Chapter 14: My Precious Bastard Son

Wild Blaze trotted through the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres with a skip in his step. Adorned with his traditional leather jacket, he moved up and down the rows of the orchard, inspecting the trees for any signs of rot or contamination. Braeburn and Soarin were doing the same thing as they all waited for the supper bell to be rung.

Weeks had passed since that night with Rainbow Dash. He still could not put into words what it was like still; the whole experience still seemed as though it didn’t belong in his tragic life. For once, he had to remind himself not to smile, not to be giddy, not to be happy. He had to remind himself that he was Wild Blaze, and Wild Blaze had not experienced that night at all.

While Mac and Rainbow’s relationship was in full bloom, the relationship between Rainbow and Wild Blaze was still icy at best. Against Rainbow’s wishes, Mac had insisted that the relationship between the two of them progress slowly. The two of them couldn’t go from hating one another to dating within a day. Nopony would believe that and it would bring attention towards them, attention Mac wanted to keep as far away as possible.

Besides, he enjoyed those moments alone with her, when she was the only pony that knew who he was under that maroon fur and even deeper inside of that. For some reason, she wasn’t afraid of the Ghost Rider, and she didn’t really seem to care that he and Mac were the same pony. She would still ask questions about what it was like to be the Rider, but this had become a rare occurrence now and she was more focused on just spending time together.

Applejack seemed to notice Rainbow’s brightened mood. She had made several attempts of trying to find out what had made Rainbow more cheerful, or more precisely, who. Mac had heard her discussing it with Soarin, trying to figure out if there was anypony from the Wonderbolts that she might of hooked up with. All the while Soarin just laughed, telling her that it was not their business.

Inside, Mac felt a bit guilty about only letting Rainbow Dash know that he was still alive, but it was all for the best. Big Mac was dead, after all, and he would hate to see what Applejack and Apple Bloom might do to him if they found out he was alive.

But for the first time in the five years since that horrible night, things seemed to be going his way. No matter how short it was, Mac was happy to have this time with his family and a mare that cared about him.

Giving a content sigh, Mac looked at the apples trees surrounding him. For now, he was happy.

“Hello, Macintosh Apple.” Mac's heart all but stopped. An icy chill spread throughout his body, his fur standing on edge. Turning around, Mac felt the Rider come to life within him as his golden eyes fell upon the cause of all his suffering for so many years.

Bleeding Heart.

The Devil.

“You son of a bitch!” Mac shouted, as he charged wildly at the light blue pony, fear giving way to pure and uncontrollable rage. For once it seemed like he and the Rider were united in their purpose, for nothing would please the Rider more than to kill the Devil right then and there.

Bleeding Heart just shook his head and chuckled, seeming to pay no mind to the rampaging stallion. “Now now, Mister Macintosh. Is that anyway to treat your master?” That last word carried a power unknown to Mac, for an outside force seemed to take control of his body. His legs froze in place and Mac fell face first into the dirt, coming to a grinding halt in front of Bleeding Heart.

“Now that’s more like it,” Bleeding Heart laughed as he examined one of his hooves. “Bowing to your master is the right thing to do.” Mac tried to push himself up off the ground to silence that leering face of his, but he could only move far enough up that he looked to be bowing to the pudgy pony. The Rider raged inside of Mac’s head as they were forced to bow to the King of Darkness.

“But you can’t stay there all day, please get up. Slave.” Mac’s body started to rise when the Devil allowed him to, causing Mac to grind his teeth in anger as he looked into the eyes of the pony that had damned him all those years ago.

“What the hell do you want?” Mac growled. Bleeding Heart just continued to chuckle at Mac’s inability to move, savoring every second of Mac’s displeasure.

“Why Macintosh, that is exactly what I want. Hell.” Bleeding Heart circled around Mac, like a lion circling its prey. “But before we get into what I want, I just can’t talk to you in this form.” Bleeding Heart stopped right in front of Mac, and tapped him softly on the forehead.

At once, Mac’s body was engulfed in orange flames. The blaze oiled its way into Bleeding’s hoof like he was sucking it into his own body. Once all the flames were gone, all that was left standing in the middle of the orchard was Big Mac. “Much better,” Bleeding Heart laughed, taking a few steps away from Mac.

Horror filled Mac as he looked down his muzzle, unable to see the rest of his body due to the Devil’s grip on him. He was fully exposed in the middle of orchard during the day. If any of his family was to come this way they would see him no problem and his secret would be out.

“No! Change me back now!” Mac demanded, struggling against his invisible bindings, but his body didn’t move an inch.

“Tut, tut, tut Mister Macintosh, you should not be making demands of me. You are in my power, remember?” Bleeding Heart laughed again, resuming his circle around Big Mac. “My, it has been a long time since we had seen one each other last? Well at least face to face,” Bleeding Heart said, as his hoof traced Mac’s leather jacket from behind out of Mac’s view. “Why… the last time we saw each other was when—”

Bleeding Heart whipped around to face Mac, but his appearance had changed and this time he had taken the form of a elderly green mare.

“Was when yer sweet old Granny Smith died!”

Mac’s vision turned blood red, while the Rider roared inside of him. Never before had Mac wished he could transform into the Rider as he did right now, to kill the bastard that would dare take on the appearance of his beloved grandmother.

The Devil, however, just kept up his chuckling and morphed back into Bleeding Heart. “So many years ago that was, but I have never lost track of you, my Rider, not for a instant. I have kept my eye on you to make sure you were maturing, and you have not disappointed.” A black smoke seeped into the air around Bleeding Heart as he talked, like snakes slithering upon the air, slowly wrapping around Mac. “I am so proud of you, the way you handled those pesky angels and lowly demons.”

Mac’s eyes darted from Bleeding Heart to the black smoke that had ensnared him. The inky tentacles were moving from tree to tree, like vines ready to drain the life out of them. “Are you sayin’ that you… you sent them after me?” Mac growled, watching Bleeding Heart’s every move.

“In the beginning, yes,” Bleeding Heart laughed, his perfectly white teeth sharpening. “I needed the Rider to be strong, for you to be strong, my little Macky. You two are very important to me, and I must make sure you're properly fed.” As Bleeding Heart moved closer, Mac noticed that the veins around his face were glowing a deep red, pulsating like infected boils every few seconds. The thought of such a creature having a heart pumping blood through its wretched veins to give it life disgusted Mac.

“Some of the most exciting adventures you two have been on were my doing. Out of all my so called ‘investments’ here on this planet, you're one of my most valuable and risky. So I had to make sure to keep you in check. Did you really think I would just let you go totally free? I needed you confined to Equestria.” With every word he spoke, red sparks danced across Bleeding Heart’s body, changing his appearance. He grew slightly taller till he was a good head taller than Mac. Jittery electric fingers started to converge on either side of his back forming a pair of light blue bat wings, torn and ragged and yet still imposing. Sparks also gathered around his forehead creating a jagged unicorn horn ending in an angry point, like a sword.

Finally his eyes began to turn black as if his pupils had exploded. They were still as cold, emotionless, and void of all goodness as Mac remembered, and after all the evil he had faced, those eyes were still one of the most horrific sights he had ever seen.

“What do you mean?” Mac growled, the question was not his own, but that of the Ghost Rider who yearned to leave the confines of Mac’s mortal body, but he was a demon, and could not be out during the day. The Rider’s rage grew, as the idea of being manipulated from the very start, as if he had always been part of the Devil’s plan, a puppet for the bastard’s enjoyment.

“What do I mean? You do remember Zadkiel, Blackout, and Morbius, don’t you?” The way the Devil asked made it sound like they were foalhood friends of Mac, making Mac and the Rider growl out in anger.

Zadkiel had been one of Elysium Fields strongest angels. He had attacked Rider many of times in the past, before giving himself to the demons and killing an entire village outside of Equestria borders. This was his final act before the Rider used the Penance Stare on him. Blackout was half demon like Mac, but had made a deal with a lesser demon to become one himself. It turned him into a cannibal that had acquired a taste for foals, and had eluded the Rider and Mac for many months till finally catching up and disposing of him in Latveria. Finally Morbius, a vampire pony that would have been fuel for Rainbow Dash’s nightmares. He had lived in country far away from Equestria where he had killed hundreds before coming to Equestria, his final mistake.

“Hmm… I guess not,” the Devil sighed and lowered his head, as though he were disappointed at Mac’s reaction. He then took a few steps towards Mac, and looked him right in the eyes, smiling with his fangs fully visible. “But you do remember Fin Fang Foom, right?” The very name of that creature made Ghost Rider give a roar that Mac thought his head might explode.

