Chapter 2: The Battle Begins

The next morning, when True and Bartleby woke up in their tent, they were quick to notice something different, because the air around them inside the tent felt very warm.

"Hey, True, is it just me, or does it feel like our tent is turning into a sweat lodge?" asked Bartleby.

"I feel it too, Bee." True replied as she wiped her brow. "Why did it get so hot all of a sudden?"

The next thing the pair noticed was a fiery orange glow that had illuminated the tent.

"And where is that glow coming from?" asked Bartleby.

Lastly, through the air vent, they could smell the smell of burning wood, and smoke was seeping through said vent, causing them to cough.

"We better get out." coughed True.

Bartleby just nodded, and the duo exited their tent, and when they did, a horrifying sight met their eyes. The forest was on fire!

"Oh no!" True gasped.

At that moment, Grizelda and Zee came out of their tents, and they too saw the blaze.

"Holy Smokes!" cried Zee with a cough. "Fire!"

"What are we gonna do?" asked Bartleby.

"I...I don't know!" replied True. "I've never been in this kind of situation before!"

Just then, Zee's Face Bubble badge rang, and when he answered it, he found that it was Ecks who was calling him.

"Hey, little brother." Ecks greeted with a smile. "How's it going?"

"I wish I could say everything's fine." coughed Zee.

Right away, Ecks could tell something was not right with his brother.

"Are you okay, Zee?" he asked.

"Take a look for yourself." said Zee.

Zee then showed Ecks the burning trees, and that was enough to convince Ecks just how much danger Zee and the others were in.

"Okay, Zee, I want you and your friends to listen very closely." he said.

Zee nodded in compliance, as did True, Bartleby, and Grizelda.

"Alright, here's what you need to do." said Ecks. "Grab your necessities and get out of there while staying as low to the ground as you possibly can. The closer you are to the ground, the more breathable the air will be. When you reach the nearest area that hasn't caught fire yet, continue on foot until you reach the entrance to the forest. I'll meet you there with Tobias and Trinity."

True and the others nodded, and after Zee ended the call with Ecks by popping the bubble, they did as the Prime Minister instructed. They hastily threw whatever clean clothes and leftover food they had, then began belly-crawling away from the area. True to Ecks' word, the air that was closest to ground level was indeed far more breathable. As they crawled, however, Grizelda remembered something.

"Hey, what about my crown?" she asked. "You said you were gonna help me look for it."

"Forget about your crown, Grizelda." said Zee. "We can't go back for it now."

"Zee's right, Grizelda." added True. "It's too dangerous. Besides, getting us out of this fire is more important."

Grizelda reluctantly agreed, and so, the group continued on. It wasn't long before they reached a clearing that the fire hadn't reached yet. From there, they hot-footed it to the entrance of the forest, where they soon met up with Ecks, Tobias and Trinity.

"True, Bartleby, thank goodness you're both alright." said Trinity as she hugged True and Bartleby.

"Thanks, Mrs. Mom." said Bartleby.

Just then, the group felt a strong gust of wind, followed by the sight of more trees catching fire in the distance.

"This is getting serious." said Tobias.

"I think now might be a good time to tell His Majesty." added Ecks.

Everyone agreed, and they hasted to Rainbow Castle, where they wasted no time telling the Rainbow King about the growing forest fire. Needless to say, the Rainbow King was very alarmed to hear this.

"A forest fire?" he gasped. "This will never do! Guards!"

Two Rainbow Castle Guards approached the king after hearing him.

"Your Majesty?" the first guard asked.

"Go into Rainbow City and Mushroom Town." the Rainbow King began. "Tell the citizens to come to the castle immediately."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." nodded the second guard.

It wasn't long before every citizen in Rainbow City and Mushroom Town were gathered in front of the castle.

"Thank you all for coming." said the Rainbow King. "I'd hate the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid our beautiful Rainbow Kingdom is facing a dire threat. A fire has broken out in the Neverending Forest and is spreading quickly. If it's not contained quickly, not only will the Neverending Forest be destroyed, but every single building in Rainbow City and Mushroom Town will be destroyed as well, including the Rainbow Castle."

