//------------------------------//
// Night VS. Knight 
// Story: Gotham City, Equestria 
// by Kumquatodor 
//------------------------------//

	Pinkie Pie was not happy at all. After a day long train ride, she had to trot through the saddest station ever with guards sneering at her and the homeless ignoring her. After walking through an alley-way filled with corpses (she couldn't deny it now), her friends and her were attacked by meany-mcmeany-head Zsasz. OK. This vacation was salvageable. She had gotten a nice dinner of some exotic form of sugared hay. She got to talk with super-duper-cutie Bruce Mayne. She even got to plan a party to be thrown in a week. Cool. Then the poor drugged ponies had been brought in. She laughed them to screaming death. By accident, she had to remind herself. By accident. Oh, she needed a party. She was going to have a party, too. When Twilight and Luna got back from talking with Commissioner Gordon about what the hay happened last night.
Rainbow Dash was feeling decidedly less awesome than she would have liked to feel. She hadn't gotten sleep last night, and not for lack of trying. Every time she got still and quiet, and her breathing slowed and her eyes closed, she would be jolted awake by screams that would disappear as soon as she woke up. She had come to Luna, and asked her to fight the nightmares off. Luna said that they were based on psychological trauma. That they were permanent without therapy. Great, Dash thought. Now I'm crazy.
Applejack was asleep. Well, perhaps "mildly catatonic" would be a better word to describe her. It was easier this way, she rationalized. Now she didn't have to lie. "They're corpses!" she could now say, smiling. "And those ponies died of heart attacks!" She repressed a giggle. "And, we'll never fix this city!" Of course, as a trade off, she could only stare lazily off into the distance with that wide smile. It was worth it. Now, she could be totally honest, and not a liar like before! She noticed that she hadn't had any thoughts for several moments, so she thought up a new thought. "I'm insane!"
'I am Fluttershy', Fluttershy knew. 'What does that mean?' she thought, and immediately answered, 'Well, I am kind. The kindest. And that's what the city needs!' That makes sense. She would be kind. To everypony. Yes. She'd even find that Zsasz guy and help him with his art. He sounded like he needed a kind friend.
Rarity kept her eyes to the ground, but stopped when she bumped into Twilight. She realized she had to look straight ahead. So that she didn't mess something up. Twilight and Luna needed clothes for their mission, because, according to Mayne, not wearing clothes would be an "invitation". Well, Rarity understood that she was useless, so she made the clothes. But they weren't too pretty. Pretty clothes are distracting. She was perfect for the job of making ugly clothes; she couldn't make pretty clothes if she tried because, as evidenced by last night's horror-show, she was useless. She even failed at making ugly clothes. Look at how pretty the dresses she made were. She failed at making nondescript dress. How useless she felt.

The Bat, still conversing as Bruce Mayne, analysed. Twilight might have considered having a mental breakdown, but that would make her fail the mission to save Gotham. If she failed to save Gotham, Twilight would have failed Celestia. And Twilight couldn't allow herself to fail Celestia. He gathered this from the "Want-it-need-it incident". Twilight had always needed mental help, he concluded, But she isn't a dire case.
Luna is jaded. She's always been. The twitch in her eye when you compliment her. She doesn't care. The slight, out-of-it nod when you mention the future optimistically. She puts her head down oh-so-slightly when you talk about the present. She tenses when you talk about the past, unless you talk about the time surrounding Star Swirl the Bearded. Mild-to-severe-depression. Repressed anger. In love with Star Swirl. Nothing new. Nothing to worry about. May need help, but not immediately.
Pinkie Pie. Hypomania, possibly mania. Also, diabetic, but she keeps it a secret. She needs help, but she is remarkably resistant to trauma. Self worth judged by friendship. So long as she has friends, she will survive.
As for the others... Immediate psychological help required.

