“Starlight, wake up!"
Starlight snapped from her subconscious daze to the urgent shaking she was receiving. Her eyes snapped open, meeting moderate violet ones wide with desperation and panic.
Twilight Sparkle helped Starlight rise from her sprawled position on the ground, promptly shoving a hoof into her mouth to silence her, "There's no time to explain! Listen to me, Starlight! Someone's coming, and they look suspicious. I'll handle them, but you need to flee!"
“Huh?” Starlight took a step back, puzzled at the sudden unexpected explanations. She narrowed her eyes through the darkness of their surroundings.
Rows of railway tracks extended into the murky depths of Gotham City, a locomotive with its glass shattered and metal corroded slumped dead along one.
Eyes darting, Starlight blinked rapidly before glancing towards the cloudy, smog-thick sky. She gaped at the overhanging bridge that shadowed the tracks. Eyes adjusted, the unicorn mare scanned their vicinity, her ears swiveling. As far as she could tell, there were no signs of any suspicious figures. Turning to her friend, Starlight gaped at seeing that Twilight had already turned tail and galloped into the distance.
Twilight's mind raced as she sped between two building structures, putting as much distance as she could from Starlight. She heard Starlight’s confused and desperate calls to her, she tightened her eyes and stiffly shook her head. As much as she’s willing to enlighten her of the situation, she couldn’t waste any time.
Just moments ago, she recalled frantically running back to where the portal deposited the two of them after scouting the area for any potential dangers. She briefly had this gut feeling of being stalked. She spotted silhouettes, scattered throughout different spots. She counted at least four individuals; she knew they weren’t friendly.
She continued to run past railroads, dodging locomotives and making sharp turns. She felt light sprinkling against her coat. Weather wasn’t bad, she much preferred this than those awful freezing temperatures that made Arkham City a frozen Tartarus.
A man, sporting a bizarre-hooded gas mask, jumped from a corner to block her path. Twilight sharply gasped and quickly slammed her hooves against the hard concrete to cease her momentum, stopping too close for comfort. It was too late for her to turn back; the man grabbed ahold of her and slammed her against the nearby brick exterior. Twilight yelped. Taking advantage of his larger size compared to the alicorn, the man clenched his fist and went for a punch; Twilight thought quickly and used her magic to catch the incoming strike.
“What the!?” He turned his head towards his aura-enclosed hand in bewilderment.
Using his distraction as an opportunity, Twilight grunted and positioned her hind legs between herself and his midsection and thrust with as much force as she could. As the thug struggled on his single heel to hold his balance, Twilight casted her levitation spell upon him and drove his head against the brick wall, receiving an instant knockout.
Twilight took off to create more distance from the enemies, making sure it's her that they are after and to lure them away from Starlight. She craned her neck every now and then to make sure that she is followed. She spotted and made a quick count of the remaining three of her stalkers in pursuit. Good. She’s handling this situation correctly after all.
Twilight looked forward and dropped her jaw at the dead end of a bricked structure. She twisted her entire body to cease her movement and confront her pursuers. She knew it was too late to make a turnaround, she might as well face them.
It didn’t take long for the three figures to come into sight. They appeared as silhouettes as they were casted by the darkness for Twilight to even catch a glimpse of their features. The men slowly approached the defensive Twilight.
One thug on the left appeared to be holding a crowbar, the thug in the middle is holding a bat. Wait, was it covered in barbed wire? That would definitely not be a pleasant feeling if one would be struck by it. The last thug appeared to be unarmed.
Twilight backed up, her horn flaring as she pressed herself to the brick wall. The violet shimmer of her aura illuminating the shadows of the desolate avenues, revealing the faces of her pursuers. Just like the thug she took down minutes ago, they all wore that same outlandish mask and hood that would nauseate Rarity even on her best days.
The thug in the front cackled, “Well boys! Looks like we have come here at the right place at the right time! It’s one of these horses we heard so much about after Arkham City.” Twilight’s eye twitched at the noun he referred to her species with that tone of his voice.
“Yeah, our…’employer’ kept going on and on about ‘magic this, ponies are that, Batman this!’ I swear his sanity goes down day by day...” the thug to his left responded. Twilight’s ear flickered at what he said. This ‘employer’ sounds oddly familiar, but she couldn’t put a hoof on it.
“How ‘bout we just shut up and let’s get this freak!” the last thug exclaimed and charged at the cornered alicorn with his crowbar raised up high above his head. She teleported a few feet sideways to avoid getting a hard stiff shot to her skull.
Twilight bucked his shin to bring him down on one knee, he gasped in pain as his grip loosened and levitated the crowbar to strike the back of his head, forcing his body on the hard-cold surface. He screamed in pain and tightly clutched the throbbing spot.
Her ears flickered at the sound of footsteps rushing behind her. Twilight turned her slightly to see the lead thug came up behind her for a blind spot with the barbed wire-covered bat. She teleported to the air above him before he had the chance to swing.
“Huh!?” he looked around with a growl, “What’s with this bullshit!? This pony is on one spot, then seconds later, it’s on another!”
“Tch...it’s one of those magic tricks it's using. Just like how everyone says.” the thug from behind said, the corner of his lips curled upwards, “Let’s see what this so-called magic can do against a bullet.” He reached down to his holster and pulled out a pistol. He loaded the cartridge with a couple of bullets.
“Haha! Does your magic have any chance of making a forty-five caliber, semi-automatic disappear!?” The firearm reported off as he fired off two bullets upwards to demonstrate his point, “All it takes is one bullet through your skull and you’re dead!”
His partner looked at him in alarm, “Doesn’t our boss want one of these creatures alive, Eddie?”
“Did you see what it did to Allan, Brock?” Eddie turned to his partner’s direction, the lens of his mask showed his hardened eyes, “If he’s as smart as he says he is, then he would want these mutant horses dead! I certainly would kill anything that could do shit like that.” He vehemently stated.
