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Chapter 1: The Desert4,600 words
Chapter 2: The Forest3,129 words
Chapter 3: The Building3,865 words
The Dream2,844 words
The Farm3,676 words
The Stowaway2,963 words
The Sign3,375 words
The Run2,522 words
The Set-up3,373 words
The Soldier3,225 words
The Complication3,420 words
The Trap3,043 words
The Hospital3,126 words
The Question2,084 words
The Old Friend2,625 words
The Crew2,590 words

The Sign

With an old set of tools, I bolted and wired the doors back into place. It took roughly three hours with Field staring at my back the entire time. It was a rather odd feeling, similar to being viewed from the other side of a see-through mirror. It was like she had something to say, but couldn’t. She just kept staring at my back like she was judging me. I finished the last door and stepped back, admiring my work for a moment. Dallas sat next to a tree, looking over the map as if trying to memorize it and Atlanta was sitting in a cloud above us, keeping watch for griffon patrols. With Atlanta always in the sky, it made me wonder why he would stick around with us instead of fly off to some town and blend back in with normal society.

I always felt like I was an outsider now, even more so than when I was living back in my world. I could never blend in with a crowd and would always get stares. Some people would kill for a chance to live like this, but I wasn’t sure it was what I wanted. I was just riding the tide of each new day, fighting it back with distance and bullets. One day it was going to swallow me like a surfer getting caught in a wave. My death wasn’t going to come from age. It was going to come from combat. At least I would die fighting because when the gun smoke clears, I’ll at least be remembered for that.

I placed my hands on my hips as I felt a drop of rain hit the brim of my hat. I reached up and wiped it off, spreading it with my fingers. I savored the feeling. It had been so long since I had felt water I wasn’t collecting off of the H2’s radiator with a bucket or draining from some small stream. I walked back over to the H2 and started to close the doors. Atlanta flew back down and landed on the roof before jumping down on the ground. I nodded at him and he opened the door, climbing inside. Field walked over and tried to climb in but failed, falling back down. This made me wonder how she got in in the first place. Adrenaline can make you do some crazy stuff.

I walked over to the struggling mare and knelt down next to her. I grabbed her sides, making her panic for a moment. She thrashed in my hands as I lifted her into the backseat with Atlanta. She turned back, shying away from me before giving a little smile, the first I had seen on her. I tipped my hat before closing the door behind her. The door closing seemed to open the floodgates and the rain opened up. A nice and constant torrent fell down around and on me as I walked over to the door and pulled it open. I used the running board to step inside and slammed the door behind me. I turned the engine on and flicked the wipers on. I looked in the mirror and watched Field’s eyes trace the movement of the wiper blades like they were and odd thing to her. Probably were. I flipped the switched to bring the headlights and floodlights on before dropping the truck into drive and pulled back onto the road, tearing up the grass where the tires met it.

The wipers flipped back and forth as we sped down the road. The array of lights turned night into day as Dallas reached down and turned on the radio, changing the CD to an Everlast one. I looked up at the rearview again and saw Field looked around in wonderment.

“Hey Field,” I said as I saw her eyes snap to me “I guess you probably want to know a little more about all of us.” Field gave a little nod as lightning flashed, lighting up the entire area as I drove at a steady 40mph “I figured as much. I’m surprised you haven’t heard about us.”

“Oh yeah, we’re very popular with law enforcement.” Atlanta snickered.

“Well, there is that.” I said with a shrug “But I’m a simple man. Only one of my kind on this world anymore. Celestia brought me here a while back. Came from an industrialized world.”

“No ‘civilized’ from the sound of it.” Atlanta quipped as I reached back and punched him.

“Shut up. The grownups are talking.” I fired back before returning my attention to the road “To make this short, I came here and was given work as a general and bodyguard because of my combat experience.” I said reveling in the nostalgia “I was soon discovered by the griffons and I found out they were coming after a friend of mine that apparently followed me here somehow. We found the griffons and they killed him. Now we three just roam the land taking out griffons as we find them. No women or kids though.”

Field nodded, not seeming to be taken aback like most at the mention of what I do. Atlanta rubbed out the spot where I hit him and shot me a look before looking at the passing field.

“I was born over in Stalliongrad. Mother pushed me through school and I did poorly. Teachers were boring, what can I say?” He laughed “So I then did what every colt did when he did horribly in school; I joined the Royal Guard. I did well there, then Celestia picked me to train under big, bad, and mouthy in the front seat.”

Field cocked her head at him before looking over at Dallas. Dallas ignored her, looking out the window because he had heard all of this a million times over. The rain streamed down the window as I cut a turn and the H2 leaned left. Field stepped onto the console and poked him in the shoulder as if asking him to speak. He jolted back to life and looked over at her as if she had interrupted a good dream.

“What?” He asked flatly.

“I think she wants you to tell your story.” I suggested before she nodded.

Dallas grunted “It’s not important. I just… Forget it.”

