Chapter 15: Price of a Soul

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

The Devil’s words echoed in Mac’s mind as he sat alone in his hotel room. He had skipped supper at the Apples again to contemplate this issue, and maybe get advice from the Rider if he could. Rainbow Dash and Little Macky would probably be angry, but he wanted to know if the Rider could remember what happened to any of the other hosts once they took the final deal.

But the Rider had no intention of helping Mac in any way that night. He didn’t appear in any of the reflective surfaces Mac came across and even when the sun went down, the Rider did not even try to come out. Could the Rider actually be angry with Mac about thinking about taking the deal? The Rider had to know how tempting it was for him.

The mere thought of it—to be with his family again, to be with Rainbow Dash, to be himself, free of all the evils he had seen—was almost too tempting to bear. All his secret prayers and hopes seemed to be within grasp; but was he ready to make a deal with the Devil again?

He had been more than burned with his last dealing with the Devil and he was not ready to make the same mistake twice. Mac hadn’t even opened the contract again since the Devil had shown him, afraid that, like before, it would poke him and force him to sign in blood. This inability to even read the contract left many questions in Mac’s mind. Who would he come back as? Wild Blaze or Macintosh Apple?

Life for Mac would be so much simpler if he could be Wild Blaze and let Big Mac finally die. He could continue to live this new life in Ponyville. He wouldn’t have to explain where he had been for the last five years, what life was like as the Ghost Rider, or have to tell Applejack and Apple Bloom about that horrible night. Instead, he could just keep on living this peaceful life, and allow Wild Blaze to make connections.

As Wild Baze, he could move into the guest room above the barn that Applejack had been offering him for weeks now to live in permanently. Waking up every morning on the land his family had lived on for generations and able to work in the apple orchard like he did when he was Big Mac. Finally being able to get close to the family he had missed for so long and able to make up for it now. Wild Blaze would be able to take up Soarin and Braeburn’s offers to get a cold one after a long day of work, instead of zooming off to be the Rider. He could actually attend Braeburn’s wedding, unlike Applejack’s, and see a new branch to the Apple Family tree grow. Being able to play with Little Macky, and showing him what a real stallion should be like, and not looking up to that loner type he had been before. For once he would be able to enjoy life instead of forcing himself to see the evil in all of it so he could leave without regret.

What was even more tempting was being able to grow the relationship between himself and Rainbow Dash. Sure, she might not like the fact that he was now always Wild Blaze, but they could be together without the interruption of the Ghost Rider. He would be able to hold her throughout the night and wake up next to her each morning. Maybe one day, if they were truly meant to be, he could start his own family with her and finally live the life he could only dream about.

However, the thought of all of it just being a dream still wormed its way into Mac’s mind. The Devil did not deal in happy endings, and it would not suit his needs at all. So many questions plagued Mac’s mind as he tried to figure out what the Devil’s angle could be on giving back his soul, and taking back the Ghost Rider. It was due to the Ghost Rider he was still alive and had not died from starvation, impalement, or being crushed. When the Ghost Rider was taken from him, would all that magic that kept him alive suddenly disappear, killing him?

Then what if he was still in Ghost Rider form when the Devil came to take the Rider back and give him back his soul? How would his body possibly mend itself without the Rider’s magic? His soul would only return to a pile of bones in a leather jacket. He had no idea how long he could stay alive once the Rider’s magic was removed from him, or even if he could stay as Wild Blaze, leaving the worst possibility open to him, far worse than death.

What if he came back as Big Mac?

How could he even begin to explain what had happened to him to his family? Would they even want to hear it? He had abandoned them so long ago, leaving them with almost nothing in the wake of his and Granny’s death. How could he explain the fact that he had made a deal with the Devil, or that almost every night since he had been gone he had turned into the Ghost Rider and had slaughtered hundreds of ponies. Then, to top it all off, how could he explain that for almost the last three months he had been lying to their faces as he posed as Wild Blaze? Would they even care to listen? Would they even take him back? Then what would they do to Rainbow? She had known his secret for so long and kept it hidden from them. He couldn't bear the thought of dragging her down with him.

