Metal Bat: Equestrian Adventures

by The reluctant fan

Chapter 10: The Afterparty and a Way Home

The sun had finally risen and the citizens of Ponyville were celebrating the safe return of Princess Celestia, as well as the return of her sister Princess Luna. Pinkie Pie had set up a huge celebration in record time, and everypony was enjoying themselves to their fullest.

Celestia and Luna stood at the center of the celebration, the former taking questions from anypony who asked. Luna trying her best to appear happy and engaged, but she was still a nervous wreck, and often hid behind her sister whenever anypony so much as glanced her way.

Badd stood beside a tree, waiting for his chance to have a conversation with the solar princess. Celestia had stated that she would talk with him in private before she and her sister left for Canterlot. The other element bearers had gone off to mingle and enjoy the party, even Twilight, much to everyone's shock.

Badd had checked in on Zenko the moment he arrived back in town, and found his little sister asleep in the library, her head laying on a book about ancient legends. Lyra and Bon-Bon had also found him shortly after and asked him a plethora of questions about his venture into the Everfree.

"You're kidding me! You fought Nightmare Moon again?! And you're also the element of courage? I didn't think you could get any cooler, but you continue to surprise me!"

Badd rolled his eyes at Lyra's flattery. Bon-Bon gave Badd a curious look. "Um, are you sure you're okay Badd? I think I see some blood on your muzzle."

Badd widened his eyes. "Oh yeah, I gotta get that cleaned off. Nightmare bitch got me with a nasty hit to my chest. coughed up some blood and broke a couple ribs. I'm fine now though. Twilight cast some sort of healing spell on me."

Lyra and Bon-Bon winced at the description. "Well, I'm glad you're okay now. And hey, now that you're an element bearer, you have some proof to back up your claims about being a superhero!"

Badd chuckled. "Eh, I don't really care 'bout fame or anything like that. I'm just good at smashin' things, and I figure I should at least try an' help with what talent I got, ya know? That, and I enjoy a good fight."

The two mares gave a small laugh at that. "Well, it's good to know we have such a noble hero protecting Equestria! Lyra and I were planning on hitting the dance floor, so We'll leave you alone for now. We'll have to find a good time to talk again!"

"Yeah, I'll see the two of you around then."

Lyra and Bon-Bon disappeared back into the crowd, and Badd was left alone to himself. For about two minutes. Rainbow Dash walked up to Badd with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Hey, what's up Dash? Enjoying the party?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Badd narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Tell ya what?"

Rainbow's expression morphed into one of frustration with a hint of anger. "That you're faster than me! Back in the ruins when Nightmare Moon was about to hit us with that magic beam, you ran in front of us and smacked it away before I could even realize what was happening! And you had been flung into the forest right before that!"

Rainbow growled. "You had to have broken the sound barrier! Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to do that!?"

Badd leaned back, not having expected the rant. "Uh, jeez, Dash. I didn't know you'd be so upset by that. I wasn't tryin to show off or nuthin, honest."

Rainbow's eye twitched a but, before she took a deep beath and hung her head. "...yeah, I get it. Sorry for blowing up at you like that. I mean, you saved our lives and everything! It's just, I've always prided myself on being the fastest pony in Ponyville! Maybe the whole world, if you don't count the princess. So, being shown up so suddenly kinda bruised my ego a bit, ya know?"

"...I get that. I know I'd be upset if some guy I just met came out of nowhere and beat me at what I was best at. I've noticed AJ and Big Mac givin me looks from time to time whenever I'm practicing with my bat. I think they're jealous of my strength or somethin. Like I said, I'm not tryin to show off, I guess I'm just stronger than average, ya know?"

Rainbow gave Badd a stern look. "How fast are you?"

"Eh?"

"How fast are you? Like, your top speed. I need to know what I gotta aim for."

"Well, I don't know exactly, but Child Emperor once recorded my speed back when he was trying to figure out my fighting spirit. Creepy kid even spied on me when I was fightin' monsters. I think he said my top speed was like Mach 10 or something? Then again, I remember that was a real rough fight, and my fightin' spirit had gone inta overdrive. Without my fightin' spirit I think I'm like Mach 4?"

Badd could have sworn he saw a blood vessel pop in Rainbow's head. "...I'm tripling my training's intensity. Nah, more than that. I'm cutting my naps out of my schedule too. I'm not gonna rest until I can pull of my Sonic Rainboom again! And after that, I'm upping my training some more! I'm gonna surpass your speed, even if it kills me, ya got that?!"

Badd laughed. "That's what I'm talkin' about! Glad to see that motivated ya instead of discouraging ya! Just, try not to actually kill yerself, got it? I kinda like you."

Rainbow tried to keep her glare up, but it ultimately melted into a smile. "Yeah, I'll make sure to take care of myself, ya dork. But still, you better be prepared to have some competition soon enough. By the time fall rolls around, I'll be leavin you in the dust!"

Rainbow Dash trotted away, claiming she was going to start training as soon as the party was over. Badd smiled as she left.

"Hope she can come through on that claim of hers. It'll be nice ta have some friendly competition. I'll need some kinda challenge without any strong monsters ta fight."

Badd returned to observing the party, not all that interested in participating the festivities himself. Eventually, he spotted a familiar tall figure trotting over to him.

"Greetings, Badd. I apologize for putting our conversation off for so long, but I needed to tend to the worries of my subjects and assure them that my sister was no longer the menace that plagued them earlier. Speaking of my dear sister, I hope you do not mind that she joins us for this little conversation. Dear Luna did not feel comfortable being left with the crowd alone.

