I actually finished chapter 11 the day after I finished chapter 10. I had gotten really inspired for it. However, I had wanted to wait before I posted the next chapter here. It seems that most of my writing is done on the weekend. I know this story has been getting hits the past few days, and I want to thank my last reviewer who caught my mistake for me. Enjoy the chapter, and hopefully very soon I will be able to say the story is finished. I expect no more than 2 or 3 chapters are left after chapter 11. Please leave feedback if you can :) I love reading what others think.
Chapter 8 Negative Retaliation
Murky cackled gleefully as he held his most sought after prize in his hands. "Finally… all these years of plotting and scheming and failing and I finally succeed. I have done what no one before me could do, not even the Dark One!" Murky ran his fingers over the fabric, testing the weight and feel in his hands. "Once I add my own personal touch to this, then I'll be able to start taking control of Rainbow Land!"
Lurky sat on a stool in a corner of the room, attempting to work a paddleball. "What are you gonna do to it, Murky?" he asked as he completely missed hitting the ball with the paddle and smacked himself in the head instead.
"Fetch those color crystals we locked away…it's time we put them to good use!"
"Oh boy! They're so colorful!" exclaimed Lurky. "What are we gonna do with 'em?"
"I'm going to fix them first…then use them in my new Color Belt. No more dallying! Get a move on. I'm going to finish this tonight!"
Within minutes, Lurky had brought a crate of the color crystals to the laboratory. Murky cracked open the box and rubbed his hands together. "Time to make some star sprinkles!"
"How? You're not a sprite, Murky."
"No, bozo breath, but I do know how to do it. The last time we attempted to get into the Color Castle through the color crystal processor, I learned a thing or two, even though we didn't get very far. All we have to do is melt these crystals. Then we cut star shapes from the melted crystals and bake them. We'll have all the star sprinkles we could ever ask for!"
"Why don't we just go steal some?"
"Because then they'd figure out what we're up to! And I can't have that going on. I need them to think I'm the same stupid villain they always see!"
Murky and Lurky set to work creating star sprinkles. Lurky sorted the color crystals by color and Murky began the melting process. He found it to be very easy. A couple of color crystals could go a long way. He was able to cut the star shapes and then use a heat lamp to shrink the stars. With every batch, he cackled with glee. These star sprinkles looked exactly like the ones Rainbow Brite used. Before long, he had a small container of each color glistening atop the dirty table.
"Oh boy! So many pretty colors!" cried Lurky as he clapped.
"Yes, so many…" Murky grinned as he lifted a large bottle from the table that contained his special gloom water. He poured a liberal amount over each container. "Now I have gloom sprinkles for use with my new Belt!"
"Awww…" muttered Lurky.
Murky reached for his gloom gun, which sat on the far corner of the table. He grabbed the Belt, which sat next to it. Targeting the star on it, he pulled the trigger, enshrouding it in a cloud of gloom. The color that hadn't faded from the Belt became shades of grey. Murky quickly placed the new Color Belt around his waist, fastening it securely. "Time to try my new toy out…" He grabbed a handful of gloom sprinkles and held them to the Color Belt as he pressed his finger to the star. A negative rainbow emitted forth, circling the room. "Yes! Yes, it works just as it did before!" Murky danced about the laboratory in his glee. He slipped a handful of gloom sprinkles into his pocket for safe keeping.
"Uh… Murky?" interrupted Lurky.
"What is it this time, zucchini brain?" asked Murky in frustration.
"Stormy's back and she doesn't look too happy…"
"What perfect timing! I guess I should welcome her to the Pits properly!" Murky raced for the entrance to his lair, hoping to meet up with Stormy. She was becoming more trouble than she was worth, and it was time to show her the real power behind the Color Belt. He fingered the fabric at his waist, thinking of all the power it held within.
Stormy circled the perimeter with Skydancer, trying to decide the best way to infiltrate Murky's lair without being caught. She had been working her way around the outcropping of rocks, clouds gathering in the distance. She'd do whatever it took to get that Belt back. She was going to prove she wasn't going to fail this time around, and she was going to get the Color Kids back in the process. If only I could find another way in without having to use the front door! She sighed in frustration, silently tugging on Skydancer's mane to direct him toward the right again, which would allow them to circle in front of Murky's front entrance.
"Well, well… if it isn't you, Stormy!" called Murky with glee. He stood proudly in front of his home, hands on his hips. He made sure to show off his brand new addition.
