//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: // Story: Don't Stop Believing // by R_O_Y_G_B_I_V //------------------------------// Ray had continued to run down the street, hastily searching for some sign of where Rainbow Dash might be. but he didn't have to look any longer, for his adrenal trance was broken by a single scream. A scream that belonged to none other than Rainbow Dash... ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ "HEEEEELP~!" Rainbow's voice rang out. "ANYPONY, HELP!" "Rainbow! I'm coming!" Ray shouted out and sprinted towards the sound of Rainbow's voice. "Ray? Is that you?!" The voice became clearer as he rounded a corner. He'd turned in to an ally way with a dead end. A dead end and the Red Jackets, all huddled around Rainbow Dash grabbing and groping the poor girl. There were three of them in total. Each of them sporting the standard red jacket representing their gang. A red vinyl coat with white cuffs and streaks down the arms and the gang emblem - a graffiti styled "RED" - on the back. Two of the thugs had their hoods drawn and all three wore grey bandannas over their mouths. The one without a hood had a wildly spiked purple Mohawk and piercings all along his ears and eyebrows. All of their pants had that stupid sag to them, revealing their boxers; and each of them wore bright white sneakers. For thugs, they had fairly decent uniformity. Nonetheless, the harassment they were putting Rainbow Dash through made Ray see red. (No pun intended) None of the gang members had noticed that Ray had infiltrated their small road while they were busy indulging their selves on the screams of the rainbow haired girl that had fallen prey to the sleazy thugs until Rainbow Dash had screamed calling Ray's name. At that moment all of the fondling and groping ceased and the three thugs turned to meet the fiery glare Ray was burning into them. The two wearing the hoods looked slightly startled by the look of pure malice and the vicious-intent radiating from Ray. Now mind you that while Ray was no body builder, he was still well built due to his profession, therefore making him an intimidating figure to behold when his temper short-circuited. But the one with the Mohawk -much to Ray's dismay- seemed unfazed, amused even at Ray's arrival. The man with the Mohawk smirked, and stated sarcastically "oh don't tell me this knight in shining armor has come to save his fair maiden from the evil clutches of the dark warriors?" He got his desired effect when the two formerly cowering gang-members now stood fully and snickered at the remark. Ray let out an angry huff and replied equally as sarcastic. "Well who else will save the day by slaying the spiked dragon and his two minions?" The spiky haired man and his two followers sneered at the jab -only making them look more sub-human- and the purple haired one started to walk towards Ray, stopping just inches from where he stood. The thug pulled down his bandanna and stared straight into Ray's eyes, burning holes into his skull with his intense glare. They stood at an even height, the thug maybe having a centimeter or two on Ray. "Mouthy motherfucker ain'tcha?" he said, faces no only centimeters apart. When the man spoke, Ray noticed that his teeth had been filed down to be sharper than any human canines should be. Intimidating as the figure before him was, Ray didn't back down from the challenge and looked the man right back in the eyes, staring his own daggers into his opponent. Rainbow Dash could do nothing as she fought to no avail to break free of the other two thugs' strong grasps. "Ray! Go now, I'm not worth it!" Rainbow cried out in a futile attempt to save Ray from harm. She was the root of his problems after all. She just kept causing more and more trouble for him. But what she didn't know about Ray and was about to find out, was that Ray never backs down. Ever. "Oh cute, what a storybook perfect scene. The girl tells the boy to run and save himself" Ray was brought back to the situation in front of him while the man he faced moved closer and closer, closing the small gap between them until their shoulders touched and his mouth reached to wear Ray's ears were. "But it's too late to run now" the man whispered sadistically into Ray's ears. The next thing Ray noticed was the sound of clothe shuffling as the thug's arm reached back into his back pocket to pull something out. Ray heard the light clatter of metal and a click. A knife. This guy was serious. Ray had but a split second to react when the knife came out from behind his opponent's back. He quickly stepped back a few feet just barely avoid the slash meant for his gut. Ray narrowed his eyes at his attacker. "Bringing a knife to a fist fight? Real classy." The thug's eyebrow twitched slightly and he grunted in frustration, thrusting the knife forwards again to try and spear Ray's shoulder. The thug's accomplices cheered when the fight started, whooping around like wild dogs. Ray managed to dodge the second strike and even was able to jab his right fist into his assailants solar-plexus; causing the man to cough and lose his breath momentarily. But the thug easily recovered in no time, and taking advantage of Ray's momentary stupor at his resilience, thrust the blade forward and slicing Rays left cheek. Ray's eyes widened, but quickly narrowed in anger. While his opponent swung for another hit, Ray redirected the blow away from himself by swinging his arm to bloke the oncoming attack. Ray had grabbed the man's arm and twisted it around in a painful maneuver, but his assailant was quick to retaliate by sending his clenched fist across the right side of Ray's face, effectively freeing his caught arm and allowing him time to regain his