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Sketch Lad was relaxing, listening to some music with Lash Lad, when he was compelled to create a new piece of art. Lash excused himself to go to an appointment he had set with EDE, something about a story they'd been working on. Sketch liked the creative energy at HQ. He went into his workspace and began waving his hands in the air, summoning his sketch energy, in order to form it into a new image. The energies sputtered and splattered into the air around Sketch Lad, in random patches of charcoal grey. Thinking this was odd, Sketch took a break, did some deep breathing, found his center, then tried again. This time, the sketch energy exploded into a fuzzy blotch, like a firecracker! Alarmed, he left his quarters to look for Loser Lad.
Lou was in Spellbinder's quarters, helping her with some new costume designs for various LMBP members. The designs were nice, as usual, but Lou seemed distracted. Sketch Las just assumed it was because of what the princess was wearing (a lovely new bustier). However, something was really wrong with Lou. He suddenly collapsed. The princess called for medic droids to see to him. They moved him to the infirmary. A message came in on the intercom saying that JoeBoy and Reboot have been hospitalized on the planets where they were conducting missions. Something was going wrong with the artists of the LMB! More messages came in....DrakeB3000 was reported in a coma, dedman was sick, Vee and Monkey Eater Lad had viruses. Spellbinder suddenly fainted and was put into a bed by the droids. Feeling weak himself, Sketch Lad went back to his quarters to try and figure this out.
By this time, all of the members of the LMBP who exhibited some kind of artistic talent had been contacted. There were varying levels of illness reported. Suspicious and feeling weak himself, Sketch Lad began researching such phenomena.
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There had been reports of such crises in creativity years before. Galleries had reported that exhibits simply vanished in thin air, artists inexplicably fell ill, some died. Just as Sketch Lad began to read the next computerized article, he felt a presence behind him. A pink glow filled his room...he turned to see a beautiful but evil looking woman, all in pink. She was holding the limp bodies of Yellow Kid and White Raven in each hand.
"Who are you?" demanded Sketch Lad.
"My dear boy, I am your worst nightmare...I am EMPRESS ERASER and I've come to RUB OUT you and the whole LMBP!!!!! HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!!!!"
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Immediately, Sketch Lad began to conjur the sketch energy. Normally, his thoughts manifest into whichever superheroine he wants, so he decided a speedster would be prudent for this case. He imagined XS of the Legion of Superheroes. The sketch energies sputtered and fizzled again. Nothing even close to the form of XS was generated. Laughing, Empress Eraser dropped the limp bodies she'd dragged to this room. Sketch Lad realized that he'd have to fight! He lunged at her, fists bared. She easily side-stepped him and pushed him down. "You're no fighter, Sketch Lad, and I've taken your power from you!" She reached for his face, and took it between her two hands. Stunned, Sketch Lad could only shudder as she seemed to drain all of the energy from his being. "Once I've erased all traces of the artists of the LMBP, I'll go after the writers!! Then, I'll be empress ofthe whole UNIVERSE!!!" A tear slipped out of Sketch Lad's eye and he grew limp. Then, realizing that this maniac must be stopped, he dug deep, and concentrated. It seemed to work, the weakness she was exacting on him seemed to subside. In fact, he felt some of his strength return! Empress Eraser was surprised and lashed out at Sketch Lad with a powerful right hook! BAM!!
Sketch Lad's body fell to the floor, but at the same time, swirling tendrils of energy, in bright colors, formed around him and rose into the air. The empress braced herself. She seemed to be aware of what this was. "NO! Not you!" she cried.
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Oddly, no one in LMBP hq seemed to be aware of what was happening in Sketch Lad's quarters. Various members had gone to visit the LMBP artists who were out of commission, and the others seemed to carry on like normal. There was, as always, lots of activity at the MMB.
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The colorful energies flowing through the air in Sketch Lad's quarters began to take shape, in fact, three shapes. Three beautiful women stood in the room. They spoke, "Yes, we have returned. Empress Eraser, in your un-ending quest for power, you have wrecked untold havoc on the artists of the universe. We stopped you once before, yet you return with the same dastardly scheme. This time, we shall not use the same restraint as the last."
One of the women stepped forward. She had long, silky black hair, pale skin with beautiful Asian facial features. She wore skin tight clothing in vivid blue, which revealed a slim and toned body. "I am Sapphire! I evoke the blue shadows, the cold. Empress Eraser, I strip from you, the ability to wipe away anything from my realm."
"NO!!! The empress bent forward as if she'd taken a blow to the stomach.
"I am Ruby." the next woman announced. She was a tan woman, with dark brown hair that was very long and curled at the ends. She wore vivid red clothing that clung to her curvy body. Her pants were tight until the knee, where they flared out. "I weild the red energies, those that are hot, fiery, that have strength. Empress, I strip from you, the ability to wipe away any amount of the red flare."
The empress fell to her knees.
"I am Amber! I represent the yellow light, all things sunny and bright." Amber wore a formal gown, of shiny lemon yellow. Her hair was very curly and full, light brown with golen highlights. She had the features of an African American woman, with beautiful caramel skin. Her body was very curvy, especially below the waist. "Empress Eraser, I take away your ability to erase the energy from my domain."
The empress fell flat on the floor, spent. She was right next to Sketch Lad. He began to stir. He looked at the pink lady's crumpled figure. Then he looked at the beautiful trio staning before him.
