Chapter Text
🌈
At least three minutes had passed since Cheer Bear left for the Enchanted Forest. As she drove through the skies of Care-a-Lot in her Cloud Car, she couldn’t help but admire the peaceful scenery. It was a much needed distraction to take her mind off the worries of the upcoming mission.
The Caring Control duo had caught her up to speed about Funshine’s current predicament, including the fact that he had somehow stumbled upon a long-lost land locked away for ages and had gotten himself stranded. The “Silver Lining” was what it was called apparently.
A rescue team consisting of Good Luck, Share, and Grumpy had already been formed, and they were looking to see if Cheer was free to round out their numbers as the team leader and main pilot. With the Silver Lining being such a phenomenon to Care-a-Lot, it was ideal for Tenderheart and Wish to stay back at home this time around, to guide the team through the tower. While she had the option to decline, Cheer saw this as her very first opportunity to go on a real adventure and joined without question. With her bags packed, Cheer was ready to join and venture into the unknown!
Which, she soon realized not long after, was a huge mistake.
Cheer’s paws had begun to tremble on the steering wheel as she lamented over her hasty decision. Sure, she always wanted to lead the others on an adventure, but she never thought it would be happening so soon!
Whenever the bears went on missions, it was always Tenderheart, Wish, or Bedtime who took on the task to guide the team. Whether through rescue missions or trips to Earth, the three of them always went along to keep things on track. But Cheer never expected a point in time for her to lead her own team, let alone in a new and unfamiliar land.
Cheer knew that this was a big opportunity for her, but why did they choose her to be the mission leader this time. Tenderheart was perfectly capable of leading on his own despite his old age, and Bedtime (although prone to dozing off) was able to guide everyone using his historic knowledge. But what could she do? Sure, she’s helped Care-a-Lot so many times but being a mission leader was a HUGE deal.
Why her? Why now?
“Am I really cut out for this?” Cheer thought to herself. She took so much responsibility for everyone, helping out her fellow bears and human children alike, while also leading Care-a-Lot’s biggest events and workloads. But this time might have finally been her limit. Maybe it wasn't too late for her to decline the mission…
Cheer honked the horn on her Cloud Car, snapping herself out of her self-depreciative trance. “Come on, Cheer! Get a hold of yourself!” She loudly scolded herself. “You can’t flake out now!”
This wasn’t about worrying about her own capabilities: it was about rescuing Funshine. And she wasn’t the type to ignore a friend in need. Nervous or not, she was going to save him no matter what. The short self-pep talk didn't instill her with much confidence, but she had enough courage to make her way to the meeting point.
As she drove closer, she began to spot the Enchanted Forest’s massively twisted trees in the distance. But there was something else that stuck out to her in the distance, that being the colorful gathering of Care Bears near its entrance. They were seemingly gathering around some sort of giant vehicle, much bigger than the Cloud Cars and Cycles parked near it.
“Is that the vehicle I’m supposed to pilot?” Thought Cheer as she parked her Cloud Car near the other vehicles. Eager to inspect it, she joined with a few other Care Bears to get a good look at the caravan. Although its size was a bit overwhelming at first, Cheer fell in love with the design immediately. The heart shaped windshield was cute, but the rainbow pattern on the side was what really made it stand out. It made her feel better about the fact that she was going to drive it, it did fit her. But at the same time, it made her all the more anxious. She couldn’t trust herself with damaging such a pretty looking vehicle after all!
But she knew it was alright, she’s had years of driving Cloud Cars and Cloudcycles after all, so what was so bad about driving a giant van? Sure, there was a chance that she could drive off a cliff because she couldn’t break in time, or they could get crushed by a giant rock trying to drive up a mountain, or fall into a volcano, or get hit by a shell with wings and explode, or-
“Cheer, you’re here!”
Snapped out of her video game referential-themed breakdown, Cheer turned to see her two best friends, Share and Harmony, approaching her. She happily ran over to the two of them and wrapped them into a hug. “Hey girls! What’s everybody doing here?”
“Tenderheart told us about how you and the others were going into the Enchanted Forest to save Funshine!” Harmony said. “So we all came to give you some much-needed encouragement ~ 🎶 before you left!” Harmony said while carrying on a tune.
“I-I see…” As Cheer looked around, she began to realize that nearly the entirety of the Care Bear Family was here, even a few cubs were present to see the team off. All of Care-a-Lot showing up to gatherings like these wasn’t uncommon, especially when it came to meetings at the Hall of Hearts, but she didn’t expect the Enchanted Forest of all places to get so busy considering its reputation.
Unfortunately for Cheer, their presence was having the opposite effect. It was already piling onto the pressure of everyone putting their faith in Cheer once again. And knowing that she’s helped almost everyone on Care-a-Lot, she knew that there was going to be no room for disappointment.
Cheer’s unknowingly turned her smile into a nervous frown, which caught the eye of Harmony. “You okay girl? Your rainbow’s lookin’ kinda pale.”
“O-Oh?!” Cheer snapped out of her nervous daze as she realized Harmony was looking straight at her with a concerned look on her face. “I’m alright! Nothing to worry about, I swear!” Cheer fibbed.
“Riiiiight.”
Harmony squinted her eyes, clearly not buying Cheer’s attempts to mask her uneasiness. Share seemingly started to catch on as well, her smiling face turning into one of concern. Fearing her friends were starting to catch onto her reluctance, she looked at the crowd of Care Bears to find for an excuse to change the subject. Fortunately for her, in the middle of the crowd were Tenderheart and Wish, and she called out to them before Share and Harmony could continue prying into her. “Hey Tenderheart, Wish, I’m here!”
Hearing her voice, Tenderheart and Wish made their way towards the trio, happy to see that their pupil had arrived. “Cheer, you’re here! Glad to see you could make it!” Wish happily said.
“Yup, you know me! Can’t leave a friend in need!” Cheer said, this time accompanied with an awkward chuckle, once again poorly managing to hide her nerves from Share and Harmony. Eager to change to a different topic, Cheer pointed towards the massive vehicle. “So that vehicle, what even is that thing?”
“That’s the new invention Grumpy’s been working on, he calls it the Cloudseeker.” Share answered. “That’s what we’re gonna ride in when we go to rescue Funshine!”
“R-Really now?” Cheer walked up to the vehicle to inspect it once again, this time accompanied by Share and the others. It really did look like something Grumpy would build, since the cloud motif did feel very reminiscent of his Belly Badge, and he was well-known for going above and beyond with his inventions. In fact, she was almost beginning to regret not cancelling her stream, since this must’ve been quite the eye candy for the others once it was in action. But she figured there was no use complaining, she was going to pilot it anyway…unfortunately.
“Is everything okay, Cheer?” Asked Tenderheart, who saw her lip quivering at the sight of the Cloudseeker. “You look unwell.”
Cheer had unknowingly let her confidence slip, revealing her anxiety to the bears. Worst of all, it was right in front of Tenderheart, who was an ace at telling how any individual was actually feeling, no matter how much they tried to hide it behind a facial facade. Everyone’s eyes were on Cheer, and deep down she knew she had to admit to her nervousness eventually.
“Guess I should come clean…” Cheer took a deep breath and began to explain herself. “To be honest, I’m kinda nervous about this whole mission. Not because I’m scared of going into the Silver Lining, but because I’m the mission leader. This is all a bit too much. Why did you guys choose me as a leader? Isn’t there someone else who can do the job better?”
