A sequel to Batmare: Birth Of The Dark Knight. Batmare and Robin come face to face with Miss. Freeze, and a new villan emerges from an old ally. Can the dynamic duo defend Equestria against these new threats?
(Note: If you have not read Batmare: Birth Of The Dark Knight I suggest you do so in order for the events of this fic to make sense.)
Ever since the defeat of The Joker, Batmare and Robin have become known as Equestria's greatest defenders. Thanks to them, the citizens of Equestria can sleep peacefully at night.
But when a new foe named Miss. Freeze shows up, her icy powers aren't the only problem the Dark Knight and Boy Wonder must contend with. Robin is starting to feel insecure about being a sidekick, and Batmare is begining to have doubts about her ability to make a difference.
To make matters worse, an old enemy is scheming to take revenge on a pony he blames for ruining his life. And no one is aware of it.
With things spiraling out of control left and right, do our heroes stand a chance? Or is Equestria doomed to suffer under the wrath of new super villans?
A mini figurine of what could very well resemble a real life pony lay incased in a tiny glass cylinder. As said figurine spun around, tiny snowflakes swirled all around it. Creating an image that would be quite impressive to say the least.
The owner of the figurine held the object up with a dark blue hoof, observing the fake pony that was destined to repeat its twirling dance for eternity. The alternating blue and dark blue armor plates and helmet, the bat like wings and fangs, and the gentle green eyes seemed almost life like. "It is almost as if he were still with me." the owner thought to herself.
Looking out at the night sky, the mare held the cylinder close to her and began to speak to as if it could hear her. "Oh my beloved Shadow Fang, it is a pity that this is all that I have left to remember you by. Here you are, surrounded by un-ending winter at the peak of your youth. How fitting that the very beauty that drew me to you, has been captured so perfectly. Do not worry, soon I shall show the known world just what a frozen heart is capable of." Holding up a special gun that had been designed to shoot a stream of quick freezing energy, the figure looked down on the streets of Manehattan and eyed the museum. "Winter, is here to stay." she said, but where one would expect to see a smile there was no such thing to be found.
"Thanks again for stopping by Spike, it's always nice to see you." Apple Bloom said polietly, as Spike left The Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse. As of lately, he'd become an honoray member of their group and a major source of inspiration for them. Then again, it was hard not to be when you were one half of what Equestria's citizens called "The Dynamic Duo."
"I could say the same for you, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle." Spike replied "You girls have grown a lot in this past year."
"So how are things with you and my sister?" Apple Bloom asked "You been fighten' the good fight and puttin' them bad guys in their place?"
"They're fine." Spike said with a smile, which quickly faded "Though, I'm starting to get tired of playing second fiddle. After being a sidekick for so long, you kind of start to long for a taste of something bigger. If it weren't for the fact that Applejack saved my life, and that I could never bring myself to turn my back on her, I'd probably have hung up my cape by now."
"Is it really that bad?" Apple Bloom asked with concern "You know Applejack would never intentionally hold you back just because you're her sidekick. You two are a team, and without Robin, Batmare would never be the same."
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Apple Bloom." Spike said gratefully. He sighed just a little bit before he spoke up again "I suppose it might just be because I'm getting older and my emotions are giving me a lot of trouble. Truth be told, I don't hate being Robin. But I'm starting to wonder if my role in the partnership amounts to much other than moral support."
"Well, if you're ever in the mood to talk about this you can come and see me. When you're not on duty that is." Apple Bloom replied "You're not the only one who's doubting themselves. It seems that Applejack really took what that scum bag Joker clown said to heart. I've heard her contemplating out loud whether she's actually making a difference, or just makin' things worse by creatin' new bad guys to replace the old ones. It's a good thing she's got District Attorney Fancy Pants to help her out."
"Ah yes, he is quite the ally." Spike stated "With his help, we've taken down many crime rings that would've otherwise remained in place. And the best part is, he can do so while working from within the system. With him, Applejack, and I together, crime has met its match."
