• Published 5th Apr 2022
  • 459 Views, 23 Comments

A Fearful Joke - TheClownPrinceofCrime



Starlight must confront her worst fears before she can find a way to save her friends from the evil plaguing Equestria.

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Epilogue: The Last Laugh

Multiple ponies uttered hysterical laughs as they brandished chainsaws and started to wildly cut random objects and public property whereas the others ran in terror from nothing. One pegasus saw two Royal Guards standing next to each other; as they looked at her, they were giant monstrous cockroaches. She screamed in horror right before she threw knives at them.

The guards dodged the knives and instantly tackled her to the ground. "Get off me! Get off me, you fiends! AHHHH!"

"I will blow those monsters to bits! Get it? Bits? Like coin bits?! HAHAHAHA!!" a stallion manically laughed, shooting a large cannon.

As the chaos continued to unfold in the city, Trixie was left hanging upside down below the balcony where her captors were standing. She saw the city tear itself apart and that her best friend was nowhere in sight. Even worse, she was way too high up on the castle, triggering her anxiety. Sweat drops began to fall from her forehead and tried to look up to the villains. "Put me down this instant! Trixie is terrified of heights!!

"Ah, a fine display of acrophobia, one of the finest fears in existence. But it's not just that, is it? You're worried that your friend won't come save you? Quite hard to accept the reality of the situation, hmm?" Scarecrow taunted.

"Please don't kill me! Please!! Trixie's too young to die!" Trixie sobbed.

"Oh, no, we're not gonna kill you. But they will," Joker giggled. He rang a bell which caught some of the citizens attention.

Trixie appeared as a ravaging bugbear caught in a net. Terrified of the sight, they grabbed their pitch forks and torches before approaching the tied-up Trixie.

"Let me go!" the unicorn again begged.

"If that's what you want..." Joker sang, slowly cutting the rope loose.

The rope was slowly losing its strength from the weight of Trixie's legs. Then the rope snapped, causing her to fall to her doom. As soon as she got close to the berserk mob, a light blue aurora surrounded her and took her away to a safe area. This took the villainous duo and the crowd by surprise. Starlight and Batgirl stood together on top of a building where everyone saw them.

"Impossible..." Scarecrow muttered, shocked.

"Wow, what a way to ruin our fun!" Joker angrily spat.

"It's over, you creeps! Your reign of unamusing terror has come to an end!" Starlight shouted. Then she looked at Trixie and smiled tenderly at her.

"Starlight, my great and powerful assistant..." she said, sadly smiling.

"I'm so glad you're alive, Trixie. I was so afraid that I lost you forever."

"Nothing can destroy the Great and Powerful Trixie...(sniff)...neither our friendship," she said. Both unicorns hugged.

"Hugs and kisses later, girls. We've got an angry and murderous mob to handle," Batgirl reminded, activating her batarang.

"Mind if I help?" Trixie asked, igniting her horn.

Starlight smiled in response. Thus, Batgirl and both unicorns glared daggers at their approaching assailants.

"Let the party...continue," Joker evilly smirked.


The Mane Six and the princesses regained consciousness and slowly got back up on their hooves. While they groaned in exhaustion, they heard screams mixed with laughter outside the castle. All their eyes widened in horror as they heard sounds of violence not far off.

“That...can’t be good...” Twilight gulped.

“It has begun,” Celestia grimly muttered.

“We gotta do something right now! We can’t just stand here and do nothing!” Rainbow urged.

“Rainbow’s right! If those alien ruffians want to harm Canterlot, they will have to get through us first!” Rarity agreed.

“We can’t barge into battle without a plan,” cautioned Luna.

“Indeed,” Celestia concurred. “Up till this point, Joker and Scarecrow have demonstrated how vastly intelligent they are. If they could manage to bring our city to its knees in a short period of time, I fear they will do the same to all Equestria. We must be smarter and discover their weaknesses.”

“But how? We can’t beat ‘em without goin’ through the crazed mob first!” Applejack noted.

As if on cue, dozens of Pegasi smashed through one of the windows and surrounded them. They wore large grins on their faces before they each pulled out a chainsaw. They wickedly laughed as they slowly approached them with the deadly saws.

Celestia and Luna ignited their horns and blasted the saws to bits. Then they grabbed the Pegasi via telekinesis and threw them against a wall, knocking them unconscious.

“Follow me!” Celestia ordered. The heroes followed her outside the palace and saw the battle unfold before their eyes. Fortunately, they noticed Starlight, Trixie, and Batgirl defeating the poisoned ponies one by one.

“Starlight?”

“Batgirl?”

“Trixie?”

“Starlight is okay! Come on, we have to help her!” Twilight cried, flying into battle.

“No, wait!” Luna ordered. But the Mane Five already went with her.

