The Emerald Mare Vol. 1: Succession: Issue #3: The Lantern War
Fluttershy was overjoyed upon finishing her training. She believed that it would be the end of it, but once again she found her hopes shattered. The next few days on Oa was spent with grueling physical exercises. According to Kilowog, a Lantern not only had to master their ring, but also had to be in top shape.
And Kilowog wasn't going to let her out of training camp until he was sure she was fit enough and could take care of herself. A rookie Lantern dying fresh out of training was rare but not unheard of. Kilowog always took their death the hardest, which was understandable considering he trained most of them and they formed strong bonds during their training.
Even Fluttershy managed to see through the sadistic facade the alien was putting on by now. Kilowog may be hard on the rookies - which was to be expected since the Green Lanterns were supposed to face the greatest threats in the galaxy and their training had to be tough if they wanted to survive - but he had a heart of gold. Once you were out of the academy, Kilowog was the guy you always wanted to have your back.
Of course, that didn't make the physical training any less excruciating for the pegasus. Push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups only scratched the cover of the surface, try trekking up a mountain with weights the size of concrete blocks tied to your back to get the idea. Kilowog also had her carrying the same weights in the air to strengthen her wings. Fluttershy still didn't know how she had the strength and the willpower to go through it, maybe that was one of the reasons the ring chose her.
"Come on, poozer!" Kilowog encouraged her from the ground. "One more round around the field and we'll call it a day." Fluttershy groaned but managed to power through the last round with gritted teeth. "That's it, poozer! Ok, you can come down." She didn't need to be told twice. She wanted to just drop down on the ground but she knew Kilowog would disapprove, so she used the last bit of her strength to carry the weights back to the ground before finally collapsing.
"I..." Fluttershy panted. "I can't feel my wings anymore."
"You will. And stronger than ever." Kilowog encouraged as he went and helped the pony up. "Look, kid! This'll be good for your confidence too. If you're stronger, you'll have better self-esteem." What Kilowog said made sense to her, but she was just too exhausted to care. When she finally had enough strength back to lift her head, she saw the familiar figure of the first Lantern she met, Tomar-Re approaching them.
"I apologise for interrupting, but I need you to accompany me."
"You're not interrupting, Tomar. We werea just done. Right, poozer?" Kilowog asked, smacking Fluttershy on the shoulder, making her stumble. The exhausted pegasus barely had the strength to nod.
"That's good." Tomar replied. "I hope you will regain your strength quickly, Fluttershy. The Guardians themselves requested an audience with you. We shouldn't keep them waiting."
"Whoa now!" Kilowog yelled in surprise. "Tomar, she's just a rookie barely out of the academy! What could the Guardians want with her so soon?"
"I am just as surprised as you are, Kilowog." Tomar replied. "But they specifically requested to see the new Lantern of Sector 1996. For what reason, only they know. You know the Guardians work in mysterious ways."
"Sometimes too mysterious, if you ask me." Kilowog scoffed.
"Um... excuse me?" The two Lanterns looked down at Fluttershy. "Is this good or bad news?"
"Depends on what they want, really." Kilowog answered with a shrug.
"We won't know until we get there." Tomar replied. "I'm sure they wouldn't object to you tagging along as well, my friend."
"Ha!" Kilowog laughed. "I think it's best if I do. The poozer will probably feel intimidated by them all by herself!" Fluttershy didn't even hear her training officer's remark. She was too deep in her thoughts.
She was finally gonna meet the famous Guardians of the Universe. The beings that founded the Green Lantern Corps and the beings that Grinn'glo warned her about. As the three Lanterns made their way towards the meeting, Kilowog looked back at the pegasus and saw the contemplation on her face.
"Penny for your thoughts, poozer?" Kilowog's booming voice managed to snap Fluttershy out of her thoughts.
"I'm sorry?" She asked in confusion.
"It's an expression." The training officer said. "I'm just asking what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"
"Oh, umm... I'm just nervous about meeting the Guardians, I guess." She replied.
