//------------------------------// // Chapter 41: End Times // Story: Devil's Due // by All American //------------------------------// Author’s note: Can you tell where I was going to end it since I am a cliffhanging bastard? --- I groaned as I opened the door and stepped out into the bitter wind. I really wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Celestia. I just knew that I was going to get annoyed stares or comments on how I’m a violent prick. I closed the door behind me and turned to the princess. “Howdy.” I started as I rubbed my hands together “Shall we get down to business?” Celestia was glaring at me like I was a dog about to take a shit on the rug. “What?” I asked as if I didn’t know. “I think you know.” She started off in a barely covered bout of anger “You are going to get my town destroyed.” “Whoa, cool your jets.” I said as I held out my hands “I am just protecting my own. You don’t even have the whole story.” Celestia looked off to my right before I did the same. It had seemed that we were gathering a crowd. I couldn’t blame them. If they knew what was happening, they were probably scared and if they didn’t, the resident freak-job was arguing with the equivalent of the president. “Then tell me.” She said with a hint of hostility. “Fine.” I said as I leaned my back against the H2 “The griffons are after Alex and me. They haven’t really given us a reason why, but they are eager to use violence.” “And you reply in kind?” “No shit.” I said as a gasp erupted from the crowd “What am I supposed to do? Let them drag us off and do god knows what to us?” I looked back to my right and saw that Alex had joined the crowd of onlookers. He was easy to spot due to the fact he was 2-3 feet taller than all of the residents. He just waved as he stood by and watched. “Do you really have to use violence to solve this?” She asked almost as if pleading. “Yes,” I said as I dashed her hopes “I don’t think harsh words are gonna cut it this time.” “I figured you would say that.” Celestia said as she let out a sigh “What do you intend to do?” I just smiled as I opened my trench coat to reveal my many instruments of war “I thought you would have figured me out by now.” “I should have guessed no less.” She said as she looked over the town “How exactly do you plan on fighting.” I pointed over to Alex and said “We are going to take position on the far side of town and set up a line. We are going to have some Royal Guard position on the hill to the north and charge down if we are overrun to cover our retreat. We will immediately set up another line and repeat until they are all dead or they retreat.” Celestia looked over the crowd and a frown appeared over her generally hopeful demeanor. It wasn’t one of annoyance or contempt. It was one of sorrow. “No.” she said flatly. I was confused for a moment on what she was dismissing “No what?” “You will not get your Guard. You and your friend started it; you and your friend shall finish it.” She said with a stone-cold expression. “What?!” I said as I looked over to Alex who had taken a step back from the crowd before looking back at Celestia “You are just going to abandon us here?!” Celestia’s expression now turned to one I had never seen before. Anger. “These are my subjects!” She shot at me with furious eyes “I will not risk a war because of you!” “So you are throwing us to the wolves?!” I shouted “How are we supposed to stand against their numbers?!” “That is your problem.” Celestia said as he expression returned to her generally blank state “You are still officially neutral and the griffons won’t come after my subjects as long as we don’t get involved. You and Alex are on your own.” I must have been making one hell of an expression because Celestia backed off. I felt my heart begin to race and rage build in my head. My rage finally reached its peak when I spun around and punched the side view mirror so hard it bent backwards. “I’m sorry but I don’t have a choice.” Celestia said in a low if fearful voice. “We are done. You get nothing from me.” I growled, keeping my back to her. I reached over to my chest and calmly removed my general stars and tossed them to the ground. “Now fuck off. I have a war I need to prepare for.” I said as I opened the H2’s door and climbed in. Alex ran over to the H2 and pulled the passenger’s side door open before jumping in and slamming it closed. He looked over to me with a hollow smirk and blank expression in his eyes. “Real smooth, bro.” He said as he placed a hand on my shoulder “You really need to chill the hell out.” “It doesn’t matter anymore.” I said as I looked out the window to see Celestia teleport away in a flash of white light “We’re on our own.” “Hey,” Alex said, trying to push some optimism in “this isn’t the first time. Look, we have about five hours before midnight. We should find