The Mane Six might be Equestria's greatest heroes, but what if they were more? What if they were SUPER-heroes? In this universe, the Mane Six (and others) are all portrayed as various superheroes from the DC Universe. This anthology of stories will be introducing the heroes one by one, you will witness their creation, their solo adventures and eventually their first time uniting in defense of Equestria.
The anthology begins with:
The Batmare Volume 1: Batmare Begins
(Starring Twilight Sparkle, Spike and Trixie Lullamoon)
- The criminal organizations of Manehattan have been under attack by a mysterious assailant set on tearing them down and bringing them all to justice! But as the battle between the criminal elements of the city and the shadowy vigilante reaches a critical point, a new threat emerges, the likes of which Manehattan has never seen before.
The Mare of Steel Vol. 1: A Pony of Two Worlds
(Starring Applejack and Filthy Rich)
- The last remnant of a dead world and a gone civilization landed on Equus next to the home of a humble apple farmer family. Gifted with incredible powers, which she wants to put in the service of ponykind she eventually sets out to discover her origins and find her true place in this new world. But what happens when she meets the worst this world has to offer?
The Emerald Mare Vol. 1: Succession
(Starring Fluttershy and Nightmare Moon, guest starring Tomar-Re, Kilowog and the Guardians of the Universe from DC)
- A fallen warrior from beyond the stars lands in Equestria, looking for a worthy successor. His choice falls on a young, timid pegasus mare who never wanted to be anything more than a simple veterinarian, yet she finds herself as the guardian of an entire space sector. And she'll have to grow up to the task quickly, for the most fearful creature Equus has ever seen is about to make a return.
The Mightiest Mare of Equus Vol. 1: The Seven Deadly Sins
(Starring Pinkie Pie and Doctor Caballeron)
- An ancient evil rises from the grave it was once banished to, putting not only Equestria, but all of Ponykind in great peril. Only a champion of pure heart can hope to withstand the corruption of it's power. With one word, she is bestowed with the power of six gods becomes the mightiest mortal alive and acquires the power to save Equestria. The power of SHAZAM!
The Fastest Mare Alive Vol. 1: Rogues
(Starring Rainbow Dash, Bow Hothoof, Soarin, Short Fuse, Rolling Thunder and Zephyr Breeze)
- A freak lightning storm took away a little filly's mother, but ended up giving her incredible abilities. As she experiments with her powers, she becomes a hero who helps those in need with unparalelled speed. For years, she went undefeated which left her quite overconfident. But her pride and determination will be tested when she faces enemies she once considered friends.
Canary & Arrow Vol. 1: Battle Hardened
(Starring Rarity and Prince Blueblood)
- An ambitious fashionista and a spoiled prince came together for what they believed to be a pleasant date, only for it to turn to a nightmare when they are betrayed and left for dead on an deserted Island that may not be so deserted after all. Now, they must work together in order to survive, get home and gain back what's rightfully theirs. But most of all, they'll have to avoid killing each other.
The Justice League of Equestria Vol. 1: Invasion
- The big day is here! The wedding between the Princess of Love and the Captain of the Royal Guard is about to begin! And while seven ponies are about to intertwine their destinies and become the best team of heroes Equestria has ever known... a conspiracy begins to form in the shadows.
REALLY good job on the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up. Glad to see you finally getting this story started. Definitely appreciated the dialogue from those racketeers concerning "the Bat" that has shown up so much over the past month, before Batmare went to town on those creeps (and then, after she was done, saved a mare who was going to get mugged and/or raped). The reflections on how bad the city is and thinking about why she does what she does were also really appreciated.
Definitely looking forward to more of this.
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Thank you for the comment!
I'm glad you liked it! I'm really excited to have this project finally underway. I think I'm going to enjoy writing this more than my Unfriendship stories, because unlike with those, here I'm not binded by the story I'm trying to adapt. I can work freely.
I did try to bring much of the Batman mythos into this chapter. Even some famous quotes. I'm glad to see it had the effect I was going for!
Stay tuned for more!
Again, you did an excellent job on this latest chapter. VERY much appreciated the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up in all the right places. And the flashbacks explain so much. Yeah, I appreciate how well Spike fits the role of Alfred, as well as why Twilight would be upset with Shining and Celestia (even though Shining had the excuse of trying to protect Twilight, I could see where Twilight would be looking at the bigger picture still). And, yeah, I could also understand where Twilight would be so upset with High Class's murder, but still refrain from becoming a murderer because of thinking of Spike and how she got the inspiration to become Batmare. And I even appreciated how you gave this universe's Scarecrow a more sympathetic backstory than the comics did, even if he still went too far.