"Yeah, I suppose meeting your new bosses for the first time can make you feel uneasy." Kilowog chuckled.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy." Tomar said reassuringly. "The Guardians may seem cold at first but they are benevolent beings who always hold the interests of other creatures above all else. They are wise creatures whose advise is always trustworthy."
"It didn't sound like that not from what Grinn'glo said to me before he died." Immediately after that sentence left Fluttershy's mouth, she realised that she probably shouldn't have said that. This realisation became even more probable when she saw the other two Lanterns turn to look directly at her with surprised looks.
"What was that, poozer?" Kilowog asked curiously. Fluttershy immediately shrunk back.
"Oh, nothing." She replied, trying to dismiss it. "I'm sure it's not important."
"On the contrary." Tomar said. "A Lantern mentioning the Guardians with their dying breath is not at all common. They know we will introduce them to newcomers once they arrive. And in a negative way, no less? What exactly did he say to you?" Fluttershy looked down uncertainly. She didn't know if she should tell them. The last thing she wanted was to create tension among her new comrades. Especially after she managed to fit in finally.
"Come on, poozer! This is important!" Kilowog pressured. "If Grinn'glo knew something about the Guardians that we should know as well, you have to tell us! It could save lives." Fluttershy sighed in defeat.
"Well... He didn't say anything specific. He told me that my planet's moon was the epicenter of... whatever he was looking for there. He said 'fear will consume us all' and how 'The Guardians know the truth' before telling me to 'make them reveal the truth'. That was the last thing he said before he died." Kilowog and Tomar looked at each other.
"The truth?!" Kilowog repeated, sounding rather angry. "The truth about what?!"
"Restrain yourself, Kilowog!" Tomar said, trying to calm his colleague. "If the Guardians opted to keep information from us, I'm sure they had a very good reason for it." Kilowog narrowed his eyes at the thinner alien.
"Good reason, eh?! Of course you would say that! But if I'm reading the picture correctly here, this 'very good reason' ended up killing one of my comrades! And it could end up killing more of them!" Fluttershy found herself being scared of Kilowog once more. She had never seen him so angry. Tomar however didn't even flinch in the face of his wrath. He was probably used to it.
"Every Lantern knows the risks of belonging to the Corps, Kilowog. I know you take pride in your job training them but even your training cannot protect them form everything all the time." Once Kilowog finally calmed himself a little, Tomar turned to Fluttershy. "Convincing the Guardians to reveal anything will not be easy, but if this was Grinn'glo's last wish, I'm sure they would consider it. Now let's go!"
The three Lanterns contained their way to meet the Guardians. No more words were exchanged between them until Fluttershy noticed Kilowog's particularly gloomy expression. Her kindness once again came forward and demanded her to try and console her fellow Lantern.
"I'm sorry about Grinn'glo." She told him. Kilowog tried to remain stoic but Fluttershy coild make out the ghost of a smile forming on his face.
"You don't have to be sorry, poozer. All I can ask of you is to use his ring well and honor his memory." He replied, trying his best to hide his hurt feelings and sound encouraging. An attempt Fluttershy appreciated.
"Sounds like you two were close." Fluttershy noted in sympathy. "Did you train him too?"
"Actually no." Kilowog replied, much to Fluttershy's surprise. "He became a Lantern before my time. You see, members of Grinn'glo's race were extremely long lived. He himself was already in his 10,000s."
"10,000s?!" Fluttershy exclaimed in shock before she realised something else. "Wait did you say they were? As in past tense?" She then noticed that Kilowog's expression dropped once again.
"Afraid so. From what he told us, his species were heading towards extinction. They never even found out why. And he probably only escaped this fate because his ring took him from that moon." Fluttershy was both awed and heartbroken. To learn that there was an entire civilisation of aliens living on their moon was astounding, but to learn that they were all gone was unfathomable to her.
"So... he was the last living member of his kind?"
"That is a fair assumption." Tomar answered. "But we cannot be certain. He hasn't visited his home in centuries."
"He also told us that the Lunars as he called them had very advanced shape-shifting ability. Some of them may have fled that moon before things got too bad and settled in other worlds and disguise themselves to blend in." Kilowog added. Fluttershy's curiosity was peaked by that last part.
