Shadow of a Rainbow

[Chibi Rachy]

I really had a good bit of fun with this chapter and enjoyed how it turned out. I decided I didn't want to include too many big events in the chapter, so this is how it turned out instead.

Chapter 9 Dismal Dreaming

Stormy awoke slowly, not wanting to open her eyes. She was aware of a dull pounding in her head. Instinctively, she moved her hand to her forehead, rubbing her temples. She tried to open her eyes, but the bits of light she glimpsed were painful, and she quickly closed them again, groaning. She listened to the sounds around her, and heard someone nearby. “Hey…” she called softly, not sure if it was friend or foe. She tensed up as she heard them suddenly stop.

“Shhh…” came the whispered reply. Stormy heard whoever it was come closer, and then heard them kneel beside her. “Don’t speak… or they’ll hear us.”

Stormy scrunched her face up, trying to figure out where she had heard that voice before. It suddenly clicked. “Moonglo?” she asked weakly. She felt a finger being put to her lips to keep her quiet.

“Listen to me, Stormy… Murky’s taken us both. There’s nothing left of Rainbow Land. It’s a colorless place now. He took everything and made Rainbow his slave. She does whatever he wants…there’s no hope left.”

Slowly, Stormy opened her eyes and found that she was laying on a cold, stone floor. She tried to sit up, but felt dizzy as soon as she tried. She laid back down on the floor, and stared up at the ceiling instead, which was also stone. “Where are we?” she asked.

“In the basement of the Color Castle. Murky keeps us here for now, but he is making plans for us. He makes Rainbow drain color from objects, just for fun. He thinks it’s funny.”

“Where is Rainbow?” asked Stormy.

“I don’t know,” replied Moonglo. “He sticks her in the cell next door at night. We talk softly sometimes and she tells me what’s been happening.”

“How long have I been out?”

“It’s been about a week,” answered Moonglo, shaking her head. “Murky plans to make everything dark, and then take over Earth.”

“We have to stop him,” replied Stormy stubbornly.

Moonglo sighed. “I don’t think so.”

Stormy turned to face Moonglo, and gave her a long, hard stare. “You used to be so positive. Now you’re negative.”

“I tried to be, but when things just keep going downhill, it loses its appeal after awhile, you know?”

Moonglo started to reply, but quickly closed her mouth when she heard the light pounding of footsteps. She placed a finger to her mouth. “Pretend to sleep…and don’t wake up,” she whispered quickly. Stormy lay quietly on the stone floor, closing her eyes. Moonglo’s words echoed in her mind.

“Pretend to sleep….don’t wake up…. Pretend to sleep…don’t wake up…”

When Stormy opened her eyes the next time, she found that she was someplace different, someplace very familiar. The room was darkened, yet she knew that she had been here before. She was on a bed of some sort, and she wasn’t alone. Someone slept beside her. Her head turned, finding that Rainbow was her companion, and at once she knew she was in Rainbow’s bedroom. Realizing that she had been having a dream, she quickly tried to sit up, wanting to prevent what she had seen from happening in real life. She grimaced and cried out when a bolt of pain shot through her body, causing her to quickly lie back down. Slowly, she remembered her battle with Murky, and how her rash rush into action had backfired on her. She hadn’t thought that Murky would have acted so quickly with the Color Belt, but now she knew.

Her eyes wandered to Rainbow, barely able to make out the features on her face in the darkness. Even now, she could see the distressed look on her face. Whatever was affecting her was not pleasant. Out of curiosity, she reached out a hand slowly to touch Rainbow’s face, recoiling quickly when she felt how cold Rainbow’s skin was to the touch. She shuddered involuntarily. She closed her eyes again, wishing that this was a bad dream as well.

She found herself wandering an empty, barren terrain. Everywhere around here rose red-brown cliffs, towering over her body. She could feel the dust that the wind scattered across the land, taste it in her mouth. The air was dry and stale; she began to wish she had a glass of cool water to wet her parched throat, though she couldn’t remember her throat being parched before that very thought. Cacti sparsely dotted the landscape, adding green specks to brighten up the otherwise dull gloom. Stormy shielded her eyes to glance upward toward the sun, searching to figure out the time of day. The sun was high in the sky – noon.

Trudging onward, she continued to walk a straight path, never knowing why, but feeling as though that was the direction she should be heading in. She became thirstier, and wished again for a glass of cold water. She could picture it so easily in her mind. Her fingers twitched at her sides, and she decided that if she couldn’t have a glass of cold water, she’d get it another way. She raised her right hand toward the sky, calling upon the moisture in the air, willing it to gather into clouds. For a few minutes she continued, barely producing tiny wisps of clouds in the end, nothing that could be called a rain cloud.

Sweat beaded together on her brow as she continued to attempt to create a rain storm, but it was no use. There simply wasn’t enough moisture in the air to create any sort of storm. She glared up at the white cloud wisps, a mockery of her true power. Stomping a foot in frustration, she continued onward, searching for a pool of water in the bleak landscape. It felt as though hours passed, and yet she still continued onward, her feet beginning to give out on her and her body covered in sticky sweat. She used a hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun and glanced around the landscape. Though she had been walking for quite some time, it felt as though she were moving nowhere, that she was passing the exact same cliffs and cacti that she had seen before.

Overhead, a rainbow darted from cloud to cloud, unnoticed by Stormy, who continued in her search for a pool of water. The rainbow touched down in front of Stormy, who continued forward, thinking it to be some sort of mirage. She knew such things occurred in places like this, and she wasn’t going to be fooled by her mind playing tricks. She walked directly into the rainbow, and came out the other side, stopping in her tracks. There in front of her was Rainbow, sitting atop a large cactus. Stormy didn’t realize that she had been coated in rainbow colors too.

Rainbow giggled and looked at her, smiling and pointing upward. “Hey, why didn’t you look up at the rainbow?” she asked, a smiling playing on her face.

“I…what?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Why didn’t you look up at the rainbow?” she asked again, smile never faltering.

“What’s going on? How did you find me here?” asked Stormy, shocked.

“Come on now. I’ve been watching you. You want to find water, right?”

Stormy frowned. If this was a mirage, it was doing a pretty good job at convincing her it was real and not fake. She decided to play along. “Yeah, I do.”

Rainbow pointed to her left. “Why, it’s right there! See?”

Stormy looked to her left, doing a double-take when she realized Rainbow was right. There was a pool of water, surrounded by a large group of cacti that appeared to be providing a bit of shade from the harsh sun. Stormy raised a hand to her mouth, only then realizing that she had been affected by the rainbow. “I’m covered in color!” she exclaimed.

“Of course. You walked right into the rainbow.”

“Get this off me, Rainbow. It’s not funny.” Stormy was quite certain she was going crazy. She was covered in colors and Rainbow was sitting atop a cactus, acting as though nothing was wrong. That’s really got to hurt as it is… she thought to herself. She watched as Rainbow hopped down from the cactus, and gestured at her.

“Come over here. You can’t expect me to get the color off you if you’re all the way over there, do you?”

Stormy frowned, not really trusting Rainbow’s words, but wanting her usual colors back. She walked closer to Rainbow, who stood next to the pool of water. Oh how blue the water was, and how cool it looked! Stormy was becoming thirstier just thinking about it. She stopped in front of Rainbow, but couldn’t react quickly enough when she felt Rainbow’s hands push her into the pool of water. The last thing she heard was Rainbow’s laughter as the cool water touched her skin, beginning to sink.

Down, down she sank, deeper and deeper into the pool of water. She made to kick her legs, trying to swim to the top again. Her hands moved in rhythm with her feet, but she just couldn’t seem to swim back to the top. The more effort she put into swimming, the faster she seemed to sink within the pool. Its deepness never seemed to end and she felt herself tiring, losing breath. She reached out for something, anything that would keep her from sinking, but her fingers grasped water. She felt herself losing consciousness, and slowly, she gave in to the comforting darkness…

It was some time later when Stormy was awakened by the sound of sprite chatter. Groggily, she worked to awaken herself fully, not being able to even understand what the sprite was chattering about. Her ears felt as though they were full of water, as though she had just come up from spending a long period of time submerged. She heard another voice join the banter and wondered what was going on. Her eyes came into focus, and she saw the sources of the excited conversation – Moonglo and Nite Sprite.

~Earlier~

Moonglo yawned as she walked into Rainbow’s room. She was exhausted after completing her night’s work. Nite Sprite trudged in after her, dropping the bag that now seemed twice as heavy as it had before and plopping directly on the floor. His antennae drooped and he yawned. “Don’t worry, Nite Sprite. I just need to check on these two and then you can go.” Nite Sprite replied in a worried voice. “No, I’ll be fine. I can’t sleep on the job; these two need me.”

Nite Sprite continued to chatter, stamping his foot in disapproval. Moonglo watched him before she spoke, allowing him to get his frustration out. “Nite Sprite, I’m the only one left who Murky hasn’t taken or hurt. I need to care for our friends. I know you want me to sleep, but I can’t right now.” Moonglo walked closer to the bed, wanting to check on both Rainbow and Stormy. She walked to Rainbow’s side first, and began fooling with the covers. She looked at Rainbow’s face, and that’s when she saw it.

“Nite Sprite! Come quick!”

Nite Sprite hurried to Moonglo’s side and quickly climbed onto the bed. He noticed that Moonglo was pointing at Rainbow’s face, and he squinted his eyes to make out what was there in the darkness. His eyes grew wide as he saw the strange new appearance on Rainbow’s face. “You see it too, don’t you?” whispered Moonglo.

