The Emerald Mare Vol. 1: Succession: Issue #1: To Overcome Great Fear
Space Sector 1996 was unremarkable from many viewpoints. Few planets in it had sapient life and they were very unadvenced. None of them have discovered space travel yet. Only a few had encounters with lifeforms outside their confines and many were still completely oblivious to life existing in other planets.
The only remarkable planetoid in the entire sector was Equus, the home of Ponykind. Rarely anything happened in this sector that could have been considered a galactic threat and over 90 percent of those events worthy of attention inside the sector came from this planet and there was a reason for that.
Equus held the honor of being one of the most magical planets in the entire galaxy. Every single creature on the planet was somehow connected to it's magic somehow. The magic of the unicorns was just the tip of the iceberg. Even the celestial bodies of the planet were moved magically by the ruler of ponies. A feat that was unique in the galaxy.
So whenever something happened in this sector that was worthy of the attention of the Guardians of the Universe, it was a safe bet that it originated from this planet. Such was the thinking of an equine looking as he landed on the moon of Equus. He was dressed in a green outfit with black sleeves and white shoes on each of his four legs. He had bare, white skin, no hair at all and glowing red eyes. His name was Grinn'glo's and he was the Green Lantern of Sector 1996.
His duties required him to return to this sector so rarely that he almost forgot what it felt like to set his hooves on the familiar soil. He was a member of a race of equine creatures originating from this moon. He became the protector of this sector long before a wave of extinction hit the moon, causing his people to disappear. He only escaped this fate because he was away performing his Lantern duties. The moon he grew up on which was once full of life was now nothing more than a barren wasteland. Whether there were any survivors left he did not know, but that was not the reason he came here right now.
Several surges of mysterious yellow energy have been detected throughout the galaxy recently with one of the biggest coming from this very moon. The Green Lantern Corps had a good reason to be concerned about these surges as their power was completely useless against anything yellow. The Guardians had assumed that these surges were the preparation of an assault against the Corps, therefore any detected surges must have been investigated.
Grinn'glo was surprised to learn of a surge being detected in his sector. What kind of assault could have been prepared against the Corps from here? Still, he knew the Guardians were wouldn't have sent him here if they weren't certain it was important. It was time to get to work.
"Ring, run a scan on this moon for anything unusual." He spoke, raising the ring to his mouth.
"Affirmative." The green ring replied on a mechanic voice. Grinn'glo took off from the ground and began flying around the moon while his ring emanated green light across the surface. He's been at it for a few minutes but so far he hasn't detected anything too out of the ordinary.
Granted, he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for either. His ring wouldn't be able to pick up any of the yellow energy surge due to it's weakness to the color, so there was a good chance his hunch will end up being correct and he's just wasting his time here.
Strange phenomenon on moons tended to manifest on their dark sides so that's where he scanned first, but he found nothing. He then moved to the side facing the planet and immediately noticed something peculiar. Carved into the moon's surface were several dark lines that clearly weren't there when he last visited his homemoon.
When was that again? If he recalled correctly, it was well over a millennium. His species was extremely long lived. Measured in standard Equusian years, they could reach well over a hundred thousand. He was merely twenty seven thousand years old. By the standards of his race, he was still a young adult.
And yet, it has been five thousand years since he began his service as a Green Lantern, an intergalactic police officer tasked with keeping order and enforcing the law in his space sector. And since his sector was relatively quiet, that meant when an other sector needed someone else as backup, he was high on that list, which left him little time to come home. Not that he'd have any reason to return with the passing of his kind.
Still, the memory of the Lunars were near eidetical, which meant when he was sure these markings weren't here when he last visited, then they really weren't. As he backed away from the moon, his eyes widened in disbelief as he made out the unmistakable silhouette of a unicorn head engraved onto the surface of the celestial body. It took him several seconds to get over his shock.
"Alright, this is definitely not a natural creation. Ring, begin scanning."
"Affirmative." The ring carried out the duty given to it by it's master before giving him the report on the results. "Green Lantern of Sector 1996, I am detecting an unknown energy sealed inside this moon. I am unable to determine it's point of origin, however, I can clarify with certainty that it is magical in nature."
Grinn'glo was quite surprised by this revelation. Not because of the presence of magic since he knew the magical proportions of the planet below were extremely powerful, but even then, what was their magic doing on their moon. Did they find a way to use their magic to space travel? No, that was preposterous. But then how did magic from their planet ended up all the way over here?
He floated down back on the surface and immediately as he did so, he was captured by a deep feeling of unease. He had no idea why, but he could feel that whatever power was being hidden inside the moon, it was sinister, powerful and very much a force to be feared.
