A/N: Happy Easter, everybody! To celebrate, here is the chapter I think you've all been waiting for. Cheers!

P.S. Thanks to PredaconWyvern and dorizard for reviewing.

Chapter Twenty-One: Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair

The plan outlined by Aquaman was simple. John would lure Sinestro to the shoreline (it wasn't that far away) so that the Atlantean King could command the ocean against the Yellow Lantern. The idea was that since Sinestro did need to breathe, they could subdue him with water ("We'll only drown him a little bit," Aquaman had said). Hawkgirl was available as reinforcement, but Doctor Fate was not, still occupied with casting his protective enchantments over the city. His absence from active battle was a wrench for the Leaguers, but it was necessary, as Sinestro was fully capable of causing massive structural damage to endanger lives or just outright holding civilians hostage, in order to achieve his aims.

The plan was simple, but the execution was anything but. For one, Sinestro refused to allow himself to be herded where they wanted him to go.

"You again?" Sinestro looked annoyed as John came up behind him for the umpteenth time. He rammed a solid energy beam into John, favoring expediency over elaborate constructs. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet, Green Lantern?"

Doctor Fate's nearly invisible force field was wrapped around most of Coast City's structures by now; it shimmered gold where John was shoved against it by Sinestro's attack. John braced his back against Fate's shield and gritted his teeth against the yellow onslaught, straining with all his will to affect it in some way. He might have been imagining it, but he rather thought that the blast wasn't quite as strong as it normally was; he managed to stay in the air, at least. Sinestro noticed, and his eyes narrowed fractionally.
"I'm a rather slow learner," said John. With a sudden inspiration, he added, "Just ask Katma Tui."

"Tui?" Sinestro's face contorted into a scowl. "You're that familiar with that irritant, then?"

John smirked. "Oh yeah. She trained me, you know. So you have her to thank that I'm not dead yet." He smiled grimly as Sinestro poured more force into his beam.

"Well, that explains why you're so pitiful," the Yellow Lantern scoffed. "Tui is barely more than a probationary Corpsman herself. Though I will commend you for picking up her talent for being an incessant pest."

John was struggling to maintain his position, but he'd spotted a way to manipulate Sinestro here, so he forced himself to stay afloat. Trying to split his focus between defending against Sinestro's attack and continuing to get under the Korugarian's skin, he needled, "Tui told me all about how her revolution threw you off Korugar while she was training me. You know she was picked as your successor because of that?"

Sinestro snarled as he intensified the beam; John would have been forced backwards if not for Doctor Fate's magic behind him, which held strong. Still, the former Marine refused to falter. Sinestro couldn't see it, but John was actually managing, through sheer stubbornness, to project a tiny green buffer against the yellow stream. It was taking tremendous effort, but it was enough for John to realize that maybe green rings weren't useless against yellow fear after all.

"Why should I care that she inherited my position? I care nothing for the Green Lantern Corps anymore. It is a backwards, narrow-minded institution — Tui fits in well."

"But still," John panted as sweat dripped down his forehead, "it must rankle, knowing that the person responsible for kicking you off your own planet is now in charge of your home sector — the very sector you protected for so many years, the sector you tried to 'bring order to'." John raised his voice to deliver the final sting. "Katma Tui is undoing all your hard work, Sinestro, and I, for one, couldn't be happier!"

Sinestro uttered an inarticulate cry of rage. His yellow beam expanded and blazed, burning with the force of a star. A nearly-exhausted John finally allowed himself to drop, and Sinestro's beam splashed against Doctor Fate's force field. The much stronger resistance from the sorcerer's magic defenses reflected his own hard light attack against him; the rebound hurled Sinestro halfway to the coastline. Hawkgirl took immediate advantage; without giving Sinestro a chance to regain his balance, she swooped in and whacked the Yellow Lantern across the chest, her nth metal mace and Thanagarian strength propelling him the rest of the way to the shore, within reach of the tides controlled by Aquaman. Under the command of the King of Atlantis, the Pacific Ocean rose, a living wall of water, and swallowed Sinestro into its depths.

"How long should we keep him there?" Hawkgirl asked as she landed next to Aquaman on the beach. John caught up seconds later, looking rather the worse for the wear.

"I'd say five minutes, at least," he replied. "I don't know exactly how durable Korugarians are, but it's a safe bet that Sinestro is a lot hardier than the average human."

"The fish will tell me when he passes out," Aquaman assured them. "All we have to do is wait."

