Chapters Equestria...
Princess Twilight looked down at the villain, trapped in a purple bubble she forged from her magic. "P-Please... Forgive me... Everything... Please..." the pony begged. The stallion wore a strange suit, with devil horns and a black mask covering his eyes. They were on the outskirts of Manehattan, having learned of his presence there and his rather violent motives.
The Guardians of Harmony had used Rainbow Power in order to weaken the magic power of the pony. Twilight noticed that he was using a form of dark magic unlike anything she'd ever seen, even Sombra's own methods.
"Why should we?" Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her hooves while levitating. "He actually tried to kill a bunch of ponies for no actual reason!"
Twilight gave Dash a quick glare, "Why were you threatening to... kill the ponies in this city, Flamewave? Enslavement? Radical attitude? We can help you if you reach out!"
"F-For my master..." Flamewave gasped, tears running down his face. "H-He forced me! B-Brought me under his control to do as he p-pleases..." he whispered.
That made Applejack curious, "Master? Ya workin' fer somepony?"
Nodding as fast as he could, "Y-Yeah! W-We're called the Servants of Darkness!"
"Servants of Darkness..." Twilight repeated to herself, "Are you working for Sombra?" she questioned in a stern tone.
Flamewave studdered, "N-No... Sombra an-and even Tirek are mere pawns in what he has planned... He put me under his control in order t-to fulfill his deeds... B-But I can still the temptations... H-Help me..." he begged again.
Fluttershy looked at the princess, "S-should we do something, Twiiight? He looks sincere."
Raising a brow, Rainbow looked at her old friend, "You kiddin' Fluttershy? He tried to bring about an apocalypse! He should rot in jail!" she decided aloud.
"I agree with Flutters!" Pinkie called out.
Rarity hummed, "I'm not too sure... What if this is a trick."
"Well, if it was, he wouldn't be warnin' us that he still has dark magic temptin' him." Applejack reminded the white unicorn.
Twilight nodded, "She's right..." the alicorn turned her head back to Flamewave, "Very well, Flamewave... As Princess of Friendship, we'll give you a second chance. But for now we have to keep you under solitary confinement for safety. If this is a trap, we will not hesitate to send you to Tartarus. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes, Princess Twilight! I promise I won't disappoint you!" Flamewave shouted.
Rainbow nudged Twilight's shoulder, "You sure we should be doing this? We seem to give every villain a pass."
"What do you mean?" the alicorn wondered.
The cyan pegasus raised her hooves, "What I mean is, just about everytime a new threat shows up, we seem to talk our way out of fighting them. Except for Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra. We brought Discord, Starlight, and that Sunset pony you talk about, on our side without that much of a fight."
"Silly Rainbow! That's what we're supposed to do!" Pinkie reminded the rainbow-mane mare.
"As Princess of Friendship, it's my job to reach out to as many ponies as I can in a civil manner. I won't hesitate to stop a true threat that won't listen to reason, Rainbow. I'm just glad ponies are open to second chances and listen."
"I'm very grateful for that." Rarity added, "Now, shall we head home and begin helping Flamewave?"
The bubble covering Flamewave disappeared, and Twilight offered him a shoulder to lean on, tired and weakened from the rainbow magic used upon him. "Thank you..." he whispered, feeling the need to pass out, forcing himself to stay awake.
Beaming a smile, Twilight was unprepared for Pinkie wrapping her hooves around the two, "Celebration! We'll be happy to help you, Flamewave!"
"Yes we will." Twilight giggled.
Flamewave sighed in relief, "I'll do my best. Even if you trap me... It's for the better. I'd rather know you were all safe. I'll explain everything I can remember once you bring me to the cell."
"Fair enough. I'll be lookin' forward to kicking this master's ass!" Rainbow boasted.
Earth...
"Robbie!"
Agent Phil Coulson bent down, placing the lengthy chain in his grip and tossing the other end to the person trapped in the box-like cell, covered in a bright, yet powerful light given by a mark. The figure grabbed it while not turning away from his target. Meanwhile, his team of agents continued to battle the people that wished to follow in their leader's goals.
The person in question who grabbed the chain was a man, wearing a leather jacket with a white trimming covering up to his chest. Gloves covered his hands as he held the chain. But there was something different about him.
His head was a flaming skull, with his body giving off a small flaming aura with smoke popping out of his head. There were markings on the skull, representing the scars that would never leave and the mistake he would never regret. Coulson threw the chain at the figure in order to ensure his survival.
Coulson struggled in pulling the Ghost Rider out of the boxed magic device. He placed a second hand on the chain, hoping that it would ease his efforts.
On the ground next to Ghost Rider was Eli Morrow, the very man who brought about Robbie's change. He struggled to get up due to the Ghost Rider and the device he found himself trapped in.
The Spirit of Vengeance turned his skull head in Coulson's direction, silence heard from everyone there. He released his end of the chain, prompting Coulson to give him a shocked expression and everyone else looking to be surprised at his act.
Picking up Eli and pinning him to a wall with one hand, Ghost Rider silenty scowled at him, frightening Morrow greatly. Coulson could only watch as the device finally set off and activated at last, illuminating the box in a bright light.
Eli screamed as he knew what was happening, his body bursting into flames thanks to the Ghost Rider.
A circular marking appeared on the floor underneath the box and suddenly the containment field vanished into thin air as it moved down in a matter of milliseconds. In its trail, it only left a small burst of fire that lasted only a few seconds, giving it the appearance that nothing was ever there in the first place.
The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. walked forward in silence and appalled at what they witnessed. Coulson could only kneel down and grab the chain of the vigilante. Deep down, he knew that Robbie survived, learning first hand about survival.
And he was right, but it wasn't on this world.
Robbie could only cough as he finally awoke. His eyes slowly opened as the light of the sun nearly blinded him. 'What the hell?' he thought, using a hand to block the beam of light. He used his other hand to feel his location, feeling grass on his gloves. 'Where's the device? W-What's happening?'
A lingering thought made him snap sitting up, 'Where is he?' then he remembered as he looked at his palms, 'Oh... That's right. It seems he finally got what he deserved for what he did to Gabe.' he looked at his hands, as clean as ever despite his gruesome act mere moments ago.
The host of the Spirit of Vengeance looked at his surroundings, finding himself in a forest. "Huh. Seems I'm far off from L.A." he silently quipped, his voice gruffed. "Well, I gotta get myself moving..." he sighed in annoyance, getting to his feet.
Robbie began walking, his destination unknown for the time being. He knew that he had to get home, but first things first he needed a city to get directions from. His walking was aimless, and judging by the setting sun, it was almost night, which would make things harder to see. And he only had the clothes he wore and the Spirit on him. 'No chain and no car...' he thought, 'Guess I'm doing things the long way.'
The man continued to walk, seeing that night had come. He placed a hand on a tree, sitting down to rest his legs. Even though it was dark outside, he could see buildings out in the distance. He squinted to get a better look ahead, deciding to save his powers for if he needed them.
Standing up again, Robbie muttered to himself, "Alright. A city. Doesn't look like anyplace I've seen. Especially one near such a forest...." he realized. He walked a little more, readying himself just in case something were to go wrong. He knew what the world could bring first hand and always readied himself ever since the accident once the sun goes down.
He heard a scream as he neared the borders of the city, making him raise a brow in confusion. He saw dim lights illuminating the buildings and surrounding the streets as he got closer. Placing his hands to his side, Robbie clenched his fists, recognizing those noises as scream of terror. He saw something run down, but it wasn't human.
It appeared to be quadrupedal in nature, 'Almost like a horse...' Robbie realized in his head, getting a closer look at the alien creature as it neared him. He decided to stand still and see if it would notice him. Reyes shook his head, 'How the fuck did I end up in a world of horses that are capable of screaming?' he questioned himself, gritting his teeth. "If I'm here... It has to be for a reason." he realized in a whisper.
The pony panted, out of breath. The host of the Spirit of Vengeance noticed that it sounded like a female, judging by the scream she made upon seeing him, seemingly getting her breath back just to scream. Robbie rolled his eyes. "W-What in Equestria are you supposed to be!? A monster!?"
'Fairly accurate description.' thought Reyes. Clearing his throat, Robbie spoke, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you." he whispered to the mare, kneeling down to look at her. More loud sounds were heard, making him flinch in surprise as he looked back at the city before turning to the pony again. "Now, what is going on in there?"
"P-Ponies wearing dark robes. They're threatening to kill hostages they have! Harming others!" the mare gasped out a description of the events the best she could in a panic. "Need help..." she muttered, putting a hoof to her chest to catch her breath upon talking so fast in fright.
Robbie shook his head, processing everything the mare had just said to him. "Has this happened before?"
"Y-Yes, a few days ago in Manehattan. The Guardians of Harmony aren't nearby! We need help!"
Standing up, Reyes scowled, "I'll go."
The mare extended a hoof, reaching out to him. "Wait! They're too powerful!"
Robbie turned around, giving the pony a smirk, "You don't know what I can do." he boasted, facing the city and walking forward, ready to fight. He heard magic, meaning that these ponies are capable of more than what they appear and if they can be such threats to hold a city down, then he had no choice but to step in. After all, he had to avenge those that had fallen in the crossfire, and it was his duty to bring justice against criminals.
Although, he had to admit. Compared to his world, this might be considered a small break. He would focus on getting home later, but for now, he had ponies to save, whether that sounded bizarre or not depended on one's stance on his world.
