A Dark Knight for Equestria

by Onomonopia


The Calm

Ponyville Station.

Scootaloo was late. Batman paced impatiently around the platform, mumbling under his breath. The train had almost arrived; the ponies and Batman could see it coming down the line towards the station. He had specifically told her he to be at the station by seven. She was late. The train put on its brakes and slowly came to a stop at the platform. Ponies began to disembark from the train as ponies on the platform boarded the train. After a few moments, it was only Batman and the other five on the platform.

"Are ya sure she's coming?" AJ asked. Batman snarled.

"If she's not here in the next ten seconds, I swear I'm going to..." What Batman was going to do will never be known, because at that moment an orange filly ran out onto the platform. She slid to a stop at Batman's feet and started to pant.

"Sorry...I'm...late," she gasped. "Forgot...to...set...alarm."

"You're lucky the others persuaded me to wait for you," Batman muttered. In his mind he had been hoping Scootaloo would miss the train so that she wouldn't go with them to Canterlot. As much as he liked the orange filly, a battlefield was no place for her. With their final member with them, the group boarded the train to Canterlot. Scootaloo was essentially bouncing up and down in her seat, having only been to Canterlot a few times. Batman, who was sitting next to her, was mentally preparing himself for the upcoming war, playing out multiple scenarios of how the battle might go in his head. The ponies were mingling with each other in different ways. AJ and RD were arm wrestling. Pinkie was trying to start a conversation with every other pony on the train, much to the passenger’s annoyance. Rarity and Fluttershy were both freaking out, but for different reasons. Rarity was worried about what the ponies of Canterlot would think of her new outfit, whereas Fluttershy was worried about all her animal friends back at the cottage. As the other ponies sat down beside the bat and Scootaloo, the train started to leave the station. After a few minutes of talking amongst themselves, the ponies started to silently watch Batman.

"What?" he eventually asked.

"Oh nothing, we were just wondering...You know, it doesn't matter," Rarity quickly said. Now Batman was concerned.

"Wondering what?" he slowly asked, looking all the ponies in the eyes. Rainbow cleared her throat.

"We were just wondering if you had a, you know, a plan?" So that's what they were worried about, going into battle with no idea of what to do.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Well, it's just that Twi was always the one that came up with the plans, but she's not here," AJ explained. The other ponies nodded in agreement. "We were wondering, since this is yer rodeo, that you had a plan."

"I do have a plan, but I rather save it for when everyone fighting was present," he told them, closing his eyes. The ponies were far from satisfied with the answer, but decided not to push it. Pinkie had another question, however.

"So what do you plan to do once the battles over?" she cheerfully asked. "Are you going to your home or are going to stay here?"

"Once the battle's over I plan to return to my own world," Batman answered, trying his best to ignore Scootaloo's eyes. Pinkie thought about his answer for a minute.

"Does that mean I have to give you a farewell party?" she asked with a smile.

"No, no parties," Batman tried to threaten, but Pinkie was on a roll.

"I never get to do sendoff parties. I'll invite everypony and we can all say goodbye to you together. Oh, I can invite the princesses as well. Those two do love a party." Batman simply sighed and tried to go back to thinking, but Pinkie put herself right in his face.

"Hey, I have a deal for you."

"And what would that be," he asked suspiciously. Pinkie let out a huge grin.

"When we survive the big fight, I want you to come to your sendoff party," Pinkie bargained. "And no tricks this time."

"And if we don't survive?" Batman asked in fake interest. Pinkie giggled.

"Well silly, if we don't survive I won't bother you anymore."

Batman chuckled. "You just gave me a very good reason to get myself killed during the fight," he teased. Pinkie was not amused.

"I will get you to come to one of my parties," she threatened.

"I did go to one, but you left early."

"That's not...I mean you didn't...ARGH! I'm going to go lay down," she groaned, walking over to the beds. The ponies laughed at seeing Pinkie flustered for the first time in ages, while Batman was content with smiling. Scootaloo looked out the window and saw the gates of Canterlot coming up to greet them.

"Look everypony, we're almost there!" All the ponies and Batman looked out the window as the train came to a stop. Waiting for them on the platform was none other than Princess Celestia and Twilight. Batman frowned as Celestia looked his way.

"Why do I have the feeling that she wants to talk to me?" he muttered.

====--====

Canterlot, Royal Halls.

Celestia and Twilight opened the doors to the grand hall, allowing Batman and the ponies to enter the room. On their way to the castle, Batman had seen that there was no po- no one in the city. That meant the princesses had taken his advice and evacuated the city. That would be one less thing to worry about during the battle. Celestia walked out onto the balcony of her palace and looked out at all of Equestria. Everything seemed to be in harmony.

"Thank you all for coming," Celestia said with a smile, turning to face her ponies and Batman. "You all know why I have summoned you here, but I must ask again. Are you sure you all want to do this?" Once they had all agreed, Celestia nodded towards the other end of the room. Everypony turned as two more ponies entered the room. One of them was a white pony with a bluish mane that seemed familiar. The other was a pink alicorn with an air of authority.

