//------------------------------// // Chapter 30: Twelve-Gauge // Story: Devil's Due // by All American //------------------------------// Author’s note: Well, this fuckin’ sucks. I am suck between a rock and a hard place. I wouldn’t expect you to understand if you aren’t a writer but I must say that co-op projects suck. If you are seeing this, it means that I have decided to drop Alex from the game and continue without him. Tech-pri3st is still probably going to continue his side of the story but we’ll probably not converge on each other’s story at this point. I am sorry pri3st but this was a logistical nightmare. This also kinda sucks due to the fact that I already had a +4,000 word chapter written that I had to throw out. This is kinda bullshit. (Dedications are due to ZanthosMariah for pushing me to continue and defending our country out in Afghanistan. Don’t be humble with me you bastard; you deserve the praise at least.) Was listening to ‘Dig’ by Incubus while writing. Not sure if it had an effect but you tell me. - I pulled back onto the main road headed back towards town. The wheels spun on the dirt road for a moment before they gripped and pushed me forward. The pegasi were once again visible in the sky as they would drop below cloud cover and shoot back up again for some reason unknown to me. I don’t really envy them as much as others would though. I prefer to keep my boots on the ground. The wheels hummed as they pushed me towards town. I flicked on my fog lights as the sky got ever darker due to the clouds. This wasn’t really for me as much as it was for anyone walking the roads. I wasn’t in the mood to receive new hood art. As I flicked my lights on, a small hole in the clouds opened up before closing almost immediately. I didn’t really think anything of it though. I pulled up to town and slowed my approach. Most of the townsponies (Fucking puns!) were heading inside and were closing all their shutters and windows in preparation for a storm, apparently. I pulled through town before I neared Twilight’s. Twilight must have heard the engine because she was standing on the porch trying to flag me down frantically. I really didn’t want to deal with her again so soon but it was my job, unfortunately. I slowed my approach before stopping with the fog lights pointing straight at her. I killed the lights and shifted into park before stepping out of the truck. She seemed to have a relieved look on her face as I walked over to her with the H2’s engine rumbling behind me. “What do you want?” I asked impatiently. “I just wanted to say sorry for trying to force you to open up yesterday.” She said with an awkward smile. I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to come up with a… less angry response. “Just… just drop it.” I said as I saw here expression melt away “Every time you bring it up, it just gets worse.” “I’m sorry, I thought I could help.” She said as she hung her head. “Don’t try. I’ve made it this far and am still standing.” I said as the grey skies rumbled above me “I’m gonna head back towards home base.” I spun around towards my H2 when I felt Twilight run up and tug on my pant leg. “Yes?” I asked as I looked over my shoulder at her. “Can you stay awhile this time? A storm is moving in and I only ever see you for business reasons.” She said with pleading eyes. “Why?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I am stuck with you as a guard and I know next to nothing about you.” “I am a gun nut, aggressive, human, and overly sarcastic. Are we done here?” “Don’t be like that.” She said with an unamused look. The sky cracked with a sound similar to a concrete barrier breaking. A few rain drops started to pelt the ground and the sky snapped again. “Fine I guess.” I said as Twilight smiled with glee. I lifted my hand and snapped my fingers. The H2 cut off behind me as I followed Twilight towards her place. A flash of lightning bolted across the sky as Twilight opened the door and stepped in. The rain poured down with a vengeance as I walked in behind Twilight and closed the door behind me. “You know that the paper came by here asking for an interview?” Twilight asked as she walked off into the kitchen. “Not really. I kind of a busy man you know.” I replied. I could hear Twilight pushing glasses around as I strolled around the book room. I read the covers of a few books before pulling a random one off the shelf. I read the cover and found that it was some sort of magic instruction manual. I flipped through the pages and grazed over a few passages and found that it was total gibberish