The Hero They Need

by MetalJrock

Reflection

"Oh my..."

The mares, dragon and Batman arrived during the night in Baltimare to see it all in ruins. Buildings were on fire, or in the process of being repaired and the ponies of the city were all wandering about, afraid for their lives. The gang made their way into the city, 'Ra's... He did this. I was so focused on planning that I forgot about what he could already do.' thought Batman, feeling sorrow for the lives lost in this brutal attack suddenly brought upon them.

"What happened?" asked Batman.

A stallion gulped at the intimidating sight of the Dark Knight, "W-We're not sure. Someone that looked like you attacked us. He managed to destroy almost the entire town."

"Was this that Ra's person you were talking about, Batman?" Rarity questioned.

Batman paused, observing how everything was destroyed, "No. This is another enemy of mine he sent to distract me. Unlike the others he must've sent him here first to make me lose focus on tracking him. But, whoever did this by themselves is dangerous and I won't let another town suffer like this one did." declared the Dark Knight in a stern tone. He activated his Detective Vision, scanning for any clues or leads that can pinpoint the culprit.

"I found something. A trail. It's sloppy, it's as though he wants to be found by us." deduced Batman, scanning a trail of feathers lying around on the ground. The other seven looked down where he was staring at to see the same thing.

"Then let's get 'em before they outrun us!" Applejack suggested.

The eight sprinted, following the trail of the feathers. The path led them to a forest, where it continued on. Batman led the ponies and dragon through the forest, making sure that nothing will surprise them. 'Detective Vision says everything is clear... You can never be too sure in a time like this.' he thought.

"Where is this guy? How can he run so darn fast?" Spike wondered, getting tired. Twilight lifted him up and placed him on her back, carrying him. He panted, "Thanks, Twilight."

"Do you know who could be behind this, Batman?" Rarity inquired.

"I have an idea, but there is a slim chance that Ra's Al Ghul could find a way to find him let alone convince him to come here." Batman replied, slowing down to get a closer look at his surroundings, 'Slim chance... He always was tricky. Maybe Ra's didn't need to try to convince him if it meant a shot at ending me himself.'

Batman picked up a feather, the last one in the trail. He scanned it, 'No... The analysis shows that it has similarities to HIS costume. Of course...' the others looked at him, despite used to his silence, they were concerned by what he just found.

"You found something..." Applejack noticed.

Batman scowled, turning around to see Explosive Gel on the floor surrounding the ponies. Batman never said a word as he tackled all of them out of the way right as the gel exploded underneath them. He got to one knee and looked at them, "Are all of you okay?" he asked them. The mares and dragon nodded, "Good. Because I found who destroyed Baltimare." he pointed upwards, gesturing the ponies to the look.

The man in question held a similar appearance to Batman, but he used the motifs of an owl. His eyes staring right into their very souls. He wore thick armor with feather designs wrapped around hin and an owl insignia on his chest. On the tip of his fingers, with his gauntlets, was metal designed to be talons. The Dark Knight had encountered him a few amount of times, since they were from other worlds entirely.

"Owlman."

Laughing, Owlman leaned on the tree branch he was on, crouching down and placing his clawed hands on the branch, "Hello, Batman... I see that Ra's was right. You have allied yourself with the population of this world. You are pathetic... Joining the weak equines that make up this world."

"I see you haven't changed, Owlman. Why are not back on Earth-3 where you belong?" questioned Batman. "Ra's must've really gotten to you, huh?"

"Oh, he didn't need to convince me... After all I'm the predator and you're the prey. We're destined to do this. Of course, you and I are the same person." revealed Owlman, earning a gasp from the ponies, "Everytime you look at me, you think about what you would've become. What you could've been, I am your reflection after all."

"Did you take a dive in a Mirror Pool while we weren't looking Batman?" asked Pinkie.

Batman scowled, "Owlman is a version of me in a world where everyone has the opposite morality. Heroes are villains and villains are heroes. Owlman just happens to be my doppelganger." he explained, "I'm not too sure why he's even bothered to come here to face me without his Crime Syndicate."

"I do not need them to end you." Owlman insisted, "You think the ponies can help you?"

"Hey! We're tougher than we look!" Dash boasted.

"Stay out of this fight. Owlman is like me, except he won't hold back. And we know what happened when you fought me while I was holding myself back more than I usually do." Batman ordered the seven. They took a step backwards, allowing Batman more room to fight his doppelganger. They couldn't believe that somewhere in another world where the Dark Knight himself isn't they hero the ponies never figured he'd be without knowing him. "I'll tell you if you can step in to help me." he added.

Owlman laughed, "Ah. Here we are again, Batman. The owl catches the bat, and now the bat wishes to fight a hopeless nattle for survival." he boasted, clencing his talons. The doppelganger hopped down, glaring Batman while he stood up, "Think about it, Bruce. I am the very thing you fear to become." he taunted. The Dark Knight clenched his fists at his pretender's words, having enough of his mockings and taunts.

Batman was the first to attack with a right hook, but Owlman blocked it with his armored elbow, countering with a jab to the vigilante's chest. "Let me restablish it for you and the ponies. Every choice you made led you to become Batman... The choices I made led to me becoming the genius you see before you." the owl explained, grabbing Batman's arm and flipping him over his shoulder, throwing him onto the ground.

