The Dimensional Traveler's Guide To Rainbows, And Other Troubles

Chapter 8: Keep Calm And Carry On With Saving The Day

The clouds in the sky seemed to finally give way. The once dark, forlorn world was softened by a gentle beam of moonlight peaking out from between the harsh grey clouds.

But just as the moonlight began to emerge, an ominous shadow once again rolled over the sky, plunging the world back into darkness. The sound of an approaching vehicle, closing in from the main road, was sufficient to rouse me from my contentment. The sound of multiple car doors simultaneously opening inspired thrills of both surprise and curiosity.

Who could it be, coming to visit such a well-to-do neighborhood at such an unearthly hour? My question was answered when a group of dark shadows came into view.

As they approached, I could begin to make out their individual appearances. It was a group of five people, each one adorned in dark clothing. They came in all shapes and sizes: the one in the front was big and burly, while the figure in the back had a more tall and lanky figure. I couldn't see their faces, but something about the way they walked, the way they swaggered with some kind of sinister confidence, sent chills down my back.

I was so focused on trying to figure out who they were, that I didn't move until they were only a feet away from where I stood. A single ray of pale light fell upon the man in the front. His twisted nose and crumpled face peeked out from under his hood.

But his eyes.

They were filled with loathing and contempt. As the light danced around his face, his eyes glittered with an animalistic but calculated fire. Perhaps at one time he was a brash young fellow, but now life had left its mark on his dented face.

His eyes never moved. They bore into me, as if he was trying to drill a hole through my soul through his stare. I slowly lifted my gaze to meet his. They were liquid voids, black holes of space and time. I felt as if I was being pulled into his eyes, but I couldn't look away. There was something there that sparked a feeling of familiarity in me. I had seen this person before, but I didn't recall anyone with a face as haggard as his.

I definitely knew those eyes.

My head seemed to split open. A searing pain ripped through my thoughts, and I dropped to my knees.

No! Not now, not now, not now, not now, not now!

I shook my head, trying to clear my head and shake away the encroaching darkness.

Not again, not again, not again, not again!

I could hear some muffled voices, as if I was underwater. Someone was shaking me, someone was shouting, but I didn't know who it was.

Sorry.

I walked down a crowded hallway. People rushed past me like a raging river, their faces blurring into each other as they squeezed by. A new day, a new school. I was excited to be a freshman at last, finally a student in high school.

My excitement was replaced by a sudden pain as something, or rather, someone, slammed me into a row of lockers.

"How's it going, shrimp?"

I groaned as the pain spread through my body. A sneering senior shoved his face way too close to mine. As he spouted insults and taunts, his horrendous breath rolled over me in great clouds of putrid stench. My consciousness faltered as my brain struggled to handle the smells that were assaulting my nose.

The stream of people flowing past us never halted, never faltered. The river merely bent around us, never stopping, never pausing. Seeing no opposition, the senior grinned, and picking me up by my collar, he dragged me kicking and flailing into the restroom.

"Stop!" I shoved outward as I was thrown back into reality. As I looked around, trying to reorient myself, I once again settled my gaze on the man before me.

His mouth was curled into a terrifying leer, filled with malice. His eyes widened with surprise as another ray of weak light hit my face. Then his entire face convulsed into a terrible sneer. As the light shifted and his face fell into shadow once again, all I could see were his eyes, black voids of terror.

"Son of a gun...you're still alive, shrimp."

An electric shock ran through my body as my entire body convulsed.

"You..." I almost whispered, scarcely believing the word.

"They told me you died, dead by your own hand. I suppose those were lies then? Trying to shield you from my vengeance?" He cackled with glee, cracking his neck and motioning for his cronies to approach. "I've been waiting for this...I knew the day would come...that I would be able to get my revenge on you...the man who did this to me."

My breath caught as he pulled off his hood. I had seen the surface of his face, but as the shadows which had enshrouded the majority of his features melted away, the true monstrosity of his face emerged. His face was not merely dented, as I had earlier assumed. His entire face was twisted, contorted into a terrible shape.