"Batman, may I introduce you to shining Armor and Princess Cadence."

"Hello, Batman," Shining Armor scowled, recognizing the man in the bat suit. Now Batman remembered where he had seen him before.

"Weren't you the guard that got his rear handed to him by Grundy?" Batman asked with a small smile. Shining Armor growled.

"That was a fluke. What are YOU doing here?" he snarled.

"Dear, who is this?" Cadence asked. Shining’s rage receded a bit.

"Oh, Cadence this is..."

"Batman," Celestia interrupted. "He will be in charge of our forces for the battle I told you about."

"WHAT!?" Shining Armor exclaimed in disbelief. Celestia silenced him with a look.

"Batman, you said you had a plan for the battle, mind telling us your idea?"

"These two are the ones who can create force-fields, correct?" he asked Celestia. Celestia nodded. Batman turned towards the two.

"Alright, here’s the plan..."

"Don't bother Batman, I know what you’re getting at," Cadence interrupted. "You want us to put up a force field around Canterlot so Morgaine cannot get in."

"You're half right," he muttered. "I want the two of you to put up a force-filed, but I want you to do it in Ponyville."

"WHAT!?" the two of them yelled. Even Celestia and the ponies looked at him confused.

"Morgaine will do whatever it takes to win, even taking hostages," he explained to them. "If we put a barrier over Canterlot, she'll go to Ponyville and probably use the citizens as bargaining chips. If we leave the front door open for her, however, she'll come straight to Canterlot. And that's where we'll be waiting. Sound like a plan?" The ponies all nodded in agreement.

"Shining Armor, Princess Cadence. The two of you must protect Ponyville," Celestia ordered.

"Yes, your highness," the both said before Celestia teleported the three of them to Ponyville. Once Celestia returned, Batman continued to talk.

"The next part of the plan is..."

"Actually Batman, can I ask you to come with me for a minute?" Celestia asked. Batman nodded and started to follow her, the other ponies following. Celestia turned towards them and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry my little ponies, but I wish to speak to Batman alone." The ponies gave each other worried glances, but bowed to the princess and backed off. Celestia and Batman walked through the palace, each deep in thought. Celestia finally broke the ice.

"Your destiny wasn't what you wanted it to be, was it?" she asked him. At this point Batman wasn't surprised by anything the ponies said or did, but he still raised an eyebrow at what she said.

"What makes you say that?"

"The Elements of Harmony have talked non-stop about their destinies, but you haven't said anything. I figured that it must be bad." She was defiantly smarter than Batman had given her credit for. "May I ask what it was?"

Batman took a deep breath. "My destiny was that I'd lose to Morgaine and she would enslave all of Equestria." Batman took a few more steps before he realized that Celestia had stopped walking. He turned back to face her and found that she had a look of terror on her face.

"Why did you not tell the others of this?" she whispered.

"Because destiny's overrated," he muttered. Celestia continued to stare at him.

"T-this changes everything," she whispered, white as a ghost. Batman turned to face her, his rage building.

"Look, just because a magic staff told me that I'm supposed to die doesn't mean I will. I promise you that we will win." Celestia still didn't look convinced. Batman sighed not believing what he was about to do.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," he swore through clenched teeth. Celestia raised an eyebrow at him, but she finally looked satisfied and continued to walk with Batman. The two of them reached a door with weird gold lettering on it. When Celestia opened the door, he found steps leading straight down into the basement. The sound of a hammer striking metal could be heard coming up from the darkness.

'So, she's taking me to a forge then?' he thought to himself. The two descended into the darkness and eventually reached the forge. Batman looked around the forge, noting the blacksmith pony that had a scraggly beard and was built even big than Big Mac. He was hard at work forging what looked like guards armor, but stopped as the two entered.

"Hello Princess, hello Batman. What can I do fer ya?" he asked in an accent Batman couldn't place.

"We are here for my...special order," Celestia replied. The stallion nodded and walked over to what looked like a container in the back of the room. He pulled a golden key out from under his armor and inserted it into the lock. Both the princess and the blacksmith stepped back as the container swung open. Batman's eyes grew wide as his eyes rested on what was inside.

It was an armored Bat suit.

"We made this out of mythril, capable of absorbing the toughest magic blasts" Celestia said, smiling at the look on Batman's face. "Specially designed for you. It's strong, it's light, but most importantly; it’s terrifying." Celestia said with a wicked smile. Batman couldn't believe that the ponies had managed to construct something this glorious. The armor was a giant shell, designed to fit him perfectly. The entire suit was midnight black, with a red bat emblazoned in the center.

