#38

Rainbow's eyes slowly drifted open. She was laying in her bed, curtains drawn over the windows to kep the room dim. A cool cloth rested on her forehead, and someone sat beside her.
"Moonglow...?"
She turned and smiled down at Rainbow. "So, you're awake." She took the cloth from her forehead. "You came down with a fever."
"I was dreaming..."
"Oh?" She dipped the cloth into a shallow bowl of water, wrung it out, and dabbed it against Rainbow's face. "Seemed to me like a nightmare."
"Maybe it was..." She looked off to the side, and saw Krys curled up, asleep, in a chair.
"He's been working almost nonstop ever since he got here. None of us have slept much while you were gone."
Rainbow looked up at her again. "I'm so proud of all of you. You stopped those things. You even found a way to stop the poison. Earth and Rainbowland would have crumbled before I got the chance to put an end to all of this."
"Hey, don't sweat it. We're a team, remember?" She smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, with the sleep."
"Good," she said and set the washcloth aside. "I think it would do the others good to see you. Everyone's been worried about you. And now that Stormy and Brian..."
She sat up, brushing hair back from her face. It was out of its ponytail, and looked to have been combed out, likely thanks to Moonglow. "I'll find them. I'm sure whoever's doing all of this is the one that took them. I'll get them back. I'll fix all of this."
"We know you will, Rainbow," Moonglow said as she folded back the covers. "We trust you, and believe in you. We're just...scared."
Rainbow watched the smile fade from her face, and be replaced with sadness and fear. She reached out and took hold of Moonglow's arms. Gently, she pulled her close and wrapped her arms around her.
Moonglow was surprised at first, but as the comfort washed over her, she slipped her arms around Rainbow and let the tears fall.

Twink had practically glued himself to Rainbow's side the whole time she'd been walking around Rainbowland, helping everyone administer the solution. Violet had come up with a pressurized hose and spraying system. The vats had been assembled upright on trucks that could be pulled by Starlight and On-X. Each vat was pressurized thanks to pumps the sprites were taking turns working. Large hoses were hooked up to each vat, with nozzles on the end that would spray the solution easily. It was slow going, but they'd split up, and they were making progress.
When Starlight's truck passed under the path leading to the Colour Cave, Rainbow handed her hose off to Tickled Pink, and broke away from them to go up and see Red. Twink followed at her heels.

#37

"It's going to rain," Stormy grumbled.
Brian glanced over at her. She was laying down in her cage, one leg dangling out between the bars. "Can't you stop it?"
"I've been trying. I don't have any authority here."
"What do you mean? I thought you could do it anywhere."
"Well, you're wrong," she snapped bitterly.
He frowned and looked away, arms folding over his chest. He was sitting back against the bars, legs folded in front of him. "I don't understand."
She rolled onto her side so she could look at him. "Because you're human. You're not even supposed to know who we are, let alone understand what we do."
He glared at her. "Well, I do know you, and I want to understand."
She sat up, hair falling to her shoulders. She slipped her other leg through another bar and leaned forward against them, the cage tipping slightly with her weight. "We were all given our powers in the conditions. We have to look after such and such places, for these and those reasons, always following the will and way of the Wearer of the Belt. It's easy for the other kids, for Buddy and Red and Violet. But Moonglow and I, we're different. The others work with Rainbow, to bring colour and new life. Moonglow and I, we fill in the gaps.
"She and I can do our work from anywhere. But we still answer to the Wearer of the Belt. She's responsible for keeping so many worlds bright and beautiful, thus Moonglow and I only have authority on those places, and only if Rainbow Brite wills it."
"I think I understand," Brian said slowly. "But, if you can't use your powers here, and that means this world isn't under Rainbow's protection, does that mean she can't use her powers here either?"
She thought about it, then looked over at him. "I don't think so. Spira, where she met Krys, that world wasn't under her protection, but she used her powers there. I think it might be different for her."
After a short time, Brian spoke again. "Rainbow wasn't the first 'Wearer of the Belt', right?"
"That's right."
"Who came before her?"
She looked ahead again. "I don't know. I wasn't here."

Darkness.
"Where am I?"
A flash of lightning, a desolate world, darkness.
"What is this place?"
Another flash, a different picture. A castle, towering into the sky, clinging like a great tree to a cliffside. The sky roiled with thick, smokey, gloomy clouds. A sea raged below the cliff, waves gathering themselves into titanit swells, then throwing themselves mercilessly against the castle walls. Darkness.
"I know this place."
The white light again. Closer to the castle now, focus drawn to a balcony, just out of reach of the hungry waves. Silver hair, a black gown.
"Who is she?"
Another figure steps out. High collar, a crown. His arms go around the woman. Darkness again.
"I know them."
A bright light. A different light.

#36

"I saw your home," she said quietly as they stopped just out of sight. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" he asked with genuine surprise. "All of these years, that's what I've wanted to do to you, and you're sorry?"
"I don't think that's true, Murky."
He blinked. "You don't?"
"You're very clever, and smart, probably even smarter than Violet, and none of us ever understand her. I think if you'd really wanted to, you'd have succeeded a long time ago."
"You're saying I don't want to?"
"I'm saying you're angry, you've got a lot of bad luck, and you've just been trying to stop us for so long, you didn't know what else to do."
He frowned, but thought about it. "Is that why you never chased me away? Because you thought I didn't really mean any of it?"
"Well..." It was her turn to stop and think about it. Faded memories tickled at the back of her mind, but she couldn't see them clearly. "Maybe... I think there's more to it than that."
"What do you mean?"
"It's almost like...like I know why you're doing it, though I can't explain it. And because of that, I could never really be angry."
He arched a brow at her. "That makes no sense at all."
She laughed. "Regardless, I'm glad you're helping. I don't know if we could fight two battles right now."
"Yes, well, quite obviously this is my fight, too. This goes beyond colour."
She looked at him seriously again. "When this is all over..."
He managed a very weak smile. "I won't forget what I've learned." He turned and looked out int the direction of the Pits. "I know now how important hope is. Hope is life. And colour...beauty...light...they bring hope." He looked back over at Rainbow, and was shocked to see tears streaming down her cheeks. "R-Rainbow?"
She blinked and lifted her hands to her cheeks. "Ah..."
"What's the matter?"
"I don't...know..."
"You're remembering, Rainbow Brite," Alpha said. He stood behind them, Omi still clinging to his leg.
She turned towards them. "Remembering?"
"Who you were, and who you are."
Her face slowly scrunched up, and her hands lifted up over her head. "Aargh!" she cried as she shook her head and sank down to sit on her heels. "I don't understand any of this!"
Starlight pushed past them and lowered his head to Rainbow, and she quickly hugged him close, face pressed against his broad forehead. "We'll figure it out, Rainbow."
Alpha sighed softly with disappointment. "You should get some rest, Rainbow Brite. You'll need it. There is time while supplies are gathered."
Dismal stepped forward and offered his hand to her. She gently took it and he hoisted her back up to her feet.
"You rest, too, Starlight. I'll need all of your strength." He nodded without argument, and she headed into the Castle with Dismal.

"Do you think Rainbow's alright?" Canary asked Violet as she helped her carry a vat of the poison-fighting solution.
"Honestly? I don't know. This seems to be affecting her far more severely than anything else she's ever faced."
"Do you think it's because Stormy and Brian were abducted while she was away?"
Violet slowly shook her head. "I think that might be one thing on top of what's really affecting her."
"Maybe it has something to do with the 'Beginning' and 'End'?" They sat the vat down just outside, alongside half a dozen other barrels of the solution.
"Could be," Violet said absently, hands rested on her hips as she surveyed their progress.
Red and Buddy set another down beside theirs. "How are we going to spread this stuff around?" Red asked.
"My original hope was rain..." Sad looks crossed all of their faces. Violet puffed up, one hand resting on the vat beside her. "But I've got another idea."

