The cafeteria on Oa bustled with activity, creatures of all different shapes and sizes walking around and waiting in line for food. Applejack smiled as she sat in her chair, eating the meal that had been presented to her. Unfortunately, when she had asked the alien behind the counter for some apples, he told her they didn't have any. He had, instead, offered her something called Zuma fruits. They didn't look anything like apples; they were black, and had strange nubs on them. Applejack was hesitant at first, but Hal told her that Greet, the alien, was one of the best cooks in the universe. So, Applejack cowponied up and tried one, and was delighted to find that they tasted almost identical to her beloved tree-born food.
Hal chuckled as Applejack dug in, eating a meal of his own. He had asked Greet for a salad, which he seemed to be enjoying immensely. “So, how do you like the food here on Oa?"
Applejack looked up, face covered in black Zuma flesh. “It’s just dandy, Hal. Ah haven't eaten all day, and these sure do taste a lot like apples. Thank yeh fer bringin’ me here.”
“No problem, Cowgirl. You’re gonna need it if I’m gonna show you the basics,” he said, biting what looked like a blue tomato off his fork. Applejack went back to her meal, Hal’s comment having put butterflies in her stomach. She was admittedly a little nervous about learning how to wield the ring. She never thought she’d be doing something like this. One minute, she’s a farmer from Ponyville, and the next, she’s an intergalactic police officer working for little blue creatures.
“Penny for your thoughts, cowgirl,” he said, nudging her with his elbow.
Applejack looked up at her new friend. “Ah’m just nervous, Ah guess. This ain’t exactly a direction Ah saw mah life goin’ in.”
Hal nodded. “I hear ya, sister. On my planet, we hadn't even heard of extra terrestrials until a few years ago, when Superman showed up. Then all of a sudden a purple alien shows up and hands me a ring, and I'm brought to another planet. Bit of a wakeup call for me. Bet it was for you too,” he said.
Applejack sighed. “Don't get me wrong, Ah’ve fought before. Me and mah friends took on some nasty critters back home. Really powerful ones, too. But ah always had mah friends ta back me up.” Applejack chuckled. “If Twilight were here, she’d be goin’ out of her purple head.”
Hal smiled. “So, what’s home like? You said it was called Equestria?”
Applejack nodded. “Sure is. Nice place. Not that Ah’ve seen it all, but Ah like what Ah know about,” she said, chuckling. “No cities near as big as this one, ‘specially the one Ah’m from. Place out in the country called Ponyville.” Hal snickered a bit, and Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Ponyville? A bit on the nose, don't you think?”
Applejack frowned. “Well, it was good enough for mah great grandpappy. He founded the town, and mah Granny Smith helped ta make it thrive. It’s a right good place ta live, especially Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Sweet Apple Acres?” asked Hal. “Is that your farm?”
Applejack nodded and smiled, looking into the distance. “Sure is, sugarcube. Nicest little slice of paradise this side of Canterlot. We grow apples and other things, like grain, and a few vegitables. Mah family and Ah work on it. Mah Granny Smith, mah big brother Big Macintosh, and mah little sister Apple Bloom.”
Hal frowned. “What about your parents?”
Applejack frowned, softly stroking her ring with a hoof. “They… died, a long time ago. Before ah even got mah cutie mark.
Hal’s face fell, and he had the look of a man who had shoved both feet into his mouth. “Oh, wow, I’m sorry, Applejack…
Applejack shook her head. “It’s alright, Ah was really young when it happened. Big Mac was old enough, he remembers, but Ah was just a foal when they passed. Pappy was tryin’ out some new equipment for the farm with Mama, a big combine. Damn thing started up accidently, while mah Pappy was workin’ on the axle of the blades. Mah Mama tried to pull him out, but… she got caught, too. Granny tells me that this was mah Pappy’s hat,” she said, taking it off and looking at it.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up at Hal again. “I’m sorry, AJ. That was a stupid question to ask.”
Applejack replaced the Stetson on her head. “It’s alright, Hal, really. Ah don’ remember them much… Still, we never use anythin’ bigger than a tractor on the farm anymore. It all gets done on horsepower,” she said. “Ah sure hope that Big Mac’s doin’ ok without me. It ain’t harvest time, but there’s still work to be done.”
