• Published 29th Oct 2012
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A Dark Knight for Equestria - Onomonopia

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Element of Compassion

Ponyville Hospital.

"Well Batman, it's seems that we were able to repair your rib," the doctor said, eyeing Batman's medical charts. "It would've been a lot less painful if SOMEPONY hadn't tried to heal a broken bone with no medical experience," he muttered, giving Twilight a look. She responded with an awkward smile and lowered her head.

The ponies had brought Batman to the hospital the moment after they landed in Ponyville. The doctors had concluded that his injuries were not life threating, but the damage he received would take a few days to fully heal, even with magic. The ponies had stood outside the surgery room while Batman had his bone repaired. Fluttershy had been the most nervous, unable to sit down until they found out that he was alright. When they had, the ponies immediately rushed to his bed side.

"Despite the fact that the operation went smoothly, you’re going to have to stay here for a few days," the doc said, turning back to Batman, who was already standing.

"Sorry Doc, but I have work to do," Batman responded, heading for the door. Fluttershy raced in front of him and didn't move. Batman gave her a look.

"Out of my way," Batman said. Fluttershy shook her head defiantly.

"The doctor said that you need rest," Fluttershy protested, preparing for the stare. Batman narrowed his eyes as well, priming the bat glare. The ponies backed away nervously, remembering what happened the last time the two had a stare down. Fluttershy was the first to concede.

"Alright, I'll let you out, but only if you come with me," Fluttershy said. Batman wasn't sure what to make of her offer.

"Very well," he eventually agreed. Fluttershy gave a squeal of delight and rushed out the door, half-dragging Batman with her. The ponies watched in disbelief, not sure they knew what was going on.

"He really should be in bed," the doctor muttered, turning to the ponies. "Also, I thought that I should tell you to ask your friend to stop doing dangerous things."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I mean that nearly ninety percent of his body is covered in scars," he said, pulling a picture out of his reports. The ponies were horrified by what they saw. "Yes sir, he's covered in cuts, burns, little holes; I'm amazed he's still alive. His body looks like it's been through hades." With that, the doctor left the room, leaving five very disturbed ponies behind him.

======-----========

Batman sat uncomfortably in Fluttershy's cottage while she poured tea. He looked around at her place, not completely surprised that it looked like a wildlife sanctuary. There were probably hundreds of animals living inside Fluttershy's house. Everything from birds to mongoose lived there, including one bunny that continued to stare at him in an unfriendly way. He looked back at Fluttershy, who had finished pouring the tea.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, looking at his side.

"I'm fine," he muttered, taking a sip of the tea. It was impressive, even on par with Alfred's tea. He would hate to her a pony had beaten his tea.

"I'm glad to see that," she said awkwardly. The two continued to drink tea, with Fluttershy unsure of what to say and Batman having a staring contest with the bunny. After a minute, Fluttershy took notice of the stare down.

"Oh, that's Angel bunny. He’s a friend of mine," she explained. Batman did not like the look the rabbit was giving him.

"Any particular reason it's staring at me?" Batman asked, not taking his eyes off the rabbit.

"Well, you are in his usual spot, so I suspect he's a little upset. That reminds me, I need to check up on one of the birds upstairs. Poor thing has a tummy ache. Can you look after the animals for me?" she asked.

"If I must," he muttered. Fluttershy grabbed a jar of bird seed and flew upstairs. The moment she was gone, Batman watched as Angel hopped up onto the couch right next to him.

"What?" he asked it. The rabbit pointed to where he was sitting, then at the floor. Batman got the idea.

"No," Batman answered, picking up his cup. He then felt like what was a salad bowl land on his head, dumping salad all over him. The rabbit began to chuckle to itself as Batman slowly took the bowl off. Lucky for that rabbit, Fluttershy came down the stairs at that moment.

"Batman, what happened? Oh Angel, you did this, didn't you?" Fluttershy said, giving the bunny a stare. Angel hung his head in fake guilt.

"Now I have to head back upstairs, so be on your best behavior." Fluttershy grabbed a bottle of medicine and after giving Angel one last look, flew upstairs. This time, the moment Fluttershy was gone, Batman flicked Angel across the room and into a wall. Fluttershy came back downstairs and gasped upon seeing Angel on the ground, rubbing his head. She raced over to him to see if he was okay.

"Angel are you alright? What happened?" she said distraught. Angel pointed at Batman, who was finishing off his tea.

"Is that true?" she asked Batman. He nodded. She put Angel on his bed before turning to Batman. "Why would you do that?"

"He wanted to see who was dominant. So I showed him," Batman replied coldly. Fluttershy didn't know what to say. Yes Angel had brought it upon himself and Batman hadn't really hurt him, but she knew she couldn't let these two stay in the same room anymore.

"Well, I'm ready. Let's go," she said with a sigh, heading out the door. Batman gave one last glare at Angel before heading out the door.

"So where are we going?" Batman asked in annoyance. He had really wanted to study the Tome of the World's, but between his broken rib and Fluttershy's demands, he hadn't had the time.

