//------------------------------// // This is Interesting // Story: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Friendship // by RevenantHunter //------------------------------// Author's Note: I guess I have no real way to excuse myself for being late with this story. I guess things have just been keeping me busy, what with the forum I'm a member of and Skype conversations going on. can only imagine what it'll be like once I graduate from high school later in May. Maybe with school no longer being a problem, and college ideas going though my head, I might actually be able to write more often. I'm also going to write this chapter differently than the previous ones, since this would feel better to type. I owe you guys a chapter, so I SHALL GIVE YOU A CHAPTER! Johnny only sat back as he felt the Angel of Justice give him power, feeling the internal heat in his whole body. The need to give these assholes what was coming to them started to fill his mind and block out other thoughts. His body seemed to leak black smoke as the first stallion came forward, the dark yellow one with the red buzzcut. The stallion was simply charging him, looking to ram him down with pure strength. Johnny, or rather, the Rider, flapped his wings and flew over the stallion. He flapped again and flew straight down slamming his legs into the stallion's back. He savored the feeling of cracking bones before jumping off of him and running at the green coated, blue maned stallion, leaving behind a yellow stallion screaming in pain and convulsing on the ground. The green stallion, a unicorn if Johnny figured by the horn on his head, lit the green horn with magic and tried to blast the speeding and justice-seeking pegasus, but Johnny, or Zatharos, simply flapped his wings again and took to the air, but the stallion grabbed him in a telekinetic grip and threw him into the side of a stone house. Johnny grunted at the impact, but he only started to laugh. The green unicorn stallion only gave a 'weirded-out' look as he took a step back, saying, "What kind of freak are you?!" Johnny, still laughing, looked up at the stallion. His eyes looked like black pools of nothingness. "You're final judgement." The leader, the purple stallion, yelled at his frozen cohort, clear frustration at their tails being beaten being shown on his features. "Come on Vines! Kick his bucking rump already! Or am I going to have to help you do it, you weak foal!" Johnny's head whipped over to the purple stallion as the one named Vine yelled, "Give me a break Void! This guy's a freakshow! Look what he did to Trench!" Johnny Blaze slowly moved to Vines as the stallion was distracted. With a strong flap of his wings a strong push from his legs, he tackled the stallion to the ground, rolling in the dirt before pinning him down. He grinned widely, an insane look in his eyes as he looked at the now terrified stallion. Johnny slowly opened his mouth, his eyes wide as an unnatural whispering noise came from his mouth. Meanwhile, the Element Bearers were in different stages of astonishment. Fluttershy stopped looking after Johnny broke Tench's back, Rarity was appalled at the brutality, Rainbow and Applejack were simply at a loss for words, but Twilight's eyes were narrowed. 'What the.....that feeling....that aura.....what does it mean....' Her eyes started to show hidden fear. 'What is he?' Johnny's grin was still in place as he started to stare deeply into Vine's eyes, his features twitching as the smoky haze surrounding him started to grow in density. The whispering was starting to turn to get louder. Vine was terrified. It felt like every emotion he not only caused Derpy, but every other pony he wronged was flowing through him, burning him in the intensity of the hate that they carried deep down. He started to scream as the whispers grew louder and the voices of those he picked on, robbed, and beaten started to scream at him, feeling like they were boring deep into his mind and pulling out every wrong and sin he ever did trough his eyes. Johnny was grabbed in a magical grasp of purple as Void yanked him away from Vines, throwing him through the window of a flower shop across the street. Vine was paralyzed from the terror as he heard the voices leave, the emotions stop burning him alive. He whimpered and curled up on the dirty street as Void ran up to him. "Get the buck up Vines! We need to get outta here before the guards show up!" Vine only whimpered in response. Void glared at him. "Forget you then! I'm outta here! I don't need a weakling like you!" With