//------------------------------// // Past No Longer // Story: The Emerald Torch // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// The Interceptor Mark Twelve silently trekked across the stars, skimming through the cosmos on the way to the destination John had entered into the main frame. That left plenty of time for John to inform Spike of what was going on and why he needed his help, while also tutoring Spike on how the cosmos worked. "Are you listening to me?" John asked with crossed arms and a frown when he turned to find Spike staring out the cockpit for the fifth time since they had started flying. Spike swung back around and nodded his head vigorously, but his ring wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. 'Lantern Spike was far more preoccupied with the galaxy before us than he was listening to your-' Spike managed to shut his ring up by sitting on it, but John narrowed his eyes to let the dragon know that he had been found out. "Spike, I know rules and regulations on interplanetary actions may seem boring, I know, it was boring to me too when I first joined the Corps, but these are important things that you must learn to be an effective Lantern," John reminded the dragon while placing a hand over his face. "And we've lost a good number of Lanterns due to recent events, so we'll need you and the newer generation now more than ever." "Come on John, you talk like you plan on retiring soon," Spike pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, I know how to be a Lantern. Help keep the peace and punch the bad guys that break that peace. Simple." "There is far more to being a Lantern than that," John growled before constructing a number of different aliens and planets based on worlds that he had visited. "Each planet that isn't an official part of the Corps has different rules, laws and customs that a Lantern must learn if they are to do their job properly. For example, shaking hands is a sign of respect in our worlds, but for this one it's an agreement to fight to the bitter death, as one Lantern found out the hard way." "But why do we have to listen to their rules?" Spike asked with an annoyed tone as he watched the construct of the Lantern battle a spider-like creature in a coliseum. "We're the guardians of the universe, right? Shouldn't we use the justice we know to protect others?" "That's a dangerous line of thought," John muttered as he shook his head darkly. "If a Lantern believes himself to be above the laws of the Corps and the planet that he or she is trying to protect, then they may end up becoming that planet's greatest threat." As he said this he created another reconstruct of an entire planet that was under the rule of a single Lantern, one who had a red face and a pencil mustache. "Take Sinestro, for example. He believed that the best way to save his world was to become that world's ruler, so he conquered it with the very ring he swore to protect it with." Spike felt his heart sink into his stomach as the images played out before his eyes, watching as Sinestro battled it out with a number of Lanterns including one he recognized as Hal Jordan. "Alright, I get it. If a Lantern rises above the law, then he becomes just as bad as the villains he faces." "Not that I'm worried about you doing that, though. You proved back when I saw you last, that you have a Lantern's heart and can answer the call just fine," John reassured Spike as he canceled the constructs and leaned back in the pilot's chair. "Speaking of, it has been a long time since I met with you, and if I remember right you had a large number of Lanterns on your planet. So, what's happened since I saw you last?" "World was threatened a few more times. Tirek, a really old evil, showed up and started stealing ponies' magic. Fortunately this bad boy runs on will, so Sweetie and I were able to defeat him," Spike smiled as his thoughts seemed to drift and a small smile spread across his lips. He snapped back into reality a moment later with a cough and avoided looking at John for a moment. "Sweetie left Equis about a month back with me. She went to see the home world of the Blue Lanterns while I went to Oa for official training. Hopefully she's doing alright." "You left your home world undefended?" John asked in surprise. "What about that Sombra pony? Isn't he still lurking around in the darkness somewhere?" At the mention of Sombra, Spike threw his head back and let out a frustrated sigh, concerning John for a moment. "Don't talk to me about Sombra! I have never fought a foe so darned annoying! No matter how many times we beat him, how many times we imprisoned him or took his ring, he finds a way to escape and he keeps coming back with another plan!" Spike vented with rage, so much rage that he shook his fists at the ceiling with fire in his eyes. John took in what Spike said before a smile crossed his face and he chuckled slightly, getting him a venomous look from Spike. "What's so funny?" "Spike, you've got yourself a nemesis," John explained with a smile, but when Spike looked at him in confusion he clarified. "A nemesis is a villain or foe that no matter how many times you beat them, they still seem to keep coming back. Nearly all the heroes on Earth have one. Batman has