Equestria
Things were quite frantic inside the walls of the Castle of Friendship. But what was the fuss about? Was it another magical threat? Did Tirek escape Tartarus again? Were the Changelings invading? Was there another Friendship Problem that needed solving?
Nope.
It was just Twilight Sparkle, The Princess of Friendship, stressing over a three day getaway through the mirror portal. Sunset and her other human friends had invited her over to celebrate Christmas, the human world's version of Hearth's Warming.
Twilight accepted of course, not only because she would get to spend time with Sunset and the girls, but because this was her chance to learn all about Christmas and what it entailed. And of course, knowing Twilight, she had to bring whatever she could bring to take notes and compare this Christmas to Hearth's Warming.
The Alicorn mare paced around the library, muttering to herself while her assistant, Spike, sat on a chair reading his Power Ponies comics. He figured that Twilight would calm down eventually, it was only a matter of time before she would realize that this was not such a big deal.
...right?
Spike sighed before setting his issue of Power Ponies down on the table to his left and walked over to Twilight.
"Twilight."
No response.
Spike frowned, "Twilight."
Again, no response from the Alicorn.
The young Dragon barred his teeth before yelling, "TWIIIIILIIIIGHT!!!" This seemed to snap The Princess of Friendship out of her frantic state, as she shook her head and regained her composure.
She let out a breath before turning and scolding the Dragon, "Spike, that wasn't very nice."
Spike shrugged, "Well you weren't answering when I called you." He replied, defending his actions, "What else was I supposed to do? You were only a few seconds away from going completely Twily-Nanas."
Twilight blushed profusely in embarrassment as she turned away, "I know, and I'm sorry." Her cheeks returned to their normal color before she turned and looked at her Number One Assistant, "It's just that I'm a little nervous is all."
The young Dragon tilted his head in confusion, "Huh? What in the whole wide world of Equestria would you have to be nervous about? We're just going to see Sunset and the gang for a couple of days." Spike stated, not seeing what the problem was.
Twilight looked down to the ground as she spun her right hoof around in circles on the ground, "I-It's not that. I can't wait to see them. It's just.... ummm..."
"Twilight?" Spike asked, becoming concerned for his mother figure.
Twilight let out a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding in before looking Spike in the eye, "It's... the other me."
Spike was now even more confused, "Huh?"
"In the brief time that I met... well me... I felt so awkward. Like I was intruding." Twilight explained before looking away, "I'm glad that they were able to show her the Magic of Friendship, but I just feel like I'm going to be left out. Like I'm... a third wheel."
Spike slowly approached the mare, "Now why would you feel like that?"
Twilight then began to explain, "It's just that... they've been through so much together. They've all bonded. Ever since they met the other Twilight, Sunset and I have barely stayed in contact. Sometimes I would write to see how she's doing and I wouldn't even get a response. So I'm just thinking, if they've already got a Twilight, what in the world would they need me for?"
As Twilight looked down in sadness, Spike approached her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Spike smiling at her, "Twilight, they need you because you are their friend. Sure there may be another you there, but you two are completely different people. You may have grown distant from the others, but now's your chance to rebuild your bonds."
After hearing those words of comfort, Twilight actually felt a little better. She wrapped the little Dragon in a hug with her wings as she said, "Thanks Spike, I needed that." She then nudged Spike's shoulder not a moment after the embrace ended, "Since when did you become so wise?"
Spike chuckled as he placed his hands on his hips, "I learned from the best."
Twilight giggled as she used her magic to levitate her saddlebags onto her back, "Well come on, we don't want to be late now do we?"
Spike nodded before he hopped on Twilight's back, "Yep, after all we've seen what you're like when you think your going to be tardy."
Twilight laughed at the jab, knowing that it was all in good fun. The two then made their way to the mirror portal and activated it, making their way to their home for the next few days.
Canterlot City.
Canterlot City
Adagio's head hurt.
It was ringing like a bell.
The next thing she felt was a cold feeling, specifically on her back. She groaned as consciousness came back to her. The last thing she remembered was preparing to perform for another festival when she and her sisters were suddenly knocked out. The Siren moved herself into a sitting position, rubbing the back of her head as she looked around at her surroundings. She appeared to be in some sort of storage facility, what with all the storage units being all around her.
"Oooh, my head hurts..." She heard the voice of her sister, Sonata Dusk, from behind her. Adagio turned her head to see Sonata and Aria both regaining consciousness.
"Hnngh... Shut up, Sonata." Aria groaned groggily before realizing their current predicament, "Hey, Dagi? Where the hell are we?"
Adagio didn't know how to answer that, "I don't know. Last thing I remember was getting ready for another festival when these three guys entered our van and knocked us out."
Aria Blaze crossed her arms, "Well why the hell would they do that?"
It was then that Sonata noticed three figures headed towards them, "Ooh! Maybe those guys know why!" She exclaimed as she pointed to the three individuals walking towards her and her sisters.