“ Don't worry, Cowgirl. We’ll make you a top notch ring slinger, and then you can go home. You’ll have a partner in your sector, and they'll be able to help you with the rest,” he said, finishing up his salad. “Come on, let’s head to the training facility, I’ll show you the ropes.”
Applejack ate the last bite of her Zuma, and stood to follow Hal. Once they were outside, Applejack took off alongside Hal, grinning as they took off. She was still amazed that she was flying, really flying. She had been up in Twilight’s balloon before, but this… this was so much better. Hal looked over to her and chuckled. “I take it you're enjoying yourself?”
Applejack grinned wider. “You bet your flank, sugarcube,” she said, doing a loop-the-loop in the air. She did a few more aerial maneuvers, just reveling in the joy of flight. Said joy ended, though, when the green aura around her faded and her Green Lantern uniform disappeared. Before Applejack could register that the force keeping her aloft had vanished, she dropped like a stone, heading for the planet’s surface. She screamed, any decorum she may have had gone as she plummeted, spinning through the air. She continued to scream even as she stopped, caught by the giant hand Hal had created to catch her. It took her a moment to register that, no, she wasn't going to die. She stopped screaming, and looked towards Hal, who had complete control of the hand made of light.
Hal looked at Applejack, his face half concerned, half amused. “You ok, there, Cowgirl?”
Applejack blushed bright red, looking away. “Yeah, Ah’m fine. What happened, though? Mah ring just kinda stopped working.”
Hal nodded. “That’s alright. Your ring’s probably just out of power. All you need to do is recharge it. Look, your battery popped out when your ring was depleted.” Applejack looked next to her and, sure enough, her lantern was right there. “Lesson two: Always keep your ring charged, especially before long trips. You don't want to be flying through deep space and all of a sudden be exposed to the vacuum of space.”
Applejack placed a hoof on her throat and gulped. “Yeah, sounds bad. So how do I charge it?”
“Easy,” said Hal. “Just put your ring into the lantern and say the oath. Do you know it?”
Applejack nodded and inserted her ring-bearing hoof into the lantern. “In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape mah sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware mah power, Green Lantern’s light.” As the oath finished, her ring shone, and Applejack removed her hoof from the depths of the lantern. Her uniform instantly reformed around her, and she levitated up off of Hal’s construct. Hal held the hand up, offering her lantern to her, and Applejack grabbed it with her teeth. “Fanks, Hal,” she said, unable to articulate well with her mouth full.
Hal laughed a bit. “How about I show you how to store that puppy, so you can actually talk to other people?” Applejack nodded, and Hal held out his ring, clenching his hand. With a flash of light, another lantern identical to hers appeared. “I won't bore you with the details, but basically the ring makes a little pocket in space that can hold your ring. I’m sure Seron programmed it in, so just will the lantern back into your ring.”
Applejack held out her ring and did as Hal told her, letting the lantern slip into the pocket Hal had mentioned. She looked on amazed as the ring flashed, and the lantern between her teeth disappeared. Applejack looked at her ring, mouth open a little. “Ah… can feel it…”
Hal smiled. “Your charge should last a while, now. It was probably just drained from the trip here. Seron most likely expended a bit as well, so that might have had something to do with it. Now, why don't we start training? I have a friend I want you to meet.”
__
Hal’s friend turned out to be rather different than what Applejack had expected. She thought maybe he'd be another human, like Hal. Maybe that Kyle guy that he had mentioned. When she met him, though… well, he didn't look like Hal at all.
For one, he was easily twice his size. Not just in height, but in width. He was easily much bigger than that Iron Will minotaur Fluttershy had told her about, if his posters were any indication. His skin was a kind of pinkish, and his eyes were red. He looked a little like a bulldog, only… massive.
The alien gave what might have been a smile to Hal, clapping him on the shoulder. “Well, if it ain’t my favorite Poozer. Jordan, how are you?”
Hal groaned as the alien hit his shoulder, and his knees almost buckled. “Still recovering from the last one of those, Kilowog. It’s good to see you, though.”
The alien chuckled deep in his throat. “Well, what brings you to the training hall?” he asked, before looking to Applejack. “Oh, I get it. Got a new recruit that needs some hammering, huh? Well, you came to the right place.”