Twilight had positioned herself hovering above the goons and closer to the exit. Flapping her wings through the cold sprinkles as her mane and coat began to damp. She cringed at the sound of the thunder-like gunshots, she completely forgot how ear-piercing it really was. She glared down at the scumbags, now she really has to deal with them; now that the thug revealed himself to be armed all along, this confrontation had become more dangerous than she would’ve liked.
Twilight narrowed her eyes at the metallic object. That dumb man may have gotten one thing right; one shot from a bullet has a high chance of being fatal. “Okay Twilight, you’ve gotten yourself out of worse situations than this. All this requires is quick, reactive thinking. I just have to wait for the right moment, and then make my move...” She internally thought to herself. One thing terrifying to her about those firearms that humans of this world commonly use is the speed of a bullet. She couldn’t even follow the movements of the projectile as it zipped through the air. It must be well over the speed of sound, but by how much?
She eyed the very stiff, but slender weapon that remained in her magical grasp as it hovered beside her, encased in aura. It took her a few seconds and beamed once an idea came up. This little plan should be the safest approach to this. She proceeded to descend towards the ground, levitating the bar of iron along the way. Her hooves clopped against the concrete, alerting the thugs as they looked behind them to the source, all according to plan.
Eddie quickly aimed the gun at the young alicorn. What he didn’t notice was the aura surrounding the gun. Twilight smirked, the gun snapped upwards just as he pulled a few triggers.
“The hell!?” he gritted his teeth as he tried to pull it down, until a flinging crowbar collided against the side of his head, knocking him out for the count.
Brock looked down at his partner, eyes wide at what had transpired. That is until he noticed himself being surrounded in violet aura, he was levitated a couple of feet off the ground. Sweat began to break out of his forehead, “W-wait!” She ignored his plea and hurled his body towards herself, the lowly man frantically screamed of what’s to come for him.
Twilight used her wings to sprung up to the desired height and waited a few seconds until he flew right underneath her and slammed her entire body weight on him against the concrete in excellent precision.
Twilight looked down at the unconscious man with a hard, yet sympathetic look. It’s a shame that some of these humans can be just as vicious as a pack of Timberwolves. She knew they were never born like this, this person could’ve had a troubled past with the wrong group of people that have dragged him down this low.
Twilight saw his eyes during their brief contact with her own; they held fear. The only emotion they had displayed other than spite and sadism, which were horrible to look at. Twilight wasn’t one to take pleasure in ignoring one’s pleas for mercy only to strike them down, but she knew what he would’ve done if she were in his position.
As Twilight was about to turn to make her departure, she gasped when she felt a sharp pang in the back of her head. Her whole vision began to spin. She tried to ignore the pain and shake off the fuzziness, but her legs had given in.
She had counted four thugs chasing her, but she somehow missed one! Was she not weary enough? There was no way this was a planned attack!
“So we finally have our inevitable reunion, Equestrian!” A familiar voice reached her ringing ears. With one eyelid tightly shut, Twilight shakily turned to see a shadowy figure standing over her, holding the same crowbar she previously used.
“Who...are you?” Twilight forced out, her voice raspy.
“Oh come on, Twilight. As a fellow intelligent individual like myself, I’d expect you to recognize my voice in an instant. Looks like you are stupid after all.” The figure said mockingly, “Is your memory refreshed now?” he sarcastically added.
Twilight took a moment before catching on, she lightly gasped, “It’s you! The one that almost killed Applejack!”
Twilight’s horn flickered with a noticeably weakened aura to try to teleport away to a safer distance. But obviously, Riddler had no intention of allowing her to do so. She suddenly shouted with agony as a shattering collision hit her spine, breaking her mental focus. And one other impact after another started to repeatedly strike on different proportions on her body, each swing was hit with more force than the one that had preceded it. The final blow impacted her ribs with a crack in wild fury by Nigma.
Twilight whimpered as she lay on her side, tears slipping out her tightly shut eyelids.
“I would not recommend that, Miss Twilight Sparkle.” He said coldly. From behind his mask, the Riddler grinned, taking a thin wire from his sleeve. He grasped Twilight’s damp mane and positioned her head vertically. Twilight staggered, head spinning as Riddler looped the wire around her neck and slowly tudge its ends.
The corners of Twilight’s vision began to darken; her head was spinning, urgently thinking of any possible solution to escape. She made an effort to reach up to pry him away, her already weakened limb fell to her side. Her lungs burned with pain, her mouth fell open, ragged gasps escaped her throat; saliva drooled from the corners of her lips. She tried calling out but only came silent screaming. Twilight’s entire vision faded, the last thing she could hear was the sound of her slowly beating heart over the sound of Riddler’s mocking laughter.
Nigma released his hold on the wire, carelessly allowing her head to drop on the concrete. He removed his mask, revealing his triumphant grinning face. Riddler turned and frowned with contempt at the fallen thugs he had hired, particularly one.
Riddler stood by the armed thug’s body. While he had been silently observing the confrontation, he had heard this moronic fool’s comments; to have his intelligence insulted by an imbecile was an offense that would not go unpunished.
Riddler eyed the metallic weapon which lay by the thug’s limp hand. Reaching down, he snatched up the pistol, took aim, and pulled the trigger on the thug’s head. After dispatching the other two like yesterday’s garbage, he hoisted Twilight up underneath his arm, the mare’s limbs dangling limply. He turned to leave the alley but stopped abruptly, meeting an unpleasant surprise.
“Put her down!” the unicorn mare blocking the alley demanded, her horn blazing turquoise.
Despite the sudden inconvenience, Riddler sighed and kept his composure. He clasped Twilight’s body tightly to keep her limp neck upright, he pressed the pistol against the side of her head, “I wouldn’t try anything at the moment, Equestrian.” he warned.