"Keep going, everypony!" the tall stallion wearing the hood over his head shouted, his voice distorted. "We must bring back our master!" he commanded, looking at his followers.
Two more ponies used their magic to blast away any opposition, gravely injuring them. The hostages they had were shivering in their spots, fearing their purpose. "They must be the new vessels in order unleash the Dark Army on our world once more..." the leader of the small group whispered to his comrades.
"With the vessels, we will be one step closer!" one of the cloaked goons revealed.
A unicorn stallion gulped, "W-What?!"
"A vessel?" a mare gasped.
The leader chuckled darkly, "That's correct. You are merely pawns in a greater scheme... The Dark Army shall use our combined power to reawaken our leader. The being Celestia and Luna banished so long ago to a realm beyond Tartarus."
Guards tried to attack the cult, but were blasted aside by spells of dark magic, their horns glowing black as they used the spell, hitting each of their intended targets, knocking them back into buildings, tearing apart the walls. Fires were burning in their surrounding area as civilains ran away in fright.
"Even the Guardians of Harmony cannot reach us by the time the Dark Army make their mark here..." the leader chuckled to himself, his green eyes narrowing.
"What about me?"
The leader growled, "Who dares?!" he snarled, getting a good look at the strange bipedal clothed figure standing nearby, his fists clenched and he seemed ready to fight. "You've done a lot of damage... Harming innocent beings." Robbie pointed out, gesturing to all the debris and injured or dead ponies around them.
Gritting his teeth, the cult leader snarled, "And what makes you think you have a right to talk back to the Servants of Darkness?!" he spat as Robbie remained still.
"I've dealt with punk-asses like you before. Radical, yet stubborn." Robbie insulted, cracking his knuckles.
"Grr... Servants! Attack!"
The goons used their black magic to lift debris in the direction of Robbie, who saw rocks, chains, sticks, and bricks. Seeing them come at him, Reyes rolled to his side, dodging the debris aimed at him. He got to a knee, as he turned his head, focusing on the cloaked ponies trying to murder him. 'Magic... Seems they can levitate objects in their surroundings. That's new.'
Robbie placed a hand on the floor, pushing himself up. He saw the leader step forward. Reyes picked up a rock and threw it, trying to smash the skull of the pony, but he erected a black forcefield in order to shield himself from damage. "You must be better than that in order to stop the Dark Army." he boasted, focusing his energy into his horn, but the human rolled forward, kicking the cult leader in thie chin, knocking out some teeth from his mouth as the back of his skull hit the ground.
Turning around, Reyes saw the goons come after him, throwing more debris in his way. The man ducked down, catching a brick and throwing it, smashing the head in of one of the servants, blood pouring out from underneath his horn and his eyes rolling into the back of his head as a result. "Deserved it." he whispered, 'One down. A few more to go...' he thought.
The second goon came running after him. In response, Reyes knelt down and punched the dark magic user in the barrel, making him wheeze. The human pushed a hand out and shoved the mare aside, making her stagger backwards. The mare used her horn to lift up another object, this one a chain. She whipped it in his sight, but Robbie manages to catch it in one hand.
Robbie gave the weapon a curious look before yanking it. "Huh..." he muttered to himself, "I've been looking for one."
To the cult's surprise, the chain Robbie held began to light up in flames as well as his eyes, which gave a red hue. In his grip, Reyes whipped the flaming chain in the direction of the pony, hitting her with it and making her fall to the side, her body covered in small scorch marks from the enhanced weapon.
Robbie put the chain and wrapped it on his side, feeling that he was done using it for the moment. He grabbed the pony by the throat, his eyes still in flames, he extended a hand and used his powers, burning her into a crisp and making her disintergrate. "Another down... All that's left is the leader." he muttered, keeping count of who was left, remembing only the leader.
Then, a black beam hit his back, making Robbie fall to his stomach painfully. The leader smirked as he focused his attention on both his hostages and the human that threatened his master's plans. "You shouldn't have come here strange creature. It was a grave error on your part to intervene in the Servants' of Darkness's plans." he boasted, his eyes narrowing.
"What makes you think you can stop us?" the leader asked in a condescending tone, "That you can save these ponies from their fate as servants."
Robbie coughed, blood spitting out of his mouth a little. He laid on his back now as he spoke, "I'm not as weak as you think. You hurt innocents ... I can do a lot more..." he mumbled, standing up, as though the injury wasn't there.
The leader stepped back, watching something strange happen to the newcomer human. His eyes were already on fire, but his head began to do the same, smoke covering his face. Robbie grunted faster with each second that the flame got bigger.
His face melted slowly, his eyes glowing red as a skull began to reveal itself in place of his flesh. Robbie Reyes has just unleased the Ghost Rider.
The Ghost Rider silently stepped forward, making the pony gulp. "What the hell are you!?" he asked. Ghost Rider didn't say a word as he grabbed the stallion by the cloak. The hostages watched Ghost Rider throw him on the ground, using his flames in order to remove the binding that encased them.
Looking at the skull, the ponies gulped, grateful yet fearful at their savior. Deciding that they had enough, they ran away, leaving Ghost Rider on his own.
The Ghost Rider knelt down, grabbing the leader by the back of the cloak. His eyes narrowed while he glared into the pony's soul, scaring him. His robe began to burst into flames and the Spirit of Vengeance looked at the damage made by this new cult, with them harming innocents and authorities he felt this justified. Blood began to pour out of the pony as he ripped out their spine, leaving a puddle of red on the floor around his body.
He whipped his chain in his hands, it on fire as he looked at what happened. He walked into the flames, seemingly blending in and disappearing right as ponies came in, only getting a glimpse at the skull figure that stopped the cult. They were appalled by the dead bodies around them, especially what was left of the leader. The hostages too were disgusted at the sight, but they were grateful that they were alive.
Robbie continued to walk, his destination unknown still. With a chain in hand, he now had a weapon. 'A cult hellbent on destruction and a darklord. Seems I'll be here longer than I thought.' he made up his mind, looking at the sign of the city.
'Fillydelphia.' he groaned, "Of fucking course. I may start to regret this."
"Is that everything you wanted to say?" Twilight asked Flamewave, the pony sitting in a small cell confined in glass. The alicorn placed a spell that could nullify magic in a specific region, which ensured that he would not escape. But Twilight noticed a lack of resistance from him, which she was glad for.
The stallion nodded, "Yes, Princess.... It's all I can remember. I wish I could tell you more."
Twilight gave him a soft smile and sighed, "I see... Are you at least able to explain more about this Dark Army?"
Shaking his head, Flamewave spoke, "Sorry, Princess. Whoever performed the spell ensured that we knew next to nothing other than what he wanted."
The princess hummed, "Hm. Very well. At least we're making progress." she said.
"I hoped so... Everything I did i-in that cult was b-beyond my control. I-If I could stop myself... I would've." Flamewave whispered to himself, a tesr rolling down his eye.
Twilight stood up from her chair, "I'm glad you're telling me all this, Flamewave. We'll make sure whoever did this is brought to justice and have you at least pardoned as a result of mind control."
"Thank you..." he whispered.
Twilight walked up from her cellar, a temporary living space for Flamewave while she gets information and aided in his reformation. The alicorn sighed, rubbing her head, exhausted after a lengthy few days of working. 'This Dark Army... The Servants of Darkness... This is new... But why are they showing up now?' she asked in her head, questions running rampant in her brain.
Finally in the library, the alicorn hoped to sit down and read a good book for the rest of the night. She used her magic to levitate a novel out of its shelf and opened it, using her horn as a makeshift flashlight to see the words better. 'At least I can rest for the night...' she exhaled slowly, content for the night.
The door to the library slammed open, and Spike and Starlight walked in as fast they could. "Twilight!" the young dragon called out, taking a glance at the paper Starlight was levitating with her magic, showing the headline first.
"Yes Spike, Starlight?" Twilight wondered.
"You may want to take a look at this..." muttered Starlight, putting th newspaper on Twilight's table.
The alicorn pursed her lips in confusion, taking a look at the newspaper Starlight gave her. "This just came in today." the unicorn explained, the dragon nodding.
"News kinda travels fast." Spike added.
Twilight took a close look at the paper, seeing the sketch made. "What in Celestia's name..." she whispered. It was a picture of a skull with fire surrounding it. She read the article as fast as she could, seeing it was a report from Fillydelphia.
"It's strange..." Spike muttered, "What the heck is it supposed to be?"
"Dark Army... Cult... Hostages." Twilight gasped, recognizing a few words in the articles. "But who is this skull pony supposed to be?" she wondered aloud.
Starlight shook her head, "I'm not too sure if it's even a pony. They call him the Ghost. He showed up to fight that cult and then left before anypony else can learn more. Only the hostages he saved spoke. He's bipedal and his head just changed into a skull."
"It's a little creepy." Spike added.
"It says he... maimed and killed each and every single one of those cultists. All of them dead, and one..." Twilight gagged, "Egh... This is too far."
"What are we going to do?" Spike asked, "I mean, he's called the Ghost! He just faded away and it was like he was never there!"
Shaking her head, Twilight answered, "I'm not too sure, Spike. But if Flamewave can at least draw us to the Servants of Darkness's next location, we can beat the Ghost there and learn more from there as well as stopping this cult."
"How much did you learn from him anyway?" Starlight wondered.
