Chapter 7: Reindeer Games

The Rider was angry.

He was furious in every imaginable way.

For the last three hours he had sat on the Night Rod on a hill that overlooked all of Ponyville, before taking to the night sky in search of other prey. He could not feel that Demon Soul! He had felt it so strong last night, as if it was calling to him, calling him to come and eat it as soon as he could, but now, it didn’t even seem to have been there at all. It was almost impossible to hide from the Rider when he felt a dark soul, so this one should have been sticking out like a sore thumb in such a nice town.

He needed dark souls to feed upon, he needed the unrepentant sins of creatures to soothe his appetite. The worst things he could feel in this town was a colt who lied to his parents about something, a young filly who deliberately hurt another filly’s feelings, and some stallion stole an extra cookie from the cookie jar. If any other place in the world was like this, he would never want to see it.

With a growl, the Rider revved the engine of the motorcycle as he flew above the clouds that night. There had to be something that he could feed upon, something that would soothe his hunger for the night. But the countryside around Ponyville seemed to be just as nice and quiet as the town itself. Speeding up, he needed to find dark souls now, otherwise he would not be able to sleep during the day, and Mac was not going to enjoy that.

With a roar of anger, he kept flying, leaving a trail of fire in the air. He was now miles away from Ponyville, and was now high above some of the small towns that have popped up due to the rail line. He was flying over on when he came to a skidding halt high above the town, the Night Rod hovering in the sky. Below him, he could sense many dark souls. Some of the most vile souls one could come across.

Pony traffickers.

Murder, rape, lust, greed, enslavement, and many other sins, but, most of all, the blood of the innocent had been spilt many times here. The Rider took in a rattling breath as he felt the sins of the town below him rise up, calling him, calling him to claim the dark souls and to save the innocents that were enslaved there. With another loud reave of the engine, the Night Rod started to turn into a nosedive, fire shooting out of the exhausts as a demonic roar pierced the air.

--

The music of Club Antlers was pumping. The inside was dim and very smoky as neon signs lit the walls advertizing alcohol...and sex. The club was two stories tall, filled with males every walk of life enjoying the show of the club. The only place that was lit up was the stage where mares waked up and down, all of all different species. They were all dressed in skin-tight outfits that showed off their bodies.

As great as they looked, their eyes and bodies showed the true stories. Scars, bruises, and burn marks were visible on some of the mares as they walked up and down stage as males would shout out bids. Some of those who were Unicorns only had the stub of a horn left, broken off by their masters if they had fought back. Others were not mares, but young fillies forced into this life early on for sick and twisted fantasies.

It was a den of sex and sin, and those who entered it knew what happened there and did not try to fight it. Everything was kept quiet by under-the-table deals and favors. The club was hidden from outsiders by it’s owners’, a group of caribou that came from the north.
A group of eight stood on the second floor. Every few feet there was a room for those who won a mare could enjoy their company. The group of caribou were dressed in fine suits, enjoying the sight of money flowing in, as well as the mares who were being used.
“Looks like it’s going to be another profitable night, gents,” one of the caribou said, a grin crossing his face.

“You got that right. It’s only ten and we are already two thousand bits over projected profits,” another said with a laugh, soon joined by a few others. Their laughter was cut short by a piercing scream. All of them looked down to see a young mare trying to get away from a large and drunken stallion who had won her bid.

The mare was kicking and screaming as she tried to get away from the stallion. As soon as the scream broke out, the music stopped and some of the lights came on. Everypony turned their attention towards the situation. The stallion was just holding her, laughing, seeming to get some kind of twisted pleasure out of holding the young mare in his grasp. That all ended when one of the mare’s kicks hit the stallion’s stomach, making him let go of her.

She took off as soon as she was freed, but she did not get too far. A dim yellow glow surrounded her, forcing her to trip and fall only a few feet from the stallion.

“Now, now that is not how we treat our valued guest.” One of the caribou laughed as he walked down the steps towards the struggling mare. “I am so sorry that this little slave caused you harm, good sir.” The caribou laughed, helping the stallion up. “As a way of compensation, would you like to punish her?” The stallion looked up at the caribou with a smile as a whip materialized in front of them.

