The Rainbow's Light
by Stephen Borlaug

"How is it that I get myself into these messes anyway," the 26 year old Brian asked himself as he plodded down the darkened slope.  "This is idiotic, some kind of dream maybe?"
Brian's thoughts were cut short by his sudden downward acceleration.  He was falling, or sliding, or both down a twisted and jagged hill.  When he first came to the large plateau he'd been standing on earlier, he began questioning his sanity.  Where was he now?  This wasn't the closet door in his old bedroom, nor anywhere near earth for all he knew.  And just what was that strange flash of light anyway?
Brian's face and body came to rest in a large valley.  No, it was more of a ravine than a valley.  He slowly picked himself up and tried to dust off his sooty and sodden clothes to no avail.
"Great gods," he though to himself, "this won't be coming clean for a while.  Just what is this black guck anyway?"
Looking up and to the right and left, he figured on the best path and continued on into the valley.  The ground was more stable here than above, and flatter.  As he progressed, the ground was more and more even.  Then it struck him that he was on a paved road.  Not made of concrete, but it was level and bricked.  Brian almost chuckled as he thought of the Yellow Brick Road from the Wizard of Oz, but dropped the sunny mood at once.
The bend in the road revealed a large abandoned building.  Dark grey, like everything else he'd seen, but otherwise it was brand-new.   The door was left open, windows ajar, the whole thing looked like it had suddenly been abandoned.  Brian walked inside and saw a neatly made house with a few, dwarfishly small, pieces of furniture.  The windows were cut in the shape of five point stars and propped open with sticks.  The pains were cracked here and there, but not a whole lot of damage done.  There was, though, a particularly rank smell in the air.
"GrrrrrrrreeaaaouuuuuuuuRRRRRRRR!"
Brain looked behind to see a dark shape in the door way.  The thing that stood there was horrid to look at.  It had several green colored eyes on it's bumpy, hairy head.  The thing smiled with a black mouth of decaying teeth and fetid smelling breath.  Brian nearly passed out from the stench this creature emitted.  It stood approximately as tall as he did, same girth, spindlier arms and legs, and unclothed.  It wouldn't have seemed at all imposing if it had not lifted it's bladed forearms into view.  The one and a half foot sabers gleamed in the half light that covered this place, though it was devoid of sun or moon.  The creature approached.
"Um, what ever you are, I'm not going to hurt you.  I was just walking down the road and I thought I might see if anybody was home."
"Grrrrrrrowllllll," it said.
"I'm not here to steal anything.  I was just walking along and..."
Brian was cut short by a shrill noise.  The thing before him began scraping its blades together and making a hellishly high-pitched whine.  It gurgled, perhaps gleefully, and charged toward Brian's throat.

Brian deftly dodged left and allowed the monster to blow into the diminutive bed.  It rolled and turned right side up again, bringing it's weapons to bear once more.  This time, Brian wasn't going to wait for it to attack him again.  He broke out in a dead run down the road he'd earlier been walking.  The monster came after him, but was only able to barely keep up.  Those runty legs were great for leaping small distances, but they were useless for running.  Brian's longer and much stronger legs carried him down the road and past more and more abandoned buildings.  All the same color, same shape, same model, and same state of repair.  He continued to dash along until he skidded to a stop as another monster jumped into the middle of the road.  At least he would have skidded to a stop; but there were a great many loose stones and bricks here. 
Brian slipped and skidded into the creature, knocking it's feet out from under it.  The monster fell on top of him and drove it's sickles into the ground one on both sides of his head.  They both fought to get free from this unnerving embrace.  Both thrashed about until Brian finally got a foot underneath it and kicked it over his head.  He quickly righted himself and continued his mad dash anew.  Now, both of the creatures were on his tail and actually gaining.
The path became more and more broken as he progressed.  Large holes were dug all about the road and, as it widened, became more and more pronounced.  It was then that Brian, after falling several times, decided to leave the road for the foliage.  Another bend, there were a lot of them, and he tucked and rolled into the brush.
The two animals stopped chasing him and stood still after coming around the latest bend in the road.  They looked all over and pawed at the ground in frustration.  They couldn't see him.
"Absolutely perfect," Brian thought to himself.  "Now I'm trapped."
Finally, the two beasts bellowed out a long and mournful howl.  Their voices, if that could possibly describe the cacophony, echoed out through the valley and reverberated back again.  But that wasn't an echo, it was actually more of the satanic spawn howling and bellowing as more and more of the hideous monsters bled into view.  There were at least ten or eleven of them in the field of vision; God knows if there were any more.
"This is going to get really messy if I stay here any longer.  I better get out of here before any more show up," Brian thought wisely.
Decision made, he turned to leave and found himself face to face with another one of the sickle creatures.  The moment must have been unimaginable.  They both stood silently as their faces met only centimeters apart under the moonless sky.  The beast made no noise at all, only it's slow and steady breathing was audible; content to wait.  Brian was paralyzed in his tracks, afraid to even move.  Frozen like ice, he stood there while the animal looked him straight in the eyes.
And stay like that they would have all night if it had not been for the reeking stench of the monster's mouth.  Brian did his best not to cough or flinch, but found that impossible.  He held his breath but found that it was impossible to withhold any small amount of the stinking, filthy air.  He was on the verge of vomiting, so disgusting was the odor of the creature.  He trid to keep cool, tried not to panic, but ended up retching all the same.
The pack behind, and the creature before him yelled out into the night.  Brain quickly pulled himself together, and punched the monsters face.  His fists did him some good since the monsters were already top heavy.  The beast lolled to the side, allowing him to escape and move deeper into the valley.
Brian dashed on as the whole pack came charging after.  He fell, tripped, fell again and landed in a large washout.  The channel went on to the east, but provided more stable travel.  Running out of stamina and options, he continued on and towards a large growth of brush.  That's what  he hoped they were, it was too dark here to see much more than shadows.  In faith, Brian jumped through them and then cursed his faith as he began running on air.

Brian's luck had finally run out now.  The shrubbery that grew over the cliff face hid the forty foot drop on the other side rather well.  Out of breath and ground, Brian soared through the air, performed a flip mid-flight, and plummeted to his fate below.
First thing to feel the hit was his backside.  Then, as more of his body contacted the stagnant water, the rest of his form sagged under the force of a Base Ball bat slamming into his being.  The impact forced the air from his lungs, causing him to fight to draw breath.  He flailed about in the inky black water and managed to make it to shore while the sickle beings plodding down the sides of the precipice.
Thoroughly exhausted, he lay upon the shore and prayed for safety from the monsters chasing him.  They would be on him shortly and he had no way of knowing what they'd do to him.  Brian turned his head slightly and saw another one behind him.  It was bigger than the other ten or twenty he'd seen earlier, meatier, and equipped with larger blades.  But, Brian couldn't care much longer, his body gave up on consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

"Where was he found," the woman asked.
"I found him by the silent falls, my Mistress.  He was unconscious and being pursued by the pack.  I regret that it delayed me more than I had anticipated."
"Worry not, we must get these clothes off of him before it strikes him ill."
The servant complied.  He began to remove the mans clothes while his mistress fetched a few blankets to dry and warm their guest.  She laid them over his body, taking care to dry him as much as she could without getting too personal about it.  The servant hung the clothes to dry by the fireplace and came over at his mistress' beckon.
"Was there anything in his clothes that might identify him?"
"Not that I was able to see, Mistress.  There was a carrying pouch of some sort in his pocket, but I was unable to retrieve it.  Perhaps if you looked at it, Mistress?"
The servant handed his Mistress the pants which contained the small pouch.  It was a bill-fold and contained several cards and slips of paper.  The woman opened it, and began pulling things out.  A credit card, a few pictures, a drivers license, three one dollars bills, an I.D., a five dollar bill, six more one's, and then a social security card.  Her servant, knowing full well of his mistress' blindness, picked a couple of the strange cards.  He read one aloud.
"It has some human, English, numbers on it and letters.  I can read some of them...."
"Spell them out for me if you can't," the woman asked.
"This. . .Lie. . .cents. . .cer. . .tif. . .eyes. . .that. . .B. . .R. . .I. . .A. . .N. . ."
The woman inhaled sharply as the last letter was stated.  Her mind nearly lost consciousness with the name's utterance.   Her servant rushed to her aide and held on to her shoulders to keep her from falling.  The woman took hold of herself again after a few moments and gently turned the servant away.  The woman bent closer to the bundled man and lay his head on her lap.  She stroked his hair and noticed that he'd been perspiring heavily, no doubt from the pack.
The tears came suddenly and harshly, though they were welcome.

A swimming head welcomed Brian's painful vision.  Strange though; instead of the intense cold he expected to be feeling, he was shocked to learn that he was warm and inside some kind of room.  It wasn't at all like the barren and dead waste that he'd ventured through earlier.  The room was clean, well light, and smelled like sweet mountain flowers.