some high ground or hit the high road.” “Ok…” I said clearing my head “The griffons can fly, so we need a way to funnel them to us while keeping them at range.” “What about the main road here?” Alex asked raising an eyebrow. “That is a bad idea.” I pointed out “We’re using rifle rounds that could cause unwanted casualties and the griffons still have the ability to flank us with flight.” Alex slumped back in his seat as he rubbed his chin. He was lost in thought for the moment before the light bulb clicked on in his head. “How about the very front of town?” He said before he saw my ‘are you fucking stupid look’ “Wait! This is better than it sounds. We can start fighting on one edge of town and slowly work our way back where the Hummer will be waiting for us if we need it.” “I’ll defer to your judgment. You wanna go for it?” I asked in a monotone voice. “Let’s do it.” - After leaving the H2 on the other side of the town in an alleyway, we made our way over towards the opposite edge of town. We had taken a few tables and carts from the center of town and created a makeshift barrier. It wasn’t much but it was something in case the griffons had range. I looked over at Alex as he played with the AR and turned my attention to the sky. The sky was a very dark shade of ominous grey that signaled nightfall. It was pointless to say I wasn’t nervous; it was apparent. I pulled the G36c out of my coat and snapped the stock in place. I had attached my last flashlight to it and it was ready to fight to the end with me. Alex looked over to me with a sympathetic look and punched me in the shoulder. It may be a little primitive but it did make me feel better. A nagging feeling did make me wish Dash was here but I didn’t want her to see what was about to go down. I only hope she understands why I have to do this. I switched on the flashlight as the last bits of natural light faded away and Alex followed suit. The temperature had to be in the low 20s because I could feel icicles forming in my stubble from my breath. I didn’t mind it. I shined the light throughout the empty town, occasionally catching a glance of a scared family peeking out the window. Suddenly, a crunch in the snow sounded from behind the barrier, signaling me and Alex to look over. Simultaneously, we turned around and leaned over the barrier, bringing our rifles to bear. Our lights locked onto a bewildered Atlanta and Dallas. They both put a hoof over their eyes to keep the blinding light from blinding them. “Hey!” Atlanta called out “It’s us.” “I don’t know… how do we know you aren’t a griffon in disguise?” Alex called out to lighten the mood. “Oh come on!” Atlanta shouted back. “Come on; get your asses behind the wall.” I ordered. Without a word, Dallas and Atlanta ran and jumped over the 3ft high wall. They were adorned in black armor that was cut in places to allow better movement over the normal guard armor. I bumped Atlanta with my shoulder and smiled. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked as Dallas peeked over the wall. Dallas turned to me and smirked “We’re here to help you. We heard about what happened.” “Guy’s, you know what Celestia said about keeping the guard out of this.” I informed them. “We don’t care, General. We quit.” Dallas said before he dropped back down and tried to gain his bearings. “Thanks.” I said as I looked over the wall “Where is Youngstown?” “He is too loyal to the guard to quit.” “Thanks guys.” I said as I looked at all three of my friends “I can’t think of a better group of people to fight with.” “I can!” Alex pointed out before I rifle-butted him in the stomach. Atlanta looked around the group before he observed the street “What’s the plan?” “We fight until we’re forced to fall back. We keep doing that until we reach the other side of the town and pile into the H2. From there, we run and fight towards Canterlot. We’ll see if Celestia wants to play neutral when this war reaches her front door.” “Sounds solid.” Atlanta said. With the plan laid out, I had to ask something that was bugging me since I saw my recruits again “What is with the fancy armor? Isn’t Royal Guard armor golden?” Atlanta and Dallas looked at me with a sense of pride in their eyes before Dallas nodded at Atlanta “This was supposed to be the armor of your unit. Celestia was going to designate them ‘The Youngstown 103rd’.” With those words spoken, I felt a little beam of pride swell in my gut. I looked over the barrier to hide my smile and could swear I saw a few sets of glowing eyes staring at our position before turning and running away into the darkness. - I laid my rifle against the wall as I pulled my sunglasses off and tucked them into my pocket. I pulled my coat closed against the bitter wind before the steady sound of marching came towards us. “You hear that?” Atlanta pointed out, tapping