Strange
“Where is she? Where is my wife?” Freeze asked, his visor now off.
“Nora is in safe hands.” Strange smiled before picking up a clipboard. “Now, lets discuss an incident from your childhood…” He continued.
“No.” Freeze hissed.
Strange set down clipboard. “Then this is over.” He pressed a button on his desk. It made a loud buzz that caused Fluttershy to jump a bit. “Guard,”
“Wait!” Freeze interjected. Strange released the button and grinned wickedly again. Freeze hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “What do you wish to learn?”
Strange had him. Fluttershy was hiding behind Freeze, who was still standing. She was more nervous than she had ever been in Arkham City. Simply being in his presence terrified her to no end. However, a part of her was curious to know about Freeze’s past. She would do what she did best; stay quiet, out of the way, and listen.
“Your early years were troubled.” Strange said.
“I was not a sociable child, but that is all.” Freeze said.
“Even your parents disowned you. They sent you away to a reform school, correct?”
“They did not understand my work.”
“Your work? According to a police report, you froze over a dozen of your neighbors’ pets.”
Fluttershy silently gasped. Freeze did that? She didn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it.
“I have always had an interest in cryonic preservation.” Freeze said. “I didn’t understand why my parents allowed our sick pets to die instead of attempting to save them. So I set about finding my own way. I intended to revive all of those creatures.”
It was true. Fluttershy suddenly felt betrayed somehow. Over a dozen dogs and cats were dead because of Freeze.
Strange continued. “But you didn’t. Which brings us to Nora.”
Freeze’s hardened expression suddenly changed to one of woe. He took up Strange’s earlier offer and sat down on a metal chair to his right. Fluttershy moved beside the chair and sat where she was. She didn’t trust Freeze as much as she had before after learning this about him, but Rarity told her earlier that she had reminded him of Nora. Fluttershy wanted to know how.
“Have you ever seen a flower die? Watched something that was once so beautiful, so full of life, collapse and rot from within…” Freeze asked.
“You refer to Nora’s illness?” Strange said.
Freeze nodded. “It seems like yesterday when I first found her. It all happened so quickly. Suddenly, I was losing her.” He said sadly.
“Did you seek help? What about your employer, GothCorp?” Strange asked.
“I hid it from them, diverting resources from GothCorp’s research in an attempt to find the cure, but in the end, I failed.” Freeze said.
Fluttershy’s undivided attention was on his story. Freeze obviously loved Nora very much and cared for her with all his heart. Fluttershy must have reminded him of her. Otherwise, she probably wouldn’t be here right now.
He continued. “Time was running out. I knew that if I was discovered, Nora would die.”
”Why take that risk?” Strange asked.
“Do you know what it is to love someone? To really love them?” Freeze asked.
“No.” Strange bluntly stated.
Freeze looked almost sorry for him. “Nora was all I could think of. I re-ran the diagnostics, re-examined every detail from every angle, certain that I had missed something. I cursed myself for being so blind, so stupid. Surely there was a cure I just needed more time. Then I realized what I had to do.”
Strange wrote something on the clipboard he was holding before looking back at Freeze. Fluttershy was mesmerized by Freeze’s story. She had heard it before, but only a brief version. This was extremely in-depth.
Freeze continued. “I had worked without sleep for a week. My needs didn’t seem important. Sleep didn’t matter; food didn’t matter. There was only her.” He gulped. “I looked at Nora and I told her that I loved her. She told me there was nothing I could do, that I… we should just accept fate. She smiled her beautiful smile as she said it. I promised to cure her, and then I pressed the button.”
Freeze looked extremely sad after he concluded. Fluttershy was almost on the verge of tears as well. She reached up and placed a hoof on his knee. He looked at her and she looked back with care and comfort.
“You cryogenically froze her. Keeping her on ice, so to speak, while you worked on a cure. It broke your heart, but now you had all the time in the world.” Strange summed up. “Did you feel relief?”
“I went home and fell into a deep sleep. For the first time since we discovered Nora’s illness, I dared to dream.” Freeze remembered. “But, for weeks I had ignored my superiors’ attempts to contact me. The next morning, I overslept. By the time I got to the lab, Ferris Boyle, the CEO, was there waiting.”
“What did he do?”
“He accused me of industrial espionage, which I denied, but then his guards found Nora. Boyle told me like all of my ‘research’ she belonged to him. I was enraged. I attacked him, but his guards beat me back and in the struggle, I was drenched by the cryogenic chemical I had created. I lay on the floor helpless watching the guards steal Nora away. Boyle told me it was a tragedy for such a promising mind to perish in a lab accident. Then he left me to die.”
Freeze’s gaze was moving in many directions as he recalled what had happened to him. He looked as if the scene was playing out in front of him once more. He had tensed up and Fluttershy took her hoof off his knee, but never broke eye contact.
“But you survived.”
“The chemicals were absorbed into my body and… transformed my metabolism. My body went numb. I felt a strange tingling, then searing pain all over… Each breath ignited my lungs! I clawed my way back to a refrigeration unit and as I closed the door behind me, I felt the icy chill calm my acing body. Things suddenly seemed clear.”