Their simple plan had been quite a good one, and its execution had been tricky, but successfully managed. Unfortunately, all three of them had forgotten one small, automatic, absolutely key function of a power ring:

The energy aura supplied everything its user required to live…

Including air.

Hal felt rather than saw the ground rushing up to meet him. He closed his eyes to brace for his inevitable death, but the impact didn't occur.

Hal opened his eyes and saw that he was suspended in a purple force field. Glancing up, he saw Star Sapphire half glaring, half crying.

"Hal, you absolute idiot!"

"Carol?" he ventured cautiously.

She set them both down on the ground and threw her arms around him, and he knew it was Carol, not Star Sapphire, who sobbed into his shoulder.

"Why would you do that, Hal? Why? I could have…I almost…"

"Shhh," he said soothingly as he wrapped her in his embrace. "You didn't."

"But I did! I forced you to let go…I let you fall, and I wasn't going to…I was just going to watch…"

Hal pressed a kiss to her hair. "You caught me," he assured her. "You saved me. That is who you are, Carol Ferris, not whatever this Star Sapphire identity is."

Carol pulled away to stare at him in awe. Her mask had disappeared, replaced by a simple pink tiara, still sporting its glowing gem. "And you — you're the Green Lantern!"

"I was Green Lantern," he corrected her gently. "I'm not anymore. I'm just Hal Jordan…and Hal Jordan was enough."

"Who would've thought?" Carol joked weakly. She looked down at herself and grimaced. "Ugh, what am I wearing?"

Hal felt it was an inappropriate time to mention that he actually found the revealing leotard quite appealing on her. Instead he gestured at the outfit and said, "So what's the story?"

"I'm…not entirely sure…I remember finding a gemstone…" Carol frowned thoughtfully. "Yes, a violet gem — I found it on the same day as the first Peregrine flight. It's beautiful, Hal. Pure and lovely — gentle, but strong…"

Hal tapped the jewel in her tiara. "I'm guessing this is the gem? Is that where your powers come from?"

"For now, yes."

"What d'you mean, for now?"

Carol shook her head. "I don't know everything…it's an initiation ritual, I don't get full access until I win…"

"Carol, slow down." Hal placed his hands on her shoulders. "There's no rush, okay? I'm not judging you. Just tell me what you can."

Carol inhaled deeply and steadied herself. "There's a Star Sapphire Corps. Like the Green Lanterns, apparently, but they run on a different emotion — love, not will. They're based on Zamaron."

Finally, an explanation for Zamaron. Hal thought a lot of things suddenly made sense.

"That's how you knew about the Green Lanterns," he realized.

"I don't know how I knew," said Carol. "I don't quite remember half the stuff I did as Star Sapphire. I just know everything came from this gem."

"I think your gem is like a Green Lantern ring," Hal explained. "It gives you an aura, the ability to make hard light constructs, information about the universe…and it runs on an emotion, just like a GL ring."

Carol looked like she was thinking — or remembering — very hard. "Star Sapphires have rings too," she said slowly. "It's supposed to be a ring — except I don't get mine until and unless I win the contest."

"What contest?"

"The queen contest." Carol blinked as she accessed the information from some newly unlocked space in her mind. "I'm…competing to be Queen of the Star Sapphires."

John wasn't sure why he didn't remember it sooner. Perhaps because he was still relatively new to the ring. Perhaps because the rushed nature of his training meant he couldn't take the time to fully absorb and understand everything the ring could do. Perhaps it was sheer fatigue from hours of fighting first on Oa, then on Earth. Perhaps because in his relief to finally have a solid plan against Sinestro, he forgot to consider the flaw in Aquaman's proposal to 'drown him a little bit.'

Either way, it completely slipped his mind that Sinestro's ring made him immune to a lack of air until it was too late.

Brilliant yellow burst from the ocean an instant before Sinestro himself. The Yellow Lantern was almost incandescent with rage, sick of being thwarted.

"Enough!" he bellowed. He clenched his fist and channeled the most powerful radial blast he could, his eyes burning gold. "Burn!"

The yellow shockwave enveloped the beach, forcefully hurling John, Hawkgirl, and Aquaman in different directions. Hawkgirl was tossed far into the sea. Aquaman took an energy blow to the head and was flung into the closest edge of Doctor Fate's citywide force field. John's back cracked painfully against a tree and he crumpled to the ground, blood leaking from his temple.

Satisfied that none of the three were going to interfere any longer, and still remembering his reason for coming to Earth in the first place, Sinestro turned his gaze northward, where his ring was telling him a certain former apprentice of his was.

