Over the clear skies of Rainbowland, a rainbow appeared, coming to rest outside the Color Castle. Aboard were the triumphant Color Kids, their Sprites, Rainbow Brite, and Brian.
"Wow!" said Brian, "That is the coolest thing ever, getting to ride a rainbow!"
Rainbow smiled. "Yes, it is a lot of fun, but I miss Starlite and Twink being with me."
Moonglo yawned. "I better get some sleep. It's going to be a long night if I don't."
"Yes, you do that. See you later," said Rainbow.
Moonglo went to the Castle and went inside, yawning. The door closed behind her.
"I guess I'd better go change," said Brian, "If I showed up at home wearing this, all my friends would think I'm crazy."
"Yes, you should change," said Rainbow, "If your father hasn't told you already, you should keep us a secret."
"Oh, I figured that out already. Don't worry, I won't tell."
"Thank you Brian."
He started toward the Color Castle and his room, the room that he had not yet gotten a chance to actually use. He stopped when he realized the Kids were looking confused.
The other Kids were looking around. Where is everyone, they wondered. No Sprites were there to greet them. In fact, everything was too quiet.
"Something's wrong," said Red. Romeo agreed.
"Spread out, see if you can find anybody," said Rainbow.
"I'll help too, Rainbow. Where do you want me to look?" asked Brian, turning back.
"Thank you, Brian, but you don't know Rainbowland. I'm afraid you'd just be in the way." Seeing his face fall, she said, "Why don't you go up to the belfry of the Castle and use the telescope there to look around? If you see any Sprites, let me know."
"Okay, I'm on it," he replied, and turned and ran to the Castle.
"The rest of you check your areas, and see if you can find any Sprites. We'll meet back here when you're done."
"Right, Rainbow," said Red, and turned toward the Red Region. The other Kids took off for their own regions, as well.
Some time later the Kids met at the door to the Castle.
"We can't find any of the Sprites!" said Canary.
"Did you find any clues as to what happened?" asked Rainbow.
"No, not yet," said Red. "Just empty houses. Personal effects are still there. It's like they just vanished."
"I've found them!" called Brian from the belfry.
"Where?" asked Rainbow.
"I can see a lot of them in an open field part way up that mountain," he said, pointing.
"Let's go!" said Red.
Violet came up. "Rainbow!" she said, "At the lab! Come on!"
They all ran, following Violet to the lab. After a moment, Brian came out of the Castle, rapidly catching up to them with his much longer legs.
Inside, nothing seemed out of place.
"What's wrong, Violet?"
"The Color Crystal I was studying is gone! I put the cannister on this shelf!" she pointed at an empty space on the shelf.
Looking around, they saw the Robot Brite was still in its place and nothing else had been taken. The Monstromurk was as they had left it.
Just then Tickled Pink came in. "I've found them!" she announced, "They were up in the hills. They started back when they saw the rainbow arrive."
They all went out and watched as a mob of Sprites walked slowly up the road to them. Starlite was with them.
They came up to where the Kids waited, and stopped. All of them had perplexed expressions.
"I'm glad to see you all!" said Rainbow.
"What happened to us?" asked the lead Sprite, a green one named Bink who was the Mine Master.
"We don't know," answered Rainbow, "We were hoping you could tell us."
He shrugged. "We were having lunch in the picnic area like always, and suddenly everything went dark. I opened my eyes, and found myself up in the hills, in that dale we sometimes use for camping. Everyone else was there too."
"I'll bet it has something to do with the missing item. Someone didn't want their identity known for a while," said Violet.
"You're probably right, Violet," said Rainbow.
"What is he saying, Canary?" asked Brian.
She explained.
"Could they have been hypnotised like the Spectrans?" asked Brian.
"What do you mean?" asked Canary.
"Maybe a Glitterbot used its hypnoray on them all, and ordered them to go up in the hills so they'd be out of the way. It would give us something else to worry about and maybe the Crystal missing wouldn't be noticed for a while. It would give the thief more time to make a getaway."
"That's a good thought, Brian," said Red.
"I never saw anything," said Bink. He turned to the others who were standing and waiting. "Did anyone see anything unusual?" he called.
There was some head scratching and thought, but no answer.
"A Glitterbot is about 15 feet tall, made of metal, and shaped like a human," said Lala, "It has a red jewel on its head that glows before it shoots a ray."
That fueled more thought, but still no answer. Finally a young Sprite spoke up.
"I heard a sound like metal walking just before I woke up," he said. A few other Sprites then remembered they had heard it too.
"You know, I thought I heard something too, that sounded familiar. Now that I think about it, it must have been Glitterbots," said Starlite.
"I'm hungry, and thirsty," said a young Sprite.
There was agreement from all of the Sprites, and Starlite.
"I don't doubt it, being asleep for several days," said Canary, "You all get something to eat, then come by the medical building, and I'll check you out."
They all agreed, and left quickly, to get something in empty stomachs.
"Well, we now know what happened," said Rainbow, "We'll investigate what the Princess and Blogg are doing, and soon, but right now we have to set our own house in order.
The Color Console has to be activated, and Crystal mining restored. Everyone look around and see if anything else is wrong."
The Kids broke into smaller groups, talking and moving toward their areas again.
"Brian, would you mind staying a day or two extra? I need to be here and help. And if you don't mind..."
"Sure, Rainbow! Glad to help!" he answered, relieved.
"If your dad needs you to come home, he can come get you," she said, thinking.
Seeing his expression, she said, "Don't worry, Brian. You can visit any time you want to. We'll be glad to see you."
He brightened. "Thanks, Rainbow! You know, this has been the greatest thing I've ever done!" He turned and ran to the Castle.
Just then a Sprite ran up, eating a carrot.
"There were five carts of Crystal ready to be loaded into the hopper. It's all gone, now." he said.
"All right, thank you," said Rainbow. That confirmed it. It must have been Count Blogg that came to Rainbowland while they were on Spectra.
Rainbow looked around. The colors were still bright, but that wouldn't last too much longer without the Color Signal. The restoration had begun, and things were returning to normal. There were new problems to solve, and maybe a great danger in the making, but they were still all together, and all committed to keeping the light, color, and happiness in the world. Whatever came, they would be ready.
The Princess and the Count picked their way across the debris of the castle on the Throneworld. It had been in disrepair and deserted since Rainbow Brite and Krys had destroyed the Jewel. Even the Slurthies were gone.
In the Count's hand was the cannister that Violet had been concerned with. The Princess was carrying a small case with a handle.
They made their way to the Throne Room. The doors were open, bent and twisted from Rainbow's power, hanging on one hinge. The glass was cracked but intact, the Throne itself hanging in its accustomed place. Dust had settled everywhere, and the only sound was the creaking of the building and the roar of the ocean below. The rubble of the Jewel's base lay where it had fallen years ago.
The Princess knelt and opened the case, bringing out a dull sphere. At a glance it looked like a piece of rock. She set it carefully on the base, adding more rubbish to the debris. She stood up and went to Blogg. He set down the cannister and opened it. She reached in and carefully picked up the Color Crystal.
Even in the subdued light of the Throne Room it flashed in her hand, sending sparkles of light to dusty corners.
"Stand back," she ordered. Blogg obeyed.
She turned back to the base, and knelt again. She put her fingers carefully against the dull ball, and brought the Crystal into contact with it. She willed the energy from the Crystal to go into the Jewel.
For a minute nothing happened. Blogg stood silent, and waited.
Suddenly there was a flash, and the part of the Crystal farthest from the Jewel began to disolve. Where they touched, the Jewel's sparkle and lustre was restored, slowly spreading to the rest of it. Slowly the power was transferred, and the Princess knelt unmoving, beads of sweat rising on her brow. The slowly-spreading restored part of the Jewel finally touched her fingers, and she gasped, as the link between her and the Jewel was restored. It was painful, but she determinedly held her position. She began to glow with a pink light that grew brighter until Blogg had to hold up his arm to shield his eyes.
The last of the Color Crystal disappeared from her fingers, and the Jewel was restored!
She stood up, glowing with pink light. She smiled, the gesture becoming a grin. She raised her arms, and the light spread out from her, engulfing the room and spreading through the rest of the castle.
Suddenly the Jewel and the base moved, and the pieces flew up and reassembled. The Jewel sat again on the base where it had sat for many, many years. The restored polish of the Throne Room gleamed in the dull light. The dust was gone, and the doors unbent and were restored. They looked out through the glass, and saw that the rest of the Castle was likewise restored.
"My power is restored! It worked! I can feel it, the way it used to be!"
"Wonderful, my Princess!" said Blogg, secretly envying her.
"I will have my empire back! I will have my revenge on Rainbow Brite! I will have Spectra carved up and sold for jewelry! I always get my way, in the end!" she said, shaking her fist at the star she knew Rainbowland orbited.
She threw back her head and laughed, the sound echoing through the castle.
Without knowing why, the rest of the Universe trembled.