Chapter 1: Recruitment
Space Sector 1894: Deep Space
...Crisis Period Ended.
Resuming Normal Operations.
Initiating Scan For Replacement Sentient.
Scanning...
Sentient Located.
“Well... this sucks.”
I'm standing in the middle of a narrow pass on the side of a mountain range on Equestria's northern border. You might think that, standing this high above the land and looking out over the vastness of Equestria, I would feel some kind of awe or admiration of all the land's natural beauty. Nope. I feel rather jaded about the view because I've seen the same thing a few times before. Looking from east to west, I observe the same tranquil scene that I always do up here.
From this high up and this far north I can see almost all of Equestria. I take it all in, but all I see is the same land that I've lived in all my life. I had seen every corner of the land in my travels, most of which were spent doing my job. That didn't leave much time for enjoying myself in the process. I had only been outside Equestria's borders a couple of times, and on both occasions I hadn't gone very far. Now that I'm looking at it like this, it seems so very small.
I let out a sigh; “This is it, isn't it?”
“Why so glum Squeakers?” calls a voice to my left. I turn and am faced with an old friend of mine.
“You know, you could at least call me Pip if you want to use a nickname, featherbrain.”
“It's Featherweight,” retorts my companion.
Featherweight was right; the spindly, lanky pegasus really looked like he could just blow away in the breeze. I found myself questioning why he had insisted on joining me up here, given how strong the winds got. We say this all in jest of course. Featherweight has been my friend since we were foals. We could be brothers really; our manes and tails almost identical shades of light brown, and our coats are the same cream colour. Only difference there was that mine was mottled with brown patches as well. Even our eyes were the same brown tone.
That's where the similarities end though. While Featherweight's appearance lives up to his name, mine has become something of an irony. While not a big, burly stallion like Big Macintosh or Shining Armour or the like, I was most definitely not a pipsqueak. Featherweight was taller than me by virtue of his long legs, but at least I could tip a scale when I stood on it. Oh yeah, and he's a pegasus while I'm an earth pony.
Featherweight flutters his wings rapidly, lifting slightly off the ground each time. He gave me the distinct impression of a hummingbird. “So,” he repeats, “what's got ya looking so glum?”
I sigh again; “You know why. I've seen it all before. All of this, of Equestria. This is the fourth time I've been up here to map new routes after an earthquake or avalanche, and the view does tend to wear thin.”
Featherweight scoffs at me; “Are you kidding?” He dives into his saddlebags and comes out with a camera. I remember when he first got it while working for the Filly Free Press back in Ponyville. Should have been named Shutterbug.
I watch as my friend attaches the harness to the base of his neck, suspending the camera in front of his face. He focus through the lens intently, looking out over the vastness of Equestria just as I was. Only he was looking at it differently. “This is what life is all about,” he continues. I have to admit, I envy his passion, but I just couldn’t share it.
I wait a few moments as the shutter of his camera clicks rapidly. He looks up and smirks at me, but I just shake my head; “It was a nice view the first time, but after that...”
He shakes his head and flaps his wings, taking to the air. He positions himself above me and plants his forelegs on the base of my neck. He pivots my head, pointing it at a variety of landmarks. It's clear all across Equestria today, so we can see for miles and miles. He first points me towards Canterlot; the gleaming white stone of Equestria's capital gleaming in the light of Celestia's sun, positioned at the far edge of the mountain range upon which we stood. Seen it before.
He turns my head, pointing me to Cloudsdale, the greatest city in the sky, and seen as a second capital by Equestria's pegasus population. Seen it. The glistening lakes of Hoofington; seen 'em. The Whitetail Woods; seen 'em. Ghastly Gorge; seen it. The spire of Dragon Mountain in the range beyond the Everfree Forest; seen it. The Everfree Forest itself? While more interesting than most places in Equestria, from this distance it was just another blob of green.
Then I set my eyes on the village tucked away at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Ponyville. I had spent much of my life there, after moving there from Trottingham when I was just a colt. The village had grown a bit since then, but any place is liable to change over fifteen years. Still, relative to the rest of Equestria, it retained its rustic qualities. Normally, I would equate 'rustic' to 'boring', but I had a soft spot in my heart for the little town that I grew up in. I had gotten my cutie mark there after all.