Nite Sprite nodded his head in confirmation. He too had seen the strange blackish spot on Rainbow’s cheek, next to the purple star. It seemed to be a swirling circle, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Nite Sprite reached out to touch it, but Moonglo pulled his hand away. “Careful,” she warned. “Something’s definitely not right here.”

Rubbing his chin in thought, Nite Sprite tried to figure out a solution. He snapped his fingers and began to explain his idea to Moonglo, who listened intently. Finally, she nodded her head in agreement. “All right, that might work, but hurry back with I.Q., all right.”

Moonglo turned back to the bed, looking over at Rainbow. She worried about what the spot could mean, what it might be. She knew that I.Q. was the only one left in Rainbow Land who had a chance of diagnosing the problem. While she waited, she moved to the other side of the bed to check on Stormy. She caught the glint of green that looked back at her.

“What’s going on?” asked Stormy in a soft, strained voice.

“Rainbow has a dark spot on her cheek… I’m not sure what it is, but it can’t be good. Nite Sprite went to find I.Q. so he can check her out.”

Stormy nodded. “What’s happened to me?”

“Murky got to you. You’re pretty hurt. Twink and I took care of you the best we could.”

“He’s gonna pay for what he’s done! You should have seen him wearing Rainbow’s Color Belt! It was all grey and black and he got it to work for him!” The anger Stormy felt was building. “He made it split into ribbons and cut me. He was able to control it just as easily as Rainbow!” Stormy’s voice began to crack and she suddenly felt very tired. She lay back on the pillows, enjoying the soft warmth radiating from them.

Moonglo smiled softly. “Don’t tire yourself out so quickly. You need to rest. It looks like we’re going to have to fight back or give up Rainbow Land to him.”

“Don’t…give…up…” Stormy spat out in a tired voice.

Moonglo nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna give up, but you need to rest so we can make a plan.” Stormy nodded and relaxed against the pillows. Moonglo heard a shuffling behind her and found I.Q. and Nite Sprite standing there.

“I.Q., there’s a dark spot on Rainbow’s cheek. Do you think you could check it out and see what it might be? I know you don’t have Shy Violet to help, but could you try?”

I.Q. nodded and hopped up onto the bed, motioning for Nite Sprite to follow him. Both sprites hovered over Rainbow’s face. I.Q. made humming noises every so often, tapping his chin in thought. He and Nite Sprite quickly conversed in sprite language. Moonglo watched the quick exchange. Both sprites finished the exchange, nodding at each other before turning to face Moonglo. I.Q. held out his hands and began explaining what he’d found.

Moonglo’s hand flew to her mouth. A spot that was shadowy. I.Q. suspected that it had to do with Murky’s gloom potions, but he wasn’t sure. Knowing Murky’s liking of the familiar concoction in various forms made it likely that it was simply another variation. I.Q. had a feeling that this shadow spot was only the beginning. “At least we know what it is, right?” she asked.

I.Q. nodded, but began to provide another explanation. Moonglo knew that it didn’t matter which explanation he came up with. The fact of the matter was that Murky needed to be stopped at all costs.

[Chibi Rachy]

Yay for a weekend where I could work on my story. It's time to begin wrapping things up, but I don't know how many chapters that's going to take. I need to check my book and see what I have left to write. Enjoy this chapter though!

Chapter 10 Beginning of Rainbow’s End

By mid-day the next day, the shadow spot had grown considerably in size. The entire left side of Rainbow’s face appeared as though it were bruised. It was an awful sight to look at, and neither Stormy or Moonglo could stomach looking at it for very long. They almost preferred the spot to have been hidden, so as to not ruin the beauty that was Rainbow’s face. Stormy felt much better after a good rest, and barely felt anything. Well, anything that she’d care to admit to someone. Moonglo kept her in bed, which bugged Stormy. However, she complied with the request. There were bigger things to think about.

“We need to get that Belt back,” began Stormy, not willing to give up.

“I know,” replied Moonglo softly. “How do we do it? Last night, when I was working in the sky, I saw Murky out and about. If you look outside…you’ll see he’s been very busy.”

“He changed the land, didn’t he?”

Moonglo nodded sadly. “It’s grey. Everything is grey and ugly. I wanted to stop him…I just didn’t know how.”

“We can’t do too much of anything if he has the Color Belt. We need to get it back before he really causes trouble.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We go to the Pits today. We get the Color Belt back and use it to bring Rainbow back. Then we let her deal with Murky.”

“How are we going to take the Color Belt from Murky?”

Stormy took a few minutes to think about it. “You,” she answered simply.

“Me?” asked Moonglo.

“Yes,” replied Stormy. “You can turn invisible; we can use that as a distraction for Murky.”

For the next hour, the girls continued to work on their plan, deciding how they could trick Murky and get the Color Belt back. They didn’t dare look at Rainbow’s face, for they knew the shadow spot was getting bigger with each passing hour.

Murky leisurely made his way down the network of tunnels, following the chalkmarks on the stone walls with his lantern. It was time to refill his glorious machine and check on the pesky Color Kids once again. Quickly, he held his lantern over the prison pit. The brats were barely moving, but he could see a few of them wandering aimlessly around their prison, namely Patty O’Green, Shy Violet, and Lala Orange. They’d bump into each other before turning around and walking in a different direction. Murky knew he could probably put the Kids to good use one day, draining color for him instead of adding it. Rainbow Land was easy to take care of. Once he had the Mines and sprites working for him, he could figure out a way to travel the galaxy, draining color from Earth and other surrounding planet.

The machine was just ejecting the last of the gloom cloud potion, as Murky crossed the cavern to the machine. He could just hear the sounds of the Color Kids coming out of its stupor. He could imagine them coming to, wondering where they were when the last thing they remembered was sleeping safe and sound in their beds. First came the exclaims of surprise, then the shock when they realized where they were.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Murky heard Red Butler say.

“Murky’s done this to us. He’ll pay!” added Buddy.

Murky couldn’t resist taunting the Color Kids. The opportunity was too great to pass up. He was certain they wouldn’t be able to escape; Lurky had proved that when he’d swung from the bars. “Oh dear, look what I’ve got in my pit!” he cackled with glee as he glanced through the bars at the Kids. He held the lantern over the Kids, causing them to squint from the bright light.

“You let us go!” cried Canary Yellow.

“Oh no! That would be no fun!” he replied.

“Rainbow Brite will save us. You wait and see. She’d never let us down!”

“You forget that your precious Rainbow Brite is out of commission!” This remembrance washed over each Color Kid and they frowned. “And I have her precious Color Belt too.”

“It won’t work without star sprinkles,” retorted Shy Violet.

“Which is why I have cases of them here. The Evil Princess left them behind the last time, so I made my own. They’re quite powerful. Stormy found that out first hand.”

“You think you can keep us here, Murky Dismal?” asked Patty O’Green in a soft voice. “Stormy and Moonglo can still get you. You watch.”

Murky waved his hand dismissively. He was growing bored of taunting the Color Kids, and quickly turned away from the prison pit. Flipping the switched, he waited and listened as the gloom cloud took effect on each Kid and effectively stopped their remarks and replies. “Peace and quiet again. How does Rainbow stand their chattering?” he muttered to himself as he began to make his way back to the lair, wondering if he could figure out a way to effectively get Stormy and Moonglo to hand over Rainbow Land.

“Starlite! Starlite!” called Moonglo loudly. She was wandering the areas near the Color Castle, trying to find Rainbow’s horse. The land seemed so very strange without color. It gave her a creepy feeling inside.

“Stop calling for me as though I were some silly child,” came the reply from within the forest covering.

“Oh Starlite! Stormy and I need you to help us out.”

“If it’s to insult me, I don’t need to hear it. The most magnificent horse in the universe will not be insulted,” he answered.

Moonglo crept closer to where Starlite’s voice appeared to be coming from. “We figured out what was wrong with Rainbow. Murky’s been up to no good.” She waited for the reply, ready to tiptoe even closer.

“This had better not be some trick,” answered Starlite. “I don’t want to be tricked.” Moonglo followed the sound of his voice, creeping closer and noticing a clearing up ahead. There lay Starlite in a bed of leaves and pine needles. He looked rather glum. Moonglo stepped into the clearing.

“It’s not a trick. Stormy and I are going to the Pits, but we need your help too. We’re going to get the Color Belt back. Stormy thinks that we may be able to use it to help Rainbow.”

Starlite rose to his feet and shook off the excess leaves and pine needles. “Then what are we waiting for? Climb aboard!” Moonglo smiled at him and climbed onto his back. Starlite raced back toward the Color Castle where Stormy, Rainbow, and Skydancer were waiting. Moonglo and Stormy had worked together to bring Rainbow’s unconscious body outside, not wanting to leave her unattended to. They were afraid that with everything Murky had already done, he’d somehow find a way to take her as well. They didn’t stop to think that he might do the same once they were in the Pits.

Starlite stopped in front of the Castle and spotted Rainbow. “I am not going to carry her, if that’s the only reason you found me,” he replied stiffly.

“Stormy’s going to carry her on Skydancer. I’m going to ride you,” replied Moonglo.

“And I’m coming too!” interjected Twink as he ran from inside the Color Castle.

“Do you have enough?” asked Stormy.

“Course! There’s plenty of star sprinkles in my pouch!”

The group readied themselves to go. Starlite helped Moonglo lift Rainbow up onto Skydancer. Moonglo climbed aboard Starlite and pulled Twink up behind her. She looked nervously over at Stormy. “Are you sure this will work?” she asked softly.

