//------------------------------// // Shades to come-The Battle of Appleloosa: Part 2 // Story: Lanterns of Equestria- The Blackest Night // by Moon Chaser //------------------------------// Shades to come-The Battle of Appleloosa: Part 2 Buffalo Tribe camp outside of Appleloosa. “Mother is that you,” a buffalo warrior asked, his eyes and mouth open in astonishment. He had moved forward from the herd, approaching his late mother. The disbelief in his voice matched the way he walked, his innocence seem to make him drunk. [=LOVE=][=COMPASSION=] “Oh yEs mY sOn...mOthEr Is hErE,” the undead female said. Suddenly, the creature charged, knocking the surprised warrior on his side with a body check. The Black Lantern buffalo shoved its unlight glowing foreleg into the side of her son. His scream matched another as his heart was ripped out. The organ was then enveloped in darkness, disintegrating by the Black Lantern’s power. When the last piece of the slain buffalo’s heart disappeared, the black ring spoke in a raspy voice: [=Charge Level 7.53%=] Another Buffalo died as her ‘uncle’ removed her heart in a ghastly tearing manor. Once again the grim sound of a black ring spoke. [=Charge Level 7.54%=] Chief Thunderhooves rose to his full height, stamping his hoof on the ground. What passed for a Buffalo’s brow became deeply creased. The great chief moved forward ahead of his tribe. The lips of his mouth pulled back slightly from his teeth. “You!” the chief bellowed, fury adding edge to his words. “You desecrate our ancestors! You defile the flesh of our tribe! Black Rings let our dead sleep again!” the great Buffalo snorted when he finished. He trembled as he prepared to charge. [=FEAR=] “MY mY, thE pOnIEs hAvEn’t cUt yOur hOrnEs lIkE they dId thE rEst Of OUr tribe…lIkE YOU lEt thEm sON,” said a large rotting buffalo said in a dark, mocking tone. “YOU shame YOUr fOrEfAthErs.” [=RAGE=] Thunderhooves took a step forward, baring his teeth snorting in anger. Muscles twitched beneath the curly coat, making a ripple run from the front to the back of the old warrior’s body. His eyes narrowed as he charged the corpse of his father. [=RAGE=] “No!” screamed Fluttershy. She fell back in horror while creating a wall between the Buffalos and their risen relatives. Every fiber in her being was screaming for her to flee as fast as she could, to run away as far as possible, but the tribe needed her protection, and she had promised Princess Cadence she would stay. Her lips quivered and tears began to fall from her eyes. She created a construct wall, trying to push the buffalos back away from their risen ancestors. What she had just seen was the most troubling thing yet in this madness with the zombie lanterns; she had not yet seen somepony die at the hooves of the death lanterns. The Buffalo Chief rumbled in outrage both at being blocked from charging by the wall of violet hard light and at his deceased kinfolk defiled and made into a puppet of the Black Lantern rings. When she took a quick glance at Flam…she almost lost all what little grip on her fleeting courage and for a moment she despaired. She had seen Indigo Herd members use the other colors before, channeling the color of what was close by, even turning it against its user from time to time (like Rarity had with Rainbow Dash). What Flam did shocked her to her core! Darkness seemed to come over him. His eyes became hollow, cold. The color of his coat changed and he seemed to radiate the same ‘hollow’ feeling of his eyes. The skin on his face became drawn back tightly over his muzzle, his teeth were revealed in a ghastly grin. His aura changed, first dimming and then becoming like the ‘unlight’ glow of the Black Lanterns themselves. [= DEATH =] Flam…a moment ago had felt something from his brother, an almost overwhelming flood of emotions about to burst forth, and propel him up. Now,he felt like he was drowning. The darkness he had reached out to use was almost overwhelming. A crawling void seemed to reach into his soul, seeking to devour his very being even as his Indigo ring channeled the essence of the Black Lantern’s power. Compassion was the only anchor that kept him from falling into the yawning abyss reaching out for the Indigo wielder. The symbol of the Black Lanterns formed of inky void material appeared over his horn. The shape of the Black Lantern symbol had appeared like it was a hole in reality. [= DEATH =] The Black Lanterns paused, becoming as still as the dead they had come from. Flam, through his Indigo ring, began to bend the dark power, forming it into a weapon. Slowly the unlight was pulled and shaped by his mind; formed into what looked like a large farming scythe. [= DEATH =] More Black Lantern Buffalo arrived with a few Black Guards. Fortified with vastly superior numbers the undead now pushed forward…. …into the path of the dark construct IH Flam sent swinging. The scythe cut down a number of them like tall grotesque grass. Flam brought the unlight weapon back, slicing through a few more when he turned to look at the Star Sapphire queen. His face was a ghastly caricature of its normal self; Flam looked like he had become one of them. Growls and screams erupted from both groups of Buffalos. Both the living and the dead made a noise that became a deafening din of fear, death itself finding voice in its