"We should keep them out of the city..." Mayne told Luna and Twilight silently. "Your friends are... out of it..."
"I-Is this normal? Rarity keeps saying she's useless, an---" Twilight sound down.
"No, Twilight... This isn't normal..."
"Look, we should probably send them to a trained psychologist. Somepony good. I have a net worth of 56,000,000,000 bits. Anything is worth it. We should start this as soon as possible."
"I propose we do this immediately after we meet the commissioner."
"Good idea. Meanwhile, we should have Ms. Rarity make dresses for you before you go out. This might break the illusion that she's useless, and it would also fix a problem..."
"What problem?" Twilight asked.
Mayne bit his lip. "When ponies don't wear clothes... It's seen as an... invitation... for... misbehavior... Even though it shouldn't."
"What do you mean?"


After 	an awkward conversation and waiting for Rarity to make the dresses they trotted to the GCPD building. Twilight had to hand it to Mayne, he wasn't as... flirtatious as he could have. I guess he does have a heart. Luna and Twilight couldn't help but feel embarrassed at all the police officers staring at them... suggestively... They were directed to the roof where Jim Gordon took his break. Apparently, "Jim" was a nickname for "James". Gotham and it's naming conventions.
After climbing up a somewhat lengthy staircase and a using a prototype elevator, they arrived outside. Jim (James?) was sitting out smoke a... thing. A cigarette? Did Equestria even make those? He was an unicorn, old and worn. He had a few marks on his horn, indicating that there had been some violence at some point.
Interestingly, there was a flood-light on the roof. In the smoggy darkness, she couldn't tell that it is special.
"Hello?" Twilight coughed.
"Hey," he said almost sound bored, and not at all startled by her appearing behind him. Gordon looked out at the city, leaning over the of roof's guard rail.
"We came to ask about last night's... problem." Luna didn't seem affected by the smog, perhaps because she was an alicorn. Twilight wished she were an alicorn, but she knew that it was too ridiculous to happen.
"Ah. There was a mad pony. A psychological alchemist by the name of Crane. He used his position to test his new potion on his patients. When we found the patients, we took them to the calmest place they could be treated at: Mayne Manor."
"What happened to crane?" Twilight asked.
Gordon hesitated. "If you read the official report... I-it says a tactical effort by Gotham's finest took down Crane and his men."
"'Official report'?" Luna asked slowly.
"Yes."
"Is that what really happened?" Luna asked, annoyed.
"Well... Evidence points to Crane's capture the work of an anonymous vigilante, described by the criminals as resembling a giant bat..."
"The Batpony?!" Twilight was getting excited.
"Y-yes. That's what the tabloids are calling him."
"Oh! I want to interview the prisoners and---wait! I've heard that you worked with the Batpony! Is it true?! What's he like?! Oh, he saved me the day before yesterday! Could you thank him please!?" Twilight was actually starting to sound like Pinkie Pie now. She stared at the Commissioner, her eyes wide.
"O-Official policy---" Gordon started before being interrupted by a new voice.
"Thank me yourself. Then leave."
The ponies turned to the source of the voice, a patch of shadows cast from a taller building obscured the pony. Twilight was very much excited, doing a small little dance. She channeled Pinkie Pie with a series of "Omigosh"es until Luna sternly interrupted her, reminding her that she was not a child.
"Umm... excuse me..." she blushed, trotting a little towards the shadow. "I want to thank you for saving me before. So thanks..."
"You shouldn't thank me..." the voice sounded almost sad.
"What are you talking about?" Twilight said, trotting towards the shadows. "You saved my---" she stopped mid-sentence when a throwing knife landed next to her. It was shaped like a bat. She looked at wide-eyed.
