+ ((( Rainbow in the Dark ))) +

Back to The Source (Part 2/3)

Blue entered first, glancing around with determination, followed by Elise, still clutching her Lookie, and then by Purple, who pulled his hoodie tighter around himself.

Blue began to lead them down the hallway, leading them towards his castle. The space was just big enough for him to fit without having to bend over, causing him to look tall and imposing.

Orange quietly scampered after him, checking behind him to make sure that the rest were still following.

As they moved quickly, Elise suddenly tapped Orange on the shoulder, he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong until she shushed him. She turned his head around until he saw what she had seen.

It was a security camera. It had a blinking red light, and it seemed to be following their movements as they walked, turning on its hinges ever so slightly to point at them.

Orange froze. So Red was watching them. He cursed under his breath as he realized that Red could be sending the others to their location right now.

Purple nudged Orange and Elise forwards, telling them to keep moving as he also glanced at the camera warily.

After another turn, Blue opened the door in front of them and stepped through, revealing his castle, accompanied by the two fake bridges and the usual bright green grass on the floor. It wasn't nearly as impressive as the one at OddWorld, Orange thought as he saw it, remembering the big throne that he had seen while accompanying Elise.

Yet the faded blue walls were familiar enough to Orange as he darted past Blue and up the ramp. Sure enough, once he entered the back room of the castle, he saw the suspicious plank on the wall.

He grunted as he struggled to grasp the edge, but he finally managed to get a grip and he began to pull it out. There was some resistance, but after a few scraping sounds, he managed to get it out and set the wide plank against the wall.

Elise appeared over his shoulder and also gazed down into the entrance in awe. Orange stood there, gaping.

Blue had been right, there was a long staircase descending into the darkness.

All of this time, and this had been under all of the Rainbow Friend's noses. It was a wonder that they had discovered this only now.

However, Orange glanced back to look at his friends and a thought occurred to him.

"Guys...I don't think that this is big enough for all of us." He whispered, gesturing to the very narrow staircase before them.

Blue, who was hovering just outside the small room with Purple, frowned slightly. "Then what are we supposed to do?" He asked, glancing between himself and Purple.

The group was silent for a moment, until Orange spoke up again.

"How about this? We split up, with you and Purple going to distract Red and the others so they don't interfere, while Elise and I go find the power source and shut it off." He said, looking at his friends to make sure they seemed on board.

Elise nodded after a moment of hesitation, as did Blue. Purple looked very unsure of himself, however. After a few heartbeats, he seemed to pull himself together and stood up straighter, finally nodding as well.

Orange smiled at the willingness that his friends were showing to help him, "Thank you guys. Let's get this done."

Purple smiled back at him, seeming grateful, and Blue turned around to leave with a nod.

Before he could take a step, however, Elise cleared her throat with uncertainty. Blue stopped and glanced at her curiously, only a slight hint of annoyance in his eyes.

She stepped forward. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I don't think that Coral should come with us. Could you take her with you?" She asked softly, as if fearing that Blue would lash out at her.

"Coral?" Blue repeated, confused. Orange was also taken off guard for a moment, until his eyes landed on the Lookie that Elise was holding out to the big Rainbow Friend.

"You named it?!" Orange yelped, louder than he intended to. Purple tried to shush him as Elise nodded.

"Yeah. She's a bright one. Aren't you Coral?" Elise cooed, to which Orange rolled his eyes and the Lookie squeaked back in delight.

Blue hesitated for a moment, he opened his mouth, most likely to reject the offer, until the Lookie, er- Coral, turned and gave him the Lookie version of the puppy eyes.

Orange forced himself to look away from the adorable sight, and Blue fell silent again for a moment.

"Fine." Blue muttered, "I'll take the damn Lookie. But if it gets in between me and Red, then it's on its own."

Elise smiled gratefully, uttering a small "thank you" as Blue held it firmly between his fingerless hands.

Blue turned to leave once again, and Orange couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He had no clue what would happen while they were separate, what if something happened to them?

Purple hadn't moved to leave yet, looking at the ground silently. Orange couldn't help but feel immense pity for Purple, as the thin monster had only tried his best to remain a good, reliable friend.

Despite everything that had happened, it was almost like Purple believed that things could return to normal. Oh how simple it would be.

However, that was not how things were. Orange stepped towards Purple and wrapped him in a tight embrace, noticing how stiff Purple was.

At his touch, however, Purple relaxed slightly and hugged him back. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Orange shook his head, feeling himself wanting to tear up. "Don't be. This isn't your fault."

But Purple squeezed him tighter, "No. I'm sorry that I didn't do something earlier when you asked. I wasn't being a good friend." he said quietly.

Orange's eyes widened. "Purple, I don't blame you for that! And come on, you did help, even if it was a little bit late. You've had my back, and that's all I can possibly ask of you. So trust me when I say that you're a great friend."

With that statement, Orange let go and stepped backwards, allowing Purple to go with Blue, who was waiting at the doorway to the room with Coral. Purple gave him one last smile before following the other two.

Orange frowned as he saw them go. He truly hoped that they would be okay.

"Are you ready?" He asked Elise, taking her hand in his claws.

She looked up from where she was staring down the dark staircase and met his eyes. "I'm ready as I'll ever be." She said.

And with that, Orange and Elise went to go find the power source, hand in hand.

This was the time.

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Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter and for sticking around. Expect the next chapter very soon! (and lots of drama!)

May you have a wonderful day/night!

Next Chapter: Back to the Source (Part 3/3)