“Not completely sure, but we don’t have a choice!” she called back. Before she could change her mind, she signaled Skydancer to head for the Pits. With one arm she held Rainbow upright on Skydancer, the other arm holding tightly to his mane. Starlite followed after them. “Remember, we’re going to sneak toward an open spot and bring him outside! That’s our best chance!”

“We don’t have the rainbow,” called Starlite. “How do we fight back?”

Moonglo patted his neck. “You and I are going to hide before Murky spots us. Stormy is going to use the storms to fight him. When the time is right, I’ll turn invisible and steal the Color Belt from Murky.”

“But why did we bring Rainbow with us?”

“It’s part of our trap. We’re going to pretend we’re giving her to Murky. He’ll think we’ve lost hope,” called Stormy over her shoulder.

The sight of the Pits became ever closer, as the pathway became littered with rocks. If there had been any color left in Rainbow Land, it would have been easy to spot the darkened forest that normally lined the border. Loud peals of thunder could be heard. Stormy stopped, observing the scene before her. Glancing to her left, she grinned. “There! That cliff above Murky’s hideout will work. Starlite, do you think you can get up there without being seen?”

“Do birds fly? Of course I can!” he replied.

“Good. See you soon, Moonglo!” Stormy urged Skydancer onward, heading for the direct path to the cliff top. Starlite took off in another direction, using the dense undercover of the forest to keep him hidden.

Lurky stared out the window of Murky’s laboratory, completely bored out of his mind. He absent-mindedly rolled a toy train back and forth along the windowsill, watching the path. Murky had put Lurky on lookout duty while he worked on a new plan. He had locked himself into his room, and commanded that he not be disturbed at all costs. The usual storms that littered the Pits even seemed boring. He sighed and continued to roll the train on the sill. When Stormy and Skydancer first appeared on the horizon, Lurky thought he was daydreaming. He squinted.

“Is that Rainbow Brite too?” he wondered to himself. He squinted harder, his eyes becoming little slits. “It is! Oh boy! Rainbow’s come to play!”

Lurky started to dash off for Murky’s room and had reached the first step when he remembered Murky’s words. “Surely he’d want to know about Rainbow coming to visit,” he reasoned to himself. Lurky climbed the stairs and made his way to Murky’s bedroom. He pounded on Murky’s door.

Murky was deep in concentration, making notes from the various books around him. The loud pounding caused him to jump, and the ink bottle next to him spilled over his grey sheets. “Gah! Lurky! I told you not to bother me!” he yelled angrily as he blotted at the ink stain.

“But Murky!” came the call from behind the door.

“I said no buts, Lurky. I said you were to leave me alone and keep quiet!”

“But there’s something—“

“There’s nothing! I need to finish this plan!”

“But Rainbow Brite—“

“—is out of commission,” finished Murky. “And her friends will soon follow.”

“No Murky. She’s here!”

“What?!” roared Murky. He sprang from the bed and yanked the door open. “Why didn’t you say so peanut breath?”

“I was tryin’ to!”

Murky pushed Lurky out of the way and dashed down the stairs. Rainbow Brite couldn’t have come to the Pits. He’d made sure of it with the gloom shadow. There was no way that Stormy or Moonglo knew how to see it, or could have fixed it. As he continued to dash toward his laboratory, he worked to reason with himself. Racing to the window, he looked outside. He was barely in time to catch a glimpse of Stormy on Skydancer, and spotted a very much unconscious Rainbow Brite. He sighed in relief. So she wasn’t fixed.

“Did ya see her, Murky?” asked Lurky from the doorway.

Murky rushed past him. “Come on! We’re going to greet them properly! They’re headed for the cliffs!” Lurky dashed after him.

Stormy finished the climb to the top of the cliffs and waited. She was certain that she’d been spotted by either Murky or Lurky. There was no way that one of them wouldn’t be on lookout. Within seconds, she noticed she was right, as Murky and Lurky ran from the lair and looked up at her. “I’ve got something for you, Murky Dismal,” she yelled.

“What could that brat bring me?” asked Murky. “Oh well. Let’s go Lurky.”

“How are we gonna get up there?” asked Lurky, scratching his head.

“Easy! Like this!” cried Murky as he touched a gloved finger to his Belt. The negative rainbow once again burst forth and created a pathway that connected directly to the cliffs. Murky and Lurky stepped onto it and were automatically sliding up the path.

Stormy tried not to let the surprise on her face give her way. She had had no idea that Murky would be able to use the Color Belt for transportation as Rainbow had. Carefully, so as not to knock Rainbow off, she slid from Skydancer and faced Murky. Arms crossed, she stated angrily, “I’m giving you Rainbow Brite. She’s pathetic and useless as she is. We don’t need her anymore.”

Murky grinned like a child in a candy shop. This was a dream come true! “Ah I see,” he answered with mock seriousness. “Yes, she does look quite useless.”

“Take her away from me. The sight of her sickens me!”

Lurky made a move to go and fetch Rainbow off of Skydancer’s backside, but Murky stopped him. “Not that way. This way. Let’s have a little fun with her!” he cackled as his finger pressed the Belt. Another negative rainbow shot forth, and before Stormy could react, it had wrapped itself around Rainbow, binding her tightly. It lifted Rainbow from Skydancer, and Murky got his first glimpse at the side of her face that was bruised; the shadow spot not only showed on the left side of her face, but also her neck and down to her fingertips on that side. So that’s how they figured out something was wrong. The invisibility potion is wearing off. No worries!

“No!” replied Stormy in a fearful whisper. This hadn’t been part of the plan at all. She hadn’t meant for Murky to actually take Rainbow from her. I’ve got to distract him…maybe if I can do that, Moonglo can still get the Color Belt!

[Chibi Rachy]

Needed to post this chapter. I actually finished it the day after I finished chapter 10 because I was so inspired. I waited to post it though since I'd just posted 10. Anyway, enjoy! There's about 2-3 chapters remaining, but don't quote me on that!

Chapter 11 Revival of Rainbow

Murky cackled. “Oh you’ve done it now! You’ve given me the last piece for my plan. Watch what I do to her now!” The rainbow that bound Rainbow tightly began to sway back and forth, getting closer and closer to the edge. Stormy knew that Murky was taunting her, so she raised her hand to the sky, concentrating on drawing together a group of clouds separate from the ones that already were in the vicinity. White lightning crackled and boomed. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Rainbow still being tossed about. She directed her lightning strikes to where Murky stood. Murky side-stepped her attack and glared, before directing his eyes toward Rainbow.

Stormy could only watch in horror as he used the negative rainbow to toss Rainbow against a grouping of rocks. She was seething mad and turned her attention directly to Murky, concentrating more than ever on hitting her target. He continued to dance and sidestep her attacks, which only made her angrier. She had completely forgotten about Moonglo and Starlite when she saw the faint outline of a hand near Murky before it disappeared. She blinked, thinking she had been seeing things. Suddenly, the plan came back to her and she knew she hadn’t been seeing things, only Moonglo signaling to her.

Again, Stormy began her attack, but deliberately missed Murky, who laughed at her sudden incompetence. “Seems you’ve lost your touch!” he called glibly.

Stormy ignored his remarks, her eyes focused on Murky’s waist and the Color Belt. “Come on, Moonglo… come on…” she whispered to herself as she continued to miss hitting Murky. Each passing second felt like a minute to her, but finally she thought she saw the Belt loosening at Murky’s waist. All of a sudden, the Belt swung free, and Murky quickly realized that he was missing his new toy.

A large bolt of lightning flew from the sky, striking Murky. It wasn’t enough to do much harm to him, but it was enough to knock him out. Stormy grinned in triumph as she watched the Belt seemingly float away and disappear behind a group of rocks. Lurky rushed to Murky’s side, forgetting to deal with Stormy or chase after the Color Belt. Stormy rushed to where Rainbow had been tossed and quickly checked her over for injury. Spotting nothing, she figured it’d be all right to take her back to Rainbow Land. She pulled Rainbow into a sitting position as Starlite leapt from behind the group of rocks that the Color Belt had disappeared behind. Moonglo sat triumphantly on his back, Belt in hand.

Sliding from Starlite, she rushed to the other side of Stormy, and together the two girls worked to put Rainbow’s Color Belt around her waist. Belt secure, they lifted Rainbow onto Skydancer, who had knelt to the ground to make things easier. “Look!” called Moonglo. Stormy looked to where her finger pointed, and noticed that Rainbow’s Color Belt was now faded in color, but it was no longer grey.

“We’ve got to hurry. Murky won’t wake for a bit.” Carefully, Skydancer rose and Stormy leapt onto his backside. Moonglo climbed back onto Starlite, with Twink sitting behind her.

“Let’s head back to Rainbow Land!” called Stormy as Skydancer took off trotting. Starlite followed.

“Murky? Uhh, Murky?” called Lurky as he shook Murky’s body. “It’s not sleepy time, Murky.” Lurky continued to try to wake Murky.

Meanwhile, Stormy crossed the border into Rainbow Land. She couldn’t remember feeling so happy to be there. She quickly led the others to a clearing and dismounted. Moonglo and Twink followed suit. Skydancer knelt to the ground, and the girls worked to get Rainbow off his back and onto the forest floor.

“Twink, we need some good star sprinkles,” instructed Moonglo.

Twink reached into the pouch at his side, and pulled out a handful of colorful star sprinkles. He deposited them into Stormy’s outstretched hand. “What if this doesn’t work?” he asked worriedly.

“We’re not going to think about that Twink,” answered Moonglo. She knelt on Rainbow’s left side, trying not to look at the large shadow spot that covered most of her face and parts of her body.

