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Chapter 20: Birthday Prank

Anger Heart fox was woken up by the feeling of weight being added to his bed. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes to find himself staring at a pink face and green eyes surrounded by a darker pink mask.

"Good morning dad!" Flair Heart Raccoon grinned into his dad's face.

"Son, do you know what time it is?" Anger Heart covered his eyes with his hand.

"Do you know what day it is?" Flair was almost bouncing on the bed with excitement.

Anger Heart groaned, "I just woke up, I barely remember my name. What day is it?"

Flair giggled, "It's my birthday!" He bounced on the bed which made Guidance Heart grunt. "You promised you'd take me to Paradise Valley on my 11th birthday!"

Anger Heart uncovered his eyes, "I will, I promise, just not at," he turned to look at the alarm clock on his bedside table, "5:00 in the morning. Go play video games or something while mom and dad get some sleep and we'll go later, ok?"

"OK!" Flair bounced off the bed and bolted from the room.

"That went better than I thought it would," Guidance Heart rolled over. "So how long do we sleep for?"

Anger rolled over to face her, "Just until he comes in again." They kissed then closed their eyes and fell back asleep.

Flair Heart thankfully became so engrossed his game that he didn't bother his parents for the three hours they slept in. Anger Heart and Guidance Heart finally shuffled out of bed and showered together before they came downstairs for breakfast. Flair hadn't bothered to make his own, always willing to wait for his dad to cook something: sunny side up eggs, sausages and grated hash browns all made from scratch.

Anger Heart was halfway through eating his breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Anger Heart groaned, "Excuse me." He got up and headed for the door. Anger Heart's brow furrowed when he opened the door and found Futureheart Bear standing there. "What do you want?"

"Anger Heart, you can't go to Paradise Valley today." Futureheart's voice was hard and direct.

Anger Heart looked over his shoulder to see that Flair was standing in the kitchen doorway, "Just give me a minute, birthday boy." Anger Heart smiled then stepped out of his house and shut the door behind him before he turned to Futureheart, "What did you just say?"

Futureheart grabbed Anger Heart by his shoulders. "You can't go to Paradise Valley today. The Prank is going to attack and your entire family is going to die!"

Anger Heart forcefully shrugged his shoulders to shake Futureheart's hands off, "I have to go."

"Do you even understand what I'm saying?" Futureheart sounded desperate.

"Future Tenderheart, did you ever have kids?" Anger Heart was trembling with rage as he looked the brown bear square in the eyes.

Futureheart blinked, "I was going to, but...no."

"Then you don't know what it's like, to have to look after them all the time, to know that they depend on and look up to you and that expect they can trust you." Anger Heart's eyes narrowed, "I've been promising my son for months that I would take him to Paradise Valley on his 11th birthday. He's finally old enough and he's been asking once a week since Christmas. If I back out now do you know what that will do to him? To how he trusts me and his mother?"

"But what about your lives! About his life! Don't you care?!" Futureheart realized a bit too late that he had made a poor choice of words.

"Of course I care!" Anger Heart shouted, "It's because I care that I'm doing this!" He stepped forwards, pushing his nose right up against Futureheart's, which forced him to step back, "I can tell you've never had kids for real because my promise means more to him than my life. I'm a father and I promised I was going to be a great one ever since I found out Guidance was pregnant! And now not only have I reached the promised day but Flair Heart has done exceptionally as a Magi, he's stronger than I was at his age and he's even ready to take on missions! I'm going to give him one great day of being a kid before he gets too obsessed with doing well to prove himself and that's final!" Anger Heart felt his tail starting to throb, threatening to split into eight at a moment's notice, so he stepped back and took a deep breath. "Now get out of here, I have breakfast to eat and a day to plan for my son's birthday, not to mention I'm expecting Miracle Heart and Marina Bear over for lunch." Anger Heart turned and walked back into his house, slamming the door shut behind him.

Anger Heart found himself staring down at Flair with Guidance right behind him. "Dad, are you alright?"

Anger Heart sighed, "Just needed to let off some steam at him, I'm fine."

"Dad, we don't have to go today, I can wait..." Flair scuffed the floor with his foot.

Guidance Heart looked down at her son, "Do you still want to go?"

"Yeah, but that bear from the future doesn't want us to go... so..."