“Well, that’s the exact reason we chose you. You’re better at leading a team than anyone else on Care-a-Lot.” Tenderheart answered, with a soft smile on his face.
“You really think so? How?”
“Think of what you’ve done for everyone, Cheer.” Wish said. “When something bad happens on Care-a-Lot, you’re always the first to rally everyone up to fix it. Even when me and Tenderheart aren’t around, you always keep a cool head on what to do next.”
“Yeah! Did you forget? You’re the number one girl who gets things done!”
“You come through when someone needs help! That’s why everyone looks up to you!”
Harmony and Share joined in on reminding Cheer of her abilities. She was slowly coming to grips as to why she was chosen, but still held some doubt about her role.
“But-”
“Cheer, who;s idea was it to paint everything yellow after the Gobblebugs invaded last week?” Harmony said, not letting Cheer get a single word in.
“...Mine?”
“Who’s the one who rallied everyone to harvest food for the Care Critter Hibernation Project after all of the crops we were growing got destroyed in a sparkle storm?”
“M-Me.”
“And who led the search party to look for Hugs and Tugs all over Care-a-Lot after their game of hide-and-seek went wrong?”
“I did.”
“And who organized Care-a-Lot’s birthday last year after the committee came down with the flu AND found the cure in the Crumbledown Cave all by herself?”
“Me!” Cheer yelled, feeling her confidence rising.
“See, you're the perfect leader! All those things, you did!”
“You can’t put yourself down when you’ve done so many things for us!” Share said. “And don’t forget, just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you need to take all the responsibility! Me and the others are going to pull our weight too!”
“
Cheer could feel her shambled confidence slowly forming itself back together. She’s been so worried about how she would handle her first time leading a mission that she forgot her capabilities of helping others, not to mention having her pals on her side. Everyone on Care-a-Lot looked up to her, and it was time for her to prove them right by not getting cold feet, even if she still felt unprepared. Although there was one thing that she was still confused about.
“Thanks guys. But…why did you decide to make me the pilot too? Wouldn’t it be better if Grumpy was the one driving? It’s his Cloudseeker after all.”
Cheer noticed Share’s face forming into a grimacing frown, sensing that something must’ve happened with Grumpy that the other bears were too hesitant to mention. “Well, we decided you’d be the best choice since Grumpy’s a bit…on the wild side when it comes to driving. We’ll tell you later.”
“Huh.” Cheer didn’t want to brag, but she was aware she was plenty skilled at video games, racing games especially. But it was a pretty weird reason to nominate her as the pilot for a very strong vehicle. “I mean…I’m good at video games, yeah! But this is for real!”
“I’m sorry Cheer! But you were the only person I had in mind!” Share said. “Plus, we didn’t have much time to pick and choose since…you know.”
“Oh yeah, that makes sense.” Sighed Cheer. “Well don’t worry, Share. It can’t be too hard to drive this thing…I hope. Wait, is there gonna be a co-pilot?”
“Yeah. It took me a while to convince him at first, but Grumpy decided to take the role on.” Said Share. “So basically, you guys will be…sharing the Cloudseeker?”
Cheer gave the purple bear a smile, as if there was anyone who could get Grumpy to split up a role, it was Share and her endless kindness.
“And we don’t know what you’ll face out there.” Said Tenderheart. “You’d be a great pilot since Grumpy can’t-”’
“Can’t WHAT?”
Grumpy’s harsh voice broke the ongoing conversation between the bears. The blue bear came from behind the vehicle with Good Luck in tow. It appeared that the both of them were loading up the back of the Cloudseeker with luggage for their trip, as noted by Good Luck taking Cheer’s bags out of her Cloud Car.
Realizing Grumpy was possibly listening in on their conversation, Tenderheart quickly tried to gather his words to avoid offending him. “Oh you know, since you need to take an…er, break! Just let Cheer take the wheel while you rest up.”
Grumpy scoffed and turned towards the three girls, who were less than amused by his usual behavior. Harmony especially looked annoyed at Grumpy’s attitude, but the blue bear had his eyes on Cheer, as he appeared to be agitated by her absence this morning.
“Cheer, there you are! Where have you been?”
“I’m super sorry Grumpy!” Cheer said with an apologetic smile. “I was super busy with a livestream. Can’t let my super fans down, y’know?”
“I super guess.” He scoffed. “Kinda glad you weren’t there though…can’t let you of all people see me screw up.”
Cheer noticed the blue bear muttering something to himself. “What was that Grumpy?”
“N-Nothing.” Grumpy blushed as he tried to steer the conversation into a different topic. “So, you're gonna be our team leader, right?”
“Yup!” Cheer said. “Any complaints?”
“Not yet.” The bear sneered. “But since you're gonna be the pilot, I’ll let you in on this. This Cloudseeker is my magnum opus, a breathtaking piece of vehicular art. So Little Miss Leader, get ready to protect this thing with every fiber of your stuffing!”
Cheer looked back at the others, who were equally as bewildered by Grumpy’s strange yet forceful pep talk. “Don’t worry Grumpy, I got this! It’s just a giant Cloud Car, how hard can it be to drive this thing?” Was what she wanted to tell him, but she knew it would wind him up further than he already was. Not wanting this to drag on, Cheer responded with a simple, “got it!”
“And remember, above all else: Don’t scratch the paint job, alright?”
Cheer at first felt pressured by Grumpy’s abrasive tone, yet somehow, seeing some semblance of confidence in his face was giving her the opposite effect. She was so used to seeing his pessimistic side that it was a rarity to see him so passionate and confident about his work in his own little way. It made her feel…happy. Like she had the ability to lead everyone on.
“Don’t worry, co-captain Grumpy! You’re Cloudseeker is gonna be totally okay with me. You’ll see!” Cheer said, feeling herself brimming with joy.
Grumpy stuttered as he was taken aback by Cheer’s sudden excitement. “W-Whatever. I’m gonna get the rest of the engines running so like…just, like, be ready or s-something.”
Grumpy blushed and walked back into the Cloudseeker, his embarrassment worsened by Good Luck snickering behind him, who was once again finding amusement in his misery.
“Well you sure got him running!” Harmony joked, patting her pink friend on the back. “Looks like Ms. Cheer’s got her confidence back!”
“I wouldn’t say it’s back.” Cheer said, still unsure of her role. “But thanks to you and Share, I feel like I can handle this mission!”
“Are you sure Cheer?” Wish asked with an apologetic tone. “We did spring this onto you rather suddenly. It’s alright if you don’t want to go. We can find someone else to lead if you don’t think you’re up to it.”
"Exactly, we won't force you to lead if you don't want to." Tenderheart said. "If you want, me or Wish could take your place."
“I’m still a bit unsure but…” Cheer thought to herself before making her decision. “It’s too late for me to turn back now. Funshine is in trouble after all, and I’m just wasting time by worrying! So, it’s decided: I’m going to be the mission captain! Plus, someone’s gotta keep an eye on Grumpy in case he does anything rash.”
Although she was still admittedly uncertain about her role, Cheer knew it was time for her to take up the mantle, this time out of Care-a-Lot. Tenderheart and the others smiled at her decision, happy to see the pink bear feeling much better.
“Alright team! Bags packed, engines are juiced up, and all systems are clear! We roll out RIGHT NOW!”
Hearing Grumpy's yell from the Cloudseeker, the bears were prepared to board the caravan. “Welp, ready when you girls are!” Good Luck waved to Cheer and Share, being the first to walk over to the Cloudseeker’s entrance. “So uh, do we wipe our feet first or…”
“That’ll be nice!” Grumpy sarcastically moaned. Seemingly unable to catch onto the snide remark, Good Luck wiped his feet anyway.