In an instant, the giant alien was in Applejack’s face. “You! You overdeveloped hunk of space junk! You think you're worthy to wear that ring?! You're not fit to scrape the comet dust from my boots! I’m gonna break you over my knee and rebuild you as a lean, green, slinging machine! Now drop and give me-“
Any further insults were cut off by a quick movement by Applejack. Once the shock of having an unfamiliar alien shouting in her face had worn off, she bashed her head into Kilowog’s flat nose, pushing hard with her back legs. Kilowog, caught off guard while in drill-sergeant mode, reared back, clutching his smashed face. Applejack took the opportunity to turn around and rear back on her front legs, tucking her back legs against her belly and the firing them out directly at Kilowog’s chin. There was an audible clack as his teeth smashed together, and as he reared back in pain, Applejack reared back again and hit him square in the stomach. As Kilowog doubled over, Applejack looked at him with a stern look in her eye. “Maybe that’ll teach you some manners, ya big mule!”
Hal looked on in amazement as Applejack cleanly and efficiently cleaned Kilowog’s clock. He began to clap slowly, and then his face broke out in a grin as he laughed. “Way to go, rookie! You just kicked Kilowog’s ass!”
Applejack blushed, but her expression was still all business. “Well, Ah don’t take kindly to rudeness, is all…”
Kilowog groaned as he straightened, shaking his head. He looked down at Applejack, scowling. “What’s your name, recruit?”
Applejack looked him dead in the eyes, her green eyes staring straight into his red ones. “Applejack.”
He snorted, actual steam coming from his nostrils. “Applejack, huh? Well, Applejack, you just headbutted the toughest trainer on Oa, and, with all modesty, one of the best fighters in the Corps.” As he finished the last sentence, his squashed face broke into a grin. “Not bad, rookie. We'll make a Green Lantern out of you yet.” Kilowog extended his hand, and Applejack placed her hoof in his, breathing a sigh of relief. As brave a face as she put on, she had been afraid of the senior Lantern.
Hal grinned and patted them both on the shoulder. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, how about we get to the actual constructs?”
Kilowog nodded and looked to Applejack. “Alright, Poozer, you got physical chops, I'll give you that. But a Lantern’s real strength is in his ring. Master your Will, and nothing can stop you. Now, picture something in your mind, and just will it to form through your ring.”
Applejack nodded, and held up her right hoof, pointing her ring into empty space. She scrunched up her face, picturing an object in her mind and concentrating on her ring. She imagined the object in front of her, and was amazed when a green stream of energy streamed from her ring. When it reached a point in space, it expanded, becoming the object she had pictured.
Kilowog tilted his head. “What on Oa is that?”
Hal grinned. “An apple, Cowgirl? Really?”
Applejack laughed. “It was all Ah could think of!”
Suddenly, her apple construct exploded, shattering in a flash of green light with the sound of cannon fire. Applejack shielded her eyes from the flash, her ring fading. When she looked up, she saw Kilowog with his ring pointed at where the apple once was. “Next lesson: Your constructs are only as strong as your will. Your conviction behind your constructs and energy blasts is what makes them powerful. Without that, you're just making a light show.” Kilowog reared back and thrusted his ring at Applejack, and it fired a ball of green energy at her with a huge bang. Applejack reacted as best she could, bringing up a plate of will energy to block it. The shield held for a moment, but then crumbled and shattered, letting the energy blast through. It hit Applejack with concussive force, ramming into her chest and knocking the wind out of her. She was blown back several feet, knocked off her hooves by the force of the blast. Applejack landed in a heap, coughing violently as her lungs tried desperately to get more air.
Kilowog crossed his arms. “Get up, runt. I told you, your constructs are powered by your will. You throw up a half-assed shield, it’ll buckle. Now, hit me with your best shot,” he said, presenting his chin.
Applejack staggered to her feet, still coughing. She looked at the mountain of alien before her, and thought about the best way to go about her attack. Direct approach, she decided, screwing up her face again. She gathered energy into her ring, willing a ball of energy to fire at Kilowog. It launched forward from her ring, and she frowned; it wasn’t nearly as big as Kilowog’s had been. Kilowog raised his ring, and produced a barricaded gate to block it. Her ball of energy broke upon the gate, not even making a dent in it. Kilowog let the gate dissipate, scowling behind it. “Pathetic. You'll need more than that to get past me,” he said, his ring glowing again. He formed a huge sledgehammer in his hands out of will, then gave a loud cry as he charged her, bringing it up to strike.
