Lost Storms: Stormy's Forgotten Past

[Chibi Rachy]

Why ?

Well I don't keep it posted up to the minute on ff.net. I post it very slowly there, usually once a month. So on ff.net, the story on goes up to chapter 17 at this point. On the forums here, I just post as I finish.

[Chibi Rachy]

I dare say it's been awhile since I posted a new chapter, but I decided I'd take a bit of a break from my Simoun Kindergarten drabbles and do another chapter for Lost Storms. It turns out I'd had a typed page's worth of story written into the red book I always carry, so it made for a good start. I've spent the afternoon going back and forth between writing this chapter and reading chapters of the Soul Eater manga. In the end, the chapter was finished. I was actually surprised to finish it in a day, but I also want to write more SK drabbles (they're rather addicting) because they let me do scenes without story. Anyway, read and review.

Chapter 23 Ferocious Beginning

Stormy awoke, groggy and still exhausted. She couldn’t remember why it was I portent that she be awake. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. As she lowered her right hand, she saw the scratch. The events from the day before came rushing back to her. She remembered how she had been unable to control the wind or the storm created from it. She remembered Murky’s words to her, and her determination to alter his plans. She leapt from her bed, suddenly full of energy.

Quiet as a mouse, she listened at her door for any signs of movement. She would have to take the utmost caution if she wanted to be successful in leaving the Pits undetected. Hearing no sounds, she slowly opened the large wooden door and slipped into the hallway. She crept along slowly, pressed against the stone walls. At any moment, she was afraid she’d come face to face with Murky. Worse yet, she was afraid she’d cross paths with Lurky, who could (and very well would) give her away with his clumsiness and loud mannerisms.

By the time Stormy reached Skydancer, she was sure Murky must be awake. It seemed like forever ago that she had snuck away from her room. Skydancer snorted softly as she entered. Stormy spoke softly to calm him. “Easy, Skydancer, easy. Let’s go to Rainbow Land and create a storm they won’t forget!” Skydancer bobbed his head up and down, seemingly in agreement. After all, he loved a good storm as much as Stormy did.

Stormy eased Skydancer out ot the Pits. She was careful to make sure he stepped slowly and lightly. She would hate to be discovered now; she’d come too far for it all to end. Once horse and rider were outside, Stormy raised a palm to the sky. Using the sky for transport would be much easier than traveling by road. Not only would it keep Murky from spotting them dashing away, but it would also conceal her arrival in Rainbow Land. She gathered clouds together, forming a nice sized storm cloud. She could see it blacken, knowing the cloud was drawing in the moisture surrounding the area. With one final look around her, Stormy and Skydancer ascended into the cloud, disappearing in the dark, billowing folds.

Once in the cloud, Stormy sighed with relief. She would be safe for now. By the time Murky realized Stormy was missing, she and Skydancer would be in the midst of finishing off Rainbow. Stormy was quite certain that not even Murky could stop one of her storms. Skydancer trotted around the cloud while Stormy began manipulating the cloud’s path, redirecting it to head for Rainbow Land. After setting the course, she began to pull nearby clouds to her, building up an unavoidable and unexpected storm.

Walking to the edge of the cloud, Stormy observed the scenery as they passed into Rainbow Land. All was quiet; not a soul appeared to be stirring. In the distance, the first rays of sunrise were beginning to touch the sky, signaling the dawn of a new day. “Are you ready, Skydancer?” whispered Stormy, excitement building. Finally, she would get to do what had been expected of her since first coming to the Pits. Skydancer snorted an agreement, pawing the ground with his right hoof.

The cloud settled near the Color Castle. Stormy wanted to be able to see the reactions and the destruction herself. She observed the storm clouds that had tagged along. By now, they had grown tremendously in size, some much larger than the cloud she was in. Simultaneously, she started the storm with a soft rain while drawing more clouds to the area. Thunder rumbled softly as the rain pattered onto the ground below. It was a normal rainstorm with no sign of what was to come.

The rumble of thunder woke Rainbow from slumber. She rubbed her eyes, sleep slowly clearing away. Rising from her bed and tossing the covers aside, she moved to the window. Looking out, she saw nothing but grey skies and rain. She frowned at the though of the day being ruined by rain; nothing was going right. However, she wouldn’t let that deter her. She and Shy Violet were to discuss plans for getting the Color Belt back. Rainbow would not give in without giving it her all. She turned toward the pole when she heard Twink sliding down.

“It’s wet out there! I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain?” he stated as he squeaked down the pole. He shook his body, trying to get rid of the excess water.

Rainbow giggled. “It’s just rain, Twink. The rain will help the plants and trees grow.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to rain before I wake up,” he replied, crossing his arms.

“Oh, Twink, you’re so silly. Why don’t we go see about breakfast?”

Twink nodded. “Right! I’m starving!”

Gradually, Stormy increased the intensity of the storm, adding in the lightning. Flashes struck in rapid succession as the rain pounded harder. It was no longer gently and lulling. The sky had darkened, blocking out the sunrise completely. The landscape resembled that of the Pits. It was not yet time to unless the wind, but it was getting closer. She first wanted to build up the storm, let it come to a climax and then release her prize. She couldn’t wait too long, but she still had time. She hoped there was still time. Skydancer ran about the cloud as though possessed, kicking and stomping to increase the thunder and lightning. He was becoming absorbed with the storm, one with the storm, just as his master was.

Yet another loud crash of thunder made Twink jump as he ate his pancakes. “This is a really bad storm, Rainbow.”

Rainbow nodded. “I do hope all the sprites stay inside today. The storm seems to keep getting worse.”

“Rainbow, what about the mining for today?” asked Red Butler.

“We’ll stay inside today. This storm would interfere with mining. Trying to get to the Color Caves would be hard.”

“What will we do instead?” asked Buddy Blue.

“We’ll take the day off. I’ll work with Shy Violet and see if we can come up with a plan to stop Murky.”

“I’ll help too, Rainbow. Murky needs to be stopped as soon as possible,” added Red Butler.

“I think I’ll write a new play today,” commented Indigo.

“I’ll join you, Indigo,” replied Canary Yellow. “I want to practice a new dance.”

“I’m going to try new hairstyles,” answered Lala Orange as she pretended to hold up a mirror. “I have some new ideas in mind.”

“Champ and I will try out a new workout routine,” added Buddy Blue.

“And I’m going to work on my jokes. I need some new ones, and Lucky is my test audience,” stated Patty O’Green.

“Rainbow, will our meeting require my research on the Color Belt?” asked Shy Violet.

“Yes. We’ll need that to see if the Belt has a weakness. We have to find a way to take it from Murky.”

“Did you guys hear that?” asked Buddy Blue. “The rain’s coming down harder.”

“Isn’t that the wind?” asked Patty O’Green.

Murky rose from his bed later than usual. Lurky had not made as much noise, so he was not woken up by the snoring. He took his time preparing for the day. After all, it would be a memorable one by the time the sun set. He placed the Color Belt around his waist, attaching it in the back. Finally, he called down to Lurky. “Banana brain! Go fetch Stormy and bring her to the laboratory!”

A series of crashes and bangs followed his statement. “Uh, sure Murky! I’ll be right there!” Despite whatever Lurky had done, his voice came across cheerful and optimistic. This usually annoyed Murky, but not today, for it was a day he’d waited for.

The laboratory held the rest of the materials he needed. He gathered small sack full of his gloom sprinkles for the Color Belt. He would make sure he had plenty. Next, he prepped the gloom gun. It was more of a safety precaution than anything. He did not feel the belt would fail him, but he never went without his gloom gun in some form. Today would be no different.

As he was mixing up the concoction for his strongest gloom, Lurky ran into the room, nearly knocking into a nearby bookshelf. “Murky! Murky! Stormy—“

“Stormy what? Won’t follow you?”

“No, Murky. Stormy—“

“is still sleeping,” he remarked as he stirred together the ingredients.

“Murky!” tried Lurky again. “Stormy’s not in her room!”

Murky turned his head quickly. “What?! What do you mean she’s not in her room?”

“I can’t find her, Murky. I even checked under the bed. She’s not there!”

“Impossible! Go see if she’s with Skydancer! And do it quickly!” he yelled, beginning to get angry.

Lurky rushed from the room, and Murky anxiously anticipated his return. That brat couldn’t have left the Pits. He had been sure to make sure that she had taken the gloom juice every day, and that it was the strongest variety he could concoct. Then it dawned on him. He had not given Stormy any yesterday, nor had he made a stronger variety, as he had originally intended. Taking the Color Belt had pushed thoughts of such things aside. That brat wouldn’t have turned on me… even without the gloom potion, she should still have a measure of obedience!

His thoughts were answered when Lurky returned to the laboratory empty-handed. “Stormy’s not there either, Murky. The horsey’s gone too! It’s magic, Murky!”

“No you fool! They’ve escaped! Quick, get the Grunge Buggy. We’re going to Rainbow Land before she causes any trouble. She won’t ruin my plan!”

“Right away, Murky!” Lurky dashed to retrieve the Grunge Buggy.

Murky grabbed his supplies. He went ahead and inserted some gloom sprinkles into the Belt. He attached the sack to his waist and picked up the gloom gun. He would still prevail over Rainbow Land in the end, whether Stormy interfered or not.

Lurky was waiting for him outside as the Grunge Buggy coughed and sputtered. Murky hopped in the side car. “Let’s go! Get to Rainbow Land quickly! I don’t want her messing things up!”

“You got it, Murky!” Lurky pressed down hard on the gas pedal and the Grunge Buggy took off. The tires squealed as the sudden burst of speed was given, but soon, the duo were flying down the path that would lead them out of the Pits. Murky gripped the side of the passenger car, bracing himself to see the bright, cheerful weather of Rainbow Land. It always bothered him.

However, sun did not greet him. As they crossed into Rainbow Land, a large storm greeted them. Murky had to double-check that they’d indeed left the Pits. The weather here was worse than there. The rain fell heavily, and Murky could not see very far in front of him. Lurky squinted as he droved. “Murky, I can’t see the road! I don’t know where I’m going.” His fishtailed in the mud that was beginning to form.

Frustrated, Murky pressed his finger to the star on the Color Belt. The negative rainbow shot forth, and disappeared into the rain. “Drive on that rainbow! It’ll take us to the Color Castle. Then we can get Stormy back.”

Lurky did as he was told, and drove the vehicle onto the rainbow. The ride became much smooth, although Lurky still had to drive slowly; the rainbow blended in quite well with the storm, making for further reduced visibility.

The two were quickly soaked by the rain, as the wind had begun to pick up. Murky wiped the water from his face, shielding his eyes. This was not a natural storm. That brat was behind it, and things would only get worse if he couldn’t stop her. “Lurky! Faster!”

“I can’t go any faster, Murky. I can’t see the rainbow very well!”

“Go faster, you buffoon! We need to find that brat and stop her!”

“Okay, Murky!” Lurky pressed the gas pedal as far as it would go, and the Grunge Buggy took off with a burst of speed. True to his word, Lurky could not see the rainbow very well in the storm, and the Grunge Buggy plunged over the edge.

“Now you’ve done it!” shouted Murky as the duo fell. He raised his arms to protect his face, a futile reflex. Lucky for them the rainbow hadn’t been very high off the ground. Splash! A large puddle cushioned their fall, sucking the Grunge Buggy in engine first. Lurky and Murky were in the middle of the puddle, unharmed by the fall.

Murky pulled himself to his feet, sliding dangerously in the mud. He couldn’t find his gloom gun, but found the Color Belt still attached to his waist. It would have to do. He turned to Lurky, who could barely stand in the muck for more than a few seconds before he fell. “Get up, Lurky! There’s been a change in plans.”

“A change?” asked Lurky.