Share was the second to enter, happily jumping onto the ramp. And finally was Cheer, who paused before she entered the vehicle, still reconsidering her options. It was her last time to refuse, and once she entered the vehicle, her decision would be decided.
“I believe you can do it.”
“I believe you can too.”
Cheer turned around to see Tenderheart, Wish, and the rest of the Care Bears Family standing behind them. Each of them cheering her on in their own little way.
“We believe in you guys!”
“Come back safely, ya hear!”
“Save Funshine!”
“Bring me back a souvenir!”
“Don’t forget, Cheer. Me and everyone else are here with you.” Said Share, giving her friend some much needed confidence. “You won’t be the only one on this mission after all! We’ll support each other! Right guys?”
“You betcha!”
“Whatevs.”
Hearing Grumpy and Good Luck's
“Knock em’ dead, girlfriend!”
“Are you sure you don't wanna come with us, Harmony?" Grumpy asked. "It's your last chance."
“Sorry Grump. I gotta rest my vocal chords up for a concert next week.” Harmony answered. Also…I’m not the bear you want for a rescue mission type, but I’ll sing for you guys to come back safely!”
“Alright then.” Grumpy said. “I have an extra seat and room for one more rider, but I guess we won’t be needing it.”
“Who knows, maybe we’ll find a sixth member to our team in the Silver Lining!” Share said, thinking of the creatures they might come across in the new realm.
“Doubt it, whatever we find there is probably gonna be some giant killer monster or something. Heck, we don’t even know if there’s anything even alive there.”
“Don’t be like that, the best part of an adventure is finding a new friend!”
“You said it!!!” Yelled Friend Bear from within the crowd.
“Akright enough with the foreshadowing. Let's go rescue our friend already.” Grumpy groaned, eager to start the mission before Share could run her mouth again. “Alright Captain, get your rear in the pilot’s seat and I'll start us off. Since this is your first time piloting, we’ll practice for a bit before we leave.”
Cheer nodded her head and sat onto the front seat. The pillowy white cushions made her feel like she was sitting on a cloud (which would fit the vehicle’s name) and the seatbelts didn’t feel rough either. She could feel herself becoming more and more relaxed as she grabbed the Cloudseeker’s controls per Grumpy’s instructions.
Despite how advanced-looking the vehicle was, getting a feel of the controls was actually a bit easy to digest. Unlike the Cloud Cars which used a regular steering wheel, the controls were a yellow-handled control yoke similar to a plane wheel. As Grumpy led her through the motions, Cheer could feel herself easily getting a handle on the controls. It was much different from the Cloud Cars she knew and drove, but
The other bears seemed to be a bit on edge while Cheer was driving. Justifiably so, as Grumpy’s test drive near the Caring Tower didn’t instill them with a lot of trust in the vehicle, no matter who was piloting it. But noticing how responsible and skilled Cheer was behind the wheel, they started to feel more relaxed.
After a few more test rides around Care-a-Lot’s fields, Grumpy decided that Cheer was ready to lead the mission (although a bit begrudgingly as he was still unsatisfied with his role as co-pilot). The team exchanged a few goodbyes to the rest of the Care Bears and ventured into the Enchanted Forest, eager to explore the mysterious realm of the Silver Lining and rescue Funshine.
“I hope they’ll be alright…” Tenderheart mused. “Maybe we should’ve gone with them instead?”
“Tenderheart. We need to stay here and monitor them! These bears are plenty capable of handling their own!”
Tenderheart, although unsure of his decision, smiled at Wish and her confidence in the bears. He should've known better. They’ve been through plenty of hardships before, he had to put their trust in them to navigate the Silver Lining. And it wasn't like they were going to be alone, they were able to track their progress at the tower. “You’re right.”
“That’s the spirit!” Wish cheered. “Now let’s head back to the Caring Tower! I’m sure a certain sleepyhead would love to hear about our discovery!”
“Oh, you’re right!” A lightbulb went off in Tenderheart’s head, but it dimmed as he began to muse to himself. “Hopefully we can get him to wake up this time… But first, let's make sure the team finds the gateway.”
🌈
Many of the woodland creatures watched with interest as the Cloudseeker drove deeper into the woods. Thanks to the specs on Grumpy’s touch screen panel near the front seat, the team was able to navigate through the darkened woods by following the fresh tire tracks made by Funshine’s Cloudcycle. And since the trail was practically a straight line, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the team.
The Caring Control Duo observed the group’s travels from a holographic screen, with Share serving as the main communicator between them. “Cloudseeker to Caring Tower, we’re nearing the edge of Care-a-Lot. Still no sign of the gateway.”
As they drove deeper into the forest, they were beginning to come across the strange twisted terrain of the woods. Although they were perfectly safe within confines of the Cloudseeker, the sight was still pretty unnerving to look at. They had to wonder how Funshine managed to go into this forest all on his own.
“How’s it looking, Good Luck?” Cheer asked.
“Not sure, Cheer. Navigation system is moving a bit slow in this area, but the energy readings are getting funky.” He said, looking at the screen that displayed a symbol of the Cloudseeker driving through the forest.
“We must be getting close, then. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.”
“I mean, there’s a lot of things out of the ordinary here.” Grumpy said. “The trees, the animals, the-”
“Giant gate in front of us?”
“-the giant gate in front of us, the- WAIT WHAT?!”
Realizing that their destination was right in front of them, Cheer stopped the Cloudseeker in its tracks. The bears were left in awe as they stared at the gateway, surprised by how such an ancient settlement had laid dormant in this very forest right under their noses for years. Not even the Cloudseeker could measure up to the sheer massiveness of the door. Even Caring Control felt overwhelmed by its size through the Care Link.
Remembering their objective, Grumpy snapped himself out of his shock. According to Funshine, he was able to open the gate by shining a light from his Belly Badge at it. If that were the case, then…
“Showtime.”
Grumpy, despite not being in the pilot’s seat, took charge and pressed a button to turn on the headlights, beaming a ray of light onto the gate’s rainbow marking. The bears eagerly awaited for the gate to open, prepared to explore what strange new discoveries awaited from within.
But the gate remained closed.
Grumpy pressed the button repeatedly, slowly growing more frustrated with each press. The other bears looked towards Caring Control for answers, but even they were perplexed on how to get it to open.
“I don’t understand, Funshine said his sunlight opened it.” Tenderheart said. “What could it be?”
While the rest of the bears thought to themselves, Cheer noticed a reticle surrounding a small stone on her screen which displayed the gateway. She pressed it, and it zoomed into a small stone relic depicting a trio of Elder Care Bears using their stares on the door. “What if it wasn’t the light…what if it was his Belly Badge power?”
Wish and Tenderheart looked at each other, sharing a realization to solve the problem at hand. “Good idea Cheer, give it a try!”
Cheer unbuckled her seat, intent on getting out of the vehicle to use her stare on the door. But Grumpy tapped her arm and pointed at strange device in-between their seats. Despite being unsure of what this action would do, she didn’t ask any questions and beamed a rainbow into the device.
An aura formed around the windshield as Cheer’s Belly Badge ability began to take effect, and a massive rainbow beam shot out of the Cloudseeker and onto the gate. The gate’s rainbow marking began to glow, as the hinges loudly creaked open, scaring off any creature within the vicinity.