Anger Heart crouched down and gave his son a hug, "But nothing, I promised we'd go today and I'm going to keep that promise. Now let's finish breakfast before your friends come over, ok?"

Flair smiled as he let go, "Ok."

OoOoO

Unable to think of what else he could do, Futureheart went to the Hall of Hearts for breakfast and found himself sitting alone. He didn't want to go to the Great Fox, too many bad memories there.

It wasn't long before Futureheart looked up and saw Tenderheart sitting across from him.

"Something wrong?" Tenderheart asked.

"Anger Heart just threw me out of his house when I tried to convince him not to go to Paradise Valley today." He sighed and stared at his half-empty tray, "why does it have to be today, couldn't he have taken Flair Heart before this?"

Tenderheart tilted his head to the sides, "Yeesh, did I really become this detached after becoming psychic?"

"What?" Futureheart looked back up at his past self.

"Paradise Valley may be peaceful but it does have diseases we don't have up here in the Kingdom of Caring, so cubs can't go there until they turn 11, after Take Care gives them all their vaccines and gives them time to adapt safely." Tenderheart smirked, picking up on Futureheart's surprise even before his expression changed. Psionic training was paying off.

"But still, why can't he be more responsible about this, or at least take someone else as protection." Futureheart was still tense.

Tenderheart picked up some food with his fork, "Then just follow them. Let them go, wait about ten minutes and we can send you in after them and just keep your distance until something happens."

"Huh, I'm having an off day if I need to talk to myself to get advice," Futureheart sank into his chair.

"Learning from your past is one way to avoid mistakes," Tenderheart chuckled, "and if all this works out your future will be better too."

"My future doesn't exist." Futureheart whispered.

Tenderheart paused with a fork halfway to this mouth, "What? You mean you can't go back?"

Futureheart shook his head, "No, not enough psychonite but even if I had then the future I came from is gone. Time travel doesn't really exist, not in the way people think it does. What Bright Heart's device did was cut me off from the space time continuum then rewind all of time. Every moment from the point I arrived onwards ceased to exist the moment I re-entered time. I and everything I brought back with me are temporal leftovers that have been absorbed into the present time as is. I have no future to return to." Futureheart stood up turned to leave. Tenderheart just watched him go then turned back to his food.

Futureheart paused for a moment before he left, "One more thing: get everyone into the control room to watch what happens in Paradise Valley today."

OoOoO

Mira had bounced back from her mission rather quickly thanks to her parents. With her recent promotion to active duty and her willingness to call for backup instead of trying to just be a hero, Mira was trusted to wander the Kingdom of Caring relatively alone, or with her friends. She and Marina arrived at Flair's house each bearing a gift for their now 11-year old friend.

"Happy birthday!" Both girls called as they opened the front door.

"Mira! Marina!" Flair jumped up from the game he was playing, not even bothering to pause, and ran over to them to give them a hug, almost crushing his gifts as he did so.

The sudden sound of crashing from the TV made Flair turn around to see the screen going grayscale to indicate his character just died. He chuckled. "Oops."

"Well we're here now, so game later." Marina gave him a light punch on the arm as they moved to sit down on the couch.

Flair only had the two gifts, with the visit to Paradise Valley being his parents' gift to him. Mira got him a CD from one of his favorite artists on earth and Marina got him another racing game for his console, a favorite genre of his.

Anger Heart and Guidance Heart just sat to the side and watched their son playing with his friends. Times like these were why they loved being parents: just watching their son have fun.

"Think you'll ever want another kid?" Anger Heart asked.

Guidance smirked, "Maybe, but not right now. Maybe when we can think of another name."

Anger Heart chuckled, "Yeah, kid names are hard."

It was the mid afternoon before Mira and Marine decided to go home. As soon as they were out the door, Anger and Guidance got up.

"Alright, are you ready for your trip to Paradise?" Anger Heart asked.

Flair was literally bouncing with excitement, "Yes yes yes yes yes!"

"Alright, let's go then." Guidance took her son's hand.

"Don't forget these," Anger Heart grabbed three caring crystal pendants from a bowl on the counter. "They don't speak English down there."

"Ok," Flair grabbed the necklace with the translation spell imbedded in it and slipped it around his neck, just like his parents. Guidance and Anger each took one of their son's hands and they headed for the Hall of Hearts.

