//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: My Little Lanterns // by Shepard1707 //------------------------------// Saint Walker and the Zritillian King stood in the most extravagant observation booth of the Arena, with little holo-screens and transparisteel windows meant to allow those within to watch the carnage below and not miss a single moment of the glory. The King sat in yet another throne, perhaps even more extravagant than the one in his palace, and simply smirked with cruelty as he watched Fluttershy cower down in the arena below. "Your Green Lantern isn't looking too brave, yet, Holy Man." The Zritillian said with a malicious grin. "But it's too late to back out now..." And he leaned back, tapping his clawed fingers to each other as he waited for the fight to begin. "Hmm... you seem to be right." Walker said, looking down. The pilgrim's posture was impeccable, and somehow his cheerful demeanor had not wavered in the slightest. "Perhaps... then, you wouldn't mind a little wager?" "What?" The King said, looking suspiciously at the alien. "What kind of wager?" "If the Green Lantern looses, I'll tell you where you can find a wreck world... filled to the brimming with wrecks of some of the most powerful warships ever to fly the spacelanes. Salvage them, and you could have an armada enough to enslave a galaxy, ten galaxies..." Walker said, sounding quite enthusiastic about it all. "And if she wins. . ." "You'll set free all your slaves." Walker grinned wide as the King sputtered for a moment, totally taken aback. For a brief moment, the King entertained thoughts of killing the impudent alien right where he stood. However, as he thought on it, it could be a valuable prospect to him. After all... he had no intention of letting the green lantern win, anyway. Another evil smile split the King's lips, and he leaned back in his chair. "Deal..." And with that, he pressed a control on the arm of this throne, opening the intercom to the whole arena. "Masters and Mistresses and Valued Slaves of Zritillia!" he began, his words being met with a great cheer from the rest of the Arena, and he imagined one from all over his world. "Today we have a very special fight for you! The Green Lantern, a mighty warrior from the world Oa. It is said that their rings can shape any thought they wish into reality! But can it allow her to snatch victory from the jaws of..." On the other side of the Arena, the gate began to swing out, and a deep growl came forth from within the darkness. Fluttershy cowered back away from the door, slowly backpedaling despite the already significant distance between them. "The Insatiable Gort!" A tremendous beast stepped out into the light. It was as large as a dragon and even more terrifying. It's black and white striped coat of fur was covered in lines and jagged gashes, scars from it's many previous battles. It's muzzle was stunted, and it's mouth filled with two rows of teeth that dripped with saliva. Above it's mouth, it's four eyes glittered red with malicious hunger. It growled menacingly as it stepped out into the Arena, and Fluttershy found herself not quite backing up as fast as she wanted to. She glanced behind her, and that was the opourtunity the beast took to strike, leaping through the air, it's powerful back legs propelling it forward. With a scream, Fluttershy fled up into the air, her wings propelling her faster than she'd ever thought possible. The ring around her neck didn't even fizzle, her mind too panicked to command it. The Gort swiped at Shy again, and again, each time the little pegasus only just managed to dodge it's attacks and duck under or around the gigantic paws, each one bigger than her. Not wanting to fight the creature any longer, she tried to fly up and out of the Arena itself. But just as she got above the walls, an electric field pulsed to life. Fluttershy cried out in pain as every muscle in her body seamed to spasm and clench all at once, and she fell out of the sky and into the earth below. Fluttershy took a moment to shake her head clear, a moment she didn't have. The beast leaped forward, and closed it's jaws around her, appearing to gobble the pony up in one gulp. The crowd instantly went silent, as the beast stood there, then gave a great cheer. "Well... Saint Walker... looks like your Green Lantern wasn't so powerful after all..." The King said. "I wouldn't call off the fight just yet..." Walker said, pointing back down to the arena. Green light had started to emanate from the gaps in the Gort's teeth, and slowly, it's mouth was forced open. A green, bovine like creature was pushing the gort's mouth apart with it's incredible strength, and Fluttershy easily flew out past it. The moment she was past, the construct faded, causing the gort's mouth to snap closed with a loud crack. The beast gave a quick shake of it's head, then charged after the soaring green lantern. Ropes snaked their way around the Gort's legs and neck, then were quickly pulled taught by a half dozen green Applejack's. The creature struggled in it's binds, but that quickly ceased as Fluttershy flew right up to it and landed on it's muzzle, starring into it's larger set of eyes. "Now you stop it right this