The bears couldn’t tell what was inside, as there was a bright light from within blinding them. But even if they were able too, they would’ve been interrupted by the Cloudseeker slowly levitating into the air. Caring Control’s transmission quickly shut off, seemingly because of interference from the gateway opening. The only thing Cheer and the other bears could do at the moment was hang onto their seats.
Slowly levitating towards the gate, the Cloudseeker was then sucked into the Silver Lining within the blink of an eye. The gate closed shut as the forest was once again left with an empty silence…
🌜
“Bedtime…Bedtime…Bedtime Bear wake up!”
A familiar voice resounded through Bedtime Bear’s head as he slowly opened his eyes, waking from his slumber. “What…what time is it?” He asked, rubbing the crust from his eyes.
“Sorry to wake you before your night shift.” Tenderheart said, his face being displayed from a monitor. “But we’ve got a situation!”
“Oh, is that all?” Bedtime yawned. “I’ll look into it later… Call me at sunset.” Bedtime turned back around and covered the blanket over his shoulders, very eager to continue his nap.
“But Bedtime, this is serious! We need you here because-”
Before Tenderheart could answer, Wish quickly butted in, quickly cutting to the chase. “We found the gateway to the Silver Lining!”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...YOU WHAT?!”
In an extremely rare form of surprise from the blue bear, Bedtime yelped and fell off of his hammock. “You guys aren’t kidding, right!? You actually found the long lost gateway?!”
“Y-Yeah?” Wish and Tenderheart meekly answered.
“Well why didn’t you tell me?!” Bedtime rushed around the room to grab any book he could find and hopped onto the elevator. “I’m on my way!”
♥️
Tenderheart and Wish had to part ways with the rest of the Care Bears as soon as the mission team left. Harmony and the others wanted to join them in monitoring the team’s activity, but figured it would be best if they left Caring Control alone to focus. Yet they all stood outside of the Caring Tower, eager to join in if needed.
Although the tower ended up being thrown into a bit of an uproar not long after the rescue team was sucked into the Silver Lining, as the opening of the gateway released a powerful surge of magic energy that was somehow felt through the Care Link, damaging many of the HQ’s systems and severing the connection between the mission team and Caring Control.
Fortunately for the Care Bears, Tenderheart and Wish were able to get things up and running again (nothing a Care Bear Stare couldn’t fix). The transmission between the two groups was back on, but it proved difficult to see them through the link, as it was being distorted by static noise due to how far they were from Care-a-Lot, a similar phenomenon Funshine experienced.
“Is everyone alright?!” Tenderheart asked.
“Better…than…never…bit shaken up….but…doing just…fine!” Tenderheart and Wish breathed a sigh of relief as they could hear Share’s voice through the noise.
The static began to relieve itself as the transmission became stable. Just as Share said, the team was doing just fine, if not a bit shaken up from their little trip through the gateway. Grumpy especially looked out of it, but nobody could blame him after that spectacle. Cheer however was in tip top shape, as her eyes were focused on the road in front of them.
Wish and Tenderheart got a look at the Silver Lining through the team’s monitor. It was the same area Funshine was stranded in: a deserted land covered in fog with mountaintops forming strange rock formations.
The Cloudseeker’s signal appeared on the tower’s map, within the sea of clouds not too far from Funshine’s location. Although Cheer had to keep her driving at a slow pace, as the foggy atmosphere made it difficult to traverse freely, especially through such rocky terrain.
"Good. Just keep going straight and keep an eye out for Funshine. You're getting close to his location."
"Got it, Tenderheart!"
The elevator door opened, revealing Bedtime carrying a tall stack of books whilst trying to keep his balance. “My apologies, team! This is hardly the rest of what we’ll need, but these readings will do for now.”
“No need to worry my friend.” Tenderheart said. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
“Now then.” Bedtime said, sitting down the books on his table. “Would anyone mind filling me in on the situation at hand?”
The duo explained everything that happened over the course of the day to Bedtime, from Funshine’s Care Link to the Cloudseeker crew venturing into the Silver Lining. The blue bear took in every single detail, and most shockingly, didn’t doze off any chance he got.
“I see. So Funshine was lured in by a mysterious voice. Well…it’s a miracle you can actually signal his Cloudcycle. The energy in the Silver Lining is said to be strong enough to severe communications from anywhere outside the realm.” Bedtime said. “But I’m curious as to how the Caring Meter was able to recognize the trouble so easily after all these years of no contact…”
“Actually, we don’t think it’s responding to Funshine… We think it’s responding to that!” Wish pointed at the map screen, where the red broken-heart symbols were popping up farther away from Funshine and the team’s location. Only difference this time was that there were two more symbols nearby. “We noticed only two signals at first, but now there’s four!”
“We know it’s a warning. But for what?” Tenderheart mused.
“Whatever it is, it’s getting stronger.”
Bedtime thought to himself before picking up one of the books on the table. It was labeled, “The Silver Lining’s Civilizations by Relic Heart Bear,” with an illustration of a small creature wearing a leaf hat on the cover. Hoping that it could provide an answer to what kind of creatures the Care Bears may be dealing with, Bedtime flipped through its pages.
“Let me see here… Whiffles… The Karoo Clan… Hm…the Bad Crowd? Now that one doesn’t sound good…”
“Find anything important, Bedtime?”
“Well, there is one section detailing this particular group.” Bedtime showed the page to Tenderheart. Illustrated was a group of strange yet sinister looking purple creatures that came in different shapes and sizes, all of whom were wearing cloaks. Tenderheart knew from just one look that these guys weren’t the friendly sort. “I get the feeling they could be responsible for the warning signals, assuming this group is still around in present day. But let me take one more look.”
Bedtime bookmarked the page and scoured through the book once again, until something caught his eye. “Wait a minute…what’s this?”
“What is it?” Wish asked.
“It’s this individual here.” He mused. “The Silver Lining’s…Guardian?”
☀️
Hours had passed, or was it just one hour? Thirty minutes? Days? Not like Funshine could know, since the concept of time didn’t seem to exist…wherever he was. But for some reason, it felt like four months...
The yellow bear sat on the ground, placing one small rock onto a stack of others, which he deemed his “ultimate masterpiece.” It was actually the fortieth of many rock sculptures he made during his time in this desert. There was nothing else to do in this gloomy place…although he probably found a new hobby in the rock arts at least.
Funshine felt he should’ve been scared or frustrated, but he was too bored to be either of those. He knew he had himself to blame by trusting that mysterious voice, especially since it brought him here against his own will. To make matters worse, there was no face to the voice as soon as he got to this place, so he was all on his lonesome.
Well…at least he thought he was.
When Funshine was coming to his senses, he could’ve sworn he saw some sort of creature staring down at him. When he fully awoke, it ran off into the fog, seemingly frightened. He only got a quick glimpse, but it seemed to have very long ears and reddish fur. At least tall enough to be considered a Care Creature like him. In fact it sort of looked like some kind of kangaroo.
Although it went into hiding, Funshine knew it was still around. When he rode on his Cloudcycle in search of the gate before it lost power, he could hear footsteps following him from behind. And it wasn’t in his head either, as he noticed footprints being left in the dirt everywhere he went.
As soon as his Cloudcycle stopped working, his nerves ended up getting the best of him as there seemed to be no exit in sight. When he contacted Caring Control in his panicked state, he noticed a shadow looming in the distance, as if it were keeping an eye on him. Unfortunately his Care Link died out before he could even mention it to them, but at the very least he knew that his friends were coming to his rescue.
