Shadow of a Rainbow

[Chibi Rachy]

Getting the flu is good for something, as it gave me completely strange dreams and the idea for this story that I couldn't help but write out to see if it was entirely plausible to do. To my delight, it was, and thus, here will be where I'll post it to be read. It's my first Rainbow Brite story, but I decided that doing it would be a nice change after working in the Power Rangers genre for over 2 years. I love good feedback that helps me to improve the story, and I always rely on my readers, as they are an invaluable source to me

Finally, this story is written for someone quite special to me, as she was the one to get me into Rainbow Brite in the first place. Some of the things that occur are written especially for her.

Title: Shadow of a Rainbow
Author: DigiExpert
Rating: PG for now
Summary: A combination of two unlikely concoctions forms Murky's greatest plan, one destined not to fail this time around. If he can drain Rainbow of her energy once and for all, Rainbow Land will be his for good, unless two unlikely companions can stop him in time.

Note: It can be found on fanfiction.net. I've linked to all of the chapters for easy reading so that you don't have to search through this thread to find each of them!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14

Chapter 1: An Ingenious Concoction

It was another beautiful Spring in Rainbow Land. Flowers were in bloom, the bright colors radiating across the fields as birds and other small woodland creatures fed their young ones. The sprites were happily mining away in the color cave, while the Color Kids sat diligently working inside the Color Castle. Rainbow, Starlite, and Twink were off on Earth, spreading color in the more dismal of places. On this day, they found themselves deep within a forest, the leafy foliage letting patches of sunlight through to the soft ground below.

“Oh wow,” exclaimed Twink. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes it is, Twink, but it still needs a little bit of help. Do you see that squirrel family over there?” asked Rainbow as she pointed to a nearby oak tree. “Look at their color.”

Twink glanced up and saw the family, which moved slowly around the branches. They were dull grey in color. “They don’t look very happy.”

“They aren’t as lively as they would be,” added Starlite.

“We’ll fix that,” stated Rainbow. “Let me have some star sprinkles, Twink.”

Twink handed over the star sprinkles and watched as Rainbow inserted them in her belt and let loose a rainbow beam that engulfed the squirrel family quickly before fizzling out. A bright brown pattern emerged on the squirrels’ bodies and they scampered about happily, chattering to each other.

“That’s much better,” said Rainbow as she watched the family scamper off. She climbed aboard Starlite and pulled Twink up behind her. “We’ve still got more work to do before we can call it a day, Twink.” She pressed her belt and Starlite galloped off on the rainbow beam that shot forth.

Meanwhile, deep in the Pits, Murky and Lurky were once again at work on another plan to get rid of Rainbow Brite and take over Rainbow Land. Murky sat hunched over his lab table, toying with various beakers and test tubes as he read quietly from a large tome he’d found deep within his lair. It had been one he’d not recalled having, but as he had flipped through it, he realized that it contained powerful concoctions that would almost certainly help him get rid of that color brat once and for all.

“What are you doing, Murky?” asked Lurky as he sat in a corner, playing with a football.

“I’m working on a plan, banana brain. I’ve got to get that Color Belt from Rainbow Brite. If I get that, then I can take over Rainbow Land and get rid of those disgusting colors!”

“But Murky, what if this one doesn’t work? Like the others?”

Murky growled to himself. “Quiet you dolt! This one won’t fail. It’s practically foolproof.” He poured two beakers together into a large container as Lurky made his way to the table to investigate. Lurky pressed his face close to the container that now held the combined concoction. “Murky, that’s nothing new,” declared Lurky as he poked at the container. “It looks like gloom water.”

Murky snatched it away from him. “What would you know about my potions? Anyway, it’s something new called the gloom shadow. With this, I can attach it to Rainbow Brite and slowly drain her of energy. The shadow will slowly grow bigger and darken her whole outlook on the world!”

Lurky scratched his head. “But Murky, what if they see it?”

Murky began to chuckle softly. “That’s where this comes in,” he replied as he snatched another container off the table that Lurky had not seen before. “This new book I found has given me the secret key to making my gloom inventions invisible. If I combine the two, Rainbow will never know there’s a gloom shadow attached to her, and neither will those silly Color Kids. Each day, she’ll weaken until I can easily take away her Color Belt and make the Color Castle my own home.”

“Gee, Murky, it sounds great. But what about the Color Kids?”

“If you’d let me finish bean bozo, you’d know. I can easily capture those Color Kids once Rainbow is out of commission. She won’t be able to stop me if she’s taken over by the gloom shadow, now will she?”

“Okay, Murky…if you say so,” responded Lurky with a shrug of his arms.

