//------------------------------// // Coming to Blows // Story: Batmare and Super Dragon: Worlds Collide // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// If the suit wearing stallion was at all intimidated or unnerved by the sudden appearance of the caped dragon, he didn't show it outwardly. He merely turned towards his unexpected guest with that creepy, perhaps even sadistic smile. "Oh goodie. I could use a playmate." "Well unfortunately for you, I'm not here to play games," Super Dragon declared as he locked eyes with his foe. "Do you know the trouble you've just found?" The suited stallion gave off a wicked laugh. "No, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Tall and Scaly, the name's The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime. You should remember it," His eyes narrowed. "Because it'll be the last name you'll ever know!" Super Dragon simply stepped forward, effortlessly grabbing hold of The Joker with one claw. "Guess I'll have to teach you some manners. But let's take this outside." And seconds after saying that, he rushed back through the hole he'd made in the clock tower, The Joker held firmly in his grasp. "Be careful, Spike." Twilight whispered under her breath. Then she turned her attention back to the bomb, trying to figure out how she might defuse it. Time was already running out! Her unexpected encounter with The Joker had taken up precious seconds that could've been used to look for clues as to how the bomb functioned. If nothing else, it had to have a power source of some kind. Meanwhile, Super Dragon found a suitable patch of flat and empty grass land not far from the clock tower. He swooped down, pressing The Joker face first into the dirt. The impact kicked up dust and made a small crater! "It's only fair to warn you," He told the self-proclaimed "clown prince". "I'm holding back. If I used my true powers, I'd kill you in a heartbeat. But I despise killing. So if you value living, I suggest you surrender now." The Joker, however, merely brushed off Super Dragon's claw and stood up. He looked at himself, noticing that the impact had drawn blood. His suit was already stained with dirt and blood, and his body was already coated with black bruise marks. Yet he simply spat at the ground, coldly hissing. "Oh, don't be such a buzzkill! You're not playing according to the script!" He hastily grabbed his knife, brandishing it before his foe. "Even with those thick scales, you're not invincible!" Super Dragon wasn't scared for a second. He effortlessly melted the knife with a single blast from the lasers that shot out from his eyes. "I'm not going to ask nicely again," He declared in an ominous tone as his eyes began to glow again. "I don't have time to play games with you, Joker! I won't kill you. But when I get through with you," He delivered the next line with a growl and in a low tone of voice. "You'll wish you were dead." "Oh, you're just like Bats," The clown prince scoffed. "Here I thought you'd be more fun since you're so strong. But it seems you cape wearing types are all the same: All work and no play. When will you learn to smile and see the bright side like I do? You can't stop the madness. So embrace it, like I did!" "You really are insane," Super Dragon sighed with a shake of his head. "Oh well, I guess some creatures just never learn," Then he flew forward, grasping The Joker and lifting him into the air a little. "Hope you aren't afraid of heights." "W-what are you doing?!" The Joker blinked in surprise, appearing to be legitimately terrified! "Put me down, now!" "Not until you tell me what the hell you're trying to accomplish with that bomb!" The caped dragon firmly insisted as he brought another claw to The Joker's face. "Talk if you value that pretty smile of yours." At that, The Joker suddenly grinned as his eyes narrowed. "I have a better idea, seeing as I have you right where I want you." The masked dragon blinked, momentarily hesitating. "What do you mean by that, clown? Is this a trick?!" The finely dressed stallion cackled as he threw back his head. "Depends on your point of view, Super Dragon. The fact is, I knew you'd show up if I caused trouble. And you took the bait, hook, line, and sinker!" After saying those words, he grasped the flower on his suit. It sprayed a fine red mist into the face of Super Dragon. Super Dragon immediately loosened his grip on The Joker, letting him fall back to the ground with a thud! He screamed and shut his eyes, straining against some invisible force! The Joker, despite his body aching from the impact, looked up. Seeing Super Dragon squirm and struggle, it made his smile grow brighter by the second. "Too easy. Played him just like a piano." He thought to himself, slowly struggling to his hooves. As for Twilight, when she heard Super Dragon's cry, she immediately ceased what she had been doing and rushed to the hole in the clock tower. She was horrified at what she saw! Super Dragon's eyes were beginning to glow bright red, something they very rarely did. He let out a guttural roar and began to breathe fire, apparently unconcerned about his surroundings. Something had happened to the caped