The mare looked between the two, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked up at the two with fearful eyes. The stallion took the whip in his hoof and smiled as he looked down at the defenceless mare.

“I do believe that is fair.” The stallion laughed and walked over to the mare, a grin of pure sadistic pleasure spread across his lips. The other mares in the room tried to look away. The males of the room leaned forward, all ready and excited for the show.
“Count the blows, bitch or I am going to start all over again.” The stallion laughed as he raised his foreleg back to strike the mare. Every male was grinning, the caribou still on the second floor had large grins on their faces as the whip flew forward. Before the whip could make contact, a deafening explosion rang out just outside the club.

Windows shattered, sending shards of glass flying through the air. Tables shook from the force, spilling drinks and snacks to the floor. Before anypony could react, the double doors of the club came flying off the hinges. The bloody mess of what looked liked two bouncers came flying in as well, landing a few feet away from the conflict that was already arising inside. The bodies smelled of burning and rotting flesh, as organs, bone, and anything that should have been internal was now external.

The club-goers began to scream and panic as black smoke entered from where the doors used to be, filling the air with the scent of sulfur and mixing with the burning flesh. The stallion with the whip and the caribou next to him started to back up from the two bloody remains when something shot out of out of the smoke and wrapped around their necks.

Before they could even react to the cold iron strangling them, each was slammed into opposite walls of the club with a hard thud, knocking the wind right out of them. All looked at the pair and followed the chains that were tightly wrapped around their necks, which emanated from the black smoke that now contained a dim, orange light.

“Guilty,” a voice rang out, seeming to be coming from the walls themselves as the two struggled against the chains. “So much guilt,” the voice said again, as the orange light became brighter and seemed to come alive. “The blood of the innocent cries out to me, calling for vengeance against their murderers, rapist, and enslavers. I cannot ignore their cries of pain, so I shall be their voice for vengeance!” At this cry, the black smoke seemed to be pushed away, as if a mighty wind was wiping it from existence. Standing in the middle of the smoke was the Ghost Rider.

Those who saw the skeleton pony with the flaming skull with two chains protruding from his back screamed, the same chains holding the two captures against the walls. Some tried to run away, while others were too petrified to move. Those closest to the fallen doors tried to run. A wall of fire shot up from the ground, keeping them trapped inside the club.

“Only the innocent may walk through my flames,” Rider growled, as his empty eyes looked from the caribou he had pinned against one wall before looking towards the stallion on the other wall. “And many are not innocent, but feel free to run.” Rider then let out a demonic roar as the chains started to glow a bright orange, running from his back to the two he held in his grasp, making them cry out in agony. The smell of burning flesh and fur started to mix in with the already vile air. The chains kept growing brighter, as the two kept screaming out in pain and for mercy. With one last roar from the Rider, the chains grew brighter until, finally, the flesh was fully burned away, beheading both. The bodies fell to the ground with a thud. There heads rolled on the ground, a look of pure pain and horror forever frozen on their faces.

All at once, the club grew into a panic as all inside tried to find a way out. Many tested their luck with the flames at the door. Some made it out with only their clothing being lightly burned. The rest were set ablaze, screaming for help as their flesh slowly melted away. Others tried to escape by crawling through the broken windows, or trying to find a way out through the back entrance. The load roar of the Night Rod, however, signified their was no way out. Many of the guilty cried out in horror as the demonic motorcycle’s’ chains got ahold of them.

“Kill him! Kill him, you idiots!” one of the caribou shouted at the remaining bouncers from the second level. The bouncers were petrified in fear, looking at the Rider as he turned his attention on them next.

A chain for each one of them shot out of the Rider’s back and wrapped around each one of their necks, lifting them off the ground. “Guilty!” the Rider cried, giving a sudden jerk to each chain. The sound of necks breaking echoed though the club. Letting the bodies slump to the ground, Rider turned his attention to those who did not try to escape the club. Many of the enslaved mares looked at Rider in a mixture of fear and joy, for he was killing those who had killed them years ago.

