"Good afternoon Gotham, this is Vickie Vale reporting live just outside the Gotham City Museum. Last night, the Tiger Eye jewel was mysteriously stolen last night; there are no witnesses to the crime, but the police believe the perpetrator to be Gotham's princess of plunder, Catwoman." this was typical news for Gotham. A wanted criminal among the rogues gallery such as Catwoman, Clayface, Penguin, or Riddler would strike somewhere and it would go public. The woman reporting this was non other than Vickie Vale, one of Gotham's most famous reporters.
"It seems very likely, due to there being a history of her often stealing antiques and other priceless objects from both museums, jewelry stores, and sometimes even the wealthy. It appears that no jewel is safe in town from Gotham's number one thief. Now we go live to Jack Ryder." the red haired reporter finished her report as the TV was now cut to another news reporter, sitting on a desk before a picture of the city itself behind him as if he was in front of a window.
"Thanks Vale, and here I am with some equally interesting news. It appears Bruce Wayne can't get away from children, for he has taken a new ward under his wing. Ashlyn Phillips, a ten year old orphaned girl who's been raised on the streets since childhood, was found by Wayne who decided to give her the right home she deserves. I've just had an interview with Wayne and Phillips, footage of which I will play for you right now."
Now it was cut to Jack sitting on a chair with Bruce and Ashlyn sitting on the opposite side in front of him.
"So, living on the streets for your childhood, what was it like for you?" asked Jack, ready to take mental notes.
"Well," Scootaloo, or Ashlyn as she was known as, was looking for a proper answer "It was ruff. There were times when I had to go to a different spot to stay in and there were also times when I had to go out and get food when I ran low."
"How would you get food if you don't mind me asking?" asked Jack.
"Well, sometimes people would be nice enough to give me money, but if I didn't have money then I had to steal." Scoots explained.
"How did you manage to survive living on the streets for all those years?"
"I learned from a lot of people that I met with. Some were people that would teach me how to steal and not get caught. But sometimes they'd get ruff with others and I'd just leave and try to handle myself on my own." It would be hard for most people to lie on camera, but for Scootaloo it was easy, due to Bruce waiting to tell her that this interview was being recorded so she won't feel nervous and give it away.
Ryder seemed like he believed her as he nodded and turned his attention to Bruce "So Mr. Wayne, we both know this isn't the first time that you took a kid under your wing. You've done it twice before, what is it with you and kids?"
"Well Jack," Bruce began "I myself have been an orphan in my childhood. I had Alfred and Leslie, but growing up without parents was hard on me. Alfred and Leslie were the only two people I had that came close to a mother and father and I want to give orphaned children not only someone that can look after them, but also as someone that they can look at like a father."
Jack took that down in his mind "So, how did you and Scootaloo meet for the first time?"
Now was the time for Bruce to lie, which was easy for him, considering that he was a trained lier and lied on camera several times to cover up any incidents with him as Batman.
"I decided to go to a Cafe for breakfast one morning and there, I saw a kid walk in with dirty clothes to buy food. Now, normally I would leave this be, but due to the condition of her clothes I felt like I had to see if she was living under proper conditions. So I asked her where her parents were, but she told me she didn't have any. So I took her back to my house and decided to give her a proper home."
The footage ended as the news was now cut back to Jack sitting at the desk. "So it seems that while some look at Wayne as an irresponsible playboy, others would see him as a compassionate father-like figure who just wants to help children. Looks like this is the start of a new life for the newly famous Ashlyn Phillips and we wish her the best."
Scootaloo turned off the TV when the news report about her finished. This was the start of a new life for her. When she became a human and she became known to the public as Ashlyn Phillips. She, Bruce, and Alfred worked on a background for her so people wouldn't question about where she came from. Okay, no one would come to the conclusion she was a pony, but they would start to question where she came from. Details were that she was born on the streets and was separated from her parents at a young age, not knowing who they were. At the court house, they were able to sign a custody forum to allow Bruce to legally become Scootaloo's guardian.
Scootaloo practiced walking and, to be quite honest, it felt weird for her to walk on two legs that carried her body a different way than how legs carried a pony's. Eventually though, she got the hang of it and even learned how to use her fingers. Today, Bruce decided to take her around Gotham since she wanted to see the city. He thought he'd give her a tour at Wayne Tower and introduce her to Lucius Fox, the manager of his company, which he trusted his identity with.