instant. I don't want to have to hurt you, but you're being a big meanie." She demanded of the creature, and her eyes almost seemed to turn into glacial ice as her will met the beasts. It was no struggle at all, and the creature very quickly began to calm, it's thrashing subduing and ending all together, and it's breath evening out into a steady, slow pace. The King looked into the arena in total shock. "She can't... She's supposed to fight it! Not tame it!" "I don't believe you ever really specified." Walker said with a grin. The king growled, and tapped another button on his throne's control pannel. "Tamer... control your beast!" Again the gates to the beast pens opened, and a hover sled floated out with a Zritillian standing upon it. The cruel alien didn't waste much time, floating a good ways behind the Gort before it held out a device towards it. "Fight! Stupid beast, Fight!" Clicking a button on the device, it activated the creatures shock collar. The gort shrieked in pain, and renewed it's struggle against the green ropes that held it. Fluttershy's eyes went wide in shock and dismay at this. "What are you doing!? You're hurting it! Stop!" The beast tamer simply activated the shock collar again, bringing yet more pain to the pitiful creature. Before he could torture it a third time, however, Fluttershy had flown around the beast and was starring the tamer down, glaring at the cruel alien. The zritillian yelped in fear as Fluttershy reached out with her ring and stole the collar's control right from his hands, crushing it easily. The beast behind her gave a low growl, the ropes disappearing from around it, and it turned to face it's tormentor. "Uh oh..." The tamer murmured quietly, and he quickly turned his skiff around and fled back into the beast pens, the leaping quickly into pursuit. "Stop!" Fluttershy commanded, erecting a wall in front of the beast. It quickly and willingly obeyed, turning and looking to her. "I'll handle him..." She said, and then flew right after the skiff and into the dark beast pens. The gate led into a series of tunnels that twisted and turned their way around and beneath the arena. The more Fluttershy saw, the more she was horrified. There were dozens, possibly hundreds of creatures down here. Many of them were predators, yes, but she knew well that carnivores and predators were not evil, simply different. These poor creatures had been tortured, starved, and made to hate. She was quite certain that most of the scars they bore were from their tormentors rather than from battle, either as part of 'conditioning' to give them the proper bloodlust, or perhaps even more horrifying, as 'decorations' to make them seem all the more menacing. Fluttershy was surprised that she didn't feel... angry, or enraged, by all this. What she felt was a cold fury, a simple determination to put a stop to it. She floated deeper into the pens until finally she came upon the beast Tamer. "You shouldn't have followed me in here... green lantern..." The repulsive being said with a dark, malicious smile. "Now I'll set all my beasts on you..." It began to laugh maniacally as it activated a button on it's floating skiff, and the doors to the beasts' cages began to open around Fluttershy. The pegasus was unafraid. ****** Outside, the crowd was starting to grow impatient. The fight had been a good one up until the green lantern pursued the beast tamer into his pens, but now there was no indication of what was going on, and the gort and crowed grew restless, each rumbling their displeasure at the situation. The king gave his own low growl of impatience, looking over to Walker. "This is insane... an outrage! This lantern makes a mockery of me and my kingdom. The deal is o-" He was cut off as the rumbling of the crowd was replaced with a litteral rumbling in the earth,the very ground beneath him shaking for some unknown reason. "What is it!? An earthquake?" "No... I don't think so..." Saint Walker said with a knowing smile, unfazed by the tremor even as the king fell from his feet. Below, the doors to the beast pens were blasted open with a powerful green light. Hundreds of animals poured out, their necks free of the shock collars that had once tormented them. Above them, Fluttershy floated through the air, carrying the beast tamer just above the snapping jaws of some of the beasts as they tried to take their revenge. The rest of the massive herd stampeded for the exit, and with just a thought, Fluttershy created a simulacrum copy of Iron Will to lead the charge, the green minotaur lowering his horns as he ran ahead of the throng. The king let out a scream of fear, then rushed to his throne. "Guards! Stop them!" He demanded through the intercom. His guards, however, were quite clearly more interested in their own well being and had no intention of standing in the way of the beastly army. They fled from their posts, and moments later the green minotaur slammed into the doors, busting them wide open and freeing the beasts. The stampede took several moments, almost a minute, to rush out from the arena, and by the time it was done most of the spectators had fled in terror, leaving Fluttershy, Saint Walker, and the two Zritillians as the only