Powerpuff Girls D and Grim Tales copyright Bleedman/Snafu-Comics
Ghost Rider copyright Marvel Comics
Grim Tales Of Mandy Reaver
Chapter 03: The Invitation
[Later, At Home]
Jack Drives His Bike Into The Garage, He Parks It And Steps Off.
As He Walks Out And Heads For The Front Door, mandy Meets Him there And Hugs Him.
"Jack, I'm So Glad You Home!
"What Happened?
Mandy Sighed.
"Jackie Told Me He Was Defending His Sister From Some Other Kids...
He Said That Fire Suddenly Shot From His Hands!, Nobody Got Hurt...But, he's Very Scared.
Jack Rubbed His Head.
"I Was Afraid This Would Happen...
Ever Since I Became The Ghost Rider, Mephisto Always Ranted Out I Would Be Forever Cursed And That My Children, And My Children's Children...Would Share My Curse.
Mandy Nodded.
"I Figured This Would Happen, too...
But, I Didn't Think It Would Happen SO SOON!
Mandy Started To Worry.
"What Do We Do?
"WHat Else?
We Tell Junior And Malina The Truth...The WHOLE TRUTH.
"Jack!
You Mean You'll tell Them EVERYTHING!...Even About You?
"They Deserve To Know.
Now, Where ARe They?
"In The Backyard...They're Waiting For You.
"Then Call Them In...We Need To Talk About This.
Jack Walked Into The House, While Mandy Walked To The Backyard.
Mandy Approached Her Children.
"Kids, Your Father Is Home...He Want's To Speak To Both Of You.
Jackie Sighed Sharply, Malina Patted His Back.
As They Walked Inside, Mandy Looked At Them With Sad Eyes.
[Later, At The Living Room]
"D-Dad?
Jack Is Sitting On His Chair.
he Looks Back At Jackie, Malina And Mandy.
"Come Here, Junior...
Jackie Walks Up To His Father.
Jack Knelt Down To His Level.
"Your Mother Told Me What Happened...
"DAD, I AM SO SORRY!
"Relax, Your Not In Trouble...
Actually, There Is Something That I need To tell You And Your Sister...
Jack Sighed.
"Something...That I SHOULD Of told You Before.
"What Is It, Dad?
Jack Breathed Deeply.
"You...Know That Superhero You And Your Sister Like So Much?
"You Mean: Ghost Rider?
"Yeah...Him.
"What About Him?
"I Know Who He Really Is.
Jackie Suddenly Got Excited.
"YOU DO!
WHO IS HE?
Jack Looked At Jackie, Then At Malina.
Mandy Closed Her Eyes, Then Nodded.
Jack Raised up Is Fingers...Which Suddenly Became Skeletal WIth Flames.
Jackies And Malina Stared In Shock And Amazment As Jack Changed His Fingers Back.
"He's Me, Jackie...I'm The Ghost Rider.
"you...you are?
Then, Does That Mean...I Am, Too?
"Yeah...And So WIll Malina, Someday.
It Was Malina's Turn To be Shocked.
"I...I Will!
"Yes, Sweetie... Said Mandy Softly
Jack Cleared His Throat.
"Kids...Come Here, Let me Explain This To You.
For The Next Several Minutes, Jack Told Jack Jr. And Malina The Whole Story...
The Legend Of The Ghost Rider And The Deal Jack Made That Lead to Him Becoming The Ghost Rider.
"Wow...
That Is...SO COOL! Shouted Jackie
"Yes, It Is Most Wonderful Knowing Our Father Is The Spirit Of Vengenace. Said Malina
Jackie Was Fully Excited Now.
"So, Will I Become a Flaming Skeleton ANd Ride a Flamecycle JUST LIKE YOU!
"In Time, You Will...
For Now, Let's Focus On Controling Your FIRE ELEMENT.
THEN, We'll Get To The Other Stuff, Like Fire Techniques, Rider Weapons And The Bike.
"Can I Ride a Horsey, Father?
I Don't Like Motercycles That Much...
Mandy Smiled At Her Daughter.
"We'll See, Sweetheart.
"WHEN CAN I START MY TRAINING!
"We Start When It's Dark.
But, I'll have To Keep the Lessons SHORT...You DO Still Have a Bedtime.
"GREAT!
AT That Moment, They're Was a Knock On The Door.
"Oh, Who Can That be? Said Mandy
She Walked Up To The Front Door And Opened It.
There, Standing At the Door...Was a Skeleton In a Black Robe.
"GRIM! Said Mandy
"Hello, Mandy... Said The Grim Reaper
Jack And The Kids Soon Walked Up.
