IOI

Will. Fear. Hope. Rage. Love. Avarice. Compassion. Life. Death.

Each of these are the power source for some of the most powerful weapons known to any race across the galaxy, wielded by those who are sworn to their own oaths to fight for what they believe. Nine separate corps, nine seperate fuels for a war that has raged across the galaxy for as long as the Guardians of Oa can remember. For eons, the corps have fought with one another, be it for the simple task of wiping one of them out or for protecting those who need protecting. And that war was raging once again.

In the farthest reaches of space, in an area so far from any known advanced civilization that even the Green Lanterns barely knew of it, is where this war raged now. Flashes of colors lit up the darkness of space, the unheard yells of hundreds of combatants lost to the emptiness of space as they fought for their lives. Beams of green collided with bursts of red, while the brightest blues held back the darkest of yellows. The battle had been a surprise attack, this sector having been chosen for the strike because there was thought to be no intelligent life on any of the surrounding planets. But unbeknownst to the colliding warriors, a small planet that was the third planet away from that solar system's sun did indeed house intelligent life, although without the technological advances that they had come to expect when they thought of intelligent. So, those who would die that day were unaware of the creatures on the planet that they battled over, just as the locals on the planet had no idea of the war that raged above them.

Some of the combatants had fled, their fear for their lives overcoming their will to fight. Some had already been pushed to their limits, but their will forced them to fight on despite knowing that the battle was lost. A select few had given up hope and had accepted their fate with as much peace as they could summon in the situation. But those who cried for the blood of others, those who sought only the total annihilation of their enemies, were the ones to be completely eradicated. They had been outnumbered completely, yet their rage had forced them to stay and fight until their blood ran cold in the coldness of space. The ones who had lost their hope were the next to go, though they went more peacefully than those who died with hate in their hearts. All that was left was a warrior clothed in green and a terror dressed in yellow. The warrior in green was the only one left alive among his friends and comrades, the others already fallen during the battle. The one who wore yellow was not the only one left alive, he had just been the only one who had decided to stay and fight when his cowardly brethren had fled. The one in green looked down at his hand, his eyes staring at the small ring that wrapped aroung his finger. It was barely glowing with what should have been an amazing light, telling him what he aready knew. His time was up. The yellow clad fighter was thinking similar thoughts, but he knew that if he were to die, he would not die alone. He was afraid of going into the next life by himself, but he would not go alone. The two looked from their nearly empty rings towards each other, eyes narrowing as they looked at what they knew would be their final opponent. So then, amongst all of the bodies of fallen foes and allies that would float in the coldness of space for eternity, they attacked.

The Green Lantern used all of his will to conjure a massive sky ship into space, a ship that was common on his home planet. He thrusted his ring hand forward and sent the massive ship sailing towards his foe. The Yellow Lantern smiled at his feeble attempt as he too fueled the ring with his fear, creating a monsterous sea beast that was covered in blades all along its back. He sent his yellow construct into the green ship with a flick of his finger, smiling to himself as his beast cut through the green ship. The Lantern threw himself out of the way of the incoming beast and conjured up a massive harpoon in response, taking aim and firing into the sea beast's side. He let out an unheard cheer as the beast shattered into a yellow light show, before turning back to the Yellow Lantern. The Yellow Lantern created a wicked looking sword that extended from his hand that swung in an arc that would have cut through the green suit, if the Lantern had not thrown up a shield with the Green Lantern Corps symbol in the center to intercept the attack.

The two pressed their faces close to one another, so they could each look into the eyes of their foe before they died. One saw the unbreakable will of a warrior who would stop at nothing to make sure that the Yellow Lantern would not leave the battle alive, while the other one saw the fear of dying alone, a fear that he had forsaken years ago. The two of them separated and each brought out something new with which to fight. Green Lantern constructed a multi-barrel turret that fired hundreds of blazing green bullets when he pulled the trigger, all of which homed in on the Yellow Lantern and the drill with which he had surrounded himself. The yellow drill pushed through the constant gunfire and tore right through the chaingun construct, allowing the Yellow Lantern inside to reach out with his other hand and grab the Green Lantern by the throat. He brought his hands to his throat to try and pry his foe's hand off, while the Yellow Lantern focused his fear into metalic spider legs that dug into the sides of the Green Lantern. The Lantern cried out in silent pain as the legs tore into his sides, blood beginning to seep through the suit. The Green Lantern focused what little will he had left into a spear that shot from his ring and stabbed the Yellow Lantern through the gut, forcing him to release his grip as he floated back in agony. Green used his ring to try and mend his wounds as Yellow ripped the spear out of his side, throwing it away as he looked back to his foe.

