After his encounter with Sunset Shimmer, Bruce returned to the Batcave, and was researching the intel on the energy waves in Canterlot throughout the decades prior. He noticed a common trend-- they always grew to immense levels every 30 months for 3 days before decreasing to normal levels again.
“2 and a half years between spikes… I suppose that’s when the portal will open again.”
"Then I suppose that’s not an option for the near future.” Alfred said.
“So, what do we do?” Bruce asked, stroking his chin trying to think of a solution.
As Bruce thought about his options, the alarm for the Batcave security rang off--
Someone had broken in.
“Hello?” Bruce called out.
No-one answered—alarming Bruce.
Bruce rose from his seat to prepare for a break-in but was stopped by the door to the Batcave being blown open and Nightmare Moon trotting into the room. Bruce quickly got on his feet, grabbing the nearest Bat-gadget he could find-- the grappling gun.
“Do you really expect to stop me? Especially with that… excuse of a weapon?” Nightmare Moon let out a chuckle.
Bruce didn’t answer and he fired the hook at her--
But her magic caught the piece of metal and melted it in an instant.
“Cute. But futile.” Nightmare Moon taunted as she used her magic to grab the grapple gun out of Bruce’s hands.
Bruce went for another gadget, but Nightmare used her magic to restrain him and force him to his knees. Alfred charged at her, only for her to launch the grapple gun at his head, knocking him out cold.
“Alfred!” Bruce called.
Nightmare Moon glanced at Bruce and Alfred—taking note of their anatomy, recalling the comment the partier made before.
“I suppose this form’s more humorous than intimidating...” Nightmare Moon commented as she used her magic to remove her helmet and breastplate.
She started floating as mist enveloped her. Bruce noticed that the magic trapping him was getting weak, inciting him to rip his way out and to grab for a Batarang, only for her to launch a single tendril, knocking the bat-shaped throwing star out of his hand and into the computer screen.
After a moment, the mist faded, revealing Nightmare Moon’s new form—her body was altered to match a human—she formed tendrils to spread and clothe her—resulting in torn and somewhat unattached clothing.
“I suppose this'll do...” She grabbed her armor and reshaped it to fit her new form.
Bruce went for a smoke grenade, but Nightmare sent a tendril at Bruce, grabbing his arm before tossing him onto the cave wall, cracking his back. When he fell to the ground, Bruce winced as he reared back, setting his spine back in place.
“Aw... sensitive back?” Nightmare teased.
Bruce growled as he went for another gadget. Nightmare was tired of his games—she grabbed him by the throat with a tendril, pulling him in.
“I want you to hear me, Batman: I respect your efforts to maintain order in your world, but that time’s over. Your world belongs to me now... it is my kingdom. If you try to stop me, you will wind up like your super friend...”
Nightmare pulled out a torn piece of fabric and threw it at Bruce. It landed next to Bruce, revealing Superman’s symbol from his suit.
Bruce was mortified—he hadn’t heard from Clark in a while, what if she...
“What did you do...? What did you do?!"
Nightmare cackled as she used the tendril to lead Bruce out through the Batmobile exit ramp—which lead to a small lake on Wayne Manor. Once he was out, she threw him onto the shore.
Bruce rose from the mud and charged for the Manor, only for Nightmare’s magic to envelop the mansion and pull it to the ground, destroying it.
“Damn it!” Bruce yelled, throwing a rock into the lake in anger.
He took a breath before deciding to call the one person he hadn’t tried contacting yet.
The dial went off as a piece of debris crashed next to Bruce. He then decided to start walking away, ensuring his safety.
“Lucius? I need a new suit—meet me at the Batcave beneath Arkham. I don’t have much time.”
Bruce had arrived at the Arkham Batcave- recalling its use during the riot at Arkham Asylum a while back. He found an old version of the Batsuit that he believed stood the best chance in fighting Nightmare Moon—it was designed to go toe-to-toe with Superman, consisting of complex machinery and Kryptonite-infused joints, it was able to beat the Man of Steel once, but Bruce had a feeling that it may not stand a chance against Nightmare Moon.
As Bruce lost himself in thought, someone entered the Batcave through the retinal scan.