Fear. He scoffed at the thought. Being a Green Lantern meant overcoming fear. He would not be worthy of his ring if he allowed some ominous foreboding to scare him away from finishing his mission. Putting his worries aside, he contemplated what action should he take. There was no telling if this magical energy was actually what he was looking for, but even if it was, what should he do about it? The magic of the ponies of Equus was elusive to the Guardians and the archives of the Corps.
The most logical course of action would be contacting the planet's most powerful magical ruler, a pony named Princess Celestia, but the Guardians had a strict no contact policy with species yet to discover alien life. They wouldn't want to interfere with the natural ascension of the species of the galaxy. He honestly had no idea how to proceed. Eventually, he raised his ring to his mouth again.
"Ring, contact Oa. I have to report to them and ask for further instructions." However, to Grinn'glo's confusion. The ring refused to obey.
"I cannot do that, Green Lantern of Sector 1996." The Lunar Lantern's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer.
"What do you mean you can't?!"
"By contacting Oa, I would distract you from the surge of yellow energy approaching this moon, hereby putting your life in great danger." If it was possible, Grinn'glo's eyes widened even further as he spun around, searching for the source of the energy his ring was referring to.
And then he saw it. It was distant and faint. So much so that at first he mistook it for just a star, but as it came closer, it became so bright that Grinn'glo had to cover his eyes. But even from behind his hoof he could make out the intense light consuming him as it approached the moon. Yellow light illuminated everything around him and all he could do was back away helplessly.
Only a few lanterns experienced these strange happenings in person. They all reported the same thing. A feeling of intense dread washing over them that was so powerful that even the supposedly fearless Green Lanterns became immobile and rendered powerless. While Grinn'glo just became one of these select few, he didn't feel honored for it.
Once he overcame the temporary sense of fear, he realised that this was his chance to act. His ring may have been useless against anything yellow, but he should still be able to scan the energy around him and present his findings to the Guardians. He turned away from the source of the light and raised his ring into the air, scanning the rays of yellow flying over his head.
"Ring, identify the energy from the surge." He ordered.
"Scanning." The ring did as his master I instructed, but once again, the conclusion it reached was not something it's bearer was prepared for. "I apologise Green Lantern of Sector 1996, the Guardian's protocol forbids me of revealing the nature of the yellow light."
The Lantern was flabbergasted by what his ring just said. That made no sense. If the Guardians themselves forbid the ring from revealing anything about the yellow energy, that meant they knew something about it. But if that was the case, why would they have him and several other Lanterns investigating it all over the galaxy?
He was never one to question their orders, but he never did experience them sending Lanterns to risk their lives on assignments that were seemingly pointless either. And that was something he would not stand for. He would go back to Oa and question them about it. Or at least, that was his intention until he heard a loud crack from behind him.
Turning around in apprehension, he noticed the surface of the moon opening up slight and a menacing mist emerging from the darkness. It was mostly black, but Grinn'glo could notice streaks of purple in it and what frightened him even more, streaks of yellow were beginning to accompany the mist as it began to float towards him at an increasing speed.
In a panicked state, he quickly used his ring to raise a wall in front of himself. The wall held the mist at bay long enough for him to fly back and put distance between it and himself, but the yellow energy that was merging with the mist quickly broke it apart and started pursuing him again.
Grinn'glo cursed under his breath as he rerouted all of his willpower into his flying speed, but even at his fastest, the mist was quickly catching up. The yellow energy almost overtaken all of it, so his ring wouldn't be effective against it. All he could do was flee. Grinn'glo noticed a large rock in front of him and grabbed it with his ring, hurling it back at the mist. Upon impact, it exploded into a cloud of colors, buying Grinn'glo some more time.
But he knew he won't be able to keep this up forever. He already spent a great deal of his ring's energy on the trip from Oa all the way to here. As well as a few law infringements he noticed along the way, including pirates raiding a freighter or stellar poachers hunting space dolphins. He would have to recharge his ring to make it back home but with the mist on his tail, that was gonna be tricky.
"Ring, what's your current power level?"
"Currently operating below 5% power capacity."
"Damn." He fumed. "Locate your power battery and lead me to it!" The ring once again lead Grinn'glo to a revelation he did not like. The lantern shaped power battery he used to recharge his ring was left at a spot that the mist was already starting to surround. It was like it knew he was going to need it and now it wanted to separate him from it. He needed to come up with something quick.
He then got an idea. His ring's constructs may not be able to affect the mist, but it could affect his surroundings into doing so. He created a giant fan in front of himself and it's rotation created enough force to disperse the mist around his battery. Once he made himself enough space to retrieve it, he quickly dove down and snatched it before the mist could close in around it again.