With a roar that no one could hear, the Yellow Lantern charged towards his foe as his ring constructed a massive blade for him to aim straight for the Green Lantern's heart. The Green Lantern held out his ring, which barely had any life left in it, and aimed it at the Yellow Lantern's heart as well, knowing that he only had a shot left. The Green Lantern fired his shot just as the Yellow Lantern drove his blade through the Lantern's chest, the green bolt piercing the protective shield and tearing through his heart. Neither of them moved as the power in their rings finally gave out, as both of them had died at the moment of impact. And with their wielders having both fallen, the rings slipped off their fingers and headed towards the closest civilization where they could find new wielders, which was a small planet with a land known as Equestria. The green and yellow ring were followed by blue and red as well, each of which descended through the atmosphere to the planet below.

lOl

Far below where the battle had taken place, the sun was beginning to set on a land that was believed by some to be a myth, whereas others saw it as a paradise. The inhabitants of the land were more versed in the ways of magic than the workings of technology, but still managed to build massive cities and create a society that had little need for weapons. This land was ruled by two princesses who controlled the sun and moon respectivly, but were both fair and loving rulers who governed with compassion. But if the time came, they would use their powers that could rival the gods to defend their homes and ponies. But they were not the only defenders.

The greatest champions of the ponies were those called the Elements of Harmony, those who could access the power of the six great Elements to complete the power of Harmony. Harmony was the greatest magic in the land, and when it was unleashed it had the power to defeat any foe, no matter how strong. The wielders were strongest when together, but they were a force to be reckoned with even when they were by themselves. But as strong as all of them were, the one called Twilight Sparkle was the strongest of them all. Her combination of magical knowhow and her brilliant mind were what enabled her to overcome so many of the obstacles that had been placed before her. She was a princess as well, but unlike the other two that resided in the majestic city of Canterlot, she lived in a place called Ponyville that was located beneath Canterlot. While she did not rule over the town, all of the citizens showed her the same respect that they would if she were their ruler. Well...all of them except...

"For the last time Twilight, the book store said that they were out of advanced magical practices for dummy," Spike said with a grunt as he hefted a number of bags that they had gathered from a day of shopping over his head, doing his best not to tip over as he staggered in the street under the weight. After a day of complaining that Twilight and he never spent time together, Twilight had decided to take him shopping with her. "You know, this is not what I meant when I wanted to do something together. I was thinking along the lines of bowling or maybe seeing a movie. NOT shopping for more books that I'll have to label and organize later."

"This is fun, Spike. You can have a lot of fun with books if you actually read them, instead of stacking them to get the ruby brownies that I keep on the top shelves," Twilight said with a laugh as she walked through the market place, looking over at all the book vendors with joy in her eyes. "You just hate sitting still long enough to get into a story."

"No, I can't get into a book because you have me doing an odd job every few minutes," Spike responded as he tried to keep a bag full of books from falling by staggering into a wall. The other shoppers laughed at his performance, but offered to help him once he was done staggering around. Twilight smiled and lifted a few of the bags herself, allowing Spike to sigh in relief, since he could now actually carry the bags in a straight line. "So, where are we heading to now? Hopefully it isn't someplace that carries bricks, or else I'm a goner."

"Don't worry, we're going to a place that I'm sure you'll like," Twilight said with a wink, but when Spike asked where she only smiled at him in response and ran ahead, leaving the baby dragon to chase after her. At first, he could barely see where they were heading since there were all the bags obstructing his field of vision, but when Twilight came to a stop and levitated the bags so that he could see, his face lit up as he smiled. She had taken him to Carousel Boutique, home to Rarity. In Spike's words, she was an 'angel that had fallen from heaven just so the world could know what true beauty looked like.' It had taken a few weeks before Twilight stopped quoting that every time they saw Rarity. Spike dropped the bags (much to Twilight's dismay) and ran to the door, throwing it open and running inside.

"Hey Rarity, what's going..." Spike's stopped talking when he noticed that all of her shop was completely messed up, clothes lying in piles all over and fabrics torn apart in the trash bin. Spike quickly ran through the shop looking for Rarity while Twilight walked inside with a sigh, muttering to herself how fast Rarity could get this place messy. Spike desperately searched for her, looking in closets, under beds and even in the bathroom. Twilight, however, was the one to find Rarity, who had passed out on her fancy couch that she had in case she needed to faint dramatically.

"Rarity, what's the matter this time?" Twilight asked with an eye roll as she place her shopping bags on the floor and shook Rarity's shoulder to wake her up.

"Twilight, that is no way to wake somepony like Rarity," Spike said as he pushed past Twilight and looked over Rarity with worry, holding his breath in anticipation. Her eyes fluttered twice before they opened; the sight of her awake gave Spike a reason to breath again. She gently sat up and looked around with a bit of confusion, looking at Twilight and Spike with raised eyebrows.