his hoof against the makeshift wall to the beat. “I’m going to pretend it isn’t there. It might go away.” Alex said before peering over our cover “This isn’t good. Imminent shit-storm.” Atlanta pulled a knife from a leg holster as Dallas charged his magic. We were about as ready as we’ll ever be. I switched off the safety as did Alex before he nodded. He held out his hand with three fingers extended. Three… Two… One… Almost as if we were connected, we lifted our guns over the cover and locked onto our targets. The road was only about 75ft wide and that played to our advantage. Me and Alex could rake fire while Atlanta and Dallas charged in at the end to cut down the survivors, giving our guns a chance to cool off. The griffons stopped in their tracks as one in golden armor flew over the rest. “Gilda…” Alex muttered. “You know her?” Dallas asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, she is kind of a bitch.” “Silence!” Gilda commanded in the sky “You are ordered to lay down your weapons and surrender to the authority of the Griffon Empire!” Alex stood up from behind the cover and held his arms out “HOW ABOUT NO?!” “How dare…” Gilda started before I cut her off. “OPEN FIRE!” The muffled report of the AR and the roar of the G36c joined in song as lead flew and griffons dropped. Brass flew from our guns as the muzzle flash from the G36c lit up the street. The griffons scattered as me and Alex continued our fire. As the griffons scattered, Atlanta took flight and chased a griffon in the air. I focused my fire on the main bulk of the ground forces as Alex picked off units in the air. I noticed that Atlanta finally caught the griffon he was chasing by stopping in mid-stride and turning around, tackling the griffon to the ground. Atlanta brought the blade to bear with his mouth as the griffon’s claws scraped down the front of his armor. With one swift movement, he brought the blade down into the griffon’s neck. The griffon struggled for a moment before it slowly became weaker and weaker. The griffon finally went limp and Atlanta pulled his blade free. I turned my attention to a griffon that had flanked the barricade. He flew down towards my position, bearing his claws as I spun towards him and fired a burst from the hip. The rifle spit out casings against the wall as the griffon jerked in midair and fell to the ground. Satisfied with the kill, I turned back to the road and saw the road was clear, save for the twenty something bodies. The fighting was now taking place in the air. Between Atlanta dragging down the occasional griffon and me and Alex picking off the occasional griffon with a lucky burst, Dallas was working his magic. Dallas had formed a glowing hammer if you will and was slamming griffons out of the sky, Green Lantern style. As I watched the display, more griffons began to arrive from the front, about 30 more in total. This time, it wasn’t a slow march. I heard a whistle go off and the rank of griffons charge the barricade. I looked over at Alex and he nodded. “Fall back!” I called out to my team. I laid the barrel of my G36c on top of the barricade and fired away as Atlanta, Dallas, and Alex ran back towards the area around Twilight’s. This was effectively our next position. Alex turned back towards me as I began to run and fired well placed shots around me with ease. I felt the puffs of hot air around me as the rounds passed close to me and dropped the griffons behind me. The only way I could tell if a shot hit its mark was the ping of the bullets passing through griffon armor. I finally reached the fall back position as the snow crunched under my shoes. Atlanta still flew above us as he fought to keep the griffons from flanking us. “WE CAN KEEP THIS UP ALL DAY!” Alex shouted as he fired a round from the masterkey, deafening us all. My ears rang as I shouldered my rifle and fired at a griffon advancing on our position. He must have been pumped on adrenaline, because as I pumped shots into his chest, he only grunted and kept charging. “Oh, shit!” I shouted as the griffon tackled me. We fell to the ground as he dug his claws into my shoulders. I felt searing hot pain shoot through my body as the griffon fought to stay awake from the loss of blood. I tried to lift my rifle, but the griffon kept my left arm pinned under his foot with pressure that could crush cinderblocks. “A little help?!” I shouted as I brought my right hand around and punched the griffon. His helmet clanged as my fist connected with it but that didn’t deter the griffon, it only pissed him off. He growled as he dug his claws deeper, scraping his talons against my collar bone. I winced in pain before I saw Alex step up from behind the griffon. He raised the rifle behind the griffon’s head and fired another blast from the masterkey, blowing the griffon’s brains all over the inside of