Flair could hardly keep still as they stepped on the Rainbow Rescue Beam platform and Bright Heart sent them on their way. Flair shivered and smoothed down his face fur as soon as they rematerialized. "Wow, that tingles!"

"You'll get used to it," Guidance Heart giggled.

"The village is this way," Anger Heart pointed and almost immediately Flair took off, shortly followed by his parents.

Ten minutes later, a second rainbow beam appeared and Futureheart Bear materialized. "I won't let them die." He set off towards the village.

Big Mama Tantan was there to greet the three. "Welcome, little Flair. Your parents told me you were coming to visit for your 11th birthday. So what do you want to see?"

"Everything!" Flair wagged his striped tail as though he were a dog.

Big Mama Tantan laughed, "I don't think you can do everything down here in one day, but we'll see what we can fit in."

"Just have fun, Flair, we'll be nearby," Guidance Heart waved as some of the children came over to show Flair Heart around.

"Don't worry, he'll be safe," Good Luck Bear had arrived with his wife, Polite Panda and her twin brother Perfect Panda.

"I know, but we can't help but worry. We're his parents," Anger Heart chuckled.

Polite smiled and carefully stepped aside, "And so are we." Two panda cubs stood behind her and Good Luck, both looking like they were toddler aged (in Care Bear years that made them at least three months old) and each wearing a hand-woven linen diaper. "Everyone, meet our twin girls Charm Panda and Fortune Panda." Charm Panda looked like a panda whose white fur was instead green and Fortune Panda looked like a panda with green fur where her black fur was.

Guidance Heart balked, "I thought you were still expecting, what happened?"

Good Luck chuckled nervously, "Well when I called I was actually saying the twins were coming, I was so excited I just said 'Polite and I are having twins!' then hung up as she was giving birth. I never called back to clarify that I meant we were having them right at that moment."

"So why didn't Proud Heart tell us? She's been down here a lot," Anger Heart folded his arms as he and Guidance turned to Perfect.

Perfect blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed, "She hasn't met them yet. I moved out before Proud Heart and I started seeing each other to a more private home where I can keep my garden and my peace. She never asked about them, just my garden and me... and the private time we spent together."

"Weird, but it makes sense," Guidance nodded.

Futureheart had taken up a vigil a fair distance away, on top of one of the hills near the edge of the village. He couldn't be easily seen if sitting down but he could jump into action at a moment's notice if needed. He pawed at the hilt of his huge psychonite infused sword where it stuck over his back. Things would end today one way or the other.

The sound of the Rainbow Rescue Beam drew Futureheart's attention for a moment and he saw Tenderheart appear at the target site. Of course he was here, he had been here the first time this happened. Futureheart tensed, was the future unchanging after all?

Tenderheart waved to the other Care Bears as he approached, "Hello everyone!"

Guidance Heart turned to face him in surprise, "Tenderheart, why are you here?"

Anger Heart tensed slightly, "Are you checking up on me at your own request?"

Tenderheart just smiled and shook his head, "No, I just decided I needed a short break and to deliver a message to Perfect from Proud Heart. She would have come herself but she'd a bit scared to use the Rescue Beam this close to her due date." Tenderheart fished the written note out of his tummy symbol and handed it to Perfect.

While Perfect was reading, Tenderheart noticed the twin panda cubs behind Polite and Good Luck. "Oh, hello. Who are you two?"

After running through the explanation of why the cubs were already born, Tenderheart just smiled. "Well as long as I'm here, why don't I give them their tummy symbols."

"Yes please, I was actually wondering if I should call you," Good Luck said.

"Just hold still," Polite carefully took hold of her daughter's shoulder. "This will feel funny."

Tenderheart's tummy symbol lit up and he fired off a white replica that circled around both panda cubs, causing them to both giggle as their tummies lit up and their new tummy symbols appeared: a charm bracelet for Charm Panda and a rainbow leading to a pot of gold for Fortune Panda.

Perfect Panda had watched the proceedings with the note in his hand and didn't speak until Tenderheart turned away from his nieces, who were busy poking at their new symbols like every Care Bear did at some point. "Proud Heart says she wants to move down here? But I thought we decided to live in the Kingdom of Caring."

"She's nervous about forcing you to leave your home. Isn't that how you felt and why you said you wanted to move up with us?" Tenderheart took Perfect to sit on a large rock nearby.

