Care Bears: Protect the Light

No Heart Stopper: Part 1

Once upon a time, in a far away and mystical land called Nelvana, a wicked shadow being wanted to take the land and all of its light, to make it perish under his iron rule. No one had the bravery or power to stand up to him—no one except the Care Creatures, powerful animals gifted with pure light magic.

With the Care Creatures' help, they were able to push back the darkness with their foreboding light, but they were not able to defeat him for good. Even light has its limits, and the heroes could only inevitably lock away the evil king and his darkness.

With the land proclaimed safe for the time being, the Care Creatures decided to make Nelvana their new home. But one problem still remains…

"No one knows for sure where the evil king has been imprisoned, or when he'll be free again. But it's prophesied that when the light will shine again, the darkness will emerge, too," a young Care Bear softly read aloud from her thick book, as she sat alone in the corner of a library; she was a small bear with hot pink fur, green eyes, and a yellow and pink-colored Belly Badge.

"A shadow man? Sounds s-scary…" the little bear quivered and buried her muzzle in her book, glancing around nervously for any suspicious shadows.

"Winona!" a gentle old voice whisper-shouted, and the said pink bear immediately perked up.

"Over here, Uncle Teddy!" Winona whispered back, and a much older Care Bear with auburn fur, brown eyes, and a big red heart Belly Badge rounded a book shelf.

"There you are, you little wonderer," Teddy chuckled and ticked his neice, making her giggle, "What'cha readin', Winnie?"

"This big old book my teacher gave me for my history project. She said it'll help, but I'm getting really bored," Winona whined and slumped over on the desk.

"Oh, really? Y'know, this could be a really good book it you'd just give it another chance," Teddy calmly protested and picked up the book, and he quirked a brow when the title read Nelvana's History of Dark Magic.

"But there're no pictures, Uncle T!"

"Well, actions may speak louder than words, but that's not usually true of books." Winona looked up from her slouched position, as Teddy put the book down by her head and winked. "Trust me, you'll learn some real cool stuff from taking the time to open your eyes. After all, you're a little wonderer."

"Yeah…finding things out is what I do best." Winona couldn't help but smile, and Teddy hummed while rubbing her head.

"C'mon, let's go get some lunch."

"Ok!"

But as Winona stuffed the book into her backpack and followed Teddy, she never noticed the shadows lurking between its pages…

Like most week days, the Care n' Share Diner was casually busy, as many of Care-A-Lot's residents stopped by for a quick cup of coffee or brunch. And every Tuesday, a certain customer comes to buy a special treat.

"Oh, Amethyyyysst!~" a cheery voice sang.

"I was wondering where you were, Kat," an adult female Care Bear behind the counter chuckled; she had amethyst fur, baby blue eyes, and her Belly Badge were two purple and blue lollipops with hearts crossed over each other.

Amethyst glanced up from cleaning the counter to find another adult female Care bear on the other side; her fur was as pink as ballet slippers, her eyes were a sparkling violet, and her Belly Badge was a full rainbow. Everything about her just radiated with cheerfulness.

"You want your usual, right?"

"You bet'cha!" With that, Amethyst leaned down and pulled out a little Styrofoam box, and gently placed it on the counter. Kat wasted no time in opening the box to reveal a beautiful pink cupcake with a tall swirl of pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles.

"Oooo, it looks so good," Kat sighed lustfully and nearly drooled over the delicious sight, but she quickly shook her head and closed the box, "Thanks again, Amethyst!"

"No problem! And would you like anything to drink with that?" Amethyst questioned while Kat handed her some silver coins to pay for the cupcake.

"No, thanks! I brought my own like I always do." Kat then pulled a thermo cup from her satchel.

"Of course. How could I forget? Enjoy your cupcake, Kat!"

"Will do!" Kat instantly turned around to hastily leave the diner, but she accidentally bumped into someone, knocking the stranger's belongings out of his grasp.

"Hey, watch it!" a cranky voice snapped.

"Sorry, Grumpy! I-I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No surprise there. You never look where you're going." The stranger was a shorter male Care Bear, but he was not a cub in the slightest; his fur was navy blue, his eyes were gloomy silver, and his Belly Badge represented his typical attitude: a dark and rainy cloud.

"Uh, Grumpy…" Kat tried when she looked up.

"Not now, Kat. I'm looking for my coffee that you made me lose," Grumpy grumbled while looking underneath a table, but his coffee wasn't there.

"But, Grumpy-."

"Not now, Kat!"

"B-But-!"