“It’s going to work,” replied Stormy, leaving no room for argument. She held the star sprinkles to the Color Belt. At first, nothing happened, and Stormy frowned. This was what Rainbow had always done with the star sprinkles. She held the star sprinkles closer to the star on the Color Belt, and slowly, a soft white light began to glow. It was very weak, and soon the star sprinkles were gone from Stormy’s hand. “I think we need more…that didn’t seem like it did much.”

“Look at the Belt, Stormy,” interrupted Moonglo. “It’s not so faded anymore.”

“Murky musta drained the Color Belt completely,” added Twink. “We’ll need lots of star sprinkles to charge it again!”

“We don’t have a lot of time!” said a frustrated Stormy.

“I’ll take Twink to the other sprites,” interjected Starlite. “I am the fastest horse in all the universe; I’ll be back before you know it!”

Twink nodded in agreement and hopped onto Starlite’s back. “We won’t be long!” he yelled as Starlite dashed for the Color Castle.

Moonglo looked to Stormy, and saw the anger that was evident on her face. “How long will Murky be out?” she asked softly.

“A half hour at most. It was just a stunning shot more than anything. I needed to give us time to escape.” Moonglo nodded, but didn’t reply. The girls sat in silence, one on either side of Rainbow. Each of them wished that Twink and Starlite would hurry back.

Within ten minutes, Starlite galloped back into the clearing. Twink jumped from his back, a sack of star sprinkles as big as himself on Starlite. “I’ve got plenty!” said Twink as he pulled the bag from Starlite. Out spilled the star sprinkles of various colors. Stormy went to gather a handful, but didn’t have the chance. The entire pile began glowing. At first, it was the same weak glow as before, but it grew in brightness. Stormy and Moonglo shielded their eyes from the brightness. Twink hid behind Starlite. A low humming noise could be heard, and Stormy dared to squint to see what was happening.

Suddenly, the glowing halted and there were no more star sprinkles to be seen on the ground. They had all been absorbed into the Color Belt, which now shown brightly around Rainbow’s waist. “Moonglo, Twink, look!” she shouted, getting the other two to look at Rainbow. Starlite and Skydancer watched in silent amazement.

Without being touched, the Color Belt activated itself and a colorful rainbow shot forth, a sight to see in the grey landscape. It enveloped Rainbow in its light, and created a cocoon around her body. For a few minutes, the rainbow acted as a protective shell around Rainbow. She was raised into the air, and the rainbow grew brighter. Stormy, Twink, and Moonglo squinted and watched. As suddenly as it had begun, the rainbow cocoon lowered to the ground and unwrapped itself from around Rainbow before disappearing back into the Color Belt.

Twink blinked to adjust to the normal lighting and was the first to notice the changes. “Look! The shadow spot! It’s gone!”

Stormy and Moonglo studied Rainbow’s face, noticing that Twink was indeed correct. “You’re right, Twink,” replied Moonglo.

“Now the only question is what happens next,” murmured Stormy, keeping an eye on Rainbow’s face.

Slowly, Rainbow’s eyes opened. She blinked, not used to the light. Slowly, she sat up, hand to her head. “Ohhh…what happened?” she asked groggily. “I feel like I’ve been murked out.”

“Murky got you! And the Belt!” Twink cried.

Rainbow groaned, trying to wake herself fully. She had no idea why she felt so exhausted. “What do you mean?”

“We can tell you later,” interrupted Stormy. “We’ve got to take care of Murky right now. He should still be knocked out, but we’ve got to get the Color Kids back.”

“Murky has the Color Kids?!” This fully woke Rainbow.

“Yes, and he did have your Belt, but we got that back,” added Moonglo.

“Murky’s had fun with tricks and traps. We need to take care of him. We need a plan,” stated Stormy.

Rainbow nodded. “We need to get him into Rainbow Land so I can take care of him.”

Moonglo looked up. “What if we convince him that you never woke up?”

“What are you talking about, Moonglo?” asked Stormy.

“Murky knows what we were going to do with the Color Belt. We can trick him by saying that the Color Belt didn’t restore Rainbow.”

“That’s a really good idea, Moonglo,” replied Rainbow, nodding in approval.

“We need to figure out how to get the Color Kids back too,” added Stormy.

The girls continued to talk, making improvements to the plan. It became more complex, but it was almost certain that Murky would fall for it. The idea was that Rainbow would return to the Color Castle with Twink. She would lay in her bed, feigning unconsciousness. Twink would cover her face and arms with black soil to represent the shadow spot. Twink would then pretend to mourn over her. Stormy and Moonglo would return to the Pits and surrender the Color Castle to Murky. They would tell him to come see for himself if he didn’t believe them. It was expected that Murky would fall for the lies, and then it would be up to Rainbow and Twink to play convincing roles so that Rainbow could execute a surprise attack.

While all the action was taking place in Rainbow Land, Starlite would take some star sprinkles with him to the Pits, which would alert him to the location of the Color Kids. He would take Rainbow and Twink to the Color Castle first, then head the roundabout way back toward the Pits, taking care not to cross paths with Murky and Lurky. It was hoped that he’d have enough time to find the Color Kids and free them before Murky returned.

“Everyone know what to do?” asked Rainbow. Stormy, Moonglo, Twink, and Starlite nodded. “Then let’s take care of Murky!”

Rainbow and Twink climbed aboard Starlite while Stormy and Moonglo climbed onto Skydancer. “Good luck!” called Rainbow.

“Good luck to you too!” replied Moonglo as Stormy guided Skydancer toward the Pits. Each group took off, feeling hopeful and optimistic for once since the whole ordeal had begun.

Starlite galloped quickly toward the Color Castle. “Are you sure Murky will believe them?” he questioned.

“Murky’s pretty gullible,” replied Rainbow. “And he’ll do anything to get my Color Belt again.”

“He won’t get it this time!” added Twink.

“He may be gullible, but will he fall for this trick?” questioned Starlite again, still uncertain.

“We don’t know, but we have to believe!” encouraged Rainbow.

Starlite stopped in front of the Color Castle and dropped his two passengers off. Twink quickly brought him a small brown cloth bag. “Here you go, Starlite. Enough star sprinkles to help you find the Color Kids.”

“This is not very dignified,” retorted Starlite as he took the bag in his mouth. He mumbled a goodbye to Rainbow and Twink and took off for the Pits.

“Let’s get to work, Twink. You go get some of that black soil in the nearby forest.”

“Right,” replied Twink, nodding.

“I’ll meet you in my room. We’ll show Murky what the real owner of the Color Belt can do!”

Meanwhile, Stormy and Moonglo were discussing their parts to play while riding toward the Pits. “Do you think Murky will believe us?” asked Moonglo in a worried voice.

“I think so,” answered Stormy. “It’s going to be hard to pretend that we’ve given up.”

“We have to do that or he won’t believe us.”

“I think Murky will believe anything… as long as it gets him the Color Belt back.” When she didn’t get a reply, she turned her head, noticing that Moonglo kept her eyes on her lap. “Rainbow thinks it’ll work out. Trust Rainbow.”

“Mmhmm” was the only reply Moonglo gave.

Stormy glanced ahead and saw that they were ready to cross into the Pits. “Here goes…Skydancer, lower your head some.” Skydancer complied with his mistress’s command.

“Murky! Wake up Murky!” Lurky had been attempting to wake him up for over twenty minutes and was having no luck.

Murky’s fingers began to twitch as he returned to consciousness. His fingers slowly became fists, and he growled as Lurky continued to shake him. “Get…off… bozo…brain…” he instructed.

“Oh Murky! You’re awake!”

“Yes… and Stormy will pay for this!” Murky slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.

Lurky glanced around the area, looking for Stormy. He spotted her upon Skydancer. “Look Murky! There she is!”

Leaping to his feet, Murky curled his hands into fists. “Good. We need something to get rid of her and Moonglo too.”

“They don’t look so happy, Murky,” noted Lurky, pointing.

“Hmm…I wonder what they’re up to…” mused Murky. “Perhaps this could work out for me after all…”

[Chibi Rachy]

I love this chapter, I really do. It was kinda a pain to figure out how to do three different stories at once, but I got it figured out. I was just really feeling inspired with this one, so I felt completely in character at all times. I could hear the characters speaking in my head. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but it is what it is.

Chapter 12 Surrender, Rescue, and Trickery

“Ready?” whispered Stormy.

“Yes,” replied Moonglo in the same whispered voice.

Stormy urged Skydancer on at a slow pace. There was no need to hurry, when she had to pretend they were surrendering. She hated pretending to be this weak though… to give into Murky seemed such a low thing to do indeed. Skydancer whinnied a reply, as though reading her mind. “It’s okay… we’re almost there…” she soothed as she patted his mane. She could tell that he didn’t like playing any part in this surrender game; it simply wasn’t in his nature to give up willingly.

Closer and closer they came to the same spot where they had just recently taken back the Color Belt from Murky’s grimy hands. Stormy soon slowed Skydancer and a bewildered Murky and Lurky watched as she spoke. “We give up,” she said, dropping her head. “Rainbow Land is yours.”

Moonglo shook her head. “We couldn’t bring Rainbow back. We tried…but it didn’t work. You win, Murky Dismal.”

Murky couldn’t believe what he was hearing from the two. It sounded too good to be true. Rainbow not able to be revived? The gloom shadow must have worked better than he had thought it would. However, something didn’t settle right. “How do I know this isn’t a trick?” he asked cautiously.

“It’s not a trick,” replied Stormy. “You can go to the Color Castle and see for yourself.”

“Why the Color Castle? I’m sure you’ve set a trap and are lying!”