#35

Rainbow winced at the sight of Xerol. "It's almost completely gone..."
"Let's hope that message was right, and the kids found a way to stop those creatures," Starlight said over his shoulder.
"If anyone could, they would." She looked back at Alpha sadly. "Are these worlds gone forever?"
"It's hard to say," he said. "They're thoroughly obliterated, but," he smiled to her, "you're Rainbow Brite. It may not be impossible."
She only frowned in confusion and turned forward again. "Hurry, Starlight. We're nearly there."
"You can count on me."
As they passed into Earth's dimension, she cried out, half in relief that the Earth was still there, and half in dismay at the state it was currently in.
In comfort, Alpha wrapped his arms around her. "You will save the Earth, Rainbow Brite."
Omi glanced back at them, then looked down to the Earth, troubled look on his face.
It was only a few more minutes before Starlight followed the rainbow over Rainbowland. Patty caught sight of them and let out a loud shout of glee. "It's Rainbow! Rainbow's back!" The rest of the kids joined her at once, as well as Krys, Dismal, and Lurky.
"What are Murky and Lurky doing here?" Starlight asked with distaste.
"Look there," Rainbow said, pointing to the Pits, at their melted and crumbled home. "I have a feeling they're helping."
"Alpha, look!" Omi cried and pointed to the gloomy bird. "They actually stopped the Condor!"
"So they did," he said with quiet wonder.
Starlight touched down to a warm welcome, everyone gathering around. Rainbow was quick to quiet them, hands raised. "I want to hear about everything that's happened, and everything you've figured out, but right now is not the time."
"Rainbow, Stormy and Brian were taken!" Patty called.
"I know," she said with a solemn face. "And I intend to get them back." As Alpha slipped down off of Starlight's back, Rainbow decided on introductions. "Everyone, this is Alpha, and Omi. They're..."
"We're going to help stop all of this," Alpha said simply as he helped Omi down. The boy stepped closer to Alpha, hiding himself behind his leg.
"Rainbow!" Twink ran from Red's side as they came back from the Colour Cave.
Rainbow slipped off of Starlight and dropped to one knee, catching her favorite sprite in her arms. "I missed you, too, my friend." She slowly stood back up, glancing up at Alpha. "Do you know how to get to the ones doing all of this?"
He shook his head. "Only you do, Rainbow Brite."
Starlight stomped a hoof in frustration, but she just patted his shoulder and began to move into the Castle.
"How did you stop the creatures?" she asked them in general.
Violet spoke up with a smile. "You can thank Murky Dismal for that."
Her eyes widened as she looked over at Dismal, who was looking off to the side glumly. "Murky?"
"His gloom finally came in handy," Violet said cheerfully. "But even more importantly," she said more seriously, and Rainbow looked back over to her. "We discovered a way to stop, and even prevent, the poison."
She was pleasantly surprised this time, and took a look around the inside of the Castle. "That would explain all of this, then?" she asked, motioning to the piles of ingredients and various pots everything was brewing in.
"Right," Violet agreed. "However, this stuff only stops the poison. It doesn't reverse its effects."
Rainbow sighed. "Which means everything's still dead." She turned to Violet. "Get this stuff to every corner of Rainbowland and Earth. Get me a list of the ingredients and instructions on how it's made, too. We might have to pass this on to others in the Universe."
Violet nodded and headed up to her laboratory. When Dismal turned to follow, Rainbow caught his arm. "Wait, Murky. We need to talk."
He winced at her touch and slowly turned to look at her. "Alright..."
She motioned outside, then looked to the others. "Keep it up, everyone. We'll beat this thing." She then followed Dismal outside.

#34

"It's Krys and Moonglow!" Patty called into the Castle.
The kids were quick to abandon their consoles. The sprites were spread out inside, making piles of the ingredients Violet and Dismal needed.
"Are Stormy and Brian with them?" Lala asked as they gathered at the door.
With tears in her eyes, Patty said, No, they're alone..." Buddy gently patted ehr shoulder, and she turned to press her face into his chest.
Tickled Pink slipped outside. "I'll go up to the Colour Cave and tell Red and Twink," she said, then turned and ran down the brick road.
On-X touched down, and everyone gathered around. Canary and Lala took the guns and went inside to give them to Violet and Dismal. Moonglow delicately stepped down off of On-X, and Krys dropped down after her.
"What happened?" Indigo asked.
"They stopped the creature, but..." Moonglow trailed off.
Krys pulled off his helmet. "They were taken."
"Taken?" the kids cried in shock.
"On-X picked up the traces of a dimensional rift. There's no telling where in the Universe they are."
"What are we going to do?" Patty cried helplessly.
"Violet could look for them with her telescope!" Buddy said.
"I'd be looking for years. Besides, I don't think my telescope can pick up individual lifeforms on a faraway planet's surface," Violet said as she came outside with the others.
"We have to trust this to Rainbow," Moonglow said softly. She didn't look too well, and Krys slipped an arm around her for support.
"Let's get you inside."
Tickled Pink returned with Red and Twink just as Krys went into the Castle with Moonglow. Buddy filled them in on what had happened. Twink looked up at Red. "Do you think she got the message?"
"Of course she did. And if she hasn't yet, she will," he said with conviction. He turned to Violet and Dismal. "How much of that stuff have you made?"
Violet grinned. "Enough to stop the poison here in Rainbowland."
"What effect do you think that stuff would have on the creatures?"
She pondered, then shrugged. "Maybe it'd neutralize the poison they carry. Maybe nothing."
"Or maybe it'd just make them mad," Dismal said with a frown.
"Try it. Keep the gloom gun handy just in case." He turned to the others. "Let's get back to making more of it. Twink and I will keep the star sprinkles coming."

#33

"Look at that!" Moonglow cried. She pointed down at the Earth's surface, at a large mound positioned on the edge of the poisoned area. As they drew closer, they were able to see that it was more than just a mound.
"It's the creature," Krys said quietly. "They succeeded..."
"But where are they?"
They glanced at each other, then they both began scouring the area for some clue as to where Stormy and Brian had gone.
"Oh, no..." Moonglow pointed to a spot not far from the creature. There in the dirt were the two gloom guns.
On-X landed and Moonglow slipped down to retrieve them. "Something's happened to them," Krys said. "Something bad."
As Moonglow climbed back on, On-X spoke up with his broken voice. "Atmosphere...dis-urbance...dete-te-tected."
Krys frowned. "What kind of disturbance?"
"Break in...dimensional boundary."
Both riders gained anxious expressions. Moonglow hugged the guns to her chest while Krys looked around. "Whatever's doing this," he said softly, "may have just taken them."
"Let's get out of here. There's...nothing we can do right now." She looked down with shame at those words.
Krys sighed, but urged On-X up into the sky. "You're right. We need to get the guns back. Rainbow's their only hope now."
Moonglow closed her eyes tightly and rested her forehead against his shoulder. Once they were off of the surface, she handed the guns over to Krys. "This won't take long."
With On-X hovering in place, Moonglow began the mental process of encoding a message in the stars.

Rainbow reached out to Starlight's neck. "Are you alright, old friend?"
His ears twitched back, head lifting up proudly. "All the dimensions in the Universe could not tire me. Just keep the rainbow steady, and I will keep running."
She smiled gently, but his words seemed to bring something to Alpha's mind. "How is it you've sustained the rainbow so long? You hardly use the star sprinkles at all now."
She glanced back wtih a sly grin. "I've a friend who specializes in making the stars brighter."
His brows lifted. "Astral reserves?"
"I guess you could call them that," she said with a laugh.
"Rainbow..."
She turned forward again. "What is it, Starlight?"
"That star, there," he said while motioning off to the side with his muzzle.
She watched as the star winked irregularly. "It...I think it's a message!"

"Erng..."
"Are you alright, Stormy?"
She slowly sat up, and was quickly aware that her surroundings were moving. She was in some sort of cage...
"Best not to move too much..." Brian was positioned a short ways from her, in another hanging cage. "I'd say don't look down, but, well-"
She did just that, and stifled a scream as she instinctively grabbed the bars of the cage. They were hanging, alright. A good three hundred feet up in the air, overlooking some sort of ravine. The closest solid land was fifty feet up, thirty feet over. They were thoroughly suspended.
"Yeah, I knew you'd look."
She turned towards him, fear etched across her face. There was fear in Brian's, too, but not as strong. "Skydancer?"
"Haven't seen him. Or heard him, which likely means he's no where near here," he said. "Any idea where we are?"
She slowly looked around, but shook her head. "It looks like a hundred thousand other worlds... How are we going to get out of this one?"
"Rainbow will come," Brian said with conviction.
Stormy glance at him again with a frown. "Brian..."
"She will, Stormy. You can't give up on her already. She always pulls through."
"Just because she's got a belt and some pretty rocks doesn't mean she's invincible!"
"That's not why, Stormy."
She blinked, looking at him with a furrowed brow.
"She won't fail because of her heart, not because she's Rainbow Brite. I think..." He grabbed one of the bars and looked off to the side. "I think she became Rainbow Brite because of her heart. She's strong, and smart, and filled with love and compassion. She doesn't get discouraged, even when all the odds are against her, even when it seems like there's no hope to be had. The worse things get, the more determined she becomes. She doesn't give up. Only the ones that give up get defeated."
Stormy listened silently to his words. When he finished, tears had begun to fall down her cheeks. "You're right. I gave up on her... I- I should have believed in her. I was wrong."
He looked at her compassionately. "For both our sakes," he said quietly, "I really hope so."