“What? We’re all criminals here and you all the sudden become tight-lipped?” I asked as I looked over at him “Come to think about it, you never even told us.”

“I like to keep some stuff private.” He said before looking back out the window, locking down.

Field looked over at me with big eyes as if she was telling me to make him talk. I just shrugged and kept driving. She slinked back into the backseat, scooting over to her corner and fell silent again. The road was getting worse as I kept driving and the rain kept falling. This was outside of the Equestrian weather service and therefore did its own thing. The roads were starting to get nasty puddles and the dirt was turning into mud. I didn’t really want to go faster than 40mph like I was doing. I weaved around a pothole before seeing a sign that read ‘Ponyville, 20’. The rest of the sign was too faded to read. Seemed nature was beating the landmarks away.

If I remembered correctly, AJ’s farm should be along this road, maybe a half mile outside of town and Dash’s house should be about a mile out, off of the road another half mile. It hurt me being this close again, like my heart was jerking around inside of my ribcage. I’m not sure what to do. I could just off-road the entire way around the town but I wanted to at least look around. I didn’t even have to get out. I could just watch through the scope like last time. The upcoming night could be my shroud. I pressed the gas pedal down, speeding up a bit.

After about another few minutes of driving, the rain had not let up. The rain continued all the way into and though the town. It was within sight now. I drove up to the ‘Welcome!’ sign and noticed something odd. Something was hanging off of the sign. It was large and rectangular but was too faded to make out. It was obviously attached to the sign a long time ago but I didn’t remember it. I slowed down and turned off the lights on the H2, the only ones still on were the indicator and position light on the outside. I reached into my jacket and pulled out my 1911. I looked around the cabin and noticed everyone was out like a light. I took a deep breath and looked down at the gun that sat in my hands. The words ‘Don’t be like me.’ Still sat on the side, the words echoing through my mind in my father’s voice. I switched on the under-barrel light and turned the parking brake on before opening my door.

The sound of rain roared as I closed the door behind me and buttoned my coat. I raised the light and slowly walked towards the sign. It was made of metal but it was unprotected from the elements and had a slight layer of rust covering it. I stopped in front of it and wiped away a bit of the rust and used my light to read it.

‘Come home. We miss you.’

The sign had over twenty signatures on it. I could see that AJ, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and even Spike had signed it. I wiped away the rest of the rust and knelt down, feeling the rain starting to bleed through the seams in my coat. I could see a hoof print on it as well… Dash’s. I nearly fell to my knees at the sight of just her name. I braced my hands against the sign, my one knee getting soaked against the ground. I grunted as my chest tightened. I wasn’t going to cry. I hadn’t cried since Ulik and I wasn’t going to start again. I punched the sign in a rage and dented it inward.

I felt the rain slam down on me like it was berating me. So many needed me but I couldn’t be there for them even though I left for them. As long as I was alive, I couldn’t settle down. The griffons were never going to leave me be. I punched the sign again but lighter this time as I clenched my eyes shut and squeezed the grip on the handgun in my left hand. All those years felt like they were for nothing, about as fulfilling as my high school years. I felt like I had been shot in the gut and was bleeding out. They say that the mind can bring the worst pain out in a man.

I slowly staggered to my feet and looked up into the dark, stormy, night sky. I closed my eyes and felt the rain fall down and bounce off of my face. I had to keep strong. I could not afford to stagger in hostile territory. I lowered my gaze back down and looked over the town for a moment. A few lights were still on from what I could see. Families living their normal lives and lovers staying close on a night like this. Just a few miles and an undeclared war cut me off from this. This is why I fought. This is why I killed griffons with no remorse. They kept me from this. I was going to take as many of them with me as possible.

I stared for a while longer before feeling something push itself under my right hand. I looked down and noticed Field was standing there with this ‘I got you’ expression on her face. I ran my hair through her wet mane a few times before sighing.

“Get back in the Hummer.” I said before letting go and walking back to the driver’s side door.

I watched Field climb back in and I shut the door behind her and climbed into my own. I shifted back into drive and cut a hard right with the wheel before pressing the gas and driving off of the road towards a forest line. I drove inside woods and parked there, turning on the heater to keep the gang warm before looking over my seat at Field.

“I have to… see some things. Alone.” I said as I holstered my pistol and looked into her eyes.

She gave a nodded before scooting over with Atlanta. She snuggled up under his wing, still wet from the rain and cold. Atlanta instinctively threw his wing around her and pulled her tight against his armor. I smiled, covering up the pain I felt for the moment. It still felt like I was walking around with a gunshot wound. I opened my door and stepped back out into the rain. Most of it was filtered off by the tree cover but it was still a draining experience. I walked around back to the trunk and pulled it open the hinges squeaked as I reached in and placed my hands on the AR. I pulled it form the rack and back up, looking it over. It had been so long since I used it but I needed its silencer in case things went wrong. I don’t think I could stand to see anyone again. At least no up close. The gun still carried its scope, masterkey, laser, and silencer from when I used to use it but I had added a bayonet after a griffon cornered me in an alley with a pike. Was a painful experience. The bayonet was a standard RG knife that I had taped around the barrel with some old duct tape I found with the spare tire.