REALLY looking forward to more of this.
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Thank you for the comment.
That Scarecrow flashback was actually the first one I wrote when I was still looking for stuff to add to this chapter so it reaches the minimum 5000 words I'm going for with this story. I had no idea the chapter would become this big. I even considered dropping it once I saw how long it would be because I was worried it'll take away the impact of introducing Trixie and how she becomes the Joker in the next chapter.
The accident in which Twilight loses her magic was a nightmare to write! I'm not even sure if I did it right. I wanted her to blame Celestia and Shining for it but I didn't want it to just become the same stuff as "A Canterlot Wedding AU" writers do. I'm not even sure if I managed to make it look like it was their fault, but then I realised Twilight is supposed to be unreasonable when it comes to the subject, so I guess it kinda works?
Anyway, stay tuned for more!
Definitely appreciated the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up. REALLY appreciated this spin on Twilight and Trixie's first meeting (yeah, I could see where Trixie would fail to impress Twilight, but the latter would TRY to be nice AT FIRST) and also really liked Twilight and Spike's dialogue concerning the danger in the former's nightly activities (both physically and emotionally), Yellow Mist and Shady Deals roping Trixie into helping out with the evidence-disposing "robbery", the bit of foreshadowing concerning either a motorized armored carriage or an airship (probably eventually both, but the latter would probably be AFTER the Justice League first gets together since then she would need something that would allow her to travel OUTSIDE Manehattan on a regular basis and get back as quickly as possible), Batmare's reflection on her failure to save Trixie and her probable role in driving her to crime in the first place and Trixie's immerging as the Joker.
REALLY looking forward to more of this.
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As always, thanks for the comment!
Yeah, I figured Trixie doesn't always have to start out as an arrogant jerk - although here, she's going to be much worse - and I thought Twilight unwittingly pushing her to crime by ruining her performance so carelessly would be a good parallel with the source material, seeing as in many interpretations, Batman sees the creation of the Joker as one of his biggest mistakes along with the death of Jason Todd and the crippling of Barbara Gordon.
I was a little uncertain about Spike's characterisation in this story. In chapter 2, I think I managed to write him very much like Alfred, but here, he was all Spike. I'm not sure if this comes across as odd or not. But the next chapters will have Spike learning to accept Batmare and will become the assistant that Alfred is for Batman, so I guess it works for character development.
I originally wasn't going to bring back Yellow Mist and Shady Deal, they were just going to be two random mobsters. But I was way too uncreative to create two more OCs and since I already had those two, I figured I might as well give them some more significance regarding the whole story.
Stay tuned for more!
I am really enjoying how this story is progressing so far, especially your interpretation of the iconic Killing Joke storyline.
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Thank you very much! The Killing Joke is only about to start! Well, not The Actual Killing Joke story but Trixie definitely has a "killing" joke in store for the city!
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I can't wait to see more.
Confirming in this episode that Trixie Lunamoon is Joker, who plays these?:
-Bane
- Catwoman
- Two faces
- Riddler
- Scarecrow
- Harley Quinn
- Poison Ivy
- Penguin
- Ra's al Ghul
11392111
Thanks for the comment!
Scarecrow already appeared in chapter 2, played by an OC.
Bane will be portrayed by Shining Armor. He will be angry about the Royal Guard's inefficiency compared to the Superheroes, so he'll start a project to use a performance enhancing drug to improve them. But once Celestia shuts down the project, he leaves to Manehettan to finish it in secret and test himself avasint the Batmare.
Riddler will be Sunset Shimmer, challenging both Celestia and Batmare to a clue hunt. She steals the Royal jewels and hides them around the city for them to find, but of course, she'll have a hidden agenda behind this game.
The others I'm not sure will appear. Keep in mind this is not just a Batman crossover, but a Justice League crossover.
Minutes 1:31-2:01:
Dracula: "You are... Twilight Sparkle?!"
Batmare (Twilight): "And the BATMARE... and you are dust!"
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And who is Robin?
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Apple Bloom. She's sent to live with her Manehattan relatives after a family tragedy, possibly due to Granny Smith passing away. And since her Manehattan relatives are business ponies instead of farmers, she soon grows bored and since Applejack is Twilight's JL buddy, she gives Bloom a job at her library. This will lead to Bloom discovering Twilight's crime fighting life and eventually joining her as her Robin.