Starlight ignored the warning, she aimed her horn towards his head and prepared to fire. She flinched from the sudden deafening bang detonated from that strange device. Ears folding in from the ringing, she stared eyes wide at the object the man held overhead towards the air. The sound reminded her of fireworks where ponies at celebrations and ceremonies would ignite for grand entertainment and performances. But this particular noise had this certain darker, more sharper edge to it than any fireworks she ever heard.
“If I see that horn flaring for three more seconds, she dies. You move towards me, she dies. Do you understand?” Riddler said calmly to instill fear into this unicorn the best he can with his silver tongue. Truthfully, he had no intentions of killing Twilight as she is a part of his grand scheme. But he has to get past this pest to make any progress.
Starlight gritted her teeth, warily eyeing the strange object that threatened to blast her friend’s brain. Based on the edge in his voice, that has to be a weapon of sorts.
This was bad. What could she do? She could just teleport in front of him, but would she be fast enough to dislodge him? Maybe behind him? But he would still see her use that ability and kill her friend with a flick of a trigger. She glanced ruefully at Twilight’s bruised and bloodied body, she had to save her. But if she takes any risks, it could mean death for her friend. What choice does she have besides this? Starlight hung her head in defeat, the glow on her horn diminished.
Riddler formed a small smile at that, “Well done,” he glared and made a sound of indignation, “Now, get out of my way! I’m taking my leave.” Nigma calmly but cautiously walked towards the alley exit. Keeping this unicorn in his line of sight. The tension in the atmosphere between both parties was so dense it could be cut by a dull blade.
Starlight continued to glare at the villain, she had no clue of who he was and what his intentions with Twilight were. But she would make sure she would do everything in her power to save Twilight; she did it before and she would do it again.
Starlight watched Riddler exit the alley as he neared a vehicle parked by the curb nearby. He opened the passenger door, shoved the battered alicorn inside and slammed it shut. He aimed the pistol at Starlight since he could no longer use Twilight as his shield, he made his way with quick steps towards the driver’s side.
“What are you going to do with her?” She asked, worry seeped from her voice.
“She’s only an important piece of my conundrum,” Riddler answered simply.
“Where are you taking her?”
“If you want to save your friend, then a riddle would be appropriate just for you; that would prove you’re at least smart enough to qualify for the challenge!”
“Buck you!”
“Na ah ah!” Riddler shook his finger tauntingly, “You’re not going anywhere with that attitude,”
Starlight snorted at that. She really would have to play along would she?
Riddler continued on, “If you solve this riddle, then the answer will be the key in saving Twilight Sparkle. Shall we begin?”
“How could some riddle help me?” she asked with uncertainty. Narrowing her eyes, she sternly continued, “I asked where are you going to take her?”
Nigma chuckled at her question, she really is like a lost puppy. “You’ll see in due time…”
“Riddle me this: I have a type of sports’ equipment in my name. I resemble a winged-mammal, I am as black as night and view crime as a blight. What am I?”
Starlight froze at the answer. A riddle? A ’what-am-I’ at that!? She was supposed to be the one asking the questions here, not playing into his meaningless games! What was this riddle supposed to mean, anyways? “Having a sports’ equipment in its name, it resembles a mammal with wings? It’s as black as night and views crime as a blight?” She repeated in her mind.
Her racing mind not able to comprehend the answer, she stood with a stupefied look. How would Starlight gather any clues to answer this? Even if she does, how could this so-called ‘key’ help her in saving Twilight?
A nagging sensation stirred inside Starlight. It might not be true, but it’s a logical possibility. What if he had used this Riddle to throw her off and get away with Twilight as effectively as possible? She wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.
Meanwhile, Riddler sat himself in the driver’s seat. After he shoved Twilight’s leaning body against the opposite door, he grabbed the keys he had stashed in his pockets and started the engine. Starlight’s ears stood up and eyed the vehicle in alert. She saw Twilight’s shape through the side windows, Starlight could tell Twilight wasn’t aware of what was even going on. Starlight instinctively burst her horn violently with magic.
Starlight saw red. The temptation to just blast that car with him inside to smithereens hit her full force. She watched as the car sped off in a haste, the feeling grew stronger the farther the vehicle traveled. The rational part of her mind was the only thing stopping her from completely reducing the motor vehicle to scrap.
As the vehicle turned a corner when it got far enough, Starlight held her breath as she hung her neck in tense motion.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!” Starlight unleashed a blast skywards so intense that it could be seen across the Gotham City skylines from a distance. .
Starlight took heavy breaths in a hunched stature, she quickly realized the mistake she had just made. However, she couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment, a bitter, scathing feeling towards herself swelled in her chest. She just watched the mare that had brought and helped her out from the darkness that consumed her throughout her life, get taken away to be used as a tool.
Starlight glanced around her, noting various rioters had arrived in the area. They were all frozen in place, gaping at her in awe and fear for the display she had put on. Starlight folded her ears, it seemed like her actions had garnered attention, the one thing she did not need. She was spending her first few minutes in this new world and already word would spread about the beacon of magic she had shot into the sky.
Starlight growled at the crowd of thugs, causing most of them to take a step back while some stood in shock. As her horn glowed, all the thugs turned tail and took off running only for their movements to cease completely by a powerful force.
Starlight watched as each thug wailed out in terror, they stared down in horror at being raised up some meters off the ground as they squirmed. She must admit with a tad of shame, she felt joy from her sadistic side seeing these creatures squirm in the air. She quickly shoved those thoughts aside to the back of her head.
Like a magnetized force, Starlight pulled the thugs together in a chaotic heap in midair. She released her spell and allowed gravity to pull the thugs to ungraceful landings. She stared at the pile of bodies for a moment, before grunting in satisfaction.
She couldn’t stay for long, because of her, this street is likely to draw some eyes. And frankly, she had no desire to appear on this world’s inhabitants’ news coverage. Going by instincts, she trailed the route where Twilight’s pony-napper escaped to. Making sure she stuck near the structures’ walls to avoid line of sight.
She silently cursed her vibrant coat, in a place like this, she’d stick out like a sore hoof.
