Chapter 4: Knowing your Demons

“I’m telling you, Chief, that’s what happened! As unbelievable as it is, it’s the Celestia honest truth!” Gold Star shouted, slamming his hooves on the metal integration table. He was sitting in the metal chair facing the one-way window. On the table were several open folders and pictures of charred corpses and piles of ash. Three pictures had been singled out and set aside: Red Rose, Sharp Edge, and Capone, all laying in hospital beds with their eyes wide open and white. In the room with him, was a light brown Earth Pony with a blue peaked cap with a silver badge on it.

“Gold Star, you were working undercover in the Don Family for five years,” Chief Blue Steel said looking at one of the folders containing a list of names, “and not once did they suspect you, and throughout your time you brought back very valuable information. But, this story, it’s just too impossible to believe,” he said shaking his head, and looking at the pony as if to beg him for another answer.

“I know Chief! But that’s what happened! Why the hell would I make up a story like this?” Gold Star asked looking down at his hooves. Ever since last night, he had been trying to explain what happened at the Kentucky Mansion, but so far nopony believed him. Hell, he wouldn't have believed it either if he hadn’t been there.

“Look, you've been under a lot of stress, I get that. Undercover work ain't the easiest assignment,” Steel said, walking over to the side of the desk and patting Gold Star on the back. “You're like a son to me. Hell, you married my daughter! The stress of all of this must have gotten to you. We won’t hold it against you if you, well, went and…”

“I didn’t go crazy and kill all of them!” Gold Star shouted, “How would I be able to burn them all alive like that?! I am tell you a-”

“Pony with a flaming skull and motorcycle did it with chains, right?” Gold Star and Blue Steel both turned towards the voice and both showed noticeable shock on their face. Standing at the door was a very tall, very thin Earth Pony with a brilliant white coat and a well-coiffed blonde mane dressed in a black blazer and tie. Both were drawn to his eyes: one was a dull gray, the other a bright yellow, slitted vertically like a reptile's. The pony walked in closing the door behind him and sat in the chair that was facing the two of them.

“Who are...how did you...what the…” Steel tried to make a question, but the sudden appearance of the Earth Pony, and his strange eyes, were putting him off.

“He also seemed to just absorb damage as well, and could force ponies stare into his eyes, yes?” the white Earth Pony asked again, looking at the two. He spoke with an odd, almost musical accent as he addressed the two.

“Now hold a second there,” Gold Star said, getting to his hooves. “Who let you in on this investigation?”

“The motorcycle seemed to have a mind of it’s own, as well, I assume. Coming when called, moving freely as if it was a pony, that sort of thing. Then there are his chains. I have read some interesting accounts about those chains, but your report was the most detailed by far. Become a detective, Gold Star; much more suited for you.” the strange pony said, never once taking his mismatched eyes off the photos.

“Who the buck are you?!” Blue Steel finally shouted, which only made the pony look up slowly, not seeming to understand where the sudden anger was coming from.

“Special Agent Bentgrass, of Their Majesties’ Royal Investigative Service.” Bentgrass said, pulling out a small felt case, flipping it open to reveal a gleaming badge and picture ID. The two ponies looked at the badge as Bentgrass kept looking over the pictures. “I understand you have had an incident of the demonic persuasion?” Bentgrass asked, but didn’t seem to interested in their answer as he looked over the picture of Capone.

“Demonic what now?” Blue Steel asked, looking at the ID again. This time he was looking more closely at the badge and saw under the Equestrian seal was the logo of the R.I.S. What truly caught her eye, though, was the small print under his picture.

A. Bentgrass, Special Agent, Grade 13. Division Six.

“What business does the R.I.S have with the death of Capone? Did he have unpaid taxes or something?” Steel asked, ripping the picture out of Bentgrass’ grip.
“Yes, incidentally. In point of fact, we were actually going to arrest him today for tax evasion,” Bentgrass said in such a uncaring manner that both ponies wanted to hit him. “But, you have also stumbled upon a case I have been working for the last three years, and I need to know what you know about it,” Bentgrass said, looking right at Gold Star.

“Wh-what?” Gold Star asked, looking to Blue Steel then back at Bentgrass. “Yo-you believe me?” the sound of disbelief was all but clear in his voice.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Bentgrass said, smirking a bit. “I have been tracking the movements of the Ghost Rider for the last three and half years, and let me tell you, tracking him has been no easy task.” Bentgrass laughed as he looked at another picture of charred remains. “And this is definitely his work.”

