//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: The Long Road Home // Story: Devil's Due // by All American //------------------------------// Author’s note: Well… this is unexpected. I was totally expecting a flame war after the last chapter. Anyway, you remember the story Ryan told of him being stabbed? That is a true story from a friend of mine (DJ-Tech Pri3st). Just sayin’. P.S. I have Frees making some cover art for this story. I want you all to go thank and worship him for me. P.P.S. I like all the ‘I read Ryan’s lines in ’s voice’ comments. Personally I read his lines in Rick Grime’s voice from ‘The Walking Dead’ but that’s just me. Let’s get this story on a roll! - A quiet creak from the suspension of the Hummer woke me gently as the wind howled through the sun roof. Dash was still asleep on top of me as I turned my gaze to the clock and saw that is was 6am. I had only slept for three hours but I felt like a new man. I was glad I didn’t have a hangover this time. With a touch of grace, I lifted Dash off of me and placed her in the passenger’s seat. She gave a slight mumble before curling up and burying herself in the seat cushion. I brought my seat back up from the fully reclined position and sat straight up. My back emitted a painful sensation before I stretched as it gave a thunderous crack. I placed my forehead against the steering wheel and took a deep breath before turning the key and letting the Hummer drone to life. Without moving my head, I shifted my eyes and saw that I sat at a quarter of a tank. I loved how powerful the Hummer was but hated its shitty gas mileage. I reached over and pushed my door open. The sun was starting to poke its head over the horizon as I let my feet hit the ground. I stretched a bit more in the cool, open air before turning around and walking over the back end of the Hummer. I placed one of my shiny dress shoes on the rear bumper and hoisted myself up so I could reach one of my gas cans. When I was in Youngstown, I had strapped them down with bungee cords and I was now going to have to undo my precarious working of cords. I place my hands on the ends of the cords that had a grip on the roof rack and gave a tug. The blue cord tried to fling into the distance but I had a decent grip on it as I slowly let it release its tension. With the cord out of the way, I grabbed two cans of gas and jumped down to ground level. My momentum made me stumble forward a bit before I regained control. By this time, the sun was beginning to come over the horizon and I set one of the cans down. I cursed for some unknown reason and I retrieved my mirrored aviators from my pocket. With one hand, I flicked them open and placed them on. I smiled as my world took on a light blue hue and the world returned to a darker state. Shaking my head to regain my train of thought, I grabbed the second gas can and walked over to the fuel cap. I flicked the gas cover off and spun the cap until it opened and hung by a thin strand of rubber. I undid the cap on the first gas can and lifted it up, filling the Hummer’s tank. I listened as the gas ran down into the tank, smiling at the one piece of tech that still worked by my world’s rules. With the first can empty, I did the same with the second. Without screwing the gas tank’s cap back on, I walked back to the rear bumper and climbed back up. I placed the cans back in their spots in the sense that I might need them again for whatever reason. As I strapped the last bungee in place, I heard a stirring in the car. I jumped down from the bumper and listened as the suspension gave a relieved squeak. Without a moment’s hesitation, I walked back to the driver’s seat and climbed back in. I saw that Dash was now awake and trying to gain a bearing on her surroundings. “Pucker up, buttercup. We go a long drive ahead of us.” I said as I shifted into gear. “I’m sorry that happened last night.” She said without breaking eye contact with the seat. “Don’t be,” I said with a smug tone “I can’t help that I’m a sexy beast.” Dash reached over and punched me in the shoulder before returning to her seat. Without saying another word, I pulled down from the hill and the Hummer suspension gave a creak as its tires met the stone roads again. The city seemed like it was abandon but I figured that it was due to the party last night. “Why did you turn me down last night?” Dash asked as I rounded a corner. I didn’t know how to respond. I would have never turned her down if she was human but something in my head had a problem with the fact she wasn’t human. “Well, I don’t really have an answer other than the fact that I was trashed last night and you were too.” “I was not drunk!” She exclaimed. I laughed as I exited the city and drove down the road towards Ponyville. The Hummer bounced around as the suspension tried to cope with the rocky conditions of the road. “You were drunk. I could taste the alcohol on you.” I pointed out. “No one else would have turned that down.” “I didn’t want to take advantage of you.” Bullshit. It was because I was human and she wasn’t. I was lying through my teeth. “Thanks.” She said before turning her gaze towards the road ahead. - I drove in silence for the better part of twenty minutes before Ponyville came into view. I looked down at my gauges and saw that I was doing 50mph and had ¾ of a tank. “What’s our game plan?” I asked Dash. Dash was staring out her window as I spoke and didn’t even register my words. She would look out at the sky before returning her eyes to the ground. “Dash?” Still nothing. “Dash!” I said, raising my voice. She immediately perked up and turned to me “Sorry! I was just… day dreaming.” “Sure you were.” I said as she blushed “What is our game plan?” “I have no idea! I just sorta do whatever comes to mind.” She said as we entered the town. I past a few stores as I entered the main square and saw Twilight’s house come into view. “Well,” I said as I scratched my head “I’ve got nothing planned.” I watched her eyes light up as I pulled up to Twilight’s and shifted into park. I sat back in my seat and took a deep breath. I was so spent. I looked over the clock and saw that it was 6:50am in the morning. “I don’t think anyone is awake at this hour and I don’t want