“Mister Wayne... I didn’t think you’d still be out here considering the circumstances.” Lucius Fox stated.
Lucius Fox was the designer of all of Batman’s technology and armor. If Bruce ever needed a new tool for the job, Lucius would be his first call.
“Lucius, I know this is a strange request, but what’s the suit’s durability against magic?” Bruce asked, not wasting time.
“Well... I don’t quite know. Maybe it could withstand a few blasts, but it was designed to fight Superman—someone whose weakness we know. This... entity has almost no weakness as far as we can tell.” Lucius said.
“Okay... how about a way to redirect her magic against her? Like a mirror...” Bruce suggested.
“I’m not too sure if anything like that is possible in the time that we have—she's hunting you down, Bruce. It could be days, hours, or any minute now. The time it would take to create something capable of redirecting her levels of mana could take months.” Lucius gravely added.
Bruce stopped for a moment, what did Lucius mean by...
“Mana?”
“It’s Maori, it’s the belief of a supernatural force which can be concentrated in objects or people. This ‘Nightmare Moon’ checks every box of having or... being just that.”
Bruce sighed—this was completely out of his field of knowledge.
“We should give Zatanna a call, see what she has.” Bruce said.
“Um... who?” Lucius asked.
Bruce remembered that Lucius wasn’t in-the-know when it came to the Justice League.
“She’s defined as a Homo Magi, a human born with the ability to manipulate mana.” Bruce answered.
“O...kay. I suppose you have her number?” Lucius asked, still wondering about what Bruce meant by “Homo Magi”.
“Yes...” Bruce smirked recalling past nights he spent with Zatanna...
Bruce dialed the number and waited.
“Let me guess... you’re going against Nightmare Moon and you want my help.” Zatanna responded.
“Y-yes... can you help me out?” Bruce asked.
“I’m in.” Zatanna hung up and a bright light shone behind Bruce.
He and Lucius turned around and saw Zatanna enter the cave through a portal.
“Uh... perhaps I should invest in... magic-proof security...” Lucius fathomed.
“What do you need, Bruce?”
“I could use more knowledge over what I’m up against—magic has never been my forte.” Bruce admitted.
Zatanna cleared her throat.
“Well, for starters—this isn’t some run-of-the-mill bad guy—she's the Princess of the Moon back in Equestria.”
Bruce hesitated for a moment. Zatanna noticed Bruce’s confusion and decided to fill him in.
“In Equestria, the sun and moon don’t move on their own—Celestia and her sister Luna moved the sun and moon appropriately. However, Celestia... cast a shadow over her sister, causing her to grow bitter over the years. In time, Luna gave in to her demons, and--”
“Nightmare Moon was born...” Bruce finished.
Silence struck the trio. No-one knew what to say or do until Zatanna came up with a plan.
“Your suit was designed to fight Superman, but Nightmare Moon has different abilities. She’s not exactly on another power level, you’re just not equipped to take her on.”
“Okay, so what are we missing?” Lucius asked, not wanting to waste any time.
Zatanna looked over Bruce’s Anti-Superman Armor, searching for flaws that Nightmare can exploit.
“For starters... it weighs too much, you should be lighter so you can move around faster. Superman would charge you, Nightmare would rely on those tendrils of hers...”
“That can be arranged, what else?” Lucius asked.
“One of Nightmare’s powers are hallucinations—she'll make you see whatever you want to see.”
“The suit’s equipped with thermal sensors... would that work?” Lucius asked.
“It’ll do. How about combat? How much longer can it last in hand-to-hand?”
“It can go toe-to-toe with Superman, is that enough?” Bruce asked.
“Perhaps, but Nightmare Moon has been taking hostages all over the world. Odds are she’s using them as an army.” Zatanna said.
Bruce clenched his fists thinking about Alfred.
“How do you know that? Does she have a history of possession?” Bruce asked.
“No, that’s just what every villain with magic does, nowadays.” Zatanna joked.
She chuckled a bit and Bruce’s face didn’t budge.
“Sorry... couldn’t help myself. Anyway, the suit should do fine with a few changes... want me to help?” Zatanna asked Lucius.
“Uh... sure.” Lucius said.