“Yes. If that brat is creating these storms, then we’ll use it to our advantage. We’ll take Rainbow and the Color Kids down for good. Stormy will be our distraction.” He grinned, rubbing his hands together.

Stormy watched the Color Castle from her position in the cloud. Still, there wasn’t any movement inside that she could see. Surely though, they had to be worried about this storm. Once more she raised her hand, intent on making sure they emerged. A large bolt of lightning flashed nearby and for a moment, her silhouette was highlighted against the cloud, Skydancer standing regally behind her. She grinned, pleased to finally be able to wreck havoc in her own way, without Murky to instruct her or place limits on her. “Goodbye, Rainbow,” she whispered menacingly.

With a pull of her hand, the wind began to whip about, gathering itself together and blowing in all directions. The trees began to shake and quiver, and the grass started to flatten itself. Loose pieces of nature flew about, and elsewhere, the clanging of window shutters could be heard.

[Chibi Rachy]

All I've got to say about this chapter is this: Why yes, yes I did.

Chapter 24 One Last Plea

Murky used his hands to cover his face, trying to protect himself from the tiny flying bits of rock and grass that whipped past his face. The wind was howling and he couldn’t hear Lurky behind him, though he knew the idiot was trying to say something. “Quiet!” he yelled over the roar, uncertain as to how much good that would do.

If he didn’t know his way to the Color Castle, he would have been lost in the storm. With the combination of rain and wind, he could barely see more than a few feet in front of him. Still, he trudged on, intent on using Stormy’s storm as his distraction. Rainbow and the Color Kids would be more focused on the storm, and certainly not expecting Murky to attack them at such a time. It made for a perfect setup.

Meanwhile, the scene inside the Color Castle was chaos. Color Kids were running back and forth, trying to batten down the hatches. Twink was scared, and much of his speech was garbled. “Stay calm, everyone!” yelled Rainbow over the roar of the storm. “We have to be calm or we won’t make it through this!”

“The shutters are all closed as best we can!” shouted Red Butler.

“And the windows are boarded up too!” added Buddy Blue.

“Good. We just have to hope the storm blows over,” remarked Rainbow.

Shy Violet came running into the room. “We have to get downstairs!” she shouted.

Rainbow turned to look at her friend. She saw the worry etched into Shy Violet’s face, her hair frazzled. “What’s wrong?”

Shy Violet tried to catch her breath as she spoke. “From my calculations, the storm’s intensity is capable of mass destruction. It is safest in the lowest level of the Color Castle.”

“I’ll lead the way!” shouted Red Butler. “Follow me!”

The Color Kids followed Red Butler, and Rainbow and Twink made up the tail end of the group. Rainbow turned and took one last look around the main room. She had a terrible, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed that aside. She must be brave for the rest of them, no matter how scared she felt.

“Come on, Rainbow!” called Twink.

Turning back around, Rainbow rushed after her sprite, descending the steps quickly. She found the Color Kids in one of the empty rooms downstairs. They were all huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. They went quiet as Rainbow and Twink entered the room. Rainbow closed the door behind them. The only light they had to see by was the small lantern that one of the Kids had grabbed along the way.

“I’m scared,” whispered Lala Orange.

“Me too,” added Canary Yellow.

“Me three,” tacked on Patty O’Green.

“I’m scared too,” Rainbow whispered, afraid to admit the simple truth. “I don’t have my Color Belt, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve never seen a storm like this.”

“A storm of this magnitude has never been seen in Rainbow Land before,” informed Shy Violet. “The natural weather patterns here aren’t capable of creating such a system.”

“So Murky must be behind it?” asked Indigo.

“No. Well, yes, but it’s that girl who’s doing it. She has the power to create storms. I suspect that what she showed us at the Sprite Fair was only a preview,” explained Shy Violet.

“I wonder why she’s working for Murky anyway,” remarked Patty O’Green.

“Who’d wanna work for him?” asked Buddy Blue.

“Not me,” replied Lala Orange.

“I don’t think anyone would,” added Red Butler. “He just mucks everything up.”

“What if she had no choice?” suggested Shy Violet. “What if Murky made her do it?”

Everyone was silent for a few moments as they pondered this thought. They couldn’t imagine working for Murky, much less having no choice in the matter, and no chance to try and fight it. All that could be heard was the sounds of the high winds.

“Why would Murky do that?” asked Canary Yellow.

“It’s simple. Stormy controls the weather. He must have known this and that he could use it to his advantage. In theory, it’s a brilliant idea for one inclined to destroy a group of people,” explained Shy Violet.

“Stormy?” asked Rainbow.

“I just remembered that Murky mentioned her name at the race. Why?”

“That name…sounds familiar,” answered Rainbow, scrunching up her face as she tried to recall where she’d heard it before. Fuzzy pieces of something came to mind, but nothing concrete that she could pull a memory from. She sighed.

The creaking of the Color Castle walls interrupted all of their thoughts. Outside, something smashed against a nearby wall, and all of the Kids winced. Instinctively, they huddled closer together.

“It sounds like the Castle is going to fall apart!” exclaimed Lala Orange.

“The Castle can only bear so much force. If the winds get much higher, the Color Castle could collapse,” answered Shy Violet.

“But we’re inside!” replied Canary Yellow in horror.

Shy Violet pondered this. “If I remember correctly, there’s an underground passage that will lead us right under the mines. The cavern can only be accessed by the passage. I’ve not traveled much on it, but I found it one day while working on the electrical system. The room across the hall will lead us there. I suspect it was an escape route for a previous Rainbow Brite.” She got to her feet, grabbing the lantern. “Follow me!”

The Color Kids took off after Shy Violet, eager to seek out a place of safety. They all turned when they saw Rainbow standing behind them, not moving.

“Come on, Rainbow. We’ve gotta go!” called Red Butler.

“No! I’m going to see if I can talk to her. Perhaps if I can talk to her, she’ll stop the storms,” called Rainbow, a determined look on her face.

“Rainbow, it’s too dangerous to do that! The winds are too strong!” reminded Patty O’Green, fear in her eyes.

“You can’t do it, Rainbow!” added Indigo.

“If we don’t hurry, we’ll be trapped here,” warned Shy Violet.

“Go on ahead. I have to try,” declared Rainbow as she turned and ran for the stairs that lead to the main level of the Color Castle. The Color Kids could only stare open mouthed as they watched their protector race off to near certain doom.

“Should we go after her?” voiced Lala Orange.

“We can’t. We’ll only put all of ourselves in danger if we do. If that happens, Rainbow Land will surely fall,” stated Shy Violet gravely.

“But we can’t leave her!” retorted Red Butler.

“We have to trust Rainbow,” mumbled Canary Yellow.

With heavy hearts, the Color Kids followed Shy Violet into the passage. None of them wanted to leave Rainbow behind. They didn’t want her to end up hurt. They’d rather be with their friend, but Rainbow had wanted to go alone. They would honor her wishes.

“It’s not very far,” called Shy Violet over the silence as they walked along the dark passage. The dim light from the lantern did not provide much in the way of light, and there were many stubbed toes along the way. For the most part, the passage was straight and sloped upwards at times. There was not very much room to move. The passage appeared to have been made tall enough and wide enough for someone not much bigger than a Color Kid.

“Do you think Rainbow’s all right?” whispered Indigo.

“It’s Rainbow. She has to be all right,” whispered Canary Yellow back.

“But how will we know?” asked Buddy Blue.

“We won’t unless we leave the cavern,” answered Shy Violet. “There’s an exit into the mines, but we wouldn’t want to go out until we knew the storm was over, incase the storm was just as bad near the caves. The wind could create a vortex that would suck out everything in its path.”

This plunged the group into silence once more. The clinking of the lantern and the shuffle of feet were the only sounds for the next few minutes. Now that they knew there was no way out until the storm was over, many of them felt trapped. They were helpless to save Rainbow, and wouldn’t know her fate until they were certain the storm had passed.

“Up ahead is the cavern. Stay close, everyone!” shouted Shy Violet.

She led the group into a fairly good sized cavern, with enough room overhead to stand, and enough to spread out comfortably. Boulders were in the cavern, and made spaces to sit upon or climb onto. Eerie noises greeted the Kids, the result of the wind echoing in other parts of the cave. They all took a seat, and began to wait out the storm.

“Murky, what’s that?” asked Lurky, pointing into the distance.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

“What’s that?” shouted Lurky at the top of his lungs. He pointed again, hoping Murky would spot it.

“Huh?” Murky gazed off, trying to see through the wind and rain. His eyes widened. “Go the other way, Lurky! Now! We’ve got to move or it’ll get us too!” He turned around and began attempting to run in the opposite direction, which was easier to do now that they were moving with the wind.

“What’ll it do, Murky?” asked Lurky, following him.

“It’ll kill us if we’re in the way. That thing is deadly!”

Rainbow raced up the stairs, noticing the creaking was louder than ever. She ignored this and pushed down her fear. She wouldn’t let this be for nothing. She needed to protect the Color Kids, even without her belt. If only she could talk to Stormy, then perhaps she could end this storm. Even though the girl worked for Murky, there might be a chance of reasoning with her.

Racing for the door, her footsteps pounded against the floor. She flung open the door and the wind hit full force, threatening to suck her and anything else not bolted down out. She held her hands up to protect her face and trudged outside. All she could see was wind and rain, but she knew Stormy had to be out there, somewhere.

As Stormy gazed down from her cloud haven, she noticed someone exiting the Color Castle. She pondered who it could be for a few moments, arms crossed. It had to be Rainbow. No one else would be foolish enough to venture out in such a storm. Stormy eyed her trump card in the distance. It didn’t matter because she’d soon take care of Rainbow and her friends. Regardless, she called for Skydancer, and together, they descended from the haven on tiny cloud wisps.

Rainbow looked up, noticing something moving in the distance. The wind and rain made it hard to see, but she eventually picked out the outline of a horse and rider. It had to be Stormy. She watched as the girl came down from the clouds, until she was directly in front of her, on top of her horse. It was now or never.

“Stormy, please stop this storm. You’re going to destroy Rainbow Land,” pleaded Rainbow.

Stormy crossed her arms. “And what if that was my goal to begin with?” Skydancer snorted his agreement.

“Why do you want to destroy Rainbow Land?”

“Because…because… it doesn’t matter! I’m going to, and you can’t stop me!”

“Please, Stormy. Don’t do this. You need to stop it.”

“I’ve waited a long time to be able to do this. You aren’t going to stop me, and Murky isn’t either.”

This surprised Rainbow. Stormy was destroying Rainbow Land and said that Murky wouldn’t stop her….did that mean that Murky hadn’t told her to do this either. How could that be? The girl was with Murky the last time. Had she gotten rid of him too?

“You might wanna find somewhere safe,” began Stormy, pointing behind her. “That tornado is going to destroy everything in its path.” She laughed loudly, giggling like a child. “Skydancer! Let’s go!”

Skydancer turned and ran back up the cloud wisps. Stormy knew that she would need to avoid the storm as well, not wanting a repeat of the last time she’d created a small one. It would be easy to outrun, and if she could control the path of the tornado, all the better. She wondered if perhaps she’d be able stop it once it’d finished its job.

Rainbow turned and saw the large wind funnel. It was near the Color Castle. She ran back inside. There had to be someplace to hide. As she crossed the floor of the main level, she heard the first sounds of the Color Castle being destroyed. Frantically, she dove across the floor, sliding into one of the open closet doors. She pulled whatever was hanging over her, and waited.

