In Rainbow's Shoes
Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:06 am
I know it's been awhile since I've updated Lost Storms. I was working on the next chapter for LS when I got the idea for this oneshot instead. It started from the thread about Stormy being an anti-heroine and went from there. I'll post it on my usual sites tomorrow, but I figured I'd share it here first.
In Rainbow’s Shoes
“Stormy, wake up! Stormy!” called Rainbow as she rushed into Stormy’s room and began to shake her gently. Stormy grumbled, rolling away from Rainbow and pulled the covers over her head. Rainbow, undeterred, continued to shake her. “You need to wake up, Stormy. We need you.”
Stormy slowly pulled the covers down from her face. Rainbow’s call of “we need you” was out of the ordinary. “What do you need me for?” she asked sleepily. “You’re the one in charge, not me.”
Rainbow ignored the comment. “Murky and Lurky are headed for Rainbow Land again. You need to deal with them. The sprites are scared.”
Before she could open her mouth to comment about Rainbow being in charge, Stormy’s eyes wandered to Rainbow’s Color Belt. Or rather, where Rainbow’s Color Belt should have been. All she could see was the blue of Rainbow’s dress, held up by the pair of red suspenders. At the same time, her right hand settled on her waist, feeling something that certainly wasn’t her cloud belt. Throwing back the covers, Stormy glanced down in shock. The Color Belt was around her waist, though it was in different colors. The belt was magenta, but the rainbow was red, yellow, and teal with a white star at the end. She touched the belt with shaky fingers. “I’m not…”
Rainbow had noticed Stormy’s surprise. “You’re the protector of Rainbow Land. Of course you have the Color Belt. You need it, remember?”
Stormy nodded slowly. “Right…what’s the problem again? And if I’m the protector, then what are you? And how can I be the protector?”
Rainbow scratched the side of her head, looking confused. “Boy, you’ve got more questions than colors today, Stormy. Did you hit your head while you were asleep?”
“No… I…. just don’t remember,” she replied lamely.
Sighing, Rainbow began to answer Stormy’s questions. “I’m your advisor. I help you keep peace in Rainbow Land. Right now, Murky and Lurky are attacking. They’ve escaped from the prison you trapped them in before. The sprites are scared to go to the Color Cave and mine. Murky has some gloom weapon with him.”
Stormy groaned inwardly. It was probably that gloom gun he always carried with him. She remembered how useless it was unless aimed at someone like Rainbow. Somehow, she was the protector of Rainbow Land now. If that was the case… then she could do whatever she liked to Murky and Lurky. Grinning, Stormy leapt from her bed. This would be fun. An idea began forming in her mind.
At that moment, a sprite ran inside. It was a sprite that Stormy didn’t recall seeing before. The sprite was a dark purple with lavender arms and legs, the same as Skydancer’s coloring. “Stormy! Murky’s murking out the sprites! They’re frozen in place! You’ve got to stop him!” The sprite hopped from foot to foot, anxious and excited.
She couldn’t place it, but he sounded very familiar. Then it hit her. “Twink?” she questioned.
“Yes, Stormy?” asked Twink, cocking his head to the right. “Is something wrong?”
Stormy shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go.”
The trio raced outside the Color Castle, which Stormy quickly noted was painted the same dark purple, the turrets bearing lavender. Stormy turned her attention forward, to where the Color Kids stood blocking Murky and Lurky from gaining access to the Color Castle. Each Color Kid held a staff in hand, a large star at the tip of it. Each staff was the same color as the Color Kid who held it. Stormy watched in awe as the Color Kids defended themselves every time Murky took another shot at them. The staff temporarily turned grey with the gloom, and then the Color Kid holding it would point it back at Murky as the staff emitted a colorful beam.
“What is that?” asked Stormy.
Rainbow looked over at her friend. “That’s a Color Staff. Don’t you remember? You wanted the Color Kids to be able to defend themselves against Murky so Shy Violet created the Color Staff for each Kid to use.”
Nodding, Stormy turned to face Murky. He was the same Murky she remembered, and Lurky appeared to be the same bumbling oaf as always. However, Murky didn’t carry a gloom gun like she thought. He had some contraption on his back. There was a large square box connected to a series of tubes that twisted and spiraled together, ending in a long barrel. “Greetings, Stormy. Do you like my newest invention? I made it just for you!” Murky smirked, holding the barrel level with Stormy’s chest.