“What seemed clear? Finding a cure for Nora?”
“No. Revenge. Boyle would pay.”
Freeze had grown very angry in this time. He clenched his fists as he told Strange what he wanted to do. Fluttershy wanted to help him, but she didn’t know how. All she could do was be there for him in case she was needed.
“You failed to kill Ferris Boyle though, didn’t you?”
Freeze exhaled and shut his eyes. “Yes.”
“Why?”
Freeze looked at Strange angrily. “You know why! Batman! Though he did return Nora to safety – until you got her.”
Strange threw his arm up in the air. “See, there you go. Blame me. Blame your parents because you failed to revive the neighbors’ pets. Blame Ferris Boyle for spoiling your plans to cure Nora. Blame Batman for stopping your revenge against Boyle. And now, your Nora is in danger…”
Fluttershy looked at Strange with confusion and shock. “Because of you!” Freeze growled.
“No, Victor, because of you. You have always had a heart of ice. You stole peoples’ pets, you stole GothCorp resources, and since then you’ve stolen so much more for your own selfish, scientific inquiries. If you had shared your genius with others, devoted your energy into medicine instead of crime, perhaps your ice princess would be at home now, preparing you a hot meal – instead of being delivered to the Joker.” Strange said.
Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth. Freeze stood up immediately. “No!”
“You could have saved Nora a long time ago, Victor.” Strange concluded.
Freeze was in shock. His breathing was shaky and uneven. “It was all for her. Everything. I will get her back! And when I do, I’m coming for you…” Freeze growled.
Strange set the clipboard down. “Thank you. We are done now.”
Four guards walked into the room and stood on either side of Freeze and Fluttershy. They escorted them out the door. Fluttershy looked back into the room one last time to see Strange sitting there with the same wicked smile spread across his face.
Freeze gasped one last word before he left. “Nora…”
---
“Pinkie, Joker lied to you! Don’t believe a single word he says!” Rainbow pleaded.
Pinkie Pie was pacing back and forth arguing with Rainbow Dash. Her mane was completely straight and she looked furious.
“You weren’t there! You didn’t hear what he said yourself! Everything he told me made perfect sense! All he wants is to see everyone in the world smile and have fun and Batman has kept him from doing just that for years!” Pinkie yelled.
Rainbow grabbed Pinkie and looked her square in the eyes. “Joker is a liar! He only hurts people because he can!”
“He plays pranks and people don’t get the joke!” Pinkie snapped. “People are too boring and he wants them to laugh and have fun!”
Rainbow looked helpless. Her friend had been spoon-fed a serving of lies and trickery and had been turned into something else. She looked at Batman and begged for help.
“Rainbow Dash is right. Joker doesn’t want do make other people laugh, he only does this for his own personal amusement.” He said. “He’s an unrepentant, homicidal maniac.”
Pinkie glared at him for a moment before charging at him and screaming. “Don’t say that about him!”
Batman merely sidestepped out of the way causing Pinkie to miss. She landed face first into the ground. She turned around, her eyes burning with rage. She got to her hooves and stood ready to charge Batman again. Batman simply stood there, unmoving.
Pinkie was about to charge again when Rainbow landed between them. “That’s enough!” She yelled. “Pinkie, we aren’t changing our minds about Joker. He is evil, and nothing you say will change that!”
Pinkie snarled as Rainbow continued. “Right now, we need to focus on the important thing: the Ninja. She is the only one who can lead us to this Ra’s Al Ghul guy and help us with the cure! We’re all going to have to work together to get this done whether we like it or not!”
“No, YOU’RE going to get the cure!” Pinkie yelled. “Joker said that it was Batman’s job to get it. I’m going to find some food for Fluttershy like I promised!”
Rainbow stepped forward. “Pinkie, Fluttershy’s perfectly fine! She’s safe with Mr. Freeze in the old police building.”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Mr. Freeze?! He was supposed to get the cure for Joker first, but he abandoned him! He totally dropped the responsibility just like that! What if he abandons Fluttershy?!”
Rainbow thought for a moment before Batman stepped forward. “Freeze was captured by Penguin and held prisoner. Someone had to have told him that Freeze was making a cure for Joker and so he captured him.”
Rainbow nodded. “That’s right. Joker and Penguin are having a little war, and he kidnapped Freeze to prevent Joker from being cured. That way, he could take over Arkham City with no trouble.”
Pinkie was skeptical, but still angry. “Okay, I admit that makes sense, but how do we know for sure that Fluttershy will be fine?”
Rainbow stepped forward toward her friend. “Fluttershy and Freeze have formed a special bond. He really seems to care about her and she trusts him more than anyone else in here.”
“Freeze has caused some trouble in Gotham before, but he himself is not a bad person. Fluttershy will be safe with him as long as she doesn’t get in the way. Of what he wants to do.” Batman added.
Pinkie seemed much calmer. She actually looked concerned. “What does he want to do?” She asked.
“He wants to save his wife’s life.” Batman said.
Pinkie looked at Rainbow and Batman. “What’s wrong with her?”