"Do you think there could be some of them hiding on my planet as well?" Kilowog shrugged.
"There's always a possibility. It is the closest place to their moon they could go to. But if there are any of them down there, they obviously don't want to be found." Fluttershy found herself intrigued by that mystery, but before she could give it anymore thought, the trio reached their destination. She could immediately tell it from the giant green power battery in the background.
"Well, here we are." Tomar noted. "Follow me, Fluttershy! It is time."
The pegasus walked behind the veteran Lantern into a circular area that had the Green Lantern emblem engraved onto it's huge floor with Kilowog following behind. Fluttershy looked around, observing the huge stone columns towering over them. On the top of each one, one of the blue creatures Tomar showed her when she first arrived to Oa were standing.
Even from this distance, Fluttershy could feel their looks upon herself. She felt like they were somehow evaluating her before passing judgement on her. Wether she was worthy of being a Lantern or not. It felt really awkward and the moments of silence felt like an eternity. It was almost unbearable. When the silence was finally broken, it was like a huge weight was lifted from her chest.
"Welcome, Green Lantern of Sector 1996. Please step forward." One of the guardians spoke on a wise, mentorly tone. Fluttershy looked up at Tomar who just gave her an encouraging nod. The pegasus walked up to until she was right in the middle of the Lantern symbol on the ground. She looked up at the Guardians and gathered all of her courage to speak.
"Um... Greetings, Guardians." She spoke after trying to find the right words to address them. A simple hello would have felt inappropriate. "I am Fluttershy from the planet Equus."
"Yes." One of the Guardians replied. "A planet that for all of our knowledge, we still understand very little about. It's magical energy is certainly unique in the galaxy." Fluttershy didn't know how to respond to that.
"Well... I'm afraid I cannot be of much help with that. Unicorns are far more capable in using and explaining magic. Us, pegasi are mostly just use it for controlling the weather." She explained.
"The magical capabilities of the planet Equus is not the purpose of this meeting." Another Guardian replied. "A great crisis looms upon our Corps and we believe that during his last assignment, your predecessor discovered it's source." Fluttershy's eyes widened.
"You... You already know about that?"
"Indeed." Came the answer from a third Guardian. "We felt the energy of the power ring of Sector 1996 failing. As if being drained by the very same yellow energy other Lanterns detected across the galaxy."
"But in this case, it was different." Continued the first Guardian who was standing on the stone in the middle. "The yellow energy never affected the rings of any other Lanterns in the past. At least, not this strongly."
"There is no doubt about it now." The second Guardian took over. "The epicenter of the phenomenon originates from Sector 1996. And as the new Lantern of that sector, it is your responsibility to investigate and stop it."
Fluttershy completely froze. A week ago, her biggest concern was getting Angel Bunny to eat his breakfast. Now the safety of not only her own space sector, but potentially the entire galaxy fell on her shoulder? Her doubts began to resurface and turn into outright terror. She hadn't even seen anything out there that the Green Lanterns are supposed to face? What will happen when she comes face to face with one of them?
She shook her head. No. She would not give into her fear again. Not now. Not ever again. Kilowog taught her everything she needed to know to become a Lantern, but the most important thing she learned was how to keep her fear in check. Overcoming great fear was the very essence of becoming a Green Lantern. That ability was how the ring chose it's new owner. And the ring never made a mistake in that regard.
She looked back at Kilowog and Tomar. The bulky training officer gave her a firm, encouraging look. The message was clear. He knew what Fluttershy had to do and so did she. And Tomar, while initially hesitant about the idea, now also looked firmly in favour of Fluttershy presenting the issue to the Guardians. The encouragement of her comrades was all she needed. She returned their steely gaze and turned back to the Guardians.
"I am aware. And I believe I have something that can help with the investigation. Or more specifically, you do." Fluttershy sensed the Guardians' confusion and for a few moments, no one spoke. The blue aliens shared glances with each other before turning back to Fluttershy.
"Specify!" There was no anger of offense on their voice, just plain inquiry.