“Innocent,” Rider growled, as he waved a hoof over all of them, stopping on a Pegasus who was trying hard to avoid being spotted. “Guilty,” Rider said, a chain shooting out from under the leather jacket and grabbing the Pegasus by one of his wing. Rider dragged him over, making sure to drag him across the broken glass. The Pegasus cried out in pure agony, which pleased the Rider. Pulling the Pegasus closser, their faces only a few inches apart, the familiar flames started to dance in the Rider’s eyes.

“Look into my ey-”

“Put him down! Put him down or I swear to Celestia I will fucking kill her!” The Rider’s head whipped around to face the intruder on his meal. It was one of the many caribou who was on the second floor, holding a knife to the neck of the young mare who was going to be punished. Rider cocked his head in confusions as chains rattled on his back. “Do it now! Or I will fucking kill her!” the caribou shouted once more. The Rider looked at the Pegasus, who was looking also in the direction of the caribou, tears running down his face.

“Guilty.” A chain shot up from the ground, slithering like a snake towards the caribou and wrapping around his hoof, taking the knife away and letting the mare run. The Rider then turned back towards the Pegasus. Instead of giving him the stare, he placed his hooves on either side of his face. “Cry,” the Rider growled as he started to place pressure on the Pegasus’ skull, slowly crushing it.

As the Rider asked, the Pegasus began to cry out in pain, while a similar to wood slowly breaking echoed from the Pegasus’ skull. The Rider watched him with sadistic pleasure, a grin almost growing on his face as the Pegasus kept on screaming until he hear a pop. Blood and bits of brain landed on the Rider, but they soon started to burn away as he advanced towards the caribou that held the knife, releasing his chain on him.

The caribou tried to crawl away, opening a door that led into one of the back rooms, trying to find anything that could protect him. As the Rider followed him, his hoof stepped on something that made a light clang. Looking down at it, he noticed it was the knife.
“Vengeance and punishment,” the Rider hissed. The tip of his horn glowed black with a crimson outline. The aura surrounded the knife as the Rider resumed his hunt. The caribou was trying to open the window in the back when chains wrapped around his hind legs, dragging him to the floor. The chains flipped the caribou on his back and slithered away. He tried to get up at once, but the skeleton hoof slammed down on his chest, keeping him in place.

“Pl-please let m-me go! I sw-swear I will leave this li-line of work! I will never touch another ma-mare as long as I live!” the caribou cried, tears running down his face as he struggled to get out of the Rider’s power. The Rider just glared down at him and cocked his head slightly before leaning in close to the caribou’s ear.

“How many times did a mare beg you to stop, but you just kept going?”A low chuckle escaped the Rider as the knife slowly started to brush against the caribou’s face, making him sob. The Rider then raised the knife high into the air with his magic before hacking into the caribou's right antler. He cried out in pain as the Rider lifted the knife out of the deep cut he had made in his antler, before bringing the knife down again, striking the antler in a different place.

The Rider kept hacking away, sadistically laughing as the caribou kept crying out in pain, each hack into his antler sending a wave of pure agony through his entire body. With one final hack, the right antler came off, blood oozing from the missing appendage.
“Next one.” Rider laughed, not even trying to hide the excitement in his voice as he started to drag the blood-covered knife up and down the caribou’s other antler.

“N-no…. please… please don’t… ” the caribou looked into the emptiness of the Rider’s eyes. His pleas fell upon deaf ears the Rider lifted the demonic knife into the air and slashed at the antler. The caribou resumed his cries of pain. The sound of the knife hacking away at the antler echoed off the walls of the small room. The flames around the Rider’s skull grew brighter as he enjoyed his work.
With a soft thud the other antler fell to the ground, blood seeping out of it. The previous owner of the two antlers laid there sobbing, blood splattered across his face. The aura around the knife vanished, making it fall to the ground. The Rider then forced the caribou to look up at him, flames erupting from his eye socket.

“Look into my eyes,” the Rider whispered. Purple vapor started to seep out of the eyes of the first of many caribou Rider was going to feast upon that night. Taking his hoof off the damned caribou, the Rider moved back into the main room of the club, looking for his next meal.