Despite that assurance, there were signs around him this wasn't a room in which he'd been before.  There was a chest of drawers, the bed he was resting in, a vanity, and then a door.  The windows in the room were boarded up and then covered with a kind of curtain or tarp.  It was a decent resting place, but struck him as a room belonging more to the opposite sex.  A large teddy bear, a few dolls, combs, brushes, and other vanity items were set neatly in various places in the room.  It wasn't wholly uncomfortable, but Brian was able to vividly recall what had gone on before he ended up in this room.
He sprang up suddenly, only to realize that he was without his pants, shirt, or briefs.  Brian looked around frantically for his clothes, hoping that this wasn't another one of those insane delusions.  The things chasing him through the woods were real enough, but then again, he might have been dreaming this all along.  Why else would he at once be pursued by vicious demon creatures and then end up naked in a woman's bed room.
"That must be it," he thought, "this has to be a dream for sure!"
And dream it may well have been, for at that moment a very slender young woman stepped into the room.  Her full-of-form body was tightly wrapped within a makeshift robe of brown material, perfectly outlining her figure.  Golden locks of blonde hair lay draped about her head while crystalline blue eyes looked at him.  She smiled serenely as she moved over to Brian with his clothes in her arms.  Brian, out of reflex and embarrassment, grabbed for the bed sheets and hid his shame.
"Jeezus lady," he exclaimed.  "What's up with this?"
"Don't worry," she said evenly, "I can't see you at all."
Brian stood awkwardly for a moment while his mind accessed the situation.  The woman was looking right at him, but her eyes were sort of empty.  It wasn't a blank stare like the ones worn by the party-hardy's at the dorm.  It was a kind of naive like sight that would see through him more than see him solid, like that of a daydreaming child.  Brian, always the sceptic, held on to his bed cloth breeches just to be sure.  The woman laid his clothes on the bed without saying a word.  When she straightened, he waved a hand in front of her eyes to see if they moved.  The woman's hand suddenly shot out and caught Brian's hand as it passed before her face the first time.
"However," she said kindly, "I do know exactly where you are and what you're doing.  It is merely that I know nothing of what you look like naked.  Please take time to dress yourself and meet me in the main chamber."
The woman bowed and exited the room.  Brian, stupefied as he was, took time to dress himself and walk to the "main chamber".  The room he'd been sleeping in was connected by a fairly long corridor.  The hallway stretched in a circular fashion with other rooms to the left and right much like a hotel.  Brian followed this hall until he came to a stair case which he descended into a large foyer-like room.  It was a huge round room and encompassed a computer like machine in the middle; that was where the woman was standing.  She looked at Brian as he approached and then held out his bill-fold.
"I'm sorry to delve into your personal things, but I wanted to make sure whether or not you were a shadow creature of some kind.  It's hard to tell who is and who is not human these days."
"That's fine," Brian said, "as long as I don't have to see those things again I'll take a few missing credit cards or bills."
"Oh, the Dark Sprites?  Yes, they are a troublesome lot.  'The pack', as we call them, are quite taken to attacking whatever moves.  They may well have eaten you if they managed to catch you.  Not pleasant to think of, is it?"

Brian swallowed hard.  He tucked his bill fold back into it's pocket and straightened to address his hostess.
"You're the one who saved me from those horrid creatures last evening, aren't you?"
"No," the woman said with that serene smile of hers, "that was my servant.  Twink?"
The thing named Twink stepped around one of the many columns of the building.  He stood seven feet tall and was built like the things Brian had seen outside.  No, he was one of them!  Huge blades for forearms and a many eyed head were the first things the Brian noticed.  That was stock and trade for those horrid "Dark Sprites" but this one was even more fearsome.  It was built like a football player and looked twice as mean with it's tree trunk torso and pro-wrestler arms and legs.  If anything, Brian was scared to the point of peeing his pants.
"AHH!"  Brian yelled as he jumped eight feet backwards.
"Don't worry," the woman was quick to calm, "he's not part of the pack.  Twink is my personal servant and guardian, he's harmless to you and I."
Brain may not have heard her at all.  He, still in white pallid fear, continued to back away until he hit one of the opposite columns.  Twink walked up to where his mistress stood and stopped there, pondering why this human was so terrified of him.
"Don't be impertinent lad," the monster said in plain English, "you owe us much for pulling your sorry buns out of the silent falls.  What's more, if the pack had gotten a hold of your puny buttocks, you would certainly have ended up one of their bowel movements by now.  Earthers can be somewhat thankless, eh mistress?"
The mistress nodded her head in response.  Brian gave up some of his acrid fear and  apologized.  The woman walked over to him and took his hand, leading him to the large computer complex.
"You have nothing to fear as long as we stay inside the castle," she said reassuringly.  "What you need to be fearful of is what may lie beyond out boarded gates.  But, that will all come later, Brian, right now we have something more important for you to do."
She led Brian to the computer and sat him in a seat.  There were six other stations placed around the terminal, but they were all slashed apart or burned to a crisp.  The one before him seemed to be in pristine condition save for the dust and grime on the keyboards.
"Computer," the woman said, "begin English language reconfiguration and initiate status programing."
The computer shocked to life and buzzed as it brought itself up and online.  The keyboard itself came to life as a mass of glowing white squares with many unintelligible numbers or letters in each one.  The characters of the woman's language changed from the previous one into understandable English quite rapidly.  They assembled into home row and then progressed into a decent setup much like an English computer keyboard.
When the screen turned on, it materialized in a DOS-like format.  There were several acronyms at the top and then a few file names that were for his choosing.  Brian put his hands over home row and waited for the woman to give him instructions.
"Is the screen active?"  She asked with a more serious tone.
"Yes," came Brian's reply, "what is it you want me to do, miss?"
"I want you to type in what I dictate, Ok?"
"Yes ma'am," Brian said with a slight aversion to taking orders.  Since he'd gone from being chased by hellish monsters, waking up in a woman's bed, meeting that woman with his pants down, and now playing computer nerd; he began to wonder where his part in the madness lay.  When was it that this whole mess was going to make sense?

"List . . . location . . . / . . . restoration altar."
Brian jammed the letters in and pressed enter.  The screen changed to a green field of color and then started belching out information.
"Is it doing anything," the woman asked.
"Yes, it's giving me a list of directions to follow, some land marks, and then a description of something called the "Blade of Iris".  Lady I don't have the foggiest clue about what it is  you've got planned.  But I do know that you owe me an explanation."
"Well, I suppose that I can give you a little information now, but I can only tell you one thing."
Brian got up and faced the woman directly.  She looked back at him with her beautiful blue eyes pleading and took his hand.
"I know who you are, Brian, and I know where you come from.  Further, I know things about you that you yourself do not.  Brian, I promise that I will tell you everything that you need to know when the time is right.  Right now, though, we have little precious time to find the "Blade of Iris".  Please Brian, I need your help."
Brian thought little of his answer.  Somewhere inside his mind, a small blockage seemed to loosen and flood his head with the warmth of memories.  They came in a rush, but were fragmented and almost unintelligible.  He could see kids laughing, playing, and enjoying themselves in a wonderful land full of color and then nothing.  All at once the flood gushed and then stopped leaving him with only the feeling that it had been there.  Brian found himself dumbly nodding and following the woman to the locked doors.

Brian cursed the bushes in silence as he trod after the woman.  Their trek from the castle to the supposed resting place of that "Blade of Isis" was one composed entirely of difficult terrain.  Bushes, brambles, trees, bluffs, and more of that inky black water to cross were some of the inconveniences.  What bothered Brian more was that his traveling companion, the woman from before, wasn't having a hear tome of it at all.  She would gingerly step around the branches, plod through thorn bushes without a scratch, and move along more like a deer or mountain goat over. around, and across cliffs and hills alike.  Brian couldn't tell if it was his masculinity or his skin that was hurt worse.
"Are we close yet, Twink?"
"Yes, Mistress," Twink would call from somewhere in the darkness.
Twink was following too, acting as guide and map.  He memorized all of the landmarks and trails so that he could relay them to Brian and his partner.    Twink also acted as guard and would sometimes be heard tackling a Dark Sprite or two so that Brian and the Mistress could travel in peace.  Not that there was much of it here.
"Quite a trek, isn't it Brian?"  The woman slowed her pace to allow Brian to catch up with her.  They both walked along side by side while Brian caught his breath and then lost it looking down into the next chasm they would be venturing into.
"Aw hell," he said, "this never stops does it.  How the heck do we get down this one?"
The woman stopped in her tacks and thought about the situation.  Almost as if she could still see, she pointed to a small and almost indistinguishable trail leading down into the side of the last gorge.  Brian whistled in amazement and in frustration.  The trail was so narrow that only small animals could have gone down it.
"Come along, Brian," the woman said, "we have a good sized walk ahead of us."