To Scootaloo's knowledge, Wayne trusted Mr. Fox with the secret of her being a pony. How he knew is simple, when Harold was kidnapped by the League of Assassins, he was brought to a warehouse with Wayne Tech security cameras installed. Ra's Al Ghul had no idea the cameras were Wayne Tech, due to the deceased Doctor Thomas Jenkins not being able to see the problem and need to tell Ra's because of him having no knowledge of the Batman's true identity.
From being the world's greatest detective, Batman was able to track down Harold to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. A trusted computer expert/information broker named Oracle was informed about Harold's position and was told to pinpoint it. From that, she detected that there were Wayne Tech security cameras and hacked into them, with the help of Lucius, to tell Batman, Red Robin, and Batgirl what they should expect.
What they did not expect was for an orange pegasus filly to be brought in from another dimension. Both Oracle and Lucius were shocked at the sight they saw; they thought they've seen it all. When Bruce rescued the filly he told them that her name was Scootaloo and she was going to be staying with him.
They intended to meet Scootaloo at some point, but they've been oh so busy with their work. Oracle always had to get rid of any traces that there was a hacker in a system and Lucius had to run Wayne Enterprises. But today was the day they'd finally meet her and what they didn't expect to happen to her is for her to turn human. Bruce told them before they read in the papers that he's taken another orphan under his wing.
Scootaloo was just getting ready as she put on green shorts, black shoes, a blue t-shirt, and a black short sleeved zip up hoodie. Bruce and Alfred thought that they should get her new clothes, due to there being a thing with humans to wear different clothes everyday. Rarity would love this place.
Now that she was ready, Scootaloo made her way out the big double doors of the mansion and over to a car that Alfred said was a Bentley Continental and that this model was from 1952. Alfred stood there in his black limousine uniform, holding open the door for Scootaloo as she hopped in, sitting on a leather seat right next to Bruce. She heard the doo shut right next to her as Alfred walked into the driver seat.
Scootaloo jumped at hearing the engine roar, but felt a hand touch her arm. The hand belonged to Bruce as he gave her a look of reassurance earning a smile from her.
Scoots then saw Bruce pull some kind of belt over his waist and buckled it into the seat. Scootaloo thought that she should do the same with the belt that was just sitting on her side and did so by buckling the funny looking metal part into a...square thing with a button...she had no idea what it was called.
She felt a slight force push her back as the car moved over the dirt road, the world on the outside of the car appearing as though it were moving. The gate ahead of them automatically opened, thanks to the motion detector, and they made their way to Gotham. Scootaloo looked outside the window, watching as they passed a series of trees. It went on like that for about twenty minutes, she assumed, before the trees were no longer visible and instead there was a building; several buildings actually, that took the place of the trees.
The pony turned human's eyes widened in wonder as she quickly noticed they were in Gotham. She leaned her head closer to the window to get a better look as she stared in wonder at the sight of the city. There were many skyscrapers, restaurants, and stores that were present in the city; it almost felt like Manehattan, only difference was the fact that there were humans instead of ponies walking around and there were what they called 'cars' instead of carriages moving in the streets.
Speaking of cars, Scootaloo wasn't an expert, but there weren't many cars that would be considered modern, judging by the vehicle commercials she saw on TV. Many of the cars rather looked as if they were from a past decade. Many of the cars didn't look as old as the one they were driving, but still looked like they'd be from a different time. She could say the same about the buildings, like the cars some of them looked modern, but some looked like they were from a past decade.
Even though it was interesting that this city was a blend of old and new, it wasn't exactly the brightest city, both figuratively and literally. There were so many clouds up in the sky that the sun was being blocked out and trash littered the streets. Some of the people they passed by didn't look too friendly either; there were two guys arguing violently, exchanging words that someone Scootaloo's age should never say. She also jumped back at seeing a fist fight break out between two other people, but was quickly delt with by the police.
When Alfred stopped at a red light, Scootaloo continued to look out the window due to her curiosity. She saw a man in a trench coat giving another person a small, plastic bag of some kind of white substance while the other guy gave him money for it; both giving quick glances over their shoulders as if they were making sure nobody was watching. She also noticed some dude take a wallet from another man's pocket without him even noticing. And to her confusion, she saw a woman in a bright, short sleeved jacket, just leaning her back on a wall and talking to a man in a black leather coat. The woman smiled seductively as she led the man into a nearby ally way until Scootaloo was unable to see them.
