The two Lanterns reached Earth's atmosphere where it was daytime in Coast City. They even found a safe spot to detransform into their civilian forms and meet at the Rabbit Café to hangout.
"Ah, home sweet home," Hal said to Lea.
"And the best part of being back home on Earth? Available Wifi," Lea said, bringing out her phone to check the internet to look for a good song online. "So glad the Rabbit Café has that here."
"Yeah, that is very lucky," Hal replied.
As the two of them went inside the café to sit at their usual spot, Lea paused when seeing a certain boy from Bellwood patiently waiting there.
"EEK! Ben!" Lea squeaked, hiding behind Hal.
For those of you confused, Ben Tennyson is a friend I made during the whole Necrofriggian case. And with him staying at Coast City for who knows how long during the Summer, I've been feeling nervous and awkward around him. Which is more than usual whenever meeting people I want to meet for the first time. It's like a loop of bad luck with clutzy accidents waiting to happen.
"Hey, it's that boy again," Hal said. "I hope he didn't follow us here."
"Forget that. I can't let him see me as a total mess!" Lea whispered, trying to fix her hair and brushing off any dust on her clothes. "It's hard enough to be here knowing he's staying with his grandfather."
"Yeesh, Lea, you're acting like you want to impress him." Hal said.
"I do not! Wh-why would I want to do that?!" Lea stuttered, her cheeks rosy pink. "I say we leave now before Ben sees us."
"Hey, Hal! Lea, over here!" Ben called out, waving a hand to them.
"Ugh, too late..." The blonde teen muttered, lowering her head.
"Well, he saw us. Best to play along." Hal said, as he turn to see the boy. "Hi Ben. Nice to see you again."
"Same here. I never thought Coast City would be this exciting until you and Lea showed me around these past few days," Ben said, bringing out a plate of cookies. "And this Rabbit Café sure likes to go on theme here. Even the password is themed."
"I know, right?" Lea managed to say, trying not to sound nervous. "It's not much, but I personally think the café takes me to another world...I mean, music world! As in transports me with it's old school music your grandfather would like. Not that I'm saying you're grandpa's old! He is very fit!"
Hal just groaned quietly, facepalming at Lea's mumbling. "What she means is that the Rabbit Café has a lot of meaning to her as much as Mr. Smoothy is to you at Bellwood."
"I understand very well." Ben said. "This is pretty much her 'Mr. Smoothy'. So, I can relate." Ben said.
Lea just nodded her head in reply, taking a cookie to eat.
"Anyway, I was wondering about something. Coast City is famous for having Lantern heroes, right?" Ben asked.
This caused Lea to choke on her cookie and cough.
"Oh, you saw the sign that said 'Home of Green Lantern', right?" Hal asked, keeping chill.
"Among looking up pics, videos, and news feeds, yes," Ben said, nodding in reply until giving Lea a glass of water. "Here, Lea. Try this."
"Thanks," Lea managed to say, after coughing until sipping on some water.
"I noticed how there are two Lanterns who don't hide their identities but the first and original does," Ben explained, rubbing his neck. "But I'm curious if you two ever encountered or noticed a different colored Lantern around here. A blue-colored girl Lantern."
"A Blue Lantern girl?" Hal said, chuckling. "That's bogus," he then winked at Lea.
"Heh...Yeah," Lea said, finishing her drink.
"But it's true. I actually met her once back in Bellwood a few days ago, after the pet shop thing," Ben explained. "She calls herself Midnight Hope. I'm wondering if the first Green Lantern knows her."
Hal was kinda surprised. He and Lea didn't know what to say. Not that much people know Green Lantern is training Midnight Hope.
"Um...What makes you say that?" Lea questioned.
"After we split up that day, I saw Midnight Hope flying with Green Lantern," Ben explained, getting his phone to show a picture of the two Lanterns after a mutant lizard. "I'm hoping, if I figure out where the Green Lantern is around a lot at in Coast City, then maybe he can help me find Midnight Hope."
"And why do you want to find her?" Hal asked.
"It's hard to explain, but I have an important message to share with Hope that I need to tell her in person," Ben answered.