Stormy watched as the funnel cloud slammed into the Color Castle. No match, the Color Castle burst into pieces, debris flying everywhere. No time to ponder, Stormy urged Skydancer into the cloud and watched from above as they moved away. The Castle shook and caved in bit by bit as the tornado made its way through. As it moved away, Stormy glimpsed the ruins of the Color Castle. She worked to dispel the tornado, or at least, to send it off on a different path. She couldn’t believe it…she’d actually accomplished what she’d set out to do. She’d killed Rainbow, and now Rainbow Land was hers for the taking.

[Chibi Rachy]

Well, I hadn't planned to do another chapter so soon, but as the author, I was curious as to how things played out as well. So I wrote up chapter 25 between last night and today.

Chapter 25 Aftereffects

She’d killed Rainbow. After all she’d worked with Murky, after all he’d told her, she’d accomplished her goal. She could take over Rainbow Land if she could take the belt from Murky… and then she would be in charge. The revelation soon wore off as reality sunk in. She’d killed someone… someone who was to be her enemy, yet… she felt something stir deep with in her.

Instinctively, she turned Skydancer around, racing down the cloud wisps toward the rubble of the Color Castle. She didn’t notice the storm beginning to dispel around her. She didn’t care that tiny bits of flying debris stung her skin. She dismounted Skydancer before his hooves touched the ground and slipped in the mud. She pulled herself to her feet, ignoring the mud that covered her body. She raced toward the scene of the destruction. Her hands began brushing through the debris, pulling away bits of material, pieces of wood, and broken glass. She searched, hoping, hoping that it wasn’t true.

It had been a long time since they’d escaped from the Color Castle. The strange sounds they had heard since then were slowly fading away, and each began to wonder if perhaps the storm was over. Each was afraid to voice the opinion, remembering what Shy Violet had said about the winds in the caverns.

“Someone should check,” spoke Red Butler at last. “We can’t hear anything anymore.”

“Do you think she did it?” asked Indigo softly.

“If the storms stopped, Rainbow must have done it,” spoke Canary Yellow, trying to be optimistic.

“But… wouldn’t she have come through the passage to tell us?” asked Patty O’Green, doubt creeping into her voice.

“She didn’t know where the passage was,” interrupted Shy Violet. “I hadn’t told her anything about it. If Rainbow is safe, she wouldn’t be able to get to us. We’d have to find her.”

“So shouldn’t we check?” asked Red Butler, repeating himself.

“We can’t risk this only being a calm period in the storm. We have to be sure that the wind has died down, and the tornado is no longer a threat,” explained Shy Violet calmly. Inside, she wanted to do the very same thing. Her gut was trying to override what her scientific side told her. She had to force herself to listen to the science she knew to avoid any deaths or unwanted injuries. “We’ll wait it out just a bit longer.”

“But what if Rainbow needs help?” Buddy Blue asked, voicing the unwanted question.

“We can’t hurt ourselves in the process,” explained Shy Violet once more, calmly and patiently. “Just a little more time.”

“Oh, Rainbow,” muttered Lala Orange.

Murky looked up from his hiding spot. He and Lurky had taken cover in a deep ditch. It had kept them safe from most of the debris that had flown past. Murky had seen large pieces fly past his head, uncertain as to what they might be. They had flown by with a deathly force, one he wasn’t willing to mess with. He looked to his left, where Lurky cowered with his hands over his furry head. He shook, fearful of what had just occurred.

Rising to his feet, Murky brushed off the mud that now covered his outfit as best he could. It didn’t do much good. He turned his attention to his henchman. “Up, you buffoon! We need to go check out the Color Castle right away! We might be able to get inside.”

Lurky brushed himself off. “All right Murky. Should I get the Grunge Buggy?”

“There’s no time!” shouted Murky. “Let’s go quickly before anyone can recover!” In truth, Murky had no idea where the Grunge Buggy had ended up, or if it even still functioned. He adjusted the Color Belt on his waist and patted his vest. He still could rely on it if all else failed.

Parting the bushes they’d hidden behind, Murky stepped out. His jaw dropped when he saw the scene before him. Beyond the sprite village, where the Color Castle should have stood, was a large pile of rubbish, the remainder of what was once the glorious Color Castle. Murky rubbed his eyes, uncertain of whether he could believe what he was seeing.

“Murky, where’d the Color Castle go? I don’t see it!” exclaimed Lurky.

So he wasn’t just seeing things. Lurky saw the same thing. The Color Castle had been destroyed. He knew that Stormy was behind it; there was no other explanation. Her power had grown exponentially, and while he had worked to cultivate it, he wasn’t sure he could control her anymore. Less and less time passed between having to create a new gloom variant. She would quickly become immune to whatever he created. If he went much stronger, he would have a mere robot on hand, and that idea did not suit him.

Slowly, he walked toward the Color Castle. He heard Lurky following behind him. Together they walked past the main village path, past the sprite houses and the open-mouthed sprites who stared in shock at the sight before them. They didn’t notice Murky and Lurky, and if they did, it didn’t register. They simply couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Murky, what happened to the Castle?”

“I think…I think Stormy destroyed it for us,” answered Murky.

“But why? Where are we supposed to live now?”

“In the Pits.” Murky was too shocked to insult his henchman. He came to the edge of the lake, seeing that the bridge was destroyed. Ropes hung freely, still attached to the stakes that held the bridge in the ground. To get across meant to swim.

Suddenly, Murky noticed that something moved in the pile. He looked, trying to discern the figure and realized that it was Stormy. She appeared to be digging through the remains, searching for something.

“Stormy! What are you doing?” shouted Murky.

The figure paused, looking over the pile at the two. She said nothing as she looked at them, and then went back to digging. They were of no concern to her.

“Stormy!” Murky shouted again, frustrated. When she didn’t answer, he pulled a few of his grey star sprinkles from his pouch and inserted them in the Color Belt. Pressing a finger to the star, he activated it, and a greyscale rainbow wove its way toward Stormy. Without looking, Stormy deflected the beam with a flick of a finger. A wave of lightning destroyed the rainbow. Skydancer jumped forward, leaping from the pile. He began to chase Murky and Lurky as Stormy waved her finger a few more times, assisting with the lightning.

“That brat will pay for this!” shouted Murky as he ran. He knew that Skydancer could run much faster.

“Haha, the horsey’s chasing us, Murky!”

“I know that, banana brain!”

“The horsey’s really fast!”

“Don’t remind me!” Murky would come back to the Color Castle with a new plan. Stormy would not get away with her betrayal. He cursed not giving her a large dose of gloom potion that would have made her completely obedient. She would not get away with what she’d done. She would not cross Murky Dismal.

Stormy’s hands ached. She didn’t know how long she’d been digging. She didn’t even know where to look. She’d merely fallen to her knees and began throwing pieces of the rubble into the lake. That seemed the safest bet when it came to searching for Rainbow. “Hello? Hello?” she called hoarsely, repeating her cry every few minutes. She hoped there would be an answer. If only she could dig long enough…

Something sliced across her hand and she looked down, noticing a tiny piece of glass. Her hand began to bleed, and she knew the cut wasn’t deep, but it was deep enough. She stopped digging and stared down at the blood trickling from her left palm. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she sobbed, letting her emotions free.

She cried, unable to fathom what she had done. It had seemed like a good idea back then, until she’d actually executed the plan and realized the depth of her actions. Now she wished she hadn’t, wished she could go back in time and fix it.

After awhile, her sobs became soft cries. It was then she noticed something beside her. A blue sprite stood there, holding up a first aid kit. He chattered to her in a sprite language, but she couldn’t understand him. The blue sprite tried again, pointing to his first aid kit, and then her hand. Another sprite, a green one, had joined him.

“Why do you want to help me? I was the one who caused this!” replied Stormy in anguish.

The sprite made an attempt to reply, but Stormy didn’t know what he said. She merely sat there, looking at her hand. With the green sprite’s help, he was able to open his kit and begin cleaning the wound. Stormy said nothing as he bandaged her hand. When he was finished, he put his supplies back in the kit, patting her hand and chattering happily.

“Why?” she asked again, looking at her bandaged hand. “I hurt your friend. You shouldn’t help me.”

The sprite whistled, waving over his companions. Stormy could see them using objects to float across the tiny gap in the lake. It was as though they were going to help her find Rainbow. She decided to explain things to them, hoping they might understand her, even though she didn’t understand them. “Rainbow’s trapped under there. She could be hurt really bad. She could be… dead. I don’t know. I can’t get down deep enough. Can you help me?”

Quickly, the sprites set to work. Some sprites worked to unbury and get rid of the rubble. They would pass pieces on to other sprites, who would help get them across the lake. Once the pieces had been floated across, another set of sprites would take them to a pile that had been started. Stormy used her good hand, ignoring the pain she felt in the other hand. She was going to help them work. It wouldn’t make up for what she’d done, but it was something she felt she had to do.

Shy Violet rose to her feet. It had been awhile, and nothing new had been heard. It was time to go find Rainbow and let her know that they were all safe. Hopefully, Rainbow had been the one to convince Stormy to stop the storms. “All right. Follow behind me and we’ll head to the Color Castle,” she called.

Each of the Color Kids rose and stretched, feeling cramped after being in the dim cavern for so long. Shy Violet led them to where a large group of boulders rested near one of the walls. Behind it was a small opening, large enough to crawl through. “In here!” Crawling into the cramped tunnel soon lead to the walls widening and the ceiling becoming farther away. Soon, they could each stand and walk comfortable. The tunnel wound through the cave, eventually opening at the very back of the mine. Now that the Color Kids knew where they were, they raced forward, heading for the main opening. They gaped in horror as they looked over the edge, and down at the remains of the Color Castle.

“It’s…it’s…gone…” whispered Patty O’Green.

“How can that be?” exclaimed Red Butler.

“How was it destroyed?” questioned Indigo.

“It may not have been stable enough to hold up against the winds,” answered Shy Violet.

“Rainbow…where’s Rainbow?” asked Canary Yellow, tears starting to form in her eyes.

“She must be all right… she’s Rainbow,” mumbled Lala Orange.

“Stormy couldn’t have stopped Rainbow,” added Buddy Blue.

In the distance, they could all see the colored specks working on top of the rubble. They knew the sprites were digging. “Rainbow must be buried under all the rubble,” explained Shy Violet. “The sprites must be digging to find her.”

“Come on, Color Kids! We’ve got to go help!” shouted Red Butler. He instantly took off at a run down the sloped mountainside, intent on getting to the scene of the destroyed Color Castle as quickly as possible.

The rest of the Kids followed, running to keep up with him. A couple of times, they had to slow down, finding a way through the mud. By the time they arrived at the scene, none were clean anymore, but that was the least of their worries. They were worried about their leader, their protector, their friend. Then they saw Stormy, sitting atop the pile, assisting the sprites.

“Get down from there! Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage?!” shouted Red Butler, furious to see the girl.

“Yeah, go away! It’s your fault it happened!” added Buddy Blue, stepping to the front beside Red Butler.

Stormy merely looked at the pair, fear in her eyes. All that she’d done came back to her, and she put her head in her hands, trying to block out the boys. She’d done it. She’d murdered Rainbow.

“Can’t you hear us?” yelled Patty O’Green. “Go away!”

Fearful of what was happening and the images she was seeing, she knew she had to escape. “Skydancer!” she shouted hoarsely. Skydancer appeared by her side in the rubble and she used her good hand to pull herself onto his backside, having a bit of trouble at first. Without looking back at the Color Kids, she urged him into the sky and into the clouds. They couldn’t get to her there. No one could. Murky would never be able to have her, and the Color Kids could not hurt her for what she’d done, even though she deserved all of it.

“I messed up, Skydancer. I really messed up,” she lamented as she slid from his backside and fell backwards onto the soft cloud. Skydancer nickered, and nuzzled the side of her head gently. He had never seen his mistress feel this way before.

I really do feel bad for Stormy. Now I just wanna cuddle her!