Most of the occupants were gone now, either having left through the flames as innocent, burned alive by them or taken by the Night Rod. Looking out one of the shattered windows, Rider could see that some of the town was now on fire. His loyal motorcycle was already seeking out the other guilty in this town to punish them while he feasted upon the guilty left inside. He could feel their dark souls still inside, pulsing with the evil deeds they had committed without regret; he could almost taste them.

Turning his head around, he saw two more dark souls looking over the edge of the balcony. Both recoiled in fear as they saw him looking right at them. Both ran in the same direction towards the hall of doors through which so many rapes had been committed. Slowly, the Rider let chains emerge from his back, let them climb the stairs like serpents ready to strike. He would let his prey run for now; the more they tried to get away, the more succulent their souls tasted.

--

“He killed him! Luna above, he killed him!” one of the caribou shouted, coming around the corner and diving into the room with the other caribou who had been watching their profits rise only a few short moments ago.

“He didn’t kill him! He fucking tortured him! We could hear his screams from the stairs!” the other panted as he came into the room, slamming the door shut. There was a total of seven caribou now in the room, each looking more panicked than the last, each trying to come up with a plan to escape the demon.

“And that damn motorcycle doesn’t seem to be gone for long,” another mumbled as the Night Rod came roaring by, dragging two bloody remains behind it. “Is he planning on killing the whole town?!”

“There has to be a way out! There just has to be!” another cried as he started to run around the room, trying to find something, anything to use against the Rider.

“Are you all forgetting that we can do magic better than any damn Unicorn can?! I say when he walks in through that door we blast him to hell!” one said, taking a position a few feet away from the door and pointing his antlers at it. At the tip of each antler, a green aura started to form before becoming a green ball of power. “No way he can take on seven of us at the same time! He is picking us off one-by-one, he knows he is outnumbered!” The others nodded in agreement. Together, they would be more than a match for any creature.

Before they could fully line up, two chains smashed through the walls on either side of the door. Bolts of magic started to blast in all different directions, trying to hit the small targets. Several bolts hit the chains, making the metal shatter and fall to pieces on the ground. However, the chain seem to regrow what ever was broken, looking for targets to wrap around like demonic snakes, rattling every time they moved.

The chains kept whipping around the room, trying to find something to grab to bring to the Rider. The caribou kept trying avoid the chains of death.

“Keep fighting! Don’t let this bastard get you!” one of them shouted. He fired a bolt of energy at a length of chain that exploded into a shower of red sparks. The chain started to regenerate and went on the attack again.

“Urk!” All heads turned towards the noise to see that one of them had been taken by a chain, slowly constricting around his neck. The other chain left the room while the other kept on suffocating the caribou.

“Blast the chain! We got to get it off him!” Three bursts of light hit the chain, separating it from the Rider. The chain kept on suffocating the caribou, whose face was turning blue as he fell to his side, clawing at the chain with his hooves.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! It’s killing him!” a caribou shouted as he tried to focus his magic into a small enough beam to cut the chain off. He fired it in a small blue beam, but the chain did not break, instead started to glow the same shade of blue. The caribou cried out as the spell that was supposed to burn the chain away started to burn him instead.

“Stop! You're killing him!” another cried, pushing the one focusing the beam away so the burning would stop. The chain turned back into its normal grey color, but kept on strangling the caribou, whose kicks were becoming weaker and weaker, his eyes started to roll back.

“We need to help him somehow!” The caribou circled around their fallen comrade. At the last moment, the chain suddenly released, allowing the caribou to take a deep gasp of air while the others sighed in relief.

“I guess his magic has a range and time limit.” One laughed, looking down at his friend, who was taking deep breaths of air as though he was taking in life itself. The chain suddenly tightened again, so fast and so hard that the crushing of the caribou’s windpipe sounded like a firework had gone off in the room. They looked down in fear as the chain slowly turned orange and caught on fire. The chained burned away, as if it had never been there, except for the marks that were left in the neck of its victim.

“Guilty,” rang out from the walls. All of them looked around in fear, thinking that the demon had somehow entered during the commotion. They were alone in the room with the dead body of their friend. “Guilty!” the Rider shouted. The chain shot back into the room, breaking down the lower part of the door and wrapping itself around the hind leg of one of the six caribou left as it started to drag him away.

