Clashing Colors
LoE-The Blackest Night=Clashing Colors
“Such is the skein of life that the clashes of the small are over shadowed by the clashes of the large; yet it is from those small conflicts great tragedies are woven.”
-Cryptograph, Manager of the Storehouse of Relics, associate of Dr. A.K. Yearling a.k.a. Daring Do
Equestria, Ponyville, in the village artisan district.
“TAVI! You gotta’ see this!”
With a sigh and a roll of her eyes Octavia Melody got up from her music sheets and walked out of her bedroom. Hearing her roommate’s exclamations only seemed to peak her annoyance as she walked to the front door of their house.
“Vinyl I thought you are supposed to be QUIETLY practicing teleportation …” Octavia’s jaw dropped open as she gazed at the giant land dragon of violet ring energy. The monster; taller than any building in Ponyville seemed to be staring at something tiny, craning its huge head downward to stare at it. Octavia then noticed the tiny forms of three equines inside the monster, forming a perfect triangle at the heart of the creature. Octavia frowned as she strained her site to make out which ponies were inside the creature when the sound of clanging metal and crashing stone startled her.
Vinyl was not looking at the creature, hovering over the Star Sapphires ‘Crystal Palace’ but at the two points of light that circled and darted about nearby. The unmistakable crimson light of a red lantern and the burning emerald fire of a green lantern circled each other like angry fire flies, charging and passing at each other while flashes of light became an objects of some kind that the lanterns hurled at each other as they jousted. Vinyl seemed to cheer each time the lanterns clashed. Octavia almost broke her cello bow when she clutched it close to her chest.
“What a light show huh Tavi!”
*
Rarity, within a cloud of threads of Indigo light, floated before the Dragon of Love.
Her eyes were half rolled back into her head as the indigo power reached out to the heart of the creature of violet energy, stretching, reaching, probing. Rarity was starting to feel definite unique threads in the almost overwhelming tangled knot of love that made up the creature she was trying to read through. She ran her ‘tendrils’ along these threads, the turns and tensions of these ‘love’ threads giving up to Rarity what they were attached, why they were tangled, taunt, attached.
“Oh my,” Rarity breathed.
The leader of the Indigo Herd exulted in this singular focus of her power. It was a moment she craved lately. The almost overwhelming ‘stink’ of emotions that Rarity now lived in everyday, the incessant heat and cold of feeling brought her to tears daily. When a pony other than one of her Indigo herd came near, the jumbled torrent of feelings that would flood over her became almost unbearable. Lanterns of other corps were more forgiving to her as only a single emotion would be present unless she opened herself up more fully.
“Ah,” IH Rarity purred.
The thing she had needed, the small thing that would allow her to get through the tangle of overwhelming love she had just found. The threads that lead to Fluttershy, Cheerilee and Princess Cadence revealed themselves to her gentle ‘combing’. She followed these strands, following them to their ends, learning as she went the nature of these feelings.
Whatever the dragon was, Rarity could feel things about it. It WAS alive but it was also an actual force of nature at the same time! Like a hurricane about to crash onto land or a huge predator about to pounce, Rarity felt a icy chill running up her spine.
‘How could such a thing be? Maybe Twilight can explain this to me,’ she thought.
The threads of love seemed to flow energy in two directions, back and forth between ends of the thread each seeming to stretch into infinity. They reached everywhere but they all coalesced, they all came together here with this creature and the three mares at its core. As she ‘held’ each of the strands with her Indigo ring Rarity could discern the nature of the ‘love’ of each strand, the character of the love it contained.
The threads that lead to Fluttershy turned and curled around, spreading out like a sheer veil, a gauzier material that seemed to cover everything like morning due on grass. The energy flowed out of Fluttershy but as Rarity followed the ‘fabric’ back to its source she could sense that Fluttershy was ‘weaving’ the strands of love, but their source was something much….vaster. The ‘fabric’ permeated the creature totally; pulled on every part of it…the tension Fluttershy exerted was palpable.
IH Rarity ‘held’ onto Fluttershy’s strands and turned her attention to Princess Cadence, a sudden torrent of love pulled and pushed Rarity as she followed violet threads.