Rainbow looked at Batman. He nodded and she turned back to Pinkie. “Come with us. Batman will tell you all about him on our way to the Ninja.” She said.
Pinkie looked at Rainbow cautiously before glaring at Batman again. “He wont hurt you as long as you don’t hurt him. No more charging at him. He’s my friend now too, Okay?” Rainbow warned.
Pinkie rolled her eyes and thought for a moment. She looked at the large hole to her left. That was where they all needed to go; so sticking together would be an option either way.
“Fine. Lets go.” Pinkie agreed.
Batman jumped in the hole and used his cape to float down safely. Rainbow carried Pinkie on her back and also descended. Once they landed, Batman began to tell the story of how Freeze got to be how he is. He told them about how Nora was sick and he froze her cryogenically to keep her from dying while he found a cure.
Pinkie and Rainbow listened as he continued telling them about his condition, his plans for revenge, and how he saved Nora and brought her back to Freeze.
“He was moved to Arkham Asylum after that. He escaped a few times to steal more things he might have needed, but he was caught again and again and put back. It looks like he was given full access to the old GCPD building where he could work on the cure for as long as he could. Nora was moved here as well.” He said.
“Wow. He did all that for her?” Pinkie asked.
“Yes. She was his only motivation.” Batman said.
Pinkie looked at him crossly. “Well, why did you keep arresting him then if all he was doing was helping his true love?”
Batman turned around and looked her right in the eyes. “Because it’s not what he was doing, its how he was doing it. He was stealing, and hurting others because they wouldn’t let him take their property. Whether he likes it or not, that is illegal.”
Pinkie looked at him for a moment longer, still a little fed up. “I guess he could’ve gotten help from someone else.”
Batman turned around again and continued walking. They were heading into the underground sewer system beneath Arkham City. Batman put his fingers up to the side of his head. “Oracle, I’m heading underground. Below the surface, Gotham is a maze of old steel and ironwork. My signal might get weak, try and stay locked on.”
They neared a hole in the ground that was filled with water. Batman, Rainbow and Pinkie got across and continued down the dark passageway.
“Who was he talking to?” Pinkie asked.
“His friend. Apparently, she’s really smart and can get all kinds of stuff that Batman needs.” Rainbow replied.
They continued down the dark, narrow sewer line. They passed a wide variety of buttons, lights and switches. They walked to the end of the passageway and turned left. The sewer line opened into a large room. Below, two clown thugs were talking to each other.
Batman motioned for Pinkie and Rainbow to stay put before he walked to the edge and readied himself to jump. He silently leapt down and closed in on one thug.
“Man, I thought it was bad out there. Down here, I’m not just cold, I’m wet and I smell like I’ve been standing in something Croc left behind.”
“Do you ever stop complaining?”
Batman landed on the first thug, taking him down instantly. He threw one of his bat-shaped boomerangs at the last thug's head before he even had time to react. They were both down in a matter of seconds.
Pinkie climbed onto Rainbow's back and they took off. Rainbow descended quickly and caught herself in the air before they impacted. Pinkie climbed off and they both followed Batman into the next corridor.
“What were those guys doing here?” Rainbow asked.
“Joker’s got his crew moving through the sewers, hunting down what’s left of Penguin’s thugs.” Batman replied.
“Oh good! That Penguin is a little meanie-pants! He blew up the freeway and made it so I couldn’t get to Fluttershy! I hope he gets what he deserves!” Pinkie said.
“He’s taken care of, Pinkie. He’s locked up and wont be any more trouble to anyone.” Rainbow said.
Pinkie smiled. “Really? Who took him out?!” She asked as she bounced around.
“Uh, I’ll give you one guess.” Rainbow said with a grin and she held out her hoof towards Batman.
Pinkie looked and frowned again. “Oh.”
Rainbow continued. “Yeah, he fought this huge monster guy that almost killed me and Twilight! He saved us and stopped Penguin!”
Batman looked over his shoulder with the slightest of smirks at Pinkie and Rainbow.
Pinkie noticed this. “Well, maybe you aren’t as bad as everyone is making you out to be…”
Rainbow sighed for relief. She had finally seen some sense in something.
“Don’t think this changes anything in the long run though! You haven’t made me laugh or smile once! You’ve only made me frown and feel mad! Well I don’t like feeling mad at all, so you’d better start changing soon!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Rainbow facehoofed. Batman continued down the tunnel and turned right. A partially sealed gate made him crouch so he could get to the other side. Rainbow and Pinkie were only a little taller than the opening, so they had to crouch as well.
The constant echoes bouncing off the walls, and the splashing of water were getting on Rainbow’s nerves. She wanted to get out these sewers and fly around. They continued down the endless maze of sewer lines for a few minutes before reaching a destroyed section of the tunnel. The floor was gone and was replaced by a narrow pool of water that continued forward and forked left or right in the middle. Batman stopped and reached to his utility belt for something.
“This is taking forever!” Rainbow shouted. “Where is this stupid Ninja Assassin club already?!”
“Quiet.” Batman said as he produced the gadget Robin brought for him.
