> Ghost Rider: Spirit of Friendship > by RevenantHunter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's note: You know, I think I might actually be the first one on this site to actually write a Ghost Rider/MLP crossover. Yay for milestones and breaking down barriers! This story takes place after the second Ghost Rider movie. I don't care if it got bad reviews, IT WAS STILL AN AWESOME MOVIE! A lone man in a worn and slightly burnt leather jacket stumbled forward before finally collapsing in the middle of the desolate road. Behind the man was the smoldering wreckage of twisted metal and shredded rubber that was once a BMW motorcycle. The man began to crawl, not knowing where to go or how to get help. His face had a bloody gash going along his right cheek that was oozing blood. His clothes were shredded and were stained with oil, soot, and blood. He stopped as a jolt pain ran through his head. 'Well Johnny, it sure was SMART of you to go riding on the Transfăgărășan in Romania when you're currently suffering from alcohol withdrawl.' He thought bitterly to himself. Slowly rolling onto his back, which may or may not have been broken, he laid there and stared into the flames the devoured the bike. 'Damn, and that was one of my favorites.' He gave a dry chuckle that turned into a coughing fit, blood splattering into his leather glove covered hand as he held it against his mouth. That ain't good. Better try to find some help. Johnny Blaze tried to shift his legs, but was stopped when he felt a jolt of pain that made him hiss. Looking down, he saw that where there was a bloody patch on his jeans, there was something sticking out of his leg. 'Great, a broken femur. And it's sticking through.' He laid back down. 'I should be in absolute agony right now. Why does the pain feel numbed? Am I in shock?' Johnny couldn't figure anything out. He had just crashed on a motorcycle while going over 50 mph. He had a broken femur sticking out of his leg, possibly a broken back, a stronger possibilty of having internal bleeding, and he was losing blood at a faster rate. He stared into the sky, his vision starting to blur. "Well, I should've expected to die this way. Lying broken and bleeding out in the middle of a road with the burning wreckage of a bike nearby." He closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. He exhaled. He didn't draw another breath. In a castle nestled beside a mountain, a pony gasped and sat straight up in her bed. This pony had a horn on her head and graceful wings in her sides. She was taller than most ponies, had a coat color of dark sapphire blue with a mane that waved from sitting up so fast. It was a mixture of dark blues with stars that made it look like the night sky on a clear night. A white crescent moon sitting on an inkly dark purple, near black background cutie mark adorned her flanks. This pony was no other than the second alicorn and co-ruler of Equestria with her older sister, Princess Luna, the Goddes of the Night. She brought a hoof up and wiped away the sweat that had formed on her brow. 'Such a strange dream.' The sound of her bedroom door being open caught Luna's attention. A white alicorn stood in the doorway, her magenta eyes showing worry as her mane of blues, greens, pinks, and purples billowed behind as though an unknown breeze was blowing. She had an orange stylized sun on her flank. It was her older sister, the Goddess of the Sun, Princess Celestia. "Is something wrong Luna?" Luna shook her head. "I'm fine 'Tia. Just a bad dream." Celestia slowly walked over sister. "It must have been quite a dream Lulu. You're still breathing heavily and you're still sweating." Luna groaned at the pet name her sister usually calls her. "Sis, you know I don't like that name. And really, I'm fine. Just a stupid nightmare" Celestia smiled a little and stood by Luna's side. "Do you want to talk about it?" Luna sighed, but then gave a reluctant nod. "I saw this...thing. A creature that stood on only two legs, like a primate." Luna looked at Celestia, who nodded for her to continue and that she was listening. "I think it was injured, because it was covered in blood. Near the creature was some sort of metal contraption. The contraption was on fire. It was struggling to move, but it couldn't." Luna's eyes were starting to get teary. "It looked so helpless. It looked so hurt, but no one was around to help it. It...It died...right in the middle of the path." Celestia pulled Luna into a hug to calm her down. "Do you know what this creature was, Luna?" Luna shook her head against Celestia's shoulder. "No...but it...he had a name." Celestia let Luna pull back so that she could look into her eyes. "And what was his name?" Luna furrowed her brow as she struggled to remember what the creature called himself. "J...John...ny....Blaze. Johnny Blaze." Celestia smiled. "A somewhat odd name...but a nice one. I wouldn't worry though, Luna. Like you said, it was just a bad dream. I wouldn't worry about it." Luna nodded in agreement. "But it was still a rather strange dream." Celestia only smiled, which was broken when she gave a large yawn. Then Luna gave a large yawn. "Well, I think it's best that we get back to sleep." "Alright. Goodnight Celly." "Goodnight Luna." Celestia closed the door behind her as she left the room. Luna's room was once again shrouded in darkness, but a single ray of silver light cut through the