The young girl raised her eyebrow as she was confused to what those two people were doing. She shrugged, they were probably just looking for a private place to start kissing, a thought which made her gag. Eventually, they made it to their destination, Wayne Tower, said to be the tallest building in Gotham.
It was one of the few modern looking buildings in Gotham, with a giant blue W at the top of the tower that was big enough for the entire city to see. Her memory was jogged to whenever she'd look outside her window and see a big building that stood out among the rest with not only it's hight, but also it's big, bright, blue W shinning in the night. Sometimes she'd even see a light up in the sky with a bat on it, probably something for Batman.
Once they parked into an appropriate spot, Alfred chose to wait in the car as Bruce and Scootaloo made their way into the building.
"So, this is where your company makes stuff?" The former pony smiled.
Bruce nodded "Pretty much, though we get ideas from employees who work in other establishments we have."
The two made their way over to an elevator waiting for them, the doors shut as they entered. They felt a slight force pushing down on them as a sign that showed the elevator was moving. It took a small while before the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Before them was a room with a model of what looked like Gotham standing atop a table, a giant key on the wall above it, and on the opposite side was a desk where a receptionist was sitting.
She averted her head towards the man and young girl stepping out of the elevator and smiled "Ah, Mr. Wayne. So nice to see you here, welcome back." her eyes averted to the purple haired girl "Oh, and this is your new ward?"
Bruce returned the smile and rested a hand on Scootaloo's shoulder "Yes, this is Ashlyn. I thought I'd bring her here for a tour."
"Well then, I hope you enjoy the tour." she said to Scootaloo before averting her eyes to Bruce "Mr. Fox is just waiting for you inside his office."
Bruce nodded as he led Scootaloo to a double door before opening it, letting her in. Inside the office sat an African American man in a suit and glasses, he appeared to be older than Bruce, but still at an age where he's able to run the company. He looked up from some papers he was looking over and smiled.
"Ah, Mr. Wayne. Welcome back." Lucius stood from his chair and walked over to Bruce, shaking his hand.
"Hello, Lucius." Bruce replied "I hope you're not too busy."
Lucius shook his head "Not at all. After all, you told me you'd be taking your new ward here for a tour. Speaking of which," he turned his attention towards Scootaloo and held out a hand "Hello there, I'm Lucius Fox. Business manager of Wayne Enterprises."
Scootaloo shook his hand and smiled back "I'm Scootaloo." she knew it was okay to let Lucius in on the secret since he knew in the first place.
"I take it you're from another dimension. What's it like there?" Lucius asked.
Scootaloo shrugged "Oh ya know, it's just a world where ponies and creatures from your mythology and magic exist."
Lucius chuckled "Well, I'd like to hear more about it. But that can be another time, because we both know you're only here for the tour."
Scootaloo nodded "Great, so where do we start?"
"How about we start with the secret basement me and Bruce use as a lab to work on things he'll need out on the field." The manager walked over to a chess board sitting on a small table right next to a book case. He moved the chess pieces to certain spots on the board before the book case slid open to reveal an elevator.
The three made their way into the elevator as it made it's way down. A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a small lab. At the wall sat a desk holding a computer and a picture of what appeared to be Lucius' family, as well as a cup of markers and a cup on pencils. On the wall hung a white, must've been what the markers were used for, and in the center of the lab stood a table with a couple blue prints on it. On the wall also hung a blue print of the bat-suit.
"Look at this place," Scootaloo marveled "is this where you work on gadgets for Bruce?"
Lucius nodded "Yes, and guess who he got the Batmobile from."
Scootaloo's eyebrows rose as she turned her attention on Lucius "You made the Batmobile?"
He nodded "Yes. I also designed his suit, gadgets, and everything else he needs as Batman."
"That's awesome." Scootaloo commented. She glanced around the lab before looking back at Lucius "Does anyone else know about this place?"
"Actually no." Bruce shook his head "The only people who do know are me, Lucius, Alfred, and anyone else I know."
The pony turned human crossed her arms as her left eyebrow rose "How'd you guys install this place into the building without anyone noticing?"