“We had to take her back to Rainbow Land to get the Color Belt to work. You know she’s powerless in the Pits,” Moonglo reminded him.

“Murky, does this mean we get the horseys too?” interjected Lurky with a thoughtful smile on his face.

“Quiet bozo brain!” hissed Murky. To Stormy and Moonglo he said, “True, but I still don’t trust you. How can I be sure this is real?”

Stormy quickly tried to think of a reply, but had nothing to respond with. They hadn’t discussed this part and what they’d do if Murky didn’t trust them. She was about to speak and distract him, when Moonglo spoke up.

“Because we’re giving ourselves to you. We’ll be your new slaves, Murky.” Moonglo lowered her head and held out her wrists, waiting for them to be cuffed.

Stormy covered her mouth in surprise; Moonglo did sound pretty convincing. She followed in Moonglo’s steps and held out her wrists. “Yes. We wouldn’t do this if we thought Rainbow could help us,” she added.

On the inside, Murky was grinning with glee. How he’d longed to hear those words! How he’d seen a scene so very similar to this in his mind. “Lurky, fetch me some rope! We’ll put these two to good use!”

Lurky ran off clumsily for the laboratory to get the requested rope. Murky rubbed his hands together, gleefully plotting the many things he could do. He could use Stormy’s power to destroy the rest of Rainbow Land and keep it dark and gloomy. He’d find a use for Moonglo… he preferred not to use her current power… no sane person would ever want to see the night sky bright and full of color.

Starlite slowly made his way through the forest, keeping an eye toward the direction of the cliff where he knew Stormy and Moonglo would be surrendering to Murky. He had taken the long way around and now was searching for a back cave entrance into the Pits. The trick was to find it and then find a way in. Down the steep rock faces he trod, being careful of each step. He didn’t want to set off a tiny avalanche of rocks, especially not before Murky left for Rainbow Land.

I swear… never again will I carry a bag like a common horse! he thought to himself, swishing his multi-colored tail in defiance. To the left, something caught his eye. He looked closer, and saw that it was indeed some sort of entrance into Murky’s lair. To get to it, he’d have to go down deeper into the Pits and then climb up the slanted rock face to get to what he hoped was the entrance.

Slowly, slowly, he continued downward, sighing in relief when he reached a flat surface that was level with the entrance. However, he was disappointed to see that there was a steep drop not three feet in front of him that separated his ledge from the entrance. He was left with only one option – jump across the wide gap and hope that he’d make it. Why, there’s no such thing as “hoping”! I know I can make it across… such a feat is easy for a horse like me! Starlite studied the distance, calculating his jump. Slowly, he backed up as far as he could and gripped the bag of star sprinkles in his mouth tightly. On silent hooves he raced for the ledge, propelling himself outward at the very last moment.

Starlite soared through the air, the wind catching his mane and tail. Within moments he had landed safely on the other side, right in front of the entrance. That was no trouble at all! He moved closer, spying that there was no wooden door to enter through. The entrance was merely hidden by a dirty, grimy, grey cloth that helped it to blend better into the Pits. Starlite never would have found it if part of the cloth hadn’t been torn away from its hangings. Pushing the cloth aside, he edged his way into the cavern, getting a feel for the height and width. He noted that it could easily accommodate him, and tried to decide which way to go. He took a few test steps to the left, and then a few test steps to the right. If I were Murky Dismal, where would I go? he wondered to himself. To the left, the path seemed to slant uphill a bit, while to the right it seemed to slant downhill. Why, I’d hide the Color Kids in the deepest part of the Pits! he deduced.

Slow and careful steps to the right told him he was on a gentle incline. After a few moments, he decided to try some of the star sprinkles. He carefully set the bag down and used his nose to nudge it open. Carefully, he gripped one of the tiny star sprinkles in his mouth and then used a hoof to seal the bag up. There was no point in using more star sprinkles then necessary. He tossed the star sprinkle into the air, hoping that it would work as it had all those years ago when young Wisp had come to Rainbow Land.

At first, nothing happened. Just as Starlite was afraid it’d merely clatter onto the cavern floor, it began to glow, dimly at first, but then it grew brighter. The glow propelled it from it’s fall and it rose in front of Starlite’s face. Quickly, Starlite grabbed the bag in his mouth and began chasing after the star sprinkle, which acted as a sort of flashlight in the cavern. He raced after it, down one tunnel and then another, not knowing where it was going to take him, only knowing that it surely must lead him to the Color Kids. Murky must have really planned well this time to hide the Kids so deeply below the surface.

The star sprinkle raced onward, zipping and zapping until it finally slowed upon entering a large open cavern. Now the star sprinkle moved slowly across the cavern, until it stopped above what appeared to be a hole in the ground. Starlite moved closer, and saw that the hole had bars over it, bars meant for prisoners. He squinted and peered over the edge and there, in the light of the star sprinkle, sat the Color Kids, cover with a fine mist of gloom cloud. Starlite dropped the pouch from his mouth. “Kids!” he cried out. They didn’t reply, as he had known they wouldn’t. “I’ve got to find a way to get rid of this gloom cloud!” he stated to himself as he began wandering about the cavern, looking for a way to destroy whatever was creating the clouds.

Meanwhile, back at the Color Castle, Twink was just returning with a pouch of the dark soil that Rainbow had requested. He brought it to her room, where she sat waiting patiently on her bed. She jumped off when Twink entered through the dark curtains. She had noticed them earlier when she had entered, and wondered why they had been put up. It seemed strange to have them hanging there, and over her window too.

“Are you sure about this, Rainbow?” asked Twink as he sat the pouch down.

“Yes, Twink. This is the only way to make it look like I’m still under that spell of Murky’s.”

“You mean you don’t mind being all dirty?”

“Twink, it’s the only way I can trick Murky and take care of him. He’s done some bad things.”

Twink nodded slowly. “I know. He got you and he took the Color Kids and he hurt Stormy too.”

“So that’s why she looked a little bruised and had those small cuts on her hands.”

Twink nodded again. “Uh huh. She tried to get the Color Belt back from Murky, but he used it against her.”

Rainbow gave Twink a determined smile. “Well, I’ll take care of him. He’ll learn that he isn’t the one who takes care of Rainbow Land.”

“Right!” Twink held up the bag of soil for Rainbow, who took it from his hands and set it down on her dresser.

“Now Twink, help me figure out where I should put this, okay? It’s gotta be where Murky saw it before.”

Twink climbed up onto the dresser and pointed to her left cheek. “It was all over your face here, and it went down your neck too. You could even see it on your left hand!”

Rainbow took a small pinch of the soil and began to rub it into her face, watching the tiny purple star on her cheek slowly disappear under all the darkness. She slowly worked on covering the left side of her face. “Twink, I need you to cover my hand for me.”

“Why?”

“If the left side of my face and my left hand were the places covered by the gloom, then seeing my right hand also looking gloomy might tip Murky off that this is a trap.”

“Oh! I get it,” replied Twink as he set to work spreading the soil over her hand, careful not to get it onto her sleeve. He finished covering her entire hand and looked down at his own. “Yuck!”

Rainbow studied herself in the large mirror. “I think it’ll work. Now all we have to do is wait for Murky to show up. Twink, go up to the belfry and keep an eye out for him. Come straight back down here when you see him coming down the road to the Color Castle, all right?”

Twink nodded. “Of course!” He dashed off to the stairs that would lead him up to his favorite spot.

Sighing, Rainbow sat back down her on bed, careful to not stain it with the soil she had coated her skin with. Twink had been right – the stuff felt yucky and she felt so dirty. A hot bath later on would definitely be in order, but not until after Murky had been taken care of. We could all use a break she mused to herself. It was hard to sit there and do nothing. She wished that Murky would show up soon. Then again, she hoped that Stormy and Moonglo had been able to convince him of their surrender. She had a feeling that it would have been harder for Stormy, but knew both of the girls would pull through.

The scene rather looked like a funeral procession, only without a coffin. The grunge buggy chugged along slowly, with Lurky as its driver and Murky grinning like a maniac in the sidecar. A single rope was tied to the top of the grunge buggy, and connected to Skydancer’s neck. Another rope connected to that, and then led to Stormy’s tied wrists. The rope then tied around her waist and connected with another rope that had Moonglo bound in the same fashion. Murky would not even given them the pleasure of riding upon Skydancer’s back. No, he wanted to humiliate them. After all, they were going to be his new slaves after Rainbow Land was completely in his hands.

“Just think of all the redecorating I’ll have to do!” he sneered as he glanced back at both girls. Neither of them said a word, only kept their faces pointed toward the ground, marching forward. Yes, the sight was a beautiful one for Murky. “You two will be the first to help me out. Maybe one day I’ll even figure out how to bring your precious Rainbow Brite back to life…but by then it’ll be too late! I’ll make her my slave too…or maybe I’ll make her a queen…wouldn’t that be a funny joke?”

“Haha Murky. You’re so funny,” commented Lurky.

“Keep driving, cheese log brain,” commanded Murky.

Stormy was reminded of some forgotten remnants of a dream she’d had recently, remembering something about waking to find herself with Moonglo, and how they were slaves… she couldn’t remember much of the rest of it, only that it’d suddenly changed and she was in some dry desert place… and Rainbow had been there too. She remembered thinking that Rainbow was acting crazy, but she couldn’t remember why she thought that. Why did dreams have to be something that you forgot and couldn’t quite remember? She focused on keeping her head low, on practicing her surrender face so that it’d look convincing. It felt so wrong to be in this position, to be Murky’s “slave” of all things.