"Well, try it on," Celestia persisted. Batman took the helmet off the top of the armor and placed it over his cowl. The helmet fit perfectly and wasn't too heavy either. His visibility wasn't restricted, the helmet moved with his head. He had to admit, it was an impressive piece of forging. The chest piece was next. Just like the helmet, it fit perfectly into place. It also moved with his body, not cutting down on his mobility in the slightest. Next were the gauntlets and the greaves. Both fit perfectly and were weightless. Batman tried out a punch on the wall and was shocked when he punched a hole through it. After applying the shoulder guards and his reinforced utility belt, he looked at himself in a mirror. He looked like a dark, armored terror of the night.

"Will it suffice?" Celestia asked with a smile. Batman turned to face her with an evil smile.

"It will work perfectly."

=====-----======

The ponies nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw the armored Batman. He had been scary before, but now he looked down right...terrifying. Princess Celstia and the new armored bat joined the ponies on the balcony looking over Canterlot. The sun had just reached the zenith of its journey. High noon.

"Wow, you look incredible!" Scootaloo exclaimed, looking all over at Batman's armor.

"Where is Luna?" Batman asked. Celestia looked off into the horizon.

"She is supposed to inform me of Morgaine's arrival."

"Hey, Batman?" Twilight asked. "You never did finish telling us your plan." Everypony looked at him expectantly.

"Right, I want the six of you to get the Elements of Harmony and be prepared to use them."

"Why?" RD asked.

"If what you told me is true, the Elements can counter any evil magic casted on ponies. My guess is that it will also free those trapped under Morgaine's spell."

The ponies looked at each other in amazement. "You mean my subjects still might be able to be saved?" Celestia asked in joy.

"It's only a theory, but; yes, I believe so."

"This is wonderful! Girls, go and gather the-"

BBBBAAAAOOOONNNNNNN!

A horn sounded out from the castle gates. Everypony turned towards the sound and their jaws dropped in unison. Standing above the Canterlot square was Morgaine, with her massive army. Thousands of mind controlled ponies lined the courtyard, prepared to fight to the death for Morgaine. Batman and the others stared at her for a moment before Batman yelled out,

"Girls, get to the Elements. The princess and I will handle this!" Batman leaped onto Celestia's back as she ascended into the sky.

"Where is my sister? She was supposed to inform us of any upcoming attack," Celestia growled to herself. As the two reached the zentih of their ascension, Celestia called for her guards.

"Royal Guards, assemble!" Celestia cried out, diving down to the plaza. A multitude of Canterlot guards quickly ran, teleported or flew to the scene, stopping in front of Morgaine's army. Twilight looked at the others.

"Come on girls, let's get to the Hall of the Elements!" the others ponies cheered and took off. Twilight was stopped by an orange hoof.

"What about me?" Scootaloo asked.

"You stay here, you'll be safe," Twilight quickly said, before racing off after her friends. Scootaloo watched them run off, before turning back to watch the battle that was about to unfold in the square.

====---=====

"Morgaine," Batman growled. The sorceress simply smiled at Batman and the ponies behind him. She held the Sword of Destiny in her right hand and the Stone of Reality in the other.

"Well Batman, I must say I'm impressed with your armor," Morgaine muttered, looking up and down at Batman's suit.

"I'll only say this once Morgaine. Surrender," Batman snarled. Morgaine sheated her blade and brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn.

"Oh Batman, always with the threats. We both know how this is going to end," she replied with a sly smile.

"If that's your answer then," Celestia snorted her horn crackling with power.

"It is," Morgaine replied, raising an arm over her head.

"Royal Canterlot Guards!" Celestia began.

"Minions!" Morgaine roared.

"ATTACK!"

And the two armies collided.

====----====

The sound of the battle reached the mane sixes ears moments before they reached the Hall of the Elements.

"The battles started," Twilight said grimly.

"Ah reckon we need to get those elements now," Applejack said. The ponies opened the mighty doors and raced inside. The Elements were placed at the end of the room, locked in a chest.

"Okay, girls let get the Elements and get back to the battle," Twilight instructed, approaching the Elements. That was until an azure blast tossed her away from the Elements. The others ran over to Twilight, who was struggling to get back to her hooves. As the smoke cleared, the six found that they were not alone in the room. Standing in front of the Elements was a former street performer turned evil.

"Trixie," Rainbow Dash spat. The new Trixie was different from the one they remebered. Instead of her hat and cape with stars on them, she now wore golden battle armor. Her mane was left free, allowing it to blow behind her. She now stood between the ponies and the Elements of Harmony.

"What are you doing here?" Rarity asked. Trixie smiled.

"Master Morgaine has given me the important task of keeping you foals from the Elements. I intend to do just that."

"What, no great and powerful Trixie routine?" RD smirked. Trixie responded with an azure blast that Rainbow barely got out of way of. Twilight put herself between her friends and Trixie.

"This is between you and me Trixie. Keep them out of it," Twilight quietly said, charging her magic. Trixie responded with another smile.

"Very well, Twilight. Let's go."

And the two began to circle each other, preparing for the battle.