warriors. Chief Thunderhooves was surrounded by three of his biggest warriors, the large tribe members using all their strength to hold back their chief telling him there was little he could and imploring him to stop trying to charge and their chief answering that the small mare of the violet light needed all their help. A couple of risen dead got around Flam, flanking him and making for Fluttershy right away. Flam tried to pull back but he was surrounded. The black weapon swung back and forth furiously, Flam trying to create a gap to escape through. When the clearing tool had done its work, the compassion user flew his aura still unlight, the symbol of the Black Lanterns floated above his horn. As he approached Fluttershy she recoiled, putting up an additional barrier between them that looked like a rose trellis full of thorns. He stopped short of the prickly fence and spoke. “Queen Fluttershy…it’s…I’m not a Black Lantern…” the undead were closing in behind Flam when they both heard a scream above the cacophony of the fight. “ENOUGH!” Many living and dead turned in the direction of the keening tone that now went out over the churning confusion. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s cry was piercing, overpowering the cacophony of battle. As she flew into the fray she summoned what looked like a giant stone ball. The violet sphere smashed into the lines of Black Lanterns, crushing a number underneath its bulk. Other Black Lanterns were knocked back from the impact of the ball, flung into their fellow zombies and knocking a number of them off balance. Cadence landed next to Flam and Fluttershy, her aura seemed to burn like a bonfire as she glared at Flam. Guard javelin constructs appeared over her pointed at the stunned indigo herd member. Glittering white teeth shown under hard frowning eyes and flared nostrils. Violet construct weapons poised to strike. [= LOVE =] Flam let go of the dark power he channeled, the feeling of darkness smothering him evaporated and his appearance returned to normal: his color returned as his aura shifted from unlight blackness to the familiar indigo his Herd wielded. Cadence’s javelins still hung still in the air, her mouth no longer sneering but now half open in bewilderment. Flam reached out through the Indigo ring and channeled violet energy, forming a shield over him in case the princess loosed her poised javelins. He created a number of stones out of violet ring energy as well, casting them at the oncoming undead buffalos. The leading attackers were knocked back into their fellows. Cadence recovered her focus and cast her projectiles at more charging Black Lanterns, the animated cadavers skewered solidly; some even pined briefly to the ground by the projectiles. She levitated on ring power backwards to Fluttershy, creating a jousting shield as she moved. Flam pulled himself up and also backed up to stand with the two Star Sapphires. “What did you do,” the princess of love asked. A rock deflected off her shield. “Did you actually channel their power?” “Yes,” IH Flam’s voice actually seemed to quiver for a moment. He created casks of violet light, rolling them at their enemy. “I never want to do that again-EVER!” Flam reached out with the senses of the ring. “We need to retreat.” 'Flim must be quite disturbed right now,' he thought. "You...you're OK!" Fluttershy began to tear up. She rushed forward and hugged the Indigo Herd twin. "Than goodness you're ok!" “Fluttershy!" Cadence yelled. "We need to get the tribe out of here. You need to make…” A Black Lantern guard pegasus came out of the sky down on the defenders. Cadence was about to throw up some kind of protection when an intense green beam of energy struck the diving monster broadside. The smoking body of the zombie flyer crashed into the ground, falling short of his apparent target. The smell of chard flesh wafted down, the odor making the ponies and buffalos a bit queasy for a passing moment. Big Mac then circled back, a rain of green hay bales seemed to pour out of his ring creating a soft barrier to slow the Black Lanterns down. Mac landed in front of his comrades, the hard ground cracked and buckled slightly under the force of the impact. [= WILL =] Another hay bale flew through the air, hitting a Black Lantern trying to go over the soft wall dead center and knocking it back into the churning necrotic mob. “We’re outnumbered here,” he grunted as his construct began to fail, the pieces of his wall being shredded. His mind felt the tears in the ring creation. “There are so many…so many,” Fluttershy said with a cracking voice. Tears fell from her eyes. “Fluttershy, you need to leave! We’ll take this…” [= RAGE =] RRRAAAAAHHHH!!! RL Arcana’s roar caught everything’s attention, both living and unloving. Red spiked balls rained down on the animated corpse of the tribe's ancestors. The rolling and bouncing of the constructs made who they hit look like a shredded meat from a griffon butcher shop. The rage lantern then landed next to the Indigo Herd member and re-created her burning red scimitars and began whirling the weapons back and forth. Stones and other projectiles struck the protective construct around the tribe. Fluttershy’s thorn wall began to fall apart; the crumbling pieces of the construct falling like leaves in the running of the leaves. The