#32

"Are there others like me?" Rainbow asked Alpha as Starlight continued his tireless run across dimensions.
"There are other protectors of teh Universe," he replied carefully. "But none of them are like you."
"What do you mean?"
"He means you're better than the rest of them," Omi piped up.
"How?"
"Because you're Rainbow Brite," he said, matter-of-factly.
"I don't-"
"You will, in time," Alpha said reassuringly.
"I just feel like everything would make sense, and I'd know exactly what to do, if I could just understand what you were both talking about."
"Because you would," Omi said as he looked up at her.
Alpha knocked a knuckle against his head. "Quiet, Omi."
"He's right, though, isn't he?"
He sighed softly and rested his hands on her shoulders. "He is."
"Then explain it to her," Starlight said with agitation.
"I could, but that would not gurantee her understanding. It will be better for her to come into the knowledge on her own."
She sighed, her eyes drifting shut. "What if I never understand?"
"You will," Alpha said.
"You have to," said Omi.

Lala sat back from the console in the Castle. "It's not spreading as fast. They must have gotten it."
Patty stepped in from the doorway. "Shouldn't they have been back by now?"
Red leaned back in his chair. "Brian still had his two-way, didn't he?"
"There's no answer." Canary pulled the base's headphones down around her neck.
Krys hopped down off of the stairs. "I'll go search for them."
"I'll go with you," Moonglow said as she made her way over.
"You sure?"
She nodded. "I want to try to get a message to Rainbow through the stars. She'd probably feel better knowing the creatures have been stopped."
"Alright. Come on." They headed outside to where On-X stood on stand-by.

Upstairs, Violet and Dismal were bent over a table. The surface was covered with a patch of soil and grass from outside. Only half of it remained, from tried and failed experiments.
"Cross your fingers," Dismal said as he poured a bit of the poisoned earth onto a corner of the remaining grass. The poison began to spread, killing the grass one blade at a time. Violet held out a spray bottle filled with the latest experiment. She squirted some of the solution onto the poisoned earth, making sure to get all of it. They then stood back and watched. Nothing happened. The grass didn't grow back, but as they watched, they noticed that nothing more had died, either.
Violet let out a whoop of triumph. "Ha! It stopped!" She moved around to the other end of the table. "Do you think it could prevent the poison altogether?"
"Only one way to find out," Dismal said as he followed her around to the fresh grass.
She sprayed the solution over a patch of the grass, giving it a healthy dose, just in case. After a moment, Dismal poured more of the poisoned earth onto the grass. And nothing happened.
"We've done it!" Violet cried.
Dismal didn't look so sure. "It buys us time. But it doesn't fix things."
Violet frowned and looked over at him. "You're right...But fixing things isn't our job. Buying time is. Now come on, we ned to make a ton of this stuff, and fast." She looked over at IQ, who'd been helping them the whole time. "Go tell the others we came up with something." She handed it a list. "Tell them we need as much of these ingredients as they can get. Tell them this is priority over everything else!"

#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.

#30

"You're sure we have to stop here?" Rainbow asked Alpha, glancing back over her shoulder at him. Before them stretched the surface of a dark, desolate world, much like the surface of the world they'd just come from. Only this time, the few openings inside that Rainbow could see were pitch, empty, no secret world tucked away. it looked lonely, and most of all uninhabited.
"Is there even anything here?" Starlight asked as he stepped off of the rainbow and onto the surface.
"I assure you both that something of great importance lies here," he said as he rested a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "Waiting for you."
She blushed slightly and looked forward again, coughing to try to regain her composure. "Yes, well, shall we try to find it, then?"
Alpha nodded, and Starlight began to walk forward.
"You said you made the belt," Rainbow said as she looked around for some clue to something she didn't know anything about.
"That's right," he replied, glancing at her a moment.
"Can you tell me...who the voice was that brought me to it? And to Rainbowland? The Light..."
"I'm afraid that I can't. You will one day come to understand, though. That, I will tell you."
She sighed softly and looked back at him, meeting his gaze. "Is everything with you just one big riddle?"
He smiled, a bit sheepishly, which came as a surprise, and laughed lightly. "I'm afraid so, Rainbow Brite."
She tilted her head slightly at him. "You can just call me 'Rainbow', you know."
He smiled a bit sadly. "Perhaps that is why."
"Why...?"
He hesitated in continuing, before suddenly turning his head to look out at one of the caves. "There. Go there."
Starlight flicked an ear back, but waited for a nudge from Rainbow's knee before actually heading that way. "There aren't any crabs here, are there? Or giant lizard men, or robots, or anything?"
"No, nothing like that. We've already passed the defenses."
"Defenses?" Rainbow asked curiously. "How?"
"Because of me. I'm the only one authorized to come here."
"Authorized?" It was Starlight's turn. "You make it sound like you're some great, top secret, military experiment."
"We're no great experiment...but to fall into the hands of the wrong person, the hands of anyone but Rainbow Brite, would spell disaster for much of the Universe."
"We?" Rainbow frowned. She was beginning to feel like a parrot. "Is it a person we've come for? Someone like you?"
"Not exactly like me, but, yes, you've got the general idea."
While they were talking, a stone whizzed through the air and smacked Starlight inthe neck. Any other horse would have gone running, but Starlight only shook his mane out and glanced into the darkness of the cave. "I thought you said we were already past the defenses."
Before Alpha could answer, another rock came flying. "Rainbow!" Starlight shouted as he tried to back out of the way. But he was big, and the cave had grown tight.
She saw it, but had no time to duck or block it. However, a pale hand appeared in front of her face, catching the golfball sized stone.
"That's enough!" Alpha cried out into the shadows. "Stop this now, Omi!"
"No!" shouted someone in the darkness. "Go away!" Another rock smashed into the wall just beside Starlight's nose.
"Omi, it's me, Alpha! Cut this out!"
"I know who it is! Go away!" Rainbow shouted as a rock smacked into her knee, hand quickly covering the spot.
"What's the meaning of this, Omi?!"
Starlight finally managed to retreat behind a corner. he looked back at Rainbow. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She frowned as another rock hit the wall just past their defenses. "He's a child..."
"I won't go with you! I don't want to!"
"Omi, this is the Rainbow Brite!"
"I KNOW what she is! But SHE doesn't even know! I won't go with her!"
Rainbow frowned and glanced back at Alpha. "I don't know what?"
He smiled sadly to her, but didn't answer, instead calling out to Omi, who was still sending rocks out at them. "She needs us, Omi! She'll remember, I promise!"
"You can't know that! I won't go, I won't be used again!"
"Used?" Rainbow was thoroughly confused by now. Finally, she just shook her head and put the confusing things behind her. Right now, that wasn't important. She swung her leg up over Starlight's head and dropped down from his back.
"Rainbow??" Starlight looked at her with worry, but she just patted his nose.
"Stay put."
"Rainbow Brite, you shouldn't..."
"Alpha, please. I have to," she said with conviction. She stepped around the corner, and it didn't take long for the first rock to strike her. She winced as it hit her shoulder. "Omi, I'm not sure who you are; I don't even know who Alpha is. I don't know why I'm out here, what I'm looking for, or what I'm supposed to be stopping." Another stone hit her in the chest, right under the collar, but she didn't stop. She even took a few steps forward. "But I do know something. I know that the people I'm supposed to protect, and my home, with the people who depend on me, are all in danger. I know that whatever is doing this has something against me - against Rainbow Brite. I have to stop it, no matter what. But I know I can't stop it alone. I know I need Alpha's help, and he says I need you, too."
"No!" A rock hit her right in the face, just under her eye. She stumbled back a couple of steps and fell to one knee, hand lifted over the wound. A trickle of blood fell through her fingers, falling to her knee. But she didn't stop.
"I also know...that I would never use someone. I can only ask that you help, not for my sake, but for the sake of my home, and the Earth, and the rest of the Universe. Please...for their sake. Help me."
There was silence, and no more rocks were throw. A minute passed, and slowly, a small boy dressed in black stepped out of the shadows. He carried a slingshot in one hand, but she almost didn't notice that. Instead, her eyes were drawn to his ears - or where his ears were supposed to be. Instead, there peeking out of a head of thick, raven hair, was a pair of pitch wings, the feathers thin and delicate to match his hair. The tips nearly came down to his shoulders. If he had ears, they were hidden under the hair, or behind the wings.
"You won't use me?" he asked quietly. Tears streaked his face, and he sniffled ebtween his words.
She quickly shook her head and smiled warmly to him. "Never."
He relaxed, and reached out to touch her cheek where the rock had hit her. "I'm sorry."
Her smile grew. "That's alright."
Before she could do anything about it, he threw his arms around her neck. She laughed lightly and hugged him close. "I'll take good care of you, I promise."
Starlight stepped over to them, and Rainbow stood up. "Can we go home now?" he asked as he dipped his head down. Alpha reached down and helped Rianbow up onto Starlight in front of him.
"I believe so," she said. She reached down and lifted Omi up in front of her, keeping her arms protectively around him.
"Good. The more dimensions we put between this place and us the better." With that he took off at a canter, weaving his way back out of the cave and into the sky.