He was able to calm down, but he kept his guard up for the critter that was tailing him, making sure he didn’t end up as their next meal. Eventually, that fear soon turned into boredom, as he was stuck stacking pebbles and rocks as his only form of entertainment.
It didn’t take long for it to turn into annoyance either, as he spotted a shadow in the fog. It was definitely that weird creature stalking him again, and it spooked him enough to knock over his rock sculpture. The yellow bear finally reached his limit, as he loudly groaned and called out to the fog.
“Alright listen!” Funshine yelled. “I know you’re nearby, man! Stop beating around the bush with the creepy silhouette act and show yourself already!”
Funshine hoped that his anger would reveal who was present, but as he expected, there was nothing. Releasing a defeated sigh, Funshine kicked the pebbles of his now ruined sculpture and plopped down on his nonfunctioning Cloudcycle.
He could’ve scouted the area one last time on-foot, but his best decision was to remain in the same spot with his Cloudcycle like Tenderheart told him to, as it was the only way his friends could track him. Deciding to pass the time, he tipped his red hat over his eyes to rest. If he was asleep, then maybe he could past the time...or atleast ignore the fact that he was lost, hungry, and worst of all…alone.
“I hope you guys get here soon…”
Before Funshine could doze off, two bright lights appeared in the foggy distance, accompanied by a strange growling sound. Funshine, sensing it was the creature finally preparing to pounce, brightened up his Belly Badge to prepare a counterattack. Unfortunately, his Belly Badge wasn’t in the mood to work, so all he could do was brace himself and try to fight back with his bare paws.
“Wait a minute…” As the sound got louder, Funshine began to realize that the growling sounded like some sort of engine. And as it got closer, the two eyes turned out to be headlights. Funshine, realizing rescue might’ve finally arrived, jumped up and down as he tried to get its attention. “Hey! Hey! Hey guys! Yo! It’s me!”
As the vehicle got closer, it became clear that it was sent from Care-a-Lot, as its design brought to mind the Cloudcycle and Cloud Cars he drove, but he wasn’t completely sure. After everything that happened, it could’ve come from anywhere. The caravan parked itself in front of Funshine, he stood in anticipation of what would come out.
“Funshine!”
A familiar and peppy voice came out from the vehicle, along with its pilots. It was Cheer, Good Luck, and Share, who came running out to tackle Funshine in a bear hug.
“Funshine, you’re okay!”
“Glad to see you, man!”
“Are you alright! You didn’t get hurt anywhere, did you!”
Funshine, overjoyed from seeing his friends, tried to pull himself away from the hug to explain himself, but eventually conceded and let the reunion continue. “Guys! I’m fine!” He said to the bears. “Look at me, I’m a-okay!”
“It was touch and go for a while there man.” Good Luck said, ruffling Funshine’s hair. “But we finally found you.”
“Sorry we took so long to rescue you.” Cheer chuckled. “We had a few…setbacks.”
“Hey, better late than never honestly.” Funshine said. “I’m just glad you guys are okay too. Couldn’t have been great going through that gate I bet.”
“Don’t remind me…” Share moaned.
“Hmph. Sure kept us worried.”
Funshine turned around to see Grumpy exciting the caravan, as usual not joining the others in a hug. But to his discretion, Funshine ran over happy to see his blue buddy the most. “Grumpy bro, am I glad to see you!”
“And I’m glad to see you!” Grumpy said with a smile on his face. “Cause now I can finally start my vacation.”
“Whatever bro.” Funshine playfully rolled his eyes and grabbed his Cloudcycle, intending on bringing it into the caravan. However, Grumpy signaled Fusnhine and pressed a button near the rear, revealing a small hanger with four other Cloudcycles. Funshine inserted his own in the slot near the end, and the hanger retreated back into the rear. “Man, what’s this thing all about?”
“Don’t call it…”this thing.” Grumpy gripped. “Call it the Cloudseeker! And it’s gonna be our way out of here…and my vacation getaway!”
“Did you find anything interesting out here?” Share asked Funshine, hoping to see if there were any new creatures to meet.
“Not really. But I did start a rock sculpture museum if you wanna take a look!” Funshine pointed towards his collection of tiny sculptures, some of which toppled over after a while.
“Wow, an hour in this place and Funshine already lost it.” Grumpy joked.
“Hey, don’t judge me! There’s literally nothing to do around here!” Moaned Funshine. “Well…I did see something else.”
“Hm, what was it?”
“How about we talk about this in the Cloudseeker.” Cheer told the team. “I don’t wanna stay out here any longer.”
Cheer was right. Whatever or whoever that creature was, Funshine wanted to be safe before he told anyone about it. Plus, he wanted to see what the inside of this "Cloudseeker" thing looked like.
♠️
With a job well done, Cheer happily laid back in the pilot’s seat. She looked up to see Funshine sitting with Good Luck near the navigation system, gobbling down cupcakes while exchanging his tedious experience stuck in the Silver Lining. The bears were going to see if he knew more about how he ended up getting trapped, but figured he needed some time to relax after being stuck for so long.
The Caring Control Trio floated around Funshine through their Care Link, trying to see if he was truly okay or not by checking for any wounds, much to his annoyance. Even if they were the responsible leaders of the Care Bear Family, Cheer couldn’t help but laugh at how overprotective they were sometimes.
“Mission accomplished team, heading home.” Grumpy had his legs crossed on the driver’s seat. He looked ready to start his vacation as soon as he got back, as he was wearing an outdoor cap and sunglasses.
“Yeah, come to think of it. This was a pretty quick mission!” Good Luck happily said. “Bit weird to end this fic with just three chapters, but as long as we got Funshine, that’s all that matters!”
“See Cheer, there was nothing to worry about after all!” Share said. “You had this in the bag!”
“Alright, alright, you and Harmony were right!” Cheer giggled, finally coming to terms with her role as a leader. Even though it didn’t feel like an adventure, Cheer was just happy to have Funshine back safe and sound. She kinda felt sad leaving the Silver Lining behind so early, but their real home was in Care-a-Lot, not this gloomy place. “Alright team, let’s head home! Everyone’s waiting!”
“Home? And lose this opportunity to explore?” Bedtime said. “We need to know if the ancient books were right about the Silver Lining. Not to mention the things that live there.”
“No offense, but what things?” Good Luck asked. “There’s nothing to be found around here but rocks, fog, and Funshine’s creepy rock museum.”
“Actually…” Funshine cut in. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. When I woke up, I saw this really weird creature staring down at me. It ran away before I could respond, but I think it’s been following me around. It kinda looked like a…kangaroo.”
“A kangaroo?”
“And before you say anything, it definitely wasn’t in my head either. There were footprints all over the place too. There’s definitely someone still living here.”
“That sounds vaguely familiar to one of the creatures within the book of the Silver Lining’s civilizations!” Bedtime said with stars in his eyes. “You must continue to look into this!”
“Seriously?! The whole plan was to find Funshine and get out!” Grumpy complained. “Now you want us to go exploring for something that probably wants to eat us?”
“Well, the Caring Meter did pick up a warning signal…” Tenderheart joined in. “Perhaps it would be best to look around.”
“Exactly. A chance like this might not come again! It is in our best interest to explore!”
“Well, if we find a monster! Then our chances of getting out of here safely probably won’t come again! So I think our best interest is to get our furry butts out of here!”