Just then, Applejack called Spike on the radio system on his motorbike. "Spike, I need you to meet me in the Bat Cave A.S.A.P! We've got a new jewel thief to deal with."
Spike raced over to his bike, and pressed a button on the control pannel that let him speak to Applejack. "Don't worry Applejack, I'll see you there. Over and out."
"So, do you think you'll be able to make next's week meeting?" Apple Bloom asked anxiously, as Spike climbed onto his bike and strapped on his helmet.
"Hopefully yes, but you never know when duty may call." Spike replied, and with that he sped away.
A short time later, Spike and Applejack met in the Bat Cave. Alongside Granny Smith, they were currently looking at a monitor that doubled as a database.
"So, what are we up against this time?" Spike asked "I get the feeling this isn't a typical jewel thief we're dealing with."
"Take a look at this." Applejack instructed, pressing a button on the monitor.
Spike was amazed at what he saw. A giant blue diamond rested inside a glass case that looked like it was barely big enough to hold said diamond. It stood out admist a collection of artifacts from anicent Equestria. "Whoa! I've seen a lot of gems in my time, but I've never seen anything quite like that!" Spike exclaimed "That thing's huge!"
"Indeed it is Spike, but that's not the only thing about it that makes it so valueable." Applejack explained "That gem stone also contains magical powers that are said to rival the Alicorn Amulet. And if that's true, then in the wrong hooves, claws, or talons, it could create destruction on a level unlike anything else."
"So, do we know who's trying to swipe it?" Spike asked.
"I'm afraid not." Granny Smith explained "That there gem is on display at the Manehattan Museum of Exotic Treasures and Ancient Relics, and the break in is in-progress as we speak. The mastermind has yet to reveal themselves."
"Well then, we've got no time to waste!" Applejack said seriously "Let's suit up and head over there!"
"My thoughts exactly." Spike replied.
"Good luck you two, and be careful. I got the feeling that you're about to face a threat unlike anything you've ever encountered before." Granny Smith warned.
"Don't worry Granny Smith, we should be fine." Applejack replied "You just keep an eye on the situation. Contact us if you find out anything new."
"Will do, now get going!" Granny Smith urged.
Applejack and Spike didn't need to be told twice, they quickly raced over to where their suits were kept in storage. They put them on, grabbed whatever tools and gadgets they felt would come in handy for the mission, and headed for the cave's exit. Spike's motorbike was already parked off to the side, in order to make room for the re-designed Batmobile.
Not too long ago, Applejack had decided that the time had come to give the vehicle an upgrade. The futuristic roadster design had been scrapped, in favor of a more classic style that was stretched out a little. The gadgets remained the same, and the cockpit was even modified to transform into a miniature airship with the press of a button. The only thing that remained untouched on the exterior, was the rocket booster used to propel the Batmobile down the roads at high speeds.
"I still don't see why you had to re-design the Batmobile so much." Robin said to Batmare "It was fine how it was."
"Well, I figured it would match my new suit a little bit better." Batmare explained. Her new suit was vastly different from the one she had worn before. The rubbery mask had been re-designed to a more boxy like shape. The boots and gloves remained black, but they were modified to fit the new suit. The suit itself was dark gray in design, with a black bat emblazoned onto the chest. The shoulder sleeves now contained spiked pads to make the entire outfit look more intimidating.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about the re-designed suit." Robin admitted "But I don't think you ever told me why you did such a thing."
"The old suit was fine, but it had some problems." Batmare explained "For one thing, I couldn't turn my head without turning my entire body. And if you're gonna fight crime you've got to be able to turn your head. The other problem was that utility belt, let's just say it wasn't so good at being an actual belt."
"That makes sense I guess." Robin shrugged "Personally, I like my costume the way it is."
"I never said you had to change it." Batmare replied, and hopped into the Batmobile "So, you gonna hope in? There's still room for two."
"No thanks, I prefer my motorbike." Robin stated, as he climbed onto said motorbike. It was painted red and black to match Robin's costume, and help it blend in a little.