He would rather be dead then try to explain that all to them. Maybe that was what the Devil wanted: to drive Mac to the point where he would take his own life and spend the rest of eternity in the pits of Hell. That seemed more the Devil’s style then allowing Mac to actually have a happy ending of any sort.

Giving a snort, Mac stood up from the desk that he had been sitting at, where the contract laid with all its tempting power. Turning his gaze to the night sky, his thoughts turned to his other problem. BlackHeart.

Just like the contract, questions Mac could not answer started to arise. Such as how neither the Devil nor the Rider could find him and what plans he had for Ponyville? Why would he be here at all if the Princesses were his targets? These were questions that went far beyond Mac’s simple knowledge as a farmer or drifter. He was playing a game with cosmic entities now, and the one that was supposed to be on his side was giving him the cold shoulder.

Sighing, Mac made his way over to the shower in hopes that the hot water would relax him and open up new avenues of thought, or at the very least lift his depressed state. Before Mac could even open the door to the bathroom, a loud smack echoed through the room as something or someone slammed against the closed window.

Mac took a few cautious steps towards the window, until a light blue hoof pushed the window from the outside.

“Why the buck did he close his window?” Rainbow Dash muttered as she slipped inside, carrying a saddle bag with her, while her other hoof was busy rubbing her nose. Looking up, she noticed the large red stallion standing there, eyebrow raised. “Wait… why are you still here? Aren't you supposed to be fighting evil ponies? Like, hanging them by their entrails, ripping them apart with your bike, or eating them or something?” Rainbow asked. Mac gave a stare at how nonchalant Rainbow was about his nightly activities.

“Ah never ate a pony, first off,” Mac grimaced, having memories of the Ghost Rider doing the other two activities quite frequently. “But what are ya doin’ here?” Rainbow just walked past Mac and started to look over the room as if he had never spoken.

“I asked first, so you answer,” Rainbow Dash stated as she looked around. “Thought you had no control over when the Ghost Rider wanted to come out. Or did you only say that because you were too tired to have fun,” Rainbow teased, walking past Mac again, this time tracing the tip of her tail against his side.

The action still had an affect on Mac, causing a chill to run up and down his spine making him visibly shake. Rainbow Dash smirked, looking over her work. Despite being more colt than filly most of the time, she could still use her feminine charms to make even a stallion such as Mac, being half demon, putty in her hooves.

While Mac’s mind tried to refocus on the task at hoof, Rainbow was free to give the room another look over, noticing the green scroll on the desk. “What’s this?” Rainbow asked, extending a wing to grab the scroll. However, before her wing could be fully extended, Mac had already stepped in front of her.

“Don’t touch that!” Mac shouted, his large body towering over her small frame as he cut her off. His heart was pounding like his sister’s hooves against the trees during apple bucking season, while sweat started to gather on his brow. Breathing deeply, realization came over Mac as he looked down at the mare he was trying to protect.

She had taken a step away from him, her eyes fixated on his while her ears laid flat against her head, looking as though he had struck her. Mac felt as though he was about to throw up, his insides twisting and turning as he looked down at her.

“Rainbow, Ah didn’t mean ta. Ah’m sor—” Mac did not get the chance to finish, as a stinging pain spread across his right cheek, followed by an intense heat. For an instant, everything else in the room seemed to vanish as Mac raised a hoof up to his cheek and began to rub it, not able to understand where the pain had come from. As his vision returned, it was filled with the vision of a rainbow-maned pegasus.

Rainbow was glaring at him, her hoof still outstretched as Mac rubbed his cheek. She looked nothing like the frightened mare Mac had hurt seconds ago, but instead a mare filled with ferocity, ready to strike again.

“Ah’m sorry Dash it’s just—”

“Don’t shout at me again,” Rainbow growled as she poked Mac hard in the chest, her eyes never leaving his. “I don’t care if you are part demon. You want anything to do with me, no secrets.” Looking over the larger pony’s shoulder Rainbow eyed the strange scroll again before turning to Mac. “So what is it?” Mac looked back at the scroll before picking it up.