"A message?" Hal asked. "What about?"
"I can't tell you. As I said before, it's complicated and only for the Lanterns to know," Ben answered.
"Well, I hope you see them again," Hal said, as he then elbowed Lea. "Hey, Lea, you wanna get home?"
"Oh! Right," Lea said, catching on and putting her glass down. "I got to get going anyway. Thanks for the hangout, Ben."
"Sure. I guess...I hope we could hang out again soon." Ben said.
"Same. I'll text you later. Bye!" Lea said, already leaving with Hal and almost tripping again.
As they were walking outside from the Rabbit Café, Hal sees Lea looking relieved. "So, that was unexpected," he said.
"About Ben piecing together that Midnight Hope is with the first Green Lantern or that he actually wants to talk to her with something big?" Lea questioned.
"A bit of both," Hal replied. "Kid is observant enough to be a detective."
"Well...should we?" Lea asked. "Technically, GL and Midnight Hope already met Ben, along with his secret alien agency thing. Especially after the Dr. Animo thing."
"That's true. I guess we can't ignore his invitation." Hal said.
"Right...What would Ben need Midnight Hope for?" Lea questioned, a little nervous. "Maybe we can give him a tip about Green Lantern passing around the Coast City Park or something. That way, Ben can go from there to finding Midnight Hope somewhere else."
"Good thinking," Hal said. "He did say he wanted to speak to midnight Hope."
"Maybe I'll be less tongue-tied as you-know-who than myself," Lea said, rubbing her arms sheepishly. "Because I keep acting weird around him as Lea Thompson."
"Probably," Hal said, who can't help but have a playful smile. "You need to calm down. It's like your crushing on the boy."
"Am not! I mean...Let's get going with this plan already!" Lea exclaimed, making a head start moving while blushing madly.
"Sure thing," Hal said with a smug smile.
Hal's one to talk about crushes. He makes it sound easy but doesn't know the mind of a teenage girl. Getting back on topic, GL and I were able to put our plan to motion. We gave Ben the tip on where Green Lantern passes by around night. While he meets GL on where to find yours truly, I got to position around a building not far from my school.
Night at Coast City. Midnight Hope was found pacing around the rooftops of Midtown High.
"...Ugh! Why does he want to meet me? Midnight Hope, I mean," the Blue Lantern heroine asked herself. "Ben has been here for a short while now, and I'm feeling things I've never felt before! What is wrong with me?!"
The thought of Ben was starting to cloud her mind, but then she shook her head as she heard Ben's voice calling her. "Midnight Hope, there you are."
"Yike!" Midnight Hope tensed when hearing someone and had her blue ring charged until realizing it was only the person she planned to meet. "Oh. It's just you."
"I'm so glad I finally found you," Ben added.
"Uh, same. What exactly brings you here to Coast City...again?" Midnight Hope asked, playing it cool. "I thought stopping Animo was the last time we'd meet."
"That's true, but I later I found the whereabouts of Fro'Gieon." Ben explained.
"You did?! Is he okay?" Midnight Hope questioned with concern. "Fro'Gieon isn't in trouble, is he?"
Fro'Gieon is the alien moth called a Necrofriggian I mentioned back about a while back.
"No. He's not." Ben said. "I found him in the outskirts of Coast City."
"How did you...? Actually, never mind," Midnight Hope stopped herself. "Grandson of a Magister who runs a secret alien task force. No questions asked."
"And that's not all. Fro'Gieon had laid his eggs." Ben said. "They're going to hatch soon."
"Really?! Can you show me?!" Midnight Hope asked happily with excitement.
"Sure." Ben said, showing a high-tech map of Fro'Gideon's coordinates. "He's outside of Coast City and somewhere in a desert."
"Okay. Would you object to the idea of me creating a construct bubble around you and have you fly with me?"
"No, I wouldn't." Ben said. "I was gonna ask you to fly me there."
"Okay. Great!" Midnight Hope said, using her ring to form a bubble around him before flying. "I'll fly, you tell me where to go."