"Before he died, my predecessor, Grinn'glo revealed to me the findings of his investigation. While he didn't mention anything specific, he did say the phenomenon indeed centered around the moon of my home planet. And he also said that you know the truth about what is going on and asked me, with his dying breath to make you reveal the truth. I believe it will be vital to stopping this threat." Fluttershy had no idea she even knew such words. She never speaked so formally in her life, but if what Tomar said was true, then she should give the Guardians their due respect. The aliens once again shared troubled glances with each other, but this time, Fluttershy felt nervousness and uncertainty among them.
"You have no idea what you ask of us, Fluttershy." One of them finally replied. Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply, but she never got the chance.
"So it IS true!" Kilowog bellowed as he marched up next to Fluttershy and pointed up at the Guardians accusingly. "I don't care what kind of secrets you're hiding from the rest of the galaxy, but when it starts concerning the lives of my Lanterns, I won't stand for it!" The other two Lanterns were shocked by this outburst. They knew Kilowog was temperamental, but to see him blow up at the Guardians themselves like this was shocking.
"This matter goes far beyond the lives of our agents, Kilowog." A Guardian responded. Once again, he showed no anger or resentment at the harsh tone, but kept maintaining his neutrality. "The stability of our entire Corps could be jeopardised if this was revealed. Not to mention the safety of the entire galaxy." Fluttershy felt a surprising boldness rise inside her and knew this was the moment she had to step in.
"With all due respect, Guardians, the safety of the galaxy is already in turmoil. You said it yourselves. You hold the knowledge we need to stop it. If you don't reveal it to us, we will not be able to do it." Seeing the determination of his comrades gave Tomar the strength to step forward and voice his opinion on the matter.
"I believe they are speaking the truth. How are we supposed to battle something we do not understand. If that knowledge can help us save the galaxy, we will need to hear it." The Guardians shared another glance with each other in contemplation. This time Fluttershy felt conflict among them. They didn't mask their feelings very well. Some of them felt like they were in favor of the revelation but she didn't know if it will be enough so she decided to throw in her own two bits.
"You owe Grinn'glo's memory that much." She said to the Guardian in the middle. All other gaze fell upon him, anticipating his reply. His expression remained stoic and he didn't break eye contact with Fluttershy even for a second, but eventually he spoke.
"What we are about to tell you is out of absolute necessity and is to be treated with the utmost discretion. Once this crisis has been averted, we will hold a discussion on whether or not we should make it public knowledge." It was the three Lanterns' turn to share glances. It was evident from their looks that they weren't happy on being forced to keep the Guardians' dirty secrets to themselves but they were both eager to learn what it was and find out how they can use that knowledge to finally solve this crisis. They looked back up at the Guardians and nodded.
"As you are aware, creating the Green Lantern Corps was not our first attempt to bring order to the galaxy." The Guardians began their tale. Tomar nodded again.
"Yes. We are aware of the story behind the Manhunters."
"The poozer is not, Tomar!" Kilowog scoffed. Tomar looked down at Fluttershy and sure enough, her face showed confusion about what he just mentioned.
"Oh, I apologise. I forgot." Tomar said sheepishly. "You see, Fluttershy, before the Green Lanterns, the Guardians created the Manhunters. A force of law enforcing automatons with no emotions. Just pure logic." Fluttershy tilted her head.
"Auto... what?"
"Robots." Kilowog clarified. Fluttershy was in awe upon hearing that. She had never seen a robot before but she knew what they were. And to imagine an entire galactic police force of them was both marvelous and terrifying.
"So what happened? If they were replaced by us, obviously something went wrong." Tomar nodded.
"The Guardians did indeed realise that soulless machines were inadequate at carrying out justice. Though, the exact reason was never made public."
"You are correct, Tomar-Re." The Guardians continued. "But now, we shall. For you to understand the situation we are facing, it is vital we start with the reason the Manhunters were discarded." Fluttershy noticed that Tomar and Kilowog both put on curious expressions when they heard that. They must have been interested in that story for a long time.