"Well then, see you at the museum." Batmare replied, and closed the hood of the cockpit. The Batmobile roared to life, and rocketed out of the Bat Cave. Robin followed on his motorbike a second later.
The mysterious figure from before was now eying the gem, as she carefully removed it from its display case and held it in her hooves. "Ah, just what I need to power my suit. My icy powers will know no limits!"
"Looking for a one hoof discount after hours are we?" a familiar voice called out. A second later, the voice's owner came swooping down from the ceiling. The dark grey suit and boxy mask indicating that the one who had uttered such a statment was Batmare.
Robin arrived on the scene a second later, and quickly joined his partner. Now the two of them finally got a good look at who they were up against. At first, they could only see the gray suit with blue cylinder like arms and legs. Then, they took notice of a pair of dark blue wings, and inside of a glass helmet was the face of a mare with a horn. All of which was in the same dark blue color as the wings, the only difference being that a pair of red goggles obscured the eyes. Batmare and Robin gasped.
"Princess Luna?" Batmare asked.
"That is who I use to be." the figure replied "But from now on Equestria and beyond shall simply know me as Miss. Freeze!" To prove her point, she used her magic to lift up a giant blaster and pointed it at the door. A second later, there was a loud whiring sound, and a stream of energy shot out from it. Batmare and Robin jumped out of the way, as the energy quickly froze and turned into ice. In a matter of seconds, the door had been completed frozen shut.
"She's not gonna start cracking ice puns, is she?" Robin whispered to Batmare.
"I don't think so, cause if she did they'd get really old very fast." Batmare replied.
"So, the dynamic duo itself has come to stop me." Miss. Freeze said seriously, holding her blaster close with her magic "A pity that our first meeting shall also be our last."
"Not if we can help it!" Batmare said boldly "You may be an alicorn princess, but we show no mercy to those that break the law! Surrender now, and we can avoid all of this trouble!"
"Sorry, I'm afraid that is not an option." Miss. Freeze replied firmly "I've already obtained what I came here for, and now I must depart."
"Don't think you're gonna get away that easily!" Robin threatened "There's two of us, and only one of you!"
"Not for long!" Miss. Freeze smirked, as she fired a blast of quick freezing energy onto the floor. Turning it into a giant ice rink. Then, she whistled, and an army of masked hockey players came sliding out. All of them brandishing hockey sticks. "Farewell detectives!" Miss. Freeze taunted, and quickly took off.
"Well, there's only one thing to do in a situation like this." Batmare said to Robin "You ready for some ice skating action?"
"You betcha." Robin replied "I told you those retractable skates would come in handy one day."
"Alright, alright. Just don't rub it in and let's get to work." Batmare said seriously. She and Robin carefully bent down and pressed a button on their boots. A second later, ice skates appeared on the heels of both pairs of boots.
Deciding that the best strategy was to divide and conquer, Batmare and Robin split up. Batmare quickly began skating towards three of the masked hockey players. Wasting no time, she pulled out one of her trademark batarangs and hurled at them. The batarang flew right past the players, who smirked and prepared to close in on Batmare. But before their hockey sticks could make contact, the batarang looped back around and hit their skates. This caused them to topple over and crash into each other in a massive dog pile.
Robin, meanwhile, was trying desperately to outrun the hockey players that were chasing after him. "You can't run away forever Boy Blunder!" one of the players taunted.
Suddenly, as he passed by an old vase, Robin got an idea. "Here, catch!" he shouted, as he picked up the vase and threw it at one of the hockey players "Oh and by the way boys, 'You break it, you buy it!'". The player was surprised when the vase landed firmly in his gloves. Taking advantage of the player's divided attention, Robin skated up to him and socked him right in the face. The players fell like dominos, while the vase flew up into the air. Robin leaped into the air, caught the vase with one arm, and carefully put it back where he had found it.
