Chapter 1: Ecks Attacks

In the Rainbow Kingdom, True, Bartleby, and all the other residents of the kingdom were busy. They were preparing for a big party to celebrate the kingdom's quincentennial. True and Bartleby were putting up decorations.

"I can't believe it, Bee!" True declared. "It's been 500 years since the Rainbow Kingdom was founded!"

"I can't believe it either!" Bartleby agreed. "This is gonna be some shindig!"

Grizelda then strolled up to them, wearing a dress that looked similar to her regular one, except it was covered with large blue polka dots and smaller yellow polka dots inside the blue ones.

"Like my new dress?" she asked.

"Yeah, it looks good on you." True nodded.

"Yup, it sure does." agreed Bartleby.

"Thank you!" Grizelda smiled with a curtsy.

At another area, the Rainbow King, with help from Zee, his guards, and some Little Helpers, was setting up the food table.

"Now, remember, the way the food is arranged is as follows from left to right; burgers, hot dogs, carrot soup, tomato soup, cream of broccoli soup, penne pasta salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, and cake." the King informed as he read from a clipboard.

the King then inspected the table and discovered that everything was in its place.

"Good job." the King praised with a smile.

"Thanks, sire." Zee smiled.

Just then, Grizelda came up to them, wearing her new dress.

"What do you think, Your Highness?" she asked.

"Sapphire periwinkle!" the King cried out with delight. "That dress looks fabulous!"

"Yeah, it does." added Zee.

Grizelda smiled, pleased to hear such compliments.

"Thanks!" she said as she curtseyed again.

Just then, everything went dark.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked one of the guards.

"I don't know." replied another. "You don't think it's gonna rain, do you?"

"I doubt it." the first guard declined. "The weather forecast on the news this morning said there'd be clear skies with a 0% chance of any precipitation."

Everyone else had noticed this as well.

"This is really odd." True acknowledged.

Bartleby then took notice of what was causing the darkness.

"Look!" he commanded, pointing to the sky.

Everyone looked up and saw what looked like a small blimp descending from the sky. Once it was about one or two feet from the ground, the door opened, and there, hidden behind a black hooded cape, was Ecks, who then doffed this garment and leapt from where he was standing, landing right on his feet like a cat.

"Hello there." he greeted smugly once he stood up.

The Rainbow King then went over to Ecks.

"Greetings!" the King smiled. "Welcome to the Rainbow Kingdom!"

"Thanks." Ecks replied.

Ecks then spoke to the crowd.

"Rainbow Kingdom citizens, hear me." he began. "You should all consider yourselves to be in my power. As long as everybody behaves, this will be quick and painless. Do nothing, and it will all be over soon."

The King couldn't believe what he was hearing, and his cheerful demeanor quickly changed to one of pure strictness.

"Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I, for one, have no intention of listening to this kind of insolence." the King informed in a stern tone of voice. "Leave at once, or I will have you thrown in the dungeon."

Ecks was cross indeed at this threat.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be, then so be it." said Ecks.

Ecks then waved his staff and pointed it at the Rainbow King. A burst of red magic flowed from the orb at the end and struck the Rainbow King, turning him into stone while everybody watched in horror.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Ecks roared. "You mess with me, you feel my wrath!"

Ecks then tapped his staff on the ground.

"Ferno, attack!" he commanded.

Ferno flew out of his master's pack and began carrying out his master's orders, setting fire to whatever he could Buildings, plants, anything that was within reach until Ecks called him back. Everyone began panicking and running to their homes, completely stricken with terror. Ecks cackled as he watched the whole thing, and he then began zapping various buildings with destructive bolts of agic from his staff.

"Yes, yes!" he cackled. "That's the way I like it!"

True, Bartleby, Grizelda, and Zee could not believe what was happening right before their very eyes.

"We better get outta here." Zee suggested.

"Agreed." True nodded. "Cumulo!"

