Author's Note: The Goal of this story was to make it similar to the DC Halloween Special. The 2009 edition had the great story of Wonder Woman watching a Blair Witch-styled tv show and getting spooked by it, which I just found very enternaining. So, I came up with this idea for Booster.
"Rip, you can't do this." Booster complained. The two of them were standing in the timelab, the time platform ready to go. It was nota cheery place, the main lab, though Booster had tried to help by putting orange and black streamers all around…much to the annoyance of Rip. Behind the time master was his chalk board, filled with messages such as "Metatron and Envoy", "Don't Trust Renee", "Castle+Bones", "Will we ever meet the hulks?" and "Ignore the Hunters, they aren't coming back".
Booster himself was half dressed, chest bare as he held a black domino mask in one hand and a green spray can in the other.
"I didn't do anything, Booster. I do not control when the time rifts open."
Booster glared at him. "You know what I mean. We could easily wait for tomorrow…you know I want to go have fun tonight."
"You can have fun any night, Booster." Rip commented.
"But any night is not Halloween!" Booster exclaimed. "You know, candy and carmel apples and getting to dress up…"
"You wear a costume very day!" Rip exclaimed.
Booster waged his finger. "No no no…I wear a uniform." He held up a green and black spandex suit. "This is a costume."
The time master stared at him. "Where…did you get a green lantern uniform?"
"Costume." Booster reminded him. "and I got it off Ebay. Hal Jordan's…I know I should favor Guy, him being a friend and all, but hey, you have to go with the classics." Booster held up a plastic green ring. "Got this too…for once, Rip, when people call me Green Lantern, they will be speaking the truth!" He flashed a grin. "I am even spaypainting Skeets so he can come as my construct."
Skeets zipped in, half of him painted a bright green. "If I had feet, Mr. Hunter, I would ask you to smell them if you did not give us a treat."
Rip sighed. "You guys can go out and cause mischief later." He paused, giving Booster a smirk. "I actually think you will enjoy this…very spooky." Rip began to speak, gesturing like he was a college professor as he did so. "The rift has occurred in 1793…in a small New York town known as…Sleepy Hollow."
Eerie organ music began to play.
"Sorry sir." Skeets said, turning off the sound. "I was running a sound check."
"Sleepy Hollow…as in the thee Sleepy Hollow…from the Tim Burton movie?" Booster asked.
Rip rolled his eyes. "And the novel."
"They made a novel based on the movie?" Booster grinned. "Kidding, Rip, kidding. Ted use to read that book every year around Halloween." He rubbed his hands together. "Ok, you have me hooked. What's the problem."
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is thought to be fiction, but it was actually inspired by true events. Ichabod Crane was a schoolteacher who came to Sleepy Hollow to help run the village school. There, he fought for the affections of one Katrina van Tassel against a man known as Abraham "Brom Bones" van Blunt." Rip paused. "In the original timeline, Brom would dress up as the ghost known as the Headless Horseman, frightening Ichabod so badly he would leave Sleepy Hollow forever."
Booster wiggled his fingers. "Are you sure it wasn't really a ghost that carried Ichabod down to hell?"
"Quite." Rip said, not amused. "Brom marries Katrina, end of story. However, we now have a rift." Rip pulled out a file. "This one is an old one that finally opened up…it was actually caused by your father."
"Back when he was parading around as Supernova."
"Correct. He arrived in Sleepy Hollow and caused Brom to break his foot in a horseriding accident. Brom was laid up for several days…including that fateful night."
Booster frowned. "Ok, so Ichabod got the girl?"
"Yes…and that is something that can not happen. In our timeline, Brom and Katrina will have a daughter, who marries a fisherman from Maine named Sebastian Curry, and have a son. This son will become the ancestor of Arthur Curry: Aquaman."
"So, if Ichabod doesn't get scared out of his mind, we never get an Aquaman, and I never have someone I can point to as being more pathetic than I am."
Rip set the folder down. "Not the words I would use, but it works. You need to go back to Sleepy Hollow and make sure Ichabod Crane does not stay there a minute more."
Booster nodded. "Skeets, get your scary sound effects working…we get to play ghost."
^&^&^&^
(Sleepy Hollow, New York- 1793)
Booster stroked the mane of the horse he had "borrowed" whispering to it softly. "Ok girl, ready to give a good performance?"