balance. It was all Rainbow Dash could do to scream pleading for the men to stop fighting. But her cries fell on deaf ears as Ray simply spit out a mouthful of blood, wiped his lips and sent a fist flying towards the purple-haired man's face. The hit connected with the man's jaw, cracking both it and Ray's knuckles in the process. But neither made a move to nurse their injuries and simply continued on fighting it out as the endorphins coursed through their veins, numbing all the pain that their fight inflicted. The little scuff had lasted longer than either of the men had expected it to, and they were both starting to tire. But it seemed that neither was going to back down, tap out or otherwise give in. Ray now sported a deep cut along his arm near the elbow, a black eye and one fairly painful gash in his right shoulder. But his opponent wasn't unscathed either, barring multiple bruises on his face and body from the ruthless jabs and kicks Ray managed to produce. The fight had to be coming to a conclusion sometime soon, Ray thought as he and his opponent leaned on their legs momentarily catching their breathes. Rainbow had been reduced to a sobbing wreck and the two gang members restraining her were becoming bored and more and more frustrated as the fight drew out; constantly yelling at their member provocative encouragements. Ray's heart pounded in his chest, his breath drew in and out rapidly and the adrenaline from earlier had worn off now leaving him to feel the full impact of his injuries. He could see that the man he was facing off against fared no better than himself, hunched over clutching his stomach. Yes, what happened next would declare the victor. Ray shifted his feet and stood up straight again, his opponent doing the same when he realized that the momentary reprise was over. The thug flipped his knife around in his hand idly as he waited for Ray to do something, at the same time stared daggers at him. Ray returned his gaze with an equal amount of malice and shifted his foot on the pavement, subtly getting into a stance ready to pounce at any moment. Time seemed to stand still for the two combatants. Not even the desperate cries ringing out from Rainbow Dash nor the ego-boosting whoops from the two thugs behind them were acknowledged as Ray and the Red Jacket locked each other in a stare-down. Each daring the other to make a move. The thug was the first to act and thrust the knife forward, managing to once more stab into Ray's already bleeding shoulder. The man twisted the knife in Ray's shoulder, drawing out a howl of pain from Ray. The first sign of agony he had shown the whole fight. The man made to stab him again, but Ray caught the man's wrist before he could once again plunge his weapon into Ray's flesh. Ray twisted his assailant's wrist past where it was meant to, breaking it and forcing his attacker to drop the knife. And in once fluid motion, Ray brought his fist around to make contact with the side of the man's skull, right in the soft and unprotected tissue of his temple. It was by far a lucky shot, but that lucky shot had managed to finally subdue his opponent by knocking him out. The purple haired thug fell limply to the ground, silently declaring Ray the victor. The two thugs and Rainbow Dash all looked on with incredulous expressions splayed across their faces. The wide eyes of the two thugs narrowed angrily at Ray -who was now on his knees clutching his bleeding shoulder wound- and they charged at him. Rainbow Dash let out a scream thinking that they were going to attempt to fight Ray further, but was relieved beyond relief that they had only stopped to pick up their unconscious teammate and scurried away with him to who cares where. Immediately after they had let go of her to go retrieve their fallen comrade, Rainbow Dash ran to where Ray was now sitting on the pavement and fell to her knees next to him. "Ray!" She cried. "What the hay did you think you were doing? I told you to get out of here!" She managed to squeeze out through her sobs. Ray coughed up a bit of blood and spat it out. "I'm the knight in shining armor, and I rescued the damsel in distress" he said through a pained smile. Rainbow Dash smiled weakly at Ray while tears ran down her face. "C'mon, enough water works-" Ray was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit, leading to more blood being coughed up. Rainbow Dash held her hands over her mouth in horror, and then said "you guys have hospitals here right? We need to get you to one. You're in terrible shape. C'mon can you walk?" "No, no hospital" Ray stated firmly. "What? Are you crazy? You're hurt! You need a doctor-" She started but was interrupted. "If we go to a hospital, they'll know I got into a fight. And that means they'll want to press charges on someone, and knowing the Red Jackets, that someone will be me" Ray explained. "So we'll go back home. Don't worry Florence knows a thing or two about medicine, she'll patch me up nice and good" he finished. Rainbow Dash wasn't satisfied with his answer, but knew that it must be true. Ray was pretty street smart she thought, so she'd go on whatever he said. But still, there was the matter that she had been the cause of all this. "I can't show my face around there. I'm the reason this happened to you. If you'd just listened to me and run-" she was once more interrupted by Ray who put his finger to her mouth. "Flo is much more forgiving than you think. And what happened to me I brought on myself. It was my choice." He reasoned with her. "You didn't have to do it though" "Yeah, I did" "Why though? Why help some random girl you just met? I've seen plenty of people around here that need just as much if not more help then I do!