#29

"Do you think she got to where she needed to go?" Brian asked Krys a few hours after Orin had left. They still couldn't decide just what to do about the poison, even with all of Krys' strong words. None of them were brave enough to approach the fallen bird, and Krys finally announced that it was too dangerous for them to go anywhere near it. Murky and Violet were the only ones that went anywhere near it, and only to replenish the gloom keeping it at bay.
Krys nodded with complete confidence. "Of course she did. She's Rainbow Brite." That always seemed to settle everything, though by the look on both Krys' and Brian's faces, it was clear they weren't so sure it was enough this time.
"Don't forget that Starlight's the one looking after her. He'll make sure she gets where she's going, and in one piece," Canary said as she brought over a tray of lemon-ade. Lurky was over by the other kids, handing out more glasses.
Brian smiled, though faintly, and nodded. They wanted to believe...but she'd been gone a long time, with no word of any sort of progress. Orin hadn't seen her for some time, so there was no guarantee she was still safe.
Murky and Violet walked into the castle, gloom guns in hand. "Still no word?" Violet asked Lala, who'd taken a turn sitting at the base.
"Nothing," she said glumly, lemon-ade held between her hands on her knees.
"I'm sure we'll hear something soon," Violet said reassuringly.
Quite suddenly, Red let out a frustrated shout, standing abruptly on the stairs. "Arg! I can't stand being so helpless! We were made to protect the Earth and everything else, and yet we can't do anything?!"
"Because you're wrong," came a voice from the corner of the room. Everyone turned to look, and saw Stormy sitting on an empty, overturned bucket.
"What do you mean I'm wrong?" Red asked with no little hint of anger.
She paid it no mind, leaned back against the wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest and one knee was perched on the other. "We were made not to protect, but to help the Wearer of the Belt protect. She could not exist without us, but we cannot function without her. The Earth falls into despair without a Rainbow Brite. The Ice Age, the Black Plauge, and Seven Year Famine, the World Wars. And now, the 'greatest drought the world has ever known.'"
"Don't say that," Brian said sharply, causing everyone to look at him instead. He was too angry to be embarassed, though, and just glared at Stormy. "You say it like she's already dead. Well, she's not!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Stormy!" Canary cried in shock.
"Oh, don't. Just don't, Canary. She's farther away than she's ever been, alone, trying to find something that no one even knows the identity of, exactly. Meanwhile, the Earth is drying up and will crumble apart any day now. And then what happens? What happens to us when the Earth dies? Even if we kept on living, our own world's due to crumble as well."
"Stop it!"
"We can't just sit here waiting for someone that's never coming back!"
"She will!"
"She can't save us anymore!"
"Stormy, stop it!" Canary pleaded, hands held up tight over her heart.
"Just what are we supposed to do, then?" Lala asked in disgust, none of the kids liking the least bit what Stormy was saying.
"Look for a new Rainbow Brite," she said simply.
Everyone gasped, and even Dismal and Lurky looked horrified.
"No," Red said firmly, which returned the attention to him. "That is not our place, Stormy. We have never looked for a Rainbow Brite. She has always come to us. And until the Belt is returned to us without its Wearer, there can be no new Rainbow Brite. Until that Belt finds its way back here in some way, we have to assume our Rainbow still lives, and is still fighting for us."
Stormy scowled at Red, who met her gaze with cool confidence. When others started to look at her again, she pushed herself to her feet and stalked out the door. She vaulted up onto Skydancer's back and they took off into the sky. Once she was asfely tucked away in the clouds, she let Skydancer stop. Slowly, tears filled her eyes, and finally a few leaked out. She ducked forward, her face buried in Skydancer's mane to hide the tears.

#28

"Tell me, Rainbow Brite, what is your name?"
Her brow furrowed and she turned her attention back to him. "What do you mean? My name is Rain-"
"No, my dear. Rainbow Brite is your title. What is your name?" When she continued to frown at him, a sad look came over his face. "You cannot remember, can you? No wonder."
"No wonder?" she asked curiously. When he didn't answer, she shook her head and turned herself to face him. "Who are you?"
He suddenly looked worried as his gaze travelled to the pathway she'd fallen from. "You didn't come here alone, did you?"
"No...why?" Befoer he answered, a piercing whinny could be heard from that path. "Starlight!" She leapt to her feet, the blanket falling from around her shoulders. The young man was a step behind her. Just before she reached the water, she called forth a rainbow from the handful of starsprinkles she'd had in her pocket. It created a path from the island to that opening. Without hesitation, she ran up the rainbow, with the young man still following on her heels.
"What is it?!" she cried back at him.
"They're crystal crabs! They're the ones that made these paths, and they don't like anyone else in them!"
"Great..." she muttered to herself as she moved as quickly as she could through the path. Another stressed whinny and the obvious sounds of a struggle caused her to move faster. "Starlight!"
"Rainbow!"
"Run! Get out!" She sent the rainbow on ahead with the wish that it would clear a path for Starlight. And, as the rainbow always did as she asked, she could hear him running father down the path a few seconds later.
Not more than a minute later, the young man grabbed her arm and dragged her to a stop, pulling her behind one of the crystals jutting out into the path. "Keep quiet," he whispered into her ear. Slowly, and without a sound, he maneuvered her back into a corner and stood in front of her. He was facing her, one hand on either side of her shoulders, though he was looking over his shoulder.
She blushed rather deeply when she found herself in that position, but her attention was quickly drawn away as something scuttled down the path. It was huge, about half the size of Starlight, and looked to be a cross between a crab and a spider. It had two large, jagged claws, and fangs that dripped with what was most likely venom. Eight eyes were placed around its head, and its shell was made of the crystals in the caverns.
Her heart began to pound as it slipped past, followed by three others, one of which was dragging a bashed claw, most likely from the fight with Starlight. As the last one passed and got a ways down the path, the young man took her by the hand and picked up a run in the other direction, following Starlight.
She didn't see any blood on the way, so Rainbow began to breathe a little easier in the hope that Starlight was fine. As soon as they broke the surface, he let her hand go and they both slowed to a walk. Rainbow hunched over as she stopped, hands on her knees as she gasped for breath.
Starlight lumbered over to her, reaching his muzzle down and tucking it under her arm. "Are you alright?"
She lifted her arms up around his head, resting her cheek against his neck. "I'm alright. Are you?"
"I'll be fine." His eyes drifted open and he caught sight of the stranger. "Is that him?"
She slowly let go of his head and looked back at the young man. "I think so. Will you tell me who you are now?" she asked a little louder.
He simply smiled and approached them. "Only when you both tell me yours. Until then, you can call me Alpha."
"Then you really are the Beginning," Rainbow said softly.
"Yes, that's right. Now, I believe you have a problem, one that cannot afford any wasted time."
They both looked at him oddly, but Rainbow nodded. "That's right. I'll explain on the way." She swung up onto Starlight's back, and pulled Alpha up behind her.
"I'm afraid we can't go back to your home just yet. There is one place we must stop at first." Before they could protest, he insisted, "I assure you, it is of the utmost importance."
Rainbow glanced back at him with a frown, but turned back around as Starlight began to move. "If you say so. Just tell me the way." She called forth a rainbow, and Starlight took them up off of the world's surface.

