Malevolence stirred in her chair as she observed what her bauble was showing.
"Wrath clearly did his homework.", she purred pleased with what she saw, "Despair clearly helped stir the emotion into insecurity. And now the inhabitants of this world will face a drought and suffer from the aftermath of this pointless war and a famine which will bring the world to collapse."
She took a moment to chuckle to herself.
"Chalk up another one for the-"
She paused and then frowned at what her bauble was now showing.
"What?! No fighting?!", she asked in shock and getting up from her seat.
She came over to it and saw a couple ambassadors talking and she wasn't liking it one bit. Not wanting to see any more, she slashed her bauble making it vanish instantly as Wrath and Despair came into the room looking both worn and more than a bit nervous at her expression.
"What happened?", she asked dangerously.
"You obviously overlooked one detail."
Malevolence paused. This was someone she wasn't familiar with, but she wasn't about to roll over.
"I'll deal with you two later.", she hissed at Wrath and Despair.
The two vanished away leaving her alone, but not for long. A wave of unnatural color came into the room and glowed even though the place was dark giving a tone to the room and hovered over the spot where the bauble was.
"You dare come in here and expect me to listen?", Malevolence asked harshly showing she didn't approve of the interruption.
The color then swirled into a ball and then it shifted into what looked like a phantom that looked humanoid except it had large scaly wings, tentacles where it's mouth would be and webbed claws for hands while maintaining it's unnatural glow and looking transparent enough so most of it's features were unable to be identified right away.
"I expect you to give me a chance to prove my point.", the color answered.
Malevolence raised an eyebrow.
"In what way?", she asked.
"You'll see.", the color answered before it shifted back into an aurora and flowed out like a ribbon in the wind.
Malevolence looked where it headed and saw it flow through Dimensional Limbo like a fish in water before settling down and Terror came in with Wrath and Despair.
"Is everything alright?", Terror asked nervously.
Malevolence faced them with a devilish smile.
"Consider your punishment revoked."
The three sighed and turned to leave only for Malevolence to zap their backsides which made them leave faster.
/
"Another day of sunbathing, cloud watching, and all after practice has ended.", Nosedive sighed as he rubbed sunscreen on his bill and setting some sunglasses on his eyes as he lay back on the towel on the sand.
The ducks had finished their early practice and were spending the day at the beach. Nosedive and Wildwing were relaxing, Canard and Mallory were playing Tanya and Duke in a volleyball game, and Grin was meditating as he normally did. Morpha hung out in the shady parts as the hot sands tended to make it uncomfortable and shrivel up faster, but it didn't want to be left out of the fun. It extended a few tendrils over to where Wildwing and Nosedive were and lay itself in the shade of the umbrella that they had set up where it patted down the sand and lay down the way any dog would. It went well until Nosedive got up and put his sunglasses away.
"Well, I'm off to try windsurfing again."
Wildwing didn't object. He was too busy feeling the sun on his feathers and clearly relaxed. As Nosedive headed to the water, Morpha came out and latched itself to Nosedive's back and shifted into a Hawaiian shirt with white flowers against a blue back drop. They then headed to the surfboard rentals, when they stopped. The sands started feeling a little too warm and people across the beach were starting to hop as the sands started catching on fire.
"Ducks! We got hot sand!", Nosedive screamed as he bolted back and the other ducks noticed this also.
"Looks like our beach day will have to wait.", Wildwing stated getting off his towel as it burst into flames.
The ducks tried getting into battle gear, which was difficult cause the hot sands made it hard to focus, but they managed in the end.
"Mallory, you and Grin try and cool this place off. The rest of us will work on getting everyone to safety.", Wildwing instructed.
Nosedive tapped his shoulder.
"Um big bro, mind if I use Siren to help calm people down?", he asked.
"Good thinking.", Wildwing said smiling, "Go for it."
/
As Nosedive got to a good point where he thought Siren would be heard clearly, he cleared his throat, took a breath and started to sing. As he felt the magic flow, he noticed something in the ocean that everyone else seemed to dismiss. A strange color rippled in the waves and the flames turned the same color before they disappeared under Mallory's Water and Grin's Freeze spells and reformed as the color lifted out of the water to a phantom like humanoid barely able to be made out, but Nosedive felt a voice in his head.
"That sound...can it be?"
Nosedive sang out again and the color slithered closer and the voice became clearer.
"Where...did you get that?!"
"Okay, this is freaking me out.", Nosedive thought to himself.
"It should."
