Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger last time, I couldn't help it. But we're barrelling towards the end of this story so strap in for the finale!

Chapter 10: Join Our Fight

Everything hurt like hell.

At first, everything was nothing more than a haze of blurry motion and dull noise. All there was to occupy her senses was pain. Pain everywhere. Then her vision began to sharpen and she noted fellow Star Sapphires using their rings to form a shield around her, the rest trying to help the Justice League fight the rage-empowered Doomsday. Above her were the concerned faces of Michael and her aunt Aga'po.

"Oh Ghia'ta…" Aga'po whispered, sounding dismayed.

"Ghia'ta… why did you do that?" Michael quietly asked.

"M-Mi… Michael…?" She rasped, her lips and tongue feeling chafed and dry. She reached out slowly with a blackened hand, fingers brushing the corps symbol on his chest. "A-Are… you…?"

"I'm fine, Ghia'ta." He affirmed. "But why? Why did you throw yourself in front of me?" Michael asked, his pain evident in his voice. Ghia'ta coughed and her body quivered with pain from every spasm.

"I… did it… because… I love you… Michael." She confessed. "All we've… been through… seeing you put… others first… forgiving… my past… I knew… you were… the one… for me." Michael's expression softened and Ghia'ta felt his hand caressing her cheek. He seemed mournful. The pink light of her aunt's ring swept across her.

"She is fading. Her wounds are too great." She whispered quietly. Michael looked up.

"No…"

"There is no time to get her into a healing crystal. We are too late."

"We… We can't give up on her." Michael implored. Aga'po shook her head slowly.

"There is nothing the Star Sapphires can do for her." The ground shook, drawing their attention outside. Shazam had been flung back into the ground, followed closely by Wonder Woman. Doomsday unleashed a blast of napalm breath that Superman tried to counter with his heat vision. Martian Manhunter joined in with his Martian vision, attempting to push the monster back to no avail. He sent them both flying into cliffsides as he pounced on Green Lantern and slammed him over and over again into the rock. "At least she will not see Zamaron die."

"We can't-"

"We have no choice, Michael." Aga'po said. His shoulders sagged. Through his ring he could feel her despair, her acceptance of this fate… her hopelessness. It was Rann and Thanagar all over again, the raw darkness of the soul consuming everything and everyone. It weighed on him and threatened to drag his soul down into the inky depths along with hers.

He looked to Ghia'ta. Wounded, hurt, burnt beyond recognition. Tears welled in his eyes. "I should have seen it… I should have seen that you were good for me all along. That you were interested in me, vested in me… more than my ex ever was." He whispered, stroking her cheek. "You were willing to put it all on the line when I was holding back… I'm sorry…" He closed his eyes, holding her close. Ghia'ta weakly lifted her hand again, pressing it against his chest as best she could. Michael grasped it and looked to Aga'po.

"I choose hope." He whispered.

Clutching Ghia'ta's hand in both of his, Michael's ring began to glow brightly as he closed his eyes and channeled his power. The intensity of the blue increased with each passing second, nearly blinding the Star Sapphires around him… were it not for their own rings reacting.

Power Levels 75.1%

Power Levels 78.9%

Power Levels 84.2%

Their rings were charging. Within direct range of Michael's emotional aura, the Star Sapphire's found their power levels spiking like never before. Queen Aga'po looked down at her ring, feeling a sudden swell in her emotional aura as her ring was supercharged.

Power Levels 110.8%

Power Levels 113.2%

"You have granted us access to your emotional aura…" The Queen realized, looking to the human. "You… You chose to give this gift to us."

"Blues and greens go together naturally. But a Blue Lantern may choose one other corps to aid in the same manner." Michael affirmed in response. He met Aga'po's gaze. "Ghia'ta has given me her love. I have given her my hope." A bright light flashed from their meeting hands and a wave of brilliant blue and violet washed over the stricken princess. The power of a Blue ring and a Star Sapphire ring fused together in a blinding display to heal Ghia'ta fully, their combined healing powers plucking her from the brink of death.

