heart, five of us are having twins,” Cheer counted off on her fingers.
Harmony smiled, “Guess I got lucky. I’m ready for kids but I don’t think I can handle twins.”
“OK, the platform’s ready to go,” Slippy spoke up, “We can send you down in groups of six.”
“Does that include the babies?” Cheer asked.
“They don’t count against the number,” Slippy said.
Proud Heart gave Perfect another kiss, “I’ll see you later, Perfect,” then they stepped onto the platform along with Cheer, Harmony, Funshine, Sweet Heart and Guidance Heart.
“Have fun,” Bright Heart smiled as he started the beam, sending the six off to the valley.
OoOoO
Polite Panda and Good Luck Bear stood at the site where Perfect had vanished, Polite had her hand clasped together over her baby bump and Good Luck had a hand on her shoulder. A moment later a bright beam of rainbow energy dropped out of the sky and Cheer, Harmony, Funshine, Sweet Heart, Guidance Heart and Proud Heart materialized on the ground.
“Cheer!” Good Luck immediately ran forwards and grabbed her in a hug, “Man I missed you guys.”
“I missed you too,” Cheer hugged him back, “Enjoying life down here.”
“I miss TV sometimes, but I stay busy enough that it doesn’t matter,” Good Luck let her go.
“Hello, sister-in-law,” Polite had given Proud Heart a gentler hug.
“Not just yet, but soon,” Proud Heart released her, “Perfect said your having twins,” she patted her baby bump, “Me too.”
“Well stand back,” Funshine jumped aside, “There’s more of us coming.” She turned to Good Luck, “Sorry, Good Luck, no guys allowed at the baby shower.”
“I know,” Good Luck rolled his eyes, “I’m gonna head up once everyone comes down.”
About ten minutes later, all the girls had come down and Good Luck had beamed up to the Kingdom of Caring.
“So where’s the party?” Sweet Heart asked.
“This way,” Polite gestured into the village, “Please follow me.”
OoOoO
Good Luck shook himself as he stepped off the platform, “Wow that tingles.”
“I felt the same way,” Perfect Panda was still standing in the room, “So what are we going to do.”
“Take in the sights, show you around, talk to everyone we almost never get to see.” Good Luck pointed to the door.
“With the Rescue Beam fully functional now, you can visit any time you like. Just send a text to us.” Bright Heart said.
“How do they keep their heartphones charged in the valley?” Slippy asked, “I thought they didn’t have electricity.”
“A little modification I made,” Bright Heart pulled his heartphone out of his tummy symbol, “As long as you keep the heartphone in your tummy symbol it will draw power from the natural caring energy out bodies emit. It’s slower than an electrical charge but since Good Luck and Polite almost never use them they pretty much never need charging.”
“Wait, you’re radioactive?” Slippy blinked.
“Sort of. Barely…” Bright Heart paused, “I guess you could say we have some sort of ‘caring radiation’ but it’s localised in our tummy symbols and only comes out when we focus it into a Care Bear Stare, that’s why the charge system can work that way.”
“Huh, fascinating,” Slippy mused.
OoOoO
Though she and Good Luck lived in a cave on the outskirts, Polite let the Care Bear girls into the village and around the grass thatched huts and toward the center of the village where there was a large fire pit, currently unlit, and a hut larger than the others. A large, cheerful elderly woman stood next to the hut’s entrance and she smiled at the approaching group.
“Ahh, Polite, are these the other expectant ones?” She pointed to the assembled group.
“Not all of them, but yes.” Polite motioned for the pregnant girls to step forwards, indicating each one as she spoke. “Love-a-Lot Bear, Gentle Heart Lamb, and Harmony Bear are each having one child and Cheer Bear, Proud Heart Cat, Cozy Heart Penguin and True Heart Bear are having twins like me.”
“I can see the life in them,” the woman spoke in an old yet good natured voice as she touched each of the expectant mother’s bellies, easily towering over the Care Bears. She stopped in front of Proud Heart, “Ahh, I know you. Perfect speaks of you often.”
Proud Heart blushed, “Oh, thank you. What does he say.”
“He speaks in nothing but flattering terms. I can see why.” The woman beamed down at Proud Heart.
While the conversation was going on, Confidence Heart, Guidance Heart and Sweet Heart took out the translation necklaces they always carried and slipped them on, now relieved that they could understand what the woman was saying.
“Everyone, this is Tantamallama,” Polite introduced the woman.
“Please, you may call me Big Mama Tantan. All the family that is the village refers to me as this and you, as my new family, are no different.” She looked up at the group then motioned inside her hut, “Let’s begin, my lucky ones.”
“So what do you have planned?” Cheer asked.
Polite smiled, “Let me show you.”
“When did you stop rhyming?” Gentle Heart asked.
Polite walked around the fire pit to where a collection of pots and brushes stood, “A few years ago. I think it was just something Perfect and I did out of co-dependency but when Good Luck moved down here we just started to separate and one day the compulsion to rhyme and finish each other’s sentences was gone.” She picked up one of the pots and dipped a brush into the contents and turned to Proud Heart, “here,” she pulled the brush out which had blue color on it.
Proud Heart hesitated for a moment bur Polite just smiled, “It’s just plant dye, it might stick for a few days but it’s harmless.” Once Proud Heart relaxed, Polite painted a blue line down between her eyes and to the tip of her nose. Polite smiled, “When I told Big Mama Tantan about this she organized a new life festival. First step is to adorn the expectant mothers.” She turned to the rest of the group, “Go ahead, join in.”