“Not to mention I have this stupid riddle to solve.” She thought sourly with a groan. She’d worry about that once she located a secluded part of this city.
Sitting on a lobby bench just outside the Evidence Room, her cowl laying beside her, Dash’s eyes impassively wandered around the lobby. She noticed several officers and other employees shooting looks in her direction, hinted with curiosity and astonishment through their windows, to which she gave no regard. For a place filled with various officers, all equipped to apprehend whatever crook that would infiltrate the department; this place was rather still, the atmosphere was despondent around those present. She heard a cop giving a commending speech to a gathering of officers in one section in the room, doing whatever he could to keep them up in spirits perhaps.
After concluding her review of the Evidence Locker Room, she realized there wasn’t much she could do in a boring, public place like this. Of course, she could go around and make friends with these humans, but what could she gain from hindering them from their business? She eyed the old man by the main desk; even after spending quite some time in the locker room, he’s still arguing with whoever he’s contacting over that phone, probably looking for some help. Douchebags, whoever was on the other end. Rainbow thought the man seemed familiar.
“Civil unrest!? There’s war on the streets! We don’t have the manpower or the equipment!” The old man glared at the phone, proceeding to slam the phone down in frustration. Cash turned his head towards the doorway and said something that was inaudible to Dash, causing the old man to shift his attention.
Dash blinked as a familiar caped figure stepped through the entrance, gripping softly but firmly that red-haired woman by her arm. Dash quietly hopped off the public bench and casually advanced towards the scene, she made sure to don her cowl before she would confront the stoic vigilante.
The old officer further wrinkled his brows as he gazed at the woman with a hint of disdain. “Ivy… that’s one last thing to worry about,” he grumbled.
“Is the Isolation Chamber ready?” Batman asked. He momentarily glanced at Rainbow Dash the instant he sighted her.
Cash motioned his thumb towards the opposite side of the lobby, “Glad you’re putting it to good use.”
Dash frowned as Batman stepped passed her without any acknowledgement. Sighing, Dash followed him towards a tank on the farthest wall, which was illuminated in rose-colored lighting. She craned her head towards Cash with recognition, he merely saluted.
Ivy looked at the chamber indifferently. “Oh look, another cell…” Her voice drenching with sarcasm.
After he pinned in the correct numerical pattern upon the codelock that clung to the dense, steel door of the cell, Batman ushered Ivy into the yawning entrance of the chamber before he slammed it shut. Ivy walked suggestively to the center of the cell, she stopped and faced towards Batman with an immodest grin, the reinforced glass barrier was the only thing that stood between them. “Feel all safer now that I’m all locked up~?”
Batman quietly snorted before sharply turning around to see Dash standing a fair distance away; he made sure to step aside from her to continue past. Expressing an indignant look, Rainbow groaned sharply and followed once more.
Dash dipped her head tadley, “You don’t have to get all cold on me y’know.” she grumbled.
Curiosity stirred in Dash as they stepped in the evidence locker room. Pausing his steps in the center of the room, he turned slightly to the pegasus. “You know it’s for your own good.”
Dash shook her head firmly, hardening her face in stubborn defiance. “I’m coming whether you would like it or not. Not while the others are out there.”
Closing his eyes, Batman exhaled a slight miffed sigh. He already received an earful from Alfred after sending Rainbow to the GCPD, to his chagrin; he surely doesn’t need any of these excuses coming his way that would divert his focus. Having no ounce of desire to delay time, Batman turned forward in a heavy trek towards a specific display case containing a valuable asset he would surely need.
Deciding to be silent as well, Dash has no intentions of causing a commotion in this place. Surely Batman would at least give in to her desires, there’s no way she would have him be all sheltering on her. She is capable of handling herself, with or without him.
Once the duo stopped near a display case in the furthest section of the locker room, Dash blinked. Hanging in the center through the plexiglass in front of them was a firearm-like device of sorts, which she had seen Batman use during her time in Arkham City. She spotted the device while surveying the area; apparently Batman had dropped it off to the police. For some reason.
Rainbow jumped at the sound of shattering glass as Batman forced his fist through the transparent barrier. The sharp clinking reached her ears as the shards of glass scattered across the marble surface. Batman grabbed the metallic-cladded object and held it up to his eye level, inspecting it closely for any slight tamperings. Once satisfied, he attached the Remote Electric Charge gun to his utility belt that clung to his waist.
“Why'd you even give it to them if you would need it later?” Dash asked, her tone seeping vague indignation.
“It’s not mine.”
Dash exhaled sharply through her nostrils, he really hasn’t changed at all. Batman gazed at her in stillness, seemingly contemplating something at the same time.
Batman sighed and turned away from her. “You will come with me and do as I tell you. I will allow you to search this city for your friends but only under supervision. Do I make myself clear?”
Dash immediately perked in satisfaction, “Finally! That’s all I ask for, you know. Of course I’d would’ve gone anyway, but as partners, we both need to be on the same page.”
Batman snorted. “I gain nothing by being on the ‘same page’, the top priority rule for you is keeping a distance from those tanks as far as possible.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Who cares. I’m not dumb enough to just let them shoot me down. I’m proud, but not that proud. We came here-”
“A mistake if you ask me.” He interrupted.
Dash looked up at him, eyes leaking irateness towards the towering man. “-to help you kick some flanks!” She continued, her voice firm to make things as clear as possible. “Look Batman, if there’s one thing I value most about friendship is that I would never leave any friend behind.”
Narrowing his eyes into slits, Batman spoke coldly, “‘Friends’ should not be the center focus when duty calls. I’ve learnt that many times the hard way. Once you get your entire group together, get out of my city, I have no need for interruptions.” Finishing his statement, he turned abruptly and continued forward. Leaving no room to say on Rainbow’s part.