Once they stepped into the light and out of the shadows, these three men appeared to be wearing masks. Which wasn't the only thing that weirded The Dazzlings out, the other thing was the fact that they were wearing...
"Clown masks?" Sonata said, tilting her head in confusion.
Aria however was in no mood for games, "HEY! WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?!"
One of the clowns scoffed as if she were stupid, "We're in a storage facility, stupid. What, did we hit ya on the head too hard?" He replied condescendingly.
"Now, now, we can't blame The Dazzlings for being a bit disoriented." A voice that made the clowns stand still in fear said, making his presence known to all who were present. The three clowns quickly shuffled to the side as their boss walked into the light, hands placed behind his back with a huge smile plastered across his face.
Sonata yelped in terror while the other two Dazzlings looked up in terror. They knew who this was, and they knew if he wanted them, then they were in big trouble.
Aria and Adagio were genuinely afraid. Evident as they were both shaking in pure terror.
"Y-You're..." Aria stuttered out before Sonata beat her to the punch.
"THE JOKER!!!" Sonata screamed in terror, backing away and huddling up in Aria's arms. Normally the second eldest Siren would shove the youngest off of her, but with the current situation, she would make this an exception.
"Hah!" Joker laughed before continuing, "Glad to see that my reputation precedes me. But please, there's no need to be so formal. Call me Uncle J!" He said before leaning down, getting right in Adagio's face, his sinister red eyes seemingly glowing thanks to the light shining off of them, "Everyone does."
Adagio gulped, her words seemingly stuck in her throat, "W-W-What are you d-doing here?" She managed to ask before Joker leaned back into an upright position.
Joker sighed before a somber look appeared on his face, albeit for dramatic effect, "Such a sad story," He started as he walked to his left, looking down at the floor as he told his 'Sad' tale, "You see, things haven't been going well for me back at home." It was then that a look of pure anger made its way onto his face, "Thanks to a cranky Bat, all of my operations in Gotham City have been SHUT DOWN!!!"
His voice echoed through out the storage facility, making The Dazzlings more terrified than they already were.
Joker recomposed himself before turning to face the three girls with a sick smile on his face, "But I finally struck the jackpot! I got wind of a new technology being developed by S.T.A.R. Labs, the type of technology that could be sold for millions on the Black Market. I had it! Right there for the taking! Until that loser with a question mark fetish stole it from me!" He sneered before continuing, "So I had my guys follow him, and wouldn't you know it, it led me here! Canterlot City, this backwater town that I've never heard of!"
The Dazzlings couldn't help but feel a little bit offended by that, but they didn't voice their complaints for obvious reasons.
"Now you're probably wondering why you're here." He addressed the three Sirens, to which they nodded slowly. Joker clapped his hands together before continuing, "Well, I did some digging on this backwater town and it turns out that you three were pretty big here. Specifically on how you tried to mind control an entire school." Joker's grin only grew wider when he saw the looks on their faces, "So I figured, since I'm in town, why not make a few new friends? Show me the ropes, the ins and outs of Canterlot, cause some anarchy, get into the Christmas spirit! You help me out, I help you out."
Adagio and the others looked at each other nervously before the leader of the band nervously asked The Clown Prince of Crime, "W-What if we refuse?"
Joker shrugged, "It's your choice after all." But that's when his smile grew sinister. He motioned for one of the clowns to come forward, to which one did so without question. Once close enough, Joker quickly spun around and sprayed some Joker Gas from his flower, right into the clown's face.
The Joker Thug backed away, coughing and hacking as he waved the cloud of gas away with his hand. But before long, his coughs turned into fits of laughter. He began laughing uncontrollably, like he couldn't stop. Joker saw this and leaned in to remove the clown's mask.
Once Joker tore the Thug's mask off, The Sirens all gasped in horror at the sight of the Joker Thug.
His skin was as pale as The Joker's, a smile that was too wide for any normal man was present on his face, showcasing all of his teeth. His eyes had blood leaking from them as he continued to laugh uncontrollably, he just couldn't stop, even if he wanted to.
A sudden snap sounded off within the storage facility and the Joker Thug fell to the ground.
He was dead.
The Dazzlings looked on in horror before looking up at Joker, who was laughing at the display.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, I love that sound!" He stopped laughing and turned to the three girls on the ground, "Of course if you refuse, well, you'll end up like Bobby there and go out on a happy note." He threatened, motioning to the corpse behind him with his thumb.
The three Sirens were petrified, they couldn't move. He just killed a man and laughed about it, and if they refused they would end up just like that Joker Thug.
"So what do ya say, kiddies?" Joker asked, getting their attention. They looked up to see Joker smiling at them, "Wanna hang with the cool kids?"
They had two options, join up with Joker or die.
With no choice they all reluctantly nodded, much to Joker's delight.
"Looks like you three are smarter than you look! Trust me when I say that together, we're going to set the whole damn town on fire!!!" As The Dazzlings looked at one another with fear and uncertainty on their faces, Joker's haunting laughter echoed throughout the entire storage facility.