The princess loosed a gasp as she came to, her eyes bright and her skin healthy, cleansed of napalm burns. "Michael…"

"Ghia'ta!" He hugged her close and tight. She slowly reciprocated, wrapping her arms around him. She inhaled and exhaled.

"You… You saved me." She realized. He released her and the princess looked to Aga'po. "My Queen…"

"My dear niece! My Ghia'ta!" She embraced her as well. "Forgive me for losing hope." When they parted, Aga'po looked to Michael. "Thank you, Michael of Earth, for showing me how to hope again." Before Michael could speak, a shout of pain drew their attention outside the field of violet cast by the royal guard. Cyborg, an arm ripped off, slammed into the ground as Doomsday laid him out flat. The rest of the Justice League were in dire straights, the infectious red light driving them to frothing enraged madness, useless in the fight. The remaining royal guard broke off and rushed the monster with their spears as Doomsday conjured an oversized red fist to send them all flying with one swing. They began to fight, the desperate situation made evident as the protective field faded. Dead, dying, and injured Star Sapphires lay among shattered crystals. The Justice League trapped in spastic fits as red fires licked at their bodies. Doomsday would win… it seemed inevitable.

"But I fear even with this new strength it won't be enough to stop that monster." Aga'po said mournfully. Her heart ached for how her world, her people, and her corps would suffer. Michael could sense the renewal of her despair. "His rage is too great. Too primal. There is no room for any other emotion within him."

"The only way to curb such a fury is another, more dominant emotion." Miss Bloss noted. "But the violet light is not the answer, as much as I want it to be."

Blasts of red light bowled over the royal guard while blistering napalm vomit scorched the rest, laying every Zamaron low. The last of the Justice League and Star Sapphires were laid waste, the rage-empowered Doomsday at last setting his sights on the small cavalcade of holdouts around Ghia'ta. He charged with a bellow, blood spewing from between his teeth. Michael reacted first, raising his ring and generating a protective field to ward off a spewing blast of bloody napalm vomit. Driven by pure rage, the monstrosity came crashing into his shield, beating upon it as Michael struggled to hold the line. He could sense the emptiness of the Star Sapphires. Their light of love was not enough to turn this beast. They felt lost… and hopeless.

There is nothing for me to work with. There's nothing within them for me to act upon.

Cracks began spiderwebbing across his shield as Doomsday beat down on the construct mercilessly. Michael gripped his outstretched arm, feeling the power empty from his ring as he did his best to strengthen his construct.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as a pink light joined his to strengthen his shield. Michael glanced to his side and saw Ghia'ta standing beside him, her ring aglow with violet energy. "I do not know how long we'll last, Michael," she whispered, "but I will lend you the strength of my heart for as long as I can." Their eyes met for a moment, sharing a reprieve as the shield held for a moment longer.

Another flurry of blows from Doomsday shattered their field into a shower of pink and blue shards, Ghia'ta flung off her feet from the impact and sent careening into Aga'po. Michael stumbled as the monster roared, red light seething from every vein, every shard of bone, flaring angrily from the symbol in blood on his chest. He suddenly felt very small, as if the darkness in Doomsday's eyes was the same inky black of Gotham Harbor threatening to consume him. The loneliness of that moment, the fact he alone was the only beacon of light, tiny and flickering against this… their raging night.

All this time I've been trying to find their hope. I've been using their power to act. What can I do without that? Where else can hope come from-?

His thoughts were interrupted as Doomsday raised his fists high and brought them both crashing down. Michael strengthened his aura, his hope to not be crushed to death warding off a fatal blow as the ground beneath him trembled and cracked. Again the monster threw his fists, again did the ground shudder and quake as Michael was beaten down. The red rage in Doomsday hated the blue; its opposite on the spectrum.