"Not too much, the mind control affected his mind so that he wouldn't remember too much." Twilight explained, "But I think I can reach out to him tomorrow for answers."
Starlight raised a brow, "Do you want me or Spike to do anything?"
Twilight shook her head, "Not right now. Once we learn where the Servants of Darkness are striking next, we'll go to stop them and this Ghost."
Robbie cracked his knuckles, finding himself walking on the edge of a forest. A chain was strapped to his belt and dirt covered parts of his clothes. 'Servants of Darkness... Dark Army... Sounds like I never left home.' he mused, focusing on what was ahead. Realizing it was getting too dark to see, Reyes had an idea.
The man bent down and grabbed a lone branch. He used his powers to light it in a small flame, giving him light to continue his journey. 'I've been walking for two days, only food being water from a river and any animal that thinks they can stop me. I need a place to stay.' he thought, putting the branch in front of him.
Robbie paused, hearing a strange sound. "What the hell was that?" he wondered. He swore he heard a small explosion and slamming. Tuning the atmosphere of the forest out, Robbie turned left, going in the direction of the sound.
Nearby, he saw a small shack, "In the middle of nowhere..." he muttered, leaning on a tree, turning his head and getting a closer look at the place. "Why would a place like this have ponies make such a loud noise?"
"Grr. Help me!"
Robbie heard a scream and he squinted, dimming the flames on the branch he held to hide himself better. He saw a pony getting dragged by another, this one wearing a business suit. There was no horn on their head, meaning that whoever this was, they had no connection to the cult. 'As far as I'm aware...' he thought, seeing the kidnapper walk backwards into the house with their victim, slamming the door once he entered.
The man took a look at the shack, seeing it rundown and ragged, looking unused for years. Robbie clenched his fists, "Can't leave anyone behind." he grunted, hearing another grunt. Turning again, Reyes saw a pony drag an unconscious pegasus into the house as well, opening and closing the door as they entered.
"No one else is here... I have to save them. Maybe I can get answers..." Robbie muttered, walking forward. He decided it was time to protect the innocent. 'If only I had the car. Things would get done a lot quicker. But it's just me for now.'
"Heh heh."
One of the suited ponies laughed, looking over the golden objects scattered across the round wooden table. Five of them sat in a circle, looking over their money, "Gotta admit... Didn't think we could get much profit from this." one of them admitted, his eyes never turning away from the large sum.
Another pony chuckled, "Those radical cultists can make quite a profit. Morals be damned."
"Um... I wouldn't be so sure that we should be doing this." an earth pony whimpered, looking at the few unconscious ponies they dragged back to the shack. "T-This seems a little too far."
The pegasus smacked him upside the head, "Shut up ya coward! These 'Servants of Darkness' can give us a large bounty of we do this. We don't give a damn about what they're about. Even if it is pretty freaking ridiculous." he scolded.
The ponies they kidnapped were tied together, their hooves strapped and blindfolded. They were tranquilized with a spell that would leave them unconscious for a few hours at most. "So... How long until those cloaked freaks show up and give us our payment?"
"Not sure... They said by nightfall or early dawn."
One of the unicorns used his horn to light up a candle, dimly lighting the room despite the dark setting. "Alright. Guess we just gotta be patient then."
The tall stallion looked out the window, not able to see anything. "It was a mistake hidin' out in the middle of freakin' nowhere." he grumbled, squinting his eyes. All he could see were trees and what was lit up by the stars in the sky.
A knock was heard, prompting the tall unicorn to look at the pegasus, "Go check on who that could be, Sky Storm." he ordered, the winged pony nodded, "We gotta clean things up here just in case it isn't our special guests."
Sky Storm walked downstairs. He opened the door slowly, but he saw nothing on the other side. "Huh? Who the hell--?" he couldn't finish speaking as something choked him. He felt leather around his neck and he tried moving his eyes up, unable to see the figure doing this in question,
"Ack!" he choked. Robbie gritted his teeth, ensuring the pony did not escape or let out another word. Sky Storm could tell that it wasn't a pony judging by its ability to stand easily and the digits seen on the end of his hands.
"W-What a-are you?!" the pegasus gasped out.
"Your worst nightmare." Robbie whispered, kicking the pony in the leg so hard it shattered, creating a loud cracking sound as a result. The pony tried to scream, but it held his muzzle shut, choking him until he ran out of oxygen. The bipedal being then snapped Sky Storm's neck, killing him instantly.
Back inside, the rest of the gang didn't like how long the pegasus was taking. The tall unicorn looked at two of his allies, "You two... Go out there. See what's takin' Sky Storm so damn long." with a nod, they slowly walked down. They walked outside and saw the source of the loud snapping sound.
Sky Storm's body fell, his head snapped in an odd direction.
"Holy shit..." the pegasus whispered.
On the roof was Robbie, his chain in hand. 'Two more... The room is more crowded than I thought. Looks like I'll still have to be silent.' he thought, considering his next plan, 'Can't have him out just yet.' he thought, referring to the Spirit of Vengeance within his soul.
The man climbed down, flicking his arm so that his chain wrapped around the neck of the earth pony. Suddenly, he was pulled back into the shadows. The pegasus turned around once he heard a yelp, wondering where his partner went. "Where the--" he paused, taking a step backwards.
Then, he felt something stomp on his back, shattering it and making him collapse. The pony screamed, but no reaction was made from the accomplice, because Robbie wrapped his chain around the pony, choking him. Nopony could see his form in the dark of the forest, minus the white racer line on his jacket. Robbie gritted his teeth, tightening his hold on the chain to make the pony lose oxygen faster, stepping off the broken corpse. 'Two more. I can't afford to be seen yet. The ponies up there are at risk, and I need to know why they were taken. None of these guys seem to be the leader. He wouldn't come down like this.'
The pony could only gargle words as Robbie yanked the chain back, snapping the pony's neck then and there, his body dropping onto the floor in mere seconds. The man looked at the window, seeing only two more ponies inside with the hostages from where he was standing once he stepped forward.
Reyes stormed forward, his chain dragging on the ground next to him as he moved. The man was suddenly pushed back by a pony, falling on his back. "What the hell are you?" the pony asked, observing Robbie's form. "Some kinda monster?"
Robbie smirked, "No... I'm much worse." he hissed. The host of the Spirit of Vengeance calmly stood up, rubbing the sore spot on his chest nonchalantly. "I need to speak with your boss... If you don't bring him here. I may repeat my earlier actions to you as well." he threatened, gesturing to the dead gangsters.
The earth pony gasped, "W-What in Celestia's name? Y-You killed them!" he snarled.
"They had it coming. I saw them walking in with you dragging those innocent ponies." Robbie cracked his neck as a scowl formed on his face, his eyes turning orange. He wanted to grab a branch or something from the floor, but he chose to hold back on using his powers for the time.
Instead of talking, the earth pony bucked Robbie in the chest, making him lose his breath for a bit. "Go buck yourself. Nopony's gettin' to the boss. Not even a freak like you." he boasted, driving his hooves into Reyes' legs, making him kneel.
Robbie chose not to dwell on the small pain. Instead, he clenched his fist and uppercutted the pony that just attacked him. A cracking sound was heard as Reyes knew he had dislocated their jaw with a single punch easily. "Now, we're going to try this again." he warned, spinning his chain in his hands.
He knelt down next to the bleeding pony, choking him. "Take me to your boss now and tell him to give up." he hissed through gritted teeth. "You got ponies tied up and drugged in there. You don't want to see what happens."
"N-Not drugged..." the pony managed to choke our a correction, "Sleep s-spell."
"Smartass..."
Stepping on the pony's hoof, Robbie placed the chain on their muzzle, "I'll say this one more goddamn time. Tell your boss to stop this. Otherwise... He and you might see my bad side."
The pony was in tears, feeling the oxygen leave his lungs as Reyes tightened his arm around his throat. The man removed the chain to allow him to speak. "G-Go to Tartarus! We're getting paid doing this!" he snarled.
Snap.
Robbie allowed his body to drop, having enough. 'Seems we have to do this the hard way.' he sighed.
Back in the house, the tall unicorn looked at the ponies dead outside their hideout, unable to see the cause in the dark. "Holy shit... What was that? How--"
Footsteps were heard, and the pony in charge gulped in fear, taking a small step backwards. He saw a bipedal creature standing in the dimly lit room, and he could see his eyes glaring right into his soul, "What the hell do you want? Money? Power? I can get you all of that! J-Just let me live, please!"
Robbie pushed the table aside, forcing the pony to back into a wall, where he stopped. "What do you want with these ponies?!" he asked slowly, holding the pony by his tie.
"Some ponies told us... Get them, they pay us!"
"Who!?"
The pony cried and revealed, "T-The Servants of Darkness, they call themselves! They paid us to do this! W-We don't know why they want these ponies! I-I swear!"
"The cult?!" Robbie snarled, throwing his body on the ground. "You already put these ponies at risk and harmed them! And now you're putting this world in danger! For money?"
"Y-Yeah, the money!" the pony gulped. "But we ain't lettin' the ponies go!" he shot a beam of magic at Reyes, who was pushed back, but didn't feel a thing. Robbie only looked at his hand, seeing a small flame appear in it. He knew what was coming, he could feel the change coming.
The man narrowed his eyes, them glowing orange. "You shouldn't have done that." he threatened. He turned his head to the side, his eyes outright being the only light in the room with the candle out. He grunted as the flames around his head grew. The pony could only watch as Reyes transformed.