“It’s okay, Stormy,” whispered Moonglo so softly that at first Stormy didn’t quite hear her. The sentiment made her feel better about what they were doing, and she knew that Rainbow would pull through. For all the arguing and hating being second best, Stormy knew in her heart that Rainbow would not fail if she had her heart set on something. That was something the two of them had in common – they could both be stubborn, but in different ways.

For once in his life, Murky Dismal did not shrink away during his ride into Rainbow Land. In fact, he welcomed the greys and blacks and whites that greeted his eyes during the ride. He took this as a sign that Stormy and Moonglo had told the truth. If Rainbow truly had been revived, then she would have fixed the color in the land, unable to stand the bleakness of it all. Murky turned around to face the two. “I suppose you were right about Rainbow. She’d never have let Rainbow Land continue to look like this! It’s such a beautiful sight to see!”

“Uhh…Murky… are we going straight to the Color Castle?” asked Lurky.

“Yes, Lurky. We must take back my prize… and then I shall make Rainbow Land a beautiful place to live!”

“You mean, put the colors back?” asked Lurky with a smile on his face.

“No you dolt! I’m simply going to completely change everything else. I’ll make sure there’s no color left!”

“That’s not a pretty sight,” commented Lurky.

“I…ohhh! Shush up and drive!” commanded Murky.

Stormy and Moonglo had to hide the laughter that threatened to cross their lips. Lurky was great amusement. It’s a pity that he’d actually turn out right about the colors in the end. Stormy dared to glance upward. She noticed that the Color Castle wasn’t very far off; they were just entering the section of Rainbow Land where many of the sprite houses lined the main path that lead up to the Color Castle.

Murky grinned at the sight of the Color Castle. “Ah yes. What a wonderful place. Now I’ll not only be able to control the color in Rainbow Land, but on Earth as well! Everything in it will be mine!” He rubbed his hands together as plans for changing the Color Castle to suit his needs formed in his mind. Yes, he could use that silly Color Console to spread his gloom much further than the boundaries of Rainbow Land. And if he could figure out how to properly do it, why, he could use the rainbow to travel back and forth to the various planets of the galaxy! Yes, his plan could not fail now. He had all of the Kids and one of the horses. Soon he’d have Rainbow Brite as well. Nothing would be able to stop him on this glorious, gloomy day!

[Chibi Rachy]

I really didn't think I'd get a chapter finished, especially not after the way the week had been. However, I found myself home alone this afternoon and between many distractions of my own doing, I finished chapter 13. What follows is the result. There is only one chapter remaining to tie everything together. Then I'll have finished my very first longshot for the Rainbow Brite fandom.

Chapter 13 Murky’s Rainbow End

“Rainbow! Rainbow! Murky’s near the bridge!” shouted Twink, sliding down the rainbow-colored fire fighter style pole.

Rainbow looked up from petting Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite, who were happy to see her. They had found her shortly after Twink had left, and instantly tried to tackle and lick her face. Rainbow had firmly told them no, and then explained the situation as best she could. The two acted like they had understood. “All right you two. Go hide in the Color Castle for now, okay? You don’t want Murky and Lurky finding you too!”

Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite leapt from the bed and raced out the doorway to some other part of the Castle. Rainbow smoothed her dress over and looked at Twink. “Ready?” she asked.

Twink nodded. “Yup!”

“Remember to act sad when Murky enters. He’s got to believe that I couldn’t be brought back.” Rainbow lay back in her bed, and closed her eyes as she pulled the blankets over her waist so that it’d hide the Color Belt she wore. She made sure that her hand was visible above the blankets so that Murky could still see his “gloom shadow”. Rainbow felt nervous, hoping that Murky would easily fall for the trap they’d set. He’d fallen for it so far if him coming to the Color Castle meant anything. She heard the heavy cloth moving and then voices suddenly filled the room.

“…here, so you say?” asked Murky. He had brought both Stormy and Moonglo with him, marching them in front of him while he had his gloom gun pointed against Moonglo’s backside. The ropes still bound their hands and bound them to each other. Lurky had been left outside to tend to Skydancer and the Grunge Buggy.

Stormy slowly lifted her head. “Yeah. We brought her here and put her in bed. The Color Belt wouldn’t work though.”

“I see,” replied Murky as he moved to Rainbow’s bedside. He inspected her face and hand, still covered in the gloom shadow.

“See? We weren’t lying to you?” added Moonglo in a low voice.

Murky turned to address both Stormy and Moonglo, leaving his backside exposed to Rainbow. “Seems like you were right. I should reward such good slaves, shouldn’t I?” He cackled to himself, laughing at his own private joke.

What Murky didn’t realize was that behind him, Rainbow had slowly risen from her spot on the bed until she was in a standing position behind him. She winked at Stormy and Moonglo, who gave no sign of recognition. She took a deep breath, and lowered her finger to her Color Belt. “No, Murky Dismal, it’s you that need to be rewarded!” she declared, her finger pressing against the star.

Off in the Pits, Starlite was searching for the switch to turn off the gloom cloud. He quickly found the box that Murky had been storing the liquid in, and examined it closely. “Hmm… I wonder if this switch will do the trick?” he asked himself softly. Quickly, he nosed it until it flipped and shut off. He could hear the Kids awakening from the effects of the gloom within moments.

“Let us out of here, Murky!” called Red Butler.

“You’ll be sorry if you don’t!” added Indigo.

“Rainbow will save us!” tacked on Tickled Pink.

Starlite trotted to the edge of the pit and peered down at the Color Kids. “Starlite!” they exclaimed in surprise and delight.

“Don’t worry Kids. I’ll get you out of there!” Starlite then noticed the lock that held the doors of the pit together. “After I figure out how to get rid of this lock…I wonder if I can break it…”

“Be careful, Starlite,” called Lala Orange. “We don’t know if those bars will hold you.”

“I wonder if one of you Kids could slip through the bars…Murky made them pretty wide. If one of you could, then you could break the lock I bet!” declared Starlite.

“I’ll do it,” volunteered Indigo. “I’ve always wanted to see what it felt like to act out an adventure scene.”

“Indigo…” warned Red Butler. “This isn’t one of your books!”

“I can do it. I’m small enough to!”

“We all are, Indigo,” reminded Shy Violet.

“Let’s let her try. We’ll get out faster if we stop arguing about it,” spoke up Canary Yellow.

Indigo moved toward the edges of the pit and looked for foot and handholds. “I think I can get up some of the way, but I don’t know about all of the way.”

“I can lower my tail down for you if you can climb high enough,” suggested Starlite.

“Is there any rope out there?” asked Patty O’Green.

“Let me look. That would make things easier.” Starlite moved about the cavern, but couldn’t see very well. He went to his dropped bag of star sprinkles and pulled out another. The light from the star sprinkle illuminated the cavern just brief enough for Starlite to find a pile of Murky’s junk in a far off corner. This included the cage he had dropped the Color Kids from. Nosing around in the pile of random metal pieces, he found a small length of rope that was slightly frayed. “I’ve found some rope, but I don’t know how long it will hold for.”

Starlite lowered the rope through the bars as the Color Kids watched. It came down about half way. Starlite gave a muffled response, as he held the rope between his teeth. Indigo took that as her cue and began to climb up the side.

“Careful, Indigo,” called Lala Orange.

“Keep going,” added Buddy Blue.

While everyone else was paying attention to Indigo climbing, Red Butler was inspecting the walls of the pit that surrounded them. His tiny hands reached out, searching for a space, where there seemed to be more hand-holds than any other place. None of the other Kids had thought to inspect the entire Pit and he felt it was his duty to do so. His hands brushed over the stone, searching, hoping he’d find something. His hands brushed over something damp and soft. Red focused on the space in front of him as he felt the object. It was… yes! “Guys, I’ve found something!” he called.

“What is it?” asked Shy Violet.

“It’s a rope! And it looks like we can use it to get out,” replied Red Butler triumphantly as he tugged on it. It stayed firmly attached at the other end.

“Indigo! Did you hear that? You don’t have to climb anymore!” called Lala Orange.

Indigo, who was already near the rope that Starlite held, shook her head. “I’m almost there.”

“Come on, Kids. Let’s get out of here!” called Buddy Blue.

“Yeah! Then we can go help Rainbow!” stated Patty O’Green.

“I’m sure she could use our help,” added Canary Yellow.

“And then we can stop Murky in his tracks!” said Tickled Pink.

“I’ll go first,” volunteered Red Butler. He took hold of the rope, pulling on it to test its strength. Satisfied, he slowly began his climb up the rock, carefully watching for any footholds that he could use. In a few minutes, he’d reached the top of the pit where the bars rested. Red grabbed onto the nearest bar, letting the rope drop. He shimmied himself between the bars, pulling himself up through slowly. His upper body was through when he felt himself get stuck at his stomach. Come on… he thought to himself as he sucked in his stomach, giving himself a tiny bit more space to maneuver with. He knew that all the Color Kids were watching him from below and he couldn’t fail. He wouldn’t allow himself to.

Finally, Red Butler felt himself begin to slip through the bars and pulled himself up the rest of the way. A cheer erupted from the pit below. He looked down, unable to see his friends. “It’s not bad,” he called. “You have to hold your breath and suck in your stomach when you squeeze through the bars though.” He looked across to the other side where Indigo was just pulling herself through.

“Phew! That was tough!” she said.

Starlite spit the rope from his mouth. “Not a very dignified thing for a horse to do!”

Indigo leapt onto the cavern floor and hugged Starlite. “Oh but it was! Such a noble thing for a horse to rescue a princess!”

“Wha?” asked Starlite, bewildered. Indigo simply kept hugging him.