“What is it?” asked Stormy, clenching her fists. She began feeling the skies, searching for nearby clouds. She would stall until she could attack Murky.
“This is my gloom pack. A large improvement over my gloom gun. It packs more power, which is good for me, and bad for you. Those Color Staffs won’t last forever!”
“We’ve got you now,” added Lurky.
For a few moments, Stormy waited for Rainbow to act, forgetting her position as protector. Only when she looked at Rainbow and noticed the lack of Color Belt did she remember that she was the one in charge, that it was up to her to take care of Murky and Lurky. She took a deep breath and began pulling the clouds she’d found closer, drawing them nearer to her and reading their storm possibilities.
What happened next was flawless and fluid, yet Stormy’s body remembered how to complete the actions, even if she did not. At the same moment she instructed the clouds to unleash the fury of thunder and lightning, her right hand became outstretched beside Twink, who readily placed a handful of star sprinkles into her palm. With one hand Stormy pressed them to her Color Belt. The Color Belt reacted to the sudden burst of power, emitting forth a rainbow beam that intertwined with the lightning destined to strike Murky. The combined forces struck Murky’s backside, destroying his gloom pack.
“What?! How can that be?!” exclaimed Murky angrily.
It was Stormy’s turn to smirk at Murky. “Have you forgotten what happens when you combine a rainbow with storms?”
“I don’t need a lecture from you, you storm brat,” spat Murky.
“You’re not getting off easily, Murky,” replied Stormy, one hand pressing the star on the Color Belt while her other one called for another round of lightning. This time, Murky turned tail and began to escape, Lurky in tow.
“Get to the Grunge Buggy, and fast!” instructed Murky to Lurky as he quickly sprinted.
“Right!” answered Lurky as he stumbled after Murky.
Stormy put two fingers to her mouth and let out a long, low whistle. “Skydancer!” she yelled, calling for her horse. Within seconds, her trusted friend was at her side and ready to go. Stormy swung herself up on Skydancer. “I’ll take care of Murky. The rest of you stand guard in case he comes back this way.”
Twink pulled himself up behind Stormy. “We’ll take care of him!”
“No problem,” replied Red Butler, saluting her.
“Be careful!” added Rainbow as Stormy spurred Skydancer after the two villains. Then she turned to the Color Kids. “Spread out to your positions and keep watch.”
Stormy gripped Skydancer’s mane as they raced after Murky and Lurky. The Grunge Buggy was still as slow as ever, so it wouldn’t be long until they caught up. I’ll put Murky back in his prison and he’ll stay there this time. Wait…where did I put him in prison the first time? As Stormy pondered the answer to this question, Skydancer closed the gap between them. Stormy began pulling the clouds near her. “Get the star sprinkles ready, Twink,” she called to the sprite behind her. She heard the rustling sound behind her.
Gripping Skydancer’s sides with her legs, Stormy released her hold on his mane. Instantly, her left hand shot behind her to receive the star sprinkles from Twink as her right hand reached to the sky to call forth the lightning. Inserting the star sprinkles into the Color Belt, she activated it, once more combining the rainbow beam with the lightning. Her first few attempts were slightly off the mark, but the third shot struck the Grunge Buggy and sent it careening off the road.
“You got him, Stormy!” exclaimed Twink from behind her.
Stormy grinned to herself. She felt good about her accomplishment. Now she had to imprison Murky and Lurky once more so that they’d stay locked up this time around. Skydancer trotted up to the wrecked vehicle, where Murky and Lurky were laying unconscious. They were unscathed. Spying a length of rope in Murky’s sidecar, Stormy tied the Grunge Buggy to Skydancer, who pulled the villains back to the Pits.
They ended up in front of the Colorless Caves. Skydancer lead the group to the original site of the old prison, and Stormy saw that the bars that had once head them had been bent out of shape. She placed Murky and Lurky behind the bars, and then used the power of the Color Belt to fix the bars and reinforce their strength. Satisfied, she and Twink headed back to Rainbow Land.
Rainbow was waiting for them upon their arrival. She noticed the smirk on Stormy’s face and did not need to ask whether or not Murky had been dealt with properly. She greeted Stormy warmly as Stormy dismounted, Twink following suit. “Welcome back. Are you ready to get to today’s work?”