Rainbow stared baffled towards the departing caped crusader. What was his problem? Was he really angry about seeing her after a long period? Sighing, she continued her trek. Just as she thought she understood everything about him; at least most things. He shut her out, just like that. Is there something she’s missing? Of course he lost his parents; but was there more to his cold shoulder than that? The reality is, Dash knows deep down that it’s not her own business. He was cold when she met him but not to this magnitude.
She briefly eyed the case displaying the all too familiar circus-themed hazardous tools. Did something about the Joker’s death change things? Was he a bigger deal than she thought? But then, Rainbow’s eyes lit up in realization as the woman that was held hostage by the crazed clown came to mind. Talia was it? Was she a big factor? She wouldn’t blame Bruce's attitude for that, but she couldn’t shake this nagging feeling that there’s more. Sighing once more, she shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. That could wait later.
She’s sure that Batman would be a brick wall if she mentions any concerns to him, possibly relapsing his decision in the process.
Once Rainbow caught up, they were back in the lobby, and again that old man argued with another party through the phone. At this point, it was very much a lost cause if other people were denying help for some crappy reason.
“Screw you!” Gordon snapped, slamming the phone back to its station. He turned his eyes towards Batman, showing off his worn facials, he stated, “Damn Bureaucrats...we’re on our own.” By the looks of his eyes, Dash could tell none of this was new for the man. By the stance of his body, he seemed pretty fit for his age, the slight creases and minor scarring across his facials indicated his experiences during his duties.
He eyed Batman’s smaller companion, “So this is them, huh?” Turning back to the bat, “I don’t know where you find them but the friends you make are the most unusual.” He said quizzically, much to Rainbow’s confusion, Batman quietly snorted in response at the slight reference. Turning back to Dash, Gordon held out a hand. “Commissioner Gordon, glad to make your acquaintance.”
Dash grinned and held out her hoof, “Batmare, sir.” He merely grabbed a hold of her hoof briefly before nodding towards her. She nodded back.
Batman got down to business as usual, “What are the latest?”
Gordon's expression turned serious, “We’ve got incidents cropping up over the city,” Turning to Aaron Cash, “Cash, give us a rundown.”
Cash nodded, “Alright, let’s see what we got here…” Proceeding to type certain letterings on the desktop computer. The screen hung by the wall behind the group lit up, shifting many words as an image appeared, displayed of a fire truck that seemingly had been lit up in flames.
“First up, we lost contact from the firecrew from station 17. We’ve got their last known coordinates, but they’re not going to survive out there on their own for much longer…” Cash said, his face grim but stern.
The screen’s visuals adjusted once more and Dash outwardly grimaced. A photograph of a masked corpse chained up against a plank that clung to a steel exterior. A cryptic message that simply spelled out ‘FLAWED’ was also present beneath the horrific arrangement. “Then there’s this, it’s a strange one. Body turned up, we had no time to look before the evacuation. But the forensic boys seemed freaked out. Real nasty.” Batman quietly growled at that. Another killer on the loose. Not good.
The graphic changed to a man that appeared to be staring at a wall painted in wildly drawn question marks on a brick exterior. “Also, we’ve had several sightings of the Riddler creeping around the trainyard. Knowing him, he’s got to be up to no good.”
Dash jaw dropped, she blinked rapidly for a moment towards the next report. “And the most recent, there was this…beam of light seen across the Gotham City skylines. Our flight boys actually captured this at the last second. They investigated of course, but then they found a mess of thugs on the road, they didn’t get a visual on the source.”
“So a ‘friend or foe’ situation, huh?” Gordon added, his face displayed a mix of worry and intrigue.
Batman slitted his eyes behind his cowl; that’s a dangerous amount of power. He internally noted to himself that this was the first case he had to inspect, anyone that could do this was potentially dangerous.
Dash herself quietly gasped, could they already have a chance of locating at least one of their friends? That beam was magic. It had to be! There were only two ponies she knew who could produce something like that.
“Look, I know you’re busy. But anything you can do to help is going to save lives.” Gordon said.
Batman nodded. “Don’t worry, Jim. I’ve got someone working on a lead on Scarecrow. We’ll see what I can do.”
“Good to hear. I’ve got a skeleton crew searching Gotham south and west. I’m going to join them when I’m done here. We’re going to find that son of a bitch.” he said before picking up the phone once more, leaving Dash and Batman to their business.
“We’ll look into that mysterious ray of energy before anything else.” Batman announced, “Anything with that kind of power has the potential to destroy a city…” He turned with heavy steps towards the exit. Dash folded her ears, awkwardly buzzed by Batman’s rather haste departure.
“Alright Batman, maybe this might lead you guys to Scarecrow. And you.” Cash turned towards the cloaked pegasus, “Stay out of trouble!” Cash added.
“Will do!” Dash saluted respectfully before following Batman’s way.
“Never seen him up close before…” commented a female officer standing guard by the metal detectors. Dash fought back a snort at the remark.
After exiting through the steel double doors, she stood beside the caped-hero and a wail of terror immediatley caught her eardrums. Folding her ears, Rainbow recoiled from the gut-wrenching bellows of agony. Two officers with perturb looks stood facing a cell composed of a glass barrier supported by typical steel bars, where the source of the screams came from. The officers stole a glance towards the duo; by the look of their eyes, even as trained professionals, whatever was in that cell had even unsettled them.
“Yep…poor bastard…” The officer that stood closest to them by the entrance of the lobby, he wore a tag on his uniform that spelled ‘Ofc. Lancaster’; he shook his head despondently, “He ain’t gonna be able to live with himself when he finds out what he did at that diner…”
Batman looked across the glass barrier and hardened his eyes, his lips tightened as he quietly clenched his fist behind his cape.
Dash turned to see through the cell barriers and winced. A shivering officer stood in the center of the cellroom hysterically glancing towards every direction in his space; both his palms covered the bottom portion of his face, leaving only his bloodshot eyes exposed to the group. It’s as if whatever he had seen had terrified him to the point that provoked this primal, uncontrollable fear hidden in his subconscious instincts. His constant whimpers immediately captured her sympathy towards the man. Was this what Mr. Freeze had warned the entire group about? “What happened to him?”