Batman held the gadget above his head and pressed a button. A long wire shot from either direction and connected themselves on the walls behind and in front of him. Batman lifted his legs and began to ride the wire like a zip-line over the water. It made a loud buzzing noise as the gadget propelled Batman along the wire.
Once he got to the fork, Batman retracted the wire, flipped around, shot again, and proceeded down the left passageway.
“Woah!” Rainbow said.
“That looks like so much fun! Can I have a turn next? Can I? Can I? Can I?” Pinkie asked excitedly.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Pinkie, he knows you don’t like him! What makes you think he’ll give you a ride on that?”
“Well Joker didn’t tell me he had cool stuff! That zip-line thing looks really, really fun! Maybe if Joker saw that, then him and Batman could be friends! Oh my gosh, that would be the best thing ever! Everyone could use a friend!” Pinkie said excitedly.
Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. She picked Pinkie up and carried her over the water down the passageway that Batman went down while she continued talking.
“Maybe that’s why Batman is so grumpy all the time! How many friends does he have? He’ll be just like old Cranky Doodle Donkey! I’ll get him and Joker to be friends in no time!” Pinkie continued.
As Rainbow set her down, an idea popped into her head. “Well, that sounds like a great idea, Pinkie!”
Pinkie gasped. “Really? You really think I could do it?”
Rainbow put on a smile and nodded. “Totally! If anypony could do it, its you!” Pinkie jumped around in circles and began to laugh happily. Rainbow stopped her and held her still. “But, I don’t think you’ll be able to do it unless they have a mutual friend. Somepony like you!”
Pinkie cocked her head. “Me?”
“Yes you!” Rainbow agreed. “What if you became friends with Batman? Because you’re already friends with Joker, that might make it easier for Batman to become friends with him!”
Pinkie thought for a moment. Batman glared back at Rainbow with an unsure look. Rainbow winked and silently shook her head at him. He slowly turned away and began walking again.
“Okay!” Pinkie agreed.
Rainbow smiled. “Really? You will?”
“Yep, yep, yep!” Pinkie said. “I’ll become bestest, best friends with Batman so I can get Batman and Joker to become bestest, best friends!”
She hugged her pink friend tight. “Awesome! Thanks Pinkie Pie!”
Batman looked back at her. Rainbow winked again and gave him a look that said ‘Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.’
“Aww, you’re welcome Dashie!” Pinkie said.
They released and Pinkie Pie began to jump around and laugh again. Rainbow chuckled also. Batman walked back and looked down at them. Pinkie stopped bouncing and looked back up at him.
“We need to move. Come on.” He said.
“Okie, dokie, lokie! I’m right with ya all the way, buddy!” Pinkie said as she bounced down the corridor.
Rainbow and Batman walked together behind Pinkie, who was already way ahead. “You know I’m never going to call that monster my friend, Rainbow.”
Rainbow nodded. “I know. This should at least give her a chance to get to know you before she just makes wild assumptions. She has a history of that.”
They all continued down the corridor. Crawling under another partially closed gate, Batman motioned for them to stay completely quiet. They all heard thugs talking from underneath them.
“Listen up. The last of the Penguin’s crew are holed up somewhere up ahead. Joker wants ‘em found.”
Batman turned right and crouched down. He moved silently over the grate and looked into the room below.
“Do we kill ‘em?”
He moved over to a part of the floor that had been covered up with a few pieces of plywood.
“Up to us.”
Pinkie Pie’s tail began to twitch uncontrollably. “Uh oh!” She whispered to herself.
“I say we kill ‘em. Most of those guys were mercs. Never trust a merc.”
Batman crashed through the plywood and landed on one of the thugs. Rainbow zoomed after him and crashed into another thug on the far side of the room. Pinkie looked down the hole at Batman and smiled as she realized that Batman was the one going to fall. With both thugs incapacitated, Rainbow and Batman assumed a defensive stance against the rest of the thugs.
“The Bat and his freaky pet are here!”
“Kill ‘em!”
---
Another blast of magic, and Twilight broke through the metal wall. She wiped a few drops of sweat off her forehead and stepped forward.
“Yee haw! Nice goin’ Twilight!” Applejack yelled.
Twilight smiled and examined her surroundings. There was a small room fitted with computer screens and all sorts of electronic equipment. A long drop to the floor below was the only thing between them and the room beyond. She guessed that Riddler didn’t expect a magical unicorn to mess up his plans. She felt happy that she was the unicorn who got to do just that.
She looked to her left and right. The room where Applejack’s puzzle was wasn’t a very exciting room. Riddler was the kind of criminal who liked his victims to see many things. She deduced that Riddler usually hides answers to his puzzles in plain sight usually by some sort of intricate design or something. The absence of such designs suggested that Riddler was 100% sure that Applejack would fail. This wasn’t a puzzle; it was a deathtrap with no way for Applejack to escape on her own.
“What are ya thinkin’ sugarcube?” Applejack said as she joined her friend.
“Riddler knew you wouldn’t get out of here on your own. He just wanted to see how long you’d last before you die. He made no escape route for you or anything.” Twilight said.
