Laments of the Dimension-Stranded ⁽ᴿᵉᵐᵃᵏᵉ⁾

Rainbow inspected her reflection in a detached rearview mirror atop a workbench. Seeing her fur and mane sopping with sticky crustacean blood, she gagged and tore her gaze away from the mirror. Her muzzle wrinkling with disgust.

Vincent unzipped his backpack and withdrew a hunting knife in a sheath. He reached around and clipped the sheath's plastic clip onto the waistband of his jeans, then resumed sifting through the contents of the bag.

She shifted her weight unconsciously, tapping her hooves against the floor lightly. She blinked, having not recognized her legs had been moving initially, then set her hooves against the floor firmly and attempted to resist the urge to fidget.

Vincent withdrew a pair of black-tinted sunglasses from the bag and flipped them open with one hand, dangling them precariously from the collar of his t-shirt. He neared her and knelt on a knee so their eyes were level.

Despondent, she looked away, training her eyes on the concrete floor.

"No, up here. Eyes up here. I want to tell you something.” He snapped his fingers to capture her attention.

She raised her head reluctantly. Feeling embarrassed from when she had burst into tears earlier, Rainbow refused to make consistent eye contact. She shied away, crossing one foreleg over the other, but her futile attempt to disappear into her own shadow was a failure.

"Have you ever ridden a coaster?”

Her eyes subtly brightened subtly with nostalgic wonder. “Yeah, one time. The Wild Blue Yonder.”

“You know the tracks that go like,” he twirled a finger around, tracing loops midair, "and then—" His finger dropped abruptly, miming the rapid descent of an accelerating car.

“Yeah." She chuckled softly. "Those are the best parts. The Wild Blue Yonder had loops and drops for days.”

The sentimental smile he exhibited existed only momentarily as he reflected on the past. He stood and fitted the sunglasses over his eyes. "Well, that's life. We're near the bottom of a long drop. We've got to be nearing the station by this point, right?" He lifted the pack and slipped the straps over his shoulders.

She paused as she considered his succinct message. With a frown and a hoof rested over her lips, she looked at him again with a new pensive demeanor. "Oh. Hmm."

Together, they departed. Outside, on the concrete landing, Rainbow glanced into the sky and attempted to estimate the time. Nowhere's dual suns and the conflicting shadows they cast made ascertaining the time challenging.

"Try not to think about time passing," Vincent advised. "When the suns are aligned, the shadows are pretty normal, but as time passes, they start to split two ways. Makes keeping track of time really challenging."

She accelerated to catch up with him as he traversed the parking lot, taking longer strides than she was capable of. She trotted side-by-side with him.

He seemed perfectly content traveling in silence, but her hyperactivity was a persistent burdensome nuisance. If her brain didn't actively focus on something, she couldn’t function properly. So, once they reached the base of the ramp and the bothersome sensation refused to abate, her gaze drifted to and fro, tracking tall grass hypnotically swaying in the wind and little insects buzzing between flowers. A flock of the bioluminescent bugs of the type Vincent had captured in jars were congregated beneath the wrinkled petals of a flower, nesting peacefully.

Before Rainbow passed, she hesitated and sat, maintaining a close, yet safe, distance from the flock. "It's not right for him to keep you guys locked up." Her voice was a soft whisper so only those she was speaking to could hear.

Their lights ignited in synchrony and they crawled from beneath the flower petals, marching on stubby black legs concealed beneath their triangular wings. When a few flew too close, Rainbow instinctively withdrew in fear, but, instead of invading her personal space, the insects respected her boundaries and hovered before her, chirping quietly.

"Friendly...?" As she gingerly extended her hoof, the insects swirled around her foreleg like flowing water, purring softly like newborn kittens. Their lights twinkled, blinking intermittently to express what could have been contentment. Her ears raised excitedly. "Wow!"

"Hey! We've only been walking for like five minutes. We're not going to get anywhere at this rate." Several paces ahead, Vincent spun on his heel and stiffly planted his feet, visibly displaying his impatience.