“It’s a contract from the Devil,” he said, in a voice just barely above a whisper. “Ta get back ma soul.” The scroll sat in his hooves, looking like any other parchment, but Mac knew the evil that went along with it from just opening it. He expected for Dash to grab it, shouting at him to sign it and get on with whatever it was the Devil wanted him to do. He waited for her to start shouting, running around the room, anything. Instead, there was silence.

“Yo… you saw him again?” Mac’s head snapped up at how softly Dash spoke. Compared to what he was expecting, such a soft voice seemed louder than any other action she might have taken. Her ears were flat against her head as she looked down at the scroll, seeming transfixed on the item.

“Ya… came ta me when Ah was in the orchard. He wants the Rider and Ah ta find his son and send him back to Hell,” Mac said, the images of the day flashing in his mind as well as the possibilities of what that contract might open for him. A life with his family, with Rainbow, to be normal again was just so tempting and so close. He wanted to be with loved ones again.

“Why does he want you to hunt down his son?” Dash asked, her eyes transfixed on the scroll.

“His son, Blackheart, is tryin’ ta combine our world and Hell together to rule over. The Devil wants ta stay the ruler of Hell, obviously, so he wants me ta stop him somehow.” Rainbow just kept staring down at the scroll, not even looking up at Mac as he talked.

“But you would stop him anyway, right? Even without the contract?” Mac nodded slowly while he looked over the scroll, imagining the Devil just waiting for him to sign it.

“It was Blackheart’s soul that brought the Rider and Ah here, it seems. Regardless of the Devil, we would have gone after him,” Mac said, remembering how excited the Rider was about coming to Ponyville to get the soul of Blackheart. The demon was probably regretting his haste now. Ultimately, this would all be the Rider’s undoing if Mac took the contract now, having a family and a special somepony to come back to.

As the the thoughts of having a normal life started to play in his mind, he barely noticed Rainbow taking the contract from him. Seeing her with such an evil object sent a wave of panic though Mac as he tried to reach for it, but this time, Rainbow was quicker on the draw and pushed him back with her wings.

“So this is from the same guy who turned you into the Ghost Rider, right?” Rainbow asked, balancing the scroll in one hoof as she held Mac back with her wings. She didn’t seem to care much for the object, treating it as a toy instead of an object of great evil.

“Yes, now give that back to—”

“You never say ‘Eeyup’ anymore, you know that?” Mac’s efforts to grab the scroll ceased at once at her question. As pressing as it was for him to get back the scroll, the sudden change in conversation took precedence in his mind.

“What?”

“You never say ‘Eeyup’,” Rainbow said again, as she looked back to him her head slightly cocked. “That was like your thing, your shtick, what everypony knew you for. Not once since you have been back, even when we are alone do you say it. Why?” Mac had a hard time following Dash’s train of thought; one second they were talking about the son of the Devil and now words he used to say.

“That was somethin’ the old me said. Ah ain’t that pony no more, and seein’ as everypony knows me fer it, Ah stopped saying it years ago.” Rainbow gave a snort at the answer as she dropped the scroll to the ground and put her hooves against his chest. She had once again thrown Mac for a loop, as she looked up at him with half lidded eyes, and the slightest of smirks that set his heart ablaze.

“Well we’ll just have to fix that,” she said in a husky tone, and leaned in close, kissing his cheek. “Because I like the old Mac, a lot.” Dash’s words and actions left the stallion’s mind in a fog as he started to give into the mare’s desires. If she wanted the old Mac back, he would give it to her.

“So, ya want me ta sign it?”

“Buck no!” Rainbow shouted, slamming her hooves against Mac’s chest, knocking him out of the haze and forcefully expelling the air for his lungs.

“But you jus said—”

“You’re still the same Mac!” Rainbow shouted again, as she started to hover in place so she was on the same eye level as Mac. “Ghost Rider or not, inside of you is still the same Big Mac who loves his family so much he gave up his soul. You really think it would be a good idea to trust the same pony who turned your life into a actual Hell?!” Rainbow started to pound her hoof on the top of Mac’s head. “He took your soul, not your brain, cowpoke!” Mac just gave his head a hard shake as Rainbow Dash landed in front of him. “Sheesh! For a pony that was supposed to be a secret genius, you sure are dumb!” Rainbow huffed, cross her forelegs turning away from the stallion.