dark. Luna gave oone last yawn and laid down, allowing the comforting light of her moon to make her feel safe and lull her to sleep. Author's Note: Well, what do you think? Should I continue the story? I hope I get responses for this chapter. I usually write based on people's reactions to the story. Let me know where I need to improve and I'll get back to the story. > Awakening > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Note: I can not believe I got this many responses for my story. And that first was only the 'prologue'. Well, I came to a descision on what I was going to do to Johnny and the Ghost Rider. You'll find out pretty early in the story. Johnny Blaze stood in the middle of a four-way intersection. The sky was deep red and the land around him was flat and lacking any significant features. Only gray rocks and rotting cacti. He stumbled around at the roads' intersecting point, trying to figure out which one was the right choice to take. He tried to call for help or see if anyone was around the area. No sound came from his mouth when he tried to speak. XXXX A familiar pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail, light blue coat, brilliant rose colored eyes, and a blue-red-yellow lightning bolt coming out of a white cloud flew over Ponyville fast enough to leave a rainbow trail in her wake. It was none other than Rainbow Dash, the self-proclaimed 'fastest flier in all of Equestria'. Though, she has done pretty good at defending that title and proving it. She was just out doing her usual practice and training so that she could better herself and gain a better chance at joining the Wonderbolts. She had wanted to bring Fluttershy so that she could coach her on cheering, but the butterfly-flanked pegasus had an animal emergency to tend to. Rainbow Dash shivered slightly. Seeing Fluttershy give a bear a back massage her way was a little too much for the rainbow-maned pegasus to handle. She decided the open field nearby would maybe be a good place. Besides, she couldn't risk having Scootaloo once again finding her and distracting her with the endless amount of admiration the pegasus filly can provide. She really can't be distracted like that, for the chance of crashing and seriously hurting herself was all too real. The field was coming up fast. 'Perfect.' Slowing down her wing flapping, Dash got close enough to the ground to feel the tall grass touching her belly. Being so close to the ground, close enough that she could reach out and touch it, it made her feel...made her feel... "Alive." Her grin grew so big that she felt like it would split her face. Her keen pegasus eyesight caught the sight of something. There was a figure, nearly completely hidden by the tall grass. And she was coming in too fast to stop. XXXX Johnny Blaze stumbled as the world around him jerked harshly. He tripped over his own feet and fell, landing on his side. He tried to yell out in pain, but not even a whimper left his mouth. XXXX "...ow." Rainbow Dash stumbled back onto her hooves and shook the dirt off of herself. She had struck the figure that was lying in the grass and wound up hitting the ground and rolling until she was stopped by the grass that got tangled up around her hooves. After ripping the grass off of her, she slowly walked towards the figure while shaking out her wings. She was not in a good mood. Especially since she was about to begin her routine with a Super Speed Strut that she didn't even get a chance to start! "Hey! Hey buddy! Why don't you find a better place to sleep?! You just interrupted me from my training!" The figure didn't answer back. Rainbow Dash's anger started to seep away quickly. She was starting to worry that she may have actually hurt the figure. "Hey...you okay there?" Still no answer. Dash quickly made her way to the prone figure. What ever it was, it had a black cloak covering it's body and it was covered in grass. Dash reached down to pull the cloak away. XXXX Johnny Blaze saw a gloved hand appear in his vision and he grabbed it without thinking. He was easily pulled to his feet by the figure who helped him. He began to brush himself of when the gloved hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around and then grabbed his jacket and pulled him up close. Right into the face of a burning skull. "WAKE UP!" XXXX The figure shot up and collided heads with Rainbow Dash, knocking her onto her rump. The figure groaned and rubbed his aching forehead with his hooves to make the stars go away. 'Wait, hooves?' He looked down at his solid light gray hooves. "What the hell?" He turned his hooves around to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "What the HELL?!" Dash shook her head and her eyes finally realigned themselves. Her head didn't hurt that much, since this would probably be the 15th time she hit her head against something this month. She looked at the pony that was yelling. "Uh, sorry. I thought you were sleeping or somethin'." The pony turned his head and stared. A pony...a light blue pony....a light blue pony with a rainbow mane...a light blue pony with a rainbow mane and wings...had just spoken to him. Suprisingly, he didn't shout out or yell in terror. He just shrugged. "Must be some strong painkillers they're giving me if I'm hallucinating a pegasus that looks like a walking Pride Parade mascot." Rainbow Dash didn't know what a 'Pride Parade' was, but she decided