//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Spite Rises // Story: My Little Pony: Duality is a Curse // by IllusionedDrawer64 //------------------------------// Gordon weakly gazed at the portrait of Apollo Janus in the Ponyville's office. "In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you." Friendship Festival was being held, but to weary soldiers like James Gordon, it feels hollow. Even the General "Thunderbolt" grudgingly agreed that even though the laws are in place, limitations actually costed some of their busy avengeful friends... "The world owes you all an unplayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked our lives. But while a great many see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word vigilantes." The ponies thought they got what they wanted: peace of their time. But not without a price: The Accords were revised and remended, but the damage was done. There were rarely of "Super-powered ponies" sightings all around. "It is time for their secret identity to become their only identity. Time for them to join us. Or Go Away." Bruce Wayne as an anonymous vigilante, doesn't agree to that statement. There is still work to be done... The Bat lost his second companion to the clown manic. This grief made him crack heads of criminals who are into grand theft auto. Super-Stallion sacrificed his life to stop a doomsday. And Apollo Janus is dead metaphorically. He was soon missing from the hospital, never seen or heard again. There was an explosion at the hospital. Grace constantly mourned for him...over an empty grave. Apollo Act was established: any captured super-powered villains are stripped of their due process and sentanced to the Tartarus itself, right beside Tirek. Luthor, Cobblepot, and other masterminds somewhat went on the Princesses' good graces, to avoid prison time or exposure... All recognizable criminal bosses and their men are soon all hauled off to the Canterlot Dungeon. A Robin Hood-type mare; the present fiancee or a partner to the Bat himself, named Selina Kyle soon went around Bruce Wayne. "There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us..." "You sound like you're looking forward to it." He replied. She smirked by his wity reply. Star Swirl the Bearded returned to the present-day, to combat the present-day challenges posed all around. It was revealed that he was one of the "Pillars of Old Equestria", to stop the feared Pony of Shadows who was really a viticimized pony named Stygian. Apollo Janus already first got to him. Two-Face was now the daily threat alongside the Bat's rogue gallery. He was unrecoginzable but only the Bat and Gordon knows the truth... However, Mane Six with Starlight soon rescued Stygaian from the clutches of the engimatic Two-Face, without their secret identities as the Power Ponies...for now. "AND NOW, from one of our best Ponyville center guards; Capt. James Gordon!" He praised the once-been friend-turned to a madpony... "Apollo Janus was needed. He was everything Equestria has been crying out for. He was...a hero." Twilight bowed her head in her memories as she remembered how much he helped so many... "Not the hero we deserved - the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight, dazzling...But I knew Apollo Janus. I was...his friend. And it will be a very long time before someone inspires us the way he did..." "I believed in Apollo Janus." Suddenly something caught his eye... A certain creature took the mircophone... James was wacked by the back of his head. He stumbled as his glasses fell. "Ponieth of Equethtria, we come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty...Thtorm King! And now, to deliver the evil, evil methage, put your hooveth together for Commander Tempeeeetht!" Twilight Sparkle braced herself, "Is that a... unicorn?" Spike answered her, "I think so, but what happened to her horn?" Princess Celestia confronted the present enemy, "Tempest" is it? How may we help you?" "Oh, I'm so glad you asked. How about we start with your...complete and total surrender?" "Hi there. Princess of Friendship. Not exactly sure what's going on, but I know we can talk things out." "Oh, goody. All four Princesses. Here's the deal, ladies. I need your magic. Give it up nicely, please, or we make it difficult for everyone!" Princess Luna gritted her teeth, "And why should we cower before you? There's one of you and hundreds of us." "I was hoping you'd choose "difficult"." Many ponies screamed, as many storm creatures made themselves present. Not only that but the familar most wanted costumed villains came along. Enemy airships ran through the skies. Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance gawked by the surprise. Suddenly Tempest strikes... "...I can't... stop it! "Luna, quick! Go south beyond the Badlands!" "-Hmph!" "Seek help from the Queen of the Hippo—" Celestia was then suddenly frozen. Luna fell at the same fate. "Luna!" "Twilight!" "Easy as pie!" "Oh, I love pie. Oh, you totally got the latht Printheth!" "That's not the Princess! Grubber, get her now!" "Guyth, we gotta get the Princess!" "NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!" Recovered James shot a crossbow in Grubber's direction as a warning shot. "Twilight go! We'll keep them company-OOF!" A thug attacked him. Gordon quickly brushes the attack and struck back. Multiple storm creatures appeared. Undaunted, Gordon fired shots as many as he can. Tempest Shadow, annoyed, tries to finish the ex-guard turned detective off. Suddenly the thugs quickly had him on the ground. "Nighty-night sireth!" Grubber stated before knocking him out. "He's alive. By Celestia. It's the ex-Royal Captain! "What do we do?" "Take him to Two-Face. He'll know what to do with him " Gordon woke himself up, he stared at multiple Storm creatures with many thugs. He saw homeless fillies, forced to create new passegeways to lead the Storm King's invasion in the vital parts of Equestria. Then he saw Janus himself in flesh. He was just conversing with Lex Luthor, Harold Saxon, and Oswald Cobblepot. "Why are you here?..." "Answer him!" the henchpony struck Gordon's side. "I'm asking you..." "It's Celestia's pet stationed in Ponyville." "And you brought him down here?" "We didn't know what to do. We -" "You panicked. And your weakness costs three lives." "No, he's alone -" Apollo being two-faced flipped his coin. Ping! Whoosh! Tails He shoots a crossbow with his scarred side at his henchpony in front of shocked Gordon. "Search him. Then I will decide kill you or not." He stated coldly. The panicked henchpony tries to search through Gordon's jacket. However, James quickly sees an opening...and escapes. "...We were in this together, then you were gone." "The Bat wasn't needed anymore. We won..." "...Based on a lie. And now there's evil rising from where we tried to bury it. The Bat has to come back." "What if he doesn't exist anymore?" "He must... He must...the Bat must come back...to save us."