Before long, there was only one masked hockey player left standing. Unfortunately, he was a massive stallion that had previously been infamous, as a goalie that was said to pummel anyone who opposed him, until they were black and blue. In fact, this was how he'd earned the nickname of "Tooth Fairy".
Batmare and Robin skated carefully around him, as they tried to come up with a plan. All the while, the goalie chased after them. He was getting closer with each passing second, and the dynamic duo knew that if they didn't do something soon, he'd send them both to the hospital.
Then, Batmare looked up to the ceiling and an idea came to her. "You set him up, I knock him down." she said to Robin.
"Sounds good to me, just make it quick. I don't know how long I can keep going." Robin replied.
"This'll just take a few seconds." Batmare said confidently, and fired her grappling gun. She quickly ascended, putting herself out of harm's way.
"So, looks old Batstick has left you to die." the goalie taunted, as he closed in on Robin "Such a shame, and to think I expected better from Equestria's greatest crime fighters."
"Come on Batmare, don't leave me hanging!" Robin thought, as he began to feel the goalie breathing down his neck.
"End of the line for you Pipsqueak!" the goalie shouted, as he raised his hockey stick and prepared to smash it into Robin's back. But he never got the chance, because at that moment Batmare came swooping down and with a mighty kick toppled the goalie right then and there.
"And this is why you should listen to those who say crime never pays." Batmare said sternly.
"Thanks for saving my hide, but next time maybe you could do so without waiting until the last second." Robin said crossly.
"Sorry, I tried to be as fast as possible. I think I need to get this grappling gun upgraded." Batmare apologized "But for right now, we've got to focus on stopping Miss. Freeze."
"Right, she couldn't have gotten far!" Robin replied, and he and Batmare skated out of the museum as fast as they could.
The Batmobile and Robin's motorbike sped through the streets of Manehattan as fast as they could. The dynamic duo looking for any sorts of leads on Miss. Freeze's location.
"This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, we'll never find her at this rate." Robin complained.
"Never say never Robin." Batmare replied "Look over there." A mysterious van covered in metal, with a retractable roof, was speeding away at a break neck speed. As it did so, someone or something was firing a blaster that turned the roadway behind it into ice.
"That's got to be Miss. Freeze making a hasty getaway!" Robin exclaimed "We've got to go after her!"
"Well, I hope you're ready for an indirect approach. Because there's no way we can catch up to her traveling on the ice." Batmare replied nervously.
"Relax, I already have the perfect detour in mind. There's more than one way to drive through this part of town." Robin said with a smile "The only question is, are you up for it?" And with that, he turned his bike around and raced off.
Batmare sighed "I've got a very bad feeling about all of this." she said to herself, as she reluctantly steered The Batmobile and followed Robin's bike.
As it turns out, Robin's place consisted of traveling through a sparsely populated section of Manehattan. Having visited this place on a few occassions with the CMC, he knew what routes to take and what ones to avoid. Batmare, for her part, followed Robin's guidance. Sure enough, at the other side of a draw bridge there was a road that would allow the dynamic duo to intercept Miss. Freeze and catch her.
"Come on slowpoke, just a little further." Robin taunted.
"That's easy for you to say, you're not the one driving this massive motorized carriage." Batmare replied sternly. Just then, the draw bridge began to rise to make way for a passing cargo ship. Batmare braked hard, and The Batmobile came to a halt just before the draw bridge.
Robin, for his part, continued to speed toward the draw bridge. Either unaware of the fact that a ship was passing through, or somehow convinced that he could make the leap.
Batmare wasn't about to let him take that risk however. Using the Batmobile's radio she said "Robin! Stop at once!"
"Relax Batmare, I know I can make this jump!" Robin replied.
"Don't do it! It's too dangerous!" Batmare warned.
"This could be our only chance to stop Miss. Freeze before she gets away!" Robin said crossly "Do you really want to throw that opportunity away?!"
"Robin, please! It's for your own good! Don't be an idiot!" Batmare pleaded.