Grinn'glo was about grab the battery and smash his ring into it, but when he inadvertently began to lose altitude, he realised that it's power level was no longer enough to keep him above the ground. He quickly had to make a choice, grab the battery or fly to safety. It was an impossible choice. If he reached for the battery, he'd lose break his flight and fall into the mist. If he flew away, he'd lose the battery and it would be impossible for him to retrieve it. In the end, he opted for the former.
As he began falling into the mist, he tried desperately to get the ring close enough to the battery. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it close enough. And the mist was reaching for him from the ground as well. Eventually, Grinn'glo realised that his efforts were in vain. The battery was soon engulfed by the black, purple and yellow cloud and a few seconds later, he shared it's fate.
When he made contact with the mist, he felt several things at once. First came a surge of unbridled terror. He felt more fear than he even thought possible. Everything he was ever afraid of manifested in his mind and started gnawing at his sanity. The next thing was his strength and the energy of the ring leaving him. As if the mist was draining it out of him. This only increased his fear as he realised that this could cause irreversible damage to his ring if even the last few drops of energy would be drained from it. And finally, he felt all hope leaving him as he realised he will not make it out of this one alive and there was only one thing he could do to prevent the light of his ring from being snuffed out forever.
"Ring, scan my vital signs." He ordered dejectedly.
"Your vital signs are dropping rapidly, Green Lantern. At this rate, they will cease to function within the next five minutes." The ring replied on it's usual monotone voice.
"Good. That means I still have time to do what needs to be done." Grinn'glo said dully as almost all life left him. He closed his eyes and uttered his last order to his weapon. "Initiate succession protocol. Find someone who is worthy."
"Affirmative." The ring replied and for the first time since Grinn'glo could remember, he could actually feel the spark of an emotion in it's voice. A hint of sorrow as it seemed to realise that it's wielder was leaving it after five millenia. Or maybe it was just a trick played on him by his dying mind. In the end it mattered little.
The ring was almost completely out of energy, but it would still have enough left in it for this task. Grinn'glo felt his body slowly rising form the moon's surface and heading back into the coldness of space. The mist tried to follow him, but the ring eventually managed to put him beyond it's reach. As the dying lantern flew further away, the mist retreated into the cracks it had created as if whatever dark force unleashed it was calling it back. For what purpose, Grinn'glo couldn't imagine. Nor did he want to.
As he turned his gaze towards the planet he was flying towards, his final thoughts ventured to the subject of just what kind of creature would it be that would succeed him. He didn't know much about the population of Equus, but he sincerely hoped that planet was home to a strong and courageous hero who laughed into the face of fear and danger. For only a creature like that could ever hope to be worthy of becoming the Green Lantern of Sector 1996.
"Um... Excuse me, but... If it isn't too much trouble... Would you mind giving that back?"
A young yellow pegasus mare with pink mane and three butterflies for a cutie mark named Fluttershy was not having a great day to put it mildly. Her favourite rabbit friend, Angel once again refused to have breakfast until it was just the way he wanted it. Unfortunately, she ran out of ingredients and had to take a trip to the local market. But the stand that sold the ingredients wouldn't open until 8 am, so she had to wait over half an hour. As if that wasn't inconvenient enough, it just so happened to be a chilly autumn day and she had to sacrafice her scarf and cap to craft a makeshift nest for an injured bird mother and her still featherless chicks recently and with all her veterinarian expenses, she had no money to buy new ones yet.
And when she was finally about to get what she wanted from the market, a magpie decided that it liked the shiny bit she was about to pay for them so much that it must had it. So it swept down from above and took the bit out of her hold before she could pay and since she only brought as much money as she needed, she had to get it back in order to get the ingredients.
Even with her ability to talk to animals, she had trouble getting the more mischievous ones to behave. Or those whose natural instincts tended to get the better of them, such as magpies and their obsession with shiny things. And she was far too shy to stand up more forcefully so all she could do was ask nice and hope it would be enough. This time, it looked like it wouldn't be.
"It's shiny, I want it, it's mine." The magpie chattered back at her. Fluttershy sighed in defeat.
"Please, Mr. Magpie. I need that bit to buy food for my bunny friend. I promise I will give you something nice and shiny in return for it." But the magpie just firmly shook it's head.
"No. I want this shiny. It's mine." The magpie spread his wing to fly away. Fluttershy was about to follow suit, but in her hast, she didn't notice that the magpie grabbed the branch it was sitting on, bending it backwards as it flew away and letting go of it as Fluttershy got near. The branch slapped the poor mare right in the muzzle and forced her to crash back to the ground.
