Hotter Than Hell

by totallynotabrony

Chapter 4

“Innocent blood.”

Who was speaking? It was just Blair, Sunset, and the injured Silver standing behind her.

Blair, in her initial attack, had charged into Sunset’s grip, swinging her knife. Sunset had been surprised by Blair’s newfound strength, and now realized that Blair must have also gained some sort of power.

But now, as close as they were after Sunset had deflected her attack, Blair looked like she was starting to regret what she had done. Part of that might have been Blair’s proximity to Sunset’s face, which based on the heat Sunset felt, she was beginning to suspect was literally on fire.

“You sold your soul.”

Why did that sound familiar? Also, and again, who said it?

Sunset’s arm moved all by itself, and her hand seized Blair’s throat. This time, she knew the voice came from her own mouth. “Look into my eyes, and know your crimes.”

It seemed as if Blair was dragged into the stare, however much she might have resisted, and it seemed that the act of doing so was more unpleasant than anything else Sunset had ever done to her, including fighting. Blair started to convulse, but her eyes remained stretched wide open. And incredibly, whatever madness or power had been in her gaze before evaporated in the face of Sunset’s own stare.

Sunset let her go and Blair fell straight down, limply. Leaving her, Sunset turned.

Silver held her injured arm tightly, blood on her fingers. But that seemed a minor concern to her compared to her apparent horror at what she had just seen.

What had she just seen? What had Sunset just done?

Beep.

Sunset started in surprise, totally disoriented and feeling as if she had just teleported. Her head moved rapidly to take in the area around her, a place she hadn’t been standing a fraction of a second ago.

Beep.

She was standing in a hospital room. That was all the more apparent with the smell of disinfectant. But what about her apartment, and Blair, and Silver?

“That didn’t go quite how I expected, but better sooner rather than later,” said Lucifer’s voice.

Sunset whirled to find him sprawled in a chair at bedside. She didn’t know who was in the bed.

Beep. Or what that person was doing connected to so much medical equipment.

“What’s…” Sunset began. She tried to blink, but something seemed strange about her eyes, though she could still see. She looked at the hospital room window, with the darkness outside forming an imperfect mirror.

Sunset’s head was on fire.

She was in control enough not to react frantically, reasoning that it didn’t seem to be hurting her, but she still turned to Lucifer, demanding, “What did you do?”

“I brought you here for a conversation. I’m sure you have questions. And to answer your first one, it’s what you did. You let the demon out. Almost, anyway. You’d know if you got the whole thing.”

“Demon?”

“The Spirit of Vengeance. Where did you think the power came from?”

“How do I fix this?” Sunset gestured vaguely at her burning visage.

“There’s nothing to fix. You let the demon out. As you were supposed to.”

“What’s happening to me?”

“That’s hellfire. You might notice that you aren’t dying. Hellfire is selective what it burns. But when it does, it can burn anything, including souls.”

You sold your soul.

Sunset asked, “What happened to Blair?” to avoid thinking about the implications, drawing attention to herself, or admitting she might have done the same.

“She didn’t get it at full force because you don’t know what you’re doing. She got a little off the top. She’ll wake up with a headache in the morning and be strongly disinclined to bother you again. If someone hands her a religious pamphlet in the next few weeks, she might even read it.”

Sunset hesitantly brought a hand closer to her face, but didn’t touch. “How do I stop this?”

Lucifer tilted his head. “I think you’re a little stuck. Blair was just strong enough to push you over the edge, but not enough to get a full reaction out of you.”

“This isn’t a full reaction?”

“Oh my no, that burns your flesh off and only leaves bones. Still on fire, too. The trick is shutting it off afterwards.”

As unpleasant as that sounded, Sunset suddenly had bigger worries. She took a step away from the bed, towards the center of the room. “And you brought me to a hospital? Around oxygen?”

“Hellfire is selective.”

“Can I select it off?” Sunset asked, glancing again at her reflection.

Lucifer made a vague gesture with his hand and the fire stopped at once. Sunset felt her face. Even her hair was unharmed. Her being unsettled seemed to be the worst damage.

“So that’s why I’ve brought you here,” said Lucifer. “You need an education. You’ve barely scratched the surface of the power you’ve borrowed, and you still don’t know how to control it.”

“I thought you’d been watching me,” Sunset said, crossing her arms. “You’ve seen what I’ve done.”

“You mean getting into fistfights? Sunset, you and I both know that’s beneath you.”

He might have been right, but that only angered Sunset more. Lucifer got up from the chair, yawning. “So I’ve brought you here to make sure you get an education.”

“A hospital,” Sunset said flatly.

“Hospitals are where you find vessels.”

Sunset didn’t know what he meant by that, but wasn’t sure she liked it. Lucifer turned to the person in the bed beside him. Sunset hadn’t paid much attention, but now glanced at the face. It was a man - or a boy - with straw-colored hair. He looked like he might have been in the bed for a while, with pale skin and sunken cheeks.