“The Ghost Rider?” Blue Steel repeated, “You mean that myth the Manehatten Times is always babbling on about?” as these words left Steel’s mouth, Bentgrass looked up at him with such a glare that the Earth Pony took a step backwards.

“Chief Blue Steel, stories such as Princess Luna creating Bat Ponies is a myth. Giant alligators living in the sewers of Manehatten is a myth, and an alternative universe populated by monkey like creatures is a myth,” Bluegrass said, getting to his hooves, he then reached into his jacket and pulled out a small picture and pushed it towards the pair of ponies. “But the Ghost Rider? He is no myth, not by a long shot.”

Blue Steel and Gold Star looked down at the picture Bentgrass had pushed towards them. The picture was in black and white and extremely blurry, but it was easy to make out the shape of a motorcycle and somepony on top of it with what looked like a flaming skull. The two of them looked for a few more seconds before Bentgrass pulled the picture back.

“What did he look like?” Bentgrass asked, looking right at Gold Star. Gold Star looked up at him and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I think you know that already, Agent Bentgrass,” Gold Star replied, not knowing why he was being asked this again.

“All the same, it never hurts to hear corroborating descriptions.” Bentgrass took his seat again and placed his forelegs on the table, tapping them together. Gold Star looked over at Steel, who just shrugged as he gave Bentgrass a hard glare, but Bentgrass gave no indication that he noticed as he stared at Gold Star with his strange eyes.

“Well...he wasn’t flesh and blood, I can tell you that now,” Gold Star began, “He was a walking talking skeleton with a flaming skull for a head. He also wore a leather jacket and had a lot of chains around-”

“Did you say he was talking? He spoke?” Bentgrass interrupted, his reptile eye seemed to glow with excitement.

“That’s right bu-”

“What did he say?”

“Well...when he was hit with a wave of arrows and magic he said something like ‘That wasn’t very nice, now I have to be not nice back’ and then started to shoot the arrows and knives out of his body like he was some kind of machine,” Gold Star looked for any indication from Agent Bentgrass to stop, but the pony seemed interested in the story so he continued. “And then he got into a fight with a big Minotaur with a battle axe. He blocked the axe with one foreleg wrapped in chains, before he started to breath fire like a dragon!” Bentgrass once again reached into his blazer and pulled out a notepad and pen.

“Go on.”

“Well, he then started to turn it on everypony on one side of the room, the side I was on."

Bentgrass nodded slightly, pen flying across his notepad. "And he missed you?"

"Well, no. He hit me with it, and while it was super hot, it didn’t burn me. Well, it destroyed the suit I had on, but I was okay. He seemed to be confused by that and he walked over to me and grabbed me by the neck with one of his chains that had sprouted out of his back!” at that, Gold Star pointed to his neck where some bruising,where some bruising, patterned in a chain shape, could be seen. “He then told me to look into his ey-”

“Wait!” Bentgrass shouted, looking at Gold Star with all the curiosity in the world. “He told you to look into his eyes, and you're still talking?!” Bentgrass was smiling, he seemed ecstatic about the news. Once again, Gold Star shared a look with Blue Steel, who just looked as confused as him.

“Ya, and well it felt like he was-”

“Looking into the depths of your soul,” Bentgrass said, a grin forming on his lips. He stood up and nodded to both stallions. “I would like to thank you both for your time; the information you have just given me is more than I could have hoped for,” he said, turning towards the door. “Oh, Gold Star,” he looked back at the young stallion. “Keep up the good work; you're the only pony to survive the Ghost Rider’s stare. If you had any darkness, or as he has said ‘Blood of the Innocent,’ on your soul, you would have wound up like those two,” he said, before opening the door and letting himself out.

The two police ponies looked at the door for a few seconds before turning back to one another.

“Who the buck was that?”

--

Mac woke up, gasping for breath. As always, his body felt like it was on fire and he needed water now. Looking around, he tried to find the familiar jugs of water that the Rider usually left waiting for him, but instead he saw a lake with clear water in it. As confused by this as he was, Mac didn’t care one bit as he scrambled to the edge of the lake and started to drink from the lake as soon as he could.

For several long moments, Mac drank the cool water of the lake, treasuring every drop of water as if it was his last. The water felt like it was cooling his entire body, putting out the demonic flame that consumed his body every night. After getting his fill, Mac slowly raised his head from the water to look at his reflection. To his surprise, his mane was still black, his eyes gold, and his coat dark maroon.