Mac rubbed his head as he stared at her. Her personality sure matched her speed from going zero to a hundred miles per hour within seconds. “Secret genius? Who said that?” He finally asked, lowering his hooves.

“Octavia. She said you were at some University, solving math problems or something. I don’t really remember, we were all really blitzed at the time,” Rainbow laughed, as she tried to remember the situation. “Anyway,” she reached back down to the scroll and held it up in front of him, “you don’t need this. We’ll find another way to get your soul back. Till then, you got more pressing things to worry about.” With that, Rainbow tossed the scroll to the other side of the room as she placed her hooves back on Mac’s chest, her eyes half lidded as her face sat not even an inch from his.

“Really? Like what?” Mac asked, as he attempted to close the gap between them. His efforts were in vain, as his lips came into contact with feathers instead of a pair of warm lips.

“First, I’m gonna to take a shower. I was expecting you to be gone when I came over. So while I’m doing that,” Rainbow pushed the saddle bag into Mac’s lap, “you can choose something out of that. Consider it a welcome home gift.” Rainbow left the stallion sitting there, watching the ever so subtle sway of her hips.

A smile instantly broke out across Mac’s face. As he reached for what was inside of the bag, her voice interrupted him again. “Or you can join me in the shower.” Mac looked back up to see her looking over her shoulder at him before disappearing into the bathroom. There was no way he was going to pass that up, and, like the obedient little love slave she had turned him into, he followed.

As Mac walked into the bathroom after her, he passed the mirror right before the bathroom. Within it, Mac’s reflection was that of the Ghost Rider watching the pair enter the shower. He only have a slight nod before disappearing once again.

---

“Why do we have to do this during a bloody blizzard?!” cried the light red crystal pony, glaring through thick goggles at the dark yellow one ahead of him. The pair were climbing the side of a mountain far from the safety and warmth of their homes of the Crystal Empire. The high pitched howls of the wind as it whipped around the mountains was almost deafening, bringing with it a chilling wind that pelted them like icy daggers.

“Where is your sense of adventure?!” the yellow one called back, just as they were hit with another icy blast, causing both to be temporarily unable to move or breath as the cold air entered their lungs.

“Back at home, where there’s a warm bed and fire!” The red one shouted, once he could fill his lungs with air once more. The yellow one just laughed, using his magic to guide their way through the storm.

“Trust me! It’ll all be worth it once you see it!” He laughed, and once again the pair was on their way up the mountain’s path. The mountain was one of many that surrounded the Crystal Empire, forming a natural defence around it. The biting cold and the perpetual snowy weather around the mountains also helped, but also made climbing the mountains a dangerous endeavor for even the most experienced of ponies. This particular mountain was further away and had been the subject of many legends about being cursed. This did not stop these two as they ventured higher into the mountain following a path that only the yellow one knew of.

After what seemed like an eternity, at least to the red one, the yellow crystal pony gave a cry of delight before running off ahead of his friend a short distance. His horn grew brighter, illuminating a cave in the mountain side.

“You wanted to show me a cave?” the other grumbled, stepping next to his friend, who stood outside of it with a large grin. “I swear, if you brought me all the way out here to see some stupid fossil, I will be coming down this mountain alone,” he grumbled as his friend smiled.

“Oh-ho, we didn’t come to see any fossil. Now take a step inside,” the yellow one insisted, bowing slightly and extending his hoof. Rolling his eyes, the red one took a step inside the dark cave. Once one hoof was inside, he instantly recoiled it as if he had touched a boiling pot.

His friend burst into laughter, before stepping fully inside the cave himself and waited for his friend to enter. The other just stared at him for a second, before looking down at his hoof. He had to be losing it, there was no way he just felt what he did, right? Looking back up at his laughing friend, he screwed his eyes tightly shut before marching right into the cave.