Robin sighed "I can make that jump, but if it'll make you happier I'll stop." Reluctantly, he began to brake and he managed to stop just in time. He sighed again, as he waited for the draw bridge to be lowered.
"Thanks for stopping." Batmare said to Robin as they waited "I'm certain we can still catch Miss. Freeze if we hurry across as soon as we can."
Robin waited impatiently until just before the draw bridge was completely lowered, then he sped across it as fast as he could. Batmare followed as closely as possible, but the speed of Robin's bike made it rather difficult.
At last, Robin caught up to Miss. Freeze's vehicle. Reacting quickly, he positioned his bike as close to the cab as possible. Then, timing his jump, he made a daring leap. As he did so, he reached into his utility belt and pulled out a pellet of stun gas, as well as a grappling hook. "I hope this works!" he thought to himself, as he used the grappling hook to secure himself to the outside of the cab. Then, he smashed in the driver side window with his elbow and threw the pellet.
Miss. Freeze suddenly heard a boom, and felt the car begin to speed out of control. "What's going up on there driver?!" she asked "Keep your eye on the road!" There was no reply. Not suspecting anything, Miss. Freeze headed up to the cab where she found the driver immobilized. She was just in time to see a flash of red escape out the broken side window. "So the Boy Wonder wants to play?" she said ominously, as she aimed her blaster out the window "Well then, let's play."
Robin, for his part, continued to steer around the icy blasts. All the while taunting Miss. Freeze.
"Robin, what are you doing?" Batmare asked, as she observed the scene from a distance.
"Just taking care of a little unfinished business." Robin replied "You'll thank me for this later."
"Are you crazy?! You're going to get yourself killed!" Batmare shouted angrily.
"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Robin snapped back "Just sit back and let the Boy Wonder handle this."
Batmare was about to say something in reply, when she spotted something in the distance. The door to one of the Manehattan storage warehouses, with the number 1 painted on it in black. Robin's bike, and Miss. Freeze's vehicle were heading straight for it. Batmare was horrified "Robin, slow down! You're going to crash!" she warned.
"That's what I'm counting on." Robin replied, and promptly turned off his radio. He knew Batmare didn't know his plan, but it was necessary in order to make sure that Miss. Freeze remained in the dark as well. He couldn't risk her overhearing their conversations on his bike radio.
"Robin?! Robin! Robin, respond!" Batmare ordered, but there was no reply. All she could do was try her best to catch up to him, before it was too late. 10 miles, 5 miles, 2 miles, the warehouse was getting closer with each passing second.
"She's taken the bait, just as I hoped she would." Robin thought, and he braked hard. Narrowly turning away from the door just before the front of his bike could make contact with it. When Miss. Freeze's vehicle began to brake as well, Robin quickly pulled out a sewing needle, and threw it at one of the tires. The needle pierced the tire, producing a loud hiss as the air leaked out of it.
Realizing that it was too late, Miss. Freeze picked up the gem and made a desperate leap just seconds before her van slammed into the door, producing a sickining crash sound.
"So this is what Robin's big plan was." Batmare thought to herself, as she saw Robin give a thumbs up sign to indicate he was still okay.
As Batmare raced to his location with The Batmobile, Robin began to look around. Sure enough, he spotted the diamond laying on the ground. As he had predicted, Miss. Freeze had dropped it in her rush to escape the deadly impact. He quickly picked it up and headed back to where he had parked his bike. His plan had worked like a charm.
Or so he thought, what he didn't know was that Miss. Freeze had delibertly dropped the diamond in order to lure Robin into a false sense of security. "Sorry, but that gem rightfully belongs to me." she thought to herself, as she aimed her blaster at Robin and prepared to fire it.
"Man, wait til I tell the CMC about this. They'll never believe it." Robin said, as he neared his bike.
"Hey Boy Blunder!" Miss. Freeze shouted, emerging from her hiding spot "You really should've listened to your partner and stayed out of my way!" And with that, she turned the full power of her blaster on Robin. Completely freezing him right on the spot.