The caught caribou screamed in terror, digging his hooves into the floor. The others dove for his hooves, but he was dragged away too quickly.

“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to! Save me! Please save me!” he begged, tears freely flowing down his face. As they reached for him, the Rider gave one last tug. A loud snap echoed as he broke the caribou’s leg. The pain made him let go of the molding for a second, his last mistake. The last thing the others saw was a sobbing mess dragged down the stairs into a blazing pit of fire, a reminder of the living hell they were in.

“We are so fucked! We are so fucking fucked!” one cried out, backing away from the door. “I am not staying here! I am not going to let him get me!” he shouted, blasting the glass out of the window and started to crawl through.

“Don’t! That cursed—”

“Aahh!” No sooner than he climbed out the window, chains wrapped around his neck, hooves, and upper body and began to pull him out into the night. The four in the room all stepped forward, and used their magic to wrap an aura around him. The chains snagged as the combined magic kept the Night Rod from pulling him out into the burning village.

“Pull him back!” They took a few steps back. They managed to pull half of him back in until the Night Rod gave a roar of demonic anger from its engines. The sound of wheels squealing began to echo, as the caribou caught in its chains yelled in agony. The two forces pulled on him as if he was a rope for tug-of-war.

“Oh Luna! You're tearing me apart!” the caribou screeched,. The ones inside did not hear him over the roar of the engines and the squealing of wheels. He kept screaming as he felt his body being pulled apart from the center, bones and tendons snapping, skin ripping apart, and joints being ripped out of their socket. The pain was intense as he cried out again and again, praying that the ones inside heard him, but they kept pulling and pulling.

“One last pull and we got him!” was the cry that echoed from the room, sending horror through the caribou that was at the mercy of the Night Rod. “On the count of three, boys!”

“No, don’t!”

“One!”

“You're going to kill me!”

“Two!”

“Celestia, this can’t be happening! This isn’t happening! Save me! Aw Celestia and Luna, save me!”

“Three!”

That final count sealed the caribou’s fate, for as they pulled with all their might, the Night Rod did the same. The sound of tearing flesh, popping bones, and a wave of blood splashing on to the ground was something that none of them ever expected to hear. The four fell backwards, as the lower half of the one they were trying to save came flying in, covering them in blood and entrails.

They looked in shock before pushing it away. One of them released the contents of their stomach as they looked at the horrid thing in front of them. Half of a caribou was there, bleeding out on the floor as the smell of smoke and fire filled the room. Just before they ran again, chains shot in from the remains of the door and grabbed one of the caribou around his torso and hips before hoisting him into the air.

“You brought this upon yourself!” Standing in the doorway, burning away what was left of the door was the Rider, holding the caribou above his head.“You are rapists and murderers. Exerting dominance over those weaker than you, but now you are the weak!” The Rider laughed sadistically, bending the caribou above him slowly, making him cry out in sheer horror, already knowing his fate.

“Your punishment has just begun. I will make sure you suffer hell before sending you there myself,” the Rider growled, stepping towards the remaining three.

“Pl-please spare us! We will give you anything you want! Bits! Mares! Anything! Just spare us!” one cried. His pleas for mercy were met with a chain shooting out of the Rider’s back and into his forehead, coming out the other side.

“You don’t understand,” the Rider hissed as he kept bending his victim above. The sound of breaking bones came from the caribou like a string of firecrackers. “You are what I want, dark souls.” The cracking bones and screams of the caribou above him almost drowned out what the Rider said, but the two remaining heard him as clearly as if there was no noise at all. The Rider took a few steps towards the two. They cowered backwards towards the broken window.

Suddenly, chains came from the window, grabbing one of them by the antlers before snapping them off in a flash. A he cried out in pain, three chains entered his mouth, forcing their way down his throat. His eyes went wide as the cold chains slithered down into his stomach before shooting out of his body, sending blood everywhere as he was dragged into the night.

As he was dragged out, the last turned to watch as the Night Rod threw the dead body into the flames, before riding away from the club and back into the town to look for those who were responsible for letting the club operate. His attention was then pulled back inside at the unmistakable sound of bones snapping.

Turning around, he watched the Rider toss the living body of the caribou to the floor, who then gasped for breath, his eyes wide in pain.

