The Equestrian Corps
Call of Desperation
"Equestria........"
"Equestria........"
"Equesria........."
The hologram repeated itself over and over, doing so revealed no more than what could be heard from the recorded message. It was the same thing over and over, the face of a being uttering a simple word before the picture suddenly cuts. Said holographic face was a Guardian of the Universe, at least that's what they called themselves however they did little of what their title suggests.
No one could make out just what the cryptic message meant. In the center of a dull metal table sat a green ring which projected the hologram repeatedly, thankfully so as the first time it played no one could even make it out not to mention most weren't listening. So far the their assumptions were as good as anyones, was this Equestria a name, place, device or some sort of ancient language?
No one knew............
"Where the hell is Lycus!? He was summoned hours ago!"
A tall and muscular red skinned being was furious with the leader of the Green Lanterns, well anger was an issue with the Red Lanterns. He wore a uniform of a deep blood red and black which held the emblem of the Red Lanterns upon his chest, the uniform clung to his hulking form. The being's sunken eyes gave off a light glow of agitation as his large teeth were on constant display, due to a lack of lips.
"Atrocitus, calm yourself. We have all been aware of how busy the Green Lanterns have been as of recent, especially with the terrorist threats upon densely populated planets".
The voice of reason was a pale grey being who was opposite to the hulking figure, this grey being was thin and slender. This beings uniform was blue with a different emblem upon his chest, it's pattern differed to that which was upon Atrocitus's had. His thin face held thin lips and high cheek bones, his monotone expression held an unmistakable positive nature. A long tentacle hung from the back of his hairless head which twitched every now and then, usually due to his own confusion when it came to figuring out the cryptic message.
"Saint Walker, although I agree he should stop fretting, we did contact him at least an hour ago. He and his Lanterns usually make clean work out of any opposition in fact the only reason I can imagine them taking so long is that they encountered something of a challenge, probably had some fun dealing with a challenge for once".
The man who spoke was tall and had a darker shade of red skin with a head of, slick, black hair. He sported a thin mustache which suited the man in yellow, he still managed to look intimidating though. His uniform, like the others, held a different emblem which marked them all as members of their respective Corps along with their colors.
Light suddenly pierced the dark room where the three leaders were congregated, creating a laps in their thoughts. A figure stepped through and the door closed behind them, the darkness consuming the room once again. The hologram which repeated itself constantly provided an eerie glow which revealed the man to the aliens who had been awaiting him, thankfully for them as they had grown tired of waiting.
"Sorry for the wait, we had a small army on our hands". A man stepped towards the circular table that the others were stood around, the hologram played at it's centre.
"Is that all? My Red Lanterns would of annihilated them faster than the time you could took to get here!"
Atrocitus wasn't best pleased with the Green Lantern, he couldn't believe it took him so long to deal with-
"Then I had to stop the collision of a moon with the recently saved planet".
Saint Walker smiled to himself at the blank look that was slapped on Atrocitus's face. The man in yellow shook hands with the Green Lantern, a gesture between respected comrades. "What of your Lanterns, did they not help you?"
"Well, Sinestro, their rings ran out of power and I was the only one who brought my Battery Lantern". Sinestro grinned, the thought of the Green Lantern halting a moon then throwing it into the vast emptiness of space was entertaining.
Lycus Charon, leader of the Green Lanterns and well versed in the use of will, a tall man with a lean structure who sported a ponytail for his long black hair which complemented his clean cut goatee. His eyes were currently white due to his mask still being on, it was thicker than the average Lantern mask and entirely covered his nose, his uniform was overall much different in appearance than the others as it was bulkier than the other Lantern's skin tight uniforms. Lycus's uniform held an appearance more suitable for a war zone since the added bulk was a mixture of interlocked and overlapped armor plates manifested purely from subconscious will, speaking of armour his mask looked like it could absorb some damage.
"Hope follows you closely Lycus, I sensed the hope upon the planet you saved and within your Lanterns". Saint Walker stood next to Lycus, opposite to Sinestro.
"I just do my job nothing else, I am doing noting better than the other Lantern Corps". Lycus spoke honestly, though those who didn't know him would believe him to be humble and modest.