to me. Twilight walked in carrying a few mugs with her magic as the storm let out a bolt of lightning. The room got darker as the storm raged on. “I don’t think that book will do you much good.” Twilight said “It’s only meant for unicorns.” “I figured that much.” I said as I slipped the book back onto the shelf “Kind of curious though.” “Why?” she asked as she handed me a mug. I figured the stuff was coffee but one taste told me it was hot chocolate. I wasn’t really one for sugary stuff but I wasn’t going to turn down the gesture. “I came from a world where everything abided by concrete set of rules, now none of it means anything. It’s just a tad unsettling.” I said before taking another sip of the scalding hot liquid “Fuck, that’s hot.” “Is that why you’re angry all the time?” She asked with a snicker. “No, I’m just an angry person I guess.” I said as I looked out the window. “Do you miss your world?” “Since when did this turn into a game of twenty questions?” I asked with a slightly elevated tone. “Just answer the question please.” She said as she set her mug on the window sill next to me. I thought long and hard about that question, but like clockwork, my true colors flew. “No. I hated that place. Sure, there were good places in my world and some good people as well but I couldn’t care less if that place burned.” I said as I ran my hand through my hair to try and calm myself. “That’s a… rather strongly worded answer.” Twilight said as she gave me a worried look. “There’s a reason I prefer to be quiet. People tend to judge me.” I said as placed my free hand on my belt, just about my 1911. “I had a question that has been bugging me.” Twilight said as she walked over next to me “What exactly does your name mean?” “You lost me.” I said, dumbfounded “What do you mean?” “What exactly does ‘Ryan Laney’ mean? I’ve never heard of ‘Ryan’ or ‘Laney’ before.” Twilight said as she grabbed her mug with her magic and took another sip. “It’s not supposed to. It’s just a name.” I said as I stared outside to avoid awkward eye contact. The rain was still pouring heavily but it wasn’t as bad as the time I found Applejack on the side of the road. I could still see down the street all the way to the outskirts. “What do you mean it’s ‘just a name’?!” Twilight said as if she was shocked “Your name is who you are!” “I’m sorry but my name never really carried any weight with me. I’m from a family of ghosts and no-shows. You can call me whatever you like.” I said as I turned around and browsed the books again. “So you’re just going to give up your name? Just like that?” Twilight said as she followed me. “I never said that. I just said that you could call me something else if you prefer.” I said as I came across a few history texts. I pulled a book of the shelf and flipped through it. “What would you prefer to be called?” Twilight asked as she craned her neck to get a look at the cover of the book I was reading. The book read like a fairy tale but I kind of expected it at this point. “I really don’t have a preference. You can call me Ryan, forty-five, twelve-gauge, V-eight, I really don’t care.” I said as I closed the book and shoved it back onto the shelf in the wrong spot. Twilight gave me an annoyed look before correcting my mistake with due haste, slamming the book back into the right spot. “What do those names even mean?” She asked. “Well, my handgun fires a forty-five caliber round, my shotgun fires a twelve-gauge shell, and the engine to my truck is a V-eight.” I explained as I walked over to a corner and leaned my back into it. “Are you really leaving this to me?” Twilight asked as I took another sip from the mug. “I really don’t care but if you give me a fairy tale name I retain all rights to denounce it.” “I’ll think of your ideas. I do like twelve-gauge though.” She said with a strange smile. “I can dance to that tune.” I said as I nodded at her. “Ok, Twelve-Gauge.” She said with a small snicker. “I’m glad that I could amuse you.” I said in a sarcastic tone. I lifted my sunglasses from my face and let them rest up in my hair. The room brightened up a bit as looked around. Spike immerged into the room and walked into our direction. “Hi, Ryan.” He said with a little wave of his hand as he walked over to a bookshelf and pulled a book of it. “How’s it goin’ little man?” I said as I nodded my head in his direction. “Swanky suit Ryan.” “It’s Twelve-Gauge now.” Twilight cut in. “Twelve-Gauge?” He asked as he stopped in his tracks. “Long story.” I said as I walked towards the window. Most of the rain had finally slowed to a