"Why are both of you in my house so early in the morning?" she asked them as she got to her hooves, politely declining a helpful claw from Spike. "I told you yesterday, Twilight, to come to my place around six or later. That's when your dress will be ready."

"Wait, what dress?" Spike asked Twilight. "The dress for what?"

"Um, Rarity? It is six. It's actually ten past six right now," Twilight said as she pointed a hoof towards the clock Rarity had up on her wall. Rarity's face turned even whiter when she realized what that meant, before sprinting past Twilight and Spike, as she dove into a plie of fabrics and started to look through them with a speed that no pony could match.

"Of all the things that could happen, this is the WORST...POSSIBLE...THING!" Rarity yelled as she tore Twilight's dress out of a pile of clothes and rushed to her sowing table, desperately trying to get the fabrics to merge with the dress. As she freaked out, Twilight walked over to her side to try and calm her.

"Rarity, it's alright if you don't have it done," Twilight said with a smile. Rarity stopped sewing and spun around on her chair to glare at Twilight over the rim of her work glasses.

"Twilight, darling, I know that you are trying to make me feel better, but I promised that I would have your dress done by tomorrow and I shan't break that promise. I have already finished the others' dresses; I will not let you down." Before Twilight could say anything in response, Rarity spun back around on her seat and continued to work on the dress. Spike and Twilight looked at each other with a shrug right before the door to the shop got kicked open.

"AARRRGGHH! I hate that stupid Diamond Tiara!" Sweetie Belle screamed while the other three jumped in surprise. She stomped over to the kitchen and threw her saddle bag for school down with a growl and began to lay siege to the fridge. Rarity got out of her chair with a sigh and walked into the kitchen after her sister, who was attempting to make herself dinner. By attempt, she had set fire to a salad.

"Sweetie Belle, what's the matter?" Rarity asked her sister as Twilight extinguished the salad and anything else that had been set ablaze by Sweetie's rampage. She sat down and slammed her hooves on the table, burying her face in them.

"Diamond Tiara made fun of us again, saying that even after a year we still don't have our cutie marks," she said in a muffled tone, her hooves hiding her tears. "And it gets worse and worse everyday. Sometimes, I just don't want to go to school." Rarity sat down next to her sister and gently wrapped her hoof around her shoulder, holding her close as Sweetie's sobs caused her body to shake.

"Twilight, I will have your dress for you in the morning, but can you please leave for now?" Rarity asked them gently as she ran her hoof through her sister's mane. "I need to talk to Sweetie alone."

"Of course, Rarity. Come along, Spike," Twilight said to her assistant as she picked up her bags and headed for the door, half dragging Spike to the door. Spike looked back at the two for a moment before heading out with Twilight. The sun had almost vanished over the horizon as the day neared its end, but it still gave the ponies one last gift as it cast a golden light upon all of Ponyville. Twilight looked towards the sunset with a smile and a sigh, happy. Spike, on the other hand, was kicking rocks on the ground with a frown on his face, thinking about what he saw and heard back in the boutique. Twilight looked back at him as they walked and noticed that he was upset.

"Spike, what's the matter?" she asked him when he kicked a can through the air. He sighed and looked off towards the sunset.

"I don't know, Twilight. I'm just thinking about what we heard back there," he told her. She nodded, staying silent in case he would continue. "How can some ponies be so cruel? Diamond Tiara, Chrysalis, Sombra? Why do they get so much pleasure out of hurting others?" Twilight came to a stop, thinking about her answer carefully.

"Some ponies just like to watch others suffer," Twilight said with a shrug. "Some ponies are just bad."

"I'd like to give them a piece of my mind," Spike said with a frown, crossing his arms as he began to think. Twilight smiled at her assistant and pulled him in close with her wing, causing him to try and push her off before any pony saw. After a minute of walking they reached the Golden Oaks library, the place they both called home. Twilight opened the door for both of them and flicked on the lights, casting a warm glow on the books that she loved so. The library was, as most libraries are, stacked from the floor to the ceiling with books. Twilight placed her bags down on the center table and spun around once, happy to be home. In constrast, Spike looked around at all the books that were lying on the floor and knew what Twilight was going to ask him to do next. So with a downcast sigh, he walked over to the first book and bent down to pick it up.

"Aw, I didn't even have to ask you this time," Twilight said with a smile. Spike muttered under his breath about how much he should be getting paid for this. Twilight looked out the window at the sky as the moon began her arc to the peak. Closing the blinds, she started to prepare for bed. Spike had just finished cleaning up while Twilight turned off the lights and headed up the stairs.