Cumulo heard True and flue to her aid, but Ecks saw Cumulo and fired his staff at him. The bolt of magic fired from the staff met its mark and turned Cumulo from white to a dark gray.

"CUMULO!" True and Bartleby cried out in terror.

After seeing what had become of the King, the Rainbow Castle guards advanced towards Ecks, who had another trick up his sleeve.

"Okay, Hypno, it's your calling!" he announced.

"It's Hypnotizing Time!" Hypno said as he activated.

Hypno then began working his powers on the guards and Hypno.

"You are now under my command." Ecks said. "And you will do everything I tell you to, no questions asked."

"We will do everything you tell us, no questions asked." repeated the guards monotonously.

Cumulo just chattered in agreement.

"Good." said Ecks. "Now, round up everyone in the city."

"Yes, sir!" the guards said.

The guards started following Ecks' order as True, Bartleby, Zee, and Grizelda all watched.

"We need to go. NOW." said Zee. "And I know just where; The Wishing Tree!"

"Why there?" True asked.

"There's an underground shelter below it." Zee explained. "We'll be safe there, now come on!"

With that, the foursome, after Grizelda grabbed her precious pooch Frookie, raced to the Wishing Tree while the guards continued rounding up the rest of the Rainbow City residents. Two guards had actually spotted them and had given chase, but fortunately, True, Bartleby, Zee, and Grizelda were able to reach the tree before the guards could reach them.

"Phew!" Bartleby said once they were inside. "That was a close one!"

"Yeah." agreed True. "Too close."

"So, where's this underground shelter you speak of?" Grizelda then questioned Zee.

"I'll show you." Zee replied.

Zee then grabbed his Zingy Zapper and walked over to an area inside of the tree.

"Bee-Bop-A-Lula!" Zee chanted.

Then, as if by magic, a rectangular hole opened up in the floor, revealing a staircase. True, Bartleby, Grizelda, and Frookie were amazed.

"Whoa." True, Bartleby, and Grizelda gasped.

"This way." ordered Zee. "Follow me."

Zee led the others down the stairs, and they soon came to a large room with a bed, a bookshelf, and anything else that could be found in a bedroom.

"Is this it?" Bartleby inquired.

"Yes." confirmed Zee. "It's also my bedroom, if you couldn't tell already."

"Looks great." True smiled. "Anyways, who was that guy, anyway?"

"And what were those things he had with him?" added Bartleby.

Zee sighed.

"His name is Ecks." Zee explained. "He and I were Wishology students together."

"Oh, so he's a friend of yours, then?" Grizelda chimed in. "If so, some friend he is. I would really like to give him a piece of my mind."

"He's more than a friend." Zee replied. "He's..."

"He's what?" True asked.

Zee sighed again.

"He's my brother." Zee confessed.

Everyone gasped.

"I didn't know you had a brother!" Bartleby exclaimed.

"Neither did I!" added True. "And why is he so mean?"

"He wasn't always mean." Zee explained. "You see, in our Wishology studies, in addition to studying the Wishes you often see and use, which are used for good, he also studied Wishes that can be used for evil. He was seduced by them and turned evil. He was expelled from Wishology School before he could cause any serious damage. But before all that, he and I were best friends and would do everything together. Climbing trees, skipping stones, that kinda thing."

"Wow." True said. "That's so sad."

"Yeah, it is." agreed Zee. "Although, I don't think he's 100% evil even though he may look like it."

"What do you mean?" inquired a confused Grizelda.

"I mean that there's still some good in him." said Zee. "I just know it."

"If you say so." shrugged Bartleby. "But let me tell you that he's one of the biggest jerks I've ever seen in my life."

"Given the circumstances, I understand why you'd say that." said Zee. "And I myself must admit that I'm not at all pleased with what he did to our home."

"We have to fight back!" Bartleby said.

"But how?" True asked. "We'll need a plan."

"And a plan we shall make." said Zee.

End of Chapter 1