"Well you see," Lucius adjusted his glasses "this place use to be an old basement that was used for storage. When Bruce was starting his mission as Batman, I knew I had to make the supplies he'd need for his crusade. I found that people hardly went into this part of the basement, so I had it walled up. That way, if I need to make something for Bruce to use out on the field, I'd have the perfect place to make it without anyone noticing."
"So, do you like, come down here all the time?" Scootaloo asked.
"I come down here a lot, but no all the time. After all, somebody's gotta run the building." Lucius answered. He walked over to the computer and sat down on the black chair. His fingers were pressing against the keyboard until three images of what looked like bat-suits of different designs appeared on the screen before him.
"These were designs for the bat-suit I worked on." he stood up from the chair and stepped aside so Scootaloo could see. "Two of them are ones that Bruce wore in the past."
Scootaloo sat on the chair and looked at the images. The suit at the far right looked like Bruce's current suit, what with the grey skin tight suit with a bat on the chest and a bat cowl and scalloped cape, but what was so different about it was the fact that it didn't have any gauntlets, instead purple gloves, and the bat logo had no ears.
The design on the middle image also had a grey skin tight suit and the bat did have ears this time, but unlike the other suit, there was a yellow oval around it. Another difference was that the cape, cowl, and gauntlets were blue. As for the suit on the far left, it was a one she saw Bruce in, what with the black cape and cowl and armourish suit.
"This one was Bruce's first suit." Lucius pointed to the car right image.
"How long have you worn that, Bruce?" Scootaloo turned her head to the billionaire.
"About a year." Bruce answered. "Although, I had to switch to a different one."
"Which brings us to this suit." Lucius pointed to the blue suit in the middle image. "Bruce wore that suit for eight years."
The young ward turned her head to face Lucius "Why'd he switch suits?"
"Well you see," Lucius explained "there could have been more to the suit. All it was was just a bullet proof suit with a cape to help it glide and night vision lenses built into the cowl. So, I came up with this suit." he pointed again to the middle suit on the computer screen "The cape was built with a special leather that allowed Bruce to glide, just like the old suit, but the leather I built into this cape also makes it resistant to any charring effects."
Scootaloo gave Lucius a confused look "Huh?"
Bruce silently chuckled "He means he made it fireproof."
"Oh, got it." Scootaloo now understood.
"I also designed gloves with triangular-shaped blades built into 'em. Other modifications I made were for the lenses to have a scanning ability, that way Bruce can not only see in the dark, but also scan for any evidence. There's also detective mode, an x ray vision scanning ability."
"You have x ray vision?" Scootaloo perked up, earning a nod from Bruce. "That is so awesome!"
Lucius chuckled. "The body armour was reinforced, but still flexible enough for Bruce to move quickly."
This all fascinated Scootaloo, that she wanted to see what other abilities the current suit had "What about this one?" she pointed to the far left image.
Lucius adjusted his glasses "That one? Well, it has all the same features as the previous one, but it's new features are a cape that allows him to glide at a greater speed than before, a radar built into the lenses to help Bruce track down something he's put a homeing beacon on, reinforcement on the armour has been improved, and the gloves have been built into gauntlets that'll make a harder punch for Bruce to throw."
"That all sounds cool," Scootaloo smirked.
"Perhaps you would like to see more of the building?" Bruce asked, receiving a nod from Scootaloo, and so the three made their way up the elevator.
"Wayne Enterprises creates various resources." Explained Lucius as he was leading Bruce and Scootaloo through a hallway "Some of these resources are made in our labs."
Scootaloo looked to the direction the man gestured to and was a window with some kind of room behind it. She took a few steps further to get a closer look and saw the behind the glass window were various employees in white lab coats doing their work; some were mixing chemicals together as others were taking down notes.
"What're they doing?" Scootaloo asked.
"Making antibiotics for us to sell to the public." Bruce answered.
"So, you guys make medicine?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, medicine isn't the only thing we make here. Let me show you one of our electrical engineering labs." Lucius led the way until they made their way to another lab beyond a window. This lab is what caught Scootaloo's interest the most. Within the lab, there were people putting together things that Scootaloo has never seen before. What they were working on were some kind of square, green disc thingies that were nothing like Scootaloo has ever seen. She also saw them working on various machines she had yet to see. There was also someone within the lab she very well knew.
"Harold?"
Bruce and Lucius saw the hunchback behind the window at his work.
"Oh yes, you've met Harold." Lucius said "Perhaps you would like to say hello? He would be thrilled to see you."