Applejack looked away angrily. “Why that little…” She stopped herself from continuing. “We need to get outta here. Where do we go?”
“The Church. Rarity is there, and I need my book or else I wont be able to do anything.” Twilight said.
Applejack nodded. “Okay.” She took a few more seconds to look around.
“How are you feeling?” Twilight asked.
Applejack’s back hooves were cracked and bleeding in a few places. She was lifting one in the air as she stood. “Don’t you worry ‘bout me, none. Ah’m fine so long as we take it nice and slow.”
Twilight nodded. “Okay. You just let me do the hard stuff all right? Don’t forget about the time you tried to harvest all of Sweet Apple Acres all by yourself.” She said with a playful smirk.
Applejack blushed. “Yeah, Ah know. Don’t worry, any help you can be would be greatly appreciated, Twi.”
Twilight returned the smile. “Okay, hang on.” Her horn started to glow and crackle with magical energy.
Instead of teleporting like Applejack had expected, she rose off the ground a few inches. “What in tarnation?!”
Twilight grunted slightly. “Sorry AJ, but I can’t risk a jump while you’re this injured. It would probably hurt you more when your hooves were back on the ground. Just hang on.”
Twilight levitated Applejack to the room over the gap. Once she had all four hooves over the floor, Twilight lowered her to the ground. Applejack looked back at Twilight and smiled. Twilight’s horn glowed again and she teleported over to Applejack.
They both walked down the hallway that led to a door at the very end. Twilight twisted the handle. It was locked. She exhaled and put her ear next to the doorknob. The keyhole was glowing purple as Twilight concentrated on unlocking the door. After a few moments, Applejack looked impatient.
“Ah know you’re tryin’ to be subtle and all Twilight, but if Ah wasn’t hurt, Ah’d probably have that door down and we’d be outside right now.” Applejack said.
Twilight cocked her head. “What do you mean? Are you a good lock picker?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “No, Ah’m suggesting that you break the door down, sugarcube. No one will miss it.”
Twilight looked at the door. “Oh… right.”
She backed up and zapped the door with her magic. As expected, a large hole appeared in the center that was big enough for them to walk through.
Applejack grinned. “Ah guess you can say that Ah know how to get through locked doors.”
They walked out the hole in the door. They were met immediately with a wall. It was a door that led to nowhere. Twilight thought it was another trick, but she noticed the floor she was now standing on. It was concrete. She also felt the slightest of drafts and she thought she could hear the wind whistling.
She knocked on the wall. It was made of a very weak wood. She turned around and bucked the wall as hard as she could with both of her back hooves. It cracked on impact and a few pieces went flying. She bucked it again with one leg and the entire thing fell apart.
Sure enough, they were outside once again. Applejack stepped out and inhaled deeply. The fresh air felt really good to her, regardless of how cold it was. She turned around and looked to Twilight with a smile. “Now, where is the Church? Ah wanna see everypony again!
Twilight grinned. “Hold your horses, Applejack. Lets see exactly where we are.”
Twilight observed her surroundings. They were in a dark alley. To their left was a large group of clown thugs and other inmates gathered around in front of the building opposite of the one they just exited. She looked right and saw a flight of stairs leading up behind the building. She nodded to Applejack that they should head that way.
They began to walk up the flight of stairs. As they got further away from the front of the building, the entire city seemed to quiet down. Almost like all the troubles seemed to fade from existence in this spot.
They turned left at the top of the stairs and stopped. Twilight couldn’t explain it, but she felt a sort of respectful reverence all of the sudden. Applejack must have felt it too because she now looked like she was very sad. They looked around the quiet alleyway before them. It was dark and lonely, just like any other alleyway they had been in, but this particular one felt different somehow. Twilight felt a great sadness.
There was only one street lamp on. It illuminated the outline of two people, a man and a woman, on the ground. Twilight and Applejack approached it silently. Their eyes were fixated on the outlines. Their hoofsteps made no sounds as they approached. It was completely silent save for the wind whistling slightly in the distance.
Twilight could have sworn she heard the distant echo of a gunshot followed a few moments later by a child crying. Something absolutely devastating had occurred here. She felt it inside her somewhere.
They stopped beside the outlines and simply stood there. They didn’t know who they were, what they did, or what they looked like, but they still felt an extreme sadness at the sight. Twilight turned around to see Applejack with the same look on her face. She looked like she was about to cry, not because of fear, but because of sorrow.
Beside the outline at their hooves was a single red rose. Twilight knew that the rose was symbolic for love and beauty. Whoever placed it there must have loved the man and woman very much. Twilight crouched down for a closer look. Some of the snowflakes that fell from the sky had landed on its petals, causing the rose to glisten in the light of the streetlamp. It looked absolutely beautiful; more beautiful than anything she had ever seen before.