Stormy turned sharply, glaring at Murky. Her eyes caught the distinct detail of the Color Belt around his waist, even though he was far away. She turned Skydancer to take the direct path. The rumbling of clouds grew ever louder as her anger intensified. She leaned forward on Skydancer, her eyes on her only target. You'll pay for this Murky Dismal, if it's the last thing you ever do!
"She's comin' right for us, Murky," commented Lurky.
"Yes, yes of course she is. That's what I want her to do…and at the last second…"
"She runs us over?" questioned Murky, interrupting.
"Just watch, banana brain!"
Stormy quickly advanced down the path, coming closer and closer to Murky. He stood there, not moving, which would make him an easy target. She raised her right hand to the sky, fingers twitching as she did so. She began to call upon the thunder and lightning that would strike Murky down, and leave her to finish him off. A smirk crossed her face. She would accomplish her goal and restore Rainbow Land.
Murky waited until she was a mere ten feet away with no hope of dodging his surprise attack. He noted her stance, saw her fingers twitching with the oncoming storm, and studied the determined the look on her face. Not today, my dear! He pointed his finger to the star on his new Belt, and felt the power burst forth, a negative rainbow shooting forth and heading for its target. Skydancer reared up in protest of the sudden appearance, and Stormy had to quickly tighten her hold on his mane as she lost her balance. The rainbow narrowly missed its target intentionally, circling around in the sky and disappearing.
"Skydancer! Whoa! Calm down!" yelled Stormy as she hung on tightly.
"Oh no, dear Stormy. You're the one who'll go down," laughed Murky as he again pressed a finger to the Belt, emitting another negative rainbow. Controlling it, he directed it towards Stormy, whose eyes grew wide when she realized that it would hit her dead on. "Run away in fear!" he cackled.
The rainbow collided with Stormy, throwing her from Skydancer. She landed roughly on the ground, and rolled over in pain. She hadn't expected Murky to retaliate with the Belt. She lay flat on her stomach, willing herself to ignore the pain shooting through her nerves. She tried to raise herself up, but felt a sharp pain in her side. "This…is…stupid…" she muttered to herself. Focusing on getting up, she quickly pushed herself up off the ground, ignoring the pain she felt inside. "Skydancer!" she called, beckoning the frightened horse to her side.
Skydancer turned and trotted toward his mistress, knowing her intentions to remount and continue her battle. He let out a soft whinny, and Stormy reached to pat his sides. "Come on, Skydancer. We'll show him who's in charge here!"
"Oh no, I don't think you will," replied Murky, taking some more star sprinkles from his pocket and inserting them into the Color Belt. He pressed his finger to it, and another negative rainbow streaked forth. Attempting to control it, Murky willed it to split into separate strands before seeking out Stormy. The strands whipped around her, acting as though they were sharp pieces of ribbon. They easily ripped through her clothing and skin, before wrapping around her to constrict movement.
Stormy tried to move and free herself, but it was no use. She couldn't move with the pieces of Murky's rainbow binding her body. She quickly found that a hand was somewhat free, and twisted her fingers upward, summoning the lightning. Murky noticed her movements and before she could command the lightning to strike, the rainbow released her from its grip and tossed her though the air. Stormy landed near a group of boulders, and laid her cheek to the cool ground. She hurt all over, more than she ever had before. It took all the strength she had to pull herself into a sitting position. She noticed her clothing was tattered and torn and that her body was covered in cuts and bruises. She felt Skydancer rub gently against her head and closed her eyes.
"What's the matter, rain girl? Can't summon enough clouds for a proper storm?" asked Murky teasingly.
"Look, Murky! She's getting on the horsey!" cried Lurky.
"Can it, Murky!" she called weakly. Skydancer knelt down beside her, nuzzling the side of her face. Weakly, Stormy climbed onto his back, her hands gently gripping his mane. Her head fell forward against his neck, and she rested her eyes. She felt sleepy and wanted to rest. She couldn't remember feeling so much pain before. "Home…Skydancer…" she commanded in a weak voice. Skydancer walked slowly up the path toward Rainbow Land.
"Aren't we gonna catch 'em?" asked Lurky, confused.
"No, no we're not. I want to play with them some more. It's not fun if I win right away. Besides, it gives me another chance to use my new toy."
"But Murky, you've wanted to beat them forever."
"I know that dodo bird! However, it's time for them to suffer defeat! That way, they'll give in more easily when the time comes for us to take over Rainbow Land. The Color Castle will be handed to us on a silver platter!"
