Ooh, why hello there. What an honor to be in your presence! My name is...well, that's not really important. What is important, however, is that you have entered a wonderful, wonderful place today. What is this place, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. As you probably already know, It's October. What you might not know, however, is that October is one of my super favorite months. It's my birthday month, It's nice and cool with the autumn weather, and most of all…

It's that wonderful month when it's perfectly fun to be scared.

…And there's free candy. Who could ask for more?

With that said, I welcome you to EpicSmiley12's super Spooktober Spectacular. I've been busting my brain preparing for this, so that every day this month I will be able to post either a one-shot or short story, all leading up to some special things on the big All Hallow's Eve. Prepare yourselves for parodies, horror stories, and dark tragedies featuring my three favorite fandoms. We're kicking it off with three new one-shots for AATC, MLP, and CBs. So please, sit back, relax, and let the nightmares consume you.

Here comes the first Care Bears fanfic: It's All In Good Fun.

WARNING: A little bit o' cursing in this one.

"Are we there yet?" Proud Heart asked uneasily. She gripped the sides of her seat tighter. Playful Heart flashed her a smirk before turning his eyes back to the sky.

"C'mon, I don't drive that badly, do I?" he asked. "Look, we're here. You can stop puncturing the poor seat now."

"My nails aren't that sharp," the cat said, but she still glanced down at her paws and quizzically checked the cloud car's seat for any dents.

Playful Heart landed the cloud car just outside a small country park. The air was crisp and warm with a nice early evening spring breeze, and kids of all ages were running and playing around. There wasn't much of a playground as such; aside from a swing set, a lone slide, and a merry-go-round, the park was mostly grass, flowers, trees, and bike paths. At least there was a good amount of space for tag and frisbee with just enough hiding spots for hide-and-go-seek.

"There she is," Playful said. He and Proud Heart looked toward an older oak tree that stood farther out from the rest of the plant life. Sitting beneath it was a girl: she looked to be about 10, and she had light brown hair tied back in a scruffy ponytail. She was leaning on the tree's trunk with her knees drawn up to her chin.

"Nadina!" Proud Heart called. "Nadina, good evening!"

"Huh?" the girl looked up and saw the two Care Bear Cousins coming toward her. "Hey, you're part of the Care Bear family, aren't you?"

"You got it," Playful Heart smiled. "My name's Playful Heart Monkey, and this is Proud Heart Cat," he gestured to the female cousin, who smiled and nodded cordially at the girl. "You look a little down. Wouldn't you like to play with everyone else?"

"Oh…" Nadina seemed to deflate a little. "Well, you see, I'm not so sure that's a good idea…"

"...it's Tyrek and Shana, isn't it?" Proud Heart tilted her head in concern.

"How did you...oh," Nadina shrugged. "Of course you already know what's going on...you wouldn't be here if you didn't, right? Heh…"

"You've been hanging out with the teenagers for a while now, haven't you?" Playful Heart lay down in the grass next to the girl, looking up at her by propping his elbows up and putting his head in his paws. "You've always acted a bit more mature for your age."

"Yeah, that's what everyone says," Nadina sighed. "And that's why I thought I'd have more fun hanging out with the older kids. The little ones just...stopped being fun, with all the running and playing and falling down in the grass for no real reason…" she stopped, and took a longing glance at the young kids playing in the park. "I thought hanging with teenagers would be more fun. At first it was, I guess...Shana and the girls only wanted to text and go places and hang out with their guy friends."

"And the Tyrek and the boys?" Proud Heart asked, though she already knew the gist of the answer. Nadina's mouth twisted up slightly in disgust.

"All they wanna do is play sports; I don't mind basketball, but I'm too little to play football with them...and they play a lot of graphic video games, and say a lot of bad words, not to mention they make fun of the younger kids," she grimaced and shook her head. "I really don't like being around that, and I stopped hanging out with them, but…"

"They asked you to come back?" Playful Heart finished. Nadina nodded her head. "Have you told them how you feel about being with them? There's no reason to keep placing yourself with them if you don't like it. Maybe if you talked it out, they'd understand."

"I don't know," the girl looked back down again. "The thing is, I almost did once...but I lost my nerve. I've never really been good at confronting people; I get afraid I'll say the wrong thing and hurt their feelings," she twisted her ponytail nervously.

"Talking with others is always a skill that can be worked on," Proud Heart said. "Still, it's vital to be honest with them. And to do that, you'll have to stand up and tell them how you really feel."

"I guess you're right…" Nadina said. "And you know, I really do want to stop hanging out with them. I'm just not ready for that stuff yet. My mom would kill me if I ever brought a game like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty into the house; and I don't wanna know what she'd do if I brought home a guy she hasn't met." she laughed a little, causing Playful Heart and Proud Heart to smile back at her.

"Thank you both," she continued. "I think...I think I might tell them tonight. I've been saying that to myself for a while now, but I think I really will do it. They had wanted me to meet them, so tonight's perfect…" Nadina trailed off, and her expression grew nervous.

