I had finished chapter 7 of my story over the weekend, but since I had recently uploaded chapter 4 here, I held off on uploading chapter 5. I'm trying to keep a backlog on hand and so far I'm at a two chapter one. However, I just got hired for a long-term sub position today, so instead of teaching on random days, I'll be teaching the rest of the school year in 3rd grade. Therefore, I take on the duties of a regular teacher...so I'm not sure how this will affect my writing. I do want to move my backlog to a three chapter one just in case. That way, I can still continue to provide chapters in a timely manner. I want to finish chapter 8 by Friday and use the weekend to write chapter 9. I do plan to finish this story, and I want to, as I've been given a new idea to try that is Stormy-centric.
Notes for this chapter: The title comes from a Leap Frog baby toy we have at my house. The toy plays a song called All the Colors of the Rainbow: "All the colors of the rainbow/are so beautiful to see/all the colors of the rainbow/are smiling back at me./There's red, orange, yellow/green, blue, purple/red, orange, yellow/green, blue, purple." So it popped into my head when I needed a certain kinda title :)
Enjoy the chapter; feedback is always welcomed!
Chapter 5 All the Colors of the Rainbow
Murky woke to a brilliantly gloomy day in the Pits. He hummed to himself as he moved about his laboratory, checking on various potions. It was hard being patient, but this plan required patience if it were to ever work properly. He moved to the far corner, where his library of various books was kept. His current favorite was kept open upon a podium, bookmarked at the page with the ingredients and directions for executing the gloom shadow. He poured over the page again, looking for a sign that he could act on the next part of his plan. His finger moved deftly back and forth across the page until it stopped near the bottom of the second page. "Optimal fusion with the body occurs by Day 5," he read softly to himself, and then grinned wildly. Today marked the 5th day, which meant it was time for the next logical step in the plan.
Clambering and clomping from the stairwell caused Murky to turn around. Lurky entered the room, dusty and dirty from the task Murky had given him the previous night. "All done, Murky. It looks just like the picture you drew," he called as he pulled out a drawing, looking as though a child had thrown together the picture.
"It'd better or it'll be your head. That pit has to be strong enough to keep those Color Kids out of the picture." Murky paced back and forth across the stone floor. "And it's deep enough in the Pits that no one will find them either."
"What if they climb out, Murky?" asked Lurky, a rare good question.
Murky looked up at Lurky in surprise. "Why… hmm… they did get out before…" Murky ran off to the section of his laboratory where he stored various parts for his inventions. He looked the pile over, trying to figure out how to incorporate the parts into his design. Spotting some metal rods, he got an idea. "We'll make it into a prison pit they can't get out of!" he exclaimed with glee.
"Prison pit?" asked Lurky, scratching his head.
"Yes. They got out of a deep pit before by luck! This time, they won't be quite so lucky. Grab those metal poles and some of that scrap metal… we're going to finish the pit. Murky decided upon a heavy duty lock from his collection, and then led the way to the new area that Lurky had construction. Lurky followed behind him, struggling to carry the large pile of poles and scrap metal.
Murky descended set upon set of stairs, going into the deepest part of the Pits where the tunnel system ran. It began as three separate entrances, and beyond that became more complicated, each tunnel branching off at random intervals, running into the other tunnels, and then branching more. The tunnels ran for miles under the Pits, and any unfortunate soul who became lost would die trying to find a way out. Murky entered the middle tunnel, following the dim lamps that had been set up at ten foot intervals at his request. The tunnel divided in two, and the lamps continued down the left side. Murky followed the lamps until they veered sharply to the right, leading to a large open cavern within the tunnels. He took the nearest lamp off the wall and made his way to the edge of the pit. A large rope dangled over the edge, one end secured to a large boulder nearby. "How deep?" he asked as he held the lamp over the edge to get a glimpse inside.
"Gee Murky, I'm not sure," replied Lurky.
Murky groaned, and then glanced around for a small rock. He found one near his feet and tossed it into the pit. Listening closely, he waited for the rock to hit the bottom. He counted the seconds, and heard the distant pinging a few seconds later. Pleased, he turned to Lurky. "Good job. Now we need to install this and we'll be ready for tonight. If we're lucky, we'll capture the Color Kids!"