those parting words, Void ran down the street, leaving a terrified Vines and a now unconscious Trench behind. XXXX Princess Luna stopped shaking as she looked over at Ponyville. She felt the strange anger suddenly evaporating. The moon regent shook her head and brought her breathing back under control. "It is gone sister....I can't sense it anymore." Princess Celestia looked down at her sister with a confused expression before looking back over at Ponyville through the open window. Her horn glowed and an empty piece of parchment floated over, followed by a quill and inkwell. Luna looked at her curiously. "What are you writing 'Tia?" Princess Celestia looked didn't answer right away, making sure to finish her letter before speaking. "I am arranging a visit for us. I'm curious to what could have caused you to feel this way. For the safety of our little ponies, we must see for ourselves." XXXX The door to the flower shop opened and a dazed Johnny Blaze walked out, a few shallow cuts on his forelegs leaking a little amount of blood. He coughed before taking a few steps forward. His legs ached and his skull felt like it was full of smoke. Considering what Zatharos did, he wasn't surprised. The chain he had around his waist, which had forgotten he was even carrying, clinked as the glass trapped within it slid across the metal. He coughed again, looking back at the damage of his less-than-graceful entry. The window was shattered to bits, the table he slid across was scratched up from his chain, and the shelf he had ran into was tipped over, its contents scattered across the floor. He gave a sheepish smile at the three mares, all of them carrying flower related cutie marks, looked at him in shock. "Uh....don't worry, I'll pay for that. I'll help you rebuild it even!" His smile became VERY strained when the pale raspberry coat and light gold mane simply fainted right where she stood. "Um, bye!" With that, he charged out of the door. He stopped when he noticed the grey mare with crooked eyes was looking at him. He didn't want to make a joke about her eyes. It's cruel to mock someone for their disabilities. Johnny trotted over to her as she continued to stare at him. He grinned reassuringly and took the mailbag he had grabbed and gave it to her. "Here you go miss. I hope they didn't cause you too much trouble." The mare only continued to stare at him before suddenly grinning. She pulled him into a tight hug, the embrace knocking the air out of Johnny's lungs. "OH THANK YOU THANK YOU MISTER!" Johnny grinned despite his brain cells dying from the lack of oxygen. "Nnnno p-problem mi-...miss...." The grey mare let him go, flashing a big, goofy smile. "I'm Derpy Hooves! It's nice to meet you! And what's your name?" Johnny took a few deep breaths, but still smiled. "I'm Johnny Blaze, Derpy." He grinned this time. "I hope your okay, ma'am." Derpy giggled and blushed a little. "I'll be fine. I was on break anyways, but since you got my mailbag back, I'll be able to continue my rounds!" She grinned again and reached into her bag. Johnny raised a brow at what she pulled out and offered. "Muffin?" Johnny didn't know how, or why she carried muffins with her.....but hey, it's not everyday a mail carrier offered you a muffin. Especially a chocolate chip one. "Thank you." He managed to grab the muffin. The greyish white pegasus smiled again. "Now you be careful now. Don't want those thugs to...pick on you again." Derpy nodded enthusiastically again, giving Johnny another hug before taking off and hovering to wave goodbye, albeit a little shakily. "Bye Johnny Blaze!" Johnny waved back as the bobbing grey pegasus left, nearly hitting a light pole before disappearing around a corner. He turned around... ...and saw six ponies standing barely five feet from him. Johnny gave a poorly made innocent smile. "Is something wrong?" Twilight gestured with her hoof as the other five turned to leave. "Please, follow me to the library. We need to discuss things with you." Johnny gave a sigh of defeat as he followed after them. He had no point in arguing, since he still had to at least fix his image and keep them from finding out about Zatharos. He didn't want to scare them. He idly looked at the muffin he had resting on one of his wings. It brought a smile to his face. 'At least I helped someone....' He then looked back at the crowd gathering around the medical-looking ponies that were loading a catatonic Vines and a still unconscious Trench into the back of a white carriage with a red medical cross on it. '...but at what cost....'