Slowly, each Color Kid used the same rope as Red Butler had to make the climb out of the pit. First came Buddy Blue, then Patty O’Green, then Shy Violet, followed by Canary Yellow, who was followed by Tickled Pink and finally the last Kid up was Lala Orange. Each of them happily hugged Starlite, glad to be away from the gloom and doom of the pit they’d been kept in.

“Now, let’s get back to the Color Castle and help Rainbow,” shouted Red Butler.

“Yeah!” cried all the Color Kids in agreement.

“Don’t worry Kids! Follow me! I remember the way out of these caves!” called Starlite. Red Butler, Patty O’Green, and Tickled Pink climbed onto his backside while the other Color Kids stayed close behind. Since it was so dark, they formed a chain. Buddy held onto the tip of Starlite’s tail and then held hands with Lala Orange, who held hands with Canary Yellow, who held hands with Indigo, who held hands with Shy Violet.

Murky quickly jumped when he heard a voice he would have never expected to hear. “R-Rainbow Brite? But how?!” he cried as he turned to face her.

A ribbon of rainbow shot from Rainbow’s Color Belt and wrapped itself around Murky, lifting him off the ground. “Put me down!” he cried.

“Gladly!” called Rainbow as the ribbon of color that bound Murky maneuvered its way through the doorway and to the outside of the Color Castle. There, it dropped Murky onto the ground, still keeping him bound in brightly color rainbow ball. Murky struggled to break free, pushing and kicking at his new prison, a bright speck of color in the grey land. The ball held tightly and Murky was left to sit and fume as he watched Rainbow walk from the Color Castle, with Stormy, Moonglo, and Twink following behind her.

“It was…just a joke?...hehe…” attempted Murky feebly.

“Jokes are supposed to be funny,” began Twink.

“Jokes don’t hurt someone,” added Moonglo.

“Or take people as slaves,” added Stormy.

Rainbow looked back at both of her friends and then looked at Murky. “You almost destroyed Rainbow Land, Murky Dismal, but you failed. Now you’re going to watch as I put all the color back into Rainbow Land.”

“I…no!” yelled Murky. “Not the colors! Lurky!”

The bumbling assistant was nowhere to be found and did not answer Murky’s call. Murky frantically looked about, but only saw the Grunge Buggy parked near an orange sprite house. Skydancer was nowhere to be seen either.

“Oh yes, Murky. You deserve to see Rainbow Land at its best,” replied Rainbow as she pressed a finger to her Color Belt. Murky could only watch as rainbow ribbons shot forth and engulfed the land, replacing greys and whites with brilliant shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and all the colors in between. Within a few minutes, Rainbow Land appeared brighter and more beautiful than it had been before, a tribute to the girl who had the honor of wearing the Color Belt.

“No, no, no! Not the colors!” pleaded Murky as he closed his eyes tightly.

Rainbow smiled at her work and the transformation in Rainbow Land. Then she fixed a cold look on Murky. “And now it’s time to send you back to the Pits. You should know by now that you can’t beat me, Murky. One way or another, the rainbow always wins.” With that, she pressed her finger to her Color Belt again, and a ribbon of rainbow slide under the ball that held Murky, causing the ball to roll along the path.

“I’ll get you for this, Rainbow Brite!” was Murky’s echoing cry heard in the distance as he was carried off to the Pits.

“Hi Murky!” called Lurky, who was riding atop Skydancer’s backside. He watched as Murky rolled on past him on the rainbow. Lurky had finally gotten his wish to ride one of the horseys. He didn’t know that the only reason Skydancer had let him was so that he could easily get him back to the Pits. “I guess he didn’t see me,” mused Lurky. Skydancer pressed onward, coming upon the edge of the Pits. “Such a pretty horsey,” commented Lurky as he petted Skydancer’s mane. In response, Skydancer threw Lurky from his back, and Lurky flew toward the lair and where Murky had landed. “Bye bye horsey!” called Lurky as he waved, still falling from the sky. Skydancer merely turned and headed back to Rainbow Land, meeting up with Starlite and the Color Kids.

“Look! It’s Skydancer!” called Tickled Pink.

“Let’s follow him! Something must have happened!” replied Red Butler.

“I’ll say,” said Shy Violet. “Rainbow Land is bright and colorful again. It must be good!”

Rainbow, Twink, Stormy, and Moonglo watched as Murky flew off in the distance, soon disappearing. She turned toward the two girls. “Thanks. Without you two, Rainbow Land never would have been the same again.”

“No problem,” answered Stormy.

“We couldn’t let Murky win,” added Moonglo.

Rainbow looked as though she were going to say something else, but then she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. “Look! Starlite found the Color Kids!” she cried.

“Rainbow! Rainbow!” cried the Color Kids, crowding around her and showering her with hugs.

“I’m glad everyone’s okay. Murky almost beat us there,” stated Rainbow. “A celebration is in order, but first, we have lots of work to do. Murky’s work must have spread to Earth. Let’s get to work!” Behind the Color Castle, a brilliant rainbow shown across the land, the familiar comforting bit of light once again showing that as long as Rainbow Brite was around, good would always triumph over the evil that is Murky Dismal.

Remember, there's only 1 chapter to go!

[Chibi Rachy]

Okay, okay I know. I just posted chapter 13 not less than 2 hours ago and here I am posting chapter 14. What can I say? When I'm inspired, I'm inspired and it has to be done, no buts. This was not the ending I'd written out in the planning stages, but it's an even better one. I've loved this story and I've seen how many hits it's gotten here. I'm happy to have worked on such an amazing story and had such fun doing it. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to my story and let me know what you thought overall. I hope to continue working on The Color Kid Diaries and planning for my next longshot, a Stormy-centric fic called Lost Storms. Enjoy!

Chapter 14 Kaleidoscope of Promise and Hope

And so Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids spent the next few days working hard to restore color to Earth. Twink took control of the Color Mines, encouraging the sprites to work harder than they ever had before. Production had stopped during the Color Kids’ absence and now everyone had to work hard to get everything back up and running again. Twink ran from section to section in the Color Mines. “Let’s go, everyone! Rainbow needs as many star sprinkles as possible and for that she needs all the color crystal we can mine!” The sprites worked eagerly for him and didn’t mind his rushed and hurried manner.

The Color Kids worked busily at the Color Console, adding the necessary star sprinkles to bring color to the world around them and beyond. They chattered happily, glad to be free of Murky Dismal and his gloom. Every so often, one of the Color Kids’ sprites would bring a new cart of star sprinkles into the room. Kid and sprite would work together to load the sprinkles into the Console, and a brilliant line of color would shoot up the corresponding tube, bringing a smile to each Kid’s face.

“If we keep this up, we’ll be back on schedule in no time,” declared Red Butler.

“Yes. By my calculations, we only need another day before everything’s on track,” added Shy Violet.

The Kids cheered. It was good to be back to work and bringing color to the world. No more being stuck in one of Murky’s pits for a long time. Or so each Kid hoped. “When did Rainbow say she’d be back?” asked Canary Yellow as she and Spark loaded handful after handful of yellow star sprinkles into the Console.

“She said she’d be back by evening I think,” replied Patty O’Green.

“Yeah. I think she was heading to a place on Earth near Brian,” added Lala Orange.

“She wanted to visit him too if she had time,” stated Indigo as she looked at her part of the Console.

“And see how he was,” added Buddy Blue

“Starlite was happy to go along too, as long as Rainbow didn’t burst his ego again,” answered Tickled Pink in an amused tone, which set all of the Color Kids laughing.

Stormy had returned to the clouds, and worked off any anger she felt by creating some much needed rainstorms for Earth. Rainbow had asked her to so that new things would begin to grow as the rain feel to nourish them. Stormy was more than happy to create a storm at Rainbow’s request and had fun with the lightning and thunder that followed. Skydancer was also happy to be back in the clouds and raced about the interior of their haven, whinnying happily. For the two of them, things were back to normal. It still wasn’t winter, but after the adventure they’d all been through, Stormy was glad that it was spring. She could relax and rest up. She still couldn’t shake the dreams she’d had during the ordeal or the thought that Murky had caught her in his trap, something she hadn’t been used to at all, but she would be prepared for the next time.

To the others, Rainbow had been as bright and cheerful as ever. She’d happily worked and played alongside them, glad to be awake and out of Murky’s clutches. She wouldn’t let them see the side of her that had been deeply affected by Murky’s plot to take over Rainbow Land. Never before had he used something so devious that had actually almost worked and came so close to destroying Rainbow Land. She wouldn’t speak of her worries to her friends, knowing that she wouldn’t want to worry them anymore. When she was alone though, it was something that she wondered about, and how she could prevent it in the future.

So of course no one saw the Rainbow Brite that lay awake at night in bed, unable to sleep because of some nightmare she’d had. She would stare at the ceiling, unmoving. Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite were none the wiser, always still sleeping and curled up at the foot of her bed. Rainbow’s fingers would absently brush over the Color Belt, and she’d find comfort in this, knowing that she had it and Murky didn’t. She couldn’t shake the feeling that came with the thought of how close he’d been to making it as his own. From the bits she’d gathered from Stormy and Moonglo, Murky had gone so far as to wear and use it, which was an uncomfortable feeling. Rainbow would roll over in bed and try to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come for another hour or so. She knew her place as the protector of Rainbow Land, but it was going to take awhile before she felt completely confident in that role again.