Midnight Hope levitated Ben as they flew around the city. Ben was showing where Fro'Gieon could be, and then pointed to a sign that said 'Now leaving Coast City.'
Ben then spots a cave-in. "Over there," he said.
"Okay. Coming down and through the tunnel of that cave," Midnight Hope said, flying towards the destination.
Ben and Midnight Hope landed. "Fro'Gieon is in there." He pointed at the cave.
"Then, let's see how he's doing," Midnight Hope stated, using her ring like a flashlight and taking point. "Stay close, Ben."
"All right, then," Ben said, as they both walked into the cave while he navigates.
"Soooo...How long have you been...a secret alien agent?" Midnight Hope asked, trying to start a conversation. "I mean, if that's classified, then you don't have to tell me."
"It's... complicated." Ben said. "I doubt you would believe me if I told you."
"I traveled to space, met alien allies GL has told me about in person, dealt with killer Lanterns, and looked for an alien moth phantom that I kept calling the Mothman who turned out to be pregnant," Midnight Hope remarked. "And you were the only one that handled the situation as if it's not your first rodeo. At this rate, I would believe anything you'd say."
"Okay... Then... I was chosen to help save the multiverse from an alien squad and his army of evil mes, so I gathered a team of good mes and we saved the multiverse from total wipe out. Then, I found out my grandpa was a plumber, as you already know an alien task force agency. So yeah. My hero time came when I saved the multiverse," Ben explained, catching his breath.
Midnight Hope paused and slowly looked at Ben in surprise/awe. "...And you call me the lucky one here in becoming a hero?"
"I didn't know I would be destined for greatness. But, apparently, I was targeted by those evil mes because I didn't had a special device they all had," Ben said.
Midnight Hope looked away before taking his hand slowly while moving forward. "You never needed some special device. From what I saw back there with Animo, you are more of a hero than you can ever imagine. Even did more than I could have done."
Ben chuckled for a bit. "Thanks." He said, he then looks at his map. "We're getting close."
It didn't take long for Midnight Hope to realize she was still holding on to Ben's hand and decided to let go...while blushing yet still face forward to not let Ben see. Even put her hoodie up to cover the burning sensation of her cheeks.
'I have got to get a hold of myself!' she thought to herself, unaware of her ring glowing brighter and beating in a rhymical pattern.
The two heroes then reached two paths. "According to the map, Fro'Gieon is on the left path." Ben pointed.
"Then, we go left," Midnight Hope said, going in while trying to keep it together. "Are we getting any closer, Ben? How can we be sure this is the right-?"
Midnight hope paused when her foot kicked a piece of metal...which had marks of being eaten. "...Never mind."
Ben sees more metal pieces with bite marks. "Yep. we're close. Dead ahead."
Soon, Ben and Midnight Hope found themselves in the middle of a large cavern where an even bigger hole was found in the ceiling and moonlight was shining down at the center. On the very center was a certain Necrofriggian on top of an enormous nest composed of all the metal he forged. He seemed to be sleeping or something similar to that.
"I think we found Fro'Gieon," Midnight Hope whispered to Ben.
The Necrofriggian then noticed Ben and Midnight Hope. "It's you two again." It was Fro'Gieon. "It's been a while."
"Yeah...It has," Midnight Hope said. "Are you okay? I'm asking because, last time we were together, I saved you from being caught and blacked out after."
"I apologized if I ran away from you. But you saved my life, and I was free," Fro'Gieon said. "I am grateful, but those humans in uniforms...I don't trust them."
"It's okay. The Plumbers do not just fight aliens. Only evil ones. You're not evil. They help innocent aliens like you." Ben explained.
"Are you sure?" Fro'Gieon asked.
"While I don't know much about them, these Plumber agents aren't too different from another galactic task force I know," Midnight Hope assured. "Besides, they weren't there for you, they were there for the man framing you on crimes you didn't commit. And it took Ben here to help me see that."
"I appreciate that," Fro'Gieon said.
"Anytime. Listen, if you come with us, the Plumbers can help you find shelter, and it doesn't have to be on this planet," Ben explained.