Fluttershy moaned in pain before slowly sitting up. She rubbed her muzzle sore muzzle with eyes closed from both pain and embarrassment. She desperately hoped thagznopony was around to see what just happened, but apparently the universe wasn't done rubbing it's hooves into her just yet for the day. As Fluttershy opened her eyes, she saw a shadow looming over her and looked up to see her friend and roommate, Paw Tamer, a pink earth pony mare with green mane and a shiny dog collar for a cutie mark looking down at her. She must have quickly deduced what have happened because she sighed in frustration and raised a hoof to her face.
"Again, Shy?" The meek pegasus could only look down in shame. "What happened this time? Wait, let me guess. Angel was being a little demon again. He forced you to come out for something and you ended up robbed." Fluttershy was reluctant to reveal the truth, but her timidness made even lying difficult.
"Well, if you wanna call a magpie a robber, then yes, I suppose." Paw Tamer gave her a very unamused look.
"You have got to be kidding me. Shy, that's a new low even for you! When are you finally going to put your hoof down ant discipline that little monster?" Upon hearing that somepony was badmouthing Angel Bunny, Fluttershy felt a sudden surge of courage in her that even her friend rarely got to see. She sprung up from the ground and flew right into her face with a firece stare.
"Don't talk about him like that! Angel is the sweetest, friendliest, most loving bunny in the world! He just has a hard time showing it. He had a rough outside but a heart of gold." Paw Tamer was taken back by this sudden burst of anger, but she had the perfect counter attack.
"Wow, where was this attitude when our former landlord exploited you out of our veterinary clinic fund?" At the mention of her life's greatest failure, the pegasus immediately shrunk back down on the ground, casting her gaze down in shame. Realising that she may have gone too far, Paw Tamer sighed and took a breath to calm herself and put a comforting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.
"Look, I never blamed you for that. But you have to grow a spine and become more confident if we ever want to start our own clinic." She said,trying to sound both comforting and encouraging. Fluttershy could only nod in acknowledgement but she was still too ashamed to say anything. Paw Tamer's hoof wandered from Fluttershy's shoulder to her chin and she slowly lifted her head up to meet her softened gaze. "Now come on, let's get back to town. I'll loan you that missing bit so you can buy what that little angel wants." Fluttershy wanted to protest. Paw Tamer has already helped her out with more money than she could repay, but she had no time because the earth pony took her by the hoof and started dragging her back towards Ponyville.
At the market, the vendor, a brown earth pony stallion with black mane and a wide black moustache was impatiently waiting with the ingredients Fluttershy wanted to buy and he wasn't happy. He had other customers to attend to. When he spotted the mare coming back to his stand, he wanted to give her a piece of his mind.
"About time! I had half a mind to give these away to another customer! Do you have my money?" Fluttershy hung her head and stood behind Paw Tamer, too spooked by the outburst to respond, but luckily for her, her friend was not so easily intimidated.
"Charming. You must attract a lot of customers with that attitude." She retorted before placing a bit on his stand. "Here, now give those bags to us!"
Fluttershy was grateful to have a friend as confident as Paw Tamer. She was an excellent balance to her timid and shy nature. She was also a fellow animal lover so she was the perfect companion for her. And without her, she would never be able to start an own veterinary clinic, which was their shared dream. Her determination and courage was what got them ahead in life for the most part. She was grateful to have her.
As the two mares made their way back to the treehouse at the edge of the town that they shared with each other and their animal friends, Fluttershy could tell that that her friend was giving her a few disapproving stares even without looking. It made her feel bad. She knew she messed up badly in the past, several times, for the both of them, but Paw Tamer always remained supportive. She wanted her to be better. And she was becoming tired of her efforts being in vain.
"Paw, please talk to me." Fluttershy asked quietly. The silence was becoming unbearable. The earth pony sighed.
"Shy, you already heard everything I have to say at least a dozen times and it made no difference. It feels like I'm talking to a wall." Fluttershy could only cast her glance down once more.
"I'm sorry." Paw Tamer stomped the ground in irritation.
"That's just it, Shy! Don't be sorry! Be better! I keep telling you that you need to stand up for yourself more but it just goes in one ear and out the other!" Fluttershy's eyes widened as she immediately protested.
"No, it doesn't! I know I have to stand up for myself more, but it's just..." Fluttershy struggled to find the right words. She knew what she wanted to say, but had trouble admitting it even to herself. "I... I can't see anything in myself that's worth standing up for." Paw Tamer was baffled. How can anypony think so little of herself was beyond her comprehension.
"I don't know what to say, Shy. I already gave you every little speech in the book. But they don't seem to have any effect either. You don't have any self-worth. If you can't stand up for yourself, how will you stand up for anything else in life?"