not to dwell on it. She was too busy taking in the stallion that was now standing, well, attempting to stand anyway, in front of her. He was a pegasus stallion with a light gray, almost white color coat with a black, shortened mane with a matching tail. He wore a slightly burnt and torn black leather jacket with holes on the back so his wings could stick through the back with a pair of black and worn hoof gloves hanging out of the right pocket. Rainbow found it pretty odd that he had a large dirty and soot covered chain wrapped around his waist. But what caught Dash's attention the most though, was his wings. The limb itself was the same color as his coat, but the feathers were colored in a stripe pattern that traveled from the limb to the ends of his feathers. The wings had stripes of blue, orange, and red. The only ponies Rainbow Dash has seen that color their wings like that are usually traveling stunt performers. Maybe this pegasus was a stuntpony? 'Maybe his cutie mark could tell me.' Dash leaned a little to the left and looked at the cutie mark on the stallion's flank. It showed a burning skull with a pair of some weirdly shaped pipes criss-crossing in an 'X' shape behind the skull and were shooting orange, red, and blue flames. It was probably the weirdest cutie mark she has ever seen. "Excuse me, isn't it customary for a lady to buy a man a drink before she starts staring at his ass?" Dash jumped a little and whipped her head to look at the stallion giving her a good-natured grin. She blushed a little and awkwardly coughed. "Uh, sorry. I'm Rainbow Dash by the way. Um, who are you?" He hesitated to tell this oddly colored pony his name, but then again, this is probably some sort of weird coma dream that he is in. And if it wasn't....well, he's seen some pretty weird stuff lately. What did he have to lose? "I'm Johnny Blaze." Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "That's kind of an odd name." Johnny narrowed his eyes, but still kept his grin. "So is 'Rainbow Dash'." Rainbow's eyes narrowed too. "...Touche." Johnny began to chuckle, but then he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his side. His head felt like it was being beaten by a baseball bat. "UURRGGHH!" Dash ran up to and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" Johnny looked up and only saw a skeleton burning in a rainbow fire while surrounded by a burning forest. He jumped back and shook his head, then looked back. He saw Rainbow Dash giving him a worried look. Everything else was alright. "Y-Yeah...I-I-I'm fine. S-Say, is t-there a clin-clinic nearby?" Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, there's one in Ponyville, which isn't too far away. I could take you there. Besides, I...kinda flew into you when you were sleeping. I was thinking that maybe you should have Nurse Redheart check you out." Johnny nodded in agreement, albeit more shaky and cautious now. He was okay with being checked out by a nurse. As long as he could get his hands-uh hooves on some painkillers. "Okay, lead the way." Dash turned stretched out her wings, ready to fly. "W-Wait..." Dash turned to look at the stallion. "...Can we just walk? I...don't think flying with a sore side and a splitting headache is such a good idea." Rainbow folded her wings. "I guess that makes sense. Come on, Ponyville is this way." She began to trot with Johnny Blaze following her. He sighed, glad that he was able to convince her to walk, since he didn't really know how to control his wings yet. He quickly sped up so that he wouldn't lose her. This was indeed a strange land. He knew that he had died in that motorcycle accident, because it felt like his spirit had left his body when he exhaled that last breath. He didn't know why he was now in a land where ponies are apparently colorful and can talk and definitely fly. A second chance maybe? Who knows? All he knows is that he is in a new body, in a new land with new people. He might as well enjoy it. Author's Note: Sooooo.....what do you guys think? Good? Bad? So-so? Let me know what you think. I'll probably come back to make some changes later. BIG apology to those who didn't think that Johnny Blaze should've been turned into a pony, but Urdeth made a really good point. What's the point in having Johnny and the Ghost Rider be human when Equestrians haven't seen a human before? They'll think that all humans can do it. But a PONY turning into a flaming skeleton? They'll know that it isn't natural for that to happen. See ya! And thanks for being supportive! > My name is Johnny Blaze > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Note: Once again, I'm speechless on how popular this story is. There are no words that describe the happiness I feel, knowing that people enjoy the first Ghost Rider/MLP crossover. Johnny Blaze continued to follow Rainbow Dash towards a settlement apparently named 'Ponyville'. Even though the named sounded like something an eight-year old would probably use, Johnny didn't want to voice this thought to Rainbow Dash. He didn't know how serious these ponies took their town names, but if they are as serious about the name as Pittsburgh is about theirs, his stay would be more than 'unwelcome'. "So, what's Ponyville like?" Rainbow turned her head to Johnny with a smile. "It's an AWESOME place! The ponies there are nice, tolerant, and we pretty much have an adventure every single week! It's the perfect definition of 'home'. And just wait till I introduce you to my friends. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of a stuntpony like you." Johnny's steps faltered at that word. "Wait, 'stuntpony'?" Dash's smile lessened. "Yeah. I mean, with your wings painted like that and with that crazy cutie mark of yours, you must be a stuntoony or something, right?" Johnny looked over his colored feathers, then at his 'cutie mark'. The colors of his wings were like that of his old stunt uniform and stunt bike, and it's obvious to him that the burning skull represented that Ghost Rider inside him, the orange and blue flames represented the Spirit of Vengeance and the Angel of Justice respectively, and the crossed motorcycle exhaust pipes that were shooting the flames meant his motorcycle. "Uh, yeah, I'm a stuntma-pony." Dash raised an eyebrow. "What was with the hesitation?" "Uh, well, I guess I must've hit my head or something. Things are pretty blurry to me right now." It was the best lie he could do. Usually feigning a head injury or concussion worked for him. Apparently it worked, because Rainbow Dash nodded and her pace began to pick up. "Well, then I guess we should get you to Nurse Redheart so she can check you out. No telling what kind of injuries you got from me flying into you." Johnny Blaze nodded and matched her trot. 'Never going to get used to having four legs and no arms or hands.' XXXX Ponyville. It was as colorful as he thought it would be. There were pegasi, unicorns, and normal ponies, their colors ranging from dark blues to yellows, even different shades of pink and greens. Some ponies seem to take notice of Johnny's entrance, and he could've sworn that he saw a pink pony jump into the air, give a long gasp, then bolt into a building that looked like a gingerbread house at a Christmas party. A lot of the ponies seemed to be staring at him. The Rider's powers were starting to push on him again, but The Rider was being surprisingly subdued in his actions. Johnny could hear what the ponies were whispering to each other. "Who's he?" "I've never seen a pegasus with wings like that." "What's with the jacket and chain? Is he a thug?" He saw Rainbow Dash heading towards a hospital, so he quickly followed her, knowing that this is likely their medical center. The whispering seemed to die down as he followed Dash. Entering the building he was met with a white colored mare that had a faded pink mane rolled into a bun with a nurse's hat on. Her cutie mark was a red medical cross with a heart in each corner. "Ah, Rainbow Dash, you here for your weekly visit?" The nurse said to the light blue pegasus with a grin. "Nah, I'm fine. I just need you to take a look at my friend here." Rainbow pointed at Johnny Blaze with a hoof. "Oh, and who are you, sir? I don't think I've ever seen you in Ponyville before." Johnny gave a faint smile. "My name is Johnny Blaze." "Well, Mr. Blaze, it's nice to meet you." Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Say, Nurse Redheart? Is it cool if you examine Johnny? When I found him, he was lying unconscious in a field, and I...sort of...flew into him." Rainbow rubbed her front hooves together in embarrassment. Nurse Redheart smiled and signaled for Johnny to follow her. XXXX After half an hour of being poked and prodded by Nurse Redheart's hooves, Johnny now sat on an examination table without his jacket or chain on him, which were sitting folded on a chair nearby. His wings were also splayed out, showing off the striped patterns. Nurse Redheart seemed pretty fascinated with them. "My word, I've never seen wings with these kind of feathers. And the coloration is naturally occurring! Were you're wings always like this, Mr. Blaze?" Johnny gave an awkward smile. "Yeah. I've had them for as long as I can remember." Not technically a lie. He was just telling her the truth while holding back some details about that truth. "Well, then it seems that all you have are a few bruised ribs and a bump on your head. It shouldn't be too troublesome." Johnny was about to ask if she could subscribe some painkillers, but maybe it was best not to. He didn't want her to get suspicious and start asking questions. Besides, he hasn't felt any real malice or evil in this place. And the whispering wasn't out of hate or suspicion, it was simply curiosity. "I think that's all for now, Mr. Blaze. Feel free to come back if you feel like anything else is wrong." "Thanks, ma'am." XXXX After pulling his jacket back on and wrapping the chain around his waist, which felt more comfortable than wearing it like a sash, Johnny Blaze entered the lobby, only to be greeted by more ponies than he remembered leaving. Besides Rainbow Dash, there was a normal pony that was an orange color with a light golden mane pulled into a type of ponytail, wearing a brown stetson hat, and had three red apples on her flank. On her other side was a unicorn that was a light lavender with a purple mane that had a lighter purple and pink stripe going through it and a pink-purple six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller stars on her flank Beside the unicorn was a light yellow colored pegasus with a pink mane. She had three pink butterflies on her flank. And beside the stetson-wearing pony was a white-coated unicorn with a curled purple mane and had three blue diamonds on her flank. 