#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."