[Chibi Rachy]

You know, this story might get finished after all.

Chapter 26 Anger and Regret

The digging continued well into the night, but still no sign of Rainbow could be found. The sprites and Color Kids worked effortlessly, removing the rubble slowly and carefully. Shy Violet was managing the crew, making sure that certain pieces weren’t removed before others. It was decided to call it a night for a few hours so that some rest could be gotten. Shy Violet refused to let anyone work without taking a nap, even though no one wanted to stop. Too much was at stake and they couldn’t wait much longer. A few more hours, and they would be back to work. The light rigging that had been created was left up, and everyone else split to the sprite homes to share rooms for the few hours.

Stormy had watched the entire scene from her hideaway in the clouds. She had hoped that they would find Rainbow, and that she wouldn’t be dead. Now, everyone was going to nap from what she heard. It would be her chance to try again. She fingered her bandaged palm, considering her options. She didn’t know what they could do to her if they found her, but they didn’t have the Color Belt so it couldn’t be much.

“Skydancer,” she whispered, rising to her feet. Skydancer moved closer, and together the two descended from the clouds once more.

Stormy carefully began removing pieces of debris from the pile after checking to make sure no one else was around. “Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?” she whispered, loud enough that she hoped Rainbow might here.

Every attempt gave her no response, but she still kept digging. Again, she called out. This time, she thought she heard someone calling back to her.

“Is someone there?” she called, listening carefully for a response. She thought she might be hearing things, hoping for a reply. Instead, she got what sounded to be a whisper, a faint hoarse cry.

Calling out again, Stormy tried to pinpoint the whisper, and did so on the third try. She began digging with renewed fervor, shoving aside the pieces or tossing them into the lake. She didn’t care anymore. The first glimpse of a hand inspired her to finish. The fingers twitched and were attached to a tattered sleeve. It wasn’t long before Stormy could uncover the rest of the body.

Rainbow was quite a sight. Her clothes were ripped and she was full of scrapes and scratches, some deeper than others. Her body was caked with dirt and mud; her boots were wet, for nearby was a burst pipe. Stormy pushed down the feelings that were creeping forward, things she did not feel like acknowledging. Now that she had uncovered Rainbow, she was uncertain as to what she should do. The girl seemed to injured to be moved, and yet, she needed help. However, if Stormy got the Color Kids, they would surely get rid of her.

A sound came from Rainbow’s throat. It was soft and barely audible. Stormy looked down, and saw dull blue eyes looking back at her. They held no anger, and yet, they held no pain. The girl was hanging on. Stormy rested her palm on top of Rainbow’s hand, ignoring the dried blood. She would get help. Something inside of her told her so, a tiny pin prick of warmth. She nodded and stood.

“Hey! Get away from there!”

Stormy spun around, only to come face to face with an angry Red Butler. Behind him was Buddy Blue. Neither boy looked happy to see her there. She stood, frozen to the spot. Instinctively, her body began manipulating the clouds nearby, ready to attack. She could feel the anticipation, feel the adrenaline begin rushing through her veins.

“Look! She’s going to attack again!” shouted Buddy Blue.

“Don’t let her! She’ll only hurt Rainbow more!” retorted Red Butler, fists clenched.

At his words, Stormy dropped her hands to her side. The adrenaline faded as soon as it had come, and she felt empty once more. She looked down again, seeing those eyes. No pain, no anger. She turned and walked over to Skydancer, climbing upon his back. She gently kicked his side, urging him in the night sky.

Both boys watched Stormy go, fearing that she would turn around at any time and call the sky upon them. They waited, poised to attack, though they both knew they had no way of defending themselves. Only Rainbow had been capable of such a thing, and now she was injured. When neither of them could see Stormy any longer, they released breaths they didn’t know they had been holding.

“You go get Shy Violet. I’ll stay here and watch Rainbow in case Stormy comes back again,” instructed Red Butler.

“Right! I’ll be back as soon as possible,” replied Buddy Blue.

He carefully maneuvered his way through the rubble, making his way to the edge of the destroyed Castle. A small dingy bobbed in the murky water, and he hopped inside. Champ waited for him and chattered nervously to him. “It’s all right. She didn’t attack us,” he told the sprite, trying to calm him. “We need to get Shy Violet though. We’ve found Rainbow.”

Champ’s chattering became happier. He picked up one of the oars and began rowing as Buddy did the same in front of him. He talked all the way back to the shore.

“That’s right, Champ. We can still save Rainbow Land after all. Let’s run as fast as we can. The sooner we get Rainbow help, the sooner things can get better again!” The pair raced up the rocky path to the Color Cave, which is where the other Color Kids had decided to set up a temporary shelter. It wasn’t the most comfortable of places, but it would have to do.

Saving Rainbow became a very tedious task. As soon as Shy Violet had been told of the situation, she set to work with a group of sprites, planning how to get her friend from the rubble pile up to the Color Cave. It would be a long task, and possibly could take quite some time if Rainbow’s injuries were serious enough. “Yes, yes,” she murmured to herself as she wrote down notes in a notepad one of the sprites had brought her. “You get the materials for this,” she instructed a group that was led by Twink.

“No problem!” He nodded to her and then turned to his group. “Let’s go! We have to hurry so we can help Rainbow!” They all dashed off.

To another she said, “Bring me the first aid kit kept in the Color Cave.” That sprite also replied to her before rushing off.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Canary Yellow, wringing her hands.

Shy Violet shook her head. “I don’t think so. If we take too many people, it could be more harmful than helpful. It is best if you stay behind with the others and prepare the area for Rainbow to stay in. We’ll need to make it as comfortable as possible.”

“Do you think she’s okay?” asked Lala Orange. Patty O’Green nodded beside her.

“Buddy said she was alive. Rainbow is a strong person. I believe she’ll make it through, and you’ll need to believe that too. We can only hope that as the protector of Rainbow Land she’ll heal strong.”

Chattering from beside Shy Violet stopped any further remarks. A green sprite stood there, holding up the white metal box with a red cross on it. Shy Violet took it from his hands gently. “Thank you,” she said, smiling. The sprite saluted her and then returned to his group.

“We’ll be back soon,” she called to her friends. “I hope…” she whispered.

Shy Violet was not prepared for the girl she saw when Buddy led her to the top of the rubble. She was not sure what she had expected to see, but it certainly was not this. In her time as the Violet Color Kid, she had treated many small injuries, sprite and Kid alike. They were usually minor scrapes and dings, though sometimes there was a broken arm or leg. It had never been anything major or life threatening.

Looking at Rainbow, she realized that there could be many broken bones, many internal injuries that she could not see. There might be things she could not fix or even know about. She had never seen this much blood before. As she knelt carefully beside her fallen friend, she wondered if her skill would be enough. She looked up at Buddy Blue and Red Butler, and she could see their hopeful faces through the dim light that they shined upon her. Everyone was counting on her to save Rainbow…but what if she could not? She gathered her courage. No, she would not think that way. She opened the first aid kit and began treating the wounds that she could reach and take care of first. It was going to be a long night.

Stormy had taken cover in the clouds once more. She wandered around, murmuring to herself. She had tried to help, but had been turned away. She could not blame them. She had wanted to attack them. It had been instinct, but she had stopped before it could get out of control. She didn’t want to cause any more trouble.

“What do I do now?” she wondered. She felt empty inside. She had no goal and no purpose. She had destroyed to complete a task, and felt nothing. She had saved someone she had meant to kill, and yet she felt not much more. Her stomach was a twist of knots inside. She looked over to Skydancer, who was looking out of the cloud they had hidden inside.

She moved closer, patting his side as she stared down. They were almost directly over the Pits. Anger suddenly stirred inside, white hot anger. It took her by surprise, but she let the feeling overtake her being. She was not so empty and lost. She knew what she would do. It would not make up for her destruction, but it would be a start.

Skydancer leaned down and nuzzled the top of her head. He seemed to know what she wanted to do as well. She rested her head against the horse, letting his heartbeat fuel her. Murky had done so many things to her while she had stayed with him. She had been angered. Flashes of the very first days she had been in Rainbow Land came back to her in a rush. Things she had not been able to recall before were suddenly crystal clear in her memory. She remembered being given the drinks and she remembered being locked in the darkness. She recalled the nights she had gone without supper, and the days he had spent pushing her to her limits.

She had learned the things he had wanted her to. She had learned everything because of him. She had developed a hatred for Rainbow and her friends, all because of the things he had told her. She had done as he asked because he had made a promise to her. She had taken the Color Belt. She had destroyed the Color Castle. He had caused the empty feeling inside of her, the one that should have been joy for all of her hard work had paid off.

Clenching her fists, she climbed onto Skydancer’s back. She let her body direct the clouds instinctively. There was no need to hold back. She felt the charged energy and knew that every cloud willed to her command. This time, she would destroy with a purpose that was her own, and not one that someone had thrust upon her. She knew the costs of facing off against the person who had taken care of her since she had been brought to this place. She also knew what she wanted to do, what she had wanted to do for so very long. She could almost taste it on the tip of her tongue. She urged Skydancer into a charge, racing from the cloud. The wind began to howl and the rains fell. Lightning brightened the sky every few seconds, illuminating her face. The anger there could no longer be hidden.

Shy Violet finally let herself begin to believe that Rainbow was going to be all right. She had completed the basic first aid while the sprites had readied the makeshift stretcher that would transport her to the Color Cave. She wiped sweat from her brow and rose to her feet slowly. She could feel muscles protesting after having been folded for the past hour. She stretched. “Carry her slowly to the raft. Please do not bump the stretcher. I do not know the extent of all of her injuries yet.”

Buddy Blue and Red Butler complied without a word. They moved slowly and careful amongst the broken pieces, navigating to the raft that awaited them at the bottom of the pile. It had been built by a team of sprites while Shy Violet worked. They had been quick, knowing that their precious Rainbow needed them. The boys carefully set the stretcher down, and then helped Shy Violet onto the raft. Four sprites poled them the short distance to the main land.

From there, the boys carefully took Rainbow up the dirt road. Shy Violet followed behind them. Up ahead, she could see a group of sprites keeping watch. As soon as they spotted the group, they raced back inside, and she knew they were letting everyone else know that Rainbow had been recovered. She smiled, and then yawned. Her body was tired after so much physical and mental exertion, but she knew she could not rest just yet. She still had to tend to Rainbow, and give instructions to some of the others.

Gasps from the Color Kids who had stayed behind told Shy Violet that they had not expected Rainbow to look so terrible either. No one could have predicted this would ever happen to any of them.

“Rainbow…” lamented Twink.

“Is she… dead?” whispered Indigo.

Shy Violet shook her head. “Unconscious from fatigue and pain. She requires a long period to recover.”

“We’ve finished her room,” spoke up Patty O’Green. She wasn’t going to let herself feel so squeamish. “It’s not the best, but it’s all we could do.”

“We’ll take you there,” added Lala Orange.

The three girls led the way back through the mine. They took a sharp left, heading into a section that the sprites for storage and special inventory. On the floor of one such room was a pile of large pillows that would serve as the mattress. Blankets rested nearby. Because the Color Kids did not have access to anything inside the Color Castle, the sprites had donated whatever they could find in their homes.

“Should we… clean her up first?” asked Canary Yellow hesitantly.

Shy Violet nodded. “I believe that would be a good idea. Then I will be able to examine her much more closely for injuries I may have missed outside.” She saw the dismal look on each of her friends’ faces. “I know it looks bad, but I believe we can help her.”

“And then get the Color Belt back?” asked Twink hopefully. “And rebuild the Color Castle too?”

“Yes, Twink,” answered Shy Violet with a chuckle. “We can.”