dragon. Whatever it was, Twilight didn't like it. At around the same time, Batmare finally found herself closing in on Super Dragon's position. As she did so, she looked up and saw what appeared to be a small zeppelin looming overhead, hovering near the clock tower. From the zeppelin emerged several ropes, and descending from said ropes were cloaked earth ponies carrying sharp daggers and swords. Batmare brought the batmobile to a screeching halt, then pressed a button on the onboard computer. She hurriedly shouted. "Robin! Robin, do you read me?!" Within seconds, another voice replied. "Yeah, I read you loud and clear. What's the situation?" "Contact the Cutie Mark Crusaders, tell them to be on the lookout for the League of Assassins!" Batmare instructed. "If they need help, join them. The league's plottin' somethin' with the clock tower, and it seems like they've roped The Joker into their scheme." "What about you, Batmare?" Robin asked. "What are you going to do?" Batmare just cryptically answered. "Super Dragon's in way over his head. He needs my help." Then she jumped out of the batmobile, ready for action! When Super Dragon saw Batmare, something inside him seemed to suddenly snap! With another roar, he flew towards the caped crusader with his claws at the ready! As Super Dragon grew close, Batmare could see that something was clearly wrong. His eyes were glowing a very bright shade of red, drowning out all other colors. It was like a fog, clouding his vision and preventing him from seeing anything else. She hurriedly jumped out of the way. "Super Dragon, what are you doing?!" She shouted at him, only to receive no reply. Super Dragon swung back around, grabbing Batmare and punching her hard in the chest! The resulting blow was strong enough to shove the caped crusader back several feet. Upon seeing The Joker rushing into the clock tower, everything seemed to click for Batmare at once! How had she not realized it sooner?! The Joker had been brought on specifically to draw Super Dragon here. And the league must've tipped him off about how to manipulate the masked dragon. Batmare sighed, realizing that she would have to find some way to free Super Dragon from the trance he was in if she wanted to have any hope of thwarting the plans of the League of Assassins before it was too late. No doubt, their goal now had something to do with the entire multiverse. To that end, the dark knight reached into her utility belt and pulled out a large needle that contained a greenish colored liquid. She had developed it recently during a test to see how far she could push herself in extreme circumstances. The results had been... less than ideal, so she had vowed never to use it unless it was a life or death situation. "Just hope this will be enough." The caped crusader thought to herself as she prepared to make the injection. With the increased power, she hoped to be a match for Super Dragon to the point of being able to defeat him even if it meant knocking him unconscious, or worse. Yet it was then that Twilight came fluttering up on the scene. She had abandoned her focus on the bomb after hearing the sounds of a scuffle. She could see Super Dragon swinging back around, ready to deliver another harsh blow to Batmare. And she could see Batmare holding some kind of green liquid. What it was, she didn't know for sure. Yet she still saw fit to scream at Batmare! "No! Don't hurt him!" Using her magic, she grabbed the needle and held it aloft! "Stop! You don't know what you're doin'!" Batmare pleaded. "That's the only way I'm gonna be able to be a match for Super Dragon! Without it, I won't stand a chance! He'll probably kill me!" Twilight wouldn't be persuaded or convinced. "Please, let me handle this! I know him better than you do!" "But you don't understand!" Batmare protested. "He's not himself!" Seconds after speaking those words, she was hit in the head by both claws from Super Dragon. The blows forced her to the ground, and she struggled to get back up. Twilight turned her attention to Super Dragon, trying to reason with him. "Spike! Spike!" She shouted again and again, all the while holding the needle aloft with her magic. "Come on, Spike! You recognize me, don't you? It's me, Twilight. Whatever it is that's going on, you've got to fight it!" Super Dragon seemed to blink for a moment, groaning as he put a claw to his forehead. Yet his eyes still retained that dark red glow. "I... I can't! Something's... wrong with me!" He began to roar! "You have to stop me, Twilight!" "No, I won't do it, Spike!" The alicorn protested. "Please. Someone else wants to hurt you. She's not going to stop until you've been beaten to within an inch of your life, or maybe worse." "You... have to... help... me!" Super Dragon insisted even as he stumbled back and started roaring, breathing fire once again. "I'll... I'll be fine! Do whatever it takes to stop me!" And then he flew away! Batmare, meanwhile, trotted up to Twilight and took hold of the needle once more. "I think we need to work together on this. You know him pretty well," She said to Twilight. "He has to have a weakness. Any ideas?" Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "There is one. For some reason, green gems seem to negatively affect him." "And do you have any of those right now?" Batmare questioned the alicorn. "Because if not, we're back to square one." The alicorn was quick with the reply. "Well, I don't have any on me," Yet she gasped as a thought struck her. "Hold on! I think I can get some! Just hold him off for a minute or two, I promise!" And she teleported away in the blink of an eye! That left Batmare to handle a still raging and out of control Super Dragon. Reluctantly, she pressed the needle into one of her legs and squeezed it hard. The liquid drained out of the needle quickly! The results were almost instantaneous, she felt a surge of energy rushing through her! "Sorry I have to do this to you, Spike." She thought to herself. Then she rushed forward, operating almost entirely on instinct. The Joker, meanwhile, could only smile as he watched the two superheroes fight each other. "Poetry in motion." He said to himself. Batmare and Super Dragon remained locked in combat for what felt like several minutes. The energy boost enabled Batmare to hold her own against the much stronger Super Dragon, but only just barely. Super Dragon, for his part, just continued to press his claws up against Batmare's gloves. Occasionally, he tried to swing his tail around, only to have it blocked. He was so close that it was impossible for him to draw breath to shoot out flames. Suddenly, Twilight reappeared in a flash of magic, holding aloft some brightly colored gems! "I've got them!" She shouted, hoping to draw Batmare's attention. It was Super Dragon, however, who saw the gems. Immediately, he became horrified and backed up! His roar grew so loud and so powerful that generated a small shock wave that shook the ground! The caped crusader took advantage of the opening to deliver a powerful blow to Super Dragon's chin! Then, with a flip of her cape, she stunned him and started punching him again and again! It didn't matter to her that her attacks seemed to have little to no impact! She just kept pounding away! Twilight saw the events unfold, and a terrified look flashed across her face! Hastily, she rushed to the fight, lighting up her horn! "Stop it, both of you!" She hollered, trying to get the two superheroes to part! Being in close proximity to the gems triggered a reaction from Super Dragon. Their bright green glow began to disorient him. He wobbled, struggling to maintain his balance. He tried to desperately reach out a claw to snatch the gems. But a blow to the snout from Batmare prevented him, making him stumble back. Try as he might, he couldn't stand up. He collapsed. Yet Batmare did not stop her assault once Super Dragon was down! She pressed forward, punching him over and over again as the mighty dragon could only raise his claws up in a desperate attempt to shield himself from the blows. "NO!" Twilight Sparkle hollered! She flapped her wings as hard as she could, soon throwing herself in front of Batmare in the hopes of getting the dark knight to cease her relentless assault. "That's enough! You're going to kill him, Batmare! He's already down! Leave him alone!" The caped crusader didn't seem to listen to a word the alicorn said. She brought both her gloved hooves up, preparing to bring them down on Super Dragon. Yet just as she was about to do so, she saw the look of horror and despair flashing in his eyes. Seeing that expression stirred something deep inside her, triggering memories that had been buried but now had resurfaced. In an instant, the gravity of the situation hit Batmare square in the muzzle. Slowly, she lowered her hooves, taking several deep breaths as the fog in her mind cleared. Now, the full extent of the damage she'd taken earlier became apparent, causing her to groan. Super Dragon also seemed to slowly come to as Twilight quickly teleported the green gems away. "What... happened?" Super Dragon slowly blinked. "My mind... it's a daze." "You're back!" Twilight happily exclaimed as she hugged the caped dragon. "Oh, thank the stars! The Joker did something to you that made you go berserk! Batmare almost killed you in retaliation!" "Well, thanks to you, Twilight, that didn't happen," Batmare replied. "I knew using that adrenaline shot would be dangerous. But I never thought it would cloud my judgment as much as it did." "Hey, you did what you had to do to stop me," Super Dragon sincerely said in response. Then he asked. "But, why did The Joker do that? Why come after me?" Twilight glumly said with a gulp. "I think I might know. Someone's given The Joker a bomb that, if it detonates, will make the entire multiverse implode. Countless universes will all be merged into one. And the resulting chaos could very well mean the end of the world. There's no telling what could happen." "Then we've got to stop him!" Super Dragon firmly vowed, before looking across to Batmare. "Much as it pains me to say it, I can't do it alone. Whoever's helping The Joker knows about me, about my weaknesses." Batmare nodded. "And as long as he does, he'll be in control," Then she got an idea. "But I think I know of a way to stop him, if we work together."