Moonglo had spent past few days catching up on rest in between her decoratings of the night sky. She had been exhausted after the battle with Murky, never being able to catch enough sleep while Rainbow and then Stormy had been taken out. Rainbow had told her to get some rest and to catch up on sleep, that she’d done enough for a few days. Moonglo, however, was determined to continue doing her job because she knew how many people depended on her beautiful night sky. They may not know she was the one behind it, but they would miss the beautiful sky if she stopped doing her job for a few nights. She rested as much as she could during the day, and spent some of the time reflecting on what had happened with Murky. She was afraid to think of what could have happened if he had won, if the Color Belt truly hadn’t worked.

Today was one of those days. It was late afternoon, a few short hours before she would head off into the night sky with Nite Sprite to completely their daily task. She sat by the Rainbow River, against a tall, shady tree. Nite Sprite sat quietly beside her, watching the river. Moonglo had drawn her knees up to her chest, and was lost in thought, not really seeing the beauty of the land before her. Her mind was on the what if’s and what could have happened if they could not have revived Rainbow with the Color Belt.

Nite Sprite sensed Moonglo’s unrest and looked up at her, concern. He babbled his sympathy to her, and patted her leg, trying to cheer her up. Moonglo only sighed.

“I know Nite Sprite, but it’s hard. There’s so much that could have happened.”

Nite Sprite replied to her in his sprite language, but this didn’t cheer Moonglo any. She sat miserably, hugging her knees. Nite Sprite started to say something else, but not before he saw someone move near Moonglo and sit beside her. It was Stormy. She’d been watching from a distance, and seeing how Moonglo wasn’t cheered in the least by Nite Sprite’s attempts. She had felt sorry for him, knowing it wasn’t his fault.

Stormy took up the same position as Moonglo and looked over at her. “Can’t stop thinking about it?” she asked softly.

Moonglo only nodded. “Yeah… it’s hard, you know?”

Stormy looked to the ground and picked up a smooth brown stone. She fingered the stone before tossing it into the river. “I know. I’ve wondered too.”

Moonglo turned to look at Stormy with tears in her eyes. “This could have all been Murky’s. We could have been working for him today instead of Rainbow.”

The tears caught Stormy off guard. She wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to feeling sympathy for someone or trying to comfort them. She’d never had to before. “Hey, don’t cry, Moonglo,” she said softly, placing a hand on Moonglo’s knee.

Moonglo wiped at her eyes. “I can’t help it.”

“We can’t think about what could have happened, Moonglo. We only know what did happen and what we stopped Murky from doing.”

“But…”

“No buts. We know what Murky tried this time around, and we’ll make sure he doesn’t do it again.”

“Stormy’s right,” added a new voice that made them both jump.

“Rainbow!” exclaimed Moonglo in surprise, quickly wiping at her eyes.

“You weren’t supposed to be back yet,” answered Stormy. “Didn’t you have a lot more to take care of on Earth.”

“I did,” acknowledged Rainbow. “I also knew I needed to come back here. I had a feeling I should be here instead of on Earth. My work there was finished for the day. I was going to visit Brian, but changed my mind.”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” apologized Moonglo. “I’m sure you heard us talking.” She continued to wipe at her eyes, but could not get rid of the redness that was a tell-tale sign of crying.

Rainbow took a seat across from both of them. “It’s all right. I’ve thought about some of the same things, Moonglo,” she answered softly. She crossed her legs and looked at the two girls. “Murky could have just as easily won, and that bothers me.”

“But Rainbow, we won in the end. You’ve always been the one to say the rainbow would always win.”

“I know, Stormy, but then you told me about what Murky was able to do with the Color Belt. The rainbow could just as easily have won being used by him as it had been by me.”

“So what do we do?” asked Moonglo.

Rainbow smiled at them, a true smile. “We keep up doing what we always have. Bad things happen sometimes and it’s hard to figure out why. As long as we work against Murky, we can always win out.”

Moonglo released the hold on her knees and let her legs settle on the grass. The sun was just beginning to go down, and the sky was streaked with oranges, yellows, and reds. She looked toward the sky at first, knowing that soon it would be her turn to take over. “Are you sure?”

Rainbow nodded. “I never thanked you both for what you did, but I am now. You two are the real heroes of Rainbow Land. You took over when everyone else was gone and helped bring me back, even though it seemed like Murky would win.”

“Aww…Rainbow…” replied Stormy, looking shy. She wasn’t used to be openly thanked.

“It’s true,” answered Rainbow. “You two fought against Murky and saved Rainbow Land. Everyone knows what you did. I’m happy to have two friends like you.”

“You’re welcome, Rainbow,” said Moonglo softly as she rose to her feet, Nite Sprite at her side. “I guess it’s time for me to take care of the night sky now,” she replied as the last bits of the sunset faded.

Rainbow and Stormy stood as well. “Have fun Moonglo. We’ll be waiting for you back at the Color Castle,” called Rainbow as Moonglo and Nite Sprite disappeared into the sky.

Stormy turned to Rainbow. “Race you back? Skydancer versus Starlite?”

“Sure! It’ll be fun,” replied Rainbow.

Stormy called for Skydancer as Rainbow called for Starlite. Each girl hoped up onto her horse, and Stormy gave a friendly competitive glare at Rainbow before grinning. “First one back to the Castle is a rotten star sprinkle!” she called as Skydancer suddenly took off.

“That’s cheating!” called Starlite. “No respectable horse would get a headstart!” He quickly took off, racing to catch up with Skydancer, who wasn’t too far ahead.

“Oh come on, Starlite. No one’s faster than you! You can catch her, easily!” encouraged Rainbow, a far cry from the same Rainbow who’d called Starlite out on his inflated ego so many days ago.

Meanwhile, deep in the Pits, Murky had locked himself in his room. He’d stayed there ever since Rainbow had defeated him yet again. He’d spent most of the time in bed, deciding it was better to avoid any dealings in Rainbow Land for awhile. It would take time to come up with a new plan that would top the one he’d just tried and failed at executing. His books lined his shelves, untouched.

Lurky had been his same bumbling self. He’d retrieved the Grunge Buggy from Rainbow Land, and the Color Kids had simply looked the other way as he’d done so, knowing he’d do no harm unless he was with Murky. Lurky had been quite pleased, having had one of his dreams fulfilled the day he’d ended up getting to ride Skydancer. His head had been filled with nothing but the thought of horseys and since Murky had been locked away, Lurky had found some toy horse figures deep in his closet. He spent his hours playing with them, and recreating the ride that meant so much to him.

Murky crawled from bed, knowing it was nightfall. He grabbed his discarded helmet and plopped it back on his head. He headed straight for his bookshelf, intent on finding something that would get rid of Rainbow for awhile. He couldn’t stand the sting of losing a battle so big, one that had allowed him to even wear the Color Belt and use it on that pesky Stormy. No, the next time he wouldn’t be so unlucky. He would defeat Rainbow Brite and take her Belt again, even if it meant getting outside help to do so. There had to be others out there who would be more than happy to help him destroy the brat, others like the princess who had visited not long ago. Yes, Rainbow had won…this time.

Starlite ended up beating Skydancer to the Color Castle by a nose, but Stormy took the loss good-naturedly. “Good race,” she called to Rainbow as she dismounted from Skydancer and the horse took off into the darkness, quickly disappearing.

“It was. I forgot how fun it could be,” replied Rainbow as Starlite trotted off.

“No problem for such a magnificent horse!” he called over his shoulder, rainbow mane disappearing into the darkness.

Stormy and Rainbow laughed as they headed into the Color Castle to join the rest of the Color Kids. It wasn’t often that everyone was around to have dinner together, and each Color Kid had gladly helped in the task of making it. From gathering the vegetables to cooking sweet snacks, to setting the tables, everyone had pitched in to make it a dinner to remember for a long time to come. Stormy and Rainbow joined in on the finishing touches before everyone sat down to eat. Moonglo joined the group just as everyone sat done.

Red Butler picked up his glass of fruit juice and held it up. “A toast to Rainbow, Stormy, and Moonglo for all that they did to stop Murky this time around. Without them all, we’d still be stuck in Murky’s pits, and that would have been the pits!” This remark elicited laughter from around the table. Red Butler continued, “We’re thankful for everything you all did and that Rainbow Land is one again safe and sound!” Glasses were clinked together as dinner was shared amongst them all, hope and promise returned to Rainbow Land and the protection that they knew would come from their beloved Rainbow Brite.

[Aquarius]

I really think that this story was great! You have a lot of potential as a writer, have you ever thought about writing and publishing books?

I love how you captured every characters personality to a tee in this story, I could really see the story unfolding, like you can see it going on in your head. Not a thing in it was missed, and it was easily understood. This would make an excellent RB movie. I am going to print it out sometime, so I can read it again. I love it!

[Chibi Rachy]

I really think that this story was great! You have a lot of potential as a writer, have you ever thought about writing and publishing books?

I love how you captured every characters personality to a tee in this story, I could really see the story unfolding, like you can see it going on in your head. Not a thing in it was missed, and it was easily understood. This would make an excellent RB movie. I am going to print it out sometime, so I can read it again. I love it!

Aww thank you This kind of feedback really means a lot to me. I try to write so I can see it playing in my head and it usually works. There were times I felt off with some characters, but it was also during situations they'd never dealt with in the show. Thank you for reading. And good luck printing it... It was 76 pages for me when I finished typing it all up.

I have thought about writing and publishing, but I prefer to take characters I know and have fun with them. I've tried my own hand at writing and I dunno...I just like fanfiction a lot better. It can be so fun for me.

Keep watching here though... I'm soon going to be posting some of "The Color Kid Diaries" series, and eventually I'll post Lost Storms, which is going to be a history of Stormy