"Where are they gonna get a platter big enough for that?" asked Lurky, scratching his head.
Slowly, Skydancer made his way toward Rainbow Land. He was careful not to jar Stormy, who had passed out on his backside from the pain. She was like a limp rag doll, her fingers barely gripping Skydancer's mane. Every so often, he caught her mumbling to herself, but he knew that she wasn't speaking to him. He focused on getting her to the Color Castle, where he knew she'd be taken care of. He crept slowly past sprite houses that were still dark; sunrise was still an hour off for Rainbow Land. No one saw them creep past slowly, or heard Stormy's incoherent mumblings.
After a journey that had taken more than a half hour to complete, Skydancer knelt in front of the Color Castle, mindful of Stormy. He let out a long, sad whinny, hoping that someone would hear him and come to help. He sat, waiting for someone to answer his cries, knowing that he could do no more to take care of his mistress.
Twink twitched in his hammock, lost in sleep, dreaming of multitudes of color crystals and himself effectively running the color cave with no questions asked by the sprites. Rainbow was so proud of him and how quickly he was able to mine new color crystal each day. A big grin was plastered upon his sleeping face, and he rolled over in the hammock. He was slowly woken up by Skydancer's soft cries. He opened one eye and listened for a moment, then jumped from his hammock to peek over the balcony. "Oooh! Something's wrong!" he said in a worried voice before running toward the fireman's pole and sliding down quickly. He looked around Rainbow's room until he spotted Moonglo speaking with Nite Sprite. Puppy and Kitty Brite had curled up at the end of the bed, a toy ball with a string attached next to them. "Moonglo!" he called. "Something's wrong!"
"What's wrong, Twink?" asked Moonglo, concerned.
"Skydancer's outside and he doesn't sound very happy! I think something's happened!"
"If Skydancer's not sounding good…that could only mean…Stormy!" She ran out of the room and to the entrance to the Color Castle. To her horror, she found Stormy atop Skydancer's back, just barely hanging on. Her eyes looked Stormy over, noticing the tattered clothing, the disheveled hair, and the cuts and bruises that shown through the rips in her clothing. She could only cover her mouth with a hand to hide the shock that was so clearly written on her face. She hadn't expected this. She had known Stormy would go after Murky, but if anything, she had expected Stormy to return without finding anything. She had never expected that Murky would be able to so quickly retaliate and do it well.
"What do we do?" cried Twink, dancing about.
"We need to get her inside. Twink, you and Nite Sprite get the other side of Rainbow's bed ready for Stormy. We have to have them in the same room, or Murky might think of some other way to cause trouble." Twink and Nite Sprite dashed off for Rainbow's room, while Moonglo tried to figure out how to get Stormy into the Castle without making things worse. Things were more difficult when you worked alone.
Two hours later, Stormy lay comfortably in Rainbow's bed, or as comfortable as Twink, Nite Sprite, and Moonglo could make her. They'd used a cart with wheels to bring her inside, and taken care to remove her tattered clothing. Moonglo had done her best to clean Stormy up before placing a long white gown over her body. Twink and Nite Sprite tucked her into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.
"That should work for now," replied Moonglo. "I need to leave for a bit; if I don't get busy, the stars will stay in the sky all day long! What confusion that'll make! Twink, you keep an eye on Stormy, okay?"
Twink nodded. "Right!"
Moonglo and Nite Sprite took off to finish up their nightly duty. Moonglo knew it wouldn't take long to undecorated the sky, but she hated leaving Rainbow and Stormy unguarded. Whatever had happened to Stormy was done by Murky, and she had a horrible feeling that it involved the Color Belt that he'd stolen. She had guessed that it would increase his power, but to be enough to take out Stormy was unheard of. She wanted to hear Stormy's side of the story whenever she woke. "Oh, I wish this was all a bad dream, Nite Sprite, you know?"
Nite Sprite nodded, and answered her in sprite language. He was very animated, discussing Stormy's stubbornness and not listening.
"Now Nite Sprite, we don't know what happened yet. If Murky has the Belt, then he gained a lot of power. He could have created a trap for Stormy." Nite Sprite crossed his arms in disapproval. "Let's just finish up our job for tonight, and then you can rest. You're always cranky after a long night," answered Moonglo as disappeared into the sky. Nite Sprite grumbled, but followed suit. One by one, each star disappeared from the sky as the sun rose in dull colors.
Now that Murky's able to manipulate the Color Belt, will Stormy and Moonglo have any chance at saving Rainbow and the Color Kids?