On the other side of them sat a bouquet of flowers. Twilight slowly walked around the outline to examine it. It was a bouquet of Lilies, the flower of death. On the Lilies sat a card that read, “It will end where it began. –Hugo Strange”
Strange had placed these flowers here. Why? Applejack read the message before Twilight picked the card up and turned it around. On the back was written another message:
“How does it feel, Wayne? To stand on the very stones that ran with your parents’ blood. Do you feel sad? Full of rage? Or does that outfit help bury your feelings, hiding your true self? Oh, you are a truly extraordinary specimen. I look forward to breaking you.”
Twilight put the letter back and her and Applejack sat on the ground softly. They were both blown away. The man and woman who died here had been Bruce Wayne’s mother and father. How long ago was it? She didn’t know for sure, but she guessed that Bruce had been here to see them die with his own eyes.
Twilight looked at the outlines and felt a tear fall down her cheek. “Rest in peace, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne.” She said softly.
Applejack removed her had and remained there as well. For the next few minutes, neither of them said anything. They merely sat there and paid their respects to the fallen couple.
The air was cold. The wind blew slightly, and snow was softly falling all around them. Time seemed to stand completely still. Twilight and Applejack let tears flow from their eyes as they imagined how wonderful the Wayne’s must have been, what they might have done in their lives, who they might have helped. They had been taken before their time, and everyone would miss them forever.
Twilight stood up and wiped a tear away. “Come on.” She sniffed. “We need to go.”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah. Lets go.”
The two turned around and walked out the alley. Twilight began to descend the staircase, but Applejack stopped and turned back. She gave one last look at the outline and flowers. Twilight stopped and looked back at her. Applejack just needed one last look at the outline of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne. She couldn’t stand the thought of having the ones she loved more than anything taken from her. She would cherish every moment she spent with her friends and family for the rest of her life. She never knew for sure which memory she shared with them would be her last, so she would treat every single one like it was.
Eventually, she came back to Twilight and they both walked silently through the alleyway. They came to the outside and looked around. To their right, they saw the green question mark on the steeple of the Church. They both walked toward it. Twilight kept a look out for trouble while Applejack thought to herself.
They had no problem getting to the gates and got inside safely. Rarity smiled and greeted them both with tight hug. She levitated the spell book in front of Twilight and her eyes lit up brightly. She put it away and thanked Rarity.
“My dear, you must be more careful with your things.” Rarity said.
“I know, I know. I’m usually so organized! I don’t know what happened.”
Rarity grinned. “No matter, all is well, and Applejack is safe once again.”
“Now Twi, you think you can find a spell that fix me up?” Applejack asked.
“No problem!” Twilight said. She began flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for. “This spell heals all physical injuries, major or minor.”
She read it once more before her horn glowed brightly and zapped Applejack with a beam of light. That particular spell took a lot of her and she needed to rest a moment.
“Yee haw!!” Applejack yelled as she bounced around the room on all four legs. She was bucking the air next to her and stomping the ground happily. “Thank you so much, Twilight! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
She hugged Twilight as tight as she could and squeezed. Twilight had trouble breathing because of her excitement and regained strength, but it was okay. They released and she ran to hug Rarity.
“Rarity, Ah missed you so much! Ah cant even begin to describe how happy Ah am!” She exclaimed.
Rarity also looked like she was having trouble breathing, but she let the hug continue for a moment longer.
As they spoke about what had happened, Twilight took this moment to think. What had Strange meant by his note to Bruce? “It will end where it began.” She repeated. What did that mean? Also, his message he left on the back confused her too. How was a rich man like Bruce Wayne an extraordinary specimen? How was he relevant to any of this? She thought the note over again in her head. He mentioned an outfit. Why? What outfit?
“Outfit, outfit, outfit…” She mumbled to herself. She imagined Bruce Wayne in her head. Why would he need an outfit? What kind of outfit? A disguise? A costume? People liked to wear costumes in this place, now that she thought about it. She remembered wearing that Mare-Do-Well costume that one time. Mare-Do-Well was like Batman in Ponyville.
Twilight blinked. Batman. He was unmoving, emotionless, very strict and very strong. Bruce Wayne was exactly the same way. They both fought like each other. Batman is very mysterious. It would be a gold mine if someone got to study him.
It hit Twilight like a train. Everything clicked instantaneously. “Oh my gosh.” Twilight breathed. She snapped around and looked at Applejack and Rarity. “Bruce Wayne is Batman!”
---
"I will find her." Freeze repeated to himself. "I must get her back. The clown will pay for this. Strange will pay for this. They all will pay for this..."
Fluttershy walked beside him as they exited the facility. She was extremely worried that in his anger, Freeze would do something they would both regret. Strange's interview had brought the fact that Freeze holds grudges and is prone to angry outbursts to her attention. The last thing she wanted to do was bring that side of him out.
Freeze was walking much faster than normal, causing Fluttershy to quicken her pace to keep up with him. The TYGER guards had kept his weapons and had refused to give them back. Fluttershy hoped that he wouldn’t need them.
They approached an abandoned car that was parked at an angle on the left side of the road. Freeze lifted a leg and kicked it, causing it to turn over once before crashing upside-down in front of the flower shop. The sudden noise caused Fluttershy to yelp and back away immediately. Freeze didn’t slow down as continued walking down the street. He was furious.