Blinking, Stormy replied, “There’s more?”
Rainbow nodded. “Of course. Murky was just trouble. You’re supposed to head to Earth today and spread color. There are a few meadows that are recovering from a fire. Shy Violet knows where they are.”
Unwillingly, Stormy was atop of Skydancer a few moments later. Shy Violet relayed the locations of the fire damaged meadows to her. Twink had the sack of star sprinkles behind her. Remembering what Rainbow had done, Stormy pressed her finger to the Color Belt to create a rainbow path leading out of Rainbow Land. Skydancer took off, racing along. Stormy enjoyed the feeling of racing and the sights she saw. Rarely did she leave Rainbow Land on a storm task. Usually she could perform most of her work from the Rainbow Land sky. She didn’t know how Rainbow spread color; she hoped she could get Twink to show her.
Twink helped her locate the meadows. Stormy looked on, shocked at what a fire had done to the once green meadows.
Sensing her discomfort, Twink spoke up. “Shy Violet says it started from something small. A campfire that wasn’t put out.”
Stormy said nothing in response. She only held out her hand as thoughts swirled in her mind. Is this what Rainbow saw? Is this what she tried to save? Stormy thought it was only about making things more colorful. Rainbow never spoke of things like this. If she did, Stormy didn’t remember any of it. Rainbow was always so cheerful after she came back from Earth. The times that she wasn’t were when Murky and Lurky were wrecking havoc in Rainbow Land and she was focused on that situation. She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the weight of star sprinkles in her hand. Silently, she pressed them to the Color Belt and a rainbow beam shot forward, moving all around the meadows. The tiny bits of flora that had begun to take root were greener, their growth encouraged by the burst of colorful energy they received. “It didn’t do much,” lamented Stormy.
“It helps to start the new plants growing strong, but it can’t bring back the flowers and grass,” came the voice from behind her.
The ride back to Rainbow Land was a quiet one. Stormy felt numbed by what she’d just seen. Twink sounded hopeful when he talked of how the meadows would grow once more, but Stormy knew that it’d take a long time before that would happen. As an afterthought, she’d created a gentle rainstorm that would provide the water for the plants before they left. Gentle rainstorms were not her usual nature, but she felt that the meadows needed such a storm.
Stormy dismounted quietly and sent Skydancer off with a pat on his backside. Twink raced on ahead, mentioning his destination, but Stormy wasn’t paying attention. For awhile, she stood looking at the sprite village and the landscape that surrounded it. She sighed and turned toward the Color Castle, and came face to face with Rainbow.
“There you are. Ready to check the star sprinkle supply?” asked Rainbow.
“I…of course,” replied Stormy. She had been about to ask Rainbow about the meadows and the fire, but then she realized that this was not the Rainbow that she knew. It would be a question to save for the Rainbow she knew, the one that protected all of Rainbow Land and the Earth.
The walk to the Color Caves was a quiet one, but Rainbow didn’t seem to mind or notice. She led Stormy through the entrance to the Color Caves and to a back area where color crystals were kept until they were processed in the factory in the Color Castle. This was where the overflow was kept in case of emergencies. Stormy looked at the neatly separated piles and realized she had no idea what to be on the lookout for. She ended up pointing to the smallest pile, the indigo color crystals. “I think we need more indigo,” she commented, hoping it was the right thing to say.
Rainbow nodded, and Stormy breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re right, but the sprites haven’t mined any extra lately. I think we have plenty of indigo star sprinkles stored in the Color Castle though.”
The next stop was to the Color Castle to check on work in the factory and the supply of star sprinkles there as well. Stormy watched in wonder as color crystals were turned into star sprinkles. She’d never seen the process before. She tended to stay away from the factory since it had nothing to do with her. It was easier to judge the star sprinkle collections in the Color Castle. Low piles were easier to identify. “We’re going to need more green,” noted Stormy, the meadows that she’d visited earlier in mind.
“Of course,” answered Rainbow as she made a note on a small clipboard nearby.
Stormy tried to think of the other colors they might need as well. “Perhaps some more star sprinkles for the summer flowers that will be blooming as well,” she suggested. She noticed Rainbow scribbling furiously in response.