When Batmare arrived, she gasped in horror. There was Robin, frozen solid. The diamond still clutched firmly in his claws.
"I'll be taking that Bird Boy." Miss. Freeze said seriously, as she used her magic to steal back the diamond with ease. Then, she turned to Batmare "Quite a deliema you have Batmare. I have the diamond, and will make my escape unless you can catch up to me. But by the time you do so, poor Robin here might just freeze to death."
"You're really sick, you know that Miss. Freeze?" Batmare hissed.
"If I was truly sick, I wouldn't give you a chance to save your friend's life." Miss. Freeze replied "So, what's it gonna be? Are you going to risk his life so you can be the big hero? Or will you thaw him out, knowing that you'll be dooming the entire known world to unending winter? You better make a decision soon, because it'll only be a matter of minutes until the Boy Wonder's blood freezes over."
As much as it pained her to do so, Batmare couldn't bring herself to ignore Robin and chase after Miss. Freeze. The risks were too great. Reluctantly, she set to work on chipping away at the ice that held her partner captive.
Miss. Freeze couldn't help but rub her victory in Batmare's face. "As I thought, your emotions are your weakness. Your concern for others is what holds you back. That's why I'm the one who's coming out on top. But just so you don't think of trying to chase after me once Robin thaws out, have this little parting gift. And don't worry, it's on the house." As she retreated, Miss. Freeze fired off beam after beam of energy, until she had created a wall of ice. Then, she slipped away.
"Why Princess Luna? Why would you do such a thing?" Batmare thought to herself, as she continued to work on freeing Robin.
Batmare had expected Robin to be cross with her, since she had let Miss. Freeze escape. But to her surprise, Robin said nothing. He remained silent for the entire ride back to The Batcave.
Once there however, Robin quickly broke the silence and began to speak up. "Why did you order me to stand down back in Manehattan?!" he complained "I've could've made that jump!"
"Yes, you could've. But you also could've crashed into the sea, or splattered your brains on the ship's deck." Batmare replied "And then you'd be no help to anyone!"
"You think I would've made that jump if I had any doubt about whether I could do it?" Robin asked.
"It's not up for debate Robin." Batmare said sternly "Just because you have a motorbike does not mean you can go around doing all those crazy stunts. Remember, your first priority to stop crime. Not horse around."
"I guess you have a point there." Robin admitted "But why did you let Miss. Freeze escape?! She was literally just inches away from you!"
"I did it to save your life!" Batmare replied "I wasn't going to let you freeze to death!"
"You could've easily caught her and then came back and thawed me out!" Robin complained "But instead, you've doomed all of the known world to unending winter!"
"What if I hadn't been able to catch up to Miss. Freeze in time to come back and save you?" Batmare asked "Would you rather I'd have left you to freeze to death?!"
"Yes! I would've understood." Robin said crossly "My life shouldn't be more important than the lives of millions. I knew the risks involved when I put on the cape!"
"I promised Twilight that I would protect you." Batmare explained.
"And since when did I give her permission to worry about me?! I'm old enough to take care of myself, thank you very much!" Robin complained.
"Robin please, you must understand." Batmare pleaded.
"I don't need special treatment. I want to help you, but I want to do so on my own terms!" Robin continued "If you're going to just push me to the side everytime there's a chance I'll get hurt, then you might as well just find a better partner! Just because it's Batmare and Robin doesn't mean you get to make all the important decisions! I have just as much a say in this partnership as you do!"
"Never said you didn't." Batmare said seriously.
"Sure doesn't seem that way!" Robin snorted "It seems like all you ever do is boss me around, or tell me what not to do! I'm sick of it!"
Batmare said nothing, and simply stood there. A look of shock registered clearly on her face.
"Batmare, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Robin apologized "I know you're only doing what you think is right. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"It's alright Robin, you have a right to be upset." Batmare said somberly "I have been a bit harsh on you lately."
"No you haven't, I've been complaining too much." Robin replied "I'm just starting to have second thoughts about being a sidekick, that's all. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as selfish or demanding."