"I might consider that. But I can't yet. Not until my babies hatch." Fro'Gieon said, showing his eggs.
Midnight Hope almost took a double take in seeing maggot eggs where the babies are still waiting to hatch.
"Whoa...That's a lot of babies," Midnight Hope said, not leaving her shocked yet amazed eyes.
"Necrofriggians can lay dozens of eggs," Ben said.
"I can see that," Midnight Hope said, still staring. "How much longer until they hatch?"
"It's hard to say, but I believe very soon," Fro'Gieon explained. "It takes about a couple of days. I picked this spot because the moonlight's rays cover them like a blanket and help speed the process."
"Oh. Okay, then," Midnight Hope shrugged, looking around the area. "Uh, Fro'Gieon? Would you mine some small tunes to listen to while we wait?"
"Tunes?" Fro'Gieon was confused.
"It's another way to say music," Ben said.
"Music..." Fro'Gieon said. "Go ahead then."
Nodding, Midnight Hope got into a crossed leg position while floating and constructing an acoustic guitar. She had her eyes closed, when focusing deeply to decide which song to play.
Midnight Hope then took a deep breath before strumming her guitar in a '60s Pop Lullaby melody. She eventually muttered the lyrics to 'Late Night Talking' which started quietly but later got louder through the acoustics in the cave.
While singing, her ring and energy grew as bright as the moonlight.
Ben and Fro'Gieon took notice that the eggs are starting to move. "How is this possible?" Fro'Gieon asked.
"I don't know. I've never met a Lantern up close until a few days ago," Ben answered, being mindful of his voice while listening to Midnight Hope's music. "But if I had to guess, she's powered by hope where playing what makes her feel hopeful is creating a new energy that's helping the eggs hatch."
"And that energy matches the moonlight's rays," Fro'Gieon suggested.
"It does," Ben agreed, looking over at the Blue Lantern whom got her hood down in revealing her long white curls. "Wow...I didn't know she could sing like that."
"She's fascinating," Fro'Gieon said, admiring Midnight Hope's singing.
Around her zoned-out performance, Midnight Hope started getting memory flashbacks of her time with Ben. Many involve her clumsy moments around him while others were just sweet hangout moments as both Midnight Hope and Lea Thompson. The song just managed to describe her feelings and with the teen boy.
Ben managed to see the flashbacks, as they were displayed by the ring's energy project like a movie. "Lea..." He said.
Okay, so I didn't notice the constructs manifested through my musical playing. How was I supposed to know that was gonna happen? Let alone reveal my inner thoughts of how I feel with Ben plus reveal my identity to him plus Fro'Gieon?
The song was coming to an end. Midnight Hope's final thought wasn't much of a flashback memory but a construct imagination of herself and Ben looking at each other caringly. Both constructs then leaned closer with their eyes; ready to kiss.
Ben was blushing. "Lea...? Is that you?" he asked as the song ended.
"Huh?" Midnight Hope finally opened her eyes and noticed the projector of Ben and her civilian self where she panicked enough to end all her constructs with a small scream. "What?! No! Who's Lea!? I never saw that girl in my life!"
She freaked out to a point where she collapsed to the ground with her face red.
"Humans," Fro'Gieon said, rolling his eyes.
"I-I should get going! I'm really sorry for bringing out that awful performance!" Midnight Hope said, covering her embarrassed face while sprinting out to the exit.
"Wait!" Fro'Gieon said. "The eggs! They're starting to hatch!"
Midnight Hope stopped when hearing that. She slowly turned her head towards the nest where a bunch of blue spheres were floating up.
I probably should have left the moment I unintentionally exposed my secret identity in front of Ben at the most embarrassing way possible. However, I couldn't miss such an opportunity to witness Fro'Gieon's babies hatch. I was going through a lot of conflicts there.
The eggs began to crack and out came little baby Necrofriggians. They squeaked, as they see their parent Fro'Gieon. "They're born..." Fro'Gieon said.
"Oh, my Odym..." Midnight Hope muttered, trying not to squeal.
"It's a miracle," Ben said.
"They're so...cuuuuuuute!" Midnight Hope exclaimed happily.