"How many sectors have you liberated from corruption and war in the past week?"
A silence fell upon Lycus as he knew the Blue Lantern was speaking the truth......People had hope these days and wherever there was a threat he made sure the Green Lanterns were there before evil took any hold upon a world, it was not something he needed to think about it was simply in his nature. As a kid he always had a will to protect people and make the world a better place, no matter how how many people put him down for believing it. "Around fifty, but it's my job and there is nothing else I would rather be doing with my life".
Atrocitus too shook the hand of the Green Lantern. "Although you are late for anything beyond saving lives I respect you and you Corps, now back to business".
Lycus nodded in agreement and appreciated the compliment with a smile, slight yet warm. They all gathered around the round table and the atmosphere became one of deep contemplation, returning to the dark rooms previous silent aura. The Green Lantern stroked his goatee as his mind searched every possibility his mind could conjure, this "Equestria" was starting to get on his nerves and he didn't even know what it was.
His eyes narrowed as a possibility passed through his mind. Lycus leaned over the table and swiped ring the ring from the table he held it on his palm, so that the others could see it. "Ring what are the other contents within this message?"
"Co-ordinates outside of known sectors, unknown planet known as Equestria, planet has a naturally enhanced environment for sustaining life". Lycus narrowed his eyes at the information the ring was giving him.
"What do you mean naturally enhanced?"
The green ring glowed as it processed information, preparing it's answer based upon the information it held. "Equestria has a naturally superior environment capable of sustaining life, a clean atmosphere and ecosystem provides additional nutrients, any life on this planet would be naturally healthier. Both the solar and lunar cycles emit high energy readings which could affect the inhabitants and environment of the planet, overall planet is likely home to intelligent life".
"So all forms of life on this planet are superior to others? How is this so?" Sinestro leaned against the table.
"A purer atmosphere, land rich in nutrients and the mass radiation of energy from the solar and lunar cycles". The rings ghostly robotic voice echoed through the room.
Atrocitus stalked around the table as he pondered. "So whatever lives upon this planet is stronger than the average? Would it's inhabitants be able to cope with initiation into the Lantern Corps?".
"The inhabitants have evolved at an accelerated rate due to the nature of the planet, advanced intelligence is highly probable, and initiation into the Corps would be another high probability". Saint Walker decided it was his turn to ask question, since everyone else had asked the insightful ring.
"What percentage of the this Equestria do you estimate are potential candidates?"
The ring once again glowed with a green aura as it calculated an estimate, Lycus admitted on many occasions that Power Rings were the most useful thing in the universe sometimes. "Over ninety percent of inhabitants are potential Lanterns". It was at this moment that everyone in the room lost their jaw bone, they might as well of done as their mouths gaped open.
Varied emotions radiated from the occupants of the room, their feelings based around the fact that they could not believe what they were hearing. Never had there been such a high percentage of candidates...........Ever, the maximum was at least ten percent at that's if they were lucky. Eyes locked upon one another as gazes were passed among the Lanterns, each knew what the other was thinking.
"Do you all know what this means?"
Sinestro paced his way over to Lycus. "This is an opportunity to bolster our numbers, think of how the Corps would benefit from their sheer numbers! Never mind their physical attributes!"
The Yellow Lantern placed his hand on Lycus's shoulder. "Our reach over the galaxy would expand! Allowing us to cover more sectors than ever before, we could base at least two Lanterns per sector!"
"Even if we were dragged into war our numbers would more than outweigh our need for mastery of the emotional spectrum! No army could stand in our way, we would be an absolute force". Atrocitus exclaimed, making deliberate and exaggerated gestures.
Saint Walker had been staring at the ring while the others debated. "Who is to say they will even want to join us?"
It had only just crossed the minds of the Yellow and Red Lanterns who let the hope of the Lantern Corps becoming an unstoppable superpower sweep them away, who could blame them though it was their nature. They inhabitants of this miracle world may not want anything to do with the Corps, who was to say that they would even consider joining. Lycus swiped the ring off the table and made his way to the exit at a brisk pace, the other Lanterns taking a few seconds to notice what was actually happening.