Fluttershy wasn't sure how she should answer, but even if she knew, she wouldn't have gotten the chance. As they were approaching their home on the outskirts of the town, they noticed a blinding green light appear in the sky. They turned to see what it was and noticed a bright object falling out of the sky and heading towards the forest.
"What in Celestia's name?" Paw Tamer asked in astonishment, trying to cover her eyes. "What is that? A meteor?"
"Unlikely." Fluttershy answered. "Even during nighttime a meteor wouldn't be shining this bright. But what else could it be?" Paw Tamer narrowed her eyes further in an attempt to get a closer look at the object and as it got closer to the ground, she could determine it's trajectory.
"Whatever it is, it's heading towards the..."
"THE RABBIT BURROWS!!!"
Faster than a blink, Fluttershy shot out like a bullet into the direction of the forest where the object was crashing down towards. Paw Tamer could only sit and stare in awe as the pegasus got out of her sights at such a speed that even that flying earth pony mare would be impressed.
There was a clearing not far from the cottage Fluttershy and Paw Tamer lived at. It was full of tunnels inhabited by rabbit families. Fluttershy has visited that place on several occasions to help the bunnies loving there. It was one of her favourite spots in the forest. Even Angel Bunny had several friends there. So naturally, a large glowing green thing falling from the sky towards that location was enough to rile her up.
Fluttershy was no fool. She knew there was no way in Tartarus that she was gonna stop that thing, but there was one thing she could do. She had to get there first to warn the little things and make sure they all got to safety in time. One might think it was a fool's errand. There was no possible way for anypony to outfly that shooting star. Even Fluttershy had doubts that she would get there in time. But she was going to try. There was nothing she wouldn't do, or at least try for her animal friends. No matter how big the danger is. While many ponies would probably scoff at such foolishness, a select few would deem this as true courage. And unbeknownst to Fluttershy, she was about to encounter some of those select few.
At her full speed, Fluttershy had trouble navigating through the trees. She crashed through several branches and many others managed to cut her pretty deeply. She hissed from the pain but she didn't let it slow her down. She was almost at the clearing. But so was the descending green object. She had no time to waste. She couldn't slow down. She wouldn't.
She managed to get to the clearing just in time. She looked around to find one single rabbit out of the burrows that she could warn. They would be able to get the others in time. Hopefully. Fluttershy was lucky. The clearing was full of rabbits crawling around. Many of them carrying carrots and other vegetables into the burrows for their families. Fluttershy hated to break up family dinners between her friends, but this was an emergency.
"Bunnies! Please, listen to me! You're gonna have to to leave now! Something is gonna crash here from above! Quickly, get the other bunnies out!"
Every single rabbit stopped dead in their tracks and looked up at Fluttershy. The pegasus immediately blocked down being the target of so many pair of eyes, but fortunately she didn't need to say anything more. The bunnies all knew Fluttershy and they also know that if she freaked out like that, then things were serious. They all scattered into every direction away from the clearing while a few of them ran into the burrows to alert the others.
As the bunny evacuation was going on, Fluttershy turned away from the clearing to see just how far the object was. It was now alarmingly close and she was sure it would crash in a few seconds. She looked back at the clearing and let out a relieved sigh when she saw that the bunnies have all left by now. However, one baby bunny at the end of the line tripped and Fluttershy saw that it will not be able to get up in time before the object hit the ground. If she wouldn't interfere, the bunny was gonna die.
"NOOOOO!"
The next few seconds were a mix of deafening noise, deadly silence and blinding dust emerging from the ground. The bunnies that have made it to safety could only look in horrified anticipation as the dust settled to see if Fluttershy managed to save their fellow rabbit and just what kind of otherworldly threat struck their home.
Suddenly, the familiar shape of Fluttershy burst out of dust cloud, holding the terrified baby rabbit in her hooves as it buried it's tear stricken face into her chest. The bunnies have erupted into a series of cheers and applause as the pegasus descended between them and returned the frightened youngster to it's family. The rabbit family embraced their youngest member and beamed up at Fluttershy with ineffable gratitude.
"You're welcome, my little friends." She smiled back, happy that she was able to save her animals from a disaster. Now that the immediate threat was gone, Fluttershy turned to see just what she was dealing with. The dust has settled and the object left a long trail in the ground, so she easily managed to find it. To he astonishment, she saw that the crashed object wasn't at all an object. It was a creature.
A creature that Fluttershy has never seen before. It looked like a pony but it lacked any hair. It didn't even have any fur on it's milky white skin. From it's massive build, Fluttershy guessed it was a male. He was dressed in a green and black suit with the symbol of a green lantern on his chest and in his left hoof, he was holding an actual green lantern. A white domino mask was around his eyes and his four hooves were covered white shoes.