At once, a wave of heat hit him. For a moment he could have sworn he was standing in a meadow in the middle of summer instead of a cave where it was almost negative temperatures outside. Opening his eyes, he was blinded momentarily by the light his friend was giving out.

“Wh... what is with this place?” he asked, looking around the cave in search of the source of heat. As he looked he also noticed that the cave’s walls were completely smooth, and seemed to be an equal length and width as one progressed. It became obvious that his cave was not made naturally, and some magic had to be behind it all.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” the unicorn said before walking deeper into the cave. Now filled with curiosity, the other followed right behind into the cave, the temperature slowly rising the further back they got, to the point where he was actually sweating.

“Seriously, what’s causing this? Geothermal vent? Hot springs? Did you learn some new spell or something?” he asked again, his eyes continuously scanning the walls as they walked. He was half expecting to see a dragon at the end of the cave causing all the heat. His friend did not reply, however, continuing to guide the way deeper into the cave. “Come on, how did you do this? Where did you learn such powerful ma—” His mouth failed him as the light of his friend’s horn illuminated the very back of the cave.

Embedded in the very back of the cave was a crimson horn, glowing with a purple aura that was seeping out of it like a fog. The red pony stood there, just staring at the horn lodged in the stone. “Is that… Is that…”

“The horn of King Sombra himself,” the yellow unicorn said, taking a step towards it. “Still radiating with his power. Do you know what would happen if we brought this to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor? Money, fame, mares! We’ll never have to work again! Heck, our names will be recorded in history, right up there with the Elements of Harmony!”

“This is amazing. We’re going to be—” Before he could finish the light his friend was projecting suddenly went out, leaving the pair in almost complete darkness, save for the light glow of Sombra’s horn. “What’s the deal, man? Trying to scare me now or something? You should have done that at the star—”

His words devolved into a blood curdling scream, echoing off the caves wall. His friend’s horn blazed to life again, illuminating the cave once more, but the light only brought new horrors as it shone upon him.

The unicorn’s entire body seemed to be contorting in pain, his muscles visibly spasming as he stood there unable to move. Blood was slowly seeping out of his ears, staining his crystal body with crimson before dripping down to the ground below. As his suffering intensified, more blood flowed out from his eyes and nose, his mouth hung open in horrific silence before vomiting forth even more crimson. With his eyes rolling into the back of his head, his horn grew brighter, almost reflecting the unimaginable pain he was in. Unable to speak, he tried to turn back to his friend, choking on the blood in his mouth as to warn him at some great threat, but before he could do anything his horn exploded. A fountain of blood erupted from the gaping hole in his forehead, coating the wall in front of them in gore before the unicorn fell over with a loud thud. Even in the limited light, it was easy to tell he was dead.

Standing there, the red crystal pony just looked down in unimaginable terror as a pool of the yellow unicorn’s lifeblood started to form, slowly reaching the others hooves. The warm substance made him snap back to reality as he started to back away, convinced that the horn had done it all. As he turned to run, he slammed into something hard causing him to tumble backwards onto the bloody corpse of his friend.

“Out of all the ways I can kill a pony, that is probably one of my favorites.” The red crystal pony was scrambling to his hooves, kicking the body of his friend as he tried to get up and coating himself in the still warm blood. Looking up in fear and panic, he saw a pony standing a few inches away from him in the hellish light. He wore a hood and cape, concealing his face, but a jagged purple horn could be seen protruding from the hood.

“P… please d-don’t kill me!” the pony cried, stuttering as he cowered away from the hooded unicorn, pressing his back against the wall. The hooded pony didn’t seem to give him any notice as he advanced towards the horn, still emanating with the power of a fallen king. Even in the limited light, the crystal pony could make out the glowing red eyes from under the hood, and a wide smile showing off fangs that were as white as freshly fallen snow.

A dark purple aura surrounded the mysterious pony’s horn as well as Sombra’s, before slowly pulling it out of the stone prison it had been in for so long. As the horn was being removed, the temperature in the cave began to plummet, making the cowering crystal pony shiver more.