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"We are the Color Guides, Sketch Lad." They helped him to his feet. "The three of us represent the primary colors, used by artists all over the universe. Over time, we developed the ability to manipulate the energies of the different feelings each color evokes."
Pleased, Sketch Lad continued to question the Guides. "Where does your power come from?" Ruby answered, "Everytime an artist uses red, for example, I gain more power. Whenever that artist's work creates a feeling, a spark of thought, I gain more power. We are each the living manifestation of our corresponding color. For eons, we've used this power primarily for inspiration, for spreading the love of art throughout the universe..."
Amber interrupted..."until Empress Eraser came along!"
"She's done some damage to the LMB." remarked Sketch Lad. "A lot of my friends are in really bad shape right now, because of her. In fact, my powers seem to have gone away. I guess I'm lucky I'm not in a coma or something."
"You are the reason we are here, Sketch Lad."
"Really? Why?"
Sapphire spoke, "You see, we are losing control of our powers. Years ago, when the empress first began her attempt to take over the universe, we stepped right in. We had a terrible fight with her. She's actually very powerful, despite what you saw here today. We weakened her, but she weakened us as well. She was defeated, and vanished. We thought she was gone for good, but she obviously has recuperated."
Ruby continued, "We've been watching the LMBP for quite a while now. There's so much talent amongst the members of this heroic group. The artists, in particular bring a lot of joy and entertainment to the universe. We wanted to get nearer to your group. To feed off of the energy here. Unfortuneately, Empress Eraser had the same idea."
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Amber put her hands on Sketch Lad's shoulders. "I'm afraid your powers are permanently altered, Sketch Lad."
He bowed his head, discouraged. "Oh, no."
"Don't despair, my friend." Sapphire injected. "There is something we can do. But first, we must see to your ailing friends, and this fiend." She nudged the empress with her foot.
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The three guides of color stood with their hands clasped together, raised over their heads. They concentrated, and began to glow. Sketch Lad stood back. They began to rise in the air. Then Empress Eraser began to float, then Sketch Lad. All of them slowly faded from sight, and rematerialized outside, in the sky, with buildings below them and off into the horizon. It was mid-day, the sun was shining.
Suddenly, Freekinos appeared! Then Monkey Eater Lad, then Arachne, then Minesurfer. Loser Lad materialized, in fine health. Polar Boy arrived. Soon, any and all LMB members who were affected by Empress Eraser's wipe out energy, were there, hovering in the sky. The empress woke up. She looked at the Color Guides, with hate. "You three have never been able to stop me! You won't do it now, either!" She pointed both her hands toward the threesome. A burst of pink energy connected to each of them, making them shake violently. The blast stopped, and Ruby, Sapphire and Amber held each other up, in a daze. Amber spoke, "Empress, it's true, we may not be able to stop you completely, but we were able to rejuvenate THE LEGION OF MESSAGE BOARD POSTERS!!!"
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With that the whole Legion rushed toward the empress. Each used their unique abilities in unison, to wear her down. With each blow, she began to glow white, to boil with energy around her. She began to scream. Her body started to dissipate, to crumble into small bits. The various members of the LMBP stood back to let Sketch Lad come forward. He put his hands out in front of the pathetic form that used to be the powerful Empress Eraser. There was an explosion, and she was gone, disintegrated. The LMBP cheered and hugged each other in victory!
A great celebration went on at the hq. Evidently, the non artist members of the LMB had been hypnotized while all this was going on. They were made to believe everything was normal, just that some members were sick. That didn't stop them from taking part in the victory celebration, though.
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The Color Guides really enjoyed partying with the LMB. So many interesting characters, so much fun and laughter. Sketch Lad smiled, realizing that of all the places in the universe they could visit, they chose to come here. However, he felt a little sadness, some self pity. That last blast that ended the battle with Empress Eraser seemed to be the end of his superpowers. He walked out onto a balcony, alone in the dark. Sapphire came out to talk to him. "Didn't I tell you not to despair, Sketch Lad?" He gave a polite smile in response. Amber came outside. "Your powers may be gone, but you've gained three allies in exchange." Again, a polite smile. "Yes, you three are wonderful. I'm glad you're here. Will you stay long?" Ruby walked right up to Sketch Lad. She was holding a silver belt, with a red gemstone as the buckle. "As a matter of fact, we'll be staying with YOU, sir."
"As we told you, Sketch Lad, we are the living embodiment of the feelings that our colors evoke. We have lived a long, beautiful life, but things are changing for us. Our energies are fading. Our power is lessening. We need more time to meditate. We need focus. We need a vessel and a director. We need you."
"We will contain ourselves within this gem, Sketch Lad, which you must wear on your person. When you need, you may call upon us, and we will appear and assist you. You must take this responsibility seriously. We are trusting you."
"I accept this responsibility! Thank you! Thank you all!"
Epilogue...
With this change in his abilities, Sketch Lad decided he needed a new image. He had his hair cut! It was now very short, with some spiky parts in the front, and it was colored platinum. He donned a platinum costume, based on the design worn by Dream Girl of the Legion of Superheroes. He wore the silver belt with ruby buckle. Although he no longer weilded the sketch energy, he had a powerful resource in the Color Guides. Although he wanted them to rest, he looked forward to the day when he could summon them in a fight against evil.
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