Vengeful | A Rainbow Quest AU

Chapter 4 - New Friend, Old Enemy

Rainbow rushes back over to Dark holding bandages and materials for a splint. I manage to turn my head to face them, watching as Rainbow starts wrapping the bandages on Dark's injured arm, being careful not to bump his twisted-up leg.

"What happened?" Rainbow asks.

"I-I don't know..." Dark answers. "I just woke up on the ground, somehow alive again. I couldn't hear the well of voices from the rest of the Darkness anymore-" Rainbow finishes up wrapping his arm, then goes to work on the splint for his leg.

"The Darkness?" Rainbow interrupts, confused. "Sabre got rid of the Darkness a while ago. How was it there?"

Dark Steve also looks confused for a moment, then answers. "If Sabre got rid of it, then it's back. I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure I have a guess."

"Hold on a sec, this is gonna hurt." Rainbow pauses Dark's explanation. "Brace yourself."

As Rainbow straightens out Dark's leg so the splint can hold it in proper place, Dark lurches forward, trying not to scream. He starts crying.

"Sorry, buddy." Rainbow apologizes. He's never liked seeing his friends hurt.

"I-it's okay. Good lord..." Dark says, wiping away his tears, the pain seemingly passing.

Dark starts looking around the room, and notices my condition. He stares for a moment.

"What in the Realm happened to Sabre?!" He yells. Rainbow picks him up and walks him over to the cushion opposite of me.

"Long story, I'll try to shorten it for you." Rainbow sighs. He sits on the floor between us.

Rainbow tells Dark everything. My murder attempt, him stealing the Crystal to save me, us getting myself out of the grave, our escape into the woods, my paralysis, his newfound powers. As he finishes, Dark leans back, processing everything.

"...Holy crap." He says, shocked to find out what's happened while he was destroyed. "And... he's part of the Crystal now too?"

"I guess." Rainbow says. "Speaking of the crystallization thing, I might have to do that to you to reconstruct your leg. Part of the bone is just missing." So, it is broken. Dark looks worried a moment. "Don't worry, you're not gonna be nearly as bad as Sabre- no offense, bud."

"None taken." I say.

Dark sighs. "Okay..."

"Can you tell us how you think the Darkness is back?" Rainbow asks.

"Sure," Dark answers. "I only put a few pieces together, cause I was only there a few seconds before I got attacked."

Dark clasps his hands together, trying to remember the details from his moments of panic.

"I woke up on the ground, Darkness receding from around me." He begins. "A bunch of figures were surrounding me, as if they didn't know what I was. They were all whispering things like, 'He has color', 'There's something there', and 'Not hollow'. I sat up, and they all backed away a little. I was so confused..." Dark wraps his arms around himself, as if he didn't want to continue, out of fear. "Suddenly, I heard someone shout 'Move,' at the figures, and a few of the ones surrounding me parted to let someone through. I couldn't believe what I was seeing..." Dark shudders at the thought of this being.

"Who was it?" Rainbow asks him, putting a hand on his uninjured arm. Dark looks at him, then continues.

"There was a person there, not just Darkness, but it was radiating off him. At first, I couldn't tell what he was, as I didn't recognize him." Dark glances at me for some reason. "But then... I looked up to see his face, and I froze. He pointed a sword he had at me. It looked to be made of shadows..."