As Rainbow withdrew, the flock of insects dispersed in search for a new flowering plant to nest in and call home. The moment as they flew, twinkling like dewdrops in the morning sunlight, felt magical. She stared in wonder.

"Well, congratulations, you managed to make friends with the bugs." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, have you thought that maybe they just don't like you specifically? Maybe try not locking them up in jars."

Unfortunately, she didn't receive a response. Vincent's eyes widened as he spotted something in the distance, and he swore and unslung his hunting rifle from his shoulder with rapidity.

If something had managed to spook him, that meant it was a serious threat. Rainbow's body tensed as she attempted to follow his unwavering gaze.

"Get down!" In one smooth motion, he dove onto his belly and laid flat, concealing himself within the tall grass. He yanked her foreleg and physically forced her to the ground, and she complied, lying on her side to lie as low as possible.

"What was it? What did you see?" She attempted to peek through the tall grass swaying in the wind, but, despite her best efforts, it thoroughly obscured her view.

"I don't know. It almost looked like..." He fell silent. His face paled.

"What?" Frustrated with how he ignored her, Rainbow narrowed her eyes stubbornly, determined to receive an answer.

"I'm not really sure, but it looked like... a man.”

"Do you know him?” She curiously raised an eyebrow.

“I’m alone here...” His head swung like a pendulum with disbelief. “I’ve always been alone here..."

“Maybe we could—"

"No." His facial expression hardened. He uttered the word with finality, snapping his lips tightly.

“I was just gonna suggest we go and…” She trailed off. A pang of fear struck her after she witnessed her companion's somber reaction.

Vincent peeked through the tall grass cautiously, lifting his rifle. He checked their flanks, then scanned the distant trees meticulously. Where his eyes traveled, he preemptively aimed the weapon.

Rainbow only rose from her hiding spot in the tall grass when he motioned for her to. Her sticky fur caked with crustacean blood had also attracted dust and grime from her brief period of laying in the dirt. ”What does this mean for us now?”

His jaw tightened. “Trouble.”

When they finally arrived to the spot that had been alluded to, Rainbow felt a little excitement course through her. A thin waterfall steadily flowed from above, splashing into a gorgeous pool below. The pond was nestled at the base of a crescent moon-shaped rock wall and sheltered within a dense forest; it was isolated from the rest of the world.

The water looked cleaner than the water of the southern crater lake; it was a healthy blue as opposed to an opaque teal. She spotted the tails of fish propelling themselves through the depths and hiding among rocks. Vegetation grew in the pond, and though the blooming white and pink flowers blooming atop gigantic water lilies looked delicious, she didn't want to risk eating one, for fear of consuming something poisonous. Still, hunger pains continued to persist in her core.

Vincent glanced over his shoulder occasionally to ensure they weren't being followed. He deposited his backpack onto the ground near the pond's shore, then resumed gripping his rifle with both hands.

"I don't think anyone's been following us. It’s okay.”

Unconvinced, he held his rifle close for a moment longer, scanning the surrounding trees carefully. He peered around their ochre trunks, searching for creatures lurking in the shadows.

Receiving no response, Rainbow shrugged. She enthusiastically waded into the pond and eagerly headed for the waterfall. She clenched her eyes shut preemptively and plunged her head beneath the waterfall, scrubbing her hair with a hoof. It was like washing beneath a natural cloud shower.

A whistle sounded from the shore. She withdrew her head from beneath the waterfall, blinked rapidly to clear her vision, and turned to investigate the noise.

“Heads up!”

Small inbound object. Fast. Her keen reaction time allowed her to catch the flying rectangle with ease, snapping it from midair using her teeth. It was only when she transferred it to her hoof that she identified it. Soap!

“Doesn’t that… taste gross?”

She ignored the question directed at her and submerged her head beneath the flowing water again, then withdrew and lathered her wet mane. She spread the soap bubbles around and allowed the fresh water to flow over herself to wash the froth away. Throughout the process, she applied extra care to ensure her injured right wing wasn’t jostled considerably.