I give a small smile, and Featherweight takes notice; “See, isn't it all so wonderful?” He beams and releases my head, then goes back to take a couple more pictures.
“Sorry,” I snort, shaking the smile off my face, “but I just don't see it. From up here it's all so... static.”
Featherweight shakes his head at me; “You should really look at the big picture.”
“The big picture is boring,” I retort. “You can only ever experience the action up close.” I pause for a moment; “...I ever tell you how I actually got my cutie mark?”
My companion blinks; “Um... no actually. I remember the day you came into school with it and showed it off to everypony. Never got the whole story.” He clops a hoof against the cliff face in realization a moment later; “Oh wait, wasn't that the day after Nightmare Night?”
I nod; “Yes. I got my cutie mark on Nightmare Night. Three years after that first one where I met Princess Luna.”
Featherweight deadpans; “You're never gonna let anypony forget that, are you?”
I smirk, then continue; “Zecora was taking us in groups to the statue of Nightmare Moon for the candy offering. I think Luna herself was in Hoofington for the celebrations that year-”
“You gonna talk about Luna all day or actually tell the story?” snarks my pegasus friend.
I give a small nicker, then continue; “Anyways, we were going into the forest in groups. You weren't there, as I recall.”
“Feather flu,” he notes.
“Right, now are you gonna let me tell the story or not?” He remains quiet, allowing me to continue uninterrupted. “So, the group that went before us came back, but somepony was missing. Dinky Doo. When they discovered she was missing, they put the groups on hold and a few of the adults went in to try and find her. Naturally, fancying myself a brave hero, I went in after them.”
“Now I remember,” Featherweight interrupts again, “I seem to recall she was giving you googly eyes all the next day.”
I clear my throat and ignore that comment. “So yeah, I went in and, unlike the adults who stuck to the path, I strayed out into the wilds. Pretty daring if I do say so myself.” My companion just rolls his eyes. He doesn't need to say anything, so I just stare at him until he knocks it off. “Turns out she got spooked by one of Zecora's green smoke... thingies. Never really understood what they were, but anyways.”
“That smoke stuff is pretty obscuring, so she didn't even realize she'd gone off the path until it cleared, and then she couldn't find her way back. It gets awful dark in the Everfree at night.” I pause for breath a moment. Featherweight has stopped making sarcastic comments and appears to actually be listening. “I've always had a good sense of direction. Found Dinky, then led her all the way back home. Her mother was particularly enthusiastic; gave me a muffin and a hug as thanks.” My pegasus friend snickers again.
I roll my eyes this time; “Of course, I didn't realize my cutie mark had shown up until I got home and took my costume off before bed. I always figured, based on how it showed up, that it was what I was destined for. Stray from the beaten path, save the day, get the girl. All that old fashioned adventuring stuff. Now I'm stuck mapping the beaten path so that other ponies can continue beating it to death.”
Featherweight is quiet a moment, looking contemplative. Then a big grin busts out onto his face; “Well, that last part was true at least. I seem to recall that Dinky and you... ya know.”
I snort and don my own deadpan expression; “Yeah, and that lasted all of one date.” I stomp a hoof once for emphasis. “Then she goes off to the Canterlot Magic University and I'm stuck making maps for a living.”
My old friend shrugs; “Could be worse.”
“How?” I ask with only a trace of sarcasm.
Featherweight shrugs; “Dunno, but it could be. Now lets get going, I wanna get some pictures over that next ridge.”
I roll my eyes and follow behind my friend. At least one of us was enjoying this trip.
Featherweight and I follow the ridge pathway for a while until we finally come to the site of the most recent disturbance. The path in front of us is barred by a massive rock slide. I dip into my own saddlebags and pull our a rough version of the map of the area and a pencil. I place the map on the ground and put a few rocks on the corners to keep it from blowing away. I follow along the path I'd been walking until I reached the spot I was at, and pencilled in the avalanche.
Meanwhile, Featherweight had flown up and around the rock slide, checking out how wide it was. He came back to me looking chipper. “Not actually that deep,” he states. “They could probably clear it pretty easily and not have to carve out a whole new path.”
“Well, that makes my job easier.” Not to mention pointless, but I don't say that out loud. I look up and watch as Featherweight takes a few pictures from the air. I snicker as a stray gust of wind bats him around, forcing him to come down for a landing. “I'm still surprised you come up here. One strong gust is all it would take to blow you from here to Cloudsdale.”