"Lycus what the hell are you doing!?" Atrocitus yelled as the Green Lantern reached the door.
"I'm going to see what our little super friends are up too". Lycus grinned as he glanced back at the Rage Lantern.
With those last words he was gone, as though his being was naught but a shadow. Yet all the Lanterns in that room knew that if anyone could convince these new fascinating being it was Lycus, and that was not easy for them to admit except for Walker. The humble Blue Lantern walked towards one of the few porthole windows giving a view of the vast void of space which surrounded them, a strange peace overcame him as he viewed the very essence of nothingness, the great bleak void known commonly as space.
A brilliant emerald light disturbed the darkness as a humanoid figure was emitting the emerald glow, Walker perceived this to be Lycus, in an instant the Green Lantern was surrounded by a construct of light assembled by pure will power. The construct was a extremely streamlined and small ship, looking more akin to a needle than a super-advanced space craft assembled by light and will. Just another moment after it's construction the craft flew with haste into the darkness of the void, a brilliant glow left by it's thruster was the only trace left by the strange craft.
"What a beautiful night this is".
A strange, yet curious, little creature peered through a telescope to gaze at the gorgeous arrangement of stars and the glow of the full moon. This little creature was shaded in a light purple and so was it's feathered wings as well as the horn upon it's head which poked out from her fringe of deep sapphire blue mane which was accompanied by streaks of lavender and pink, the same colour scheme applied to it's similarly styled tail. The violet eyes which peered through the scope dazzled in wonder, though some of the dazzle may of been from the stars.
"Why thank you very much, Princess Twilight".
The presence of the newly arrived equine, or so Twilight thought, startled the younger Princess. "Princess Luna, you startled me".
A kind smile was given to the younger Princess. "I do apologize but during my midnight flight I found you gazing up at the stars and though I might join you, better yet, why are you not in bed at such a late hour?"
Princess Luna, the Princess of the night who's duty was the raising and setting of the moon, this mares coat was a dark blue with patches of black on her flank, said patches were accompanied by an imagine of a crescent moon on either side of her flank. Unlike Twilight's mane Luna's floated and danced at it's own accord while it's colour was a sapphire blue that sparkled as though it held the stars which looked down upon them, a truly majestic sight to behold. Her eyes were a deep cyan which held an untold wealth of wisdom, understanding and pain however said pain did not seem to prevent the kindness within from prevailing.
Sitting beside Twilight Luna gazed upon the masterpiece she had created that very night, secretly devising how she could make it a much greater spectacle."Just everything that happened after the whole Tirek mess, even though I have this beautiful crystal castle I kind of miss the old little library, I guess it just takes some getting used to a great grand castle". A reminiscent smile grew upon Twilight's muzzle, the little library held so many memories that were the start of many more adventures, she really would miss that little tree.
Luna draped a wing around her fellow Princess's back. "Familiarity shall come in time, although some things may seem as though they are far away we soon come to realize that they in-fact approach us faster than we know". Twilight turned toward the older Princess and smiled, grateful for Luna's kind words.
"That helps me understand more than you know, thank you, Luna".
They silently gazed into the night for awhile, their peace undisturbed. Luna's remarkable eyes caught sight of a distant glow, seeing this faint light was far beyond Twilight's optical capability, yet as it neared the faint glow became more brilliant and majestic in it's now visible emerald glow. "Twilight, inspect that light, I must know what it is".
Although Luna asked there was still a stern and ever present tone of authority in her voice however Twilight seemed to have not noticed this and immediately began investigating the ever approaching glow through her telescope. Luna watched as the incoming light became clearer yet it suddenly lost it's brilliant glow and what she saw, well the Princess had no words for what she saw, the thin and curved emerald object rapidly approaching Equestria was something beyond her knowledge of all things of the magical and celestial realm.
"Luna! It looks like......I don't even know what it looks like! What should we do!?" Being unable to rationalize, plan and know everything there is to know about everything was one of Twilight's weaknesses. With the panicking and leaving to find Spike so that she may send a message to Celestia requesting her immediate presence, though the Princess of the Day may not like it this matter was urgent.
