Disclaimer: I do not own Rainbow Brite or any other characters except for Grey and Grox.

The song and lyrics (wherever they may appear in this story) to "Rainbow Connection" are written by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher.

"A Rainbow Connection"

Chpt. 2

Rainbow became aware that she was no longer cold and wet. She figured she was in a bed for she was lying on, and covered by, something soft. She opened her eyes and found herself in a cave. It wasn't the Color Caves because it was dark except for the firelight that was dancing on the walls. She tried to sit up, but her head protested. A sharp pain caused her to drop back down. She let out a small groan as she shut her eyes in response to the pain. Her face grew hot, "I must have a fever," she thought to herself.

Something moved around the cave and started sniffing her. Rainbow opened her eyes again and saw a gruesome beast standing over her. It looked like a huge hairless bulldog, dark gray in color, large teeth from its lower jaw protruded from the sides of its mouth, and its ears were small and straight. Rainbow yelped at the sight of the creature in her face. "Is everything okay boy?" said a voice.

"Grok," the creature bellowed as it turned around and walked off. Rainbow winced as the headache renewed itself. A hand touched her forehead. "You've got a fever again," spoke the voice. Rainbow opened her eyes once again and saw a young man kneeling down beside her. "Since your awake, do you think you can drink something?"

"Yes," Rainbow managed to say. The man stood up and walked over to a shelf on the wall and poured some water into a small, shallow dish from a water skin. He knelt back down and helped her to sit up. He brought the water up to her lips; Rainbow reached up to steady it and a pair of sleeves greeted her as she did. It was then that she noticed her dress and boots drying by the fire. She drank the water, which was sweet and pleasant tasting. The man laid her back down, "it will make you feel better so you can sleep easier. That's what you need to do right now."

"What's your name?" Rainbow asked.

The man said nothing and placed a cold rag on her forehead. "Don't worry about that right now. All you need to do now kid is sleep so you can get well." He stood up and walked out of the cave. The throbbing pain in Rainbow's head began to ease up and she began to get drowsy. Eventually she gave in and drifted off to sleep.

Stormy and Skydancer dashed through the air looking for Violet. Down below, a figure darted in and out of the shadows. Stormy saw it and had Skydancer descend, as soon as they touched down they were attacked. Shadows came from everywhere, pulling them down to the ground. Stormy hit the ground hard and was knocked out. Skydancer was brought down to his knees and some of the shadows turned into bands, tying him to the ground.

Patti, Tickled Pink, and Twink stood at the mouth of the Color Caves watching for Rainbow and Stormy. It had been hours since they had left and it was starting to get dark. "They've been gone for so long," said Tickled Pink. "Where could they be?" The rain began falling around the cave.

"Oh, I hope they're okay out there," said Twink.

"I'm sure they are all right," said Patti in a monotone voice. Tickled Pink and Twink turned around. Patti's color was quickly fading.

"Oh no!" said Twink.

"Patti?" asked Tickled Pink, "Are you okay?" Patti looked at her, she ran toward Tickled Pink and pushed her outside the cave. She then grabbed Twink's hand and ran outside with him in tow.

Rainbow woke to the sound of voices. "Grok!"

"You think I shouldn't have given her that water do you Grox."

"Grok!"

"There wasn't much choice; she was nearly dead when I pulled her out of the river. She needs to be strong if she is to restore her home and save her friends. Besides, the side effects won't last long; it was only a small amount."

"Grok!"

"Side effects?" thought Rainbow. She opened her eyes, something seemed different. The bed seemed smaller for one thing, and what she was wearing fit better too. She sat up; the man was sitting next to the fire. He looked up at her then turned his head. Rainbow looked at her hands; they were larger and more slender. Her feet reached the end of the bed and her hair was longer. She realized that she no longer had the body of a child, but of a teenager. "What?" The sound of her voice startled her a little for it was different as well.

"The water affects everybody differently," said the man.

"What water?"

"I found a spring years ago that has healing properties, but it changes you when you drink it. It made me younger, stronger, and faster, while it made you older." He stood up, picked up a bag next to him and tossed it over beside Rainbow. "Here," he said, "There are some clothes in there you can wear, and some things you might need. I'll be outside 'till then." Rainbow opened the bag and pulled out a white dress. There wasn't anything special about it; it was just a plain white short sleeved dress with a couple of pockets. She removed the shirt she was wearing and pulled on the dress. She looked in the bag to see what else was in there. She found a pair of shorts, which probably belonged to the man, with a string to adjust the waist, her color belt and underneath that were star sprinkles.

Outside, the man was working on a pair of boots. Cutting here and there, making them smaller and fixing a string around the top. When he finished, he held them up for the creature beside him to see. "What do you think Grox, do they look okay?"

"Grok!"

Rainbow stepped out of the door that was built onto the cave. She looked around at her surroundings; the terrain was rocky with a few bushes here and there, but it was all dark and gloomy. "This is the Pits!"

"Yes, it is." The man held out the boots he had been working on. "They're probably not the best, but at least it's better than walking around here barefoot."

She took them and the man stood up offering her his seat. She sat down and put them on. "They fit fine. Thank you uh, oh excuse me, I'm afraid I don't know your name. My name is ..."