his helmet. I grunted through the pain as Alex offered a hand and helped me up. He gave me a smile as he said “You owe me more than usual now.” I ignored his comment as I looked at my wounds. I had various, deep cuts on either shoulder that looked nasty, but weren’t game-ending. I looked down at my rifle and saw that the snow around where it was had melted from the heat. I didn’t want it to lock up, so I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight looking out the window towards the fight. She had a look of terror, as she ushered Spike away from the window. I looked down as blood ran over my shirt and opened my jacket. I reached in with both hands and pulled out my twin P226s. I pulled back the slide on each and ran over to Alex. “What’s our situation?!” I yelled with my hearing still damaged. “The griffons are unrelenting even with a body count in the fifties! These fuckers are relentless!” He said as he kept up fire. I lifted my left hand and fired the handgun in the general direction of the advancing griffons. Not caring and pumped on adrenaline, I lifted both guns and fired away as fast as I could pull the trigger. I wasn’t concerned with accuracy at this point. I kept firing as casings flew up in the air and occasionally bounced off the brim of my hat. Griffons were falling quickly but they kept pumping soldiers in to fill the ranks. I looked up into the sky as Atlanta was locked in a griffon’s grip. Their armor clanged as they ran into each other before the griffon gained the upper hand. The griffon locked a claw around Atlanta’s neck and began to squeeze. Atlanta squirmed in his grip before rage quickly filled my vision. I raised the gun in my right hand and lined up the sights in a rush. Atlanta and the griffon tussled back and forth for a few moments before my shot finally presented itself. I squeezed the trigger and the gun responded with a flat crack. The griffon’s head snapped back as his grip released and Atlanta fell 20ft to the ground. He hit the ground with a thud and puff of snow before he regained his bearings and got up. He gave me a wave before getting right back into the action. I began thinking of my options as the griffons kept coming. Any sane commander would have pulled back by now. Whatever grudges the griffons had against Alex must have been personal. The fight was getting too intense again as the griffons closed in. I was firing both pistols as fast as I could pull the triggers before another rank appeared at the end of the street. “Fall back!” I called out again before turning tail and booking it. Alex covered me, Atlanta, and Dallas’ backs as we fell back again towards the H2. This would be the last time. I gained tunnel-vision as I ran towards the alley way the H2 was stashed in. I stopped just outside the alley and raised my guns in Alex’s direction. As soon as I opened up, he turned and fell back towards me and Dallas. I kept up fire around Alex, taking more care to place my shots to not hit him. As he ran, a griffon swooped down, flapping his wings as he bared he claws towards Alex’s back. I raised the gun in my right hand and fired three shots in quick succession. Two of the shots missed their target, just going over his head, but the last shot connected with the griffon’s chest with a ping from his armor. The griffon fell onto him back, giving Alex time to fall back to my position. Alex skid to a stop in front of me and grabbed me by the shoulder. “We have to leave!” Alex shouted over the ringing in my ears. “I can’t keep this up forever!” Dallas yelled as he brought down a griffon in a conjured net. I thought for a moment but the answer was clear. We had to leave. I pocketed the P226s and turned to the H2. I ran over to the door as Alex covered me. I pulled the door open with haste and climbed in. I quickly started up the engine and turned on the fog lights. “Everyone inside!” I shouted from the open door. Alex turned and ran over to the H2 as did Dallas. Atlanta broke away from the griffon he was dog-fighting with and flew over. “LET’S GO!” I shouted in a hurry as the griffons closed in. Alex opened the back door and motioned for Dallas to jump in. Dallas complied and Alex slammed the door behind him before running around and climbing into the passenger seat. Alex opened the sun roof as Atlanta reached us and he flew inside. Without comment, I slammed on the gas and the H2 kicked snow up before the tires found purchase and pushed us forward. I drifted in the snow around the corner as Alex set the AR on the floor. “Toss me your rifle.” He ordered as he stepped out through the sunroof. I didn’t question him as I handed him my G36c. “Come on!” Atlanta egged on from the back “Can’t this thing go faster?!” “I already got my foot to the floor here!” I replied as I rolled down my window and pulled my model 29 from my