#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."