"UNCLE GRIM!
Grim Opened His Arms.
"KIDS!
Jackie And Malina Ran Up And Hugged.
"Hey, Grim...What's The Occasion?
"I Thought I'd Come And Visit...
Jack Eyed Him.
"And?
Grim Grinned.
"And, I Wanted To Spend Time With My "Family".
I Am Your Children's Godfather, After All...
"So Is Nergal Junior, But Even HE Doesn't Just SHOW UP Without Calling.
"Well, You Know Me...I Love To Make An Enterance.
Malina Grabbed Grim's Robe And Tugged It.
"Uncle Grim, Did You Bring Us Any Presents?
"Actually, I DO Have a Surprise For All Of You...
See, My Brother: Jack Skelington, Who is The Pumpkin King Of Halloween Town Is Throwing a Party To Celerbrate Is Wedding 250Th Anniversery To Sally...He Invited Me, Over.
"That's Nice, Grim...But What Does That Have To Do With Us? Asked Jack
"Well, Me Brother Has Been Asking About My "Special Family" And Want To Meet Them.
And, Since Junior And Malina Have Never Been To Halloween Town...I thought I'd Take You All WIth Me.
Jackie And Malina Got Excited.
"REALLY!
CAN WE GO?
Jack thinks.
"I guess It Sounds, Alright...
Mandy Was Silent.
a Look Of Shock On her Face.
"Mandy? Said Grim
Mandy Snapped Back Into reality.
"Well, Mandy?
"I...I'm Not So Sure That's a Good Idea.
"Why Not?
"I'm Just Not SUre The Kids Are Ready For That Kind Of Excitement.
Jack Eyed His Wife...He KNEW Something Was Wrong.
"MOMMY! Said Malina In An Anxious Voice
Jack Took Mandy's Hand.
"Hang On, Grim...I need To Speak With mandy.
Jack Took Mandy In The Other Room.
"Alright, Mandy...What's Going On?
"Jack, I Don't Think We Should Take Grim's Offer...It's TOO SOON!
"TOO SOON!
What Are You Talking About?
Mandy Sighed.
"Jack...I've Been Having The Dreams, Again.
The Visions Of Amanda And Her World.
"What's That Got To do WIth Anything, Mandy?
You've Already Conquered Her...Why Is This Still Troubling You?
"Because, I Saw Something Else...
In Amanda's Timeline...She Once Took HER Kids To There First Trip To Halloween Town.
Then, Some things Happened...TERRIBLE THINGS!
"WHat Things?
Mandy Shed Some Tears.
"The Daughter Was Killed...Turned Into a Ragdoll Creature.
Then, The Son Was Possessed By a Demonic Entity That SLowly Corrurpted Him...
And, Worst Of All: a Terrible Monster Was Unleashed That Nearly DESTROYED ALL REALITY!
Jack Looked At His Wife.
"mandy, These Things Were Prevented...They Never Happened.
"Yes, I Know!
But...I'm Afraid That They May Happen "Again"!
I'm Afraid If We Take This Trip, History May Repeat Itself!
"Mandy-
"I DON'T WANNA LOSE MY BABIES, JACK! SHouted Mandy With Tears
"I...I Can't...
c-can't lose them...i can't.
Jack Hugged His Wife, Who Was Crying.
"mandy...you can't live in fear.
these things your afraid of, i WON'T let them happen...
And, Just because Something Happened In Another Time...Doesn't Mean It'll happen In THIS ONE.
"But...But, Jack!
"Mandy, I'm The Ghost Rider...And So Are Out Children.
If Something DOES Happen, We Can Take Care Of It...You Know I Can.
Mandy Sighed.
"Your Right...Maybe I AM Just Being Paranoid.
Jack SMiled.
He And Mandy returned To The Door Where Grim And The Kids Were.
"We talked About It...
And We Would Love To Go With You To the Party.
"Exellent! Said Grim
"When's The party? Asked Mandy
"We Leave In Three Days...
"Okay, We'll Be Ready.
Grim Nodded, He Then Left Out The Door.
Jack Motioned To His Son.
"Come Along, Jackie...
It'll be Dark Soon, So Let's Get ready To train.
"Okay, Dad.
Jack And Jackie Left.
Malina Raised Up her Arms, Mandy Picked Her Up.
"So, Malina...What Kind Of Horse Would You Want?
"I Want a Black One.
"Okay...Black It Is.
But, Only When Your Old Enough To Ride It...And, When You get Your Powers.
"Okay, Mother...