"You don't have to go alone," Proud Heart said.

"Yeah, we're here for you and we'll come too, if you want," Playful Heart sat back on his knees.

"...thanks," Nadina smiled. "but I think I want to do this myself. I feel more confident now, so thank you so much."

"Any time, Nadina," Proud Heart beamed. They all hugged briefly, and Nadina waved at them as the two Care Cousins headed back to the cloud car.

"That went well," Playful Heart said. "D'you think she'll really do it?"

"I trust her," Proud Heart said. "Though...I'm wondering if we should go back tonight, just to see how it goes…"

"You sure?" Playful Heart glanced at the thoughtful cat. Proud Heart nodded and looked over the side of the car at the world below.

"We won't reveal ourselves...unless an emergency happens."

"Alrighty then," the monkey began to turn the wheel. "Back we go!"

"Nadiiii, you're almost 15 minutes late," Shana whined, tossing her dark brown hair as the 10 year old came rushing up to her. The older girl was standing with her two friends, Casi and Janae.

"I'm...sorry…" Nadina huffed. She rested her hands on her knees to get her breath back.

"Aw, it doesn't matter," Tyrek said. "She's here now. And now," he clapped his hands. "Now we gonna have some fun."

"Um, Tyrek?" Nadina started. "I need to say something first…"

"What is it?" he folded his arms, suddenly looking very impatient. Nadina gulped. The confidence of earlier that day seemed to have disappeared. She gulped and looked up into Tyrek's waiting hazel eyes.

"Oh...um...I…"

"If you can't spit it out now, tell us when we get back," he said. "We got stuff to do tonight."

"W-what are we doing?" Nadina asked nervously. She didn't at all like the strange grin that grew on his face, or the smirks on the faces of his friends, Michael and Chris.

"We're gonna take a walk."

"A...walk?"

"Yeah, just a walk...through there," he gestured to the woods. Nadina's heart skipped a beat.

"The woods? But we're not supposed to go in there-I mean," she pressed her mouth into a thin line.

"You mean the kids aren't supposed to go in there," Shana said. "We're old enough to go where we wanna."

"C'mon, Nadi, you're a big girl now, right?" Casi said with a teasing pout. "I thought we were friends…"

"No, we are!" Nadina caved. "Can we...I mean, we're not staying in there too long, are we?"

"We're only going through the woods to get to this really hot place on the other side," Tyrek explained. "It's where all the live parties are, and it's totally turned up," he jerked his thumb at the mass of trees behind them. "You'll have fun there."

"A party in the woods?" Nadina's tone dripped with skepticism.

"Yeah, it's better than having one next to some nosy-ass neighbors," Michael said bitterly, rolling his eyes. "Adults can't give people a break!"

"I don't know…" Nadina started, but before she could say any more, Shana and Janae grabbed each of her shoulders and walked with her to the edge of the forest.

"It'll be so much fun, we promise!"

"But wait," Casi said. "You gotta wear this." she pulled an old strip of cloth out of her purse.

"Why?" Nadina asked uncertainly.

"It'll ruin the surprise," Tyrek said. "This is your first real party; can't have any spoilers."

"I don't like this…" Nadina bit her lip as darkness enveloped her vision.

"Aw, girl, you'll be fine; you can trust us!"

With that, they ushered the 10 year old girl into the woods.

Is there any reason why I have to keep my eyes covered?" Nadina asked. "And how much farther is it?...Shana? Tyrek? Casi?" she reached for the cloth covering her eyes. After a moment of fumbling around for the knot, she wrenched the cloth off of her head and blinked. She was still for a moment, just looking around, and then she began to whimper. Not a soul was nearby, and not a single thing looked familiar. Her legs began to tremble, and she backed up until she was pressed against a tree.

'I did it again...'

Tears began to prick at her eyes. She slid down until she was sitting against the trunk of the tree. She then kicked at the ground in frustration.

Six teenagers were running back to the edge of the forest, laughing their heads off.

"Can you believe her? Party in the woods...I'll give you credit for that one, man," Tyrek said to Chris, high-fiving him.

"She's so dumb," Janae smirked. "'Oh, but we're not supposed to go in there,'" she said in a high-pitched imitation of Nadina. "What did she think this was?"

"AHEM."

"...?"

The human teens all stopped; their path was blocked with two very unhappy looking creatures.

"...the hell are you?" Tyrek raised an eyebrow.

"We're Playful Heart Monkey and Proud Heart Cat," said monkey stated, looking uncharacteristically stern.

"And we helped Nadina today," Proud Heart added, her arms folded across her chest.. "And might I say that what you've just done was horrible."

"How could you just leave her in the woods alone?" Playful Heart's tail swished back and forth angrily. "There's a reason kids aren't supposed to go in there. She could easily get lost, or hurt, or worse! And that's nothing to joke about."

"Tch," Janae scowled. "We didn't even lead her that far in; it's just a joke."

"It's all in good fun until someone really gets in trouble," Playful Heart said, softer this time. "I know that from experience. I liked playing jokes on my friends so much that when I really needed help, they took their sweet time coming to my aid. What would you do if Nadina got into real danger in there?"