Realization slowly dawned on her. “Is that-”

“Macintosh Apple,” Lucifer confirmed.

Sunset had never met him before. As far as she knew, he had left Canterlot, though she didn’t really bother to learn why. She’d used his name as a ploy or two.

So if he had left Canterlot, where were they now? Did Lucifer transport her all the way to a different city simply by his will? But before she could ask any of these questions, Lucifer went on with his own priorities.

“He is going to teach you how to be a Ghost Rider,” Lucifer said, looking over the body as though it was an object. “He’s perfect; no soul in him. This is going to be much easier than I expected.”

Lucifer’s turnaround in attitude threw Sunset for a loop at least as much as discovering who the sleeper was. “What?” she asked vaguely, the question not even fully formed in her own mind.

Lucifer didn’t seem to be listening. He instead pulled the thin sheet off Mac and began to rip open the gown he had been wearing. “Now all we need to do is-”

“Will you shut up and explain!?” Sunset demanded. “How is some souless husk supposed to teach me? Why is he so important? And what’s a Ghost Rider?”

Lucifer looked up from his work, rage crossing his face for a fraction of a second, but it was quickly masked. That probably stunned Sunset more than anything else so far

“Sorry,” he said, voice calming. “Ghost Rider has come to be the de facto name for someone who carries the Spirit of Vengeance. For whatever reason, almost all of you ride motorcycles.” He shrugged. “I’ll bet you never felt the urge before you made the deal.”

No, Sunset hadn’t. But there was no guarantee she would have encountered bikers after signing the contract. Surely this was just a coincidence and not yet another universe gleefully having its way with her outside of her control.

“Macintosh Apple is one of the most powerful Riders in the multiverse, up there with Blaze and Castle.”

Sunset opened her mouth, but he raised his hand. “I know you know what the multiverse is.”

That hadn’t been Sunset’s question, but Lucifer went on. “In another reality, with another dealer, Macintosh here sold his soul. In that reality he became a very powerful Rider, but I should be able to bring him here and put him in this body…”

Lucifer cracked his knuckles and spread his hands over the form of this world’s Mac lying in the bed. Sunset, sensing that she would finally see some actual magic, probably some she had never seen before, couldn’t help but lean closer.

She didn’t expect Lucifer to be flashy, and he wasn’t. The flashy part was when everything caught on fire throughout the room.

Sunset jumped back, despite already realizing she was effectively fireproof. Still, the fire hurt...well, made her feel pain. Not her own. It seemed to carry the suffering of others, emotional, physical, self loathing, hate, depression, and so much more. It didn’t stop, either, but kept building and building until her entire world was enveloped in that depth of pain that kept going.

She wanted to scream, to run away, but the pain kept intensifying until she felt as though she'd go mad. And then suddenly, it stopped with a crash of breaking glass.

Sunset opened her eyes and saw she was still in the hospital room, and the bed was on fire. Lucifer seemed rather disappointed

“What did you do!?” Sunset shouted. “What was that!?”

“Good news and bad news,” Lucifer said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Good news, the Macintosh I wanted is here.” He pointed at the broken window. “Bad news...he escaped.”

Lucifer walked over and stood at the shattered window, looking out into the night after the newly-summoned Macintosh had just departed. A few flakes of snow blew in.

Sunset cast a cautious look at the destruction of the room and even more cautiously joined Lucifer at the window.

He turned at her approach. “Well, I’m sure Macintosh will find you.”

“Wait, I have questions-”

Just as suddenly as Sunset had been summoned to the hospital room, she was back in front of her own apartment. The snow in a circle around her had been melted. Silver was still standing there, clutching her bloody arm.

Blair finished hitting the ground, as if Sunset had only just dropped her. Had she? Did the entire conversation with Lucifer take place inside an instant?

Sunset touched her face, confirming that she was no longer on fire. She turned to Silver, who took a step backwards, bumping into the wall of the apartment building.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sunset said reflexively, trying for casually. “I’m trying out some special effects.”

Silver didn’t look like she believed Sunset, but had always been willing to swallow lies, even obvious ones. She relaxed, or forced herself to. She looked at the comatose Blair. “What did you do to her?”

“We’re not going to have to worry about her again,” Sunset said, choosing to believe what Lucifer had said. She looked at Silver, who was still clearly in pain. “Show me your arm.”

Silver half-removed her coat, exposing the cut on her upper arm. Sunset was no medic, but basic external wound treatment was universal. They would need something to at least stanch.

Sunset pulled Blair’s leather jacket off, and then tore a strip off her shirt. She was mildly surprised to smell that Blair actually had cleaned the jacket. It now appeared brand new.

She tied up Silver’s wound with the torn cloth. “Do you need to go to the hospital or something?”

“N-no, I don’t think so.”

The cut hadn’t looked that deep. Sunset let it go. She glanced at Blair, who was still limp. She was going to freeze to death, too, because Sunset would be taking her jacket.