The Alicorn of Love was very different from her friend. No ‘gauzy love material’ flowed from Princess Cadence; huge twisting cords were the nature of the love from her. The ‘ropes’ meshed to become cables that fed through the princess, immense waves of violet energy pulsing out in rhythmic pace that gave Rarity the impression that the princess was in a very real sense…
…a beating heart!
Cheerilee’s strands were the most different of all. The skeins branched out, running from impossibly tiny points, twinning together as they developing into something like a spider’s web. A feeling of yawning, open pensiveness seemed to reverberate through these strands. The compassion wielder could feel something like pangs of hunger in these violet threads… a yearning.
Through the core of the school teacher the indigo lantern felt a strange kind of…longing! The feeling was penetrating, almost oppressive and coupled to a deep sadness. These emotional strands formed a ‘hoop’ at the center of the mare’s being; a kind of hollow the violet light filled.
Rarity probed one of the strands reaching out from this hollow, turning the emotional strand as if she was testing its quality for weaving as the distinctive affection for children flooded into her.
“Children…feelings for children yes but,” Rarity murmured. "I wonder…”
[=Hope=]
Rarity channeled Pinkie’s ring power, using the blue light on the emotional threads. At first nothing presented itself, then one knotted strand lifted up and brightened suddenly. Touching this single thread from the mass of all the others Rarity found that it lead to the school teacher. The strand wiggles like an earth worm, writhing in the hold of the indigo lantern’s power. She felt queasy looking at the undulating love strand. Rarity then channeled more blue light through her ring and into the thread that presented itself; it had reacted to the blue light, perhaps feeding it more of the light of hope would do something.
Cheerilee’s face, which had been identical in countenance to the other two mares at the core of the violet dragon suddenly changed. Her eyes softened and there was the slightest quivering of her lower lip. Rarity seized on that violet filament and followed it to its ends. There was a strange feeling of this strand. Rarity felt a sudden surge of loneliness flood through her coupled with another feeling, something she herself had felt before...
“Pining,” the unicorn whispered. "I was right."
One end of the love thread was woven into the hoop within Cheerilee; the other end anchored itself into…
“Ah HA!” IH Rarity purred. “Macintosh!”
*
Big Mac seeing the red lantern’s attack had started to move up to protect his little sister hen an indigo cloud suddenly engulfed him.
“Mac…I need you. “ IH Rarity said softly. There was a hint of pain in her voice as she spoke.
“But AJ…”
“There is no stopping those two when they are like this Mac,” Rarity sighed. “I need you here to help me calm this very…agitated creature down. I need you to reach them through to Cheerilee.” Rarity suddenly snorted. “I wish Prince Shining Armor was here.”
“Ah’ll get him here,” the green lantern said as a small image of the former captain of the guard appeared over Mac’s ring.
“In the mean time, I need you with Pinkie and I,” Rarity said with a crack in her voice. The unrequited love of the School teacher was now filling Rarity’s heart to almost overflowing. It was more than lovers or friends, it was the children she taught, the sisters she was estranged from…it was so beautiful…
…and so lonely. Cheerilee gave, yet longed to be given to. Rarity swallowed hard as another red baseball bat struck at the round shield Applejack summoned in front of herself as she fell backwards, gliding into the direction of Rarity her brother and Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie Pie, you need to show them all Hope,” Rarity said with gritting teeth.
“Um…but Dashie…”
“I know, but this creature may be more dangerous than Rainbow Dash and her Red Lanterns right now.” Rarity bit her bottom lip in concern.
"OK," she sighed. “Well, at least you have a Star Sapphire to draw on too,” Pinkie added.
“More like THE Star Sapphire,” Rarity sighed as she pulled on Big Macintosh with an indigo tether.
Mac had summoned a number of small images as Rarity pulled him up next to her. His last word before he let the green points of light fade was ominous to the compassion wielders ears…
“Bring…everypony ya can!”
*
‘Don’t fight their fight, fight your fight,’ Boomerang Blitz’s words filled Applejack’s head. She cursed at herself for letting things start like this, provoking Rainbow into an attack. But what could she do? Rainbow was set on murder for Celestia’s sake and she seemed willing to go through her friends to do it! She didn’t like Chrysalis either…heck she’d take a crack at her herself…but this whole situation was crazy.