Applejack’s eyes widened as the massive warrior charged, and she willed herself to rise into the air, dodging to the side of the overhead strike. The hammer hit the floor with a sickening crack, but Applejack managed to avoid it. She landed on her hooves, and reared back with her right hoof, forming an iron ball around it before swinging it hard at Kilowog’s ribs. He blocked it with the haft of his hammer, and brought the butt of the handle careening for Applejack’s face. She hadn’t expected this, and it connected hard, sending Applejack to her back again. Kilowog straightened, hefting the hammer construct onto his shoulder. “Not bad, rookie. I was trying to destroy that construct of yours, but it held. Keep practicing, and your constructs will get stronger. Now, hit the showers,” he said.
Applejack stood and began to walk away, heading towards the showers. Hal looked up to Kilowog when she was out of earshot. “So, what do you think?” he asked.
“Well, she’s spirited, I'll give her that. Shouldn’t have any problem with fear, that’s for sure. Still, she’s missing something; I can't quite put my finger on it, though. Whatever it is, if she gets it, she'll be quite a Lantern.”
Hal nodded. “You could feel it too, huh?”
Kilowog nodded. “Just the way she carries herself, she’s a creature of purpose. Course, I knew that the minute she rammed me,” he said, rubbing his nose and chuckling.
Hal chuckled. “How bad did she get you?”
Kilowog shook his head, smiling. “Not too bad. She’s a strong one, but so am I.”
Hal laughed again, patting Kilowog on the shoulder. “Well, I think it’s about time the rookie got home. She must have been gone for at least a day, don’t want the locals to freak.”
“Good call, Jordan. I take it you'll be flying her home?” Kilowog said, rolling his eyes.
Hal held up his hands. “Whoa, pal, hold up there. I stick to my own body type, at least, so get your mind out of the gutter,” he said, heading down the hallway.
“Good to know you have some restraint,” said the big Lantern, rolling his eyes at his back.
--
Applejack groaned as the hot water of the shower washed over her bruises, especially the one on her chest. Oh, she was going to have some explaining to do when she got home. Her mind drifted to her little spot in Sweet Apple Acres that she loved so much… the spot that was now a ruined crater. She sighed, remembering that her little safe haven was gone. She was going to miss that spot. That was for sure.
Another thought entered her head; how was she going to explain this? She had been gone for a day, and her favorite spot was rubble. What if they thought she was dead? Oh, sweet Celestia of Equestria, that would be awful! Her poor family, her friends… Applejack turned the water off and shook herself dry, willing her uniform back on. She sprinted back towards Hal and Kilowog, needing to find Hal fast so she could get home. For that matter, she was going so fast that she crashed into the human in the hall. They fell together in a tangle of limbs, until they landed on the floor next to each other.
Applejack groaned and rubbed her head, sitting up just in time to see Hal doing the same. Applejack gasped, and grabbed Hal by the shoulders. “Hal! Ah gotta get home right now!” she cried, shaking Hal hard in her panic.
Hal placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her incessant shaking. He shook his head, trying to clear it from that her outburst. “Whoa, Cowgirl, calm down. I was just on my way to tell you, I’m taking you home. We'll meet your new partner for your sector, and then you can go back to the farm, ok?”
Applejack blinked a moment, a bit nonplused.”Oh, well… good,” she said, still a bit dazed.
He chuckled. “Now, come on, we have a long trip ahead of us.” Hal got up and started walking towards the door, Applejack in tow. Once outside, they took off, and Hal smiled. “We’re going to leave the atmosphere, so be ready,” he said, flying straight up. Applejack followed behind, climbing high into the sky. Hal brought his ring up to his face and said, “This is Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814, looking to contact the Green Lantern of Sector 0236, come in.”
A voice came through the ring, sounding vaguely feminine. “This is Quilla, Green Lantern of Sector 0236, what is it you need, Hal Jordan?”
“I’m heading to your Sector, little something we need to discuss. I’ll be bringing another Green Lantern, meet us near the planet Equestria.”
“Rodger that, Hal Jordan. Should I bring Seron Gruto? He’s the other Green Lantern in this Sector.”
Hal’s face fell, and he shook his head. “Unfortunately, that’s what I need to discuss with you. I didn’t want to do this over the Rings, but… Seron Gruto died in action.”
There was silence on the other side for a good while, before the voice said weakly, “You’re sure?”
