The Care Bears sat at their round table, with the younger three sitting in booster seats to see over the table. In the middle Thief Heart and Mend Heart stood facing them.
“I think we should properly introduce ourselves first. I am Mend Heart, my power is to help people overcome heartbreak and similar feelings. I fancy myself a strategist as I’ve always been into making strategies and looking over maps.” Mend heart smiled as the others began to mutter, obviously a bit confused as to why Mend Heart was into maps so much. Thief Heart stepped up with a small bow.
“I am Thief Heart. Despite my name, I am not actually a thief in the common sense. My power is to steal things other’s have stolen. I can also pull someone’s memory and know the whole context, and once I understand it I just tap their head and return that memory. I use that ability very rarely however, as it’s invasion of privacy. I do return what I steal back to the original owner.”
“A modern day Robin Hood eh?” The rabbit sitting in a seat seemed to have their head on their hand as they looked at Thief Heart. Swift Heart was their name, for a brief second as Thief and Swift’s eyes met, Thief felt his heart get warm. The moment was broken by Noble Heart standing up from his chair.
“While this is nice, there’s still many things. Mend Heart, what do you know?” Mend Heart bowed and stepped over to the whiteboard and took the cap off the marker.
“Ok, so Void Heart stole your belly badges, which means you all, minus Good Luck, are inflicted with ‘Monotone’. Monotone’s strength is feasting on people’s negative feelings, and the ability to slowly turn people into monotone beings.”
“Which means?” Good Luck tilted his head, a bit concerned for his family.
“If left unfixed, Monotone won’t harm anyone, but it'll make their voice expressionless and the inflicted will be unable to really care for anything. They’d have no feeling to eat or drink. The time it takes to reach full monotone ranges. The shortest is 3 days.”
“Wait, Tugs, Hugs, and Wonderheart are young. Wonderheart is only four!” Tenderheart stood up as Wonderheart glared at him.
“Uncle, it’s Four and a HALF. It’s very important!” Tenderheart looked at his niece and gave a small smile.
“Right, Right, Four and a half. Mend Heart are you saying these three are susceptible?”
“Very, my current plan is having Thief Heart and one other. Either Good Luck or myself go into Void Heart’s castle to steal back, as of now, two belly badges and return them. Good Luck, if you’d come over I can show why my plan only has two.” Good Luck raised his eyebrow but walked over while Thief Heart also seemed confused. Mend Heart nodded as they both stood looking at Mend.
“Ok, Thief Heart. Use your ability on my belly badge. Good Luck you’ll also need to allow it. Like Thief said, he’ll return it.” Thief and Good Luck looked at each other and nodded in agreement as Thief used his ability. Turning Mend Heart into the monochrome scheme and holding their belly badge.
“Now what, Mend? Do I attempt to get Good Luck’s?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.” Thief Heart attempted to steal Good Luck’s, but his paw went through Good Luck’s badge and instead found memories. Thief Heart quickly removed his paw before he grabbed any memories. Thief Heart stood with his eyes staring off into space before he blinked and shook his head.
“You ok there, Thief? You didn’t get my belly badge.”
“Yeah, sorry when I come out without anything my eyes stare blankly for a second, even if I saw a memory if I didn’t pull it out I’d forget what happened.”
“So, if Good Luck would hold my belly badge orb.”
Thief handed it to Good Luck who held it. Thief Heart then tried again and successfully stole Good Luck’s badge.
“Huh, now it worked?”
“Exactly, Ok Good Luck try to hold yours as well.” As Good Luck tried, his hand went through it. “Ok, so hand me mine and then try.” After doing so, Good Luck could finally grab his. As He and Mend returned to their normal colors after putting the orb on their belly, Mend Heart cleared their throat.
“Ok, so the theory was that Thief Heart can only steal one orb per use, and everyone else can only hold one orb as well. Good Luck, Thief Heart, thank you for assisting and proving my theory.”
“Well, now that we understand that, why only two?” True Heart spoke up instead of her husband.
“Easy, True Heart. I have only my motorcycle which can carry two and well…I have two gliders as well. Without more gliders we can’t have more people.”
“Vehicle wise, we have one cloud car which can fit five people and two cloud cycles. That should add more options, sports fan.” Champ Bear adjusted his headband as he leaned forward.
“He’d still need extra gliders, jumping out could be very dangerous. If Share had her badge she’d be able to multiply them. Doubt he has blueprints however.” Grumpy laid his cheek on his fist with his signature frown. Thief Heart gave a small grin as he reached into his bag and pulled out a rolled up file.
“I do have blueprints of my glider!” Grumpy’s frown turned into a stoic face with a bit of a surprised expression.
“Well, in that case. Bright Heart and I can work with what material we have to at least make a third.”
“If we can get a third, than we can send three in at a time. We’ll have to be careful as well. Thief, you’ll have to rest at some point. Void Heart won’t just let it be peaceful or wait for us each time.”
“I don’t have the time to rest, Mend. I’m the only one capable of stealing the belly badges. I can rest when we’ve succeeded.”
“…Mend, you should be in the watch tower with Cheer and Tenderheart for this first run. I’ll go with Thief to retrieve the first two.” Good Luck patted Thief’s shoulder. “Got to make sure this cat doesn’t get himself into a pickle.” The others chuckled as the meeting was adjourned. Grumpy took the blueprint and went to his workshop with Bright Heart. Mend Heart gave Thief the motorcycle chip as they went with Tenderheart and Cheer to the watch tower. Noble Heart following. True Heart and Grams gathered the others to work out ways to stop negative feelings.
Thief heart put the chip down and tapped it before stepping back and pulled Good Luck back. A few seconds later the motorcycle popped up to Good Luck’s surprise. Thief Heart opened up the trunk area and revealed two glasses.
“Here, put a pair on. It scans your head and creates a helmet designed for your head specifically.”
“How did you get all this stuff?”
“A few odd jobs for people and meeting a mechanic. They made me stay in their house for a month while they made these. They didn’t want me to get in trouble even by accident.” Thief put his glasses on making a blue helmet form on his head. Good Luck put his on making a green helmet form.
“Green?”
“Mend Heart, They set the color to green once. Now…signal set up…testing testing?”
ZZZT… “Thief Heart? Can you hear me?” Mend Heart’s voice came through the ear piece on the helmet.
“Loud and Clear Strategist Mend Heart.” Thief snickered as Mend could be heard sighing.
“Sounds like you two are used to one another.” A somewhat cheerful voice spoke.
“We can hear you too, Cheer.” Good Luck said.
“You’re clear too, Good Luck. Alright you two, be safe. We’ll be keeping an eye out on your two.”
“10-4. Alright Good Luck, get on the back here.” Thief Heart patted the seat. Once he did Thief jumped onto his seat, balancing it before he turned it on and accelerated toward the castle, Good Luck leaning back in the seat.
Void Heart finished placing the last orb on a pedestal and had the void soldiers take each pedestal to a different room and headed toward his throne.
“Come for them…I will steal your badges as well. Once I have them all, I will destroy all the other species ability to care and turn the world into a monotone landscape. The Core will be able to escape as we turn this place that banished and rejected us into the void. Than we’ll spread out into the galaxy and turn all into the void.” Void Heart laughed at the ceiling as he sat in his throne.