"What are you doing? Get away from me!" I whipped around as a familiar voice called out. A couple of his goons, dressed in black, were surrounding Rainbow Dash.

"Hey! Get away from her! I'm the guy you want, right?" I dashed over, grabbing them and pulling them away from Rainbow Dash.

Their leader smirked. "Alright boys, that's enough, just hold him in place. I've got a lot of catching up to do with this guy."

I didn't resist as powerful arms grabbed me and restrained me. As his hulking figure approached, I simply cast my gaze downwards, unable to look him in the eyes.

"What's up with you, ya crybaby? Fight back!" Rainbow Dash ran over, fists raised.

"Stay out of this!" I yelled, still never lifting my head. I couldn't do it. The memories were like heavy chains, dragging my body downwards. I couldn't move if I wanted to.

I stared into the murky depths of some grimy substance. The corners of my vision were surrounded by a chipped white bowl. Oh. I was staring into a toilet. A powerful fist had my hair in an iron grip. I felt tired. "Get on with it", I wanted to say. But he wasn't about to rush it. He was going to savor his victory over the fresh meat. He seemed to be saying something, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. No matter. I was only annoyed that he was taking so long.

"Welcome to high school, shrimp!" His disgusting voice was the only warning I had before I found myself swimming alongside who-knows-what in a toxic waste dump of a toilet. I blew bubbles out of my nose and mouth, trying to keep the foul gunk out of my body. Seconds seemed to turn into hours, and I was sure I was about to lose it and suffocate, surrounded by the putrid water.

I gasped for breath, breathing in oxygen, to my surprise. Slowly opening my eyes, I once again beheld the grim depths of the bowl of doom.

"Ready for round two?" The senior still wasn't done.

I felt my heart beat harder, faster. My arm twitched as my muscles gave an involuntary twitch. Why was I letting him do this? I knew I could beat him in a square fight. He looked tough, but he was mostly fat, not muscle.

"Ready or not, here you go!" He began shoving my head towards the murky depths once again. That flipped the switch. Something in my head broke. My vision turned red, and with a feral shout, I lashed out with my right foot, kicking backwards blindly.

To my surprise, my foot connected with the bully's belly. As my foot sank into a layer of fat, I grinned. Getting to my feet, I turned around to observe my handiwork. He was clutching his stomach, gasping for breath. His face was livid, both from rage and lack of air.

A burst of pain exploded in my left cheek. My face flew to the right, as my hallucinations were ripped from me, replaced with a bleak reality. My face throbbed, and I grunted as he lifted my face to meet his. I averted my eyes, cringing as he examined my face.

"You haven't changed at all...you've still got that innocent face."

I felt something collide with my stomach. I retched as my breathing was temporarily cut off. Wheezing, I desperately tried to draw oxygen into my lungs. As he slowly retracted his fist, he growled.

"You're a monster. You know that, you little shit?"

I felt another punch. This time, my head snapped backwards as his fist smashed into my chin.

I threw punch after punch, each one uncalculated, each one simply filled with a desire for vengeance. I used no form, my blows had no style. But he could do little to ward them off. His feeble arm swings did nothing. I felt my fists smash into him, each one sending a wave of pleasure through my body. I laughed. How funny, that the tides should be turned so quickly.

"Hey hey hey! Pay attention, will you?" A biting pain snapped me back to the real world. "Can't have you falling asleep in the middle of our chat, can we?"

Another punch. I gasped, recoiling from the pain. As he continued to pummel me, I felt something warm begin trickling down my cheek, where he had hit me.

"S-s-stop! D-don't hurt me! I didn't mean to! I'm s- I'm sorry! H-have mercy!" The bully cowered on the ground, trying to crawl away.

"Mercy? MERCY?" A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Mercy? The word mercy? Of all people, YOU telling ME to have mercy? Sorry, try again next time."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. I bit my lip. I'm a monster.

"What was that? Did you say something shrimp?"

"I'm sorry."

"..." He said nothing for quite some time. I felt no blows.