Twink’s optimism seemed to help the rest of the Color Kids. It boosted their spirits just a bit, and for once it seemed like there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. They rushed off in different directions, doing whatever was necessary to make sure that Rainbow was set on the path to recovery.

[Chibi Rachy]

Why yes, I did write two chapters in a night. Chapter 28 is also half finished. There will definitely be a Chapter 29. I am not sure about there being a Chapter 30 just yet. We shall see.

Chapter 27 A Return

“I said, give me the Color Belt.” She spoke slowly and evenly, but he could tell there was anger hidden beneath the surface. He knew the fury she could unleash. He had pushed her toward that kind of power, and now she was turning on him.

“So you think you can face me, do you? You think I’m going to give you the Color Belt? You’ve surely gotten rainbows inside your head if you think that!” he shouted at her, shaking a fist. His other hand rested near the star, his finger aching to touch it and release the grey waves from within. A pouch of grey star sprinkles rested at his side.

Lightning flashed again, illuminating her face. She would not back down it seemed. He could not stand her being so disobedient. If only he had continued to up the dosage of the concoction, he would not be in this mess! His mind began calculating ways to knock her unconscious. He could not get rid of his most precious experiment. He had to be careful, very careful.

The faceoff had all started when he had noticed the weather changing. Having lived in the Pits for a few hundred years, he knew the sounds of the weather and the various patterns it often took by heart. The weather had merely become background noise to him, soothing in a way. As he had trained Stormy over the years, he had learned to recognize that stronger weather could be attributed to her working on her powers. The sound was music to his ears.

He had been tinkering with a new device, one that he had hoped would bring Stormy back under his control. If he worked for a couple more hours, it would be complete enough to be functional. He could not let that brat continue to stray from his side. She was too important to his plans. His ears began to pick up on the sounds of the weather, the subtle hints letting him know that she had returned.

“Hey Murky, I think Stormy’s here to see you!” shouted Lurky through the doorway. “She’s brought her horsey and everything! Want me to go get her?”

“Sure, and become fried Lurky,” he retorted angrily.

“She wouldn’t fry me, Murky. I know she wouldn’t.”

Murky sighed in frustration. If only that oaf would leave him to do his work, he could make quick work of Stormy. “Can’t you see I’m trying to finish this?” he roared angrily.

Suddenly, the walls around him began to shake ever so slightly. He paused in his work, listening carefully. Within seconds, they shook once more. He dropped the screw driver as he rushed to the nearest window. There, he could see Stormy taking shots at the outer walls. She was trying to destroy him. Turning quickly, he had grabbed a bag of grey star sprinkles and headed outside to face her. It was time to get her under control.

Thus, they stood, facing off against each other. She had dismounted Skydancer as she made her demands. It made him laugh! He had worked so hard to get the Color Belt. He had planned and schemed for years. He had searched many intergalactic slave auctions, searching for the perfect person to complete his goal. He had far exceeded him goal. With this thought, he pressed the star on the Color Belt.

An all too familiar greyscale rainbow shot forth. It snaked its way through the air, heading for its intended target. Stormy merely dodged out of the way. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a bolt of lightning streaking toward Murky. He dodged behind a boulder at the last moment. She smirked. He was going to be too easy. She began pulling the clouds closer together, and the wind began to howl in the distance, just in case. Moving forward, she prepared to take the Belt.

However, another greyscale rainbow shot out, grabbing her around the middle. She squirmed and tugged at the band, but it only tightened about her waist. Knowing that he’d caught her, he stepped out from behind the boulder. “You’re not going to escape this. And once I have you back inside, you’ll be put back under my watch. You’ll never taste freedom as far as I’m concerned! You’re no better than Rainbow and her Color Brats!”

“You won’t take me. I won’t let you!” The roaring of the wind picked up and moved closer, but Murky held no fear. He tightened the band with a simple thought, and the wind suddenly died off. Stormy was fighting to catch her breath. As long as he kept it up, she wouldn’t be able to get any shots in.

“I do believe I’ve won. Don’t you agree?” Murky cackled with glee. He had averted disaster. He—

“Hey Murky you forgot your gun!” shouted Lurky as he ran outside. He was in such a hurry that he wasn’t careful to keep an eye on where he was going. One foot came down on one of his shoelaces, and he flew forward. The gun was flung from his hands and smacked against the ground. It did not break, but the force caused the gun to fire off a shot.

“You idiot! Why did you do that?!” shouted Murky, furious. He watched the black bullet ricochet off the rocky walls and head straight for him. He started to dive, but it was too late. The bullet smacked into his backside, and he collapsed to the stone floor. As the liquid concoction was absorbed into his skin, he lost all control of his thoughts. The grey rainbow disappeared, dropping Stormy to the ground.

Stormy rose to her feet quickly, rushing to Murky’s side when she realized that he was in a daze. Her small hands unfastened the Color Belt quickly, tugging it from his side. He didn’t seem to notice or care that she had taken it. He looked up at her blankly. She had no idea how long he’d be caught in his own trap.

“Stormy, you’re back!” shouted Lurky happily. “Can I play with your horsey now?”

She turned without answering him. She knew what she had to do. She folded the Color Belt neatly in her hands, and walked back to Skydancer’s side. If she hurried, she might be able to make it to Rainbow Land before the sun rose. “Let’s go, Skydancer,” she called as she settled atop him.

“Wait, Stormy! We should play first before you go! And you shouldn’t take the Color Belt. Murky needs that you know.”

Yes, she knew that all too well. Fortunately, she also knew that Lurky wasn’t a threat in the least and that she owed it to him for finishing the duel between the two of them. Murky would surely yell and rant later on when he figured out what had happened, but she didn’t mind. Without the Color Belt she knew that he stood no chance against her.

The sprites who stood guarding the entrance to the Color Cave yawned. Night was beginning to fade, and they knew the sun would rise soon. Everyone inside the Color Cave was asleep finally. It had been a long night, but they had finally laid down to rest barely an hour ago. Red Butler had gathered a group to take turns watching for Murky or Stormy.

One sprite, a bold red one, turned to his companion and told him not to fear. The other sprite, a timid green one, nodded and was calmed by the assertion that surely neither of the two would show their faces after everything that had happened. He turned his face to the sky and smiled. It wouldn’t be too long until he could see the sunrise streaking across the sky. He frowned when he saw a shadow appear and then swoop toward them. Enemy!

He shook, knowing that he needed to go raise the alarm, but his feet would not allow him to move. His fellow sprite urged him to do so while he held off the girl. They both knew it was not Murky, for Murky had never been able to fly. As the shadow came closer, it dropped something in front of them. It did not slow or stop, but continued on its path back into the sky.

Curious, both sprites rushed forward to inspect what had fallen. They gasped in surprise when they saw it was the Color Belt. It was still grey and murked out from Murky’s tinkering with it, but it was still the Color Belt. They picked it up and dashed inside before Stormy could return and change her mind.

From high in the sky, Stormy watched them rush into the Color Cave. She felt a bit lighter inside, though a heaviness still hung over her heart. Her eyes drifted over the edge of the rocky cliff, toward the debris of the Color Castle. Light was just beginning to fill the sky. Light would erase the darkness of the night, but it could not erase the things she had done. With a heavy heart, she realized she had no place to go. She could not return to the Pits again, and she could not stay here. The only place meant for her was the clouds. She headed for cover, disappearing from sight.

“…And she just dropped it? Just like that?” Red Butler stared at the sprites in disbelief. He could not believe that Stormy had returned the belt. “Are you sure she didn’t just drop it by accident.

The sprites insisted that it had not been an accident. They told of how she had not turned around or tried to retrieve the Color Belt after it had been dropped. They told of how she had helped them in return for the help they had given her. Red Butler shook his head at their sense of trust.

“What does this mean?” asked Canary Yellow.

“Perhaps she is attempting to change her ways,” suggested Lala Orange.

“I doubt that,” replied Buddy Blue. “She destroyed the Color Castle. She helped take the Color Belt in the first place by winning that race. She can’t be trusted!”

“I agree with Buddy,” added Patty O’Green. “Why would she suddenly do this? I bet it’s a trap!”

Shy Violet had been listening to the conversation as she inspected the Color Belt. Under Murky’s control, it had still been fully functional, even though it lacked color. She would have to return it to its proper colorful state, which would most likely reverse the polarities.

“Can it be fixed?” asked Indigo, kneeling next to her.

“I believe so. I believe that using the proper star sprinkles would reverse whatever Murky has done to it,” she stated. “Twink, bring me a few star sprinkles of each color.”

“Right!” The sprite dashed off to another part of the Color Cave, returning within moments. He carried a small basket in his hand. “Here you go!”

“Thank you.” She took the basket and dumped it onto the floor next to her. She did not know if her theory would work, but all theories had to be tested at some point. She sorted the pile of star sprinkles by color. Carefully, she picked up the red star sprinkles. Holding her breath, and knowing the other Color Kids were watching, she pressed her hand to the Color Belt.

A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. She could tell that her friends were beginning to lose hope. Then, suddenly, the red star sprinkles were gone. The belt had absorbed them, and a flash of red was seen. The Color Belt appeared to be less grey, though no color could be seen.

“Do yellow now!” shouted Twink. The Color Kids all nodded in agreement.

Shy Violet picked up the yellow star sprinkles and held them to the Color Belt. Once again, it was a few seconds before the yellow was absorbed. This time there was a flash of yellow, and a pale bit of color appeared on the Color Belt. Encouraged by this, Shy Violet continued her task, moving through each color of star sprinkles.

Holding the violet ones, the very last in rainbow order, she pressed them to the Color Belt. They too were absorbed. With one last violet flash, the Color Belt was restored to its original colors. The other Color Kids couldn’t help but grin and cheer. Rainbow would have her Color Belt for use when she was well again.

Rising to her feet, Shy Violet folded the Color Belt and took it to Rainbow’s bedside. She placed it near her head as Twink walked into the room. “Are you sure you should do that? What if Stormy comes back to take it? Or even Murky?” He gulped at the thought.

Shy Violet was certain neither would come so quickly, but she didn’t say that to Twink. “Why don’t you stay in here and guard it? I know you’ll alert us if anything happens,” she whispered. She didn’t dare disturb Rainbow.

“I can do that!” replied Twink in a fervent whisper.

She left him sitting next to Rainbow. Having him watch over the Color Belt would help keep him at ease. When she returned to the room in which all of the Color Kids were to be resting, she found quite the opposite story. Everyone was talking, sleep forgotten.

“Please, everyone. We must rest for now. We’ve been up and working far longer than we should. If you do not rest and let your body recharge, you’ll only become weaker. If Murky or Stormy return, you won’t be able to help keep Rainbow safe.”

This solemn statement quickly stopped any and all conversations that were taking place. The Color Kids looked to her. Red Butler was the first to reply.

“She’s right! We can’t let those two win again! They’ve already caused enough trouble.”

“But I feel so awake right now,” replied Patty O’Green. “I don’t think I can sleep at all.”

“Yes, me too,” added Canary Yellow.

“I feel like I’ve just run my morning miles,” said Buddy, throwing in a comparison. “Like I’m full of energy.”

“And I feel like I’ve just finished acting out a play,” answered Indigo.

“Please try to sleep. You’re only running on the adrenaline rush from seeing the Color Belt fixed. That energy will soon disappear, and you’ll all feel tired again,” explained Shy Violet patiently. She had to get them to rest again.

A sprite came into the room and tugged on Shy Violet’s sleeve. He motioned for her to lean closer, and then he whispered into her ear. She smiled at his words. “Yes, that would work. Please do that.” The sprite nodded and left.

“What did he want?” asked Canary Yellow.

“You’ll see. Lay down and close your eyes.”

