Rainbow Brite and the War of Darkness

			by Robert Teague
	
Copyright 1999 by Robert Teague This story is written solely for the 
entertainment of Rainbow Brite fans, and no copyright infringement 
is intended. This story may be reproduced, providing no changes are made.

			   Dedication

	For fans of Rainbow Brite everywhere, and most especially
for Onyxmoon, whose own story inspired me to finally finish this.

Contents

Book I   Shadows of the Past

	  Chapter 1 A Message Arrives
	  Chapter 2 A New Friend
	  Chapter 3 Betrayal
	  Chapter 4 Gathering of the Rainbow
	  Chapter 5 Secrets of the Coal Sack
	  Chapter 6 Gloom and Doom
	  Chapter 7 Confrontation!
	  Chapter 8 The Rainbow Nebula

Book II  Lights of the Present

	  Forthcoming

Book III Rainbows of the Future

	  Forthcoming

Author's Note

	I have been a Rainbow Brite fan since 1986, when I saw the
movie Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer on HBO. Something about
the characters and situations appealed to me, and I have enjoyed watching
the episodes and movie over the years, to the despair of my wife, 
who has no understanding of my interest. I don't understand it either, 
but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it.
	I wrote thumbnail story outlines for an entire 24-episode second
season of the show, and contacted Hallmark Cards about submitting them. 
I was told the division had been shut down, so I was out of luck. 
	The stories ended up in a desk drawer, looked at occasionally,
and sometimes I thought about them and made notes to use to expand them. 
Several of them seemed to be parts of a longer story. Slowly that longer 
story was pieced together until I had "Rainbow Brite and the Quest for 
the Past". 
	In it, Rainbow set out to discover the origins of the Castle, 
the Belt, Spectra, and everything else connected to the color equipment. 
Parts of that story may be found in the present one. The story stalled 
after only a couple of chapters were written.
	I thought I was alone in my interest, and no one would ever 
read my stories, even if I did finish them, so I quit working on them.
	Recently, out of curiosity, I did a web search for Rainbow Brite, 
and I found the Rainbow Brite web ring, and a *mailing list*! Suddenly 
I was in contact with quite a few others who shared my interest, and I 
discovered that others who wrote fan fiction existed out there!
	That inspired me to finish this first story, and see that it
was part of a greater whole. The second and third parts are under way,
so I'm sharing this first part with you.
	I still have the episode outlines, and now may find inspiration
to do something with them, as well.

Enjoy!

Robert Teague
January, 1999



Chapter One  A Message Arrives

	Rainbow Brite stood on the parapet of the Color Castle, and
stared pensively out over her realm. It was a beautiful summer morning,
and she walked around the parapet, taking in the view. The Sunrise
Mountains were beautiful as always, stretching across the eastern horizon,
and turning west behind the Castle. Rainbow Falls sparkled in the
early morning light, even though the sun had not yet risen from behind
the mountains.  To the west, the land was green and peaceful, but fluffy
white clouds on the horizon promised a summer thunderstorm by the 
afternoon.  Far away on the edge of sight was a dark smudge--the Pits.
To the north were the homes and fields of the Sprites, laid out in 
neat patterns. The fields were bright green, like the forest beyond.
Brightly colored vegetation was a hallmark of planets where Color 
Crystal is found.
	She turned toward the stairs, and noticed a very old feature 
of the Castle. The rings where Twink's hammock had been were still 
there, embedded in the walls of the Castle.  After the last Twink 
died of old age, the hammock was put away until needed again.
	As she went down the stairs she smiled, remembering the first
white Sprite to follow her; the original Twink. Many, many lives
of the short-lived Sprites had passed, and somehow the genetics of the
creatures was such to produce a white Sprite every generation. The 
Sprite was trained in the task of being her helper, taking the 
traditional name "Twink", and served her until old age. The new white
Sprite was still an infant, far too young to bear the responsibility.
	Returning to her room she got dressed. She was restless. As
restless as she had ever been in her long life, which had already 
spanned a length of time measured in millions of years.
	She proceeded down the stairs to the main room of the Castle.
All the Color Kids were busy at their stations at the Console, and 
didn't look up. 
	Rainbow noted with amusement that all the Kids were dressed
in mauve clothes. Except on formal occasions, there was no rule they
had to dress in the color they were in charge of, so they frequently
changed their clothes and styles.
	She saw with an eye made expert by long practice that there
was a minor problem. Buddy Blue was frowning, and considering what
action to take.
	As she approached the bottom of the stairs, Indigo noticed her
and gave her a smile. Then her eyes widened slightly, seeing what 
Rainbow was wearing.
	"Problem?" Lala asked Buddy.
	"More of that Crystal with the unusual coloring in the newest
batch. The processing monitor wants to know what to do with it."
	"Route it to the Lab. I'll look at it later," said Shy Violet,
who was as expert in minerology as she was in most other sciences.
	"Done," said Buddy, typing some commands.
	Rainbow reflected on just how little the Kids needed her now. She
had long since finished her task of activating the color property of 
objects within her area of responsibility. The Color Kids maintained
the colors with the Console, and now there was little for her to do.
	Stepping out the door, Rainbow for a moment expected to find
Starlite waiting for her. That moment of deja vue only served to increase
her restlessness. Starlite's race of intelligent horses were long-lived,
but not as long as Rainbow's. Starlite had gotten old and retired. He
and Sunriser had foaled two, but neither was of a temperment to be her
steed, so she used the rainbow to travel.
	She wondered if Sunriser was still alive. The pink horse had 
finally had enough of Starlite's vanity, and left him to return to the
mountains she came from. There had been no word of her for many years.
	She walked through the Sprite village, saying hello to those
who greeted her. She stopped by the home of the of the Sprite family
where the infant Twink lived, and visited them for a while. The new
Twink had grown a bit since her last visit, and was now sitting up 
and trying to talk. The parents were very proud; having a white Sprite
was a status symbol among their race.
	Leaving them, she wandered around seemingly aimlessly, then
realized her steps were taking her to the Library. It was a building 
in the same style as the Sprite houses, just a bit larger. 
	The Laboratory, next door, was much larger.
	Inside, she went into one of the viewing cubicles, and hesitated
a moment before asking the computer for the short-lived TV series about
her that had been made on Earth years ago.
	She had met the human boy Brian and brought him to visit 
Rainbowland more or less as depicted in the episode "Peril in the Pits". 
He had told his father about his adventures there, and his father had 
told an executive at an animation studio, and he got the 13 episodes and 
movie made. Nowadays Brian was a tall, grown man, with a wife and two
children.
	The show had been done without her permission, and at the time she
had wondered what difference it would make for people to know about her;
if they would be able to see her without her willing it. As it turned 
out, it didn't matter because the show wasn't very popular. In fact,
with the exception of a few people who were obsessed with it, the show
had been forgotten.
	The early episodes were fairly accurate, but later ones had
degenerated into pure fantasy.  Rainbow guessed that was only natural,
since the show had been aimed at fairly young human children. Besides,
Brian had not witnessed many of the events, and only knew what they had
told him. In any case, little of the true events was suitable for 
children. 
	The first episode, 'The Beginning of Rainbowland' started, and 
she settled down to watch.  So much had changed since she and the Kids
banished the King of Shadows, now so long ago it was just dim legends 
to the Sprites. He was still out there, she knew. She could feel him,
sometimes closer, sometimes further away. That tale had not yet ended.
	The violent nature of Murky and Lurky couldn't have been shown
on the TV show--they were truely evil beings, ambassadors from the King
of Shadows.
	Murkwell Dismal had been an interesting enemy. In the early
episodes he was shown to be competent, which was true, but his 
character got sillier in later ones. The one thing that had prevented 
his ever completely succeeding in his plans was the fact he was too
single-minded. He would ignore opportunities to do great harm because
his current plans were set.
	He was also of a long-lived race, but he at last aged beyond
his prime, but refused to accept it. He became less of a problem as time
passed, and finally he attacked her while standing on the rainbow 
high in the air. This had been a remarkably stupid thing to do, since 
her will controlled it. When his gloom cloud rendered her unable to 
think clearly, the rainbow faded and he'd fallen to his death, while 
the failsafe device in the Belt protected her.
	His sidekick Lurky, a mutant Sprite, wasn't stupid as the show
had him, but was large, immensely strong, and dangerous. He tried to 
continue Murky's programs on his own, but his heart wasn't in it. He
finally left for deep space, to try and escape his master.
	The second story, "Peril in the Pits" was an antiseptic version
of her meeting Brian, bringing him to Rainbowland, and fighting with
Murky. It showed a number of things accrurately, such as the fact she
couldn't control the Belt when not wearing it, and that her powers 
didn't work in the Pits. The rock of the Pits was the same as the grey
stone Color Crystal was mined from, but very concentrated. It absorbed
her power without being affected by it. Undoubtably Murky had known
that as well. It was a major ingrediant of his gloom cloud weapon.
	The Monstromurk still existed, kept in a 'magic bottle', so
to speak--a very strong magnetic chamber, fed with Color Crystal to 
keep it occupied. It had been released twice, and while not as 
intelligent as the episode had it, was attracted to color, and could 
absorb it.
	Ah, the Dark Princess. *There* had been a challenge! There was
a planet named Spectra that she coveted, but of course the idea that all
the light in the Universe had to pass through it was nonsense. It was 
made wholly of crystal, and was a major source of Color Crystal. 
Color Crystal can release immense power, and is used by several races 
as a power source. It also powered the high technology of the Color Belt,
Castle, Prism, Key, and On-X. Those items were so advanced, the technology 
was indistinguishable from magic. By stopping the Princess from acquiring
Spectra, Rainbow had prevented an interstellar war. The Princess still 
blamed her for the loss of her star empire, and there was truth to the
charge. The Princess and her remaining followers, including Count Blogg,
had reappeared several times, but failed to exact their revenge. Krys
was depicted accurately. His race resembled human children even more
than Rainbow's did, but he was an adult during those events. His weapon,
the Prism, was shown accurately, as was On-X. Orin still lived, little 
changed in all the time that had passed. She had wondered about that. 
He was far older than any Sprite had ever been known to live.
	And here was Sorrell the Sorcerer. In the episode, he was depicted
as rather silly, but the reality was far different. He was a powerful
magician, and amoral, but he was extremely up front, and would stick to 
a bargain to get what he wanted. He had been a visitor to Rainbowland 
a couple of times, and they'd had to watch him carefully.
	The Robot Rainbow Brite had caused confusion for a long time,
not just the one time, as the episode showed. It was a perfect duplicate
of her, and the only way to tell from a distance was by the slight 
hesitation between words the robot made. There was no key for winding
it up, of course. It was kept in the Laboratory, and Violet had been 
tinkering with its programming for some time.
	Wajah was a friend, but his race's color-absorbing ability had 
proven to be dangerous to her and the Kids several times. One thing
the episode had gotten right was that both hers and Wajah's races 
needed color to survive, though not as food. Another fact gotten right
was rather odd, that Wajah's race was forgetting how to maintain their
technology. She didn't remember telling Brian about that.
	Plock the peddler appeared, tricking Twink into trading him the
Color Cave. Actually, he had tried to buy it, but gave up the idea when
they showed him how dangerously unstable Color Crystal can be. He was
shown accurately, since Brian had met him a couple of times. He was a
lovable old rogue, the oddball grandfather that kids loved, and was 
always up to something. They'd shown him the cartoon once, and he was
very flattered. He still kept in touch.
	Suddenly Rainbow became aware of someone standing behind her.
She looked around, and there was Shy Violet, face full of concern.
	"Are you okay?" she asked, "I was going to the lab to check 
that unusual crystal, and saw you here."
	Rainbow turned back to the screen. "Screen off. I'm restless,
Violet."
	"I thought so, when I saw what you put on."
	In surprise, Rainbow looked down at her clothes, and discovered
she had put on her old work dress, including the Color Belt. "Huh, I 
didn't even notice."
	Violet came up behind her, and began to kneed her shoulders.
	"You're tense. Would you like a massage session at Buddy's spa?"
	"No, thanks, but that feels wonderful." Rainbow relaxed in her
chair. All was quiet for a while, as Violet massaged Rainbow's neck then
moved up to her face and head.
	"Violet, I want to DO something! I've been cooling my heels 
for months now, and can't stand it any more. The Kids barely need
me any more, and...
	"And you feel useless."
	"Yes, I do."
	"So you're watching these silly cartoons, looking for something."
	"Sigh. I guess I am."
	"Excuse me," said the computer.
	"Yes?" asked Rainbow.
	"There is mail arriving for you, marked urgent."
	"Route it here, please."
	"Arriving now."
	Rainbow got up and went over to a slot in the wall, and took out
a piece of paper. She read it, and as Violet watched, Rainbow's eyes 
widened,then teared up.
	"What's wrong?" asked Violet.
	"Plock has died."