'I need to grab a quick charge,' she said to herself as she drifted close to Pinkie. The flood of power was a relief compared to the almost suffocating feeling of energy drain she had when she got too close to Rainbow Dash. No wonder Twilight didn’t like being too close to Pinkie if this is what she felt-power drain was terrible.
‘OK-we play keep away.’
GL Applejack spun in place then moved out away from the town heading out over the forest. She lashed out with construct lassos at Rainbow, trying to entangle the pegasus again. Rainbow Dash suddenly streaked up ward, dodging the ropes of green energy, climbing into the air and arcing over Applejack, moving to get in front of the farm mare from above and cutting off her path to the forest.
“So much for that idea,” Applejack muttered. Her mind went back to what Flappy had told her about fighting in the air.
‘Normally height is critical when you fly but these rings make that rule meaningless. Choose terrain to your advantage,’ she remembered Boomerang saying. ‘Yeah, but in the air nopony’s around to get hurt,’ Applejack thought.
She came to a complete stop when she saw Dash’s move, hovering as her next thoughts crystallized clearly. The ring pulsed in unison with her heartbeat as she streaked straight up into the clouds. Bales of hay and two tendrils of light exploded from her ring as she rose higher and higher into the air, flying at Rainbow Dash in a torrent. Rainbow breathed fire she flew through the constructs, burning a path through them as she headed at Applejack with increasing speed. She was closing when suddenly she was tangled in construct rope.
“Ha! Gotcha’ this…” Applejack couldn’t finish her sentence as she was suddenly engulfed in a red construct net.
“Give…UP…AJ,” Rainbow Dash growled as she struggled against the construct ropes.
A large green scythe appeared and began to dig into the red net, cutting the mesh of light. Applejack pushed her muzzle through the opening and began to shrug off the construct.
“Ain’t happen’ Rainbow.”
Large shears of rage energy cut into the green ropes that held the red lantern. “She’s…a…MONSTER…AJ! She…deserves…to die! Why are you…trying to…save her?”
“It ain’t her Ah’m trying ta save,” Applejack cried out as more hay bales flew at the red lantern who had untangled herself from the constraining ropes. Rainbow Dash was struck in the barrel and the face and went tumbling muzzle over tail. Applejack then scanned the ground to check and see if anything had changed…
“Catch,” Rainbow Dash called out.
She was hit in the face by a giant red medicine ball, followed by a barrage of more spheres.
Applejack felt dizzy and lost focus, letting gravity pull her down. Falling shoulders first, the farm mare began to spin as she descended. Rainbow Dash, plasma leaking out of her mouth followed, letting the farm mare gradually pull away as she headed to the ground.
‘Why…WHY did you decide to fight me AJ? Why Now? Why this?’
Applejack shook her head as she cleared her head and tried to focus. The ring seemed to be ‘screaming’ at her, using awareness to call attention to the ground. Applejack became suddenly very aware that that she was about to hit the earth. She caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash following her down and in an instant focused her thoughts intensely on one thought right before she hit the ground:
‘Good thing rings make you REALLY tough.’
*
Chrysalis stared at the glowing band on Twilight’s fore leg, trying to see more clearly what she had created.
“More…what do you call them, constructs?” the queen asked.
“No, I called in help.”
“You shouldn’t have done that Twilight,” RL Arcana roared. “Stand down and let us have the queen!”
“No,” Twilight said flatly.
Arcana uttered a low growl as she waved with her non ring bearing front leg. Twilight saw Red lanterns descending toward her. A sudden flash of light and a curved wall of spikes appeared between the yellow lantern leader and the approaching Red Lanterns.
“Just what did you hope to accomplish by stoking up Rainbow like that,” Yellow Lantern Twilight Sparkle yelled at the changeling queen. “She wants to kill you!”
‘Well Chrysi you are in it deep this time,’ she thought as she took a breath and snorted. The then stared into the yellow lantern’s eyes and worked her jaw back and forth to in thought. ‘Unless that Red dog comes back Twilight may be the best chance for us to survive this. I need something bold to manipulate her.’