"Yeah." Scootaloo nodded.
"Well then, let's not waste any time." Bruce opened the door as the three of them made their way into the lab.
Harold was busy working on something until the three friends he knew caught his attention as he waved at them.
"Harold," Scootaloo greeted "it's great to see you."
Harold smiled as he did movements with his hands.
"He says he's glad to see you." Bruce translated " He knew you became a human, but it's so different seeing you like this."
Scootaloo smiled "Hey, it felt weird, but I got used to it. How's Ace?"
Harold spoke again in his sign language.
"He said he's doing alright, but he's more protective over him than before, since he got taken by the league of assassins."
"Well, at least he's doing fine." Scootaloo then saw something on Harold's desk "Watcha working on?"
Harold looked back at what she was referring to, then back at her, speaking in his sign language.
"He says it's a camera," Bruce answered "though it's not finished yet."
"So, you make a lot of stuff here?" Scootaloo smiled.
Harold nodded.
"Yes," Bruce translated as he was making his hand movements again "I've worked on many things at Wayne Enterprises. I've worked on robotics, telephones, computers, and more."
"Do you like working here?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes he does, it's the greatest job he could ever ask for." Bruce translated again. "I also got awards for my hard work and service here."
"Wow, that's great. You should be proud." Scootaloo smiled.
"I am proud, but I think they're just trophies to put on a shelf."
"Oh, come on now," Lucius spoke up "you work hard for this company. Surely you deserve some kind of award for it."
"Maybe," Harold said "but the real award I have is still being able to work here."
"Well then, I'll be sure to have you work here 24/7." Lucius joked, earning a grin from the mute hunchback.
"Well, I guess that wraps up this tour for now. I must get back to work, this building isn't gonna run itself."
He and Bruce shook hands "Thanks for showing her around, Lucius."
"Why, it was no problem." Lucius then held out his hand for Scootaloo to shake, which she accepted "And it was fun getting to know you Scootaloo and getting to show you around the building."
Scootaloo smiled "It's been nice meeting you too, Lucius. And I hope to come back here sometime and see what other cool stuff you guys make here."
The billionaire and his ward waved goodbye to the manager and hunchback as they left. When they got back to the car, Bruce held the door open for Scootaloo.
"So, where's our next stop?" Scootaloo hopped into the car as Bruce sat next to her, closing the door.
"The clock tower so you'll meet Barbra." Bruce answered as Alfred drove the car off.
Cassandra Cain was a trained fighter, a trained assassin. She knew every skill, every move, every tactic, and yet she didn't know how to put on these tight shoes. She got word that the filly she, Red Robin, and Bruce rescued has turned into a human and was coming over, so she thought it best to be presentable by wearing a white blouse with a skirt that reached down to her ankles. Now, she wasn't one who cared for fashion, but from Bruce's galas, she thought that you always had to be presentable when people come over. Due to being raised and trained by her dad, who never bothered to teach her how speak or interact, she thought that this was something people should do.
Just then, she heard a knock on the door "Cassandra, Bruce and Scootaloo will be here any minute. What's taking you?"
"I will be out soon." she said as she struggled to get the shoe on.
She struggled and struggled with that shoe until it finally came on. She made her way to her door and opened it to see a red haired woman wearing glasses and sitting in a wheel chair, waiting for her.
Barbra shifted her head downwards at the shoes on Cassandra's feet. She lifted her head back up, looking at her "You over did it with the shoes."
"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked, resting a hand on her hip.
"I mean you could've just wore your normal shoes." Babs answered.
Cassandra mentally slapped herself; all that work, struggling to get the shoe on, was for nothing. Ugh. Just then, a knock was heard on the door.
"I'll get it." Cassandra said as she walked over to the door, opening it to find her boyfriend. "Tim." she smiled.
"Hey, Cassandra." he greeted. "You look nice."
Cassandra smiled as she let him in as she shut the door behind him before the two shared a quick kiss. The two have been dating over the two years of her being Batgirl and their relationship was one of the first ever things that brought joy to her. Tim was just a friend at first, but through time they grew feelings for each other and became the couple they are today. They cared about each other so much, that they were willing to do literally anything for each other; after all, he was the first ever person who was kind to her.
"Tim." Babs greeted "Nice to see you."
"Nice to see you too, Barbra." Tim replied "So, did Bruce and Scootaloo show up yet?"