True enough, the trail was a hazardous one.  The woman lead Brian in the proverbial sense of, "The blind leading the blind".  They descended into the gaping mouth of the gorge at a cautious pace, over boulders and overhanging trees.  Loose foot holds, muddy ground, and constantly falling rocks were their company for the next hour and a half until they hit bottom.  There on the ground, they both began looking around for the cave entrance.
"It's got to be here somewhere," the woman said in frustration after a half hour of looking.
"I can't find anything," Brian said while rolling aside some boulders, "we've come to a dead end."
"That can't be," she said, "Twink wouldn't forget a word of this, nor would the computer lie.  It has to be here, it just has to be."
"Look," Brian said sympathetically, "we've been out in the dark for four hours now.  We followed the trail to this dingy hole in the ground and wound up with nothing.  No Blade of Iris, no mystical cave, no nothing.  Take that for what it is and let's go back."
"You don't understand," the woman said furiously, "we have to find the Blade of Iris.  Without it, we'll be lost for certain.  That Blade holds the key to the revitalization of this world and I can't let it live on like this any longer.  I just . . . can't."
The woman began crying.  Her tears ran down the length of her face and wetted the folds of her robe.  Brian was suddenly sorry that he let his pessimistic attitude get the better of his speech.  She was honestly in need of this Blade of Iris, what ever it was, and he was being insensitive to that.  But in understanding to his problems, he hadn't the slightest idea of where he was or who he was dealing with.  That didn't, however, give him the right to be a jerk about it.
"Look," he said with a less edgier tone, "I know that this thing means a lot to you.  I also know that there isn't a whole lot that I can do other than see what I see.  The fact is:  I haven't the foggiest clue about where this cave is supposed to be.  But I am still very sorry that I'm not any help to you now."
The woman looked up at him.  Brian could visibly see the pain and frustration in her eyes of coming all this way for nothing.  The woman looked back at him with equal gauge.  She saw his resentment towards having been lead out here without proper explanation.  For both, the trip was a trial and neither was happy about the results.
Brian tried to think of anything else he could say.  In the end, all he could do was look on like an idiot while the woman gently dried her eyes.  She was surely hurt that in not finding this item, the whole of her world was going to suffer longer under this unending nightfall.  Such a pretty face she had, it shouldn't be to tortured with anger, sorrow, or frustration.
"It's all right, Brian," she said.  "I wish that I could tell you the significance of that Blade, but I cannot.  Not now.  I just wish that there was another way."
At that moment the ground began shaking.  Brain grabbed on to the woman and pulled her into the center of the gorge floor and watched on as a great deal of the large boulders lining it began to fall.  Little pebbles and stones alike came rushing down the walls and hit near to where the two stood.  Suddenly, the large pile to the right of them came crashing down and nearly took them both.  Brian, being very quick of mind and foot, jumped away with the woman in his arms.  They landed just barely far enough away from the land slide to be safe and gazed on as the entrance revealed itself.  Brian got up from the ground and help up his partner.
"Somebody stop the world, I wanna to get off," Brian offered.
"Me too," the woman said.  "I'm just glad that you're so fast on your feet, Brian.  I have you to thank for my life."
Brian was content to withhold his embarrassment.

"Look there," he said without thinking, "we find the thing after all.  You wished for the thing and it appeared."
"That must have been it," she said with happier tones, "I wish that there was another way.  Come on.  We have the entrance now lets get going."
Brian followed after the woman.  The duo walked into the yawning maw to find that there would be no need for light within.
"What are these things here," Brain asked feeling the little glowing five point stars embedded in the walls.
"These," she said feeling the walls, "are just an old means of power.  They were rendered useless not too long ago, I think we were in the process of inventing another power supply.  Just think of them as something like coal or oil."
Brain let that be.  He hadn't the foggiest idea what the little multicolored stars were and didn't care much either.  He just hoped that their glow wasn't some kind of nasty radiation emission.
Deeper they would continue into the darkened cave.  Every now and then there would be some kind of strange artwork on the wall that resembled cave man paintings.  Hands, people running, a large black cloud that swallows thing up; all Greek to Brain.  He just followed his guide, who wouldn't say much more than a "hmm" or an "ahh" every so often.  They wandered down the extent of the cave until reaching two large iron doors.  The woman reached out, touched the large handle of the right one, and caused both to open at once.
Brian, out of respect and a total acceptance of all the really screwy and strange things that were going on, said nothing and simply followed the woman inside.  Within was a large room of obsidian black stone and the lonely altar that lay in the middle of it.  Nothing special inside save that there were several dead lanterns and a large book lying on the altar.
The woman ran up to it and touched the book.  All of the lanterns inside came alive at this touch and shut the doors of the room all at once.  The titanic irons doors slammed together and locked, keeping Brian and the woman from escaping.
"What's with this place," Brian finally asked losing his composure.
"This is the shrine of Iris," the woman said in a disturbingly serious tone.
"Yeah," Brain replied, "what does that mean for the two of us?"
"It means that you will die," came a monstrous voice at the other side of the room.

The Rainbow's Light, Act Two




If you can imagine what it would look like to see something so dark that it actually pulled light into it, then you can imagine this.  What ever it was, it was amorphous.  It wasn't tall, wasn't little either; but it was big.
"What the hell is that," Brian said in a state of panic.
"So," the thing said, "you have come to face me Bright?  You are a bold one, seeing how I let you live the last time as my orders were told.  But, they also included that I have no reason to permit your existence if you were to make it here."
"Um," Brain rattled off, "I'm just gonna leave here, if that's ok with you two."
"No Brian," the woman called from the altar, "you have to fight him.  Take hold the blade by your side."
Brian looked to his left and right and found that a large obsidian blade was lodged into the rock by his feet.  The blade was fine enough, a fencing rapier if anything at all.  It wasn't too imposing and looked mighty insignificant against the large black entity.  It looked at him while he drew the blade and laughed out loud as he tried to take a stance with it.
"Fool!  You have no knowledge of swordsmanship or the ability to destroy me.  Give me that blade and I will send you back to earth.  Yes, wouldn't you like that?"
Brian faltered in judgment.
"Ah, I see you are a wise lad!  Give me that blade and I will gladly take you home to your family and you will never have to think of this again.  A dream, yes a dream is all it will mean to you.  You can forget my hounds that chased you, forget this wasted and ravaged land, and remember no more than the fleeting things that cross a dreamers mind the morning after.  Yes," it said grinning wide, "give me that precious blade."
"Don't do it Brian," the woman pleaded, "if you turn your back on this world, then yours will surely follow in this one's wake.  Please Brian, you must fight with us!"
"Don't listen to this woman's wailings, boy," the creature told him, "she asks you to throw away your life.  Don't be so hasty.  What would your mother and father think if they never saw their boy again?"
"And if you do so," the woman said while starting to glow, "he'll ride that conduit through to your world and do to it what he's done to mine.  You have to fight him, Brian.  It's the only hope we have."
The woman began glowing brighter.  Her whole body became surrounded by a luxurious white aura that began to light the chamber.  With this light, Brian could now plainly see the creatures' true shape.  It was sapient and stood taller than Brian could ever hope to have.  Luckily, it was weakly constructed with the muscle masses like that of children.  If anything, Brian may well prevail against it out of sheer strength.
"Well, then," it said coming closer, "you have plenty of mettle, little girl.  That restoration spell of yours will serve you nothing.  You cannot damage me with such basic acts of conjuration."  And then to Brian, "If you plan on fighting me, lad, then I suggest that you hold that blade firmer than that."

Brain checked his stances and grip.  He'd never fought with blades before.  Even though eight years of neglect and lack of practice lie between here and baseball, he was determined to win this fight in an inning.
He wanted to go home, you bet your life that he wanted to be out of this rotting hellhole that he'd landed into.  But, as with most people, he couldn't just leave someone to fend for their life alone.  Call it honor, pride, chauvinistic showing off, or what have you; he took his stand there before that altar, held the blade upright, and met with a destiny that he didn't want to confront.
The beast lunged forward with its ebony black blade and struck the right side of Brian's white shirt.  Brian retaliated with a poorly placed slash that cut thin air.  As for the beast, it simply ducked and kicked at Brian's chest.  Brian hit the floor behind him and struggled to get back up.  His left foot fell on a stone and caused him to slip and fall.  Lucky thing; for at that moment the beast swiped at the atmosphere that Brian had earlier occupied.  Brian quickly slipped forward and tripped the right leg out from under his attacker.  As the opponent fell, Brian rolled up to his feet and thrust his blade into the monster's abdomen.
The blade went cleanly through it.  Brian drove it as far as it could go, only to find that the monster was laughing at him.  He pulled free his blade and watched as his adversary stood up.
"You mistake me boy, I'm not human.  I'm of an energy that can only be destroyed by it's opposite energy form.  You might as well drop the bomb on me boy; I can't be killed."
"Yes he can," came the woman's voice from within her now dazzlingly bright aura.  "He will die only when our energies combine, Brian.  You have to open your heart to the light.  Only then may we destroy him and save my begotten land.  Open your heart to me."
The blackened beast closed the distance between himself and Brian.  He thrust into Brian with hope of actually stabbing him through.  Brian parried the thrust and came down with a slash to the right shoulder.  The cross cut hit, went through, and actually caused to beast to back off.  It wouldn't die when injured, but it could still feel it.
"I refuse to submit to you, demon," Brian said getting more confident, "you will be smote here and now."
Brian's blade began to shine brightly in chromatic colors.  All of the infinitesimal hues of white light coursed and flowed over the length of the weapon like a sun catcher.  Brian felt the energy build within his body, filling arm and leg alike.  He took up a proper stance, bent his knees slightly, stood on the balls of his toes, and held the blade correctly.  All the while more and more of the beautiful white prismatic energy grew to actually light the cavernous battleground.  Brian could see the walls and knew instantly what all of the large pictographs were saying.  "Light will Conquer All."
The beast began backing up now, seeming to be shunned away by this bright and brilliant aura.  Brian took this moments hesitation and thrust the blade smartly into the chest cavity of his opponent. The demonic creature screamed horribly as the blade of dancing colors pieced its body.  Its flesh caught aflame, burned like a wild fire, and did not harm Brian at all.  Brain jumped back from the monster, now a smoldering pile of carbon, and watched as the pile's size diminished.  In a few more moments, the beast was gone.
"That was whack," was all that Brian said.
He went to pick up the sword and grasped the amazingly cool metal.
"You know, this is the most screwed up dream I've ever had."