“So this is how the ‘great’ Twilight Sparkle controls an army,” The changeling queen said with a dismissive tone. “It’s apparent who is really in charge around here.”
“What do you...” Twilight sputtered.
“I thought Celestia’s protégé of all ponies was the one directing things.” Chrysalis looked at Twilight with suddenly soft eyes. “The Princess must be so disappointed that you are too afraid be in command.”
A loud clang made the changeling and the unicorn’s ears fold up. Twilight saw that a huge red ax had appeared and struck Chrysalis’ confinement. Thin cracks erupted from where the ax had struck. RL Arcana, rage plasma dripping from her mouth hovered over the ax. The weapon rose up into the air then began to swing down again when a large yellow chain appeared around the ax, halting its fall.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has to ask: why you are attacking a fellow yellow lantern.”
‘Oh fine…Trixie,’ Twilight growled in her head. ‘Her: of all my lanterns HAD to be the one to come first! I’ll never hear the end of it.’ Twilight was about to say something when a huge crash and an explosion of dirt covered everything. The ground shook as the dust cloud started to settle.
“They're back,” Twilight hissed through gritted teeth.
“Stay….down…Applejack!” A booming voice from above called out. There was a sudden bust of green light at the center of the cloud. Cider barrels as big as a house streaked upwards. Rainbow Dash dodged the first few but the number increased and soon Rainbow Dash was pummeled with the casks. Applejack then rose into the air behind the barrels and entangled the Red Lantern Archon in green lassos again pulling the pagasus into a circle then letting her go to slam into the ground, raising a cloud just like Applejack’s impact had.
“You stay down!” The farm mare yelled.
Chrysalis chuckled. “My my…such power! No wonder you ponies want to keep it to yourselves.”
Twilight frowned as Trixie, faced her combating friends. Trixie, surrounded by her fireworks watched the battling green and red lanterns, appraising their constructs and moves with an eye at understanding what each were capable of. If she was ever to clash with the Red Lantern Archon again…
…she cast a glance at the yellow construct and seeing the Chrysalis inside, opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“You….you...captured the Queen of Changelings?”
“Indeed she did,” the Queen sneered. “She’s holding me for your Red Lantern leader so she can kill me.”
YL Trixie stared at Twilight. Her mouth opened to speak but Twilight, wrapped in her ring aura suddenly became quite fearsome to behold. Yellow fire burned in her eye as a gruesome smile opened on the unicorn’s face.
“Just…keep…the Red Lanterns…off me and Queen Chrysalis!” Twilight fumed as she turned her baleful glare on the changeling queen. Spikes suddenly appeared inside the construct, their points all reaching at Chrysalis. “You! Be quiet!” She said in a cold tone. Chrysalis recoiled from the spikes but within her heart she smiled.
RL Arcana summoned her scimitars and glided forward. She looked over her shoulder at the other red lanterns who simply gawked, watching their leader fighting the green lantern corps commander. Arcana roared and her corpsmates turned their attention to her.
“Dash said…to take…the queen,” she said in a guttural tone. The Red Lanterns began to float down.
Twelve Smarty Pants constructs appeared around Twilight, each bearing a vicious looking weapon of some kind. The construct ‘dolls’ then moved to encircle the bubble from all directions. Twilight then jumped and landed on top of her imprisoning construct. Yellow scythe like weapons appeared around her as Trixie floated up and hovered next to her corps commander.
“I hope more than just you are coming,” Twilight said.
“Hudson is coming,” Trixie offered. An array of yellow rockets appeared around the show mare. “He’s not happy with red lanterns anyway. A motivated hydra might make them back off.”
“Boss-mare said…not to hurt…her friends,” RL Score said with a bubbling mouth of rage plasma. “NEVER said anything…about YOU snooty cape!”
There was a flash of green and a large bag and bit appeared over the pagasus stallion’s muzzle. A line of charging pagasus guard constructs then plowed into him, driving him into the ground. Clad in construct armor, bat wings open the instructor of the Green Lantern Corps floated down from over the yellow Lantern’s head.
“I owe ‘snooty cape’s’ mom a favor ball boy. You’re not hurting her today,” the batpony said in a cold tone.