“It's the fear toxin…this abomination of a drug that was created by Scarecrow.” Replied Lancaster, “Owens had been on a coffee break when someone had sprayed some of that stuff right in his face, the drug can cause extreme hallucination to the point that he had fired shots towards many innocents in that diner…the effects of this toxin seems much worse than what it had been in the past.”
The other officer present, possessing the tag that spelled his name ‘Srgt. Denning’, spoke out, “He’s gonna lose his badge for sure.”
“Why would he lose his job for something that wasn’t even his fault? This was Scarecrow’s doing, not his!” Dash gazed dumbfounded towards Denning.
Denning shrugged, “Believe me, I agree with you but it’s all up to the Commissioner.” He turned back towards the quivering man who now sat himself in a fetal position on the bed.
Lancaster spoke up, “Owens is a good cop, lives for the job… he didn’t deserve this,”
So that’s what this fear gas can do, the effects of this toxin seemed much worse than how Mr. Freeze described it. Dash gulped, she wondered about what she would see if that stuff was put inside her. Something she wouldn’t want to find out either way, that’s for sure. “Is there anything you can do to help him?”
Officer Lancaster gravely shook his head, “Paramedics say there’s nothing we can do for him…just pray.” He dipped his head down, staring blankly towards the dark, ceramic tiles by his boots. Rainbow’s heart sank, she continued to gaze at the fallen officer in the jail, he couldn’t die like this. Faith is probably the only option for them to see Owens truly come out the victor of this interior battle in his mind..
Rainbow turned to Batman who had given no word throughout the entire conversation, his burdened eyes were dead set on Owens. Dash slightly perked internally, as much as she might have a distaste for his outwardly cold demeanor, she knew he was as disgusted by this display as everyone else was.
A faint-deep, grave voice that sounded like it had come through the speakers of an audio tape recorder met her ears. She looked over behind her to see a candy machine that stood at the corner of the corridor. It was near the lobby entrance which was to the left hand side of the machine; it illuminated a soft, light-toned, pinkish light down upon the tiled-floor. There was an open entry at the opposite side of the corner, likely where the faint sound had traveled through.
Curious, Rainbow Dash traveled her way to the doorway, stepping past the shimmering vending machine. The clop of her hooves against the hard tile didn’t go unnoticed by Batman, he decided to join in.
After he took a step in the room, Batman mentally groaned upon seeing an all-too familiar journalist that sat by a table which had a multitude of images of wanted criminals a lamp which had a focal point upon a strange book with a leathered covering with a bizarre, large jagged blade that sat on top of it. The man appeared to be concentrating as he scribbled words on the notebook as he listened intently to the audio recording device.
“There’s still no sign of the preacher, no records, nothing…”
“What are you doing here, Ryder?” Batman called out, catching the man’s attention away from his work.
Jack Ryder looked up in surprise at the sight of his visitors, his lips curved into a smug grin. “Well if it isn't my favorite masked crusader! How are you doing?” He regarded the smaller, bat-cloaked pegasus, “And it’s one of the ponies! Tell me, after the whole Arkham City fiasco, where did you and all your buddies go? I'd been dying to interview one of you.”
Dash recoiled a bit in slight astonishment. “Uh…” Not able to find any words for an answer, a bead of sweat dripped down her exposed cheek.
“You shouldn’t be in this city.” Dash was silently thankful for Batman’s no-nonsense direction. Ryder didn’t seem like the type to understand the whole ‘dimension travel’ and other complicated stuff.
“Bet you’re wondering about that tape, huh? I’ll let you in on the action,” Ryder cockily leaned his body against the chair, “if you promise to keep me in the loop. What do you say?”
“What’s this about?” Dash quietly muttered as she eyed the blade and the book with interest.
“It’s not safe. You should’ve left with the evacuation.”
A look of bewilderment spread across Jack Ryder’s face, as if leaving town would be considered insanity in his book. “And miss one of the biggest stories of the year, hell, the century!” He enthusiastically motioned his arms vertically with hands balled in excitement. “This is it, my chance to finally get back on top! Quid pro quo, Batman, what’s the latest on Scarecrow, any leads?” He placed his forearms against the wooden surface of the table with interest for the main case of the night.
Batman stared at the journalist for a moment, before saying. “Stay out of trouble…”
Ryder shrugged and spread out his arms smugly. “Hey, I try, trouble always finds me.”
“Tell me about it…” Rainbow thought she was honestly surprised he managed to stay alive throughout that night at Arkham City; she wouldn’t be surprised if there had been many instances where he could’ve died. By the fact that Ryder just took all of it lightly and the lack of trauma in his emotions was rather unexpected to the pegasus mare. Did his mental capabilities adapt to his experiences? Or was he just a plain ego-maniac?
Ryder turned his head towards Dash in excitement. “So how about that interview? The story I could get from you could be killing two birds with one stone for my top spot!”
A nervous grin formed on Rainbow’s exposed portion of her face. She opened her mouth to respond, however, Batman intervened. “No, we’re done here.” He turned around and made his exit out the doorway to the cellblock.
“Right behind you!” Dash eagerly followed him out the door. Truthfully, she still did not fully understand this whole cross-dimension thing herself. In her opinion, she would be the wrong pony to be answering any questions if anyone would be curious about their origins. Dash would much rather have Twilight do all the talking to this world’s inhabitants, being an ambassador just wasn’t her cup of tea.
But also, would it be wise to just tell this whole world about Equestria? Probably not. She’d rather not have some other old madman just snatch her and her friends from home and throw them into their own plans.
As she re-entered the cellblock, Lancaster and Denning remained outside the cell containing Owens. Dash’s eyes lingered towards the man once more and she shuddered. The sight was still as unsettling the first time she saw him. What if Scarecrow already knew that she was present in Gotham? Does he have one of her friends in his possession?
“Dash…” Batman called out, Rainbow snapped her eyes away from the saddening sight.