	

Chapter Two   A New Friend

	"WHAT? Plock's DEAD?!? What happened?" asked Violet.
	"The letter doesn't say. Here," said Rainbow. She was shaking
so badly she could hardly hold it. She sat down, and cried.
	Taking the printout, Shy Violet read:

Rainbow Brite:

	On ending of my life force, my ship's computer is programmed to 
send you this message.
	I am hereby giving you title and ownership of all my possessions. 
The ship will go to the small asteroid I own (coordinates below), and 
wait there for you. (The deed to the planetoid in in the ship.)
	Disposal of my effects is entirely up to you, but I suggest you
examine them carefully before doing anything irreversable.
	Don't worry about my body, it will be taken care of.

Don't Take Any Wooden Color Crystals!

				Plock

Asteroid 223563  Galactic Coordinates 1425789461/41245215621/45986

	Violet sat down and cried with Rainbow. Their old friend was gone.
He had brought Violet things to study from across the stars, and indeed
had brought all of them things they now treasured.
	A few minutes later, they dried their eyes and composed themselves.
Violet reread the letter.
	"At the risk of sounding callous," said Violet through the tears
that suddenly sprang up again, "I'd say you got your wish."
	"Yes, and I'm going to leave right after lunch," said Rainbow.
	"Now lets go and tell the others."

			*	*	*

	After lunch found Rainbow standing outside the Castle, checking
the contents of her knapsack. Plock had been a friend for a long time,
and each of the Kids had given her an item to leave at the memorial,
which was a custom of her culture.
	She made sure the Color Belt was fully charged, and hooked an 
extra pouch of Starsprinkles on it.
	Looking at the letter once more, she studied the coordinates 
carefully, and got a mental 'ACKNOWLEDGED' from the Color Belt. It had
read her desire to go to those coordinates, and programmed itself. She 
touched the star and the rainbow formed under her feet, stretching 
upwards to infinity.
	Of all the Kids, only Buddy, Indigo, and Violet were there to 
see her off. More proof they didn't need her any more, she thought as
she waved goodbye. They returned the gesture, and watched as she willed
herself upwards.
	Within moments Rainbow found herself in space, Rainbowland rapidly
growing smaller below.
	Ahead, a warp portal opened, the rainbow leading into it. Passing
through a flash of bright light, she found her rainbow approaching a 
nondescript asteroid, orbiting a blueish star. It was some five kilometers
in radius, pocked with craters from hits by other asteroids in the far
past.
	The Belt's navigation equipment picked up the asteroid's radio
beacon, and guided the rainbow unerringly to the airlock.  A combination
lock keypad awaited the code for entry. Rainbow knew she could force 
her way in, but to do so was against her nature. She thought for a moment,
then smiled.  She entered: DTAWCC, and the outer door slid aside.
	"It figures," she thought, "'Don't Take Any Wooden Color Crystals'
indeed!"
	Cycling through the airlock, she found herself in a space suit
changing room. A comm panel on the far wall was flashing for attention.
	She pressed the blinking button, and immediately felt a small 
jolt of electricity.
	"Transfer of ownership complete. Welcome home, Mistress Rainbow
Brite!" said the computer. The door opened.
	"Thank you," she replied, stepping through into a tastefully 
furnished, spotless living room, complete with the standard computer and
entertainment console.
	"Computer, status report?"
	"Except for an anomaly I can't pin down, all systems nominal. 
Plock's ship arrived three hours ago, and is in the garage."
	"Explain the anomaly," she instructed.
	"I can't. My sensors keep picking up...something...in 
different parts of the house, but cannot analyse it. It appeared soon
after word of Plock's death arrived here."
	"Is it still here?"
	"No, it was, but vanished when you received ownership."
	"Very well, inform me if it returns."
	"Acknowledged, mistress."
	"Am I the only living being here?" she asked.
	"Yes. I have clear instructions that no one was to enter until
you did," was the reply.
	"Do you know how Plock died?" 
	"No, mistress. I received a message I know could not be faked,
but details of what happened were not given."
	"Computer, do you have a name?"
	"Yes, I am called Doris. I am programmed with the voice and some
personality of Plock's wife."
	"I never knew he was married!" Rainbow said in surprise.
	"For twenty-seven years. She died of Muskatt's Disease over
forty years ago."
	"I'm sorry," said Rainbow. A pause, then "Show me a schematic
of this place."
	Immediately on the screen appeared a 3D cutaway view of the 
asteroid, with lables pointing out features.  There was the garage and
ship, a laboratory, a library, a warehouse, infirmary... quite a home.
There was room enough for thirty people to live comfortably, and the
place was designed for further expansion.
	"Doris, how long will it take a message to get to Rainbowland?"
	"Twenty-two hours, nine minutes, mistress," was the reply.
	"Please send this:

	Open message to the Color Kids:

	Have arrived on Plock's asteroid. Will be settling his personal
affairs, and doing other necessary things. If needful, contact me the
usual way. Otherwise, reply to these coordinates. 
	No idea yet what happened to him. I will let you know if I
do have any news.

	Rainbow Brite

Append the necessary codes and send."

	"Done. Any other orders?"
	"Give me a guide stripe to the garage, please."
	Immediately a red stripe appeared on the floor, leading to another
door from the living room. The elevator took her down several floors, and
there was Plock's ship.
	She had wondered why it was designed to look like a horse-drawn
wagon, similar to what the cartoon had shown, until some research showed
it was based on a peddler's wagon on Earth a century and more ago.
	In the wagon she found the deed to the asteroid, and several 
important-looking papers written in an alphabet she didn't recognize.
	She went to the study, and slid them into the scanner. A moment
later translated copies were printed. She took them and began to read.
The papers made cryptic references to 'goods to be delivered' at a 
rendezvous point on a planet she'd never heard of.
	Somewhat later, she ate dinner, and thought. "There's a mystery
here, and I think Plock was giving me a hint about solving it."
	"Doris, please give me a financial report."
	On the screen appeared numbers and information. One thing was
very clear almost instantly; Plock had been very wealthy. He had parleyed
his trading activities into large amounts of money, and owned eight chains
of used bookstores and ten chains of curio shops on sixty-seven planets.
	She was gratified to see that there was nothing shady in his 
dealings--all up front and above board. He had been careful not to anger
the local governments. 
	"Doris, are there deliveries made here?"
	"Yes, occasionally. We are self-sufficient as far as life support
and general materials are concerned, but deliveries from the curio chains
and book chains are made."
	"Why?"
	"There were clients he wanted to deliver the item to himself. The
things stored in the warehouse are of that nature. Sometimes there are 
books delivered for his private collection, and are taken to the library."
	"Give me a guide stripe to the library."
	A brown stripe appeared, leading to a corridor.