There's no Justice League coming to save us. No Star Sapphire can stop him.

Michael fell to his hands and knees with a gasp as the last blow from Doomsday rattled him. He struggled to renew his energy, raising a desperate hand as a protective bubble appeared around him.

Where else can hope come from…?

He looked up, watching as another hammerfist slammed into his last line of protection. The blue light was… calming in a way. Words from days long past sprang afresh within his mind;

"Mastering your ring requires you to focus your hope, to master that which fills you. Your hope turns thought into reality. The light will help but only so far. The rest is up to you." Saint Walker had said.

"For some, this is easier to do. But there is always a way to feel hope within your heart. Letting it dwell within you will rejuvenate your soul, bless you with power in your ring and light in your eyes. Hope requires belief and faith. You must believe in your hope, Brother Michael, if you want to make it real. Hope is the essence of life and life is to be found everywhere in every form imagineable." Brother Warth had stated.

"To take on this responsibility is to give one's self to the universe, Michael. Hope is the most powerful of light and to some, it would be considered the most costly. But not to us." Sayd once explained him.

"You have great hope, Michael." Brother Razer had once so accurately described.

"There is always something to hope for, Brother Michael, no matter how mundane or trivial it may seem." Brother Warth once instructed him.

"You have great hope. You found a great hope. You may not feel like it but that is because you are still hung up over your previous actions. I know the sting of losing everything. We both know what that feels like. But there is always something greater over the horizon. Even in the blackest night, all will be well for those who embrace the brightest day." Ganthet had told him when this all began.

"To be honest, I was running out of hope. But then you arrived, with my ring no less. You became my hope, Michael. The hope I needed took the shape of you. How do you give someone hope who has no hope? Maybe they've lost all hope in their situation until you come along. Could it be that… someone has no hope until you give it to them? Perhaps you don't necessarily need theirs but they need yours. If they have hope your job is easy. If they don't, then it's your job to give it to them." Ghia'ta's recent words rang in his mind.

Suddenly… everything seemed a little clearer.

The bleakness of his past… the brightness of his present… Michael weathered another blow from Doomsday as he reached deep within himself. A revelation dawned. "All will be well..." He whispered to himself. His bubble shattered and Doomsday reared back his fists again…

"Sincerity registered. Power levels one-hundred percent. All will be well."

Michael looked up with a new fire in his blue eyes, their vibrancy like burning sapphires as he cloaked his fist in light and swung with a mighty shout and uppercut to match, chipping bone and shattering Doomsday's concentration as he forced the monster to backpeddle.

I will not simply carry the blue light... I will BE the blue light!

Michael stood tall, arms outstretched and hands balled into fists as his power flexed, a surge of energy filling his ring as his own hope blossomed and flourished. His ring flashed and his body was cloaked in the brightest blue aura he had ever summoned. The Star Sapphires looked on in awe, even the battered Justice League were drawn to his light. He stood before them shining like the brightest stars in the universe as he fed into his newfound realization.

If they have no hope to cling to, then I will BECOME their hope!

Doomsday shuddered as blue washed over him, quenching the red flame of his rage to barely a flicker, mere embers within his eyes. The light of hope beat back the light of anger and continued to swell as Michael became one with his hope… one with the blue itself. His costume changed; veins of blue light dashing across every dip and ridge in his body like fire, branching out to connect his Corps emblem to his ring. The light grew brighter, blinding. It radiated off him in waves, forming an aura brighter and larger than any he had ever conjured before.

Thrusting out his fist, he unleashed a blast of blue light that knocked Doomsday clean off his feet and sent him tumbling across the ground until he slammed into the base of a cliff. Flexing his power, Michael took off in pursuit, creating a spatial warp that teleported him right behind Doomsday as he cloaked his fist in blue and landed an uppercut to the back of the monster's head, pitching him forward. Another warp and his foot passed through, slamming into Doomsday's fist as Michael grabbed him with raw blue light and drove the monster into the ground as if he weighed nothing. Doomsday bounced and Michael teleported again, shooting up underneath the Red Lantern as he landed an uppercut that produced a shockwave of blue light on impact.