“It’s nothin… just thinking,” She said thoughtfully, Batman hummed suspiciously before turning right down the narrow corridor and continued his advancement forward.
The cellblock felt still. The silence from the lack of criminals in incarceration was a stark contrast to the mass chaos spread throughout the town. For Batman and the police force, it would be a busy night indeed. Dash spun her neck left and right, a numerous number of unoccupied cells were present on each side of the hallway save for one straight ahead, down the corridor across from them, “Hey, freaks! Looks like Scarecrow gave y’all the slip! My wrist was broken for nothin’!” Dash looked forward, it was the soldier they had chased down earlier. He was still clad in that reddish uniform, his right arm was encased in a sling which was supported by his nape. He grit his teeth towards the duo in spite with a large vein having popped out his balding head. His uninjured hand tightly gripped against the gate. Batman silently glared and walked with heavy steps to face him.
The soldier sneered, “He’s got plans for you, Batman! You, everyone, and everything around you! This is it! Tonight’s the night we finally bre-” Batman reached his arm in between the bars and tightly clutched the man’s head, he proceeded to forcefully slam his skull against the iron bars.
The soldier yelped and fell backfirst pathetically onto the floor. Dash quietly whistled in praise; that guy got what was coming to him, anyways.
As they proceeded to their destination, Dash eyed up to Batman’s much taller form from the top corner of her eye. After his announcement to investigate this case, she had contemplated how she would approach the topic with him. She opened her mouth to speak up but quickly shut her lips.
“If you want to say something, say it now.”
She looked down to her hooves, not surprised at all that he sensed her attempt for a discussion, “It’s… that beacon of light towards the sky, I have a gut feeling that it might be one of my friends.”
“Is that so? Possibly.” Batman turned his head to look down towards her intently, “If we track down the source from whatever clue left behind, avoid being reckless and don’t rush in head on. Not everything is as it seems, always approach with caution, no matter who or what we search for.”
Dash nodded firmly, “Got it.”
After they took several turns in their path around the block of deserted cells, the duo finally turned right where a doorway lay straight ahead, leading into the parking garage. By the exit, they happened to be greeted by the officer who’d expressed his gratitude for his rescue from the gang of rioters that had assaulted him at Chinatown; while Dash grinned at the man with a sense of pride that swelled in her heart for the fact she had a part in saving a man’s life, Batman eyed him momentarily and offered a slight nod, he proceeded to exit with Rainbow by his side.
A group of cops were admiring the Batmobile parked by the curb, one remarking that it had the ability to transform into a tank combatant. Those that remained a distance from the vehicle immediately noticed the new presences in the garage, immediately informing their clustered colleagues. Batman ignored and waited as the spectating officers were ushered back into their respective positions for their guarding duties.
Through its motion sensors, the reinforced glass hatch opened, allowing Batman to leap and drop into the vehicle. The motor began to roar and the Batmobile sped off in motions that seemed rather nimble for something that consisted of armored and heavy material. As the Batmobile traveled through the tunnels of the underground parking garage, it was closely trailed from above by a multi-colored streak.
“Good evening, Mister Wayne.” An unrecognizable, rather low voice rang through speakers of the communicator attached to Dash’s enchanted cowl. “I hope the car’s performance was up to your high expectations.” So another person who is knowledgeable of his identity? Just how many people does Bruce have in his inner circle who are aware of his war on crime? From the way this person had spoken, Rainbow had guessed this one might be the one who manufactured every equipment or tool in the utility belt and this rather awesome contraption.
“Well actually, Lucius, she’s a little sluggish.” Batman responded. Was there undertone amusement in his tone?
Lucius chuckled at his rather frank response. “I had a feeling you would say that. Give me a few moments and I’ll bring the afterburner function online.”
“Thanks Lucius, it was good of you to stay behind.”
“You want to thank me, Mister Wayne? Just try not to hurtle off the road, I should have some more upgrades ready soon.” Dash just has to somehow contact this guy, maybe she could ask Batman, she just might get this person to make her one of these.
It took a few short minutes to arrive at the street where the alleged power source formerly was. Batman sprung up from his vehicle and studied the scene. There were thugs strewn on the street, some of them almost heaped together as if they had been dropped from the sky. Batman hummed thoughtfully. He scanned each of their heartbeats by activating the Detective Mode through the cowl’s eye lenses. Good, if either one had died he’d have to track and apprehend the suspect to convict it as a murderer, this figure could potentially have a sense of decency. He found that numerous thugs suffered fractured arms and would likely be crippled in the long run. The detective reasoned that for the suspect to have gathered these thugs in a cluster before escaping the police’s radar, they had to be fast.
There was one way to find out who this was.
Scouring his eye about their surroundings, Batman and Dash searched for any indication of where the unknown attacker had fled to.
“Dash, scout out the area. Make sure to look for any indication of where our suspect went.”
Dash nodded without protest and ascended to a reasonable altitude. She carefully hovered and rotated in place, her eyes moving first to where the fallen thugs had least clustered. Assuming that one of her friends had done this, she suspected they would have promptly fled afterwards. Since none of her friends were familiar to wherever they were, she doubted that someone like Twilight or Starlight would teleport away. Hovering lower towards the focal point of the sprawled lot, she raked the ground for hoofprints or any trace of Twilight, Starlight, or Rarity. The pegasus doubted Trixie was capable of dealing with the amassed collection of people in such a manner but she knew she truly didn’t know the showmare’s capabilities beyond her contributions to the rescue mission in Chrysalis’s hive.
Meanwhile, Batman continued his search for any trace of the attacker, apparently the beacon shot out just before he entered the gateway of the parking garage of the GCPD. Whoever was responsible for it, couldn’t have traveled far. The Caped Crusader noted that the crowd had fallen in such a way that pointed to them either facing or moving away from their attacker. By the way their bodies were sprawled, Batman concluded bizarrely that their attacker dropped them from the sky. He suspected that the attacker lifted most if not all of the thugs, a remarkable and formidable accomplishment.