	The library proved to be vast, but well organized. There were
several large tables at the front of the room, each with several 
comfortable chairs. One of the computer consoles was on one wall.
	There was a case filled with hundreds of computer tiles sitting
beside it. A quick glace showed them to be well-organized.
	The topics were seemingly unlimited. Plock had been interested
in many different things, to judge by the contents. History was a 
large subject, divided into subcategories as Galactic, Planetary, Regional,
Myths and Legends. Technology was another large category, and one 
bookcase held books on minerology and geology. On the bottom shelf of 
that section she found a small selection of books on Color Crystal.
	Suddenly she yawned, and realized she'd been up for two days.
	"I need a bath and some sleep, Doris. Please give me a stripe
to a bedroom."
	"Here, mistress."
	Twenty minutes later she snuggled in, warm, safe, and cozy, and
unafraid, if lonely. She missed the Color Kids and her pets. She was the
only living being here, and didn't even have Twink to talk to. Doris
was very nice, and had done her best to make Rainbow feel at home, but
she wanted someone she knew nearby.
	That was probably a forlorn hope, though. The Color Kids were
doing just fine without her. Why would they come, since her leadership
wasn't needed any more?
	She dozed off, tiredness overcoming her thoughts.

	Outside, in the Universe, forces were stirring that would upset 
the sleep of many innocent beings.





Chapter Three   Betrayal

	The next morning after breakfast she returned to the library.
	Wandering around the shelves she pulled and looked at any book 
that caught her eye. The section on Color Crystal was interesting. It 
had never occurred to her that anyone else would do research on it. She
would have to remember to tell Violet about this library.
	In the technology section was one book on color-related instruments,
like the Belt, Castle, and Prism. Scanning the book she realized it was
a collection of stories from people who had seen them used, and speculation
on how they worked.
	At last around a corner she got to the end of the used sections.
Just as she turned to go back to the front, a gleam of color caught her 
eye. On a bottom shelf in a gloomy corner was a set of books that made
her blood run cold. She brought them out and set them on a table, hoping
she hadn't found what she thought she had.
	Hands trembling, she picked up the top volume, in a red cover, 
and opened it. The words of Dal, the Great One of her race, lept out at her.
	 Some pages were stained, barely to be read, while others looked 
as if they had been printed last year. She looked in each one, confirming 
it was part of the set of eight books. There was one complete set.
	She sat back, stunned. These books should not exist. None of these
books should be found off her home world.
	"Doris, what can you tell me about these books?"
	"Nothing, mistress. They are not in the catalog, and I did not 
know they were there... wait. A 'conditions met' file is opening... I am
instructed to tell you to find a tile marked "RB/CC-1"."
	"Where..."
	"Wait. We have an arrival. The ship's beacon indicates it is 
Sorrell the Sorcerer. He is asking permission to dock. Orders?
	"Permission granted. Maybe he can shed some light on what Plock 
was up to."
	"Plock did not trust Sorrell, and never confided in him to my
knowledge."
	"I'll just have to ask, I guess."
	She put the books back where she found them, and went to meet
the unexpected guest.

			*	*	*

	"Well, Rainbow Brite!" said Sorrell as he climbed out of his ship,
"I wasn't expecting to find you here! Where is Plock?"
	"I'm afraid he's dead."
	"DEAD?!? What happened?"
	"I'm not certain. I just got a message to come here. He's left
everything to me, so I'm sorting things out."
	"I see... Let's talk."
	"Yes, lets. This way."
	She led the way to the living room, and found refreshments waiting.
Helping themselves, they settled into comfortable chairs.
	"So tell me, what do you want here?" asked Rainbow.
	Sorrell smiled. "To the point, eh? Very well. I've been studying
your people and their magic for a long time. That's not easy to do, as 
you well know."
	"Yes, we find it best to keep to ourselves as much as possible.
Much of our... magic...could be dangerous in the wrong hands."
	"Yes... well, I have, uh, had, a contract with Plock for him to
find me any books, papers, and artifacts that may be about, or from,
your world. He contacted me and told me about some books he found that 
I should have, so I bought them.
	Rainbow sat back, stunned. She knew instantly what books he 
meant. She couldn't believe Plock would betray her by giving this
dangerous sorcerer access to those books. Sorrell may not be as bad as
the Shadow King, but he would be bad enough if he mastered what was in
them. That plus the fact the books shouldn't even exist made giving 
them to him out of the question.
	"I see... I'm sorry, but I havn't finished sorting out his 
affairs..."
	For a second Sorrell gave her a venomous look, then covered it
up. "I want the books I've paid for. I've come a long way for them, and 
I'm not leaving until I get them."
	"Do you have a receipt?"
	He pulled out a computer tile and handed it to her. Laying it
on the tile port, the screen lit up, revealing a detailed contract
between Sorrell and Plock, saying exactly what Sorrell had claimed.
Along with it were copies of messages between them. The last one, dated
just a few days earlier, also said exactly what he claimed. It was 
followed by a transaction record.
	She handed the tile back to him.
	"Well, I'll have to do some looking in the records. I'll give it
top priority, but it may take some time."
	"Urrgh...very well, I'll wait. But not for long." She looked at
him, and he glared back. Their eyes held for a long moment, then he
broke, looking away. His eyes seemed dim, somehow, like a veil was 
over them.
	"Doris, please show our guest to a room."
	A stripe appeared, and Sorrell followed it out. As he reached 
the door, he turned and glared at her again. Then he was gone.
	She flopped down in the chair.
	"Doris, what am I going to do? I can't give him those books. They
shouldn't even exist!"
	"He has paid for them. They should be delivered. Anything else
would be dishonest."
	Rainbow sat deep in thought for a while, trying to find a way
out of the delemma. Then she remembered the other developement.
	"Doris, you were telling me to look for a tile. What was the lable?"
	"It was RB/CC-1."
	Some time later she found the tile and went to her room. She 
locked the door, and started to put the tile on the port, then hesitated.
	"Doris, what is Sorrell doing?"
	"He is meditating. Oh, the anomaly has reappeared."
	"Where is it?"
	"I cannot tell, exactly. Somewhere in the living area. I will try
to localize it."
	"Please do. In the meantime, privacy."
	That order directed the computer not to monitor her activities.
She put the tile on the port, and Plock's features promptly appeared on
the screen.
	"Greetings, Rainbow Brite! Since you're seeing this, I am dead,
and you have inherited everything I own. I've given it all to you 
because I have no family, and you were always special to me. I hope you
will look my things over carefully. You may find some useful items."
	Rainbow stood looking at the image of her friend, and tears began
to roll down her cheeks.
	"One thing, maybe very important. I sold Sorrell the Sorcerer a
set of books that came from your home world. I thought it was just a
minor find, until I looked at them carefully. I'm just an old peddler,
and don't understand these things, but I did understand enough to realize
that Sorrell shouldn't have them. I cancelled the sale, the record is on
this tile.
	The books are in the library; you'll know them when you see them,
I'm sure. Be careful; I've learned there are others who will stop at
nothing to get them.
	The figure looked out at Rainbow, and smiled sadly. "Goodbye, my
friend. I'm sorry I won't be able to visit you folks again, but we have
had some times, and they are good memories." The screen darkened.
	Rainbow sat down where she stood, and let the tears come. He
hadn't betrayed her after all. 
	"Mistress, the anomaly..." said Doris, "Is something wrong?"
	Rainbow got up and washed her face.
	"No, something has just been made right. What were you saying?"
	"The anomaly was in this room."
	She looked around. "Where?"
	"It's gone again...and so is Sorrell! He's not in his room! I
can't locate him!"
	Rainbow ran to the door, opened it, and got a glimpse of movement
as she started out the door. She pulled back just before an orange fireball
hit the door where she'd been standing.
	"I want those books, Rainbow Brite!"
	"Never, Sorrell! Not as long as I live!"
	"Then I'll have to do something about that!"
	A green sticky mass hit the floor with a loud plop, instantly
sending out long, sticky tendrils into the room. She managed to avoid 
most of them, but one got her on the arm and leg and stuck. She pulled, 
but stopped when she realized it would take her skin off to remove it.
	She activated the rainbow, and sent it out the door and around 
the corner where Sorrell was. After a moment, the Belt's computer said
'TARGET NOT AVAILABLE'. 
	She stood a moment, wondering what to do when the green gunk 
on her arm and leg started to burn. In a few seconds it was very painful,
and escalated rapidly to unbearable. She pulled the rainbow back and used
it to slice the tendril off her arm and leg. At a mental command, it 
formed under her feet, carrying her over the mass and out the door. She 
went down the corridor to the library, arriving to find the door open, 
and the sound of feet running.
	"Here they are," Sorrell's voice said from somewhere in the back.
	"Sorrell, please stop! I can't let you have those books!"
	He stepped from behind a bookcase, his hands holding the books.
He made a peculiar gesture, and they disappeared. "You can't stop me! 
They're mine!"
	He started to gesture in her direction, and she threw up a 
transparent rainbow shield.
	Blazing blue-white bolts of electricity flew from his hands,
striking the shield. The sudden light was unexpected, and blinded her.
The distraction weakened her will, and allowed some of the electricity
to flow back down the rainbow and into her. She screamed briefly, and
was knocked to one side, unconsious.
	Sorrell walked up to the front and looked down on her. A sudden
breeze, growing stronger, caught his attention.
	"Computer, what is that wind?"
	"I have opened the airlocks. You have less than one minute before
the air is gone."
	"If I had time, I'd fry your chips for this, but I'm going."
He turned to the door, and stopped, looking back. "That takes care of her,
anyway," he muttered, and ran out.
	Shortly thereafter the breeze stopped as the airlocks closed.
	Sorrell was gone, and the forbidden books were with him.
	