That night, Stormy collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. The rest of the day had gone by in a blur. There had been a large meal and then she’d taken a walk to clear her mind, returning to the Color Castle by late evening. She wasn’t used to being around so many people at once. Time to breathe and think were welcome.
She looked up at the ceiling of her room, and couldn’t help but think of it as Rainbow’s room still. Her hand wandered to the Color Belt she wore and how strange it felt to have the belt around her waist. It didn’t feel like she should be the one to control its powers. She didn’t feel like the rightful owner. It only seemed right that Rainbow wore it, but the Rainbow here wasn’t interested in such a thing.
Eyes growing heavy, Stormy soon drifted off to sleep, one hand still on the Color Belt. She slept a dreamless sleep. Around her, the Color Castle grew quiet as its inhabitants soon joined her in slumber.
Stormy woke slowly the next morning, finding her room enshrouded in complete darkness. Suddenly remembering the previous day, she sat up quickly, feeling for the Color Belt around her waist. It wasn’t there, but the familiar cloud belt was. Breathing a sigh of relief at the brief thought that things were normal, she slipped from her bed and crept to the door and into the hallway. She looked to the left before turning to the right and bumping right into Rainbow. They bumped heads painfully.
Rubbing her forehead, Stormy glanced over at Rainbow and noticed that she was wearing the Color Belt. She sighed with relief inwardly. She wasn’t in charge of Rainbow Land. That was all just a bad dream.
“Stormy, I need you to do something for me,” remarked Rainbow.
“I don’t want your Color Belt,” replied Stormy hastily.
Rainbow cocked her head, looking confused. “Why would you say that?”
“Umm…never mind,” answered Stormy, beginning to walk down the hallway. She was desperate to change the topic. “What did you need me for?”
“I need you to go to Earth and spread some rain. There are some meadows that aren’t getting all the rain they need, and I’m afraid they’ll lose their color if they don’t get some rain.”
Stormy nodded, thinking of the meadows. “I can do that,” she replied.
Rainbow grinned at her, happy for the help. “I’m glad, Stormy. Thank you for helping out.”
Stormy continued down the hallway, intent on finding Skydancer. She turned around after a few steps, another thought crossing her mind. “Hey Rainbow?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“Never, ever give me your Color Belt,” Stormy called, heading up the stairs. She left Rainbow standing alone in the hallway, wondering exactly what was meant by the comment.
In Rainbow’s Shoes
“Stormy, wake up! Stormy!” called Rainbow as she rushed into Stormy’s room and began to shake her gently. Stormy grumbled, rolling away from Rainbow and pulled the covers over her head. Rainbow, undeterred, continued to shake her. “You need to wake up, Stormy. We need you.”
Stormy slowly pulled the covers down from her face. Rainbow’s call of “we need you” was out of the ordinary. “What do you need me for?” she asked sleepily. “You’re the one in charge, not me.”
Rainbow ignored the comment. “Murky and Lurky are headed for Rainbow Land again. You need to deal with them. The sprites are scared.”
Before she could open her mouth to comment about Rainbow being in charge, Stormy’s eyes wandered to Rainbow’s Color Belt. Or rather, where Rainbow’s Color Belt should have been. All she could see was the blue of Rainbow’s dress, held up by the pair of red suspenders. At the same time, her right hand settled on her waist, feeling something that certainly wasn’t her cloud belt. Throwing back the covers, Stormy glanced down in shock. The Color Belt was around her waist, though it was in different colors. The belt was magenta, but the rainbow was red, yellow, and teal with a white star at the end. She touched the belt with shaky fingers. “I’m not…”
Rainbow had noticed Stormy’s surprise. “You’re the protector of Rainbow Land. Of course you have the Color Belt. You need it, remember?”
Stormy nodded slowly. “Right…what’s the problem again? And if I’m the protector, then what are you? And how can I be the protector?”
Rainbow scratched the side of her head, looking confused. “Boy, you’ve got more questions than colors today, Stormy. Did you hit your head while you were asleep?”
“No… I…. just don’t remember,” she replied lamely.
Sighing, Rainbow began to answer Stormy’s questions. “I’m your advisor. I help you keep peace in Rainbow Land. Right now, Murky and Lurky are attacking. They’ve escaped from the prison you trapped them in before. The sprites are scared to go to the Color Cave and mine. Murky has some gloom weapon with him.”