'Now why are there so many female ponies? Hasn't anyone here noticed this?' "Aw sweet! You're finally done with the check-up. Everything good?" Johnny turned his attention to Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, everything's good. Only some bruised ribs and a bump to the head. Nothing serious." Dash smiled, relieved she didn't any real damage to the stallion. Johnny looked over Dash at the group of ponies that were now staring at him. "Who're your friends?" Dash perked up and took a few steps back to stand with the other ponies. "Johnny Blaze, these are my friends. The lavender, bookish mare is Twilight Sparkle, the cowpony is Applejack, the timid pegasus is Fluttershy, and the fashionable unicorn is Rarity. Guys, this is Johnny Blaze." "Greetings." "Howdy!" "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Blaze." "Um....Hi." Johnny smiled. "It's nice to meet you all." He looked at Rarity. "And simply 'Johnny' will do, ma'am." The white fashionista only nodded absentmindedly, her entire focus on Johnny's form. "My, Mr. Blaze, what an...interesting assemble you have. Oh but we simply MUST get you out of that jacket. It's looks like you got into a fight with a fire-breathing Diamond Dog." Johnny, a little annoyed that she still called him 'Mr. Blaze', that was his father's title, took a step back. What was wrong with his jacket? Sure, he turned Ray Carrigan, or should he say 'Blackout', into roadkill and sent Roarke back to Hell, all the while 'riding' a large six-wheeled transport truck in a highway brawl with a a few cars and a truck that had a GRENADE LAUNCHER on it, but this was his favorite jacket. "Please Ms. Rarity, it's alright. I like my jacket the way it is now. I consider it 'lucky'." Rarity nodded in reluctance, but turned her view towards his other accessory. "Well, what about removing that chain you have wrapped around your waist?" "Now Rare, 'ere's no need ta harass the stallion. We've only just met 'im." Applejack hopped in, deciding to save the gray pegasus from the fashionista. She smiled and tipped her hat at Johnny, who nodded in a 'thank you'. He could tell that he was going to get along just fine with this pony. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was busy looking at his wings. "Excuse me, M-uh, Johnny, but can I ask a question?" Johnny Blaze turned towards the unicorn. "What is it Ms. Sparkle?" "Just 'Twilight' will do. Anyways, I'm curious about your wings. I can't seem to detect any hint of paint build-up. Are your wings naturally that color?" Johnny was starting to get a little annoyed. Was wing color really that important? After all, this unicorn had a purple colored coat and a striped mane for God's sake. And the look in Rarity's eyes was starting to scare him a little. "Yes, my wings are naturally this color. Had been for as long as can remember." "Interesting. Cases of pegasi having multicolored wings are very rare." Meanwhile, Fluttershy stood a good distance away from the new stallion, her shyness keeping her from greeting him properly. She took a few deep breaths, to steel herself. This stallion seemed nice, and after all, Rarity said that it didn't hurt to be a little assertive. She walked towards the group... ...and that was last thing she saw before she felt a huge jolt of pain in her head. She gasped as the throbbing pain forced her eyes shut. She grasped her head with a hoof before finally managing to open her eyes. Everything blacked out, all except for the stallion, who was now just standing there, looking at her. In the black void, the stallion, Johnny, suddenly let out a loud, pain-filled yell, his yell hurting Fluttershy's ears. He began to convulse and stagger, his face showing nothing but pain and fear. His yells only got louder. The stallion's hooves were leaving behind hoofprints made of fire, the fire starting to cover his body. Fluttershy's couldn't stand the sight and started crying and yelling for help but they were drowned out by Johnny's cries of pain. The timid pegasus had to do something. She began to run towards the stallion in an effort to help. She reached for him with her hoof, but the stallion only knocked her away. His yells turned into evil, cackling laughter and snarling. His fur and skin began to burn away, his eyes turning into craters of black and fire. The chain around his waist burst into flames and the feathers and skin on his wings burned into nothing but ash, being replaced by fire and charred bone. His entire being burned away, his mane nothing but billowing fire and his body nothing but a charred skeleton, his jacket still remaining and his chain glowing in orange and red fire. The creature turned itself and faced Fluttershy, the yelling stopped, only to be replaced by the sounds of crackling fire. Fluttershy stood stock-still, her fear keeping her from moving as she stared in terror at the creature that took Johnny's place. She began to cry tears of fear quietly as the flaming skeleton began to walk towards her in a somewhat staggered manner, it's head slightly moving side-to-side, almost taunting her to try to move. But she couldn't, she was too afraid. As it got closer, she started to feel the heat it was giving off. She ducked her head and clenched her eyes shut, her tears now puddling beneath her. The hoofsteps were close now. Fluttershy shook in fear and began to sob harder. The skeletal pony creature stopped in front of her, it's size allowing it