Then, Robbie's flesh began to melt in a small fire around his head. He shook his head, now a flaming skull. The pony watched the sudden transformation in disgust, regretting his action.
"What the hell os that?!"
Ghost Rider walked forward, the pony choosing to hit him with another beam of magic. This time, the Spirit of Vengeance didn't react, kneeling down and staring at the pony in silence. The pony cried as he hid his head in his hooves, hoping that he would just leave him be. But the man had different plans.
The Ghost Rider touched the pony, and punched him, before using his flaming chain to burn him to ashes. The pony screamed as he felt his very being and soul vanish in agony. Ghost Rider turned his flaming head, looking at the ponies. He knew that they has to be brought back to the city. And if these ponies could drag them all the way here, then there must be something nearby.
So, the Ghost Rider lifted the rope and the ponies, and walked out. With his skull, it granted him a better view of what was ahead. It took a short time, but he found a town he could drop them off in for the authorities to handle.
Then, he put them down next to a sign saying that he was near 'Manehattan'. The Ghost Rider walked away right as one of them slurred awake. Due to the spell, their vision was blurry and they were still slightly unconscious. They could barely see the man with the flaming skull vanish into the darkness, vanishing like a ghost into the night.
The Ghost Rider knew he had to dispose of the bodies of the gangsters once he went back to the shack, to ensure no one in this world could trail him. And he thought to use the hidden house as a hideout to stay in while he sorted everything out. He knew he had to act soon, as this cult could come back at any moment.
The flames on his head faded and he changed back to normal. Robbie wandered into the dark forest, unsure of what lied ahead. 'Even if I'm in another world, The Spirit of Vengeance still acts. They can't know about me. Not now. Not until I stop this cult and find a way back to my world.'
Twilight used her magic to lift the newspaper into Flamewave's line of sight. "Excuse me, Flamewave." the alicorn started to say, getting the stallion's attention while he ate a small meal. The pony got up and gazed at the paper. "The Servants of Darkness struck again in Fillydelphia. They were about to do what they did to you and put them under mind control for the Dark Army."
"...I see." Flamewave hummed.
The princess cleared her throat, "I know I really shouldn't be asking you these questions, but it's really important."
"Go right ahead." Flamewave agreed to answer.
"When the Servants of Darkness put you under their control, did they give you a set of locations to go to? As in, you head from city to city to gain more minions? Or did that wear off when we freed you?" she wondered to him.
Flamewave pondered, trying to recall as much as he could, "...Hmm..." he hummed, wondering the same thing. Silence was passed along the two ponies for a moment. Twilight hoped that he would still have some knowledge that could benefit her. After all, not onlt could she stop the Dark Army, she could also learn more about the Ghost, who seemed to be stopping them as well at least.
"It's a little hard to remember." Flamewave groaned. He put a hoof to his chin, "But I think I can recall something. Though, I'm not sure if it's correct."
"I'll trust your word as correct." Twilight revealed.
Flamewave hummed again, "Well, from what I could remember, the Servants of Darkness hoped to reawaken the Dark Army in Equestria by city. I believe their next destination after Fillydelphia was supposed to be Manehattan, but I can't be too sure."
Twilight nodded in understanding, "I see. I'm sorry about putting this upon you. We may have to hold off on our lessons until I return. Don't worry, Spike will keep you company if you need somepony to talk to." she added as well.
"Thank you, Princess Twilight. I hope what I said was correct." the stallion exhaled. Twilight then walked upstairs, where she saw Starlight waiting by the door.
"What did he say?" the unicorn wondered.
The alicorn spoke, "He said the Servants of Darkness might be heading for Manehattan. Get the girls, we're heading there as soon as possible." she ordered in a stern tone.
Starlight nodded, "Are we looking for the Ghost as well?"
"Yes."
Robbie walked back into the small shack, having properly disposed of the bodies. 'Hopefully no one else finds out where this is at.' he thought, 'Last thing I need is to get caught.'
The man opened and closed the door behind him, the knob clicking as he moved on. Reyes immediately noticed how small and cramped it was, but he shrugged it off, 'I'm only one man. It will suffice.' he placed a gloved hand on the wall, realizing how worn the place was.
He walked upstairs, the stairs creaking with each small step he took. He hoped to find a place to make a light. Luckily, on the table he flipped, the candle that was blown out was still intact. So, he propped the table back on its legs and placed the candle back on the center of it, he grabbed a small splinter and used it to light the string on the wax, it lighting the room barely.
"...It's a start." Robbie sighed, grabbing a chair and sitting down, pondering his options.
'I'm alone on an alien world that barely knows I exist... The Spirit of Vengeance must've done that.' he put his head in his hands, clearly worn out from wandering aimlessly, 'Hopefully Gabe is alright. Without me there to keep an eye on him...' he sighed. '..I'm sure Coulson's team will keep an eye on him at least. I just want him to be safe.' he wanted to push the feeling aside, but deep down it lingered.
With nothing else to do, Robbie looked around the small room, opening a cabinet, 'Food. Strange food, but it will suffice. This would be a good spot to stay in until I figure out the Servants of Darkness' next move. Even then, it's a short supply.'
He then picked up a newspaper that fell down when he was killing the gangster. A small grin formed on his face when he looked at the content. "The Ghost... Fitting. Seems I made myself a reputation here as well. I didn't want that, but that's what I get for jumping in so soon." he leaned back on the chair while muttering that, his eyes closing before snapping open again.
The man was ready to drift into slumber then and there, but a knock woke him up. Robbie peeked out the window, his eyes narrowing at the cloaked ponies standing outside. 'More of the Darkness cult... Seems they haven't learned their lesson.' he cracked his knuckles as a smirk formed on his face. He held his chain, moving downstairs to perform said lesson.
The door creaked open, Robbie choosing to stand behind it. One of the cloaked ponies spoke, "Do you have what we ordered you to?"
"Uh, yeah." Robbie lied from behind the door, "They're inside."
The three cloaked ponies stepped inside, where the door closed behind them. They were unprepared for Robbie, who was ready to stop them. "You have sins to answer for." he hissed.
"What the hell?"
Robbie flung the chain forward, lighting it on fire, burning one of the ponies to a crisp instantly. "I know of what you've done. You made gangsters kidnap innocent ponies to add to your Dark Army." he knelt down from a beam of magic missing him and uppercutted one of the remaining ponies in the chest, making him wheeze from a sudden loss of air.
The human pushed the pony aside, he then kicked him and shoved him on the ground. "What is your plan?!"
Before he could get an answer, Robbie felt a burning sensation on his back. He turned around, scowling at the unicorn that shot magic at him. "Big mistake on your part." he punched the other pony in the face before facing the culprit, whipping his chain forward, pulling the unicorn toward him. His eyes glowed orange, and he grabbed the back of the pony's head, slamming him through a wall, shattering his skull. Deciding to end him, he repeatedly slammed his head on the wall, he knew he was done when he saw the pony's eyes roll to the back of his head.
"Now... Answer my question. Where are your cronies heading?!" Robbie hissed, choking the remaining pony.
The cloaked stallion gagged, "At sunrise... Ack! The c-city of Manehattan w-will burn! With you as well! Now let me live!"
Robbie smirked, "Sure. Shame you nearly corrupted the innocent. You would've made great bait. I'm here to give vengeance." he used his other hand to choke the pony out, killing him from lack of air. He looked at the room and the small amount of blood on his hands and body, 'I'll clean myself up, then get rid of the bodies. Last thing I need is someone to find this when I'm not here.'
He clenched his fists, 'I'll make sure the Servants of Darkness never harm another pony as long as I'm here. If this is about dark magic, then I need to step in.'
So, Robbie buried the bodies outside the house. He then ate a piece of salad kept fresh. 'At some point I'll return home. I have to. But I'll worry about that part later. Makes me wonder if there is something that can bring me back easily...'
The sun began to beam through the window next to the chair, Robbie was sitting on. The man stirred, cringing at the light threatening to bleed to his eyes. With a heavy sigh, he awoke, moving his arms from their crossed position on his chest, stretching to get feeling back while he opened his eyes.
'Morning. That was when the Dark Army said they would attack.' Reyes reminded himself, rubbing his sore head. 'Ugh... Migrane. Too much happening. Gotta push it aside, I have bigger problems to worry about than a headache.'
Standing up, Robbie looked through the cabinets, seeing what kind of food was stored and what was edible. "Hm. Looks like an all salad-diet here. Though that was a one night thing." he grabbed the sealed food and opened it, grabbing a piece of silverware and eating it, taking his time for he would know when the time would come.
'But going out there now would expose me for real in this world. On Earth, people thought me to be a myth in the streets. I have to admit, this is a step up from gangs... But I have to make this Dark Army pay for their sins.' thought Robbie, taking a bite of his breakfast, now deep into his own thoughts.
'On my world I could leave stuff like this to the bigwig Avengers, hell even Coulson's team. But they're not here. Unfortunately, this world is stuck with me.' Robbie thought. 'So far, I'm still a myth. I'll make sure to keep it that way.'
Rainbow Dash yawned, "Are we there yet?"
"Almost." Starlight muttered in an exhausted tone. The group had been in the Friendship Express for a whole night, just now arriving at their destination.
Twilight turned around from the window, her eyes baggy and heavy to keep open, "We..." a yawn escaped from her. "Made it. Just a few more minutes."
"So, Twi. Ya think the Ghost is in Manehattan? Why?" Applejack questioned.