Joker, Superman has Lex and Hal has Sinestro. It's just another sign that you're a full-fledged hero." "I'd rather lock Sombra in a dungeon than have him as a nemesis," Spike grunted, getting another laugh out of John. "Yeah, most heroes prefer the villains behind lock and key, but the universe doesn't work like that sometimes," John muttered with an expert's knowledge. "But yeah, we didn't leave the planet completely undefended. Chrysalis promised that she would keep an eye out for Sombra, and if worse comes to worse Luna can wear the red ring again, though she doesn't like it," Spike muttered as he rested his head on the controls in front of him. "Owlicious is still an Indigo Lantern and he keeps Ponyville safe whenever I'm gone, so there's that. And...okay, that's a really strange looking planet." John leaned forward in his seat to see that just as Spike had said, a planet that was a vibrant purple had just come into view through the front, while a quick glance at the navigation system showed the senior Lantern that they had arrived at their destination. "Okay newbie, we're here. Time to disembark and start day one of training," John said as he entered in the commands to the ship, sending it hurtling through the planet's atmosphere and down into the landscape bellow. The ship touched down a moment later and, after both Lanterns charged their rings, the pair headed out onto the strange planet. The first thing the pair took in were the strange, almost hook-like trees that were an orange tint. Shriveled up fruits dangled sickly from the wilted branches and the soil beneath the tree didn't look any healthier. The sky was a shade of red that Spike didn't know and he nearly jumped when a bizarre creature ran by his leg. He looked up at John to see if he was just as off put by the world, but if the Lantern was uncomfortable he didn't show it. Trying to follow his mentor's example, he let out his tension with a sigh before taking in a deep breath. "Oh Faust, it smells," Spike groaned as he held a claw up to his nose, strengthening the thin green barrier around his body so that it blocked out the smell. "How can you stand this?" Spike asked John with tears in his eyes when he saw his senior practically unaffected. "Years of experience. This is not the worst planet I've been to," John explained before lifting his ring. "Ring, scan for any signs of life. According to the ship's log, there should be a city around here somewhere." A burst of green light erupted from the ring and swept across the landscape for hundreds of miles, going for a number of seconds before the ring beeped and created a small, green arrow that pointed North. "Alright, seems this is the way to go," John muttered as he took to the sky, Spike following after him. "Why is this place so dry?" Spike asked as the landscape somehow seemed to become more barren as the pair flew. "This planet is dry about fifteen months out of its seventeen," John explained as they flew. "But those other two months are filled with rain so intense that the whole planet floods. The cities here are built with material that allows the whole city to float when that happens. It's quite the sight, apparently." "Huh. How do you know all this?" Spike asked. "This is one of the planets whose Lantern went missing," John explained as a large city just began to appear on the edge of the horizon. "He was the one who collected all that information about this planet, with his last entry being around a month ago. According to the other reports that I looked up on the ship, around that same time the other Green Lanterns went missing. This planet was closest to Oa and I hope that the natives here might know what happened. Come on, let's go introduce ourselves." The two descended down into the brown and grey city below, landing right in the center of a large square where a number of the locals raised up a cry at their arrival. John placed his hands behind his back as he scanned the crowd for any sign of someone in charge, while Spike gawked at the aliens. "They...look like sharks," Spike said aloud as his eyes glanced from one finned being with legs and arms to the next, observing how each one looked like a different breed of shark. "Land sharks." "Yes, they do Spike, but keep those thoughts to yourself. We don't want to be rude," John instructed before his eyes caught a number of the shark-like beings running through the crowd that had gathered around them. John read a sign of relief on their faces before the sharks realized that they were strangers and the relief turned to worry. "Greetings. I am John Stewart, Green Lantern of Sector 2814. I am here-" "You are here because Ro-viz is missing, are you not?" the shark clad in brown and green asked in an aged voice that surpassed John's. "There is no need to answer, for I know it is true. Please, come with me." The elder shark turned and waved for the two to follow him. "Should we follow?" Spike asked. "I don't see why not," John muttered before looking down at his ring. "Scan the planet for any signs of the missing Lantern, just in case he's still on planet." With the ring conducting a scan that none of the inhabitants would notice, Spike and John followed after the old timer, who began to speak once they caught