Fin Fang Foom had been a dragon that the world had never seen before, and Mac prayed would never see again. He was like many dragons in the sense that he could fly, breathe fire, and would horde gems, but his powers were beyond those of some of the oldest dragons alive today. He could change his size at will, one moment being the same height as a pony and in the next as tall as a mountain, his strength almost limitless in either form. In addition to breathing fire, Fin Fang Foom could also create an acid mist around him that would turn metal into mush within seconds. Then, to top it all off, he could heal almost instantly from most wounds.

Fin Fang Foom had gained the Rider’s attention when he started to kill other dragons. Slaying them in order to gain their treasures and secure his place as he king of all dragons. Young or old, Fing Fang Foom murdered them, and devoured them to gain any strength he could from them.

He had been of one of the Rider’s most dangerous, if not the most dangerous, enemies. In fact, Fin Fang Foom had nearly killed the Rider if he had not looked directly into the Rider’s eyes and felt the full force of the Penance Stare. If it had not been for the Night Rod’s speed, the Rider would have most certainly died.

“You unleashed that beast?!” Mac roared, feeling the Rider’s anger starting to blend into his own. While going after Fin Fang Foom, he had seen all the horrors the dragon had caused; dragons no older that Spike laid dead and eggs had been smashed. “He murdered children! They all did!”

“Unleashed? Hmm… that doesn’t seem like the right word for what I did,” the Devil said, rubbing his chin. “More like woke him up a bit too early. Besides, what's done is done. I want to talk to you about the future.”

“Ah don’t want any future with you,” Mac growled, all the while trying to move some part of his body, wanting to get his hooves around this cursed pony and kill him. The Devil shook his head and grinned, advancing towards Mac, his wings out stretched showing the many holes in them.

“Why Mister Macintosh, that is not a kind thing to say, not at all.” The Devil leaned in closed to Mac’s ear and whispered, “Not when I am offering to give back your soul.” Pulling his head back the Devil just continued to chuckle as an expression of shock started to overtake Mac’s face.

Don’t listen to him, you idiot! The Rider shouted from inside Mac’s mind. He’s going to trick you again! He is the King of Darkness! The Prince of Lies! This is how he gets idiots like you to sign his contracts! Don’t do—

“Quite, worm, the grown ups are talking,” The Devil hissed, as his horn flashed red. Mac could feel the Rider become restrained inside himself. Running a hoof through his mane, the Devil’s black eyes fell back onto Mac, his fangs gleaming in the sunlight.

“Being the Ghost Rider is not a permanent state, my dear colt, but a short time gig. Otherwise I’d still have the original Rider roaming Equestria. The Ghost Rider is what you might call a contingency plan for when things don’t go my way, or when I need to stop something. In this case, it’s the latter,” The Devil’s horn sparked to life again, causing new wisps of smoke to appear, creating circles around the Devil and Mac.

“You see, many millenniums ago, when Celestia and Luna were still foals and I was still young, I had a dream of conquering the mortal plain and uniting it with Hell.” Inside of the smoke, images started to appear of a grand army, filled with demons of every shape and size armed with weapons forged in Hell. Standing above the army was a figure clad in orange and black armor. Their brilliant white fur visible as their blond mane flowed in the wind as the army marched forward.

“I had found many ways to do it, and I came close many times but each time I was stopped short from reaching my goals. Eventually, the foolishness of youth faded and I realized my place in this world and I stopped my attacks.” The Devil gave a wistful sigh, smoke escaping his mouth and nostrils. “Even those of us with the power to change the world with a whim still go through the trials of youth.”

“I don’t see what this has ta do with me,” Mac snarled, as he watched the images of the Devil’s army move across the land. His concerns more laid with Braeburn and Soarin who were out in the orchard with him. Any second they could spot him and everything would be over.

“You see, Macintosh, I am still a stallion and know of those certain desires...” Images of Rainbow Dash appeared within the smoke, some from her alone time with Mac, while others seemed to be showing what she was doing at this very second.

“You leave her out of this!” Mac shouted, struggling again to move and rip this demon’s head off.

“I must admit Macintosh, you chose quite a fine mare. A very fine mare.” the Devil licked his lips as he watched her fly, his tongue tracing his fangs ever so slowly.