One of the crazed ponies saw the Mane Six run up to him; they appeared as shadowy monstrous beasts ready to devour him. At that moment, the stallion uttered a blood-curdling scream at the top of his lungs. His vocal cords broke, his lungs collapsed, and his oxygen instantly cut short. He fell down on the dirt...dead.

Starlight and the others gasped at the sight. “W-what just happened? Is he...?”

“No...this is worse than I imagined...” Luna whispered, lips quivering.

“A gnarly sight, isn’t it?” Scarecrow spoke, interrupting Luna’s train of thought. “My fear toxin is a very special one in this case; your worst nightmare...is now your own death sentence. Quite poetic, isn’t it?”

“Don’t forget this!” Joker pointed. The dead pony started to laugh although his lips didn’t move; his laughing box kept going and going until it suddenly stopped.

“And that, kiddies, is the final joke. He couldn’t bear the sight of those big bad monsters eating him up, so he fell backward...and died laughing! Literally!” Joker laughed, wheezing.

Starlight fell on her knees and looked at the dead pony’s body in shock. She has never seen villains so evil, cruel, and sadistic where they had to utilize a dark comedic weapon just for giggles at the expense of the innocent’s life. A tear dropped from her eye as she stared at the corpse.

Luna, however, turned red in fury and sent a fiery blast towards Joker. He ducked from the blast and blew raspberries at her. “Missed me!” Springs grew out of his shoes and bounced away from the castle.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Batgirl shouted, shooting a grappling hook around his leg. It took her to the air along with him.

Scarecrow immediately grabbed the scepter and took off from the balcony. Celestia and Luna tried to blast him with their spells, but the scepter created a force field around him.

“You’re not going anywhere, Scarecrow!” Starlight yelled, teleporting in front of him.

“You can beat me all you want, but it won’t change the fact that you’re weak and fearful,” Scarecrow chuckled. “I know your fears now, and that makes me—AHH!”

Starlight punched him in the face, causing him to drop the scepter. “I’m done listening to you,” she said, glaring daggers.

The Scarecrow coughed out blood until he stared at her. “I must admit, you are very confident. Such confidence is likewise a valuable attribute; it makes me wonder what it’s like to not have fear.”

Then Starlight angrily grabbed him via telekinesis, smashed him from wall to wall, and body-slammed him on the ground. The villain stumbled on his feet before he fell on his back, greatly injured from the attacks.

“It’s over for you,” Starlight growled, horn sizzling.

“I’d be more concerned with your kind if I were you,” Scarecrow warned.

She looked back and saw several more ponies dropping dead from the horrible hallucinations. She widened her eyes in shock again and froze in fear.

“Too late for you now, pony. In a few more minutes, they will all feel the sweet release of death. You lost.”

Thinking quickly, Starlight grabbed the scepter and created a spell therein. This caught him by surprise, prompting him to get up. “What?! What are you doing?!”

“This...ends....NOW!!” Starlight shouted, finishing the spell. The scepter rose in the air and created a massive wave of blue magic throughout Canterlot.

“No!!” Scarecrow cried, running to her. But Celestia blasted him on the back, knocking him unconscious.

All the hundreds of Canterlot citizens were all cured from the deadly toxin. The gas was consumed by the magic before the scepter finally lowered to the ground.

“WE DID IT! JOKER’S PARTY IS OVER!” Pinkie shrieked, shooting confetti. She and her friends cheered for the victory they finally achieved.


“Surrender now, Joker! Make it easy for yourself!” Batgirl ordered.

“I don’t think so! The fun has only begun! Hahahahaha!!!” Joker said, still bouncing up and down.

He picked up a dynamite from his pants and ignited the fuse with a match. “Here, let’s play hot potato! Catch!” He threw the dynamite at her which she instinctively caught. Playing along, she threw it back to him; then he threw it back to her again, and they kept going back and forth until they reached to a dead end.

He dropped his springs and threw it back at her. Then he sprayed her with laughing gas before he immediately took off to one of the trees and hid behind it. Thus, he preceded to childishly giggle with his eyes and ears closed. Suddenly....he heard nothing. He checked to see if the dynamite exploded yet only to discover she was already gone.

“That’s odd. Shouldn’t she be popcorn by now? Something isn’t—huh?” Joker then noticed the dynamite laying right above him on top of a tree branch. His pupils shrunk as he realized he’s been outsmarted. “........uh-oh..”

The tree exploded, sending The Clown Prince of Crime flying in the air. He crashed in front of a smug Batgirl who wore her gas mask. He groaned in pain and weakly looked at her as he trembled.

“You’re...despicable,” he said, falling down unconscious.


Later that day, Starlight, Trixie, Batgirl, and the others regrouped in the throne room whereas Joker and Scarecrow were tied up together next to Batgirl. The Scepter of Healing hovered in the air while Celestia and Luna stood before them.