Michael crashed into him, powering Doomsday through the air. His eyes, pupils and irises and sclera, had been replaced by glowing blue as the light of hope swelled eternally within him. He pounded into Doomsday with left and right hooks, snap kicks and axe kicks, each one colliding and producing a shockwave of abundant blue power on impact. Doomsday tried to fight back only to have his blows rebuffed with flashes of blue light as Michael continued to lay into him. The monster found himself trapped within a four-fingered claw that threw him into the ground before Michael crafted a steam locomotive and sent it slamming down on top of him. His construct shattered as an oversized maul took its place and smashed into Doomsday, half-burying him in a cliffside. Lashing out with a two-prolonged claw, Michael grabbed Doomsday and threw him across the field, sending him sprawling as the blue light faded even further as his ring's power was cut off from its source.

Ever durable, Doomsday forced himself up as Michael crafted dozens of swords and sent them hurtling towards the monster. Bellowing a challenge, Doomsday batted some aside as others slashed across him front to back. He was promptly beat down by the weapon constructs as Michael rocketed forward with a shout of his own, forging a bo staff within his grip. He lashed out with an onslaught of strikes as he spun his staff around and around, striking Doomsday across the face dozens of times over in the space of a few seconds. Michael beat the monster senseless, striking his weak spots across his legs and arms.

The bo staff changed for a two-headed battle axe as Michael continued to overwhelm Doomsday with his newfound speed and strength. His hope an overflowing fountain of potential, his constructs were unbreakable as they slammed and hacked into Doomsday over and over again. Bone plating chipped and spikes were blunted as the monster found himself mercilessly pounded.

An uppercut hammered Doomsday into the air and Michael gave chase, unleashing the full power on his ring to ensnare the creature with blue light as tendrils wrapped around his arm and entered his body through the bloody veins across his skin. Doomsday howled furiously and beat down mercilessly upon Michael, but his protective aura held.

"In fearful day, in raging night! With strong hearts full our souls ignite!" He shouted, binding Doomsday's red ring with blue light as he concentrated his power within the monster. It encircled his heart like a blue fist, forcing it to pump again and restore blood in order to remove the red ring. Doomsday abruptly froze and roared in pain.

"When all seems lost in the war of light, look to the stars…" Michael shouted, his power flaring to new levels, "for Hope! Burns! BRIGHT!"

With a flash of blue, he shattered the red power ring and jump started Doomsday's heart. The monster gasped, his body reverting to its original state as Michael slammed him into the ground and dragged him across half a mile before throwing his bulk through fields of crystals. Summoning a blue power battery, Michael jammed his ring into the socket and unleashed an amplified burst of blue light. The raw power battered Doomsday as Michael loosed a victorious shout as his aura flared like the corona of a sun, his beam intensifying to such a degree it blew Doomsday off his feet and through the air as a shockwave of blue light rolled over the area.

The Star Sapphires found their rings turbocharged, many of them healed almost instantly as Michael's hope restored them to full health. Both Ghia'ta and Aga'po found themselves aglow as their rings reached 210% charge. The Justice League found themselves purged of the red rage as its fire was quelled, restoring their sanity as they looked upon the blinding display before them.

"He's… He's doing it…" Shazam realized.

"Well, hot damn… So that's what a blue can do." Hal remarked with a cough and partial smirk.

"That means he's giving us a chance…" Batman realized as he forced himself to stand. "Hal, get after him. We'll be right behind you." Green Lantern nodded and took flight, cloaked in an aura that was brighter than normal.