shoulder holster and set it on my lap. The winter wind hit my face and made me snap my eyes shut for a moment. I forced them open again as Alex fired bursts from the assault rifle. I could hear the shells bounce off the roof as the engine struggled in the cold air. I looked in the side mirror and saw that we still had about 15 griffons on our tail. I cut the wheel one last time and slid around the corner before getting on the road towards Canterlot. “Slow the fuck down!” Alex cried out “I can’t shoot at the fucking blurs, man!” “I’d rather not end up some griffon’s bitch!” I shot back as I slammed down on the accelerator. “Uggghh…” Atlanta grunted looking sick “I feel like I’m a foal on a roller-coaster again.” “Just hang on.” I replied as Alex fired another burst before a few shells landed on the console below. I this continued for a few minutes at 90mph before Alex’s fire picked up. I looked in the rearview to find that only five griffons remained. “I thought you were a sniper!” I said, calling Alex out. “Shut it!” He replied “Watch out on the left! We got incoming birdies!” I looked out the open window to see a griffon flying next to us. He gave me a pissed look before he closed the distance. I grabbed the .44 from my lap and cocked the hammer before the griffon slammed into the side of the H2 and reached his hand inside. I pushed myself back in the seat to avoid his claw that was wildly flailing around the inside of the truck to grab at anything he could. I looked over at Alex who just nodded at me. He quickly grabbed the griffon’s arm and pulled as hard as he could, pinning the griffon to the side of the H2. “LET ME GO, SCUM!” The griffon demanded as he fought to flap his wings fast enough to stay airborne. I lifted the barrel of the revolver under the griffon’s chin “Choke on it.” I jerked the trigger and the gun fired. The gun jerked back in my hand and a flash filled the cabin as the griffon snapped back and fell from the H2. I looked in the side mirror as the griffon rolled away in the darkness and snow. The H2 jerked in the shock, the snow making it damn near impossible for the tires to grip. The H2 gave a few left to right sway before I was able to get it back under control. “Just when you think you have seen it all, eh?” Atlanta snickered to Dallas. “We’re less than a mile out of Canterlot now!” I called through the cabin “This is where shit gets real!” Alex just laughed “And what was that back there? Foreplay?” I ignored his comment as the snow began to pick up again. The four griffons behind us continued the chase before one fell behind to help his fallen comrade. That left us with only three more problems. The road grew narrower as we neared Canterlot. That is when I noticed a large purplish hue covering the entirety of Canterlot. “What the fuck is that?!” I exclaimed as I held the gas to the floor. “Oh no, that is Youngstown’s doing!” Dallas mumbled from the backseat “It is a shield he created a while back for a royal wedding. Nothing can get in or out unless they want it to.” “FUCK!” I shouted as we reached 500ft from the shield. It was too late to stop at this point. I cut the wheel as hard as I could to the left and clutched my weapons to my chest. Alex dropped back down to his seat and yanked the seatbelt over his chest. It would be even worse to hit the brakes at this point. The H2 leaned to the right as the speedometer fell to 90mph and the H2 turned 90 degrees and kept sliding. The left side wheels finally lost grip and the H2 overturned. Screaming metal overtook the yelling in the cabin as the H2 continued to flip and overturn, throwing us around like ragdolls. The H2 did another turn and threw me forward. All I saw was the dashboard before utter darkness. - My eyes fluttered open as I heard the sounds of honking cars again. I sat forward and found I was laid out on my old couch in my old apartment in Youngstown. I felt another surge of panic as I leaned forward and climbed to my feet. My head felt like someone skull-fucked me with a power drill as I rubbed my temples and tried to figure out what was happening. I looked over behind me to find the door to my balcony hanging open and someone definitely human leaning on the railing. Cigarette smoke flew over his head as I tried to make out who it was. My eyes felt like there were going to burst out of my skull as I stumbled over to the door and almost crashed into the railing. I coughed up blood on the spot and spit it onto the ground next to me. I looked down at my body to see the two deep puncture wounds still bleeding on my shoulders. I felt extremely light-headed as I coughed up more blood and clutched my left shoulder with my right hand. “Not feeling too good these days, eh?” The familiar voice called. I knew the voice. It was my father’s again. I was too weak to call him out this time, my