trickle. I peered around and saw my H2 sitting right in the middle of the road. “There anything else you need to know before I take off?” I asked as I craned my neck to get a good look at Twilight. “Yeah, where are you staying? Please tell me you’re not sleeping in your machine.” She asked. “No, I’m staying at Dash’s now.” I pointed out. “How the-“ “Don’t ask because I don’t know.” I said, cutting Twilight off. “Can you fly?” “No, she brought her place down to ground level.” “That still doesn’t explain how you can walk on clouds without the help of one of my spells.” “I stopped trying to make sense of this world a week ago.” I said as I walked towards the door. I opened the door and stepped outside. The rain was still going at a slow pace but it wasn’t anything to get upset about. “I see you on the flip-side.” I said as I closed the door behind me. It was good to be out of that place. Still awkward. I walked over to my H2 and stopped at the door. I had the inexplicable feeling that something was watching me like the feeling you get when you’re home alone. I spun around to see an empty street as the rain poured down like it came from a never ending reservoir. I turned back towards the H2 and saw Dash sitting inside out of nowhere. “How the fuck?!” I asked myself as I nearly had a heart attack. Dash seemed to notice my sudden fright and laughed at me, pointing with her hoof. “Hardy har har. You must’ve been preparing for that one all day.” I grumbled as I opened the door. “You should have seen the look on your face!” she said in-between a laugh. I just closed my eyes, shook my head, and let out a little laugh. I climbed into the H2 and listened as the suspension creaked under my weight for a moment. I let the H2 start up as I flicked on the fog-lights and windshield wipers. “What were you doing at Twilight’s?” Dash asked as I shifted into drive and accelerated towards home. “She wanted to chat outside one of her ‘sessions’.” I said with a laugh as I lowered my sunglasses back onto my face. “Anything interesting happen?” Dash asked as she climbed over the console and into my lap. “Well,” I said as I sped up on the road outside of town “I’ve apparently gotten a new name.” “A new name?” She said as she rolled over onto her back to be able to watch me drive “Why?” “I have absolutely no idea.” “What is it?” she asked as snuggled up to my torso. “Twelve-Gauge.” I said as I maneuvered to avoid a downed tree that lay across the road. “What does that mean?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. I figured it would be better to show her. I reached across the console and grabbed the chrome shotgun that was sitting in the floor of the passenger side. “Read the inscription on the side.” I pointed out “Watch out for the trigger.” I set the shotgun on top of her as she gave me a confused look. She lifted the shotgun’s barrel up and tried to find what I told her to look for. She studied it for a moment before she flipped it over and found it on the opposite side. “Oh, Remington. I see now.” She said as a light bulb kicked on in her head “Twelve ‘ga’?” “It is short for gauge. It is the size of the round that the gun fires.” I said as I grabbed the shotgun’s receiver and set it back in the passenger’s side floor. I could hear the guns rattle in the back as I pulled off the road as I’d done many times before. “How did the whole ‘taking Remi to Fluttershy’s’ go?” She asked. “Went well. She said she’ll be done with him soon.” I said as I sped up in the field “What’s with all the questions?” “I dunno. You’re just interesting, I guess.” She said as she climbed up and looked over the steering wheel. Her mane brushed up against my chin, but I didn’t exactly care. She seemed to be the only person who would listen to me and still care about me at the end of the conversation. I wasn’t awfully lovable, I know. The H2 started to come to a stop as Dash’s place came back into view. I looked over to the camp and saw that the recruits were all inside of their tents as their fire let out a string of grey smoke. “Tell me about your day then.” I said as I shifted into park and let the engine die down. Dash looked up at me with a coy smile as she climbed over to the passenger’s side. “You wouldn’t want to know. It’s just boring weather stuff.” She said as she examined a hoof nonchalantly. “You forget that I come from a world where the weather happens on its own.” I pointed out as I opened the door and climbed out into the rain. Dash flew out after me and I closed the door behind her. The rain continued to pour down as she flew and