Stormy entered the Castle, deciding to check on Moonglo before reporting to the other Color Kids. She made her way to Rainbow's room, entering the darkened bedroom. Her eyes easily adjusted to the darkness and she quickly noticed that Moonglo was asleep, head lying on the comforter while the rest of her body sat in the chair. It had to be an uncomfortable position to sleep in. Anger began to well up inside her; they had entrusted Moonglo to watch over Rainbow and keep her safe. She held her breath, counting slowly; the anger slowly faded away. It would do no good to get angry at Moonglo; she had been up the entire night and had used a great amount of energy in creating the night sky. She debated on whether or not to wake her, deciding to simply let her sleep. With everyone in the Castle and the sprites alert, she doubted that Murky would get very far. Double-checking that the Color Belt still hung from the bedpost, she turned and headed for the Color Console.
"Stormy! There you are!" cried Shy Violet as Stormy exited Rainbow's room.
Stormy put a finger to her lips. "Quiet! Moonglo's worn herself out. She's fallen asleep," she whispered, more harshly than she had intended to.
Shy Violet quickly covered her mouth before uncovering it and speaking more softly. "We've got more trouble," she whispered. "Come with me."
Stormy quietly followed Shy Violet to the Color Console room, where the rest of the Kids were deep in conversation. They stopped when the two girls entered. "What's going on?" asked Stormy.
"Color is fading in Rainbow Land; Romeo found the tomatoes were losing their luster," explained Shy Violet.
"What are we going to do?" asked Indigo. "If there's no color, then Murky gets his way!"
"We can't panic," stated Canary Yellow. "We have to think positively about this."
"But without Rainbow, we're doomed," replied Patty O'Green, ignoring Canary Yellow's remark all together.
Stormy listened as each of the Color Kids voiced their own concerns. No one knew what would occur if Rainbow continued to be unconscious and deny the Color Belt as her own. Rainbow Land would slowly fade, and the Pits would take over as the dominant area.
"I expect that Earth is experiencing something similar," explained Shy Violet. "If we are losing color here, then that planet must be as well. It's a double-effect of sorts. We could each travel to Earth and spread our star sprinkles, but then that would leave very few of us to run the Color Console." She tapped her chin, the gears in her brain turning. There had to be a solution to all of this.
"What do you think, Stormy?" asked Tickled Pink.
"How am I supposed to know? I don't deal with color. I take care of weather. Color's not my thing," she retorted.
Lala Orange spoke up. "I don't think we have much of a choice. We either take turns going to Earth, or we let all the colors disappear."
"We need Rainbow back… we can't do our job and hers too!" shot Buddy Blue.
"Let's just focus on getting through the day," decided Red Butler. "Everyone's tired from last night. We'll take things slowly and change our plan as needed. Sound good?" Everyone nodded in agreement.
By nightfall, Murky sat back, admiring his handy work. He'd rigged the metal poles into the stone so that the Color Kids wouldn't be able to escape once inside, not that they'd be able to with the gloom cloud over their heads. He had attached a hinged metal door to the center, and padlocked it shut. It would keep the brats out of his way, especially once he added the gloom cloud over the prison pit. "Lurky, get into the prison pit! I want to test something!" he called.
Lurky had been rigging up the gloom machine for later. "Why do you want me in there, Murky? It's not for me."
"I know that banana brain. I need you to test the bars and see how strong they are."
"Oh, so you want me to be a monkey? I like monkeys."
Murky smacked his forehead. "Just do it!" he commanded.
Lurky walked across the bars, and sat down to ease himself inside. He gripped the bars, and began swinging himself back and forth. He crossed between the bars and continued to swing. "This is fun, Murky. You should try it!" he called up.
Murky had been studying the strength of the bars, as Lurky swung back and forth. "Get up here, bozo. They'll hold just fine. We won't have to worry about anyone breaking out… or breaking in…" After a few moments he noticed that Lurky was still swinging back and forth, ignoring his command. "Lurky! Get up here! We've got to go to Rainbow Land and I need you to get the Grunge Buggy while I get some supplies!"