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Because they at least have some idea of what's going on around them. That, and you..." Ray started, but was unable to finish. "I what?" Rainbow asked. "You look like... you look like someone who was very special to me. I couldn't stand to see you lost. It brings back too many memories..." Ray said, melancholy clear in his voice. "Well, and also now that Flo's gotten to know you, she'd kill me if I lost you" He said, filling in the awkward tension with a goofy grin. Rainbow laughed lightly at Ray's slight blush, and wiped away the tears that fell from her ruby eyes. Another part of her that reminded Ray so much of Rose. The way the shone in the moody moonlight, the way her tears glistened in her eyes before they fell down the soft lightly tanned skin of her face. Yes, had it not been for the rainbow hair, Ray might've actually mistaken her for Rose. Rainbow Dash blushed lightly at the distant stare Ray was giving her, but snapped back to attention when she remembered Ray's condition. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, wiping away any remaining tears, and said "well if you're adamant about avoiding a hospital visit-" "Which I am" "-Which you are. Then let's get going. Can you walk?" Rainbow said, the concern clear in her voice. "Yeah, I'll manage" Ray replied. With a groan of pain, he made to stand, and with a little help from Rainbow, he was able to make it to his feet. Ray noticed that Rainbow Dash had ripped off a significant part of her shirt. When Ray made to inquire, Rainbow Dash spoke before he could, saying "this might hurt a little, but we need pressure on that shoulder wound or you're going to lose too much blood" her tone was still dejected, but slightly less shaky. Ray simply nodded, and quirked and eyebrow when he saw how she went about wrapping the cloth around his shoulder. She held the cloth with her palm, and raised to to under his arm. Then using her other palm, she flipped the cloth up onto his shoulder. To tie the knot to secure it in place, she used her teeth, and impressive sight to see but strange nonetheless. But the end result was what mattered, and Rainbow Dash had managed a fairly decent field dressing. Regardless of her methods... Thanks to the make-do bandage, the sharp pain in Ray's shoulder was numbed down to a dull throb. "Thanks, I'd be in much worse condition to walk without this" Ray praised. "Yeah" Rainbow replied meekly. "C'mon, let's get going" she finished, throwing Rays good arm over her shoulder so he could use her as a crutch. Ray simply nodded and they made their way back to his apartment. After what seemed like an eternity -and after many odd stares- they'd made it back to Ray's apartment building and were now standing in front of the apartment's door. Rainbow Dash stood still in front of the entrance. He shoulders squared and her hair covering her eyes, a shameful expression displayed on her face. "What's up Dashie?" Ray asked mockingly. But then he remembered why Rainbow would be hesitant. "Look, even if Florence gets mad at you, she will forgive you. Just... just don't worry about it 'kay?" Ray said reassuringly. Rainbow sighed and kept her gaze on the ground. But she hesitantly swiped the key-card Ray had given her earlier and opened the door to the apartment. When they walked in, Florence had a purely ecstatic look on her face at Rainbow Dash and Ray's arrival. But when she saw the condition the two were in -namely Ray- her expression hardened in concern. She gasped and ran over to where they were. Rainbow's eyes were still locked with the floor when Florence asked "What happened to you two?!" Ray simply laughed and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, y'see we got into a bit of trouble with some ruffians. Long story short me and a knife tangoed and now I need patched up" Ray said gesturing to his shoulder with the cut hand. Florence didn't stay to ask another question, but instead went to go fetch the first aid kit from the closet in the back of the hallway. When she returned she instantly went to work. Rainbow Dash could have sworn this wasn't the first time she'd done it. She watched as Flo went about cleaning and stitching the gash on Ray's arm, wincing every time the needle went through Ray's skin. She had to wonder how Ray seemed to not react to the pain he had to have been feeling at the needle sowing through his skin. While she was doing this, Florence to the chance to inquire further about what had happened. "Okay, so what really happened Ray" she not once took her eyes off her work. "Rainbo- Jesse over here got tangled up with the wrong people somehow, and when I managed to find her, they were close to having their way with her" Ray explained seriously. Florence gasped and looked at Rainbow Dash with a concerned expression. "Wait... what kind of wrong people Ray" Flo asked suspiciously. Ray looked away from her and said nervously "th-the Red Jackets-" "RAY!" Florence interrupted him, shouting at the him. "You can't keep getting involved with them. You know what their capable of!" she scolded. "I know, but they had Jesse-" "Speaking of which, how in the hell did you manage to be snatched up by them?" ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ A/N: Where have I been you may ask? Doing shit all! Nah but seriously, I was being lazy. And earlier in my blog post (lol who reads that) I said I'd have it up the next day, the reason I didn't was because my computer restarts on a hairline trigger if anything hits it, and naturally right when I'm knee deep in writing, it restarts and I lose everything. So I didn't write out of spite. Anyways, see ya when I see ya, peace! ~Avery Damn I release these chapters at retarded times... -