I finished chapter 9 last night, so that meant it was time for me to upload chapter 6 here. I had a lot of fun with chapter 6. I tried something different in this chapter, and it crops up again in a later chapter as well. Keep an eye out for it! I'm not sure when I'll post chapter 7 here. I'm working on a new oneshot Valentine RB fic and it's about halfway done. After that, I'll begin work on chapter 10 of this story and hopefully have chapter 7 posted here by next week. Enjoy, and feedback and comments are always appreciated!
Chapter 6 Cry for Help
He whistled a tune, a grim dismal tune that made him grin from ear to ear. He still couldn't believe the good luck he'd had as he crossed into the Pits. He couldn't believe how it continued when he and Lurky took the Color Kids to the prison pit and no one burst in to save the day. He turned the key in the lock and withdrew it, his plans complete. Below him sat the Color Kids, still under the control of the gloom cloud. He used a nearby lantern to peek in on them, noting that they sat in groups or wandered about aimlessly. "And now to add more gloom cloud to keep them quiet…can't have them waking me up at odd hours in the night, bwhahaha!" He directed a small metal contraption on wheels near the pit before drawing a long hose from the side. To anyone, it might resemble a broken down vacuum cleaner. He lowered the hose into the pit and turned the machine on with the flick of a red switch. Gloom cloud swirled down into the prison pit, securing the depression surrounding the Kids.
Satisfied, Murky turned to leave, knowing the machine would continue to spew forth gloom cloud on ten minute intervals, and could continue to do so for a twelve hour period. After the time had expired, Murky would simply have to add more of the potion to create the clouds and continue the cycle. Lurky followed behind him, taking lamps down and setting them into a crate he carried. In each lamp's place, he made a white chalk line so that they would find the location of the prison pit later on. Murky wasn't chancing that one of the brats he hadn't captured would sneak into the tunnels to free their friends. Once everything was taken care of, he and Lurky went their separate ways to catch some sleep. Murky had a feeling he would have a most wonderful dream about a colorless world.
Wind whipped through her hair, lavender locks flying behind her as her nimble fingers gripped at Skydancer's mane. This was the race to end all races, the race that would determine the fastest horse in the universe. Her mind wandered to the many breeds and varieties she had glimpsed prior to the beginning of the race and beamed with pride, knowing that Skydancer could beat any of them. She knew the race was hers as she whipped along the trail, Skydancer seeming to know exactly where obstacles seemed to be. They came upon a pile of scattered logs in the pathway, which Skydancer was easily able to jump over and continue on effortlessly. Yes, this race would be an easy one. Too easy… she thought, as her mind turned toward Rainbow Brite and Starlite, the only horse and rider who could beat Skydancer in a race.
Her mouth set in a firm line, she continued forward. It didn't matter that they had not entered into this race, or that Starlite had not insisted upon it. After all, he did proclaim himself as "the most magnificent horse in the universe", and such a horse would enter in this race. It didn't matter, as soon Skydancer would be proclaimed the winner, and then she'd have nothing to worry about. They'd be known across the universe for this feat, and she smiled to herself, knowing how they'd outshine Rainbow Brite in something for once.
She was brought out of her reverie as Skydancer skidded to a sudden halt, kicking up dust and pebbles in the process. She squeezed her eyes, nose, and mouth shut on instinct, keeping the debris from harming her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see what had caused Skydancer to halt so suddenly in the middle of a race. She was shocked to see Rainbow standing before her, staring up at her, a fearful look plastered on her face. Stormy eyed her, noticing that her usual attire was tattered and dusty, as though she'd been in a fight of sorts. "They're gone, Stormy, all of them. I tried… to save them… no use." The other racers flew past the trio, having caught up. No one cared about the appearance of the lone girl in the tattered, dusty clothing. "I failed…" whispered Rainbow as she sank to her knees before Skydancer, admitting defeat.
A range of emotions shot through Stormy. She felt sympathy, in her own way, through the anger and rage that coursed suddenly through her veins. "I won't fail, Rainbow. I promise you that! No one messes with my friends and gets away with it. Come on, Rainbow. You're not giving up either." She glared down at the protector of Rainbow Land, offering a hand. Rainbow merely looked back at her, seemingly backing away from the proffered hand. "Don't make me drag you onto Skydancer. You don't have a choice in this!" Rainbow timidly reached for Stormy's hand, which Stormy immediately grabbed. Pulling her up, she placed Rainbow directly in front of her on Skydancer. She didn't trust that Rainbow had the strength to hold onto her.