gentle Queen of the Star Sapphires floated in the air before the tribe, her new recruit coming up alongside of her, worry pressed into the young love wielder’s face. The small buffalo’s love seemed to burn even brighter stoked by her worry. Love so young…so innocent… ...and in danger. ‘I…I can’t do it…I can’t fight and I can’t run! I need..,’ she thought as her mind rant over what she…and they both needed right now. [= LOVE is threatened =] Her tear filled eyes suddenly dried as she rose into the air floating over the tribe she had protected. FLuttershy’s aura suddenly became much brighter, and instead of the feather like edges of a Star Sapphire’s aura, the light became like a construct, becoming more defined and material. Fluttershy’s head appeared to gain a violet war helmet of unusual shape. It covered her head and muzzle, looking a little like a dragon's head. What looked like a choker with her cutiemark framed by wings formed around her neck out of the violet energy of the ring. The Queen of Star Sapphires eyes burned like violet suns. She seemed to stare at Cadence for half a second before a strange, jagged beam of violet light shot out of Fluttershy’s aura. The beam struck the Princess and her aura began to burn brighter, her eyes now matched her corps leader. Cadence turned to look at Fluttershy and seemed to nod before creating an even larger thicket fence of rose thorns, greater than anything the other lanterns had seen before. Hard light armor that looked like that of a royal guard appeared over the princess and a giant halberd with wicked looking ends floated before her. Both the weapon and the armor were emblazoned with the Star symbol of the violet corps. “Protect!” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza growled. Fluttershy rose higher into the air, her aura becoming even brighter but taking on a more textured appearance, glittering like a dragon’s scales. ”I need my love to save love,“she yelled. "To me!" There was a flash of violet light and what appeared to be a arcing violet lights shot out of the Sapphire Queen, the light bending and flying away to the east seeming to be over the horizon in the blink of an eye. Trails of light stayed connected to the now descending pegasus. “Fluttershy,” the big red stallion called out as he created another set of hoof ball pads over himself, following Princess Cadence’s example. “What did you just do?” Her eyes still shone like violet stars and her voice was slightly deeper. She seemed to stare into the boiling hoard of death before them all. “I…I’m not sure!” * Ponyville. Sugar Cube Corner seconds later. Pinkie Pie swam through the air like she was in water; her hooves had barely touched the ground through the entire time she had made the cake. Cupcake was still in disbelief as she watched her prize employee work recreating a cake that had taken her and her husband almost two days of labor to make. She had watched the whole thing, helping out Pinkie here and there, but the party pony, using her blue power ring had mostly done all the work while Carrot Cake handled the counter crowd. As she put the last decoration on, she paused looking up at the roof for a moment. She glided over to the large kitchen cooling window and threw open the sash. A blue aura appeared around her again as she hovered in the open window facing Mrs. Cake. “Pinkie…what are you doing?” “Oh…I just didn’t want the roof to get damaged.” “What do you mean by…?” Pinkie Pie was suddenly enveloped in a violet globe of light, her blue aura added to the brightness of the construct around her. The voice of the Star Sapphire power ring spoke from the globe. [= LOVE is threatened =] The tail of light tugged on the construct, pulling Pinkie Pie out the window. Pinkie was heard giggling when the violet light surrounded her. As she flew into the air Mrs. Cake heard the blue lantern call out. “See…the roof is ok!” * Ponyville, outside Golden Oak Library –Headquarters of the Yellow Lantern Corps of Equestria at the same time: “…well the way you explain it Twilight it makes sense. Still, it seems a bit, oh I don’t know…excessive,” Rarity said as she walked out the door of the library. Twilight giggled a little as she used her magic to close the library door behind her. “It’s fine Rarity. All you needed was an analogy that fit for it to make sense. It is good you didn't push her too hard about her reasons too. Now, who did Applejack say we were meeting for supper?” “She said a new green lantern. It was a little strange; she was very canny about describing this new recruit of hers, all she would do is grin that ‘Ah’m up to somethin’ wide grin of hers and say ‘y’all will see’.” Rarity shook her head. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack can be…” Both ponies suddenly became submerged in a violet light bubble. Being surrounded in violet energy made both Twilight and Rarity summon the power of their rings, the clothing of their corps appearing over their bodies. Twilight leveled her power ring preparing to break out of the force bubble around them. The voice of the violet ring came to the mares ears. [= LOVE is threatened =] The bubble launched itself into the air, carrying the Indigo and Yellow corps leaders with it. Twilight’s ring glowed brighter but IH Rarity held up her stall in front of the fear lantern while shaking her head. “I feel….need. Somepony needs us. I feel it…it's something else…and… Fluttershy!” “Fluttershy!” YL Twilight summoned what looked like a writing slate and chalk and began writing. “I didn’t know the violet ring could do this!” The scholar paused in her notations and stared into her friend’s eyes, yellow light flashed from her eyes as the thought went through her mind. “Oh no! You said need! “Ring charge level?” Twilight asked as she looked down at the ground through the clear skin the bubble. They were flying so very fast now, the ground below was almost a blur. [= Ring capacity 99.5% =] buzzed the yellow ring. “Things have gone bad. That what this means!” * Sweet Apple Acres Farm outside Ponyville “Alrighty then seems ya got flyin’ and charge imprintin’. Let me see ya make another construct then Rufus, somethin’ bigger or harder?” “What should I make,” the great dog puzzled as he sat on a hay bale on the barn floor. “Well Ah started with rope, rocks and farm tools. Why not make something out of the mines,” Applejack offered. “Hum…” Rufus paused as he thought of something. The knuckler he wore flashed and a shimmering rain of green light appeared between the both of them. The droplets spun in place and started to flatten very quickly, growing jagged edges and knitting themselves together in a strange pattern. More and more pieces moved their edges together, disks of various sizes turning, their edges touching. It took Applejack only a second to know what the dog had created. “Oh mah! That is complicated. Ah haven’t seen anyone make anything that busy except Twi. Looks like they’re gears. What it is?” “It a clock mechanism. I have clock that has this mechanism. See big and…little gears together here,” Rufus pointed to two gears in the middle of the construct. “On my clock they broke. I need make new ones.” “Huh. Make gears? Work on clocks. Well dang if’n you ain’t full of surprises.” A blinding violet light filled the barn. Rufus was shocked for a moment, the construct seemed to fade momentarily, but he kept his mind in the image in his mind and the creation of ring energy did not fail but continued moving and turning as a normal clock would. Applejack rose into the air, a violet energy bubble completely enclosing her. She brought her ring up as the Star Sapphire rings voice spoke out loud. [= LOVE is threatened =] Rufus let the clockwork construct go and summoned a pick hammer in his paws. He moved forward, swinging at the globe of light holding his corps leader. His swing went below the rising bubble, which crashed upwards though the roof and flew into the air so quickly that he could not keep up. He saw Applejack’s flying trap move to join two other bubbles holding lanterns within them. It was then the Green Lantern Corps leader’s face appeared, hovering over Rufus’s band. “Hold up partner! Guard that battery! My friends and Ah will get outta this an’ be ok! Protect the farm and work on yer den fer now!” “Yes Warpack Leader Applejack.” * Ponyville, Sky Castle Boiling Point, home base of the Equestrian Red Lantern Corps. “Ugh,” Rainbow Dash moaned as she rolled out of her bed. She had been asleep the rest of the night and most of the day and the way she felt, she had slept in the same position all night. Her head still felt like it had been burned…there was a definitely a scorched feeling to it today. Whatever had happened last night that had freaked out her Red Lanterns and made her dreams weirder than usual its hangover had not left. “Maybe some coffee? Yeah,” she said out loud to herself right as a violet light filled her room. [= LOVE is threatened =] “What the hay!” RL Rainbow Dash’s ring flared and she was clad in her corps uniform again. Blood seeped from her mouth as her rage grew. She hadn’t even had any coffee yet! She struggled to pull herself out of the sphere of light but when she tried to force her way out she felt something peculiar ‘tug’ on her…heart. [= LOVE is threatened =] “What does that even mean ‘Love is threatened’,” she yelled as the violet construct was pulled through the wall and out into open air. The speed the globe was traveling was incredible. Rainbow Dash saw through the clear violet wall of hard light other balls like the one she was in carrying her friends as well. “What's going on,” the rage lantern snapped as she came next to the other violet bubbles. “Fluttershy needs help…I think this is her calling for us,” Rarity offered. [=Ring capacity 95.5% and contracting=] Twilight’s yellow ring buzzed. There was a sick feeling Rainbow Dash’s heart; a weakness seemed to come over her as well. It was like she had not slept at all. She looked at her friends in their various bubbles and heard Applejack's ring speaking as well: [=Ring capacity 105.7% and climbing=] “Hi Dashe! Like my new clothes,” Pinkie said her face pressed against the bubble. “Pinkie..PINKIE you’re a..a…Blue Lantern! When did this happen?” “Last night darling. It was quite the light display. How ever did you miss it,” Rarity asked. Applejack was heard chuckling in the background. *** “There are too many,” Flam yelled as he used a red beam of light to cut down on some Black Lanterns that charged him. “We can’t keep this up.” Arcana’s scimitars sliced through four more of the undead that tried to flanker her. She turned and spat fire at three