I ran over to the door. My pistol clanked in my pocket as I ran and rain smeared on the lenses of my glasses. I ran inside and Dash closed the door behind me. I almost tripped on the inconsistent floor as I ran before coming to a stop just short of the hallway. “You are so slow.” Dash said as she ruffled her damp mane back into place. “I’m not built for ground speed.” I said as I dried off my glasses with my suit coat. “What good are you at then?” She joked. “Thanks for the stunning boost of confidence.” I shot back. “Anytime.” She said with a smile as she flew over to me. “You still never answered my question.” I said as I pulled out my handgun and tossed it onto the couch to dry. “What question?” She said as if she was trying to hide something. “What was your day like?” I repeated. “If you must know, I built the storm you saw outside and I may have almost… maimed myself.” She said, quickly glancing over the last part. “The almighty Dash made a mistake?!” I said with an obvious hint of sarcasm. “I never make mistakes! I just happen to do things every now and then that I don’t intend to do.” She said as touched down next to me and motioned for me to follow her. “Sure, that sounds like solid logic.” I pointed out as she stopped and opened a door. The door opened into a room I hadn’t seen before. There was a day bed in the corner and a small bookcase next to it. A large window saw in front of the daybed with a clear overview of town. She flew over to the daybed and I walked over to the bookcase. “Holy shit,” I said with a smirk “I didn’t even think you could read.” I looked over to see Dash with an unamused look. She reached over and punched me in the thigh. I looked back to the book case and went over a few of the titles. Each book seemed to be of the same series; ‘Daring Do’. “Another idol I take it?” I said as I grabbed one of the books and pulled it off the shelf. “Only my favorite book series ever!” She said with a sudden tone of excitement like she wanted me to ask. Dash flew up and struck a pose above me as I opened the book. “The books center around the only Pegasus to be ranked 2nd coolest in Equestria!” She almost shouted. “Who’s the first?” I asked as I flipped through the book. She didn’t seem to notice my comment as she continued with her gloating. I tuned her out as I flipped through the book and found that it read similar to an Indiana Jones novel. There was treasure involved, a ‘Daring’ main character, and an evil villain involved. I closed the book as I shoved it back in place on the shelf. “… and that’s how she one-upped him!” She said as she landed in front of me. “Awesome.” I said, faking my attention to her speech. “I knew you’d like it.” She said as she climbed back onto the daybed. I looked out the window quickly to see that the rain had only picked up in intensity. “Snow should be here in two days tops.” “This shit still blows my mind.” I said as I sat down on the daybed next to her. I leaned forward and place my elbows on my knees as I rested my head on my right hand as I stared out the window. I still missed the rumble of Youngstown’s cars but I figured the rain would suffice. “Something wrong?” Dash asked as she stood up behind me and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m just a little homesick I guess.” I said as I stared out the window. “How could you miss at that place?” She asked as she nuzzled my neck a bit. “A part of me will always miss it. I was born and raised there and you just can’t forget something like that overnight.” I said as I lifted my left hand to the side of her head. “I’ll never understand you.” “I never asked you to.” I said as rubbed her ear in-between my index finger and thumb. She pulled her head back and I immediately missed her there. I exhaled as I lay out across the daybed and rested my right hand under my head. Dash walked over next to me and sat down next to my shoulder before lying down and laying her head next to mine. “What the fuck am I doing?” I asked myself as I place my left hand over my eyes. “Something wrong, again?” Dash asked, turning her head to me. “I just had a pang of reality again. This all is still weird to me.” I said as I felt her pull my arm to the side. Dash placed my hand on the side of her face. She closed her eyes at the contact and started to hum a song that I wasn’t familiar with. “Don’t worry yourself to much.” She said as she interrupted her song “You have me at least.” “That I do.” I said as I looked over to her and watched her open her eyes “You have very… calming eyes.” “Ugh…” “Just take the compliment.”