Stormy groaned inwardly. It was probably that gloom gun he always carried with him. She remembered how useless it was unless aimed at someone like Rainbow. Somehow, she was the protector of Rainbow Land now. If that was the case… then she could do whatever she liked to Murky and Lurky. Grinning, Stormy leapt from her bed. This would be fun. An idea began forming in her mind.
At that moment, a sprite ran inside. It was a sprite that Stormy didn’t recall seeing before. The sprite was a dark purple with lavender arms and legs, the same as Skydancer’s coloring. “Stormy! Murky’s murking out the sprites! They’re frozen in place! You’ve got to stop him!” The sprite hopped from foot to foot, anxious and excited.
She couldn’t place it, but he sounded very familiar. Then it hit her. “Twink?” she questioned.
“Yes, Stormy?” asked Twink, cocking his head to the right. “Is something wrong?”
Stormy shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go.”
The trio raced outside the Color Castle, which Stormy quickly noted was painted the same dark purple, the turrets bearing lavender. Stormy turned her attention forward, to where the Color Kids stood blocking Murky and Lurky from gaining access to the Color Castle. Each Color Kid held a staff in hand, a large star at the tip of it. Each staff was the same color as the Color Kid who held it. Stormy watched in awe as the Color Kids defended themselves every time Murky took another shot at them. The staff temporarily turned grey with the gloom, and then the Color Kid holding it would point it back at Murky as the staff emitted a colorful beam.
“What is that?” asked Stormy.
Rainbow looked over at her friend. “That’s a Color Staff. Don’t you remember? You wanted the Color Kids to be able to defend themselves against Murky so Shy Violet created the Color Staff for each Kid to use.”
Nodding, Stormy turned to face Murky. He was the same Murky she remembered, and Lurky appeared to be the same bumbling oaf as always. However, Murky didn’t carry a gloom gun like she thought. He had some contraption on his back. There was a large square box connected to a series of tubes that twisted and spiraled together, ending in a long barrel. “Greetings, Stormy. Do you like my newest invention? I made it just for you!” Murky smirked, holding the barrel level with Stormy’s chest.
“What is it?” asked Stormy, clenching her fists. She began feeling the skies, searching for nearby clouds. She would stall until she could attack Murky.
“This is my gloom pack. A large improvement over my gloom gun. It packs more power, which is good for me, and bad for you. Those Color Staffs won’t last forever!”
“We’ve got you now,” added Lurky.
For a few moments, Stormy waited for Rainbow to act, forgetting her position as protector. Only when she looked at Rainbow and noticed the lack of Color Belt did she remember that she was the one in charge, that it was up to her to take care of Murky and Lurky. She took a deep breath and began pulling the clouds she’d found closer, drawing them nearer to her and reading their storm possibilities.
What happened next was flawless and fluid, yet Stormy’s body remembered how to complete the actions, even if she did not. At the same moment she instructed the clouds to unleash the fury of thunder and lightning, her right hand became outstretched beside Twink, who readily placed a handful of star sprinkles into her palm. With one hand Stormy pressed them to her Color Belt. The Color Belt reacted to the sudden burst of power, emitting forth a rainbow beam that intertwined with the lightning destined to strike Murky. The combined forces struck Murky’s backside, destroying his gloom pack.
“What?! How can that be?!” exclaimed Murky angrily.
It was Stormy’s turn to smirk at Murky. “Have you forgotten what happens when you combine a rainbow with storms?”
“I don’t need a lecture from you, you storm brat,” spat Murky.
“You’re not getting off easily, Murky,” replied Stormy, one hand pressing the star on the Color Belt while her other one called for another round of lightning. This time, Murky turned tail and began to escape, Lurky in tow.
“Get to the Grunge Buggy, and fast!” instructed Murky to Lurky as he quickly sprinted.
“Right!” answered Lurky as he stumbled after Murky.
Stormy put two fingers to her mouth and let out a long, low whistle. “Skydancer!” she yelled, calling for her horse. Within seconds, her trusted friend was at her side and ready to go. Stormy swung herself up on Skydancer. “I’ll take care of Murky. The rest of you stand guard in case he comes back this way.”
Twink pulled himself up behind Stormy. “We’ll take care of him!”
“No problem,” replied Red Butler, saluting her.