"I said not now!" Grumpy stood back up from under the table when he finally had it, only to immediately regret it when the two orders of coffee he was looking for finally came back down from their crash, landing right on his head and spilling the warm drink all over him.

"Uh, heh-heh…a-at least it's not hot anymore," Kat chuckled with guilt, but Grumpy growled and scrunched his face up in even more anger, especially when the majority of the diner was not staring at him.

And just as a little cloud began to form and rumble over the dark blue bear's head, Kat made herself scarce to avoid his thunderstorm of wrath.

Once she was out of the diner, Kat kicked back the kickstand on her bike, which was as pink and sparkly as her, strapped on her helmet and rode through town.

Speaking of which, Care-A-Lot was a humble little town well known for having the best scenic views in all of Nelvana, being a village on a mountain top and all. In fact, the mountain's peak was so high up, that cloud cover could usually be seen all around Care-A-Lot, giving it the little nickname "The City in the Sky."

But aside from altitude, on much clearer days, Kat would head down an old trail and into the infamous forest known as the Gloomy Glen, a narrow valley at the base of the mountain that was always heavy with creepy fog. Not many dared to tread there—none except Kat, whose naiveté kept her from fearing the scary glen.

Kat had a good reason for regularly going into the Gloomy Glen anyway, and it was to pay a special something—or rather someone—a little visit. And soon, the bright pink bear reached her destination, so she took off her helmet and set the kickstand back down, leaving her bike behind while taking her cupcake with her.

"Sorry for being late, but I promise I it won't happen again!" Kat reassured with a smile, as she pushed away a large pine tree branch and approached her 'friend'.

It was a large stone statue in the shape of a tall and lanky figure with outstretched claws, and from the moss and overgrown plants all over it, it wasn't hard to tell that it was very old. But there was not a single crack in it, and it didn't look like it was going to break anytime soon either. Kat formed an odd yet special bond with this statue not too long ago, as she felt everyone and everything, stone or live creature, needed a friend.

"Look, Mystery, I brought your favorite," Kat informed while taking out the cupcake and her thermo cup, and she then pulled out two teacups and plastic plates from her backpack. She took a seat in front of the Mystery's pedestal, and carefully split the cupcake in half, placing each half on a plate.

As Kat opened her thermo cup and poured hot tea into her and Mystery's cup, she began conversing, "Word from Harmony is that Fred broke his arm while driving his ATV. The poor guy. Sure, he can be a little too reckless at times, but he's an adventurer, it's who he is."

Like always, Mystery couldn't eat the cupcake half, drink tea or even talk back, and Kat just ignored that she was all alone, as usual. "Oh, and little Winona is nearly finished with fourth grade…she's growing up so fast. Seems like only yesterday when she just started fourth grade—and when I found you. Ya know, Mystery, even though you never talk, you're one great listener—and a great friend. I'm really glad I met you."

Kat then stood back up and climbed onto Mystery's pedestal to reach one of his clawed hands and grab it in her own paw.

"What're you doing here, Civilian?!" Kat nearly jumped out of her fur in reaction to the strong voice, and she turned around to see a tall lioness clad in golden armor. It was a royal guard.

"E-Excuse me, Officer?" Kat questioned while letting go of the stone claw and jumped down.

"Are you unaware that you are trespassing on private land?"

"I am?"

"Yes! And I have to ask you to leave immediately with your belongings—or I will make you." The lioness was now towering over the bear, and Kat gulped and quivered in fear.

"I-I'm so sorry, Officer, I had no idea this place was off limits. Honest!"

"Stop giving me excuses, and just get out of here."

"Yes, Officer!"

With that, Kat quickly packed up her teacups, plates, and thermo cup, but the lioness had grabbed the two cupcake halves before she could. Not wanting to anger her anymore, Kat quickly turned around and headed for her bike.

Once Kat disappeared into the fog on her bike, the guard took a bite out of one of the halves and headed in a different direction to continue her patrol.

Kat was deep in her thoughts as she rode back up to Care-A-Lot, and she was thinking so hard that she wasn't even looking where she was going. She didn't even know she was already back in town.

"Whoa! Kat, look out!" The said pink bear gasped and looked up to find a bright yellow bear in her path, and she was closing in way too fast! She gripped the lever in her handlebar and turned her bike sideways to slow down, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process.

Luckily, Kat managed to stop just in time, but she and the yellow bear were now coughing from all of the dirt in their faces.

"Oh, my Ursa Major! Are you ok, Fred?!" Kat panicked and quickly hopped off her bike, not even bothering to put down her kickstand.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Fred reassured after waving the dust away; his eyes were silver, his had a shining yellow sun for a Belly Badge, and his left arm was in a cast and sling.