to look down at her. Fluttershy whimpered when she opened her eyes, seeing the burning hooves and charred legs in front of her. She could feel the hot puffs of air from the creatures breathing blowing into her mane. "...Kindness..." Fluttershy only whimpered at the cold whispered voice she heard. "...Kindness...is a powerful force..." Fluttershy, managing to see through the teary fog in her eyes, saw that the flames were turning into a blue color. "...a powerful force that is difficult to wield..." Fluttershy's expression turned to one of confusion. She tried to lift her head, but her fear only overrode her curiosity when she saw that she could see the blue flames inside his rib cage through his opened jacket. "...Who...Who a-are you...?" She trembled as a charred hoof raised and placed itself under her chin. It lifted her chin in surprisingly gentle manner, but she still clenched her eyes shut in fear of what she would see. She was also surprised that the fire didn't hurt at all. She was facing the fiery pony, but her eyes were still closed. She could've sworn that the warmth of the creature was drying her tears. "...I am Zarathos...the Angel of Justice...Fluttershy...the wielder of Kindness..." Fluttershy opened her eyes in shock that the creature knew her name. She met the eyeless gaze of the Angel of Justice. And...she wasn't scared of it-him. He spoke in the same whispered voice. "Your Element, along with the other Elements...my influence matches their's...You will not be the only one I speak to, Fluttershy. Your friends will come to know me...but only in time will your trust of me be tested...I have seen what will come forth in the future, and only then will I be revealed." The fiery pony turned his head away. "...I only ask...that you trust me...and that you do not condemn me for what I am..." The Angel of Justice looked straight into Fluttershy's eyes. She had stopped crying. "...My Gods have forgiven and accepted me for what I am...but your Gods will not be as accepting of me...This world is nothing but Harmony...but my world is nothing but greed and hate." The skeletal hoof left her chin and was set back onto the ground. The area around Fluttershy began to glow in a bright white light. "...My time with you is up, wielder of Kindness..." The fiery pony turned and began to walk into the light. Fluttershy instantly stuck out a hoof. She was surprised of what came out of her mouth. "Wait! Will I see you again?" Zatharos stopped and looked at Fluttershy. She could've sworn that the skull was smiling. "...Yes..." The light intensified and Fluttershy blacked out. Author's Note: Well? How was the chapter? I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I just couldn't figure out a way to continue it without making it predictable. I'm sorry if the Ghost Rider seems out of character, but I'm using the idea that we don't know what the Rider acts like now that he is the Angel of Justice, and not just the Spirit of Vengeance. Let me know what all of you think! > A Possible Situation > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Note: AHH! I FEEL HORRIBLE FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT FOR SO LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE THIS STORY! I don't know how to make it up to you guys. And I'm sorry to say this, but I might not be able to update very soon again either, since school is being a problem to me. But, you all deserve this update. In the throne room of Canterlot Castle, the focal point of the capital city of Canterlot, the two royal sisters were currently not located in the large and regal room. To those that weren't around the Princesses enough would've thought that they were taking the day off, which is beyond unheard of. But to the guards and staff on duty, especially the bakers and confectionery chefs, this meant the royal sisters of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were currently locked away in either's room, hoping to have at least one day where they didn't have a representative telling them why they should raise taxes on the middle families or have a noble telling them who did what and why the pony who did it should be banished for it. But even when locked away from bothersome petitioners and stuck up nobles, their work was still never done. After deciding that Celestia's room would be a good place to bunker down, Celestia removed her neckpiece as she Luna entered the brightly colored room. "Hahhhh, I just don't understand why our ancestor's thought that royal regalia made of gold and platinum was a good idea. I'm tempted to just sneak out of the castle and get a massage from that spa down in Ponyville." Luna giggled a little as she used her magic to pull off her crown and neckpiece. "Yes, that certainly seems like a nice thought. At least Miss Lotus and Miss Aloe don't constantly fret and worry that a small slip up will result in their spa being shut down. Well, at least after our third visit they stopped worrying." Celestia chuckled lightly as she finally managed to get the rest of her regalia off, setting her crown, neckpiece, and shoes neatly by the dresser, which Luna also set her regalia at. Luna then trotted over to the door and leaned out so only her head showed. She checked the guards that were standing motionless on each side of the door. They were both pegasi from the Night Guard, the bat-like appearances, slitted golden eyes, and