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To be fair, a few of those COULD appear in flashbacks post "Justice League of Equestria Vol. 1" (i.e. brief showing of some of the cases Batmare is wrapping up while Shining/Bane is spying on her so that he knows as much about her as possible BEFORE he strikes).
Of course, Shining would be one of the few in this universe playing two roles as he is ALSO [VERY obviously] in the role of Steve Trevor (as Cadance is in the role of Wonder Woman).
Or you can take a cue from the "Arrow" TV show and have most of the others (except Ra`s) as Green Arrow and Black Canary rogues instead of Batmare rogues (in future volumes) given that Green Arrow could certainly use the "Rogue's Gallery Transplant".
Ra`s on the other hoof, could be the very first villain Batmare and Supermare team up against outside of the Justice League (i.e. "Equestria's Finest: Volume I") as Ra`s al Ghul would definitely have the resources, intelligence and ambition to be challenging to BOTH of them, even if they both fought him at the same time.
.
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I do plan to use one other villain in that volume just to put more pressure on Batmare and accept that she might need help (as Batmare Vol. 2 will also introduce Robin). That villain would be Man-Bat or Mare-Bat (I was thinking Moondnacer) in this case, whom I also plan to be returning when I get around to Suicide Squad.
The other villain I was planning to use is an OC mare as Black Mask in the first chapter of Justice League Vol. 1 in the first issue, but that would be just a minor role. Twilight would be going after a new upcoming crime boss and would return home in defeat after she escapes where Shining Armor would be waiting for her after finally gathering the courage to visit her personally and invite her to the wedding.
Speaking of which, I'm not planning on using Steve Trevor. The Wonder Mare Vol. 1 will take place after Justice League Vol. 1. Cadance is in a coma after the changelings kidnapped her like in the show and they used taxing mental processes to drain the Anti-Love Equation from her mind. Given that she's the Princess of Love, I thought it would make sense that she would have it. The idea is that an amazon filly who would later become Wonder Girl/Wonder Filly in the Titans would leave the amazon island after a ponified version of Ares wipes it out in order to find Cadance and warn her.
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Yeah. That makes sense. Thanks.
If the real Joker were here, and he saw what Trixie did, he would say this:
"It's... beautiful...
"
All I can say is .... wow. Superb work on the exchanges, action, emotional content and climax set-up here. Really appreciated Spike noting just how distraught Twilight was after that Ace Chemical factory fiasco. And, yeah, really liked the nods to the 1989 Batman film in Trixie getting her revenge on Shady and Yellow Mist (certainly doing a great job combining the best/worst elements of the Jack Nicholson and Jaquin Phoenix versions of the Joker here). Also liked the dialogue between the cops concerning the nature of the murders and the peek and Carmel Falcon's family life. And, yeah, the first few of Trixie's victims might have deserved it, but those poor kids, just because one of them was Falcon's son (and an innocent one at that) - yikes. As you said, she is NOT playing around here.
Definitely looking forward to the next/final chapter of this first story as well as the following stories after that.
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No doubt.
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As always, thank you for the comment!
Yeah, Tim Burton's Batman film and Jack Nicholson's Joker (which is my favourite on screen version of the character simply for how comic book accurate it was) was a huge inspiration for this story. Which will be even more noticeable in the next chapter.
Twilight is at an all time low after what happened to Trixie, but she will bounce back after she makes the connection between her and the Joker, believing that since her mistake created that monster, it is her responsibility to stop it.
And I do believe the real Joker has done way more messed up things that this. Like, gassing a birthday party full of kids is probably a slow day at the office for him.
Stay tuned for the finale!
So far, you have done a truly fantastic job combining three iconic versions of the Joker from different forms of media:
* Tim Burton's Batman movie
* Batman: The Animated Series
* The Killing Joke graphic novel
I do wonder if you have also taken some inspiration from Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight.
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Thank you for the comment!
Most people probably would have went with Ledger's portrayal, but for me Nicholson was always the inspiration for Trixie's Joker. He's my favourite on screen version of the character simply for how comic book accurate he was.
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I see.
A clever decision, indeed.
Song for your history:
So many things did me wrong, they affected me strongly
I had to be able to endure, from my friends the death
Eliminate fears, in order to understand.
I have grown up alone, but I always had Spike.
This is how I was able to develop my strength and courage.
This symbol is the sign that hope will bring.