“You are the boss here,” the Rider said, walking towards him, the chains protruding from his back pulled back inside of him. “Your soul is not just tained by the sins you have committed, but the sins of all those who worked for you, and those you let indulge themselves here.” The Rider’s flames grew more intense as he stood a few inches away from the caribou, who had fallen to the ground, shaking in absolute fear. “Look at me when I am talking to you,” the Rider growled, but the caribou refused to look up still.
“I said, look at me!” the Rider shouted, pulling his hoof back and slapping the caribou across the face. “Look at me when I talk to you, bitch.”

It was then that the caribou knew what was going to happen to him. The Rider was going to treat him like every mare he had ever sold into the sex trade, every mare he he trained for it, and every mare that he had raped and murdered.
“Please, don’t make me—”

The Rider punched him before grabbing the side of his head and slamming it into the ground.

“Look at me, bitch.” The Rider had broken into a fit of dark laughter, a sadistic glee in his voice as he kicked the caribou hard in the gut. “You’re my bitch now, property to do whatever I want with.” The caribou slowly looked up at the Rider, whose sadistic grin shot fear through him. “And I feel like beating a little, worthless, piece of crap, bitch…”

--

The Rider was as happy as he could be as he flew through the skies back towards Ponyville. He had gotten his fill of dark souls for the night and had destroyed a vile and evil part of the world. How that place ever escaped his notice was beyond him, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He was full and had energy to burn.

The souls he had consumed were much darker than those of the Capone family, and would keep him full for maybe two nights. But he needed feeding grounds for when the hunger struck. He was not going to leave Ponyville until he found that Demon Soul, and places like Manehatten and Stalliongrad were too far for him to feed upon. He would have to leave Mac a note to get him a map so he could chart his meals.

He had spent most of the night in that town and could feel the morning soon approaching, meaning his time was almost up. Once the sun rose, Mac would come forth no matter where or what the Rider was doing, one of the trade-offs of their powers. Because of this, the Rider was racing through the sky, having no intentions of having Mac come to power while he was flying.

He was not concerned about Mac falling from such a height. Since he was almost immortal, he was more concerned about the motorcycle. He could repair it easily, but that required large amounts of magic. Using that magic would cause him to grow hungry sooner. As he neared Ponyville, he roared past a large cluster of clouds that overlooked the Everfree Forest.

This formation of clouds was not a natural one, but was, in fact, the home of Rainbow Dash. The sound and power of the Night Rod’s engine shook everything in the former Wonderbolt’s home, awaking a tortoise named Tank, and a very angry, Rainbow Dash. The mare was in the middle of one of her favorite dreams, a dream she didn’t get to have quite often. When she was awakened before it had run its full course, she was angry enough to kill.

“What the buck was that?!” she shouted, getting to her hooves and looking around. There was nopony in her home as far as she could tell, but, looking out the cloud window, she saw something she had never seen before in her life. A trail of fire ran through the sky as if there was a road and was slowly fading away.

At once, Rainbow Dash dove through the floor of her home. She would mend it later, but, right now, she had to know what had caused that odd trail. Pulling up from her dive, she flew a few yards above her home to see the trail of fire was now almost a mile away from her home.

Who could be going that fast?! she thought before accelerating towards it. She had raced the best and she had beaten the best across the world, but never had never seen anypony move like this pony. Even as she sped after it, she could not get a good look at the pony, but could only make out black and orange. This only made the mare more curious. She had to know who it was and beat them!

The Rider was about ready to take the Night Rod down into the forest so Mac could transform, when he saw something odd in his rearview mirror. At first, he thought it might be some of the sun already shining through the clouds, but as he looked over his shoulder, he saw a blur of rainbow chasing after him. Racking his and Mac’s shared mind, it did not take the Rider long to figure out that blur was Rainbow Dash.

Ghost Rider didn’t care for secret identities- it was hard for him to have one, considering that he was a flaming skeleton- but Mac seemed to cherish his real identity and the fake one he created with the Rider’s magic. If this mare was to see the transformation, she might see either identity, meaning that Mac would have to leave Ponyville. He would have to travel long distances every night to make it back to the town, and then to neighboring towns to find dark souls if the demon did not show up. That idea did not suit Rider’s needs; he needed Mac in the town so he was closer to his prey.