Chapter Four  Gathering of the Rainbow

	She stood in darkness, listening to the voices that seemed to 
swirl around, now closer, now further away.  It seemed a debate was 
taking place, and she was the subject of that debate!
	"She has met her obligations," said a voice she thought was female.
	"But not all of her challenges," said the other voice, which was
male, harsh and menacing, "This last failure will count heavily 
against her."
	"It is not finished."
	"No, but there is only one ending possible."
	"Do not be too quick to say that!"
	"Who are you?" she called into the dark.
	"Her helpers have abandoned her. She is weak." said the male voice.
	"No. She knows where her strength lies. She will find it again,"
said the female voice.
	"It will not help her."
	There was no reply.
	"Show yourselves!" she shouted.
	Utter silence, not even an echo. But she felt them studying her.
	Light grew until she realized she was standing on a grey,
featureless plane illuminated by a pearly half-light. A feeling of being 
looked at came over her, and she turned around suddenly.
	The King of Shadows stood before her, tall and menacing, wrapped
in his black cloak, eyes gleaming in the darkened face. In his right 
hand he held the Sphere of Light, which she knew to be Lady Brite. 
	"You cannot stop me!" he said, "You are alone!"
	'It was true', she realized, 'where were the Color Kids? Why 
weren't they here to help?'
	Horrified, she watched as he lifted his hand and crushed 
the Sphere. Brightly colored shards burst in all directions, winking out 
as they fell to the plain. When the last one went out, all was dark 
again, save the eyes boring into hers.
	"I am triumphant!" he shouted.
	"The Darkness wins!"
	She clapped her hands over her ears, but it didn't help. 'He is
right, I am alone, I can't stop the darkness by myself. I'm weak.' Tears
of despair crept out of the corners of her tightly closed eyes. An icy
hand seemed to take hold of her heart, and squeeze.
	
	"The Darkness wins!"
	
	"The Darkness WINS!"
	
	"THE DARKNESS..."
			"...didn't damage her heart," said a different
voice. It was still dark, but the new voice was female, familiar, and 
comforting. That last shouted word still rolled around in her head.
	"That's good news," said another voice, also familiar, also 
comforting, and male.
	She opened her eyes, and found Canary Yellow looking down at her.
Canary gave her a dazzling smile, and she immediately felt the cold hand
around her heart lose its grip. "Hi! Glad to see you awake!"  
	Buddy Blue came into her field of vision. "How do you feel?" he
asked, voice full of concern.
	"...hurt all over..." she mumbled.
	"I'm not surprised. It's an effect of electricty; it tightens up
all your muscles, and from what Doris tells us, you got quite a jolt."
	"...uh huh..." she replied.
	"You also have some kind of poison in your system. Was it from
those burns?"
	"...uh huh...green sticky burning..." she managed to say.
	Canary turned and studied the medical readout. She pressed several
keys. "There. You'll feel a lot better in a few minutes. But you are
going to be sore for the next few days. Try to take it easy."
	Rainbow closed her eyes. She knew what had happened. The Color
Belt's computer would send out an emergency signal if she were injured,
and the Kids would come running.  But...why? They didn't want or need
her any more.  They had abandoned her...hadn't they? The cold hand 
gripped again.
	At the sound of an opening door, she opened her eyes and looked
towards it. The rest of the Color Kids came in, looking solemn. They
surrounded her bed, looking down at her. Tears came to her eyes. The
dream was a lie! They did want her!
	"Why are you crying, Rainbow?" asked Lala, "Aren't you glad to
see us?"
	"Oh, yes!" she reached out, despite protesting muscles, and took
Lala's hand. I thought you all didn't care about me any more! I thought
I was alone!"
	The Kids looked at each other, horrified. "Never!" they all cried.
	"You are always our hope and light, Rainbow! You are our friend,
and we will always follow you!" said Red, with murmurs of agreement 
from the others.
	"Thank you, everyone! That makes me feel much better," she said,
and it did. She looked around at the familiar faces, all full of concern 
and love for her. 
	"Where's Violet?" she asked.
	"Doris, where is Violet?" asked Canary.
	"She is in the library," was the reply.
	General groans all around.
	"We'll never get her out of there," sighed Indigo.
	"Doris, tell Violet to come to the infirmary, NOW!" said Canary.
	"She's on her way," replied Doris.
	A few seconds later, the door burst open, and in ran Violet, two
books in each arm. She put them on a table, and ran over to Rainbow's 
bedside.
	"I'm sorry, Rainbow, I just got caught up in that fascinating 
library! I've found books I've looked for for years..."
	"It's okay, Violet, I understand," said Rainbow, taking Violet's 
hand with her free one.
	The pain, both inside and outside, eased off, so she sat up. She
looked around again. "Where's..."
	"Oh," said Buddy, "Tickled Pink and Moonglow volunteered to stay 
home and run things. Stormy is on Earth. You remember that thunderstorm 
system she's been working on for weeks? She thinks the patterns are right 
so she can get them over those mountains, and into that desert."
	Suddenly it dawned on Rainbow that they were all dressed in their
work clothes, as she was, and now looked exactly as they were shown in the 
cartoon show! She laughed, just for the joy of it. They were having an
adventure, like they hadn't had in many years.
	As Canary helped her into her boots, she addressed them all.
	"I guess Doris had filled you all in on what happened. I want 
to know how long it's been."
	"Four hours, thirteen minutes," said Doris.
	"Okay, now we need to know where Sorrell's gone to. How can we
find out?"
	"I have several 'comet chaser' robots," said Doris, "They bring
back chunks of ice to renew the air and water here. When Sorrell left,
I had one follow him. When he stops somewhere, it will return."
	"Good work, Doris!" "Yeah, great!" "Way to go!"
	"Okay, that settles that for now.  In the meantime, let's take 
care of the memorial, and get something to eat."
	They set up an unused room as a memorial to Plock, and left 
the items Rainbow had brought with her for that purpose. That taken 
care of, they sat down and ate in a dining room Rainbow hadn't seen 
before. It was quite elegant, with a large wooden table and comfortable 
chairs. Tasteful paintings were on every wall.  Lala and Red did the 
cooking, and everyone enjoyed the food. Buddy took a plate to Violet 
in the library.

			*	*	*
	
	As they waited for the robot's return, they explored the asteroid,
choosing bedrooms for themselves, and making a few changes to reflect
their own tastes. Rainbow was going over the records carefully, and Violet 
hadn't found anything else as dangerous as those books.

	"Where did Plock find those books, Rainbow?" asked Violet.
	"I don't know. I havn't found any reference to them in the
records. I'm not surprised, though. Whoever took them off our homeworld
would be in a lot of trouble if we knew who it was."
	"A mystery for another day, I suppose. We will investigate later,"
said Violet.
	"I will look forward to working with you on it," said Rainbow,
and they smiled at each other.

			*	*	*

	"Mistress, we have an arrival," said Doris.
	Rainbow looked up, suddenly feeling a chill. "Who?"
	"They identify themselves as 'Krys and On-X'," said Doris, "They
request permission to dock."
	Rainbow jumped up, grinning. "Permission granted! Tell the 
others to meet me in the bay."
	A few minutes later, she ran to meet Krys as he dismounted from
On-X. They hugged tightly.
	"Are you okay?" asked Krys.
	"I am now," she answered, "How did you know I was in trouble?"
	He held up his right arm, "The Prism told me. I didn't know
it was connected to your emergency system, but it makes sense."
	Just then the others came in, and seeing him shouted and ran
to greet him. He hadn't changed at all. He was also wearing his battle
suit, the same one he wore when they first met, when the Princess tried
to take over Spectra.
	After the reunion, they filled him in as he ate.
	"...so we are just waiting to hear from the robot," said Patty.
	"And I have just done so," said Doris, breaking in, "Sorrell 
went into the Coal Sack Nebula. The robot lost him after that, 
so returned here."
	"Good hiding place," murmured Krys.
	The others looked at him. "Do you know it?" asked Rainbow.
	"The Coal Sack is an area thick with space dust, many light 
years across. No light seems to pass through it. Ships avoid it, since
no one knows what's inside."
	"I guess we know of ONE thing inside," said Patty.
	"Let's get ready," said Rainbow.

	Twenty minutes later, the Kids stood in the bay again, ready for
whatever the trip would bring them.
	"All of you be careful," said Doris.
	"We will," they replied.
	"On-X, take us to the Coal Sack Nebula," said Krys, climbing
into the saddle.
	"Mis-sion Ac-cept-ed," said On-X. There was a whine, and the 
pale blue flame of his hydrogen-powered rockets burst from his 'feet'.
	Rainbow touched the Belt, and a rainbow formed under the feet of
the Kids. Air was pumped out of the bay, and the outer door opened into
space. On-X flew out the door, with the others on the rainbow following
them toward the Coal Sack, and a confrontation with Sorrell the Sorcerer.




