//------------------------------// // The Trap // Story: Devil's Regret // by All American //------------------------------// That moment you feel where all you work toward seems to fall apart? Imagine your life in front of you as a glass window and the one person you trusted comes up to it with a bat and smashes it without remorse. The one person I tried to keep out of all this is now tangled up in the web of my personal war. Thanks, Twilight. I couldn’t help be fall to my knees, still weakened from the fall. I watched Dash for a moment as she took a step towards me. I could hear arguing around me but it didn’t seem to matter. The rest of the world was merely a blur to me. My grasp on my 1911 failed and it fell to the ground, clanking off of a rock. I tried to find the right words but I couldn’t. I was lost in my own mind. Dash took a moment to lift her head and stand tall as I held out my arms. Dash ran forward and tackled me down onto my back, soaking my shoulder in five years of tears and pain. My vision was blurred with her mane and the stars above. A small part of me wanted to be angry, but I couldn’t. I didn’t care about my own vendetta. I had someone else that needed me once again. How could I hold my own anger ahead of her? “I…” I tried to start as Dash held tighter, nearly choking me. “You aren’t going anywhere.” She tried to be angry but couldn’t. “I’m sorry.” I said, trying to keep myself in working order. The arguing around me seemed to die down a bit as Dash finally released her grip a bit after what felt like an eternity. I looked up at her, raising a hand and pressing it against her cheek. She hadn’t seemed to age a bit. I stared up into the big rose eyes that I had longed for since I ran off into the desert. I wish I could take back what I had done, but I did it for her; her and her friends. Something I hope they understand. “I want to-“ I started before she darted forward and kissed me, making the whole world go blank. The world was empty for a moment, making me feel like I had when I had pulled the trigger all those years ago. It was a warm feeling. I was never a religious man, but I felt calm as I do now. Just an eternity of bliss. She pulled back and smiled, still fighting back tears “Just shut up.” I nodded as she stepped off of my chest and I sat up. All eyes were on me. I looked around as I picked up my 1911 off of the ground and slipped it back into its holster. “What?” I asked like nothing had just happened. Everyone remained quiet for a second before Shining stepped back “Now!” he called out. “Wha-“ I stared before griffons stepped out from all sides, in black armor that matched Shining’s. It was all a fucking trap. Dash looked around, panicked. It was obvious she hadn’t been expecting this. She had been used. Twilight turned to Shining, furious. “You lied!” She called out as the griffons charged forward to fast for me to count. I reached down for my .44 as Atlanta pulled his knife again and charged one. Dallas conjured a claymore as his rune glowed a bright red. It was useless. A griffon charged me, kicking the gun from my hand and held me down. I was too weak to stop it. I tried to head-butt the griffon but he pressed me face down against the dirt, giving me view as a trio of griffons tackled Dallas to the ground. Atlanta managed to stab one of his aggressors in the neck, making the griffon hold onto his wound. The wounded griffon fell from view as another came along and rammed a pike through Atlanta’s side. Atlanta stood there, dropping his blade before the griffon pushed forward again. Atlanta’s armor had failed and I watched blood slowly fall to the ground. I tried to reach out but the griffon had me down and her weight was crushing my lungs. The griffon kicked Atlanta off his pike, dropping him to the ground. Twilight was yelling at Shining who only watched all this as it happened. I looked up to see what form my death had come in. I met the griffon’s eyes as the confusion continued. I had met this one before. Her eyes pierced down at me with more hatred than I had ever felt before. It was Gilda. Of course it was Gilda. “You’re mine.” She said coldly before I felt her smash her forehead into my skull. I had finally slipped up… and my downfall was the one I loved most. - Sunlight came down on my face, making me wince. Where am I? I think I’m still alive. I tried to bring my hands to my face but a rope was holding them to a tree behind me. I peeled my eyes open and lifted my head to see what had happened. Five griffons stood in front of my truck, looking down at Dallas. My holsters and .44 sat on the hood of the H2 and they had obviously beaten Dallas. I looked down at him, my aviators still on my face. One of the lenses had been shattered, giving me a distorted view. Dallas was lying on the ground, barely breathing. His armor had been stripped and cuts ran along his side. The motherfuckers had been torturing him. “Fuckface!” I instinctively called out, almost instantly regretting the decision. Gilda and her crew turned back, wanting more blood like ravenous wolves. I swallowed hard before bracing myself “You fucking deaf?” I shot at her “I called you by name, didn’t