My companion rolls his eyes and nickers unappreciatively. “Why do you think I didn't take up a job in weather management?” He trots up to the rock slide and kicks a smaller one over the ledge. That's when everything starts to go wrong.
As the small rock that Featherweight kicked went over the side of the ridge, the sound of it clattering down the mountainside echoed across the nearby peaks. I begin to feel the rumble beneath my hooves, then I hear it as it grows louder. I rush forward and grab Featherweight by his tail and pull him away just as the pile of rocks begins to shift. I spit his tail out of my mouth, and then begin to run. Without so much as a word, my companion takes to the air and flies as quickly as he can alongside me.
I only glance back for a moment to see how far ahead of the avalanche we are. In that moment it hits me: rocks don't fall upwards. I skid to a halt and turn around, watching with a sudden fascination. The rocks weren't tumbling down in an avalanche, they were shifting upwards into a pile. I heard the clicking of Featherweight's shutter next to me, letting me know my companion had also stopped to get a look at this bizarre sight.
The rocks pile on top of one another as though they were alive. They form what looks like a set of four independent leg, until several larger boulders take the shape of a torso. The rocks continue shifting and forming up until they resemble a massive stone pony, complete with a pair of gemstones that look suspiciously like eyes. I'm at a loss for words.
The massive stone pony then lets out a yawn, showing the inside of its 'muzzle', filled with lots of jagged little pointed stones that resemble teeth. The sound of grinding stone can be heard as the thing shifts, moving its legs and neck as though it was stretching. “I was having such a good nap,” I hear. The thing's voice was deep, booming, and incredibly gravelly. “Who dares disturb my slumber?”
Featherweight snaps a picture before landing next to me; “What... is that thing?”
My friend's question seems to catch the attention of the rock... beast... thing. It was twenty hooves tall at least, and was making my name feel a LOT more appropriate than usual. It looks down at us with those bizarre gemstone eyes; “You ponies woke me up?!” It demands, sounding angry.
“Um...” stammers Featherweight. Of course; that rock he kicked must have been part of the rock creature's body. Or maybe the echo just woke it up. Either way, we were in trouble.
“I was having a nice dream!” exclaims the rock beast, its shout blowing my mane back and nearly knocking Featherweight over the edge of the cliff. “You puny ponies think you run the show around here, don’t you? Well, let’s see how you enjoy being a pony pancake!”
“Oh horse apples,” is all I have time to say before turning on the spot. “Run!” I call out. Featherweight doesn't miss a beat.
Unfortunately for me, I learn rather quickly that being an earthbound pony comes with a serious disadvantage when dealing with rock monsters. From behind me I hear a thunderous crash, and suddenly a thin trail of dust shoots its way past me. The trail snakes ahead of me, and as soon as it comes to a stop, a massive spire of stone erupts out of the cliff side, blocking my retreat. Featherweight could easily fly over it, but I'm forced to skid to a halt and turn around.
The massive rock beast hadn't moved yet, and was pulling its 'hoof' out of the side of the cliff. There was no hole or indentation of any kind where it had struck. So, I was dealing with some kind of enormous magical rock pony that could manipulate earth. Naturally, I did the best thing I could think of: push Featherweight off the ledge.
It takes him a moment to recover and get his wings moving, flying back up to hover alongside me; “Hey, what gives?!” he demands.
I shake my head. “Get out of here, I got this,” is my reply.
“What?!” He exclaims. “No way, I'm not-”
“In case you haven't noticed, I can't fly,” I retort, cutting him off. “And you know full well you can't carry me. So go; I'll find my own way down.”
Featherweight looks hesitant, but all it takes to convince him otherwise is a boulder thrown at him by the rock pony. He darts away quickly, carried on the winds; “I'll get help!” he calls over his shoulder. Then he's gone, leaving me to face off against... I really wish I could put a name to this thing.
Well, this is what I wanted right? Action, excitement, danger, all that adventuring stuff. Kinda sudden really. Then again, does any hero really get the luxury of choosing when this stuff happens? No, not really. Well, I guess now's as good a time as any to see how stern my stuff is.