“Should we call an ambulance for her?” Silver asked.

It would be better than having her die on Sunset’s doorstep. Sunset didn’t want to be here to answer any questions, though. “Alright, but we’re not waiting around. I’m taking you home.”

That sounded dangerously close to altruism, but it wasn’t as if Sunset was doing it out of actual concern for Silver’s wellbeing. Though, it meant they were going to have to figure out the concept of riding double.

Sunset slipped on the leather jacket. She decided she’d earned it, after finally learning more about this power and finally using it on someone. The jacket felt good, secure. She briefly remembered that leather was animal hide, but if Sunset didn’t feel any remorse anymore for hamburgers, she wouldn’t for leather.

Waiting while Silver was calling for an ambulance, Sunset took out her phone to use the camera as a mirror. The jacket looked good on her, too. Even if her body wasn’t actually enhanced by the power she had gained, her shoulders looked a lot more square in the jacket. Sunset had never put much stock into appearance, but did recognize that it was easier to get what she wanted if she conformed to local standards of beauty. Maybe she could try out the local standards of intimidation.

Though, she sensed that Silver, at least, was still skittish. Even if she knew or suspected what Sunset had been up to fighting bikers, this was the first time she had seen it, been hurt as a direct result of it, and then on top of that seen Sunset catch on fire. So, Sunset was aware enough about the feelings of teenage human girls to realize that she should probably show a little gentleness, if she wanted Silver to remain effective and discrete.

“The ambulance is coming,” Silver said, putting her phone away. She was still tense, and though most of the blood on her puffy winter jacket hadn’t soaked through to the outside layer, she shouldn’t be seen in front of Sunset’s apartment, either.

“Let’s go,” Sunset said, motioning Silver to the bike. Silver still hesitated, but followed. Sunset gave her the helmet and helped her up to the tall rear seat. “Hang on.”

Though she had ordered it, Sunset was still uncomfortable with someone’s arms wrapped around her waist. Silver squeezed tighter as the bike started. The rim of the helmet bumped against Sunset’s back. She was already regretting this decision, even though she recognized it was probably best in the long run.

Sunset knew where Silver lived, of course, and didn’t need to ask for directions as they took off. She already planned to stop just down the block. She didn’t need to meet Silver’s parents, either. How Silver explained - or didn’t - her injury was her own business.

Rolling to a stop near Silver's house, Sunset killed the engine. She turned her head. Silver was still clinging like a koala. “You can get off now.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Silver apparently had had her eyes squeezed shut. She scrambled down. Taking off the helmet, she handed it back to Sunset. She hesitated, working up to speak. “About what happened…”

“It’s finished now,” Sunset said. “If Blair comes to her senses, she’s never going to be the same. She was superstitious enough to think she had demons on her side, so I made her think that maybe she was in over her head.”

Silver nodded quickly, apparently still willing to believe it rather than consider the alternative. “The fire, and for a second I thought I saw a skull - horse skull.”

Lucifer had said something about flesh burning away, but equine bone structure? Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of it. Though, it made some small amount of sense.

“And how do you know what that looks like?” Sunset asked.

“I’m really into horses. My parents have been paying for riding lessons for years.”

“But you aren’t good with riding motorcycles?”

“That’s different!” Silver burst out, but immediately ducked her head.

Sunset did not regret pressing her on it, not after she’d indirectly called Sunset a horse.

Silver shuffled her feet and hesitantly touched her arm, grimacing.

“Is that still fine?” Sunset said. She took her jacket off and laid it across the seat of the bike, not wanting to even take the chance of getting blood on it. She gestured for Silver to show her injury.

The improvised cloth bandage was still wet, but the cut itself seemed to have stopped bleeding. Sunset wondered again if Silver would tell her parents about this, and thought she probably wouldn’t.

“There’s one more thing,” Sunset said. “I want to take another look after Macintosh Apple. He may be coming back to town.”

Silver, of course, knew who that was. “Does he know what you were saying about him?”

Did he? Did it matter if this was apparently a version of him from another universe? “We’ll find out. If you hear anything about him, or if you see him, let me know.”

Silver started to ask another question, but paused, head turning to look down the street behind Sunset. There was a rattling, metallic sound, and in the next instant Sunset was jerked backwards off her feet by a heavy chain that had wrapped around her throat.

Tumbling and sliding across the pavement, even as her hands clawed at the chain while trying to catch her breath, Sunset caught a glimpse of fire and steel, dragging her away.

Author's Note:

My editor, Captain Unstoppable, once wrote a story about Mac being a Ghost Rider. Seemed worth mentioning.

Comments

[Aemon Targaryen]

Well, that was something.

I don't really know what to say otherwise.

[zachary12]

nice work

[Captain Unstoppable]

cdn-img.fimfiction.net/story/d1wz-1432554957-174463-full

Fun times ahead!

[Moonlight Tome]

Ah, making a reference to one of my favorite fics, I see!