"Well... yes," Perfect admitted.

"Love-a-Lot's been talking to Proud Heart a lot lately, and to me too," Tenderheart chuckled, "Married to a bear like her I can't help but be involved in her business of love, especially when she keeps bringing her counselling into our house."

"I see..." Perfect twiddled his fingers together.

Tenderheart leaned a bit closer, "Answer me honestly: if it were entirely your decision: where would you want to live?"

Perfect sat in thought for a long time before he finally answered, "I want to live in the valley. It's my home and I don't want to leave it. But Proud Heart said..."

"She said she wants to be with you, no matter where that is," Tenderheart said. "And thanks to Star Fox the Rainbow Rescue Beam can take you home to visit anytime."

"But what about the valley?!" Perfect's voice became alarmed, "Once Proud and our children are bound here we won't be able to leave for an extended time. I don't want to trap her here like the rest of us."

"You'll work it out," Tenderheart touched Perfect's hand, "Don't worry about it now, just enjoy the time you have together. Besides," he smirked, "Proud Heart already packed her essentials, mostly just all the seeds she wants to bring down to plant her new garden down here and a few keepsakes and blankets. She spent ages with Bright Heart to make sure she won't bring down anything harmful and she's not going to let that go to waste. She'll be here before the week's out."

Perfect smiled, "I know now more than ever why I love her. But..." his smile faded, "my home is just for me and maybe her, I didn't enlarge it for a family because I thought we'd be living up in the Kingdom of Caring, I don't have time to make it big enough for all four of us."

"I'll ask Sage Heart to help, he's a geokineticist (he can control and reshape earth and stone) so I'm sure he can make an ideal space for the four of you."

The day wore on and seemingly nothing happened. Flair Heart was getting tired from playing with the other village children then washing off in the river with some of the soap Big Mama Tantan gave him before he trudged back over to his parents.

"Ready to go home?" Anger Heart asked.

"No, just need to rest," Flair Heart smiled then hugged his parents, "thank you."

"No problem," Guidance smiled down at him.

Futureheart was watching the sky when he finally saw it: a small dot growing larger and larger as a whistling noise grew in volume with it. He stood up and charged towards the village, hand on his sword hilt ready to draw as his own past played out in front of him. "I won't let it happen again!"

Everyone turned to look upwards as a whistling noise cut through the air. Members of the tribe scattered as a large metal sphere fell from the sky and smashed the largest hut in the village of Paradise Valley. People fled in every direction except for Anger Heart, Guidance Heart and their son, Flair Heart.

"What the hell is that thing?" Anger Heart placed himself protectively in front of his wife and son.

"Stay back, you don't know what it will try." Perfect Panda, a panda Care Bear with a star shaped ribbon for a tummy symbol, called from where he stood with his twin sister, Polite Panda whose symbol was a rose, and her husband Good Luck Bear, a green Care Bear with a four-leafed clover for a tummy symbol. Behind them they sheltered two panda small cubs, Good Luck and Polite's twin daughters.

Tenderheart Bear approached the sphere for a moment, then a sudden feeling of unease gripped him and he turned and ran, "GET AWAY!" His shout came too late as a metal plate shot off the pod and an eerie laughter spread out from the pod, laughter that sent shivers down everyone's spines.

A moment later a figure jumped out of the orb and landed on the ground between the Care Bears and the pod. It looked like a birthday clown with a sinister grin plastered on its face as it stared down the family members present. "Welcome, Care Bears. I was hoping for a bigger audience for my debut, but I suppose a small venue will have to do."

"Who are you?!" Anger Heart demanded, he was breathing hard as he felt his temper rising.

"What, you didn't see the posters? Well then I suppose you can call me Bozo, or by my real name the PRANK! Curtesy of Quentin Industries and Dr. Fright." The Prank made and elaborate bow.

On hearing the doctor's name, Guidance Heart panicked and jumped out from behind her husband. She threw up a wall of water then fired a beam of light through it, creating a bright beam of rainbow colored energy that struck The Prank dead on and right through him before the hole sealed up. The Prank recoiled slightly then grinned, "Looks like we have our first volunteer!" The clown jumped up and over to the side of the three and whipped out its arm, which changed into a long tendril that wrapped around Guidance Heart and pulled her next to it, "Any words from the audience?"