To say the citizens were upset about this would be an understatement, because they all began panicking, but the Rainbow King managed to get everyone to calm down before speaking again.

"Now, now, everyone, there's no need to panic just yet." he said. "There is still time for us to see what we can do about the forest fire. If we all work together, we just might have a chance. Prime Minister Ecks and myself will speak to the Living Sea and ask for her help."

"What about the rest of us?" asked DJ Bingo Bango, who was among the citizens who had gathered.

"The rest of you will wait here for further instructions." said the Rainbow King. "Come on, Ecks."

With that, the Rainbow King, with Ecks by his side, went to a balcony on the rear of the castle that looked over the Living Sea.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, Your Majesty, how exactly do we communicate with the Living Sea?" Ecks asked.

The Rainbow King just smiled as he held up his scepter.

"Just watch." he said with a twinkle in his eye.

The Rainbow King then waved his scepter over the Living Sea.

"Oh, wide and wonderful Living Sea." he said. "I ask that you please meet with me!"

Rings of red, yellow, and blue magic came from the Rainbow King's scepter and formed a part of the Living Sea into a gargantuan sentient dome-shaped form. Ecks was astonished as he witnessed this.

"Hello, Rainbow King." greeted the Living Sea with a smile. "Who's your friend?"

"Greetings, Living Sea." said Ecks. "I am Ecks, Prime Minister of the Rainbow Kingdom."

"It is nice to meet you, Ecks." replied the Living Sea.

"You too." said Ecks. "I wish it was under better circumstances, though."

The Living Sea was concerned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The Rainbow King wasted no time telling the Living Sea about the current catastrophe that was taking place, and made his request to use her as a source of water to put out the fire. The Living Sea was able to understand just how dire the situation was.

"Of course you can." she said. "Anything to help a friend. Use as much water as you need. Although, I have a word of warning I must pass along."

"What is it?" asked the Rainbow King.

"The wind is getting stronger." said the Living Sea. "Therefore, there is a possibility the wind, if it gets strong enough, could make the fire worse."

"I understand." nodded the Rainbow King. "Thank you for the warning."

"My pleasure." replied the Living Sea as she returned to her original state.

With that information in mind, the Rainbow King and Ecks returned to the crowd and updated them on the results of their talk with the Living Sea.

"The Living Sea has given her permission for us to use her water to help fight the fire." said the Rainbow King. "But she also warned us of very strong winds that will make the fire worse. If the wind gets too strong and hits the fire just right, it'll create a firestorm. So, with that in mind, I advise everyone to stay alert for shifting winds. Are there any questions?"

DJ Bingo Bango, who was among the citizens gathered at the castle, raised his hand, and the Rainbow King acknowledged him.

"How will we be able to breathe while fighting the fire?" asked Bingo Bango.

"Not to worry." said the Rainbow King. "The royal armory has gas masks for everyone to use."

As he said that, guards were bringing out boxes of gas masks. They put theirs on, then passed out the rest of the masks to everyone, including the Rainbow King and Ecks. It wasn't long before everyone had their masks on and were making their way to the edge of the forest. When they got there, the Rainbow King began issuing more instructions.

"Alright, everybody, here's what we'll do." he said. "We will all break off into two groups. One group will go with Ecks and Tobias to tackle the main fire in the forest, and the other group will out here at the forest's edge and prevent the fire from spreading by keeping the ground wet. Farmer Mosser was kind enough to lend his water pump for this situation. All who wish to go with Ecks and Tobias, please follow them now."

A handful of citizens went with Ecks and Tobias, including Zee, along with some of the guards, leaving True, Grizelda, Trinity, the Rainbow King, and the rest of the guards, along with the rest of the citizens who stayed behind, to deal with dampening the ground. Soon, the water was pumping and the hoses were spraying. While Trinity, the Rainbow King, and the remaining guards handled their hose, everyone else dumped bucketfuls of water onto the ground.

"This could as well be one of the biggest problems we've dealt with yet, True." said Bartleby as he poured out a bucket. "You think we'll be able to get the fire out?"

"I hope so, Bee." said True. "I sure hope so."

End of Chapter 2