#21

"Is it the monster?" Dismal asked, standing with the others, Lurky close by.
"I don't-" started Red, but was promptly interrupted by another clap of thunder.
"It's stormy!" Canary cried as she pointed up to a break in the clouds. Galloping down out of the sky was Skydancer, on his back Stormy and Brian. Just as they reached the ground, the rain began to pour.
Brian slid down off of Skydancer into the arms of a few of the girls, who led him inside out of the sudden monsoon.
Stormy looked down at Red, then noticed Dismal and Lurky. A snarl found her lips immediately. "You're lucky I've got a storm to conjure up, or I'd conjure one on your faces." She spat at their feet, then looked back to Red. "Hopefully rain helps this time." She wheeled Skydancer around and they took off into the sky again in the wak of another flash of lighting.
Dismal glared at her back, then just turned to head in out of the rain with everyone else, Lurky trailing along behind him. Surprisingly, Pink came over with a couple of towels, handing on to Lurky, then held the other out to Dismal. His brow lifted suspciously, and he hesitantly took the towel. "You didn't have to..."
"I know," she said gently with a smile. "But I did."
"Why? You don't hate me?"
"I don't like you much, but I don't hate you. You could have left us in the Pits to melt with your home, but you didn't. You saved us, even though you didn't have to."
He lowered his gaze and pulled off his helmet so he could dry his hair. "It would have been more work to unhitch the carts."
Pink chuckled lightly at that, hands resting on her hips. "Say what you want, Murky Dismal. You're not as evil as you think you are." With that, and another smile, she turned to get back to work with the others.
Meanwhile, Red had gathered Buddy and Patty, and they were getting ready to head out to track the progress of the poison that was now eating into their own planet. Dismal glanced over at them, then looked around for Lurky. Indigo was currently showing him how to make hot chocolate. He saw Canary continuing the attempt to hail Rainbow. At the Console, Lala and Pink were trying to keep everything working.
"Dismal, come on."
He blinked and looked over at the stairs. Violet stood there, his gun propped against her shoulder. "We've got work to do."
He tilted his head slightly in interest, then headed to the stairs, making his way up to her. She turned and led the way up, past Rainbow's room and up another flight of stairs. it opened up into a lab/workshop, in which Violet spent much of her time.
Dismal looked around as they walked through it to a mostly empty table, on which Violet set the gloomgun. "Impressive..."
"It is something. There's little use for it these days, though. Until recently, anyway." She glanced out a window at the sound of another screech, accompanied by a crack of thunder.
Dismal coughed into his hand. "Do you think the gloom will help?"
"We'll just have to see, won't we?"