She turned Skydancer around, racing back across the landscape, back the way she had come. Rainbow was like a ragdoll in front of her, and Stormy found it hard to hold on to Skydancer's mane in a way that secured both her and Rainbow. "Not gonna fail, not gonna fail," she mumbled to herself over and over….
"…not gonna fail," Stormy mumbled, feet propped on Rainbow's bed as she slept uncomfortably in the chair, arms resting across her chest. Her head gently tossed back and forth. "Let's go… Skydancer…"
Moonglo ran into the room, quickly pushing back the heavy curtain in front of the door. "Stormy! Stormy wake up!" she shouted, worry etched on her face.
Stormy continued to slumber on, a deep sleeper used to falling asleep to the sounds of vicious thunderstorms. "Hold on…" she mumbled.
Moonglo frowned and began to shake her sleeping friend. "There's an emergency! Get up!"
Stormy's eyes suddenly opened, her feet pushing against the bed, which caused her chair to tip backwards. As soon as she realized she was falling backwards, she began waving her arms in the air, trying to catch her balance. "Whoa!" she cried out, certain that she would hit the floor. She realized suddenly that she was staring up at the ceiling, but hadn't hit the floor. She turned her head, finding that Moonglo had stopped her mid-fall. She saw the upset look on Moonglo's face as she sat the chair upright. "What's wrong?" Stormy asked.
"The Color Kids… gone… I don't know where. I can't find them, and they wouldn't just disappear."
Stormy blinked, as the information sank into her waking brain. It finally registered. "What do you mean, gone?"
"They aren't here. Not in their rooms, not at the Color Console, not in the processing room, not anywhere. There's no note and no one's made their beds."
"Where would they have gone? They know we can't do without them."
"I think Murky took them."
"Why? We don't know that they wouldn't go to Earth."
"Stormy! That'd be the silliest thing they could do! They would never all go at once!"
Stormy rubbed her face, trying to wash away the sleepiness she still felt. "Wait…yeah you're right." She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "We need to look for them, especially if Murky's captured them. What do we know so far?"
"Nothing," replied Moonglo. "I don't think they were seen. None of the sprites saw anything and Twink was asleep. They got away pretty easily with everyone."
Stormy frowned. "I didn't even hear them. Unless…" Realization dawned on her. "I was asleep when they came! It's my own fault. I was on guard and didn't hear anything." Stormy stamped her foot in frustration. "I should have caught them. They had to go right past Rainbow's room to get to the Color Kids!"
Moonglo laid a calming hand on Stormy's arm. "The curtains we hung are very heavy. They must be able to muffle sound pretty well," she reasoned. "I couldn't hear anything yesterday that went on outside the door."
Stormy sighed. "That doesn't matter. I should have heard him! I should have stopped him! I was the one guarding Rainbow while you were out taking care of the night."
"Stop it, Stormy. There's nothing we can do now to fix it. We have to figure what to do to get them back."
"I'm going to go look for the Color Kids. If Murky's got them, then they should be easy to find. He always leaves a trail, eventually." Stormy had balled her fists at her side in determination.
"Be careful," warned Moonglo. "You and I are the only ones left to watch over Rainbow and you can't be caught too. Rainbow needs both of us."
Stormy nodded. "I've got Skydancer and he's the best. We'll be back before you know it. Murky'll pay for what he's done, you can bet on that!" Stormy marched from the room, and before the curtain swung shut, Moonglo heard her calling for Skydancer. All was quiet after that and she turned to look at Rainbow, moving to the side of the bed. She took Rainbow's hand in her own.
"I don't know what's wrong with you, but we really need you back. Everything's falling apart, and I don't know what we need to do. I'm not as strong as Stormy is." A tear escaped her eye, and fell onto Rainbow's limp hand. Moonglo squeezed it, hoping that somehow Rainbow would be okay, and soon.
Skydancer raced across the expanse of Rainbow Land and directly into the Pits. Stormy was determined to find the Color Kids at all costs; she knew that Murky had taken them hostage and was going to get them back from him. She studied the ground as they raced by, looking for anything Murky might have dropped or left behind. She scanned the area in frustrated, but did a double-take when something bright orange up ahead caught her attention. "Stop, Skydancer," she ordered. She jumped from his backside as soon as he'd halted and picked up the orange object, a beret, knowing it belonged to Lala Orange. It had been stuck between a set of boulders. She dusted it off and studied it. If she hadn't been certain before that Murky had a hand in any of this, she was now. She stuffed the beret into an inner pocket and pulled herself back up onto Skydancer. Instinctively, he took off, heading closer and closer to Murky's lair deep within the Pits.