Chapter Five  Secrets of the Coal Sack

	On-X and Krys in the lead, they moved through space. A warp
portal opened and they passed through it, finding a different arrangement
of stars on the other side. In the distance, a dark, roughly square
area marked their destination. The nebula ahead was menacing, indeed.
Like a wall of darkness, swirling and boiling. It reflected very little 
of the starlight that fell on it. At the edges, the light of the stars
passed through, being reddened as it did so. It made it look like the
nebula was outlined with old, dried blood. They could almost feel a 
brooding danger lurking within. 
	"Brrr..." said Indigo, "That's horrible looking."
	The others could only agree with her.
	"Sen-sors Pick-ing Up Ion Trail From Di-rec-tion Of Plock's
Ast-er-oid. Mat-ches That of Sor-rel's Ship," said On-X.
	"Good work, On-X!" said Krys, "Let's follow it."
	As they approached the edge of the dusty area that marked the
beginning of the Coal Sack Nebula, On-X slowed down, then stopped. 
Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids caught up shortly thereafter. 
Normally the rainbow was much faster than On-X could fly, but he was 
leading the way, this time.
	"What's wrong?" asked Rainbow.
	"Sen-sors Great-ly Re-duced A-head," said On-X, "Must Trav-el 
Slow-ly To A-void De-struct-ion."
	"Do you still have the ion trail?"
	"Yes. It Leads Straight A-head."
	"Let's go...just be careful," said Rainbow.
	"I want to try something first," said Canary.
	She stepped to the front of the rainbow, and projected a beam
of strong butter-yellow light into the nebula. It struck nothing.
	"No Re-flec-tion," said On-X, "A-re-a A-head Is Clear." He moved 
into the nebula, becoming just a dim object ahead, the blue flame from
his rockets bright spots. They followed him in, and suddenly he stopped
again. "I-on Trail Is Lost," he reported, "Dust Ab-Sorbs it."
	"Let's stay on the same course," suggested Violet, "It might
lead somewhere."
	"I don't have a better idea," said Rainbow.
	"Plan Ac-cep-ted," said On-X, and moved on.
	The rainbow they travelled on was dimmed, as were the bright
colors of their clothes. There was nothing to see, other than each
other.
	Rainbow glanced down at the Belt. "It's taking much more energy
to travel through this. Hope our supply of Starsprinkles holds up."
	"Dan-ger! Whinney! Dan-ger!" said On-X, veering to port. A 
sudden shadow loomed before them, growing larger by the second. It
took a moment to become clear to them.
	"An asteroid!" shouted Violet, "Look out!"
	A surge of her will, and the rainbow suddenly moved to starboard
around the asteroid. It continued on its course as if nothing had
happened, and was lost in the dust. They stopped, looking around for 
Krys and On-X. 
	"Anybody see them?" asked Lala.
	"Yes! There!" said Canary, pointing.
	Their friends came out of the dust, slowing to a stop just feet
from the rainbow.
	"Are you all okay?" asked Krys.
	"Yes," said Rainbow, "Thank you, On-X. I'm glad you could give 
a warning."
	The robot horse made no reply, but his eyes flashed.
	"That must have been a trap Sorrell set," said Red.
	"Were we on the correct course?" asked Buddy.
	"Yes," answered On-X.
	"Then it must have been," said Buddy.
	"We'll have to thank him for the heart attacks," said Patty.
	As they continued on through the darkness, Rainbow remembered 
her dream, and almost thought she saw eyes glowing at her. Suddenly the 
spot she had been staring at grew lighter, revealing itself to be a star. 
	"Sen-sors In-di-cate A Plan-et Near-by. Fol-low," said On-X.
	He changed course, followed closely by the rainbow and its 
passengers.
	Finally a planet swam out of the dust, its sun a small orange
ball. It was grey and brown world, with navy blue oceans. Shadows stood 
deep in the valleys between the mountains.
	As they entered the atmosphere, Rainbow called, "Does anyone
live here?"
	"Yes," said On-X, "Sen-sors Show A Ci-ty A-head."
	"We'll land outside of town," said Rainbow, "We have to find out
if Sorrell is here, and if so decide how to approach him."
	The rainbow deposited them in a copse of trees behind a hill, 
well hidden from town. On-X landed quickly, turning off his rockets so
the noise wouldn't attract attention. 
	It was early in the day, but the light was dim, and somehow rather 
unpleasant. The plants were dull green, and were stunted in growth.
There were no flowers.
	"This place needs some cheering up," said Canary.
	"Yeah, Murky would've liked this planet," said Buddy.
	"I agree," said Patty, examining a leaf, "I've never seen a plant
like this one, and you know how long I've studied botany. All of the 
plants here are ugly."
	"After we take care of Sorrell," said Rainbow, "We'll see about
adding some color."
	"Right," said Red, "What do we do now?"
	"I'll scout ahead, and see if I can find what we're up against,"
said Krys.
	He crept into the trees towards the town.
	Some while later he returned, carrying a bundle of cloth and 
wearing a dull brown cloak and hood over his uniform.
	"Here," he said, handing one to Rainbow, "Everyone seeems to be
wearing one of these."
	"What did you find?"
	"They are humanoid. If we stay in these cloaks we should be okay. 
I got three of them. Who else?"
	"Me," said Indigo, taking it and slipping it on. "My skills as
an actress may be useful if we're going under cover."
	"Be careful, all of you," said Patty, and it was echoed by the 
other Kids.
	They slipped into town, the cloaks making a good disguise. No
one even glanced their way as they wandered around, listening for a 
clue about Sorrell.
	As they approached the market area, they were debating about
asking someone directly, since no one whos conversation they had listened
to had seen fit to mention him. The sun was much closer to the zenith, 
and the shadows were lessening, seeming to add a touch of cheer, if 
that were possible.
	Suddenly Indigo touched Rainbow's arm.
	"What is it?" Rainbow asked.
 	"That couple leaving the stall where baskets are sold," she
answered, "There's something...unusual about them. They don't seem to 
be like the other people here. The way they walk, or move...
something seems familiar. They are trying to act like the locals, and
doing a bad job of it."
	"Let's follow them, then," said Rainbow, gesturing.
	"Who, them?" Krys shrugged, "Okay."
	They stayed near the couple, who left the market with their 
purchases and headed up a main street. The couple kept getting glances 
from other passerby, though nobody said anything to them. Finally they
turned onto a narrow street lined with houses with small yards, and 
more of the ugly plant life. The houses were well-built, if colorless,
and well kept up.
	"We'd better catch them," said Krys, "If we're going to."
	They walked faster, and caught up to them just as they got to
the foot of a short stair leading up to a greyish-brown wooden door.
	"Excuse me," said Rainbow.
	The couple froze.
	"What is it?" asked a male voice, without turning.
	Rainbow glanced at Indigo and Krys, who looked back. Indigo
made a small shrug.
	"We wanted to ask if you know anything about Sorrell the
Sorcerer," she answered.
	The figures stiffened.
	"Perhaps you'd best come inside," said a female voice.
	They proceeded up the stairs, and unlocked the door. They 
stepped inside, followed by the three friends.
	One figure closed the door, while the other lit a gas lamp. In
the growing light, the couple stepped together, facing them. Their
features invisible within their hoods. The couple moved to a living 
room, and gestured for them to follow and sit down.
	"I'm Rainbow Brite, and these are my friends, Krys and Indigo,"
said Rainbow as the three of them pulled back their hoods. The couple
looked at each other.
	The girl went into the kitchen, and put on some water to boil.
Then they lit more lamps, and took off their hoods. As expected, they
were a boy and girl. What wasn't expected is they were of Rainbow and 
Indigo's own race. They were dressed in dull brown and black clothing. 
The only color about them were their eyes and hair. The girl's hair 
reflected the light in every hue of the rainbow, while the boy's was 
platinum white. Both had blue eyes. To Rainbow's color-aware eyes their 
hair was dull and lifeless, their eyes dull. They looked away from 
their guests, putting their hands over their eyes.
	"Who are you?" asked Rainbow.
	"How did you find us?" asked the boy.
	"I know a bad acting job when I see one," said Indigo.
	The boy's shoulders slumped.
	"You'd think after all the time we've lived here, we would
be better able to blend in."
	"Who are you?" Rainbow asked again.
	"Don't you know?" asked the girl.
	Rainbow shook her head.
	"Don't YOU know us, Indigo?" asked the boy.
	Indigo narrowed her brown eyes, and thought. Suddenly she 
gasped, her eyes opening wide, staring at them.
	The boy laughed bitterly. "Comes the dawn."
	Rainbow and Krys looked at her.
	In a small voice, Indigo said, "They...their names are Troy 
and Mist... he wore the armor you have on, Krys, and used the Prism,
 and sh- she was the original wearer of the Color Belt!"