“Unfortunately, yes. The Green Lantern I'm bringing with me will be taking over his duties. I’m sorry to be the one who had to tell you this.”
“Thank you, Hal. And to the new Green Lantern… I look forward to meeting you,” she said in a hollow voice. The line went dead, and Hal lowered his hand to his side.
“Poor girl,” said Applejack, shaking her head. “This is gonna be awkward…”
“ You'll get through it,” said Hal. “It’s not the first time a Lantern’s fallen in the line of duty, and it won’t be the last. Don't worry, Quilla's a good girl. I'm sure eventually you two will be great friends,” he said.
Applejack shook her head, hoping he was right. She looked up, into the vastness of space, looking forward, where her little planet waited.
--
On the planet Equis, in the country of the ponies, there was a large mountain range. The snow capped peaks reached high into the sky, the jagged tips almost looking to rip into it. The temperatures often dropped below zero at high altitudes, with massive blizzards and hail storms, even in the summer months. Spotted along all of these peaks were small caves, the only source of shelter in these harsh climates. Any creature at these altitudes found a cave… or died.
Among the driving snow was a figure, a pony shivering in the cold. He had a brown mane and silver fur, but any skin that was showing was quickly turning blue with hypothermia. He was frozen down to his hooves, literally; Ice had frozen onto his hooves, snaking its way into the hard substance that they were made of. He could feel it, and he knew that if he didn’t find shelter from the storm, he was going to lose them.
He looked up, bringing a leg up to shield his eyes, and saw his salvation. There was a cave up ahead, and the pony thanked his luck. He shuddered as the wind blew harder; forget keeping his hooves, if he didn't get out of this storm, he was going to die.
The pony made his way to the cave, and finally managed to enter it, pulling his legs and tail tight to his body to preserve heat. He shivered as his body tried to warm up, that goal in sight now that he had gotten out of the wind. Maybe there was some wood in the cave that he could use to make a fire. Sometimes animals would make their nests here and discard them.
As he looked around, though, he didn't see any wood. There were some small things around the cave, though. He picked one up in his shivering hooves, examining it out of curiosity. It was small and roundish, with a couple of holes in it. Near the bottom, it had little protrusions that fit together. The pony wracked his brain, trying to figure out what it could be.
As he looked at it head on, he had an odd thought. Huh… it kinda looks like it’s looking at me… And indeed, the two holes in the front could be eyes, and the protrusions… The pony gasped as he realized what it was. It was a skull… a rabbit skull. As he looked around, he realized the floor was covered in animal bones, some of which weren’t even picked clean. The pony whimpered a bit, as he realized that he wasn’t alone in the cave…
“Get out.”
The pony almost screamed at the sound of the voice, cowering at the mouth of the cave. “L-look, I’m s-sorry I came into y-your c-c-cave… “ he said, his teeth chattering. “It’s just so c-c-cold…
The voice sounded again. “Get out.” The voice was a little high, but gravely, and full of malice.
“Look, I-I’ll freeze to death if I go back out there-“
A figure reared up from the back of the cave, the small amount of light from outside casting it in dim shadow. It's head and claws resembled an eagle, but her body was definitely feline. Its fur and feathers were falling out, and the covering it did have was mangy and unkempt. Its eyes were crazed and bloodshot, the irises a milky gold. The gryphon spread its wings menacingly, baring its yellow claws and letting out an eagle’s scream. “GET OUT!”
The combination of the pony’s advance hypothermia and the shock of seeing a half crazed, sickly creature screaming at him was just too much. The pony started to scream, but then he gagged and grabbed his chest, hyperventilating. He cried out in pain, his chest feeling like it was collapsing, as he writhed on the ground, sputtering and gasping. Finally, after only a few minutes, the poor stallion went limp, stone dead.
The griffon looked down at the dead pony, and grunted. Well, at least she had dinner for a few days…
Suddenly, a yellow light streaked into the cave and shone brightly. The griffin shielded her eyes to the light, but then a voice whispered in her mind.
Gilda of Equestria. You have the ability to instill great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps
--
((Hey, everypony. Just a quick question to my fellow bronies: Are the rapid fire chapters bothering anyone? I've considered a schedule, but being impatient, and with the speed I'm cranking out chapters, I just post them whenever I'm happy with them. So, just tell me what you think, and I'll take it into consideration. Bye, Everypony!))