"But that was a really close call, Fred. I could've hurt you even more," Kat protested with guilt.

"But I wasn't, and neither were you. That's all that matter's, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Why were you in such a rush, anyway?"

"Weirdly enough…I don't really know. I was just down the old trail a little ways when a royal guard suddenly stops me and orders me to turn back."

"Wait, the old trail? Doesn't that lead to the Gloomy Glen? What were you doing in that creepy place?"

"U-uh…" Kat couldn't find the right words, as she didn't want the others to worry about her for going into the Gloomy Glen.

"Probably something stupid." Kat and Fred turned to find none other than Grumpy approaching them, and, as always, he looked cross.

"There you are, Grumpy! I've been lookin' for you," Fred greeted happily.

"Oh, yeah? I've been looking for you! Where've you been?"

"I went to the diner when you didn't return to the house, but you weren't there." Just then, Fred noticed something was off about Grumpy. "Hey, where's our coffee?"

"Why don't you ask 'Miss Bumps Inta Everyone' what happened?" Grumpy asked sarcastically, and Fred turned towards Kat with a quirked brow.

"Right…w-why don't I buy you two some coffee myself?" Kat suggested sheepishly.

"No, forget it. We got coffee at home…guess we'll just skip diner's much better caffeine this time. C'mon." With that, Grumpy grabbed Fred's injured arm and gently pulled, but it was still enough to drag him along in pain.

"Ow! You know that's my bad arm, Bro!" Fred cried out and quickly caught up so that Grumpy would let go.

"Oh, I know. Just don't care, Bro," Grumpy pointed out mockingly.

Despite the guilt she was feeling just a moment ago, Kat couldn't help but giggle at the two bears' antics. They may be twin brothers, but they are a very odd pair, to say the least.

That night, Kat returned home to make dinner, and she still couldn't shake the odd feeling about the royal guard in the Gloomy Glen earlier.

"Hey, Sis? When's dinner ready?" came a tiny and familiar voice.

"The spaghetti noodles just need to cook for a little longer, Winona," Kat politely replied as she turned towards the said bear cub, who was standing in the doorway, "By the way, is your homework done?"

"Yup! Ooh, and check this old thing out!" Winona then ran out of the kitchen and returned not a minute later with an old book, the same book she was reading with Teddy in the library. Winona brought the book up to her older sister, and placed it on the counter in front of her.

"'Nelvana's History of Dark Magic'?" Kat slowly read the title aloud, and then she spotted a shiny black, oval-shaped object imbedded in the front cover, "What's this?"

"Dunno. I think it's some marble or plastic rock to make the book look prettier," Winona informed with a shrug, and then she pulled up and stepping stool to reach the book and flipped through its pages, "Uncle Teddy says that everything in here's a true story."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I don't really believe him. After all, if they were real, we'd probably all be living under the Shadow King's rule by now."

"The Shadow King?"

"There're no pictures of him in here—or any at all, for that matter—but it says that he was an evil being with a body made of pure darkness, and he tried to use his powers to take over the whole kingdom. No one has ever seen his face, but legends say that if you look into his eyes, you turn into stone forever."

The more Winona explained this grim tale, the more intrigued yet fearful Kat became.

"U-Uh, wh-where'd you this book?" Kat quickly asked while shaking her head.

"My history teacher gave it to me for a project we're working on. I have to choose a story from this book, and write an essay about it—and I think I'm gonna pick the Shadow King's story."

Suddenly, the rapid beeping of the stove timer went off, and Kat quickly turned it off and saved the spaghetti from burning.

"Phew, that was close," Kat sighed and then smiled at Winona, "Let's eat!"

After a couple of days, Grumpy was finally convinced into going back to the Care n' Share Diner for some coffee, but he still wasn't so amused after what happened with Kat.

"I can't believe I let you talk me inta this," Grumpy growled as he walked through town square with his brother.

"Oh c'mon, Grumps! Ya gotta learn to forgive and forget!" Fred protested with a playful nudge.

"Oh, I'll forgive Kat—when pig's fly." Fred rolled his eyes at Grumpy's stubbornness and sarcasm.

Soon, the two bears finally reached Amethyst's diner, and while one was happy to see what he saw, the other was immediately ready to leave. At the table nearest to the front counter, Kat and Harmony sat together with some tea and croissants. Harmony was Kat's closest friend, as well as Amethyst's older sister; she was a beautiful bear with violet fur, sapphire eyes, and a vibrant multi-colored flower for her Belly Badge And with her beautiful voice and captivating looks, Harmony was certainly one of the most fabulous bears in all of Care-A-Lot.