I?” I couldn’t help but thinking how screwed I was. Gilda stepped forward with a sadistic grin. “I have been waiting for so long.” She started. “Was it worth the wait?” I started with a broken smile as she stepped in front of me. Her crew surrounded us, looking down at me with contempt as she spoke again “No… but it will be.” I was about to speak again before I felt her talon-ed foot kick me in the jaw. My head bounced back, connecting with the tree I was tired to. I groaned for a second before meeting her eyes, trying to appear strong for Dallas’ sake “You know I like it rough, baby.” I tried to antagonize her. “Good, ‘cause I’m just getting started.” She said before kicking me in the face again, dragging her talons across my right cheek. I yelped at the pain but kept myself together. Alex wouldn’t let me back down. “That is for all the griffons you’ve killed.” She said before taking her claw and dragging it down my face, cutting down from my forehead down to my chin. I cried out, yelling before piping myself down. I was bleeding profusely from my cheek and face down onto my black shirt. I felt so naked without my guns. “In… my defense…” I started, panting hard from the pain “They had it coming…” “I like it when they’re hard to break.” Gilda said before dragging her talons across my chest. I just gripped at the ropes that held me down, not giving her the satisfaction. She finally stopped and took a step back, almost like she was admiring her work. “It is a shame Rainbow fell for you.” She started “We used to be good friends.” Gilda took a step to the right, the other griffons taking a few steps back to give her room “But, you are an enemy of the Griffon State… and killed a lot of my other friends.” “You… came after me.” I called out with blood starting to get into my eyes. “You?” She started “Right… you think we’d waste everything on you?” she laughed “We came after what you brought with you.” She said as she pointed a wing back at the truck “We would be the strongest in the world with all of that.” “You… cunt.” I mumbled, starting to feel dizzy “I’m gonna kill you… then your family.” I said out of sheer anger. She just laughed in my face as she walked around the tree I was tied to “You aren’t going to leave this forest.” “That… is optimistic of you.” I said before spitting in her face “I hope you get AIDS.” I added like she would know what that is. “Thanks…” she said as she wiped her face with a wing “I hope you get to meet Alex again.” She added as I tugged at my restraints with righteous fury “Oh… does that bother you? I took pleasure in burning his body.” “You sociopathic thunder-cunt!” I called at her with a bit of renewed energy. “You have a nice mouth on you.” She said before taking a single claw over towards my right eye “Is it worth an eye?” “I’m going to rip your heart out and eat it in front of you.” I growled as she pulled the claw back a bit. “Wrong answer.” She said before plunging the claw deep. I immediately lost vision before the pain hit me and I cried out like I had been lit on fire. She retracted the claw and I left my head fall forward, nearly crying. I was shaking, trying my hardest to fight back tears from my good eye. Gilda stepped back, looking me over before smirking and looking back at her soldiers “I’m heading back to Canterlot to get the equipment to move everything. Kill him.” She ordered before stepped back and flying off into the sky. I suppose I should have expected this. Maybe my father was right. I wasn’t even worth the time. If I were optimistic, I’d think I’d be with my sisters, mother, and Alex soon but no, I know what death is like. The four griffons moved forward over to me, a few of them almost disgusted with what Gilda had done. I thrashed at the restraints towards them “You heard her, pussies!” I growled “Do it!” They took a step back, not expecting that. I could see that Dallas was now gone. At least he had gotten away. If I die here, at least he gets to live. It was something. I slowly lowered my head, blood still dripping off of my face. Maybe this is what I deserved. A few moments passed as the griffons moved closer towards me. I swallowed hard and made peace in my head, expecting a blow. I waited and the blow did not come. I heard a snap from in front of me that made me look up. One of the griffons dropped to the ground, his neck twisted. Josh stood there for a moment before he punched another griffon in the face, spinning him around. He wrapped his left arm around the griffon’s neck in an instant. He produced a Sig he had taken off of the H2 and fired two rounds into each of the remaining griffons. The pair dropped before he looked over to me, almost apologetically. He pushed the griffon he had used as a shield forward and fired two rounds into its back casually. I hung my head again, once again saved by what felt like pure luck. I felt Josh’s hand lift my chin up as he looked me over “My God, what did they do to you?” He asked. I just kept quiet, feeling like death. I was in a massive amount of pain, dizzy, and on the verge of passing out from blood loss. Josh walked around the tree and fired the gun a few times into the rope, breaking it. I fell