The Rider quickly pulled out of his descent and started to accelerate. He just needed to outrun this little mare. He was using a motorcycle infused with his demonic magic—there was no way in hell she would ever come close to catching him. Rider rewed of the engine again, and soon he was off again. Smirking, the Rider kept speeding across the night sky, finding the whole situation funny. He knew that Wild Blaze, or Mac, was having a bit of trouble with this mare, but he didn’t know what a little mare could have been—

“Is that all you got?!”

“What the hell?” Rider looked back in the mirror, and was at a loss as to what to do. That Rainbow Dash was hot on his tail; in fact she was almost beside him. With a growl of frustration, the Rider pulled up into the night sky, seeing if altitude could put a gap in the distance.

Rider was not that lucky. Rainbow Dash was still hot on his tail, avoiding the flames coming from the motorcycle and ready to find out who this pony was and beat them. “If you think I can’t handle bit of altitude, you are so wrong!” she shouted, hoping that her competition heard her. Hearing the roar of the engine as the Rider tried to gain speed made Rainbow smile, knowing he was giving it his all.

The Rider pushed down on the handlebars to try to get some extra speed on her. The Night Rod was heavier than her, meaning he should gain speed faster than her, and then be able to disappear into the night. As he made his descent, he could feel the G-Forces pushing against him. He cackled as he revved the engine more, as the engine more, as he made his fall. No way in hell was she going to catch up to him now.

This time, he did not have to look in his rearview mirror to see the rainbow-maned mare. This time she sped right past him in a blur of color before she pulled out of the dive at such a speed that she created a Sonic Rainboom. The force was enough to push the Rider off balance and send him flying through the sky above the Everfree Forest, trying to regain control of the Night Rod. The wheels screeched as he came to a halt, hovering in the sky flames coming out of the exhaust of his motorcycle, which was angry that it had lost a race.

“Don’t feel too bad about losing. I am the fastest pony in all of all of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash laughed, now coming back into view, flapping her wings to keep herself on the same level as the Rider, her eyes closed and her forelegs crossed in front of her. “Heck, the last time I had a race that good was with Spitfire and Thunderlane, so consider yourself lucky,” she said, opening her eyes to look at her competition. “What is your name by the… What the buck are you?!” Rainbow finally got a good look at the Rider.

Instead of answering, the Rider revved the engine once more. Black smoke started to emerge from the exhaust pipes, so much smoke that it formed a black cloud around the two, so dark and thick that neither pony would be able to see one another.
“Hey!” Dash coughed. “What did you do—” she wheezed—”that for?!” Rainbow shouted, her eyes watering from the fumes as her throat burned. Giving a hard flap of her wings, she escaped the cloud of smoke, still coughing. Once she escaped, she heard the loud roar of the engine as the Night Rod took to the sky again, speeding away from her.

“Come back here! I’m not done with you yet!” Dash was off again, chasing the motorcycle through the dusk sky. As she gave chase to the motorcycle, she did not see a figure fall from the cloud of smoke and toward the ground.

With a loud snapping noise, the Rider crashed through the trees down to the forest floor, breaking several of his bones as he did such, and leaving the Rider quite angry. He had never needed to resort to such tactics. Looking up, he saw a glimpse of the rainbow stream cutting through the sky. The Night Rod had orders to keep her distracted before finding a place to disappear into the shadows. The Night Rod had the power to become part of the shadows, so he could call upon it from anywhere, making it the perfect little distraction for the mare.

With a grunt, the Rider started to make his way to the closest source of water for Mac. The idea of being beaten was fuming inside of him, Whatever dark soul he ran across that night was going to feel his anger for this humiliation.

Author's Notes:

Thank you so much to Bad_Seed_72 for the edits along with jzelmmer! Jake the Army Guy for the brutal ideas, KarmaDash for entertaining the idea, and all of your lovely people who keep reading this story! Hope you find it brutal. Now I must go take part of a very metal thing...looking at picture of cute puppies! Puppies are metal damn it!