Badd looked down to the side and saw Luna standing awkwardly. She didn't look quite as afraid of him compared to when she first awoke, but she still seemed nervous about his presence.

"Hey, uh, princess, I know you're kinda scared of me, but I'm not gonna hurt ya. It's not like you're that crazy Nightmare edge lord from earlier. Pretty sure they got destroyed."

Luna took a little breath. "We know. However, we still have the memories from our time as the nightmare. You art... quite terrifying in combat."

Badd raised a brow at the smaller princess' dialect, but didn't mention it. "Oh, yeah. Didn't realize you'd share memories with that thing. Sorry bout that, I've been told I get like that when I fight."

Princess Celestia smiled. "I am glad to see the two of you getting along. Now, Badd, I believe that you said you wished to discuss something with me?"

"Yeah. So, believe it or not, me an' my sis aren't actually from this world. We're lookin' for a way back home, and I've been told you're our best bet."

Badd explained the whole story about how he and his sister arrived in Equestria, as well as his occupation as a hero back home. Celestia and Luna were quite shocked at the story and were very engaged by the end of it.

"Hmm, if you are looking for a way to return home, then there is only one possible way that I know of that could work."

"Huh, you think there's actually a way for me an' my sis to get back home?"

"Indeed. It is an artifact known as the Crystal Mirror. It opens a gateway to another world once every thirty moons. The gateway stays open for three days, and then it will close again until the next cycle. However, the issue with this is that the world in which the portal opens a gateway to varies every cycle. I have dabbled with the mirror to see if it is possible to keep the world consistent, but I have not done enough research to make any definitive progress. However, seeing as this may be your only way back home, I shall dedicate more time to trying to stabilize the mirror."

Badd sighed. "I'm guessin that's gonna take a while though."

Celestia nodded solemnly. "Indeed. This will most likely take a very long time. However, if it does work, then we may be able to open a stable connection between our two worlds. Of course, I would need to find a way to access your world specifically, and that will only be possible after I find a way to make the Crystal Mirror consistent."

"So, in essence, this is gonna take a long ass time to figure out."

"I apologize for this inconvenience, Badd. If there were an easier solution, I would pursue it."

Badd laughed at that. "There ain't no reason for ya to be apologizing to me! You're goin out of your way to help me an my sis out when you already have ruling a country and raising the sun on your daily agenda! If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you!"

Celestia gave a laugh at that. "You are certainly considerate of my own time then! I look forward to meeting you again, Badd. Unfortunately, the time has come for my sister and I to return to Canterlot. I will send you any updates on progress that I make with the mirror."

"Thanks princess. I appreciate it again."

"Think nothing of it. It is my duty to tend to the needs of all my citizens, and while you reside here, you fall under that category. If nothing else, think of it as repayment for helping to save my sister."

With that, Celestia and Luna trotted off, preparing to depart back to the castle. There was an emotional moment with Twilight deciding to stay in town. Badd did not appreciate being pulled into a group hug against his will, but it could have been worse. After all, he had found out that there was a way home for him yet, and besides, there were certainly worse places to be stuck.

Author's Note:

I'm not dead! I apologize for not updating in so long. College has destroyed my motivation to write. I haven't written outside of college papers in over half a year, so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little sloppy.

Some side notes about this chapter:

1. I changed the way the Crystal Mirror functions for the sake of plot. I'm still working out exactly how I'm going to make it work.

2. Any claims about Badd's speed in this chapter are completely baseless. Honestly, he's probably faster than what I've said, but I don't care all that much about powerscaling.

Don't expect me to start updating more often again. I'm still in the middle of college. This was just one of the miraculous instances where I had the time and motivation to pump a chapter out.

Finally, I appreciate all the attention my stories have been getting despite my inactivity. It makes me feel bad about my lack of updates. Unfortunately, there's little I can do about that at the moment.

Comments

[SpiritD3t3ctiv3]

I'm just glad the story isn't dead. And hey, man, I totally get where you're coming from. College REALLY kicked my writers' muse in the ass and left it unconscious for Idk how long. Just take your time, no need to rush

[Powerfull3000]

Todo bien.
La espera vale la pena.

[Haver]

More good

[SpiritD3t3ctiv3]

Attention fellow followers! Who is YOUR pick for Badd's love interest in this story?? Personally, my money's on Fluttershy. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good Bad Boy/Shy Girl pairing. AJ, Rainbow, and Twilight are all billed as "Even Money". Lastly, that leaves Pinkie and Rarity in a dead tie for last place, sadly. Doesn't mean I don't want them as Badd's love interest, that just means I don't see them as very compatible. Then again, I've been wrong before. I may be routing for Fluttershy, but I'll be cool with whatever the author comes up with. Anyway, I repeat the question; Who is YOUR pick for Badd's love interest in this story?????

[Ziper Ace]

Yaya your BACK! Kinda....

[Ziper Ace]

11373111
Honestly I don't like Romance 😞 that much
Also if Bat actually fall in love with one of the MLP Characters it's going to be harder for him and her sister to go back home if they get to attached 😕

Plus I can't what to see more fighting scenes later on in the future and Pony's actually believing him that's his Job in his Home World and the MLP World.

Also I'm curious on how well his sister will deal with school 🏫 🤔
When she tells other fillys and colts that her Brother Works for the Hero Industry 👏 and it's actually real.

[Dragon Verse]

May I please have some more?