Faded Rainbows

Take the plunge

Trollex stared up at the swirling darkness formed above his head, a feeling of both dread and calm washing over him from the epicenter. He held out his hands, though he wasn't entirely sure why. That's when he got quite the surprise. Out of the center of the swirling darkness fell Beat, who was yelling as he plummeted. Clearly he had just come from water, as his Flow hadn't kicked in yet. Trollex caught him gently and grinned down at his friend. "Nice of you to drop in, Beat!"

Beat shook himself out a bit, then looked up at Trollex. After he took a moment to register, he gasped sharply. "Trollex... you're back! You've got all your color back!" He tried to lift himself out of the others hands, but failed. "Darn it... Can't float yet! Wait, where is—"

Both Trollex and Beat stared upwards as they heard a yelling sound, and the young kings eyes widened when he spotted a familiar young green Techno troll. "Coral?!" He used one hand to hug Beat to his chest, lunging forward to catch Coral.

As soon as he had Coral in his arms, he sighed, clinging to both of them. "Man, you guys are crazy..." He jolted slightly as he felt a weight fall on his head, and he glanced up to see the Guardian, in its small, fluffy puppy form. He grinned wide. "Thanks for the help, Fluffy." It gave a toothy grin, licking his forehead.

It didn't take long for those with wings to fly up and see what had happened. Most of the Dark Ambient trolls hovered around him, cheering happily. The Techno trolls seemed to be crying in joy, but he noticed that there was one face in the crowd he couldn't see, the young looking Ambient troll named Peter. He chocked it up to him being lost in the crowd, despite being one of the few with the bright teal coloration.

He looked down at the now squirming Coral in his hand, who was trying to wrap his arms around Trollex's neck. The young king relented and allowed Coral to give him a hug. He laughed softly, snuggling the two. He was glad to have Beat back, and getting Coral was.... Unexpected, but not unwanted. He knew the Blush family would be ecstatic.

"CORAL!" The three jumped a little, and watched as the crowd around them parted to show Peter hovering in the air, the Blush family next to him as they stared, watery eyed, at their young king and their son.

Atoll swallowed thickly, drifting forward slightly as he reached out to him. "Coral, is it really you...?"

Anemone covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, though anyone could see the smile in her eyes.

Coral gasped, letting Trollex go and zipping over to his mom and dad, tackling them in the air and sending them all into a spin. As they came to a stop in the air, the three laughing and clinging to each other, Trollex couldn't help but smile, remembering the way his parents hugged him when he was young.

Beat sighed softly, smiling. "I'm glad I convinced the other leaders to bring him. They were really against the idea, but... I thought it was a good idea! Turns out people should listen to me a bit more often!"

Trollex tried to hide a grin. "Hm? Sorry Beat, I wasn't listening."

He nearly broke his composure when Beat gasped sharply, giving him an indignant look. "Ah! How DARE you sir!" Beat harrumphed.

Trollex snickered and rubbed the Button fish's head affectionately. "I'm just joking, you Tuna. Calm down." He gave his friend another hug, just enjoying the moment of peace. He had a suspicion it would be his last for a while.

As though to confirm his suspicions, He heard some of the Dark Ambient trolls in the crowd beginning to mutter, the Guardian on his head letting out a small whimper before leaping down, making its way towards king Sheo and the other royals, all three of which were looking worriedly at the sparking green crystal mounted in King Sheo's staff.