The Color Kids did as they were told. They heard the pattering of many sprite feet enter the room. There was a moment of silence before a beautiful sprite lullaby filled the room. The Color Kids listened intently. Each chosen sprite was gifted when it came to singing, and it wasn’t long before everyone, including Shy Violet, had fallen into a much needed slumber. They dreamed of a rebuilt Color Castle, and days spent with Rainbow. They dreamed of picnics and parades and games of catch. They dreamed of monitoring the land and spreading rainbow cheer. They dreamed of everything as it had been before Stormy, and as it should be once Rainbow was well again.

[Stormyfan]

Great story! Thanks for the new chapters

[Chibi Rachy]

So once again I'm working on this. This is the last unfinished project that needs finished before I begin my newest Simoun project. I felt that this story needed an ending to wrap up everything with Stormy. After completing 28, yeah 29 is for sure. 30...unsure of still. We will see.

Chapter 28 Generous Offer

Days passed in Rainbow Land. There was no sign of Murky or Stormy to be found. The Color Kids and sprites were skeptical at first. They believed it to be a trap of some kind and were cautious and careful at every turn. As time wore on, they began to relax and focus on the job of cleaning up the site of the old Color Castle. Plans were already being drawn up to rebuild the Color Castle, making it better than before. Spirits were high, and everyone pitched in.

Rainbow watched over the progress, unable to be of much help. She had woken the day the Color Belt had been returned. She was confused at first, unable to remember the chain of events that had caused all of her injuries. The Color Kids had taken turns filling her in on Stormy’s tornado and the destruction of the Color Castle. They had seen the heartbreak in Rainbow’s eyes upon hearing that news. She didn’t believe them. The Color Castle couldn’t be destroyed like that.

With the help of Buddy Blue and Red Butler at either side of her, they had taken her to the edge of the road that overlooked the Color Castle. Rainbow had fallen to her knees, shocked beyond belief. Tears had welled up in her eyes and she had broken down. Her sobs forced the Color Kids to look away, each fearing that they might cry too. It was a disheartening sight to see the brightest structure of Rainbow Land destroyed and in ruin.

Even though they each felt as Rainbow did, the Color Kids worked to cheer Rainbow up when they weren’t working. Shy Violet would show her the new plans for the next Color Castle. Red Butler performed magic tricks. Buddy Blue showed off his newest weight lifting skills with Champ. Canary Yellow performed her favorite dances. Patty O’Green shared some of her best jokes. Lala Orange brought her flowers. Indigo performed poetry. Rainbow smiled a little more with each kind act.

Now she sat overlooking the cleanup. “Good work, everyone!” she would tell them as they broke for lunch. Though she had been shaken at first, she was positive that everyone could all move forward. They would soon have a new Color Castle, and then they’d be able to continue their work on spreading more color and happiness.

“Great job sprites!” echoed Twink. He had not left her side ever since she’d awoken. He seemed afraid to lose her again, and figured that it was his duty to offer protection whenever he wasn’t instructing the sprites in their work.

Meanwhile, in the Pits, Murky was quite the unhappy fellow. “I can’t believe you bungled that up!” he shouted, throwing yet another book at Lurky. He had continued to rant and rave on the ruining of his plans after the concoction had left his bloodstream.

“I’m sorry, Murky. I was just bringing you your gun,” replied Lurky as he ducked. He wasn’t sure how many books Murky had to throw, but it sure was an awful lot.

“You didn’t need to interfere! I was winning! I had her right where I wanted her too!” Another book, this one a thick volume, was thrown at his head. “And then you had to mess things up. Why do you always have to mess up my plans?”

“I didn’t—“

“Get out of my sight!” roared Murky. He watched Lurky scamper out of the room quickly. He could not stand to be around his minion now.

Turning back to his table, he cleared a space. All of that planning. All of that careful planning. It had all been for nothing in the end. He had worked for so long to train the perfect person to oppose Rainbow and in the end, that person had rebelled against him. If only he had—No. He would not dwell on the mistakes he had made. He could still get her back, couldn’t he?

But without the Color Belt, how would he do that. The Color Belt had given him equal footing with her. Unless he was able to create a new weapon that would be able to stand up to her storm powers, he would be doomed to fail. He was not sure he could handle another failure on his head. Whatever he chose to do, it would take some careful planning. He pulled a notebook to him and began to jot down ideas.

Hours later, he found himself even more frustrated than when he began. “Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!” he muttered, tearing yet another page from the book. He crumpled it up and tossed it over his shoulder. Nothing he sketched seemed to have any merit at all. It was either unable to disarm Stormy or simply undoable all around.

Perhaps he needed time to simply think. He hopped down and left the laboratory, closing and locking the door behind him. He didn’t need the bumbling idiot trying anything to make up for his mistakes. He passed said bumbling idiot in the hallway, though he said not a word. He entered his bed chamber, slamming the door behind him.

Stormy watched the cleanup of the Color Castle from afar. She dared not get closer than necessary. She did not want to fight any of the Color Kids or Rainbow. She did not want to cause any more destruction. Part of her was glad to see that Rainbow was awake and wearing the Color Belt. At least she had corrected some of her mistakes.

Skydancer nudged her from behind, still concerned for her well-being. She had not spoken much in the past few days, nor had she ridden him like she used to. She simply lay around the clouds, lost in thought. He did not know what to make of her pain and sorrow.

She patted his muzzle. “I’m sorry, Skydancer. I just don’t feel like doing much.” Skydancer gave her backside a gentle push. She laughed softly and rubbed his side. “We’ll ride later, all right?” She moved away from the edge of the cloud, and lay down near the center. Time would pass and they would forget what she had done, right? People forgot all the time… she forgot all the time. She wished she could remember what life was like before Murky. It seemed as though there had been more. She closed her eyes, drifting off as she tried to discover those lost memories.

When she opened them again, she found Skydancer standing over her. He snorted, blowing warm air into her face. She groaned and turned over. Skydancer merely leaned over and nudged her shoulder. Stormy realized that she could not stay in the cloud forever. Skydancer required food, and she was feeling hungry as well.

Stormy made sure to keep hidden in the forest. There she could at least find a bit of fruit. She wasn’t sure how else to survive. She didn’t know how to fish, or that she could catch fish to eat. She wasn’t even sure the berries were safe to eat, or that they could make her sick if they were poisonous. No one had taught her survival skills. Murky had had Lurky take care of everything. She watched Skydancer grazing nearby.

She jumped when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. She whirled around, defenses up. She discovered Rainbow, smiling happily at her. Up close, she could still see the small cuts and scratches across Rainbow’s exposed skin. Immediately she was reminded of that night in detail once again. Stormy turned around, crossing her arms. “What do you want?” she asked coldly. She wasn’t pleased at all to recall the events.

“Why are you out here alone?” asked Rainbow. She wasn’t deterred by the girl’s mannerisms.

“I’m not alone. I have Skydancer.”

Rainbow frowned. “You live with Murky, don’t you? Did he capture you?”

“What does it matter to you?” She began walking away. “Come on, Skydancer.” Skydancer stopped grazing and began to follow his mistress. Stormy did feel bad about the trouble she had caused, but not enough to make pleasant conversation to the person she’d nearly killed.

“I know what you did,” called Rainbow. “You brought back my Color Belt.”

Stormy spun around quickly. “How did you know that?” she asked.

Placing a finger to her cheek, she grinned. “A little sprite told me.” When she caught Stormy’s glare, she lowered her finger. “You know, I don’t think you’re evil like Murky. I think he tried to make you that way. You’ve got some good inside your heart.”

“I don’t,” Stormy replied tersely. Inside, she felt something begin to bubble. She couldn’t explain it, but the longer she was around Rainbow, the angrier she felt. Rainbow couldn’t know how she felt, or how she felt about not belonging. There wasn’t a place for her. She belonged in the clouds, and that’s where she was meant to stay.

“You should stay with us.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t deserve to stay with them. Rainbow was only doing it because she felt bad for her. Stormy climbed on to Skydancer’s backside. “I won’t,” she called. Her foot tapped lightly against Skydancer’s side. The pair disappeared into the clouds.

As she watched them go, Rainbow wondered what Stormy would do. She knew that the Color Kids wanted nothing to do with the girl that had destroyed the Color Castle and nearly killed her. Red Butler was still quite angry from the events. She also knew that Stormy was good deep down, even if she denied it herself. She wouldn’t have returned the Color Belt otherwise.

She had not counted on Stormy being so stubborn though. Rainbow wanted Stormy to stay with them. Since Stormy could control the weather, her powers could be useful in helping to spread color and happiness. If Stormy used her power to create rainfall, they would be able to help certain areas of Rainbow Land grow much better. She was sure that the other Color Kids wouldn’t mind Stormy once they forgave her.

“Rainbow? What are you doing all the way out here?” Twink stepped forward, hands on his hips. It had taken him awhile to locate her.

“I was just taking a walk, and I found Stormy here.”

“Where? I don’t see her,” remarked Twink as he looked around.

“She’s gone now. I was just trying to see if she’d join us in Rainbow Land.”

Twink looked surprised. “What?! Why? She nearly—“

“I know what she did, Twink, but I know she feels terrible about it. I think she regrets what she did now,” explained Rainbow patiently. She wasn’t sure why her friends could not see it in the same way that she did.

Twink shook his head. “I think you’ve been walking too long. Stormy doesn’t belong in Rainbow Land at all. She’d only destroy it again.” He turned and began walking back to the site where the new Color Castle was being constructed.

Not one to argue for too long, Rainbow followed her sprite back. She glanced over her shoulder at the grey cloud nearby. She knew that Stormy was there. She knew that the girl would not come down unless absolutely necessary. She also knew that she wanted Stormy to find a place in Rainbow Land.

Stormy paced back and forth in the cloud. She was stirred up from speaking with Rainbow. Still unable to explain what she was feeling, she wondered just why Rainbow would want her. She didn’t need Rainbow Land. She didn’t need Murky. She could do whatever she wanted. She looked down at her hands, and felt the energy flowing from them. She was capable of creating any kind of stormy weather she liked.

Skydancer watched his mistress exert her anger. He nickered softly, but kept his distance. Thunder rumbled softly in the cloud, but this did not bother him. He knew what would come next.

“Out of all the things… she doesn’t want me! I bet it was a trick all along!” Stormy kicked at the cloud. “Why, I can do whatever I want, and she could deal with it. I could have killed her if I wanted! I could have!”

When she looked at Skydancer, he caught a glimpse of something that he was certain wasn’t truly Stormy. Her horse could only watch as her anger became pent up. She shouted and clenched her fists. This only caused the thunder to increase and as she began to jump, the lightning struck from the cloud. He could only watch as it hit a tree far below, and sent it swirling into flames.

“See?” Stormy looked down at her handy work. “I can destroy. They bring color. I bring darkness and storms. I can do what I want. No one’s gonna stop me!”

In the Pits, Murky was just waking from a short nap. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he grinned. His dream had shown him what to do to get Stormy back. He was certain the plan would work too. All he would need to do is involve that stupid Rainbow brat, and he’d have a master plan of action in no time.

Leaping from his bed, he raced for his laboratory. He pulled a notebook and pen to him and began to scribble his notes. Furiously he wrote, making sure to get down every last detail before he forgot everything. His pen danced angrily across the page, making thick, bold marks. When all was said and done, he looked at it in all its glory and grinned. This time, he would win. His hard work would not go to waste. “Lurky!” he screeched. “Lurky, get in here this instant! Lurky!”

The loud bumbling sounds in the hallway told him that Lurky hadn’t been very far away at all. He strode through the door, a rolling pin in hand. “Yes, Murky?”

“Lurky, why do you—Oh never mind!” Murky wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Lurky had been up to. Most likely it had involved cooking yet again. “Get the Grunge Buggy. We’re going for a ride.”