Doomsday stumbled forward, thoroughly dazed as Michael's blast receded. A hammer construct struck his chin and knocked him back up onto his feet. Doomsday roared furiously, swinging for Michael as the Blue Lantern met his punch with his hammer. They traded blows back and forth, Doomsday coming to his senses as his body adapted to the strength of Michael's attacks. And without the innate weakness of the red light to the blue, Doomsday was able to focus his strength where it was naturally suited. Michael was strong and unrelenting with his newfound strength, a nearly-worthy opponent had it not been for Doomsday's notorious record of killing Superman.

A green semi-truck construct slammed into Doomsday and sent him tumbling across the ground. "Woo, buddy, you are a supernova right now!" Hal complimented Michael. "Lucky for us you're so juiced up right now." Michael couldn't resist a smile.

"Don't put your trust in luck. She's fickle." He replied. "Now help me take this thing down!"

"Not without us you won't." Ghia'ta chimed in, flying to his side with her pink aura flaring brightly.

"Nor I." Aga'po added as she swooped in with the remainder of the Star Sapphire Corps. Down on the ground, Doomsday picked himself up and turned his gazed towards the colorful glow mounting in the sky. Michael was there, and he wasn't alone. Backed up by Hal Jordan, Ghia'ta, Aga'po, and over a dozen Star Sapphires, the Lanterns outnumbered Doomsday... and Michael was supercharging them all. "Your rage is quelled this day, monster!" Aga'po declared. "We unite to defend this home from you!" The pink glow grew brighter as the corpswomen leveled their power rings at the monster.

"For hearts long lost and full of fright, for those alone in blackest night, accept our ring and join our fight!" Ghia'ta recited. "For love conquers all-"

"WITH VIOLET LIGHT!"

With that war cry, dozens of power rings unleashed their 210% charge at once, a supernova of light from across the emotional spectrum slamming into Doomsday with enough force to rival blows from Superman. The Star Sapphires renewed their assault, hacking into the beast with spears, swords and countless other weapons. Hal smashed Doomsday in the face with a boxing glove before creating a baseball bat and ball, landing a direct hit that sent the monster spinning. Michael and Ghia'ta dove in next, together, forging swords of respective natures, they sliced through Doomsday in a flyby assault as Queen Aga'po rained down spears that put Doomsday in the ground. The monster forced himself up with an angry roar only to be caught between a fist construct from Ghia'ta and a London bus construct from Michael.

Darting onto the scene, The Flash landed a high speed punch that knocked Doomsday silly. "We'll take it from here!" He called out. Doomsday suddenly found himself ensnared by Wonder Woman's lasso of truth, reefed back towards the Amazon where she hacked into him with her sword. Doomsday rebounded, pitched towards Batman as the Dark Knight jammed twin tasers into the side of his head to electrocute the creature before he backflipped away.

"J'onn!" The Martian Manhunter was on the move, bashing Doomsday with two dense crosses before an uppercut launched the monster into the air where J'onn grew to titanic proportions and clapped his hands together, catching Doomsday between them. Shazam cut in next, landing an electric elbow at the base of Doomsday's spine before a kick pitched him up into the air where Shazam caught his ankle and spun him around at high speed until he threw him back down to the ground, a miniature earthquake rolling out from the impact.

"Mind if I cut in?" Superman asked as he shot forward faster than a speeding bullet and slugged Doomsday so hard he broke the sound barrier as he was lobbed into Zamaron's upper atmosphere. Superman gave chase, his heat vision blasting Doomsday so hard the monster spun uncontrollably. Superman caught up with him and landed an axe-handle blow that sent the monster rocketing back down towards the ground like a meteorite.

Doomsday hit the ground hard and, finally, lay still.

Heroes and Lanterns alike gathered by the crater, watching as Doomsday lay still and unmoving. The beast was finally unconscious. Michael breathed an overdue sigh of relief as he let his power relax, his aura fading to normal levels as his eyes return to normal and the glow around him dimmed. "So that's what hope can do." Hal noted, giving him a nudge. "Nice party trick."

"No trick. I just needed to… figure myself out." Michael answered.

