//------------------------------// // Worse Fears // Story: Justice Ponies // by Wildcard25 //------------------------------// The very next day at Twilight's castle, Batman was explaining everything to his team, the ponies, and Spike, "And that's when they showed up." he concluded. "Hold up, Batman. You're saying your arch nemesis the Joker is here in Equestria?" Applejack inquired. "Yes." "How's that possible? Luthor was the only one that came with us to Equestria." Flash reminded him. "I wouldn't be surprised if Luthor found a way to get Joker here." Batman replied. "If he could get Joker here, think of who else he could bring here." Lantern noted. "I don't understand how we didn't see Joker if he was right there beside you when we arrived." Diana told Batman. "If only J'onn were here he may be able to find out why." Hawk Girl said. "Too bad he's currently searching Equestria for any leads on the Changeling's location." Spike said. Batman stood up, "I'm gonna go out and try and find clues where Joker could've gone." he took his leave. "Shouldn't we go with him?" Rarity asked the league. "He prefers solo when it comes to his own rogues gallery." Flash answered. "Um, just how bad is this Joker?" Fluttershy asked. "He's one bad clown that's not funny." Superman explained. "A clown bad and not funny?" Pinkie asked, "That just doesn't fit." "In Gotham, clowns are never funny." Superman noted. "Even worse." Pinkie gasped. Soon Batman was walking about Ponyville, before stopping at the alley way where he and Joker fought. He looked all around hoping to find some type of hint or clue the Joker may have left behind to give him a lead. He searched the entire alley top to bottom finding no clues at all. "Batman?" a voice asked, as the cape crusader spun and whipped out a batarang. When he saw it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he lowered the weapon. "What're you doing?" Apple Bloom inquired. "I'm trying to find something." "What kind of something?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I had a run in with a familiar face here and I'm looking for any clues that may lead me to his whereabouts." "Ooh, can we help?" Scootaloo asked hopefully, "We can be Cutie Mark Crusader clue finders!" the three stood together. "Thanks, but this is dangerous work. You three should go elsewhere and let me do my work." Batman suggested. "But we can be of great help." Apple Bloom pleaded. "Trust me, I got all the help I need." he replied. The three seeing he didn't want their help didn't wanna push it any further. So they trotted off leaving the caped crusader to do his thing. Meanwhile at the lair of the Changelings, Luthor and Chrysalis were meeting with Flim and Flam, "So it worked?" Chrysalis asked. "Like a charm." Flim answered. "Excellent." Luthor smirked. "So then, Luthor, about our fee." Flam began, only to be interrupted by the business man. "Not so fast. There will be no pay to either of you until Batman is once and for all eliminated." "Well, we assure you that will be soon enough." Flim promised. "Come nightfall and he's as good as done." Flam added. "I'll hold you to it." Luthor answered, as the brothers left. As the sun was going down, the league, Spike, and the ponies went to the scene to find Batman still inspecting the place, "Anything?" Flash asked, only to receive a glare from Batman giving him the hint, "Ok, then." "You've been at this all day, you should take a break." Diana suggested. "I don't take breaks, and neither does Joker." Batman reminded her. Applejack trotted over, "Bats, now I've been told how hard headed you can be when it comes to this kind of stuff. But if you keep doing this without food or sleep you'll be in no position to do anything in the morning." "I'm used to this work." Batman replied. "Even so, we can't have ya doing that here." Twilight went over, "Applejack's right. If you want to find Joker you'll need to be at your full strength." "I'm with the egghead." Rainbow agreed. "And don't make us have to drag you back to the castle." Lantern warned him. Batman glared at them as if challenging them, but eventually collapsed from exhaustion. Superman and Flash quickly caught him, as the speedster spoke, "Well, that saves us the trouble of binding him and dragging him back." So they took Batman back to the castle. That night Batman was on his bed sleeping, until he heard a voice, "Batman," He shot up and gasped. He looked around the room seeing no one was there. He was about to fall back asleep, "Batman." he jumped out of bed and looked out his guest room window seeing someone was creeping around. He whipped out his grappling hook and swung out of the castle and landed on the ground. He went in pursue of the culprit, until said culprit stopped. "Joke's over, Joker." Batman ordered. "On the contrary, Batman," the figure spoke, "You got the wrong guy." he revealed to be Riddler. This took Batman by surprise, "Riddler?" "Now you got it." Riddler chuckled. "How did you get here?" Batman