#27

"Should we turn back?" she asked as she glanced back at him.
"The light's coming from up ahead, and we didn't pass any other paths on the way in. This may be our only shot at finding the Beginning."
She frowned, but nodded anyway. "You're right." She gently scratched under his chin. "Wait here for me. I'll be quick." She turned and broke away from him, heading deeper in. For a good hundred yards she was hunched over while picking her way along the path. Before long, though, the light became brighter, and without realizing, she stepped out of the path onto nothing.
She let out a brief shout as she fell about ten feet into a pool of crystal clear water below. Disoriented by the bright light, sudden drop, and icey water, it took her a few seconds to get right-side up. She pushed off from the bottom and broke the surface of the water gasping. She clumsily swam towards what she hoped was the shore, until two hands grabbed her under the shoulders and hoisted her up out of the water.
"Easy, easy, just relax, you're alright."
She coughed and sputtered and wiped the water from her face, before realizing someone strange had just saved her. She opened her eyes and glanced up, and found herself gazing into the face of a most handsome young man. Her cheeks coloured at once and she began to try to stand up.
"Th-thank-you, thank-you very much."
"It's quite alright," he said as he reached to help her up. "Just take it easy."
She smoothed out her skirt, then finally took a look at where she was. It was a large, open chamber, with a ceiling sixty feet up. They were standing on a small island, surrounded by that clear lake. In the center of the island rose a grand crystal, starting narrow, then billowing out as it rose into the chamber, straight up to the ceiling. It was pure white, free of blemish or any of the colours in the surrounding crystals. But even free of colour, Rainbow found herself drawn to it. It seemed more beautiful than any of the crystals around them.
"Come, have a seat."
She blinked, having momentarily forgotten anyone else was with her. She looked over at him, once more taken by his fair face. Silver hair sparkled in the light that seemed to be cast by the huge crystal. His eyes were gray, as well, and they watched her every move.
"Who-"
"In time, Rainbow," he said, cutting her off. "Now sit." He pushed her, gently, down to a bench - made of crystals - then disappeared behind her.
She tried to see where he went, but he vanished before she could turn around. "Hey! Wait! How do you know who I am?" There was no answer, and she sighed as she turned back around. A few seconds later, a warm blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. "I've known you for a long time, Rainbow Brite."
She pulled the blanket closer and looked over at him. "How?"
"How? Because, my dear, I made you. Or, rather," he corrected and pointed to the Belt. "I made that, which makes you."
She looked down at the belt, resting her hand over the buckle.

#26

Nearly a day more had passed before the rainbow came upon a world that wasn't crumbled.
"Rainbow, wake up," Starlight said gently as he slowed to a stop just past the dimensional cross.
She slowly sat up straight, rubbing her eyes, then let her gaze focus on the world presented before them. "What is this place..." she said under her breath to no one.
The world looked like a giant geode, rocky and desolate on the outside, with various entrances that revealed jagged crystals of various pale colours.
"It looks so empty," Starlight said. "Do you think it was poisoned?"
"I don't think so. It would have crumbled, and it's not in the path anyway. Come on, let's check it out."
Starlight picked up a canter as the rainbow led them down to one of the openings. There was barely enough room for Rainbow to get more than five feet in, let alone Starlight.
"Better find a different one," Rainbow said as she pulled ehrself back onto Starlight's back.
They checked a few more entrances, before Rainbow noticed something in the distance. "Look at that. It looks like a light's coming from inside. The crystals are brighter." Sure enough, one of the entrances on the horizon appeared to be glowing compared to the others.
"You're right," Starlight said. He didn't need any telling to hurry up, at once breaking into a gallop towards the entrance. It was clear once they reached it that there was a path big enough for the both of them. Rainbow stayed mounted as Starlight slowly moved into the cavern.
"Hey, Starlight...do these crystals look familiar?"
He glanced back at her, then looked closely at some of the crystals as they passed. "You don't think..."
"They look like colour crystals."
"But they're so big, and pure!"
"This whole world is like one, big, colour cave..."
"Well, at least we're on the right track, right?"
"I guess that's true. She fell silent as they drew deeper into the cavern. After only a few minutes, the path grew narrow, and the ceiling sank until it was too low to ride through. Rainbow slid down off of Starlight's back and began to walk in front of him, one hand keeping contact with his chin. His head drooped lower and lower as the path narrowed, until they came to a point where he couldn't move any farther.

#25

"Is there nothing that can stop this poison?" Lala asked in exhasperation as she stood with the others on one of the castle's balconies overlooking Rainbowland.
"We can't even stop it from spreading," Buddy said softly.
"Maybe we're in over our heads this time. We just don't have the power or resources to fight something like this," Violet analyzed.
"We need Rainbow," Twink said quietly.
"Yeah, well," Krys said with a much stronger voice. "Rainbow's not here. She's out there, trying to save the rest of the Universe, alone, like she always is. She asked us to do one thing, just one: Keep Earth and Rainbowland intact until she gets back. Because she will come back; she always does. She cares too much about everyone here and on Earth to let anything stop her. The least we can do is what she asked. The least we can do is throw anything and everything we've got at this mess, and hope that we stall anihilation long enough for her to get back with salvation."
Everyone grew silent during that speech, watching him with slight amazement as well as a deep guilt for wanting to give up. Dismal especially looked surprised.
"She does all of that?" he asked with a hint of doubt. "I thought you brats just made the world colourful."
"Colour's more important than you think, Murky," Brian said. It was a surprise coming from him, and all eyes turned to see what he had to say. "Sure, it makes people happy, and makes things beautiful, but without colour, there would never be joy. Our hearts would never be touched by the coming of spring, or given hope in the promise of a beautiful sunrise. I never knew how much those things meant to me before I met Rainbow, and saw how much work goes into keeping the world bright and beautiful. If we didn't have colour, if it all disappeared, I don't think we could survive."
Dismal's brow furrowed in thought, before slowly looking away. "I didn't know that. Or maybe I did, once... But I'd forgotten. All I ever wanted was to make things black and white."
"Well, black and white are coloures, too," Moonglow piped up.
Canary glanced up at Lurky who stood beside her, smiling cheerfully to him. "Brown, too," she whispered to him, which made him smile.
"The most important colours," came a voice from behind them.
They all turned to look back inside the castle, and Twink was the first to recognize him. "Orin!"
"What do you mean, 'the most important'?" Krys asked.
"While you, Murky Dismal, may think of black and white as the extreme absences of colour, they are also the extreme presences of colour. White light can be broken down into each colour of the rainbow. And to make something black, every pigment must be combined. So you see, all colour comes from white, and all the coloures brought together make black."
Krys contemplated that, while the others gathered around Orin.
"Did you see Rainbow?" Twink asked first, looking hopeful.
"I did. She's asked me to tell all of you that she's safe, and knows now where she needs to go."
"Where is she going?" Red asked, his arms folded over his chest.
"To the Beginning." He held up his hands to stop their questions. "I haven't the time to explain. There are others I must warn of this disaster. Your Rainbow will be fine. She is strong, and soon to be in good hands." Before they could respond to that, he approached Red. "I will be needing some colour crystals to refuel my ship."
Red frowned, but nodded. "Of course."

#24

"Ha-ha! I think it's working," Violet yelled over to Kris and Dismal. They'd just emptied their canisters of gloom onto the head of that bird. It was beginning to slow down and drop towards the ground.
"I think you might just be right, Violet," Stormy said in a slight shock. "Look, he's not even bracing for impact!" Sure enough, feet lazily dangling beneathe it, it drew lower and lower, before finally crashing into the ground and coming to rest lodged into a hillside. "I can't believe it. It actually worked!" After a round of cheers, they headed back down to the ground.
"We should refill and take this stuff to Earth," Violet said as she looked at the fueld gauge on the gun.
"Why don't the kid and I take them? You should stay here and keep working on a cure for that poison," Stormy said to Violet.
Violet nodded and glanced over at Dismal. "What d'ya say? Wanna help make the world beautiful for once?"
His face turned gloomy. "Do I have a choice?"
"Of course. Help, or we can tie you up."
He sighed heavily and thought about it. "Fine. I'll help."
Violet smiled and gave a nod. "Good."

"What kind of person do you think 'The Beginning' is?" Rainbow asked. Starlight was back in his comfortable gallop, this time with a slightly more developed idea of where he was running to.
"Old, I'd suspect."
Rainbow chuckled lightly. "How could he be the start of all of us?"
"Maybe he was the first defender of the Universe?"
"Then why not call him our founder? The wording seems too strange. Do you think the 'End' is a person, too?"
"I'm really not sure, Rainbow. If Orin doesn't know, then I'm not sure who would."
"Yeah, I guess that's true." She suddenly glanced down at him, reaching a hand down to feel his chest. "Are you alright, Starlight? You've been running for so long now. Don't you need-"
"I'm the most magnificent horse in the universe; I don't need a break," he responded quickly, his head held high. But he slowly dropped his head afterwards, and glanced back at her. "I'm alright. I'll run forever if you need me to."
Her eyes widened slightly at that as she slowly sat up. "Starlight..."