Fluttershy recovered quickly and ran to catch up with Freeze. “Freeze, please!” She said. “Please wait for me! Just wait!”
“No!” He barked. “No more waiting! I must get her back, and I must do it now!”
Upon exiting the facility, he had equipped his visor once again, making his voice sound robotic and frightening. Fluttershy couldn’t believe this. Every time she thinks that Strange cant get any worse, he does something that proves her wrong every time. He didn’t help Freeze at all, he only told him what he should have done. He didn’t offer any advice on how to fix this or what to do. Freeze was now unbelievably out of control. She had to do something.
“Please! I want to help you! Honestly, I do!” Fluttershy begged.
Freeze whipped around and looked at her angrily. “How?! How could you possibly help me by asking me to wait?!”
She recoiled and fell on her back, covering her face with her hooves and shaking uncontrollably with fear as Freeze continued to yell at her.
“I cannot just wait here for something to happen to Nora! The clown has her! I must get her back immediately!” Freeze shouted. “Nothing and no one will ever stop me from getting her back! Not Strange, not Batman, not even you!”
Fluttershy was sobbing softly. She tried to think of something, anything she could say to make Freeze reconsider. She thought back to the interview. She remembered Freeze saying that Batman had returned Nora to safety once before. Maybe he could do it again.
“W-wh-wh… Wh-wh-what…” She stammered.
“Speak! How can you help?!” He demanded.
“Wh-wh-what about b-Batman?” She squeaked out from behind her hooves. “Wh-what if h-he found n-Nora for you like he did before?”
Freeze paused for a moment. He stood up straight and thought. “Perhaps…”
Fluttershy poked an eye out from behind her hooves. “Once he gets back to you with Ra’s blood sample, you could cure him and he can get her back to you.”
Freeze looked at her again. “I suppose that could work.”
Fluttershy gulped. She was still unsure of what to do or think at this point. She could only hope that Freeze would see reason.
“As a matter of fact, I’m actually unsure of where Nora is at the moment. The clown could be holding her anywhere in this city.” Freeze paused a moment. “I must track her down, at least. I can do it in the lab.”
Fluttershy smiled slightly, but didn’t come out from behind her hooves. “Okay.”
Freeze looked down at her and noticed that she was terrified for the first time. “I apologize for my outburst. However, you must understand that Strange has crossed a serious border. I’m terribly sorry, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Its okay, I forgive you Freeze.” She said as she slowly got to her hooves. She looked to Freeze with understanding and forgiveness.
“Truce?” Freeze asked.
Fluttershy smiled. “Truce.”
Freeze returned the smile. “Now, lets get to the laboratory. We need to find Nora and ready the cure.”
They both nodded and continued down the street. Directly in front of them was the same theatre that Fluttershy had passed with Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie on their way to the Church when they were first put in Arkham City. Fluttershy remembered that Rarity and Twilight went to the Church again to rescue Applejack.
“Um, Freeze? I was wondering if we could stop at the Church to see if Twilight and Rarity have rescued our other friend Applejack?” She asked. “Twilight is really smart and she could probably help you narrow down your search for Nora, um, if you’d like, that is.”
Freeze looked to her. “I suppose we could. It’s on our way to the laboratory, anyway.”
She smiled. “Oh, thank you! Oh goodness, I’ve been so worried about Applejack ever since she was captured! I hope she’s alright!”
They went down the correct streets and alleys until the Church was in sight. The large, green question mark on the Church’s steeple still made her nervous. She hoped everything inside was still okay.
As they neared the gate, a brick flew right past Fluttershy’s head and almost hit her. It crashed against the gate and startled her.
“Hey snowman! Who’s your new pet?”
They turned around to see five inmates running toward them.
“Looks like ol’ Freeze is getting soft!”
“Aww, its so cute!”
“Lets kill it!”
Freeze took a defensive stance. “Fluttershy, run!”
She did exactly as he ordered and ran off as fast as she could. She didn’t dare look back in case there were more inmates right on her tail. She sobbed and tried to find a safe spot to hide. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an old cardboard box lying on its side. Sprinting as fast as she could, she dove into the box and curled up into a little ball. She shook and covered her ears, hoping that Freeze would show up soon.
She waited for about two and a half minutes before opening her eyes. She looked out the box and saw no one. Everything was dead silent. The fighting was over, but where was Freeze? He couldn’t have lost a fight like that.
Something on the right caught her attention. She looked to a pile of refuse and saw something she wasn’t expecting to see in a place like this.
“Angel Bunny?” She wondered aloud.
Sure enough, Angel was bouncing up and down and desperately trying to get her attention. She stepped out of the box and stared at her pet bunny. He was holding a pocket watch in one paw and bouncing anxiously. He looked just like he had when Fluttershy was late for the tea party at Sugarcube Corner for Princess Celestia.
“Angel, what are you doing here?” She asked.
Angel anxiously beckoned for her to follow him and he took off running down the sidewalk.
“Angel, wait! Come back!” She pled as she followed.