The other girls all but swarmed the pots, Guidance Heart picked up a pot with orange dye in it and turned to Polite, “What should I paint?”
“Anything you want. The village paints their own symbols but you should paint whatever you want. Start with my eyes.” Polite closed her eyes. Guidance pulled the brush out and carefully pained an orange heart over the black fur of each of her eyes.
OoOoO
Good Luck slurped down the bowl of noodles that had been served for lunch and sighed happily, “I love the food in Paradise Valley, but I still missed this stuff.” He turned to Perfect who was eating more slowly, “Enjoying yourself?”
“I am, but I’m just thinking,” he took another mouthful and swallowed, “Maybe too much.”
“About what?” Good Luck leaned sideways on the table.
“Where I’m going to live.”
Good Luck’s eyes widened, “What? I thought you ad Proud agreed to live in the Kingdom of Caring.”
Perfect nodded, “We did but it’s a big step and I love the valley, the people there and the wildlife and plant life.” He sighed, “Life there isn’t always easy. The land is always pleasant because of me and my sister but we still have to work hard to feed the people and keep the village running smoothly,” he smiled, “every year we find satisfaction in providing for everyone and making sure we will live on to the next season. Up here survival is a given and there are other challenges.”
“Like learning the Care Bear Stare,” Good Luck chuckled.
Perfect winced, then chuckled back, “Yes, like that, and I know that if I move up here I’ll be expected to take on Care Bear duties, helping children around the world, that and looking after my children. I don’t know if I can handle that change.”
“Huh,” Good Luck took a drink of water, “I know what you mean. I spent years trying to decide if I wanted to move to the valley to be with Polite.” He smiled, “But I know I made the right decision, I’m happy there.”
Perfect nodded, “And I’ll always be thankful for her sake, brother-in-law, but with my situation I don’t have a solid wall in my way. I could live here or down there with little to no serious impact on the valley. With you and Polite living there and your twin children soon there will be more than enough love to keep Paradise Valley going as it always has. I don’t want to force Proud Heart to live down there but at the same time I don’t know if I can live up here again.”
“If it helps, we all have our own homes now. No more sleeping with a ton of other Care Bears in the Hall of Hearts,” Good Luck joked.
Perfect nodded, “That does help.” He returned to his meal then set the bowl aside. “As long as I’m here, I want to see more of the Kingdom of Caring again.”
“Then let me show you around!” The sudden voice nearly made Perfect and Good Luck jump out of their seats as a roadrunner wearing a bandoleer of coffee shots came to a stop next to their table. “Hi, I’m Zippy Heart Roadrunner. I don’t think we’ve met.”
“I’m Perfect Panda,” Perfect offered his hand to the roadrunner, “I might be moving here soon.”
“Great! Follow me and I’ll show you around!” Zippy pointed to the doorway then sped off to wait for them at the door.
Good Luck shrugged, “Might as well get the tour.” He and Perfect stood up and followed Zippy.
OoOoO
The sun was setting as the big fire was lit in Paradise valley, more wood being piled on as all eight expectant mothers, painted up in multiple colors with hearts and stars over all their bodies, sat right next to the fire. Food was served which all of them dug into voraciously.
Proud Heart leaned back, blue lines painted down her brow, wavy green lines on her cheeks, yellow hearts on her arms and several red flowers painted around her tummy symbol on her baby bump. “This was nice, thank you for inviting us.”
“No problem.” Polite smiled. In addition to the orange hearts over her eyes, Polite had yellow stars all over her white fur and bright blue spirals up and down her arms and legs. “I’m just happy you all enjoyed the day here.”
“I did.” Proud Heart stared up at the darkening sky, “Makes me wonder if I should be living down here.” Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to listen to the two soon-to-be sister-in-laws.
Polite’s gave Proud Heart a surprised look, “I thought you already decided on living in the Kingdom of Caring.”
“We did, but after seeing this place again and how friendly everyone is I’m starting to wonder if I made the right choice.” Proud Heart leaned forwards. She tried to bring her knees up but they wouldn’t go up all the way so she just rested her hands on the top of her knee. “I don’t want to force Perfect to stop living here.”
“You’re not forcing him. He’s talked about this a lot since you two became engaged and he’s ready to do it.” Polite touched Proud Heart’s shoulder.
“Are you really thinking about moving down here, Proud?” Cheer scooted closer to Proud Heart. Cheer had bright rainbows painted all over her body with white hearts at the ends on her shoulders, hips, feet and hands and a bright yellow sun painted around her tummy symbol.
“Maybe…I mean I don’t know if I could choose now.” Proud Heart stared into the dancing flames.
“That is a big decision.” Proud Heart looked up to see Big Mama Tantan standing over her. “I would be sad to see Perfect leave us but he seems certain about wanting to try living up there again.” She smiled, “But if you change your mind I would be happy to help you live down here with us, Proud Heart.”
Proud Heart smiled, “Thank you, Big Mama Tantan. I need to think about it more.”
“Think later,” Big Mama Tantan clapped Proud Heart on the shoulder with a strength that belied her age, “Tonight you celebrate the new life growing inside you!”
Proud Heart nodded and reached for more food and began to dig in again.
While two new members join the Care Bear Family, Indy decides to finally confess his feelings to Take Care Bear and most of the girls head down to Paradise Valley for a huge baby shower