“Tonight will be the beginning of the end for Rainbow and her colorful little world!” shouted Murky gleefully. He went back to his book, double-checking his handiwork. He added the gloom shadow to one bottle and corked it, before adding the invisibility concoction to another bottle, corking that one as well. He glanced out the window that faced Rainbow Land. “I can’t wait to see this world decked in its true colors. Then it shall be cheerful indeed!”

~~~~ That Evening ~~~~

Rainbow covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. It had been a long day for her, Twink, and Starlite. Springtime was perhaps one of the busiest seasons, as the Earth was just coming to life again after the dreary winter season. It was indeed a rebirth of colors and life, bringing the Earth people out of their depressive wintry moods and causing them to look forward to the new life sprouting around them. Earth depended on the color to be spread about the planet, even if the inhabitants had no idea where that color truly came from.

“Look at the sky, Rainbow,” chirped Twink.

“I know…Moonglow has been pretty busy these past few weeks. I’m quite certain spring is one of her favorite seasons to decorate the sky.”

Rainbow yawned again and turned away from the window. “I think I’ll get to bed early tonight. I need to be ready for tomorrow.”

“Okay, Rainbow. I’m going outside for a bit.”

Rainbow smiled at her sprite. “Goodnight, Twink,” she called as she pulled back the covers on her bed and crawled in. Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite joined her at the end of the bed, each curling into balls of fluff. Rainbow yawned, her eyes growing heavier and heavier with sleep. Slowly, she drifted off into her colorful dream world, eager to begin her work all over again tomorrow.

As night passed on, all of Rainbow Land slept, dreaming of colors and happiness. The sprites were tucked away in their houses, while the Color Kids, Rainbow, Puppy Brite, Kitty Brite, and Twink slept in the Color Castle. Moonglow worked on making sure the night sky shone brightly across the land and on Earth. No one suspected what was about to befall each and every one of them, twisting the future that they knew and expected.

Meanwhile, in the Pits, Murky worked on putting the finishing touches on his latest plan. He wrapped each bottle in cloth, not wanting to risk them breaking on the ride to Rainbow Land. He didn’t want his plan to be foiled before it’d even begun to unfold. “Luuuurky!” he called. “Get the Grunge Buggy ready. It’s time to head to Rainbow Land.”

Lurky peeked around the corner. “Can I ride Rainbow’s horsey while we’re there? You always promise!”

Murky grinned to himself. “Once I’ve taken over Rainbow Land for good, you can ride the horsey all you want.”

Lurky clapped. “Oh goody, Murky. I can’t wait!”

“Now go get the Grunge Buggy so we can get moving! Or there won’t be any horseys for you to ride!”

Lurky saluted Murky. “Yes, sir, Murky!” He scampered off clumsily. “Oh boy oh boy oh boy…” could be heard echoing off the walls.

Murky gathered his bottles together and headed off down the stairs to meet Lurky and the Grunge Buggy. His head was filled visions of a black, grey, and white Rainbow Land, with him as the ruler over all the sprites and Color Kids. He could imagine himself watching over the sprites as they mined deep within the Color Cave, mining color crystals that he could infuse with his own gloomy creations to create a dismally lovely Earth and Rainbow Land. He felt light on his feet as he walked down the stairs, his dreams carrying him forward.

The Grunge Buggy rumbled and sputtered to life as Murky entered the cavern. “All set to go!” called out Lurky.

Murky gently placed the wrapped bottles inside the sidecar trashcan of the buggy and climbed in. “Let’s go then. By now, they should all be sleeping deeply. They have no idea that I’m heading to destroy their world!”

“And take their horseys to ride!” added Lurky gleefully.

Murky smacked his forehead. “Just drive, bumble breath,” he grumbled.

Lurky sped off in the Grunge Buggy, bouncing and rolling over the rocky terrain as they headed toward Rainbow Land. The closer they got, the larger Murky’s smile became. The brilliant Color Castle and all that lay within it would soon be his for the taking. “Drive slowly and carefully once we cross into Rainbow Land, Lurky. We don’t want those brats to know we’re here.”

“Gotcha, Murky,” nodded Lurky as he continued driving, slowing as he came closer to the border of Rainbow Land.

Murky kept a close eye on the landscape as the Grunge Buggy drew closer and closer to the Color Castle. He kept an eye out for Moonglow, remembering her annoying ability to become invisible whenever she desired during her nighttime work. The memory almost made him sick to his stomach. Slowly, they crept by the sprite homes that were darkened and down the path straight to the castle. “Park behind that bush,” instructed Murky in a hushed whisper, pointing out the desired location.

“You got it!” replied Lurky, not bothering to lower his voice as Murky had done.

“And keep it quiet, turkey gizzard! If Rainbow and the others know we’re here, then the plan won’t work, and you won’t get your precious horseys!”

“Gee, sorry Murky,” answered Lurky, now whispering.

With the Grunge Buggy hidden, Murky gathered his concoctions and jumped out. “Come on. You keep an eye out for anyone who might stop us.”

The duo tiptoed toward the castle, Murky careful to make sure his bottles were secure in his arms. Lurky followed behind him, constantly scanning the immediate area in front of them, a serious expression on his face. They crept up to the castle, and cautiously peeked inside the front door. Noting that no one seemed to stir from within, they continued to the room they knew was Rainbow’s. Murky peeked in the doorway and noted that both Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite were inside on Rainbow’s bed.

Murky put a finger to his lips to keep Lurky quiet. “We have to get rid of those two,” he whispered. “Keep quiet.” Murky pulled a toy ball from his pocket and attached it to a string. “I’ll use this toy to get those two out.” He tossed the toy into the room and handed the string to Lurky. “Pull it slowly and once they’re out of the room, keep them away! Get back to the Grunge Buggy in five minutes, got it?”

Lurky nodded silently and began jiggling the string. The ball began to move and both Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite woke at the sound. Their eyes focused on the new toy as it wiggled about on the floor. It began moving toward the door and they crept off the bed, sneaking off after it. Murky hid deep within the shadows as he watched the two animals take off down the hallway after it. Certain they wouldn’t return, he dashed into the room and to Rainbow’s bedside.

Setting his bottles down, he first uncorked the invisibility potion, then the gloom shadow one. He poured the invisibility into the gloom shadow bottle, corking it and beginning to shake it up. As he shook it, the gloom shadow seemed to disappear right before his eyes. Grinning widely, he uncorked the now invisible gloom shadow and poured the entire thing over Rainbow’s visible body above the blankets. As long as the shadow hit some part of a living being, it would attach itself. Murky put the bottle away, certain it was completely empty. He then watched Rainbow’s face, soon seeing a darkened shadow cross her face before disappearing. He rubbed his hands together in glee. His plan was in place; now all he had to do was wait patiently for it to take full effect.

Murky crept backwards out of the room, his now empty bottles in hand. Before he turned to head back out into the dark night, he took one last glance at Rainbow, who looked no different than she had before he had arrived…that anyone could actually see that was. He took off at a gentle pace, heading back to the bush and to the Grunge Buggy. As he arrived, he saw Lurky already waiting for him.

“Did you get rid of those animals?” asked Murky.

“Course. I went round and round with the toy and we played, Murky. I dropped it somewhere in the castle though and came back, just like you told me to.”

“I’m guessing they didn’t see you, since no one found me. Head back to the Pits, Lurky. We’re going to play the waiting game.”

“Oh boy! I love games, Murky. How do you play?”

“You wait around for a few days and watch what happens to the Rainbow brat, got it?”

“Gee, Murky, that sounds stupid.”

“Don’t insult my genius, bozo brain! Get back to the Pits before someone finds us!” instructed Murky. Lurky sped off toward the Pits. Murky half-heartedly kept an eye out for anyone who might see them, but he really didn’t care at this point. It didn’t matter if anyone saw them. It would only appear they were wandering around Rainbow Land, up to no good, but there would be no evidence this time! It was perfect. Even if they find that stupid ball and string, it won't matter. They won't see what I've done. I could have dropped that anywhere in Rainbow Land and those pesky animals toyed with it all the way back to the Castle. After all, that's their "nature". He giggled quietly to himself.

Sunlight filtered across Rainbow Land, the sky bedecked in oranges, yellows, and reds as the sun rose over the mountains. The sprites rose from slumber and got ready to work in the Color Caves. The Color Kids prepared to set forth watching the creation of star sprinkles and keeping an eye on the Color Console. The sunbeams that danced across Rainbow’s bed woke Puppy Brite and Kitty Brite, who yawned before pounced on Rainbow’s sleeping form. Rainbow began to stir and rolled over, groaning to herself. She slowly opened her eyes to find Puppy and Kitty Brite atop her and yawned. She sat up and stretched before throwing her legs over the edge of the bed. “Oh my… I feel so tired still…even after going to bed early last night…” She yawned again before reluctantly setting her feet on the floor.

Puppy and Kitty Brite watched Rainbow exit the room and wondered at Rainbow’s strange statement. That wasn’t usually like her at all. She usually bounced from bed, acknowledging each of them and the brand new day before setting off to do her job. They shrugged and walked out after her, easily catching up to her slow steps as they listened to her yawn once again.

[Chibi Rachy]

This was the chapter I posted today on fanfiction.net. I really enjoyed writing it and have found that Stormy's character is fun to write

Chapter 2 A Stormy Encounter

Days slowly passed, and to Rainbow, it seemed like an eternity. Every day seemed to pass by more slowly. To get out of bed became a huge task in itself. She couldn’t figure it out, didn’t have the energy to even try to figure it out. The cheer and joy that usually enveloped her personality was beginning to fade, and the effects were being felt by all the inhabitants of Rainbow Land.

Twink crept softly into Rainbow’s room, wondering why she wasn’t up and about yet. It was very unusual for her to sleep very long past sunrise. He knew that as soon as the sun had finished rising, she often jumped from bed to get a head start on the day. He was even quite certain that Murky Dismal was up and about by now, and that Rainbow was the only being asleep in Rainbow Land. He climbed up onto Rainbow’s bed and began to gently shake her. “Rainbow! Rainbow! Wake up! There’s so much to do today!” he chirped happily.

Rainbow’s sleeping form began to stir beneath the covers, and she groaned in annoyance, covering her head with her pillow. Twink tilted his head to study her. “Come on, this isn’t time to be silly, Rainbow!” he tried again as he shook her. He yelped and jumped out of the way as she rolled over and slowly opened her eyes.

“Uhh…Mmm… Twink?” she asked, her vision blurry. She blinked her eyes, trying to clear away the sleep within. Slowly she sat up, knocking Twink off of her and onto the floor.

“Oof! Hey, careful, Rainbow!” he called as he stood and rubbed his head.

Distractedly, Rainbow looked over the edge of the bed at her dedicated friend. “What’s wrong, Twink?” she asked drowsily.

“You’ve been asleep all morning! We’ve got to get a move on today! Everyone’s up and about but you!” explained Twink as he danced about wildly. “There’s so much to be done!”

Rainbow rubbed her eyes and regarded the excited sprite with a look of very little surprise. “It’ll keep for awhile yet, Twink. We don’t need to worry about it just yet.”

Twink put his hands on his hips. “That’s not like you, Rainbow! Come on, come on, come on!” He reached out for Rainbow’s hand, but she pulled away. Twink backed away as she threw back the covers and swung her legs onto the floor.

“Let’s get started then… I suppose it won’t get done any other way, will it?” asked Rainbow as she smoothed her dress over.

Twink looked confused. “Well of course not, Rainbow. It’s your job to spread the color on Earth.”

Rainbow waved his comment off and trudged off toward the door, to the outside where she knew that Starlite would be waiting for her, as he did every, single day. Twink ran to catch up with her. “Do you have the star sprinkles, Twink?” asked Rainbow tiredly.

“Of course!” Twink rummaged around in his pouch and pulled out a handful of the colorful stars, placing them in Rainbow’s outstretched hand. The hand automatically moved to her belt, causing a quick flash of white light as the sprinkles were inserted.

“Good morning, Rainbow!” called Starlite. “You know, the most magnificent horse in the universe gets restless just standing around waiting for those who sleep late.”

“You know, Starlite, that ego of yours is quite annoying today,” remarked Rainbow, as she boosted herself up onto his back.

“Well…I… uhh…” sputtered Starlite, unsure of what to say to that remark. Rainbow had never before said anything like that to him, or to anyone else.

Lifting Twink up to a spot behind her, she pressed her finger to her belt, a rainbow of bright light emitting forth and traveling across the expanse of the sky, seeming to go on forever. Starlite turned to look at Twink and Twink shrugged. He had no idea what to say to Starlite about Rainbow, or what could even be said. Starlite took a running start upon the rainbow pathway across the sky and just as quickly the rainbow disappeared behind the trio.

Emerging from behind the doorway of the Color Castle came Stormy, a strange look on her face. She’d heard the exchange between Rainbow and Starlite. “That’s odd. That’s not the Rainbow I know. Something’s not right here…” She leaned against the frame, puzzling over the strange scene she’d witnessed.

“What’s not right?” asked Tickled Pink, coming up behind her.

Stormy turned to face her. “Rainbow. Something’s wrong with Rainbow. Her usual self is gone. She pretty much just told off Starlite for his ego, and while that horse needs his bubble busted every so often, Rainbow’s never done that to him.”

Tickled Pink nodded. “I was walking past her room this morning when Twink was trying to wake her up then. She wasn’t exactly herself then either.”

“I wonder what’s up with her?”

“Could Murky be at it again, you think?” asked Tickled Pink, worried.

“Murky’s not that smart. You always know his plans when you see them.”

“Don’t forget that robot, Stormy. No one figured that one out right off.”

Stormy folded her arms across her chest. “I did.”

Tickled Pink smiled, not wanting to argue with Stormy. “Of course…but it can’t be Murky, can it?” she asked, worry tingeing her voice.

“Doesn’t matter if it is or not. We always stop him or he stops himself.” Stormy shrugged.

“What about Rainbow?”

“We’ll keep an eye on her, until we can figure something else out.”

“Should we tell the others?” questioned Tickled Pink.

“I’m pretty sure they’ll see for themselves, but it’s up to you. We’ll just keep an eye out for Murky and see what happens.”

In the Pits, Murky was humming a joyously dreadful tune to himself while browsing through the same tome he’d gotten his invisibility potion from. “This book will be my greatest ally in stopping Rainbow Brite for good. I’m sure there’s plenty of new concoctions just waiting to be found…”

“Murky! Rainbow just left on a pretty rainbow!”

Murky glanced up. “Why, things are going better than expected. It’s near to mid-day and she’s only now leaving Rainbow Land. We might go cause some trouble to throw them off our trail for now.”

“What do you wanna do, Murky?” asked Lurky, standing over his shoulder.

“We need some stupidly simple plan that will throw them off! Then they’ll think I’m not capable of doing what’s happening to Rainbow… yes that’s exactly what we should do!”

“Let’s go see the colors, Murky!”

“Yes, we’ll go steal some color crystals, Lurky! Get the Grunge Buggy ready. Time to head to Rainbow Land to throw them off our trail!”

Lurky dashed to the cavern where they kept the Grunge Buggy and jumped inside, closely followed by Murky who carried a small gloom gun with him. “Drive, tar butt! We must hurry, before Rainbow returns…not that she’ll do anything to stop us quickly!” Murky’s cackling laughter could be heard echoing off the walls of the Pits as they drove toward Rainbow Land.