Chapter Six  Gloom and Doom

	Back at the clearing, the Color Kids were eating lunch.
	Red was trying to start a fire using his red light. He thought it
might be possible to lower his light into the infrared, and generate
heat to ignite the wood.
	Lala was watching Red's experiment, offering comments and 
encouragement.
	Patty was off in the brush somewhere, still taking samples of 
the plant life, and trying her green light on them to see what changes 
were made.
	Buddy and Canary sat together on a fallen log, eating and 
discussing the mystery of Plock's death, his unexpectedly nice home and
Doris, and remembering the times he had visited Rainbowland.
	Violet sat sidesaddle on On-X, reading a book she'd brought
from Plock's library, and absently munching a sandwich.
	Beneath her, On-X sat motionless, but his sensors were active,
sweeping the area for life forms that may be dangerous to those left in
his care.
	His master Krys had instructed him to protect the Kids when with
them. Battles along side them in the past had proven them to be competent 
fighters and not in need of his protection. This caused a minor conflict 
in his programming, until he resolved it by deciding it didn't matter. 
They had protected him when a situation fell outside his capabilities, 
so he would do the same for them.
	A sudden movement drew his attention, but it lasted only an
instant, and could not be localized. He searched his database for anything
similar, but found nothing. He decided to wait until it happened again
to say anything. Living beings tended to react emotionally if alerted for
no real reason, and their response time lengthened with each 'false alarm'.
	Suddenly the movement happened again, this time encircling the
entire clearing. He noted that Patty was outside the circle. He decided
to act.
	"Danger! Whinney! Danger!"
	The Kids stood up and turned their attention to him.
	"What is it?" asked Violet.
	With a sucking sound many shadowlike things rose from the ground
surrounding them on all sides. The stood on short, stumpy legs, had
wide, red mouths, narrow, glowing eyes, and reflected no light.
	On-X's database now identified the things as Slurthies, which
were associated with Count Blogg and the Princess. He fired up his rockets
and lurched, the sudden movement dislodging an unprepared Violet. She
tumbled to the ground, losing her sandwich and book.  Before he could
take off, a Slurthie rose beside him and disappeared inside by finding
a gap between two of his buttons. A second later his power shut down and
he settled back to the ground. The Slurthie left the inert metal horse
and fell on Violet before she could stand up.
	Light of various colors sprang from the hands of the Kids, 
striking the Slurthies. This slowed them down by breaking them up into
smaller creatures and scattering them, but the smaller ones were quicker,
and harder to hit. Many of them would converge on a Kid, while some 
travelled to them underground. They would overwhelm the Kid, enfolding 
the one singled out into itself. The Kid would struggle briefly, then 
stop when they would lose consiousness.
	Patty, some distance away, heard On-X call danger, so she 
dropped the plant she was holding and ran back to the clearing. The
sounds of fighting grew louder as she approached, so she slowed and 
became more cautious. She peeked around a tree just in time to see Buddy
and Canary be taken, and they were the last two.  The Slurthies suddenly 
lept together, forming a large creature with the Kids inside.
	It reached over and absorbed the Kid's backpacks, then Violet's 
book. It picked up her sandwich, and ate it, making a yummy sound. It
tried to absorb On-X, but could not. The horse's weight and metal 
construction was too much for it. Giving up the attempt, it turned
and moved toward the bushes.
	Patty started to follow, but it paused and looked back. She 
ducked back behind the tree, and was relieved when it showed no sign
it had seen her.
	It turned and lumbered into the brush, and was gone.
	Patty slumped against the tree, crying, feeling lonely and 
helpless, and wishing she had some way of contacting Rainbow Brite.

			*	*	*

	There was silence in the room. Rainbow and Krys stared at
Troy and Mist. Indigo looked at them also, but with joy. She went
over and hugged them. "I am so happy to find you both still alive!" she
said.
	It was warm in the room and Rainbow stood up and took off her
cloak.
	"She has the Color Belt!" said Mist to Troy.
	Troy stared, eyes wide. "How is it possible? The King of Shadows
took it from Mist. He would've destroyed it! It's a major threat to his
very existance!"
	"Why don't you tell us your story, and we'll fill in the gaps 
for you," said Krys.

	The couple was silent for a minute, looking down and collecting
their thoughts.
	"We have tried not to think about what happened, but you all
deserve to know why we did what we did, and why we are here.

	"We left the homeworld with the Color Kids and Sprites on a 
mission to bring color and happiness to a small part of the Universe.
	Mist had been given the Color Belt and instructed on how to
use it. I was trained as a Prism Warrior.
	We went to Earth, since that world would be one of our prime
responsibilities. That was a grey and dreary planet, violent and 
primitive. We got a taste then of what we were going to be doing.
	Then we travelled to Rainbowland. The Color Castle had been
built, the mine located and started, all it needed was Sprites and us.
	We took up residence and started operations. We added color to
things on both planets, and conditions slowly improved. We were happy
for many long years.
	Then one day, there was activity in the area known as the Pits.
Nobody lived there because the Color Belt didn't work in that area, and
there was enough to do in the parts of the planet it did work in. The 
King of Shadows and his henchmen Murkwell Dismal and Lurky had arrived.
	We never saw the King of Shadows until...
	The dark and gloomy area began to grow, and take over what we
had already colored. We fought it, turning more and more of our energy
to holding what we had."
	Indigo nodded. "I remember all of that very well." 
	"We started having confrontations with Murky and Lurky, and they 
were often successful in stopping us from restoring the colors.
	One day they surprised us, and they used that gloom cloud weapon
on us. We got over the effects quickly, and drove them off. After that,
things took a turn for the worse. The dark areas grew more swiftly, 
and we were less and less able to do anything about it. Finally one
day the futility of fighting it any more became obvious. We decided to
make one last effort by confronting the King of Shadows directly."
	He looked at Indigo, who looked horrified.
	"So that's why you disappeared!" she said.
	"We didn't tell the Color Kids because they would've wanted to
go with us, and that was not their job, it was ours. We charged our 
weapons and went to the Pits, not really knowing what to expect.
	The crushing gloom of the place took its toll on our emotions,
which you know affect the potentcy of the Belt and Prism.  The King
beat us easily, and when we turned to escape, Lurky ran up and grabbed
Mist. She struggled and got away, but Lurky managed to keep the Belt.
	We got away, and stood and watched as the grey and gloom spread
unhindered over the remaining parts of Rainbowland."
	"We all tried our best to fight it," said Indigo, "But without
you two we were overwhelmed."
	Troy hung his head. "We snuck back to the stables, and took On-X
and fled. We couldn't stand another minute on Rainbowland. We would have
taken our own lives we were so depressed."
	"It sounds like you didn't escape the effects of the gloom
cloud after all," said Krys.
	Troy's voice faltered and stopped. Troy looked at him, a strange
expression on his face, then went on with the story.
	"We went to Spectra, where I left On-X, the Prism, and the 
uniform you're wearing with a Sprite mage named..."
	"Orin!" cried Krys.
	"He's still alive?" asked Mist.
	"Very much so! He raised me, and only a few years ago gave me
the things you left."
	"We left Spectra secretly, and came to this planet, with its
muted colors, to hide and to punish ourselves for giving up."
	"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow.
	"The two of us don't deserve to ever see colors again."
	"NO!" cried Rainbow, as Indigo looked horrified, "You don't 
deserve that! Nobody does! I won't stand for it!"
	"That's the fate we chose for ourselves," said Mist.
	Rainbow didn't reply, and Indigo watched her fall into thought,
so she took up the narrative.
	"We couldn't find you anywhere, and the gloom was spreading
rapidly. We decided to all set out together and look for you.
	Near the River we found the Belt, and then knew what had happened
to you, or thought we did. It turned out to be a trap.
	Before it was sprung, we recorded a message into the Belt for the
one the Sprites were now saying would restore the colors at some time
in the future." 
	"The Shadow King captured all of us," she continued, "And we
watched as he threw the Belt into the River."
	"I'm glad to see one of you still lives," said Mist.
	"He didn't kill any of us, just imprisoned us in scattered out
sites around Rainbowland," said Indigo.
	"I wonder why," said Troy, "He hated us all so much."
	"We've debated that very point many times," said Indigo, "We
lived miserable, drab lives for a long time.
	She reached over and took Rainbow's arm. Rainbow looked up from
her thoughts, and smiled at Indigo.
	"Long afterward Wisp arrived, fulfilling the prophecy, beating 
the King, restoring the colors, and has ruled Rainbowland with love 
ever since. Murky and Lurky stayed around and were trouble, but both 
are gone, now."
	Suddenly Rainbow stood up.
	"I want to try an experiment," she said. She touched the star
on the Belt, and the rainbow appeared, shining directly into the eyes
of Troy and Mist. They both drew back a bit, then sat still.
	Rainbow finished the experiment, and looked into the pair's eyes.
They were now a clear blue, with no hint of shadow in them. Mist's hair
shone more brightly, the rainbows growing more eye-catching, and the 
white of Troy's hair grew cleaner-looking. They sat up straight, tossing
aside their cloaks.
	"I--I feel like a great weight has been lifted off of me!" said
Troy.
	"Me too!" cried Mist, standing up and twirling. A smile grew on
her face, and Troy's as well. They looked at Rainbow.
	"What did you do?" they asked.
	"You were still under the influence of Murky's gloom cloud. The
rainbow has released you," replied Rainbow.
	"After all this time?" asked Krys.
	"Yes. And if depression, gloom, and despair become habits, they
will never go away," answered Rainbow.
	
			*	*	*

	Some time later they settled down to discuss the original
question they had been asked outside.
	"We've seen this Sorrell the Sorcerer," said Mist, but know
little about him. He came here years ago, bought a small castle north
of town, and has pretty much kept to himself.
	I do know from talking to the vendors in the market that he
used to be scrupulously honest in his dealings, but over the last
couple of years has started cheating and intimidating them to get
what he wants."
	"There was some talk of making him leave, but nothing came
of it. He is powerful, so his excesses are tolerated," said Troy.
	"What has he done to bring you here?" asked Mist.
	"He has stolen copies of the Books of Dal," said Rainbow.
	"WHAT? How could he do that? They aren't allowed off our 
home world!" said Troy.
	"I don't know how, but copies were taken from home. I've looked
in them, and know they are real," answered Rainbow.
	Troy and Mist looked at each other, then stood up.
	"This can't be allowed," said Troy, "We have to get them back."
	"Come on, we'll go back where the others are," said Krys.
	"Others?" asked Troy.
	"Yes, the other Kids are here as well," answered Indigo, "I'm
sure they will be overjoyed to see you."
	Troy and Mist had tears in their eyes. "Thank you, new friends 
and old. You have changed our lives."
	Rainbow smiled. "Happy to be of service," she said, "Now let's go."