Angel didn’t slow down until he got to the entrance to an alley across the street from the Church. Fluttershy didn’t give the slightest glance to see if Freeze was still there, she was only focused on her bunny. Angel stopped and waved the pocket watch frantically in his paw and pointed to the time on it with the other.
“I’m late? What am I late for?” Fluttershy asked.
Angel bounced into the alleyway out of her sight. Fluttershy chased him as fast as she could. She turned and booked it all the way down the alley. Encountering a flight of stairs, she climbed them as fast as she could until she skidded to a stop at the end. On the ground, she saw Angel holding a pink cup of hot tea and smiling.
Her heart melted at the sight. “A tea party?! Oh, thank you so very much Angel!”
Having a tea party with Angel was one of her most cherished memories with him. She took the teacup from the little white bunny and gave him a hug. Strangely, the bunny was as cold as ice and he smelled awful.
“Oh goodness Angel! You’re freezing!” She exclaimed. “When did you last have a bath?”
The bunny just waved her off nonchalantly.
Fluttershy shook her head frantically. “No, no, no! Here, let me warm you up.”
She tried to pick him up, but he pushed her away and pointed at the teacup in her other hoof with a stern look on his face.
She decided to play along. “Okay mister, you win. But, I’m going to warm you up and get you clean right after this lovely tea party, alright?”
Angel nodded happily and handed her the teacup. Fluttershy accepted it and took a sip of it. It was the sweetest, tastiest tea she ever had. She instantly felt very warm and happy inside.
“Angel, this is delicious!” She exclaimed. “Where did you get this?”
Angel began making a few elaborate arm motions that explained what he did. Usually, Fluttershy could make out what he was saying, but what he was saying now just didn’t make any sense at all. She cocked her head slightly. Angel’s movements suddenly seemed to lag and move in slow motion.
“Angel?” She asked.
The world was now spinning. She was suddenly very lightheaded. Angel seemed to fade away from existence. His white coat turned a dirty shade of orange. He seemed to grow into a giant, disgusting version of a bunny. Fluttershy dropped the teacup and it spilled all across the ground.
She tried to back away, but she fell and landed on her back. “Aan-geLl?” She slurred. “Whatsh gong ong?”
She tried to get up, but she only felt her muscles and everything inside her shut down. The world around her seemed to distort and fade away little by little before she spiraled into darkness and fell unconscious.
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I hope you continue soon, since I want to know if pinkie and dash will help against Ras Al Gul, and how will fluttwer will escape from the mad hatter and his twisted tea party.
Oh god, the Mad Hatter has Fluttershy? I hope she doesn't end up like any of his Alices...
And I hope Bats helps Pinkie and Rainbow get through the Demon Trials.
Wow, wasn't expecting that Mad Hatter's twist
. Really looking forward for the Demon Trials and Killercroc's small appearence 
.
Mad Hatter has Fluttershy!!
Can't wait to see how Pinkie and Rainbow help Bats with the Demon Trials..
Ciao darling
Another touching moment between Fluttershy and Freeze,
how she managed to calm him down, and they worked things out pretty good. Pretty clever too having that animal thing shake her up.
And when Mad Hatter snagged Fluttershy, I was like "Oh Shit!"
I'd say this is a great moment for the story. By the end of the game, we can see that in some twisted, complex way, Joker and Batman WERE friends!
I hope Bats was talking about Joker here, not Pinkie
I like how you had that part where Twilight and AJ visited the Bruce's parents in Crime Alley. I think that whole part was very-well written. Everything that was going through their minds, them reading that note from Strange. I even listened to the soundtrack from that part while reading it over for added effect!
And it was cool how from that note, you had Twilight deduce Batman's identity! 
...and my anger against Mad Hatter reaches astronomical proportions.
Pinkie was surprisingly ungrateful considering Batman saved them all at the Church.
3015884
Erm, I hate to break it to you but are you sure we played the same game? After everything he did, all those he killed, WHO he killed, the Joker cannot be considered Batman's friend. Do you remember the scene in the theater? The last thing Batman tells the Joker is that despite how depraved Joker is, Batman will still follow his one rule when he literally holds Jokers life in his hands. If you are jumping to conclusions based on what Batman does when he meets Gordon, think back to the first picture you see in the game and switch the identities of those in it.
*edited 9/24/16*
nice touch including the session between Dr. Strange and Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze
huh: kind of reminds me of this:
Achievement earned: Paying respects (There: I said it)
Two-Face: That's absurd: I know Bruce Wayne; if he's Batman, then I'm the Queen of England
anyone else feel like hurting Jervis Tetch?
Joker: And people say I'M crazy...
(I know that this dialogue is incorrect on SO many levels, but come on: someone was going to make that reference at SOME point...)
the rest of the chapter...
Some people fight Batman for years and they still couldn't figure out who Batman is.... a small purple horse found out in one night due to a few hints.... I find that hilarious. Espescially with Arkhangelsk Knoght where Riddler refuses to be believe Bruce is Batman because he didn't figure it out.
Nice to see Fluttershy calming Freeze down.... too bad she got caught by Mar Hatter. Poor Freeze he's losing everyone tonight.