“I like rides. Are we going someplace nice?”

“No! Rainbow Land is not a nice place. It’s a disgusting place full of colors. We’re going there and we’re getting Stormy back. I’ve got a plan and it’s sure to work.”

“Can we take a ride after we get Stormy back?”

“No! Just go get the Grunge Buggy and meet me out front.” When Lurky left the room, Murky began looking over his selection of potions instead. He quickly found one of his strongest variants of the gloom potion he had always used on Stormy. He decided that once he caught her, he’d have to take immediate action to control her behavior. He couldn’t risk failure anymore. Once Stormy was back in the Pits, he could retrain her to destroy Rainbow Brite wouldn’t destroying him in the process.

“You wait, Storm brat. I’ll get you back if it’s the last thing I do!”

[Chibi Rachy]

One last chapter to go after this, and then this story, which has been long overdue to be finished, will be completed, and most likely my last piece featuring this fandom, unless I get weird cross over ideas like before.

Chapter 29 Last Chance

Red Butler wiped the sweat from his brow as he moved a particularly heavy piece of debris. Perhaps a few more days, and the site would be completely cleared. He knew that some of the sprites had been gathering materials together for the new Color Castle. Of course, it would most likely take at least a season before everything was built. He looked forward to the day when he could focus on using his red star sprinkles to brighten colors once again.

“Hey, Buddy can you help me with this board?” Red gestured to a long, broken piece of lumber.

“Sure thing!” Together, the two boys moved the wood away from the site, taking it to some of the red sprites. These sprites were sawing down the old pieces, which would then be used to make other things.

“Okay, everyone. I think that’s enough for today,” called Rainbow, appearing from the woods. She looked over her shoulders, noticing the darkening sky. She knew that it had to be Stormy. “Let’s rest and then head back to the Color Cave.”

Every Color Kid was more than happy to hear that news. Once they moved away from the site of the destruction, each Kid typically plopped down exactly where they stood. They were all exhausted from the day’s labor.

“Is this ever going to end?” groaned Lala Orange. “I don’t think I’ve worked so hard before, not even when I was sewing new outfits.”

Patty O’Green lay sprawled onto the ground next to her. “I can’t even think of a good joke right now.”

“We’ll be finished soon enough,” spoke up Canary Yellow. She tried to put a positive spin on things. “We’ll have a new Color Castle soon, and it will be even better than before.”

“She’s right,” agreed Rainbow. “It won’t be long. We just all have to be patient and work hard. We’ll have a new Color Castle in no time. Shy Violet made some wonderful new designs. We can look at them in the Color Cave.”

This statement seemed to cheer the Color Kids up a bit, and everyone rose to their feet. The trek back to the Color Caves wasn’t long, though it seemed that way after a day’s hard work. The sprites greeted them with a delicious meal, and most of the complaints were forgotten for the time being. Rainbow was pleased. She knew it was tough, but that they’d all make it through in the end. As she looked around the table, she watched her friends talk and chatter. With the work done, they were more than happy to play the rest of the day away.

In the meantime, Murky had made his way to Rainbow Land. “Look at this! No one’s around, or even nearby. This will be perfect.”

“What will be, Murky?” asked Lurky, looking over his shoulder.

“My wonderful plan to get Stormy back. I will—hey watch the road banana brain!” He reached out frantically, climbing over Lurky to get to the steering wheel. He jerked it quickly, turning them back onto the road.

“Sorry,” apologized Lurky. “Do you think it will work out?”

“Of course it will! It’s too good not to!” Murky rubbed his hands together in glee. “Now drive faster! I can just see the edge of the Color Castle rubble.”

Thick, black smog belched from the exhaust of the Grunge Buggy as it flew over the dirt path and past the sprite homes. These were nearly empty, most of the sprites in the Color Caves with Rainbow. The few that were left ran away in fear.

If I’m lucky, one of them will run off to the Color Cave and alert Rainbow to my plan. She’ll have no choice but to come and investigate. He reached for one of his bottles of gloom potion, and tipped it over into a round canister. He would be ready for her. Glancing up at the sky, he noticed the dark clouds. Stormy was near too. Perfect.

Lurky swung the Grunge Buggy around, bringing it to a screeching halt. Murky jumped out and studied the mess the Color Kids had cleaned up so far. He noticed a discard pile to the far right and gestured to it. “Lurky, start throwing that trash back onto the large pile.”

“But Murky, I think they were getting rid of that stuff. I don’t think they—“

“That’s the point! We’re making a mess for them all over again to clean up.”

“How does this help us with Stormy?”

“Just do it!” shouted Murky angrily. Sometimes he wished that Lurky would get the point a lot sooner. He watched as Lurky complied, tossing a large board back onto the pile.

Crossing his arms, he looked up to the Color Caves, smirking. There seemed to be a commotion up there, and it wouldn’t be long before Rainbow arrived. Within seconds, there was a large puff of dust being kicked up, no doubt Rainbow on Starlite.

“Here she comes, Lurky. Just like I planned.” He pulled the canister from his pocket and placed it behind his back.

“Murky Dismal! What are you doing?” shouted Rainbow as she rode up on Starlite.

“Yes, I do believe you should be on top of that trash pile, you know,” added Starlite, pawing the ground.

“Go away, Murky!” shouted Twink. “You don’t belong here.”

“I believe that you shouldn’t fix the Color Castle. It would like better with a much gloomier décor,” stated Murky calmly, moving closer to Rainbow.

“I don’t think so, Murky. You need to go back to the Pits where you belong.” Rainbow reached behind her. “Twink, I need some star sprinkles.”

“Right!” called Twink.

Murky grinned. Just as Twink began searching his pouch, he pressed a small round button hidden on the canister. He quickly tossed the can directly at the trio. Starlite reared back as it landed at his feet, immediately emitting a dark cloud. Twink dropped the star sprinkles, and grabbed on to Rainbow, who grabbed hold of Starlite’s mane.

Within seconds, Starlite’s legs gave out from beneath him, and he sunk to the ground. Twink and Rainbow slid from his back, eyes dull. It was all too perfect, as the gloom potion was as strong as what he gave Stormy. Unlike Stormy though, these three had never been exposed to such a high dosage of it all at once.

“What’s… the point?” asked Rainbow. “Murky will win… he always does…”

“Star sprinkles don’t help… the colors are too bright,” muttered Twink.

“Too many horses are more magnificent than me. I cannot compete,” stated Starlite.

“I knew it! You can’t handle the gloom. Now Rainbow, you’ll come with me.” Murky looked up at the clouds as Rainbow rose to her feet. He would speak loudly so that Stormy would be sure to hear him.

“Hey! What are you doing with Rainbow?!” shouted Red Butler, leading the Color Kids down the path.

Murky hadn’t counted on them too quickly. He raced back to the Grunge Buggy and reached inside his compartment. He still had more of the gloom potion. He grabbed the bottle, twisted off the lid and threw it toward them. They ran directly into the cloud, and collapsed into a heap before they could stop themselves.

“This way, Rainbow,” shouted Murky. “You’ll be mine, especially since Stormy has decided to not play nicely.” He cackled as she stepped into the sidecar and stood, waiting for further orders. “Lurky! Let’s go! We’ve got what we came for!”

“Right!” Lurky dropped the large pile of boards in his hands and dashed for the Grunge Buggy.

“Quickly! We wouldn’t want anyone to stop us! No one can keep Rainbow from becoming my servant forever!” He moved to the back of the Grunge Buggy as Lurky started it up. “Don’t worry about being quick. That gloom potion will last on the Color Brats for a few hours at least. We’ve got plenty of time.”

As Murky had predicted, Stormy had caught sight of the commotion from high in the clouds. She had calmed down from her anger, but was still quite unhappy. She wasn’t sure how to process all of the things she was feeling. The commotion below gave her a distraction from it. She knew what Murky would do to Rainbow. Rainbow would lose the Color Belt again, and she’d be treated just like Stormy had been.

“Skydancer! Let’s stop Murky!” She easily swung herself up onto his backside. Gripping his mane, she raced him from the clouds, letting loose a large boom of thunder as she rode. She spotted Murky ahead on the road, but he was going slowly. It took no time at all to catch up.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Stormy. Come back to me, have you?” asked Murky.

“No way! I’ve come to get Rainbow.”

Murky looked over his shoulder. Rainbow was standing quietly in the sidecar, mumbling to herself. “Oh her? Why?”

“She’s not yours to have!”

“Stop the Grunge Buggy, Lurky!” Murky found himself gripping tightly to one of the poles on the frame to keep from being thrown off as Lurky slammed on the breaks.

Stormy released a round of lightning, causing Murky to dance about to avoid being struck. She slid from Skydancer and strode forward. “You’ll let her go.”

“And if I don’t?”

Stormy’s only answer was to respond in anger with more lightning and thunder as Murky dashed around to the side of the car. He struggled to grab the other bottle of gloom potion stored there. His hands clasped around the container, and he ripped the top off of it. He tossed the bottle at Stormy.

Her hands quickly flew to her mouth as the cloud spewed all around her. She swayed for a moment, and Murky watched with pleasure. He could have both Rainbow and Stormy, and take over Rainbow Land once and for all. This was better than expected. “That’s it, breathe it all in,” he muttered with glee.

“It’s not going to work, Murky!” shouted Stormy. She stomped her foot, setting off another round of lightning.

“What?!”

Stormy smirked. “It’s not working on me. What are you going to do now?” She raised her hand to the sky, gathering together a large mass of clouds. The sky darkened, blackness covering everything. Through it all, Stormy concentrated, trying to keep her storm from becoming what it had before. With one gesture of her finger, she pointed toward Murky, and the lightning followed.

Murky could only dash away into the underbrush and try to escape the assault. The lightning was unrelenting, and it wasn’t long before Stormy lost sight of him. She looked at the Grunge Buggy, and saw Lurky dashing toward Murky. “Hey Murky! Wait up!”

With those two gone, she went to the passenger sidecar, where Rainbow still waited diligently for the next order. Is this what I looked like sometimes? wondered Stormy. She noted the dull eyes and lack of movement. “Rainbow, let’s go back to Rainbow Land.”

“Okay. We’ll go back to Rainbow Land,” agreed Rainbow, climbing out of the sidecar.

Stormy led Rainbow back to Skydancer. She considered getting Rainbow up on her horse, but wasn’t sure about it. She wondered if the gloom potion would wear off faster if Rainbow was walking instead. She wasn’t concerned with Murky finding them. After all, she’d get rid of him easily. “Skydancer, we’ll walk back. Maybe Rainbow will go back to normal.” And then I’m free to go wherever. It’s not like they wouldn’t blame me for any of this. They were all under the gloom potion, too.”

The walk back to Rainbow Land was a quiet one. It was nearly a mile to cover, and the walk would have been pleasant on any other day. Rainbow walked mechanically, eyes facing forward. She never looked at Stormy, nor Skydancer. The quiet, of course, was fine by Stormy. At least Murky didn’t have her, nor would he treat her like he had Stormy. Just the thought of that made her angry again.

Stormy looked over when Rainbow groaned. She saw the other girl hold her head and blink a few times. “What…happened?” she asked. Then she noticed Stormy.

Jumping away, Stormy looked at her defensively. “It wasn’t me,” she stated angrily.

“I didn’t say it was, but I want to know what happened. Will you tell me?”

Stormy waited for a few moments, unsure if Rainbow was telling the truth or trying to trick her. She sighed, and then looked at Rainbow. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She then explained Murky’s actions, and what he’d done to everyone, including Rainbow. Stormy told of chasing the two off, and getting Rainbow back to Rainbow Land.

Rainbow listened patiently to the story, nodding when necessary. She smiled when Stormy finished her tale. “Oh Stormy, thank you!” she exclaimed, pulling the girl into a hug.