#23

Yet another crumpled wasteland was passing by as Rainbow and Starlight continued on their aimless search.
"How many does that make?" Starlight asked. All of this time, and his gallop had yet to tire.
Rainbow, however, was having a great deal of trouble keeping her spirits high. "Six, I think. Oh, Starlight, what are we gonna do? At this rate, by the time we find anything helpful, Earth will be just another pile of dust! We need something now, here, not eight dimensions over!"
"It'll be alright, Rainbow. We'll find something. You'll save Earth, and the rest of the universe, just like you always do."
"I'm not so sure, Starlight. We've been looking for days, and still nothing." She looked off to the left, while Starlight tilted his head to the right.
A few minutes passed, before Starlight's ears perked forward. "What's that?"
Rainbow turned her head to look as Starlight slowed to a stop. "What's what?" She followed his gaze out beyond the last crumpled remains of the planet. Something glinted as they rubble rotated and floated along. "Let's check it out," she said, though with little hope. She veered the rainbow around and it began to maneuver around the debris. Starlight quickly chased after it, while Rainbow kept her attention on the out-of-place bit of rubble.
As they drew closer, hope suddenly popped back into Rainbow's heart. "It's a ship," she said as she sat up. Starlight's gait extended at those three little words. In no time, the rainbow reached the little ship, and Starlight moments later. Just as Rainbow peered inside, a little face appearing in the window. "Orin!"
Starlight backed up a couple of steps as the old sprite opened the ship's hatch. "Rainbow Brite! Bless my soul, little lady, am I glad to see you. I was afraid I would never reach you in time."
"In time?" Rainbow asked. "You know of Earth's poison?"
He motioned around them. "It would only have been a matter of time before this horror reached you. It has come then?" he asked glumly.
"It has," Rainbow said softly. "Is there nothing that can be done to stop it?"
"not as you are," he replied in the typical Orin fashion. "But there is something."
Rainbow and Starlight both perked at that. "What kind of something?" Rainbow asked.
"These creatures do not come on their own, but the one who sends them..."
"Don't you know?" Starlight asked in a slight frustration. Rainbow gently patted his shoulder to calm him.
"I know only that the cause is far bigger - no, older - than myself, or you, Rainbow. The only way to stop him is to travel to the beginning, then seek out the end."
Rainbow frowned. "On-X said you looking for the beginning. What does that even mean? The beginning of what?"
"The beginning of you, and of all of us who watch over the order of the universe."
"Does such a thing exist?" Starlight asked, with only slightly less frustration.
"Oh, yes, he does," Orin said matter-of-factly.
"He? The 'Beginning' is a person?" Rainbow asked with intrigue.
"He most certainly is. And he's waiting for you, Rainbow."
"Then you know where he is? Will you take us to him?"
"I can only point you in the right direction. There are other I must warn."
"If you pass by Rainbowland, will you tell the others that I'm safe, and that I know now where I have to go?"
"Of course I will."

#22

Another dimension crossed, and another world in ruins.
"This is terrible," Rainbow mumbled from Starlight's back as he ran through the field of debris.
"Do you think they'll all be like this?"
"I don't know. I hope not. I truly hope not." She dropped ehr head back down to his mane, squeezing her eyes shut. "Do we even stand a chance?"
"You're Rainbow Brite," Starlight said simply, as though that explained everything. And maybe it did.
She smiled softly and touched her face to his neck. "Right. Stupid question. Think we'll find Orin first?"
"That would be nice. But look at our luck so far?"
She sighed. "You're beginning to sound like Stormy."
"And she was right, wasn't she?"
"Hm...that's a good point. I'll keep an eye out for him anyway, though, if it's all the same to you."
"Oh, sure, be my guest."
"Thank-you."
"You're quite welcome."

But the time Krys returned to Rainbowland, the Castle itself seemed to be losing its colour. There was little nearby that was near as vibrant as it usually was. As On-X touched down, Stormy and Skydancer landed with a frustrated clap of thunder beside him.
"Nothing's working," she said with a huff.
Krys looked up at her with a worried smile. "We'll find a solution. What are the others working on?"
"I don't know. I came back and dropped Brian off then got to work. All I know..." she trailed off with a dark look on her face.
Krys waited for a few moments, then urged her on. "What is it?"
"Dismal and the lug are here, they're not tied up, and I think they may be helping. If that's possible."
Krys' expression quickly matched hers. "Somehow, I don't see that happening."
The two exchanged another look before quickly heading to the Castle. Just as they crossed the last bridge, the castle doors flew open, revealing Violet and Dismal both in quite the get-up. Two canisters each were strapped to their backs. Dismal held his gun, while Violet held a rather nicer-looking replica. Hoses ran from the canisters to the guns, and they both had a pair of goggles on their heads.
"Oh, good, you're both here," Violet said with a simple smile. "Mind giving us a lift?"
"A lift?" Stormy asked in shock. "A lift to where?"
Dismal pulled his gun down off of his shoulder, pointing with it up towards that bird, which was passing unscathed through Stormy's clouds.
"We're gonna spray a little gloom on him," Violet explained as Krys got his first sight of their monster.
"You think that's gonna work?" Stormy asked.
"Well, we're sure gonna try. If you take us up there, that is."
"Of course," Krys said as he looked back over. "Gotta try something."
"Great," Violet said and walked over to Skydancer. Stormy helped her up behind her, and she adjusted the gun. Krys hesitated as Dismal approached, flashbacks of Dismal stealing On-X popping into his head. But a screech from that bird brought him back to the present. He had to let go. For now. He reached down and Dismal took his hand, rising up onto On-X with ease.
"Let's go, while he's still close," Violet said, one arm around Stormy's waist, the gun propped on her hip.
In the next moment, they were in the sky.

#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?"

#20

She switched the channel down to one, wanting to try just for herself. If she hadn't tried, and found out later it would have worked, she'd kill herself. "Rainbow!" She waited, but no answer. She tried again, "Rainbow, this is Violet." She knew that if Rainbow could hear her, she'd know who it was, but saying more might allow something to get through. But still nothing. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she felt her hope drain away. Her hands balled into fists and she slammed them down against the console. "Work!"
"She's not coming, is she?" came a voice from behind Violet. She turned slightly to look back. There stood some of the kids, and Dismal, who had spoken.
Violet slowly shook her head. "I can't get thruogh to her. Krys, Brian, and Stormy are on their way, though."
"What are we supposed to do?" Lala asked.
"I don't know. For now, we need to keep away from that...thing..."
"It's some sort of bird," Dismal said quietly. The others glanced over at him. He looked a bit defected, and understandable so. "It creates some sort of cloud while it flies."
"Poison," Violet said. "Another creature is poisoning the Earth."
"So that's what the fuss has been about..."
Red came to stand behind Dismal, hands on his hips. "Are you going to help us? Or do we have to tie you up and gag you?"
He scowled at Red. "I'll help. That thing destroyed the only home I've got."
That put a sympathetic look on the kids' faces.
After another screech, closer than the last, Dismal held out hsi goom gun to Violet, barrel in his hand to show he wasn't threatening her. "If this could help..."
She took the gun, pondering it for a time. "You are quite the inventor, aren't you? Perhaps we could come up with something."
Red, as Rainbow's right-hand man, decided to take charge. "Alright. Canary, keep hailing Rainbow. Violet, you and Dismal try to come up with something to hold off that creature." An idea popped into his head. "Moonglow, do you think you could get a signal to Rainbow through the stars?"
"Maybe, but she's changing dimensions so often, it would be difficult."
"Try, please." She nodded, and Red moved on. "As for everyone else, half of you should try to come up with something here, while the rest need to come with me. We need to keep an eye on that bird. If it comes near the Castle, we've got to make a run for it."
"Run where?"
"Anywhere!"
As he said it, a clap of thunder shook the whole castle, causing a few of the kids to jump. Red seemed a bit surprised as well, hand lifted to his throat. Once everyone was over the shock, they all ran outside. The sky was thick and dark, purplish clouds, and every few seconds, lightning streaked across the sky.