"Because he might be after the Dark Army as well."
Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her head, "Then why in Equestria are we going after him? It sounds like it's on our side. If you ask me, we should just team up with him, ask him a few questions and then just leave him be."
"He's violent, Rainbow. We don't know what he's after. Say, the Dark Army's gone. What if he comes for us next with no other threat?" Twilight wondered in paranoia.
The cyan mare waved a hoof, "Yeah right. Like he would get past us should that happen."
Fluttershy lightly poked Rarity, who twitched in her sleep. She moved her head up slowly and wiped her eyes, "Oh dear... Did we finally arrive? We left quite late."
"We did." Fluttershy said.
Rarity yawned, "A-Alright. Excuse me, but I am quite exhausted."
"We all are, Rarity." Starlight muttered, "But we have to go now. The Servants of Darkness could attack at any moment."
"Yep! And who knows what side he's on! Is he good, bad, in between? We may never know." Pinkie chimed.
Twilight blinked, "How are you so wide awake, Pinkie?" she asked.
"Lots of sugar!"
The others blinked, feeling the train come to a sudden halt. They all moved slightly at the force of them stopping. But they saw the station right outside the station. Glad to have finally arrived, the group walked out. But as they did, Twilight let out a groan, "How? You were up all night."
"So were you!" Pinkie replied.
Robbie slammed the door to his new temporary hideout. His chain was wielded in hand, ready to end whoever threatens him or any one else. A glare was seen on his face. Reyes turned around and to his sides, making sure no one was passing by. 'That cult should be at the city soon. I can probably beat them there and get the advantage.'
With that thought in mind, Robbie sprinted ahead, passing through the forest. He hopped over logs, ducked underneath vines and nearly tripped on a few branches, causing him to stumble, but not enough to stop him. He was unsure of how long he had been running, but he felt it had been a while.
'Wish I had the damn car. I'm getting pretty freakin' tired just running.' admitted the host of the Spirit of Vengeance. He was pushing aside branches hanging off trees. He used his Hellfire abilities to touch one, burning it upon contact. "Alright..." he whispered, able to movr on as fast as he could. His legs were sore, and his heart was pounding from sprinting. But that didn't deter him from moving on anyway.
After a few more moments of running, Robbie finally found light beyond the trees. He leaped over a large log and landed perfectly on his feet. "Finally." he muttered to himself. He finally reached the end of the forest and saw a large city not too far from where he was standing. The man panted, holding his knees. Unlike last time he arrived in a city, it was a clear sunny day. This time he couldn't hide in the shadows so easily.
Robbie looked around, 'That city looks like any ordinary city back home. Of course, the damn place is called Manehattan.' he heard rustling nearby. Wanting to not get caught, he moved himself behind a tree, keeping himself out of sight from whatever was coming his way.
The man turned his head, seeing a group of cloaked ponies conversing with one another at the exact spot he was just at. "Do you have the spell ready?" one of the asked.
The unicorn chuckled, "Of course I do. Fillydelphia may have been a fluke, but this time there is no way that so-called Ghost or the Guardians of Harmony can reach us in time."
'Your funeral.' thought Robbie. 'I'm already here, but they don't need to know that just yet.'
"Excellent." the pegasus smirked. Robbie noticed that their eyes were glowing blood red, something he admit to have not seen back on his world.
'They're something else. Those are not ordinary ponies, that's for sure.' thought Reyes. 'Maybe a bit of questioning can get me some answers. That is, if they don't piss of my... bad side.'
Robbie watched as the group scattered off into the city. With his chain in hand, the man readied himself for a fight. He snuck from his hiding spot and went after one of the cloaked ponies. He wrapped an arm around their neck and slammed them on the grass, making a loud thud as his skull met the floor. "Listen here, punkass. I want you to know something before you're pushing daises. Your plan? I'm putting a stop to it."
"W-What?"
The pony couldn't say anything else. Reyes had smashed their head onto the ground harder than last time. Blood began to pour from the bruises on his head, nose and mouth. A crack was heard as his face met the ground. Robbie tossed the body aside and left it to rot, like he deserved.
His next goal? Stop the Servants from destroying Manahattan.
"I dunno, Twi. Are you sure this Flamewave guy gave you the right directions?" Rainbow asked, getting a skyline view of Manehattan while looking down to speak to the alicorn. The group was busy searching the busy town in search for the Servants of Darkness, who seemed to not have arrived yet.
Twilight nodded, "Flamewave told me they were in Manehattan. He has given me no reason to lie."
"If you say so." the cyan mare muttered.
Applejack looked at her friends, "Well, they can't be hard'ta miss. They're strange cloaked ponies with demonic eyes. We just gotta keep an eye out fer 'em."
"W-What do we do when we find them?" Fluttershy meekly asked.
"We have to detain them before anypony gets hurt. Unlike the Ghost, we're not killers. They can be redeemed." the lavender alicorn insisted to the nervous pegasus. "That's why we're here."
Starlight looked to her mentor, "Let's hope that they make themselves easier to find."
BOOM!
An explosion was heard next to them, prompting the heroes to dive and cover their ears. Ponies nearby eother began to scream and flee or gsther sround the sight. The girls tried to push them aside, making sure that none of the bystanders would get hurt in whatever was about to happen. Standing on the rubble and debris were the cloaked ponies they hoped to encounter, "Quite an entrance." the assumed leader of the group said to his comrades. "From the ashes of Manehattan, the Dark Army shall rise."
"Not while we're here!"
Twilight made this boast, standing in the center of all her friends, her wings unfurled and an angry scowl on her muzzle. The leader of the semy chuckled, "Ah, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I must admit, it is a surprise to see you here. How did you catch wind of our little plan in this rundown town?"
"I had a little help." the alicorn snarled.
The cult leader whispered, "Interesting. But it won't do any good. We have already grown powerful in the art of Dark Magic." at that he used his horn to reveal a black beam, which hit all of her friends except herself, trapping them in a pitch black bind of rope, making them unable to move in their current situation.
"What did you do?"
"I simply evened the odds. It wouldn't be fair if you had the number advantage over us."
Twilight shot out a magic beam at the cult leader, knocking him back, his horn still glowing black. The unicorn spat in disgust over what happened and he pointed a hoof forward, "Attack. Now."
"Be careful, Twi!" Applejack warned, unable to move.
Starlight tried to light up her horn, but the powerful magic nullified the energy she was exerting. Rarity tried to do the same and got the same results. The violet unicorn huffed, "I-I can't break us free. This dark magic is almost otherworldly."
"Then I guess she's on her own." Rainbow gulped. "Kick 'em for us, Twi!" she yelled.
Twilight nodded, seeing a hooded pegasus come in her direction. She ducked down, avoiding their extended hooves and teleported herself next to another pegasus, using a spell to throw them forward. When the unicorn tried to shoot her, she simply rematerialized in another spot, dodging the black magic.
Smirking underneath his hood, the cult leader narrowed his eyes and drew his head forward, bringing forth another beam of dark magic. Twilight ducked underneath the spell and shot once more at the insane unicorn, turning her head to kick back an earth pony that planned to charge at her.
"Yeah, Twilight!" cheered Pinkie, still in the binding with her friends.
Twilight spun her body around, moving backwards before she could get kicked by a pegasus. The unicorn tried to shoot another beam out of his horn, but Twilight dodged it, using her magic to lift the pegasus out of its crossfire. The alicorn threw the pegasus down as hard as she could, knocking him unconscious. The other hooded ponies tried to gang up on Twilight, but she teleported away from where she was surrounded, appearing in another location.
"Why do all this? For what reason could you all possibly have?!" Twilight asked.
"Retribution, Princess Sparkle. Celestia and Luna have dethroned the true ruler of our world, who many centuries ago brought the world to its knees before being sent to Tartarus with demons like Tirek. We're only doing what is best for Equestria. To bring him back, and to do that, we need an army." the cult leader boasted to the alicorn.
"W-What?" Rainbow asked, hearing the conversation.
"These guys are crazy!" Applejack shouted.
"Not crazy, dear pony. We are merely advanced."
Twilight shook her head, not believing what she was hearing, "That is insane! Celestia and Luna took him out to Tartarus with the others like him for a reason!"
The cult leader snarled, "Yes! Because they were too afraid of his true power! We are doing what is best for our world!"
"No, you're not!" Twilight shot back, "All this destruction and death! It's not worth it!"
The cult leader took a step forward, "Oh, but it is. Maybe not to ponies with feeble, inferior minds like you and your friends, but we are truly in the right here."
In anger, Twilight shot a beam of magic forward and knocked the unicorn through the hole he made. The other cultists tried to attack the alicorn, her friends watching her fight off the ponies on her own. Starlight panted after another failed attempt at freeing her and her friends. "Crud... We have to hurry!"
Twilight stepped backwards and hit an earth pony with a forehoof, making them stagger slightly. She then kicked another in the head, making them buckle in pain and collapse. The leader watched the fight, his glowing red eyes widening and narrowing, annoyed by the princess's attempts to foil the Dark Army's plan.
As he stepped back out, something caught him by surprise. A quiet clanging sound was heard coming from above him and he felt as theough he couldn't breathe. Looking down, the unicorn saw that there was something whipped around his throt, and he let out a quiet gasp, losing air for a second.
It was a chain.