Today inside I can feel
the thirst for revenge arise.
I'm Batmare!
In the nights I will watch.
Batmare!
And in every corner I will be.
I'm Twilight Sparkle's alter ego.
I was able to spend my fortune, doing good to the world.
I will never use it for evil, that would be absurd.
If in my hands I have the power, why shouldn't I take advantage of it?
There will be villains everywhere, but also lovers.
There is a world that is very wrong and it will be challenging.
Canterlot is what will burn if I can't save it.
I know there are riddles I must solve,
I know I will because I'm...
Batmare!
In the nights I will watch.
Batmare!
And in every corner I will be.
I'm Twilight Sparkle's alter ego.
I have very clear, which of all is my path
Truth or lies always depend on a thread.
This is the moment where I have to get out there.
Like a bat in the night to come,
as if destiny still depended on me.
I don't know if I'm doing right or if I'm doing wrong
But I can't change it anymore, that's the truth
I'm the revenge!
I'm Batmare!
In the nights I will watch.
Batmare!
And in every corner I will be.
Batmare!
I have justice to bring.
Batmare!
In the night I will reign.
I am the Princess of the Night. I am revenge!
I AM BATMARE!!!!
What you think?
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Not bad.
One question though. Aren't songs supposed to rhyme?
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You could try to make a similar one...
By the way, I already imagine the title of the next chapter tomorrow:
"Batmare VS Joker"
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Actually, the last chapter of Vol. 1 will be called "The Dark Knight Rises".
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More better:
"The Dark Princess Returns"
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I think I'll stick with the former.
Also I'm not promising it will be out today. I'm almost at the end. I'm right at the part where the final showdown is about to start, but I don't want to make the climax feel rushed.
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Ok
Hey there. Once again, you did an excellent job on the exchanges, characterizations, action, general wrap-up and future arc set-up in all the right places. REALLY appreciated the opening bits with Falcon and the Joker (especially with the Joker's "re-introductions" of her associates). Also liked Spike finally learning to be a bit more supporting of Twilight's "night work" as they investigated the Joker's actions (to the point of Spike working in some upgrades to her gear [including actual short range flight and greater protection from fire and bullets]). Garden's reflections on the analogues to Zsass, the Ventriloquist and Croc before he and his officers had their encounter with the Joker's gang were also well done. And, yeah, rigging those parachutes with explosives just in case of some underlings Knowing When To Fold 'Em was definitely a classic Joker move. Glad the police got some chances to shine along with Batmare as the latter nabbed the Joker. The origin of the Killer Croc name in this universe makes sense as well.
Of course, the next arc is going to involve a mare who won't NEED high-tech gear to fly AND (at least looks like) an Earth pony to boot.
But, anyway, definitely looking forward to more of this.
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Wow! You read fast. The writing application I used to write this said this chapter's estimated reading time is about 45 minutes and I only posted it about an hour ago.
As always, thank you for the comment!
I was wondering if someone would pick up on those little easter eggs. And I really wanted to add some chance for the regular police folks to contribute something to the action. I'm glad I managed to give everyone in the chapter some significance. Even bringing back the Scarecrow analogue for a brief psychological evaluation on Twilight and making all of Spike's upgrades contribute something to Batmare's triumph. In the end, I think it was a satisfying conclusion to the volume.
Stay tuned for the next one!
Bonus Scene:
The next day at night, all of Manehattan gathered at the town hall to hear the mayor talk about what happened with Batmare and the Joker, while he showed a letter signed with the symbol of a bat.
"We received a letter from Batmare this morning" the mayor told his citizens, before beginning to read "Manehattan has earned a break from crime... But if the forces of evil must rise again, to cast a shadow on the heart of the city. Call me".
At that moment, one of the journalists asked a question.
"What shall we call her?"
To answer that question, Captain Garden walks up to a huge searchlight, hoofing his hoof over the switch.
"She has left us a signal..."
Next, Garden hit the switch, causing everyone to look in surprise at where the searchlight pointed in the night sky.
static4.abc.es/media/play/2017/06/16/batisenal-kz8--620x349@abc.jpg
Meanwhile, Twilight, with her Batmare suit repaired, also watches the signal from the top of a building...knowing that Manehattan will now have her Dark Knight to protect them.
What do you think?
Other than that, I have a few questions:
1) What happened to Falcon after being rescued?
2) Who is the prisoner who spoke with Batmare in the police station?