"You're getting too close," he said simply. She realized that she was just before the threshold of darkness, so close that she could practically reach her hoof out and touch it. At this distance, she could also see the vague outline of the Bat's shape. He was tall, about as tall as Luna. This was due to him being bipedal, much like Spike. He had horns on his head, and she could just make out the yellow and black shape on his chest. A stylized bat. Twilight was now unsure this thing was even equine.
"And besides," it continued. "I sent Zsasz on you..."
"What?" she almost whimpered, backing up.
"Zsasz is a schizophrenic who has convinced himself among his delusion that harmony is unobtainable for a living pony. He kills and marks his flesh in remembrance because he is sure that it is the only true generosity. I looked to convince him he was wrong. He was being hunted by the police, but he had managed to allude them. He could not allude me.
I disguised myself as a homeless stallion. Zsasz liked to look at train stations for his next victim, and it just so happened that the you all were going to arrive that night. Considering that you all are symbols of the best equinity, I knew you would offer him money despite the fact that he followed you. So I made sure he followed you, and hoped he would not go completely homicidal until you showed him generosity. I hoped that this generosity would convince him to turn himself in.
It didn't work, and he attacked you. I was on the skyscrapers watching you in case he went off, but I shouldn't have put you in harms way for the 28% chance that he would reform."
The ponies looked at him(?), mouths agape. No... This didn't fit Twilight's theories at all. "You were under no threat of death, but the trauma is still real, which brings us to the next point..." His tone hadn't changed.
"Wait... you..." Twilight's voice was shaky. "You sent Zsasz..."
"That doesn't matter anymore. You need to leave." His tone was flat.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that..." Luna stepped past Twilight, towards him. "We are the Elements of Harmony and the Princess of the Night. We have to stay until the city is fixed. And we cannot have vigilantes upstaging police and sicking innocent ponies." Luna's horn lit up a deep blue.
"Wait..." he said, no urgency in his voice. "Hear me out." Luna hesitated, and then extinguished her horn.
"If you don't leave, you will make the city infinitely worse." he still hadn't changed tones.
"How so?"
"Stop me if I'm misinterpreting your plan. You will give the ponies of Gotham an idea to aspire to. You plan to show them what can happen if they only surrendered to friendship, because friendship is magic. Do I have the right idea?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't that work?" Luna's tone was getting more aggressive and she stepped closer still. She was now at eye level with the Bat, and Twilight and Gordon had watched with baited breath. Twilight had only heard rumors, and Gordon had only saw the effects of his work. To Twilight's shame, she actually started a bet with Gordon that Luna would win the fight.
"Because you're out of your depth." the Bat's tone did not change, but Luna couldn't help but feel she was being antagonized. "True or false, the presence of the drugged ponies with you made you uncomfortable?"
"True, of course, bu---" her tone was getting exasperated, but then she was interrupted.
"How many of you were driven insane?" There was a silence. There was a heart beating loud. She realized it was her heart. And then the fight started.
"How dare you!?" Luna lit up her horn, but before she could attack, the knife right behind her exploded. It might have hurt a normal pony, but it wouldn't hurt Luna. The bang did, however, shake her horn off target, missing the Bat who flew off towards a nearby roof across a gap.