body crying out for relief. “No need to say anything.” He said as he took a drag from the cig and flicked it off the balcony “I just came here to tell you something.” My father walked past me and sat on the deck chair as I limped over in front of him. My knees felt like they were going to collapse as I breathed heavily to get oxygen to my ever decreasing blood flow. “I came here as a warning. I don’t want you to make my mistakes again.” He said in a soothing tone. I wanted to lash out but didn’t have the strength to. “Just think about it before I send you on your way.” He said as he stood up. I wanted to back away as he walked closer to me but my back hit the railing behind me. It was the only thing separating me and a three story drop to pavement. “Now get back to the fight.” He said with a smile before pushing my shoulders back. The momentum was too much as I fell over the railing and dropped straight down. I felt the wind in my hair and my trench coat open as I neared the ground. I didn’t even feel the impact. - I jolted awake with my face firmly planted in bloody snow. I groaned as I patted myself down to find my weapons still there save for my revolver. I looked up and saw that Atlanta and Dallas were groaning in the H2’s backseat as the H2 repaired itself. Two griffons stood near a tree off to the left as I heard some cursing. The H2 was pressed up against the purple shield coving Canterlot with a small crowd of ponies and Royal Guard watching in horror. I looked over towards the griffons and could see Alex pressed up against the tree. We both must have flown through the windshield when the H2 impacted the wall. I could feel blood trickling down my face as I helplessly watched one of the griffons raise his knife. The blade came down on Alex and dropped into his chest. Alex yelled in pain, the dagger going between his ribs. “N-n-nooo…” I mumbled through a mixture of pain, blood loss, and hypothermia. I crawled forward and saw that the revolver sat about a foot from me. I kept crawling forward as I watched the griffon pull his blade out and drop it again, eliciting another scream of pain and agony. It was my duty to help. I pressed forward again and reached out for the revolver. My hand landed on the grip and found purchase. I pulled the revolver to my chest as I stumbled to my feet, using my feet hand and weak knee for support. I finally got to my feet and pulled the hammer back on the revolver with a click that made the world stop. I aligned the sights and fired into the closer griffon’s back. The world started moving again as I turned to the other griffon and fired. The griffon was turning around as the second bullet connected with the side of his head. He immediately slumped to the ground as a gasp erupted from behind the force-field. I looked over towards Alex who clutched his chest with both hands. I attempted to run but fell to my knees in pain. My knees slammed on the snow as I felt my breathing get heavier. The voice in my head yelled for me to keep going and I couldn’t have agreed more. I climbed back to my feet and limped over to Alex. He was panting and had obviously taken hits to the lungs. I knelt down next to him and felt tears in my eyes. “N-never thought this was gonna be the way.” He wheezed out as blood trickled from his mouth. “I can’t lose you too.” I said as a tear fell from my eyes and froze mid-fall. “D-don’t w-w-worry about m-m-me.” He stuttered out as he smirked “There i-isn’t much you c-c-can do.” I held still for a moment as Atlanta and Dallas started talking behind me. I just ignored them. For this moment, it was just me and Alex. “Where do I go for here, man?” I said in a hushed voice “I can’t leave you like this.” “Don’t worry a-a-a-bout t-t-t-hat-t. I-I-I don’t have long anyway. C-c-can you promise s-s-s-something?” “Anything.” I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “S-send a-as many of these b-birdies to Hell as y-you can. I’ll b-be waiti….” He said before trailing off. Just like that, another one of the people I cared about has been written off. Alex’s eyes went cold before his head fell to the side. I patted his shoulder once before lowering my head in silence. I stayed there for a few moments before looking to the right of Alex and seeing the AR and G36c lying in the snow. I stood up and limped over to them. I was going to heed Alex’s request. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but these bastards are going to pay dearly. I scooped up the rifles and waddled over the H2. Atlanta poked his head out of the window, his pain evident in his face. “We have to go now before more of them come.” He said before pulling his head back inside. I trudged over to the H2 and pulled the repaired door open. It was damn near ready to go again. I tossed the rifles onto the passenger seat haphazardly and climbed in.