"Ah, a little 'cosmic alignment'. Yeah, been there, experienced that." Hal concurred. "Okay, let's get tall, dark, and ugly here shipped off to deep space."

"Someone needs to check on Cyborg. His nanotech is still pulling him back together." Flash quickly suggested.

"We also need to make sure Doomsday isn't getting back up any time soon." Wonder Woman added.

"Perhaps we can use one of the spare stasis missiles," Martian Manhunter theorized, "we could remove the warhead and perform a controlled detonation."

"That should work." Superman concurred.

"We will make sure he goes nowhere." Aga'po stated as she and her Zamarons used their rings to create a forcefield around Doomsday's body at the bottom of the crater.

Later…

With Doomsday in stasis and secured within a pod that would monitor his brain activity, the Justice League loaded the monster aboard the Javelin-7 for travel. Michael watched on, along with Hal Jordan, Batman and Superman. "How do you even handle something like that? Not like the prison planets can even hold him." The Blue Lantern inquired.

"I've scouted a few locations across the galaxy that can hold Doomsday, far away from most civilized areas. The problem is always his evolution. No matter how hard we hold him, he'll figure out a way to escape in time." Superman replied.

"Since he can't be killed, the best we can do is slow the rate of his return. Buy us more time to figure out how to stop him next time." Batman added.

"Well, we found one way to keep him down this time." Hal remarked, draping an arm around Michael's shoulders. He looked to his teammates. "League material, am I right?" Michael shook his head and blinked.

"Wait… Me?" He repeated.

Batman frowned. "He's a rookie. Untested."

"But powerful." Hal added. "Come on, Bats, even you have to admit he saved our bacon." Michael grinned.

"You… You mean you want me… on the Justice League?"

"Don't get excited. There's still protocol to follow." Batman grunted.

"Wouldn't hurt to have another Lantern around, especially one that syngerizes well with you, Hal." Superman said. He looked to Michael, "If you're ever on Earth down the road, drop by the Hall of Justice or the Watchtower. Only if you're interested, of course." He offered.

"I-I could be. Interested, that is." Michael stammered, clearing his throat.

"Think it over, Mike. Door's open but won't stay open." Hal added as they made to depart. "You cool to stick around? I've gotta make sure this monster gets dealt with. You know. Green Lantern speciality and all." Michael nodded.

"I promised Queen Aga'po I'd help them rebuild." He replied.

"Atta boy. Well, see you 'round!" Cloaked in green, Hal took flight as the Javelin lifted off the surface with a rush of white fire from its thrusters. Hands on his hips, he watched them leave.

Not every day you get to help out THE Justice League.

The Javelin was reaching the upper atmosphere when Ghia'ta touched down, her skin healthy and glowing as the princess was filled with energy and potential. "Aw, I didn't get to say good-bye."

"I'm sure they understood helping your fellow Star Sapphires." Michael replied. Looking to the pink-cloaked woman. Ghia'ta spun around as her ring flashed brilliantly.

"I've never felt this great before!" She remarked, smiling broadly. "My ring has never been supercharged like this!" Her proximity to Michael's aura was allowing him to boost her charge, much like he could normally do with any Green Lantern.

"The least I can do for such nice people like your queen and your people." Michael said as he took flight to float alongside her.

"You're doing a lot already helping us rebuild." Ghia'ta replied. Her expression shifted, softening to a demure degree as she fidgeted with her hands. "Do you… think you'll have time to fit me in?" She wondered. "Not for… you know, what we have been doing. I, erm… I wanna talk."

Michael nodded. "Of course, princess." He promised. "Sooner we get the majority of the work done, the better." He took flight and Ghia'ta followed… although Michael was having a harder time concentrating as he pondered what precisely Ghia'ta wanted to discuss…

Author's Note: Woo! Went a little anime with this one. The final fight is best accompanied by My Last Stand by Robbie Wyckoff from Tekken 8.