up. "Ro-viz was such a kind man. He was always helping others, even in these terrible times, and more often than not he was the only reason some of my people lived to see another day," the elder said as he walked, sorrow dripping off of every word. "So when the green ring descended from above and chose him to be a hero, none of us were the least surprised. For years he has protected us and helped make this world somewhat comfortable, using his power to bring rain two months a year instead of just one." "Do you know what happened to him, mister...?" "Lok-ra. But my name doesn't matter to you, for I am not long for this world. No, what matters is finding what became of my son-in-law and saving him from whatever has befallen him," Lok-ra explained before coming to a stop on the edge of the city, looking off into the distance where black clouds thundered on the horizon. "Nearly a month ago something strange happened in the Thundering Plains. Ro told me so. He said that his ring was sensing a strange being or force out there and he went to investigate. He never came back." John and Spike shared a quick look before John reached out and placed a hand on the elder's shoulder. "Don't worry. If Ro-viz is still alive, we'll bring him back. Come on Spike, it's time to do our duty." John and Spike both took to the air as he said this before rocketing ahead into the Thundering Plains, Spike flying alongside John as they approached their destination. "If Ro-viz is still alive...? You think that he's dead?" Spike asked as the two flew. "It's most likely what happened to him. What has me concerned is that his ring never picked a new Lantern, if he did die," John muttered with dark thoughts, his life of combat telling him that something was really wrong here. "Well then, perhaps he's not dead and the only reason he hasn't been seen is because he needs help," Spike suggested before rocketing ahead of John and into the storm. John thought about his words for a second, but his gut told him that there was a darker reason for the silence. 'Wish I had your optimism, kid.' John caught up with Spike to find that the Lantern had come to a stop over a large chunk of dried land, but when John looked down he found out why Spike hadn't descended yet. A large chunk of the ground was completely carved out, with green cracks running along the ground in the circle of darkness. "Um John? Any idea what that is?" Spike asked. 'The scorching that has affected the land does not seem to be recorded in Guardian knowledge,' Spike's ring spoke after scanning the ground. 'I will keep searching, but caution is recommended Spike.' "Got it," Spike muttered grimly as he and John descended into the missing landscape. Both kept their shielding around their bodies at maximum just in case, while they began to scan the area for any signs of what happened. That was until John came to a part of the land where a faint energy that he knew too well was going off, and he called Spike over. "It's just as I feared Spike, there's trace amounts of Green Lantern willpower here," John pointed out when the two of them reached the center of the carved area, where the traces grew stronger. "That means there was a struggle, but since neither the Lantern nor his ring is here it means he was either completely disintegrated or...he was captured. But what could possibly...?" "Hey John, I found something!" Spike called out, snapping John out of his thoughts. John floated over to Spike to find that the dragon was using a construct of a shovel to dig into the ground. "My ring told me that there was something buried down here, so I started to dig and I think I found it, though I have no idea what it is. Do you?" John looked into the hole that Spike had made, not sure what to expect. But when he laid his eyes on the object, or rather, the face, that stared out of the hole and back at him, he felt his blood run cold. In an instant, John tackled Spike and hurled the two of them back, just in time to dodge a hail of laser fire that erupted from the ground. "Ouch...hey John, what was that...for..." John turned to where Spike was facing to see a massive, metal monster pulling itself out of the ground. It was over seven feet tall while made of red armor that had purple lines running across its body. Its head had red armor as well, but its face was a pale color that housed red eyes, eyes that held no emotion within them. The being crashed down into the ground with its massive boots, slowly lifting its head as it began to scan the Lanterns. "Spike! Prepare to fight!" John barked as he created a Gatling gun that he aimed at the machine, firing hundreds of green bolts at the machine. But in an instant it had reached back and drew forth a silver staff, which it aimed at the pair as the green bolts bounced off of its chest. "What the heck is that thing?!" Spike yelled as John stopped firing, switching from a Gatling gun to a sniper rifle. He fired a bullet right into the shoulder of the machine, piercing the metal and staggering it for a moment. But then the machine looked from the wound to the Lantern, its eyes seeming to glow a brighter crimson. It rose back up and took aim at John with its staff, before speaking its most infamous words, "No man escapes the Manhunters."