Owlman smirked, "I know everything you're going to do. Every tactic. Every thought. All of them have been in my head, but unlike you, I use them for a purpose. To save myself." he mocked, Batman getting back up and kicking Owlman in the gut. The Dark Knight jabbed him in then stomach, causing him to hold his stomach in pain. The vigilante punched him in the face, sending him spinning in his spot before Owlman caught his bearings.

"I know that by now. You're starting to bore me."

"Ah, but the ponies that you have befriended don't know yet." Owlman corrected. "Every choice we make don't matter... We make the opposite in another world, altering the very timeline and universe we live in for better or worse. One day, I will find a way to ensure that nothing will matter in the end. That our choices will be the definite one."

Owlman tossed a projectile at Batman, the Dark Knight throwing a batarang and making it explode upon collision. The owl grunted, seeing that he needed to step things up. He scratched Batman, tearing his kevlar suit. The vigilante grabbed his arm and slapped it away, using his cape to stun his doppelganger. Owlman hissed, uppercutting the hero in the jaw. The ponies cringed in pain once they saw the attack. Batman held where the tears were, feeling a stinging sensation and blood slowly dripping from a would he's unable to see due to the thickness of his costume.

The seven watching gagged at the sight of the red fluid dripping Batman. 'I'll have to get this patched up once this is over.' he thought, watching Owlman jump after him. He ducked underneath his doppelganger, watching him fly past him. Owlman got back to his feet, turning to face his doppelganger.

The Dark Knight grunted quietly in pain from the wound, pulling out his Batclaw and grabbing Owlman's hands. He pulled his doppelganger toward him, but the owl villain grabbed the claw. Batman put the gadget back in his belt. The detective covered his fist with his cape and swiped at Owlman, who countered with the same tactic, "We truly are alike, Batman. For everything you plan, I can counter it on my own."

Meanwhile the ponies watched the battle, "This guy is nuts!" whispered Rainbow.

"None of what he's saying makes sense! Every choice we make doesn't matter to him? That's wrong!" Twilight agreed.

"H-He's not like Batman at all... They're not the same person." Fluttershy said.

Seeing an opening, Batman punched Owlman again, the criminal feeling the force of the fist, "Heh. Not bad. You actually got me that time." he kicked Batman then grabbed him by the throat, lifting him in the air, "Now... How shall I end your life in this universe before I move on to another?"

"There is a difference between you and I... We stared into the abyss, but what makes me better than you is..." he gasped, pausing to headbutt Owlman and make him release the grasp his talons had on him. While he was down, Batman held him in place, keeping him from moving and hurting the ponies, "...You blinked."

"Fluttershy! Now!" said pegasus looked at him in confusion with wide eyes.

Owlman laughed, "Ha! The yellow one? She looks like she couldn't hurt a fly!" after mocking the pegasus, Batman finished off Owlman wih one fell suplex. The Dark Knight looked at his doppelganger's unconscious body before it vanished like everyone else he had faced here.

"Fooled you."

"Batman? What the heck was he going on about?" Spike asked, him and the ponies walking up to Batman.

"Owlman is a nihilist. He believes that nothing he does matters since there is another timeline, another universe where he made the opposite. I stopped him from destroying everything in existence before while on a mission with my team, but they were busy wih his allies. He's right in that in a way he is kind of the Batman of his world, but we're norhing alike other than our real names." explained Batman in a cold tone.

"I-I had no idea..." Rarity muttered.

"Let's not worry about all of this. Let's just head back to Ponyville after Twilight tells the princesses of what happened here in Baltimare." Batman suggested, walking away from the group.

---

Ra's and Chrysalis watched the battle through their rift, the assassin satisfied with the outcome. "I knew that Owlman would fail me like the others, but while he fought Batman, I may have thought of something..."

"What is it?"

"There is one more foe Batman has encountered. Though, with the crystal I should be able to track his whereabouts. I may be gone longer than usual to do this. The object I seek is called Fear Toxin, which will force Batman and his pony friends to live their worst nightmares as though they were reality. This will be the final trial for them until their greatest battle against us." Ra's revealed to the changeling queen.

"I see..."

"Send a few changelings down to each of the six and Batman and inject them with it while asleep once I return. They will be too busy in their own minds and by the time they wake up, we shall already have our army unleashed upon Equestria. We will attack in a few days time." he declared.

Comments

[Mr-Astounding]

so, the Demon's Head plans to use Scarecrow to defeat Batman and the Mane 6 with fear...
...Ra's, you don't know your opponents at all, do you?

[Sigmacipher]

I can't wait for the, "you don't cheat death you wimper in fear of it," line that's coming.

[ynfiltra]

total ripoff of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths in owlmans fight wth batman!

just to be clear im not mad just confused coz owlman is DEAD already how did RA's got him in the other dimension?

just saying its weird coz he's DEAD! not zombie dead but bomb goes BOOM DEAD!
woot!

[Marcthelightspark2004]

7524698
Alt Timeline or Dip in the Lazarus pit.

[UncleDODGE]

I wish you slowed down at the city and just the reactions of the six seeing the death of ponies would have been ok. Dont rush