“Be careful!” added Rainbow as Stormy spurred Skydancer after the two villains. Then she turned to the Color Kids. “Spread out to your positions and keep watch.”
Stormy gripped Skydancer’s mane as they raced after Murky and Lurky. The Grunge Buggy was still as slow as ever, so it wouldn’t be long until they caught up. I’ll put Murky back in his prison and he’ll stay there this time. Wait…where did I put him in prison the first time? As Stormy pondered the answer to this question, Skydancer closed the gap between them. Stormy began pulling the clouds near her. “Get the star sprinkles ready, Twink,” she called to the sprite behind her. She heard the rustling sound behind her.
Gripping Skydancer’s sides with her legs, Stormy released her hold on his mane. Instantly, her left hand shot behind her to receive the star sprinkles from Twink as her right hand reached to the sky to call forth the lightning. Inserting the star sprinkles into the Color Belt, she activated it, once more combining the rainbow beam with the lightning. Her first few attempts were slightly off the mark, but the third shot struck the Grunge Buggy and sent it careening off the road.
“You got him, Stormy!” exclaimed Twink from behind her.
Stormy grinned to herself. She felt good about her accomplishment. Now she had to imprison Murky and Lurky once more so that they’d stay locked up this time around. Skydancer trotted up to the wrecked vehicle, where Murky and Lurky were laying unconscious. They were unscathed. Spying a length of rope in Murky’s sidecar, Stormy tied the Grunge Buggy to Skydancer, who pulled the villains back to the Pits.
They ended up in front of the Colorless Caves. Skydancer lead the group to the original site of the old prison, and Stormy saw that the bars that had once head them had been bent out of shape. She placed Murky and Lurky behind the bars, and then used the power of the Color Belt to fix the bars and reinforce their strength. Satisfied, she and Twink headed back to Rainbow Land.
Rainbow was waiting for them upon their arrival. She noticed the smirk on Stormy’s face and did not need to ask whether or not Murky had been dealt with properly. She greeted Stormy warmly as Stormy dismounted, Twink following suit. “Welcome back. Are you ready to get to today’s work?”
Blinking, Stormy replied, “There’s more?”
Rainbow nodded. “Of course. Murky was just trouble. You’re supposed to head to Earth today and spread color. There are a few meadows that are recovering from a fire. Shy Violet knows where they are.”
Unwillingly, Stormy was atop of Skydancer a few moments later. Shy Violet relayed the locations of the fire damaged meadows to her. Twink had the sack of star sprinkles behind her. Remembering what Rainbow had done, Stormy pressed her finger to the Color Belt to create a rainbow path leading out of Rainbow Land. Skydancer took off, racing along. Stormy enjoyed the feeling of racing and the sights she saw. Rarely did she leave Rainbow Land on a storm task. Usually she could perform most of her work from the Rainbow Land sky. She didn’t know how Rainbow spread color; she hoped she could get Twink to show her.
Twink helped her locate the meadows. Stormy looked on, shocked at what a fire had done to the once green meadows.
Sensing her discomfort, Twink spoke up. “Shy Violet says it started from something small. A campfire that wasn’t put out.”
Stormy said nothing in response. She only held out her hand as thoughts swirled in her mind. Is this what Rainbow saw? Is this what she tried to save? Stormy thought it was only about making things more colorful. Rainbow never spoke of things like this. If she did, Stormy didn’t remember any of it. Rainbow was always so cheerful after she came back from Earth. The times that she wasn’t were when Murky and Lurky were wrecking havoc in Rainbow Land and she was focused on that situation. She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the weight of star sprinkles in her hand. Silently, she pressed them to the Color Belt and a rainbow beam shot forward, moving all around the meadows. The tiny bits of flora that had begun to take root were greener, their growth encouraged by the burst of colorful energy they received. “It didn’t do much,” lamented Stormy.
“It helps to start the new plants growing strong, but it can’t bring back the flowers and grass,” came the voice from behind her.
The ride back to Rainbow Land was a quiet one. Stormy felt numbed by what she’d just seen. Twink sounded hopeful when he talked of how the meadows would grow once more, but Stormy knew that it’d take a long time before that would happen. As an afterthought, she’d created a gentle rainstorm that would provide the water for the plants before they left. Gentle rainstorms were not her usual nature, but she felt that the meadows needed such a storm.