Cheer sighed as she watched the two blue bears argue back and forth, getting the feeling that this was going to go on for quite a while. Truth be told, she was with Bedtime on this one. She felt like there was more to the Silver Lining than this foggy place, and they already had food and shelter to protect them. Maybe they could research and camp…if Grumpy was up to it that is.
But before she could tell the bears to stop quarreling, Cheer felt a shiver trickle down her spine as she noticed something in the distance. Cheer looked out the windshield to see some sort of shadow in the fog, creepily walking closer to the Cloudseeker. Cheer turned to warn the bears, only to get drowned out by Grumpy and Bedtime’s argument.
“But…imagine what we might discover!”
“Worry about what we might find!”
“Explore!”
“Leave!”
“Explore!”
“Leave!”
“Explore!”
“Leave!”
“Explore!”
“Leave!”
“GUYS!!!”
Cheer yelled at the two bears, ceasing their childish bickering and catching their attention along with the rest of the team as she pointed outside. “What’s that?”
It was a silhouette looming in the foggy distance, slowly nearing closer to the van. While she still couldn’t tell what it looked like, she noticed what seemed to be two long appendages coming out of its head, swaying through the wind. None of the bears could make out what it was, but Funshine seemed to recognize it all too well, judging from his terrified expression.
“O-Okay, t-that’s the thing that’s been following me…” Funshine whimpered.
Now feeling a sense of dread similar to Funshine’s, Cheer looked over at Caring Control’s transmission. “Hey um…Bedtime? Does the book say anything about hostile creatures in the Silver Lining?”
“Uh…well…I-I think this is a different case.” Bedtime flipped through the pages in his book, looking for his answer. “I believe the individual you have just came across was the-”
“Um guys.” Good Luck cut in. “Where’d they go?”
When Cheer looked away from the Care Link, she realized that the mysterious figure disappeared from the team’s sight. As if they were never there in the first place.
“We…need to get out of here.” She whispered to the team. But before Cheer could hit the gas pedal, something…or in this case, someone landed right in front of the Cloudseeker, stopping the vehicle in its tracks. The creature in front of them was unlike anything they’d ever seen…
It was some sort of…rabbit…kangaroo…cat…girl.
To describe the bizarre animal, she had a similar yet albeit shorter height and bulkier figure compared to the Care Bears. She had reddish brown fur and a cream-colored muzzle, and an orange flower growing atop of her head. She had ridiculously long ears that could be mistaken for ponytails, which managed to slink down near her feet. Unlike the Care Bears, who usually wore accessories on their head and nothing else, this individual was fully clothed. She wore what seemed to be a red wrestling leotard with a belt buckle. There was a symbol in the middle of the belt that looked like a silver bunny with an angry face. It matched the wearer’s similarly dour expression, as she was glaring at the Cloudseeker crew with black bushy eyebrows.
While the ears were what stood out most to Cheer, she also noticed a few more minor details. A half-moon necklace tied around her neck, and bandages on her arms, possibly covering up a few injuries of some sort. And behind her was some sort of shovel-like tool shaped like a spade behind her.
In all honesty…Cheer thought she looked kinda cute.
“That’s…who’s been following you?” Grumpy asked. “She doesn’t look scary at all.”
“That’s who you were afraid of, bro?” Good Luck snarked. “It’s just an overgrown rabbit.”
“Hey, don’t blame me. She was being kinda creepy back there.”
“Aw! She’s so fluffy!” Share said.
“Um guys…maybe quiet down.” Cheer shushed her team, worried that the creature could hear their remarks from within.
The creature stood as it gave the team a nasty glare, giving Cheer the feeling that they weren’t very welcome. But if there was one thing the Care Bears knew, it’s that you’d never know if a new person was an enemy unless you talked to them first. “Hey Share, do you think you can try to communicate with her? Maybe ask her if there’s anything wrong or if there’s a way out of here?”
“Sure! Let’s give it a shot!” Share hit a button on her panel which caused a small microphone to pop out. She picked it up and began to speak to the critter from within the Cloudseeker. “Hello miss! Our apologies for disturbing you! We’re the Care Bears!”
The creature said nothing, yet her long floppy ears did seem to rise up a bit in interest. “I know we look a bit suspicious, but I promise you we’re not here to intrude. In fact, we just came to get our friend!”
“S-Sup.”
Funshine meekly waved at the kangaroo, to which she reacted by crossing her arms with a very disinterested look on her face. Although it did mean that she could understand what they were saying, which was a good start.
Cheer looked back at the Care Link, where Bedtime was searching through his books trying to find something about their predicament, while Tenderheart and Wish remained quiet yet tense, letting Share do her thing before they could intervene.
“Our friend came here because he heard someone calling him, and he ended up getting trapped. Do you know anything about whoever was calling them?”
The Care Bears tensely waited for a response, to which the girl shook her head, “no.”
Cheer sighed in relief. Yet she had a feeling there seemed to be something more to this mysterious character showing up out of nowhere. More specifically, she was worried about the girl’s possible injuries and wanted to see if it had anything to do with the warning signals from earlier. Cheer told Share about her questions, to which the purple bear vocalized it to their visitor.
“Okay then. Um…just wanted to ask. Is everything alright?” The creature tilted her head, seemingly confused by the question. “Our friends back at home noticed a few warning signals here, and we wanted to know if there was anything you needed…help…with?”
Share’s voice trailed off, as the Care Bears noticed the girl grabbing the shovel-like tool from behind her, to which she gripped it like a weapon. It gave Cheer some…very not positive implications of why they did so. It seemed like the last question had awoken some sort of dangerous instinct within the girl, almost as if they started to see her and the rest of the team as an enemy. However, it seemed like she wasn’t sending her killer intent at the Care Bears, but rather something else, as her eyes began to dart away from the Cloudseeker.
“Um…excuse me, miss. Is something the matter?” Once again, the creature didn’t respond, instead she looked away from the Cloudseeker and into the empty fog. Cheer had the feeling that she knew something was amiss.
“Cheer! We have a problem!” Cheer turned around to see Tenderheart with a grave expression on his face in the Care Link.
“What’s wrong Tenderheart? We're a bit busy at the moment”
“You have to get out of there! The warning signals, they’re closing in on you!”
“Wait, what?”
Tenderheart’s warning went unheard, as the kangaroo girl ran towards the Cloudseeker, and rammed into it as hard as she could, shaking Cheer and the rest of the bears within.
“WARNING! WARNING! PAINT JOB COMPROMISED!”
“WARNING! WARNING! PAINT JOB COMPROMISED!”
A loud annoying blare rang from a siren on top of the pilot’s operational panel, yet Cheer was too busy trying not to fall off of her seat to actually worry about it.
“Hey! What are you doing-” Share yelled into the microphone, trying to grab the girl’s attention. Yet her cries went unheard as the rabbit once again rammed herself into the Cloudseeker, this time managing to push it back.
“Is ever…..one….al..ight?! Res….ond!” Tenderheart and the rest of Caring Control’s voices were drowned out by the Care Link’s screen entering yet another garbled state, possibly due to the impact. Even Share’s microphone became disconnected from the outside vocalizer, making communication with the creature impossible. Although at this point, it didn’t seem like she would listen to their pleas.
The rumbling stopped as the Cloudseeker stood still. Thankfully the seatbelts protected Cheer and the others from getting thrashed around. “Is everyone alright?” Cheer looked back at her teammates, who looked a bit shaken up from the impact, but perfectly fine. Well…all except one.
“I’m not! She just attacked my Cloudseeker!” Grumpy cried.