Suddenly, he was thrown upwards, the swiftness of the action actually prompted Twilight and the cultists to stop fighting to see what was happening. Loud begging and screams were heard coming from the rooftop as were other sounds, leaving only grunts to be heard from the pony.
SNAP!
CRACK!
The others were suddenly freed from the dark magic minding, the black hardlight rope fading from existence. "W-What happened up there?" Fluttershy gulped.
"I have no clue." Starlight muttered.
The girls cringed at the noises and saw something fall from the roof. Twilight took a step back as did the others. It was the unicorn's dead body, his face was beaten to a bloody pulp, his cheeks were dark red and all of his teeth were knocked out. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. The heroes gasped at the sight, nearly wanting to throw up at the sight. What shocked them even more was his now lack of horn, now replaced with a bloody lump, dripping red.
"Sweet Celestia..." Twilight muttered, tears threatening to run down her eyes now.
A second later, something else fell. It was a cone shaped object. Twilight's eyes widened, recognizing it as a unicorn horn. She put a hoof to her mouth and resisted the urge to release her lunch. Applejack and Rarity covered Fluttershy and Pinkie's eyes, making sure they didn't catch the grotesque sight.
"Look!" Rainbow yelled, pointing a hoof upward, making sure they would look away.
The ponies, hero and cultist alike, all looked to the rooftop. Standing on the edge was a bipedal figure with a chain in his hands and blood covering his face and black race jacket, getting red on the white stripe. He wiped his face.
Robbie finally revealed himself. And he would make these hooded ponies pay.
Robbie's cold, dead stare sent shivers down the ponies' spines. His blood-covered face, his still arms. It was like he had done this vicious act times before. Twilight shook off her initial shock upon sight of the man and glared upwards, gulping, "What are you?" she asked, hoping that the man heard her.
Ignoring her, Reyes turned around and walked away, choosing not to say anything. "Hey!" Twilight yelled, using her magic to teleport to the rooftop in front of Robbie. The man was taken aback by her sudden appearance and took a step backwards. The alicorn simply looked at the man with a glare, tears threatening to run down her eyes.
"Are y-you... the Ghost?" she asked in a somewhat shaken, yet calm tone. "Why... Why did you kill him?"
Robbie's eyes narrowed and once again ignored the purple pony's question, simply stating, "Didn't pick the name. Now get out of my way." he bumped into the alicorn, intending to move on before the cloaked ponies could endanger anyone else. The human didn't want to waste anymore time and he hopped from the surprisingly short rooftop, landing on a knee.
"Yo, Twi!" Rainbow yelled out, landing next to her alicorn friend, "Is that who we were looking for?" she asked, pointing a hoof to where she last saw him, "Um... Where did he go?"
Twilight shuddered, "He just... killed him. He killed him without any hesitation. I-I can't..." she exhaled, trying to comprehend, "He... He could've been saved like Flamewave." she muttered. Rainbow put her hooves on her friend's shoulders.
"Easy, Twi..." the pegasus tried to calm her friend, despite being a little shaken up herself, "We'll stop this guy before anypony else dies. Anyway, we had to cover the body... As dark as it sounds. Starlight had to cover it somehow. Fluttershy and Pinkie cannot see that. Now, there's still those Dark Army goons still around."
Twilight nodded, "Y-Yeah... Then, we have to stop the Ghost."
Back on the ground, Starlight had incapacitated another member of the Dark Army, "None of this adds up. Who were they talking about? And who was that?" she asked, making sure the hooded ponies were still alive, which they were.
Twilight and Rainbow lowered themselves to ground level, "We can't worry about that now." said the alicorn, facing her friends, "That may have been the Ghost that did that. What he did... was wrong. Nopony deserves to die in such a cruel manner. We have to see where he ended up before anypony else gets hurt."
"There doesn't seem to be any of those freaks in this part of the city." Applejack noticed. "Ya think the Ghost is comin' fer them?"
Twilight shook her head, "Get the innocents to safety then. I will see what the Ghost is up to."
"Wait, Twi!" Rainbow said. "You sure? You saw what he did to that unicorn right?"
A sharp exhale escaped Twilight's lips, "I know. But I have to make sure nopony else dies by his hand. From his eyes, I could tell he was used to death. These ponies could be like Flamewave. And I have to make sure they get proper justice." she ran off, intending to find the Ghost.
Robbie ran on, seeing a few more cloaked ponies trying to use the same dark spell he witnessed earlier to trap them in a dark binding. The man watched as these ponies were corrupted, slowly and seemingly very painfully, judging by the screams that rang his ears. He had to save them with any means.
Seeing the Dark Army constantly use their spells to torment the innocents, it sent rage within the man. Reyes watched the suffering of many. He would not stand back, especially since he was already being questioned for his methods, 'Damn pony. Can't she see what's happening? Asshole had it coming.' he thought. He watched as a pegasus continued to pummel a poor bystander, who was begging for their life.
Using his chain, Reyes choked a pegasus, wrapping the metal object around his neck. The sounds of gagging snapped him back to reality and he brought the cloaked pony back, seeing him struggle within its tightened grip. Robbie extended a fist and punched him in the face as hard as he could before removing the chain, kicking him in the stomach, causing him to wheeze and cough. The pony weakly attempted to fight back, but Robbie grabbed his hoof and snapped it in the other direction, breaking it instantly.
With a painful screech, the pegasus held his broken hoof and tried to buck the man with his hindlegs as fast as he could. But Robbie moved his body and punched the pony as he turned around, and he grabbed his limb, pinning him down. With a powerful shove, he broke his leg and stepped on him, kneeling down. "Jackasses like you don't deserve a second chance." he whispered. But he stood back up, seeing the scared pony, "Run." he ordered.
Nodding, the bystander ran off, unsure of what he witnessed. But he was grateful for the stranger. Once the innocent was out of sight, Robbie snapped the pegasus' neck. Robbie grunted as he turned his head, seeing a unicorn bind down a helpless mare, as the unicorn muttered, "Yes, join us. For it is your purpose." she declared, stomping a hoof as black energy consumed the mare.
Hearing enough, Robbie walked forward and held the pony up by the hood, "What are you?" she asked, unable to react as Robbie punched her in the face, causing her nose to bleed. He threw the cloaked mare aside casually.
"The one who will end this madness." Reyes declared, spinning his chain around. He grabbed a piece of debris and used his supernatural abilities to light it on fire. The unicorn attempted to hit him with a beam of dark magic, but Robbie ducked underneath the shot and threw the flaming rock directly to the unicorn's head, a loud crack being heard once it collided with her face.
The dark unicorn's horn was broken, blood dripping from the protrusion on her head as she grunted. "You..." she growled, feeling the magic leave her and thus freeing the pony she was trapping, making her flee for her life. She charged forward as fast as possible, intending to take the pony head on for payback.
But Robbie headbutted the mare, causing her to reel back and buckle down from the sudden attack. Robbie gritted his teeth, rubbing his forehead now. Getting back on track, he threw the pony down as she raised her hoof and slammed her on the ground, shattering her teeth and horn, causing her to collapse. The man decided to end it by cracking her back.
There was one more unicorn, who had managed to entrap a few innocents in the dark binding as their eyes began to glow red. He noticed that the small invasion had their numbers dwindles, noticing nothing happening beyond the immediate area, 'No doubt thanks to that purple pony and her strange friends. Did me a favor, but I gotta make sure this doesn't happen again.' he thought, marching forward in silence.
Using his chain, Robbie lit it as it burned the unicorn, causing him to lose focus. The cloaked unicorn snickered at the sight of Robbie as he turned around, "So... You must be the Ghost. I've heard of you before, and what you did to my fellow members of the Dark Army. I will end you for your transgressions." he boasted. The ponies around him he trapped fell unconscious from the shock.
The human pointed to himself, "I'm right here." he taunted.
The unicorn shot a beam of magic, but Reyes used his fire chain to deflect the beam, the Spirit of Vengeance's power no doubt blocking the effects of the dark magic. The unicorn continued to use his horn, but Robbie continued to remain unfazed, using his chain to whip the pony, burning through his cloak, creating a large scorch mark on the side of his body. Smoke appeared on his barrel as he lowered down from the burns. "Lucky shot." he muttered, stumbling back up.
Instantly, Robbie used his chain to whip the pony again, causing him to scream, the burning metal hitting his face, which once he was done holding, was burnt and beginning to scar underneath red bruises and still aflame slightly. The unicorn hissed and tried to attack Robbie, but the man uppercutted the unicorn and shattered their jaw. "You Dark Army pieces of shit are the same. Bringing chaos to those who don't deserve it. Perhaps it's time I gave you all a taste of your own medicine." Reyes spoke while he cracked his knuckles one at a time. He was finally about to end this invasion once and for all.
Twilight had finally arrived to where she saw the chaos unfold next a moment later. But she skidded to a halt from her trot, putting a hoof to her mouth in surprise. 'Am I too late?' she thought. The alicorn scowled, looking over the dead bodies, seeing burns, fatal injuries, and even brains splattered from a unicorn's head. She had to swallow her lunch from the horrific sights. But her gaze faced the man, who was standing over another body, the last body now, with his gloves covered in red.
Robbie stood over the unicorn he had beaten, a frown on his face. "You." he muttered, not wanting any more trouble now. Twilight scowled at him, her horn glowing.
Robbie somersaulted, dodging a beam shot from Twilight. He rolled to a knee and gritted his teeth. He heard Twilight speak, running to a corner of a building for cover, "Why did you kill them?" was all she asked, her horn still glowing light purple. She slowly marched forward, her gaze lowering to the dead bodies of the minions.
