The Kryptonian and the Bat: Part 1
Rainbow did not like doing heroics in Trottingham. There was something about the city that got to her; there was an inherent wrongness that Trottingham possessed, and try as she might Rainbow could not shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Still, several dangerous ponies had escaped to Trottingham, and as Equestria’s protector she needed to make sure that they did not do any more harm. She looped over the dark buildings, scanning the streets for any signs of criminal activity. After one unsuccessful sweep, she found a rooftop and sat down, flicking her ears to pick up any sounds.
“Hmm... I think somepony might have tipped them off that I was coming.” she said to herself. “I guess I’ll have to look a little harder if I-” she stopped talking when she heard something, a whipping sound growing closer to her. She had little time to react before the bolas wrapped around her legs, knocking her off the roof and causing her to tumble to the ground below. She was unharmed, but the bolas left her unable to move very far, even when she applied more force against them. She twisted around, trying to get a good view of the bolas so she could burn them away with heat vision, but as she did so she spotted a second pony behind her.
The pony was silhouetted against a nearby streetlight. It was a colt, a unicorn dressed in a black cape and gray body armor. His face was hidden behind a black cowl, the only sign of emotion being two white slits for eyes. Rainbow would have used her x-ray vision to see who it was, but her confusion was doing a wonderful job at clouding her judgement. He stopped two meters away from Rainbow Dash before pulling out a small device, and with a quick flick the bolas dropped away from Rainbow’s legs.
“I am surprised to see you of all ponies down here at this hour.” he said, grabbing the bolas with his magic.
“What, is there a law against it?” Rainbow got back to her hooves and faced the newcomer. “Why did you attack me?”
“You were a distraction, and I was forced to neutralize you before you screwed something up. Here,” the pony ducked back into the shadows before returning, the criminals Rainbow had been pursuing grasped in his telekinesis. “I believe these belong to you. Take them and leave.”
“Uh, thanks?” the other pony nodded and began to walk away. “Hey wait! You can’t walk away just yet.”
“Yes I can.”
“But... Hey, maybe we could work together or-”
“No. I work alone.” and with that the pony disappeared. Rainbow scanned the buildings and alleys with her vision, but she could not find any trace of the unicorn. She looked down at her prisoners, then back at the spot where the colt had vanished.
Who was that guy?
................
“Hey Twilight,” Rainbow called as she entered Twilight’s library. “Do you have any newspapers around here?” Twilight poked her head out from one of the bookshelves, a notepad clutched in her magic.
“I think so, but I haven’t gotten new editions in a few weeks.” she set her notebook aside and trotted over to Rainbow Dash. “Why do you ask?”
“Well... I had a weird encounter with a pony last night in Trottingham.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“A pony? What do you mean by ‘weird encounter’?”
“He was dressed up in some kind of costume, but he was all creepy and said he worked alone.”
“And what does that have to do with newspapers?”
“I just want to know if there’s been anything about him in a newspaper or something.” Twilight nodded and walked off to another section of the library. Her horn shimmered and several papers were pulled out from the shelves, and Twilight passed them off to Rainbow Dash.
“These are a few issues of Trottingham’s newspaper published within the last year. They might have what you’re looking for.” Rainbow nodded her thanks and began looking through the papers. Most of it was useless, focusing on mundane goings-on around the city, and she was surprised that she did not see any mention of herself.
However, the paper at the bottom of the pile caught her attention. The front page had a prominent picture of a masked pony, identical to the one from before save for a few changes in costume design. Above the picture was the headline “Bat Themed Vigilante Defeats Major Crime Boss”, and the article was filled with small tidbits of information and speculation as to who the mysterious pony was. If she had Rarity’s eye for detail she probably could have figured out who it was, but she was not so lucky.
“Twilight, do you think I could borrow this for a few days?” she asked.
“Hmm? Oh sure, whatever you need, Rainbow.” Twilight responded before ducking behind another shelf. Rainbow picked up the newspapers in her mouth and left the library, turning towards Sweet Apple Acres so she could find somewhere quiet to read.
She was unaware of a shadow beneath one of the nearby trees.
...............
Rainbow Dash was back in Trottingham, and had found a nice high building from which she could survey the entire city. The more immoral side of her said to start some trouble and see if that would draw him out, but she reminded herself that she was Equestria’s protector, not it’s destroyer. She opened up all of her senses as far as possible, although she avoided using her x-ray vision in case she spotted something... unpleasant.
“I’m surprised you actually came back.” a voice said from behind her. It took quite a bit of fortitude for Rainbow not to jump in fright, but she composed herself and turned to face the unicorn once more.
“How did you do that?” she asked.
“I can’t answer that question.” he said, the white slits of his eyes being the only thing she could see clearly. “Why are you here?”
“I’m just curious.” she said, taking a step back to try and draw him out into the light. “I just want to know more about you.”
“I would appreciate it if you would stay out of what I do here.”
“Why? Don’t you trust me?”
“To a point. While I appreciate the work that you do, you are a bit naive when it come to less savory aspects of Equestrian life.”
“And I suppose you’re not?” the unicorn’s eyes narrowed.
“I have spent most of my life in this city. I know how it works, what goes on in the alleys and back roads. That experience makes me more effective, and to be honest, your over-reliance on your powers has caused you to become detached from Equestrian society.”
“No it hasn’t!” Deep down, there was a hint of truth to what he said; ever since taking up the title of Supermare, Rainbow had been spending less and less time with her friends, not to mention the change in her speech patterns. “Okay, maybe you have a point, but you still don’t have to shut me out like this.”
“Why not?”
“Well...” Rainbow pawed at the ground for a moment as she thought of the right scenario. “Suppose some big alien monster comes and starts destroying the city. What then?”
“I’d find a way to defeat it... But if I really deemed it necessary, I’d find a way to contact you.”
“Okay.” Rainbow looked out across Trottingham. “Glad we’re able to agree on some-” she stopped talking when she looked back. The unicorn was gone, again, and all that remained was a small slip of paper. Rainbow frowned, her ears flattening against her head. “How does he do that?”
Rainbow turned her attention to the piece of paper. She shifted into every possible type of vision she had to search for traps, but found none. Still, she approached cautiously before picking the paper up, turning it over and finding a note on the other side.
I know where you live, Rainbow Dash.
“Wha... How... He-” Rainbow blinked, looking first to where the unicorn had disappeared and back to the note. In a fit of anger she set the letter on fire with her heat vision before taking off, sweeping the city in search of the other pony.
He can’t hide forever... He can’t just know who I am and expect to get away with it.
To Be Continued