"You go near her, and Ah'll tear your fucking throat out!" Hellfire roared through Mac's veins as he struggled against his bonds. The Devil gave no reaction to Mac’s threat, his attention still on Dash’s visage in the smoke.

“Like I was saying, as a fellow stallion I understand these urges. It’s due to these urges that I am in a bind, for my trouble, and now yours. My trouble is my thirteenth son, BlackHeart. He is my youngest and most naive of my children. I blame his mother for that.” The Devil sighed and shook his head. “He had such a promising future, but his whore of a mother ruined it for me. But as I have said before, what is done is done, so let’s talk about the future, like how you're going to send BlackHeart back to hell where he belongs.” Mac snorted in response to the Devil’s commands, prompting the Lord of Hell to laugh.

“Any pony that causes you pain is a good pony by me,” Mac snarled as kept his eyes fixed on the Devil, almost expecting him to lash out at such insubordination.

“Oh? Well, I hope you think that when he brings Hell to Equestria.” The Devil’s smile grew, like a cat who had just caught its prey, enjoying the look of fear and confusion in Mac’s face. “You really thought I would bring up my failed conquests for no reasons? BlackHeart is intent on doing what I could not: bringing Hell here, and ruling over it as the new king. As you could imagine, that is not a good deal for me, or your family,” the Devil said as the rings of smoke started to show images of swirling shadows, and a pair of red eyes gleaming every so often from them.

“Unfortunately, my son has found a way to mask himself from me. For I cannot find him anywhere in Equestria, and why you and the Rider can’t track his soul.”

“Yer sayin’ he’s the dark soul the Rider felt?” The Devil turned back to Mac, grinning as he did.

“Oh yes. I am not sure myself why BlackHeart came here, for there is no way to open Hell from here. Even with the former vessels of the Elements of Harmony here, they have no power to open up the Gates of Hell. At least there is no way I know of.” Once again, the circles of smoke started to show images, several looking like runes of ancient texts in a language that was long dead.

Each of the runes seemed to be complex, with many pictures and diagrams that were shown to achieve the same thing. At the very end of each one showed a picture of a large gate made out of skulls, with metal spikes protruding from every angle, and fire awaiting behind it. The bars of the gates seemed to be chained shut, with what looked like a piece of armor holding the chains together to keep the gate from opening.

“There are more ways to open the gates of Hell than anyone would like to believe. Each one as complex and as horrific as the next, for none of the ways do not include mass killings.” The Devil laughed, as he looked from image to image. Mac’s own eyes could not help but look at each way, and though he could not tell what the ancient text said, the images of blood was all needed to see to know that the cost was in life.

“So how do ya even expect me ta stop him when there's so many ways?” Mac asked, unable to stop himself from looking at each way.

“Oh? So you are thinking of taking the contract?” Mac’s nostrils flared in anger as he looked up at the Devil, who was just grinning back at him. “As I said my son is very naive, the polite way of saying he is an idiot. He is going to go for the most flashy way, to win favor with my generals.” One of the dark rings floated down in front of Mac as the Devil spoke. The runes showed a crude image of a large white pony and a dark blue one. “He is going to kill Celestia and Luna, by their deaths alone the Gates of Hell shall be opened!” The Devil laughed, as the rings of smoke showed images of fire, ponies burning for all eternity, and demons ruling all of Equestria.

“How can he do that? Celestia and Luna are immortals!” Mac spat back, knowing that both sisters have been alive far longer than anypony could even fathom.

The Devil merely chuckled, as he took a few steps towards Mac. “Why my dear Macintosh, do you honestly believe that? Nothing is truly immortal, as you should remember with your fight with Fin Fang Foom. There are ancient powers, powers that go well beyond your simple understanding that could change everything you know. But we are getting off topic here Macintosh.” The Devil’s horn flashed again and out of one of rings of smoke came a familiar green scroll.

“Just sign this, Mister Apple, and upon the completion of sending BlackHeart back to Hell, you get your soul back.” The contracted floated in front of Mac, already opened and ready to be signed.

Mac’s eyes looked over the contract, despite its size there were multiple paragraphs written in the tiniest of lettering and so tightly packed together it would have taken a team of Equestria’s best lawyers to even start to make sense of it. But, Mac didn’t need any lawyers, for he already knew how the Devil worked.