	

Chapter 7  Confrontation!

	The five of them left the house, once again wrapped in the
dull cloaks. It was after noon, now, and fairly hot. No breeze blew,
and activity was at a minimum.
	Leaving town they headed for the copse of trees behind the 
hill where they had left the others. They stepped into the clearing,
but nobody was there.
	"Hello? We're back!" called Rainbow. There was no answer.
	"There's On-X," said Krys, and ran over to him. He was still 
in the same spot where he had landed.
	"What happened here?" Krys asked. There was no movement, and
no answer from the robot horse. Troy walked over, tears running from
seeing his old friend again.
	"Something's wrong," said Krys. He stabbed several of the 
buttons that made up On-X's mane. Nothing.
	"On-X?" said Troy, looking him in the eye.
	"He's been drained, even the emergency reserve," said Krys.
	"You're right," said Troy, "But how?"
	"I don't know... but we'd better find out."
	Krys raised the saddle, which gave him access to the horses' 
inner workings.
	"Look at this," he said, holding up an object. Examination
proved it to be a Starsprinkle. But it was black and lustreless, 
completely dead and useless.
	Rainbow, Indigo, and Mist, in the meantime, were walking 
around the clearing, trying to find some clues. The dull greenish-red
grass was trampled down in spots, and several bushes had been uprooted
to one side, but that was all. The Kids were gone, and their packs as
well.
	"Any ideas?" Rainbow asked Indigo.
	She shook her head. "Not a clue. Mist, could a local animal do 
this?"
	"Yes, there are some rather large and dangerous ones on this
world, but we aren't in their normal area. Nothing seems to match what
I know."
	"Rainbow," called Krys, "May I have a few Starsprinkles? On-X
is completely drained of power."
	"Sorry, Krys, I used all of them I had to recharge my belt. 
Indigo, do you have any?" 
	"I gave you what I had on me. I had more in my pack, but it's
gone like everything else."
	"Darn it," said Krys in frustration, striking his fist on the
saddle, "He may be able to tell us what happened, but we can't 
recharge him without Starsprinkles."
	A sudden rustling in the brush caused all five of them to turn.
Patty O'Green slowly crept from her hiding place, face full of fear.
She brightened when she saw Rainbow and Indigo, and she ran over to 
them. 
	"Patty, I'm so glad you're safe! What happened?" asked Rainbow, 
hugging her tightly. Indigo murmured agreement, and wrapped her arms
around her friend.
	Patty looked around fearfully, as though expecting to be eaten
at any second.
	"We were waiting for you to come back, and suddenly we were 
attacked by something I've never seen before. There were many of them,
several to each Color Kid. They just sprang up from the ground, and
attacked us. They were black, with wide red mouths and narrow eyes."
	Rainbow and Krys looked at each other. 
	"Slurthies!" they said together.
	The others looked at them in confusion.
	"The Princess used them as guards in her castle. Anyway..."
prompted Krys.
	"Anyway I was off in the brush examining plants, and I guess
they didn't see me. I heard the noise of the attack, and came back
in time to see them overwhelm the Kids and jump together to become one 
large creature. It lumbered away that way." she gestured to where 
the plants were ripped up.
	"That way is towards Sorrell's castle," said Mist.	
	"We have to go and rescue the Kids, and get those books back
from Sorrell," said Rainbow with resolution.
	Patty seemed to notice the strangers for the first time.
	"Who are you?" she asked.
	They pulled back their hoods, and she gasped. 
	"Yes, it's us, Patty," said Mist.
	She ran over and hugged them, crying.
	"I don't believe it! I thought you both were long dead! When
we found the Color Belt, but no other trace of you..."
	"Patty, I'm sorry, but we have to go, now," said Krys, "You
can catch up later."
	"What do you want us to do, Rainbow?" asked Troy.
	"Stay here and guard On-X. He's completely helpless. There's 
no point in being secretive now, Sorrell knows we're here.
	Indigo, you stay as well. You'll be our last defense, if it
comes to that. Patty, you come with us."
	Indigo didn't like it, but she nodded and didn't argue.
	"Come on, we've got a fight ahead of us." She and Patty and
Krys turned and followed the trail of broken plants.
	"Good luck," cried Troy and Mist, "May the rainbow shine brightest
when all is darkest!"
	Indigo waved. "Be careful, all of you..." she said.

			*	*	*

	For some time they followed the trail the Slurthie had left,
and the sun slowly began to sink towards the horizon.
	Ahead they began to catch glimpses of Sorrell's castle, and
finally stopped just inside the trees where the trail ended.
	The castle was a modest one, made of brown and white stone,
with windows here and there. There was no moat, and the path from town
passed in front of them winding to the double wooden door to their left.
There seemed to be nobody guarding the place. They crept up to the door,
and Krys opened it slowly, peering inside.
	"Seems to be okay," he whispered.
	They slipped inside, cautiously closing the door behind them.
The courtyard was filled with native plants, kept up in a careless
fashion. They slipped through to the door to the inner part. 
	"Do we rescue the Kids first, or confront Sorrell?" asked Krys.
	"Let's rescue the Kids. We may need their power. Krys, you stay
here. Patty and I will look around."
	"Okay, but be careful!"
	Rainbow smiled at her friend. "Don't worry! See you shortly."
	The girls went in opposite directions, dissappearing around
corners. Krys was examining the Prism, making sure it was ready for
use, and didn't see the Slurthie rise behind him.
	
			*	*	*

	Several minutes later Patty and Rainbow met at the door, but
no Krys. They looked at each other, but didn't speak because they knew 
what had happened.
	"Find anything?" asked Rainbow.
	"Yes! I found Sorrell's laboratory. Maybe the books are there."
	"Show me."
	She followed Patty under an arch and into a tunnel. Down a long,
dark corridor with several doors along the way. At one point a stairway
went down.
	As they passed it, Rainbow felt something drawing her attention
to it. Gesturing to Patty they went down. At the foot of the stairs was 
a set of bars, and behind them were the Color Kids. All were unconsious, 
and Krys was among them.
	"No help there," said Patty, "But at least they're alive."
	"You're right," replied Rainbow "I'm not sure I have
enough power left to take out these bars and confront Sorrell. I'd 
better not risk it." She turned back to the stairs.
	As they passed another door, a faint gleam of light was visible
under it.  She tried the handle, and it was locked.
	"There are Starsprinkles in there, but we can't get in," said
Rainbow.
	"I guess we'd better go on to the lab," said Patty.
	"Do you have any with you?" asked Rainbow.
	"No, all of mine were in my pack," said Patty.
	They opened the door to Sorrell's laboratory slowly. It was 
vacant of any sorcerers, so they slipped in and closed it.
	"Look for the books," said Rainbow.
	They did so for several minutes, but came up empty. Other books
sat on a bookcase in the corner, and a small computer console occupied
part of the workbench.
	"I guess we'd better start looking elsewhere..." said Patty.
She cocked her head. "I hear footsteps."
	"Me too," said Rainbow, "You hide there, and I'll hide over here.
When he comes in, you step out and hit him with a light beam. I'll bind 
him with the rainbow."
	"Right," said Patty, running over to a dark cranny in the corner.
	Rainbow hid in another nook by the books.
	Sorrell came in, holding a small flask that glowed. Stepping over
to the work bench, he held it up. One Starsprinkle of each color was in
it, floating in a clear liquid. In his other hand he held the Yellow 
Volume from the set of books. He set it down and turned to look at a 
page near the middle.
	"Sorrell," said Rainbow, stepping out of her hiding place.
	He looked up. "Well, Rainbow Brite, there you are at last. I have
to admit, I'm flattered. I'm not impressed, but I am flattered."
	Seeing her confusion, he explained, "Your Color Kids. You brought
all of them just to try and stop me." He laughed, "Though for all the 
help they've been to you, they might as well have stayed home."
	Suddenly Rainbow's thoughts lept to a guess.
	"YOU killed him!" she cried.
	"Eh?" asked Sorrell.
	"You killed Plock! You murdered that old man to get those books!"
	Sorrell's surprise was genuine. "No, on that score you're wrong.
He was too valuable to me as a source of things from your world. It's 
too bad he was killed, but not important now. With these books I've got
what I need. And I don't need YOU!"
	She felt a drawing in of power, with Sorrell being the focus. He
raised his hands towards her.
	"NOW, Patty!" cried Rainbow.
	Patty O'Green stepped forward from her hiding place and, startled, 
Sorrell turned towards her. They stared at each other for several 
seconds, then both turned their attention back to Rainbow.
	"Patty! What...?"
	Patty held up her hand. There was a terrible darkness in her
eyes that brought Rainbow's heart up into her throat. Sorrell stood
still, allowing Patty her moment. He was smiling.
	"I reject you, Rainbow Brite!" she said, "I break the rainbow!
I commit my color to the cause of evil!"  She began to glow, a bright
but sickly green, like the glow-in-the-dark plastic "slime" that comes
in a container. Brighter and brighter, until even Sorrell had to hold
up his arm in front of his eyes. 
	"NO, not Patty!" thought Rainbow, stricken to the heart. "How
can this be? What could have happened to her? Anyway, I'll have to 
defend myself from her!"
	Suddenly it seemed the light was sucked back into her. She 
slowly raised her hands toward Rainbow, and the light gathered in them 
to strike. Sorrell raised his hands as well, and electricity crackled 
between them.
	She reached down and touched the star on the Belt, not knowing
what to expect from a broken rainbow, and having little hope it would
be able to protect her.
	But the rainbow appeared, as strong as ever, with green in its
proper place. Seeing that renewed her hope, and the rainbow grew 
brighter. It lept from the belt, and encircled Patty, who screamed and
tried to stop it. It tightened around her, then moved to Sorrell, who
shot the bolt at it. There was no effect, and it wrapped around him
as well, trapping his arms against his sides.
	Suddenly a black shape oozed from Patty's mouth, nose, and ears.
It took the shape of a Slurthie, who glowered and screamed something
at Rainbow that was as horrible as it was unintelligible. It lept from 
its latest hiding place, and disappeared into the floor. Patty's head
slumped forward. The creature had bided its time inside Patty, waiting
to take over when an opportunity arose to betray Rainbow and destroy
her power. But though it could control Patty's actions and speech, it
could not control her heart, which was as loyal to Rainbow as ever. 
	Something was leaving Sorrell as well, something much greater.
Rainbow couldn't see it clearly, but it was like a black and toxic vapor.
It drifted up towards the window, and at the last second turned and 
stared at her. The bright eyes were filled with malice and hate.
	"I know those eyes!" thought Rainbow, "I saw them in that dream!"
Before she could direct the rainbow towards it, it was gone.
	Suddenly the door burst open, and all the remaining Color Kids
and Krys ran in. When they saw Rainbow was okay and in control, they
quieted.
	Sorrell had lost consiousness as well, so she laid them gently 
down in the now quiet room.