The Bat had crossed the line, and so she was ready to attack. She lit up her horn, but was startled by a loud bang. This caused her to miss her shot. A pegasus? No matter. She zoomed in front of him. This is amazing! Triple Hammerhoofs to muzzle, back spin kick. He turned his forelegs parallel to his chest and jammed the hard side into her muzzle, just left of her nostril. This was a weak spot. Left, right, left. He followed up with a back spin kick, but Luna sent a foreleg up to block it. The Bat's leg stopped immediately in it's tracks, possibly injured. I can't even see their strikes! Foolish. Just another brawler. Doesn't he know I'm a warrior princess?
With his leg straight up, he contorted himself so that he spun and ducked under her foreleg, coming up with an uppercut to the jaw. Luna didn't flinch. Instead, she jammed a hoof into his chest. It was too fast to block. Too fast to see. He walked backwards, clumsily. It was one thing to walk forward, another thing to walk backward. The former was merely a skill that took years to develop. The latter was nigh-impossible for a pony to do correctly. Both were hard to do with bruised/broken ribs. He fell back on his rear, scooting backwards on his haunches. She's too strong. Too fast. Go to Strategy H.. He took a moment of reprieve while Luna slowly approached. He got back to an upright position, only to be tackled by Luna. I couldn't see her move! I've won. This is where I meet the Pancration champion of 237. What if... "It's over!" she yelled.
The Bat was on his back, Luna's hoof raised for the final blow. She was laying on top of him, her hind legs keeping his hind legs from raising. While this stopped the Bat from leveraging her to her back, it did leave his forelegs free. She hadn't worried about them, as his punches couldn't hurt her. But while his punches couldn't hurt her, electricity could.
For you see, in the position they were in, her chest was exposed. Not usually a problem in combat. However, a mare's chest is very vulnerable to electricity, connected to several sensitive nerves. And he just happen to have electrodes in his belt... She screamed in pain as the equivalent of .01% of a lightning bolt jolt through her. That does not sound like a lot, but it was enough to make her heart skip a beat. She felt much to hot, and you could swear her body was smoking. However, she was on top of him, and so some of the voltage went through him. He had tried to keep his suit insulated, but no insulator is perfect. So while Luna took the brunt of it, he still took more than he wanted.
After they both stopped convulsing, he pushed her off from on top of him. She was at least 300 lbs., and in his condition, it was hard. He started to walk away, when: "Princess Luna!" Twilight's voice. Far away. No hoofsteps. Unicorn. She'll use Magic Blast. Relying on instinct, he rolled, which hurt with his overly-tense muscles, bruised ribs, and aching lungs. In that split second, Twilight missed him. She missed him again as he went into a trot, too fast for her to aim. But now she had him in her sights. She would hit h---
Luna was still conscious, rising too. This all stopped when the Bat rushed to her and picked her heavy frame up slightly for use as a shield. She was jolted awake in pain when Twilight's Magic Blast hit her in the side. She was still conscious, but in pain. "Stay out of this, Twilight!" she growled. She felt herself move as the Bat got out from under her, starting to rise. She used the fact that she was moved to her advantage, and jammed her head into the Bat's side. If that rib wasn't broke before, it was now. He skidded across the roof, stopping against the rail.  He used said rail as support.
Luna was rising. Now was his only chance to beat her. If they fought for any longer, he would either loose or fall unconscious. With only half a second of thought, he attacked. In one last sprint, he galloped. He reached her just as she had risen to her full height. He stepped on he haunches, bringing her back down to her knees. He climbed on her back as she lit her horn. She would get no chance to use it, though, as he pressed a button on his belt that dropped a specific pepper from his gauntlet. This pepper, which was not permanently damaging, entered her eyes. She screamed and bucked, which just got him closer to his horn. He had went to Phase 2 immediately after he pushed the first button. With one deft, selectively-magnetic hoof, he took his sonic-disrupter. When she bucked, this got him close enough to put it to her horn. When it contacted the magic aura surrounding it, her magic reverberated, into her body.
You see, magic waves and sonic waves both operated in similar ways. Similar enough to alter one with the other. And when the magic waves reverberate into you, it tenses all muscles, including the heart. It also clears the stomach out by pressing down on the stomach, then pulling up on it, giving it enough kick to start the victim vomiting. This wave hit several organs, but this is not a worry for all ponies, and Luna was the top echelon of ponies when it comes to durability. Of course, this was not very healthy for a horse to experience no matter their durability. Equally unhealthy for anything is to have sonic/magic waves go directly out one's ears and nostrils. The sonic disrupted caused just that, because magic needed a way out due to the pressure differential in the body. This would be enough to render any being unconscious. Finally, the alicorn went limp under him. He tossed a thing towards Twilight. The thing covered the area in thick smoke, and he used this smoke to fly off. Or at least, it looked like he flew off. In reality, he had shot off his grapple. She couldn't tell through the smoke.

Battle Diagnosis:
My injuries: Bruised shin, at least one broke rib, four bruised ribs, two(?) ribs sprained, 8 overtaxed muscles from electricution, dislocated shoulder from lifting too much, one pulled muscle from lifting too much (miraculously not a tear!), possible concussion. Total Recovery Time: 10 months.
Next Night Out: Tomorrow.
Change in Schedule: Negative.

Luna's injuries: Vision loss, possible scorched throat. Disturbed eardrums. Startled heart. Burned sinuses. About 46 overtaxed muscles
Total Recovery Time: 1 month
Next Night Out: 3 days.
Change in Schedule: Unlikely. 

He shook his head to stay awake as he ran across roof tops to the cave entrance... A mile or two away. Incidentally, he would collapse when he arrived, and would only wake up just before Luna and Twilight got back from the hospital.