I gently closed the door before spinning around on my heels. I tapped my left index finger against the trigger guard before jogging towards town. I run though the rain, my boots sloshing through the muggy earth, leaving prints. I wasn’t concerned about this for now. I kept moving till I hit the edge of town and stopped, behind a home. I hugged the wall as I peeked around the corner. The way was clear and dark, only the faint light of the nearby windows cast any light out. I crouched and waddled under the windows of the home, keeping the rifle tucked against my chest. I kept pressed against the house to break up my profile, an old trick I learn from Alex. I stopped at the edge of the house and looked around. The road was exactly like I remembered when I was still around. It looked like nothing changed. In small towns like this one, things never usually did. At least our worlds had this in common.

I kept scanning till I found a spot between a pair of houses. Perfect. I braced myself before sprinting over to it and sliding against the wall in the mud, almost losing my balance. The mud was starting to affect my grip in a bad way. I missed pavement. I crept on through the alley between the houses before reaching the next street. I looked over to see the Twilight’s old tree house. It still stood strong and tall like time never affected it. I knew it would outlast at least me at this pace. I shouldered the rifle and peered into the scope into Twilight’s house. I couldn’t make out anything from this angle, just the ceiling and light of a candle’s flame. I mumbled a curse under my breath before lowering the rifle and crouched back down. I crept up towards her house, avoiding the light from her windows and pressed up against the trunk of her tree-house. I could hear voices coming from inside and looked down at my watch. It was almost 11pm. What the Hell was she still doing up?

I slowly stood back up with my back against the trunk of the tree before peering around the corner. It looked like nothing had changed. Row upon row of books lined the shelves like I remembered. I looked around and saw that Twilight was looking over a book with a candle burning next to her for light. She hadn’t really aged from what I could tell, but what was five years to them? I just know I was going downhill fast at this rate. I looked over her before turning my attention to a pressboard that was on the other side of the room. A few papers, pictures, and maps were on it. They were all to faint to make out from where I was standing. I took a few steps back and used the scope to get a closer view.

The board was covered in papers about me. Most were standard crime counts and biographical info. The pictures turned out to be wanted posters of me with the pictures cut out. I had seen the pictures before. They were taken of me when I stormed a bank in a town I’d long ago forgot the name of. They were of me firing my rifle of a guard before turning to the camera… griffon and fired. The maps were of places I had been like she was trying to find a pattern in them. Too bad we kept it random on purpose. I lowered the rifle and took a few steps back before watching Spike step in the room and walked over to Twilight. He had gotten almost taller than her as the years went on. He handed her a cup of something before talking to her for a moment. I tried to make out what he was saying but I couldn’t read dragon lips. Twilight nodded to him before placing another marker on the map. It was right where we had hit the farm. Seems she was making progress but to bad I was going to slip away unnoticed.

Without warning, she turned around and I met her eyes. I locked up as she stared out the window at me. I watched in terror as she waved Spike over he saw me as well. Fuck. I turned and started to run, my boots only getting half traction in the mud. I ran and felt my foot get no traction at all and just slip. I stumbled forward and caught myself on a wall as I heard a door open. I ducked behind a small picket fence for cover and held the rifle tight against my chest. I heard footsteps run into the area I just was and stop.

“Ryan?” I heard Twilight’s voice ask.

Her voice was a lot more refined that since I last heard her speak. I breathed heavily, knowing the rain would cover the sound. I heard the something walking closer to my position as my finger slowly moved towards the trigger and wrapped around it.

“You can hide all you want! You are only hurting the ones who care about you!” Twilight called out, obviously trying to use my guilt against me.

I sighed as I saw a purple wave of light pass through the area and could feel eyes burning into where I was hiding.

“I’ve gotten better with magic. You can’t hide from me.” Twilight warned “Just come out. I only want to talk.”

“He isn’t going to do that.” I hear Spike say in a deeper voice than I remember “He is stubborn like that.”

“Oh, now that is just insulting.” I called out from behind the fence and heard Twilight gasp “What, not expecting that?”

“Well, no.” She pointed out as she walked closer, evident by the sound of footsteps.

I spun around and stood up with the AR in my hands and a defeated grin on my face “I told you before that I am full of surprises.”

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shirotora

shirotora #1 · Jan 18th, 2013 · · ·

Oh, snap. He's back in town. I am curious as to how you're going to handle Dallas's back story in this. I doubt it's going to be the same as mine (though if it is, Ryan's reaction to that would be interesting). I'm definitely enjoying this one about as much as Devil's Due. Keep it up. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

P.S. First!

Haunted Toaster