to be a bother right now.” I said. “Want to just sit in here?” Dash asked me. “Already trying to put me to the grind huh?” “Yes I am.” “Well, I’m not going to sit here in silence.” I explained as I reached for the CD case on the floor. I flipped through a few pages of CDs before grabbing a Johnny Cash one and sliding it into the player. ‘I Walk the Line’ played softly as I shut off the Hummer and kept the electronics on. I wondered how long the battery would last before eventually fading away. Everything eventually does. “Do you think it would be possible to hangout like this more often?” Dash asked as I sat back in my seat. “I don’t see why not. I am your bodyguard after all.” I pointed out. “Oh…yeah.” I reclined my seat and stared at the ceiling for a moment. I had no idea what I was doing. In my world, I would have been on the other side of the country, but here, I had nowhere to go. The situation in the car was probably one of the most awkward conversations I had ever had. “Ryan,” Dash said “do you think this could ever actually work?” “I have no fucking clue.” I said flatly “This is one of the most awkward situations I’ve ever been in. Why me after all? A stunning gal such as you could get anyone she wanted. I’m sure that there are much more deserving… eh… stallions out there.” “Don’t want a stallion, I want to be with you.” She said as her pretty purple eyes met mine. “Seriously? I’m a killer for Christ sakes! Why would anyone want to even be in the same room with me?!” I exclaimed before bringing a hand over my eyes. “Those guards deserved it!” She told me, obviously trying to make me feel better. “Yeah, but you know that rifle I got from my world?” I asked with a serious tone. “What about it?” “I killed six people with it and acted like it never happened. I’m a devil in a man’s skin.” I said as my tone shifted into the same self-loathing, tone I had used many times with Celestia. “You are not a monster, no matter how much you tell yourself you are.” She said as she took a step towards me. “That isn’t the fucking point! How am I supposed to kill one moment and turn around and act like it never happened?! I still see their fucking faces!” I cried out. “Ryan, I-“ Dash tried to get out before I interrupted. “You have no idea! How am I supposed to set an example for Ulik when he watched me waste his father in front of him?!” By this time, I had no emotion other than hate inside, burning at my soul. It was not hate for a person, pony, or object. It was a hatred of myself. I pulled my handgun from my jacket and placed it on my lap. As I pulled the handgun out, I looked at my mark for a few minutes. “I’m even a branded killer.” Dash climbed over onto me and kicked the handgun off of my lap and onto the floor. “You are not a killer.” She said angrily. “Who are you to say?” I said as I felt my head begin to pound. “You were defending yourself against Ulik’s dad right? You didn’t murder him.” She pointed out. “Yes but I left him an orphan.” “And now he needs you! Have you not been paying attention for the past few days?!” she yelled into my face. “What about the guards?” “They were going to kill you!” “And what about the six people that I shot in Youngstown?” “Celestia told us about that.” “She. Did. What?” “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that…” She sheepishly said as she averted her gaze. “No more secrets with you ponies.” I said flatly. “I’m sorry.” “So am I.” I closed my eyes and removed my sunglasses. It wasn’t even noon and I was having a shitty day. I reached into the back seat and grabbed the half empty bottle of vodka and brought it before my eyes. “Alcohol isn’t going to help you!” Dash exclaimed as she yanked the bottle from my hands and tossed it out of the window. I gave a soft sigh and said “I know. There is one thing you don’t do in life; you don’t go to war with yourself. I broke a cardinal rule.” “See? Was that so hard?” Dash asked with smug satisfaction. “Yes it was.” “You’re impossible.” “I know.” With that said, I brought my hand over my face and drug it down. Dash had raised a good point about Ulik in the fact I still had no idea what to do with him. I knew I couldn’t abandon him. Not after my father had done it to me. I also knew that he was… attached to me. God, I wish that didn’t happen. I didn’t need another responsibility. As I thought about my problems, my thoughts were cut off by the song switch to ‘Ring of Fire’ and Dash jumped onto me. Without giving it a second thought, her head shot down at mine and out lips connected one again. Memories of the fireworks last night didn’t even compare to what was happening now. The little voice in my head told me to just let it happen. I wasn’t sure of what to do, so I just rolled with it. I could smell the alcohol still on both of us, but I didn’t care. I lifted a hand up and pulled her down to me. I placed my other hand on the back of her neck and ran it through her mane. Without a second’s notice, the downer voice came back and told me that I was kissing an animal but in all reality, she wasn’t an animal. Animals couldn’t talk but she did and she cared for me. With that thought, the voice shut up and wandered back into the dark recesses of my mind. I placed my free hand on Dash’s cheek and motion for her to break away. She didn’t. She pushed forward before giving a soft moan and began to dance her tongue across my teeth. The little voice appeared once again before I mentally shot at him. I took my hand from her cheek and returned it to her neck. Giving the mental go-ahead, I opened up and let her in. Our tongue danced in what could only be described as frantic. She gracefully danced around my tongue before she pulled away and disconnected from my lips. “I needed that.” I said as a smile drew across my face. “I did too.” - As the clock struck 9am, the first doors of the town opened for the day. The town began to fill with life as the day finally began. Dash and I had been sitting in silence due to the sheer awkwardness of our situation. “I’m gonna go get Ulik.” I announced as I scooped up my handgun from the floor and shoved it into my coat. “I’ll come with ya.” Dash said. Can’t she take a hint? I rolled my eyes as I put my shades back on and stepped outside.