Murky directed Lurky to drive to the side of the Color Castle, where the color crystals were brought to be made into star sprinkles. They hid in the bushes and waited for the next mine cart to arrive. It didn’t take long until a cart full of blue color crystals ridden by a yellow sprite stopped in front of the console. It took the sprite a few moments to notice the Grunge Buggy sitting in plain view, but it yelped and chattered in fear, calling out for sprites and the Color Kids.

“Uh… why are we not hiding, Murky?” asked Lurky, scratching the top of his furry head.

“Because we need them to think I’m so foolishly stupid to try something.” He directed his attention to the sprite, pointing the barrel of the gloom gun at him. His finger rested on the trigger. “Reach for the rainbow, sprite. I want those crystals you’ve got.”

The sprite shivered and shook, chattering wildly, while Murky grinned. He pulled the trigger and the gun emitted a grayish-black cloud that engulfed the sprite and the crystals. He heard the running of footsteps and turned to face the new guests.

“Murky Dismal, you leave that sprite and those crystals alone,” cried Red Butler, stepping forward from the group of Color Kids.

“What do you plan to do about it? Call your precious Rainbow Brite?” asked Murky.

“And what if we do?” asked Patty O’Green.

“Oh nothing. I just want these color crystals, that’s all.”

“What pretty colors we can make!” exclaimed Lurky.

“We really should call Rainbow back,” spoke up Shy Violet.

“No,” cried Stormy firmly as she stepped forward. “There’s no need.”

“Don’t be so rash, Stormy,” called Buddy Blue as he placed a hand on her arm.

Stormy jerked her arm away from him. “I’m not. I know exactly what I’m doing.” Stormy stomped her foot on the ground, which caused nearby clouds to move closer, slowly changing from a brilliant white to a dirty, dark grey. The sprites that had gathered back away, hiding in fear behind Lala Orange and Canary Yellow. They knew exactly what Stormy was capable of.

“Listen to Buddy, Stormy. He’s right,” added Indigo in a soft voice. “Rainbow can take care of this.”

“Rainbow’s not up to the task,” retorted Stormy. She kept one eye on the brewing storm, her lips curling into a smile as she heard the low rumble of thunder.

“Oh you really should listen to your friends, Stormy,” taunted Murky. “They would know best, you know.”

Stormy glared at him and the first lightning bolt flashed in the darkened sky. Murky held his ground, ever so slowly reaching a hand out to grab some color crystals. Stormy pointed her finger at him. “Don’t you dare touch that, Murky Dismal.”

“Or what?” he asked teasingly, his fingers snaking around a medium sized crystal.

Stormy stamped her foot, the rumbling thunder echoing her anger. The Color Kids could only watch as she refused to listen to them. She had good reason for doing this, but she had no time to explain it to them, not when Murky was being his usual pesky self. She’d take care of that later, after the accusations that would surely accompany the scolding they’d give her.

Taking one last chance to stop Stormy and allow them to alert Rainbow, Shy Violet spoke up once more. “Stormy, please don’t do these. You know what we’re supposed to do…”

Murky leaned closer to Lurky to whisper. “Time to make our escape while they’re caught up in conversation. Tip-toe toward the Buggy and don’t make a sound!”

Stormy was about to give an angry retort that would fill the sky with lightning, but another voice quickly spoke. “Let her be. She knows exactly what she’s doing. There’s a good reason for it,” whispered Tickled Pink in a soft voice.

“What?!” exclaimed Lala Orange and Canary Yellow in surprise.

Tickled Pink nodded. “She’ll tell you all, but let her take care of Murky now, please.”

Pleased that Tickled Pink had spoken up in her defense, Stormy turned back to Murky, only to find him hopping into the Grunge Buggy with Lurky at that very moment, blue color crystal in hand. “Oh, you aren’t getting off that easily!” she yelled. “Skydancer! Let’s move!”

The midnight blue horse leapt from behind the Color Kids, and Stormy climbed aboard. “After those two!” she cried, the storm following the pair as they chased after Lurky and Murky. The Grunge Buggy sputtered and coughed as it ran around the length of the Color Castle before crossing the bridge to the mainland. The Color Kids and sprites turned to watch as Stormy followed in close pursuit, knowing that the Grunge Buggy was nowhere near as fast as Skydancer.

The chase soon disappeared into the distanced and the only sounds that could be heard were the fading rumblings of the sudden thunderstorm that Stormy had conjured over the Color Castle. The Kids turned to face Tickled Pink.

“What’s this about Stormy and letting her do that?” asked Red Butler, arms crossed over his chest.

“She knows we always contact Rainbow when there’s trouble,” added Patty O’Green.

“How can you be sure she wasn’t being hard-headed?” quipped Buddy Blue.

“Because she knows something’s up with Rainbow, and I’ve noticed it to. I don’t think calling her would have helped today.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lala Orange.

Tickled Pink looked around at her friends, realizing they had not seen or observed anything like she and Stormy had. “Let’s go into the Color Castle, and I’ll explain what I’ve seen, and what Stormy’s seen.”

Stormy’s small hands expertly gripped Skydancer’s mane as she sat up straight on his back. She didn’t mind the rain falling on her, or the wind blow against her backside. Her eyes were currently trained on Lurky and Murky, and she manipulated the storm’s lightning to strike dangerously close to the Grunge Buggy.

Murky focused nervously on the storm around him. He knew exactly what this brat was capable of, but had never seen her powers in full swing, until now. “Watch the road mango bat!” he yelled as Lurky swerved around yet another fallen tree branch.

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” yelled Lurky back over the roar of the storm. He pressed the gas as far as it would go and shifted the gears to increase their speed. He hated this storm overhead and would have preferred to have been deep in the Pits instead. He winced as another loud rumbling of thunder roared overhead.

Hands shielding his eyes, Murky kept an eye out for the entrance to the Pits, and spied it less than a mile away. “Hurry! We’re almost there!” he yelled, pointing straight ahead on the road. He turned to see where the brat and her horse was and saw that she was barely the length of the Buggy away from them. She’s about as bad as the Rainbow brat he thought to himself.

Stormy continued to follow Murky and Lurky, finding the chase rather boring, as the Grunge Buggy was too slow to make things fun or interesting. Instead, she worked on driving them toward the border that separated the Pits from the rest of Rainbow Land, and scaring them every so often. She did enjoy the frightened jumps the two of them made when the thunder and lightning suddenly crashed around their heads. She took extreme pleasure in their terror and gleefully continued to randomly scare them.

Before she knew it, they had crossed into the border of the Pits, and she watched as they drove up the winding pathway toward Murky’s lair. She held Skydancer at ease, waiting to see if Murky would return to attack her. When she was certain he wasn’t coming back out, she turned to Skydancer. “Let’s get back to the Color Castle, pronto. I don’t wanna deal with the accusations of the other Kids, but maybe Tickled Pink can help me out.” The pair galloped back the way they had come, and as Stormy looking up to the slowly clearing sky, she noticed the tips of a rainbow path heading back toward the Color Castle.

Feedback is appreciated, especially if anyone catches mistakes or areas that need to be clarified a bit better. Let me know and I'll work to fix them. Also, if anyone has any good information on the geography of Rainbow Land, it'd be greatly appreciated. I can't seem to really find a good source from my research and I need to get more ideas on the area surrounding the Color Castle and the Pits. Thanks in advance if anyone can!

[Watercolor]

Very strong first attempt! Pretty good. Reminds me that I need to update-rewrite my old fiction.

Anywhoo, only mistake I noticed is Rainbow Land is two words, not one.
There isn't much about the lands of Rainbow Land.

Red: Red Region
Orange: Orange Meadows
Yellow: Yellow Plains
Green: Green Grange
Blue: Blue Zone
Indigo: Indigo Acres
Violet: Violet Valley

But I'm sure you know those places already. Not much about them mentioned though. Just a few pictures from the coloring books. The Rainbow Land book in particular.

[Chibi Rachy]

Thanks I'm about halfway through the third chapter, so that should be finished today or tomorrow. I'll make the changes with Rainbow Land in the document and then copy and paste the changes to here and fanfiction.net. They will all be fixed by the time the third chapter gets uploaded, if not sooner!

[Chibi Rachy]

Finished chapter 3 this afternoon. Took me awhile to get the ending the way I wanted it, but I like how it turned out. I've not posted this chapter on fanfiction.net yet, so you won't find it there. I'm going to keep a backlog for that site. The quickest way to see if I've updated is through here

Chapter 3: Colorful Exchanges

The Color Kids were shocked as Tickled Pink related the observations that both see and Stormy had made about Rainbow and her actions as of lately. “…something’s going on, that’s for sure,” she said, finishing off her tale.

“She did seem off the other day, but I just figured it was because we’re so busy. It’s Spring, and helping with the process of the rebirth of life on Earth can be tiring,” answered Shy Violet.

“Is this one of Murky’s plans?” asked Red Butler. “He’s never been smart enough for much.”

“And what can we do to help her?” asked Indigo.

Tickled Pink had no idea how to answer her friends’ questions, and told them so. “I don’t know. If it’s Murky’s, it’s really good. If not… there’s someone we don’t know about in Rainbow Land.”

“What do we do now?” asked Buddy Blue.

“I say we observe her every day activities and personality,” answered Shy Violet. “Like an experiment of sorts. If it’s an unknown foe, we need to see what we’re up against.”

“I agree,” added Lala Orange. “If she’s changed, she wouldn’t like knowing we were watching her.”

“What about Moonglo? She doesn’t know any of this,” spoke up Canary Yellow.

Tickled Pink thought for a second. Canary was right. Moonglo most likely hadn’t seen what she and Stormy had, and she hadn’t been present for the battle. She was off somewhere in Rainbow Land resting to restore her energy. It occurred every so often that she needed to sleep deeply during the day to recharge, and today just happened to be the deep sleep day. Nothing would have woken her from that slumber until her internal clock alerted her to sunset. She was about to speak when she saw a ribbon of rainbow fly past the room.

“Moonglo will either find out on her own, or I’ll tell her. Rainbow’s back and so we’ve got to keep quiet. Act like nothing’s out of the ordinary and don’t speak of this. She can’t know….” Tickled Pink suddenly went silent as she saw the rainbow land outside the castle. She followed the Color Kids as they ran outside of the Color Castle to meet their beloved Rainbow. They were met with Rainbow’s stern voice.

“Why is it every time I return, each of you come running? Does it look like I need help?” she asked from atop Starlite, who was unusually quiet. Tickled Pink noticed Twink was shaking nervously behind her. Rainbow slid off Starlite, but suddenly lost her balance, landing on her knees. Gone were the stern words and a tired voice spoke to them. “Leave me be… I need sleep… do…whatever.”

Everyone turned to watch as Rainbow trudged toward the castle, slumped over and dragging her feet. Tickled Pink put a finger to her lips, knowing that someone would want to discuss what they had all just witnessed. She was saved the trouble of saying anything when a pounding of hoofbeats were heard. Turning toward the bridge, Tickled Pink was glad to see Stormy had returned home. She couldn’t read the look on Stormy’s face or what she felt inside. She knew Stormy dreaded the confrontation between herself and the Color Kids for what’d she’d done with Murky and Lurky. She caught Stormy’s eye, and smiled.

Stormy slid off Skydancer’s back and stood beside him. “Well, both of them are back in the Pits. Who knows how long they’ll stay there though.”

“We’re sorry about earlier, Stormy,” apologized Indigo. “We had no idea.”

“Yeah,” agreed all the Color Kids, nodding and smiling at her.

“Well, at least I don’t have to defend myself. That’s a relief. I saw Rainbow had returned. Good or bad?”

Tickled Pink put a finger to her lips. “Not good, but best to not talk about it.”

Stormy nodded. “Got it. I’m off okay?” She climbed aboard Skydancer again and the two took off across the bridge and into a patch of trees. Starlite took off after them, without saying a word.

Indigo knelt down next to Twink and rubbed his fur. “It’s all right Twink. We’ll figure it out. Just keep an eye on her, all right?”

Twink looked up at his friends. “Rainbow’s so mean to everyone. What’s wrong with her?”

“We don’t know, Twink,” said Buddy Blue.

“When we do, we’ll solve the problem right away,” added Shy Violet.

Twink nodded. “All right. I just hope she’s okay.”

“Go check on the sprites in the Color Cave, Twink. Keeping busy will do us all some good,” replied Lala Orange.

“Right,” agreed Red Butler. “We should get back to work to work too. Color must be spread and we can’t slack off.” Each of the Color Kids nodded in agreement with him and they headed back toward the Castle.

Murky finished drying off and strutted to a nearby chair, taking a seat. “That should do it, Lurky. They have no idea what just occurred, but it was such a stupid idea that they cannot tie my brilliant plan to my idiotic one.”

“But… Murky…what if they did?” asked Lurky.

Murky glared at him from his spot. “They have nothing to pin to us, banana breath. Even if they suspect that something’s up with Rainbow, they can’t see it and there’s no evidence either. We’re scot-free for now.”

“So what do we do next, Murky?”

“We wait until she’s a bit weaker and then we capture those Color Brats. Without her to help, they won’t stand a chance!” He laughed to himself and closed his eyes, dreaming of the day when he’d finally have Rainbow Land under his rule. “Yes, I can see it now… a colorless land, the Pits expanding across the land. Oh think of it, Lurky! The sprites under my control, doing as I bid them!”

“Murky?”

“Can I control the horseys?”

“What? Oh you can have one of them!”

“Goody!” cried Lurky. He stood there in thought for a moment before speaking again. “Hey Murky?”

“What?” asked Murky, annoyed at being interrupted yet again.

“Wanna play ping pong?”

The Color Kids did their best to keep busy and continue processing the color crystals as they would on any other day. They were tense, wondering if Rainbow would show up and what she would do if she did. However, the afternoon passed without incident and they all breathed easy as nighttime settled across Rainbow Land. The sun drifted below the horizon and the sky darkened, but not for long. Soon, a smattering of stars began to appear across the sky, bright and colorful and cheery. The moon took the place of the sun and shined its light upon the Color Castle. Shooting stars and comets decorated the sky, as the inhabitants of the land settled in for a relaxing evening and a dream-filled sleep. Sprites and Color Kids alike watched the evening sky, enjoying the peaceful scenery before them.

However, one usual observer wasn’t at her window this night, or anywhere to be seen. Moonglo had kept an eye out for her all evening, but she had never appeared. She knew this wasn’t like Rainbow because she never missed a chance to look at the night sky, unless she had official business to attend to elsewhere. Usually when that happened, everyone knew about it, but tonight…she had no idea. She decided to find out why, and landed gently on the ground before the entrance to the Color Castle. She walked inside, and made her way to the doorframe of Rainbow’s room. Out of curiosity, she peeked inside and found Rainbow sitting cross-legged on her bed, facing away from the door. “Rainbow?” she called softly to announce her presence. She received no reply.

Frowning, she walked across the room, and heard Rainbow speaking to herself in soft tones. She couldn’t make out what she was saying. Upon reaching the bed, she tapped Rainbow’s shoulder. “Rainbow?”

In quick defense, Rainbow’s arm shot out to push away whoever was touching her. Moonglo backed away quickly, shocked. When Rainbow turned to face her, she could see something wasn’t right. Dark circles lay lightly under her eyes, which were not the brilliant blue they usually were. “What is it?” she asked, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

“I… I just came to see why you weren’t looking at the night sky as you normally do,” spoke Moonglo nervously. “I was worried about you.”

Rainbow pointed at her. “There’s no need to worry about me. I’m quite fine, as you might see. Besides, is there some rule I have to watch the night sky every night?”

“Well…no…but…”

“Then why does it matter? It’s all the same junk up there – stars, moon, and whatever else you find.”