“Ah won’t sign that. Ever,” Mac said, giving a snort of resentment as he eyed the Devil. The Devil just laughed, as the contracted floated in front of Mac.

“Regardless of you signing it or not, you will be sending BlackHeart back to Hell. The Rider cannot resist such a soul. So why do it for free, Mister Macintosh? Get your soul back. Live the rest of your life in peace with that Rainbow Dash,” The Devil leaned in close, whispering into Mac’s ears. His words like a serpent, slithering its way through Mac’s mind showing the world he could live in.

“Think about it…” the Devil whispered again, as a life with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and all of Ponyville flashed before Mac. He could have his family back, he could make a new one even. To be able to love, and be loved back was all the motivation he needed.

The temptation was overwhelming, a real life could be his again. The bonds over Mac’s body seemed to fade as he raised his hoof up to the contract. Ready to take whatever the Devil was offering him just to be him again.

“That’s it Macintosh, think of your family, of her, a life free of darkness…”

“Wild Blaze! Where ya go? Applejack is ringing that supper bell like its the end of days!” Mac was pulled back to reality as the Braeburn’s voice shouted out for him. Whipping around, Mac watched in horror as Braeburn came into view, smiling as he approached. “There you are! Little Macky, Soarin, and Ah been lookin’ fer yer sorry hide." He laughed, "Hm? Who’s that yer talkin to?”

Mac looked down at his extended foreleg to see that the fur was once again a dark maroon with a black hoof attached. The rings of smoke were also gone, and standing right in front of him smiling back at Braeburn was Bleeding Heart.

“Oh hello dear sir! I must apologize for keeping Mister Blaze out for so long,” Bleeding Heart laughed, walking past Mac and towards Braeburn. “My name is Bleeding Heart, I’m an old friend of Wild Baze here. How are you?” Bleeding Hoof extended a hoof out to Braeburn.

“Aww shucks, now Ah feel bad fer breaking yer conversation,” Braeburn laughed extending his own hoof. “Braeburn App—” Braeburn’s hoof feel as he gave a low groan of pain. He hunched over slightly.

“Goodness! What is the problem, my dear stallion?” Bleeding Heart asked, looking over Braeburn, his eyes focusing on the bandages wrapped around Braeburn’s shoulder. “Dear me, what happened?”

“Nothin’ ta worry yerself about, got a little beat up a few weeks ago.” Braeburn forced a chuckle as he got back to his hooves.

“Why sir, I am a doctor, let me take a look,” Bleeding Heart started to extended a hoof, when Wild Blaze stepped in front of him, cutting him off.

“He said he’s fine. Weren’t you talking about heading out? Some matter of life and death came up?” Mac said, his eyes fixated on the ever so innocent looking Bleeding Heart with an intent to kill.

“I always have time for a pony in need,” Bleeding Heart said, his eyes flashing black for a second. “So if you don’t mind, I will—”

“No need to worry about me,” Braeburn laughed, getting his bearings. “Ma lovely Fluttershy is takin’ good care of me. Ah don’t want ta upset her with havin’ somepony else messin’ with her work,”

“Very well then,” Bleeding Heart said, giving a slight bow to the pair of stallions. “I will take my leave then,” Bleeding Heart turned back to Mac and grinned. “But do think about it, Wild Blaze,” Bleeding Heart reached up to pat Wild Blaze on the shoulder, and as he did Mac could feel something materialize in one of his inner pockets. “It could change your life,” with that, Bleeding Heart turned away from the two of them and started to walk away.

“Seems like a nice enough feller,” Braeburn laughed, watching Bleeding Heart leave. “What was he talkin’ about, with chagin’ yer life?”

“Nothing. Just wanted me to go in on some deal with him. He has a history of making bad ones, though.” Mac said, watching Bleeding Heart, the Devil, walk away.

“Oh? One of em’ friends who wants ta get rich quick? As ma pappy always said ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ Now lets go get us some supper! Ah thought Ah smelt some chocolate pie made by ma Buttercup!” Braeburn let out a almost filly like squeal as he started to trot back to the house.

As he did so, Mac raised a hoof up to his jacket and patted it. Inside, he could feel the contract push up against his chest, maybe the only way to get his soul back.

“Ya… they always are.”

Author's Notes:

I hope you all enjoy! Please remember to comment below, I always love to get comments! The more comments I get, the faster I update.

Thank you all for the feature! 2/18/15