Up in Flames Side Story: Starcover's Secret

by Piece Bot

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Crossover, Human
Length: 2417

This is a side story to Up in Flames. I would highly recommend you read Up in Flames first otherwise this won't make sense at all. The side story is about how Johnny Blaze became Starcover.

Starcover being Johnny Blaze is not what veryone expected. This is a story about how he came to be Starcover.

Takes place about 3 years before the events of Up in Flames.

Read the others in this saga:
Up in Flames
Starcover's Secret: Already Here
Up in Flames 2: In the Ashes
Up in Flames 3: Beyond the Borders

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-26 00:50:02 UTC

A Deadly Secret

Johnny’s POV

It was a night like any other. I had just transformed into the Ghost Rider for about the billionth night in a row. I was riding my demon-cycle through town. As I transform into the Ghost Rider, my motorcycle transforms as well. I was riding it through town and I saw a raping take place down a deep, dark alleyway. I walked up to them.

“You. Guilty.” I told him in my crackly voice.

“No I’m not. Will you fuck off? I’m about to fuck this chick.” I grabbed him and put him up against the wall.

“Look into my eyes. Your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent. Feel their pain.” As he looked into my eyes I saw what he did to them. All their pain and all their suffering, when he looked away his eyes were coals. I shrugged and placed him down on the pavement. I got back on my demon-cycle and prepared to do another scout around town. I stopped my cycle and looked over. I saw a pony there, and it wasn’t an ordinary pony, no, it was a pony crossed with a Pegasus crossed with a Unicorn. As I got off my cycle I wrapped my chains around my torso and stepped up to it.

“What are you?” I asked it.

“I am an Alicorn Johnny Blaze.”

“Are you Mephisto?” I backed away from it in horror.

“No I am not. I have no idea who this ‘Mephisto’ is. I told you that I am an Alicorn.”

“Nooo. Get back you demon! BACK!” I hopped back on my demon-cycle and rode away into the sunrise. I felt relieved when I changed back to myself. Luckily, my demon-cycle changed back as well.

“Hello again.”

“Not again. I have no idea who you are lady but will you stop following me?”

“No. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re at my bloody apartment.” We went up the rattly elevator and stepped into my two room apartment in downtown Illinois. There were books everywhere on demons, angels and all sorts of religious crap.

“Twilight would be jealous of you.” I unconsciously unwrapped my chains and began to spin widdershins around the demon-creature.

“That won’t work.” With that she powered up her horn and my chains instantly turned to molten metal.

“What did you do to my chains?” I let my temper get the best of me and I turned back into the Ghost Rider.

“Johnny?”

“Sorry. Johnny isn’t here right now but can I take a message?” She began to power a something in her horn and unleashed that something at me. I ate it and spat it back at her.

“Impossible …” She screamed in pain and went back to whatever dimension she came from.

“MEPHISTO!” I called to my so-called ‘father’ and he appeared in a flash of smoke and brimstone.

“You rang?”

“Don’t you dare play jokes with me. Why did you send that fucking Alicorn here?”

“What Alicorn? Better yet, what is an Alicorn?”

“An Alicorn is a cross between a regular pony, a Pegasus and a Unicorn. Besides, don’t lie about it. You sent it here.”

“I’m telling you I did NOT!” He thundered and went away, smoke and all. I managed to let go of my temper and decided to pay Roxie a visit.

An hour later …

At Roxie’s place …

Johnny’s POV

“I don’t know what to do Roxie.” I told her about my daily/nightly scouts around downtown Illinois. I told her about me meeting that Alicorn as well.

“It seems like the stuff of myths.”

“What does?”

“The Alicorn, of course!”

“Johnny Blaze” Mephisto appeared.

“Oh. What do you want?” I’m sick of him appearing everywhere.

“I need you to get something for me. Something very valuable.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“It is something of great importance. Have you ever heard of the Elements of Harmony?”

“No I can’t say that I have.” In a flash of hot-white light the Alicorn appeared.

“What are you doing here?” Ignoring my question the Alicorn talked to Mephisto.

“How are you Mephisto?”

“Celestia! I haven’t seen you in a long time! How is Equestria doing?”