more Black Lanterns trying to get around her blind side. She looked over her shoulder then pointed with a free hoof,“ Look there!” Princess Cadence had created two more weapons with her ring, a blade that looked like a crescent moon and a large round shield. Every time zombies attacked, the princess would bring the weapons into action, cutting the advancing Black Lanterns down like wild grass by a mower. A dead buffalo charged Cadence’s open side. The shield suddenly appeared in front of the creature stopping the attack cold. It was then it was pushed backwards with such force that the animated corpus knocked down a dozen of its fellows. Cadence then lunged out with her floating halberd, cleaving an enemy in twain with one blow. “Now that’s how you fight,” the red lantern said with a purr. "I take back what I said about the star sapphires." IH Flam created a shield of his own as horns tried to gore him. A construct hammer of his own appeared made of red energy and smashed down on the stopped attacker, mashing it into the ground. “We’re still out numbered.” “LOOK!” Big Mac pointed into the sky. “AJ!” Four violet globes were approaching the fight at blinding speed, coming down like falling stars. As they came close the ground they burst, shattering like glass balls on a Hearth’s Warming tree. When the constructs disappeared, their contents fell to earth slowly, glowing bright in their colors. “Oh boy. It is bad Twi! Pinkie, come with me! Twi needs some space from you and Mac needs a boost too!” “Sure Applejack,” an upside down BL Pinkie Pie said. As she came closer to Applejack, both of their auras glowed brighter. Again the rings of the blue and green lanterns began to speak on their own. [= Constructs unlocked. Potentiality enabled =] the blue ring sang. Pinkie licked her lips as her ring reported its condition to her. [= Ring capacity 120.8% and climbing =] Applejack’s ring chirped. As they landed next to Mac, his aura glowed brightly too, his charge level began to grow as well. [=Ring capacity 85.9% and climbing=] Mac’s ring reported. Macintosh felt strange as he got closer to the blue lantern. When the fight here had started his thought was that they had better retreat and take the tribe with them; now he thought …they could win! [= HOPE =] Pinkie Pie landed with a loud thud, razing a cloud of dust making her blue aura waver and shimmer for a second. The first blue lantern grinned wide, the ends of her mouth making her eyes half closed. She had stayed up all the night and talked to the ring of hope, asking it questions all night, learning what its powers were and how it was to be used. Fluttershy’s ring had called her here saying ‘Love is threatened’. The buffalo’s, Fluttershy, her friends were all threatened; scared…she could see it in their faces. She had what they all needed, she had a ring of her own and it brought what everypony needed. “Let’s kick this party up a notch,” she laughed. [= HOPE =] [= WILL =] Blue light flowed from her ring like water from a dam, flooding the ground before her, the splash of light the rose back into the air, forming itself into a huge version of the party cannon! Pinkie landed on top of the construct, a new pair of blue sunglasses now covering her eyes. The grinning lantern waved a loose hoof as the muzzle of the cannon exploded with brilliant blue light. Large pieces of confetti flew into the ranks of the undead knocking many of them down and covering them over, trapping some of them. The cannon fired again, a swarm of construct Gummies bursting forth, snapping their trap like jaws on a number of Black Lanterns and confounding their movement. Many had clamped themselves over the black rings, covering them up. Pinkie fired again, this time a cone of light burned down anything that stood in the path of the shot. The cannon began to pivot back and forth as Applejack glided back, approaching Queen Fluttershy. The pegasus’s eyes were glowing with the violet ring light. The Star Sapphire rose and nodded at the farm mare, a small smile gracing her face. Applejack winked and turned, her green aura shone brighter than any of them had seen before. [= WILL =] “We got this sugar cube,” the green lantern leader said. A giant combine harvester blade appeared from her ring, whirling as it rolled forward and collided into the Black Lanterns ranks. With gritting teeth, Applejack drove the construct deep into the black field of un-living. A green lasso shot out and ensnared two advancing dead, holding them fast. Applejack then used the bodies as a hammer, whipping the rope construct into the lines of undead. She dissolved the rope as she leaped into the air rolled and came down landing on her hind legs on top of a couple of Black Lanterns, smashing them into an ill smelling mush. She the leaped up and back as she summoned twin lassos, spinning them into open loops looking for another target to bind. She lashed out and caught two different ring bearing limbs with her construct ropes and held them fast. The two black lanterns strained against the rope of energy, pulling Applejack towards them. “Hit em’,” she yelled. Big Mac yelled at Pinkie and pointed at the trapped Black Lanterns. He pushed his ring’s light into two beams, both striking the obsidian bands. Pinkie Pie standing on the top of her still wildly firing construct cannon