Moonglo was taken aback, and could feel tears forming, but she didn’t want Rainbow to see her cry. “It’s never quite the same,” she whispered.

“Well, unless the stars do something strange, it’s all the same junk. Junk that fills a sky that could just as well be dark and empty.”

Moonglo’s hand flew to her mouth. “Rainbow, the night isn’t supposed to be dark. It’s supposed to be bright and beautiful for all to see.”

“Hmph. You’re just saying that because the night sky is your job.”

“Yes, a job I love. Just like you love your job spreading color here and on Earth,” replied Moongo.

“Earth doesn’t need my colors. No one appreciates the color in the world anymore, and certainly not those on Earth. They wallow in their depression, greed, and ego. Color? They don’t need me.”

“That’s not true!” Moonglo stamped her foot in sudden anger. “The color chases away the darkens, brightens and beautifies the Earth, and puts a smile on faces. The Earth needs you, Rainbow, to remind them of the happiness they carry inside.”

Rainbow stood and jumped off the bed, quickly turned to face Moonglo accusingly. “All you’re doing is making excuses for them and everyone else. No one needs color! Not you! Not them!”

“If no one needed color,” began Moonglo softly, “then no one would need you and you wouldn’t exist, nor would the Color Kids…but you do exist, and they do too…”

“Well, then how about I fix that problem?” asked Rainbow, glaring at her. She wasn’t enjoying being confronted, nor did she enjoy the excuses she was hearing.

“Wha-What are you talking about?” asked Moonglo.

Rainbow’s fingers went behind her back, deftly unbuckling her Color Belt. “No one needs color, so no one needs me!” She pulled the belt away from her waist, and held it out. “So I don’t need this Color Belt anymore.”

Nervously, Moonglo dared to reply, not wanting to voice the fear she saw coming true before her very eyes. “Are you saying….”

“That Rainbow Brite is no more!” With that remark, Rainbow tossed the Color Belt across the room, watching as it smacked against the doorway to her room and clattered to the floor. Rainbow made no move to retrieve it. She merely turned and climbed back onto the bed, settling back into a cross-legged position. “Now leave me alone.”

Moonglo stood stark still, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t believe that she had seen Rainbow denounce the Color Belt and deny that she was in charge of bringing color to the world. She took one step forward. “Rainbow?”

“I told you! That’s no longer my name. Now leave.” Rainbow did not turn to look at her.

Tears began to fall as Moonglo ran out of Rainbow’s room, upset at what she had just witnessed. She headed for the main castle door, where Nite Sprite had come to wait on her. Stormy was just crossing the bridge to the Color Castle and was about to call out to her to get her attention. Before she could, Moonglo disappeared into the night sky, and he followed her, knowing that she was upset and something was wrong. Stormy was quite certain that Moonglo hadn’t even seen her.

Stormy frowned; she’d glimpsed Moonglo’s teary face before she’d disappeared and knew that Moonglo had found out about Rainbow and the changes that had suddenly appeared. The others may tiptoe around her, but I’m not going to put up with this. I’m going to see just what’s going on she thought to herself as she marched toward the entrance to the Color Castle and to Rainbow’s room. It was one thing to tell off Starlite; his ego needed to be brought down a notch. It was an entirely different story to do the same thing to Moonglo and upset her.

Her footsteps led her to the door of Rainbow’s room. Glimpsing inside, she saw Rainbow sitting on the bed, bathed in moonlight, and facing away from the door. She watched Rainbow for a few moments. She didn’t want to cause more trouble than was necessary; she didn’t argue as much anymore after the Winter season ended. However, that didn’t mean that her temper was gone for good. She reasoned that she had to confront Rainbow in the manner Rainbow had talked to their friends because being as kind as Moonglo had didn’t work well at all. It probably wasn’t the best way, but she wasn’t letting Rainbow get away with treating people that way.

Meanwhile, as if to prove Rainbow wrong about the night sky, Moonglo began adding more color. She made the moon more golden, multitudes of stars began to appear in red and blues, and shooting stars raced across the sky. For all her effort, Rainbow never once turned toward a window to glimpse at the night sky, even after the moon glow bathed her room in moonlight. She stayed in the same position, mumbling to herself. The Color Belt lay discarded, its color fading slightly because of Rainbow’s denouncement.

As always feedback is appreciated, especially if you catch a mistake I haven't!

[Chibi Rachy]

I finished this chapter late last night. I hadn't planned to, but once I got to the end of the 4th page (I shoot for 5 pages at least per chapter on all my stories), I was caught up in my story and had to finish it or it wouldn't be the same. This is what came of it, and I like it. If you catch any mistakes, let me know so I can fix them. This chapter is currently not available on ff.net yet, but will be next week.

Chapter 4 Turn of Events

Gathering her wits about her, Stormy stepped forward into Rainbow’s room, but stopped when she felt something beneath her feet. Glancing down, she saw the Color Belt, faded in color, beneath her boot. She reached down and picked it up gently, knowing deep down what Rainbow must have done. No longer hesitating, she marched straight to Rainbow’s bed. “What’s the meaning of this?” she asked angrily, holding out the Color Belt. “And why was Moonglo crying when I saw her?”

Rainbow didn’t turn to look at Stormy. “Isn’t it obvious? I am no longer Rainbow Brite; I don’t need the Color Belt anymore.”

“No longer Rainbow Brite? What are you talking about?” Stormy felt sick to her stomach. What exactly had Rainbow done?

“Color isn’t needed, so I’m not needed. I don’t need the Belt.” Rainbow spoke softly, never turning to face Stormy, never changing her tone of voice.

Frustrated, Stormy stamped her foot. “That’s not an answer! Look at me, Rainbow! What’s wrong with you?” She was taken aback when Rainbow suddenly turned to face her.

“What’s it matter to you? I’m not the one to bring color to the world anymore. Deal with it.”

Stormy’s face moved closer to Rainbow’s. “That’s your job, Rainbow. Each of us has a job to do,” she stated, jabbing a finger in Rainbow’s chest.

Rainbow glared back at her, her forehead now pressed against Stormy’s. “Not anymore.” She smacked away Stormy’s finger angrily.

Stormy groaned in frustration. This was going nowhere, and Rainbow was being stubborn. She decided to change the subject. “What did you do to Moonglo earlier?” she asked, pulling away from Rainbow.

“I didn’t do a thing.” Rainbow slid off the bed, standing before Stormy. “It’s her own fault she thinks I should always look at the night sky.”

Stormy looked at her, confused. “You always have, Rainbow. You enjoy the night sky.”

“No, no I don’t. I’d like you to leave me be.” Rainbow took a step forward, raising her hand to point Stormy toward the door.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Rainbow. It’s gonna take more than that. I’m not like Moonglo,” replied Stormy, fists balling at her sides.

“I can do…” Rainbow’s sentence faded as she began to sway. She lost her train of thought, knowing she was supposed to be angry at Stormy, but she couldn’t remember why. She fought to regain her balance, but it was no use. For an instance, the real Rainbow shown through the gloom shadow. “Help me, Stormy,” she called out in a whispered voice before she slumped to the floor, unconscious.

For a moment, Stormy had no idea what just happened. She shook her head and quickly knelt by Rainbow’s side. “Rainbow?” she called, shaking her gently. “Rainbow! Wake up!” She shook Rainbow’s limp body harder, but it was no use. Rainbow would not waken.

Stormy quickly rose to her feet. She realized that she still held the crumpled Color Belt in her hand. Something was going on, and she couldn’t figure out what. She had caught the glimpse of the old Rainbow instead of whatever this monster was. Her voice had been kind, gentle, and in need. Stormy took off through the castle, sounding the alarm. “Help! Guys, come quick! Rainbow’s down!” She ran through the various hallways, rousing the Color Kids from their rooms and finding Twink among them. She slowed to a stop once everyone had been found, and bent over, hands on knees, trying to catch her breath.

The Color Kids watched her, confused as to what was going on. Twink was the first to notice the Color Belt in her hand. “Why do you have the Color Belt?” he asked.

Stormy looked at Twink and then at the faded Belt. “Rainbow gave up being Rainbow Brite. She tossed the Color Belt aside. I found it on the floor when I went to talk to her. She’s done something to upset Moonglo as well.” Stormy looked around at the shocked faces before her. “Look, something’s not right here and we need to fix it. Rainbow’s not herself and she’s passed out in her room. Before she did, she cried out for me to help her. Something’s inside her.”

“How can we be sure it’s something inside her?” asked Patty O’Green.

“We can’t. Something’s wrong though and we need to figure out why.”

“What about the Color Belt?” asked Red Butler.

“We keep it safe with her, don’t we?” asked Canary Yellow.

“Yeah, we need to keep it away from Murky,” added Buddy Blue.

Shy Violet spoke up. “If we have to keep Rainbow safe and the Color Belt away from Murky, how are we going to run the Color Console at the same time? Each of us Color Kids are needed to keep it running smoothly during the day, as well as overseeing production of the star sprinkles.”

“But Stormy doesn’t need to help us. Moonglo doesn’t either. They can take care for Rainbow while we work,” suggested Lala Orange.

Tickled Pink nodded in agreement. “Will you, Stormy?” she asked.

“Of course! We just need to ask Moonglo as well.”

“And she needs to know what’s wrong with Rainbow,” added Canary Yellow.

Stormy turned to face Twink. “Twink, take a few of the sprites and see if you can search out Moonglo and Nite Sprite. Tell them to return to the Color Castle, and make sure they know it’s an emergency, okay?”

Twink nodded. “Got it. I’ll be back before you know it!” He dashed off to the entrance to begin his search.

“Let’s hope he can find her soon,” voiced Indigo to no one in particular.

“Come on guys. We need to go take care of Rainbow!” called Stormy as she took off at a quick pace for Rainbow’s room. The rest of the Color Kids followed after her.

Meanwhile, in a clearing in a forest far from the Color Castle, a soft white light glowed, hovering over the lone wooden chair that sat there. Within moments it had disappeared, and in its place had appeared Moonglo, Nite Sprite standing behind her with his bag of nite sprinkles. He was chattering in a worried tone, looking at the fresh tears that trickled down Moonglo’s cheeks. Moonglo sniffled, using her sleeve to wipe at her face. “I don’t know, Nite Sprite. Rainbow’s not herself.” She glanced off into the distance, toward the Color Castle and the beam of moonlight that fell upon it, knowing that it bathed Rainbow’s room in its soft light.

Nite Sprite turned to look at the castle as well, and chattered disappointedly. He knew that Moonglo had used more energy than she normally would to decorate the sky and prove a point to Rainbow, but he also knew that she would be drained of energy much sooner than usual. He looked back up at her and patted her knee in sympathy.

“Thanks, Nite Sprite,” she whispered, her eyes focusing on the Color Castle. Deep inside, she knew that her efforts had made no difference, and this caused a fresh wave of tears to fall. “Oh Nite Sprite, I don’t know what to do,” she said in a wavering voice.

Nite Sprite was about to reply, but turned his head when he heard the sound of voices in the distance. He communicated this to Moonglo and waited to see who had followed them. “Nite Sprite! Moonglo!” he heard Twink calling in the distance, along with a chorus of other sprite voices.

Moonglo had heard the call too and rose to her feet. “What are you doing out here?” she asked Twink as he came into view, and hoping that her face didn’t deceive that she’d been crying only moments before.

Twink looked up at her. “You’ve got to return to the Color Castle. There’s trouble with Rainbow!” he explained, gesturing with his hands.

“I don’t think Rainbow wants to deal with me right now, Twink,” Moonglo replied sadly, shaking her head.

“Rainbow’s passed out; Stormy and the others are working out a plan, but they need to talk to you! Please come back with us, Moonglo,” pleaded Twink, the other sprites nodding in agreement.

“Well… all right,” decided Moonglo. “Come on Nite Sprite. Let’s go back to the Color Castle.”

Nodding, Nite Sprite picked up his heavy bag of nite sprinkles and followed behind Moonglo and the other sprites as they all started down the path that would take them back to the Castle. Moonglo looked up at the sky again, admiring all of the beauty she created. A heavy sigh slipped from her lips. She usually felt contented to look at her handiwork, but not tonight. When the one person you rely on most insults your efforts, you can’t really feel all too grand about what you’ve done in the end.

The sprites and Twink led Moonglo and Nite Sprite directly to Rainbow’s room, where the Color Kids were gathered around Rainbow’s bed. Tickled Pink looked up when she heard footsteps behind her. She smiled when she saw that Twink had found Moonglo and Nite Sprite. Moonglo moved closer and saw Rainbow lying in her bed. She had been laid under the covers by the others. Moonglo noticed the look on her face was anything but peaceful. She appeared scared, and her faced seemed to twitch every so often. The other Color Kids took Moonglo into their embrace and continued their silent vigil at Rainbow’s bedside.

Slowly, as the night wore on, the Color Kids and sprites left one by one, saddened and uncertain about what the morning would bring. The task before them seemed daunting, and none of them were certain if they were up to it. Rainbow never stirred; all attempts to try and wake her had failed. Shy Violet wanted to observe her later on and see if she could find any possible causes for what had happened. During the quiet vigil, Stormy had taken Moonglo aside and explained the situation her and the agreement the Color Kids had all decided on. Moonglo knew that it would be a difficult task; she would have to stay awake more than she was used to in the daytime and still complete her nightly task, but she readily agreed, knowing it was for the good of Rainbow Land.

Morning came to Rainbow Land and its inhabitants were slower to rise than usual. Twink set about making sure the sprites continued to mine the color crystals from the Color Cave and Prism Pond. He scurried about, double-checking everything, encouraging the sprites to work faster, as he made trips back and forth between the Color Cave, Prism Pond, and the Color Castle. Starlite helped him travel back and forth, but didn’t speak. He was still hurting from the words that had come tumbling unexpectedly from Rainbow’s mouth. Sprites gave him encouraging smiles, but he didn’t smile or speak to them. He only focused on the job before him.

The Color Kids worked busily at the Console, helping their sprites to add star sprinkles to the slots around it. They took turns rotating between the Console and the section of the Castle where the color crystals were made into star sprinkles. Stormy had disappeared sometime in the night; no one knew where she had disappeared to, but quite a few had heard the distant roll of thunder before sunrise, and knew Stormy was responsible. However, by the time they’d all woken, there was no hint of a cloud in the sky. Moonglo had stayed in Rainbow’s room to watch over her. During the night, Nite Sprite had helped her to put heavy cloth curtains over the windows and doorway, to keep out the natural sunlight that would soon come. This way, she could be awake longer in the daytime without the sunlight affecting her energy. She had pulled a chair up to the side of Rainbow’s bed and kept an eye on her.

Her fingers drifted over the top comforter, feeling the soft fabric beneath them. She yawned, exhausted from the events of the previous night, and her body only wanted to rest. Her eyelids started drooping, and she fought the sleep that threatened to take her away to the land of unconsciousness. “Must… stay awake…watch Rainbow…” she murmured to herself, chanting the mantra over and over again. The fabric felt so good beneath her fingers though… it would be so nice to rest her head on it. She jerked away, head flying back. No, thinking that way would only make things worse.

