//------------------------------// // The Big Bad Bat // Story: A Dark Knight Over Canterlot // by Battwell //------------------------------// Canterlot City Batman surveyed the room and the people around him. Two girls were positioned behind him, and three Riddler Thugs were standing right in front of him. This was going to be easy. "I-IT'S THE FREAKIN' BAT!!!" One of the Riddler Thugs exclaimed, shakily pointing his gun at the Dark Knight. The other two crooks followed suit, "WHAT'S HE DOIN' HERE?!" One of the other Thugs shouted. "WHO CARES?! SHOOT 'IM!!!" But before any of them could fire a single bullet, Batman threw three Batarangs at lightning quick speeds, disarming the three criminals. As the three guns landed on the floor, the World's Greatest Detective pounced and grabbed one of the Riddler Thugs. Batman then planted his feet on the floor and hurled the Thug at the wall, knocking him out. Thinking quickly, he ducked under a punch being thrown by a Thug behind him. As he ducked underneath the punch, The Dark Knight rotated his body slightly and slammed his fist into the Thug's gut, causing the criminal to bend over in pain. The Dark Knight then delivered an uppercut that sent the Thug flying into the air. As the Thug was launched into the air, Batman grabbed the criminal's foot and brought him back down to the ground. One to go. Twilight, Sunset, and Spike couldn't believe the sight before them. This stranger in a Nightmare Night costume just took out two of those Riddler Thugs without even trying, and at surprising speeds as well. Twilight turned her head to see Sunset staring in awe, her mouth agape and her eyes wide open. She returned her sights to the fight, which was beginning to wrap up. As the final Riddler Thug ran towards him, Batman took out his Grappling Hook and fired it at the Thug's chest. Once attached, Batman recalled the hook, pulling the criminal closer until he hit the him with a clothesline, knocking him to the floor. This fight was over. The three friends let out a breath of relief, glad to have seen that the danger has passed. They were about to approach their savior, when suddenly, the sound of Riddler's voice came through on the Walkie-Talkie. "Hello? What's going on?!" Riddler asked, impatient as always. Batman, hearing this, walked over to the Walkie-Talkie and picked it up, "Somebody answer me!" Batman pressed the button on the side of the communication device and spoke to his foe directly, "You're smart, Nygma, figure it out." All of a sudden, Riddler's voice went from one of anger to one of annoyance, "Well, well. If it isn’t the King Thug himself. Figured it was only a matter of time before you showed up." Nygma declared, having the feeling that Batman would find him eventually. Batman scowled, "Whatever you're up to, it's over." Nygma growled in anger, "Oh ho ho. You must think you’re so clever. Well how’s this for clever?! That device that's currently on the base of the radio tower on the rooftop. I have five more up and ready to go, and believe me when I say that this time, there will be no amount of cheating that you can do to win this game!" "You need help, Nygma." Batman replied in a stern manner. A loud crash was heard on the other side of the Walkie-Talkie, indicating that Riddler had just slammed his fist on his desk, "I DON'T NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING!!! I AM THE SUPERIOR INTELLECT OUT OF THE TWO OF US!!! I AM A GENIUS!!! YOU ARE A BULLY WHO CHEATS HIS WAY THROUGH MY GAMES AND RIDDLES!!! BUT THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!!! I SWEAR IT!!! I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY YOU AGAIN, DARK KNIGHT!!!" Batman couldn't help but smirk slightly, "We'll see." And with that, he crushed the Walkie-Talkie in his hand before tossing it to the ground. He turned to see the hostage get back up on his feet, with Twilight and Sunset looking on from a distance. "T-Thank you, Batman." The hostage thanked before continuing, "Gosh, never thought I'd ever see a member of the Justice League doin' this job." Batman nodded, "You're safe now. Get out of here," He said before turning to Sunset and Twilight, "All of you." And with that he turned and walked towards the door that led to the staircase so he could get to the roof. As Batman left the room, the hostage booked it out of there, not wanting to test his luck. Twilight and Sunset on the other hand, decided to go after the Dark Knight, with Spike tagging along for the ride. Batman kicked the metal door leading to the rooftop open with little to no effort, not wanting to waste any time whatsoever. As he walked towards the radio tower, his cape covering his form like a shroud, the three Equestrians had finally made their way to the roof to catch up to Batman. They saw the Dark Knight approach the small device on the base of the tower, curious as to what it was. Twilight was about to walk over to ask what was going on, when Sunset stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder, "Twi, maybe we should get out of here." The Princess of Friendship looked at her friend as if she were out of her mind, "Are you crazy?! We just got saved from someone who's dressed up like it's Nightmare Night and you don't want to know what's going on?!" Sunset's look became stern as her grip tightened on Twilight's shoulder, "When it involves a member of the Justice League, I'd say that whatever is going on, we would be way out of our league here." Twilight was now confused, "What the