"It is true that we believed that machines uncorrupted by emotions would be capable of making the best choices to keep up the law based on nothing but pure logic." Another Guardian continued before his expression turned grim. "But the Manhunters showed us in the most dire way possible that the logical choice is not alway the just choice."
"I don't like where this is going." Kilowog muttered and Fluttershy couldn't help but agree.
"The Manhunters were indeed operating with flawless logic and no emotion. And that meant they felt no remorse and no concern for the life of other creatures when they decided that the surest way to prevent crime is to make sure there were no living beings that can commit it." The three Lanterns on the ground all widened their eyes in horror. They all knew what that meant. And from the horror on their faces, the Guardians knew they understood. "Yes. The Manhunters decided to wipe out all living beings in the galaxy."
"We did everything we could to stop them." Another Guardian continued. "But by the time we succeeded, many have already paid the price for our greatest mistake." Fluttershy only wanted to know one thing.
"How many?" Another wave of unbearable silence descended upon the group. The Guardians' faces hardened. It was obvious that the next part is not one they talked about easily.
"The population of Sector 666 has been all but completely eradicated." Fluttershy heard her fellow Lanterns collectively gasping next to her. If it was possible, they looked even more horrified than before. She didn't know how many innocent beings that meant, but it was clear to her that there were many.
"All of an entire space sector? Just gone?" Kilowog stuttered. The fact that her formerly unflinching training officer lost all of his composure told Fluttershy all she needed to about just how serious this was.
"The Manhunters slayed billions of beings in their relentless crusade." The Guardians continued. "By the time we stopped them, only a handful of individuals remained." Fluttershy joined her colleagues in gasping. Billions of beings? Equestria where she lived was a haven of harmony and peace. She couldn't even recall a war bring thought in recent history on her planet, so a massacre on that level was unfathomable to her.
"It remains our biggest mistake to this date." Another Guardian took over. "It served as a cruel lesson that emotion was indispensable for galactic peacekeeping and law enforcement." Once the three Lanterns let this horrible story sink in, Kilowog was the first one to speak.
"But what does this have to do with our current crisis?" He asked.
"Everything." A Guardian replied. "One of the survivors of the massacre, a being named Atros, felt such unmitigated rage and hatred towards us for what happened that he dedicated his entire existence to have vengeance on us. After we have established the Green Lantern Corps, he managed to do what only we have accomplished before. He reached into the Emotional Spectrum and created a power battery for the red light of rage."
"He created another Lantern Corps?!" Tomar asked in utter disbelief.
"That was his aim." The Guardians confirmed. "However, we managed to prevent it from happening. The Green Lantern Corps was just established by then. Finding individuals with enough willpower was a time consuming task. But beings with rage and hate are far easier to find. While our numbers were still extremely limited, we had to turn all of our resources on stopping him. While we succeeded once more, many Green Lanterns fell against his madness."
"And what happened to Atros?" Fluttershy asked. Despite the horrors she just learned, she couldn't help but pity him. He lost everything to the Guardians' mistake. As much as she was against senseless violence and negative emotions like rage, she had to admit that his anger was justified.
"What happens to everyone apprehended by the Green Lantern Corps. He was imprisoned in one of our sciencells." Came the reply.
"I still don't see how this is relevant to out crisis." Kilowog complained.
"Patience, Kilowog!" The Guardians chided. "The story continues, for Atros was not the only one to create his own Power Battery. Despite our best efforts to cover up the incident, a group of engineers on the planet Qwaard learned about the truth. They quickly realised the potential in owning one themselves so they forged a battery and managed harness the yellow light of fear." The three Lantern's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding.
"Yellow light?!" Tomar exclaimed. "That is the yellow light we have been researching in the past months?"
"Yes." Came the blunt confirmation from the blue aliens. "Once we learned of the existence of the yellow power battery, we sent a squad of elite Lanterns to Qward to retrieve it and arrest it's creators. Once they completed their mission, we have sworn them to secrecy. We have learned our grave lesson from the war against Atros, the Red Lantern. If our enemies learned of this battery, they would no doubt use it against us as well. We had to keep it's existence a secret." Unlike the incident with the Manhunters, Fluttershy actually understood why the Guardians would want to keep this covered up. But given the recent events that were occurring in the galaxy, it seemed like they didn't do a good job this time.
"But I suppose it didn't take, did it?" Kilowog asked sarcastically. The Guardians' expressions once again turned sour.
"Our enemies remained none the wiser of the existence of the yellow power battery. But one of our own was not so ignorant." This struck all three of the Lanterns, but none were more struck than Kilowog.
"Hold on! Are you saying that the mess we are in right now is the doing of one of our own?!"
Betrayal in the Corps was extremely rare, but once again, not unheard of. It was the one thing the angered Kilowog beyond compare. He dedicated his life to his Lanterns. To make sure they were prepared for everything the galaxy had to throw at them. He would have died for his Lanterns and in return, he expected nothing less. Betrayal was unforgivable in his eyes. And he could only recall one Lantern who committed such atrocity against the core.
"It was him, wasn't he?" He asked as he looked up at the Guardians with a steely gaze.
"Your intuition is correct, Kilowog." They replied. "The yellow light of fear was discovered and utilised by Thaal Sinestro." Fluttershy could see Kilowog's fist balling up into a fist at the mention of that name.
"Um... Excuse me?" She interrupted, giving way to her usual shy demeanor. "Who is that?" Tomar knew this was a sour topic for Kilowog, so he gave the explanation to the pegasus.
"There was a time when Thaal Sinestro was considered to be the finest Green Lantern to ever wield a ring."
"Yeah, until we found out he was an arrogant, power hungry, traitorous prick!" Kilowog added with palpable disdain in his voice. "The bastard used his power to enslave his home planet, Korugar and then he tried to overthrow the Guardians." Fluttershy couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't imagine anyone on her home planet trying to do anything similar to Princess Celestia.
"Why?"
"According to him, the Guardians were too soft and passive in their actions against galactic threats." Kilowog answered. "Apparently the power he's attained while ruling his homeworld went to his head and decided he could do a better job at running the Corps." He then turned back to the Guardians. "Why are we even discussing this? I thought we agreed that traitors don't deserve to have their names spoken. Besides, he's dead anyway."
"No, Kilowog, he is not." Was the reply. This greatly confused Kilowog and Tomar. The Guardians always told them that Sinestro's takeover ended in his failure and his death. Unless...
"Oh, I get it." Kilowog growled. "Another of your little secrets?"
"Unfortunately, yes." The Guardians replied shamefully. "You see, Sinestro managed to do what Atrocitus couldn't before him. He actually managed to create his own Lantern Corps." The Guardians allowed the three Lanterns to recover from their shock before continuing.
"Sinestro managed to lure several of our Lanterns to his side and with them and several other fearsome recruits, he formed the Sinestro Corps, wielding the yellow energy of fear." Kilowog snorted.
"The Sinestro Corps. Leave it someone with his ego to name an entire Corps after himself." The Guardians ignored his remark and continued.
"With his new Corps at his side, Sinestro attempted to wage war against us and take our place as defenders of the universe. Once again, we enlisted the help of an elite task force of our finest Lanterns. Their experience and masterful willpower, they were more than a match for the ambitious youths and ill disciplined monsters of his Corps and managed to defeat the traitor and his followers. Most of them fell in the battle. And once again our surviving Lanterns were sworn to secrecy."
"Unfortunately, our sciencells would not have been sufficient to keep Sinestro prisoner. He used to be a Green Lantern. He knew everything about how they worked. He would have no doubt been able to break out. We needed to resolve to more drastic measures this time. The traitor was banished to the anti-matter universe." Another Guardian finished. Fluttershy gulped. She took history lessons as well throughout her training and knew that this wasn't a pleasant fate.
"We then attempted to seize every yellow power ring they have created. However, we have been unsuccessful. Some of them are still out there in the galaxy, looking for new recruits who have the ability to instill great fear."
And in that moment when the story was concluded, everything piece of the puzzle fell into it's place for the Lanterns. They finally understood what they were up against. The Sinestro Corps was making a comeback. And if that came to pass, it would spell disaster not only to the Green Lanterns, but all of the galaxy as well.