Nosedive stopped suddenly and took a step back cause he was feeling more than a bit scared at this point as the color came ever closer.
"Sing again. I must hear it."
Before Nosedive could do anything, he felt himself singing again. He then slipped and hit his head cutting off Siren and when he looked up, the color had vanished and Wildwing was standing over him looking both worried and concerned.
"Dive, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Or Death for that matter.", Canard added as he came over with the other ducks and Wildwing helped Nosedive up.
Morpha reformed itself and it looked just as worried cause it's color points were black and it was shivering. Nosedive didn't answer so Tanya came up and checked his signs.
"He's in some kind of shock.", she reported, "We better call Thrash and Mookie to see if they can take a look at him."
"Already here."
The ducks turned to see Thrash and Mookie pull up on a duck cycle and seeing Nosedive made their expressions into one of curiosity and worry.
"What happened to him?", Mookie asked.
Wildwing shrugged.
"We don't know. He just started backing up when he started singing. Then the sands returned to normal after Mal and Grin got to work and everyone else was off the beach."
"The color.", Nosedive said like he was in a trance, "The color."
Wildwing looked confused.
"Color?"
/
At the Pond, Nosedive was put in the Infirmary with Mookie and Tanya checking him out while he just repeated the same two words he said earlier only his eyes were closed. Canard however looked just as nervous as Nosedive looked freaked out as the other ducks stood by.
"Canard, is something on your mind?", Mallory asked.
Canard took a breath.
"Do you have any idea what got into Nosedive at the beach?", Duke asked.
"I do.", Canard stated, "Seems we have a Chaos Color on our hands."
"Chaos Color?", Wildwing asked, "What's that?"
At that moment, Nosedive got up and looked normal.
"What just happened?", he asked.
Canard came up to him.
"Dive, did you see any kind of strange color back at the beach?"
Nosedive gulped as he was still haunted by his experience, but gained enough resolve to recall what happened.
"Okay, I was singing Siren and then this weird glow came from the ocean and I heard a voice like it was obsessed with Siren. Like Siren belonged to it."
Canard's eyes narrowed.
"Yep, definitely a Chaos Color."
"Yeah, you said that twice now.", Thrash stated, "You know this reminds me of a book that Mook and I once read in our spare time before you guys showed up."
Mookie looked thoughtful.
"H.P. Lovecraft's Color Out of Space?", she guessed.
"Yep.",Thrash said, "That's the one. It's about this color that distorts things around it like make the water oily, grows unnatural and inedible crops and-"
"Makes people go crazy.", Canard stated.
Thrash nodded.
"You seen one in Limbo?"
"No, but I've heard about them quite a lot.", Canard stated.
"Like how to stop them?", Mallory asked.
Wildwing looked more concerned.
"How can we stop something that can take on the form of an unworldly light, drive people crazy and distort things around it?"
And Drake 1's alarm went off causing the ducks to head over.
"We got a massive breach downtown.", Wildwing reported, "Tanya, you mind staying with Thrash and Mookie to see if you can find a way to stop this thing while the rest of us try and keep it from causing any more trouble?"
Tanya gave a thumbs up and the ducks headed to the Migrator while Tanya, Thrash and Mookie got to Drake 1 and started typing hoping they could find some answers.
/
The Color shifted from one building side to the other completely unseen by everyone below.
"Such frail and weak minded beings. Who would cause such chaos and madness on such a peaceful place to live? Oh wait, I WOULD!"
And in less than a minute, it shifted to the ground and a nearby fire hydrant started to rattle and then explode sending oily water all over and a nearby green house to erupt some very strange and deadly looking plants with pedestrians screaming and running which way all while the Color cackled with delight.
"Sometimes the changes I make surprise even me. And soon I'll have even more fun when my targets come up."
At that moment, the Migrator pulled up around the bend and the Color could hear the ducks inside as clear as if they were outside it.
"Yep, it's in this area alright.", Canard stated, "Remember, don't look directly at it or give in to the whispers in your head or it'll drive you into insanity."
"And avoid dying at the hand of the Killer Vegetables and such.", Nosedive added.
The Color snickered.
"Wishful thinking on your part, but I'm more than just a color that can warp minds by looking in the eye and mind linking. Chaos Color can break a person in much easier ways."
It warped itself right on the Migrator's windshield and formed it's humanoid phantom form giving the ducks a jump.
"Come to admire my work up close?"
Canard's expression hardened.
"You have no business here whatever you are.", he said firmly while avoiding eye contact.