"Awww…" replied Lurky as he began swinging himself back toward the door. He climbed out of the pit and made his way back to Murky.
Within an hour, the two were ready to head to Rainbow Land. It was now nearing midnight and Murky knew that the inhabitants would be tucked into bed, not suspecting a thing. He rubbed his hands together in glee as he sat in the sidecar of the Grunge Buggy. He was positive that none of the Color brats would suspect him or his wonderful plot, which was all the more reason to take care of the issues before they began to get on his case. He turned to watch Lurky, who was hooking a large cage car behind the buggy to keep the Color Kids in. He patted his trusty gloom gun in his lap. It would be put to good use tonight, and there was very little to be done to stop him.
Lurky jumped into the Grunge Buggy, having made the last few adjustments. He started the noisy contraption, and it roared to life. "Everything's ready, Murky," he answered dutifully, as he shifted it into gear.
"Excellent. Let's sneak into Rainbow Land. No need to be rude and wake those who are sleeping, right?"
"But Murky, I thought we wanted to wake the Color Kids," asked a confused Lurky.
"It was a figure of… oh never mind! Just drive quietly! And keep quiet! I can't afford for this to go wrong. We only get one good chance at surprising them." Lurky didn't reply, following Murky's strict orders. He drove slowly toward Rainbow Land, visions of the horseys he could ride once Murky had taken over dancing in his head. He especially wanted to ride the one with the pretty rainbow mane. It was going to be a dream come true.
Deep within the Color Castle, the Color Kids slept soundly, tired after a long day of work and worry. No one had any definite solutions to the problems at hand, and that frustrated and worried them. Without Rainbow Brite, they felt unprotected and weak. Without her to perform her duties, the strength that allowed each of them to keep the color brilliant and bright in the universe weakened. Moonglo had left shortly after sunset to perform her nightly duties, and Stormy had been left in charge of watching over Rainbow since she had no real reason to leave the Castle. She had readily agreed after noting the exhausted looks of the Color Kids.
Stormy sat at Rainbow's bedside on the same chair Moonglo had occupied earlier. She had it tipped backward, using her right foot to balance as she watched the ceiling, or what little she could see in the darkness. She hadn't fooled with the heavy curtains, which made the room even darker than it usually was. She didn't mind the darkness, though it would be better if it were mixed with a thunderstorm of sorts. The addition of thunder and lightning would make for an excellent show, but she'd have to stick with picturing it in her mind, instead of conjuring one up. She was so bored, and didn't see how anyone could enjoy nursing someone back to health if all they did was sit around most of the time. She'd only been at it a few hours and was going crazy not having to do anything.
Rainbow's status hadn't changed. No one knew what was wrong, or what to do. Stormy had a gut feeling that it had to do with Murky, but they didn't even know what was affecting her, so it couldn't be pinned directly to Murky without any sort of evidence. She would have rather they burst into his lair and take care of him before he did something worse, but no one would have followed her; they knew of her temper and heedless nature. Doing nothing and attempting to forge on did no good either. She sighed in frustration. Being patient sucked.
Slowly backing the Grunge Buggy into a tangle of bushes, Lurky whispered, "Is this good enough?"
"Yes. No one expects us and none of the sprites will be awake at this hour," answered Murky in a hushed voice. He became serious and stern with his next statement though. "Now listen to me and listen well. You aren't going to speak in the Castle. Not a word. If anyone finds out we're here, then my plan won't work and you won't get your horseys, got it?" Lurky nodded, and clamped a hand over his mouth just to show Murky he was serious. "Good…let's go!"
They quickly crossed the bridge to the Color Castle and snuck inside. Murky knew to steer clear of Rainbow's room. He would have loved to see if the belt had been cast aside, but it wasn't going to risk it. He could use the gloom cloud to his advantage and get it out of the Color Kids later. He quickly moved past, noting that whatever hung from the door kept him from being seen. This was better than expected. He continued on to the next room, and peeked inside, spotting Patty O'Green sleeping soundly. He motioned to Lurky to stay put and went inside.