"Actually, they have yet to arrive. Make yourself comfortable."
Tim nodded as he and Cassandra sat down on a couch next to each other. "So," Tim started "how've you been doing lately?"
"Fine." Cassandra answered "What about you?"
Tim shrugged "Not much, just beating down thugs, fighting the underworld, the usual."
Cassandra nodded as she listened "What do you think about Scootaloo?"
"She seems like an alright kid." Tim answered "Didn't expect her to become human, though."
"Well, a lot of unexpected things happen in Gotham." Barbra said.
Tim chuckled and Cassandra gave a small smirk.
"Yeah, I guess your right." Tim said.
Just then, another knock was heard at the door and Barbra rolled her chair over to get it.
"Bruce." she smiled as she moved, making a clear entrance "Come on in."
The billionaire shut the door behind him as he and the purple haired girl walked in. "Nice to see you, Barbra." he looked at the couple on the couch "Tim, Cassandra, how are you doing?"
"We're doing great, Bruce." Tim and Cass stood and walked over to him, shaking his hand. They then turned their attention to the filly turned human. "Hey, Scootaloo," Tim held out a hand "great to see you."
Scootaloo shook his hand "Great to see you too, Tim."
"Look at you." Tim said once they parted hands "You still look the same way you were when you were a pony."
Scootaloo smiled and turned her attention towards Barbra "Hey, I'm Scootaloo."
Barbra rolled her chair over and shook the girl's hand "Hey there, I'm Barbra, Barbra Gordon. But, you can call me Babs."
Heh, just like Babs Seed. Scootaloo mentally commented. She then looked at the girl standing next to Tim and held her hand out.
"I'm Scootaloo."
Cassandra glanced at her hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it "Cassandra Cain." she said with little emotion.
Scootaloo felt confused; she didn't know if this girl was enthusiastic about meeting her or not. Barbra noticed this and smiled.
"Eh, don't mind her. She's always like that." she then gestured to the couch "Take a seat, why don't you?"
Bruce and Scoots accepted the offer as they made their way to the couch and sat there. Tim and Cassandra sat at the opposite end of the couch and Barbra remained in her wheelchair in front of them.
"So," she said to Scootaloo "what's it like living at Wayne Manor?"
Scootaloo shrugged "It's alright, but it's also kind of boring." her eyes quickly widened as she realized what she just said and looked at Bruce with an apologetic look "Uh, no offence."
Bruce raised up a reassuring hand "Non taken."
Scootaloo's apologeticness and worry disappeared as she looked back at Barbra. "So, how do you know Bruce?"
Babs smiled "Well, he works with my dad, who just so happens to be the police commissioner."
"What's that like?" Scootaloo asked.
"Being the commissioner's daughter? Eh, there's some people who recognize me, but it doesn't affect me. Plus, I've been working with Batman behind his back." Barbra answered.
"So," Scoots raised her eyebrow "how do you work with Bruce?"
"Well," Barbra said "I've been Batgirl for a while, helping him fight crime."
Scootaloo was confused "Wait," she pointed to Cassandra "I thought she was Batgirl."
"She is," Barbra answered "but I was Batgirl before her."
"Just like how there's more than one Robin?" Scootaloo asked.
Barbra nodded "That's right."
Scootaloo lowered her eyes in thought of her next question "So," she looked up "what happened? If you don't mind me asking."
"Well," Barbra looked at her legs. The haunting memory of when she became paralysed came back to her. The bullet going through her. The burning pain soaring through her. The feeling of nothing in her legs. The eyes of...him. She didn't fear him, but she shuddered at the thought of the ongoing pain he brought her that continues to this day.
Scootaloo noticed this and immediately regretted asking such a question "On second though," she said "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Look, I'm sorry."
Barbra looked back up at Scootaloo and took in a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling "Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly "You didn't know anything. Anyway," she wanted to move on from the memory "When this happened," she gestured to her legs "I became an information broker, due to my knowledge of computers."
"What's that?" Scootaloo asked.
"Someone who collects information about someone from public records." Tim answered for her.
"That's right." Barbra said "I also do some hacking for when I need to get into a system to help Bruce out and I act as his eyes and ears."
"How do you not get caught?" Scootaloo asked, curiously.
Barbra shrugged "I'm always sure to clean up any footprints I leave behind."