She decided to observe the details of her surroundings, hoping that the attempt to focus would keep her from sleeping. Her eyes traveled up to the Color Belt, which hung from one of the bedposts. It was still faded in color. Moonglo focused on the red, yellow, and green of the rainbow, and the way they connected to the white star. Her eyes drifted from the belt to the fabric that hung from the nearby window. It was a deep shade of maroon, and she strained to see the criss-crossing threads of the material it was composed of. Her head began to droop again, and she tried to fight it, tried to pull her head back up. Struggling, but losing the fight with her exhausted body, her head fell forward and landed gently on the comforter. Her hands lay around her head, and she slept peacefully in the darkened room.

Up in the mountains, Stormy sat beneath a rock ledge, half hidden by the large boulders that surrounded her. She observed Rainbow Land from her perch, knowing exactly what was going on below. To the right, the Pits overlooked Rainbow Land gloomily, as they always did. There was no sign of life to be seen; she wondered if Murky and Lurky were up to another of their stupid ideas. She hadn’t figured out why they had so willingly ran off yesterday, but she had to admit that chasing them all the way back to the Pits had been fun. A slight smile crossed her face at the very thought of it.

The early morning thunderstorm she had conjured up had done nothing to soothe her anger. She had considered conjuring up worse, but it would have done no good. Not even the biggest storm could get rid of how she felt inside. She knew disappearing from the Castle wasn’t the best idea, but she needed to be alone for awhile and think. The Color Kids were now looking to her, and somehow she had ended up as the unofficial leader of the group. She didn’t mind the title because it meant that she wasn’t second best to Rainbow anymore; she was now the top person in Rainbow Land, the best. It had come at a cost though, one that made having such a title cause guilt to loom over her conscience. The pressure that was to come, and the possible failure too… Stormy shook her head to clear the thought away. Failure was not an option. She heard the sound of hooves near her and knew that Skydancer was impatient. It was time to head back.

Red Butler was overseeing the production of the star sprinkles, a clipboard in hand. He made notes of the times a new cart of crystals arrived, and the colors that were created. He was working alongside Indigo, who made sure the end process went smoothly. He was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice Romeo run up to him. Romeo grabbed at his pants leg, shaking it as he spoke in a worried tone.

“What are you talking about? What did you find?” asked Red Butler, not looking up from his clipboard. Romeo continued to explain his discovery. “What? Oh no!” he exclaimed. “Indigo!”

Indigo looked up from across the room at Red Butler’s frantic call. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Romeo says that the red coloring from the tomatoes in the garden is fading. One of the farming sprites pointed it out to him just now.”

Indigo gasped. “If red is fading, other colors could be too! Why isn’t our rainbow strong enough?”

“I don’t know,” replied Red Butler, “but we need to find out. And fast. If it’s because Rainbow’s down, then we’re in a lot of trouble.” He and Indigo ran from the room and headed for the Color Console, where the rest of the Color Kids were busy. They all turned around when they heard Red Butler and Indigo run into the room.

“There’s trouble! Colors are starting to fade in Rainbow Land. The tomatoes in the garden are beginning to lost their bright coloring,” he quickly explained.

The Color Kids looked at each other, uncertain of what to do next. Each had figured that doing their job would be enough for now, until they were able to restore Rainbow Brite to her usual self. Now it seemed their job and hers were necessary for the colors in Rainbow Land, and possibly Earth. Without Rainbow doing her duty, where did that leave the Color Kids, and the color across the lands?

As always, feedback is welcomed. Any mistakes or parts that don't quite make sense, let me know and I'll see what I can do!

[Chibi Rachy]

Finally finished this chapter after a long day of subbing. I like it and the title amuses me... it comes from a song on one of the baby toys we have for the daycare "All the colors of the rainbow/Are so beautiful to see/All the colors of the rainbow/Are smiling back at me..." It goes on to talk about the colors after that, but it popped into my head when I was trying to decide how to title this chapter. It fits too, considering what happens... Enjoy

Chapter 5 All the Colors of the Rainbow

Murky woke to a brilliantly gloomy day in the Pits. He hummed to himself as he moved about his laboratory, checking on various potions. It was hard being patient, but this plan required patience if it were to ever work properly. He moved to the far corner, where his library of various books was kept. His current favorite was kept open upon a podium, bookmarked at the page with the ingredients and directions for executing the gloom shadow. He poured over the page again, looking for a sign that he could act on the next part of his plan. His finger moved deftly back and forth across the page until it stopped near the bottom of the second page. “Optimal fusion with the body occurs by Day 5,” he read softly to himself, and then grinned wildly. Today marked the 5th day, which meant it was time for the next logical step in the plan.

Clambering and clomping from the stairwell caused Murky to turn around. Lurky entered the room, dusty and dirty from the task Murky had given him the previous night. “All done, Murky. It looks just like the picture you drew,” he called as he pulled out a drawing, looking as though a child had thrown together the picture.

“It’d better or it’ll be your head. That pit has to be strong enough to keep those Color Kids out of the picture.” Murky paced back and forth across the stone floor. “And it’s deep enough in the Pits that no one will find them either.”

“What if they climb out, Murky?” asked Lurky, a rare good question.

Murky looked up at Lurky in surprise. “Why… hmm… they did get out before…” Murky ran off to the section of his laboratory where he stored various parts for his inventions. He looked the pile over, trying to figure out how to incorporate the parts into his design. Spotting some metal rods, he got an idea. “We’ll make it into a prison pit they can’t get out of!” he exclaimed with glee.

“Prison pit?” asked Lurky, scratching his head.

“Yes. They got out of a deep pit before by luck! This time, they won’t be quite so lucky. Grab those metal poles and some of that scrap metal… we’re going to finish the pit. Murky decided upon a heavy duty lock from his collection, and then led the way to the new area that Lurky had construction. Lurky followed behind him, struggling to carry the large pile of poles and scrap metal.

Murky descended set upon set of stairs, going into the deepest part of the Pits where the tunnel system ran. It began as three separate entrances, and beyond that became more complicated, each tunnel branching off at random intervals, running into the other tunnels, and then branching more. The tunnels ran for miles under the Pits, and any unfortunate soul who became lost would die trying to find a way out. Murky entered the middle tunnel, following the dim lamps that had been set up at ten foot intervals at his request. The tunnel divided in two, and the lamps continued down the left side. Murky followed the lamps until they veered sharply to the right, leading to a large open cavern within the tunnels. He took the nearest lamp off the wall and made his way to the edge of the pit. A large rope dangled over the edge, one end secured to a large boulder nearby. “How deep?” he asked as he held the lamp over the edge to get a glimpse inside.

“Gee Murky, I’m not sure,” replied Lurky.

Murky groaned, and then glanced around for a small rock. He found one near his feet and tossed it into the pit. Listening closely, he waited for the rock to hit the bottom. He counted the seconds, and heard the distant pinging a few seconds later. Pleased, he turned to Lurky. “Good job. Now we need to install this and we’ll be ready for tonight. If we’re lucky, we’ll capture the Color Kids!”

Stormy entered the Castle, deciding to check on Moonglo before reporting to the other Color Kids. She made her way to Rainbow’s room, entering the darkened bedroom. Her eyes easily adjusted to the darkness and she quickly noticed that Moonglo was asleep, head lying on the comforter while the rest of her body sat in the chair. It had to be an uncomfortable position to sleep in. Anger began to well up inside her; they had entrusted Moonglo to watch over Rainbow and keep her safe. She held her breath, counting slowly; the anger slowly faded away. It would do no good to get angry at Moonglo; she had been up the entire night and had used a great amount of energy in creating the night sky. She debated on whether or not to wake her, deciding to simply let her sleep. With everyone in the Castle and the sprites alert, she doubted that Murky would get very far. Double-checking that the Color Belt still hung from the bedpost, she turned and headed for the Color Console.

“Stormy! There you are!” cried Shy Violet as Stormy exited Rainbow’s room.

Stormy put a finger to her lips. “Quiet! Moonglo’s worn herself out. She’s fallen asleep,” she whispered, more harshly than she had intended to.

Shy Violet quickly covered her mouth before uncovering it and speaking more softly. “We’ve got more trouble,” she whispered. “Come with me.”

Stormy quietly followed Shy Violet to the Color Console room, where the rest of the Kids were deep in conversation. They stopped when the two girls entered. “What’s going on?” asked Stormy.

“Color is fading in Rainbow Land; Romeo found the tomatoes were losing their luster,” explained Shy Violet.

“What are we going to do?” asked Indigo. “If there’s no color, then Murky gets his way!”

“We can’t panic,” stated Canary Yellow. “We have to think positively about this.”

“But without Rainbow, we’re doomed,” replied Patty O’Green, ignoring Canary Yellow’s remark all together.

Stormy listened as each of the Color Kids voiced their own concerns. No one knew what would occur if Rainbow continued to be unconscious and deny the Color Belt as her own. Rainbow Land would slowly fade, and the Pits would take over as the dominant area.

“I expect that Earth is experiencing something similar,” explained Shy Violet. “If we are losing color here, then that planet must be as well. It’s a double-effect of sorts. We could each travel to Earth and spread our star sprinkles, but then that would leave very few of us to run the Color Console.” She tapped her chin, the gears in her brain turning. There had to be a solution to all of this.

“What do you think, Stormy?” asked Tickled Pink.

“How am I supposed to know? I don’t deal with color. I take care of weather. Color’s not my thing,” she retorted.

Lala Orange spoke up. “I don’t think we have much of a choice. We either take turns going to Earth, or we let all the colors disappear.”

“We need Rainbow back… we can’t do our job and hers too!” shot Buddy Blue.

“Let’s just focus on getting through the day,” decided Red Butler. “Everyone’s tired from last night. We’ll take things slowly and change our plan as needed. Sound good?” Everyone nodded in agreement.

By nightfall, Murky sat back, admiring his handy work. He’d rigged the metal poles into the stone so that the Color Kids wouldn’t be able to escape once inside, not that they’d be able to with the gloom cloud over their heads. He had attached a hinged metal door to the center, and padlocked it shut. It would keep the brats out of his way, especially once he added the gloom cloud over the prison pit. “Lurky, get into the prison pit! I want to test something!” he called.

Lurky had been rigging up the gloom machine for later. “Why do you want me in there, Murky? It’s not for me.”

“I know that banana brain. I need you to test the bars and see how strong they are.”

“Oh, so you want me to be a monkey? I like monkeys.”

Murky smacked his forehead. “Just do it!” he commanded.

Lurky walked across the bars, and sat down to ease himself inside. He gripped the bars, and began swinging himself back and forth. He crossed between the bars and continued to swing. “This is fun, Murky. You should try it!” he called up.

Murky had been studying the strength of the bars, as Lurky swung back and forth. “Get up here, bozo. They’ll hold just fine. We won’t have to worry about anyone breaking out… or breaking in…” After a few moments he noticed that Lurky was still swinging back and forth, ignoring his command. “Lurky! Get up here! We’ve got to go to Rainbow Land and I need you to get the Grunge Buggy while I get some supplies!”

“Awww…” replied Lurky as he began swinging himself back toward the door. He climbed out of the pit and made his way back to Murky.

Within an hour, the two were ready to head to Rainbow Land. It was now nearing midnight and Murky knew that the inhabitants would be tucked into bed, not suspecting a thing. He rubbed his hands together in glee as he sat in the sidecar of the Grunge Buggy. He was positive that none of the Color brats would suspect him or his wonderful plot, which was all the more reason to take care of the issues before they began to get on his case. He turned to watch Lurky, who was hooking a large cage car behind the buggy to keep the Color Kids in. He patted his trusty gloom gun in his lap. It would be put to good use tonight, and there was very little to be done to stop him.

Lurky jumped into the Grunge Buggy, having made the last few adjustments. He started the noisy contraption, and it roared to life. “Everything’s ready, Murky,” he answered dutifully, as he shifted it into gear.

“Excellent. Let’s sneak into Rainbow Land. No need to be rude and wake those who are sleeping, right?”

“But Murky, I thought we wanted to wake the Color Kids,” asked a confused Lurky.

“It was a figure of… oh never mind! Just drive quietly! And keep quiet! I can’t afford for this to go wrong. We only get one good chance at surprising them.” Lurky didn’t reply, following Murky’s strict orders. He drove slowly toward Rainbow Land, visions of the horseys he could ride once Murky had taken over dancing in his head. He especially wanted to ride the one with the pretty rainbow mane. It was going to be a dream come true.

Deep within the Color Castle, the Color Kids slept soundly, tired after a long day of work and worry. No one had any definite solutions to the problems at hand, and that frustrated and worried them. Without Rainbow Brite, they felt unprotected and weak. Without her to perform her duties, the strength that allowed each of them to keep the color brilliant and bright in the universe weakened. Moonglo had left shortly after sunset to perform her nightly duties, and Stormy had been left in charge of watching over Rainbow since she had no real reason to leave the Castle. She had readily agreed after noting the exhausted looks of the Color Kids.

Stormy sat at Rainbow’s bedside on the same chair Moonglo had occupied earlier. She had it tipped backward, using her right foot to balance as she watched the ceiling, or what little she could see in the darkness. She hadn’t fooled with the heavy curtains, which made the room even darker than it usually was. She didn’t mind the darkness, though it would be better if it were mixed with a thunderstorm of sorts. The addition of thunder and lightning would make for an excellent show, but she’d have to stick with picturing it in her mind, instead of conjuring one up. She was so bored, and didn’t see how anyone could enjoy nursing someone back to health if all they did was sit around most of the time. She’d only been at it a few hours and was going crazy not having to do anything.

Rainbow’s status hadn’t changed. No one knew what was wrong, or what to do. Stormy had a gut feeling that it had to do with Murky, but they didn’t even know what was affecting her, so it couldn’t be pinned directly to Murky without any sort of evidence. She would have rather they burst into his lair and take care of him before he did something worse, but no one would have followed her; they knew of her temper and heedless nature. Doing nothing and attempting to forge on did no good either. She sighed in frustration. Being patient sucked.

Slowly backing the Grunge Buggy into a tangle of bushes, Lurky whispered, “Is this good enough?”

“Yes. No one expects us and none of the sprites will be awake at this hour,” answered Murky in a hushed voice. He became serious and stern with his next statement though. “Now listen to me and listen well. You aren’t going to speak in the Castle. Not a word. If anyone finds out we’re here, then my plan won’t work and you won’t get your horseys, got it?” Lurky nodded, and clamped a hand over his mouth just to show Murky he was serious. “Good…let’s go!”

They quickly crossed the bridge to the Color Castle and snuck inside. Murky knew to steer clear of Rainbow’s room. He would have loved to see if the belt had been cast aside, but it wasn’t going to risk it. He could use the gloom cloud to his advantage and get it out of the Color Kids later. He quickly moved past, noting that whatever hung from the door kept him from being seen. This was better than expected. He continued on to the next room, and peeked inside, spotting Patty O’Green sleeping soundly. He motioned to Lurky to stay put and went inside.

It all seemed rather easy. He made his way to the bed and pulled the trigger, the gun emitting clouds of gloom around where Patty slept. “Wakey, wakey,” he called, cackling softly to himself. Patty shot up at the sound of Murky’s voice and was about to call out when the gloom cloud began to produce its effects on her. Her demeanor changed and she slumped forward slightly. “Quiet!” commanded Murky in low tones. “There’s no point in speaking since there’s no Rainbow Brite to rescue you.”

Patty merely nodded at him. “Right…” she mumbled.

“Now follow me and stand behind Lurky. We’re going on a trip.” He smiled gleefully as the green Color Kid followed his instructions, slowly sliding out of bed and waiting to follow him. He led her to where Lurky stood, and continued on to the next Color Kid’s room.

He soon found himself standing before Red Butler, the one he knew could be an arrogant leader at times. Not so arrogant now, are you? he thought to himself. Again, he pulled the trigger on the gloom gun, spreading gloom clouds all over Red Butler’s upper body. “Wake up, buddy boy,” he called softly. Buddy’s reaction was very close to Patty’s, but before he could do anything, the gloom cloud took over his mind. He slumped forward in bed, drawing his knees to his chest. “Follow me, Red Butler…there’s no point in thinking your friends will come save you…” he instructed.

Red Butler merely nodded. “As always…” He climbed out of bed and stood at attention.

“Follow me to Lurky… then follow behind your friend Patty. No peeps from you now…no good to talk when you can be quiet instead.” Red nodded and followed Murky to stand behind Patty O’Green.

Murky continued throughout the Color Castle quickly, wanting to finish the job and get the Kids locked away. Once he could do that, then part two of his plan would be completed. Buddy Blue, Tickled Pink, Canary Yellow, Lala Orange, Shy Violet, and Indigo were soon roused from their beds and doused in gloom cloud. He had gathered the main Color Kids, and considered looking for Stormy and Moonglo. All too soon he realized that Moonglo was doing her nightly duties. He wondered if the Stormy brat was the one keeping watch on Rainbow. The Color Kids wouldn’t leave her completely unguarded. He considered going and capturing her, but the risk was too great. With eight Color Kids, the chance to lose them all based on one putting up a fight was too great. He decided to cut his losses and take what he had. He didn’t feel like facing her storms again just yet. Besides he reasoned in his head she doesn’t affect the rainbow so she’s of no use to my plan just yet. I can capture her later.

He exited the Castle behind the last Color Kid, Indigo, and looked at the beautiful sight before him. He had finally captured all of the Color Kids and was going to get away with it. Lurky led them back to the Grunge Buggy, and Murky worked to lock them all in the cage. Not wanting to risk the cloud wearing off before they were able to lock them away, he began shooting more clouds over the Kids’ heads, prolonging the effects. Hopping in the Grunge Buggy, he began giving instructions to Lurky. “Sneak off again so we wake no one. Let’s get back to the Pits and lock these brats away.”

Lurky drove silently, obeying Murky’s commands as if his life depended on it. The Grunge Buggy sputtered before taking off, disappearing over the horizon and back into the Pits. Every so often, Murky turned around in his sidecar, unable to believe his fortune. He was rather certain that it was all merely a dream, and that he’d wake up as he’d done so many times before. Reassuring himself that he wasn’t dreaming, he looked forward to dropping those Kids deep in the Pits where they wouldn’t be found ever again.

Stormy shot up from the half slumber she’d been in. She wasn’t sure what had woken her up. “Musta been some silly night noise,” she reasoned to herself. She rose from her chair and went to the curtains, pulling them back so that she could step into the hallway of the Castle. She didn’t notice anything out of place and she couldn’t hear anything else. Figuring it couldn’t hurt, she took a look outside the Castle door to see if anything seemed out of sorts, but everything was quiet and peaceful. “This is stupid. Something silly wakes me and I get all worked up.” She returned to her post by Rainbow’s bed, falling asleep shortly there after.

Let me know what you think... I love good feedback. As always if you catch any mistakes, let me know and I'll fix them pronto!

[Chibi Rachy]

It took me longer than usual to finish this chapter. Something felt off about it so I took some time to ponder and correct what I wanted. The ending was also a struggle to write, as I couldn't get it just as I wanted. Finally, I've begun subbing in the classroom so my days are quite busy for the most part. With a possible long-term position for the rest of the year, things may slow down a bit. We'll see! Enjoy the chapter, and as always, feedback and any mistakes caught are welcomed!

Chapter 6 Cry for Help

He whistled a tune, a grim dismal tune that made him grin from ear to ear. He still couldn’t believe the good luck he’d had as he crossed into the Pits. He couldn’t believe how it continued when he and Lurky took the Color Kids to the prison pit and no one burst in to save the day. He turned the key in the lock and withdrew it, his plans complete. Below him sat the Color Kids, still under the control of the gloom cloud. He used a nearby lantern to peek in on them, noting that they sat in groups or wandered about aimlessly. “And now to add more gloom cloud to keep them quiet…can’t have them waking me up at odd hours in the night, bwhahaha!” He directed a small metal contraption on wheels near the pit before drawing a long hose from the side. To anyone, it might resemble a broken down vacuum cleaner. He lowered the hose into the pit and turned the machine on with the flick of a red switch. Gloom cloud swirled down into the prison pit, securing the depression surrounding the Kids.

Satisfied, Murky turned to leave, knowing the machine would continue to spew forth gloom cloud on ten minute intervals, and could continue to do so for a twelve hour period. After the time had expired, Murky would simply have to add more of the potion to create the clouds and continue the cycle. Lurky followed behind him, taking lamps down and setting them into a crate he carried. In each lamp’s place, he made a white chalk line so that they would find the location of the prison pit later on. Murky wasn’t chancing that one of the brats he hadn’t captured would sneak into the tunnels to free their friends. Once everything was taken care of, he and Lurky went their separate ways to catch some sleep. Murky had a feeling he would have a most wonderful dream about a colorless world.

Wind whipped through her hair, lavender locks flying behind her as her nimble fingers gripped at Skydancer’s mane. This was the race to end all races, the race that would determine the fastest horse in the universe. Her mind wandered to the many breeds and varieties she had glimpsed prior to the beginning of the race and beamed with pride, knowing that Skydancer could beat any of them. She knew the race was hers as she whipped along the trail, Skydancer seeming to know exactly where obstacles seemed to be. They came upon a pile of scattered logs in the pathway, which Skydancer was easily able to jump over and continue on effortlessly. Yes, this race would be an easy one. Too easy… she thought, as her mind turned toward Rainbow Brite and Starlite, the only horse and rider who could beat Skydancer in a race.

Her mouth set in a firm line, she continued forward. It didn’t matter that they had not entered into this race, or that Starlite had not insisted upon it. After all, he did proclaim himself as “the most magnificent horse in the universe”, and such a horse would enter in this race. It didn’t matter, as soon Skydancer would be proclaimed the winner, and then she’d have nothing to worry about. They’d be known across the universe for this feat, and she smiled to herself, knowing how they’d outshine Rainbow Brite in something for once.

She was brought out of her reverie as Skydancer skidded to a sudden halt, kicking up dust and pebbles in the process. She squeezed her eyes, nose, and mouth shut on instinct, keeping the debris from harming her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see what had caused Skydancer to halt so suddenly in the middle of a race. She was shocked to see Rainbow standing before her, staring up at her, a fearful look plastered on her face. Stormy eyed her, noticing that her usual attire was tattered and dusty, as though she’d been in a fight of sorts. “They’re gone, Stormy, all of them. I tried… to save them… no use.” The other racers flew past the trio, having caught up. No one cared about the appearance of the lone girl in the tattered, dusty clothing. “I failed…” whispered Rainbow as she sank to her knees before Skydancer, admitting defeat.

A range of emotions shot through Stormy. She felt sympathy, in her own way, through the anger and rage that coursed suddenly through her veins. “I won’t fail, Rainbow. I promise you that! No one messes with my friends and gets away with it. Come on, Rainbow. You’re not giving up either.” She glared down at the protector of Rainbow Land, offering a hand. Rainbow merely looked back at her, seemingly backing away from the proffered hand. “Don’t make me drag you onto Skydancer. You don’t have a choice in this!” Rainbow timidly reached for Stormy’s hand, which Stormy immediately grabbed. Pulling her up, she placed Rainbow directly in front of her on Skydancer. She didn’t trust that Rainbow had the strength to hold onto her.

She turned Skydancer around, racing back across the landscape, back the way she had come. Rainbow was like a ragdoll in front of her, and Stormy found it hard to hold on to Skydancer’s mane in a way that secured both her and Rainbow. “Not gonna fail, not gonna fail,” she mumbled to herself over and over….

“…not gonna fail,” Stormy mumbled, feet propped on Rainbow’s bed as she slept uncomfortably in the chair, arms resting across her chest. Her head gently tossed back and forth. “Let’s go… Skydancer…”

Moonglo ran into the room, quickly pushing back the heavy curtain in front of the door. “Stormy! Stormy wake up!” she shouted, worry etched on her face.

Stormy continued to slumber on, a deep sleeper used to falling asleep to the sounds of vicious thunderstorms. “Hold on…” she mumbled.

Moonglo frowned and began to shake her sleeping friend. “There’s an emergency! Get up!”

Stormy’s eyes suddenly opened, her feet pushing against the bed, which caused her chair to tip backwards. As soon as she realized she was falling backwards, she began waving her arms in the air, trying to catch her balance. “Whoa!” she cried out, certain that she would hit the floor. She realized suddenly that she was staring up at the ceiling, but hadn’t hit the floor. She turned her head, finding that Moonglo had stopped her mid-fall. She saw the upset look on Moonglo’s face as she sat the chair upright. “What’s wrong?” Stormy asked.

“The Color Kids… gone… I don’t know where. I can’t find them, and they wouldn’t just disappear.”

Stormy blinked, as the information sank into her waking brain. It finally registered. “What do you mean, gone?”

“They aren’t here. Not in their rooms, not at the Color Console, not in the processing room, not anywhere. There’s no note and no one’s made their beds.”

“Where would they have gone? They know we can’t do without them.”

“I think Murky took them.”

“Why? We don’t know that they wouldn’t go to Earth.”

“Stormy! That’d be the silliest thing they could do! They would never all go at once!”

Stormy rubbed her face, trying to wash away the sleepiness she still felt. “Wait…yeah you’re right.” She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “We need to look for them, especially if Murky’s captured them. What do we know so far?”

“Nothing,” replied Moonglo. “I don’t think they were seen. None of the sprites saw anything and Twink was asleep. They got away pretty easily with everyone.”

Stormy frowned. “I didn’t even hear them. Unless…” Realization dawned on her. “I was asleep when they came! It’s my own fault. I was on guard and didn’t hear anything.” Stormy stamped her foot in frustration. “I should have caught them. They had to go right past Rainbow’s room to get to the Color Kids!”

Moonglo laid a calming hand on Stormy’s arm. “The curtains we hung are very heavy. They must be able to muffle sound pretty well,” she reasoned. “I couldn’t hear anything yesterday that went on outside the door.”

Stormy sighed. “That doesn’t matter. I should have heard him! I should have stopped him! I was the one guarding Rainbow while you were out taking care of the night.”

“Stop it, Stormy. There’s nothing we can do now to fix it. We have to figure what to do to get them back.”

“I’m going to go look for the Color Kids. If Murky’s got them, then they should be easy to find. He always leaves a trail, eventually.” Stormy had balled her fists at her side in determination.

“Be careful,” warned Moonglo. “You and I are the only ones left to watch over Rainbow and you can’t be caught too. Rainbow needs both of us.”

Stormy nodded. “I’ve got Skydancer and he’s the best. We’ll be back before you know it. Murky’ll pay for what he’s done, you can bet on that!” Stormy marched from the room, and before the curtain swung shut, Moonglo heard her calling for Skydancer. All was quiet after that and she turned to look at Rainbow, moving to the side of the bed. She took Rainbow’s hand in her own.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but we really need you back. Everything’s falling apart, and I don’t know what we need to do. I’m not as strong as Stormy is.” A tear escaped her eye, and fell onto Rainbow’s limp hand. Moonglo squeezed it, hoping that somehow Rainbow would be okay, and soon.

Skydancer raced across the expanse of Rainbow Land and directly into the Pits. Stormy was determined to find the Color Kids at all costs; she knew that Murky had taken them hostage and was going to get them back from him. She studied the ground as they raced by, looking for anything Murky might have dropped or left behind. She scanned the area in frustrated, but did a double-take when something bright orange up ahead caught her attention. “Stop, Skydancer,” she ordered. She jumped from his backside as soon as he’d halted and picked up the orange object, a beret, knowing it belonged to Lala Orange. It had been stuck between a set of boulders. She dusted it off and studied it. If she hadn’t been certain before that Murky had a hand in any of this, she was now. She stuffed the beret into an inner pocket and pulled herself back up onto Skydancer. Instinctively, he took off, heading closer and closer to Murky’s lair deep within the Pits.

As Stormy surveyed the perimeter, she tried to decide what to do. Confronting Murky face to face would be the best idea, but she had promised Moonglo she’d come back safe. She didn’t know what sort of traps Murky would spring onto her, or if he’d attempt to capture her as well. She tried to figure out what Moonglo might do in her situation, knowing deep down that she would simply have surveyed the area and then figured out what to do. Even Rainbow would do that, but she’d find a way to get Murky out as well. “Skydancer, let’s keep looking. There must be something here!”

“Hey Murky!” called out Lurky, spying Stormy outside.

“Oh really?” asked Murky, feigning interest. He wasn’t worried about either of the two Kids that weren’t captured. They couldn’t save Rainbow Brite and they wouldn’t stop him either. “Who is it?”

“One of Rainbow’s friends is here, the one with purple hair. I wonder if she came for a visit?”

“I’m sure she did… she’s looking for her other friends, you dolt!” Murky slammed his potions onto the table and made his way to the window. “She wouldn’t do anything. They won’t do a thing without their precious Rainbow brat! Just wait and see!”

“Why don’t we just take her too?” asked Lurky, confused. He was certain that Murky had wanted to capture all of Rainbow’s friends.

“I could easily do that! I want to play for awhile, give them a fighting chance to beat me. I don’t need those two anyway. They don’t affect the colors in Rainbow Land or on Earth. Moonglo is the only one who uses colors in her work, but she’s not responsible for any certain color. Her night sky will be dark and gloomy, no matter what she does to it.”

“What if they do beat you, Murky?”

Murky slapped his arm. “They’re not going to, idiot. By the time they think to use Rainbow’s Color Belt, it’ll be too late. We’re going to steal that pretty little piece tonight. I need it for the next part of my plan!”

“What is the next part?”