demanded. "Well, isn't that the big question?" Riddler humored him, "If you want to know the answer, you've got to catch me." he took off. Batman frowned as he went in pursuit of him. He then threw his bat-bolo, but saw it didn't catch his enemy, 'No. I never miss.' he thought, as he continued to pursue the Riddler. Meanwhile at the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse, the trio of fillies who were having a sleepover inside their HQ were awoken by the sound of running across the field, "What is that?" Apple Bloom asked, while rubbing her eyes. They looked out their clubhouse window to see Batman running, "It's Batman." Scootaloo said. "But what's he running from?" Sweetie Belle asked, seeing nothing else around. "I don't think he's running away," Apple Bloom stated, "It looks like he's running after something." "After what?" Sweetie Belle wondered. "Let's find out." Scootaloo smirked. "But Scootaloo, Batman told us he can handle things." Apple Bloom reminded her. "Don't you see? This is our chance to prove ourselves as Cutie Mark Crusader sidekicks." Scootaloo explained. "Hmm, that is something we've never tried before." Sweetie Belle admitted. "But he's headed for the Everfree Forest." Apple Bloom noticed. "Then he'll really need our help. Come on, Crusaders!" Scootaloo called, as they left their clubhouse and followed the caped crusader into the forest. Batman still in pursuit of Riddler followed him into Everfree, until the villain skidded to a halt before a pond, "Well, looks like you caught me, Batman." "Now answer my question." Batman ordered. "Sure, after a little dip." he dove into the pond. Batman ran to the pond hoping to pull him out, but to his surprise something new erupted out of the pond. Now Batman found himself facing Killer Kroc. "You?" Batman gasped. "Yeah. You were expecting someone else?" Kroc asked, as he fought Batman who defended himself before getting swatted aside. Batman got up and was prepared to attack, only to get punched to the side by Bane. Batman was once again on the ground, before looking up at the two muscular villains from his rogues gallery. Before he could whip out a batarang, he was getting shot at by a tommy gun. He ran from the shots and saw Scarface the dummy and the ventriloquist Arnold Wesker. "How is this possible?" Batman gasped. "Oh, it's possible, Batman." A familiar voice said, as Joker walked in on the scene with Harley. "What's going on, why're you all here?" Batman shouted. "It's not just us Batman." Riddler answered, as he suddenly walked out from the shadows of the trees. "It's all of us." Joker concluded, as Batman saw more villains from his rogue gallery appear. Villains including Mad Hatter, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Clayface, Two-Face, Penguin, Ra's al Ghul. Batman was horrified to see just about all his major villains gathered together in Equestria, "No!" he gasped. "Oh, but your eyes don't deceive you, Batsy," Joker began, "Or do you prefer to be known as Bruce?" he laughed. "Get him!" Riddler called, as the villains went on the attack with their hated enemy. Batman struggled against his enemies, while the CMC galloped over and watched Batman was moving around oddly and letting himself fall to the ground, "What's he doing?" Apple Bloom asked. "Is he trying to be a mime?" Sweetie Belle wondered. "I hate mimes, they're annoying." Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom trotted over, "Uh, Batman?" Batman turned around and shouted, "Get out of here!" "Huh?" they asked. Batman watched as Joker and the others saw them, "Ooh, aren't they precious?" Joker chuckled, "Let's have a little fun with them?" he offered to the villains who were ready to attack them. "NO!" Batman flipped over the villains and blocked them, "I won't let you harm them! Girls, you've got to get out of here now!" "Why?" Sweetie Belle asked. "And who're you talking to?" Scootaloo asked in confusion. Batman was confused at their claim only to get punched by Bane knocking him onto his knees, "Are you trying to be a mime?" Apple Bloom asked. "You're in danger, can't you see it?" Batman asked. "Batman, there's nopony here but us." Sweetie Belle said. Batman kept getting more confused as he looked back at his enemies, "I don't understand." "Reason is simple, Batman," Scarecrow began, "You're slipping into insanity. Don't run from it, embrace it. Accept that you are crazy." "Yes, Batman. There's nothing wrong with that. It's done wonders for me." Joker grinned. Batman pondered on what's been happening and remembered his run in with Joker the previous night. He vanished when the others arrived and Superman wasn't able to pick him up anywhere with his X-ray vision, "You. You can't be real, none of you are!" he called the villains out. "But we are." Ivy replied. "We are the nightmares that plague your mind. We are the shadows of your darkest dreams." Mad Hatter explained. Batman continued to remember what happened, recalling how once Twilight's magic iluminated