Brian turned around as if to say goodbye to the young woman who'd lead him on this unnerving, sub-conscious romp.  Imagine his alarm when he saw an angel there instead.  She smiled at him with the same sweet smile that the woman had and opened up her beautiful arms.  Brian was overcome with paralysis and stood there watching as tears, perhaps in joy, rolled down her face.  The air around them both began to shimmer and rush as the roof of the cavern blew open.  Brian shielded his eyes from the glare and began to feel light headed.  He blacked out completely awash in the torrent of light with one thought repeating in his mind.
"Please God, let me remember this forever.........."

"I see that she's gained the powers of Iris," the dark lady said.  "I would rather not have had this happen now, not when we are at the peak of our control."
"It is most unfortunate," came the younger lady's voice, "though I doubt there is much that can be done now."
"It's odd that fate chose this boy twice," came a masculine voice from another shadow. "Poor boy, it's crime enough to know her once.  Another vessel of blood to spill."
"This is all that Magegre was capable of," the dark lady said sighing.  "I was unwise to give him control of that sector, such stupid things I do in favor to relations.  It appears that we may well have to send in more Antienergies into the other realms.  I hope then that I may trust in you, my Children.  We all know the fate of my late daughter."
The subordinates saluted and knew all to well the task ahead.  If they wanted to stop Bright, they had their work cut out for them.

Another unfamiliar ceiling.  This time, though, Brian retained every last one of his nasty feelings that he automatically associated with the previous dream.  For a moment, he knew nothing of where he was.  Who he was, giving credit to the throbbing headache, was not as easily grasped as normal.  His mind spun in unison with the room, totally disoriented, like he'd just gotten off a grizzly and hard turn Fair ride.  He looked around at no one in particular, seeing varied shapes and images before him.  Then, like a bolt of brilliance from God, he looked straight into the eyes of another person.
"Take care, Brian," the barely intelligible voice said, "you've had a troubled night."
"Uh . . . mmm . . . gugh!"
Brian nearly retched on the bed.  Needless to say, the act would have been duly forgiven. His mind was reeling like he'd been hit with a Baseball bat.
"Lay down," the voice instructed while Brian's chest became heavier.
Brian chose not to answer this.
"I'm sorry for everything," the now identifiable voice of a woman said.  "Oh God's how could I have let this happen to him?"
Brian's vision began clearing.  He could see the sun shining outside a window, giving evidence that it had all been just a dream.  But where was he now?  Could he be in some kind of hospital, after an accident and with his mother by his side?  He looked to where the voice was coming from.  Sure enough, a face was there.  It was a pleasant face; one that smiled at him though tears of joy and sorrow.
"Mo . . . ther?"
The woman looking at him and gently bent down to kiss his cheek.  Her eyes were wet and still crying, a face half jarred with a smile and a frown.  His vision came for but an instant and then faded.  Leaving his mind imprinted with the face of the Mistress.


The afternoon saw him in better states.  His vision was unclouded, body's energy restoring, and less of a need to vomit.  He soon sat up in his bed and took account of everything around him.  It was the same as before; the woman's room, the vanity, the window that was now open and sunny, and the door leading out to the hall.  Brian grabbed hold of his clothes from the stool next to his bed and dressed himself.  He slowly walked though the door and into the halls.  His head wasn't throbbing like before, but his newfound dizziness was somewhat of a trouble.  He stumbled on through the halls until he heard someone walking down from the other end.  The sun was shining in through the window and only allowed him to see a slim and waifish figure walking towards him with a tray.
They noticed each other at the same time.  Brian, could only stupidly utter, "you", while the woman dropped her tray.  The glass of water, two slices of bread, and a bowl of herbal soup that were being carried on it, fell splashing on the ground.  The mess was unnoticed by the woman as she had already begun dashing toward Brian's tired body.  They met halfway in the hall to an embrace that lasted centuries.
He'd been wrong about the whole scenario the night before, the woman, and all her mysteries.  Somehow, through sheer delirium of mind, Brian knew that what he'd done was leading him into a plot of events that he'd never escape.  But at the same time, he knew that it was right.
"I thought that I'd killed you after the restoration," she said.
"You're powers are not for the means of destruction," Brian said in a manner that surprised even himself.
"But you were hurt," she said, "that monster threw his energies into you right as I completed the restoration spell.  I thought that I'd actually made it worse when I drove out the blackness."
"That's not possible," Brian said as he held the woman closer to his body.  "You're heart is only capable of filling with the good energies of light and love.  You couldn't hurt me if you wanted to."
"Thank you, Brian," she said.
"Thank you, Rainbow Bright."
"So you figured it out," she said pulling away.  "Not that I thought it beyond you, but how did you remember?"
"Not as easy as that," Brian said quite surprised at his own words that were spilling forth at an amazing rate of clarity.  "I didn't even know that this was your name.  My mind just let that slip out and into the conversation like another formality.  My God!  Who are we?"
Brian began to falter again.  The woman rushed forth and took hold of his tired and dizzy body before he could fall too far.  She propped him up on her shoulder and helped him down the hall.  Brian's body was reluctant to follow, but he made the utmost effort to keep going.  Down the hall and the stairs, Brian's condition kept improving.  Soon within the rays of the sun, Brian's sickness had all but lifted.  The two walked out one of the many arches belonging to the castle and into the full rays of Sol.
"Feels good doesn't it," came Rainbow's question.
"That it does," Brian said stretching.  "It's quite a treat after a day and a night of total blackness.  How long did you have to withstand it?"
"For several years in your calendar," she said in dulling monotone.  "I can't even bear to remember those days that the darkness first came here.  Oh God's if only it had never shown."
Brian looked into the Rainbow's eyes.  They were still hollow and looked like they hadn't seen the light of day for eons.
"Can you see yet," Brian asked.

"No," she said, "but knowing that my home is free from that hellish darkness is all that I need.  What should be done next is finding the Children, though they'll be adults like you and I are now.  I can't bear to think of where they've been kept for so long.  God's I haven't the strength of mind to conceive it."
Brian sat down on the lawn that lay in a circular fashion along the perimeter of the castle.  The world had come back to life all right; back in a flash.  Within the night's time that he'd spent sleeping, the whole of Rainbow's world was now in full bloom.  Flowers that had since been extinct for decades were now growing as if they'd always been there.  Roses, violets, daisies, tulips, and other flowers of every color and sent were blasting forth from the soil.  Brian couldn't help but feel at peace.  The water running through the river, also winding around the castle, made small babbling sounds in comparison to the waterfall behind and above the castles' northernmost wall.  Brian took it in and worked more into what the woman had been doing for the last few years.
"Did it happen long after Spectra?"
Brian's sudden question about Spectra grabbed hold of Rainbow's attention violently.
"Yes," she said hesitantly, "it was about five or six months after the incident with the Princess.  Crys left our land for his home back on the planet.  He, Orin, and Onyx were not heard from for some time.  We thought nothing of it.  Seeing how the restoration process of a planet is totally manual.  They and their sprites would have a year or two's worth of damage to reverse.  Then, about six months later, there was an ominous shadow of darkness that began working it's way from the top of that peak," Rainbow pointed to a nasty and gnarled looking mountain to the south.  "Initially, we thought it was Murky and Lurky.  After a day of getting closer, I went to check it out.  When I arrived, I found that not only was it not a creation of Murky's but it was pure and total evil.  The monster leapt out for me and took away my sight.  It took the color belt and dashed it to pieces on the ground.  After that, I 've no knowledge.  I groped around blindly on the mountain for days or weeks of time, I knew nothing then of the inner sight that I know now, until Twink came for me."
At that moment, Twink came out from the castle.  Brian, now accustomed to the horrible sight of her pet monster, was shocked to find a cute and fluffy white critter walking up to them on two stumpy legs of multicolors.
"How are you today Rainbow," it asked in a sugary sweet little voice.
"Fine, Twink," she said getting up from the sod, "I spilled Brian's food up in the living quarters.  Could you send someone up to clean it and make some more?"
"Sure thing Rainbow," the little creature said as if it'd been given a reason to live.  "Let's get cracking guys."
Brian was startled to find that there were several of these creatures like Twink save that they were different monochromatic colors.  Brain was shocked to think that these were the pack and that the white one was the Rainbow's protector from the night before.
"Are these guys," Brian started dumbly.
"Yes," Rainbow said with warmth in her heart, "these are the Sprites of Rainbow Land."
Brian took it remarkably well for how abruptly the circumstances presented themselves.
"What's another surprise in this world," he said rising, "I've a feeling that I'll see more when we get moving."
"I beg your pardon," Rainbow said while turning around, "get moving where?"
"Why to find the Children, of course.  That is why I've come here, isn't it?"