Just as quickly, Stormy tried pushing her away. “Hey don’t do that!” She couldn’t admit to herself that a small part of her enjoyed the sensation of being hugged, something she hadn’t experienced for far too long.

“Won’t you come back to Rainbow Land with me? I’m sure everyone will be glad to hear what you did.”

“I can’t,” stated Stormy simply, climbing onto Skydancer’s back. She dashed off before Rainbow could say anything else.

[Chibi Rachy]

And I actually got this finished today. I hope you've enjoyed everything and I enjoyed writing this piece, even if it took me some time to finish. Now we all know how Stormy came to be a part of the Rainbow Land crew!

Chapter 30 Decision

For a time, Stormy stayed far away from the inhabitants of Rainbow Land. She had no place that she felt she belonged. The Pits was not a place for her, as she had come to despise Murky for what he’d done to her. The only good thing about that place was the storms that she could watch and create. On the same note, she also didn’t belong in Rainbow Land either. It was the complete opposite of the Pits, and she felt as though she’d done enough damage there with storms.

Instead, she watched from the clouds, quietly observing everything that went on. She traveled throughout Rainbow Land extensively, moving as far from the community as she could. On most days, not a soul would inhabit the other places, and she would lounge about, and think of everything that had gone on.

Night was becoming a particularly rough time for her. Nightmares were all she ever encountered. Sometimes she would dream of places and people she didn’t recognize. She saw herself, for example, held tightly in a woman’s arms, and did not know why this made her feel safe and loved. She could not understand it. Murky and Lurky often entered her dreams, chasing her. She could never outrun them. She always ended up back in Murky’s clutches, unable to free herself. He made sure of that.

Often, she’d wake up, sweating profusely and her heart racing. She would reach out for Skydancer, who would nuzzle her face as she held on tightly. She’d break down in tears, unable to stop herself from crying. She couldn’t understand what it all meant, or why she was having the nightmares. If she was away from Murky, then why was he still in her dreams?

These nightmares kept her on guard throughout the day. She would often watch for Murky and Lurky, hoping that she would be able to spot them before they spotted her. She was on edge, and she was tense. She didn’t want him to try to find another way to control her, now that his gloom potions wouldn’t work. She was glad that they didn’t, but wondered what he would try the next time they crossed paths.

Perhaps it was because of the nightmares and the tension that she often moved about from day to day. She would not stay in one place, simply for fear of being spotted. At least with the Color Kids and sprites she did not have to worry about being caught. They would ignore her at all costs. Rainbow was the only one who seemed to show interest in her. It was Rainbow she’d watch for. Rainbow would never try to avoid her.

It was a sunny afternoon during the summer season, nearly a year since the Color Castle had been destroyed. By now, the new Color Castle was nearly complete. The only thing left was the inside, which involved all the décor, wiring, painting, and furniture. However, the Color Kids and Rainbow had been living inside of it, making do with what was available. They were tired of sleeping in the Color Caves, and being so crowded together.

“All right everyone. Let’s go for a picnic! I’m sure we all deserve it!” declared Rainbow, setting down her paint brush. She slipped off her smock.

“I’ll get the food together!” shouted Canary Yellow.

“And I’ll help you!” added both Indigo and Lala Orange.

“Red and I will get all the picnic supplies together,” stated Buddy Blue, tossing his smock aside.

“All right then. Shy Violet, Patty, and I will get Starlite and the big cart ready to go. We’ll all meet outside shortly.”

“I’ll help you too, Rainbow!” exclaimed Twink.

With that, everyone split off in different directions to prepare. “Where will we have our picnic?” asked Patty O’Green as they walked outside.

“I was thinking of Orange Meadows this time. The flowers there should be in full bloom, and I know Lala has wanted to show everyone her hard work.”

“And this time of year, the pollen over the area is quite diminished,” added Shy Violet. “It’s a perfect time for picnicking.”

“Oh I can’t wait to eat all the tasty food!” sighed Twink.

Starlite was more than happy to pull the large wooden cart for the picnic. Rainbow and Patty worked together to hitch the cart to him. It wasn’t long before the others returned from their tasks. Between the three of them, Lala, Canary, and Indigo carried three large baskets filled full of food and treats. They made a second trip and returned with large coolers of fruit juice. Buddy and Red carried the blankets, as well as some games for after everyone had eaten. It was going to be a wonderful picnic.

The group set off in high spirits. Starlite pulled the cart while the Color Kids burst into song, singingly loudly during the journey to Orange Meadows. They sang of friendship and rainbows and color, bursting into laughter when Red made silly faces during the songs. Buddy soon tried to compete with him, and no one could decide who had the funnier face.

As the cart rolled across the dirt path in Orange Meadows, everyone quieted down, looking for the perfect spot to pitch their blanket. “Over there!” shouted Indigo, pointing. Her finger pointed to a large grove of trees, which would provide plenty of shade from the hot sun while they ate and talked.

Order was established and each Color Kid worked on setting up. Buddy and Red laid out the blankets. Lala, Canary, and Indigo set out the food, which caused everyone’s mouths to water. There were sandwiches and cut vegetables and plenty of fresh fruits. There were even cookies and brownies for dessert. Rainbow unhitched Starlite from the cart and let him run across the meadows to do as he pleased.

Everyone took a seat and dug in to the food. Quiet reigned for the most part while they were busy filling their bellies. Once the initial hunger was gone, chatter started and they continued talking as they had done on the road.

Starlite galloped up behind Rainbow and knelt down. “Rainbow, I spotted Stormy just over the hill on the other side. She didn’t notice me.”

“I didn’t expect her to be here,” replied Rainbow, standing and brushing the crumbs from her dress.

“You’re not going to bother with her, are you Rainbow?” asked Red Butler skeptically.

“I want to talk to her. I want her to join us in Rainbow Land.”

“After what she did?” he continued, wanting more of an explanation. He looked at her, none too pleased with the prospect at all.

“She may have destroyed the Color Castle and nearly me, but she also saved me, twice. Who knows what Murky would have done the second time if she hadn’t? I think we owe her a second chance.”

“I think Rainbow’s right,” agreed Indigo. “She did terrible things, but she has helped us too.”

Canary nodded in agreement. “She could have changed. Maybe she would help us out sometime.”

“According to any calculations I’ve made, it is viable for a significant change to occur,” answered Shy Violet.

“We can at least give her a chance,” answered Patty O’Green with a shrug.

“Are you sure, Rainbow?” asked Twink.

“Yes Twink, I am.” Rainbow smiled at her friends. “I’ll be back soon. Have fun until I come back!”

“Shall I take you there, Rainbow?” asked Starlite.

“Of course. You saw her. Let’s be quiet though, so we don’t scare her away.” She swung up onto his back. Twink looked up at her, but she shook her head. “Not this time, Twink. It’s got to be just me.”

“Awww…”

Starlite trotted quietly across the meadows, doing his best to follow Rainbow’s instructions. His ears twitched this way and that, listening for the sounds he had heard the first time. It wasn’t long before he heard the soft voice, and gestured to Rainbow with a flick of his head.

Silently, Rainbow slipped off of Starlite’s back and watched Stormy for a moment before creeping forward. She mouthed to Starlite not to follow, and he obeyed, backing up slowly. Rainbow then continued forward.

Stormy had sprawled out across the hill, enjoying the warm sun on her face as she lay beneath a small tree. Skydancer was nowhere to be seen, and Stormy was simply talking to herself. “Maybe if I practiced more, I’d be better with the control. Would that work? It might—“

She sat up quickly when she heard a branch snap behind her. Immediately she began to draw upon her power, thinking that Murky had found her and she’d let her guard down. She was surprised when it was only Rainbow Brite that she saw in front of her. Immediately, she got rid of the gathered clouds, but was still on the defensive. She wasn’t sure what Rainbow would do.

Skydancer trotted up behind Stormy, having felt the shift in the weather. He had thought his mistress might be in danger, and had returned to her side. He snorted upon seeing Rainbow, knowing she was a possible threat, but not in the same way that Murky was.

“I just want to talk, Stormy,” began Rainbow, holding up her hands. “Won’t you listen to me?”

“I don’t want to talk,” replied Stormy. “Why do you keep bothering me? I’m just trouble.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I know what the others say about me. I know what everyone says about me. I’m not wanted anywhere, and I don’t need anyone lying to me about that.”

“Is this because of what you did?” asked Rainbow.

Stormy glared at her, and she knew she had struck a nerve. “I know you did that. But I also know what you did after that too. And then you saved me from Murky. I don’t think that makes you trouble.”

“Then what does it make me?” retorted Stormy, her fists clenching.

“I think it makes you a friend. You’re not a bad person when you save someone else. I think you’re good inside.” Rainbow stepped closer. Stormy did nothing to stop her.

“I destroyed the Color Castle. I almost killed you,” reminded Stormy coldly. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve lived with Murky. He gave me that gloom potion and controlled me. But in the end, I am still the one who did everything. You can’t change that.”

“I can’t change the past, Stormy. You can’t change it either. You can change your future though.”

“Well maybe I don’t want to!” shouted Stormy, anger surging.

“I think you do. I’d like you to come to Rainbow Land with us.”

“No.” Stormy turned away, avoiding the looks that Rainbow was giving her. Rainbow just wouldn’t give up in the end.

“You wouldn’t have to stay with everyone, you know. But, I did build a room for you in the new Color Castle. It’s in the basement area. You’d have your space, and there’s room for Skydancer at the stables if he’d like. You’re free to come and go, but the Color Castle could be a home.”

Stormy still refused to look at Rainbow. She clenched a fist. She didn’t want to be forced to stay anywhere, but Rainbow said she wouldn’t have to. She would be able to come and go. She would be able to be alone.

“Will you?” asked Rainbow. She wasn’t sure if Stormy would agree this time, but she knew she had to try anyway.

“Okay then,” answered Stormy softly. “I will.”

Rainbow smiled. “I’m glad you will. I—“

“That doesn’t mean I’m going back with you. I don’t want to talk to them. I know they don’t want to talk to me.”

“I understand, Stormy. I hope you’ll give them a chance later though. I’ll come find you when the Color Castle is finished.” She turned around. “Starlite!”

Stormy watched the two head back to wherever they’d come from. She looked up at Skydancer. “I guess someone wants us.” She patted his flank. “Even though I don’t trust most of them, it’s better than what we’ve been doing.” Skydancer seemed to nod in agreement.

And as the sun set that day, Stormy had changed the way she would live forever. She would never completely trust the Color Kids, and her stubborn nature would soon become very apparent to Rainbow, but she was a part of the Rainbow Land inhabitants from that day forward. Stubborn as she could be, she would provide assistance after much prompting, and began helping with some of the weather. Once Earth fell under Rainbow Land’s care, she was put in charge of the winter and wet seasons, making sure the planet survived and thrived.

Hundreds of years would pass, and much of Stormy’s arrival in Rainbow Land would be forgotten by everyone. The Color Kids would forget why they distrusted her, even though they still felt uneasy at times. Stormy forgot much of the small details of her past, save for the terrible things she had done, and what Murky had done to her. Rainbow never forgot Stormy’s kind acts, and always thought of these things when Stormy was at her most stubborn.

As for Murky? He never quite gave up on getting Rainbow Land, but he did give up on Stormy. Because he had failed with controlling another being he had captured, he had decided to create his own instead, feeling that that would have better results. It did, for a time, and Monstromurk nearly destroyed everything and everyone. Rainbow and the Color Kids, with some assistance from Stormy, stopped the monster in his tracks. From there, Murky lost his oomph when it came to evil misdeeds, and stuck to small plans to take over Rainbow Land and capture Rainbow. But that is a story for another place and time.