"They deserved it. Vengeance for those whose blood were spilled by them." Reyes revealed, not moving an inch from his spot.
"Nopony deserves to die." Twilight stated sternly, using her magic to blow apart a chunk of the wall Robbie was leaning on. In response, the man ducked, swerving his body so that the beam avoided his body, barely skimming his racesuit. Reyes growled, now annoyed by this mare's intervention. He heard hoofsteps again and slowly walked away again. He grabbed a chunk of the building and waited. Waited to strike when the time was right.
He saw purple and he slammed his arm down, intending to injure Twilight but not kill her with the object. Unfortunately for Reyes, the alicorn created a forcefield, shielding her from the object. With a snarl, the man hopped back, throwing the rock down. "Why do you care, huh? What good have these ponies ever done for you?" he questioned.
"Everypony has good in them." Twilight growled. "But you never gave them the chance to reform. Now they're gone."
Robbie chuckled darkly, "Reform? Those assholes had it coming. This is the second city I've seen them attack. If it weren't for me, you'd be a literal hellhole." he revealed, trying to remain stoic. But that was getting rather hard with each passing second.
Twilight frowned, "We were on the chase for them! We could've gotten more information from them about this!"
Robbie snarled, "Some chase you're after? You never even showed up last time!" he held his chain and flung it forward. Again, the alicorn shielded herself from the weapon. But that was only a distraction, as Robbie kicked Twilight in the leg, causing her to stagger and drop her guard.
"I'm giving you a warning. Leave me alone. You do not want to see my power." warned the human, looking over Twilight. He walked away, but felt something on his back. He hunched over to one knee, feeling the stinging pain on his back. He growled in disgust, getting pissed off by the alicorn's stubbornness.
He craned his neck around, glaring daggers at Twilight. She gulped, staring into his cold eyes. The man stood back up and rubbed his sore back. "You shouldn't have done that." he threatened. He held his chain and whipped it forward, wrapping it around the alicorn's hoof before yanking back, making her trip. Her hoof began to bruise blue from how tight the metal chain was around her limb. A grunt escaped her lips as she pushed herself up.
"I'll ask again, what is your problem with me?" Robbie repeated the question, kicking Twilight down by stomping his foot upon her back, keeping her on the ground.
Suddenly, she vanished in a burst of purple light. Robbie looked around confusingly as an unknown force shoved him, causing him to land on his stomach. Reyes coughed, accidentally inhaling smoke. "You're needlessly slaughtering ponies." Twilight scolded, watching as Robbie stood up, "Whether innocent or guilty, nopony deserves to die." she determined for the man.
"Our world is one of tolerance and second chances. Nopony can seek redemption for their actions if they're dead."
Wiping the dirt off his face, Robbie scowled, "The Servants of Darkness truly deserved it. They didn't give a shit about who they hurt. And they were gonna burn this town down like they were going to before. Think it about it, pony."
"I did think about it." Twilight decided, holding Robbie in an aura of purple magic.
The man struggled in the alicorn's magical grip. "I'm taking you in to answer for your crimes." she frowned, "Because no matter what you may think..."
"You don't get to decide who deserves to die."
Hearing her words, a familiar echo to him, Robbie smirked, "I'm not the one who decides..." he said ominously.
In that instant, he began to change and broke from the magic bubble. His face began to melt, disgusting Twilight greatly, her pupils shrinking at the horrifying sight. The flesh upon his face disintergrated in flaming ash. All that was left was a skull, a flaming one at that. The alicorn gulped, taking a step back in fright, her horn still glowing and her wings flared out. "Is-Is that the Ghost?" she wondered with a whisper in slight awe and nervousness.
Ghost Rider's head was hung down, his feet planted firmly on the ground. At last, he raised his skull. The Spirit of Vengeance remained silent as it glared daggers at Twilight. Still scared, Twilight tried to hold him down, but the spirit proved too strong and simply shrugged off any use of magic from the alicorn, walking closer to the Princess of Friendship.
Twilight tried to run away, but Ghost Rider used his chain, whipping it in front of him. It created a small trail of flames that caused Twilight to yelp and jump back, narrowly dodging the flaming metal object. "W-What are you?" was all she asked, looking back upon the Spirit of Vengeance.
Again, Ghost Rider did not say anything. That only made Twilight more wary of the flaming skull, not that she already wasn't. The alicorn levitated some debris and tossed it at Ghost Rider, and hoped it would be enough to stop him. She was lucky the city looked to be empty, no doubt thanks to the others.
But when one of the small boulders hit Robbie's chest, he merely halted, not a single instance of pain or concern seen on his flaming skull. No, instead he kept moving. When more of the debris Twilight had came toward him, he merely broke it apart or used his chain to deflect them, turning them into harmless pebbles. Ghost Rider spun the chain forward, and held one of the pieces of rocks in his hands easily. It remained in his grip for only a moment, marching forward still at the shocked alicorn.
"D-Don't kill me, please..." Twilight pleaded, closing her eyes.
Ghost Rider looked at the purple pony, the rock raised over his head. He remained still, the Spirit of Vengeance pondering what to do. It felt like with Daisy when they first met, and it was searching their soul to see if they were guilty. The Ghost Rider dropped the rock after slamming it upon the alicorn's leg, causing her to buckle down in pain with a wheeze, and he then uppercutted the stunned Twilight, causing her to land on her back and he pressed a foot on her stomach, causing her to gasp. "Ow..." the princess muttered, rubbing her sore chin as she tried to fight off the pain and drowsiness lingering in her head. She inhaled sharply, getting her breath back.
Deciding to leave an impression and warning, Ghost Rider glared down at Twilight, whose eyes widened. "W-Why didn't you... I-I thought..."
Again. Nothing was said by the Spirit of Vengeance. Instead, he walked off. "Hey!" called out the alicorn. The flames on Robbie's head faded, turning him back to normal. He frowned, able to tell that the alicorn was struggling to stand up. "We need to know!" she called out again, Robbie ignored her. Instead he threw his flaming chain down and created a spark on the debris, causing smoke to appear and cover where he went.
The man walked behind a building as Twilight crawled after him, too weak to feel her wings at the moment. Mustering any energy she had, she tried something, her horn glowing one last time before she exhaled, panting. She fell on her stomach, "W-What was that supposed to be?" she questioned herself.
"Twilight! Oh no!"
The alicorn shook her head, recognizing the young voice. She slowly craned her neck around with her body. Standing right next to her was Spike, who wrapped his claws around a hoof, helping his friend up. "What happened? What did you do?" he asked in concern, worry being seen on his face.
Coughing, Twilight explained, "He... He's something else. His head, his chain... He had fire powers, Spike. His head turned into a flaming skull, and then when he had me... He chose not to kill me when he had the chance." her gaze went upwards. "H-He went that way. We have to go after him."
Spike wrapped an arm around the princess' barrel, "Don't go, Twi. Luckily I found you. Let's find the others and get back to Ponyville first. Seems you need the rest anyhow."
Twilight gave her assistant a thin smile, "I-I... I think I do, Spike... Thank you."
Robbie Reyes was just about to reach the end of the city and back into the forest where he could hide. He tossed his chain, straping it around his body as he knew he would need it in the future. His eyes scowled. "Damn pony trying to judge. Vengeance will be delivered to those who had it coming."
"Talking to yourself? Wow, you really are a creep."
Hearing the raspy voice, Reyes wandered around, "Who's that?"
Suddenly, he flet something hold him down. Robbie grunted, recognizing the magic grip. "That you purple pony? Heh. I knew you wouldn't stay down!"
A cyan mare and purple unicorn revealed themselves from the shadows, "Nah. We're just her friends. Only us two for now." announced Rainbow. "While I was checking on her, I noticed you fighting her earlier. Care to explain?"
"She started it." Reyes answered in an honest tone, "Self defense. Like I do all the time."
Starlight rolled her eyes, "Like the unicorn's whose horn you ripped off, or those cloaked ponies you slaughtered in the city? Was that self-defense?"
"...Yes." was all Robbie replied with, a smug smirk on his face.
Rainbow slammed her hooves together, "Okay, that's just wrong. I think Princess Celestia and Luna would love to meet you, Ghost." she declared.
The human felt the spirit take control and broke from Starlight's magic. Instantly, he stood up, his pupils in flames. Starlight and Rainbow had a slack jaw upon witnessing the act. "How?"
"My name is Robbie." the man revealed, holding back the transformation for the moment, his eyes still aflame. He went down and grabbed a loose pipe, ready for another fight.
Robbie glared at the two ponies, "What makes you think I'll sit back while those Servants of Darkness are out there?"
"Because you hurt our friend." Rainbow declared. "And I'm not taking that lightly."
The man shook his head in disbelief, "You two better be careful. I'm not in a good mood right now." he warned, "So, unless you want to deal with him , I'd stay back."
The pegasus scoffed, "As if I'm afraid of you."
Robbie glared at the pegasus, then the unicorn, "There's something about you. The other guy can sense it."
Starlight gulped, "W-What are you talking about?"
The man took a small step forward, "You'd best not find out, miss."
Rainbow growled and held her head as she gritted her teeth, "Alright, I had it! You threatened my friends long enough! I'm taking you out!" the pegasus boosted forward and shoved Reyes aside, making him stagger backwards as a result. He nearly fell on his back, but he luckily caught himself and stood upright.