"Hey Twilight?" Spike called out, stopping her at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah Spike, what's up?" she asked him.

"You went to Rarity's to pick up a dress that you had dropped off when I was out. And it was the same dress that you wore when you went to the Gala. Are you going somewhere soon?" Spike asked her while twisting his tail in his claws nervously. Twilight looked at him for a minute before sighing and walked back down the stairs towards him.

"Well, you caught me," she said with a smile. "I was going to tell you tomorrow that I have royal meeting to attend in Canterlot tomorrow and that I'll be gone for a few days."

"But you just got back from a conference a few days ago! Why do you have to leave again so soon?" Spike asked in protest at the news of her having to leave again. "You're always leaving on all sorts of adventures, but I never get to go with you!" Twilight walked over and wrapped a hoof around him to pull him into a hug.

"I know, and I'm sorry about having to leave you alone so many times in the past few months," she said gently. "But it's my duty as a princess to attend these meetings and balls, but that doesn't mean I enjoy being away from you. It's just that this is my other job now, and I have to constantly be away so that Equestria remains peaceful. You understand, right?"

"I understand," Spike grumbled while pushing Twilight off of him and turning away with his arms crossed. "Doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"Well, thanks for understanding at least," Twilight said with half a smile. "Now come on, let's get to bed. I have a big day tomorrow and if I don't get my sleep..."

"An Ursa Major wouldn't want to mess with you," Spike finished for her with a small smile. Twilight smiled back and wrapped her hoof over his shoulder as the two went up the stairs. Spike went straight for his bed and passed out the moment he hit the sheets, whereas Twilight looked at him for a minute before she got into her bed.

"Spike, I'm really sorry, I truly am. But this is important. I hope you can forgive me," she whispered to him before sliding under the covers herself and resting her head on the pillow, thinking of how she would make it up to him when she got back. She fell asleep soon afterwards, just as all the lights in town went out as well, letting the pale light of the moon bathe the land in its comforting light. Except for the moon, no sign of light could be seen for miles--except for one small source. Nearly an hour after Twilight had gone to sleep, a small green light slipped through the downstairs window that she left open on days like today. The small source of light painted the room with a green glow, but was so small that none of the neighbors noticed the light. Its green light flickered and it fell a bit from where it had been hovering, but it managed to keep itself aloft as it began to scan the room. When it didn't detect any life in the main room, it floated weakly up the stairs to the bedroom, slipping under the crack at the bottom of the door to get inside. It floated back up to eye level and scanned the room again, this time detecting Twilight in her bed. After scanning her memories and her heart, the light came to a conclusion. She was the one. The light floated over to her and hovered just above her pillow, brightening its light just enough so that she would awaken. After a minute she groaned and rolled over in her bed, opening her eyes just enough so that she could see and looked up at the light.

"Stupid parasprite," she mumbled to herself as she swung her hoof at it, trying to drive it off. The light moved out of the way of each hit, causing Twilight to narrow her tired eyes. She then let her horn glow with power before hitting the light with a stunning spell that caused the green light to fall to her bed, where it bounced off and fell to the ground at the side of her bed. "I'll let you out in the morning," she muttered to herself as she rolled back over and went back to sleep. The light lay on the ground, its power so low that it couldn't move itself any more. The barely glowing light would have laid there 'til morning if Spike hadn't startled himself awake in the middle of the night. He yawned and looked around the room with tired eyes, eyes that widened a little when he saw the light on the floor. He hopped out of his bed and fell to his side, pulling himself back up and walking over to the light to get a closer look.

"Is that...a ring?" he asked himself as he knelt down to get a better look at the light. A small green ring was laying on the floor next to Twilight's bed, a ring like he had never seen before. Sure, he had seen rings, but this one was far more extraordinary than any of those. With its eerie green light and the strange symbol on the front, it looked almost...alien. "Wow! I don't think that I've ever seen a ring this cool looking before." Spike reached out for it and scooped it up into his claw, turning it over. He smiled and decided that even if he didn't know where it came from, he would keep it anyway. He always liked having something that nopony else had. But little did he know that as he stood back up and went back to bed, the ring was scanning him. He was not the wielder that it had originally chosen, nor was he one that it would have chosen. But the ring could feel the potential in this wielder's soul, and with the other wielder having rejected the ring, it decided that he would make a good back-up. So, as the tiny dragon crawled back under his covers and tucked his new prize under his pillow, he was unaware that the ring had begun to glow, signaling those who were so far away that a new wielder had been chosen.

A new Green Lantern.

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Author's Notes:

If you have any questions about my choices in the story or want to know why I did what I did, feel free to ask in the comments. And I expect hate for this.