“Forget about the Cloudseeker! She’s trying to attack us!” Yelled Good Luck.
The creature hopped right back in front of the Cloudseeker. Cheer braced for impact as she expected her to ram into the caravan once again, but instead she curled her paw into a fist, and slammed it down onto the rock-hard ground. The impact was strong enough to create a crack on the ground, knocking over the remainder of Funshine’s sculptures, and massive stone pillars popped out of the crevices.
The Care Bears hung onto their seats while watching the brilliant yet frightening sight, until the small earthquakes ceased. As Cheer looked up, she saw three massive pillars standing in front of the Cloudseeker, ceasing their way forward.
The Care Link came back on as the Care Bears once again tried to gather their bearings, yet none of the bears were able to answer each other as they tried to get a hold on the situation.
“What’s going on? Is she trying to trap us!” Grumpy screamed.
“No…more like, trying to keep us from going that way… Does she want us to turn back?” Cheer theorized.
“Cheer’s right! Whatever she’s trying to do, it doesn’t seem like she wants to hurt us, right?!”
“Tch, you wish.”
“No, I’m Wish. And right now, I’m wishing you’d get out of there!”
“I’ll second that emotion.” Grumpy, fearful of Wish’s surprisingly assertive tone, instantly conceded with the snide comments and took control of the Cloudseeker, throwing Cheer off as she was the one supposed to do the driving.
“Grumpy, what are you doing?!”
“Getting us outta here, that’s what!”
Grumpy drove away from the pillars and back towards the way they came, hoping to find the gateway. However, the terrain wasn’t meant for such fast driving, as Grumpy ended up losing control of his acceleration due to the bumpy rocks.
“Gah! I can't get ahold of the dang thing!”
Cheer held onto her seat and spotted something in the distance. “Grumpy, look out! There’s a cliff!”
Grumpy tried to hit the brakes but was too late in doing so as the Cloudseeker was sent right down the cliff. The bears screamed as they fell, yet Grumpy quickly took initiative l and beamed his Belly Badge power into the device between the pilot seats. A cloud formed itself above the Cloudseeker and grabbed it, gently carrying it down.
“Good going, Grumpster!” Good Luck said, as he and the other bears sighed in relief as the cloud carried them down. But yet another rumbling sound shook the Cloudseeker.
Grumpy looked at his Belly Badge to see if its power was still functioning, only to see it emitting a static noise similar to the one on the Care Link. “What’s happening to my cloud power?!” He yelled, rubbing his stomach to see if he could get it to stop. But the static only grew, causing the cloud that was carrying the Cloudseeker to poof away and deflate like a balloon, sending the bears back to falling.
Good Luck quickly took charge and beamed his badge power into the device, this time creating a green mat that slid itself under the Cloudseeker. The bears were once again slowly descending from the air, hopefully for good this time.
“Nice thinking, bro.” Funshine said.
“It’s nothing. My good luck power never fails.”
However, Good Luck felt a tingly sensation in his stomach, as the same static effect appeared on his four-leaf clover Belly Badge. Just like Grumpy’s cloud, the mat dissipated into thin air, leaving the bears falling to certain doom...again.
Cheer held onto the handle, unable to think straight as she screamed. First time leading a mission, and Cheer had already screwed up. She and her friends were plundering to an uncertain doom as she fell. Not only did she fail them as a leader, but she doomed them too. She was right, she wasn't ready to lead a mission. She disappointed everyone, and worse, she disappointed herself for letting this happen...
No…she couldn’t let it end like this. She refused to let it end like this!
Cheer quickly shot her Belly Badge into the device, creating a road-like rainbow that continuously grew itself around the foggy mountains into the area. Cheer knew it was a risky plan, but it was the only one they had unless they wanted to end up as a splat on the ground.
“Everyone, hang on!” Cheer yelled to the team as the Cloudseeker fell onto the rainbow, she retook control of the Cloudseeker and followed the growing road, making sure she didn’t steer off course. Although the turns were risky, Cheer was able to stay focused.
Cheer could hear Funshine cheering, most likely having the time of his life, yet she was too focused to pay attention as she increased the speed. The rainbow trail was heading towards a cliff side, hopefully to drop the bears off at a safe place.
But Cheer felt a familiar feeling in her stomach, as her badge began emitting a static effect just like with Good Luck and Grumpy’s malfunctions. The rainbow trail immediately halted near the cliff, the rest of it becoming pure static as it remained unfinished.
“Crap, we ain’t gonna make it!” Grumpy shouted. Yet Cheer wasn’t about to let this little malfunction stop her. She was going to get her team out of there alive, no matter what.
It was a risky play, but she knew what to do. She didn’t want to rely on such strange knowledge during times like these, but if her racing games taught her anything, it’s that building speed will pull off the craziest of shortcuts and tricks to avoid hazards. But this was reality, and an extremely heavy vehicle hosting multiple passengers. But…
“GOTTA PUSH THROUGH!!!”
Cheer screamed as she slammed the pedal as hard as she could, increasing the Cloudseeker’s speed to a ridiculously fast level as they began nearing the rainbow ramp. The rest of the Care Bears didn’t have any choice but to hang on to dear life, as Cheer took the biggest risk imaginable.
Now at max speed, the Cloudseeker drove and flew off the broken rainbow ramp, soaring through the air, and landing on the rock-hard ground. Now that the bears were safe, everything was well…
But the ground cracked, couldn’t handle the Cloudseeker’s impact, and the ledge crumbled under the pressure, leaving the vehicle to topple over the broken cliffside.
“Y-YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME?!” Grumpy once again shouted in frustration as the Cloudseeker was left on the cliff, hanging back and forth as gravity would decide it’s fate. Cheer tried to drive off, but unfortunately the Cloudseeker was too stuck to move, and further movement would most likely push it in the opposite direction.
The Cloudseeker began to tilt away from the ground, about to fall once again. Cheer and the others quickly braced for impact and prayed that the impact from the fall wouldn’t be fatal, but even that couldn’t save them. All they could do was hope for a miracle…
CLANG
A sound was heard as the Cloudseeker froze, halting its possible descent. Cheer looked up to see an unbelievable sight. The strange kangaroo girl from earlier, was standing right in front of the Cloudseeker. Her ears were stretched out, each of them attached to both sides of the Cloudseeker, as she pulled with all her might to keep it from falling. Cheer saw a chance and slammed the pedal, pulling the Cloudseeker off the crumbling cliffside thanks to the help of the kangaroo, and the caravan was back on solid (and less fragile) ground.
Cheer and the others couldn’t make sense of what they just saw. The creature that attacked and got them into this whole mess, actually saved them...with her EARS! But why? If their goal was to attack them, they would’ve just let them fall!
Of course, they couldn’t make sense of anything at the moment. They did just nearly die after all. Nontheless, the team breathed a collective sigh of relief as they looked back at what seemed to be the many near-death experiences to come at a place like this.
Caring Control’s hologram came back on, as all three of the bears seemed very understandably terrified at what just happened.
“Is everyone alright?!”
“Goodness! What happened back there?!”
“Please tell me you’re okay?!”
“Woah, woah, Caring Control! Slow down!” Share said, trying to calm down her superiors’ hysterical worrying. “Thanks to Cheer, we’re all fine!”
“Hey, I had it under control! Just got somethin’ in my eye and uh welp-” Grumpy ceased his grumbling as the rest of the bears glared at him, annoyed as he tried to pass off his reckless driving as a mistake.