the area in the alley right at the moment Joker vanished, "Maybe in the dark," he muttered, "Sweetie Belle, give me some light with your magic!" "What? I don't think I can..." "Just do it!" Sweetie Belle was taken aback by his demand, "Ok, I'll give it a try." she started concentrating. "What're you trying to accomplish?" Riddler inquired. "This is not real, none of you are real. Just figments." Batman declared. The villains frowned, as Joker called, "We're real enough to finish you!" the villains charged for Batman, only for Sweetie Belle to create light around Batman and her friends. Batman watched as the light shined Joker and the rest of the Rogue's gallery vanished into thin air, "Batman, are you ok?" Apple Bloom asked as she and Scootaloo galloped over to him. "It's ok, Apple Bloom. I'm all right." he panted before passing out. "Batman!" "Apple Bloom!" The three fillies looked over seeing Twilight, Applejack, Flash, Diana, and Superman rush over, "What happened?" Diana asked. "Batman said everything's fine now." Apple Bloom answered. "Ok, but what is fine?" Superman inquired. "We don't know. He said we were in danger, but nopony was around here." Scootaloo said. "We better get him to Zecora, she might be able to help him." Twilight suggested. "You may want to keep light shining around him, he said he needed it." Sweetie Belle suggested, as she could no longer keep her horn on for much longer. Twilight nodded and activated her magic which was able to shine brighter and longer, as they helped Batman along. Batman soon started regaining consciousness. The first thing he saw was the inside of a tree, and a zebra looking over him, "What's?" he groaned. "Easy my bat friend, the bad times have come to an end." The zebra explained. "Who're you, where am I?" Batman looked around seeing his team, the fillies, Twilight, and Applejack. "You're in Zecora's house in the Everfree Forest." Apple Bloom explained. "After we found you we brought you here to be looked at." Applejack said. "Zecora found out you were infected by a chemical that entered your central nervous system." Superman explained. "It was causing you to hallucinate. Might that be how you saw Joker when we couldn't?" Flash asked. "Yes, and it wasn't just Joker this time, but more of my enemies." Batman explained. "But I have fed you an antidote for a cure, no longer will you see these enemies I am sure." Zecora explained. "Well, just to be safe, turn out the lights." Batman ordered, as Twilight doused all the candles in the room. Batman looked around seeing he was no longer hallucinating. Giving her the ok, Twilight re-lit the candles. "What I want to know is how did you get infected anyway?" Diana asked. Batman started retracing his steps until it came to him, "The fragrance." "Fragrance?" the group asked. "On my way back from Sweet Apple Acres yesterday, these two ponies sprayed me with this fragrant wanting me to sample it. Nothing else happened before that or after until night came and I could hear Joker." "Why would ponies spray you with some kind of drug like that?" Flash asked. "Anything unusual about those two ponies?" Twilgiht wondered. "They talked like slick business men." Applejack's eyes widnened, "Flim and Flam!" "Flim and Flam?" Flash and Superman asked together. "Who're they?" Diana asked. "Two conniving con artist ponies who once tried to run my family our of business, and used my honesty to help sell their fake tonic." "Con men, something far worse than a crook." Flash said humorously. "If they sprayed you with something that causes hallucinations then they had to be in league with Luthor." Superman stated. "Who else here would want us eliminated?" Diana asked. Batman sighed, "Well, at least now that I'm cured I can rest easier," he got up, "Zecora, thank you for your help." "Any time, my hero friend." Zecora smiled. Batman looked down at the CMC, "And you three... If it weren't for you coming to my rescue I might not be here right now. So thank you. Maybe you could be like heroes, in your own ways." The three fillies smiled at the compliment and high hooved. Twilight spoke, "Well, we better get going. Thanks again, Zecora." the group left the forest and headed back, unaware of a single Changeling was watching them before flying off. Sometime later at the Changeling lair, Luthor and Chrysalis were told of what happened, as Luthor was punching a wall, "I never should've left it up to those con artists!" "Don't stress out, or you'll bust a gut." Chrysalis warned him, as he glared at her. "My hired help has failed one too many times. If I don't put an end to the Justice League soon, I'll scream!" "Don't waste your lungs," Chrysalis said, as she trotted over, "I may know of somepony else who can help set a trap for them." "Do you now?" Luthor asked. "Yes, and he's far more competent than the others." "Then take me to him." Luthor ordered. "Of course." she spread her wings and flew, with Luthor flying after her eager to see who she was taking him to see.