The Dark Knight Falls

by TheClownPrinceofCrime

Chapter 5: History of Chaos

Batman flew over the Crystal Empire during the same night. As he flew with his bat cape, he watched over the kingdom to see any suspicious activity happening. To his satisfaction, there were none occurring. It was odd to see a city completely deprived of crime or evil-doing; however, considering this was in a different dimension filled with magical ponies who know nothing of human-level crime, he let the oddness slide.

He landed on the balcony of the Crystal Castle and entered therein. As he was in the royal bedroom, Shining Armor and Cadence were sitting on their bed talking with each other until they noticed his presence. “Batman, it appears you got my message earlier. I’m glad you made it.” Shining greeted.

“I read your message. Is there something wrong?” Batman asked.

“Well, not really, but...there’s something in my mind that I wanted to talk to you about. It’s really important.” Shining said before he looked back at Cadence.

“It has something to do with...a being who visited us during the day.” Cadence clarified. “After our personal discussion earlier, we figured that you would help us in this occasion since you are a protective and courageous hero.”

“Hmm, and who is this being you speak of?” Batman asked.

“It’s...” Cadence was about to mention the name until Shining glared at the ground as he hated to mention him. “He is Discord.” she finished.

“Discord? Twilight and the others talked about him earlier. They said he is the ‘Lord of Chaos’, correct?” Batman recalled. They nodded their heads in confirmation.

“Yes.” Cadence replied.

“They appeared to have a hatred for him. Why is that?” Batman asked.

“Because he is a creature of chaos who has no respect for anypony or cares about how he is annoying us with his destructive antics!” Shining angrily vented. “It would have been better if he were still in stone!”

“Honey!” Cadence scolded.

“I’m sorry, dear. I...I just can’t stand him.” Shining apologized.

“It appears that he did something personal to you. Is he evil? Did he harm you in any way?” Batman asked as he was starting to be concerned about them.

“Fluttershy reformed him. And no, he didn’t hurt us at all. Although, he does have a thing for provoking us to annoyance with his chaos magic from my observation.” Cadence said.

“I ordered him to restrain his magic every time he comes here for our safety. I really hope Fluttershy knows what she is doing with him. He may have...’reformed’, but I’ll believe it when I see it.” Shining said, glaring at the wall.

Batman was paying close attention to not only the details of the information of Discord but also the different attitudes of the royal couple. Cadence appeared to have a merciful, understanding, and patient spirit whereas Shining Armor was being distrustful, vengeful, and...overprotective to say the least.

“If the magic of this Discord is as dangerous as Shining says, then he needs to be kept on constant supervision. But Cadence makes it seem easy if I’m understanding this correctly.” Batman reasoned.

After he finished his thoughts, he spoke up again, “I’ll help you both. No matter what this Discord character is capable of, I will do my best to protect you two. You have my word.” Batman vowed.

Shining and Cadence smiled at their protector. “Thanks, Bats. I really appreciate your fervent dedication.” he said, shaking Batman’s hand.

“Indeed. However, be assured that Discord will come around and be more prudent in the future. I know he will.” Cadence assured.

“What is his history? Is he that well-known throughout all Equestria?” Batman asked. He was curious to know why Discord was infamous for his chaotic nature.

Cadence sighed as she began to explain, “Well, it is a long story; Discord is known for ruling Equestria during its state of unrest and unhappiness. Princesses Celestia and Luna realized how hard and miserable it was for earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn alike at that time. So after discovering the elements of harmony, they stood up to him and turned him to stone, ending his chaotic reign.”

“Hmmmm.” Batman attentively listened.

“However, the spell did not last forever. Since the Royal Sisters were no longer connected to the elements of harmony, the spell was broken. This lead to Discord’s release from his stone imprisonment after many years.” Cadence continued. “After Twilight and her friends defeated him by turning him back to stone, Celestia thought he could turn over a new leaf if he could use his powers for good. She appointed Fluttershy that task.”

“Why?” Batman asked.

“I personally don’t know. But it might have something to do with her element in kindness.” she replied.

“That would explain it. Twilight told me that she was visiting this empire with this Discord fellow. You did say he visited you?” Batman said.

“Correct.” Shining said, nodding.

“With Fluttershy?” Batman asked to make sure.

“Yes.” replied Cadence.

“I see now. I can actually feel your discomfort...but in much more painful level.” Batman said, lowering his head.

“What do you mean?” Cadence asked.

“There was one foe who was similar to this Discord in terms of being an agent of chaos, but a...deadly version. His name was...The Joker.” Batman said. The couple had looks of confusion and dismay once they heard the odd name.

“The Joker? That doesn’t sound like a name. That’s more like a...title.” Shining said.

“Doesn’t he have a real name?” Cadence asked.

“No. No alias, no name, no history, and he has no knowledge of where he came from...and that is unsettling for most people.” Batman recalled.

“Are you serious? He doesn’t know his origin? What is he like?” Shining asked.

“He has clown makeup, with a purple coat and pants, blue blazer, green vest, green hair, and...a Glasgow smile on his lips. He is a mass murderer, psychopathic criminal, master planner and manipulator, and many more. He is also known as the Clown Prince of Crime in my city.” Batman said.

“Clown Prince of Crime?” Cadence repeated. “Having a title like that seems very...disturbing to me. I don’t know why but...” Cadence stopped talking as she began to have chills down her spine as she started to imagine if he was in Equestria spreading his version of chaos. Remembering how Scarecrow handled her and Shining many months ago, she dreaded the thought of Joker being ten times more deadly than Discord.

Noticing his wife being disturbed from the fearful imagery, he embraced her and kissed her forehead in comfort. “I’m sorry, Batman, I...I” Cadence started to weep as she began to fear for her kingdom...and her husband.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. This Joker guy is not here in Equestria. We only have Discord to worry about, okay?” Shining comforted. “Don’t let that haunting imagination get to you. I’m here for you...and so is Batman.”

Batman nodded in agreement. “Be strong, your highness. You have to be.” he encouraged.

“Thank you, Batman. You’re a great friend to our family.” Cadence thanked.

Batman nodded again.

“He has done great things for us all. With him by our side, nothing can go wrong. Right, Bats?” Shining asked as he looked toward Batman only to see him gone already.

“Huh...quite weird. Well, can’t blame him. Creatures of the night gotta stay vigilant, huh?” Shining asked rhetorically. Cadence giggled softly.

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[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

The calm before the Storm.

[TheClownPrinceofCrime]

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