followed his example and placed a beam of light on each ring. Twilight Sparkle’s mind targeted her ring at the same targets placing beams of yellow light on the same targets. The lights melded together on the Black Rings. For what seemed like an eon nothing happened then there were small explosions of light and darkness as the black rings failed. [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] The bodies of the Black Lanterns collapsed into piles of bone and rapidly decaying flesh that became dry and blew away like dust. “Not enough,” Twilight gasped as she moved towards her old foal sitter. [= Ring Capacity 79.8% =], the yellow ring buzzed its power warning again. Rainbow Dash flew up above the fray, guarding her friends from above as she normally did. She was feeling a bit like her old self the more distance from Pinkie she got. The Red Lantern leader hovered over the princess of love, feeling the power of her rage growing as she stared at the horde of undead trying to flood over Mac’s crumbling hay wall. Her red aura began to brighten as her old feelings for the Buffalo Tribe filled her heart. The outrage…the dead of the Buffalo Tribe being turned against…their children…their family…it…was… That idea became a bellows to the fire within her, and the sight of buffalo’s made into Black Lanterns stoked the wrathful flame within her. [= RAGE =] A red lightning bolt erupted from Rainbow Dash’s ring, the crimson bolt struck what looked like a Black Guard, pealing the armor it wore and flash frying the flesh of the undead where it stood. Blood Plasma began to seep from her mouth as the battle rage within her rose. Twilight Sparkle landed next to Rarity, who had flown over to Princess Cadence, the yellow lantern’s aura brightened as she distanced herself from Pinkie Pie and her blue power ring. The power and force of Cadence’s constructs amazed Twilight. She had never seen any Star Sapphire wield their power ring so…aggressively! Only a mother ursa defending its cub could be more ferocious. The three construct weapons the princess controlled moved almost faster than the fear lantern could follow, the force of the blows shattering black construct defenses with every blow. “Cadence…” “Protect!” the violet power had altered her voice. It was almost like a dragon was roaring the word. A beam of her magical force mixed with her ring’s power shot out, burning down five targets at once. “Princess, we’re here to help with that…” Rarity said. The Indigo leader then bit her bottom lip as she glanced at Twilight, eyebrows raised in concern. The strange feeling coming to her from the Princess almost overwhelmed her. IH Rarity then reached out with her ring and shaped Indigo light, making a giant net that fell on the Black Lanterns in front of them. The construct ensnared the charging zombies for a moment. “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight yelled as she created a manticore that leaped on top of the net trapped un-dead and started tearing their bodies to shreds. Thunder sounded over head. When she looked up and saw the Red lantern Leader glowing brightly, the red electrical arcs now ran around and over her entirely. Another red bolt struck out, forked into three branches and struck home, hitting three targets. Dash flew forward letting loose a primal roar as a column of red plasma burned more Black Lanterns. The rage lantern then growled as she landed, plasma dripping from her sneering mouth. A construct trident appeared larger and fuzzier than normal, its prongs pointing out at the awakened dead. Her body stiffened as she crouched like she was about to lunge. Twilight floated forward coming in before and beside her friend. There was a wildness was in her eyes as red lightning jumped between them. A giant spiked shield of hardened fear held by an equally huge Smarty Pants doll sprang up in front of Dash. The doll charged into the churning mass of death, smashing things underneath its shield. Twilight placed a hoof on the trembling Pegasus, who violently shrugged off the touch of her friend. Twilight was sure the frenzy to fight was now driving her friend, blinding her to everything else. “Hurt…them…must…keep…going…” “Rainbow…” Twilight shook her friend. “Burn!” “Rainbow,” A large flying yellow dragon formed over their heads as Twilight cut off Black Lanterns trying to get over and behind them. The construct breathed a sheet of fire intense enough to rival a Red Lantern’s plasma. YL Twilight Sparkle placed her cheek against her friend’s cheek and whispered: “Applejack is here! Pinkie is here! Rarity is next to you! Fluttershy and I are here! We’re all here! We can really stop them this time! But we need you to focus…Rainbow?” “A…J…Pink-ie…Rar-i-ty…not…stall…” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment and looked at her friend in the face. For an instant the blood lust lifted as she understood what she was saying. “W-win,” she rumbled. “Yes. Win! “Twilight turned back to the fight. She could feel her doll and dragon constructs crumbling from the strikes the undead had heaped upon them. “Rarity!” “Yes Darling,” she answered. Indigo crafting mallets hammered down on attackers that got too close. “You and Flam need to focus our ring’s power…we need to hit them with our combined light at once.” “We’ve only done it twice before