//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Fear's Arrival // Story: The War of Light Series: In Blackest Day, In Brightest Night. // by Malfrost //------------------------------// The Antimatter Universe Sector 1 The Planet Qward The yellow light of fear shone brightly from the central battery of the Sinestro Corps. Thaal Sinestro hovered above the battery, a grin gracing his red face. It felt good to be out of the damned sciencell on Oa and free once again. However, his freedom only brought him problems it seemed. Mongul had stolen most of the Corps away from him while he had been imprisoned on Oa, and the Star Sapphires had captured and begun the conversion of Karu-Sil and other members of the corps. Worse still was the arrival of Atrocitus and his Red Lanterns and the sudden appearance of Blue Lanterns which leached away the power of the yellow light. Sinestro would take it in strides though as he always did; he had to focus on the most serious issue first. Atrocitus had threatened his daughter, his daughter that he had done his utmost to keep hidden from the universe. To have the only being he still loved and cared for in the universe threatened was unacceptable. Still, before he left to Korugar he had to make some perpetrations for the upcoming battles. He pointed his ring towards a spot on the ground near the central battery. The ground parted way to the yellow light and a sizeable lockbox emerged from the ground. As the box opened, hundreds of small objects began to shine in the yellow light of the central battery. After a few moments they shot out at great speed; they raced into the air and eventually appeared to vanish from existence. "Those were...power rings?" Romat-Ru, the bird faced serial killer from Sector 2813 spoke up, his tone one of confusion. "How? I thought those vile Green Lanterns shut down all the forges." "They did, Romat-Ru." Sinestro replied pointedly and with annoyance, "However, I had the Weaponers forge a secret stockpile of one hundred rings. I stored them away here with the central power battery for a day such as this. Those rings will seek out new wielders and bring them here to Qward for training. I want you and some other members of the Corps to stay here to ensure that their training is complete so that they will be ready and useful for the coming battles." Sinestro commanded Romat-Ru and the handful of other Lanterns who had rescued him from the vengeful hands of Atrocitus. "And where are you going, Sinestro?" Romat-Ru questioned as he watched their leader began to soar higher into the air, his power ring glowing brightly. "Thanks to Atrocitus, I have a family matter to attend to. Ring." "Yes, Master." the ring responded in an emotionless and somewhat computerized voice. "Return me to Korugar." Sinestro gave his command and his body was engulfed by yellow light. It felt invigorating to Sinestro, to have such power coursing through him after being locked in a cell for so long. He grinned as a bright flash temporarily blinded the others and then he was gone; he was off to ensure his daughters' safety and kill anyone who got in his way. *********** The Universe Sector 2814 Planet Equestria-Manehatten Fear gripped the ponies in the streets of Manehatten as one of the regal princesses trotted down Mane Street. Many prostrated themselves before the regal figure, while others fled into nearby alleys. The princess in question merely let out an exhausted sigh. She was used to this type of treatment. Whenever she went anywhere outside of Canterlot or Ponyville she received this type of reaction. They feared her, they all did; they feared what she once was, and what she might be again one day. Her translucent mane fluttered in the spring breeze and shimmered in the evening sunlight as she looked down to her traveling companion. "It is no use, Rainbow Dash. As you can see, everyone here fears me, just as they do everywhere else." Luna closed her eyes in frustration as she spoke to the cyan pegasus who was trotting by her side. Rainbow responded by flying around her quickly and jabbing her on the shoulder a few times before stopping in front of her, flying just slightly above the ground so they were on eye level with each other. "Nonsense, Princess! You just have to chill out! Show theses ponies that you know how to have a good time! Like you did in Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash took her hoof and pushed Luna's chin up a bit as she gave her a wide grin, "Don't worry! By the end of this evening, every pony in Manehatten will realize how awesome and cool you are!" "I hope you are correct in your assumption..." Luna clearly had doubts, her tone expressed that as they continued to walk down Mane Street towards their hotel. Celesita realized that most of Equestria still feared Luna; she wanted her subjects to come to love her sister as much as they loved her and so, she had tasked Twilight and her friends with taking Luna across Equestria to try and boost Luna's image. Rainbow Dash had been chosen to be the one to accompany Luna to Manehatten. They were on their way to the hotel that Celesita had booked for them, a two night stay in the Ritz-Hoofington, one of the fanciest hotels in town. As they walked into the grand lobby, business came to a complete stop. Once again, ponies prostrated themselves before the two, shaking in fear as they did so. Some pegasai tried to hide in the massive glass chandelier hanging from the ceilings. Others slid under the grand oak tables, trying to make themselves as invisible as possible. The clerk manning the front desk seemed absolutely petrified. "Perhaps YOU should take care of checking us in." Luna scoffed slightly as she frowned at the reactions of her subjects; her expression a mixture of sadness and annoyance. Rainbow Dash sighed as she flew up to the counter, slamming her hooves down on the counter to get the attention of the fear-stricken clerk. "Yeah, we have a reservation under the name Luna. Wanna hurry up and do your job and get us set up?" Rainbow was blunt and straightforward with the brown unicorn worker. He quickly used his magic to fetch a pair of key off the rack. "Room...621...enjoy your stay." the clerk replied with a shaky voice as he looked up and noticed Luna standing before him now. He let out a sigh and passed out, his body falling off his chair and onto the floor. Luna sighed once more as she used her magic to levitate the room key. "Let us go, Rainbow Dash. A nice evening to rest and relax is needed." Luna trotted away towards the elevator as Rainbow followed swiftly behind her. "Hey, Princess. Don't let them get to you, alright? We are going to have a blast this evening! I promise ya that!" Rainbow spoke cheerfully as she tried to cheer the depressed princess up as they entered the elevator. Luna smiled softly, she was thankful to have such kind and understanding friends as Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. Without their help, she would most likely still be feared in all of Equestria. Thanks to their efforts, she was at least loved and well received in Ponyville. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Shall we partake in an evening of what you call...oh...what was it, pranking?" Luna spoke up, her voice cheerful for the first time today. She remembered that Rainbow Dash seemed to be quite the master prankster, performing masterful pranks on Nightmare Night. She chuckled slightly at the memory of zapping Rainbow Dash in the rear as she was preparing to strike another hapless victim. "Yeah! A night of pranks sounds fun! And we can fly around and race too! I bet you are pretty fast, aren't you!?" Rainbow was quick to affirm Luna's statement and suggest more forms of entertainment. A happy Luna beat a sad Luna any day of the week. "Oh! A race sounds like it could be very...fun indeed! I must warn you though, I am extremely quick and agile! Well, I used to be at least! It's been awhile since I've flown seriously!" Luna and Rainbow both laughed now as the elevator arrived on the 6th floor. They both continued to converse, reminiscing about Nightmare Night and other events that had transpired since then. They arrived in front of room 621 just as Rainbow Dash was describing her first flying lesson with Twilight. "...and then, smack! Straight into the side of Applejack's barn! She wasn't able to see straight for a few hours! It was great!" "I still can't believe her wing power measured in at a measly 0.3. I'm surprised she can even lift herself off the ground with such numbers!" Luna and Rainbow Dash let out a collected laugh as Luna unlocked the door to their room. It was a luxurious room with two large king sized beds, a deck, and large bathroom with a spacious tub and shower. Rainbow Dash soared into the room and flew out, taking in the spaciousness. It was much larger than any other hotel room she had ever stayed in. She plopped down onto one of the beds, stretching her wings out as she did so. "Awwwww yeah! Now this is what I call a room! This is awesome!" Rainbow Dash could hardly contain her excitement as Luna walked in with an amused chuckle. "This is quite the nice room indeed. We shall have much fun here the next two days!" Luna proclaimed as she too rested on a bed and stretched her wings out. Despite the reactions of the other ponies, Luna felt that she would have a good two days in Manehatten; so long as she stayed by Rainbow Dash's side. The two mares spent the evening continuing to tell tales of the recent happenings in Equestria, most of which centered on Twilight and her friends. Before they knew it, night had fallen. The stars shimmered in the black sky and the moon was beautiful and full this particular night. Rainbow Dash was the first to realize just how much time had passed. "Oh geez! It's night time already!? Time sure does fly when you are having fun with a good friend, doesn't it?" Rainbow Dash gave Luna a large smile, wanting to her let know that she truly thought of her as a close friend, and not just a princess who she had a duty to serve. Luna returned the smile with a radiant smile of her own. It was the first time Rainbow Dash had seen Luna look so happy, and she was determined to keep it that way. "Indeed it does! Is it already too late to perform the pranking?" Luna questioned, unsure of the etiquette of proper pranking. "Of course not, silly! It is never too late to prank! Just give me a few moments to round up some storm clouds and other materials and we'll have a blast!" Rainbow Dash stretched her wings out as she opened the door that lead out to the deck. "Careful now, for the night is dark and full of terrors; night is the dominion of the feared Nightmare Moon. You never know when she might...STRIKE!" Luna sprung forward as she finished her sentence, baring her hooves and putting on the scariest expression she could muster. Rainbow Dash fell to the floor laughing and grasping at her sides with her front hooves. Luna began to laugh as well and they both continued to laugh for a few moments before Rainbow Dash finally managed to calm herself down. "See, you are pretty funny when you try! Just act like that around other ponies and you'll have tons of friends in no time! Now, I'll be back in abit. Stay put and wait for me, okay? We'll have an awesome night when I get back!" With those words, Rainbow Dash took off, bolting out of the window and flying away into the night sky. Luna left the window open as she let the cool breeze of the night enter the room. It helped her relax as she looked up to the moon, to what had been her prison for over a thousand years. Those years now seemed liked a blur to her, she could hardly remember any of it, and for that she was thankful. The parts she did remember frightened and scared her; for what she remembered was feeling completely and totally alone and isolated, and that scared her. Just as those thoughts were crossing her mind, she noticed a yellow streak in the night sky. She couldn't make it what it was, it was so small, and just barely noticeable. She figured it might have just been a shooting star; until the streak made a violent change in direction and started coming her way. It soared across the night sky faster than anything she had ever witnessed before. Before she had time to react and shut the window, the streak stopped directly in front of her. The object shone with a bright and yellow light, one that reminded Luna of the rays of light emitted from the sun. This light felt different from sunlight though; instead of the warm and loving light of the sun, Luna only felt fear and dread. It made her spine tingle and make her skin crawl with goosebumps as the object slowly approached her, the light shining brighter. Then, a bodiless voice spoke to her, it's tone emotionless and robotic. "Princess Luna of the planet Equestria. You have the ability to instill great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps."