With Blood and Rage of Crimson Red

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Adagio Dazzle blew fumes out of her nose, breathing heavily as she stomped down the streets, with Aria and Sonata in tow. Ever since the Battle of the Bands, none of them could let go of the fact that the Rainbooms had taken their singing powers away and left them without any food. Their entire way of life had been shattered into millions of tiny pieces of glass, that were being stepped on and broken down each and every passing second with debts, mortgages, and food on their minds.

"It's just not fair!" Adagio spluttered. "Those Rainbooms were at our mercy! We had them right where we wanted them!"

"Adagio, I know you're upset about this whole thing, but you're just beating a dead horse with a stick at this point." Aria dully tipped her hand and gave Adagio an emotionless stare. "Don't get me wrong, I'm angry as well about this whole thing too. Those Rainbabies cheated their way to victory with their cutesy friendship nonsense."

"It's not just the Rainbooms winning that makes me angry, Aria." Adagio, still blowing her nose in fury, turned back towards her sisters. "We had everything we could have ever wanted with our singing powers, and those snot-nosed, inconsiderate, unintelligent gorilla stole everything that we knew and loved!" She stamped her stilettos into the ground as hard as she could, impaling a crushed can of soda. Letting another groan slip, she lifted her foot and ripped the can off. "Ever second I think about it, I just... I... Graagh!"

"Adagio? You might wanna consider calming down a bit." Sonata meekly lifted her finger. "You're turning into a tomato with how red your face is."

"Oh, shut the hell up, Sonata! You're angry about this too, admit it!" Adagio roared at Sonata, wanting so much to tackle her there and then. "Those Rainbooms cost us our powers, our house, our adoration, and everything that we've ever loved in this pathetic world! That includes your plushie collection!"

Sonata let out a gasp and recoiled in horror. "No! Not my plushies!"

"Prepare to say goodbye to them all, Sonata!" Adagio threw her arms backwards. "Because with all of this money we've gotta pay and with no way of getting it all done in time, we're basically screwed royally in every way possible! And it's all the Rainbooms' fault!"

"Mr. Cuddles, Sweetie Poo, Slippery the Snake... All of them are gonna go away." Sonata looked down at the ground and trembled her hands briefly. She soon make fists out of her quivering hands and looked up with a seething frown on her face. "Sunset Shimmer and all of her friends are going to pay. Either with cash, or with their own blood!"

"Dear goddess, Sonata!" Aria jumped at the sight of Sonata's newfound rage. "I never expected you to get that mad about it!"

"Well, then consider yourself surprised, Aria, because this is me when I'm angry!" Sonata cracked her knuckles. "Adagio's right. We're washed up, we're about to lose everything, and the Rainbooms are at fault here! We were just doing what we did to survive and feast off of negative energy, and those rotten little girls decided to mess it all up!"

"And as much as I would like to go back up to the Rainbooms and make them suffer for what they did to the three of us, we're not only powerless, but the students of Canterlot High would see us coming a mile away. So not only are we in this horrible position, but we can't take our revenge on them." Adagio thrust her neck towards the sky and screamed as loudly as she could. "WILL THIS WORLD FORSAKE US ANY FURTHER?!"

Adagio and the other sirens were met with a small wind blustering through their hairs. The three of them waited for something. A sign, a voice, a sound, something that would give them a chance at their vengeance. But in the darkness of the night and the silence of the world around them, the Dazzlings found absolutely nothing.

Adagio herself eventually felt her fury wash away as her hands and eyes opened wide. Some small tears began to drip down onto the ground as she sniffled and hung her head in shame, kneeling down onto the floor with her hands planted firmly on the frigid pavement. She tried to woman up and calm down, but no matter what, she couldn't help but cry over everything that had happened. All of it had come and gone and her life was officially over.

"Adagio Dazzle... I can feel you and your sisters' plight."

All of a sudden, a massive black hole opened up in front of the girls, with a burning red ring around it. From the void, a giant red humanoid dressed in volcanic plates and red earth pieces stepped towards the Dazzlings. He wore a red ring around his finger which shared the same sigil as the logo on his breastplate. A black cat dressed in red armour floated by his side, purring gently as it followed its' master towards the Dazzlings.

"Deep in your hearts, I can feel your rage burning as bright as the fires of Ysmault, and I simply can't ignore it." He walked up to Adagio and used one finger to lift her head up to face his. "You and your sisters, Aria and Sonata feel like you have been wronged."

"How could you tell?" Aria crossed her arms and stared bug-eyed at the alien. "And for that matter, who the heck are you?"

"My name is Atrocitus, and I am the leader of the Red Lantern Corps." He put his hand on his chest. "Whenever someone feels rage beyond belief, I see an opportunity for them. And your rage seems one of the greatest that I've seen in years. The rage of losing everything. Believe me, I know what you're feeling right now."

"What do you want with us? Can't you see that we're completely out of luck?" Adagio wiped some of the remaining tears from her eyes as she stared at Atrocitus.

"The pain of loss stings the most when it takes everything you hold dear." Atrocitus petted the flying cat, hearing it purr as he let it go again. "But it's how you cope with that loss that defines you. I took the loss of my family with great fury, and as such, became the leader of the Red Lantern Corps for it."

"What do you know of our suffering?" asked Adagio, tilting her head to the side.

"I lost everything myself back on my home, Ryut." Atrocitus snarled, tightening the grip on his hand. "The Guardians tore everything that I loved from me with their horrific assault on my home. My family, my friends, ALL of them were wiped out. Except for me," he said. "I've been in your position. I know the pain that roars deep in your hearts. And I think that you would be perfect material for my cause." He looked down into his hands and spawned three rings similar to his own.

"Red rings?" Sonata stepped up to Atrocitus and gave one of the rings a gentle poke. "Uh, I'm sorry mr big, scary, alien volcano man, but what are these going to do for us?"

"These are red power rings. If you wear one, you become a Red Lantern, like myself." Atrocitus lifted the rings into the air and hovered them over towards the Dazzlings. "Not only will your power increase ten-thousand fold with these rings on your fingers, but you will also be able to join my corps, and take your vengeance on those who so wronged you." He dropped the rings into the Dazzlings' hands. "Allow me to give you a fraction of these rings' power."

Atrocitus turned towards a building scheduled for demolition and flew over to it, conjuring a massive red cannon. Aiming it at the empty building, he launched a massive red fireball at the building, causing the building to explode and spread pieces of rubble around the area, as nothing more than flames lay in the site's wake.

"Whoa..." The Dazzlings all watched the fires burn and took a look down at the rings. It only took them a few moments of pondering before they finally reached a decision. Wicked smirks began to form on their faces as they turned back towards Atrocitus, who walked back towards the three of them.

"Now then." Atrocitus walked back over to the Dazzlings. "What do you think?"

"If we put these rings on, will we be able to take our revenge on the Rainbooms?" Adagio asked, holding the ring in her thumb and index finger.

"The Red Lantern Corps' goal is to punish any and all creatures that wrong the people of the universe," Atrocitus stated. "If these so-called Rainbooms left you like this, then we will be sure to add them to the list of the various perpetrators worthy of our rage's wrath."

"Well, that's all I needed to hear." Aria wasted no time slipping the red ring onto her finger. "Count me in, Atrocitus."

"Me too." Sonata nodded and put her red ring on.

"After seeing that power and being promised a chance to knock the Rainbooms down a peg, why wouldn't we choose to have these?" Adagio's coy attitude returned as she put the ring on with a devilish smile on her mouth.

All three of the Dazzlings watched their rings emanate and launch a red wisp into each of their mouths. As soon as they inhaled the balls of magic, the three girls fell to their knees as an otherworldly pain wrapped around their bodies, making them glow. Their eyes and mouths turned into shimmering spotlights as they grasped at the ground.

"Rage like that is hard to come by, Dazzlings." Atrocitus smiled as the Dazzlings' clothes began to transform. They all gained red and black spandex suits with the Red Lantern emblem in their chests, along with crimson boots and gloves. To finish off, their faces all gained red masks that only covered their eyes. "Now. Rise to your feet, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. Rise, and serve the Red Lantern Corps!"

A ferocious explosion of red light burst out of the Dazzlings and blazed down the streets, lighting up everything around it. Some faint roars could be heard in the burst of red light, but then quickly died down as the light receded.

The Dazzlings all stood before Atrocitus and his pet cat with smiles on their face as they coiled their hands into fists. Their new red lantern rings glowed warmly and gave the three of them a faint aura. They all rubbed their rings gently, reaching out as they created perfect replicas of their equestrian forms, but all coloured red, with the red lantern emblem in their chests instead of their old pendants.

"Now tell me," said Atrocitus, walking up to his three new Red Lanterns. "How do you feel?"

Adagio lifted her hand into the air, causing her red hippocampus to fly up. After bringing it back down with the swing of her hand, she ended up creating a massive hole in the road. Smiling at her power, she turned back to Atrocitus and said; "Oh, I feel wonderful, Atrocitus. I feel so strong, so powerful. No amount of our old magic could ever compare to this..."

"Then it is time for your initiation." Atrocitus opened up the black hole again and walked over towards it. "Follow me through the portal, and we shall welcome you into the Red Lantern Corps with open arms. And together, we shall strike down all of those who have wronged us. The Guardians, the Sinestro Corps, and the Rainbooms!"

Adagio and the others held hands and floated in the air, following Atrocitus through the black vortex. Their sadistic smiles never left their faces as they travelled through the darkness with their new master, leaving no traces of themselves once the portal closed.

Atrocitus and the Dazzlings soon appeared on a hellish red planet, with rivers of lava flowing all around them. A blood red sky filled the air and the earth around them was painted shades of scarlet, auburn, and maroon. A giant red lantern sat in the middle of a moat of lava, with various other Red Lanterns floating around it. Some were different animals, some of them had wings, but all of them shared the same suit colours and red power rings.

"Where are we?" Adagio asked, looking around at her new surroundings. "Something tells me that we're not on that miserable human world anymore..."

"You are right to assume that, Adagio." Atrocitus nodded. "This is the home of the Red Lanterns. I bid you and your sisters welcome; to Ysmault!" He extended his arms out to the sides and lifted them into the air, causing pillars of flame to erupt from the lava around them.

"Atrocitus. Who are these creatures?" A red lantern with boney wings and a black winged mask flew over towards Atrocitus. "They don't seem worthy of Red Lantern status to me! Send them back!"

"Calm yourself, Bleez. These are our newest recruits." Atrocitus put his hand on Bleez's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. They are a collective unit known as the Dazzlings, and their rage is incredibly strong; almost as powerful as mine."

"Even so, the Red Lantern Corps can't win against the guardians with such weak humans like this on the team!" Bleez stared down the Dazzlings, who all bore their rings towards her. "This whole thing makes me so mad that I could crush a mountain with my—"

"Save it, Bleez." A Red Lantern with hair made entirely out of flames flew up to Bleez and Atrocitus. He looked down on the Dazzlings, who all flew up towards them. "Master Atrocitus never chooses wrong. These three wouldn't be here if he hadn't shown an interest in them." He turned to face the Dazzlings. "So, go on, you three. What makes you so angry?"

"The Rainbooms. They took everything from us and left us in shambles." Adagio Dazzle looked the human in the eyes. "The Battle of the Bands was where we flourished, and after losing it to a bunch of punk teenagers, we couldn't afford to pay our rents, handle bills, or even get the food we need to survive."

"Basically, those stupid teenagers ruined our lives, and the Red Lantern Corps is going to put us back on the path to prosperity." Aria Blaze butted in and pushed Aria and Sonata aside. "And whatever this Bleez chick thinks about us, she can save it for ourselves. We've got a score to settle, and we're not gonna quit the Red Lanterns any time soon."

"Grrr..." Bleez growled and made her wings glow bright red.

"Don't mind her punk attitude. You'll get used to it." The human flew in front of Bleez and shook each of the Dazzlings' hands. "Name's Jack Moore, but you can call me Rankorr. Always nice to have another red on the team."

"Anyway. It is time for the three of you to go through training." Atrocitus flew up to the Dazzlings. "It is a necessary procedure for all new Red Lanterns to undergo a rigorous training exercise, before being fully inducted into the Corps. Your training begins momentarily. Until then, be sure to get to know the rest of the Corps. They might be tough nuts, but we're all a joint unit. We all let our rage drive ourselves to victory against the wrongdoers of the universe."

"Understood, Atrocitus." The Dazzlings bowed before their new master.

"Come, Dex-Starr." Atrocitus took his cat companion and flew off towards another part of Ysmault. We must prepare the training grounds for our new recruits."

As Atrocitus flew off, The Dazzlings looked up at the rest of the Red Lantern Corps. Some of them turned their heads—Bleez for example—while others couldn't help but stare at them. Despite what they looked like or if they were giving them the cold shoulder, the three sirens all knew that they were going to be stuck with them for a long time.

"So. Who wants to introduce themselves next?" Adagio asked the crowd of Red Lanterns.

Ripped From a Corpse So Freshly Dead

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"So. You're Master Atrocitus's newest Red Lanterns?" A goat-headed creature hovered towards the Dazzlings. The horns on his head curved backwards towards the sky and his head almost resembled that of a skull with how tight the flesh on it was. "Then allow me to inform you all right now. Your past lives are over. Whatever you have experienced before hand is no longer relevant."

"Indeed. All that matters now is your loyalty and obedience to Master Atrocitus." An oversized head without a body flew over to them all. He had jagged teeth, short and stumpy arms and legs, and the Red Lantern symbol on his forehead. "Once you have your initiation, your rage will become your greatest weapon of all."

"They won't last a second. This is a waste of time." Bleez turned her back to the rest of the corps. "We should just take their rings now and get it over with."

"Silence, Bleez!" The head turned towards her and gnashed his teeth at her. "Give them a chance. It's been less than a few minutes since Atrocitus gave them the rings and now you're saying they're not up for the task?"

"You might be a Havanian Princess, but in the Red Lantern Corps, royalty is invalid," said the goat-head creature. "Your only purpose is to serve the corps without question, much like these three new recruits here." He turned back to the Dazzlings. "I must apologize for Bleez. Out of all of the Red Lanterns, she seems to let her rage get to her almost every second. And while it does make her a strong fighter, it doesn't really do wonders for her outside of combat."

"Kinda like Aria!" Sonata chirped.

"She is NOT like me, Sonata!" Aria growled. "For the record, I'm much more good-looking than her."

"You dare compare your beauty to me?! Havanian royalty?!" Bleez snarled at the Dazzlings.

"Yeah, we do. Because we don't look like some terrible comic book villain who hides behind a mask." Aria crossed her arms. "Unlike you, we're not afraid to show off our beautiful faces to the public."

"You little runts!" Bleez knocked heads with Aria, gnashing her teeth as the muscles in her face tightened "I shall end you!"

"LADIES!" The goat conjured a massive red butcher knife and slashed it down right where the girls' heads met, knocking them apart. "Save your anger for the battlefield. What good is rage if you expend it all here on Ysmault and leave none for your enemies?"

"Ugh! You won't hear the last of this, worms!" Bleez growled, tightened her hands into fists, and flew off into the distance.

"Bleez is a Red Lantern unlike any we have ever seen." The goat-faced being said. "Whereas most of us keep our rage in check most of the time on Ysmault, she is one of the most aggressive Red Lanterns we have ever seen. Often at times, Master Atrocitus likes to invoke her fury and see whether or not it can match his own."

"And most of the time, he and Dex-Starr end up mopping the floor with her." Rankorr crossed his arms. "Honestly, she should learn to keep her mouth shut unless she's fighting."

"Good to know." Adagio watched Bleez disappear from her sight. "And she's royalty? She seems more like a whiny teenage brat to me."

"And trust me, we've been around Equestria. We KNOW what royalty is." Aria's eyebrows flared up as she looked down at her tightened fists. "Why, it was a princess that ripped us of our powers in the first place!"

"And that very same princess is the reason Master Atrocitus found you three, I'll hazard a guess." The goat being put his fingers to his chin and gently pinched it. "Most of the Red Lanterns join Atrocitus's corps purely because they have had everything taken away from someone horrific. We as a unified team shall strike down the heathens that wrong each of our new members, no matter what challenges that they might impose on us."

"Sounds like this group could be just what we needed, girls!" Sonata wiggled her hips and smiled at the other Dazzlings. "We needed revenge against the Rainbooms and some new powers too. And already, these Red Lantern guys and gals seems to really get us!"

"Now then, we really should be getting back to introductions, now that the rings are wrapped around your fingers." The goat knelt before them. "My name is Skallox. I am one of Atrocitus's strongest warriors. Alongside Bleez, I am his right-hand man."

"Mine is Zilius Zox," said the floating head with arms and legs. "And don't let my body fool you. On the fields of battle, I prove to be a viable asset when it comes to massacring my opponents."

"And I... am Nite-Lik." A Red Lantern with a blue glowing head with an eyeball poking out of his forehead flew up towards the Dazzlings. Pieces of a human skeleton were wrapped around his body like a war harness, and he had luminescent cyan claws. "Now then. Let's see what Master Atrocitus fished out this time." Six tendrils broke out of his body—four from his back, and one from each of his hands. The tendrils bit into the Dazzlings' arms like snake bites and held them up before him. "Hmm... Human. Not what I would have expected for Red Lantern material, but at the same time, I feel some otherworldly powers seeping from your bodies, interlacing with that of your Red Lantern Rings."

"That would probably be our siren powers." Sonata raised a finger.

"Siren powers?" Nite-Lik tilted his head to the side. "How odd. What do you mean by that, ladies?"

"Sonata!" Adagio snarled at her, then turned to face Nite-lik. "What she means to say is that we're not even from this human world you think we're from. We're from another planet called Equestria."

"Over there, everyone's a talking pony with either wings, horns, none, or both at the same time." Aria twisted her wrist and rolled her eyes. "Kinda boring when you get down to it, really."

"But we're not like those other ponies." Sonata shook her head. "Back home, we're these monstrous creatures that sing to make others fight, and in turn, we sap the negative energy and use it to get stronger and stronger every passing second!" Despite the unbearable pain that surged through her body, she still managed to smile throughout the explanation.

"So you come from another world, yet choose to live in this human world? An interesting choice..." Nite-Lik pulled the six tendrils out of the Dazzlings' bodies and let them fall to the ground like ragdolls. "If your power, the power to sing and cause anger really does exist, then it goes well with your Red Lantern Rings."

"Yeah, but we can't sing anymore." Aria crossed her arms.

"Oh? And why's that?" Nite-Lik stomped forward, wrapping his fingers around the Dazzlings' cheeks. "Surely, you can sing a small little composition and prove to me this power of yours is reality."

"The Rainbooms destroyed our pendants and removed all of our magical singing powers. That's why we can't sing." Aria pointed towards her barren neck, freed from the jewel that she and her sisters once wore. "They also left us to die, ruined our lives, and basically left us with nothing."

"Then I shall simply have to pay these Rainbooms a little visit." He let go of their heads and looked towards the sky. "If they are responsible for cutting your singing voices from your bodies, then I shall simply have to strip their throats of their voice boxes as well. An eye for an eye, don't you think?"

"No. Not yet, Nite-Lik." Rankorr held his arm out towards him, generating a giant red cage with barbs on the inside. "Need I remind you the last time you went on a mission all by yourself? You nearly threw us all into a frenzy!"

"Hey, it's not my fault. Those Star Sapphires were asking for it when they first struck me!" Nite-Lik broke out of the cage and flew up to Rankorr. "I would've slaughtered them all if not for that dog, Hal Jordan!"

"Either way, Master Atrocitus barred you from going on solo excursions. Don't go breaking his will, Nite-Lik." Skallow flew up to him and knocked heads with the blue-faced creature. "Atrocitus has not been beaten by any Red Lantern on Ysmault. Don't think yourself as the first one to do so."

"You've lost your edge." Nite-Lik turned away. "The Red Lantern Corps is driven on rage and fury. If you keep it restrained, then what good is it? Your anger should be unrelenting just like our master's. When you bear the rings on your fingers, remember that it is anger, rage, and fury that drives you—not the strength of your heart or willpower." He flew off as well, leaving nothing behind him as he smashed through a mountain.

"Ugh. That guy always gives me the willies." Rankorr shuddered. "Anyways, don't let Nite-Lik scare you, girls. He might be a Red Lantern, but he's also good at breaking his opponents with philosophical trickery. He makes people even more terrified than if Sinestro and his corps got their hands on them."

"Not that we encourage you to get too involved with the works of that murderous yellow lantern anyway." Skallox shook his head. "Hal Jordan and Sinestro are among the Red Lanterns' most hated enemies. Hal for siding with the Guardians, and Sinestro for butchering Atrocitus's closest friends and allies." As Skallow growled, his red aura glowed even brighter. "We will not rest until both of those madmen are dead, and their rings are destroyed!"

"Dazzlings! It is time for your initiation into the Red Lantern Corps!" Atrocitus's voice boomed across Ysmault like thunder as he stood atop the Red Lantern Power Battery. "Come forth! Plant yourselves in the ethereal glow, and let your rage invigorate you!"

"It's time, girls." Adagio nodded and flew off towards the battery, with her two sisters closely behind her. They glided over the river of lava with ease and landed delicately before the lantern's glow. "So, what do we have to do?"

"The Red Lantern's power is only truly yours once you plant your new rings within the battery and repeat the oath." Atrocitus looked down and watched the Dazzlings raise their rings towards the lantern's stream of red energy. "Thrust it in and keep it there, then, repeat what I have to say."

"No turning back now." Aria looked down at her Red Lantern Ring before taking a glance at the other sirens. All three of them gained menacing smirks as they thrust their arms into the battery.

Already, the roars of ghostly spirits echoed in their minds as the Red Lantern Power Battery spilled its' contents out into their rings and wrapped itself around their bodies. Despite their bodies jolting from the new influx of power, they still kept their hands firmly within the power battery.

"With blood and rage of crimson red," Atrocitus said.

"With blood and rage of crimson red..." Aria closed her eyes and felt her body begin to stabilize as the roars grew even louder.

"Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead." Atrocitus petted Dex-Starr as he watched the Dazzlings absorb their new powers.

"Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead..." Sonata Dusk felt her eyeballs begin to transform back into glowing red spotlights.

"Together with our hellish hate." Atrocitus watched the other Red Lanterns all gather around the battery.

"Together with our hellish hate..." Adagio opened her eyes and saw purely red fog envelop her and the others.

"We'll burn you all!" Atrocitus raised his arms to the sky, causing red streaks of lightning to pour down on Ysmault.

"We'll burn you all!" The Dazzlings all said in sync, causing the Red Lantern Power Battery to expel a massive amount of red energy, all of which danced around their bodies and slammed into their new rings like a torrent of red water into their bodies.

"That is your fate!" He pointed down towards the three sirens with a devilish smile plastered onto his face.

"THAT IS YOUR FATE!" The Dazzlings threw their heads to the sky and screamed as loud as they could, feeling the energy get stronger and stronger with every second.

A massive explosion of bright red light erupted from the Red Lantern Power Battery, knocking the rest of the Red Lanterns back a few inches. Once the light died down and everyone's eyes readjusted, they saw that Atrocitus now stood before the Dazzlings, who now had fully charged rings and now wore suits in an even darker shade of red. Their masks turned into pure scarlet, and all three of them were now holding a red lantern in their hands.

"These red lanterns are vital to your power." Atrocitus put his hands on the lanterns, causing them to radiate red light. "Keep them on you at all times, and make sure that nothing else lays their vile hands on them. They can be used to recharge your ring at any time if you feel like your rings are falling behind in energy."

"Thank you for this, Master Atrocitus." Adagio got down on one knee and bowed before her new master. She didn't look back, but heard Aria and Sonata do the same. "Whatever you wish of us, we shall deliver."

"Good. Then follow me and the corps. It is time for your introductory assignment." Atrocitus flew off into the air, bringing Rankorr, Skallox, and Zilius Zox with him. "We shall train you before you head out, and once you leave Ysmault, you shall be ready to strike down the Rainbooms for what wrath they have delivered unto you three."

"Yes, Master Atrocitus." The Dazzlings all nodded and flew off with the rest of the corps, into the fiery and volcanic expanses of Ysmault.

Together With Our Hellish Hate

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"As a Red Lantern, you must strike down your opponents as mercilessly and as brutally as possible." Atrocitus stood on the edge of a cliff as his Corps with its' three newest members begun their training. Whether it was making red hard-light constructs to strike moving and stationary targets, maneuvering through a river of lava with geysers of flame spewing out every so often, or even simple hand-to-hand combat, the Dazzlings and the Corps were deep within their regimen. "In this corps, you will have the chance to take revenge on the ones who so wronged you and drove you to become this abhorrent being, born of the remains a ruinous life. Now. Do not disappoint me!"

Adagio Dazzle stood with Skallox and Rankorr. While the two males created warhammers and darted towards some structures, Adagio was still trying to come to terms with her new powers to create objects. She tightened the grip on her ring and began to glow. She fought back to when she was in the Battle of the Bands in the final battle with the Rainbooms. The mere thought of the memory created a translucent red hippocampus.

She walked up to the red monster and gave it a pat on the forehead. As Adagio slid her fingers delicately over the fake scales of her monster's body, she felt a peculiar warmth shoot up through her arm and into her body. Despite being new to the benefits of being a Red Lantern, she knew that deep in her heart, that she was glad to have her Equestrian form back with her—and without having to sing in a musical contest to call it out. She smirked and pointed towards the nearby rock tower, causing the hippocampus to dart off towards it and collide with it head on, sending all of the rocks into the air. She threw her head up to the sky and her arms down to her side, causing the creature to let out a sonic wave which shattered the rocks into millions of tiny pieces.

"Impressive." Skallox watched as Adagio's beast vanished into thin air. He then flew over to her and gave her his best grin with his goat-like head. "Not even an hour into being a Red Lantern and you've already learned how to create and control things."

"Yeah." Rankorr came over, using a hard-light bazooka he had made to clear out another section of rubble and debris from the training grounds. "Most Red Lanterns struggle on their first day, but you're just tearing this place up with your powers. It's like you were born to be a Red Lantern, Adagio."

"Heh, what can I say?" Adagio let out a little chuckle as she flexed her fingers. "Me and my sisters have a knack for anger management." Her eyes glowed a faint hint of red as she finished talking.

"But you should know that Red Lanterns don't just rely on creating hard-light objects to win their battles." Skallox's sharp fingers drummed against Adagio's shoulder pads. "It's not just about what you create, but also how you use it to your advantage."

Skallox flew out towards the end of the grounds and created a massive morningstar. He began to twirl the spiked ball and the chain that it hung to around, before bringing it down hard on the ground, creating fissures that swallowed everything around them up before sealing themselves back up, crushing anything that the cracks had eaten. With another strike from the weapon, the entire ground ruptured, flinging everything beneath it into the air.

"Whoa..." Adagio couldn't help but gape in awe as Skallox destroyed the tectonic plates that he had knocked airborne purely by swinging his morningstar into them. It was as if she had been completely outdone in her own game; and she was only a newcomer in the Red Lantern Corps.

"And that is the pure strength of a Red Lantern." Skallox crossed his arms as he floated away from the shower of rocks behind him.

"I-I-I..." Adagio was at a loss for words as Skallox simply went off to another section of the training grounds. She couldn't take his eyes off him, even when Atrocitus sent him off towards a Ysmault assault course.

"A Red Lantern's strength is reflective on their rage." Rankorr laid his hand on Adagio's body. "The reason Skallox tore that whole place up like that is because his rage is incredibly strong. Granted, it's not as strong as Bleez or Master Atrocitus's rage, but it's still pretty high on the scale."

Adagio grunted and hung her head, looking down at the ring on her finger. "I've still got a lot to learn about the Red Lanterns, don't I, Rankorr?"

"You and your sisters do. But I'm sure you'll catch on pretty quick." As Rankorr patted Adagio's back, he glared at a cavern beyond the training grounds and created a massive cannon. He held it in one hand and blew the rock face to pieces before turning back to her. "When I started out as a Red Lantern, I had to learn the ropes pretty hard. Master Atrocitus would send me to the Blood Ocean if I didn't."

"The Blood Ocean?" Adagio tilted her head.

"When a Red Lantern falls behind in power, or is driven to the brink of an uncontrollable meltdown, Atrocitus throws them into the Blood Ocean." Rankorr shivered merely by bringing it up. "The Blood Ocean is... well, you need to go into it to see just how haunting it is."

"Truth be told, it doesn't really sound like my kind of place." Adagio shook her head and turned back towards the hard-light practice area. "We three are ladies, regardless of our Red Lantern powers. Blood doesn't really look good on us—even if we are dressed in red now."

"Then let's hope that you never end up in the Blood Ocean." Rankorr turned back and created a barrage of missiles, which he rained down on the area ahead of him, while Adagio resurrected her hippocampus and screamed away the debris over towards a volcano. "You three seem sweet, and I don't want you to be traumatized so quickly after you joined the corps."

Aria Blaze and Bleez were flying over a river of molten lava, with massive boulders crashing down around them as they performed flips and barrel rolls around them. All the while, the two grouches were trying to knock each other against the walls, scoffing at each other as they tried to make it to the end of the course alive.

"Master Atrocitus is clearly in over his head if he thinks you three are good Red Lanterns." Bleez darted ahead and punched a wall before making a sharp turn to the left. She left behind her a hail of volcanic ashes and rubble as fire burst out of the top of the ground above. "You and your sisters are scum that he pulled off of that wretched human world!"

"And you're clearly not learning your place, dweeb." Aria flew up and punched some of the ashes away, feeling the heat for a brief moment before she flicked her hands to quell the flames on her fingers. "Where we're from, we were using rage before we were part of this corps. So I think it's fair to say that we've got way much more experience with anger than some noob dorks."

"I am Havanian royalty! I'm a princess! I will not be put in my place by some bratty teenagers!" Bleez flew down towards the tip of the lava and repeatedly scooped it over her back towards Aria. "I've suffered in the Blood Ocean, I've lost everything I had, and I'm not about to be belittled by some twerps who've only had their rings for an hour!"

"Geez. And here I thought I got angry at times..." Aria flew high to avoid the streams of liquid flame and used her Red Lantern ring to fire down red bullets down on Bleez's wings, trying to shake her out of her flight pattern. "You've really gotta save your anger for when it counts, Bleez."

Bleez took all of the bullets, even when she tried to swerve away from them. Eventually, some of them slipped through the joints in her wings and caused the bones to have spasms, shaking her body to the core. In the assault, she almost ended up falling face-first into the lava, but using her hands, she managed to land a handspring on the rocks and land on the sloped inclines next to the river of lava.

"Ngh! Lucky shots!" Bleez watched Aria overtake her as she shook her wings back to life. It wasn't long before she was back in the air and in hot pursuit of Aria.

"Oh, there's plenty more where that came from, bitch." Aria held her hand out and taunted Bleez, watching her give chase. "Just try and keep up with me and see what else I can do to your body."

"Your words illustrate foolishness—not bravado." Bleez rocketed down towards the end of the track's loop, grazing against the lava with her bone wings.

"Surprised to see me, Rainbooms?" Sonata spoke to a training dummy made out of pure rock, with some red outlines around its' body. "Well, I'm here to settle the score, like a real siren." She gave the dummy a strong punch straight to the head. "Is THIS weak enough for ya? How about this? This is for being at Canterlot High!" She continued to punch it, unfazed by the solidarity of the rock or the jolts of agony that flooded her arms. "This is for taking away our power! This is for putting us in debt, and robbing. Me. Of. All. My. Plushies!"

"What do you make of our new recruits, Dex-Starr?" Atrocitus asked the cat, who simply purred in his ears as he watched Adagio, Aria, and Sonata keep up their training. "I know, I know. They're a little wet behind the ears, but so are all Red Lanterns who learn about the corps. I'm sure I don't need to remind you about the days when Bleez started out as a Red Lantern." He watched Sonata smash the dummy's head off, only for her entire hand to bathe in lava, sending her screaming and running around as she tried to get rid of the volatile orange goo. "Give them time, Dex-Starr. That is why they are here as Ysmault's training grounds. For them to exact revenge against the group that stole everything from them, they must first let their rage nullify any pain, anguish, or sorrow that their past lives left them with.

"Had enough?!" Sonata, beached on her stomach with the lava finally pried from her arm roared at the headless dummy, which still spat out lava as it fell to the ground. "Sure. Fall down dead, why don't'cha? I can still go a few rounds..." She got back up to her feet and tried to coil her hands back into fists.

"I'm still just as intrigued as you are about them, Dex-Starr. These three are human, yet they have some sort of other power deep within them; lying dormant." Atrocitus leaned in closer and kept his focus on all three of the Dazzlings. "Human, yet with alien powers. It begs the question of what they really are, and how their rage can benefit my corps."

"We used to be on top of the world, Rainbooms. Then you had to go and ruin everything!" Sonata pounced on top of another training dummy and brutally smashed its' head in with a combination of fast jabs. "You and your stupid Equestrian magic caused us to lose the Battle of the Bands, lose our singing powers, and to lose everything we had in our lives!" Sonata grabbed the torso and crushed it to pieces with a firm smash against Ysmault's surface. "We hate you, the students of Canterlot High hate you, and even my soon-to-be-sold plushies hate you too!"

"Whatever these Rainbooms are, we should waste no time in destroying them. And even if I don't know what a plushie is, if it is something close to her heart, then it makes me even madder at what despicable wretches they are to do such a thing to them." Atrocitus snarled, cracking his knuckles together. "As soon as we're done here, Dex-Starr, we are to open a portal towards Earth. We will all let the Rainbooms burn at the might of the Red Lantern Corps, give the Dazzlings their payback, and properly welcome them into our society."

"Sounds wonderful, Master Atrocitus." Nite-Lik came up behind Atrocitus and walked towards Adagio and Rankorr. "Together, we shall desecrate the Rainbooms for what they did to the Dazzlings." The tendrils shot out of his body once more. "I'll look forward to personally holding them all down so that these girls can properly give them the retaliation they so utterly deserve."

"No. Not from you, Nite-Lik." Atrocitus shook his head. "You're still on probation after that unauthorized attack on the Star Sapphires. You had no right to strike down their newest recruits, yet you did it anyway. Was a bathe in the Blood Ocean not enough for you to come to your senses?"

"The Star Sapphires deserved it." Nite-Lik hissed and turned towards Atrocitus. "After the way I saw Hal Jordan helping them out, I couldn't help myself. What is a Red Lantern if we don't strike down the Guardians and their allies when we see them?"

"You were alone without backup out there, Nite-Lik. Even if your rage is strong, it still won't be enough to end the Guardians alone." Atrocitus stomped. "Especially not Hal Jordan. He is my enemy and mine alone, and I will not forgive you if you rob me the chance to take down the Guardians' premiere hunting dog!"

"Master. With all due respect, I—"

"Enough of this, Nite-Lik!" bellowed Atrocitus. "You are not to go out on any more missions without back-up. And if I do catch wind of you disobeying my orders, I'll throw you so deep into the Blood Ocean, you'll be so scared that you might actually see nothing but your traumatic past until you die!"

Nite-Lik tried to think of something to say, but his comeback crumbled to dust as he looked at the fire in Atrocitus's eyes. Defeated, he hung his head and let out a weary sign, retracting his tentacles. "Yes, Master Atrocitus."

"Now. Gather the other Red Lanterns." Atrocitus coiled his fingers against each other. "It's time to give Adagio, Aria, and Sonata their proper induction into the Red Lantern Corps."

"Understood." Raising his ring high, Nite-Lik created a massive red lighthouse that shone its' crimson light down on each of the Red Lanterns at the site. "Red Lanterns! Master Atrocitus wishes to speak with you all!"

Adagio, Aria, and Sonata saw the light straight away and flew over with Rankorr, Bleez, Zilius, and Skallox. They all landed in front of Nite-Lik, who stepped down to join them as they all bowed down before their master.

"As you are all aware, when someone wears a Red Lantern Ring, it is their solemn oath to punish the people of the world who commit wrongdoings." Atrocitus began his speech. "And whenever we receive a new recruit into the Red Lantern Corps, it is only fair that we allow them to have their first assignment be on the people who ruined their lives in the first place." He looked down at the Dazzlings. "Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. This is your opening mission as part of our corps. You will be accompanied to Earth by us, so that together, we will help you crush the group that tore you from your pedestals; the Rainbooms."

"Whenever you want us to depart, Master Atrocitus, we will be ready." Adagio looked up and smiled, putting a fist to her chest.

"Yeah. Just say the word and we'll give those punks a real butt-kicking they won't soon forget." Aria held her ring up close to her face, causing a red aura to appear around her.

"After the way that those Rainbooms ruined us at the Battle of the Bands, taking them down now with all of your help is going to be all the better." Sonata's brows lowered. "And maybe after we're done, we could get some tacos to celebrate!"

"Ugh... Even as a Red Lantern, you still can't stop obsessing over those stupid things..." Aria face-palmed. "No wonder you're the worst, Sonata."

"I am NOT the worst!" Sonata chided.

"Are too!" Aria retorted

"Am not!" Sonata shot back.

"Are too!"

"Am not!

"ARE TOO!"

"AM NOT!"

"Both of you, be silent!" Atrocitus threw his arms out to the side, silencing both Sonata and Aria instantly. "You two have some strong rage, but it will not help you if you burn it out before your battle." He punched the air in front of him, creating the same black hole that he had first appeared out of. "Now, take this wormhole towards Earth and confront these so-called Rainbooms. We will follow after to make sure that your revenge is guaranteed."

"Come on, girls." Adagio took both Aria and Sonata by the arm and walked them over towards the portal. "It's time for the Dazzlings to have their encore..."

All three of the Red Lantern sirens shared a laugh with one another as they waltzed through the portal, leaving their voices to echo as they disappeared. Not long after they had left, the other Lanterns flew in after them, with Atrocitus and Dex-Starr being the last ones through as the portal behind them all closed.

We'll Burn You All!

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The Rainbooms were all sitting out in the sunshine, talking to each other as they all ate a picnic together. They bit into apples, sandwiches, and some treats that Pinkie Pie had brought from Sugarcube Corner, all enjoying their day together.

The geodes around their necks then began to glow brightly, humming small noises with each and every flash. The girls all looked down and put their hands on the crystals, feeling their warmth sink into their hands before letting them slip back down onto their bodies.

"That's odd..." Sunset broke the silence once the other girls let their pendants fall as well. "They've never glowed like that out of thin air."

"Do you think it might be a new form of magic? Like a distress call or something?" Twilight asked, pushing her glasses close to her face.

"Ooh! What if, we're being called to Equestria to fix a problem that Princess Twilight can't handle, like some super-mean guy conquering her home with an evil army?" Pinkie blurted out, eliciting silence from the others. "What? It could happen."

"No, I don't think it's anything like that, Pinkie." Sunset shook her head and reached out for the journal in her backpack. "If it were, then Twilight would be writing me as fast as she could. Everything seems to be fine in her little world."

"Still, why would our geodes just start glowing for no reason?" Rarity took a quick gander down at hers again. "Something doesn't seem right... Stay on your guard, everyone."

The sky above them began to fill with clouds, and the rumble of thunder could be heard breaking through the calmness of the sunny day. Red bolts of lightning streaked down as the clouds consumed the sun and replaced the sheet of clear blue sky with a fuzzy mess of red storm clouds. Ferocious winds howled through the world, blowing thousands of leaves from the trees and causing papers to fly and dance around erratically. Birds were being pushed back against the trees and the picnic blanket the girls were sitting on began to blow up at the corners.

"Red storm clouds?" Sunset looked up at the darkened sky, coated in blood red. "This is bad. Girls! Get your geodes ready. We might be under attack."

"With blood and rage of crimson red..." Sonata's voice echoed throughout the world around them.

"Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead..." Aria's voice joined in and whistled in the Rainbooms' ears.

"Together with our hellish hate..." Adagio was the last voice to accompany the others, as red energy began to spring up from the world around the Rainbooms and converge in front of them, creating the same black hole that Atrocitus traveled through. "We'll burn you all!"

"That is your fate!" The Dazzlings all walked through the portal and bore their red rings out towards the Rainbooms, slowly taking steps towards them.

"The Dazzlings!" Sunset gasped, opening her eyes wide as she took a few steps backwards. "What are you doing here? I thought we'd gotten rid of you!"

"Foolish Sunset Shimmer," Adagio smirked devilishly. "You can destroy our music, but our bodies will live on. We might not be able to sing, but we can sure as hell get revenge on you little twerps."

"You curs committed the worst crime imaginable, Dazzlings!" Rarity jabbed a finger at their bodies. "You're wearing so much red on such a nice day!" She shrieked loudly. "Somebody call the fashion police on them right now!"

"Silence!" Adagio threw her hand down towards the earth, causing a red hard-light fly-swatter to flatten Rarity. With a few more swings, the swatted struck Rarity over and over again until she was covered in bruises and dirt. "Honestly, Rainbooms, you haven't changed a day since the Battle of the Bands. You're still stubborn, unintelligent, and so clueless to how we work..."

"What?" Sunset gazed at Rarity as the others pulled her out of the ground and cleaned her ruined clothes up. "How do you still have Equestrian magic?! Your pendants were destroyed! You should be harmless now!"

"Oh, we were, but thanks to Master Atrocitus and the Red Lantern Corps, we've been reborn..." Aria punched her hand and drove her knuckles into her other palm as Atrocitus and the others came out of the other side of the portal. "We are now part of the emotional spectrum, and our rage will allow us to finally take revenge on you for what you did to us..."

"And honestly, red rings beat red gems any day." Sonata still had a goofy smile on her face.

"So now, Rainbooms. I think it's time for our rematch..." Adagio raised her ring with her sisters, causing three red hippocampuses with seething red eyes to materialize and roar at the Rainbooms. "Only this time, the results will be a little different."

"Oh yeah? Well you're not the only ones with new powers!" Rainbow Dash clutched the geode around her neck and darted off at the speed of light, putting the picnic supplies away and removing the basket from sight. "After that little trip to Camp Everfree, we've got some new superpowers of our own."

"Then you've at least evened the playing field out a little." Nite-Lik glared at the Rainbooms, cracking his neck. "Good. It's no fun fighting an enemy with no hope of standing up to the Red Lantern Corps! This will be a great battle!"

"Be careful, girls." Sunset watched the others grab onto their jewels and Pony-Up, ready for their battle. "I don't think the Dazzlings are gonna go down that easy, and their new friends might be too much to handle."

"Oh, believe me, Sunset. We're not going to be taking any chances this time..." Rarity scowled and created a diamond shield around her left hand. "After the Dazzlings not only violated fashion laws but ruined my marvelous casual wear, I'm going to make sure that their funerals will be very quick and very painful!" Fires sprung up in Rarity's eyes as she stood her ground.

But before either side could make a move, a bright green light broke through the veil of red clouds and shone down in between the Rainbooms and the Red Lantern Corps.

"He's here!" Atrocitus snarled, looking up at the light.

"In brightest day. In blackest night. No evil shall escape my sight..." A human male descended from the light, bathed entirely in green with a sigil representing a circle sandwiched between two bars in his chest. "Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power. Green Lantern's LIGHT!" A bright green burst shot out as he slammed against the ground, knocking both sides back.

"Grrrrggghhhh..." Atrocitus slid on the balls of his feet as he tore up the road behind him. "Hal Jordan. The Guardians' hunting dog..."

Once Pinkie got back onto her feet, she squealed and bounced on the spot. "It's the Green Lantern! We're saved!"

"And here I thought he was just a silly little comic book character, but he's really here right now!" Twilight Sparkle sat on the ground, gazing up at the green-clad metahuman. "I would ask him all about his hard-light powers if we weren't still in danger."

"Atrocitus." Green Lantern walked up towards the Red Lantern Corps. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm indoctrinating a new trio of Red Lanterns, and you will not stand in the way of it!" Atrocitus pulled out a slab of the ground and threw it towards the Green Lantern, who simply blew it up with some green rockets.

"You know I can't let that happen, Atrocitus." Green Lantern shook his head and continued walked towards the corps. "After multiple attempts of trying to kill the Guardians, I'm not about to let you just bolster your ranks. I'm going to take you in, have you stand before the Guardians, and stop this madness before it even starts."

"Always the errand boy, Hal Jordan." Atrocitus stepped aside and approached Green Lantern himself. "Do you think that the Guardians are still the good guys after their ferocious attacks on Ryut and Ysmault?!"

"You know as well as I do that the Ryut attack was executed by the Manhunters—not the Guardians!" Green Lantern tightened his hands into fists. "I know that they aren't entirely perfect, but what you're doing is not going to change anything!"

"Tell that to my family! Tell that to my friends!" Atrocitus pinned Green Lantern to the ground and punched his face in repeatedly. "You green lanterns make me furious! I will not stop until your corps burns for what it did to me!"

"Then diplomacy has failed, then!" Green Lantern knocked Atrocitus into the air with a radiant blast from his body. He flew up and met the Red Lantern leader in the air. "Let's let our powers do the talking..."

"I was hoping you'd say that..." Atrocitus grinned and darted towards Green Lantern, driving him towards the buildings around them. He was about to smash him into some, when Green Lantern slipped underneath him and smashed him through. "Grrrrrraaaaaggghh! LET'S END THIS, HAL JORDAN!"

"We'll fight as well, seeing as how this is our revenge party you've crashed!" Sonata flew towards Pinkie Pie and pulled her high into the air, causing screams to ring out. "Take this!" She threw Pinkie towards the ground and created a red hammer, which she smashed her down to the earth with.

Rarity was about to create a diamond platform to catch Pinkie, but Nite-Lik grabbed her and dug his tendrils into her body, making her squeal in agony as he licked her face. He swung Rarity around in his tentacles, before throwing her towards a tree, where she crashed straight through it.

Rainbow Dash was already fast at work. She flew into the air and retrieved Rarity from the tree, then helped her avoid a series of attacks from the Red Lanterns. But just as she was about to fight Aria, Bleez flew into her from the sides and took her on a flight over the town, biting into her neck every second.

"Hey! Get offa me!" Rainbow Dash tried to shake the bone-winged Red Lantern, but it was no use. So instead, she flew towards the buildings and smashed Bleez against them over and over again. "Rainbow Dash is not food, kid!"

"And you are no warrior!" Bleez spat, driving her sharp nails into Rainbow's neck, causing red gashes to appear on them. "Now, bleed for the Red Lanterns!"

Skallox and Applejack were fighting it out on the ground. The goat-headed red lantern and the blonde cowgirl were exchanging blows one after another, but neither side showed any sign of slowing down—no matter how many times their heads were punched.

"Ya'll need to skedaddle on outta here!" Applejack vaulted over Skallox and pulled him into a headlock, bashing his exposed skull a couple of times. "Ah ain't about ta have some varmints from another world hurt mah friends!"

"And we're not going to let the Dazzlings go without having their revenge!" Skallox grabbed Applejack by the neck and threw her violently into the earth, causing rocks and rubble to fly up around her, before tumbling down onto her body. "Now, burn, Rainbooms!" And with a roar, he spat embers down onto Applejack's face, causing her hair and clothes to catch on fire.

Fluttershy was desperately trying to avoid being knocked out by Rankorr's powers, but she faced off an endless stream of hard-light objects. Walls, rocks, and swords appeared out of nowhere and grazed against her skin so many times that it was a wonder none of them were hitting. Even with the help of eagles, bears, bunnies, and many other different animals, Rankorr was still effortlessly mowing them down as he stomped up towards her.

"W-Wait! I think there's been some kind of misunderstand—" Twilight was flung back against Sunset as Aria's hippocampus moved in on them both.

"Oh, there's no mistake, Princess Twilight." Aria gritted her teeth and thrust her hand forward, sending her beast to try and eat the girls. It viciously snapped its' jaws at Sunset and Twilight as they tried to keep it at bay. "You ruined our lives, so it's only fair that we conquer you, and your pitiful kingdom back in Equestria!"

"But I'm not from Equestria! I'm from he—" Twilight took a hit from Aria's tail.

"Twilight! It's no use!" Sunset pushed the hippocampus away. "We have to fight them!"

"But I don't see how we can defeat these red lanterns with just horns and magical powers!" Twilight cried out, rolling away from another quick attack from Aria. "We're doomed, even with magic!"

"No we're not!" Sunset was about to drive herself into Aria, but Adagio came up from behind her and grabbed her chest, carrying her high into the sky, up towards the clouds.

"Shame you're not a pegasus, Sunset Shimmer. You could've survived a fall like this if you were..." Adagio threw Sunset towards the ground and summoned her own hippocampus, knocking Sunset back up into Adagio, who gave her a powerful heel kick to the face. "Now die!"

All around Canterlot, chaos was unfurling. Each and every one of the Rainbooms was being steamrolled by the Red Lanterns. Rainbow Dash couldn't get rid of Bleez, Rarity was being tortured by Nite-Lik, Rankorr was making Fluttershy's animals extinct, Adagio and Aria were outclassing Sunset and Twilight in every way, Applejack and Skallox still refused to give in on their fight, and Pinkie Pie was crying as Sonata Dusk combined physical attacks and red lantern hard-light against her. Even with Green Lantern keeping Atrocitus occupied, the Rainbooms all knew that they wouldn't be able to win, given how grave their conditions were.

"How long must it be before you and your kind die out, Hal Jordan?!" Atrocitus lunged at Green Lantern, causing red flames to appear around his body. "How many green lanterns must I crush before I get to stamp out the Guardians once and for all?!"

"All of them!" Green Lantern created a spiked baseball bat and swatted Atrocitus away, chasing after him with a green hard-light jet engine around his arms. He ran into Atrocitus and created more rockets behind him, smashing the red lantern back into him, which he then promptly kicked towards the ground.

"Gah! Your attacks do nothing, Jordan!" Atrocitus snarled as Dex-Starr darted towards Green Lantern and bit into his neck, just as Atrocitus himself got back to his feet. "My rage makes me invincible! No matter how many you bring to help you, they shall all crumble before the might of me and my corps!"

"Rage might be strong, Atrocitus, but willpower is even stronger!" Green Lantern created a huge pirate cannon and opened fire on Atrocitus. "And it's that willpower that'll be your end!"

"Your willpower is flawed!" Atrocitus punched the cannonballs into pieces. "The Green Lantern Corps is weak! You are the only one worthy of my time! And I swear that this battle shall be your last, Jordan!" He flew towards the cannons and punched one into the Green Lantern. "The Guardians will see your death as a warning, but by the time they ready themselves, it will be far too late for them to do anything!"

"I'm not playing this game anymore, Atrocitus!" Green Lantern headbutted Atrocitus and flew him against a massive green saw blade. "By order of the Guardians, I command you to stand down! Continued resistance will result in death!"

"Death for YOU!" Atrocitus spat lava into Green Lantern's face and grabbed his head, smashing him against a fleeing car as hard as he could, causing the car to explode and send him flying into many more. "And all of the others that follow in your footsteps!"

As Green Lantern looked into the sky, he caught a brief glimpse of the Rainbooms being harrowed by the other red lanterns. Flying back up into the air, he raised his ring into the sky and shot a massive beacon of light into the air.

"I just hope someone on Oa gets this..." said Green Lantern before Atrocitus swatted him away with the back side of his hand straight through a set of buildings.

"Let this day be known as the day that the Dazzlings seized their revenge." Atrocitus hovered into the air and watched as his corps continued to bully and torment the other Rainbooms. "The day that Hal Jordan failed. And the day that the Guardians realized who they have messed with! Let this day be known as the Red Eclipse!"

That Is Your Fate!

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Canterlot City had never seen such widespread pandemonium on a scale like this. Sure, there had been the occasional magical event and demon attack from people infected by magic, but this was completely different to all of that. Buildings had been blown apart, blood could be seen on the streets, streetlights had been completely annihilated, and there was absolutely no-one around to witness any of it. No-one, except the Rainbooms.

The seven of them were all gathered together in a heap on the hardened pavements of the road. Their hairs had been singed, sliced, bent out of shape, and generally wrecked. Their clothes had been shredded to tatters and they felt overwhelming amounts of pain running up and down their bodies. It was nothing like they had ever felt or experienced before. Pure, unbridled agony and suffering for what they had done. As if all of the mortals sins that they had committed were rising from the ground to swallow them up. The few of them that tried to move found it increasingly difficult, as all of the stamina and wind had been battered out of their bodies by the Red Lantern Corps.

"Well? How does it feel?" Adagio sadistically taunted as she and the others stood high above the Rainbooms. "Do you feel like you wanna cry out for your mommies and daddies, little girls? Good." The smile burned away when she smashed her hands together. "This is what you get for meddling with things you can't control. This is payback for what you did to us at Canterlot High. All of this? All of this destruction, death, and pain? It's your fault. Not ours."

"Now, you get to know what it's like to lose everything. To see what you love and hold dear get blown to smithereens!" Aria snarled as she gathered energy, coiling it around herself. "Now you know how it feels to have reality ripped out from underneath your feet. And NOBODY is coming to save you this time, Rainbooms!"

"But don't worry! We'll be sure you get a super-special little place in the graveyard. One where all your family and friends can put down all of the wonderful treats you could ever want." Sonata was the only one out of the sirens who was still smiling as the Red Lanterns looked down upon them.

"Twilight..." Sunset Shimmer spluttered as she reached out for the body of her felled friend. "Is this... the end?"

"It can't be..." Twilight, with her vision starting to blur, took one last look up at the superpowered sirens preparing for an attack that was sure to leave more than just a mark. "After all of this time together, this is how it's ending? Destroyed at the hands of a bunch of flying teenagers with power-enhancing rings?"

"No. It's not." Sunset could only smile in that time of crisis. "Things might look like they're at their bleakest, but there's always going to be a way forward. Whether it's the simplest things like school life, to the really tough moments like this." Sunset found some strength in her body to attempt to stand back up. It took her a few moments to properly get back on her feet, but eventually—and despite her wobbly stance, she was back on two legs again. "And as long as we always have a reason to survive, then we'll survive. That's just what the Magic of Friendship does."

"How touching. But it's ultimately flawed. Your magic is no match for the might of a Red Lantern Ring, girls." Adagio cracked the most devilish of grins as her Equestrian Form danced around her body. "All of that power that we've been gathering over the years might have been gone, but it pales in comparison to the strength of our unending, unfiltered fury we feel for all of you. You. Fuel. Us. And because you do, we get to do this!" Adagio made a claw out of her fingers as the other Dazzlings did with their hands. "Now, PERISH! MEATSACKS!"

The rings on the Dazzlings' fingers shined with the most radiant of red light imaginable as they threw their hands towards the Rainbooms. This sent the three Equestrian Form projections of themselves down towards the teenage girls who had so wronged them. With teeth poised and ready to strike, fiercely seething red eyes of their own, and a speed that would have rivalled that of a meteor impacting the planet, this strike would have proven fatal if it landed.

"Together?" Sunset asked as she took Twilight's hand.

Twilight just closed her eyes and reached out for Pinkie Pie's hand. "Together."

"To... gether," Pinkie whispered as she limply reached for Applejack's hand.

"Together, ya'll," Applejack mutely spoke as she clutched Rarity's hand.

"Together." Rarity gave a very weak nod as she grabbed onto Fluttershy's hand.

"Together," Fluttershy whispered so quietly that nobody could have heard her over the noise of the creatures coming crashing down on them.

"Together." Rainbow Dash just grabbed Sunset and Fluttershy's hands together, completing the circuit.

Mere split seconds before the creatures could collide with the Rainbooms and seal their fates, a faint glimmer resonated in each of their geodes. Light sprung out in a weak trickle from each of the seven gemstones around their neck. It was quickly blotted out as the three siren's machinations finally struck, creating a titanic pillar of red energy after that. By the time that it faded away, the Rainbooms had disappeared; seemingly wiped from existence.

"It's done." Adagio sighed as she clutched her hand into a fist and turned back to the rest of her new corps.

"The Rainbooms are finished, Master Atrocitus." Aria, with the first smile she had had in years bowed before the Red Lanterns.

"No... It isn't." Atrocitus gave a low grown as he looked beyond the Dazzlings. "Those curs came just in time."

"Curs?!" Adagio snapped her head back, and sure enough, the Rainbooms could be seen, standing back on their own two feet as waves of rainbow-coloured energy danced around them, as well as the cutting-glow of a warming green light. "No! No this can't be!"

"But it is!" Bleez pushed through the Dazzlings, her scathing eyes locking with that of the instruments of the Rainbooms safety. "The Green Lantern Corps!"

"I figured I wouldn't have been able to take you all on at once; especially with those new recruits of yours," Hal Jordan replied, rejoining the Rainbooms. "The willpower of these girls was the last little push we needed. How's that for evening the playing field, Atrocitus?"

Atrocitus just snarled under his breath, slamming his hands together. The sight of seeing Hal Jordan's race here, challenging the likes of his kind was enough to drive him wild. His breathing became incredibly heavy, and his ring began to surge with pale red light.

"When I saw Hal Jordan's signal, I wasn't expecting to see this level of danger." A bulky, alien-esque creature with a face resembling that of a bulldog and a porcine spoke, in a low-toned, gravelly voice. He stood in front of the Rainbooms, throwing his arms out to the side. "But to see Atrocitus himself indoctrinating a new wave of Red Lanterns, and having them target innocents like this is something I simply cannot abide."

"Innocents?! These girls stripped us of our powers and left us with nothing!" Aria snarled to the newcomer. "Who are you to defend them, when they are getting what they rightfully deserve?!"

"I am Kilowog. One of the most loyal to the Green Lantern Corps," he simply stated. "And you three would be?"

"Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. We were a group of singers called the Dazzlings," Adagio Dazzle pushed through Aria and Sonata before either of them got the idea to take over the introductions and butcher it. "These girls you protect are the Rainbooms, consisting of Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle. And these seven girls ruined our lives by destroying the crystals that allowed us to sing. So now, we're part of the Red Lantern Corps. And destroying them is our first assignment."

"As well as your last." Kilowog stated, as he manifested a large green warhammer. "We cannot allow the Emotional Spectrum to fall out of order because of some new recruits."

"You wanna save these girls? These girls who WANTED nothing more than to hurt us and destroy us?" Aria asked as her ring thrummed with energy. "These Rainbooms aren't innocent. They know that they're not innocent and they delude themselves into thinking that they are! Fact of the matter is, they wanted to ruin our lives by sticking their noses into our business!"

"Be that as it may, that doesn't make up for the fact that you want them destroyed. Nothing ever justifies murder; not even revenge." Hal Jordan floated to Kilowog's side. The other Green Lantern agents joined the two of them. "Especially not revenge at a Red Lantern's hands."

"Typical errand boy. Always fighting blindly. Never seeing who's really at fault." Atrocitus came closer to Hal. "Bring all of the Green Lanterns that you want. It won't do you any good. It just makes me—and all of us much stronger!" Atrocitus's eyes burned with fire. Yelling, he threw himself into Hal Jordan's body. The two of them would have flattened the Rainbooms if not for a wall of green bricks conjured by one of the other Green Lanterns.

"Back off back to Ysmault. You've done enough to this town, Red Lanterns." A man with brown skin and glowing green marks underneath his right sleeve remarked as he recalled his hand.

"Says you!" Bleez dashed forward for the one with the glowing arm. Her fist crashed into a large green one, only for it to be shattered with a kick. Bleez nearly clawed away at the man's face when he just threw his arms down, conjuring a green wrecking ball on a chain that knocked her backwards.

"Hey! Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not nice to hit a lady?" Skallox joked as he crafted a red morningstar and swung it down at Kilowog and Hal, who both made an interlocked hard-light shield. It withstood the attack, but Skallox was undeterred. He viciously swung more and more, each strike accompanied by grunting noises. Sure enough, it was beginning to leave cracks in the shield.

"This is gettin' far too weird..." Applejack could only watch as the rest of the Red Lanterns got to work in scuffling with the other Green Lanterns. A whirl of colours, with heavy strikes being felt even from where she was standing. Between Atrocitus and Hal's showdown, the other Lanterns' power struggles, the Dazzlings offering assistance to their fellow Red Lanterns with their own projected powers, and with the Rainbooms all at the heart of it, Applejack didn't know what to make sense of anymore. "Girls. We need to hightail it outta here while we've got the chance!"

"But where are we gonna go?" Pinkie asked, tossing her hand towards the sirens. "The Dazzlings went from meanies to being super-duper meanies with superpowers! They're never gonna stop chasing us, and they'll tear the whole planet up just to get to us!"

"Not to mention, they have those new... friends of theirs. Ugh." Rarity just turned up her nose at the sight of green and red colliding, as Lantern on Lantern conflict went on. Many times were punches, kicks, and the occasional lava barf traded between sides, but neither gave an inch. "The very thought of seeing this much red and green at the same time is a travesty! A sin on the world of fashion, even!" Rarity fainted and, seeing her distress, one of the Green Lanterns conjured up a green couch for her to tumble onto.

"So what if they've got a few new tricks. So have we! We just needed a little bit of a warm-up, that's all." Rainbow Dash tilted her neck, feeling the bones creak inside of her. She grew her wings and was about to head into battle when Twilight's magenta aura held her back down.

"No, Rainbow. Those Red Lanterns are INCREDIBLY dangerous. You've seen what they've done to the city, right?" Twilight grabbed Rainbow's head and turned it towards what remained of Canterlot City. All the charred earth, splintered buildings, raging fires from cars, trashcans and other various objects stood out clear as day. Even more of it now that the corps were striking each other into the city.

"But we can't just sit around and do nothing, can we?!" Rainbow turned back to Twilight, shooting her arms into the air. "This is a mess we've gotta fix, since the Dazzlings are so keen on having our heads for this! Plus, we never got to finish that little battle of ours, did we? They just ran off before the results."

"I have to agree with Rainbow Dash. Red Lantern powers or no, the Dazzlings are still just the Dazzlings. And if all of their powers come from those rings..." Sunset locked her eyes with the rings that laid firmly on the sirens' hands. "Then we've just gotta slip those rings off when we get the chance. Then, the sirens are little more than teenage girls again."

"It's a solid plan, but it won't work." A male Green Lantern with gold-blonde hair remarked, eyeing up the Dazzlings' rings. "The Red Lanterns are fuelled on their rage. The stronger it is, the more dangerous they are. If those girls really do despise you, it'd be near impossible for you to get close to them without their powers crushing you into dust."

"Just hang tight and leave this to the professionals," came the voice of a female Green Lantern as she formed a barrage of green missiles around her and launched them at Nite-Lik, who just sliced them apart with his tendrils. "I don't wanna see these three girls get revenge on you like this."

"But... I..." Sunset tried to interject and contend with the girl's words, but when she watched the Dazzlings' Equestrian Forms regroup, any feeling of arguing with the heroes vanished in the blink of an eye. Further solidified when the beasts took in a large gasp of air and let sonic-screams ring down on the building, rupturing the very foundations and causing the entire structure to collapse beneath their feet.

The Rainbooms could only scream for a brief instance as the ground left them, only for those screams to be stopped when Kilowog turned back from his fight and formed a large green crash mat to nullify the shocks. Each of the seven teens collided with the mat safely, before finding their way back onto their feet.

"Stop protecting them!" Sonata barked out, before she slapped Kilowog across the face as hard as she could. Following that up, she zipped over to the ground where he was about to fall and kicked him in the stomach in the way that a horse could. "Aria! You wanna play Jerkball with some punks?"

"Jerkball? I like the sound of that!" Aria drove her feet into Kilowog's back just as he formed a bubble-shield around himself. But it just crumbled underneath the force of Aria's advance. Before Sonata could knock him back into Aria, however, the alien Green Lantern just drove his fist into the ground, pushing back both Aria and Sonata into two separate buildings.

"Hey! Don't ever touch my sisters like that!" Adagio made her hand dance in the air before throwing it down, causing her Equestrian Form to ram into Kilowog from above his head. A large hole was made in the ground when she lifted the beast back into the air. "I don't know much about you Green Lanterns, but I can only assume that you're all brainless fools who would defend the monsters rather than those abused by them! That's not justice whatsoever!"

"Neither is picking a fight with underclassed civillians." Hal Jordan struck Adagio square in the chest and soared over to her flying body. A giant green boxing glove knocked her into his actual fist, sending her airborne. Hal was about to press the advance, when Atrocitus grabbed him by the leg and hurled him down towards the ground.

"Stay out of their way, Jordan! Your fight is with me and me alone!" Atrocitus barrelled his way towards Hal Jordan, right shoulder leading the charge. Hal met the advance with a green fighter jet, but Atrocitus merely smashed through it and him, tossing both to the ground. With Hal pinned, he tried to land a blow to his face, but Hal retaliated by pushing his hands into Atrocitus's face, which caused a green whip to yank him back into the air. Roaring with fury, Atrocitus snapped the whip by tearing it into two separate pieces of green rope.

"The Lanterns don't matter. So long as the Rainbooms suffer, right?" Aria asked as she and Sonata regrouped with Adagio. "We just take 'em out, then go back to Ysmault, right? That's why we're even here in the first place."

"Yep! That's our mission!" Sonata nodded.

"Then let's hurry up and complete it." Adagio looked down upon the Rainbooms. "All of their little Lantern friends are busy fighting the other members of the Corps. So we can just waltz in and take what's rightfully owed." A sadistic grin formed on her face as she lifted her hand high into the air, as did her two sisters.

The three projected Equestrian Hippocampi, fully obeying the Dazzlings and them alone swam through the air, frills barely scraping the red clouds above them. Eyes seething, their very presence caused the Dazzlings to glow a majestic ray of red. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata took in air, which caused their monstrous creations to do the same. Then, with a combined scream as loud and as painful as a banshee's, the three former sirens let out a titanic wave of energy that came crashing down on top of the Rainbooms.

"Bring it together!" Kilowog announced, rallying every Green Lantern to his side and the Rainbooms' side. Together, with their rings held high, the Green Lantern Corps, composed of human and alien alike, formed a tightly-woven dome shield around themselves, which was completely swallowed by the raw power of the sirens' scream, yet still held firmly.

"Whoa..." Fluttershy looked up at the green dome and how it was managing to hold back the all-encompassing fury of the siren's Red Lantern-powered screams. "This is... amazing. Now, I feel safe." She let out a sigh of relief. But a quick rumble shattered that relief.

"Not just yet..." Hal Jordan remarked, throwing his free hand out to the side as small splinters began to form in the dome shield. "These Red Lanterns are merciless."

"Come on! Put your backs into it!" Bleez demanded as she barked orders at the other Red Lanterns. Atrocitus was already funnelling his own fiery breath along with the Dazzlings' projected laser scream of death. After she saw the others add their power to the mix, she let out her own little yells, which resulted in the beam getting stronger. Strong enough that it could have torn the whole city apart.

"We can't hold it much longer, Hal! We need to do something!" A human girl Green Lantern replied as she did her best to withstand the assault.

"I know that! But we're pinned down out here and there's nothing we can do to push back!" Replied Hal as he gave his all to keep the dome shield standing. "Those three new Red Lanterns are really, REALLY powerful..."

"Think, Hal! Those girls we're trying to save are the cause of their rage! We've gotta make sure they don't ever get to touch them. Anything you can think of, go for it!" A black-skinned Green Lantern replied.

"I got an idea, but I'm not too fond of it. We've gotta get those girls as far away from the Red Lanterns as possible." As he said this, the dome shield grew more and more cracks. It wouldn't hold for much longer. "Even if it means we get them out of here and take them back with us to Oa."

"Oa? Are you nuts?" As Kilowog replied, the barrier broke some more, with some of the shards raining down by his and the other Green Lanterns' feet. Conceding before it was too late, Kilowog let a sigh slip. "Very well. Better them be safeguarded there than be a punching bag for the Red Lanterns. You open the portal, Hal. We'll hold the line."

"But what about you? You and the others can't handle the Red Lanterns alone..." Hal could only look on as Kilowog and the other Green Lanterns did their best to add all of their remaining power to the dome to hold back the attack.

"Just go, Hal. Get the girls out of here before that shield comes crashing down!" Kilowog replied. "Don't you worry about us. Just make sure that the Red Lanterns never get their hands on these teenagers. Nobody should EVER have to feel Atrocitus's wrath for something they weren't involved in..."

Hal, with those final words from Kilowog opened up a green vortex with his Power Ring. One that all seven of the girls caught wind of immediately. "Follow me, girls! Let's get you somewhere safe!" And without any other words, Hal Jordan zipped through the portal.

The other Rainbooms were about to add their voices, but they were silenced when the dome shield broke even more A few more seconds and they would have been vaporised from existence from all of that Red Lantern rage given shape and form. Each giving a nod to each other, the teens ran for the portal together, vanishing from the face of the earth as the barrier finally gave way and collapsed, and the Green Lanterns dove out of the way of the ensuing torrent of Red Lantern energy.

When the ray of light collided with the ground at long last, a wave of red light shot into the skies, piercing through the clouds. When it faded away, both the clouds and the Green Lanterns were gone from sight. Nothing but the Red Lantern Corps could be seen, as everything else but the remnants of the city had been blown away around them.

With nothing left of their former enemies, Adagio breathed deeply, as did her sisters. The glow that they once had dissipated into nothingness. "That. Felt. GOOD." She replied as she turned back to Atrocitus. "Guess that means we're in, doesn't it?"

"It does. You have slain those who sought to destroy you, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. Your initiation into the Red Lantern Corps is finally complete," remarked Atrocitus as the three sirens knelt before him. "I look forward to seeing what the three of you can really do with proper training and experience."

Bleez, still unimpressed with the idea of the Dazzlings being Red Lanterns just turned her back.

"For now, you must return to Ysmault and await further instruction." Atrocitus punched the air behind him, reopening a portal back to the fiery world where they had all come from. "As goes for the rest of you. Return."

Obediently, the other Red Lanterns followed after Atrocitus. First came the Dazzlings, and then Bleez, followed by Skallox, Nite-Lik, and then Zilius Zox. Once they left the rubble behind, the portal closed. And once it did, the Green Lantern Corps emerged from the wreckage, like green phoenixes.

"This isn't good," The blonde male replied.

"You're telling me, Guy. The Red Lanterns got some new members and they are STRONG..." The girl rubbed the back of her head, then brushed her hair back down in the places where it was sticking out from the adrenaline of the battle.

"But what are we supposed to do about it, Jess? The Red Lanterns all came together and we barely held on," replied the black-skinned man. "In all my years serving the corps, I don't think I've ever seen such raw power from some new recruits."

"I'm just glad that Hal made it back to Oa safely. Any later and we'd have all been charred into green pancakes." Jess, as she had been called looked down at Kilowog, whose suit had been torn in places by the attack. "What do we do now, Kilowog?" she asked, flitting down to his side.

"We need to head back to Oa as well, see what we can do about safeguarding those girls the Red Lanterns wanted to hurt so badly." Kilowog, finding some strength to turn around faced his fellow Green Lanterns. "If what those girls were saying about these Rainbooms is true, then we had better make sure they stay as far away from Atrocitus and his kind as possible; even if it means they can never go back home..."

All The Rage

by Shadowmane PX-41

With Blood and Rage of Crimson Red

Ripped From a Corpse So Freshly Dead

Together With Our Hellish Hate

We'll Burn You All!

That Is Your Fate!