“Stop your sniveling,” the hooded pony said, looking down at the other with crimson eyes. “I am not going to kill you; you are very important to my plans.” his smile only grew wider as the purple aura also surrounded the red crystal pony, lifting him into the air. He barely struggled as he was lifted, his mind petrified with pure terror as he looked into those red eyes.

“Clamávero virtutem antiquos! Haec mando vobis ut unus ab inferis reduceret vas quod significatur!” The crystal pony couldn’t make sense of what the hooded pony was saying, but he did not have long to dwell on it. He suddenly howled in agony, some invisible force burying into his chest like a knife carving into his flesh. As he screamed in pain, symbols began to appear across his body, carved by some invisible force in a language long forgotten. The cries of pain and agony did not stop the hooded pony as he continued to chant. “Nam et Filius et vires diaboli antiquae religionis gerunt! Infernus animam infundere virtute praecipio dare vitam et imperium quaeres ultionem meam et ultra! Reduc Sombra regem!” As he chanted and more symbols appeared on the pony’s body, the horn of Sombra levitated higher into the air ‘till it was just above the screaming pony’s forehead. With his eyes flashing purple for a moment, the red horn was thrusted deep inside of the pony’s forehead.

His cries of agony redoubled as a red fire sprouted out from it, engulfing the crystal pony in flames. The hooded pony took a few steps back, releasing his magic as he watched the fire burn brightly, destroying the red crystal pony vessel, and bringing back a soul from Hell itself. With no magic holding it up, the ball of fire fell to the ground of the cave, slowly taking the shape of a pony much larger than the one who had been there before.

The figure gave a massive roar, as the fire exploded from him coating the walls and ceiling of the cave in red flames. Standing there in all his unholy glory, still wearing the armor, crown and cape in which he died, was the former ruler of the Crystal Empire, King Sombra.

King Sombra stood there panting, hunched over with his legs spread apart in exhaustion. His own set of red eyes started to scan the area like a caged animal. In the limited confines, it did not take him long to see the hooded pony in front of him, and at once gave a roar of anger before shooting a bolt of red and green magic at the hooded pony.

Before the bolt of magic could even reach the pony, it smashed against a purple barrier protecting its user and making Sombra’s magic look like a cheap trick. This only served to anger the King as he charged forward like a wild beast, his eyes morphing into green and red as a purple mist started to radiate from them. The figure simply chuckled as Sombra charged, the tip of his horn flashing purple for a instant as a purple aura surrounded Sombra. Before Sombra even got a chance to fight back, he was slammed into one side of the cave, and then the other before being slammed against the ceiling and smashed onto the floor, where he was held there by the others magic.

“Tut, tut, King Sombra, I know you are used to being attacked relentlessly in Hell, but you are no longer in Hell. And really, is that anyway to thank the one who saved you from damnation?” Sombra looked up at the hooded pony, his eyes still full of rage, while the others seemed calm and collected.

“Who are you?!” Sombra spat, trying desperately to move, but no matter what he tried it seemed that all of his magic had been turned off while he was in this pony’s grasp. The hooded pony just chuckled as he sat, looking down at the helpless Sombra and ignoring his question.

“And in doing such a great favor for you, I need you to do something for me in return.” Sombra growled in frustration as the hooded pony who just sat there. “For not only did I bring you back from the depths of fire and brimstone, I gave you a power boost. Can’t you feel it? Swirling inside of you? A fire so powerful that you can barely control it, but want more?” Sombra’s eyes widened at the hooded pony’s words. He could indeed feel a new power burning within him, like that of those eternal pits in Hell. It was building up inside of him ready to explode, yet he craved more of it.

“Why?” Sombra asked, and as he did the aura that was holding him to the ground lifted.

“Why? Because King Sombra, I believe you deserve a second chance at life,” the pony laughed, standing up and started to walk towards the entrance of the cave. “That your life was ended all too soon by a group of weaklings, and that you are the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire,” As the hooded pony spoke, anger welled up in Sombra. Images of a purple unicorn mare, a white stallion, and a pink alicorn flashed in his mind, reminding him how they robbed him of everything.