"We are going deep into the Everfree Forest. There is a certain herb in the forest that I need for a certain medicine, but I wouldn't dare go in there by myself. But," she said, turning to face him with a smile, "I figure as long as your with me, I shouldn't have any problem."

"If you needed me to help you, you should've just asked," Batman said, not looking forward to going back into the forest. "So where are these herbs located?"

"There's a spring in the very center of the forest where this plant grows. That's where will be going."

'Great, another adventure,' Batman sarcastically thought.

====-----=====

Everfree Forest, near the center.

"I think we're lost," Fluttershy said, looking around her fearfully. The two had been searching the forest for around an hour before Fluttershy had stopped to pull out her map. The two were completely off track from where they were supposed to be.

"So, what do you want to do?" Batman said looking around. Fluttershy swallowed her fear as best she could.

"I-I think w-we should-" Fluttershy froze as she glanced into the bushes. Batman turned and saw what she was staring at. A pair of eyes glowed at the two from the bushes, eyes Batman knew well. Batman slowly pushed Fluttershy behind him as he placed himself in between the pony and the wolf. He narrowed his eyes as the wolf stepped out of the bush, eyeing Batman cautiously. Batman recognized it as one of the wolves he had beaten into the dirt. The wolf took a step towards him, until another sound blasted through the air.

"GGGRRRROOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!"

At the sound of the roar, the wolf sped off into the night. The sound shook the entire forest, as well as the two visitors to the forest. Birds flew off in every direction and animals raced past the two. Batman didn't know what caused the sound, but he did know that it sounded angry. As a second roar rocked the forest, he made up his mind.

"Fluttershy, we have to go!" he yelled over the roar. However, Fluttershy took off in the direction of the roar.

"What the hell are you thinking?" he yelled, chasing after her.

"That sounded like an animal in trouble. We have to help!" she yelled back, still running towards the sound.

"Why?"

"Because I love animals and you never turn down a cry for help!" she yelled with a sly smile. Batman growled and continued to run after her. For knowing him for only a short time, she was beginning to figure him out. The two raced through the forest, until they came across the source of the noise. They had come out of the forest at a massive chasm, at least one hundred feet deep. These facts Batman took in afterwards, as his current attention was focused on the giant bear in the center of the chasm. It was a blue color, with different constellations all over its body. It roared again, but this time Batman noticed a massive boulder crushing its hind leg. The roars were of pain, not of rage.

'So Fluttershy was right,' Batman thought. 'There was an animal in trouble.'

"It's an Ursa Minor," Fluttershy whispered.

"A what?" Batman asked her, not taking his eyes off the beast.

"It's the baby of an Ursa Major. These bear like creatures that are extremely rare in Equestria and are very solitary."

"Wait, that's a baby?" Batman asked shocked. Those things got even bigger?

"Yes and we have to help it. Its leg got trapped under a land slide. The poor thing needs our help!" Fluttershy said, trying to get to the bear. Batman held her back.

"Okay, two things. One: bears are omnivores. That means that there is a chance it may eat us the moment we free. Second: It will take a lot more than anything I carry on my belt to free it. Are you still certain you want to help it?" Batman asked in his most serious voice.

Fluttershy gave him a very determined look. "I trusted you Batman, even when no pony else would. Now I'm asking you to trust me." Batman thought about what she said. She had stood up for him in front of the others, even in front of the princess. He did owe her.

"Grrr...Fine, but don't come crying to me if we get eaten." he growled, attaching his grappling hook to the edge of the chasm.

"I won't because we'll be fine," Fluttershy said with a smile. Batman rappelled down the cliff while Fluttershy flew down beside him. The moment they touched down, Fluttershy ran over to the Ursa's head and tried to comfort it.

"There, there; no need to cry. We're here to help you," Fluttershy said gently, trying to calm the bear down. Batman was impressed when the bear actually stopped crying and looked at her, trusting her. Batman turned to look at the monster of a boulder that he'd have to get off. It was way too big for explosive gel and there was no way he was strong enough to lift it. He turned on detective vision and began to search for any weak points.

"Anything?" Fluttershy asked, walking over to Batman.

"Unless you have the strength of a thousand ponies in your body, I've got nothing so far," he replied. Fluttershy looked at the boulder as well, trying to think of something.

"Can't you use your explosives to break it?" she asked.

"Unless there's a weak spot somewhere, the gel won't do anything," Batman replied, still looking for the chink. The bear whined and looked over at the two.

"Hold on, I think I got something," Batman muttered, zooming in on a crack. "Yes, if apply the triple gel, I may be able to blow enough of the rock off so the bear can lift its leg."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Fluttershy asked joyfully.

"Well, for starters this is going to be painful. The explosion won't cause any permanent damage, but it will sting. Can you convince him NOT to rip me in half if I try this?"