"Rainbow Brite," the man interrupted. "As for my name I don't have one, or at least I don't remember what it is anymore."

"Why?"

The man sat down on a rock and looked up at the sky for a second. "I have been here for a long time, alone. I don't remember much of before I came here, but I do remember this. I felt that I had lost everything of meaning in my life. I had went for a walk and found myself here. I found Grox here," he pointed to the creature next to her, "A couple of years ago when he was a pup. He's been my only friend here so I haven't had any use for my name. The spring I told you about helped me survive here."

"That's terrible," said Rainbow. "How come you never came to Rainbowland and talked to anybody."

"I spent a lot of time exploring the Pits, especially its caves. When I found Rainbowland, my eyes had become so adjusted to the darkness here that it was too bright. I did go there though at night. I explored there at night until I found the Color Caves and fashioned a pair of goggles from some color crystals." He pulled out the goggles from a pouch he wore around his waist and handed them to Rainbow. "After that I could explore during the day. I watched you and the others from a distance, but something told me that I shouldn't make myself known to you."

Rainbow handed back the goggles. "I'm impressed you could process the crystals that way. So, you felt you shouldn't talk to us? That's changed now, so what should I call you?"

The man thought for a minute, "I suppose you could call me Grey. That seems appropriate."

"Grey? It does seem appropriate; okay Grey, can you tell me what's going on in Rainbowland?"

"I'll tell you all I've observed. Yesterday a stranger came to visit Murky and strange he was indeed. He looked like a hairball with long, skinny, gangly arms and legs, and he had these beady little eyes that made you think he was up to no good. Something was telling me that he should not have been there. He claimed that he was an assistant to a sorcerer with similar interests. Combining Murky's Gloom and the sorcerer's magic they created a Doom Gloom Rain Cloud, which you have seen the effects of." Rainbow nodded in agreement. "I then went to Rainbowland to see what would happen. I didn't expect so many to fall victim to the rain so suddenly," Grey continued. "It was after you came back that those shadows showed up. I had a feeling that they shouldn't have been there either. It was one of them that was posing as your friend and another one pushed you into the river. I followed you down river, and when you didn't come up for some time I dove in to find you. You weren't breathing when I pulled you out and it was by instinct that I was able to revive you. You were burning up by the time I got you here."

"I think I saw the shadows," said Rainbow, "They were all over Starlight."

Grey hung his head, "After you woke up, I went back to check up the situation. All your friends were taken captive by the shadows. I didn't see Moonglow though, in fact I haven't seen her since this all started so I have no idea where she is, but I do know that the others have been transported to wherever the sorcerer is."

"Then I have to go save them," said Rainbow, jumping to her feet.

"I know you do and I will help you, but we need to take a little time to get ready. I knew you would want to go rescue your friends as soon as possible, that's why I gave you the spring water, so you wouldn't have to wait another day to recover. That's also why I gave you the star sprinkles. I somehow knew how to refine them, which's been happening a lot lately. Anyway you should eat something first." Grey stood up and walked inside and came back out a few minutes later with a bowl of stew, a piece of bread and a cup of fruit juice. He handed the food to Rainbow, "While you eat, I will get a few things ready."

Rainbow sat down on the seat again and began eating. Grox stood up and sniffed at her. "Grox, leave her alone. You've already had your breakfast." Grox whined and looked at Grey with sorrowful eyes. "You heard me, now go over there and let her eat in peace." Grox whined again, lowered his head and walked over to where Grey had pointed, sulking all the way. Rainbow laughed to herself at the act. Grey gave Grox one last scolding look then went inside.

Rainbow ate the food Grey gave her. The fruit juice she recognized as being the same kind as in Rainbowland and she figured the bread was made from flour the Color Castle. She remembered something being said about it disappearing from time to time, but it was such a small amount they never really thought much about it. The meat in the stew though was something she had never tasted before, she decided not to think about it much or she might lose her appetite. While she ate, she studied Grox. Outside in the daylight she could see him better. He wasn't quite as hairless as she first thought, but had very short, fine hair instead. His gray skin was leathery looking and showed off his powerful muscles. They had to be since he looked to be half the size of Starlight. Despite his gruesome face, which she got a good look at earlier, he acted just like a regular dog.

When she was done eating Grey came back outside carrying a large pack, a couple of cloaks, and a spear on his back. "I'll take those," he said as he dropped the bag on the ground and one of the cloaks. He took the dishes from Rainbow, "And this is for you." He handed the other cloak to Rainbow. Grey disappeared in the door and came back out shortly after. Rainbow looked at the gray colored cloak. "It's so you can blend in," said Grey. "We don't know where the sorcerer is so we are going to see if we can find anything at Murky's."

"So we are going to spy on Murky then?"

"Yes," said Grey. "Grox, here boy." Grox got up and went to Grey's side. Grey placed the bag, which turned out to be two bags lashed together as a saddlebag, on Grox's back. He pulled the spear off his back and placed it in a loop on one of the bags. He then put on his cloak, Rainbow did the same, and took the spear back from the bag. "You can ride Grox if you get tired," he told Rainbow.

"I'll be okay walking, thank you though."