“They shall rue the day they crossed my path!” Sombra shouted, his eyes turning green again with magical energy flooding from them. Cracks started to form in the cave’s floor and walls as Sombra’s anger grew. The pure humiliation of how he had been dethroned and stripped of his power was what fueled his rage in the depths of Hell, allowing him to endure the torture that drove others insane and keep his personality intact. Sombra’s flaring temper did not concern the hooded pony while red and green sparks danced across the king’s body.

“I’m sure they would, if it was seven years ago, my dear King Sombra. Many things have changed since you have been dead. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance have been married, Twilight Sparkle has become an alicorn, and is now a Princess herself. Even at your current power, I doubt you would last long against their combined forces. Why, Princess Twilight even defeated Lord Tirek after he had absorbed the powers of the Princesses and the Lord of Chaos himself, Discord.” This only served to further Sombra’s wrath, as he gave out a monstrous roar of power.

“Then why even bring me back at all, if I cannot have my revenge?!” Sombra shouted, advancing towards the hooded pony. “I will not be denied! I will kill each and every one of them if it’s the last thing I do!” The intensity and savagery in Sombra’s voice had no effect on the hooded pony, instead his horn flashed purple again and slammed Sombra into the wall his horn had been trapped in.

“Everything I do has a purpose, mortal. Don’t you dare think for a instant that I overlooked any small step or detail in my plans,” the hooded pony hissed, advancing on the struggling Sombra pinned against the wall. “Besides, do you want revenge on the ones following the orders, or the ones who gave them?”

“Celestia and Luna? Are you a mad fool?!” Sombra shouted in protest, even though he was at the pony’s mercy. “You said yourself that I am no match for Shining Armor, yet you expect me to take on the Celestial Sisters?! I was better off in Hell!”

“I can send you back there, if you wish,” the hooded pony growled, the force growing on Sombra causing cracks in the stone behind him. “But that would be such a waste, especially after I have brought you another gift,” the pony released Sombra from his spell, letting the King fall to the ground, before walking to the exit of the cave.

“Stop speaking in riddles! Who the Hell are you?!” Sombra shouted again, charging after the hooded pony, sparks still flying from his body in rage. Even though the hooded pony seemed to be walking at a leisurely pace, Sombra could not catch up to him no matter how hard he ran until he finally joined him outside the cave. The winds were still howling as hard as ever, but this did not cool the King’s temper as he glared at the strange pony. “Answer me, damn it! I am King Sombra, Lord of the Crystal Empire, Scourge of the Frozen North!” Sombra shouted again, his eyes engulfed in fury.

“Yes, yes you are,” the hooded pony said, looking out into a growing storm. “But what is a king, without an army?” Extending his hoof, a section of the blizzard started to dissipate creating a open space below them. Inside, a large burst of red flames erupted, much like the flames that had brought Sombra back to life. The flames served as a portal, showing a large mass of creatures, standing in the pits of Hell with weapons drawn and savage cries.

“This army is yours to use to destroy Canterlot,” the pony laughed, as Sombra started down at the army below, all of different shapes and sizes. “You will commence your attack tomorrow night, right as the sun sets. For they can only last in this world till the sun’s first light.” The pony turned to Sombra with a grin. “Ready to truly get your revenge?”

Sombra just stared into the portal, revealing his army to destroy Canterlot. His body was still pulsating with power that he could have never imagined, and most of all he was alive again. Turning to the hooded pony Sombra could barely grasp what he was given.

“Who are you?” The hooded pony just laughed, shaking his head as the portal was closed.

“That seems to be the only question you have, isn’t it?” the pony said, raising his hoof and pulling down his hood and throwing the cape to the winds. Standing there was a dark purple pony with black mane and hooves. He also had a pair of bat like wings, that rustled slightly in the cold, as he looked out smiling.

“I am Blackheart, future ruler of this world and Hell.”

Author's Notes:

A big shout out goes to my editing team of Jake the Army Guy, jszellmer, and Heart of Blades . Another round of shout outs go to Bad_Seed_72, KarmaDash, and Digi for helping with keeping the story going.

If you are curious as to what Blackheart said just use google translate with Latin. Should give you a rough idea. This will be the last slow chapter for awhile so buckle up!