Twilight,” Rarity bit her bottom lip. “Then third time’s the charm!” She pointed out over the churning mass pushing forward “We need to do something big…dramatic!” IH Rarity closed her eyes in resignation and nodded. She called out to Flam,“ To me!” The youngest twin nodded and came forward, standing next to his Herd Chieftess. “Fluttershy,” Twilight yelled, “Keep protecting the tribe with your wall. Everypony else push your light into the Indigo Rings! Let them combine the light!” The various lanterns sent beams of light to the two Indigo Herd members, pushing their power into the two ponies standing before Princess Cadence. Both of the Indigo Light wielders reached out through their rings and began to direct the power given to them. [= HOPE =][= LOVE =][= WILL =][= RAGE =][= FEAR =][= COMPASSION =] Flim, stone muzzled and silent felt the other emotions begin to flow through his ring. He showed no emotion as he began to gather the different colors together through his ring. Swirling colors began to blend together forming a growing white light. [= HOPE =][= LOVE =][= WILL =][= RAGE =][= FEAR =][= COMPASSION =] Rarity pulled the colors of emotion within her, becoming the combining element. She began to cycle the emotions as they entered her Indigo ring. Her aura changing rapidly in a cycle, the various corps symbols appearing and disappearing rapidly as she shifted through the emotions. [= HOPELOVEWILLRAGEFEARCOMPASSION =] It was becoming dizzying trying to maintain control, the gathering emotions threatened to overwhelm her heart. The agony of feelings washed over her, drowning her true self for a moment. As she felt hope fill her heart she held onto the emotion for a moment longer, the blue light seemed to help fortify her and lighten her mood. [= HOPELOVEWILLRAGEFEARCOMPASSION =] The different colors became one, melding together losing their hues to the growing spheres of light now becoming brighter than Celestia’s sun. The buffalo’s that were shielded by Fluttershy’s protecting wall averted their eyes from brightness. Macintosh’s hay wall faded away, the Black Lantern’s seemed to be momentarily transfixed by the bright whitish light or turning away, anticipating what was about to happen. [=HOPELOVEWILLRAGEFEARCOMPASSIONHOPELOVEWILLRAGEFEARCOMPASSIONHOPELOVEWILLRAGEFEARCOMPASSION=] Rarity cried out loud as she pushed the light to go out, the last spark of self commanding the light to banish the dark. Both lights exploded, waves of pearlescent energy streaked with the lanterns colors flooded over the ranks of grounded and flying undead. For a moment everything was completely enveloped with the brightness. Black rings became filled with the light, the darkness within banished utterly. Many of the rings shattered. A huge dust cloud exploded as the light dug into the earth, the particles of dirt thrown into the air were the only movement anypony could see. [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] [= Connection Severed =] The sound of the wind blowing was the only sound, the assembled lanterns quietly waiting for something to happen. Applejack created a stone wall in front of herself and Pinkie. The Blue Lantern had created an umbrella hat she was wearing and pair of binoculars with operating wipers she was using to search for any other Black Lanterns. The muzzle of her giant blue party cannon construct rested on the top of Applejack’s wall. “See anythin’ Pinkie?” “Nope…still too much dust. Hum…,” she created a foam finger and used a single digit to scratch the side of her head then let all the constructs except her cannon fade away and summoned a giant desk fan, which began to blow away the billowing dust. Rarity fell to her knees, sobbing, her breaths labored. A torrent of tears flowed from the Indigo Tribe’s leader, the intensity of the emotions she had channeled making Princess Cadence move her weapons about waiting for a hint of movement to strike while Twilight Sparkle created a giant dish microphone and headphones to listen for any sounds. Her eyes moved back and forth as she listened intently. Her eyes looked up and right as she heard a thunder sound that was becoming softer with every heartbeat. “I think...” the apparatus disappeared. Twilight floated forward, her eyes scanning for any movement. Rainbow Dash floated in the air, Arcana joining her. Both Red Lanterns created construct weapons bracing for any counter attack. Macintosh re-created the hay bale wall of green willpower, stacking the wall higher. Flim trotted over to the weeping Indigo Chieftess, offering to her a kerchief for her tears. The silence stretched on for a moment, then two. “Ok...I don’t see any more of them,” Rainbow Dash said as she did an about face. “So now we go after the rest of them! We…” “Hold on there Rainbow,” Applejack interrupted with her distinctive twang. “We don’t know where they are, where they’ve gotten to, if there are any more, and how many there are. Let’s just stay put for a moment and assess things.” ”What? We can’t just do nothing…let them go! “ “Ah didn’t say that!” Rainbow Dash sounded a disdainful snort as Applejack frowned. Both mares glared at each other while Twilight summoned an image of her lieutenant. A small statue of The Great and Frightful Trixie appeared and hovered before her. The animated construct speaking in a muffled voice. The