“Much thanks to you, Batgirl, for your bravery and assistance. Thanks to your efforts, Equestria is now safe and sound from these fiends,” said Celestia.

“It was an honor fighting beside you, Your Highnesses. I gotta say, this was by far the best time of my life! I can’t wait to tell Batman about this!” Batgirl squealed.

“And thank you, Starlight, for saving Equestria. We won’t ever forget what you have accomplished,” said Luna.

“It wasn’t just me, Princesses. It was all of us who worked together,” replied Starlight, smiling with her friends.

“Indeed. It would not have been possible without the help of the Great and Powerful Trixie,” Trixie smugly smirked.

“Except for the part where she got herself captured,” said Twilight, grinning.

Trixie blushed and glared daggers in response. “No need to bring that up!”

“I must be on my way now. If ever you guys need my help for anything, I’ll be in touch,” said Batgirl.

“I do hope so, darling. I would love to make some gorgeous bat-suits with you one day,” sighed Rarity.

“You can come back anytime, partner. Our door’s always open,” added Applejack.

“And you can party with us too! Like, the ‘WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA AGAIN!’ PARTY!!” Pinkie screamed through a microphone.

“The next time I see a bat, I’ll remember you,” Fluttershy smiled.

“Don’t be a stranger, Batgirl! Be a 20% cooler danger to bad guys!” Rainbow waved.

After nodding, Batgirl activated the scepter’s warp button. It transported her and the apprehended villains out of the throne room back in her world.

Starlight sighed as the heroine left. “I’m surely gonna miss her. At least she helped me remember who I am and how important friendship really is. For that, I’m eternally grateful.” She and her friends shared a group hug while the citizens outside cheered in celebration of the villains’ defeat.

“I don’t know about you girls, but I felt like we were related somehow,” said Twilight. “I mean, her voice sounds a bit just like mine. *gasps* Are we cousins?!”

So once again, the day is saved thanks to...the Magic of Friendship!




THE END

Author's Note:

Welp, that’s all, folks! Hope you guys enjoyed this story, and thanks again for reading this! Let me know what you think and have a great day!


Peace!

Comments ( 9 )

Later that day, Starlight, Trixie, Batgirl, and the others regrouped in the throne room whereas Joker and Scarecrow were tied up together next to Batgirl. The Scepter of Healing hovered in the air while Celestia and Luna stood before them.

“Much thanks to you, Batgirl, for your bravery and assistance. Thanks to your efforts, Equestria is now safe and sound from these fiends,” said Celestia.

“It was an honor fighting beside you, Your Highnesses. I gotta say, this was by far the best time of my life! I can’t wait to tell Batman about this!” Batgirl squealed.

“And thank you, Starlight, for saving Equestria. We won’t ever forget what you have accomplished,” said Luna.

“It wasn’t just me, Princesses. It was all of us who worked together,” replied Starlight, smiling with her friends.

“And you can party with us too! Like, the ‘WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA AGAIN!’ PARTY!!” Pinkie screamed through a microphone.

Starlight sighed as the heroine left. “I’m surely gonna miss her. At least she helped me remember who I am and how important friendship really is. For that, I’m eternally grateful.” She and her friends shared a group hug while the citizens outside cheered in celebration of the villains’ defeat.

So once again, the day is saved thanks to...the Magic of Friendship!

Are they just gonna ignore, be ignorant, or forget the fact that despite the day is saved. Several ponies STILL DIE here!!!!

This ain't Dragon Ball Z/GT/Super, so no reversing the innocent deaths here. :facehoof: :pinkiesad2:


Other then that. At least they caught Joker and Scarecrow.

11307036
First off, you did not have to quote the latter half of this chapter. That’s unnecessary.

Second of all, you’re talking about the rulers of Equestria who wouldn’t give two damns about the death of citizens considering how immensely incompetent they are.

Third, are you still salty about the ending of “The Dark Knight Triumphs”? Let that go, dude. That is ancient history you’re talking about.

Jeez :ajbemused:

11307103
If you actually read the prologue, she’s there.

11307056

First off, you did not have to quote the latter half of this chapter. That’s unnecessary.

Sorry, I didn't know which sentences is "perfect" enough to get my point across.

Edit: I actually fixed it. Are you okay with it now?

Third, are you still salty about the ending of “The Dark Knight Triumphs”? Let that go, dude. That is ancient history you’re talking about.

Jeez :ajbemused:

The heck are you on about? Sure, I was very upset back then, but I already criticized about it long ago. And agree, and know that it is the past.

I didn't even mentioned that in my previous comment. So, why refreshing it?

I was actually am more relevant with this story. And for what happened.

