Devil's Due

by All American

Chapter 4: Feeling Weak

Author’s note: Are we having fun yet? I know this chapter might be a bit boring for some but I had fun with it. Don’t worry, I have some crazy shit planned for later in the story but we have to go through the boring first act. God, I hate writing exposition.

Always bitching,

All American

-

Another dreamless nap. I can’t honestly remember when my last dream was. All I remember is that it was a nightmare.

My eyes opened to find that night had completely taken over the sky and nothing but the moon illuminated the area in front of me. I was still alive at least, but I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing though. I took the .45 with my left hand and placed it back into its holster under my shoulder. I was surprised that no one had tried to come and wake me. I placed my hands on the tree behind me and pushed up with everything I had left. I slowly regained my footing and leveled out with the ground. I felt better than when I first passed out but not by much.

I took a few wobbly steps before I stopped again. I could see the town in the distance due to a few of the homes fireplaces giving off smokestacks in the night sky. I tried to move my left leg before pain struck like nothing I had ever felt before. Every muscle in my leg violently seized up sending me face first into the dirt road.

“Son of a bitch.”

I grumbled under my breath and dragged myself back to the tree. I was stuck. I brought my leg back up to my chest and started to cradle it in hopes that the pain would dissipate. I had pushed myself too hard in the past few days and it was showing. All I could do was just sit and wait for help, and it was making me feel utterly helpless. All I could do now was signal for help. I removed the 1911 from my holster and held the gun up in the air. I took a breath to steel myself and pulled the trigger and listened as my ears began to ring and the gunshot echoed.

I dropped the gun into my lap and tried to think about what I had just done. I just admitted I was… weak. My mind immediately began to berate me as I lay next to the tree. I hoped that I would get one of the ponies from earlier because I didn’t want to have to try and explain myself again.

All these things went through my mind, but in my heart I knew, all I could do was wait.

I fucking hate waiting.

-

Within twenty minutes, I could hear what sounded like a hawk flying low to the ground. I wrapped my hands around my 1911 as the sound got closer and closer before I saw the rainbow Pegasus from earlier. She was never going to let this one go.

I watched for a few minutes as she flew gracefully through the sky leaving a rainbow in her wake for a few seconds before it quickly disappated. I could see that she was diligently searching for me and due to the dark color of my attire, she was having difficulty. I gave a small laugh as she began to search the tree tops before flying above the road.

“Where are you?” she called from the sky.

“Down here smart one.” I shot back.

“I thought you didn’t need our help.” She said obviously mocking me.

“Don’t make me shoot a wing off.” I said in the most playful voice I could muster.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Would I?”

I watched as the expression turned to one of horror before I burst out laughing. She dropped to ground level and walked over to my position with a confident stride. She stopped just shy of my feet.

“What’s wrong this time?” she said gazing over my body “Nothing looks wrong with ya.”

“My left leg seized up on me. I can’t walk anymore.”

“Here,” she said offering a han- no, hoof to me “I’ll help you into town.”

I looked at the hoof apprehensively.

“I don’t bite, now come on.”

I shrugged and grabbed her hoof as she pulled me up. When I reached my footing, I immediately fell over right on top of her.

“* gasp * Please get off, * cough * you’re really heavy!”

I put my left hand out and let it connect with the ground and pushed myself off. I rolled over and sat back up, giving her a once over as she climbed back to her feet.

“Can’t handle all six foot, two hundred and twenty pounds of solidified handsome?” I said with a small amount of smugness.

Dash locked eyes with me and gave me a look that screamed ‘challenge accepted’. She walked back over to me and held her hoof out once more and motioned for me to grab it. I wrapped my hands around her hoof once more and pushed up with my free hand. I could feel my feet begin to wobble as I reached my footing and I immediately grabbed the tree for support.

“Well, now what?” I said turning my attention from the tree to Dash.

Dash stood there from a moment, raising a hoof and scratching her head with it. Within a few minutes, she immediately perked up and walked over to my side.

“Here, try and use me to balance.” She said giving me a look of reassurance.

With that being said, I placed right hand on her back and set some of my weight on her and the rest of it on my good leg. Dash gave a little grunt as she tried to hold up my weight.

“Not that I’m questioning your abilities, but can you handle this?” I asked as she struggled under my weight.

“I got you. Now, can we get a move on?” She said with her eyes locked in concentration.

“Whatever you say, captain.”

This was going to suck. ‘Baby steps.’ I told myself as I threw my good leg in front of me. After a few steps, Dash and I found a rhythm and made to journey a little easier. I would take a step, drag my back leg into position, and then Dash would move up. The town wasn’t that far from our position at this point. I constantly wanted to know the time but due to not having a watch, I was kind of screwed. I figured eventually, I could tell time by the position of the sun and moon but as far as past experiences went, I was a city slicker in the worst way. In the city, all I had to do was ask a passerby or just look at one of the many storefronts to find the time.