The Princess of the Night could only come to one reasonable course of action and that was to stop the rapidly approaching object that's course was now clear........Ponyville. Blue energy began forming around Luna's horn, slowly it began to glow brilliantly, a low resonating hum was the herald of the amount of power Luna was prepared to fire at the incoming threat.
With one last glimpse at her target she shut her eyes and fired a beautiful beam of dark blue light sped at the speed of light to knock the approaching threat out of the sky, illuminating the dark night as it did so. Looking up to see the results of her efforts, a smiled formed upon her face, as she saw that the emerald object was now gone however panic was evident in her eyes as she saw a silhouette falling through the sky.
Luna's powerful wings launched her into the sky with a might boom and the was no sound as her streamline form sped to save the falling being. A grunt was herd as a considerable weight fell upon her back yet despite the strain she still pressed onwards and flew towards the Twilight's Castle, the amethyst crystal sparkling in the moonlight.
Author's Note
This is part one of a one shot however if you would like it to continue then I shall. Please like, comment and PM if you have nay questions!
Explanations Required
The Equestrian Corps
Explanations Required
The Princess of the Night sped through the sky in an effort to return the injured being, who's injuries she blamed on herself, although there were no visible signs of damage such as wounds the Princess was still sceptical. Yet as she got closer to the castle the being began muttering and making grunting noises, why she had no idea, however she did know that her duty was to get this hurt being back to Celestia and Twilight to receive treatment.
"Do not worry creature, I will not fail yo-AH!"
It slipped off! The creature Luna had just managed to save was now once again plummeting towards the earth, with great haste she propelled towards her helpless charge to save it once again, soaring after her charge with a almost silent whistle. Luna was could just about reach but she needed that one last inch in order to grab a hold of the helpless being 'Almost......'
A blinding flash made Luna's eyes slam shut, even if she wished to see the blinding light it would most certainly result in the same consequence. However when the Princess did open her teal eyes she found herself in a new spot a trouble, she was currently the one flying towards the earth at only a speed only Rainbow Dash would know. With a sudden, and very painful, motion of her wings she instantly went from a straight vertical drop to a horizontal dash. Although her wings now had a painful twinge which made her want to land and forget about any notion of chasing the disappearing being yet a distant emerald light reignited her determination and with one powerful flap she created a disturbance in the nights silence with a small sonic boom, catching up with the emerald blur she was pursuing over Ponyville.
Although the chase had begun above Ponyville, that small town was now in the distance, as the elusive light led her further and further away from both Twilight's Castle and Ponyville. Despite this fact Luna pushed onwards, her determination numbing the pain burning in her wings.
Suddenly the light blinked out of existence and into the darkness Everfree Forest, a sound tactical decision it would be if not for the fact that a Goddess of the Night was pursuing you. Not willing to give up after bearing the pain till this point, the Alicorn followed the lights trajectory through a small clearing in the vast thickness of the Everfree's foliage which prevented any outsiders from getting a birds eye view of what festered within, the lunar Princess landed is a speed and grace that required precision accumulated from her centuries of immortal life.
Seeing through the pitch black darkness which surrounded Luna from all sides would of been difficult had it not been for the fact that she was the Princess of the Night, her eyes pierced the darkness with ease while other Ponies would be left at a disadvantage, and with her superior eyesight she believed that finding her elusive light was now in fact much more difficult. "I preferred it when you were a giant firefly". The Princess laughed to herself.
"Don't you think that takes the whole hiding aspect away from this scene?"
Luna's ears shot upright at the sound of a playful yet masculine voice, jesting at her comment. "Where are you!? I have surveyed every blade of grass surrounding me how did you go unnoticed?"
Luna was frustrated to say the least, especially when one manages to negate the use her impeccable night vision. "Hahahaha, well I guess the fun had to end sometime or another".
POKE
"Ahhhhh!"