Trixie, mouth open and eyes wide looked at GL Boomerang Blitz. She then shook her head as she brought up what looked like tapestries.
“Nopony knows the…”
“Beatrix Lulamoon, Daughter of Hazel Lulamoon, alchemist and potion master.”
YL Trixie’s jaw fell open “How…?”
The bat pony glided down as spears appeared next to the shields, the two sets of constructs locking together becoming boxes with prongs.
“Your mom and I were one the last ones out of 29 Fronds’ grave yard alive. When we evacuated she treated a lot of ponies. When she rested she talked about nothing but you. I talked with her on the train to Las Pegasus.” Green bursts of energy flew out of Boomerang’s ring.
“Your mom is one Tartarus of an alchemist when she gets access to her stuff,” large scutum shields appeared around the green lantern. “After we got out of the cemetery she saved a lot of lives.”
Trixie’s eyes became soft for a second then her eyes turned hard and cold. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Mother and I are NOT on the best terms.”
“Things have changed. Look her up when it’s over,” the bat pony said as he threw a net over an advancing red lantern. “Hey Twinkle hooves, where’s Jacky?”
Twilight pointed out at two red and green points of light that charged at each other. “Ring dueling Rainbow Dash.”
“Dang,” the bat pony exclaimed.
*
“Lyra, where is my camera,” Bon Bon yelled as she pushed things around her closet. “You used it last yesterday. Where did you put it?”
A gentle tap on her rump made Bon Bon raise her head. The camera, glowing with a golden aura landed on the ground in front of the earth pony.
“Here it is Bon. Wow you’ve turned into quite the shutter bug lately, what has grabbed your interest this time?”
Bon Bon hoisted her saddle bags on her back and then placed the camera in one compartment. “Some stuff came up and I need to take some pictures of the Cakes set ups for a job. Making confections is a bit dicey if you don’t know all the colors and the themes involved.”
“You know...I’m sorry to say this…but you may need to take some lessons in photography Bon Bon. Your pictures are OK, but you could do so much more…”
“It’s part hobby and part work Lyra, besides it doesn’t all have to be fine art,” Bon Bon sniffed. “The pictures will be fine for what I need them to be.”
“Alright, have it your way. What do you want for dinner tonight? It’s my turn to cook.”
Bon Bon stopped at the open front door as she put on a large brimmed hat, “I’m good with anything honestly Lyra. Just don’t wait for me too long. I hope to be home before six o’clock.”
Bonbon then stepped out the door and with a half smile she closed the door behind her. The walked past three houses before heading down an alley. And gently took the camera out of her saddle bag. With a click the back was opened and gently with her lips she placed a small gem into the camera and then closed it.
“Imaging crystal in, now to head out again.” Bon Bon looked back at her house before stepping out into the street.
“Sorry Lyra,” she whispered. “I hate lying to you, but I just don’t want you in involved with them. I know how that kind of work can complicate your life.
*
Circling lanterns came to a stop when a flash of red light struck the ground near Twilight. The ground shuttered again from the impact and again from the ground a cloud of dust rose revealing Rainbow Dash at the end of a furrowed trench. Hoops came to the ground near his Archon, pointing his ring in the direction of a landing Applejack. The farm mare was sweating, her ring aura shimmering like green flames around her body.
“Holster it Dash!” the earth pony yelled, her eyes glowing with ring power.
“Boss! We can take…” Hoops was smacked by a wing in the face by Rainbow Dash.
“STAY…OUT…OF…THIS!” the red lantern leader sputtered. “Just get Chrysalis!” Rainbow then shot high into the air flying up into the sun.
“This is the iron pony all over again,” Twilight sighed.
Applejack, reaching out with ring enhanced senses, felt for the approach of the rage fueled pegasus. She gritted her teeth as her ring flashed brightly for a moment. An arc of green and a streak of red connected for a moment, colored blurs that seemed to freeze in place with a deafening clanging sound before becoming clear. Applejack stood ridged, hooves dug into the ground with a huge bowl like shield with large cracks and a huge dent above her. The construct had stopped another giant red baseball bat, deforming with the strength of the blow.
“Why…AJ…” Rainbow Dash asked in a slightly pained tone.