After a few minutes of limping, I could see that Dash was getting better at handling our awkward movements and had become very quiet. That was another thing I missed about the city. I missed all the noise. In the city, there was never a time that it was quiet. There was always someone talking, a car driving by, the sound of breaking glass or at the very least a gunshot or two in the distance. In this blasted reality, all that I could hear was the sound of my foot dragging behind me and some grasshoppers in the distance. I hoped that I could get used to it.

I watched as Dash would keep her eyes locked on the road ahead and when she thought I wasn’t looking, she would give me a quick glance. I could tell that she thought I didn’t notice, but truth is, the city had trained me to observant of everything. If I wasn’t, I could expect a knife to the midriff or a bullet wound to the chest.

“You know that you can talk to me right?” I said as I kept my eyes locked on the road ahead of me “All this walking in sullen silence is very friggin’ boring.”

“I thought you would threaten me or something.”

“How about a song? I could sing. How about some Johnny Cash?” I suggested as the town came to be about a football field away.

I watched as she gave me a look of confusion.

“I’ll take the silence as a yes.”

*clears throat *
(Folsom Prision Blues by Johnny Cash)

I hear the train a comin'
It's rollin' 'round the bend,
And I ain't seen the sunshine,
Since, I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison,
And time keeps draggin' on,
But that train keeps a-rollin',
On down to San Antone.

When I was just a baby,
My Mama told me, "Son,
Always be a good boy,
Don't ever play with guns,"
But I shot a man in Reno,
Just to watch him die,
When I hear that whistle blowin',
I hang my head and cry.

‘Fitting.’ I thought as the town was less than 50yrds us. Dash was just walking to the rhythm of the words as I continued to sing the words in the closest ‘Cash’ voice I could muster. I was operating on less than an hour of sleep and I had been up for almost 16 hours. Not to mention I had been walked all over hell’s half-acre.

I bet there's rich folks eatin',
In a fancy dining car,
They're probably drinkin' coffee,
And smokin' big cigars,
But I know I had it comin',
I know I can't be free,
But those people keep a-movin',
And that's what tortures me.

Well, if they freed me from this prison,
If that railroad train was mine,
I bet I'd move out over a little,
Farther down the line,
Far from Folsom Prison,
That's where I want to stay,
And I'd let that lonesome whistle,
Blow my Blues away.

I let the song end on a little high note as we hit the outskirts of the town. I motioned for us to enter a small alley way and for her to give me a bit of space. I limped over next to what I thought was a dumpster and sat down. I figured the alleyway would keep me hidden from prying eyes for the moment and give me enough time to recover.

“That was… unlike you.” Dash said giving me a look of confusion “Not that I’m saying it was bad.”

I let out a small grunt resembling a laugh “You’ve known me for less than a day and you’re already making assumptions.”

“You sure are strange.”

“I’m full of surprises. I’ll be here in the morning and you can take me to… whoever is in charge here. The golden rule is no guards through. You saw what happened the last time.”

“So you’re just going to sit here next to the trash in a dark, damp alleyway?” She asked me.

“Yes, yes I am. Are you going to fight me about it? I’ve stayed in worse places.” I fired back.

I guess she took the hint as she unfolded her wings and took to the skies, leaving a rainbow trail that dissipated in her wake.

“I’m never going to get used to that.” I said as I observed the rainbow.

After she was gone, I pulled the handgun from its holster and set it in my lap. I then removed my father’s Zippo from my pocket and flicked it open and lit it, giving me a small amout of light in the alleyway. I watched as the small flame gave a surprising amount of light and lit up the area to a small degree. I set the lighter down and turned my attention to the handgun. I dropped the magazine from it and pulled back the slide, releasing the chambered round. I grabbed it and shoved it back into the magazine. With the slide back, I gave the gun a once over and wiped it down.

After giving the gun a superficial cleaning, I took the spare bullet from when I first met Dash, Twilight, and Applejack and slid it into the magazine, giving me a clean seven rounds. I slid the mag home and released the slide catch, letting it go forward with a satisfying ‘thunk’. I switched the safety on and wrapped my left hand around it. I leaned my head against the wall behind me and turned off the Zippo.

Comments

[Heavy Weapons Guy]

Heavy Claims First!
t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTC97b63KGFd7og4OJP9r3LkCqYsbC8eaKf2QyubgdVfU20Xn8E

[Rarelygood]

MUST.. read more.. but no more to read..

[saxon]

520979 YES EHHI LIKE DIS

[EvilEnchantress]

griffons ponies and Diamond dogs (I don't know what the fuck I just said so don't ask )

[Pegasususussu]

Trying to shoot ponies a couple of hours before
*bursts into song with rainbow dash*

[All American]

528031
why the fuck not?

cdn.thatssotrue.com/2012/2/24/thatssotrue_1553_1330065734.gif

[EvilEnchantress]

528019 hmm unfortunetly ponies ain't enought to live for

[Zanec]

'Within a few minutes, she immediately perked up--'
That is one of the funniest controversial sentences I've ever heard XD

[Zanec]

528760
What is?