When she emerged from the waterfall, she sighed contentedly, stretched, and threw her head back to fling her wet mane out of her eyes. She couldn't be certain without the use of a mirror, but she felt cleansed of the horrid blue crustacean blood. The sensation was liberating.

Where the sandy gravel transitioned into grass, Vincent was rooted with his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree. "You done?"

She gazed at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

His eyes widened and his gaze immediately darted in a different direction as he noticed her focusing on him. He stuttered, flustered. "I–I wasn’t watching you when you were, y'know. I just want to know how you do that. I don’t understand.” He gestured vaguely to her hooves and shrugged.

She stood onto her rear legs and transferred the bar of soap to one of her forehooves for demonstration purposes. "Like this?"

"Yeah. What's that about?"

"Magic," she remarked nonchalantly. She settled onto all four hooves again, then transferred the bar of soap to her mouth and flung it in his direction with a flick of her neck. He caught it with ease.

"It's a genuine question."

"I'm not lying! It's magic. It's definitely not the most interesting thing I can do, so kinda weird how you're pointing it out."

Her explanation visibly confused him further. "Well, I... Okay, uh... Just hold that thought for a second. We're not done talking about this.”

Rainbow waded out of the pond and shook to dry herself off. She sat on the shore and curiously observed as her companion stripped and waded into the pond. Notably, he was so tall that while the water level had touched her stomach, it only reached to his thighs just above the knees.

While waiting for her acquaintance to bathe, she searched the backpack for any items of interest. Hidden beneath miscellaneous junk, she spied a plastic comb and brush.

Excitedly, she withdrew the toiletries from the bag and proceeded to comb her unruly mane and tail straight of any tangles, then gave them a thorough brushing. When she was finished, she sighed contently and laid on her side comfortably, crossing one rear leg over the other. As she waited, she scatted and tapped her hoof against the sand to create a little rhythm, maintaining a consistent pace.

She observed as her acquaintance drifted through the waist-high water, hiking up his legs in a surprisingly delicate and precise fashion. He resembled a stork hunting for fish. She smirked at the humorous mental image.

As he dressed himself, she decided to voice a concern that had entered her mind. "What's that all about?" She pointed to indicate a region of his torso that was dappled with patches of skin of a lighter hue.

"This?" He traced the large patches of burned skin atop his ribs using two fingers. "Is it still noticeable? You're probably not going to believe me when I tell you this, but... it was a giant lizard thing. Dragon, that’s what they’re called, I think. It almost cooked me alive."

She winced sympathetically. "Sheesh. Sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn’t your fault. Besides, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”

"No way. I don't believe that. I couldn't live if I lost a wing.” She offered him the comb, which he accepted with a little hesitance, eying her ‘magic’ hoof with suspicion. He combed the tangles in his long, black hair carefully, wincing when a tangle snagged between the comb's plastic teeth.

"So, how did you get those? Why did you get those?”

Rainbow blinked. She followed where he pointed, looking back at her cutiemark. "My cutiemarks?"

"That's what you call those lightning bolt butt tattoos you got?” He snickered. "Wowie. That's the most gay shit ever.”

She blushed. Her eyebrows furrowed and her muzzle wrinkled as she glared. "They’re representative of my special talent! Got them when I was a filly for performing a sonic rainboom for the first time."

He waggled his eyebrows impishly. "Uh-huh, sure. Nice tramp stamps you got."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talkin' about, dude."

Vincent smirked. He sat cross-legged on the shore and drew the hunting knife from its sheath, then guided the sharp blade along his neck carefully using his delicate fingers to shave his facial hair. "Is magic, like, your religion? You honestly believe in that crap?"

“No. It’s not superstition. It’s real.” She gazed upward longingly. Between the intertwined mint-colored leaves of the branches overhead, herds of cumuli lazily drifted through the sky. With her confined to the ground, they were just out of reach.