#19

Just as they reached the hill that marked the border between the two lands, something very bright appeared in the sky. It seemed to outshine everything, but on closer inspection, it was actually sucking up the light around it.
Lurky slammed on the brakes at the top of that hill, and the two villains watched the anamoly with a bit of fear. Did Rainbow get a new weapon? But it was appearing over the Pits...
"What is it, Murky?"
Before Dismal could answer, the light disappeared. In its wake hovered what appeared to be a giant bird, coloured an awful shimmering green with bright red crest feathers. It flapped a couple of times, then landed on Dismal's and Lurky's skull-shaped 'house'. It spread its wings wide and let out a terrible screech. Its talons dug into the stone, crushing it easily. It then flapped its wings a few times, and from those flaps, some sort of cloud was whipped up around it, the same colour as its feathers.
"What's it doing?"
Dismal shook his head, confused look on his face. "I don't know..."
A few seconds later, the bird rose out of that cloud, letting out another deafening screech, one that seemed to stir the kids. As it flapped, that cloud disappated, and all that was left of the Pits headquarters was what appeared to be a melted pile of rock.
Dismal's eyes widened at the sight. When he realized the bird was heading their way, he started to panic a bit. "Go back, Lurky!"
Slow as he was, Lurky knew enough to realize that bird was not something to get close to, especially seeing that cloud spilling out from its wings. He wheeled the buggy and carts around and floored it all the way back to the Colour Castle. Once they got there, Dismal leapt from the side car and started untying the now conscious and ungloomy - though upset - kids.
"Murky, what are you doing?" Lurky asked as he stumbled out of the buggy.
"We don't stand a chance against that thing, Lurky," he said simply.
He shrugged and started to help. In the distance, the bird's presence was being made known by its screeching.
As the kids were untied, they didn't ask any questions, or make any accusations. They'd heard the creature, and Dismal. There was no time for accusations. They started to untie each other, then they all clambored out of the carts and looked to the horizon. Violet wasted no time in racing into the castle to hail the others.
"Brian!"
"Violet?" Brian asked with surprise. "What's happening, is everyone okay?"
"Murky's not a problem anymore, but we're not okay. Get back here, quickly!"
"Alright," he said before Violet switched channels. He looked up at Stormy. "Something else is happening; we have to get back there." She nodded and spurred Skydancer into action.
Violet said a short prayer before switching to two. "Krys!"
By now, Krys was back in Earth's dimension, and his two-way was working fine. "Violet? What's happening? Where's Dismal?"
"That's not important! A giant creature is attacking Rainbowland! We need Rainbow!"
His eyes widened a bit. "That could be difficult."
"What?? What do you mean?"
"She's not with me, and the two-ways won't reach. I'm almost back; Brian hailed us with a mayday. I'll hurry, but there's no way to catch up with Rainbow now."
Violet looked quite stressed to hear that, but she just closed her eyes and nodded. "Alright. Hurry back."

#18

"Please don't argue. You know this is right, and we don't have time to play games."
He didn't look happy, but he nodded. "Okay, Rainbow."
She glanced back. "Twink-"
"Oh, Rainbow, please don't," Twink pleaded.
"I'm sorry, old friend. I know I said I'd need your help, but right now I think Rainbowland will need you more."
"How will you follow the warp?" Krys suddenly asked.
"Well, from what I understand, the warp crosses dimensions in a straight line, right? And if Xerol is any indication... We'll know if we're going the right way." That sullied the mood again. Twink carefully hopped over onto On-X behind Krys, and offered Rainbow what starsprinkles he had in his belt pouch. "Now go, before Dismal gets to thinking he's finally won."
Krys hesitated, casting a lingering look at Rainbow, before guiding On-X around and heading back the way they'd come.
"They'll be okay," Starlight said gently as Rainbow watched them disappear into the blackness of space. "It's us you should be worried about."
"Oh, I don't have to worry about us. I have the most magnificent horse in the universe taking care of me." She said it with a smile as she gently patted his neck.
He seemed to glow with that compliment. "You're right. What am I worried about?" He tossed his head, and as the Rainbow started forward again, he took up his gallop, Rainbow tucked tight over his neck.

Dismal sat in one of the charis at the Colour Console, his feet propped up on one of the stations. His gun rested against his shoulder, and he looked quite pleased with himself.
"So, what do we do now, Murky?" Lurky asked. He was sitting on the steps that led up to Rainbow's room, Kitty Brite curled up quite happily on his lap.
"Just keep those colour brats gloomed, nimrod. I'll worry about everything else." Truth was, he was somewhat stuck. A plan had never gone so well for him. What was he going to do now? He looked over at the kids, who were all slumped together in a corner with their sprites. He could do them in before they spoiled his plans again. But for some reason, he couldn't think about that for more than a moment. He could toss them into the Pits. Now there was an idea.
"Lurky," he said as he stood. "We're taking them to the Pits."
"Okay, Murky." He gently set Kitty aside, then stood up. As he came to stand beside the kids, he scratched his head. "How are we going to do that, Murky? They won't all fit in the grungebuggy."
Dismal couldn't help but roll his eyes again. "Just get them outside. And keep them gloomed. Don't need them getting any bright ideas," he muttered to himself. While Lurky got started on that, Dismal headed outside. For all of his bad luck, he really wasn't very stupid. He was smart, and clever. It didn't take him long to find some of the miner's carts and figure out how to hitch them up to the back of the grungebuggy. Once the kids were loaded up, Dismal and Lurky started gagging and blindfolding them all. It was hard to keep a gloom cloud over them when they were moving quickly through the open air.
Satisfied, Murky hopped into the buggy's side car, Lurky taking the driver's seat, and they started for the Pits.

#17

In the next dimension over, Rainbow, Krys, and the others were just getting over the effect of the dimensional crossing. Rainbow checked the dial on the two-way, then pushed the button to talk.
"This is Rainbow. Violet, you there?" She waited a few seconds, then tried again. When there was no response again, she sighed. "Guess Stormy was right about there being a first time."
"Maybe we're too close to the rift?" Twink offered.
"Maybe. Well, let's move a little further and try again," she said. The rainbow continued forward and Starlight picked up his tireless lope again, On-X cruising along beside him.
A few minutes later, Krys sat up straighter on On-X's back. "Hey, look there," he said and pointed to a dark, crumbling mass. "Wasn't that..."
Rainbow paled at the sight. "That was Xerol... I just finished bringing them out of their centurial ice age a month ago.." She felt Twink hold a little tighter to her back, and Starlight shiver beneathe her.
"You don't think..." Starlight trailed off.
"Yes. Yes, I do... I think that's exactly what happened. Earth isn't an isolated event."
"Xerol was a little bigger than Earth, right?" Krys asked. With a nod from Rainbow, he continued. "If this planet was fine a month ago, and if the poison is really what did this-"
"Then we'd better hurry," Starlight interrupted, and he broke into a gallop. No one wanted to even consider that the Earth was running out of time, and quickly. They'd wasted nearly a week with preperations and Rainbow's recovery alone. There's no telling when the poison arrived on Xerol. They could have three weeks, or three days.
"Rai...ow...ayday, may..." came a broken vioce in her headset. She frowned and lifetd a hand to the earpiece.
"What is it, Rainbow?" Krys asked.
"I'm not sure. It sounded like Brian..."
"What did he say?" asked Twink.
"I think..." she paused and glanced over at Krys. "I think it was a distress call!"
"What should we do?" Starlight asked as he slowed to a stop.
"Hang on, I'm going to try to reach them again." She pushed the button to talk once more. "Brian, come in."
"Thank goodness!" came a cry of relief from the headset. "Rainbow, Dismal's taken over Rainbowland!"
Her eyes narrowed and she looked over at Krys. "It's Dismal. He's taken over. Brian, where are you?"
"I'm with Stormy. We're on our way back from Earth. We were collectiong soil samples."
"I see. Don't get in close. Krys is coming back to help."
"I'm what?? What about you?" Krys asked, sounding flabbergasted. "You should come back with me!"
"There's no time, Krys!"
On the other end, Brian frowned. "No time?"
Stormy glanced back as Skydancer slowed up in the clouds. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure," he said. He could hear Rainbow still talking, so he kept quiet.
"You ahve to stop Dismal, no matter what. If we lose Rainbowland for even a day, a cure for the poison may come too late. But if someone doesn't find the source, and stop it, finding a cure may not matter." She said all of this with conviction, one that struck Krys into silence.
"Rainbow, what's going on? Why are we running out of time?" Brian asked. Stormy's face grew worried at the sound of that.
"We found signs that Earth isn't the only planet that's been poisoned."
"Signs? What sorts of signs? Did you see another planet with dead patches?"
Rainbow looked down at Starlight's mane. "We found the crumbled remains of a planet I just visited last month."
His mouth opened in shock, and Stormy didn't dare ask him just yet what he'd heard. After a short time, he found his voice again. "What should we do, Rainbow?"
"It's like I said," she replied, sending a hard glance at krys. "Stay where you are. Krys will come help you."
"Alright. Be careful, Rainbow..."
"I will, don't worry about me." She switched off the headset.

#16

"So, Murky, what are we doing?"
Sitting on a hill filled with violet flowers, Dismal and his dim-witted sidekick spied on the busy workings of the inner circle of Rainbowland.
"We're taking over this upchuck of colour they call a world, turkey brain."
"Oh. And how are we going to do that this time, Murky?"
"Those colour brats are useless without Rainbow brite, and she just left with what looked like two weeks' worth of star sprinkles. Taking over Rainbowland will be like taking candy from a baby."
"That's not very nice, Murky."
Dismal glanced over at Lurky with a scowl, but just sighed at him. He had his arms folded over his chest and his jaw stuck out stubbornly. "Just come with me, numbskull."
Lurky's expression changed at once as he hurried after Dismal. "Okay, Murky!"