Reyes turned his head to get a better view of the pegasus, but he was taken aback by her swift movements, feeling his head get smacked around as a rainbow blur sped past him. "Grr..." he hissed, reeling back a little from the sudden movements. His head whipped left to right for a few moments.
'Faster than I thought... ' Robbie admitted in his head, 'Seems she has a form of superspeed. Damn it... So much for ending this easily. I can't waste anymore time as it is.'
But he focused. Robbie noticed Rainbow turning around and took a step backwards before she flew forwards. In one swift motion he managed to grab her rainbow tail and spun her around slightly. Rainbow Dash screamed, feeling her entire body get tossed about slightly, suddenly finding herself thrown on the ground as hard as the man could possibly toss her without serious injury.
Rainbow coughed and staggered back to her hooves. But Robbie kicked her while she was down, making her roll on the floor a little in pain. "I already warned you and your other friends. I'm not going anywhere until this bloodbath ends. My way."
Kneeling down, Robbie grabbed Rainbow's mane and held the cyan mare's head up, "Be lucky you have no major sins to answer for. That would make this situation much worse." he taunted. "Tell your other friends not to get in my way again."
"Oh no!" Starlight growled, her horn lit. Robbie suddenly found himself in another aura and trapped within the magical bubble. "We're taking you in, Ghost! I'd prefer we didn't use violence... But considering what you just did to Rainbow Dash..." she began to say, pausing to use her spell to toss Robbie aside like a ragdoll. "I say you deserve a little bit of equal punishment."
The human tumbled on the ground as his body rolled about, feeling the impact of his fall stun him for a moment. As he got up, he noticed Rainbow Dash, despite the small bruises on her body, getting back up and unfurling her wings, ready for flight again. "Already? Feh. You're making this more difficult than it needs to be..." sighed Reyes, now more annoyed than ever. He tilted his head, the sound of his neck cracking disgusting the equines.
In a matter of seconds, Rainbow Dash flew headfirst directly towards the human. Reyes manages to time a somersault so that he was able to dodge her. While still looking down, he noticed the debris levitsting in the same colored aura that trapped him. He gritted his teeth and muttered a curse, "Shit." the rocks began to fly towards him and began to pelt him a little. A pebble managed to scrape his cheek, leaving a small scratch on his face that reddened and stung. Robbie rubbed it with a finger before ducking underneath a larger rock.
Noticing Rainbow was coming back, as well as the debris coming to reach him as well, Reyes dived down, planting his stomach upon the ground, dodging more obstacles. His hand curled into a fist as he glared at Starlight, who seemed focus on stopping him. "Dumbass ponies... Wasting their time..." he cursed under his breath, pushing his body back up in one motion.
"So, punk. Ready to call to quits, yet?" asked Rainbow proudly.
Robbie chuckled and responded, "Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing."
The pegasus raised a brow, "The hay are you talking about?"
"This."
In the blink of an eye, Robbie took a few steps forward and held out his chain and whipped it forward, smacking Rainbow Dash while she was still in midair, smacking her barrel with the metal weapon. The pegasus wheezed and lost focus, causing her to crash down. She coughed again, caught off guard by the attack. "No... Fair..." she muttered, glaring daggers at the man. Starlight tried to hold him down, but the Spirit deflected her magic for the moment, the man's eyes glowing with flames once again.
"Life's not fair, kid." Robbie snapped back, kneeling to look Rainbow in the eye. "Now, why waste your time fighting me...? You should know that I'm not one to hold back. Especially since you mentioned me taking on your purple friend."
"You hurt... Twilight... Killed those ponies..." coughed Rainbow, smacking a hoof directly to the man's chin. Robbie's head snapped upwards, but he shrugged off the pain. "That's all the reason I need to lay the smackdown on you. They could be saved, dude. But you just don't care." she coughed again.
"Maybe I don't care about people maiming those who don't deserve it." Robbie admitted. "Seems you can't figure that out. How naive to think they deserve redemption.”
Robbie punched Rainbow in the face to counter what she did to him a moment ago. Her body collapsed at last, the force of his fist colliding with her face being hard enough to knock her out. "About time someone shut you up." he wiped his hand a little, noticing a small blue bruise forming on the mare's face.
Realizing that there was one more pony to attend to, Reyes stood up and turned his body around. "Leave. Now." he ordered in a stern tone. Starlight didn't move and instead charged a beam from her horn once again, lifting more debris behind from where the host of the Spirit of Vengeance was standing. Hearing something going on behind him, Robbie craned his neck a little, noticing some more enlarged rocks coming towards him. "Son of a..." he muttered, planting one of them in his hands like one would with a baseball. He ducked and rolled away from each of them, narrowly missing a few pebbles that were coming near him as well.
"Okay, now I'm seriously through with you!" Starlight snarled at the top of her lungs.
Seeing the barrage end, Reyes threw the rock in his hand towards Starlight, who caught it with a levitation spell before forcefully planting it on the ground. "You could've killed me!" she gasped and scolded the accusing human.
Robbie shrugged, "I didn't. I'm not trying to kill you. But I sense something about you, mare. More accurately, the other guy does. And I don't know if I can keep holding back." he warned, cracking his knuckles. "Something deep in you."
Hearing his words, Starlight Glimmer awkwardly took a step backwards and her eyes widened, "What?"
"Sin."
Unstrapping his chain from his torso, Robbie held it to his side, just in case something were to happen and Starlight were to attack him. "So, you get at me for killing, yet you have some hidden sins that need to repaid as well." he noticed. "Seems rather hypocritical if you ask me. Seems you need judgement as well."
"I-I... I don't know what you're talking about...!" lied Starlight, her teeth chattering.
Reyes smirked as his pupils sparked a literal flame, "A liar as well. The evidence keeps going against you. That annoying pegasus didn't attract the spirit in me. But it certainly has something against you. Not unless you can tell me what it is."
Starlight's eyes narrowed, "Why should I tell you?! So you could kill me like you did the Servants of Darkness?!"
Robbie spun his chain around, "Who's to say? It depends. Perhaps you've already atoned. I can't say for certain. I only punish those who deserve it, chica."
The unicorn noticed Robbie taking a step forward and shot a beam of magic at him, making him stop for a moment, "Don't come near me, you freak! What spirit are flipping talking about?!" she gasped our nervously, now actually fearful for her life.
A second of silence was passed, but then a response came from Robbie.
"The Spirit of Vengeance."
At that, Robbie Reyes began to feel that transformation again. Starlight's eyes shrank to pinpricks at the horrifying sight before her. His flesh began to melt and in the place of his face was a floating skull, an aura of flames surrounding it. There appeared to be markings on the top of his head, a literal scar of his past. The unicorn wondered what it was she was looking at, but was too afraid to ask any questions.
Ghost Rider's hands curled into fists, his chain being held tighter as it lit up in flames as well. Starlight teleported upon witnessing Ghost Rider swinging it in her direction. She reappeared behind Robbie and tried to attack him, to no avail. Ghost Rider backhanded the unicorn, making her reel back in pain. "What in Celestia's name are you?!" asked the unicorn with another small gulp. Ghost Rider didn't respond and marched towards her.
Starlight shot another volt at Ghost Rider, which he handled without problem with a swipe of his hand. He then used his chain to hit the offending pony. The equine ducked, feeling the heat of the flaming metal weapon above her head. "Don't kill me..." she pleaded under her breath, but loud enough to be heard hopefully.
Ghost Rider glared at the pony as she continued rambling, "I'm sorry! Okay?! I'm sorry!" she curled down, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as he inched ever closer.
The Spirit of Vengeance noticed her horn lighting up in a panic. Without hesitation, he kicked her, his boot forcefully hitting her chest, knocking the wind out of her. "Please..." she begged, coughing for air. "I regret everything I've done before..."
Ghost Rider looked down upon the frightened unicorn and felt a beam come right at him, making him reel backwards. He grabbed the equine by the throat and choking her out. Suddenly, he threw her entire body back down and pinned her. Starlight silently sobbed and cried in pain at each painful movement the spirit was dishing out upon her. "What do you want?!" she wondered.
Silence again. Ghost Rider released her from his grip and kicked her before she could even dare fight back. The Spirit fo Vengeance just allowed her to wheeze and lie on the floor, seeing the tears run down her cheeks.
"I was a tyrant, alright?! I enslaved ponies, I nearly destroyed time out of petty revenge!" she cried, refusing to fight back. "I don't deserve forgiveness! I never did, after everything I've done... Just... Just end me... Please..."
Ghost Rider looked down upon her as she continued, "It-It's what you do... R-Right?" Starlight's eyes softened, having accepted her fate, "Spirit of Vengeance... Punish those who deserve it? W-What are you g-g-going to do to me, Ghost? Make it quick..."
No response. No reaction. Starlight was greatly confused by this. As she whimpered in her spot, her eyes closed. She assumed the worst, but nothing happened. Instead, when she opened her eyelids, she noticed that the Ghost Rider was gone. She was scared now, yet he was gone. And he knew of her past. She curled her hooves together in a fetal position. But she let out a sigh of relief, tears still running down her cheeks from the encounter.
What was she afraid of? That he would come back to end her. That he would have to punish her for her past crimes.
Meanwhile, all that was seen in the distance heading into the forest was a small flame, fading away into the shadows. His next stop, finding out who was in charge of this mad cult.