As Stormy surveyed the perimeter, she tried to decide what to do. Confronting Murky face to face would be the best idea, but she had promised Moonglo she'd come back safe. She didn't know what sort of traps Murky would spring onto her, or if he'd attempt to capture her as well. She tried to figure out what Moonglo might do in her situation, knowing deep down that she would simply have surveyed the area and then figured out what to do. Even Rainbow would do that, but she'd find a way to get Murky out as well. "Skydancer, let's keep looking. There must be something here!"
"Hey Murky!" called out Lurky, spying Stormy outside.
"Oh really?" asked Murky, feigning interest. He wasn't worried about either of the two Kids that weren't captured. They couldn't save Rainbow Brite and they wouldn't stop him either. "Who is it?"
"One of Rainbow's friends is here, the one with purple hair. I wonder if she came for a visit?"
"I'm sure she did… she's looking for her other friends, you dolt!" Murky slammed his potions onto the table and made his way to the window. "She wouldn't do anything. They won't do a thing without their precious Rainbow brat! Just wait and see!"
"Why don't we just take her too?" asked Lurky, confused. He was certain that Murky had wanted to capture all of Rainbow's friends.
"I could easily do that! I want to play for awhile, give them a fighting chance to beat me. I don't need those two anyway. They don't affect the colors in Rainbow Land or on Earth. Moonglo is the only one who uses colors in her work, but she's not responsible for any certain color. Her night sky will be dark and gloomy, no matter what she does to it."
"What if they do beat you, Murky?"
Murky slapped his arm. "They're not going to, idiot. By the time they think to use Rainbow's Color Belt, it'll be too late. We're going to steal that pretty little piece tonight. I need it for the next part of my plan!"
"What is the next part?"
"You fool! I can't tell you just yet. You'll find out soon enough," replied Murky, turning away from the window and heading back to his lab table. He began working with the same two potion bottles again. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what the exact plan for tonight was, but he had the rest of the afternoon to work out any kinks. He wanted to keep striking before Stormy and Moonglo could recover from the previous attacks. He would beat them down until they could retaliate no more, and would willingly hand over Rainbow Land to him, knowing it was the only option they had left. He could easily picture it in his mind… Stormy and Moonglo would be on their knees before him, giving themselves over to him. He'd be kind of course, and make them his slaves, while he proudly wore the Color Belt instead of Rainbow Brite. As for her, he'd toss her into the Pits with the other Kids… she would be quite useless without her precious Belt.
Lurky continued to observe the window, watching Stormy with interest. He waved at her, but she didn't wave back at him. Frowning, he tried again, but the result was the same. He pouted at the window, and didn't bother Murky. Five minutes later, Stormy disappeared from his view and he was stuck once again looking at the grayish gloom that was so common. I wish there was some color here… it's not pretty like Rainbow Land is. He sighed and walked toward the stairwell that would lead him to the various other rooms in Murky's lair. Murky glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
"Go check on those Color Brats while you're at it," he called after Lurky. "Make sure everything's just as it should be."
"You got it Murky!" replied Lurky cheerfully as he bumbled down the staircase toward the tunnel entrance.
Murky mixed the contents of the two potions together, smiling in satisfaction when he saw a poof of gloom cloud burst forth. "This will be perfect for my new Belt and star sprinkles… thank goodness I didn't get rid of the ones left behind from when the Princess came visiting… they are going to save me a lot of trouble once I have that Belt," he said to himself, thinking of the two boxes full of star sprinkles that he'd locked into one of the rooms that was never used for anything. He couldn't handle seeing the bright, cheery colors every time he opened the boxes, yet he couldn't part with them either. So he'd saved them instead, knowing that he'd use them when he had the perfect plan.
He glanced toward the window, noting that it would be useless to engage Stormy; he knew she wouldn't attempt anything at this point, even though it was in her nature to do so. With only her and Moonglo remaining, his gut instinct told him that she would avoid taking any big risks. He wasn't willing to risk capturing her either, not when there was a chance that she would overpower him with her control of the weather. No, he was going to play the waiting game on this one, for he had a bigger prize to capture. Once he had accomplished that, not even Stormy would be able to best him. He would have the control, the upper hand, and he would win this time around. He'd taken out Rainbow Brite. He was going to have that Color Belt. Combine the two of those together and I have the ultimate takeover of Rainbow Land! He thought to himself as his laughter echoed in the laboratory.
Looks like Murky's got a pretty good plan this time around...the question is, will he succeed?