	They had won.


	

Chapter Eight  The Rainbow Nebula

	"Rainbow Brite, you've done me a great service, freeing me from
that shadow, and I'm in your debt. I don't like being in anyone's debt. 
I will repay you, and soon."
	"Sorrell, I want those books. Plock cancelled the sale, and you
know it."
	"Yes, he did. Very well." He left the room, and come back with
the remaining volumes. Violet took them from him. She had already picked
up the Yellow Volume.
	"I may be a great sorcerer, but I know when I'm out of my league."
As he spoke, Violet quickly glanced in each one. She looked up and nodded
at Rainbow.
	"Cheer up, Sorrell, you've done the right thing."
	"Uh huh," he replied, pretending to clean his workbench. He looked
up. "Are you all still here? Get out; I have work to do."
	"One more thing. Where are the things that were taken from us?"
	"They're in the store room, straight down the corridor, on the 
way out. You'll find it unlocked."
	"May we have those Starsprinkles in there too?"
	"Yes, yes, take them," he replied with irritation, "I don't want
to be reminded of this fiasco." He pointed at the door. "Now get out 
while you can!" He sounded mean as he said it, but the corners of his
mouth turned up for just a second.
	Rainbow smiled back, and they turned to leave. Just as she was
going out the door, Sorrell said, "If you do find out who killed him,
let me know. I want a piece of them."
	She turned and nodded, and closed the door behind her.
	They found the storeroom unlocked, so they retrieved their 
backpacks and the bags of Starsprinkles. Rainbow used some to recharge 
the Belt. The rest were quickly sorted among the Kids. Violet found her
book on a shelf, and put it in her pack.
	As they left the castle, they talked excitedly about the 
improvements to the colors on the planet they would soon be making. 
Patty had been silent for some time, and trailed along behind the group.
	Rainbow stopped, concerned, and waited for her to catch up. As 
Patty walked by, downcast, Rainbow took her by the arm.
	"Patty? Are you okay?" she asked.
	Patty suddenly sobbed and fell to her knees before Rainbow. Her
arms wrapped around Rainbow's legs.
	"I'm so sorry! Please, please, forgive me!!" she wailed, the 
tears running uncontrollably.
	Rainbow knelt in the dirt beside her and hugged her tightly as
the tears continued. The others, confused, gathered around, murmuring 
concern.
	"Patty, I do forgive you, because it wasn't your fault. That
Slurthie took you over. You HAD to do what it wanted. Your body mouthed
the words, but your heart was strong, and you were still a part of me.
Your color was in its place. It failed."
	"Sh-she had a Slurthie INSIDE her?" asked Lala, horrified.
	Rainbow nodded. "It tried to make me think Patty had betrayed us.
But the light of the rainbow..." she looked at Patty, who was trying to
dry her tears, "...the WHOLE rainbow, was stronger than its lies." She
smiled at Patty. "Now dry those tears. We have a lot to do on this planet,
and yours will be the most important color."
	Patty shyly returned the smile.
	"Thanks, Rainbow. I'm better, now. But it's going to be a long
time before I feel clean again."
	Canary and Lala stepped to either side of her, holding her hands
and talking to her in low voices as they walked away from the castle.

			*	*	*

	Using the rainbow to travel, the trip back to the clearing took
only seconds. They found Troy and Mist and Indigo waiting for them.
	The Color Kids quickly surrounded them, everyone talking at 
once to their long-lost friends. The two got many hugs and kisses, 
and it took a long time for everyone to settle down.
	Krys took some Starsprinkles and recharged On-X with them. The
robot horse came to life suddenly, disoriented, thinking they were still
under attack. It took some fractions of a second for him to realize
the Slurthies were nowhere around, all of the Color Kids and Rainbow
Brite were there, and two new people...
	On-X came very close to having an emotion, as he greeted friends
he hadn't seen in a very long time.
	They all went back to Troy and Mist's home, not bothering to
conceal themselves.
	The natives were a little shorter than adult humans, with bald
heads and light blue skin. They were used to seeing others, like Sorrell,
Troy and Mist, but now a whole bunch of new aliens appeared, and these
were dressed in the brightest clothes they had ever seen. They all 
wondered at what this could mean.
	
			*	*	*

	Rainbow approached Troy and Mist with the Books of Dal.
	"Do you have some way of leaving the planet?" she asked.
	"Yes, our ship is hidden nearby. We haven't been in it for a
very long time," answered Troy.
	"Good! I want to ask if you two will take these books back to 
the homeworld!" she said.
	"Us? Go back there?" asked Mist.
	"Everyone will be very happy to see you, just as we are," said
Canary.
 	"Do you really want to trust us, after what we did?" said Troy.
	"That was because of Murky's gloom cloud," said Buddy.
	"Yes, you must have gotten an extremely concentrated dose, 
possibly as much as two point eight times ten to the exponent five 
parts per million..." added Violet.
	"VIOLET!" said everyone else.
	Troy and Mist laughed. "Some things never change," said Troy.
	"Rainbow Brite, if you want us to, we will do it, regardless
of what kind of reception we find," said Mist.
	"Thank you," said Rainbow, "You'd best find a good hiding place
for them until you're ready to go."
	
	Later, Krys asked Rainbow why she had given them that mission.
	"They've been apart from their friends and home for a very long
time. My rainbow freed them from the gloom cloud, and while they are 
getting better, they are not healed yet. Going home will be the best 
thing for them, and returning the Books is a good reason for sending
them. They can be part of the investigation there. It will give them
something else to think about," she answered.
	Krys was even more impressed with his friend's thoughtfulness.
She always seemed to know what was best for everyone. But she never
pushed. It was always your own option.

			*	*	*

	The next day, they all stood in the marketplace, the objects
of wonder to the town's population. These strange, bright aliens had
promised to make their world brighter, more colorful, and a better place.
	And then the sorcerer Sorrell had appeared, apologising for his
behavior and making payments to those he had stolen from. His words 
were backed up by the leader of the aliens. He then left for his castle 
again, after putting in a big order with several merchants (and paying 
in advance). So he was forgiven.

	Rainbow had charged the Color Belt to its fullest, and the Kids
had charged their own powers as well. In this great dust cloud it would
take a lot of energy to brighten this world, and to keep it bright.
	She touched the star on the Belt, a rainbow appeared, and she
and the Kids took off, Krys on On-X right behind them. The natives below
wondering aloud at the beauty of the rainbow.
	It took several hours to circle the planet, making a general
color-activation, with the Kids filling in gaps and adding touches of
their own.
	When they finished, the were over the town, listening to the
cheers of the population below, watching as they reveled in the new
brightness of their world.
	"Rainbow!" called Krys on On-X from some distance behind.
	"What is it?" she called back.
	"Look up!" he said, gesturing.
	They all did, and were amazed at what they saw. Swirls and 
eddys of color were expanding away from the planet in all directions.
Some of it mixed, some didn't. It was a beautiful sight.
	"What happened, Rainbow?" asked Red.
	It was Violet that answered.
	"When the Belt sent out the signal to activate colors, it must
have reached the space dust, and it's responding as well!" she said.
	Rainbow laughed. Violet was right. An unexpected development,
and one she hoped would protect this planet from the evil that had
come to it once.
	This adventure was over. There were still mysteries to solve, 
but they would wait. They needed to tell Doris what had happened, 
and after that they had to go home to Rainbowland.  
	For now, she was glad in her heart that she and the Color Kids 
(and Krys and On-X) had brought another world from the darkness and into 
the light.
	They soared upwards, away from the planet and the Rainbow 
Nebula now surrounding it, to the greater Universe beyond.