"You should also hear the codename she uses." Tim said.
"Oh, what's that?" Scootaloo asked.
"I'm called the Oracle." Barbra answered.
Scootaloo smiled with interest "That name sounds cool."
Barbra smiled and nodded "Thank you. In fact..." she rolled herself over to a mirror being held to a wall. "I Have a secret room where I do my work as the Oracle."
She pushed a few buttons on the armrest of her chair until the mirror slid open to reveal a small room behind it. Scootaloo's eyes widened in wonder as she stood up from the couch and walked over to take a look inside the room. Inside the room stood a desk with various screens hanging on the wall and a main one the was bigger than all the other ones in the center. On the desk laid a keyboard and a pair of headphones next to it, and against the wall stood a glass case with a suit that kind of looked like Batman's, but with a feminine appearance.
"This is where you work?" Scootaloo turned to look at Barbra, receiving a nod.
"Mhmm. Bruce set up the computers for me." she rolled her wheelchair into the room "This is the place where the magic happens. With this, I'll be able to keep tabs on him and anyone else associated with him."
"No offense, but you probably have to be a real egghead in order to do this." Scootaloo smirked as Barbra chuckled at the joke as well as Bruce and Tim who were standing by the doorway with Cassandra, who just stood there with a straight face.
The young ward looked around the room "So, how long have you been doing this?"
Barbra shrugged "About eight years."
Scootaloo looked back at the red head "Eight years, huh?" her tone shifted to one of pity. "Do you ever...miss being Batgirl?"
Barbra paused for a moment before sighing "Yeah, sometimes." her mood brightened a little. "But hey, it's not so bad; I enjoy doing all the stuff I do here."
"Plus, Babs has been a really great help to us as the Oracle." Tim said as Bruce nodded in agreement.
Barbra smiled as she felt appreciated for Tim's kind words.
"By the way," Barbra looked back at Scootaloo, who was looking at the batsuit in the glass case. "Is this yours?"
Barbra looked at her suit, then nodded "Yes, I wore that suit when I was Batgirl."
The suit was grey with a yellow bat-symbol on the chest. The gloves, boots, and belt wore the same color as the bat-symbol, as well as the inside of the scalloped cape with a blue outside. The cowl was blue and, like Bruce's, it had an opening that would show the chin if somebody was wearing it.
The young ward looked back at Barbra with a thumb pointed at the suit "Looks cool."
Barbra smiled "Thank you. Came up with the design myself."
Scootaloo made her way out of the room and approached Cassandra as Barbra pushed the right buttons on her armrest, letting the window slide closed behind them.
""So, what's your story?" Scootaloo asked Cassandra.
"Well," she said "I was raised and trained by my father.
"What was he like?" Scootaloo asked.
"Horrible man." Tim answered "He trained her brutally, giving her a rough childhood."
Scootaloo's eyes widened as she rested a hand over her mouth.
Cassandra sighed sadly "Yes. I still have scars."
Scootaloo slowly took her hand off of her mouth "Scars?"
Cassandra nodded as she lifted the bottom hem of her shirt, revealing the scars on her midriff. Scootaloo silently gasped in horror at the sight; what kind of father would do such a thing to their own kid?
"Why..." Scootaloo gulped "...why would he do such a thing?"
Cass lowered her shirt "He was training me to be an assassin."
Tim nodded "Yeah...he was such a horrible father, that he didn't even teach her how to speak."
"You didn't know how to speak?" Scootaloo asked, receiving a nod from Cassandra "How are you able to speak now?"
"You see..." Bruce said "she escaped her father and fled to Gotham. When she arrived, she became homeless; that was until Tim found her."
Tim nodded "That's right. I brought her in and took care of her. I tried my best to teach her how to speak, but she could only speak a few words. So she moved in with Barb and now she's able to speak."
"She's been living with me since." Barbra said "She could only speak in short sentences, but I'm sure she'll learn to speak in longer ones at some point in the future."
Scootaloo gave a faint smile. "Well, it's a good thing she's got you guys."
"Yeah," Tim agreed as he wrapped an arm around Cassandra's shoulder "it's a good thing she does."
Scoots raised her eyebrow at the two giving each other the same looks she saw Shinning Armour and Princess Cadence give each other.
"Hey, are you guys a thing?" she asked.
Cassandra nodded "Yes, we are."