"Oh, Grumpy, Fred, do come sit with us!" Harmony called loud and proud, and an excellent English accent rolled off of her tongue.

"Yeah, and Amethyst is about to go on break, so we can all have brunch together!" Kat added cheerfully.

"No, thanks," Grumpy responded flatly and turned to leave, but his brother stopped him.

"Oh, no you don't!" Fred argued with a smirk and dragged Grumpy to the table, and the said blue bear reluctantly sat down with his annoying brother.

"Hey, Guys. Here's your usual, Boys, on the house," Amethyst cut in, and handed Fred and Grumpy their coffee before sitting down with the others.

"Oh, finally!" Grumpy cheered with the rare smile he shows.

"So…anyone remember that one history project we had to do in elementary school?" Kat slowly asked out of the blue.

"Don't remember, and I don't care," Grumpy pointed out with a shrug, and sipped his coffee.

"What I remember is creating the most fabulous presentation in the whole class," Harmony added boastfully.

"Yeah, but you still didn't get a perfect grade," Grumpy joked, even though he wasn't smiling.

"It was so funny! One kid got an a plus! Isn't that right, Lucky?!" Fred called to a green bear with a four leaf clover Belly Badge.

"Must've been my lucky day!" Lucky called back.

"It's always his lucky day," Grumpy sighed.

"That's why they call him 'Lucky'," Amethyst giggled.

"Anyway, why would you bring up that subject, Kat?" Harmony inquired with curiosity.

"Well, Winona's starting on the same project…and I guess I just felt a little nostalgic," Kat explained, "That, and she's using this really weird book for her research. It's about all these tales of darkness and evil, some of them are even about the Gloomy Glen."

"Any you don't believe them?" Harmony asked in surprise.

"Not really, especially the lies about the Gloomy Glen."

"Lies?!" Fred gasped.

"B-But that foggy valley is so scary," Amethyst quivered, her teacup and plate rattling in her shaky paws.

"Yeah! And besides, if those tales are outta the book of Nelvana's History of Dark Magic, they're definitely true!" Grumpy protested with a growl.

"How did you know that's what Winona's reading?" Kat questioned in suspicion and fear.

"Everyone who's sane and smart knows about that book and its legends—and ta never go into Gloomy Glen," Grumpy threatened in a lowered voice, and he leaned forward to emphasize his point.

"But there's nothing wrong with that place!"

"If there was nothing wrong with it, then why was there a royal guard out there?" Fred pointed out firmly, and Kat didn't know what to say after that.

"And why are you so intent on being there, anyway?" Amethyst questioned.

"Yes, there is nothing out there but mist and brutish, wild animals, both in which are horrible for one's complexion," Harmony added in disgust.

"Everyone! Stop what you're doing and come outside NOW!" The whole diner went still and silent when a magenta bear with a pink heart-shaped padlock Belly Badge shouted at the top of her lungs when she stormed in.

"What is it, Maggie?" Amethyst asked with concern.

"King Leonidas is here!" Everyone gasped in excitement and shock at Maggie's announcement, and everyone immediately sprinted outside to see for themselves if the ruler of Nelvana was here. And sure enough, he was.

King Leonidas was grand and proud lion with caramel brown fur, a large dark brown mane and calm yet firm brown eyes; his attire consisted of a shiny golden crown with a ruby gem crest, and a long red robe with white trimming, fitting for a creature of his stature.

But despite his power, King Leonidas never traveled alone, and this was no exception as a large fleet of lions and lionesses surrounded him; the majority of his royal guard consisted of the same species, as lions were one of the most loyal and powerful creatures.

It wasn't long before the entire population of Care-A-Lot gathered around the king and his fleet, but of all the reasons he could have to be there, he was here in search of a special someone.

"Greetings, My Subjects!" King Leonidas began, his voice deep and mighty, "I mean you no harm, and I bring no grave news! All I ask for is your attention and guidance, for I am looking for someone!"

Murmurs and whispers instantly spread throughout the confused crowd.

"Please—tell me where I can find Katniss Dawn!"

Kat couldn't believe her ears. The fair yet powerful king of the whole land was looking for her.

If you have any questions, especially about the characters(with their new names and all), let me know and I'll explain as best I can! But I won't be giving away any spoilers;)

Also, since there are multiple different reboots of the Care bears, I don't really care how you imagine the characters' design to be in this story.