When he finished shaving, he guided the blade into the sheath and inserted it. “Well, where I come from, magic has never existed. People have tried and failed since forever. It's always been a stupid myth, like the world being flat. So, I'm sorry, but I think I have to see it to believe it. I heard a lot of crazy shit from people over the years—made me question stuff.” He yawned languidly, scratched at his stubble-covered chin, then stood and retrieved his white t-shirt from where he had dropped it. He lifted both arms, slipped the shirt on, and tugged at the hem around the neck and waist.

“Some humans think your planet is flat? Why? Isn’t it obvious that it's round?”

“Not so much anymore, but yeah, some of them. Humans have thought the Earth isn’t round since forever, despite philosophers and scientists constantly proving them wrong. People latch onto an idea and defend it to the death because it’s theirs and everyone else’s are inferior. That's usually how it goes." When his eyes wandered and settled on her damaged right wing, there was a pause. He eyed the feathers bent in unnatural directions. “Come on, stand up. Let me see your wing. You’re long overdue."

She obediently stood and rotated to present her injured appendage. “Just try to be careful, please."

He neared and sat beside her, crossing his legs. “Extend it flat," he ordered.

“I don’t know if I can…” She attempted to follow his directions and unfurl her wing, wincing preemptively. When she extended the limb partially, a shock of pain traveled down her spine, causing her to tremble, but she gritted her teeth and persisted.

“I haven’t done this in years," he admitted. "I forget what to look for." He gingerly pressed his fingertips along the bone in her wing. She hissed when he pressed a spot that was particularly sensitive near one of the joints.

“Alright. Well…” He removed his fingers and sat upright. He nodded sagely. “I don’t think any bones are broken. It’s probably just a bad sprain."

Rainbow attempted to remain still. It was challenging. She focused on her breathing and whistled softly to distract herself as Vincent proceeded to withdraw the necessary supplies from his backpack, attach a slender wooden pole to her wing with cord, and tug the binding taut to secure it.

"Done."

When she received the signal, she gratefully folded her legs beneath herself and laid to rest. She instinctively attempted to withdraw and fold her extended wing, but the reinforced splint opposed the movement, ensuring the limb would remain motionless until it healed.

He assessed his handiwork and nodded approvingly. "That should do it."

"Thanks. Maybe in a few days I'll recover enough to be able to fly again. Or a few weeks. Or, uh, well... maybe never." She glowered and shrugged.

"Hey, not forever. Don't use absolutes. Only Siths deal in those—and mad girlfriends."

She considered countering his remark with a remark of her own, but she hesitated, having recognized thinly veiled truth concealed beneath the silly joke. "That picture—who was she?"

He shifted his weight to gain access to his pocket, then drew his wallet and unfolded it. Using two fingers, he withdrew the tiny photograph and delicately cradled it in his fingertips. The unknown girl with the striking blue eyes and silky brown hair.

She contemplated the young woman in the photograph. “Do you miss her?"

His forlorn, downcast eyes watched ripples lap against the calm pool's sandy shore. “Five years ago, I died. Everyone I knew and everyone I cared about think I'm gone forever. I don't think I'm ever going to prove them wrong." He returned the photograph to his wallet. As his hands rested in his lap, he clasped them together and interweaved the fingers.

He initiated eye contact again. She gazed into his eyes and nodded in acknowledgement gently. "I'm sorry."

He smiled a little. "Thank you."

She reciprocated the smile, then thoughtfully looked away into the ring of trees surrounding the isolated pond.

“Hey, I know things are... confusing for you right now, but I promised things would get easier—and it’s true, they will. When your wing is healed, don't worry about figuring out what to do next. You can stay with me as long as you want."

"Five years. You've been here for so long..." Her eyes drifted to the sand below. "Is no one else out here?"

"No clue." His face wrinkled as he frowned, a subtle feature of his facial expression that indicated he regretted being honest.

"Well, come on, let's get going." He retrieved his rifle from where he had deposited it near the shore, raised it in both hands, and flipped the safety lever to the off position. "We shouldn't loiter around outside for too long."

Rainbow quickly glanced over her shoulder, glimpsing the forest. Between curling tree trunks and slender grasping branches, the mint foliage was obscured in shadow. She and her acquaintance were seemingly completely alone, but...

She shivered anxiously.