bat wings contrasting greatly against the bright hallways and the warm colors. They both looked almost completely alike, except for the manes being a different color, one being solid black and the other a slate gray. Ever since a fight broke out at the training course between some veteran(in a sense) Night Guards and the new recruits for the Solar Guard, Luna and Celestia opted to give the Lunar Guard some more freedom in duties, such as letting them guard Celestia's room if she wanted and letting them patrol in the daytime. Although only a select few worked during the day. Luna calmly placed her hoof against the door. *tap, tap-tap tap tap* *tap tap* Luna grinned big, as did the guards who returned the answer to the 'secret code' and finally dropped the stoney gaze for the youthful look they always had for ponies their age and mind. "Ah, Cross Wind and Thunder Cloud. It's always a treat to have you two around." Cross Wind, the one with a slate gray mane, sheepishly rubbed his foreleg while Thunder Cloud, the one with the black mane, puffed out his chest in pride. Luna smiled at the display. Cross Wind and Thunder Cloud were one of the very few guards on either side that allowed themselves to let their manes down, so to speak, around the Princesses. "Since Tia and I will be finishing business in her room, you two must know what needs to be done, correct?" Cross Wind perked up. "Yes, your Majesty." "Good. We'll need two boxes of glazed donuts and a third box of donuts with extra sprinkles from Pony Joe's. And please pick up a thermos of fresh coffee too, please. After the chef's spotted the remains of sprinkles in our teeth the last time, the health advisers made Tia and I run laps everyday for a month. I do not want that to happen again." Thunder Cloud gave a mighty salute, a serious look in his eyes. "We will not fail you, your Majesty." He smiled. "And thanks for not ratting us out when they asked who was 'bootlegging' the donuts to you. We owe you, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia as well." Luna flushed slightly and waved a hoof. "It's no problem at all, now go on you two. Don't keep us waiting, please." Cross Wind and Thunder Cloud saluted and walked off, making sure not to look suspicious to any passing guard or maid. Luna scanned the hallways, making sure no one was spying on them, and went back into Celestia's room, quietly closing the door. She trotted over to her sister, who was finished setting up the work spaces. A small table with an inch thick pile of papers on each with an inkwell and three quills next to the pile. She sighed. "Ohhhh, why must everypony rely on us to solve every little squabble?" She picked up the first paper. She groaned before even reading a third of it. "Is this some kind of joke? A dispute over a tree?" "Now Luna, I know that some of our subjects can be rather...puerile-" "Puerile?! Last week a noble barged in and wanted us to put a mailmare in the dungeon because she lost a package by accident!" Luna slumped and hung her head. "Took me an hour to calm Ms. Hooves down. It breaks my heart to see such a nice mare cry because she made such a small mistake." Celestia moved over and sat down next to Luna. She wrapped a foreleg around the smaller alicorn. "I know that the nobles can be so insufferable, Luna, but we have to endure it. After all, Me forbid what would happen if one of them gained more power than the others." Luna giggled a little at that. "I suppose you are right, Tia." "Good, now lets try to get some work done while Cross Wind and Thunder Cloud get us our guilty little pleasures." Luna nodded with a smile and went back to her stack of papers, making sure to write 'Handle it amongst yourselves.' on the paper she had first read. XXXX She felt as though she was floating in a hazy fog on top of a cloud. Her eyes were refusing to open and she couldn't move any of her legs. "...tter...." She could've sworn she had just heard something. Was there somepony trying to call for her? Was there somepony trapped here with her as well? "Flutter...?" There was a voice trying to call for her, but where was it coming from? "Fluttershy? Please wake up." Her eyes opened, the blurring around the edges disappearing as she saw the concerned faces of all her friends, staring down at her prone form. It was Rarity who was calling for her. "Oh Fluttershy, we were so worried about you! One moment you were finally working up the courage to speak to our new friend and then you simply collapsed! The nurse couldn't find anything wrong and said it was okay for us to take you to the boutique. Are you alright darling?" Fluttershy noticed that she was not on the hospital floor, but instead lying on her stomach on Rarity's favorite 'fainting couch'. Her gaze caught the sight of the new pony, Johnny Blaze, as he walked around the shop, looking at the various mannequins dressed in some of Rarity's recently finished dresses. She looked back over at the others. "Uh, yes, um, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Rarity sighed in relief. "As long as you are okay darling. Now, back to business." Rarity suddenly walked over and ushered Johnny Blaze, who looked rather reluctant, back to the group. Rarity cleared her throat. "Ahem, now Mr. Blaze, why don't you tell us about yourself." Fluttershy could see that he still looked rather reluctant, but he still nodded. .... What could he say to