Fluttershy just stared in front of herself. Just when she finally came to terms with the whole Green Lantern, she was tasked with an assignment that was possibly the most important one a Lantern could face. She felt her nervousness slowly returning. The fact that the Guardians directly addressed her when they spoke next didn't help.
"Now that you know the truth, Fluttershy, you understand exactly what it is you have to look for. The surge of yellow energy is the strongest on your planet's moon. Are you aware of any beings connected to it that could be a worthy recruit of the Sinestro Corps?"
Fluttershy thought for a while. As far as she knew, there were no beings living on her moon. Let alone one that could instill great fear in others. But her train of thought came to a screeching halt when she realised something. That description was awfully similar to...
No. That wasn't possible. It was only a myth. But on the other hoof, she wasn't a strong believer of aliens either before she fell into a whole universe of them. So was it really such a huge stretch that the Mare in the Moon could be real as well?
"Well, Fluttershy? Have you come to a conclusion?" The Guardians asked upon seeing the realisation on her face. Fluttershy was uncertain if she should share this with them. After all, as far as she knew, it was still only s myth. And the last thing she wanted was to have the Lanterns chase false leads.
But at the same time, all the signs were there. There was something on her moon. Something that struck fear into the hearts of others. Fear so powerful that it managed to reach into the emotional spectrum and draw it's yellow light towards itself. And in that moment, Fluttershy somehow knew that her theory was correct. The Mare in the Moon was real and the yellow light of fear was calling out to her. And that was something they needed to prevent at all costs.
"Yes. I believe I have." She replied, finally making her mind up. She told the Guardians the legend she knew. About the two magical princesses who ruled Equestria until one became envious of the other's sun and bitter when she thought ponies weren't appreciating her nighttime. So she tried to overthrow the princess of the sun and throw her world into an eternal night, forcing her fellow princess to banish her to the moon. The Guardians and her fellow Lanterns listened to her story with varying levels of interest.
"Hmph. Sounds like a story to scare small children into not getting out after their bedtime to me." Kilowog scoffed.
"I used to think the same." Fluttershy replied. "But after everything I've seen since I've become a Green Lantern, it doesn't seem so unbelievable to me. Besides, can you imagine anything else on my moon that could potentially draw so much fear? At this point, I am more than convinced that the story is true and the being we're looking for is Nightmare Moon!"
"Very well, Fluttershy." The Guardians replied. "Sector 1996 is under your jurisdiction. If you believe this legend is worthy investigating, then we will trust your judgement." Fluttershy was relieved to hear that. The Guardians' trust meant so much to her that it quickly restored her confidence.
"Thank you, Guardians." She told them, bowing respectfully. "I won't let you down."
"We have faith in you, Green Lantern of Sector 1996." They replied. "Good luck."
"Well, that was quite unexpected, wouldn't you agree?" Tomar asked as the trio of Lanterns walked away from the meeting. Fluttershy didn't really know what to expect from this meeting, so she couldn't really tell. Kilowog didn't reply either. The two other Lanterns looked at him to see that he was deep in his thoughts with an unreadable expression, but it was clear he was very unhappy with the things he just learned.
"Very." He eventually replied with a bitter growl before he turned to Fluttershy. "Well, poozer, I belive congratulations are in order. Barely out of the academy and you already have your first major Lantern assignment. And not even a small one at that. If you come back alive, I will be extremely proud." Fluttershy knew that he was just teasing her, but she still became worried. Not because of Kilowog's words, but because of the training officer's face. It looked very glum and lacked any of his usual enthusiasm.
"Um... Will you be ok?" She asked in concern. Kilowog just waved dismissively.
"I'll be fine." He tried reassure, but he could see that the others weren't buying it. He sighed. "Look, poozer, I appreciate your concern, but right now, I just need a little space. No pun intended." He then turned to leave before looking back over his shoulder. "Don't forget to charge your ring before you go. Wouldn't want it to run out of juice in the cold of space now, would you?" Fluttershy and Tomar watched him leave but his reassurance did little to ease their concern.