"Of course." Fluttershy flew over to the front and looked into the Ursa's eyes, somehow seeming to communicate with it. Batman pulled out the explosive gel and applied three sprays to the crack. He hoped that Fluttershy's message had gotten through as he pushed the detonator. The explosion blasted a chunk of the rock off and just as Batman predicted, caused the bear to roar in pain. However, also as Batman had predicted, with a bit of effort, the Ursa Minor managed to push the boulder off.

"Oh thank goodness you’re okay!" Fluttershy cried, giving the Ursa a hug. The Ursa responded to her affection by licking the yellow pegasus, before gently pulling her into a hug. She looked into its eyes and it turned to Batman.

"Oh no you don't," Batman said, backing up as the Ursa tried to give him a hug. He did watch as the Ursa gingerly moved its leg, winching a little. He had to admit though, between Fluttershy's laughter and the bear's cries of joy; he did feel a little...warmer inside. Until another roar turned his stomach to ice.

"RRRRROOOOOOOAAAARRRRRRR!!"

Batman spun to where the sound came from and nearly had a heart attack. What he assumed to be the Ursa Major was ten times bigger than the Minor and towered over them like a colossi. It had huge fans, was deep purple and had a rage that he could only comprehend as a mother protecting her young.

"Well, we're dead," Batman said with some dry humor, preparing himself to face what he assumed would be his demise. That was, until the Ursa Minor placed itself between him and it's mom. The mother roared at it, trying to get past her child. The Minor roared back, trying to tell it's mom what had happened. The Major looked surprised for a minute, looking at Batman and Fluttershy. After a minute, the Ursa Major picked up its cub and walked off. Before it was out of sight, it turned around and gave Batman a smile. Then it vanished into the night.

"See, we're still alive," Fluttershy said after a minute. Batman was still trying to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest.

"Is it always this crazy with you ponies," he asked.

"Pretty much," Fluttershy responded with a smile. Batman shook his head.

"You ponies will be the death of me," he said.

"Or you'll be the death of us," Fluttershy retorted with a small smile. Batman fired his grapple to the edge of the chasm and the two headed to Ponyville.

=====----=====

Canterlot, Twilight's chamber.

Twilight sat at her desk, trying to figure out where the third temple was. She had all the notes that Celestia and the unicorns had made on the previous temple, but this one was proving much more difficult to find. She was also exhausted from her training with Celestia. Twilight was making a lot of head way, but she knew that Trixie was training as well as her. She turned her thoughts back to the notes when Celestia entered the room.

"How goes the search?" Celestia asked her student. Twilight shook her head.

"I can't figure out the pattern," Twilight groaned. She had come back from Ponyville after making sure Batman was alright. She had wanted to bring the Tome of the Worlds with her, but Batman had it clear that he wanted to examine it first. So she decided to turn her attentions to finding the last temple and her training.

"Do not worry my student. I'm sure you will have the answer soon," Celestia said gently. Twilight groaned and hit her head against the desk, hoping it would give her an idea. Celestia winced.

"I do not think that will help. But I have a question for you," Celestia said. Twilight picked her head off the desk and turned to face Celestia, not wanting to miss this.

"What do you think of Batman now that you've got time to know him better?"

Twilight thought about that for a minute, picking her answer very carefully.

"I still think that he is very dangerous and could be a potential threat to us," she began, remembering Owlman. "But as he is now, I think we are lucky to have someone like him on our side," Twilight finished with a smile.

"So you've changed your opinion of him?"

"Yes, Princess. I know believe he is a friend and I trust him."

"Very well. Thank you for your time and good luck with your search," Celestia said, turning to leave. She walked out of Twilight's chamber and headed for her own room, lost in thought. She had originally thought the same as Twilight, believing Batman to be a threat that must be watched. But as Twilight and her friends got to know him better, he stopped seeming like a threat and more like someone who was very secretive.

'As long as he continues to fight with us, I guess there's no reason to fear him,' Celestia thought to herself. 'I suppose that we'd better get started on his...gift.'


=====-----=====

Morgaine's Castle.

Trixie tossed up a barrier just as Morgaine's spell reached her. The barrier managed to deflect the spell right back to Morgaine, who simply swatted it away.

"Not bad, but you must be more ferocious," Morgaine taunt, fire multiple blast towards Trixie. Trixie flung herself out of the way of one and shot down the other two. She channeled her magic through the floor and caused stone spikes to erupt from the ground, heading towards Morgaine. Morgaine placed one hand to the floor and sent out a magic pulse that destroyed the spikes. Trixie was knocked off her hooves by the shockwave, barely remaining conscious.

"It's over," Morgaine stated, firing one last blast at Trixie. Trixie concentrated with all her might, trying to teleport out of the way. A blast of magic covered Trixie and suddenly she was across the room. But at the same time, she was still in front of the spell. Morgaine waved her hand and the blast stopped.

"I don't believe it," Morgaine said with a small smile. "You actually managed to duplicate yourself and after only a week of training."

Trixie shook her head and looked over at...herself. The other Trixie looked just as surprised. Then, the both of them let a smile cross their face.