//------------------------------// // Chapter eight: Avarice takes the stage // Story: Next Generation: The Emotional Spectrum // by Thestoryteller //------------------------------// Del had only seconds to act, and he used those seconds to quickly create a green construct in order to shield him and his friends. The Black Lanterns clawed at the construct, slowly chipping away at its structure. ’I know this may be a bad time but your power levels are at 53%.’ “Thanks for the update.” Del said sarcastically as he pushed against the construct, pushing all of the Black Lanterns away. The construct faded and the Black Lanterns slowly got back up. But before they could do anything, a yellow hammer construct slammed down onto them. “Alright Greenie, here's the plan.” The Pegasus said. “Annie and I will distract these guys while you take that book from Sombra.” “I'm not letting Annie get hurt.” Del stated. “T would roast me alive if anything happened to her.” “Don't worry about her,” the Pegasus said as Annie flew towards the Black Lanterns. “She can handle herself.” Annie’s ring began to glow brighter than ever as it began to collect massive amounts of energy. She was gonna need all of the energy she could muster to accomplish what needed to be done. Once she had gathered enough energy, she unleashed it and created a violet construct. Of a bunny. The construct stood at a size as big as a giant, it wiggled its nose as it snuggled against Annie, which caused her to giggle. The bunny saw the Black Lanterns and let out a warning growl before pouncing at the Lanterns and tore through them. Slashing, kicking, hitting any Black Lanterns that came within the bunny’s sight. “Woah.” Del said in amazement as Annie’s construct continued attacking. “Less drooling, more book snatching Greenie!” The Pegasus ordered as she soared towards the battle. Del shook his head, this was no time to be hesitant. He had a job to do and he was gonna finish it. While the battle raged on, Sombra held the Book of the Black in his hooves. He turned the cover, revealing the first page. Unlike when the three Lanterns opened the book, when Sombra opened the book it revealed pages filled with words written in crude ink. Sombra was fascinated by the text, and what the text was telling him to do, while also confused at the same time. It was a most wonderful feeling. “Incredible.” Sombra muttered, his eyes wide as he devoured every word, sentence, and paragraph in the book. ”Impressive isn't it?” Black Hand asked from the ring. ”As much as I enjoy your fascination with the book, you best stay on task with the battle at hand.” “My dear Black Hand.” Sombra paused, closing the book with one hoof and catching Del’s punch in the other. “Didn't you know I'm quite the multitasker?” Del reared back his left hoof for another strike, only for Sombra to blast him away with his magic like he was nothing but an annoying fly. Del rolled against the snow before pulling out and stopping himself by digging his hooves into the ground. Once he had stopped, Del charged towards the non-interested Sombra. As Del threw blow after blow at Sombra, he only dodged each attack while continuing to read his book, not at all concerned with the fight he was in. He started humming while dodging and reading, seeing if he could try doing three things at once. ‘Hell, why not make it four?’ Sombra thought as he balanced on one hoof. With all the advantages he had, Del still could not land a single blow, and that made him angry. Angry that he couldn't hit Sombra despite his lack of interest in the battle. Angry, Del did the only thing he knew would get Sombra’s attention. It was when Sombra had left himself open, while dodging he left an opening for Del to strike. But Del didn't strike at Sombra, instead he struck at the Book. Not wanting Del to take it, Sombra backed away to avoid Del from taking what was rightfully his. But when he looked back at the book his eyes widened when he saw that it was missing a page. Realization dawned on Sombra as his wide eyes gazed at Del, taunting him with the page he had just ripped from Sombra. Sombra closed the book shut and inhaled deeply. He exhaled and opened his eyes, revealing his crimson pupils, green eyes, and black mist fuming from them. ”You shouldn't have done that Lantern.” He growled. Turquoise’s mind was fuzzy, all other thoughts blocked out by the roaring voice inside of him that told him to take everything. But despite Turquoise’s frazzled state he could remember how he had gotten here. It had all started with a local visit from Hot Head. He entered the shop and requested a suit, no doubt to take for a date with Whirlwind. Naturally, Rarity got to work designing and taking measurements. Some things were said, conversations started. Turquoise didn't remember how, one thing led to another, and Hot Head said something he shouldn't have. “It's no wonder only a blind mare loves you.” Hot Head didn't mean it, at least not in the way it sounded. It was probably meant to be a joke or something. But Turquoise didn't take it that way, he didn't see it as a joke. Turquoise flew to a pond in the Everfree Forest, a place where he and Annie would rest and relax, enjoying each other's company. Turquoise stared at his reflection in the pond, his dragon-pony reflection staring back. Millions of thoughts ran through his mind, but one stuck out amongst the chaos. Annie, the one he loved, and the thought of losing her. He couldn't let that happen, she was his. Only his, nobody else deserved a mare like her. Annie was his and his alone. A spark of greed was all that was needed for Turquoise to attract something very powerful. In the pond he saw a bright orange light getting bigger and bigger in the ponds reflection until an orange ring appeared, hovering above the water. The ring was in front of Turquoise within seconds, its emblem observing Turquoise, like it was studying him before it spoke in a mechanical voice. ’Temporary host detected.’ It spoke, before warping its shape and sliding onto Turquoise’s middle claw. ’Turquoise of Equestria, you want it all.’ It was then that Turquoise felt the hunger, the unquenchable thirst to take. The power of Avarice flowed through his very being, bringing out his desire to take and hoard. Present Time: Prism was thrown from the large pile of junk with enough force that sent him flying through a house and crashing against the ground. Prism groaned as he shakily stood up, the blast stronger than he thought it would be. As he got up, he quickly leaped the left, just barely missing the large snake that devoured the house whole. All while Turquoise was tightly gripping his body over an orange lantern and constantly saying, “MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! IT’S ALL MINE!” Prism flew back onto the pile of junk, red fumes seeping their way out of his mouth. “Alright T, that's enough.” He said, walking forward. “Just take off the ring and let's talk about this.” Turquoise whipped his head towards Prism with a livid expression. “You want it don't you?! You want to take it away from me! Well I won't let you!” Turquoise shouted, firing an orange beam towards Prism. Thinking fast, Prism spread his wings and quickly closed them in front of him in a shielding motion, deflecting the blast. “I really don't want to hurt you…” He managed to growl out as he spread his wings menacingly, a little trick he learned from Starburst. “...but you're making it seriously hard foR ME NOT TO THROTTLE YOU!!” He snapped as his eyes went red and he slammed his right hoof into the ground, making a small crater. He shook his head, trying his best to fight the boiling hate inside of him. “T...look, you're my friend. But in all honesty...I'm trying very hard not to attack you right now.” Prism began, only to get punched in the gut by Turquoise. ”You can't have it! I won't let you have it! It's MINE!” Once more Prism found himself fighting the primal urges of his hate. Prism tried thinking of ways to save his friend, but at the same time he was fighting off the urge to kill. ‘The more time I waste here the more Ponyville gets damaged, and the more civilians gets hurt… I gotta take this somewhere safe!’ Without a second thought Prism flared his wings and took to the sky, putting as much distance between him and Turquoise. “Hey! Catch me if you can jalapeño breath!” He taunted, hoping to goad him into following him. But when he turned back to Turquoise he saw that Turquoise was only concerned in taking more things. It was obvious that Turquoise wasn't gonna act on insults, but maybe… With an idea fresh in his head, Prism flew down to the pile of junk and grabbed a basketball from the pile. “Oooooh T.” Prism taunted, tossing the basketball up and catching it. “Lookie what I got.” Turquoise looked at Prism with an expression that could only be described as pissed. With his attention caught, Prism took off into the sky still holding the ball. “GIVE! THAT! BACK!” Turquoise roared in a berserk rage as he took to the air after his opponent. As they flew off however, neither of them noticed a certain Pegasus observing the scene. “Hiya Whirlwind.” Candy greeted the Pegasus, causing her to jump in the air in surprise. “Don't do that!” Whirlwind shouted hotly at Candy. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” “Sorry.” Candy apologized with a wink while her tongue was sticking out. “Couldn't help myself. But anyways, we should probably follow them.” “Yeah but...you saw what those two are capable of right?” Whirlwind asked. “What can we do against something like that?” “You worry too much Whirl.” Candy giggled, bouncing off in the direction Prism and Turquoise flew off towards. “Just tell yourself what I tell myself every day I wake up.” “And what's that?” Whirlwind asked, flying beside the still bouncing mare. With a warm smile Candy replied, “everything’s gonna be just fine.” Prism was naturally fast enough to leave Turquoise in the dust, even more so now that he had the Red Ring. However this wasn’t about losing him, but rather luring him to a more secluded area, one where they could fight without any casualties. He hated the idea fighting his friend, but what other choice did he have? The very thought of it made Prism angry, which caused more red napalm liquid to start dripping through the cracks in his gritted teeth. ‘NO! Focus Prism!’ He thought, shaking his head as he flew towards the one place he knew they could truly let loose: The hazard-filled Ghastly Gorge. Prism landed one side of the canyon while Turquoise crashed really hard on the opposite side. With eyes of pure red and orange, the two best friends locked eyes with one another before letting out a bestial roar. “T, I'm gonna say this one last time: TAKE. OFF. THE RING!!!” Prism screamed as he made the first move as he dashed across the canyon, decking him across the face and sending him back a few feet. Turquoise groaned in pain as Prism spread his wings and bolted forwards for another blow, only for the hybrid to catch his hoof before it made contact and slammed his fist into the Pegasus’ stomach. Prism gasped in pain as his mouth opened and an explosion of red napalm spewed from his mouth all over Turquoise, thankfully his dragon anatomy combined with the Ring’s energy negated any long-lasting damage, but that didn’t stop in from hurting like hell. ”RRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!” Turquoise screamed in pain as he turned around, slamming his tail into Prism, sending him flying over the edge of the cliff and into the water. Seconds later Prism burst out of the water and flew back upwards towards the cliff, only for Turquoise dive over the edge and exhale a boulder-sized fireball right in his face. Prism quickly conjured a sphere around himself and burst right through the fireball, Turquoise attempted to strike him with his claws was blocked by Prisms wing. Seeing his chance Prism spun around in mid-air and kicked him into the cliff wall, not willing to let him recover he bolted towards him and slammed his hooves into his stomach before repeatedly punching him over and over. ”ENOUGH!!!” Turquoise screamed as he released a powerful pulse of energy, sending Prism flying back straight into the opposite side of the canyon. ”You're very strong, so I think I'll make you apart of my collection.” He grinned like a mad stallion filled with crazed insanity as he raised his ring and pointed it at Prism. ”Identity thef-” “NO!!!” A new voice called out as it stopped Turquoise from activating his special power. Both Prism and Turquoise glanced up towards the top of the cliff to see who’d come to help him… only for Prism’s blood to run cold at the sight of his two friends Cotton Candy and Whirlwind. “What are you two doing out here!?” He demanded. “Get back to Ponyville before you get killed!!” “Kill is such a strong word Prism.” Candy stated, sliding down the curve of the cliff and stopping in front of Prism and Turquoise. “Sure, T is currently under some kind of mind control but he wouldn't kill us.” Whirlwind landed beside Candy and asked, “am I the only one here who wants to know what the Tartarus is going on?” ”Knowledge is mine! Mine you hear!” Turquoise yelled. “Look T, I don't know what happened to you but if you'd just tell us what's going on then we can't help you.” Whirlwind said. Turquoise’s response was aiming his ring at the two mares and unleashed a full blast of orange energy. “NO!” Prism shouted, flying at fast speeds he put himself between the orange blast and the two mares. Just as the orange blast was closing in he unleashed a blast of red napalm from his mouth. The orange and red energy mix and they both dissolved into nothing. “Prism...what's happening to T?” Whirlwind asked, worry in her voice. “He's being controlled by that ring, I'd take it off myself but I can't get close enough to him.” Prism explained as Candy stepped forward. “Uh, Candy...what are you doing?” Candy looked back at Prism and with a coy smile replied, “I'm saving a friend.” She said as she approached Turquoise. “Hey T, it's me Candy. You know, your crazed sugar-high friend that always teases you.” Turquoise's response was a low hiss, like he was warning Candy not to come any closer. “Candy get back here!” Prism shouted. “He's gonna kill you!” “Have a little faith Prism.” Candy said, silently telling him not to interfere. “This is T we're talking about, he'd never hurt anyone.” ”You should've listen to your red friend, fool. Now you will be MINE!” Turquoise declared as a huge worm construct with a large hole as its mouth erupted from his ring and sailed towards Candy. But even as impending doom swiftly approached the Earth Pony mare, she held her ground. Not losing her composure or her genuine smile. The screaming words of both Whirlwind and Prism became silent as they tried to rush to Candy before the construct could reach her. But none of it mattered, Candy knew that she would be safe, she knew that Turquoise would return to his normal self, she knew that at the end of everything there'd be a happy ending. She had faith. And as the construct was upon her, its gaping mouth ready to devour her in seconds, the construct was shattered by a bright light that shined down from the sky. Turquoise, Whirlwind, and Prism shielded their eyes from the intense light but Candy did not shield her eyes from it. The light was warm and comforting, Candy embraced the light with open arms not denying its request to wrap her in its warmth. As the light’s brightness increased a voice spoke from the light to Candy. ”Cotton Candy of Equestria. You have been chosen, for you possess great potential. Will you accept this power and use it for the good of all?” Candy raised her right hoof into the air and touched the light as she gave her answer. “I accept!” She cried out as the light approached her and she could see what had been speaking to her. 'COTTON CANDY OF EQUESTRIA: ALL WILL BE WELL.' If Del was trying to piss of Sombra he succeeded by tearing out a page from his book, because Sombra was livid. Sombra was a lot like Twilight, when you damage a book, you will suffer for it. “Hey Greenie!” Shouted the Pegasus as she blasted one of the zombie's to pieces. “Hurry up and grab that book already!” Del created a green construct shield to protect himself from a black blast of Sombra’s magic before shouting back, “easier said than done!” Annie obliterated two zombies with her violet light before landing next to the Pegasus. “We need to help Del, he can't take on Sombra by himself.” “Agreed.” The Pegasus said, forcing a yellow construct spear down a zombie’s skull. “But it's gonna take a lot more than Willpower to beat Death.” A lightbulb went off inside Annie’s head when the Pegasus said that. “Um...what's your name again?” She asked. “Just call me Fear, Annie.” The Pegasus said. “Oh...well okay then.” Annie shuffled uncomfortably, feeling awkward about calling someone ‘Fear’. “Well Fear, I have an idea.” Annie said, trapping a zombie that was about to attack the Pegasus in a violet crystal. “Shoot.” The Pegasus said, listening to Annie’s suggestion. “I know that together we can't kill Sombra, but if we pour everything we have at him then maybe we can stun or knock him out.” Annie suggested, fighting off a zombie. “It's worth a shot, let's do it!” The Pegasus answered. “Right. But first, let's get a little elbow room.” Annie said, using her ring she released a ring of violet energy that pushed back the crowding zombies. The two Lanterns flew towards Del to give him some assistance. Meanwhile, Del was still battling against Sombra. Del held a green broadsword construct in between his teeth, using it to block Sombra’s black construct from hitting him. Sombra swung the construct with his magic, giving it extra strength. “You wield the power of Will do you not?” Sombra asked, mocking the Green Lantern as he could see some Yellow beginning to mix with Del’s green. “That means you have the ability to face great fear. But from what I've seen,” Sombra paused, forcing the blade down on Del’s. Del responded by holding up his construct sword to defend himself. The two swords were at a standstill as both forces cancelled each other out. ”You're a shitty excuse for a Green Lantern.” Sombra’s voice became deeper and more ghostlike. His words dug into Del like a knife through melted butter, causing cracks to start forming in his green construct. ”Face it, you can't defeat me. You're just a little light, alone in a world of Darkness.” After those words left Sombra’s lips he became puzzled as the Yellow he saw in Del began to be replaced with Green. “You must be the dumbest pony in the world.” Del said, the cracks in his construct disappearing and as he pushed back against the black construct he was beginning to break it. “I've got news for you buddy, I've got friends and family I care about. As long as I have them I'm never alone.” The black construct was filled with cracks as Del pushed back with all of his strength, his eyes glowing bright green. ”AND AS LONG AS THEY HAVE ME, THEY WILL NEVER BE AFRAID OF ANYTHING!” Del declared as he completely shattered the black construct. He aimed his ring at Sombra and unleashed a blast of pure Willpower at him. Sombra was blown back by the blast and was sent flying backwards. He whipped his body around so that he landed on his hooves. He looked at Del with a smile of amusement on his face. “Well, look at you.” He said, his voice returned to normal. “You were able to beat fear after all. But that green light of yours won't be enough to beat me.” “You're right about that!” Sombra and Del’s gaze was directed upwards to the source of the voice, where they saw the Pegasus and Annie land beside Del and aimed their rings at Sombra. “Willpower alone can't defeat death.” Annie said, her eyes glowing bright violet. “But if we add Fear and Love to the mix, I think that'll do something.” The Pegasus said, her eyes glowing bright yellow. For once, Sombra had a tinge of fear in his heart. He tried to move but when he did he found his hooves chained to the ground by a collection of green, yellow, and violet constructs. “All together, let's speak our oath and send this zombie back where it came from!” Del declared as the three ring's began to shine brightly and they spoke. "In Brightest Day, in Brightest Night. Shine forth our power of combined light. To defeat all evil, impurity, corruption and Black. We strike the darkness, together we fight back. With Love in our hearts, Fear in their eyes, and Willpower in our souls. With our combination of power we strive for our goals. May the Darkness beware our might. Behold our power, our unleashed LIGHT!" A mixture of Green, Yellow, and Violet light was combined from the three power ring's. The light flew towards Sombra, intensifying the closer it got. *KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* An explosion of color erupted from where Sombra stood, the explosion was a pillar or Green, Yellow, and Violet energy violently swirling upwards. At the base of the pillar, Sombra thrashed in pain as the colors flowed through his very body. The energy pillar collapsed and shrunk into a ball for a second before bursting, releasing a powerful shockwave of the three colors that stretched like ripples in water. When the ring's and energy faded all that was left of Sombra was a hollow and empty skeleton with the black ring on his right hoof and the Book of the Black in his left, and the skeleton was lying in the center of a large crater. The other Black Lanterns were like puppets, and without their master pulling their strings they were nothing more than lifeless bodies of flesh. “It's over.” Del sighed in relief. “Sombra’s dead.”