"Hah. You think that's going to cut it?" Finally, I heard his words break the awkward silence. "How ironic, you of all people, telling me 'sorry'. Do you remember when I said those very words to you? Do you remember, when I, crawling on the ground, begging you for mercy, what you did? Do you think that now, those very words will sway me, that those words will protect you from justice?"

"No, but it was worth a try." A bitter smile breaks out on my face.

The red haze which had obstructed my vision slowly faded away. I gazed around the room, wobbling slightly. I felt a little dizzy. Why were my hands wet? I lifted my hands to look at them, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My hands were covered in a dark red liquid, slowly dripping down and pattering in small droplets on the dirty floor. An echo began reverberating in my mind in harmony with the rhythmic thuds of blood hitting the floor.

You're a monster.

You're a monster.

Monster.

Monster.

Monster.

Monster.

Monster.

"I'm a monster." I grit my teeth.

"Damn straight."

"I should die."

"I'll help you with that." The hatred in his words, the undisguised malice, gave me a little start, but it didn't surprise me. I probably ruined his life. His face was destroyed by my fists. He was another one of my victims. He was just another, who's dreams I had stolen away with my selfish actions. How many does that make? How many dreams have I taken away? How many ambitions, life goals, have I shattered?

"I won't pretend that an apology will solve everything. If that was true, the world would just be a dumb old fairy tale. But an apology isn't completely worthless, is it? A true, heartfelt apology goes a long way towards mending broken bonds."

"What kind of bullshit is that?" Another punch. And then another. I no longer counted each individual punch. My perception of the world seemed to slow and twist in a surreal fashion. The pain faded in my body as everything slowly quieted to a dull pounding in my head. Tendrils of blackness were beginning to creep in from the corners of my vision. My limbs seemed to turn to lead, and I felt as if I was slowly sinking into an endless bog.

"How pathetic. Done already? Guess it's time for the girl then."

"Huh? Hey! Get away from me!"

Rainbow Dash?

The world rushed back into focus. The blackness which had encroached on my world, reducing it to a murky mess, was blasted away by a rush of adrenaline. But with the new clarity of mind, the pain came back as well.

It hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Something scratched and clawed its way out of the depths of my chest.

It was an animalistic scream, one that drew its fury from man's dark past. It resonated through the night, flying through the empty field without obstruction.

Something in that scream echoed in the hearts of those men. Perhaps it was an instinctive reaction, something that the brain was naturally conditioned to do. But whatever the cause, as my scream tore its way into the world, everyone stopped. Everything stopped. The vice-like grips which had held me up released their holds. I fell to the ground, barely able to catch myself.

"Don't...don't touch her...." I was only able to spit out a few words between my shaking breaths.

Slowly climbing to my feet, I wobbled over to Rainbow Dash in front of their incredulous stares.

A cold chuckle freezes me in my tracks.

Turning around, I saw him walking over, slowly, casually.

"Look at yourself, man. Do you really think you can do anything?"

The soft crunch of a fist connecting with a face interrupted my response.

"Aaaaargh!" One of the hooded goonies was clutching his nose, which was gushing a dark red liquid.

"Son of a-" He reached into his pockets, pulling something out. The moonlight peeking out from behind the clouds glinted off of a blade of cold steel.

"Stop!" I staggered a few steps towards her, reaching out with my arms.

But she didn't need my help. With a growl, she ran forwards, headbutting him in his stomach. With a cry of pain, the man staggered backwards. Turning around, Rainbow Dash lashed out with both her legs, using her hands as a support. I couldn't help but smile, despite the grim situation. She was still Rainbow Dash. As the rest of the goons circled around us, I felt Rainbow Dash's back touch mine.

As they closed in, rushing towards us with their pocket knives, I felt a rush of excitement. This was it. This was the time for me to repay her, the time for me to show her that I could be someone she could count on in times of need. They couldn't stop us. All the pain and weariness in my bones seemed to fade away as I let myself go.

And before I realized it, they were all lying on the ground, groaning. Only one man was standing.