It all seemed rather easy. He made his way to the bed and pulled the trigger, the gun emitting clouds of gloom around where Patty slept. "Wakey, wakey," he called, cackling softly to himself. Patty shot up at the sound of Murky's voice and was about to call out when the gloom cloud began to produce its effects on her. Her demeanor changed and she slumped forward slightly. "Quiet!" commanded Murky in low tones. "There's no point in speaking since there's no Rainbow Brite to rescue you."
Patty merely nodded at him. "Right…" she mumbled.
"Now follow me and stand behind Lurky. We're going on a trip." He smiled gleefully as the green Color Kid followed his instructions, slowly sliding out of bed and waiting to follow him. He led her to where Lurky stood, and continued on to the next Color Kid's room.
He soon found himself standing before Red Butler, the one he knew could be an arrogant leader at times. Not so arrogant now, are you? he thought to himself. Again, he pulled the trigger on the gloom gun, spreading gloom clouds all over Red Butler's upper body. "Wake up, buddy boy," he called softly. Buddy's reaction was very close to Patty's, but before he could do anything, the gloom cloud took over his mind. He slumped forward in bed, drawing his knees to his chest. "Follow me, Red Butler…there's no point in thinking your friends will come save you…" he instructed.
Red Butler merely nodded. "As always…" He climbed out of bed and stood at attention.
"Follow me to Lurky… then follow behind your friend Patty. No peeps from you now…no good to talk when you can be quiet instead." Red nodded and followed Murky to stand behind Patty O'Green.
Murky continued throughout the Color Castle quickly, wanting to finish the job and get the Kids locked away. Once he could do that, then part two of his plan would be completed. Buddy Blue, Tickled Pink, Canary Yellow, Lala Orange, Shy Violet, and Indigo were soon roused from their beds and doused in gloom cloud. He had gathered the main Color Kids, and considered looking for Stormy and Moonglo. All too soon he realized that Moonglo was doing her nightly duties. He wondered if the Stormy brat was the one keeping watch on Rainbow. The Color Kids wouldn't leave her completely unguarded. He considered going and capturing her, but the risk was too great. With eight Color Kids, the chance to lose them all based on one putting up a fight was too great. He decided to cut his losses and take what he had. He didn't feel like facing her storms again just yet. Besides he reasoned in his head she doesn't affect the rainbow so she's of no use to my plan just yet. I can capture her later.
He exited the Castle behind the last Color Kid, Indigo, and looked at the beautiful sight before him. He had finally captured all of the Color Kids and was going to get away with it. Lurky led them back to the Grunge Buggy, and Murky worked to lock them all in the cage. Not wanting to risk the cloud wearing off before they were able to lock them away, he began shooting more clouds over the Kids' heads, prolonging the effects. Hopping in the Grunge Buggy, he began giving instructions to Lurky. "Sneak off again so we wake no one. Let's get back to the Pits and lock these brats away."
Lurky drove silently, obeying Murky's commands as if his life depended on it. The Grunge Buggy sputtered before taking off, disappearing over the horizon and back into the Pits. Every so often, Murky turned around in his sidecar, unable to believe his fortune. He was rather certain that it was all merely a dream, and that he'd wake up as he'd done so many times before. Reassuring himself that he wasn't dreaming, he looked forward to dropping those Kids deep in the Pits where they wouldn't be found ever again.
Stormy shot up from the half slumber she'd been in. She wasn't sure what had woken her up. "Musta been some silly night noise," she reasoned to herself. She rose from her chair and went to the curtains, pulling them back so that she could step into the hallway of the Castle. She didn't notice anything out of place and she couldn't hear anything else. Figuring it couldn't hurt, she took a look outside the Castle door to see if anything seemed out of sorts, but everything was quiet and peaceful. "This is stupid. Something silly wakes me and I get all worked up." She returned to her post by Rainbow's bed, falling asleep shortly there after.
Seems like Murky's succeeded in getting the Color Kids... what else does he have in store for the remaining inhabitants of Rainbow Land?