"There's nothing in there that's out to get her," Tyrek mumbled, folding his arms.

"But she doesn't know her way around," Proud Heart said. "She could wander in too far, and get into more trouble on the other side."

"And you all will be partly responsible," Playful Heart added. "You're older than her; you're supposed to set a good example!"

"Ugh, alright, fine," Shana groaned. "We'll go and call for her. Will you leave us alone, then?"

"We're going with you. It's dark in there and it's best not to take chances," Playful Heart said, looking into the dark spaces between the trees.

"What do I do…" Nadina asked miserably. "I have no idea where I am...it's getting cold...and mom's gonna be worried sick about me." she groaned and let her head thunk back on the tree. "...ow."

She sat there for a while, until she heard the slight rustle of leaves. She looked up sharply, visually searching the space in front of her.

"...Hello?" she called hesitantly. "Is...is someone there?"

There was no reply, and she slowly stood up. Her mind raced with every thought of the number of dangerous animals that lived in Southern Virginia, from bears to snakes. She took a deep breath and peered closely into the darkness. She tentatively took a step towards the sound. "Hello?" she called again. She heard the leaves rustle again, and felt her pulse quicken. She wiped her palms on her jeans; they were beginning to grow sweaty. Despite her attempt to stay calm, she took a step back.

Something shiny and dark-colored shot out of the brush. Nadina screamed and jumped back, watching as the water moccasin slithered out of sight. She pressed a hand to her heart and took a shaky breath. She looked back in the direction the deadly snake had come from, searching for what could have possibly scared the animal away. She could see nothing. She took a few more steps back, suddenly not wanting to see whatever it could have been.

Unfortunately for her, it came rushing from the trees, and she screamed.

"That sounded like Nadina," Proud Heart said worriedly. The teens all looked at one another uncertainly.

"It was probably a snake or something that freaked her out," Tyrek said, albeit nervously.

"Water moccasins live around here," Michael said. "They got a mean bite…"

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Shana said softly. "We have to find her soon; it's almost ten."

At that moment someone came tearing through the foliage and bowled straight into the group, knocking them all to the ground.

"Agh...what the…" Tyrek groaned as he got up. "Nadina?"

"RUN!" was all the young girl said as she stumbled to her feet and rushed past them all. They sat in a dazed silence for about a second until Casi shouted.

"What the hell is that!?"

Two red eyes were peering at them all from high above the ground. There was no sound, but for some reason the stare was enough. Shivers traveled down everyone's spine, human or otherwise. Proud Heart backed up into Playful Heart, who was breathing much too quickly. Both their eyes were wide at the strange, seemingly unearthly thing before them. They sat there, staring, for what seemed like ages, until they came to their senses and scrambled to their feet.

The red eyes shifted just a foot downward.

They turned tail and ran.

Only a couple dared look back in between screams and stumbles. Those glaring red eyes didn't seem to be getting any farther away. At one point Playful Heart stumbled over a tree root. Janae grabbed his paw, yanked him up and kept running. They didn't stop until they were out of the woods and onto a street lined with houses.

"What...was...that?" Proud Heart coughed as she gasped for air.

"I don't know…" Shana was muttering. "No...no...I…"

"Where did...Nadina...go?" Michael asked, his hands on his knees.

"There!" a voice called. Everyone looked up to see two adults rushing toward them. First came a middle-aged man, followed by a woman with short brown hair.

"What is going on here?" the man asked. "My daughter has just run in the house acting as if she'd seen the devil himself!"

"It's...it was us," Tyrek sighed. "We tried to pull a prank on her, but...it backfired. The...Care Bear Cousins, here," he gestured to Playful and Proud. "They told us we were wrong…"

"I want you all to get home," Nadina's father said. "It's late at night; we can discuss this all tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

There was silence on the drive home for Playful Heart and Proud Heart. The Care Bear Cousin cat kept looking back and forth nervously. Playful Heart was gripping the steering wheel necessarily hard. It wasn't until they had gotten back to the Forest of Feelings that one of them finally spoke.

"What...what was it?" Proud Heart asked softly. "I've never seen anything like it...It had red eyes like a shadow, but it didn't give off a feeling of magic like they do…"

"...Whatever it was," Playful Heart said. "Can we wait until tomorrow? If we can get any sleep tonight, that is…"

"I'm sure we'll be able to look into it later," Proud Heart said. "For now, though, I don't want to think about what just happened."

"I second that...hey, Proud Heart?"

"Hm?"

"Um...would you mind if I walked with you?" Playful Heart kicked at the ground, looking a bit embarrassed. "Just until we reach our houses?"

Proud Heart could hear the real question behind that one. She smiled.

"Of course. Thank goodness it isn't that dark up here."

Well, I don't live in Virginia, but the creature in this fic references the Mothman, which was apparently very prevalent in the 60's. The cover art is of him, actually. Creepy fellow, yes?

Well, it's my bedtime. I'll see you next time for another spooky story :)