The farm mare: gritted teeth and narrowed eyes turned to face the red lantern uttered a single straining word.
“Cuz yer goin’ too far!”
The cracks in the shield stared to slowly disappear, the fissures in the construct disappearing until they had disappeared completely. The dent then began to reverse itself, straightening itself out until the shield was fully restored.
“No…way…” Hoops said as his jaw fell open.
“She…HEALED a construct!” YL Trixie gasped. The Green Lantern Instructor grinned.
Applejack pushed off the ground, presenting the shield forward at Rainbow Dash. The red lantern’s bat was pushed aside and Rainbow was struck by the boss of the green shield. The earth pony followed the pegasus in flight only to see her suddenly arc to the right and circle around. The Red Lantern was clad in jousting armor a large lance at her side its tip heading right at the earth pony. Plasma flowed from her mouth as her lance connected with Applejack’s shield.
[=Critical energy drain due to Red Power ring=] Applejack’s ring called out.
“Capacity?” she asked with a strained voice.
[=Ring capacity 132.9%=] the green ring replied.
“Plenty,” Applejack said with a groan.
The farm mare held the construct defense together, even as she was hurled from the air by the force of the impact, fighting both the force of the blow and the agonizing power drain. Willing herself to be a solid as possible, she turned her head around to see where she would land…
…just as her muzzle crashed into the Ponyville Clock Tower.
*
The guards rushed in to see Princess Celestia transfixed before an image of blue light of another Alicorn even more regal then either of the two royal sisters. Tears were flowing from both sisters as they looked on the creation of blue light.
“…from you, much is asked of again,” the cyan apparition said gently.
“I’ve given almost all I have…my strength is not…” the sun princess stared to answer. The alicorn of blue light held up her hoof and Celestia stopped speaking.
“Do not measure your strength by what happened with Queen Chrysalis!” the blue alicorn with bangs said.
Luna’s secretary landed softly next to the guard commander, her leathery wings and hooves making no sound as she landed. Midnight Rain searched for her mistress and seeing that the moon princess attempted to go to her. The lead guard held up a hoof and shook his head before pointing at the creation of the blue power ring. The bat mare stared at the princess of the sun transfixed by the cyan alicorn speaking to her.
“A new kind of strength is needed now, not that which you were born with…it is the strength you have gained from the power you have given,” the image of her mother tilted her head and smiled slightly.
“Of all in this world, only you could fully appreciate the reasons for this.”
Celestia bowed her head. “You do not need to take back what was given…nor would you willingly do so. You do not have to break your covenant. You now have another avenue. Explore it…as only you can!” The image reached out with a hoof that touched the princess’s mane. Celestia looked up into the eyes of the smiling image of her mother.
“You CAN do this,” it said.
“MOTHER!” the Princess of the sun cried out.
The image disappeared, becoming more ethereal and transparent until it disappeared, nothing more than smoke cleared away by a breeze. The Blue ring slipped from her hoof and rang like a bell when it struck the floor, spinning and turning until it came to a rest where the image of her mother had appeared. She stared at the scintillating band, her gaze unwavering from the ring of hope. Her jaw moved back and forth for a moment like she was physically chewing on the words the image had told her.
The blue ring became enveloped in a golden aura, along with its red and orange siblings. They then rose slowly into the air to return to the chest that contained them . Celestia then returned all the rings to the vault and using her magic, closed and sealed the doors. She turned away and looked at her sister with tear filled eyes. The moon princess was on her sister in a flash of yellow light, her hooves prodding the sun princess here and there. A yellow stethoscope appeared in the ears of Luna and the cup end was placed against the ribs of Celestia who’s eyes widened.
“Luna?”
“Sister…you are unhurt!” Luna bit her bottom lip as she turned her eyes in the direction of one of her own ears.”Your heart beats strong! The red ring did not hurt you when it came off!”