"How can you still stand?" His shoulders were heaving, shaking up and down from anger. "I pounded you into a pulp, I beat you until you couldn't stand on your own! I beat you! You lost! I won!"

I grinned. "Game's not over until checkmate."

He howled in frustration. Something in him seemed to snap at that moment. The manic fire in his eyes sparkled with an animal ferocity. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a pistol. Pointing it at me, he screamed: "You're a freak! A monster! I'll put you where you belong!"

I saw something in his eyes then. I saw something in his eyes that reminded me of something. Or should I say, someone? That desperate, frustrated anger, that pent-up, overflowing fury at some past wrong, that burning rage in his eyes seemed to be a mirror of myself at one time. It made me sad. To see one treading down the same tragic path that I had taken, to see someone fall into the same traps as I did, it hurt my heart.

"Listen, I-"

An explosive crack set my ears abuzz. I winced, partially because of the pain in my ears, and partially because of the pain in my stomach.

Something slammed into my stomach, piercing through it like a searing arrow. The burning pain would have incapacitated me, but something kept me from doing that. Perhaps I felt obligated to let him hurt me. I was the destroyer of his life, of his future. I was his demon, and he was righting what I had done by slaying me, the monster.

But do two wrongs really make a right? The hero, in slaying the demon at the end of his quest, becomes a demon himself. As the blood of the demon spills onto his armor, it leaves stains on his soul that shall never be washed off. Indeed, the moment the hero picks up the sword as his way of justice, he dooms himself to a life of hatred. By choosing to right past wrongs through slaughter, he himself becomes the demon that he wished to slay.

I grit my teeth and clench my fists. It was so unfair. To see someone tread down this path, to see someone with a future of nothing but darkness, I couldn't stand it. The pain in my stomach was nothing. I took a step towards him, ignoring the screaming of my wound. One bullet was nothing.

"S-stay away! No! Stop!"

Twice more, my ears rang from the sound of a firearm's discharge.

Twice more, I felt its searing arrows pierce my body.

No matter.

This was my duty.

If I was to die, so be it.

I took another step. And then another.

My advance was slowed only thrice more, and then I was standing face-to-face with him.

"Why....how...." Tears were streaking from his eyes. It was a pitiful sight. "It's not fair...how...how can you be so strong?!" He was almost screaming hysterically. The panic and fear in his eyes, along with the frustration and resentment, sent a pang of sadness through my heart.

"When you met me, so long ago, I defeated you. Back then, I was fighting only for myself. I lashed out in self-defense, I fought back to preserve my life. I had to make sure you would never hurt me ever again, I had to ensure my own future.

But I learned, I learned the hard way, that hurting others will never solve your problems. Hate gives birth to hate, and it ends up as a cycle of infinite suffering. I met someone, he was a monster born from the scorn he received from others. Merely from his disfiguration, he was hated. He was alienated.

I traveled to a distant land, where I was outcasted, because I did not have something that everyone else did. It was there that I learned that hatred will never give you happiness. A quest for vengeance dooms you to a life of suffering.

The power given to you by revenge, the power you receive from hatred, is raw and unrestrained. Yes, you may feel driven, yes you may feel your life has meaning at last, but that power is a double-edged sword. You are likely to hurt yourself more than you hurt your enemy. And in the end, when you look back on your life, what will you say? Will you say that I wasted it trying to right some petty wrong inflicted on me so many years ago? Will you say that I spent all my years on some quest for vengeance, merely because of spite?

True power doesn't come from hatred. A person's true potential, a person's true power does not come from anger.

I learned many things in a distant land. This is probably the most important thing that I learned.

A person is strongest when they find something worth protecting. When someone finally finds something in their life that's worth their life, that's worth protecting with everything they have, that's when they become truly strong. That's why...

That's why I won't lose to you."

He fell to his knees, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Why...why did you do that?" Another familiar voice. Rainbow Dash's face was filled with concern, and she seemed about to cry.

I laughed. It hurt. I felt like I was going to rip apart, but for her sake, I laughed.

"Lighten up, Dash! I'm fine! See?"

I'm fine! See?

And then everything went black.