"At first we were friends, but then our friendship grew into something more." Tim smiled at Cassandra as the two exchanged a kiss. Bruce faintly smiled at the sight as Scootaloo gagged, Barbra chuckling at her.
Bruce and Scoots stayed there for a while conversing with Cassandra, Tim, and Barbra. Barbra mentioned how her dad, Jim Gordon, use to be a detective a long time before he became commissioner. Tim told the story of how he figured out Batman's identity and how he became Robin. Cassandra didn't talk much, but stayed in a positive mood. Eventually, Bruce and Scootaloo left as they waved their goodbyes before leaving the clock tower.
As they were leaving, an ice cream cart caught Scootaloo's eye. "Hey, Bruce." she said "Any chance we can get some ice cream?"
Bruce looked at the ice cream cart, then nodded "Sure, what flavor do you want?"
"Chocolate." Scootaloo answered. Bruce nodded as he walked off to the ice cream cart.
"Hey, old man; let's see what you got." Scootaloo heard a voice coming from the direction to her left as she turned her head to an ally to see a man in a leather jacket looking like he was taking a hat with money in it from an old man with a long white beard and a dirty state of clothing.
"Listen, that's my money." protested the old man as he tried to reach for the money, only to be held back by the guy bullying him.
"Ah no, it ain't." said the guy "This money's from other people; you just got it by sittin' on your lazy ass all day without doin' nothin'."
"I try my best to get a job." the old man explained "Nobody'll hire me!"
"That's what they all say." said the mugger.
"Hey!" Scootaloo yelled, the two men turned their heads to her. "Leave him alone."
The mugger chuckled "Well take a look at this; kid's showin' moxie."
"I said," Scooaloo stepped forward into the ally "Leave. Him. Alone."
"Ooh, I'm so scared." the man walked forward. Scootaloo felt unsure about her decision, but she wasn't going to be a coward. The man towered over her as he smirked "So, you think you're tough?"
Nervousness was flowing through Scootaloo as she gulped. She flinched as the man raised a hand as if he was going to slap her, so she shut her eyes tight, awaiting the inevitable. After waiting a moment, it surprisingly never came. She slowly opened one eye to look back up at the man, but her left cheek was met with a loup smack as she fell the the ground, covering her cheek.
She felt a stinging in her cheek as she tried to run it away. Her eyes fluded with tears as she tried to hold back her sobs, but to no avail.
"Not so tough now are you?" the man laughed "Aww, are you going to cry?"
"Hey!" a voice yelled. Scootaloo looked up to see a furious looking Bruce standing there. "Stand down. Now!"
"Heh, looks like I got more people to hit. What are you, her dad?" the mugger smirked mockingly.
"I'm not asking again." Bruce growled, stepping forward.
The man scoffed "Oh yeah, well what are you gonna-" but he was cut off with a hard punch to the face. He stumbled backwards, holding his face. He lowered his hands to find traces of blood on them and felt his nose, feeling a warm liquid emerge from it. "Man, forget this." he said as he ran in the other direction.
Bruce's face of anger quickly turned to a look of worry as he knelt down at Scootaloo.
"Scootaloo," he whispered "are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
Scootaloo wiped the tears from her face "I-I'm fine, Bruce."
"You have a red mark." Bruce noticed the mark on her cheek.
"D-don't worry, it's nothing." Scootaloo tried to reassure. Before Bruce could protest, the homeless man stepped forward.
"Your daughter's really brave." he said. Scootaloo looked back at him and stood up.
"Oh, it was nothing."
"It was nothing?" the man repeated "No, that was something. You stood up against a man like that." he pointed at her "If you ask me, I'd say you're a hero."
Scootaloo smiled at the man's gratitude. "Aw gee..."
"Here," Bruce said, pulling out a few dollar bills from his wallet as he held it out for the man "Take this."
The man took the money and looked at it; his eyes widened. $500. He looked back up at Bruce, giving a smile "Thank you, kindly sir."
Bruce smiled back "No problem." he took Scootaloo's hand as he led her out of the ally. "Take care."
Bruce thought it was a good idea to go home early, so he called Alfred and told him to take them home. Scootaloo kept looking back on what happened with standing up to the man. She felt pried for her courage, but also fear of the man who hit her. She was afraid, she knew she was afraid, but she wasn't. The man called her a hero. Maybe...maybe she had the qualities of becoming one.