The confident and headstrong Goddess of the Night had been reduced to a frightful, shaking and also was now seemed to be a member of the Fetal Position Society, seriously she pulled it off like a pro. Looking at the grass besides her head she tried to find some comfort in the peaceful image of the slender blades that basked in her moons light........that did provide her with some semblance of peace until the grass was parted and squashed as though a creature had placed it's footing there, yet she saw nothing before her to impact the material realm in such a way.
"Oh dear! Have I angered a spirit from BEYOND! please! Vengeful spectre! Spare me, if you have any mercy within your heart!"
It was during Luna's over acted and suspiciously staged begging that a strange sound reached her ears, halting her from begging any 'spirits from beyond' for forgiveness for her trespasses. The sound was almost like coughing, only it wasn't, as the moments went by it came clear that somepony was stifling a laugh. "Who is that! Where are you? Did you poke me!?"
This time, instead of Luna's suspicions of angry spirits becoming more believable, a being clad in a thick green and black carapace appeared before her. The Princess had to double take as well as subconsciously examine the symbol that sat proudly upon his chest before her eyes would not leave angular and prominent facial features of the being, the facial hair and tied back mane along with the mysterious mask being an 'Oooooooooooh Ahhhhhhhhh' factor in Luna's books.
"You see it is getting really hard to figure out if you are serious about this 'VENGEFUL SPECTRE!' stuff so I thought it would be best to come out of hiding". The 'Vengeful Spectre' part was said in an obvious mockery of Luna's Canterlot accent yet a greater question was at hand........How in the hay could she not see him before hand.
Standing up, Luna dusted herself off and looked the being in the eye. "Although my questions are vast at this time there is one thing I would like to know".
"And what would that be my lady?" He performed a bow at the waist.
"How did you avoid my vigilant gaze? It seemed as though you were present without actually being here at all!" Then that suspicion of VENGEFUL SPECTRES! once again began creeping into her mind.
"Oh that!". The being leaned against a tree and gestured for the Alicorn to come closer. "See this little gizmo?" He held up his right hand, the beck of it facing her with fingers extended, so the Goddess could see the emerald ring that rested upon his finger.
Luna nodded with understanding......Finally it all made sense! "You have enchanted jewellery!"
A wide smile bolstered with child-like wonder made it hard to shoot down her imagination. 'You have been here ten minutes Lycus and you already feel like taking the royalty as personal plushies........Would anyone notice the disappearance?'
Thankfully all Luna saw was a spaced out being nodding to himself then after a few moments it seemed as though he realized he was in fact upon this plane of existence. "Quite the thought but no, though I see where you are coming from, this device allows me to channel my will into a form of power which allows me to bend almost anything to my will".
The calm and subtle explanation of one of the most powerful weapons in the universe seemed to unnerve Luna to some degree. "You say that ring can make your desires a reality?"
He smiled heartily. "Within reason my dear...." He kicked the tree behind him and a pear fell into the beings grasp. "When you could not see me that was due to myself willing to become invisible, by bending light around myself".
Luna paced along an imaginary line for a few moments, assessing the information she had obtained with what she knew. "While I do believe you I find it hard to comprehend who such a small device can do what only the most adept and magically attuned Ponies in history were able to accomplish?"
With eyes closed the Lantern thought of a way to explain just how the Power Rings both posses great power and have no power simultaneously, while also not getting too complicated about it. After taking a bite out of the pear and swallowing the finely chewed chunk of fruit he opened his eyes to find the Princess sat before him with her flank placed firmly on the ground, ignoring the dazzling sight of her mane and eyes sparkling he begun his explanation. "It goes like this, without my ring I cannot do any of the limitless amazing things I could do while wearing it, this is because the ring channels my will and shall obey my wishes as long as my will is strong and sure however if I do not posses enough will or focus to create a strong construct or even assemble one then I might as well give up. Yet the beauty of a Power Ring is that as long as your emotions are strong then so shall all the creations and powers of ones Power Ring, I have seen strong men with weak will fall to weak men with strong will, ones emotional affiliation does not determine ones status or power. It is only the power of that persons emotions which give them their power".
Currently, judging from the way this princess was looking at him, he was going to need a chalk board and a Power Rings for Dummies instruction book.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait everypony! This one is a bit shorter but I hope you will all still like it.