I watch as the rock beast picks up another chunk of stone that seems to meld into its arm as it's lifted. With a grunt, it thrusts its arm forward, hurling the boulder at me. I dash forward as quickly as I can, the thrown stone crashing into the spire behind me that the thing had previously raised. I give a smirk, then charge straight at the creature. As I near it, I spin around and rear up on my front legs, planting both of them as firmly as I could into one of the beast's legs.
Wanna know what's funny? For whatever reason, I thought that kicking a giant pony shaped rock monster would somehow be different from bucking my hooves against a brick wall. Instead of actually doing anything to the creature, my own kick gets me thrown forward, sliding on my stomach with my hind legs throbbing. I grunt and strain myself to get up, but my body seems content to just gripe at me for trying something so stupid.
To my surprise, the thing lets out what I can only guess was a laugh. Hard to tell, given its gravelly voice. “Ha! And you puny ponies think my kind are all a bunch of brick-headed morons. Well, this Golem is gonna teach you a lesson, with or without the pegasus.”
Oh, so it has a name now. Good to know right before it kills me. I grunt and force myself to my hooves. “Name's Pipsqueak, not 'puny',” I retort in an attempt to sound more formidable than I feel at that moment. I turn myself around and stare directly into the Golem's gemstone eyes.
The Golem snorts at me; “Same thing.” It rears up and brings both of its forelegs down towards me. I scamper as quickly as I can through its hind legs, trying to run out ahead of it.
I hear the crash of the Golem's hooves hit the cliff, but keep running. Not really much else I could do. I hear it roar and another tremendous rumble starts. As does an actual avalanche. Rocks start tumbling all around me from the cliff above. I duck and weave to the best of my ability, but my hind legs scream at me after their earlier abuse. I look back for a moment, but before I can register where the Golem has gotten to, a rock strikes the side of my head, and I black out. The last thing I hear is the thunderous roar of the rock beast, and the sound of piles of rocks falling around me.
I awaken in utter darkness with a throbbing pain in my skull. At least I wasn't dead, and I could tell that by the considerable amount of pain I was in. As my eyes began to adjust, I could see... still nothing. I was probably buried under a lot of rocks. I attempt to move, finding that I can bring my front legs up to me face. Which is good, because I absolutely needed to rub my temples to try and make the throbbing go away. Unfortunately, that seems to be the extent of what I can do.
I feel the pain in my hind legs from before, only worse because they are now pinned beneath a multitude of rocks. At least my legs didn't feel broken. Feeling around experimentally, I find the edge of the rocks covering me less than two inches from my face. I had gotten lucky, if you can call it that, and ended up with a small pocket of air. Unfortunately, that still meant I was stuck. I didn't even know how long I'd been blacked out.
I began to realize that I was pretty screwed. Trapped beneath Celestia knew how many layers of rock. Legs pinned, barely an inch of clearance to move and probably a limited amount of air. “So, is this it?” I muse to myself. “I was kinda hoping for something a little more... dignified.” Oddly enough, I wasn't frightened. Just disappointed.
Pipsqueak of Equestria.
You have been chosen.
“What the...” is all I can say as I hear those phantom words.
Suddenly, I am blinded by a brilliant flash of green light, and have to clench my eyes tight. Even with them closed I still see green. It begins to dim after a few moments, allowing me to slowly open my eyes. As they adjust to the new source of light, I see something floating in the air directly in front of my face. It is a small ring that was the colour and texture of jade. There's a symbol on it; like a circle with a bar attached to the top and bottom. The ring is bathed in that green light.
“Great,” I mutter, rubbing my head, “now I'm hallucinating.”
Negative.
You have been chosen.
“Chosen for what exactly?” I ask, deciding to go along with the delusion. A talking magic ring was at least more interesting than staring at a wall of rocks.
You have the ability to overcome great fear.
You have been chosen to join the Green Lantern Corps.
“The what now?” I ask. At least my hallucination was inventive.
The Green Lantern Corps is an organization dedicated to galactic peace.
To serve is a great honour.
Do you accept this duty?
I roll my eyes; “Tell you what, if you can get me out from under this rock slide, I'll join this Corps of yours. Couldn't possibly be any worse that my current predicament.”
Affirmative.
Willpower recognized.
Ring engaging.