Must have gotten his fill last night, Mac thought, observing himself. He looked down his side to see that the green fireball was still there. Normally, if the Rider did not get enough to eat the night before, Mac would look like his old self when he awoke, but when the Rider had his fill of dark souls, the magic that kept his appearance changed was strong enough to keep working. Taking in another drink of water, Mac started to observe his surroundings.

He was no longer in Stalliongrad, that was for sure. He was surrounded by green fields and forest instead of dark buildings, and the air was fresh instead of stench of a half of million ponies working. Mac also noticed the Night Hog was near him, the Rider not sending it into the shadows like he normally did. This struck Mac as odd; the only time the Rider did something like that was if he was in a rush.

Moving from the lake, he started to try to get a bearing on where he was. Usually he would choose the next destination, not the Rider, and since Mac is asleep during the Rider’s take over of his body he had no idea where the Rider might have taken them to. Stretching slightly, Mac looked around, trying to find something to help indicate where he was. He noticed that dirt path was couple yards away from him and started to move towards it.

As he walked, he kept looking around at the trees around him, and felt the grass on his hooves. Something about this place seemed familiar to him. Maybe it was the fact he had spent little time in the country in the last few years that it felt so familiar. You might be able to take the Earth Pony from the farm, but you couldn’t take the farm from the Earth Pony. Reaching the path, he looked down one way to see nothing but the path going on for miles into the lush green fields. Looking down the other way, he felt his heart come to a stop.

“Wake up, you son of a bitch!” Mac shouted, running back to the water’s edge. “Wake up right now! I know you can hear me, Rider! Wake up!” Mac bellowed, stomping his hoof as he looked down at his reflection.

Slowly, his reflection turned that into a pony’s skull. The Rider’s head was not completely aflame, but instead lightly covered in blue fire. He was slow to start as he stared right into the face of the enraged Macintosh.

What’s your deal? The Rider asked, yawning after his question, obviously tired from his feast.

“What’s ma deal?” Mac shouted, slipping back into his country accent. “Ma deal is Ah just woke up to find that Ponyville is right down the path! The place where you and Ah became one! The place Ah swore to never go back to! The place where everypony there thinks Ah’m dead!” Mac shouted, glaring down at the Rider, who didn’t seem phased by the sudden outburst.

No, everypony there knows Big Mac is dead; they have no idea who you are, The Rider said, giving out another yawn. Now just go find an inn so I can sleep, The Rider’s image started to fade, singeling he was going back to sleep.

“What makes ya think we’re stayin?” Mac asked, his eyes full of anger for the Rider. “Ah’m gettin on that motorcycle and-”

And what? The Rider asked, his flames turning orange showing he was more awake, What? You think if you can put a few hours between yourself and here I won’t come back? There is a Demon Soul here, The Rider laughed, as Mac’s expression went blank, and a sudden cold seemed to go through him.

“A...A Demon Soul?” Mac repeated, looking in the direction of Ponyville.

That’s right Mac Mac, there is a Demon Soul in that town, and you know what those can do, The Rider said with a chuckle. Now stop arguing with me and get a room at the inn and start investigating. You and I both know the more time we waste, the more powerful that Demon can become, The Rider seemed to be getting annoyed by how slow Mac was getting the gravity of the situation. If we let that thing go free, well...I hope you don’t mind your sister’s blood on your hooves as well as your grandmother's,
The Rider broke into a fit of laughter as Mac splashed the water with his hoof. It was a low blow from the Rider, but Mac knew that he was right. He needed to find this Demon Soul; the danger it presented was too much for him to ignore.

Looking to the Night Rod, he gave a low whistle and the engine came to life. The motorcycle slowly made it’s way into the shadow’s the tree’s made from the morning sun and soon it vanished from sight along with the rumble of it’s engine. Mac then started to make his way to the dirt path. As long as he didn’t talk to anypony he should be okay. Normally these Demon Souls were not too bright, and it would be easy to find it and leave. Every second he would spend in Ponyville would be like a living nightmare.

Author's Notes:

Thank you to Jake the Army Guy for letting me use his character Agent Bentgreass from Under a Luminous Sky. You all need to go read that right now, far better than any of my work.

Also, thank you to jzellmer for the edits once again! If the spelling of your name is wrong, I am sorry very sleepy.