Stormy dismounted quietly and sent Skydancer off with a pat on his backside. Twink raced on ahead, mentioning his destination, but Stormy wasn’t paying attention. For awhile, she stood looking at the sprite village and the landscape that surrounded it. She sighed and turned toward the Color Castle, and came face to face with Rainbow.
“There you are. Ready to check the star sprinkle supply?” asked Rainbow.
“I…of course,” replied Stormy. She had been about to ask Rainbow about the meadows and the fire, but then she realized that this was not the Rainbow that she knew. It would be a question to save for the Rainbow she knew, the one that protected all of Rainbow Land and the Earth.
The walk to the Color Caves was a quiet one, but Rainbow didn’t seem to mind or notice. She led Stormy through the entrance to the Color Caves and to a back area where color crystals were kept until they were processed in the factory in the Color Castle. This was where the overflow was kept in case of emergencies. Stormy looked at the neatly separated piles and realized she had no idea what to be on the lookout for. She ended up pointing to the smallest pile, the indigo color crystals. “I think we need more indigo,” she commented, hoping it was the right thing to say.
Rainbow nodded, and Stormy breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re right, but the sprites haven’t mined any extra lately. I think we have plenty of indigo star sprinkles stored in the Color Castle though.”
The next stop was to the Color Castle to check on work in the factory and the supply of star sprinkles there as well. Stormy watched in wonder as color crystals were turned into star sprinkles. She’d never seen the process before. She tended to stay away from the factory since it had nothing to do with her. It was easier to judge the star sprinkle collections in the Color Castle. Low piles were easier to identify. “We’re going to need more green,” noted Stormy, the meadows that she’d visited earlier in mind.
“Of course,” answered Rainbow as she made a note on a small clipboard nearby.
Stormy tried to think of the other colors they might need as well. “Perhaps some more star sprinkles for the summer flowers that will be blooming as well,” she suggested. She noticed Rainbow scribbling furiously in response.
That night, Stormy collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. The rest of the day had gone by in a blur. There had been a large meal and then she’d taken a walk to clear her mind, returning to the Color Castle by late evening. She wasn’t used to being around so many people at once. Time to breathe and think were welcome.
She looked up at the ceiling of her room, and couldn’t help but think of it as Rainbow’s room still. Her hand wandered to the Color Belt she wore and how strange it felt to have the belt around her waist. It didn’t feel like she should be the one to control its powers. She didn’t feel like the rightful owner. It only seemed right that Rainbow wore it, but the Rainbow here wasn’t interested in such a thing.
Eyes growing heavy, Stormy soon drifted off to sleep, one hand still on the Color Belt. She slept a dreamless sleep. Around her, the Color Castle grew quiet as its inhabitants soon joined her in slumber.
Stormy woke slowly the next morning, finding her room enshrouded in complete darkness. Suddenly remembering the previous day, she sat up quickly, feeling for the Color Belt around her waist. It wasn’t there, but the familiar cloud belt was. Breathing a sigh of relief at the brief thought that things were normal, she slipped from her bed and crept to the door and into the hallway. She looked to the left before turning to the right and bumping right into Rainbow. They bumped heads painfully.
Rubbing her forehead, Stormy glanced over at Rainbow and noticed that she was wearing the Color Belt. She sighed with relief inwardly. She wasn’t in charge of Rainbow Land. That was all just a bad dream.
“Stormy, I need you to do something for me,” remarked Rainbow.
“I don’t want your Color Belt,” replied Stormy hastily.
Rainbow cocked her head, looking confused. “Why would you say that?”
“Umm…never mind,” answered Stormy, beginning to walk down the hallway. She was desperate to change the topic. “What did you need me for?”
“I need you to go to Earth and spread some rain. There are some meadows that aren’t getting all the rain they need, and I’m afraid they’ll lose their color if they don’t get some rain.”
Stormy nodded, thinking of the meadows. “I can do that,” she replied.
Rainbow grinned at her, happy for the help. “I’m glad, Stormy. Thank you for helping out.”
Stormy continued down the hallway, intent on finding Skydancer. She turned around after a few steps, another thought crossing her mind. “Hey Rainbow?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“Never, ever give me your Color Belt,” Stormy called, heading up the stairs. She left Rainbow standing alone in the hallway, wondering exactly what was meant by the comment.