Celestia smiled in a sad way. “I felt the blue light drive the red from my veins. My heart suddenly became lighter and the red mist that clouded my mind cleared away. I could feel the blue ring healing my rage and the maddening hunger from the orange light disappeared along with my jealousy…” The elder sister then looked at her sister with softer eyes
“I’m sorry Luna,” Celestia said softly. “When I saw you take a ring I just got so…” The moon princess placed a hoof gently on the muzzle of her sister. “It just…it’s been so long and I WANT to help…I WANT to give but...” she turned away to look back at the vault as the doors closed with a loud clank.
“You, of all who live sister have NOTHING to apologize for, you already gave so very much.” Luna let the construct disappear, her eyes twinkling with a strange light. “And look what you have just done! You have found a way to free any with a red ring of their death sentence!”
The older sister nodded. “I just wish I understood what the vision of mother meant, what I could give now,” the sun princess looked into her sister’s eyes. “I’m not what I once was.”
Princess Celestia then spread her wings and rose into the air flying out the armory’s tall doors over the heads of the guards who bowed as she passed over head. Midnight Rain rose and swallowed hard then cleared her throat.
“M-Majesty?”
“Yes Midnight?”
“I beg my mistress’s indulgence to speak with you,” the bat mare looked at the guards. “...in private.
Princess Luna, still clad in her corps uniform rose into the air. “Speak on the wing my dear.”
The two night ponies followed the sun princess’s path out of the armory tower and when in the clear air Luna looked back at her secretary. A large yellow bubble formed around the two. A flat floor then formed within the bubble. The princess of the moon and her secretary landed on the construct floor as the bubble flew through the air.
“What do you wish to say?”
Midnight Rain swallowed hard as she bowed. “I beg a question highness. What…what did Princess Celestia mean by ‘I’ve given almost all I have’? You yourself majesty said she had ‘given much’. Please highness…what does that mean?”
Luna’s face crinkled and became hard and her body stiffened. A strange kind of displeasure seemed to emanate from the alicorn as she stared at her secretary with suddenly hard and cold eyes. Midnight Rain tucked her head down into the construct floor. She started to tremble as she struggled to speak.
“I…I am sorry highness. I retract my query. Please forgive me, I presumed…”
“Silence!” Luna thundered. Midnight Rain began trembling when the voice of her mistress crashed into her ears. She pushed her body even lower trying to become one with the floor.
Luna glared at the bat pony for a moment before she sighed. The alicorn then knelt down and tapped on the neck of her secretary as she spoke gently.
“Jealousy can make you blind you know.”
The bat mare lifted her head enough to see the princess of the moon staring down on her with soft and sad eyes.
“It can. You get so caught up in your resentment and desire of what others have it can make you forget the suffering they went through to attain it. “
Luna knelt down and tapped on her secretary’s shoulder in a gesture the bat pony knew was a request to rise. Luna then sat on her haunches and took a deep breath before continuing.
“Forgive me Midnight Rain. What you ask as my confidant and friend is not unreasonable. Please understand it is a source of great pain for my sister and I.”
Midnight cocked her head to one side in puzzlement as Luna shook her head.
“My sister is not...what she once was. Celestia is a mere shadow of herself. There was a day a very long time ago when we and the world were young when my sister was the mightiest being to tread upon the earth. She had such power then, she could have defeated Discord or Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony, easily!”
Midnight Rain’s mind reeled at the idea. The Sun Princess STRONGER than the Lord of Chaos himself! As her eyes widening eyes then locked with Princess Luna’s as she spoke with a cold tone.
“…and then she spent nearly all of her power in the greatest labor this world would ever know…”
*
Exploding fragments of masonry and clockwork struck the ground, scattering ponies that had stood and watched the two battling lanterns. Applejack landed hard on the ground then rolled three times before coming to a stop on her side, clock debris landing on top of her. The green lantern then shook her head as she pushed the wreckage off of herself. Rainbow Dash far off and looking down at her smirked and turned away, starting to head in the direction of the Crystal palace.
“No ya don’t,” Applejack hissed. “You ain’t sneakin’ back yet.”
A stream of green energy shot out of the green ring and another lasso formed, the loop falling over one of rainbow’s wings. Applejack willed the lasso to heave hard and the pegasus was jerked backwards into the ground near the base of the tower. Swords appeared and cut the lasso freeing Rainbow Dash . She drooled rage plasma as she rose back into the air.