A sudden green flicker drew Fluttershy's attention to the creature's right foreleg and when she leaned closer to inspect it, the source of the flicker turned out to be a green ring. But before she could get a closer look, the creature's chest suddenly moved as he let out a series of heavy coughs. Fluttershy jumped back in shock. This creature just fell out of the sky in a green glow, crashed into the ground and survived? How was that possible, she didn't know, but if there was a way to help him, she wanted to try.
"Sir? Are you alright?" The creature opened his eyes and looked up at Fluttershy. His blood red eyes almost made her jump back in fright, but her instinct to help was stronger. The creature observed the pegasus thoroughly for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"It is you. My ring tells me it's you." He spoke on a deep but soft voice. Fluttershy was confused to say the least.
"Uh... Your ring, sir?" The creature raised his ringed hoof and showed Fluttershy the green ring bearing the same symbol visible on his chest.
"Quick, we do not have much time. My name is Grinn'glo. What is yours, child?"
"My name is Fluttershy and I'm going to need you to stand up. We have to get you to a hospital." She reached to help him up, but Grinn'glo held his hooves up in protest.
"No. No, it is too late for that." He doubted the medical equipment of this primitive planet would be sufficient in treating him anyway. "Take my ring. Use the lantern to charge it, speak the oath and take my place." If it was possible, Fluttershy became even more confused.
"Sir, at the moment I'm more interested in your life than your jewelry." Grinn'glo scoffed in amusement.
"This, child, is no mere jewelry. You have been chosen. Like I was before you. But my time is over. You need to..." He was interrupted by another fit of coughs. It became clear that he was dying. "Please... Take it..." Fluttershy didn't understand how could Grinn'glo be more concerned about his ring than his life, but his tone was so pleading, so desperate that she couldn't help but comply. Once the ring was off of Grinn'glo's hoof, Fluttershy was stunned to see his uniform dematerialising and revealing a purple suit underneath. Grinn'glo laid back on the ground and coughed some more.
"A great darkness is coming." He spoke, talking like he was in a trance. "Fear will consume all unless it is stopped. This planet's moon is the epicenter, I'm sure of it. The Guardians know the truth. Make them reveal the truth!" Fluttershy still didn't understand a single thing Grinn'glo was saying, but this time she didn't get the chance to ask, for after another fit of coughs, the creature breathed his last.
Fluttershy was left speechless. Never again had she seen another sapient being expire in front of her. Sure she had witnessed the passing of more than one of her animal friends, but that was completely different from another equine being die. She just sat there on the ground, staring at the poor creature's corpse until a voice from behind her snapped her out of it.
"Shy! Are you ok?!" Fluttershy turned around to see her friend, Paw Tamer running towards her. She put her hooves on her shoulders and looked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. "Praise Faust, not a scratch." She sighed in relief before her expression turned angry. "What in Celestia's name were you thinking?! Are you out of your mind?!" Surprisingly to her, Fluttershy actually stood her ground.
"I had to do it! I couldn't just let the rabbit families living here be obliterated by that thing! Besides, you just said a few moments ago that I need to be more courageous, didn't you?!"
"Shy, there's a difference between courage and suicide! That thing could have squashed you just as easily!" Paw Tamer countered, but Fluttershy would not falter.
"I'm alive, aren't I?" She said simply. Paw Tamer sighed in irritation.
"Did you at least manage to save them?" Fluttershy's expression turned into a smile as she pointed at the trees behind Paw Tamer. The earth pony turned to see the dozens of bunnies slowly making their way back to the clearing. "OK, at least act of foolish courage paid off. So what was it? Meteor?" She didn't wait for an answer. She followed the trail in the ground and her eyes widened when she saw the dead alien. "Shy, what the... Who's that?"
"I have no idea." Fluttershy replied as she walked up next to her friend. "He said his name is... Green Glow or something like that, but the rest didn't make any sense. He went on about his ring and how it... chose me." Paw Tamer raised an eyebrow as she looked down at the ring Fluttershy was holding, then back at her.
"His ring... Chose you?" Fluttershy shrugged.
"I don't get it either."
"Did he say anything else?" Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin as she recalled Grinn'glo's last words.
"He mentioned a great darkness coming. Something about the moon and how the Guardians know the truth. I don't know what he meant by that." Paw Tamer looked down at the remains of Grinn'glo in pity.
"Sounds like the mad rambling of a dying creature to me. I wouldn't worry about it." She said dismissively. "Was he the green glow we saw in the sky?" Fluttershy nodded.
"Yes. I found him after it crashed here."
"Get out!" Paw Tamer said incredulously. "Are you telling me this guy fell out of the sky in a green blaze, crashed and somehow remained in one piece? And unburnt? Is he some kind of space jockey or something?" Fluttershy couldn't think of any other explanation.