Red headed into the Castle, accompanied by Romeo. They both carried bags of starsprinkles, joining in the work they'd been overseeing.
"Hey, Violet," Red said as he bruoght those sprinkles over the toher kids. "Any word?"
She looked over with a slightly worried expression. "Nothing since they left Earth's dimension."
"I see. I'm sure they're just busy arguing," he said with a smirk.
She smiled faintly, though it was unconvincing. "I hope you're right."
Just then, the doors to the Castle burst open as the grungebuggy came crashing through. The kids and sprites scrambled out of the way, all running over to Violet on the far side of the room.
"Dismal!" a few of the girls cried.
Red, being his valiant self, put himself between Dismal and the other kids. "What are you diong here?!"
"We're stealing candy from a baby!" Lurky said.
Dismal rolled his eyes and raised a rather nasty-looking gun, aiming it at Red. "Be quiet." He pulled the trigger, and a gloom cloud shot from the barrel, engulphing Red.
"Red!" Lala cried as he wavered on his feet then fell to his knees. A few of the other kids held her back so she wouldn't run into the cloud to go to Red's side.
"Mayday! Mayday!" Violet yelled into the two-way station's receiver, the dial still set to Brian. "It's Dismal!"
"I said be quiet!" Murky yelled and pulled the trigger again. In only a few seconds, he had all of the kids and sprites on their knees, unable to move let alone stop him.
"Murky, I can't find any babies. And it looks like we're taking over Rainbowland."
Dismal just sighed and pulled some rope from his belt, tossing it at Lurky. "Just tie them up, meatwad."
"Okay, Murky."

On Earth, Brian had just finished getting the last sample when the mayday came in. His eyes widened and he looked over at Stormy. "Rainbowland's under attack! It's Dismal!"
A dark look fell over Stormy's face and she thrust a hand down to him. "Get on!" She pulled him up, and wasted no time in steering Skydancer back up into the sky. As they left, something shifted in the shadows. There was a figure, hiding among the trees, its gaze focused on Skydancer and his riders.

#15

Before long, the two were peeking through a break in some storm clouds. Below them stretched one of the devestated areas.
"Geeze..." Brian muttered. "You can't tell how big these things are from t.v...."
"A bit different in person, eh?"
"Just a little. Let's just get the sample and get back. This place is giving me the creeps."
"Sure thing, Earth kid."
"Do you have to call me that?"
"Mmm...yes," she said with a grin. A nudge from her heel sent Skydancer thundering down to the surface.
Brian slid down off of Skydancer once they reached the ground. He glanced around, then knelt down and scooped some dirt into one of the bags Violet had given him. He tied it off and stuck it in his pocket, standing up again. "Do you think we should get samples from a few places?"
"Eh, I'm not sure. Violet would know."
"Oh, yeah-" He dug into his pocket and pulled out the headset and wristpiece, putting them both on. He turned the dial to 4, and spoke up timidly. "Violet...?"
"Yeah, Brian? Do you have the sample?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, nothing's wrong. I wanted to know if we should get multiple samples?"
Stormy lifted a hand up over her mouth in an attempt to stifle a chuckle at Brian's timidness.
"That would probably be best. Good thinking, Brian."
"Thanks. Any word from Rainbow?"
"Last we heard, they'd found the trace of the Warp and were following it into the next dimension. We should be hearing from them again pretty soon."
"Alright. That's good to know. We'll be back as soon as we can," Brian said, before switching the voice off.
Stormy smirked at Brian's sad expression. "I take it we're not finished yet." She reached a hand down to him.
"Unfortunately, no," he said glumly. He took her hand and let her help him back up onto Skydancer's back.
"Then we best get back to work."

#14

Back in the Colour Castle, there's a constant buzz of activity. Violet never left the base for the two-ways, continually monitering their connection with Rainbow's and Krys' sets. Sprites were in and out constantly with batches of star sprinkles, while Storm and Moonglow were coming back quite frequently for their own shares. While it exhausted Moonglow to work during the day as well as the night, it seemed as though each trip back to Rainbowland energized Stormy and Skydancer. Red was taking over Twink's duties up in the mines, while Blue continued the overseeing of the making of the star sprinkles.
"Ooh, it feels like we're getting no where!" exclaimed Lala, who was sitting around the console in the Castle with the other kids who didn't have another duty. "We'll never figure out a way to heal all of those poisoned patches."
"Don't say that, Lala," Canary said with a frown. "We have to find a way; Rainbow's counting on us."
"But we don't even know what kind of poison this is, or what it's doing to the earth."
"That's why we can't stop to worry. We don't have the time," Indigo said.
Brian, who was sitting with them as he had little else to do, spoke up timidly. "I-I could go back to Earth, collect some soil. That could help, right?"
The girls exchanged glances, then Patty spoke up, worried look on her face. "I don't know, Brian... Rainbow said you should stay here-"
"Unless it's absolutely necessary, I know. But don't you think this is necessary? Without a sample, you girls are just shooting in the dark, and exerting a lot of energy to do it."
"The Earth kid's right, you know," said a voice at the door.
"Stormy..." Pink mumbled as they all turned to see her waltzing in, empty saddlebag over her shoulder.
"I'll take you. That way there's a quick exit on Skydancer if we pick the wrong spot to go digging."
Brian smiled and rose to his feet. "Good idea."
The other girls hopped up, still looking awfully worried. "But, Stormy, I really don't think that's a good idea," Indigo said.
"Why not? It's a fine idea. The kid wants to help, and he found a way to do it."
"But what if that creature comes after you?" Lala asked.
"I already said that's what Skydancer's for. We don't use a rainbow to get around. He won't be able to follow us. Now chill out. Earth kid, let's go."
The others sank back down into their seats, while Violet came over and gave Brian a few bags for the soil samples. He then followed Stormy outside.
"Thanks," he said as she vaulted up onto Skydancer's back. He took her offered hand and pulled himself up behind her.
"Eh, don't mention it. I know what it's like to feel helpless, as well as how good it feels to do something useful." She smiled back at him. "Now hang on."
He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on tight as Skydancer practically rocketted into the air.

#13

"So, how do we follow a warp trace?" Rainbow asked.
"On-X can detect where the dimensions have been bent. It's rather simple, actually. If you fold a piece of paper up and punch a hole through it, when you unfold it again, you can see all of the holes."
"How can you tell which one's the one you're looking for?" Twink asked.
"Well, in the case of warps, the folds follow a straight line. Follow the folds until you find what you're looking for."
"So there really is no way of knowing how far away the origin is," Starlight muttered.
Rainbow smiled as she looked down at him. "What's the matter? Getting tired?"
He tossed his head, nostirls flaring with his ego. "Of course not. I could run to the very end of the universe and back."
She patted his neck. "Well...let's hope it's not that far..."
"How's your magick holding up?" Krys asked as he eyed the rainbow.
"I think it'll hold up so long as the star sprinkles last. We'll be able to draw from the stars soon enough."
"The rainbow feels as strong as ever," Starlight offered.
"Good."
"Rainbow?" came a familiar voice from the headset Rainbow wore.
She lifted a hand to the earpiece, then made sure her channel was set to four. "I hear you, Violet. Loud and clear."
"Oh, good. You're coming through strong, too. Let me check Krys."
The headset went quiet again, and after a second Krys spoke up. "Perfect, Violet."
Rainbow smiled, then spoke again. "No sign of Dismal?"
"Nothing noticeable," Violet said.
"Let's hope it stays that way."
"If you could, Rainbow... Check in each time you cross dimensions."
"Of course."

Unfortunately for them, Dismal hadn't yet overcome his bad habit of keeping an eye on the goings-on of Rainbowland. He couldn't help but take notice of the mountains of starsprinkles flooding the Colour Castle, or that Rainbow had just left with enough to last her for months, if not longer.
Sitting on top of his cave-like home in the Pits, beside a telescope pointed at the Castle, Murky Dismal formed a plan.
"Lurky!"
From somewhere inside came the bellowing reply, "Coming, Murky!"
Dismal winced at the shout, standing up as the lumbering, somewhat slow-in-the-head Lurky appeared at the top of the stairs. "What is it, Murky?"
"I've got a plan."
"Ooo, a plan! Uh, a plan for what, Murky?"
Murky scowled and hit Lurky over the head. "A plan to do in those Rainbowbrats once and for all, dodo brain!"