“You fool! I can’t tell you just yet. You’ll find out soon enough,” replied Murky, turning away from the window and heading back to his lab table. He began working with the same two potion bottles again. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what the exact plan for tonight was, but he had the rest of the afternoon to work out any kinks. He wanted to keep striking before Stormy and Moonglo could recover from the previous attacks. He would beat them down until they could retaliate no more, and would willingly hand over Rainbow Land to him, knowing it was the only option they had left. He could easily picture it in his mind… Stormy and Moonglo would be on their knees before him, giving themselves over to him. He’d be kind of course, and make them his slaves, while he proudly wore the Color Belt instead of Rainbow Brite. As for her, he’d toss her into the Pits with the other Kids… she would be quite useless without her precious Belt.

Lurky continued to observe the window, watching Stormy with interest. He waved at her, but she didn’t wave back at him. Frowning, he tried again, but the result was the same. He pouted at the window, and didn’t bother Murky. Five minutes later, Stormy disappeared from his view and he was stuck once again looking at the grayish gloom that was so common. I wish there was some color here… it’s not pretty like Rainbow Land is. He sighed and walked toward the stairwell that would lead him to the various other rooms in Murky’s lair. Murky glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Go check on those Color Brats while you’re at it,” he called after Lurky. “Make sure everything’s just as it should be.”

“You got it Murky!” replied Lurky cheerfully as he bumbled down the staircase toward the tunnel entrance.

Murky mixed the contents of the two potions together, smiling in satisfaction when he saw a poof of gloom cloud burst forth. “This will be perfect for my new Belt and star sprinkles… thank goodness I didn’t get rid of the ones left behind from when the Princess came visiting… they are going to save me a lot of trouble once I have that Belt,” he said to himself, thinking of the two boxes full of star sprinkles that he’d locked into one of the rooms that was never used for anything. He couldn’t handle seeing the bright, cheery colors every time he opened the boxes, yet he couldn’t part with them either. So he’d saved them instead, knowing that he’d use them when he had the perfect plan.

He glanced toward the window, noting that it would be useless to engage Stormy; he knew she wouldn’t attempt anything at this point, even though it was in her nature to do so. With only her and Moonglo remaining, his gut instinct told him that she would avoid taking any big risks. He wasn’t willing to risk capturing her either, not when there was a chance that she would overpower him with her control of the weather. No, he was going to play the waiting game on this one, for he had a bigger prize to capture. Once he had accomplished that, not even Stormy would be able to best him. He would have the control, the upper hand, and he would win this time around. He’d taken out Rainbow Brite. He was going to have that Color Belt. Combine the two of those together and I have the ultimate takeover of Rainbow Land! He thought to himself as his laughter echoed in the laboratory.

The dream sequence was a random burst of inspiration, and I love how it turned out. Chapter 7 will be out sometime in the foreseeable future, hopefully within a two week time frame. I'll see how much writing I get done this weekend

[Chibi Rachy]

Can't believe I finished an entire chapter this weekend, but it turned out great. I was able to include less in this chapter than originally planned, but that's how it usually works with me. I get some idea in my head and it just has to be written out. Enjoy the chapter, and as always, let me know of any mistakes or errors you find!

Chapter 7 Spritely Diversion

Stormy returned to the Color Castle by afternoon, frustrated after a long, pointless search effort. She had circled the perimeter of the Pits, watching for any action from Murky’s lair. Upon finding none, she had worked her way through the cliffs and mountainous area surrounding the Pits, coming up with nothing. So far, Murky had covered his tracks quite well, and she could discern nothing out of the ordinary. She slid from Skydancer and wordlessly dismissed him until she needed him again. In silent anger, she marched into the Castle, searching out Moonglo. As she entered Rainbow’s room, she spotted Moonglo, catching her in the middle of a yawn.

Moonglo quickly stifled her yawn when she spotted Stormy entering, noting that she appeared angry. Instead of speaking up, she simply watched as Stormy stomped over to her and then reached a hand inside her outer coat, pulling out a crumpled orange piece of fabric. Stormy tossed it to the floor and Moonglo quickly recognized it as Lala Orange’s beret. She noted the specks of dirt covering it, the fabric that was wrinkled, and then looked up at Stormy.

“Found that on the ground. Nothing else! Nothing! He’s made them disappear!” began Stormy, ranting.

“At least we know he is the one who took them for sure,” inserted Moonglo, trying to spin things toward a more positive light.

“That doesn’t matter. He shouldn’t have taken them in the first place.”

“We’ll keep looking for them. Murky’s always slipped up in the end.”

“I don’t know,” replied Stormy, shaking her head. “Something tells me that he’s not going to slip up so easily this time around.”

Moonglo looked toward the door, noticing a ruffling behind the curtains. She caught glimpse of a white face peeking inside before the body followed. Another body soon followed. “Kitty Brite and Puppy Brite have been sniffing around outside, seeing if they could find anything.” She looked at the duo, who had made themselves comfortable at the foot of Rainbow’s bed. “Anything?” Both animals shook their heads.

“I’m telling you, Murky’s pulled out all the stops this time. He got Rainbow, he got the Color Kids, and now he’s going to get his wish for no color. Everything’s beginning to fade; the brightness and beauty are gone. Soon we won’t have any color in Rainbow Land if we don’t do something.”

“The sprites are going to try taking the places of their Color Kids. I don’t know if it’ll work, but Twink’s trying to organize it all,” began Moonglo, changing the topic a little.

Stormy turned and exited the room, no longer able to stand the positive twists. To her, it seemed as though it was all a futile effort. They needed a real solution, not a band-aid solution. She was going to rely on her gut feeling that Murky was indeed a more formidable foe and that he wasn’t going to muck up any time soon. She knew what she had seen and that she had to do something. Her dream only added to the confusion; she wasn’t certain if it was only a dream, or if Rainbow was trying to communicate via her dream. She was going to find out. She was going to fix Murky Dismal for the havoc he was creating in Rainbow Land. She exited the Color Castle, intent on heading to the mountains for a bit of a cool down.

Moonglo sighed as the curtain swung shut. She didn’t know what to say to Stormy, but she wanted to avoid anything that would trigger her anger. None of this was settling well with her, and Moonglo didn’t know what to do. She was trying to be positive about it, but Stormy would have none of that it seemed. Moonglo knew Stormy wanted answers, but there were none to give to her. Everyone was in the dark.

Evening settled on Rainbow Land, and its inhabitants settled down for a night of well-deserved sleep. Twink had spent the day with the mining sprites, encouraging them to mine excess of color crystal before moving on to the Color Kids’ sprites to work out a plan to take their places. An argument had ensued among the sprites when they realized that none of them knew how to operate the Color Console, but I.Q. had quickly learned the technology and taught the others. By the time they had gotten the hang of the technology, the sun had begun setting, and thus, they would begin working with the Console and star sprinkles the next day. Stormy had patrolled Rainbow Land on watch after her cool down, while Moonglo had been left to sleep and watch over Rainbow. Puppy and Kitty Brite had taken guard posts outside of the room as extra precautions. Now that evening had come, Moonglo had left to complete nightly duties and Stormy had taken her place in Rainbow’s room. All seemed quiet at the moment, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long…

Murky grabbed his trusty gloom gun, checking that it was fully loaded before meeting Lurky at the Grunge Buggy. He hummed a tune to himself while aiming the gun at invisible targets as he passed. He climbed into his sidecar, waiting for Lurky to arrive. He had no idea what that bumbling idiot was up to, but it most likely had nothing to do with where he should be right now, which was driving the Grunge Buggy to Rainbow Land. “Lurky! Let’s go! We won’t have much time to get the Belt if we don’t hurry.”

“Coming, Murky,” called Lurky from the doorway to the lair. “I was just checking up on the Color Kids before we left.”

“There’s no need to worry about them right now. They won’t be escaping anytime soon, and Stormy won’t be rescuing them either…she has no idea where they are.” He had caught the distant sound of rolling thunder earlier in the afternoon as she had left the Pits, empty handed.

Lurky started the Grunge Buggy, and it roared to life. He shifted into gear and sped off toward Rainbow Land. “What’s the plan, Murky?”

“Easy. You’ll create a distraction that will draw Stormy away from the Color Castle. Moonglo should be taking care of the night sky, so we won’t need to worry about her. While you’re doing that, I’ll steal the Belt from Rainbow.”

“What sorta distraction, Murky?”

“Scaring the sprites in their houses of course,” replied Murky.

“But Murky, that’s awfully mean.”

“That’s the point, banana brain. If you scare them, it’ll bring someone running to save them and keep them from finding me! Now take this tracking device. I have the remote that goes to it and when I need to find you after I grab the Belt, it’ll begin to beep. It’ll lead me to you, so make sure you drive off and escape. Got it?” He handed the small device to Lurky, who stuck it in his fur.

“All right, Murky, if you say so.” They drove into Rainbow Land, making their way past the forest and the sprite houses. Lurky dropped Murky off at the bridge to the Color Castle before driving off to the nearby sprite houses. Murky quickly crossed the bridge, jumping into a bush just outside the Castle door. He waited for the fun to begin.

It didn’t take long before a screech was heard from the sprite houses and Murky covered his mouth to contain his laughter. Soon, more screeches and shouts joined the foray and Murky watched the door impatiently. Someone would come running, and he hoped that it would be Stormy. It only took a few more seconds before he heard the pounding of footsteps and then the backside of Stormy as she took off across the bridge, Twink quickly following after her. “My turn…” he whispered to himself, sprinting from the bushes and into the Color Castle.

~Moments earlier~

Stormy yawned and stretched, forcing herself to stay awake this time around. She wasn’t going to mess up again. She glanced around the room, noting that everything was in place. The Color Belt hung above Rainbow’s bed, faded as ever. The landscape was beginning to match, and she knew that soon the color would begin to fade completely. Her eyes wandered from the Belt to its owner, who still had not waken. If only they could figure out what was wrong with her, then they might be able to figure out how to cure her.

She jumped when she heard Twink’s excited chattering as he slid down the pole into Rainbow’s room. “Stormy! Something’s wrong with the sprites! There’s all sorts of shouting outside!”

“Let’s go then! If it’s Murky and Lurky again, they’re gonna pay!” She quickly stood and raced toward the curtain, quickly shoving it aside and rushing toward the sprite houses. She didn’t realize that hidden in the bushes outside the door sat Murky, waiting for his moment to swipe what he believed was his.

~ Present ~

Murky went straight for Rainbow’s room, knowing that now was his only chance. He threw back the curtain and raced inside, eyes darting about the room for his prize. He spotted the Color Belt, still slung over the bed above Rainbow’s head. Quickly, he grabbed it and stuffed it inside his helmet before darting from the room again. He wasn’t going to celebrate just yet though. This had been much easier than he had thought, as he had wondered if someone else might still be about the castle. No one came to stop him, so he continued forward.

However, he stopped in his tracks, not being able to resist taking one look at Rainbow and how far she’d fallen. He stepped to her bedside, observing her face, which did not appear peaceful. He knew that the gloom shadow had worked well enough to be fused completely with the body. It would keep Rainbow from waking of her own accord, or anyone else’s. Nothing could pull her from the slumber that she was in, and the only possibility he could think of involved the Color Belt. Now that it was in his hands though, that knocked that solution right out the window. Rainbow Brite was no more. Someday he’d add her to his collection, or better yet, he’d make her his own personal slave. She’d serve him, unable to do anything as he strutted about wearing the Color Belt. Such a lovely scene in his mind. He smiled and shook his head. There would be time for daydreaming later. Right now, he had to slip quietly away from the Color Castle and from Rainbow Land.

Peeking outside the door, he noticed that Lurky was still doing his job as rain and thunder began to fall over the houses. Sprinting, he crossed the bridge and detoured behind the houses that were farthest from the commotion Lurky had created. He tiptoed and snuck about, darting from house to house with ease. No sprites were nearby, and if they were, they were too scared to come out of their houses and face whatever was outside. As if to prove a point to himself, he peeked into the window of the sprite house he was hiding behind and saw a group of orange sprites hidden beneath the table inside, eyes squeezed shut. They were shivering and shaking, not knowing that someone was watching them through their window.

Grinning, Murky continued on, until he had reached the edge of the forest. He went deep inside, looking for the perfect hiding place. He soon came to a clump of bushes and jumped inside. No one would find him here. No one would realize what he’d done until it was too late. He pulled out the remote that would alert Lurky, and pressed the red button upon it. A low beeping began, sending a signal out across Rainbow Land. All too soon, he knew that Lurky would receive the alert and begin driving back toward the Pits. Absently, his hand tapped against his helmet as he waited for Lurky to return.

“I’m gonna get you, sprite!” yelled Lurky, still running about as Stormy attempted to stop him. He bumbled about in no particular pattern, and this made it harder for Stormy to take aim. She couldn’t predict his moves. Another bolt of lightning narrowly missed the top of his head.

“It’s not working, Stormy,” cried Twink from behind her.

“It will work. You watch and see!” yelled Stormy as she concentrated on her moving target.

Lurky dodged behind a house and began to feel a humming vibration from inside his fur. “Oh boy! Murky’s ready to go!” He stopped chasing the blue sprite and ran for the nearby Grunge Buggy that he’d hidden behind a house. He hopped inside, and pressed his foot to the breaks, taking off for the Pits. This sudden change in plans caught Stormy off guard.

“Skydancer! Let’s go!” she cried. She wanted to follow and hope that Lurky could lead her to the Color Kids. She could hear the pounding of Skydancer’s hooves as he answered her call.

“Wait, Stormy! What about Rainbow?” called Twink.

Stormy, who was about to heft herself up onto Skydancer, stopped in her tracks. She debated with herself, deciding on what she should do. She knew there was the right answer, the one Twink would expect, and then there was another answer, her own stubborn way. She was about to go her own way when she realized that she hadn’t seen Murky the entire time. Her heart sank into her stomach. Wordless, she ran toward the Color Castle, and directly to Rainbow’s room. She threw back the curtain and quickly scanned the room. Rainbow was still safe in bed so Murky hadn’t taken her captive. Her eyes then settled above Rainbow’s bed, on the spot where the Color Belt was. Or rather, should have been. The spot was empty.

Rushing forward, Stormy quickly checked under the bed and behind it, making sure that the Color Belt had not simply just fallen from its post. She continued to search, knowing that with each passing minute, the Belt had been taken from the room. She knew, deep down, that Murky had been the one to snatch the Belt, and that he had created a trap which she had willingly fallen for. Lurky had been the diversion and she had run to take care of him, rather than stay behind, as she should have. Murky had expected she would leave and had easily gotten into the Castle with no one else around. She’d fallen into a trap, and had never even stopped to think that it could have been one.