Rainbow thought for a moment.  He was right, but she'd need to figure out what to do first.
"Leave me for an hour's time," she said suddenly.  "Take it easy and have a little something to eat.  Twink makes great soup and bread so you'll get some more energy for your recuperation.  I need to think."
With that, Rainbow Bright left Brian to go to her room.  She ascended the stairs and went on to the vanity to think of her next actions.  Brian, on the other hand, was eager to get some food into his gullet.  He walked into the castle's main chamber and looked around until Twink came up to him and asked him to sit down in the dinning hall.
"You've got a lot to learn about these past few years," the squeaky voiced creature said.  "Come and sit, I'll tell you everything."

Brian did not really understand the little furry creature well.  It told him of the debacle of darkness from beginning to end and left him totally unclear on why, when, and how.  The little "Sprite" told him what the creature did to Rainbow, how it took hold of every one of the Color Children, and then cast eternal night upon every sprite and creature living in Rainbow Land.  The Sprite, who also happened to be both Twink's in Brian's memory, explained that the sun was the thing that kept all of the sprites in their current shape.  The reason that they became those hated beasts that gave chase to him not four nights ago was the deprivation of that life-giving globe.  Twink also told him of the fate of the entire world in relation to this occurrence.  Then it was Twink's turn to be incredulous.
"What do you mean they never changed," the little furry thing demanded.
"I mean exactly that," Brian insisted while swallowing a bite of bread, "nothing happened.  It wasn't like the Spectra Incident and to be specific, I noticed nothing at all when this happened.  If you want to get technical, we did have quite a disturbance in weather, but that was only due to El Nino.  Other than that . . . um . . . Twink, there was no change."
Brian noisily slurped another spoonful of the soup.
"So that's the end of that."
"Strange," the little animal said thoughtfully.  "This can only mean that Spectra's safe in the hands of Crys or Orin.  We need to get there and find out for sure, but that would mean that we'd need . . ."
The little Sprite hung his head and became gravely quiet.  Brian put down his bowl after slurping up the last bit of soup from the bottom.  The Sprite seemed like he was lost in sorrow.
"What's up," he asked not sure of what kind of answer he'd receive.
"Starlight is dead," Twink said.
"Who," Brian asked innocently.
"He is a dear and departed friend," Twink began.  "Why don't you remember him?  He was with Rainbow every time you came to our world and even when she went to yours.  The white horse that rode along her rainbows, the one with the rainbow colored mane?"
Brian thought of that while taking a drink of water.  He seemed to remember something about a white horse, but tied that more to his time at a ranch several summers ago.  He had no knowledge of this rainbow colored horse and wanted to know what happened to it.
"So he was killed by that black thing, right," Brian asked.

"Yeah," Twink said.  "He was the first to be killed.  I think it was because they didn't want us to be able to leave.  Funny that they let the rest of us live."
"What about the Children," Brian asked finishing his water, "they had to have been taken somewhere right?  If they were killed, there wouldn't have been any reason for that creature to let Rainbow live.  If they are still alive . . . where would they be kept?  It has to be somewhere in this universe."
Brian got up from the large rounded table that he'd been sitting at.  He turned around and began thoughtfully walking away.  Twink was bent on trying to resolve the situation and continued to follow Brian as he eventually ended up outside.
"So where would it be," Twink said without expecting an answer.
"Why, it would be within the deep field," came an ominous voice from somewhere outside Brian's vision field.
Brian instantly took his stance and began looking around in all directions.  Twink was on guard too, but looked as if he'd never be worth more than a cheer or an insult to the enemy.  Brian was prepared for come-what-may when a strand of lightning struck not more than fifty feet away.  The thunderclap sent Twink flying backwards and caused Brian to falter as well.  He clutched his ears and tried to drown out the noise only to find that it was impossible.  He looked up from his sonic pains and beheld a sight that would cause most to loose bladder control.
"Good day," said the thing, "I'd thought it to be more than ten years until you'd return here, Brian."
Brian stood in awe at the beautiful woman sitting sidesaddle on a coal black Clydesdale horse.  The woman's hair was a dusky purple, her teeth and eyes as white as snow, her lips the color of roses, and her generous robe the color of a blue sky.  About her waist she wore a great seal that had a thunder bolt crossing it's face.  The article was worn loosely over her hips and allowed the hang lower to the left side.  The air about her seemed to crackle with electricity as she dismounted and walked up to Brian's face.  Her one booted right foot and gauntleted left hand were worn in a careless manner while not working well with the rest of the ensemble.  She tied back her knee length hair in a braid with two red ribbons.  As she walked closer, Brian could clearly see that the ribbons were actually floating in the air.
"That is where the Dark Lady took the children and imprisoned them."
"W-w-w-w-ho," Brian sputtered as he stared into her snowflake shaped Irises.
The woman smiled and chuckled most quietly, "I am Stormy, the Lady of the clouds.  There have been a great deal of winters and summer storms that I've watched you through.  I am glad that the chosen one is so hansom."
The woman embraced Brian in a scent of pure Ozone.  The crisp and dry air stung at his nostrils and tickled his hairs with static electricity.  The mistress of the clouds; but that couldn't be possible!  There was no way there could be an absolute manifestation of Tropospheric activity.  Suddenly, Brian was shaken from this moment by a small electrocution when the woman startled.
"Bright," she exclaimed, "by the gods what happened to you?"
Rainbow exited the castle and approached the two with arms crossed.
"Not much more than has affected you," she said venomously, "I shudder to think what you've been going through after ten years of loafing."

"Not true," she said confronting the slightly shorter Bright, "I have a duty that rises above everything else; perhaps even more important than yours.  I have to keep that globe alive and have done so for ten years.  Understand that my matters are not concerned with your own."
"How convenient for you," Rainbow said," why should you be concerned when all of Rainbow land is cast in darkness, my friends taken from me along with my sight, my partner Starlight killed; God's rest his soul; and the whole of color's balance thrown to the wind?"
That got Stormy's attention.
"How dare you make a mockery of the thunder caller?  Why I have ten times the power you ever did.  Don't think for a moment that I'll let you get away with that one."
Brian could see that the situation was getting worse.  But even with that known, who would dare try stop a fight between the ruler of the clouds and the ruler of the white light?  He would have to be an idiot who'd lost all prize of his life.
"Come along now," Brian said stepping in between them, "this bickering is stupid!"
Both women stared him down.  Rainbow's flaring blue eyes and Stormy's, now a flurry of blizzard, struck deep into his own and rose a violent shuddering from toe to head.
"He's right," the sprite said backing Brian up, "we have to get to Spectra and Stormy's horse, Sky Dancer, is the only one who can get us there.  We need to put this aside and save the Children!"
Brian could have kissed Twink right then and there.  The women calmed down with the intervention of reality and gave the problem rest.
"That Sprite has some good sage," Stormy said.
"None better, thank you Twink.  He's right, though, we need to get to Spectra and consult Orin.  He and Crys are the only ones who can help us now.  Will you take us there, Stormy?"
Stormy thought it over.  The Clydesdale would be big enough for all three to ride, somewhat pinched and not too comfortable, and looked strong enough to make the trip.
"What do you think, fella," Stormy asked the huge horse.
A whiney and a snort were her answers.
"Alright," she said, "he says it's a go.  But, don't you two think that your clothes are just a little bit under equipped?  I mean, you two lack the ability to throw lightning or use the elements like I can.  Where is your sword, chosen one?"
Brian was awakened from his thoughts and brought back into the conversation.
"What sword?"
The storm mistress sighed, "The Blade of Iris, fool, what happened to it?  You two wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for that saving grace, so where did it go?"
"The Blade of Iris," Brian repeated.
"Yes," Stormy reiterated annoyed, "the Blade of Iris!"
"That's not a problem," Rainbow said with a serious tone, "that blade is not permitted to leave my side, as the story goes.  If we keep that in mind, we may well assume that Brian is carrying it inside of him.  That too, I believe, is part of the myth."
Stormy gave a thoughtful nod, "Yes.  That sounds about right.  So we may as well go there right now.  No point in waiting or sending ahead, what with all the Antienergies about the Universe.  Though, as I told the Boy and the Sprite, your Children are being held captive within the Deep Field.  We should also ask that ageing sprite of how we may reach the Deep Field without alarming the Dark Lady's forces."