Sinestro set his jaw.

"Time to settle a score."

"Queen?" Hal repeated. "Of an intergalactic corps?"

Carol shrugged. "That's how the Star Sapphires work, apparently."

"And they don't ever pick the queen from the existing Corpsmen — uh, Corpswomen? They just send out these two gems and draft two random ladies to fight for the position?"

"I don't know the reasons behind it," Carol said impatiently. "I just know what the stakes are for me. If I beat the other candidate in battle, I win my own ring and the right to lead the Corps. If I lose, I don't. Simple as that."

"And who's the other candidate?" Hal jabbed his thumb at the sky to indicate the other Star Sapphire."

"Debbie Darnell."

Hal couldn't believe his ears. "Debbie Darnell?! Does she know what she's doing?" Was she under the Star Sapphire's influence when she sabotaged the Peregrine? Was that why she did it in the first place — to mess with Carol and gain some advantage in this queen contest? Hell, was the contest the reason why Carol had taken such an interest in Debbie and personally recruited her?

"I don't know," Carol replied. "The gem would have done something to make her forget some aspect of who she is — it's a condition of the contest — but I don't know which parts or to what extent. For me, it just erased my awareness of the Star Sapphire identity and anything I did as Star Sapphire when I wasn't her. I only remembered who I was when you were falling and I saved you."

Hal considered that. "So…you passed some sort of test when you did that?"

"Guess so."

Carol didn't elaborate, and Hal didn't pry. Star Sapphires drew their power from love; it wasn't hard to guess what that test had been. This was neither the time nor place for them to discuss their complicated relationship and lingering feelings for each other.

"So what now?" he asked. "How do we sort out this mess?"

Carol sighed. "Whatever needs to be sorted out — crystallized men, whether I actually want to be Queen of the Star Sapphires — it has to wait until the contest is settled. Either Debbie or I have to win — it's the only way to move forward."

Hal made a face. "Does this mean I need to send you off into battle?"

Carol actually smirked. "Yes. It's your turn now."

Flash sped onto the scene just then, looking relieved when he spotted the pair. "There you are!" He looked from Carol to Hal. "She's not going to kill you, right?"

"Not right now," Carol agreed.

"Oh, good, you seem sane." Flash wasted no more time. "Vixen's injured and Zatanna can't handle the other Star Sapphire by herself. We need to —"

A yellow bolt crashed into the sand, cutting Flash off and knocking Hal off his feet.

"Jordan," Sinestro sneered. "Finally. You've been hiding like a coward."

"No, I've just had other priorities," Hal retorted as he dusted himself off. "What are you doing here, Sinestro? What do you want on Earth?"

"The same thing I want on any other planet. Order. Control." Sinestro's eyes narrowed as his gaze bore into Hal. "But that can wait for a later time. I'm here now to deal with you."

"Why?" Hal demanded. "I'm not even a Green Lantern anymore!"

"I'm not here to fight Green Lantern, Jordan. I'm here to address my grievances with you." A dark expression stole across Sinestro's face. "You betrayed me, Jordan, twice. For that, you die."

He struck without warning, grabbing Hal and slinging him a good distance away. Hal landed face first on the beach and barely had time to spit out sand before Sinestro was upon him again.

"Get on your feet, Jordan. Let's see what you're made of without that ring!"

Hal hastily rolled away as Sinestro turned the sand where he had been into glass. The next offensive shattered the glass and sent the pieces straight at him; all Hal could do was curl up and shield his head as he felt the shards slicing through his skin.

He's toying with me. Otherwise Hal would be dead already.

When Sinestro didn't immediately follow up with another attack, Hal dared a glance up. His former mentor was smirking down at him, wearing an expression that was part malice, part disappointment, part pity.

"It's a shame you gave up the ring, Jordan. I would have enjoyed crushing you in battle before I actually killed you. But I suppose either way, you know who is truly superior." Sinestro aimed his left fist at Hal. "Goodbye, Hal Jordan."

He fired the killing blow, but a gleaming pink shield sprang up to deflect it.

"Hal, run!" Carol cried.

Before Hal could react, Flash had picked him up and dashed away with him, while simultaneously speaking urgently into his comm.

"Flash to Doctor Fate — situation report."

"I've just fished Hawkgirl out of the ocean."

"Is she okay?"

"She's all right, but she's out cold, as are Aquaman and Green Lantern."