"It seems like it. I'm just as baffled as you are." The two mares just stood there in awkward stunned silence for a few moments before Paw Tamer found her voice again.
"Well, there are worse ways to go, I guess." Was all she could say. "So what should we do now?" Fluttershy wasn't sure, but to just leave the poor soul lying out in the open like that felt wrong. She then got an idea.
"You can go home. I'll take care of him." Paw Tamer looked uncertain.
"Are you sure you want me to leave you alone out here after what just happened. What if something else falls out of the sky? I should probably stay to make sure you won't do anything stupid again." Fluttershy just shook her head.
"No. I need you back home. Angel Bunny still didn't have his breakfast." Paw Tamer gave her friend a very unamused look.
"No."
"Please?"
"No!
"Pretty please?"
"The physical appearance of the please makes no difference. I will not feed that little Tartarus spawn for you! Besides, I don't have any innocent pony souls to feed him anyway. Except for mine, but I'm still using that." Fluttershy rolled her eyes and decided on a different approach.
"OK, then. You can stay and help me bury him."
"Bury him?" Paw Tamer asked in surprise. "You're gonna bury him?" Fluttershy nodded.
"It only feels right. I don't think I could leave him out here for scavengers."
"Really?" Paw Tamer asked with a laugh. "I would have guessed you'd be okay with feeding all animals." Fluttershy gave her friend an angry look, sending her on the defensive. "Okay, that was a bad joke. Still, I don't think you should worry. Some top secret UFO agency will probably show up for him before scavengers can get to him."
"I'm not sure I feel comfortable leaving him to be dissected either." Fluttershy replied, shivering at the thought. "So what will it be? Feeding Angel or burying him?" Paw Tamer sighed in defeat.
Fine, you win. Just take care of yourself okay? I'll never be able to raise enough money for our clinic on my own."
"I'll be fine. I promise I won't do anything reckless again." Paw Tamer just nodded before heading off. Fluttershy may have been timid, but she was always true to her word. When she promised something, she kept it. The pegasus then turned to her rabbit friends. "Can you do something for me?"
It had been 20 minutes since Fluttershy buried Grinn'glo. With the help of the bunnies, digging a grave for him was far easier, although, some of them were not thrilled with the idea of doing it for the creature who almost ruined their home. Still, they owed it to Fluttershy for saving them so they didn't complain.
Fluttershy even set up a headstone for him made of wood. Hopefully if Paw Tamer was right and some UFO agency does come checking out what happened here, they won't find a grave out of the ordinary and leave it alone. With the deed done, she headed back home, carrying the lantern in her mouth and the ring on top of it.
She had no idea why she kept it. At first, she just wanted to bury it next to Grinn'glo's body, but he looked so desperate when he said he wanted her to take it. She decided to interpret it as the creature's last wish and took them home with her. Speaking of home, the treehouse she lived at with Paw Tamer just came into view.
She raised her hoof to open the door, but she before she could, it opened for her. Paw Tamer stood there, covered in vegetables and looking absolutely furious. Fluttershy leaned left to peak behind her and saw even more vegetables on the ground along with several pieces of broken plates and Angel Bunny eating out of another one, completely ignoring the angry mare.
"I despise that rabbit with a passion burning brighter than Celestia's sun." Paw Tamer fumed. Fluttershy put the lantern down.
"I'm sorry if she gave you so much trouble." She told her. "Did you get him to eat at least?"
"Third time was the charm." Paw Tamer replied as she cleaned herself from the leftovers of Angel's feeding.
"Good boy, Angel!" Fluttershy beamed, petting the rabbit's head once he finished his meal, making him tap thef ground happily. Paw Tamer just glared daggers at the rabbit, mocking Fluttershy's praising tone as she got to cleaning up the mess.
"What's with that lantern?" She asked when she noticed the green object at the door.
"It belonged to our space jockey friend, along with his ring." Fluttershy answered as she went to bring it in and close the door. "He seemed very eager for me to have them."
"Let me see it!" Paw Tamer went to inspect the lantern before picking up the ring. "Hmm. Not the fanciest piece I've ever seen, but could still be worth a few bits. Maybe more if we throw in the lantern." Fluttershy was taken aback by this.
"You want to sell it?" She asked.
"Well, it's not like our friend will need it anymore, Faust rest his soul. And since he gave it to you, you can do whatever you want with it. Besides, I know you were never one for jewelry. I have a jeweler friend up in Canterlot who could pass it on to somepony who will appreciate it." Fluttershy was uncertain about this.
"I... I'm not sure if we should do that, Paw. He said that this ring was no mere jewelry."