"So who sent you here anyway?", Mallory asked just as firm, "Malevolence?"
"Nobody sends me anywhere.", the Color answered, "But if you want to start a fight, who am I to disagree?"
/
And then the fighting began. While the killer plants assaulted, Grin and Duke fought back while the oily water formed large clawed tentacles which assaulted Wildwing, Canard and Mallory. Nosedive wanted to help out Grin and Duke when an idea came to mind. Quick as a wink, he pulled out Create which only drew the attention of the Color.
"You think a mere book can stop me? I am the eater of worlds and the warper of reality from beyond-"
"Oh shut up!", Nosedive screamed as a large matter cannon appeared in his hands and he fired it right into the Color.
The blast was black and sparkling and when it met the Color, Nosedive felt a loud scream in his head like the Color was in pain and watched as it shook violently and giving off quite a light show. The water tentacles and killer plants faltered and nearly came apart before reforming along with the Color but the flashing ment it was angry.
"You dare fire anti-matter particles at me?!"
It came closer, but Nosedive just kept firing his new cannon causing it to spark violently and the Color to phase constantly from a solid to a more transparent form with each blast.
"Ducks, I don't know how long I can hold off this Color!", Nosedive called out.
Canard could feel the Color becoming more solid and transparent quicker and quicker which was confirmed by the way the plants and tentacles were fighting. The ducks turned to see the Color form into it's humanoid form and hit the ground making it turn dark gray and spread making a small pool of colorless ground. It looked like it was in severe pain, but it also looked very angry.
"You can't stop me you know.", it sneered, "You may think you've won, but I'm always the one who will bring the-"
Nosedive turned up the blaster's power and fired a massive one that exploded once it hit the Color causing a bright light that filled the whole area. Once the light faded, the ducks found themselves standing in a peaceful street and everything looked normal.
"Everyone okay?", Wildwing asked as the ducks regrouped.
"We're cool.", Grin said brushing his shoulder.
"So the Color is gone?", Mallory asked.
Canard looked over to where it was last seen and saw the patch of ground had regained it's color.
"For now.", Canard answered, "But it was just one of who knows how many."
The other ducks got a little bit scared.
"As in more can come?", Duke asked.
Canard nodded, but smiled.
"But not any time soon."
Their coms went off and they answered.
"You dudes okay?", Thrash asked.
"Yeah, we beat the Color with anti-matter.", Nosedive answered.
"Wow, you figured it out before we told you.", Tanya said sounding impressed.
/
Later that evening, the ducks called Puckworld and were happy to see some familiar faces and update on the event that day.
"Well it's not every day you fight an intergalactic color of chaos.", Clyde said smiling.
"So how are things up there?", Wildwing asked.
"Dr. Quasleet may have a portal up and running in a while.", Julia answered.
A loud explosion sounded in the background of the other end.
"Tell us that wasn't Quasleet's portal.", Mallory said hoping she was wrong.
"Nah.", Clyde answered, "Just the garbage disposal."
Thrash sighed heavily.
"Is there anything in your house your grandpa doesn't try to fix?", he asked Julia.
"Nope.", Julia answered, "Inventing is his favorite past time."
Canard looked curious.
"Hey, is Danielle around by chance?"
Julia moved over and Danielle came into view.
"Hey there.", Canard said giving a wave.
Danielle gave a shy, but friendly wave back and a smile.
"Did you really fight a color from outer space?", she asked now looking interested.
Canard nodded.
"Yeah, but another won't show up any time soon cause Dive here, wiped it out with anti-matter."
"Anti-matter?!"
Quasleet came on to the screen using a split one showing him in his lab and the portal was shown to still be in the testing phase.
"This color sounds interesting.", Quasleet said looking thoughtful, "It's too bad you didn't get a sample so I could analyze it."
"It's probably for the best.", Wildwing said, "That stuff caused nothing but trouble."
Quasleet looked disappointed, but cheered up.
"Good new is I may have this prototype portal ready very soon."
"And what's the bad news?", Mookie asked.
"That was it.", Quasleet answered, "Well the link is running low so we'll talk soon."
The screen went static, but Danielle and Canard each blew a kiss to the other before it did. Morpha shifted out of Nosedive's hair and landed on the dashboard.
"So that's where you went for the end of this episode.", Nosedive said(breaking the fourth wall as usual).
And the ducks headed off to their bunkers for some well deserved rest.
(A/N: Based off H.P. Lovecraft's Color Out of Space. I claim nothing)