"Damn it!" Flash cursed. He had no delusions that he was equipped to deal with hard light wielders; as it stood, Doctor Fate was the only available reinforcement he could deploy — but both Carol and Zatanna needed help. Flash, as the senior Leaguer onsite, had to make a decision. "Fate, go back up Zatanna."

"What about Carol?" Hal asked in concern.

"She's going to have to handle herself for a while."

"You can't leave her on her own against Sinestro!"

"Sinestro and Star Sapphire have incapacitated three League members and Green Lantern," Flash snapped. "I don't have a ton of options here."

"You have me."

Flash stopped running and gave his friend a death glare worthy of Batman. "I'm not letting you fight Sinestro. It's suicide. He just nearly finished you off!"

"He trained me, I know how he works," Hal argued. "I'm the best person to take him down."

"Hal, how many times do I have to remind you — you don't have a ring!"

"I'll use John's. He doesn't need it at the moment."

"That —" Flash's mouth caught up with his brain. "Okay, that actually might work." He gave Hal a very serious look. "Hal, are you sure?"

"I'm the only reason Sinestro's here. He's not gonna stop till he gets what he wants." Hal's jaw set with steely resolve. "He wants a fight, I'll give it to him."

Seeing that Hal had made his mind up, Flash gave in. "All right. Lay low and I'll go get the ring."

Hal shook his head. "You won't be able to take it off. It's a failsafe mechanism to prevent others from getting the ring without its bearer's consent."

"Then how the hell are you gonna use it?"

Hal smiled knowingly. "It was my ring before it was John's, and it refused to leave me on its own. Its allegiance should still be mine."

"I hope you're right," Flash grumbled as he picked up Hal again. "Fine, hold on and hope we don't get spotted."

They managed to make it to where John was without incident. The Green Lantern was still dead to the world. Flash winced at the sight of him.

"He really doesn't look good."

Hal bent down and found John's ring hand, muttering an apology for what he was about to do. He knew it was necessary, but it still didn't feel quite right taking the ring off John this way, especially since Hal himself had renounced his right to it. But the ring slid off John's finger easily, willingly ceding to Hal, and it settled on his palm with a warm, reassuring weight, filling the emptiness he didn't know he'd been carrying around.

Hal Jordan, the ring's interface echoed in his mind, Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.

Hal gazed at the ring as if it was his first time seeing it — he certainly hadn't heard that welcome the first time the ring came to him — but it felt so right. How had he ever given this up?

He was snapped back to reality by Carol landing on the beach, looking a bit winded but otherwise unharmed.

"Where's Sinestro?" Flash asked at once.

"I tricked him into attacking Debbie for a bit, but it won't be long before he realizes he's fighting the wrong Star Sapphire," answered Carol. "Hal, you need to get out of here. He's dead set on murdering you."

"I know. But he's going to find it tougher than he thinks." Hal showed her the ring on his palm.

Carol gaped. "Is that…?"

"Yes." Hal's voice was firm, his expression resolute. "I'm not running away this time. Sinestro is my responsibility, and I'm not afraid of that anymore."

Carol stared. Then she smiled. "Well then, Green Lantern." Her tiara extended and became a mask once more, but it wasn't the cat's eye design of before; it now covered the entire top half of her face, similar to a pilot's goggles, but retaining the tiara points and leaving openings for her eyes. "Looks like we both have our own battles today."

Hal nodded. He looked down at the ring in his hand, feeling a sense of rightness, a determination he'd been lacking for a long time and had finally rediscovered. But it was different, now. Where before he'd felt weighed down by his responsibility, striving to prove that he was worthy of the ring — now he knew without a doubt that he was worthy. This ring had chosen him — it had returned to him willingly when its new bearer was unable to continue the fight — and even though Hal was no longer the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, the ring still showed him preference over his successor. John had wielded it with valor and tenacity, but it was still Hal's ring. Hal knew now that he had nothing to prove, only an identity to reclaim.

Renewed, refreshed, redeemed, Hal restored his ring to its rightful place on his finger and closed his right hand into a fist. A brilliant emerald glow enshrouded him, and his eyes shone green.

"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power, GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!"

A surge of pure viridescence temporarily blinded everyone in the vicinity. When the green radiance dimmed back to visible levels, it was no longer just Hal Jordan who stood there.

Standing on the Coast City shoreline, confident and strong, his aura brighter than ever before, Hal Jordan was once again the Green Lantern.

A/N: Till next month! Stay safe and review, please :)