remaining inhabitants. Fluttershy floated over to the observation booth, and reached out with her ring's power once more. Grasping the canopy, she tore it aside and tossed it out into the arena, bringing the beast tamer over to the booth and dropping him in. Both of the reptile like aliens cowered back from Fluttershy as she lowered to the floor before them, while Saint Walker just stepped beside her, smiling charmingly. "It seems that all your beasts have left the Arena, good King. I suppose that means Fluttershy wins by default, yes?" Saint Walker said, receiving a disbelieving look from the king. "You can't... I'll be ruined! That's not fair!" "Fair? FAIR!" Fluttershy said, her wings flaring out to make her seem larger than she actually was. It was an odd thing, the way the usually diminutive creature actually became intimidating. "If you want fair, perhaps I should throw you into one of those cages and invite your slaves to come and watch you battle against some of those 'beasts' for their amusement!" "Now, now, Fluttershy. I doubt that will be necessary." Walker said, then looking to the king. "Will it?" ****** Back in Equestria All of their preparations were complete. Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Ch'p were once again on their way into the Everfree forest, to the clearing that held the starship that they'd be taking into space. That they'd use to find their friends. Once again, the path seemed strangely empty of creatures, but this time Dash ignored it, focusing only on the task at hand. Each of them now wore uniforms similar to hers. Rarity had spent the night making them, though they each had colors that were more appropriate and 'fit' better (save Rainbow Dash, who'd insisted on keeping her Green Lantern uniform green.) As they once again entered the clearing, Rainbow Dash once more found herself speechless. Not because it was just the second time seeing the space ship. But because emblazoned on the side, just above the symbols of Equestria and the Green Lantern Corps, was an image of her, creating a Sonic Rainboom, with the words 'Emerald Harmony' written in an artistic font. "I hope you don't mind..." Celestia said with a smile as she walked over to them. "I actually painted it myself. I figured it could do with a bit more color." She looked back down to the five. "Though Rainbow Dash currently wields a Green Lantern ring, I know that each of you have your abilities and strengths, and will contribute to this task. Four of you bear the elements of harmony. And though we have known Ch'p only a short time, I'm sure his friendship will provide you with strength as great as any of the rest of you." All five beamed up at the Princess. "Go now, and find your friends." Celestia stepped aside, and allowed the five to pass and board the ship. Once inside, Dash, Rarity, and Ch'p took positions at the controls. "Alright... Dash, flip those switches. Rarity, keep that lever in... uh... horn..." Ch'p took the flight stick in both of his paws. The whole cockpit was almost ridiculously large for them, but that was why they were working as a team. Reaching forward, Ch'p pushed the engine start, and the vessel roared to life. "Launch in five... four... three... two... Now, Rarity." The Unicorn nodded, pushing her lever forward, and the vessel slowly rose into the air. At Ch'p's command, she took up the lever beside that one and pressed it forward as well, and soon the ship was flying through the skies of Eqeustria with ease. Soon enough, they were in space. Dash almost seemed disapointed. "That's it? Where was the rush of acceleration? Come on... that was lame..." She said as Ch'p directed her to input a string of numbers. "Inertial Dampeners, keeps things safe and comfortable for us. But don't worry... you'll get your rush soon enough." Ch'p responded. Before Dash could inquire about that, Applejack piped up. "So where're we goin' first? It's not like we've got much of a lead anywhere." "Zritillian Space. It's close to Equestria, and their empire almost encircles this system. If anybodies seen either of your friends, there's a good chance we'll hear about it there." "Fair enough, I suppose. But aren't they the ruffians who tried to kidnap our sistesr?" Rarity asked. "Yes, which is why I'd advise being on your guards." Ch'p said. Then, his seriousness gave way to a broad smile, and he looked to Dash. "So, just how fast is the fastest you've ever gone?" "Sonic Rainboom. I can break the sound barrier." Dash said proudly. "Breaking Lightspeed's a whole other ballgame, kid..." And with that, Ch'p pushed a lever on his side forward. The tone of the engines pitched up an octave, and the ship seemed to hang in space for a moment. Then Dash felt something pull on her gut as the gravity seemed to shift, and she felt like she was falling forward. The cockpit began to elongate out into space, and the force increased until it was greater than anything she'd ever felt, greater even than the barrier of the sonic rainboom. "HOLY CRAP!!!" Dash exclaimed as it mounted even further. Then, the ship suddenly lurched forward, and the stars began to rush by them, blueshifted, then greenshifted as they were propelled faster than light, deep into space.