these ponies? They'd likely label him crazy if he told them about where he REALLY was from. Johnny had to think fast. "Um, well, as you know, my name is Johnny Blaze, and I'm...a traveling stunt performer, I believe." Good, just play it up as a bad head injury and likely memory loss. "I..can't really remember much though. Farthest I can remember is waking up in that field. I know my name, and my talent, but I don't remember anything about my past." Twilight Sparkle, if he remembered right, seemed to be taking notes. How she found a quill, piece of paper, and somehow managed to blow his mind with the fact that her horn was glowing and lifting both objects up were lost to him. He then remembered his wings. He could kill two birds with one stone! Or just dig himself a deeper grave. He hoped it would be the first one. "And, well, I can't even remember how to fly." THAT got their attention. Especially to the rainbow maned pony, Rainbow Dash. "Dude! Are you serious? You can't remember how to fly?!" Twilight set the quill down. "Now Rainbow, let's calm down. I think I've read in a book-" "-among other places-" "-about this form of amnesia. It's something akin to selective memory loss. I don't know why he would forget to fly, but if he can't remember that, then he can't fly." Johnny needed a moment. He could've sworn that Twilight had just repeated herself. He was about to voice this when he heard something outside. It sounded like laughter. And not the kind-hearted or good-natured laughter of buddies and friends. No, this was taunting laughter you hear when you see the schoolyard bully shoving a kid over. The Rider was starting to act up, making Johnny wince and his mind fog up. He needed to check it out, if only to get the Rider to calm down. "Excuse me for a moment." Turning around, he quickly trotted out the door of the boutique, a little bead of sweat on his brow. .... "What was that about?" Rainbow started towards the door. "I'm gonna go see what he's doing." The others followed after Rainbow Dash, their curiosity peaked. .... It wasn't hard for Johnny to find the disturbance. A group of stallions were playing a game of Keep Away with a mare's satchel, said mare was trying to get it back, desperately pleading that she needed to deliver the mail or she will lose her job if she doesn't. "Like you'd keep that job anyways, you ditz. We're speeding up the process. Besides, there's no way a retard like you can make a living anyways." The stallion that had said that was a dark, near black purple with a spikey white mane. He was joined by two others, one being green with a blue mane, and the last a dark yellow with a red buzz cut mane, who spoke up next. "You're better off giving your daughter to Child Services. Maybe they can find her a mom who isn't stupid and worthless like you. Or at least one with normal eyes!" They all started to laugh. The mare started to cry. Johnny's grip on the Rider's leash loosened. *WHOOSH* The stallions looked up in confusion as the bag disappeared, only a hazy trail of smoke left in it's wake. Hearing a thud, they looked over at the pegasus stallion who had the bag in his mouth, his wings flared, and a lazy trail of smoke rising from him. His eyes were narrowed with hate. He spoke, his voice sounding rather raspy. "You best clear out before I lose control and bring the wrath of justice upon you." The stallions looked at him.....and laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're actually DEFENDING this brain dead loser?!" The green stallion pointed at the gray mare as he said that. She started to tear up even more. The Mane 6, who were standing by in awe, could've sworn that Johnny's eyes became darker and his voice became raspier as he spoke. "Your souls are tainted with your cruel acts upon those that can't defend themselves." He started to walk towards them, slinging the satchel around his neck. "Feel their pain." The stallions only laughed harder, "You really think you can fight us?! It's three against one! You must be as retarded as Derpy over here!" Johnny, with the Rider behind the wheel, charged at them in full gallop. XXXX "Should we really go to this little 'get together'? All it will be is the nobles stabbing each other in the back to get our favor." "I'm afraid we will have to. We have been putting off the invitations for too long now. If we don't attend to at least one 'soiree' each month, the ponies will think something has happened to us." "But I was going to surprise the Element bearers with a surprise visit that day!" "...Perhaps you can invite them as your guests? I'm sure the nobility will put up a fuss, but you have the authority to do it anyways. And you can shut them up with a glare if nothing else works." "BUT-.........." "Is something wrong Luna?" "...Tia....I sense something....something powerful....and angry." BANG! Man, ain't I a terrible person for putting a cliffhanger here? But don't worry. The next chapter may be a little shorter, but you'll all get your fix. I never leave out a good Rider fight scene. And I apologize if this chapter is not very good. Like I've said, this is pretty much the only MLP/Ghost Rider crossover, so I don't really got much to go one without being cliche or copying from others. Gotta work on that. SEE YA LATER! > This is Interesting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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....'