[Meanwhile, at Amanda's Realm]
Amanda Grins As She Stares Into her Crystal Ball.
"So, They're Actually Going "Back" To Halloween Town...
Manda Smiles An Evil Grin.
"perfect...
"Is It Time To Attack Now, Mother?
"Soon, Junior...Soon.
For Now, We Must be Patient...Revenge Will Come.
The Demonic Entity Contained Within Junior's "Eye" Withered WIth Anticapation.
Junior's Skeletal Face Became Partially Organic With Black/Green Skin, Taking On a Monsterous "Two-Faced" Look.
His Clothing Also Changed, Also Becoming Organic With Black/Green Coloring...Like a "Demon Reaper"
(("We Cannot Wait...Want To DESTROY!)) Said The Demon Entity WIthin Junior
"Junior...CONTROL!
"Sorry, Mother.
Grim Jr. Focused, And The Demon Skin Receeded Back Within the Eye, Changing Him Back To "Normal"
"You'll Get Your Chance...
I'm Sure JACK JR. Will Give You Quite a Fight. Said Amanda
Grim Jr. Smiled.
"Can't Wait...
"Good...Now, Go Help Your Sister With Her Archery.
I Need To be ALONE, So I Can Plan Our Attack...
"Yes, Mother.
Grim Jr. Left.
Amanda Sat Back Down As She Watched Jack And Jack Jr. Attempt At "Rider Training"
Amanda Couldn't Help But Smirk.
"This...Is Gonna Be So Sweet!
[Later, At The Reaver Home, Nightfall]
Jack And Jackie Were In The Backyard At Night.
Jack Was Instructing His Son In How To Control And Manipulate Fire...
After Several Close-Calls (That Required a Fire Extinquisher And Some "Stop-Drop-And-Rolls")
Jackie Finally Got The Hang Of It, And Was Now Practicing In Keeping a Fire Orb Stable In His Hands.
"Okay, that's pretty good.
Now, Remember: they're are different kinds of Fire Techniques that you can use...
But, Until You Finish With Keeping It Under Control...Those WIll Be Pretty Useless.
"I Think I've Got the Hang Of I-WOOPS!
Jackie Slips, And Drops The Fire Orb.
The Grass Catches On fire And Starts Burning...
But, This Has Been Happening ALOT, And Jack Is Prepared.
He Stomps On It REAL HARD WIth His Boot.
"i'm sorry...
"Be More Careful, Than Sorry.
Fire Is An Element That Can Heal...Or Kill.
Remember That And Try To Stay More Focused.
"I Will...
Jack Sighed.
"Okay, No More Training For Tonight...You Need Some Rest.
"What About You?
Jack Looked At His Son.
"There's No Rest For The Ghost Rider...
"You Mean, Your Going Out to FIGHT CRIME AND EVIL FORCES!
"Yeah.
"I WANNA COME!
Jack Eyed His Son Sternly.
"There Are Many Reasons Why That Is a BAD IDEA...
1. Your Way To Young For Something Like This.
2. It's Past Your Bedtime, So You Can't Be Out Late.
3. Your Still Training To Use Your Power.
4. I can't Be Worrying ABout You While I'm Fighting.
And, 5. If SOmething Happens To You...Your Mother Will KILL ME!
"But, Dad...!
How Am I Suppose to Learn Anything If I Don't Watch You In Action!
Besides, I can Take Care Of Myself!
"Junior...
"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?
Jackie Gave His Father Those Puppy Dog Eyes.
Even The "Spirit Of Vengeance" Had Problems Resisting Those.
Jack Sighs With Frustration.
"keep out of sight...and don't do anything, unless i tell you.
"Okay!
"and, don't tell your mother about this.
"Sure...
Jackie Suddenly Thinks Of Something.
"Where Is Mom?
"She's With Your Sister...Watching The Hallmark Channel.
Which Means They'll Be Busy For Quite Awhile.
"Alright, Let's Go.
Jackie Ran To Jack's Bike And Tried To get On.
Jack Helped Him Up And Got On Himself...
They Left As Quietly As a Motercycle Could Go.
[Later, In The City]
Jack Drove His Bike All Over Town.
Jackie, However (As Most Ten Year Old Do) Was getting a Little Bored...
"Dad...Nothing Going On!
When Are We Gonna See Some Action!
"Ghost Rider's Don't Go Looking For Trouble, Son...Trouble Finds THEM.
"Okay, So...When Will "They" Find Us!
Suddenly, a Scream Was Heard.
"Right About Now...
Jack Changes Into The Ghost Rider...
Though His Bike Changes, Jackie Does Not.
"cool...