“AJ.” Red Lantern Rainbow Dash called out in a guttural but slightly pleading tone. “Stop!”
A bright green flash of light burst forth and Applejack rose into the sky matching Rainbow’s altitude.
“Eenope!” the farm mare answered as she flew at the pegasus.
“FINE!” The Red Lantern rumbled.
Rainbow Dash charged at Applejack, red barding appearing over her body. The Green Lantern then suddenly dived down and flew under the rage wielder, skimming the ground heading away from her, a green beam of light trailing behind her. Rainbow Dash watched Applejack flying away back heading out towards the Everyfree forest. She dropped her construct and followed, her aura glowing brighter as time she attempted to catch the earth pony.
Ponies in the street gasped as the two rushed by, swirls of dust and gusting wind following in their wake. When Applejack had reached the edge of town she suddenly shot up into the air. A red gladiator net exploded from Rainbow’s red ring and hurtled at Applejack. Green farm scythes flashed into existence and cut the net to shreds, disappearing after they had finished their work.
Rainbow Dash trembled as she hovered. The red mist that was normally over her mind was becoming thicker and she started to feel her rage pushing harder against what restraint she still imposed. She felt a tearing feeling in her heart as loyalty pulled her two ways, which in turn stoked her rage to burn even more intensely. She put her hooves up to her head and roared in frustration.
On one hoof was Applejack. She was totally back, no question. This fight put the final stamp on it for everypony to see. Dash had always believed she could become every bit the ring sling-er she was herself and she had. Her standing up for what she believed in and not running, matching her blow for blow, staying just out of range the red ring’s power draining effect on green. ‘Pretty good AJ,’ she admitted to herself. A part of Rainbow’s heart beat proudly for her friend…
…on the other hoof was Chrysalis and the whole of the changelings. Every one of them as destructive to all as the black lanterns themselves! They devoured the love and life of others, they killed: each and every one of them! They were a threat to everything…
…and Applejack couldn’t see it!
It was madding!
[= THEY HAVE KILLED THE INNOCENT! =] The voice of Atrocitus' roared in her heart when she thought of Chrysalis and the Changeling hive. [= THEY HAVE EARNED DEATH! =]
‘Time to change tactics,’ she thought with a grin.
She gained altitude and changed her angle until she was right over the farm mare’s head then breathed rage plasma at her, knowing what would happen next. Applejack did exactly as she thought she would and brought up the shield again. Crimson fire fell on the shield like rain on an umbrella, Applejack huddled underneath protected by her construct while the plasma ran off the shield and fell down. Dash smiled in her heart and pushed harder with her attack. The green shield continued hold intact but the force of the plasma stream pushed the green lantern the ground.
Applejack landed on grass surrounded by sheets of red fire. The construct held firm though Applejack could feel the red energy trying to eat through. Rainbow Dash spiraled the stream of plasma outward. Everything around Applejack bust into flame and soon fire was spreading everywhere.
Rainbow then ceased her attack and flew away from the farm mare now surrounded in fire. Rainbow smiled wryly as she disappeared through smoke. She was almost back to the Changeling Queen when danger tickled at her mind just as something green crashed into her back.
[=Critical energy drain due to Red Power ring=] the green ring warned again.
Applejack strained through the power drain. The extra energy Pinkie had given her was gone and now the red energy was now eating into her proper ring charge. Sweat streaked off her body as she pushed on Rainbow Dash forcing her to ground. She had gotten lucky and hit right between the wings of the rage lantern who now struggled to turn around and face the earth pony. Arcing red and green energy lashed at each other as the two lanterns crashed into the crystal of the Star Sapphire’s home.
They tumbled muzzle over tail over grass, crystal splinters flying everywhere. Applejack crashed into another crystal in the middle of what she quickly realized had been Fluttershy’s back yard. Something softer then crystal had been inside and as she tumbled to a stop she saw that the thing inside the lone crystal…
…was the weirdest looking changeling she had ever seen.
“RRRRRRRRR” Rainbow Dash growled, framed in flames of crimson light. "See...how...close...they...got AJ!"
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And this is now getting VERY interesting.
More! I need more!!!!
6580279 It' coming...and not in weeks this time....honest.
It lives!