Chapter 25 After Effects
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.