"Let her go!" Anger Heart's body erupted into flames then settled down as he heard his son shriek in fear behind him.

"MOM!" Flair Heart was about to run forwards, but Anger Heart caught him and held him back.

"Sorry, that's not on the program tonight," The Prank tightened its grip around Guidance Heart's neck, "But I do have something that will do, this momma has a baby and her head popped-"

"YAAA!" Futureheart leapt through the air and sliced off the limb holding Guidance Heart, grabbing her as the tendril fell away and swinging his sword at The Prank one handed, the energy slicing it in half and knocking it a few meters away. As the tendril on the ground slithered back to rejoin The Prank's body and it began to reassemble itself, its previously sinister face became passive and unemotional as it watched Futureheart.

Guidance Heart was rubbing her neck as Futureheart set her down. Flair ran over to her in an instant, "Mom! Are you alright?"

"Yes, for now," she fell to her knees, the shock of her near decapitation and rescue overriding the sense of danger.

Anger Heart was about to run over to his wife when Futureheart caught him. "Anger Heart, listen to me."

Anger Heart couldn't even get two words out, "But Gui-"

"Stop holding back!" Futureheart sheathed the sword on his back then grabbed Anger Heart by both his shoulders. "Guidance Heart almost died right there, I remember seeing her die!" He cast a brief glance over at Tenderheart, who was helping Perfect Panda to stand, "And then you and your son by that thing!" He pointed over his shoulder where the clown was still mostly cut in half. "I told you not to come down here today and you froze when her life was in danger! I don't remember much about your power but I know you barely tried to destroy the first nanomorph. Why are you holding back?"

"Because I don't want to lose control!" Anger Heart shouted, "If I lose control I might burn up everything and everyone I care about! I can feel the power growing inside me even when I don't use magic!" Anger Heart hugged himself and started to shake, "I know I have so little time left and I just want to spend it with them and keep them safe."

"Then let it out at The Prank, burn it up and destroy it so they have a future," Futureheart relaxed, "I know you're scared, I can feel it, but you need to let go. Now get fired up and help me destroy-"

SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! SHNK!

Futureheart froze then stared down at the five spikes protruding from his chest, torso and stomach, feeling his sword snap in half on his back and fall out of its holster to the ground. The now reformed Prank retracted its five spiked tendrils out of Futureheart which caused him to fall to his back, blood pooling under him from the now open wounds.

"TARGET ELIMINATED. RETURNING TO NORMAL OPERATION." The Prank shook its head and grinned, its robotic voice becoming creepily jovial, "Ooooh that order was a head trip! Just give me a moment, once I can move I'll get back to killing everyone!"

Anger Heart stared at Futureheart's body and felt a spark inside his chest. His lips curled back as he grit his teeth, his eyes furrowing in rage as he clenched his fists as a raging inferno blazed out of control. He threw back his head and let out a cry of rage.

"E** E *E* E *E* E *E* E ***RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

Blue fire erupted around Anger Heart as his tail split into eight! The snow at the edges of the valley melted and receded

Good Luck and Polite stopped carrying their children back home and turned to stare.

Tenderheart looked up and gaped at what he saw, as did Perfect.

The villagers all felt the rush of heat emanating from the fox and most shielded their faces.

Up in the Hall of Hearts control room, all the Bears, Cousins, Magi and Star Fox team members assembled could just stare at the screen focused on Anger Heart.

Flair Heart looked up from where he had been holding onto his mother since The Prank attacked Future. "Dad?"

Guidance Heart looked up and stared, wide-eyed, at her husband. "Anger Heart..."

(insert picture of Anger Heart Kyuubi)

The flames around Anger Heart had turned pure white as had all of his fur other than his tummy symbol and he now had nine tails that were more than twice as long as they had been before, all dancing upright around him.

The Prank had forgotten it could move its limbs again and just stood rooted to the spot as it stared at the now nine-tailed fox.

Tears streaked down Anger Heart's face and he raised an arm up to wipe them away then closed his lips and set his jaw as he stared down The Prank.

As Futureheart's life ebbed away, he caught his last glimpse of the world, seeing Anger Heart stand there as a full, white Kyuubi and managed a smile and one last word before darkness overtook him.

"The future, has changed..."