“Well … Equestria’s doing fine. I couldn’t help but overhear that you needed the Elements of Harmony?”

“Yes I need them for a little project of mine.”

“If your lapdog agrees then he’ll come with me to collect the Elements. Do you agree?” She aimed that last part at me.

“Uh uh uh uh, yes … but-“ Before I could ask why she wanted me to go this ‘Equestria’ place she blinded me with a flash of bright light. I then passed out.

About two hours later …

Somewhere …

Johnny’s POV

“Ugh.” I groaned and reached up to rub my head but I felt different. I looked at myself and I saw a Unicorn? ‘Fuck. This can’t

be happening. This just cannot be happening.’ In the mirror I saw a dark blue Unicorn with a fiery-red mane and tail, I had violet eyes and a flaming skull on my flank.

“What am I?” I didn’t realize I had spoken aloud because I heard Celestia cackle.

“You are a Unicorn. One of many I have imprisoned there. Oh you don’t know where you are? That’s sweet. You are in the crystal caves below Canterlot Castle in Equestria!” She cackled again. I disappeared from my dungeon and appeared behind Celestia.

“Hello. How are you feeling Ghost Rider?” I shuddered as she said Ghost Rider. I began to lose my temper again but I managed to control it.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m doing this because I needed one of Mephisto’s pawns and the only one that I knew how to get was you.” I lost my temper as she said this and I transformed into the Ghost Rider.

“What!? How can you still be the Ghost Rider when you don’t have anything to ride?”

“I have no idea lady. I reckon its Mephisto’s doing.”

“That bastard. Who gave him the right to give you back your powers?”

“Himself, I guess. I mean he did give me this curse to begin so it’s his right to do what he wants.” My chains manifested

around me and I used them gladly. I began to spin them around Celestia in a counter-clockwise motion. She looked scared. So she should be. She deserves this. I spun them around her so fast that she disappeared in a flash of white light.

“Sister? You in here?” I saw a midnight blue Alicorn. The Alicorn had a sparkly mane and tail that was a few shades lighter than her body. She gasped when she saw me. Luckily I had turned back to my ‘original’ form.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Johnny.”

“Johnny, that’s a weird name.”

“Why is it weird?”

“Because it sounds like a … you can’t be human, can you?”

“Yes ma’am I am a human. Celestia transported me to Canterlot Castle and imprisoned me in these crystal caves. She said that she had imprisoned other ponies down here.”

“She said that? Well don’t just stand there. Come with me and I’ll help you get settled in.”

In the actual Canterlot Castle …

Johnny’s POV

Luna, I asked what her name was, got me settled in and I’m still trying to get use to being a Unicorn. There was a knock at the door and when I opened it I saw Luna.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought about your cutie mark, that’s what we call the picture on your flank, and I’m starting to think that we have to

change it and your entire being basically.”

“Can you do it?” I asked hopefully. I would be glad to get rid of this curse.

“Maybe, but I’ll try.” She concentrated and there was a flash of light. After a few minutes of being disoriented I looked at myself in the mirror. I saw the way I was before but the only difference is that there was a group of stars in place of the

flaming skull. Also instead of my fiery-red mane the colour was dark brown.

“Oh good. It worked.” I saw Luna shakily get herself up. She hugged me and she whispered in my ear “You’re now free of the curse.” I let tears of joy stream from my eyes as she let me go.

“Will I still be able to use my chains?”

“Yes.” She pointed to a pile of metal in the corner. I went over to the pile, picked them up, and wrapped them around my torso.

“Sister? You in here?” Celestia walked in. My anger flared and I turned back into the Ghost Rider.

“FUCK! Why am I still like this!? I thought you fixed it!” I yelled at Luna. I was suddenly overcome by something and pointed at Celestia.

“You. Guilty.” I walked up to Celestia.

“It won’t work on me.”

“I think I can try.” I pointed at her and said “Look into my eyes. Your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent. Feel their pain.” She screamed as she realised that the Penance Stare did, in fact, work on her. I saw every bad thing she ever did. She imprisoned Luna in the moon, she gave a pony two hearts and she imprisoned me. When I looked into her eyes I saw that they were not coals.