Second of all, you’re talking about the rulers of Equestria who wouldn’t give two damns about the death of citizens considering how immensely incompetent they are.

Dude, seriously!? Sure, I do agree that they are incompetent ( Specifically Celestia. Despite her 1,000 years of"peace" time. And sadly, Luna too didn't "help" out much. Despite her rather aggressive/militaristic personality, she wasn't a part of the central main characters/team like the mane six. And DIDN'T have enough plot armor to fight the villains herself. ). :facehoof:


And I admit that I occasionally have my fair share of the same/similar complaints and criticisms on the very negative flaws, mistakes, stupid/idiotic decisions, some hypocrisy, and incompetence of the princesses from many different comment sections, stories, etc.. in the past.


Nevertheless, what you said of them "not" caring for the deaths of their innocent subjects? Just sounds unrealistic, OOC, a little bias, and unnecessary cruel. Even for them. Despite their incompetence and flaws. The canon princesses do really, really care of their "little ponies".


What you said only happens and "makes sense" with very OOC and AU corrupt, heartless, racist/xenophobic, and evil versions of themselves from the many FIMfiction stories I have read in here.


I mean, don't you remember on how yourself, made Luna's and Celestia's own reactions to their pony citizen deaths? They AREN'T too happy on their subject's deaths, I remember that much. On the very same last chapter.

11307036
You said this:

This ain't Dragon Ball Z/GT/Super, so no reversing the innocent deaths here.

That’s what you complained about in that story two years ago which is why I brought it up. The fact that you AGAIN mentioned this issue made it seem like you were still upset about it. Or don’t you remember that detail?

I mean, don't you remember on how yourself, made Luna's and Celestia's own reactions to their pony citizen deaths? They AREN'T too happy on their subject's deaths, I remember that much. On the very same last chapter.

If they truly cared enough about that, then they would have killed Joker and Scarecrow on the spot. My intention was to showcase how shallow they are in terms of power and competence. Yes, they were unhappy about the citizens’ deaths, but they ONLY managed to defeat them without killing them. They were on THEIR kingdom, THEIR TERRITORY, thus they could have exercised their right to destroy them. I could have simply done that, but then again, Batman wouldn’t be too happy about it.

11307200

That’s what you complained about in that story two years ago which is why I brought it up. The fact that you AGAIN mentioned this issue made it seem like you were still upset about it. Or don’t you remember that detail?

Oh yeah, now that you mentioned it. I'm starting to remember that tidbit. Surprised that you still remembered it too.

Sssssooooo, sorry? I just usually use the "deus ex machina" dragon balls as a reference to several tragic/bittersweet endings to various stories. You aren't the only one I put out there. No offense.

11307200

If they truly cared enough about that, then they would have killed Joker and Scarecrow on the spot. My intention was to showcase how shallow they are in terms of power and competence. Yes, they were unhappy about the citizens’ deaths, but they ONLY managed to defeat them without killing them. They were on THEIR kingdom, THEIR TERRITORY, thus they could have exercised their right to destroy them. I could have simply done that, but then again, Batman wouldn’t be too happy about it.

Now that you say executing both Joker and Scarecrow for their VERY long, long, long crimes ( That would realistically put them on death row immediately, and be executed anyway. ) is the most logic and competent choice. I totally agree and support that. I do also complain/criticize that in many different DC Comics fan stories with the same mindset.


But, there is only two very stupid and dumb problems on why they didn't just finished them off once and for all. One of them, you already mentioned; Is Batman's opinion, and his "No Killing" rule/morale in the way.

Now, let's just say that the princesses actually has the balls to reinstate their death row/execution punishment for these two heartless monsters ( As a exception. ). But, even if they try to justify killing those two. Batman will still be in the way.


Although, the only loophole I can think to back him off. It's technically ain't his "jurisdiction" to interfere on how the judgement of the two criminals are, at least on Equestria's soil. I mean, Equestria's government AIN'T a part of Earth. And it is their own right to make a death row/execution trial against both Joker and Scarecrow. And I doubt that the great detective will ever interfere without some "Inter-dimensional" consequences.

I mean, the ponies are doing him a huge FAVOUR of finally getting rid of his pure evil nemesis, along with Scarecrow. And should be grateful that his city is way more safe without those two! Plus, Batgirl will NEVER get her shot in the spine, so that's a big plus too.


And secondly, even IF the ponies want to do it. It is "realistically" not in their canon character selves to just kill them. ( Even though they technically "killed" Sombra multiple times times, and the Storm King being shattered. )


You forget that in the case of the "canon" ponies, and mainly princesses, are all pacifist, friendship, harmony, and all of that rainbow nonsense.


I highly doubt that they will just get their own hooves dirty to finally finish off the two heartless monsters. ( Even though that killing them is actually a very good thing in the long run. )

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