"What do you mean, 'inside of him'," Brian asked unnecessarily worried, "the way you say that makes it sound that this thing is living within my body."
Stormy sighed a great sigh again and motioned all three to get onto Sky Dancer's back.  Stormy was on first, then Rainbow, and finally Brian who was unsure of riding bareback on a horse bigger than some cars.  No matter though, Brian sat on his end and was relatively comfortable save that he was sure he'd fall off the horse at any moment.
"We'll ride as fast as we can," Stormy said adjusting her seat, "lightning's not as fast as light when we reach Outer Space.  Be sure not to fall of, you hear me Brian?"
Brian nodded while scooting closer to Rainbow.
"Don't we need helmets or space suits so we don't die out in the airlessness of space?  I mean, we need something more than our clothes to guard against the cold and the lack of air."
"Not entirely true," Stormy corrected, "in our world, we may travel outside of our own realms without fear of this.  This world, Rainbow land and the spaces beyond, is nothing like yours.  Here, conduits of energy that are filled with breathable atmosphere connect our plannets.  I know that it's hard to understand, but I've never worried about it.  What about you Bright?"
"I don't know," she said, "it's been so long since I traveled through space.  All I can say is that it won't take as long as it would in real space, and that we shouldn't be concerned with how we'll be able to breathe."
The horse let loose a whiney for being held back too long.
"Let's make haste," Stormy said, "Spectra is fifteen minutes ride and we are wasting time beating about the bush here.  Take my word boy, you'll see no misfortune or discomfort under the wings of the Storm Mistress; Ho Sky Dancer!"
With that, the humongous horse jumped mightily and exploded into the air.  His massive hooves beat on lighting strands as he ran faster through the air.  Now up and far above Rainbow Land, there appeared a swirling vortex of dark clouds and thunder.  Brian put his arms around Rainbows waist and held on as the mighty horse began speeding up even more.
"This is our exit," the woman laughed.  "Lets show them the speed of Lightning, Sky Dancer!"
The Horse ran through the portal and entered a region of space that Brian had never seen before.  It was a large conduit of cloud masses and endless thunder and lightning for as far as the eye could see.
"What is this," Brian asked Rainbow as the horse dashed through the tunnel of atmospheric fire.
"This is the road between worlds," she said over a loud thunder clap, " that is used for transit at forty times the speed of light.  We are going through the sea of space and time so that we'll actually arrive at the same time we left.  After which, the portal will close and time will begin anew."
Another close bolt of electrical current passed close by.
"Not much longer until we hit the end of it and then move into open space," Rainbow said, as Brian held on to her waist tighter.  He was beginning to grip her a little harder than she thought he should, causing her to elbow him in the ribs for doing so.  Brian loosened his grip.

The tunnel faded away to a mere roar and clarity of view as the four beings exploded into deep space.  Brian took note of the perpetual quite that existed here, minus the beating hooves and deep breathing of the horse.  The stars shone brightly here and were really cruising by.  Brian also chanced a look behind and watched as the earth and sun both practically disappeared behind them.
"Not much farther to Spectra," Stormy mused to herself.
"I hope that Orin and the rest are safe there," Rainbow said to no one in particular, "God's help us if they fell like we did."
"I begin to suspect that the Dark Lady's plans were not to rob your planet of Color," Stormy said thoughtfully.  "It would be a dark and dreary existence for Brian and the Earth as well.  But as he told the Sprite, there was nothing wrong with his life below.  Even I myself knew nothing of it until I heard you crying at the top of that hill ten years ago."
"You heard me crying," Rainbow asked quietly.
"Yes," came Stormy's reply.  "The Heavens shook with it for several days.  I thought that we were being attacked and came back to Rainbow land to see if someone was in fact trying to usurp you.  When I returned, I found this world cast in darkness as you said.  By then, there was nothing I could do."
"But you saw where they were taken," Brian said, "you watched them being taken to the Deep Field?"
"Not in entirety," Stormy said thinking more to the past.  "I saw them on a vector moving toward the deep field.  For all I know, they may well have been taken farther away than that.  I hope that's the furthest they went; it's a long way there as it is."
The trio let go of talk to the near silence of space.  Brian and Rainbow both watched on as the fields of stars began vanishing as they drew nearer to the crystalline planet called Spectra.  The ball of almost pure white light shone like a diamond hanging in mid space.  A beautiful sight from the massive distance they were at, and kept getting more and more brilliant until it was too painful to look.  Brian closed his eyes and then was startled to find that they weren't moving.
"Quite a light, those ends of the tunnel, eh," Stormy asked.
"Yeah," Brian said rubbing away colored balls from his eyes.
"It's almost as if nothing has happened for these last ten years," Rainbow said moving closer to the Sprites indigenous to the planet.
These little guys, much like the sprites from Earth's Rainbow land, were happy, work all day for nothing, nose to the grindstone, runts with endless smiles.  Brian shifted uncomfortably in his jeans.  The trip was indeed no more than a mere fifteen minutes and allowed for minimal discomfort.
"Thanks for the ride, boy," Brian said patting Sky Dancers side.
The horse whinnied and stamped the ground mightily.  Brian jumped backwards and slipped on the flawlessly polished ground.  His boots were of little help with all the dust on them from Rainbow land and allowed this punishing fall.  Everything here was made of crystalline glass or diamond. 
Brian tried to get up and steady himself on floor.
"He thanks you, boy," Stormy said laughing.  "It's just that you might not think so unless you understand him.  Come on and quit clowning around."
Stormy took Brian by the arm and lead him to where Bright was already talking with a Sprite.
"What did you say," Rainbow asked for the second time.
"Bout ten years ago," the oldish sounding Sprite said, "we lost all sign of em'.  If ya want, I can take you kids over to their places and you can see for yourselves."
Rainbow straightened.  She turned to Brian and Stormy as they came closer.

"They don't know anything about them.  That one there," she pointed to the one she'd just been talking to, "is the eldest now.  He'll take us to their homes so we might understand what actually happened."
"Fine enough for me," Brian said missing the seriousness of the situation, "just let me get this dust off and I'll stick like glue."
"Just stick with me," Stormy said with a sly wink, "we'll go together."
The three walked after the Sprite.  They were different than the others that Brian had met, much different.  They were harrier, taller; a little more muscled, and built with large furry feet.  They were the polishers of the species, if they were a species, and used these furry mops of feet to smooth over Spectra's surface.  This was the whole reason that Bright was called into action here on this beautiful jewel of a planet a decade ago, when the Princess of Darkness worked her best to take the whole globe for her own.  These Sprites, made into slaves by her machined workers, were forced to cover this planet with a rubber netting so her ship could grasp hold of it.  This became a problem only when the cover began shutting off the necessary light that the earth needed to stay live.  But that was, after all, ten years ago and there was a new and greater problem at hand.
"Here we are," said the Sprite.  "This one to the right is Orin's, and this to the left is Crys's.  Take your time, Miss Bright.  Your trust is unquestionable."
"Thank you," she said going in to Crys's first.
The small domes that were used for housing were really nice to be in.  Thermal, fairly roomy, and decorated with many kinds of trophies and awards.  This was definitely a masculine room, but where was the male?
"I can't believe that he just vanished," Rainbow said picking up a trophy for the Milky Way's Interspacial Trap Shooting award; Fist Place.  "I wonder where he could have gone."
"Quite a guy," Brian said admiring the one for the Milky Way's Interspacial Galaxy Games Triathlon; Third Place.  "I now guys that hit those Triathlons and never see the first.  They really have to put it out to even see seventeenth."
"I'm getting worried," Rainbow said putting down the trophy.  "If we cant find him somewhere close to his own home, then that leaves his fort as the only other place where we'll find him.  Come, I know the way there."

The Rainbow's Light, Act Three




It was a long and treacherous walk.  Through valleys and over plains, it took them at least ten minutes to make it to the cave like complex that Rainbow spoke of.
"This was his fort.  He told me that he would use this place for training and shooting practice," Rainbow said entering the one room environment.
"Little cramped," Brian said ducking lower than he had to for the dwelling quarters.  "I suppose it served its purpose."
"Not a bad little hovel," Stormy said entering the warm little hut.  The three of them were careful not to squeeze in too quickly; the room was awful small until it opened up in the back.
"This must have been the new addition," Rainbow continued to comment as she felt her way around the room.  It was roughly hewn out of the prismatic material and was easily able to conceal oneself from outside intruders.
"So where is he," Brian was quick to question.  "This place must have been abandoned for five or six years at least."
"So it would seem," Stormy said.
Stormy suddenly hunched over like she'd been hit in the gut.  Her whole body was wracked with seizure like movement as if some unseen entity was jarring her body.  Rainbow shrieked at the feeling that there was more than just themselves in the room, and in truth, there were two.
"Not the most polite beings that live here, are they, Caspio?"
"Not that I care, Ingala.  But then again, who's a fool enough to pass up a decent days fun in torture?"
"No, not more of those things here," Brian sputtered and then huffed violently.  One of the things, unseen to even Brian's eyes, struck him in the ribs.  It knocked him flat to the ground, despite his efforts to try and right himself.  Lying on the ground with the heavyset thing on his chest, he kicked and fought to get up.  Brian continued to struggle despite the things punches to his face, and then the clawed slashes made to his chest.  It was too heavy for him to lift and much too strong.
Rainbow stood helplessly while both Stormy and Brian fought to free themselves.  Stormy with her arms pinned behind her body, Brain being gouged to death, and Rainbow herself scared out of her wits, shivering at what she was seeing.  Desperately, she worked to pull the invisible assailants off of Brian.  It kicked and screamed as she grabbed hold of it, then swung around and clawed her face.  Rainbow felt the warm trickle of blood as it spilled forth from her forehead.
"Pesky things, these humans be," Caspio said.
"Aye," said Ingala, "they should be done shortly, not that I care how long they last without seeing us."