“What?”

“I told you. It doesn’t work on me.”

“Why? Why doesn’t it work on you?”

“It doesn’t work on me because I am unkillable.”

“Huh? How are you unkillable?”

“I told you. I AM AN ALICORN!” She concentrated and there was a flash of black smoke and brimstone.

“CELESTIA! HOW DARE YOU!” Luna and I looked fearfully at Mephisto, who towered above us all.

“WHAT DID I DO!?” She grew in size and towered above us as well.

“YOU IMPRISONED …!” Luna and I carefully stepped outside and closed the door. As we walked away we could still hear them arguing. A flash of purple lit up Luna’s apartment and a Unicorn appeared.

“Hey Luna, why is Princess Celestia yelling? We could hear them from Ponyville.”

“Uh, can you hold that thought?” Luna said and hurriedly ran out of the room.

Luna’s POV

I quickly ran to the room where Celestia and the other human were arguing. I zapped them back to the human world and I ran back to my apartment. I was out of breath when I got there.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked.

“I zapped them to the human world and when they’ve finished arguing they will be zapped back here. I have no idea how long

they’ll be.”

“Good idea. Twilight and I were just getting acquainted.” Johnny said.

“Yeah, Starcover told me all about how Princess Celestia imprisoned him in the dungeons.”

“Starcover, can I talk to you outside for a minute?” We walked outside and closed the door.

“Starcover? That’s your name?” I burst out laughing. After my laughing fit subsided I saw Johnny trying to talk to me.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, I decided to have Starcover as my name while I’m in Equestria. I’ll try not to lose my temper and I’ll try to learn some star-based spells. That is, if you’re willing to teach me?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll be glad. But first you have to be part of a family before I can start teaching you.” We agreed on that and I went inside to tell Twilight she’ll have a new family member.

“Twilight, do you have anypony in your family who’s willing to take a teenage orphan?” ‘Because that’s what he is basically.’

“Yeah, my Aunt Indigo would be glad to have him. I’ll send her a message right now.” As Twilight got to it I went back outside to tell Johnny the good news.

“Okay, this is your cover story. You were orphaned at a very young age and have lived with some of your family until they died and you ended up in an orphanage until I found you and well, I guess you know the rest.”

“That sounds good. That is actually what happened to me when I was human.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know …”

“It’s okay Luna.”

“Hey guys? Can you come back in here?”

We both went back in to see Celestia materialise in the garden, back to her original size thankfully. I felt Johnny turn into whatever he turned into and jumped through the window before I could stop him.

“Was that Starcover?” I just nodded fearfully.

Johnny’s POV

When I saw Celestia my anger flared and with it so did my Ghost Rider persona. ‘This time, I’m going to kill her, even if she is unkillable.” I jumped through the window and landed beside her.

“Gahh! Johnny … hello.”

“HELLO!? WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU AND MEPHISTO TORTURING ME? I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!” Before I could give her a chance to answer I kicked her with my hind legs and sent her flying across the garden. She got up unscathed.

“GARRRAHRG!” I yelled and ran to her. She stopped me with a spell.

“How?” I said in my crackly voice.

“Easy, Mephisto taught it to me.” With that she let go of her spell and she teleported me back to Luna’s apartment. When I got to the window Celestia was nowhere to be seen. Luna and Twilight were looking at me fearfully. When I saw their faces I ran out of the apartment and back to my dungeon.

Luna’s POV

“Johnny?” I walked down into the dungeon.

“You may as well know the truth.” He paused.

“I’m listening.”

“I’m not human. Well I was before everything happened …” He told me all about him being the Ghost Rider.

“Johnny, I am so, so sorry.”

“No you’re not. You’re just saying that.”

“No I’m not just saying that.” To show him I meant it I leaned over and kissed him.

“What was that for?”

“To show you that, even though you’re some sort of demon, you can still be loved and still be human. Why don’t you come up and tell Twilight, that’s the lavender Unicorn, about how you are the Ghost Rider.”

“Okay. I’ll do that. But she may not take it very well.” I pretended to ignore that last part and went to sort out all the legal stuff about him being adopted.