Eternal Nights

a Rainbow Brite Story

It was night when Rainbow woke up. Still sleepy she looked to the window when her eyes widened. She couldn't say what it was but she felt from deep inside that something was wrong. Something that never had been wrong since she had safed Rainbowland from the Dark One. Then she glanced at her big clock.
Slowly moving out of her bed she tip-toed to Twink's bed. "Twink..Twink, wake up, come on, wake up!" Twink turned around and opened his eyes. "Hey Rainbow. What's going on? It's still night and I want to get some more sleep." Twink murmured. "Twink! Look at the clock!" whispered Rainbow. The clock was Orin's present. The numbers glowed with all the light of Spectra. It was nearly 11 AM!

The laughing echoed from the walls. Murky Dismal stood in front of the window of his homelike cave and admired his work's masterpiece. "Gotcha. Hehehe! Do you hear me, Rainbow? I got you!" He turned. Lurky sat down in a corner, staring sad into the dark sky. No stars, no moon, no sun - everything had gone. No wind was breathing beetween the trees and even the birds that sometimes lost their way here kept silent.
"I have been waiting so many years for this moment. This Rainbow brat always came with her awefully white nag and destroyed all my dreams with her cruel colors. But now she is lost. This time she can not win. Isn't that great? Lurky, don't you hear this wonderful silence?" - "Oh, yes, wonderful." grumbled Lurky. He was now looking at a huge machine. How had Murky called it? The HYPER-DUSTER was pumping enormous clouds of dust out of its chimney high into the sky. But not only dust. Murky had made a special mixture of all sorts from his sadness drinks. He tested it with a few color crystals he had "found". No crystal had been able to enlight the dust. Murky was right. If there wasn't something very unusual going to happen Rainbow would have no chance this time. Murky had even built huge walls around their home to protect his installation from Rainbow's influence.

The color kids and sprites were more than excited. They were chatting loudly when Rainbow screamed for silence. "Calm down, friends! I know there could be no other than Murky Dismal behind all this! Starlite, Twink and I will go to find out how this could happen." Canary asked: "But what can we do when Murky comes here into Rainbowland and you're not here, Rainbow?" - "He won't come. He feels safe. But if he comes you can throw color crystals at him. Don't be afraid. We'll be back soon." Then she left the hall of colors and stepped out of Color Castle. Twink who looked a little bit scary followed her. "Hey Starlite! Come here, we need to show Murky some new colors." She touched her rainbow belt and the yellow star turned white sending out rays of light that build the rainbow. But when the rainbow reached the dusty clouds it disappeared. "That's not possible. How could he do it? Starlite, how long will it take to Murky's cave without the rainbow?" - "We'll need about an hour. Let's hurry. That dust is getting thicker and thicker." Starlite said moving fast like the wind.
The little houses of the sprites and the usually beautiful landscape past. Dark shadows rose and tiny animals were hiding behind the trees. "Don't be afraid. I'll bring the light back to you."

Lurky stood up and went to the Hyper-Duster fumbling with some buttons. "Eh, Murky, what have you said?"
"Lurky, step back you.. carefully! My new Hyper-Duster is sensitive to shaking. How often have I said you that you not..."
While Murky was grumbling Rainbow, Twink and Starlite arrived the walls Murky had built. "That's to high! And if my rainbow doesn't work we'll have to find another way in. Twink couldn't you..?" - "Oohh no! Not again. Starlite will hurt my back if I have no protection." Rainbow was looking around for some kind of protection when a friendly looking eagle landed. "Hi there. Aren't you Rainbow Brite? Do you remember me? You helped me once when my wing was hurt. What are you doing here in this dark region?" Rainbow smiled. "Oh, you are our rescue. Murky Dismal took the sky away and I can't do anything against it. Can you help us? We need to get over this wall!" - "I can't carry you or the horse but that little sprite. Do you want me to fly him to the other side?" - "That would be great" Twink tried to object something: "Hey, did somebody ask me what I want to do?" But Rainbow replied: "Twink. Don't you see that you are our only hope to save Rainbowland and all colors of the world? You HAVE to go or do you want all things become like the time before I came?" - "No, I don't. Let's do it." With this last words spoken the eagle grabbed Twink carefully and carried him over the high wall.

Twink landed directly in front of the cave. He hoped that Murky Dismal hadn't seen him. Now it was up to him. He would have to find out what caused that black nightmare and report it to Rainbow. Then they would decide what they could do against it. Although he didn't dare to breathe his breathing got faster. Carefully he peeked around a corner in the cave and saw Murky Dismal who stoodd in front of a window obviously enjoying his work. In the middle of the room stood a big machine that was spitting out black dark and dusty clouds. He had seen enough. But where was Lurky? His heartbeating got so strong that he thought Murky would hear it. Slowly he turned around and breathed out with relief. No Lurky was standing behind him. Also slowly he went back to Rainbow and Starlite. "Rainbow? Murky has a machine in there that produces these dark clouds. I see no way how I can stop it without beeing discovered." - "Then we'll have to got him out of his cave. Starlite, can you make some noise, running around so that Murky comes out? I hope Twink will be able to stop that machine then. You'll have to keep Murky here until Twink comes back." Rainbow hid behind a tree and Twink near to the cave. Starlite neighed loudly and Lurky appeared in the window "Hey Murky! There is that beautiful white horse Starlite. I'll go out and ask what he wants. Perhaps I can take a ride and..." - "Stop Lurky, stop! Stay here and have an eye for the Hyper-Duster! I'll go out and take care of that nag myself." - "Only you. I want to have fun, too!" A moment later after Murky Dismal ran out of the cave Twink stepped into the cave heading straight towards the Hyper-Duster. "Oh colors! I like colors! Hey little sprite what are you doing here?" - "What does it look like? I try to turn this machine off." - "I should not say that. Murky will be angry. Be careful! The Hyper-Duster is sensitive to shakings." - "You mean...like this?" Twink tried to shake that huge machine but his weight was not enough. "No, I meant something like that." Lurky stepped forward and shook the Hyper-Duster with his strong arms. Some strange noise, the machine collapsed and broke down. Murky heard that noise and hurried back into his cave. "What the hell is...no..NO! Lurky what have you done???" - "I..I'm sorry Murky but I..I wanted to catch this sprite here and stumbled..fell against the machine. I..."

Murky Dismal's screaming was so loudly that Rainbow would have heard it in the Rainbow Castle. The dark clouds that came out of Murky's cave were vanishing slowly. She touched her rainbow belt softly. This time the rainbow had enough power to get through the vanishing clouds. "Starlite! Come here! We must save Twink!" She jumped on Starlite's back and Starlite ran on the rainbow over the walls when Twink came out of the cave. Murky was a few steps behind him. "Wait my little friend! We are not finished yet!" - "Murky! Murky Dismal! Look here!" Rainbow took a few color crystals, formed a glowing white ball with the rainbow's power and blowed into the ball. Murky ran directly into the rainbow. "Colors! I hate colors! You! That's not fair. Why does she always have to win?" Lurky came out. "Colors? Colors are pretty!" - "Shut up!" - "But Murky..." - "No word!" The three laughed "Hehehe. Look at Murky. He looks so nice with these stripes."

They left Murky's cave. The rainbow brought them safely home to Rainbow Castle where the color kids stood happily waving their hands. Another fight against sadness in the world was won.

written by Michael Hartmann and Katy Cartee