Ghost Rider Speeds Toward The Source Of The Screaming.
He Arrives To See a Woman Being beaten By a Man Dressed In a Western Scarcrow Outfit.
It Was Scarecrow, One Of Ghost Rider's Enemies...
He Was An Escapee From Countless Metal Facilities, Who Fed On the Fear Of Others.
"SCARECROW! SHouted Ghost Rider
Scarecrow Looked At Ghost Rider.
He Instantly Dropped The Terrified Woman, Who Ran Away.
"Ghost rider...I Didn't Know It Was "Take-a-Child-To-Work-Day"! (Crazy Laughter)
Jackie Hid Behind The Bike.
Ghost Rider Got Off And Approached The Demented "Man".
"Time To Send You back To Oz...In Pieces.
Scarecrow Giggled Like a Maniac.
"oooh...Think Of That Joke All By Yourself!
"Well, There's Also a Bit About You being "Brainless"...But, I'd Rather Not.
Ghost Rider Punches Scarecrow In The Face...Causing Him to Hit a Brick Wall.
Jackie Watched In Amazment As His Dad Wailed On This Frightning, Horror Film Reject.
Scarecrow Swiped a Scythe At Ghost Rider, Who Blocked It With His Staff-Like Chain.
He Then Grabbed The Blade And Melted It Into Molten Metal WIth His Flames.
"Oh, That Isn't Good...
Ghost Rider Slugged Scarecrow In The Jaw.
"no kidding...
"TO ME, MY PRETTIES!
Suddenly, Demon Crows Appeared Out Of Nowhere...
They Looked Like Skeletal Birds With Feathers Falling Off.
They Surrounded Ghost Rider And Tried To Attack Him.
Jackie Decided to Jump Off The Flamecycle At This Point.
"I'LL HELP YOU, DAD!
Jackie Created Flames On His Hands And Threw Fireballs At The Birds The Crows Caught Fire And Burned Into Ash Upon Contact...
Ghost Rider Subdued The Others.
"That's Ma' Boy...
Ghost Rider Grabbed Scarecrow By His Shirt And Brought Him To His Face.
"Give It Up, Rider...
Your Penance Stare Won't Work On Me, I'm Clinicly INSANE.
"True...
Ghost Rider Wraps His Flaming Fist WIth His Chain And Punches Scarecrow HARD In Teh face...Scarecrow Is Knocked Out Cold.
"But, Hitting You Is More Fun, Anyway...
Ghost Rider Changed Back Into Jack Reaver.
As Jack tied Scarecrow Up Witha Spare Chain, Jackie Jumped Around Excitedly.
"THAT WAS SO COOL, DAD!
"Junior, I Thought I Told You to Stay Hidden...
"Ummm...s-sorry, pop.
Jack Sighed.
He Knew It Was Impossible To Stay Mad At His Son.
"Well, You DID Save Me...So, I Guess I Can Let This Go For Now.
Jackie Smiled.
"Thanks, Dad!
"But, Don't Be Disobeying Me Again...Understand?
"Yes, Sir.
Jack Got Up.
"Come On, Let's Get you home Before Your Mother Notices Your Gone.
"Kay'
They Both Got On The Motercycle And Sped For Home.
Jack Tried His Best To Park It Silently In The Garage...But, They Weren't Silent Enough.
Just As Jack Turned His Bike Off, The Garage Lights Came On.
Jack Looked Over To See Mandy At The Door, Staring At Him Quite Sternly.
"And WHERE Have You Two Been? Said Mandy Darkly
Jack Was Silent.
Though He Had Faced Vampires, Zombies, Monsters And The Worst Of Hell's Demons And Even Fallen Angels...
It Was The Wrath Of His Wife's Rage That TRUELY Scared Him.
Naturally, Jackie Wanted To Help his Father Again...
"We Went Out For Ice Cream? Said Jackie, Innocently
"Y-Yeah, What he Said...
The Stern Look On Mandy's face Indicated She Wasn't Buying It.
"we're dead, aren't we? Whispered Jackie
"oh, yeah... Whispered Jack
Author Note: I set up Mandy taking her family to Halloween Town
as a somewhat direct repeat of event that occured in the Grim Tales Comic.
also, "Jackie" (the Alt. Version of Grim Jr.) is set on a jorney similair to his alternate self.
in that he's trying to control his Rider Powers (and, Malina wanting to attain HER powers)
Jackie and Malina's personalities will OBVIOUSLY be different from Grim Jr. and Minnie/Mini-Mandy.
and, I also show that having Mandy as a wife...isn't all "Whine-and-Roses"