"The energy from your music playing boost them to hatch quicker than expected," Fro'Gieon said, carrying one of the baby Necrofriggians.
"Me? I couldn't be..." Midnight Hope stuttered, looking away.
"Your Lantern energy matches the moonlight rays," Fro'Gieon said.
Midnight Hope didn't know what to say. On one hand, she was still upset and embarrassed about exposing her identity with that music performance. On the other hand, she helped make the eggs hatch quicker. Her thoughts were interrupted when Fro'Gieon got close to her with the baby in his arms.
"I thank you for your unexpected aid," Fro'Gieon said, then he looked at Ben. "And child, you can take me to the Plumbers. If you're right about them, then they can help me and my babies get back to my home planet."
"I'd be happy to call in a few escorts to make sure no one tries to harm you or your new born babies," Ben assured, already calling his Grandpa Max about this.
Midnight Hope just looked away from Ben, as her face remained red. She then felt something pull on one of her white locks. After looking at the source, the culprit turned out to be the littlest Necrofriggian baby Fro'Gieon held in his arms that fluttered towards the Blue Lantern hero.
"Oh...Hello," she managed to say, giving a small smile.
The baby Necrofriggian snuggled it's head on Midnight Hope's cheek, and then it purred.
This made Midnight Hope giggle, carefully cupping the baby with her hands gently to give it a sweet kiss on its forehead.
"For little phantom moths that are cold, you sure know how to melt my heart," she said to the baby Necrofriggian with a caring smile.
"Okay, Fro'Gieon, my grandpa is coming with some escorts in a few minutes." Ben said.
"Thank you," Fro'Gieon said.
Seeing that the eggs have already hatched, Midnight Hope carefully put the baby back with the others and tried flying out through the cavern hole on the ceiling.
"They're quick learners. Necrofriggians learn to fly after we're born," Fro'Gieon said.
To prove a point, the babies started flying towards Midnight Hope until they swarmed/pulled her down back in the cave.
"EEK! Hey!" Midnight Hope squealed, feeling the Necrofriggian babies cuddling around her. "Knock it off! Hahahahahahaha! That tickles!"
"They seem to like you." Fro'Gieon said.
"Help! I'm drowning in cuteness!" Midnight Hope called in laughter, already on the ground being piled by a dozen of Necrofriggian babies.
Ben then laughed as he helps the babies off of Midnight Hope. "Little trouble makers. aren't they?" he asked.
"They seem grateful to Midnight Hope," Fro'Gieon assumed.
"No mystery there. Her Lantern energy when singing sped up the hatching progress from a few days or hours to a few minutes," Ben explained, petting a few of the babies before letting them go. "They really love solar plasma energy, whether hot or cold."
"You're right." Fro'Gieon said.
Just then, some trucks came. "Looks like the Calvary has arrived," Ben said.
'Finally! I can get out of this awkward situation,' Midnight Hope thought, trying to leave out of the cave in a hurry.
"Got your call, Ben," Max said, getting out of the truck with a few plumbers behind him. "It seems the Necrofriggian babies have just been born."
"Yeah. And it's all thanks to-" Ben started, looking behind to see the Blue Lantern is gone. "...Midnight Hope? Where'd she go?"
"She disappeared." Fro'Gieon said.
I know, I know. It was rude of me to leave the caverns so suddenly. But I couldn't stick around! Not after such an embarrassing reveal in front of Ben and Fro'Gieon! Mostly Ben. I felt like I needed to go to Odym and chat with Lanterns who could help solve my dilemma. If I can figure out what caused me to lose control like that, then I can neutralize it for good so it could never happen again. Even if it might mean I'll have to give up what I love doing.
With that in mind. Midnight Hope flew up into the sky, and out from Earth to reach Odym.
Little did she know...that there was a small stowaway following her.
To Be Continued...
The song used here belongs to the respectful owner. I seriously recommend the channel I found that version of the song, "Late Night Talking" by Harry Styles cover 60s Pop Lullaby style sung by Eva Mikhailovna from PostmodernJukebox on YouTube.