#31

Brian walked slowly through the deserted streets of Rainbowland. Everyone was working hard, with whatever they could find to do. Stormy's words were still echoing about in his head, a glum look unconsciously on his face. He carried with him the two gloom guns. Things on Earth couldn't wait for...whatever they were waiting for. He came around one of the little houses, and found what he was looking for.
Stormy sat on a bench, Skydancer grazing nearby. She looked, simply put, miserable. Her cheeks were flushed, as though she'd been crying. Seeing her like that, all of the built-up anger and frustration melted from Brian's face. He made his way over to her, and held out one of the gloom guns.
"We should get to work."
Stormy looked up as he approached, looking at the gun as he spoke. With a sigh, she took it and got up to her feet. "Right."
When they reached Earth, they both gasped. The once-blue waters were beginning to blacken along the shores, which were nearly all barren of vegitation and colour.
Stormy guided Skydancer over the skies, looking for the creature responsible. "I wonder what they'll attribute that to."
Brian looked down at the surface with despair. "Pollution, most likely." He pointed down, inland from the sea. "There, is that it?"
Below them was indeed the creature, walking lazily along the surface. "It would seem so," Stormy said. She guided Skydancer down and they both readied their gloom guns. "Rainbow said it has a hammer, so keep your eyes peeled."
When they'd gotten as low as they dared, they let loose the gloom. Skydancer did as his name suggested, dancing through the sky to avoid the creature's thrashing, and that hammer. It didn't fight back for long, though, as the gloom settled around it. Slowly, it sat down, then slumped over.
They emptied the cannisters of gloom over the creature, then Stormy altered the weather in the vicinity, blocking out the wind and rain and anything else that might wash away the gloom.
"Hopefully that will hold until we come back to do it again," Stormy said.
"You won't be coming back."
Skydancer whirled around to face the new voice, but it was too late. The last thing they'd see was a figure, just visible in the shadows of dying trees, before a heavy darkness overtook them. In the next moment, they'd disappeared, leaving behind only the gloom guns.