Ingala and Caspio laughed maniacally.  Both were enjoying themselves ultimately, gouging one and then twisting the other's arms.  It was fun for them, FUN!  Indeed the very prospect of harming another living thing was enjoyable to them, that is, until they ceased to live.
Two gunshots echoed from outside the room, one flew into the head region of Caspio, and the other punctured the side of Ingala and holed out his rib cage.  Ingala gurgled a scream and dashed away, being the closest one to the door.  More shots were heard outside while the thing ran away dripping black colored blood.  The monster's assailant was a smallish man who continued to fire after it until it wasn't within range any more.  The small man turned around and began walking over to the cave.  Rainbow, hereto not being able to do much other than suffer, stumbled towards him and thanked his work.
"Not to worry, Bright," the man said cutting her short, "even your enemies have their pride."
"You're," she said barely able to hear him, "you couldn't be.  You can't possibly be him, could you?"
"You've eyes," the little man said.
"Eyes that cannot see, Murky.  How did you make it here?"
The little man made notice of the moaning coming from the fort structure.  Brian was in a lot of pain and would need serious medical attention.
"Time for me to shine," Murky said as he entered the cave.  He walked first to where Brian was.  The poor boy was lying there moaning as his chest bled forth.  Not a pretty sight at all.
"Those are still dark sprites, are they not," Rainbow asked.
"Yes," Murky said while holding Brian's head aloft, "the only thing is that they turn see-through here on Spectra.  Not the easiest of foes to fight."
Murky began the healing process.  First a touch to the forehead, then running the finger down the length of the wounds until his hands had covered the length of the damage.  Without touching Brian's beaten and torn chest, Murky had dispelled the lacerations and was on the way with cleaning up the blood.
"Why are you helping me, Murky," Rainbow was slow to ask.
The little man finished his work and laid Brian to rest for a while.  He took out a small picture from his pocket and began handing it to her.  Then, upon remembering Rainbow's current affliction, he took it back and put it into his pocket.
"That picture," Murky said making reference to the item he almost handed her, "is the picture of my great grandfather."
Stormy finished rubbing the pain away from her wrists and arms and came over to hear the story.
"Your great grandfather?"
"Yes," Murky said.  "Back about four hundred years ago, He was the greater mage of the black light.  He wasn't evil, mind you, but there wasn't a whole lot that he or my family did to make others trust or desire to be around them.  He, Melchior, worked in harmony with all of the other Color mages, and as a result, won great favor with the Old Order."
"Color, mages," Rainbow repeated.
"Yes, the Color mages.  As a whole they worked together for the greater good of the Universe.  It was a harmonious bond that kept all of the white energies within balance.  As a result, the Universe experienced a great wealth of peace for centuries of time.  As with all Utopia, though, the system came crashing down.  You see, one day about two hundred years back, or so, there was this incident . . ."

Murky stopped his story when Brian began coming around.  He moaned and shifted as his mind recalled the torturous pain that was earlier gracing his chest.  Brian sat up and looked around the room.  He was startled at once to see the little man and then startled again to find Rainbow hugging the life from him.
"As I was saying," Murky said to interrupt the sudden happiness, "there was an incident involving the Mages council.  Someone behind the scenes was actually trying to sabotage the good-will relationships.  In the end, they began fighting with each other; that was the last straw.  The Old Order became angered and cast them out.   They thought that the whole of the balance of light was an individual matter, not Universal."
"So that's how the Old Order's Mage Circle was disbanded," Stormy said.  "I often wondered about it, but how did you end up in Rainbow land?"
"I was getting to that," Murky said.  "When they disbanded the group, they seized all of its power.  Taking it into their hands they dispersed it all over the Universe, seeing as how the council worked to govern it all as one anyway, making separate beings to control it.  Each Galaxy was given a certain amount of power and new people to take care of the situations individually.  But the only problem was that they left Melchior out."
"Why you," Rainbow asked while releasing Brian's tightly squeezed body.  "Surely darkness has its place in the balance?"
"I thought so too," Murky continued, but it wasn't that easy.  He was seen as an eyesore, a blotch on the suit of the group.  They didn't take all of his power, but sealed most of it up within the family genes.  That little move I did on Brian over there was nothing compared to what great grandpa was capable of.  All in all, my family was cast here in this portion of the galaxy and left to reside for all time.  But, when my grandfather, Melchior's son, told me the story I became bitter about it; more like furious if I remember right.
"I took the utmost offense.  They stole our powers, reduced us to these midget forms, and cast us away in Earth's Rainbow land to rot away until the very end of time.  For, since they couldn't destroy us legally, or seal all of our power, they decided that the ultimate irony would be to leave us here in an immortal Exile.  Needless to say, I think my anger was justified."
"But your actions weren't," Rainbow said.  "You constantly chased me for several years just to get my color belt.  When I first came to Earth's Rainbow land, I found desolation, apparently you'd already had your revenge and took it out on the color Children.  Why did you do that if you are as noble as you say?"
"I didn't say my means were justified," Murky said in knowing humility.  "When the New Order, I can't think of the name, found out about my little escapades, they sent you.  Since I hooked up with that imbecile, the Shadow King, I thought that the previous holder of the color belt would fall quicker.  But even the Shadow King knew of our story.  When we both managed to kill the other user of the belt, the Shadow King took that belt and hid it from me.  Thus, I fell into his league as a true flunky.
"That's also when the children sent out the plea for help.  That Shy Violet child is the only one capable of contacting Doctor SAFE without the use of the Color Console.  She sent for their aide and received you as the promise of protection.  But surely, this is all old news to you.  Don't you remember?"
Rainbow became very quite for a minutes time.  Every one in the room waited for her to answer and then:
"I don't, Murky"
"What," Murky asked aghast.  "You mean that you remember nothing of the training you received for dealing with me?!"
"No," Rainbow said plainly, "I found you, the Children, the Color Belt, and Starlight all there in Earth's Rainbow land.  I asked Lady Bright if I could help the poor children who were suffering in confinement and she let me come to earth to help.  When I arrived my name was Wisp.  I went to work finding the Color Belt as soon as I landed and found Starlight instead.  As for the belt, I found it not far from the castle lying in a cave.  Then I freed the children and defeated the Shadow King along with you.  After that, the Children gave me the name of the previous holder of the belt, Rainbow Bright.  But as for anything else before that, I can't remember."
Murky rubbed his head, "No matter, it makes no difference if you do or do not remember.  The thing you probably want to know is what I wanted that belt for, eh?"
"Yeah," Stormy interrupted, "why did you chase after her for so many years just to get a piece of cloth that you couldn't use?"
Murky became silent.

"I thought so," Stormy said, "the Tribunal of the Universal Order was acting in response to the threat of your anger.  What DRSAFE, the Defender and Restoration Systems Alert Facility did would be closer to a military operation than an attack on you.  You took those children prisoner and expected them to do nothing about it?  That's why they sent Bright; she was their counter measure.  Why did you wait for her to get it if you wanted it that badly?"
Murky said nothing; apparently no one knew the whole story about what was going on.  Murky sighed and began walking out of the room.  Brian, wondering what this stuff about mages was, followed him until they reached a nearby river.
"I'm not looking for acceptance, boy," Murky said.  "What I want is to see that dark woman set in her place.  She's the biggest cause of all of this."
"Who or what is she," Brian asked noticing Rainbow and Stormy's advance.
"She was my great grandpa's very own pupil, his apprentice as it were.  Her name is Lucretia, a young woman from the Old Order.  She desired to become the apprentice to the Black Light.  Light is without true balance without the defining forces of the Black.  Don't confuse it with evil or Black magic, it's just that our magic's were for serious damage and tactics to resolve fights quickly.  Things like gravity alteration, Black Hole Summoning, and the like were all part of our abilities.  And, through minor thought of consequence and the male hormone, great grandpa felt that he should take her up on her offer to be his student."
Brian tried not to laugh as Rainbow blushed and Stormy guffawed.
"This was the beginning of our downfall.  In all honesty, I believe that it was her doing all along.  But then again, if he hadn't trained her . . ."
"The things we'd do then if we knew what we do now," Brian said.
"Good sage boy," Murky said.  "True enough.  What we need to do now is figure out how to get that Crys kid out of that pillar."
Rainbow jumped at the mention of Crys's name, "Where is he?  Is he trapped somewhere?"
"Aye," Murky said, "I know the place, follow me."
Brian, Stormy, and Rainbow followed after the surprisingly swift little man.  He dashed over the face of Spectra like a skater and managed to get there faster than the other three.  Breathing harder now, Brian and the rest drew up to a ledge that looked out over a large hole in the ground.  It was circular in shape and had one large crystalline tower in the middle.
"That's where he's been kept," Murky said making his way down the holes cut into the ledge.
Brian went down first, then the girls after him.  This was a strange hole indeed, like this circular portion of the land had broken and shifted into a cavernous structure below it.  It was just a large circle about the size of a baseball stadium cut into the ground.  And then there was the spire.  It appeared to be natural, but was so out of place that it had to have been made by somebody; if anyone can make something like this out of Crystal that is.
"That's quite a tower," Brian said looking up at the perhaps hundred foot tall tower of glass like material.
"Is this where they imprisoned Crys," Rainbow asked.
"This would be it," Murky said, "look down at the center of that part there."