"Is he gonna be ok, Tomar?" Fluttershy asked. "He seems to be taking what we just learned very hard." Tomar nodded sadly.
"I am not surprised. He and Sinestro were close friends. His betrayal affected him much more than the rest of us. To learn that he is still alive after all this time can't be easy for him." He then turned back to Fluttershy. "But I am more concerned about you. You are heading out on your first Lantern assignment. With high stakes as well. Are you nervous?" Fluttershy shook her head.
"Not anymore. Kilowog taught me everything I need to know in order to survive. I guess the fear of failure is still there, but who wouldn't be afraid of that?"
"Fear is not inherently a bad thing." Tomar said. "It is the perennial motivator. Pushing us far beyond our limits while also keeping us from acting irrationally. But we cannot allow anyone to take advantage of our fear. Especially with an opponent whose power is fueled by it. Kilowog has taught you everything it takes to be a Lantern. But controlling your emotions, including your fear is something you have to learn yourself." Fluttershy nodded.
"I understand, Tomar. Thank you for everything. And please tell Kilowog I thank him too."
"I shall." Tomar smiled. "Now go. Your sector needs you. As does the entire galaxy."
Fluttershy summoned her power battery and charged her ring for the long way back home. She still wasn't quite sure what to expect at the end of this journey, but she knew one thing. She will no longer take it as the scared, timid little pegasus she was before getting her ring. As her green glowing form ascended into the air and took off into space, she made another vow. She will learn to control her fear. She will never again succumb to her doubts. She will conquer her worries. For she was a Green Lantern. And that's what the very definition of being one. Almost as if sensing her determination, Tomar watched her leave with a proud smile, knowing that everything will be fine.
"Good luck. Green Lantern of Sector 1996."
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Excellent job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in this chapter. Definitely appreciated Fluttershy's frustrations concerning the exercise before she went with Kilowog and Tomar Re to talk to the Guardians concerning the last thing her predecessor said before she got the ring. And the foreshadowing concerning the other Lunars and information concerning the Corps' beginnings as well as the issues concerning Atrocitius and Sinestro were also pretty well done too. And Fluttershy is about to start her investigation into Nightmare Moon.
REALLY looking forward to the next chapter.
So, it's going to be Flutters who researches NightMare Moon, learns about the EoH, and the gathering of friends so as to activate them so they can defeat NMM...
Oh, but Flutter's EoH seems to look just like a yellow power ring for some reason.
Eh--probably nothing to worry about. It was just a parting gift contribution to the EoH 1000 years ago when Luna was transformed
--courtesy of Luna's use of the Element of Laughter 
*slow claps*
Good job Guardians, you're a credit to the universe you're trying to protect.
You know it's funny, but thinking about it, Flurrtershy fits right in with Lantern Corps considering they already have a bunch of different species.
Uh oh.
https://youtu.be/VM3uXu1Dq4c
https://youtu.be/VM3uXu1Dq4c
I'll reserve my judgment until the end, but I really feel like this arc might piss me off.
Fingers crossed it doesn't.
Good conversation here tho.
11652486
As always, thank you for the comment!
Yeah, the Guardians are prone to screwing things up for everyone in the galaxy. No wonder they have so many enemies.
Now why would you assume that the rest of this volume will awaken hostility inside you?
11652494
Luna is my universe. Very much like a little sister I feel I have to protect and defend no matter the cost. Your handling of her in your previous two stories was... lacking in my opinion.
I don't expect she'll get much respect here, as I'm certain at this point you don't care for her very much.
If she's not around at all, that's fine. If she's... Hmmm disrespected, it bothers me.
11652505
I will admit I didn't use Luna as often or as well as I could have in the Unfriendship saga. I can't say she'll be a major player in this, but I hope you will be more satisfied with her portrayal. I do have a role for her in mind but I'm still struggling whether to give that to her or to Spitfire after I'm done with her in The Fastest Mare Alive Vol. 1.
https://youtu.be/J5k8ZQsZJpk?feature=shared