to my knees, wanting nothing more than death. Josh grabbed me under my shoulders and drug me over to the truck. He opened the passenger door and sat me in it, setting my holsters and Sig he had used in my lap. “Hang on, I got your friend.” He said before closing the door and walking off. I looked down at the Sig for a moment, my vision off from the loss of my right eye. Depth perception was now pretty much shot for the moment. It would take a day or two to adjust to it. Josh returned with Dallas in his arms and pulled the driver’s side back door open and set him inside caringly. Josh closed the door behind Dallas and walked around to the driver’s side, pulling the door open in a hurry. “We need to move!” He called out to me, shaking my shoulder to keep me away as I started to nod off. “W-west…” I struggled out as I sat back “Head west.” “No, you need a doctor.” He said as he reached over and looked at my wounds “God, she took out an eye…” “H-head… to the main road.” I said as I pointed over to the trail “East… Ponyville. Kill… any griffons. Shining… kill him too.” He nodded as he set my head against my seat. He started the truck as I clutched my guns and slowly faded out of consciousness. - I could hear a beep that kept a steady rhythm. All I could see was white. I panicked and lifted a hand to my face, finding that it was a bandage. I relaxed a bit and focused on the beeping. Had Josh made it to the hospital? How long ‘til the griffons or Royal Guard showed up? I breathed deeply before noticing my shirt and coat were gone. I reached back to my face and pulled a few of the bandages aside before finding out that my right eye was officially gone. A wave of depression hit me with that realization as I pulled the bandage back over the right socket. I looked around with my good eye and could see what looked like a normal hospital room. My coat and holster harness sat on a table off to the right but other than that, the room was empty. I looked down at my chest and saw that a large bandage covered it. No blood soaked through, so I am guessing some time had passed. It was a miracle I hadn’t died from blood loss. I climbed out of bed, my body still sore. At least I was functional. I walked over to my harness and threw it back on. My next fear was what had happened to Field? Where had the chaos taken her? I put my trench coat on over my harness and check all of the guns. Seemed that everything was the way it should be. I looked over my shoulder and took notice to a wash basin and mirror. I trudged over to it and looked at myself. I looked like a damn mummy. In an act of defiance, I yanked the bandages off of my face and was almost horrified at what looked back at me. My right eye socket was completely empty. That was accompanied by three deep scars that ran across my right cheek and three than ran down my face, crossing to form a grid pattern near my mouth and chin. I was a goddamn monster. I reached up and ran a hand down my face, feeling almost empty. Have to keep going. I have to keep surviving. At least that is what I tell myself. I traced the horizontal scars on my face for a second before I heard a gunshot from the floors above. It had to be Josh. I stumbled over to the door and tried to grab the handle, missing it completely. “Fuck.” I mumbled as I made another attempt but fell short. The depth perception was going to haunt me for a few days at the very least. I walked till I pressed my hand against the door and drug it down till it made contact with the handle. I pushed the door open and stepped out, looking down an empty hallway. Another volley of shots came off the roof as I walked down the empty white hallway. The door on the other end of the hall led to the lobby if my memory still worked correctly. I repeated the same process as I did with the last door and stepped into the lobby. It looked like there was a fight. The H2 had been driven right through the doors and casings sat on the floor. The hole where the Hummer had come through was now blocked with a variety of office furniture. I guess it was Josh’s doing. Maybe he did this before? I walked over to the other side of the lobby and stepped through the broken doors. I walked the halls for a while longer before finding a stairway and started up towards the roof. I charged up the stairs, still feeling weird from the lingering effects of the painkillers. After a few minutes, I reached the roof entrance. I pushed it open only to be blinded by the sun for a few seconds. After my eye adjusted, another shot came from my left. I looked over to see Josh lying prone on the ground with Alex’s SVD and Dallas sitting next to him with a pair of binoculars. “Ten points for the pegasus over there next to that building.” Josh said as he turned the rifle a few inches to the right. “That seems a little high.” Dallas challenged as I walked up behind the pair. I looked over the edge of the building and saw what the commotion was about. The entire front of the building had been cut off by Royal Guard and a few dead lay in a no-man’s land that sat between them and Josh. Josh looked back from the scope and up at me “Welcome back. Does ten points sound reasonable?”