Murky pointed to the middle of the base about five feet up above the floor of the hole.  There in, Brian could see a discoloration in the shape of a man's body.  He was a very masculine man, though visibility was not the best, large muscles and pecks bulging as if dying to be used.  He was actually in his late early twenties, making him Brian's Junior two or three years.  The only thing is that he was encased within a four-foot diameter cylinder of pure Diamond.  How the heck had he gotten in there in the first place?
"This is most disturbing," Rainbow said.
Rainbow suddenly elbowed Stormy for looking funny at Crys's entrapped body.
"This has to be the work of the Antienergies," Brian said.
"No, boy," Murky interrupted.  "Dark Antienergies can't manipulate crystalline materials.  Black light, or rather anti light, breaks up the same way white light does and then becomes the reversed rainbow.  That rainbow is not only wrong, but it has some kind of interference with all types of regular matter or energy.  In fact, regular energy or matter tends to explode when contacted with Antienergy."
Brian swallowed hard, that could have easily happened when he was fighting the Antienergy in Rainbow land.  Good thing it hadn't.
"What you need to do, Bright," Murky said, "is find a way to get inside of that over there."
Rainbow and the others all looked to where Murky was now pointing.  There was a large cavernous structure at one side of the hole.  Not very deep within the hole, there was a large paneled door with several markings on it.  Rainbow walked over to the door and began deciphering it.  Murky walked with her, but Brian and Stormy stayed behind.
"What's this all mean to you," Brian asked.
"Well," Stormy said putting her hands up behind her head, "it gets really complicated here.  Now we know what originally sent Murky to Rainbow land, so that's been cleared up.  But now my question is: Just who or what is Rainbow Bright?"
Brian thought about that one, "When I first met her, God how long ago was that?  I was about eight or nine, at the time and can't remember much else than Baseball practice and school.  She claims that she saved me from something Murky did to my body and that I was the only one on earth who could see her.  Not something an adolescent boy would be capable of understanding.  But now that I've had time to grow up a bit since, I'm beginning to make some sense of this.  Despite ten years of misunderstanding and psychologist appointments, I figured it to be some kind of prepubescent lie I liked to live."
"Not lying now, are you," Stormy said winking.
"Apparently not," Brian returned.
Brian watched as Rainbow looked at the sealing marks of the doors.  They weren't very old, more like a few months of time than ten years, but then again, how do you tell the age of a diamond by looking at it?
"I think I've got it now," Rainbow said.  "I'm not sure how, but I'm certain that this will open it."
Rainbow and Murky stepped back.  Rainbow summed up her thoughts and read the slabs aloud.  The words she spoke were more attuned to some kind of song.  She spiked, trilled, and softened voice as the "words" commanded and then finished with an alto crescendo.  Brian, on the verge of clapping, stood agape as the large doors parted and then moved open.  Brian and Stormy looked at each other and then followed the other two inside of the room.

The cavern was a perfectly made corridor. The sides were flawlessly smooth, the floor as well, and the roof of the place vaulted twenty feet.  Brian looked at the walls as they all walked in.  He watched them stay perfect white Diamond and then turn gradually sapphire Blue.  This tunnel went straight into the heart of Spectra and seemed never to end.  Eventually it was too dark to see at all.
"OUCH," Stormy said as Brian bumped into her backside.
"OOF," Brian exhaled as Stormy's elbow went into his chest.
"All stop," Rainbow said.
Everyone stopped in his or her tracks.
"This is where it gets tricky," Rainbow said.  "I'll have to go on alone.  I'm the only one who can see."
Brian looked at the direction of where the voice was coming from and knew that there was no reason to keep going in this darkness without light.  He looked to where Stormy was and took her by the hand.  Or at least that's what he thought he did.
"EEK!"
Brian's hand shot back to his chest.  Afraid that the whole of Mother Nature's fury was now upon him, he hastily made his apologies.
"I'm . . . s-s-s-s-or-s-s-s-sorry, Stormy.  I-um-didn't-ah-mean-to-uh-do that, I really didn't!"
Stormy guffawed her horse's laugh and began pulling Brian out to the entrance with her.  Brian, grateful that he was still alive, followed her to the opening.
They exited the cave and stood by the entrance.
"I'm really, REALLY, sorry for that.  I couldn't see, I really couldn't see anything at all in there!"
"Calm down," Stormy said with tears rolling down her face.  "You grabbed my shoulder, but it made you think didn't it?"
Brian's face was red enough to glow now that he was thoroughly embarrassed.  This was enough to keep Stormy in fits of laughter.  Brian, on the other hand, was still shaken up at his almost mistake and slowly got under control.

Deeper within the tunnels bottom, Rainbow worked on not tripping on the numerous pieces of debris on the floor.
"I see that you've been using your disadvantage to its fullest extent," Murky commented.
"Yes," Rainbow said becoming more and more focused.  "You've only to let a determent disable you to become disabled."
"Wise words," Murky said without stopping, "sad that they were of no use to you on that day ten years ago."
Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks.
"You know," Rainbow said getting violently angry, "I did my best when the Antienergies came and that wasn't enough.  The Color Children did their best on that day and it wasn't enough.  My friend Starlight did his best on that day and he died.  Murky, we did our finest!  What did you do?"
"I," Murky said, "did nothing."
Rainbow bit into her lip to drive out the urge to kick Murky squarely in the face.
"That's the answer of a coward," Rainbow said in finality.
"A coward who can still see and who can still fight back.  Just because I didn't do it then, doesn't mean that I won't do it now or later on.  Timing is nothing in these games, girl, you should have known that!"

"What would you have had me do, then," Rainbow said with female wrath in her voice.  "Run away to hide on Spectra and pretend that my friends, my family, don't exist anymore?  Since the Antienergies came, you haven't even been able to do anything to the Earth.  Your prime adversary is blinded, powerless, and without a means of traveling anywhere.  Why don't we just settle it here and forget for a moment that the whole of our planet is thrown into a chaos that even it knows nothing about?  Whether or not you want to admit it, it was our own struggle against each other that gave balance to that little ball of dirt and permitted people to be happy while we fought.  Murky, you needed me!"
Murky fell silent.  Even though Rainbow couldn't see him, couldn't see his gnarled and scared face from his own struggle here on Spectra, couldn't see the tears coming form his eyes, she knew that her point had been made.  Murky knew it.  He knew in his minds ending point that they both needed each other.  He to make reasons for her to act, her to foil them; it was a symbiosis.  Maybe, in the long run of retrospection, they were destined to end up together:
Fighting against each other for years on end as enemies and then resolving their feud for the good of causes greater than themselves.
"Sorry kid," Murky said following her into the main chamber.

"They're sure taking a long time," Stormy said.
Stormy, fatigued from boredom, collapsed and lie down.  She rolled onto her side and faced Brian.
"You know," she said, "being the storm mistress is a tiring matter.  Always having to be somewhere at sometime and causing some kind of weather anomaly.  Not that I'm complaining, but it is kind of . . ."
Brian dreaded asking the question, but for some unexplained reason felt compelled to do so.
"Kind of what," Brian asked.
Stormy almost seemed to beam when the question came.
"Oh, you know, a little cold, a little noisy."
"But that's not all," Brian said knowing nothing of what he was getting into.
Stormy propped herself up on her elbow and took better notice of Brian's features.  Eyeing his boots, then up his pant legs, to the abdomen, over the crossed arms that did nothing to hide his well-honed pectorals, his good neck, noble chin and then his face.
"Just a little bit lonely up there."
Brian's heart jumped up into his throat.  He'd played right into her.
Stormy moved from lying on her side to moving over to Brian's spot by the Crystal tower.  Now slinking over to him on all fours, she looked him in they eyes.
"Sky Dancer is good company, but you've got to admit that he is a horse."
"That's obvious," Brian said getting 'that sinking feeling'.
"Well, a horse can be a good friend, but in the end, a girl needs a little more of that human companionship.  You know what I mean?"
Brian swallowed hard; Stormy was getting a little too close for comfort.
"Well, yeah, but you are Mother Nature after all.  I'd think that the whole of human civilization would revel in having you around.  Since you're the Storm Mistress, you could have anything you wanted, right?"
Stormy let out a more controlled and human laugh than the one previous.  A laugh that sounded as if it were in pain or in spite of something.  She finally closed the distance and sat down on Brian's lap.  Putting an arm around his shoulder, she leaned in a whispered the rest into his ear.

"It's been a long time since I was called "Goddess".  The human's of the world would leave me offerings, sing my praises, and know that it was I that worked for them to eat and live.  But as time went on, they not only forgot my name, but they also forgot just how much they owed me.  Needless to say, I worked to bring them back to me.  But in the end, I was left out of the picture as an anomaly in the troposphere.  I was not a maiden mother, who gave to her children, I was just another report on the evening news and extended forecast.  That, my boy, is why a storm mistress can get lonely."
Brian's ears were burning.  Stormy's scent went from that of Ozone to one of pure mountain air.  Like ground just after a rain, this exotic scent wafted from her hair and breath.  She was leaning in now, closing the distance between faces.  Brian looked into her eyes, still a perfect snowflake the color of pure white.  Brian gave in to this white and allowed his mind to sink into the perfect smell of Stormy's hair.
Then, almost as if he'd been shot, Brian started up and began feeling the terrible trembling of the basin.  Stormy started as well, that same small shock of electricity that he'd felt before coursed through her and into him.  They stood quickly, both fighting to hold their ground, and watched, as the blazing light of restoration broke free of the cave's entrance.