3) Which member of the Mane 6 will play Superman in the next chapter?
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That sounds like a cool bonus scene and a nice tribute to the 1989 Batman movie.
1. I knew I was forgetting something. I'd say since the police still didn't have conclusive evidence against him, he was let go after healing.
2. Read Chapter 2.
3. Didn't I already give you the cast list?
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1) Shit, I was hoping he'd end up in prison.
2) What part of chapter 2?
3) No
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1. He goes to prison, no one is left to take care of his son. If that happens, I figured maybe Twilight could take him in but that would leave way too much implication that he's gonna be Robin, which won't be the case.
2. The flashback with Scarecrow.
3. I'm fairly certain I did in my first blog entry. You even made a suggestion on it.
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2) He is Scarecrow?!
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Yes.
Quote from chapter 2:
"She asked Spike to run a little research on Scarecrow after his arrest and was quite surprised to find out that he was ironically a stallion named Sweet Dreams, a psychology student who dropped out of the university. There were whispers that he was expelled at the pressure of the mob when his father refused to pay them protection money for his bar. And Spike found out that every store he robbed had connections with supposed organised criminals. So his primary motive appeared to be revenge over financial gain."
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Oh yeah, I forgot
Well, I'm happy to say that this was a really well-crafted and enjoyable story from start to finish. I absolutely love how you depicted Twilight and Trixie becoming the Batman and Joker of this alternate MLP universe, especially the similarity and contrast between how their respective bad days turned them into the theatrical legends that they are now. The climax was also pretty fun to read and I'm looking forward to learning about all the other members of this world's version of the Justice League, as well as reading more adventures with the Batmare as she takes on your interpretation of villains such as Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Scarface, and maybe even the likes of Bane, Penguin, and Two-Face.
Also, I did notice that bit of dialogue towards the end that indicates Trixie is going to be seeing a doctor soon and I think we all know which Batman-related character you're referencing there. The questions is, will that role be given to Starlight Glimmer or a completely original character?
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This kind of detailed and insightful comment is the one I would like to see more of.
Thank you for the comment!
I have the cast and the following 13 stories worked out in structure. I would happily share them with you, but I would much rather do it in a PM to avoid spoilers for anyone else who might be reading.
Great job on this first chapter of the second story in your new series. Definitely liked the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up in this flashback chapter. Definitely appreciate how the tone changes for different characters (which makes sense; darker tones work well for the characters that are supposed to be dark, but a lighter tone is more appropriate for the more optimistic characters). Anyway, REALLY liked how Big Mac would be reflecting on the loneliness in is family before AJ's rocket arrived. Also liked the difficulties shown in feeding Baby Applejack at first because she was too strong for even the metal feeding spoon. Also liked the little bits of foreshadowing with Caramel and Cheese Sandwich (who, unless I miss my guess, is going to grow up to be a pretty big player in Pinkie/Captain Marevel's story). And, in addition to the strength, also showing the bits of most of the other powers (particularly super-breath, heat vision, super-senses [particularly the foreshadowing for Apple Bloom's incoming birth], super-speed and invulnerability). Also appreciated Applejack's first meeting with Rarity as well as the demonstration of her weakness to magic (not she knew about that yet) even though she still managed to scare off the bullies. Also appreciated how Bright Mac understood why Applejack would want to help somebody else being bullied, but caution her concerning her powers.
VERY certainly looking forward to more of this.
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As always, thank you for the comment!
Action? What action? This chapter had barely any. Lol.
The first part about Big Mac's loneliness was the hardest to write for some reason, but Applejack's arrival needed some kind of buildup to it.
Yeah, I myself especially liked little Applejack sensing little Apple Bloom inside her mother's stomach. Either that was my favourite part of this chapter or her meeting with Rarity. That was an important part as I also have a role for her, so I thought Applejack could start inspiring other heroes from the start.
I was very tempted to add the "With great power comes great responsibility line during Bright Mac's pep talk, but I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea. What do you think?
Stay tuned for more!
I would have liked Winona to play Krypto.
By the way, who will play Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen?
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Thanks for the response back. And, yeah, I could see where you would be tempted to include that, but maybe you COULD include that later with Supermare saying something along the lines of "As they say in the comics, with great power, there must also come great responsibility." as someone is asking why she is using her power to help others with no visible expectation of personal reward.)
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I'm not planning to feature versions of those characters. I'm not even sure Applejack will have a love interest.
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Any specific thoughts on the chapter itself?
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Huh?