She fell onto her knees, hands resting on the ground. Once again, Murky had struck during her watch. She had promised herself that nothing was going to happen as it had before, and once again Murky had made sure that she was made the fool, even if it was never his intention to do so. “I can’t believe I messed up again… and this time I’ve lost the Color Belt. Without that, Rainbow’s powerless. Murky’ll wear the Belt, and he’ll try to take control of Rainbow Land.” She felt tears well up behind her eyes, but she wouldn’t let herself cry. She had never let herself be so weak as to cry like some baby.

“What’s going on, Stormy?” asked Moonglo as she walked into the room. “I was off in another part of Rainbow Land when I heard the commotion. Did something…” she trailed off as her eyes moved toward the empty spot where the Color Belt had set. She raised a hand to her mouth, complete shock written on her face. “The Color Belt! It’s gone!”

Slowly, Stormy rose to her feet. “Murky took it. He created a distraction with Lurky outside. Twink came to get me and I went to take care of that. Murky must have snuck in and took it while I was outside. I fell for his trap. It’s all my fault, again.” She crossed her arms across her chest and looked down at her shoes.

“It’s not your fault,” replied Moonglo softly. “Anyone would have fallen for it, especially if no one else was left behind.”

“But I don’t fall for stupid things like that. I should have caught it. I should have come back when I didn’t see Murky with Lurky.”

“When we look back on our actions, there are always things we should have done. You can’t change what happened, Stormy. We have to work on figuring out what to do.”

“No. Not this time. I’m gonna go get that Belt back!” Before Moonglo could attempt to stop her, Stormy raced past and out the door. Moonglo shook her head. Murky was really messing with Stormy’s head, even if he had never planned to. She had never seen her friend distraught before. Moonglo would have never said it to her face, but she had seen that Stormy had been near tears. No one had ever made Stormy cry and so seeing her so close to doing so worried Moonglo. She feared that Stormy would act rashly and get herself into trouble. They didn’t need someone else taken down as well. Moonglo looked over at Rainbow and then back toward the door. Taking a seat, she decided to stick by Rainbow. She was the only thing that Murky hadn’t taken for his plan yet. The night sky was barely decorated, but Moonglo decided that could wait. If things weren’t solved soon, there wouldn’t even be a night sky to look at, much less decorate.

“Rainbow, if only you could see what’s happened… Murky might actually win this time around…”

I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I guess it depends on how much sub work I get this week and how tired I am after work. I have a kindergarten position tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to! Anyway, next chapter should be interesting, especially if you enjoy Stormy...I'm not gonna torture her...much...

[Chibi Rachy]

Let's just say that (for me) it's been a long day and a half and leave it at that.

Chapter 8 Negative Retaliation

Murky cackled gleefully as he held his most sought after prize in his hands. “Finally… all these years of plotting and scheming and failing and I finally succeed. I have done what no one before me could do, not even the Dark One!” Murky ran his fingers over the fabric, testing the weight and feel in his hands. “Once I add my own personal touch to this, then I’ll be able to start taking control of Rainbow Land!”

Lurky sat on a stool in a corner of the room, attempting to work a paddleball. “What are you gonna do to it, Murky?” he asked as he completely missed hitting the ball with the paddle and smacked himself in the head instead.

“Fetch those color crystals we locked away…it’s time we put them to good use!”

“Oh boy! They’re so colorful!” exclaimed Lurky. “What are we gonna do with ‘em?”

“I’m going to fix them first…then use them in my new Color Belt. No more dallying! Get a move on. I’m going to finish this tonight!”

Within minutes, Lurky had brought a crate of the color crystals to the laboratory. Murky cracked open the box and rubbed his hands together. “Time to make some star sprinkles!”

“How? You’re not a sprite, Murky.”

“No, bozo breath, but I do know how to do it. The last time we attempted to get into the Color Castle through the color crystal processor, I learned a thing or two, even though we didn’t get very far. All we have to do is melt these crystals. Then we cut star shapes from the melted crystals and bake them. We’ll have all the star sprinkles we could ever ask for!”

“Why don’t we just go steal some?”

“Because then they’d figure out what we’re up to! And I can’t have that going on. I need them to think I’m the same stupid villain they always see!”

Murky and Lurky set to work creating star sprinkles. Lurky sorted the color crystals by color and Murky began the melting process. He found it to be very easy. A couple of color crystals could go a long way. He was able to cut the star shapes and then use a heat lamp to shrink the stars. With every batch, he cackled with glee. These star sprinkles looked exactly like the ones Rainbow Brite used. Before long, he had a small container of each color glistening atop the dirty table.

“Oh boy! So many pretty colors!” cried Lurky as he clapped.

“Yes, so many…” Murky grinned as he lifted a large bottle from the table that contained his special gloom water. He poured a liberal amount over each container. “Now I have gloom sprinkles for use with my new Belt!”

“Awww…” muttered Lurky.

Murky reached for his gloom gun, which sat on the far corner of the table. He grabbed the Belt, which sat next to it. Targeting the star on it, he pulled the trigger, enshrouding it in a cloud of gloom. The color that hadn’t faded from the Belt became shades of grey. Murky quickly placed the new Color Belt around his waist, fastening it securely. “Time to try my new toy out…” He grabbed a handful of gloom sprinkles and held them to the Color Belt as he pressed his finger to the star. A negative rainbow emitted forth, circling the room. “Yes! Yes, it works just as it did before!” Murky danced about the laboratory in his glee. He slipped a handful of gloom sprinkles into his pocket for safe keeping.

“Uh… Murky?” interrupted Lurky.

“What is it this time, zucchini brain?” asked Murky in frustration.

“Stormy’s back and she doesn’t look too happy…”

“What perfect timing! I guess I should welcome her to the Pits properly!” Murky raced for the entrance to his lair, hoping to meet up with Stormy. She was becoming more trouble than she was worth, and it was time to show her the real power behind the Color Belt. He fingered the fabric at his waist, thinking of all the power it held within.

Stormy circled the perimeter with Skydancer, trying to decide the best way to infiltrate Murky’s lair without being caught. She had been working her way around the outcropping of rocks, clouds gathering in the distance. She’d do whatever it took to get that Belt back. She was going to prove she wasn’t going to fail this time around, and she was going to get the Color Kids back in the process. If only I could find another way in without having to use the front door! She sighed in frustration, silently tugging on Skydancer’s mane to direct him toward the right again, which would allow them to circle in front of Murky’s front entrance.

“Well, well… if it isn’t you, Stormy!” called Murky with glee. He stood proudly in front of his home, hands on his hips. He made sure to show off his brand new addition.

Stormy turned sharply, glaring at Murky. Her eyes caught the distinct detail of the Color Belt around his waist, even though he was far away. She turned Skydancer to take the direct path. The rumbling of clouds grew ever louder as her anger intensified. She leaned forward on Skydancer, her eyes on her only target. You’ll pay for this Murky Dismal, if it’s the last thing you ever do!

“She’s comin’ right for us, Murky,” commented Lurky.

“Yes, yes of course she is. That’s what I want her to do…and at the last second…”

“She runs us over?” questioned Murky, interrupting.

“Just watch, banana brain!”

Stormy quickly advanced down the path, coming closer and closer to Murky. He stood there, not moving, which would make him an easy target. She raised her right hand to the sky, fingers twitching as she did so. She began to call upon the thunder and lightning that would strike Murky down, and leave her to finish him off. A smirk crossed her face. She would accomplish her goal and restore Rainbow Land.

Murky waited until she was a mere ten feet away with no hope of dodging his surprise attack. He noted her stance, saw her fingers twitching with the oncoming storm, and studied the determined the look on her face. Not today, my dear! He pointed his finger to the star on his new Belt, and felt the power burst forth, a negative rainbow shooting forth and heading for its target. Skydancer reared up in protest of the sudden appearance, and Stormy had to quickly tighten her hold on his mane as she lost her balance. The rainbow narrowly missed its target intentionally, circling around in the sky and disappearing.

“Skydancer! Whoa! Calm down!” yelled Stormy as she hung on tightly.

“Oh no, dear Stormy. You’re the one who’ll go down,” laughed Murky as he again pressed a finger to the Belt, emitting another negative rainbow. Controlling it, he directed it towards Stormy, whose eyes grew wide when she realized that it would hit her dead on. “Run away in fear!” he cackled.

The rainbow collided with Stormy, throwing her from Skydancer. She landed roughly on the ground, and rolled over in pain. She hadn’t expected Murky to retaliate with the Belt. She lay flat on her stomach, willing herself to ignore the pain shooting through her nerves. She tried to raise herself up, but felt a sharp pain in her side. “This…is…stupid…” she muttered to herself. Focusing on getting up, she quickly pushed herself up off the ground, ignoring the pain she felt inside. “Skydancer!” she called, beckoning the frightened horse to her side.

Skydancer turned and trotted toward his mistress, knowing her intentions to remount and continue her battle. He let out a soft whinny, and Stormy reached to pat his sides. “Come on, Skydancer. We’ll show him who’s in charge here!”

“Oh no, I don’t think you will,” replied Murky, taking some more star sprinkles from his pocket and inserting them into the Color Belt. He pressed his finger to it, and another negative rainbow streaked forth. Attempting to control it, Murky willed it to split into separate strands before seeking out Stormy. The strands whipped around her, acting as though they were sharp pieces of ribbon. They easily ripped through her clothing and skin, before wrapping around her to constrict movement.

Stormy tried to move and free herself, but it was no use. She couldn’t move with the pieces of Murky’s rainbow binding her body. She quickly found that a hand was somewhat free, and twisted her fingers upward, summoning the lightning. Murky noticed her movements and before she could command the lightning to strike, the rainbow released her from its grip and tossed her though the air. Stormy landed near a group of boulders, and laid her cheek to the cool ground. She hurt all over, more than she ever had before. It took all the strength she had to pull herself into a sitting position. She noticed her clothing was tattered and torn and that her body was covered in cuts and bruises. She felt Skydancer rub gently against her head and closed her eyes.

“What’s the matter, rain girl? Can’t summon enough clouds for a proper storm?” asked Murky teasingly.

“Look, Murky! She’s getting on the horsey!” cried Lurky.

“Can it, Murky!” she called weakly. Skydancer knelt down beside her, nuzzling the side of her face. Weakly, Stormy climbed onto his back, her hands gently gripping his mane. Her head fell forward against his neck, and she rested her eyes. She felt sleepy and wanted to rest. She couldn’t remember feeling so much pain before. “Home…Skydancer…” she commanded in a weak voice. Skydancer walked slowly up the path toward Rainbow Land.

“Aren’t we gonna catch ‘em?” asked Lurky, confused.

“No, no we’re not. I want to play with them some more. It’s not fun if I win right away. Besides, it gives me another chance to use my new toy.”

“But Murky, you’ve wanted to beat them forever.”

“I know that dodo bird! However, it’s time for them to suffer defeat! That way, they’ll give in more easily when the time comes for us to take over Rainbow Land. The Color Castle will be handed to us on a silver platter!”

“Where are they gonna get a platter big enough for that?” asked Lurky, scratching his head.

Slowly, Skydancer made his way toward Rainbow Land. He was careful not to jar Stormy, who had passed out on his backside from the pain. She was like a limp rag doll, her fingers barely gripping Skydancer’s mane. Every so often, he caught her mumbling to herself, but he knew that she wasn’t speaking to him. He focused on getting her to the Color Castle, where he knew she’d be taken care of. He crept slowly past sprite houses that were still dark; sunrise was still an hour off for Rainbow Land. No one saw them creep past slowly, or heard Stormy’s incoherent mumblings.

After a journey that had taken more than a half hour to complete, Skydancer knelt in front of the Color Castle, mindful of Stormy. He let out a long, sad whinny, hoping that someone would hear him and come to help. He sat, waiting for someone to answer his cries, knowing that he could do no more to take care of his mistress.

Twink twitched in his hammock, lost in sleep, dreaming of multitudes of color crystals and himself effectively running the color cave with no questions asked by the sprites. Rainbow was so proud of him and how quickly he was able to mine new color crystal each day. A big grin was plastered upon his sleeping face, and he rolled over in the hammock. He was slowly woken up by Skydancer’s soft cries. He opened one eye and listened for a moment, then jumped from his hammock to peek over the balcony. “Oooh! Something’s wrong!” he said in a worried voice before running toward the fireman’s pole and sliding down quickly. He looked around Rainbow’s room until he spotted Moonglo speaking with Nite Sprite. Puppy and Kitty Brite had curled up at the end of the bed, a toy ball with a string attached next to them. “Moonglo!” he called. “Something’s wrong!”

“What’s wrong, Twink?” asked Moonglo, concerned.

“Skydancer’s outside and he doesn’t sound very happy! I think something’s happened!”

“If Skydancer’s not sounding good…that could only mean…Stormy!” She ran out of the room and to the entrance to the Color Castle. To her horror, she found Stormy atop Skydancer’s back, just barely hanging on. Her eyes looked Stormy over, noticing the tattered clothing, the disheveled hair, and the cuts and bruises that shown through the rips in her clothing. She could only cover her mouth with a hand to hide the shock that was so clearly written on her face. She hadn’t expected this. She had known Stormy would go after Murky, but if anything, she had expected Stormy to return without finding anything. She had never expected that Murky would be able to so quickly retaliate and do it well.

“What do we do?” cried Twink, dancing about.

“We need to get her inside. Twink, you and Nite Sprite get the other side of Rainbow’s bed ready for Stormy. We have to have them in the same room, or Murky might think of some other way to cause trouble.” Twink and Nite Sprite dashed off for Rainbow’s room, while Moonglo tried to figure out how to get Stormy into the Castle without making things worse. Things were more difficult when you worked alone.

Two hours later, Stormy lay comfortably in Rainbow’s bed, or as comfortable as Twink, Nite Sprite, and Moonglo could make her. They’d used a cart with wheels to bring her inside, and taken care to remove her tattered clothing. Moonglo had done her best to clean Stormy up before placing a long white gown over her body. Twink and Nite Sprite tucked her into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

“That should work for now,” replied Moonglo. “I need to leave for a bit; if I don’t get busy, the stars will stay in the sky all day long! What confusion that’ll make! Twink, you keep an eye on Stormy, okay?”

Twink nodded. “Right!”

Moonglo and Nite Sprite took off to finish up their nightly duty. Moonglo knew it wouldn’t take long to undecorated the sky, but she hated leaving Rainbow and Stormy unguarded. Whatever had happened to Stormy was done by Murky, and she had a horrible feeling that it involved the Color Belt that he’d stolen. She had guessed that it would increase his power, but to be enough to take out Stormy was unheard of. She wanted to hear Stormy’s side of the story whenever she woke. “Oh, I wish this was all a bad dream, Nite Sprite, you know?”

Nite Sprite nodded, and answered her in sprite language. He was very animated, discussing Stormy’s stubbornness and not listening.

“Now Nite Sprite, we don’t know what happened yet. If Murky has the Belt, then he gained a lot of power. He could have created a trap for Stormy.” Nite Sprite crossed his arms in disapproval. “Let’s just finish up our job for tonight, and then you can rest. You’re always cranky after a long night,” answered Moonglo as disappeared into the sky. Nite Sprite grumbled, but followed suit. One by one, each star disappeared from the sky as the sun rose in dull colors.