“Couldn’t see where I was going, that’s all.” Flustered, he took off his outdoor cap and sunglasses, acting as if they were the cause of his bad driving. “A-Anyway Cheer Bear, thanks for not putting a scratch on the Cloudseeker.”
“I didn’t? A-Are you sure?”
“My Scratch n’ Scrape alarm would’ve gone off! Like when Lil’ Miss Scary over there rammed into it.” Grumpy glared at the kangaroo-like girl, whose ears reverted back to their normal size. She was resting on the ground, visibly exhausted after using her strength to pull the Cloudseeker up. “But hey: no more rainbows, or clouds, till’ we figure out why they’re acting so weird.”
“I think I might know why.” Bedtime spoke. “The Silver Lining’s energy also seems to be disrupting your badge powers, like it’s doing with our communications! Expect them to do the unexpected!”
“Helpful.” Good Luck moaned.
“Well, we don’t have time to dwell on that.” Cheer said. “Tenderheart, are the warning signals still there.”
"Negative Cheer, they seemed to have disappeared."
"That's weird. What do you supposed happened to them?" Share asked.
"Not sure. In fact, I'm not picking up any trace at all." Wish said. "It's almost like they vanished!"
"Crap. Don't tell me this dumb Silver Lining place is bugging our maps too."
"Guess we don't have time to worry about that either..." Cheer said. "Right now, we should focus on her."
That’s right, the mysterious girl who attacked them AND saved them. The Care Bears sensed that her earlier hostility may have been the result of some sort of misunderstanding. But Cheer had a feeling that this went deeper than her team getting mistaken for intruders. And those bandages covering her arms gave Cheer the feeling that she was…scared. The bears were technically intruding on her home after all, would've made perfect sense as to why she was attacking them. Nonetheless, talking was the best course of action right now to cure the possible hostility lingering within the creature.
“Caring Control, can you stand by the sidelines?” Cheer asked the trio. “We’re gonna go outside and try to communicate. Can you keep an eye out and make sure nothing gets in our way?”
Tenderheart thought to himself, most likely reluctant letting the bears roam out there with this mysterious interlorper after nearly getting themselves killed. But after giving it some thought, he agreed long with Bedtime and Wish.
Cheer then transformed the hologram into a floating circular transmitter using her Belly Badge, which was still able to perform smaller capabilities despite the malfunction from earlier. The bears walked outside to see the girl sitting on the ground, still trying to catch her breath. Funshine and Grumpy kept their distance, afraid that she would attack them again. She did seem to tense up a bit at the sight of them, as she held the strange moon necklace closer to her chest.
Cheer, not wanting to frighten her, stuck her paw out towards the kangaroo girl as a show of comfort. “Hey, are you okay?”
The kangaroo looked at her paw with uncertainty, before understanding what she was trying to do. She begrudgingly grabbed her paw, and the pink bear hosted her up off the ground.
“Thanks.”
The bears were taken aback as the creature finally responded to them. She had an expectantly high-pitched voice, yet albeit gruff and deadpan, as she gave the bears another yet less hostile glare.
“Woah, y-you can talk?” Funshine asked.
“Same to you, pal.” Funshine was shocked at the kangaroo girl’s snarkiness, once again hiding behind Good Luck alongside Grumpy, much to the green bear’s dismay.
“Thank you for saving us earlier.” Share said, once again choosing to speak to the team. “We told you this before, but we’re the Care Bears! My name is Share, and these are my friends Cheer, Funshine, Grumpy, and Good Luck! And on the screen are our pals from Care-a-Lot! Tenderheart, Wish, and Bedtime!”
Tenderheart and Wish politely waved at the screen, welcoming the new creature in open arms. Seeing the girl close up, they didn’t seem to be hesitant about the bears talking to her anymore, assuming it was some sort of Care Creature like them. Bedtime on the other hand looked with interest, seemingly recognizing her from somewhere.
However the girl only rolled her eyes, brushing off the greeting from the Care Bears. Share cringed a bit, as it only served to make things more awkward between them. She was going to ask for her name, but chose not to, assuming the creature was still wary of them.
“A-Anyway. My friend Tenderheart noticed that there was some sort of trouble happening in your home, and we wanted to know if everything was okay.” Share looked at the girl’s arms, noticing a few unbandaged wounds. Whatever gave her these wounds definitely had something to do with the warning signals. “Is everything alright?”
“My issues are none of your concern.” She said, looking away from the bears. “But if you value your lives, I suggest you leave this realm immediately. It’s not safe here.”
“Why? Whatever it is, we can help!” Cheer said, joining in with Share in conversing with the critter.
“How? By driving off another cliff?” She said with a smirk, showing the bears her fangs. “Don’t make me laugh.”
The sudden rudeness of the kangaroo creature threw the bears into a loop. Even Grumpy of all people was surprised, as he seemed to have finally met his match in terms of grumpiness. While the creature made it clear through her tone and actions that she wanted them to leave, Cheer couldn’t leave it at that, as her instincts told her that something wasn’t quite right.
“Are you…looking for someone?”
The creature was perplexed by Cheer’s question, as her bushy eyebrows rose up in shock. She once again looked away from the bears, refusing to answer. Before anyone could respond, a beeping sound came from the Care Link floating above Cheer.
“Tenderheart’s, what’s that sound?”
“The warning signals! They’ve appeared again!” Tenderheart yelled. “You guys have to get out of there!”
“GET DOWN!!!”
The creature screamed as she tackled Cheer. The Care Link next to her was destroyed as a small lightning-like knife shot from the distance and grazed the Cloudseeker, horrifying Grumpy. The knife burned away, as it left a visible mark on the Cloudseeker.
"Oh come on! Why do they always get cut off when they're about to tell us something important?! This is like...the fourth time this happened!"
Before the bears could react, they heard a growling sound from the distance. It sounded similar to the Cloudseeker, but somewhat grotesque and sinister. Out of the fog came four single-wheeled vehicles, resembling dark spin-offs of the Care Bears’ Cloudcycles. They were black and decorated with spikes, and each of them had an insignia that resembled a purple bat with two pointy wings on the front.
The riders’ all wore black pointy jackets with the same insignia on the back and wore helmets that obscured their faces. The gang circled around the bears and the Cloudseeker, trapping them within. Funshine tried to pass through an opening, but was stopped by Grumpy, fearing he would injure himself trying to do so.
Each of the motorcycles stopped once the Care Bears, along with the kangaroo, were herded together. Each of them got off their bikes, with the lead biker having a sidecar occupying a much smaller and weaker passenger.
Each of them took off their helmets to reveal themselves. They appeared to be strange purple creatures with pointy hair and unfriendly expressions on their faces, while the smallest one had beady eyes and a little sharp bucktooth, and had a fraidy look in his face.
“Well well well, what do we have here? It’s our ol’ pal Caramel!" Said the tallest biker, who wore sunglasses and had a toothpick in his mouth. It was safe for the bears to assume he was the leader.
“Our plan to lure that Whiffle kid away worked! We got’cha in our sights now.” Said the biker with a rectangular figure and three eyes, snickering as he cracked his knuckles.
The kangaroo creature, now known as Caramel, grit her teeth as she stared back at the bikers, slowly trudging closer to her. She stood in front of Cheer and the other Care Bears as she stretched her ears out, protecting them from the invaders. Now seeing no chance of escape, she took out her shovel from behind her back and glared at them, ready to fight back.
“Bad Crowders…”