I have a gut feeling that it might be one of my friends.
Batman paused. The attacker, by his observations, would have lifted the thugs and dropped them from the sky. It was quite possible the two premises were related and pointed towards the suspect possessing a power of telekinesis or spatial distortion. Throughout his career, he came to know several people capable of those feats, and it seemed that unicorns joined that list.
Something caught Batman at the corner of his eye. Turning, he spotted a very faint trail of markings his detective mode managed to detect and trace. Examining the prints with greater scrutiny, the detective pressed an indicator in his glove department to activate the scanner, once it reached its data completion, a holographic data chart materialized in the interface with an image of the prints.
“The DNA of these markings has no trace or evidence of any known identity in this world. Though from the looks of the printing, it looks equine in nature as it visibly shows close-relations to the hoof of a modern horse,” the detective read. It would seem that Rainbow’s hypothesis was correct.
“Batman,” Dash called out, hovering over the stirring form of one the rioters, “I’ve got one waking up!”
With heavy steps, Batman trudged up to the dazed crook. Before the crook could get his bearings, Batman raised the man by his collar up to meet his hardened eyes.
“W-Wait! Please, don’t hurt me!” The crook’s frantic plea wasn’t enough to warrant Batman's mercy.
“Then answer this—have you any idea of your attacker’s identity?”
“I-I don't know what it was! But it was some freaky horse thing! It looked pretty small and weak and I thought that me and a couple of my pals could try to jump it, but the thing just grabbed us. Not grabbed, but it was some- some levitation shit!”
Rainbow’s eye twitched at the way he described her fellow pony and intensified upon hearing how the man thought he could take advantage of her friend. She was sickened by thoughts of what they would do if they had succeeded in overwhelming them or catching them off guard. “Why you-”
“I’m doing the talking here, Rainbow. Don’t you dare interfere with this.” Batman momentarily rover his eyes to Rainbow for a split second before settling back to pierce through the man’s own. “Give me descriptions. NOW!”
“It was purple!”
“SHE” Rainbow snarled.
“S-She was purple! She was purple!” the man corrected, cowering away from the livid pegasus. Quickly focusing back onto Batman, the man racked his mind, “Had a horn. That’s all I know.”
“Starlight!” Rainbow gasped.
Batman hummed, “Good night.” Before the man could process the words, the bat forearmed the side of the crook’s head before dropping his limp body.
“Starlight?” Batman craned his head to the pegasus.
“She wasn’t with us last time. But how would we be able to find her now?”
“I’ve scanned your friend’s hoofprints already. They should lead us to her approximate location, we’ll skip the greetings once we get to her, we can’t let Scarecrow have any more time once this is done.” Rainbow breathed and dipped her head, the sweet feeling of relief hit Rainbow for the first time since her arrival. Just minutes in and they might already retrieve one of her most valued companions in her lifetime.
Batman noticed a slight twitch in her movements, “Stay calm. Remember what I said about rushing head on?”
“It’s just that I’m so happy that we’ve got a trail on one of them already!” Rainbow’s perked her head up, violet eyes glinted with excitement and relief.
Batman stared off across the road. “The trail seems to follow in that direction of the road before taking a turn. Follow me closely.” He aimed his grappler towards a roof edge and fired a rapidly extending iron roping which propelled his figure in altitude and jogged through the roof. Rainbow sprung herself up to the opposite column of buildings and followed the line of hoofprints. Dash soared past buildings steadily, her eyes alert and ears pricked.
Heaving breathlessly after her sprint through the streets, Starlight peeked behind herself and lit her horn. After mindlessly plowing through the streets of the city, the mare collected her wits and decided to recuperate. Roaming her eyes over the deserted square she was in, Starlight glanced in every direction and breathed a silent sigh. she hadn’t been followed as far as she could tell. Now that she was alone and resting, she could think a little more clearly.
With the clouds in her mind dissipating, the riddle resurfaced in her mind once more. The latter portion of the riddle was potentially someone who could be an ally of her rescue mission; that much she could piece together.
She needed someone who could help her but who? Twilight was gone and that infuriating man and his stupid riddle wouldn’t help her, how could it? She sat on her haunches and scrunched her face. She’s lost. The vehicle that man had rode had long sped its way out of her range of sight.
Starlight thought back to when her friends recounted their time in Arkham City.
“It was so dastardly cold,” Rarity had said.
“Oh yes,” Fluttershy agreed, “it was awful.”
But they’d told her about someone, someone who helped them.
“He was awesome!” Rainbow gushed.
Something nagged Starlight at the back of her mind and she tried to focus on it.
“He had a cloak and mask.”
Starlight paused.
Gray suit. Black cape. Black mask with pointed ears.
“No need to fear,” Dash cheered, a proud smile across her muzzle, sounding every bit the confident mare Starlight would expect a hero to be, donning that clothed superhero costume that resembled something she could wear for Nightmare Night. “Batmare is here!”
Starlight’s eye twitched.
“I have the name of a sports equipment in my name.”
A bat.
“I resemble a winged mammal.”
A bat.
“I am as black as night and view crime as a blight.”
“Batman fought criminals and took them down like he ate them for breakfast!”
Batman.
Starlight groaned, bringing her hoof to her face.
The flapping of wings caught Starlight’s attention, followed by a shout, “Starlight!”
Startled, caught off guard, the unicorn looked up. Rainbow Dash hovered in place, not moving. Her muzzle was pulled back into a delighted smile but Starlight felt as if the pegasus mare was also smirking.
Starlight backed up, warily eyeing the mare. She recoiled suddenly and hopped forwards and shifted into a defensive stance. Something was behind her!
Starlight’s horn blazed, the unicorn preparing to teleport away, before she paused. Rainbow Dash was smirking and she imagined that that expression had only grown. Turning around, Starlight craned her head back slightly, meeting the stoic gaze of the Batman.