As I watch, still sure I'm hallucinating, the ring rotates, almost as though it's observing me. Then, the band expands until it is large enough to fit over my hoof. It maneuvers through the small space to my right foreleg. It slips onto my hoof just below the ankle, lining up neatly with my fetlock. At once I feel an eruption of energy surge through me. I really don't know how to put it into words other than that it was invigorating. I felt stronger, more powerful, and more determined than I could have ever imagined.
As the feeling washes over me, so does something else. The green flows out of the ring around my ankle like a torrent, flooding over my body. The light is hot, like being under direct sunlight ten times over. There's a stark contrast as parts of my body are touched by a shock of cold, which creeps along my body all the way down to my hind legs and tail.
Before I can fully comprehend what's happening to me, there's a burst of that brilliant emerald light from the ring, pushing out in all directions. I feel the rocks pinning my legs lift off, easing the pressure and the pain that had been there since I kicked the Golem. Suddenly there's a huge clamour as the rocks pinning me fly off in all directions, admitting me back into the sunlight. I find myself laying atop a small heap of rubble, still on the side of the mountain. Looking around, it becomes apparent that I didn't even fall off the ridge I had been on.
“...Blimey.”
After a couple moments, the shock of having gotten free thanks to that small green ring wore off. I stood up carefully and craned my head back to get a look at myself. I was covered head to tail with some kind of form fitting uniform in green and black. The green parts were ablaze with that hot emerald light, and I found that the black stretches were the ones that felt like ice. The strangest feature however, was the pair of hollow white circles on the outfit's flanks where my cutie marks would be underneath.
My self examination was interrupted by a bellowing roar, forcing me to jerk my head back around to look in front of me. Once again I found myself face to face with the Golem. “What? I dropped half a mountain on you!” it roared. “Why aren’t you dead?”
Unlike the last time, I was feeling rather confident about this encounter. Probably have the ring to thank for that. “Clearly you've got boulders for brains after all,” I taunt. “I told you I wasn't puny.”
That statement seemed to confuse the Golem for a moment, but then it went right back to glaring at me. “Then I’ll just have to be more thorough this time!” The rock beast had an awful sore spot for being woken up from a nap. Then again, dragons are even worse, considering they take century long ones.
I smirk; this thing had failed to crush me the first time, and now I had this magic green ring. Wait... I'm an earth pony. I don't know anything about magic. Pony feathers. “Hey ring, got any more tricks up your... sleeve?”
Tutorial Active.
State Request.
Okay, that sounds good. “How about we knock this Golem for a loop?”
Affirmative.
For a moment I feel a surge of energy from the ring, and then it feels like my entire body goes limp. My body moves, but I wasn't the one telling it what to do. The ring had a mind of its own, and apparently it thought that charging straight towards the Golem was a good idea. Then again, this thing had some kind of magical energy coursing through it. Not only that, but somehow I was confident that it was doing the right thing.
The Golem responds to my charge with a moment of confused hesitation, then a loud roar and a counter charge. It's actually kind of impressive how fast the thing can move along the narrow ridge, given its bulk. We're almost on top of each other when the ring pulls me into a rearing position on my hind legs. My right foreleg swings forward and the ring swells with a bust of light. The light shoots towards the Golem, taking the shape of a giant hoof as it moves. The hoof made of that emerald light connects with the Golem's face, and I watch in awe as it delivers the force of a speeding train.
The blow to its face throws the Golem backwards, in spite of the force of its charge. It flips clean over in midair and lands clumsily on its back. I simply stop and observe the ring's power. That Golem had to weigh hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, and that hoof of light had toppled it like a rag doll. I suddenly found myself feeling jealous of a certain Canterlot Magic University student.
I walk towards the Golem slowly, and I hear it call out; “Wait, wait, I give up!” I stop, and wait for it to continue. “You win, I’ll move along and find someplace else to nap. Just don’t hit me again!” Was it just me, or did that kind of request coming from a twenty hoof tall rock monster sound kind of pathetic?
As I look on, the Golem collapses back into a pile of normal looking rocks, which then proceed to tumble over the edge of the ridge and down the side of the mountain. The feeling returns to my body and I find I'm back in full control. I hold up my right hoof and look at the glowing green ring resting there. I could still feel the warmth radiating off of it as it glowed. I smirk at it. There were still a lot of questions, but I had a feeling that this little ring was exactly what I had been hoping for.
“Not bad for a Pipsqueak,” I nicker.