snap of its tail and the scowl it wore told anyone looking that the show mare was a bit perturbed. “Trixie says they are alright. No Black Lanterns came after them when they left town. The Appleloosians are safe.” “Ah’ll take a look around, see if there are any more of em’,” Big Mack offered. Applejack closed her eyes and nodded. The big stallion rose into the air and flew off in the direction the Black Lanterns came from. Arcana gestured with her head indicating that she was going to follow. Rainbow Dash scrunched her face and nodded. The unicorn red lantern followed the earth pony out over the plain. Pinkie Pie hung in the air like she was still standing on her construct cannon, but the ring creation had disappeared into a cloud of blue sparks. Little Strong Heart stood next to Queen Fluttershy frozen in awe of what she had just seen. It had happened so quickly she had no time to understand what was going on. The stillness and quiet was unnerving to the little buffalo after the chaos and death that had just rained down. “So…those were the Black Lanterns! They are more…fearsome than you described,” the small Star Sapphire said in a small, quavering voice. Fluttershy let her protective wall disappear and turned to face her newest corps member. Her eyes no longer burned with violet light, the strange helmet and aura had disappeared. The Pegasus looked up and down the line of tribe members seemingly rooted in place. Many of them stared at the lanterns before them with gaping mouths, the power and death they had witnessed shocking most of them. As the dust cleared the remains of the now still black lanterns remained. The bodies were all jumbled, tossed about like they were the toys of a giant foal. The shattered forms thrown about randomly, pieces of one body mixed haphazardly with another, loose bones strewn her and there. It was like a graveyard had been opened and upended. The smell of rotting flesh, fear, wastes and sweat made many a little nauseous. Chief Thunderhooves rushed forward now that Fluttershy’s wall had disappeared, charging out into the decayed remnants of what had been his tribe folk, his ancestors. He walked like he had drunk too much hard cider, his movements loose, sloppy. He stamped at the now still bodies on the ground, looking at the tattered remains of jewelry and ceremonial clothing on the dead until he found what he sought. The big buffalo called out, making a sound like a great deep horn as he buried his face into the body of his father. He gently touched the headdress of his father, whispering quietly, some of the tribe thought they heard him chanting an oath or a prayer. The Chief then rose and beat the ground with a free hoof as he stood over his father’s corpse and screamed at the sky. Rarity winced a little, feeling the emotions of the chief. [= RAGE =] “So…much…anger…” she gasped. Rainbow Dash glided to Thunderhooves and landed before him, looking at him now with the eyes of a Red Lantern. She could feel the wrath that burned within him, the purity of the rage that now filled his heart. Red Lanterns view such anger an ideal, to have wrath born of righteousness was something all aspired to, the purest reason for a red ring. The chief’s rage was not only that of a child over what had been done to his father, but a leader outraged at what had been done to his folk. It was the right reason-it was sanctified rage! The red ring flared and extruded a bulb of glowing crimson energy that twisted and looped itself into another Red Lantern power ring. Rainbow Dash watched as the ring floated to the chief, its beam shining onto the buffalo and Rainbow Dash knew looking into his heart. Thunderhooves stared at the glittering red ring, his eyes sparkled in its light as it spoke to him. [= Sentient candidate’s rage suitable =] “You can have it chief…you can have that ring and use it to avenge your folk. You can use it to hurt the Black Lanterns if they come back.” The old chief’s head snapped around and locked eyes with the pagasus. “I’ll make you part of my corps. I’ll teach you how to use it so you and Little Strong Heart and keep the valley safe.” “There is a catch…first off you are angry all the time, and when you fight with it you kind of…lose yourself. You get…really caught up in the fight. The other thing is…if you take it you can never be without it! The red light replaces your blood. The ring…becomes your heart. Seriously, you will die if you remove it or doubt yourself or its power.” He stared at the floating band of crimson rage, “Your ‘corps’? Did…did you make these rings?” Dash shook her head. “No…they came from the sky. The red rings were made by somepo-er-someone different. They were made by a guy named Atrocitus who wanted a weapon to punish those who had killed all of his kind and destroyed his home. I was the first in the world to be chosen by a red ring.” “Chosen? You mean you did not just take it or find it?” “No chief…it found me.” ‘A medicine that harnesses rage itself,’ the Buffalo thought. To him it did not sound farfetched at all… “Yes,” he rumbled as he reached out with a foreleg at the ring. “I live for my tribe…”He was wrapped in a glaring red light as the ring of rage placed itself on his front right leg. [= Hinjglá Tȟašáke of Makoce, you have great rage in your heart! You belong to the Red Lantern Corps! =]