Faded Rainbows

Techno Reef

When he had first gotten into the water, he had enough energy to take him the whole way! Or so he thought. He was proved wrong as he began to slowly drift asleep as he swam, and at one point awoke with a start to find himself floating at the surface, having fallen asleep in the water and floated upwards.

He yawned loudly and dove back into the water, deciding this time to make his way for the nearby current. Once he slipped into it, he sighed. "Where did all that energy go...?" He yawned again and rubbed at his eyes. "Mph... I need a nap..."

As he slowly began to drift off asleep again, he noticed in the distant darkness colorful lights flashing rhythmically. He smiled, recognizing his home. "Looks like at least some of the coral has come back properly..."

He smiled a little, watching as the light grew closer and brighter. He flicked his tail a little faster, wanting to be home again at last. As soon as he swam past the barrier reef, he slipped out of the current and floated along in the gentle ebb and flow of his ocean home.

He would have been more than happy to float there a while longer, but he heard a voice calling to him. "Hey, who's that? Looks familiar..."

He turned to see a familiar couple approach, a small green hatchling swimming between them. He grinned widely, holding his arms out. "The Blush family! I haven't seen you guys in a long time!"

Little Coral blush, showing no hesitance, gasped sharply and darted forward, tackle hugging Trollex and sending the young king tumbling backwards in the water with a chuckle. "Whoa kiddo, easy does it!"

The parent's approached, their eyes wide. The mother, who he recalled was named Anemone, titled her head slightly. "King Trollex, is... is that really you...?"

He smiled and nodded, gently patting Coral's head, who hadn't let him go and was showing no signs of doing so any time soon. "Yeah... Sorry I've been gone a while..."

The father, Atoll, smiled, though it was clear he was tired. "Everyone's been so worried about you. When Beat showed up looking so ragged, we all panicked... He said you were fine, but even he got frustrated after a while..."

His eyes widened. He forgot to send Beat updates! He face palmed, groaning loudly. "I was supposed to send him messages, but I couldn't figure out how...! Oh man, he's going to kill me...!"

He felt Coral hug him a little tighter, looking up at Trollex with teary eyes. "No! You're not allowed to get killed!"

Trollex clutched his heart. He couldn't handle the cute! He gave Coral a little squeeze. "I'll be fine Coral, don't worry. Beat's just not going to be happy with me, is all." He looked up at Atoll and Anemone. "How's everyone else though...? I know I've been gone a while, I just... I'll explain it to everyone, I promise."

The two looked at each other, then back to Trollex. "We've missed you. Beat said you lost your color, is that why you're looking a little... Um, different?"

He couldn't help a soft chuckle, noting how Anemone had avoided using a worse descriptor. "Yeah, I did... but I've been working at getting them back. It's a surprisingly slow process. For now, let's gather everyone and I'll make an announcement."

Atoll gave a nod, calling Coral back to him. "We'll spread the word. You're D.J. booth is all fixed up, should we meet there?"

He bit his lip slightly, looking down. "Mm, maybe not yet. How about the courtyard? It gives me a chance to check on Beat while everyone gathers."

With a nod and happy waves, the Blush family swam off to spread the news. He waited till they were out of sight before making his way towards LED castle. Along the way he'd run into more of his Trolls, all of which were overjoyed to see him, and insisted on asking if he was alright.