hay is the Justice League?" When Sunset went to answer, Twilight shook her head, "You know what, doesn't matter. I want answers, and I'm going to get them. It sounded like something bad was going to happen over that... What are they called?" "Walkie-Talkie." Sunset answered in a deadpanned tone. "Right! And if that puts my friends in danger, I am going to do everything in my power as a Princess to put a stop to it." Twilight declared before getting out of Sunset's grip and walking over to the Dark Knight. Sunset, against her better judgement, gave in and walked after her. Batman was currently looking at what this device was. It was a rectangular device, but it looked very advanced. He activated his Detective Vision to get a look at the inner workings of the device. It looked almost like an exact replica of the technology Riddler had stolen from S.T.A.R. Labs. He deactivated his Detective Vision and pocketed the strange device inside one of the pouches on his Utility Belt. He was about to grapple away, that is until... "Hey!" The voice of Twilight Sparkle sounded out, causing the vigilante to turn around to face the young Princess. Batman folded his arms as Twilight began to speak to him, "First of all, I would like to thank you for saving us back there. Second of all, WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Spike, having heard her, rolled his eyes as he and Sunset knew that she was about to go "Twiley-Nanas" As the other two Equestrians made their way over, Batman responded, "I thought I told you two to get out of here." He spoke with such authority that it actually made Twilight sink back a little bit. She shook it off before replying, "Look, I just want to know what's going on. This is my friend's home and if it's in danger, don't we have a right to know?" Batman, against his better judgement, decided to indulge her, "A criminal known as The Riddler has come to your city. I'm here to stop him and put him back behind bars." "Is the city in danger?" Twilight asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "If it involves The Riddler, then yes, this city is in danger." Batman replied with the utmost of seriousness. Twilight then practically beamed, "Then let us help you!" She spoke much to Batman and Sunset's shock, "Believe it or not, we're heroes too! We've helped save this city before, we could work together." While Batman just stood there, his expression having not changed, Sunset giggled nervously, "Umm, Twilight, maybe we should just let Batman--" "Batman?" Twilight repeated to her friend before turning to face the Dark Knight, "Is that your name? Why are you called that? Why do you wear a mask? What's the Justice League? Who are you under there?" Those were just some of the many questions the inquisitive girl had bombarded Batman with. When she wouldn't stop, Batman simply said, "Enough." With such authority that Twilight immediately froze up, as did Sunset, who wasn't even saying anything. Twilight giggled softly before offering an apology, "S-Sorry, it's just that I get a little bit curious is all." She recomposed herself, "Let's start over. My name is--" "Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer." The Equestrians just stood there, their mouths agape in shock. How did he know their names? How was that even possible? "H-How..." Sunset stuttered out before Batman answered. "I've had Canterlot on my radar for a while now. That also means that I know exactly what type of events have occurred in the time I've monitored your city. I know about The Dazzlings, the magic mirror," He began listing off before directing his glare to Sunset, "You turning into a demon." Sunset flinched back at that before Batman dropped a massive bombshell, "And if you think that I don't know about Equestria, then you'd be wrong." That is why Batman is known as the World's Greatest Detective. "Y-You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Twilight asked meekly. Much to everyone's relief, Batman shook his head, "No. Equestria doesn't pose any threats to Earth at the moment." Sunset and Twilight let out a breath of relief, "But that doesn't mean it won't be." And then they sucked back in the air they had just exhaled. Shaking her head to recompose herself, Twilight pressed on, "So if you know us, then you know that we can help you! This is great! With us helping each other, there is no doubt of the type of friendship we'll forge--" "No." And with that, Twilight's excitement instantly shattered like glass. She looked up to Batman as he continued, "You're staying out of this, The Riddler is far too dangerous for you to handle. Plus given your previous experiences..." Sunset then placed her hands on her hips, "What's that meant to mean?" "You're untrained and undisciplined. You'd be more of a liability than an asset. You could get killed, I won't have that on my conscience. You're going to stay out of the way and let me handle this." Batman ordered, clearly already having made up his mind. They both looked hurt by that, if Batman was anything, he was direct. Twilight gave Batman a harsh glare, "You can't honestly expect us to sit back and do nothing!" Although Twilight's glare was harsh, it was nothing compared to the Bat Glare, "That's exactly what I expect you to do." "But... But we could help you!" She declared before turning to Sunset, "Right Sunset?" Although hesitantly, Sunset did nod in agreement. With a smile on her face, Twilight turned to face Batman. Only to realize that he was already gone.