"Shy, the poor creature was dying. He was clearly delusional. You said it yourself that he rambled like a lunatic when you found him." She then placed the ring down and went to the lantern. "Where do you light this thing anyway?"
"I don't know." Fluttershy replied. "He said it was a charger. For the ring."
"Why would you need to charge a ring?" Paw Tamer asked. Fluttershy shrugged before picking up the ring.
"I don't know." She looked for any place on the lantern she might use for that purpose. Seeing none, she let a random hunch take the lead and she placed the ring near the center of the lantern.
In that exact moment, the cottage was lit up by a blinding green light that pushed everything in the room back except for Fluttershy. Paw Tamer flew back against the wall and slumped down on a chair. Fluttershy immediately went to check on her and saw that she was knocked out from the impact. The ring remained in the air in front of the lantern as it kept charging with it's energy. When it was fully recharged, it floated up into the air over Fluttershy who looked up at it in fear.
"What... What are you?!" She whimpered on the brink of tears. "What do you want from me?!" The ring just kept floating over the pegasus, almost as if surveying her, before it spoke on a mechanical female voice.
"Fluttershy of Equus, you have the ability to overcome great fear." Fluttershy didn't know what she expected to hear from the ring, but it wasn't this.
"Uh... I'm... I'm not so sure about that..." She began, but the ring didn't let her finish.
"Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps!"
With that, the ring flew onto the top bone in Fluttershy's left wing and inserted itself on it. Fluttershy's eyes glowed up with green light before the same uniform she saw on Grinn'glo materialised on her body. She felt another consciousness taking hold of her body as she started speaking words she had never heard before.
"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power - Green Lantern's light!"
When Fluttershy finished speaking, a bubble of green energy formed around her body and started carrying her toward the door. As if there was an invisible force in the door, it opened and closed as Fluttershy floated out on it and the green energy bubble carried her off into the sky where she disappeared with a green glint.
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Let me guess... the mysterious creature that defeated Flutteshy's predecessor on the moon... is it your version of Parallax?
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Actually, it's an awakening Nightmare Moon.
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And powered by the power of the Yellow Lantern, right?
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Correct. I thought she was the perfect candidate.
Sorry I took a while getting back to you with this. Nothing to blame except self-admitted laziness and wanting to read the chapter more carefully. Anyway, very good job on the exchanges, action, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Definitely appreciated the view at Fluttershy's predecessor, Grinn'Glo's final adventure (which will also be Fluttershy's FIRST adventure as a Green Lantern) - including the reflection on how bizarre this situation is as well as the danger level. Also liked the Mythology Gag to the first few minutes of Putting Your Hoof Down with Fluttershy and Paw Tamer before they encountered the dying Grinn'glo. The foreshadowing for later stories was well done too.
Definitely will be looking forward to more of this.
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As always, thank you for the comment!
Yeah, I couldn't deny that I took inspiration from Putting Your Hoof Down, though I hope Kilowog will have less of a personality deconstructing effect on her than Iron Will did. Grinn'glo was fun to write. I almost feel bad for having to kill. Maybe I'll give him a spinoff. I'm already planning one for the character who'll Penguin.
Stay tuned for more!
Fun fact about 1996:
It's the year that the comic book crossover storyline titled The Final Night was published. The storyline is notable in DC canon for the death and disputed redemption of Green Lantern Hal Jordan whose character at the time had been transformed into the villainous Parallax. Jordan's character was later restored to life and to his role as Earth's Green Lantern in the 2004 miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth.
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Rainbow Dash as the Flash goes without saying.
Wanna hear my full cast?
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I'm willing to keep guessing and get them wrong, but I suspect that because AJ is Supermare, will Braeburn be "Supercolt"?
But still so many Batmare villain roles still to fill out, you've really got me wondering who's going to end up being "Dick Grayson"
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No. I am not currently planning to give Braeburn any role.
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Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Now that's is an interesting choice! Not sure if green is Fluttershy's color though.
I'm not exactly super informed on lanterns, but I do find the spectrum interesting. I think I like Guy Gardener a bit more than Hal who I'm assuming is Fluttershy?
Also, interesting choice going with Flutters as the lantern, I was guessing Dash.
That was abin sur? Lol tbh I've never seen a lantern movie. All of my knowledge for them comes from heroclix. (Great game by the way)
We gonna see Sinestro here? He's the only villain I can really see this early.
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As always, thank you for the comment!
Fluttershy is neither Hal nor Guy. She is Fluttershy as a Green Lantern. And I chose her because as the ring puts it, being a Green Lantern is all about overcoming great fear. That's a perfect role for Fluttershy.
Sinestro won't actually appear but he will be mentioned and his influence will be felt throughout the whole Volume. More of that in Issue #3.