"Will this do, Sir?" Skeets asked, hovering over to him. Skeets had managed to find a large pumpkin, and using two of his lasers, carved it into a jack-o-lantern. The valet robot was now inside the gourd, making the pumpkin hover in front of Booster's face.
"Very nicely done, Skeets." He tilted his head. "Kinda looks like Clark if you quint." He shrugged, pulling the heavy black coat up over his head. "Won't win any costume contests with this baby, but it will have to do." He mounted the horse, getting a tight grip on the reigns. "Ok, if what Rip told us is right, then Icky should be coming along this path at any moment, his proposal of marriage rejected. You remember the plan?"
Skeets bobbed the pumpkin up and down. "We will chase after him, warning him to leave. At the bridge, you will stop, and when Ichabod believes himself safe, I will fly at him and destroy the pumpkin, scaring him and sending him away forever."
"And the lamest superhero since Bwana Beast will have his past restored." Booster muttered, before spying his target. "There's the grasshopper." 10 yards away, Ichabod Crane looked about the dark forest, it clear he was tenser than tense. Booster almost felt sorry for the poor man, but remembering what was at stake, he chilled his heart and spurred the horse to gallop.
Ichabod let out a scream as 'The Headless Horseman" came charging at him, his ghostly flying head buzzing about his broad shoulders. The schoolmaster forced his horse Gunpowder to take flight, crying out as the horseman came at his heels, waving his sword, that glowing, hidous grin makng the thin man tremble in terror.
Booster let out wild laughter, commanding the horse to go faster. Skeets was playing every scary sound effect he could find, and Booster had to admit…if he were in Ichabod's shoes, he'd be screaming and wetting himself too. Skeets and him were putting on quite a show, using everything they had to created the most terrifying Horseman ever.
THUD
Booster blinked, turning back and peaking through his jacket, watching as Skeets struggled to free the pumpkin (and himself) from some tree branches he'd become ensnared in.
"Skeets, hurry up!" Booster cried out. "We're almost at the bridge." He spurred the horse on, focused on his 'prey'. Ichabod had just managed to cross the old wooden bridge, and Booster forced his steed to come to a halt, the mare rearing up as he waved his sword.
ZIP!
The pumpkin zoomed past booster, letting out a terrible laugh before it struck Ichabod right in the head, sending the man tumbling into the weeds. Booster waited a few moments before turning his horse around and taking her back into the woods, before dismounting and sending her back to find her stable.
"Skeets!" Booster called out happily, rushing across the bridge. "I was worried there for a sec, but you came through in the end!"
"Sir?"
Booster, standing in the middle of the bridge, slowly turned…to find Skeets behind him, the pumpkin still around the little robot.
"Skeets?" Booster whispered, turning back to where Ichabod had falling.
The dark shape hovered over the body, sword dripping with blood, before reaching down with a gloved hand and pulling up Ichabod Crane's severed head.
"Thank you." A low, menacing voice proclaimed all around Booster. Skeets' scanners going haywire. "I am always in need of another head." With that, the Horseman opened his coat, 12 severed heads staring out at Booster, eyes open and mouths forever twisted in horror-filled screams. The Horsemen placed Ichabod's head with the others before closing his coat, sword drawn. "Room for one more…" The ghost proclaimed.
"Skeets…" Booster muttered. "Get us the hell out of here."
The horsemen's laughter rang out as Booster and Skeets entered the time stream.
The End
^&^&^&^
BONUS CO-Feature: The Blue Beetle!
^&^&^&^
'My name is Jaime Reyes. Not much scares me. I've been friends with aliens, demons, fish people and Paco. I have faced mages and monsters. I have a killer alien computer thing grafted to my spine, just waiting to turn me into a snarling beast.
'Not much scares me…'
"Trick or Treat!" Milagro proclaimed, holding out her bag.
The old woman smiled at the little girl, dressed in a mini-version of Ted Kord's Blue Beetle outfit. "Aren't you just lovely." She cooed. "And would your friend, Green Lantern, like a treat?"
"Booster Gold." Jaime said sullenly, taking a Tootsie Roll and cursing his mother for making him take his sister out. He adjusted his ill fitting yellow goggles. "I'm Booster Gold."
The End.