"You aren't at all. You have every right to want to have a bigger role." Batmare stated, then she sighed "The truth is, I've been holding you back because I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Robin asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
"I can't help but think about what is that The Joker said when we faced off on top of the clock tower." Batmare explained "I know it wasn't entirely my fault, but I still inadvertly created him. And in the time since, that revelation's been haunting my dreams. It's made me wonder if I'm truly making a difference, or just creating super villans far worse than the regular criminals."
"You're seriously taking what that nut job said at face value?" Robin asked "You know he was probably lying. From what I hear, he told all kinds of stories about how he obtained his scars. And each time the story is different. His past is probably the same thing."
"Perhaps, but there's still the fact that he didn't show up until I started fighting crime." Batmare said glumly "So one way or another, I brought him out into the open."
"And you defeated and captured him." Robin reassured her "You don't have to worry about him, or what he's said any longer. You are making a difference. He just doesn't want you to think that way. But the good news is, he's been locked away in that mental institution they call Canterlot Aslyum. And I don't think there's any chance of him ever getting out."
"You're right Robin." Batmare said after pausing a moment "He's been defeated, and we don't have to worry about him anymore. The guards won't listen to his stories anyway, and all of his weapons were confiscated. He's staying there for the rest of his life."
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we need to figure out how we're going to stop Miss. Freeze." Robin spoke up "She's every bit the threat that Joker was, maybe even worse."
Unfortunately neither Batmare or Robin had any way of knowing that The Joker, though insane, was still up to his old tricks. He was already planning his next move, from within the confines of his padded cell at Canterlot Aslyum.
"Hey Joker, you've got a visitor!" one of the guards called.
"Who is it?" The Joker asked.
"As if we'd ever tell you." the other guard snorted "Just be thankful we're allowing said visitor, because the higher ups would have our heads if we didn't. If it were up to me, you wouldn't get to see any company other than the two of us and your fellow inmates."
"You boys are no fun at all." The Joker complained.
"Whatever, just don't try any funny business or we'll know about it." the first guard threatened.
The visitor turned out to be quite the surprise, it was the one pony The Joker had never expected to see. It was Bob, his right hoof stallion and number one guy.
The Joker gasped "Do my eyes decieve me?"
"It's really me boss, live and in the fur." Bob replied.
"Bob, it's been ages. I thought for sure that Equestria's finest had captured you." The Joker admitted, thankful that the guards couldn't overhear his conversation "How did you manage to evade them for so long?"
"I'm an incredible master of disguise." Bob explained "They eventually got tired and just gave up. I hear Captain Shining Armor wasn't too happy about that, but the unit was being led by First Lieutenant Flash Sentry who upheld the decision."
"Good old Flash Sentry, I really must send him a thank you card for that personal favor." The Joker said with a smile.
"When I heard you were locked up in this dump, I knew I had to come and see you." Bob continued "And I seem to remember that you said during our last meeting, that soon the time would come when you would need me for an important assignment."
"Ah yes, I'm so glad you remembered. That's what I like about you Bob." The Joker smiled "And they say good help is hard to find."
"So, what's the plan? You need my help to bust you out of this joint?" Bob asked.
"Believe me Bob, if I could've escaped from this dump I would've by now." The Joker complained "But it seems old Sunbutt is a real security nut, this is the first time anyone's even been allowed to visit me. It's obvious I'm not getting out of here."
"Well if that's not the case, then what do you need my help with?" Bob asked crossly "I didn't come all the way here just to chit chat."
"Patience Bob, all will be revealed in due time." The Joker reassured him "You know how Batmare was the target of my agression until she got me thrown into this place?"
"You want me to rough her up for you?" Bob asked.
"Who said anything about old Guano Mare? Now that she's got that sidekick she calls a student, she's practically untouchable." The Joker replied with a sigh "Besides, she's not the only one who's turn my life into a piece of crap! There's a certain district attorney that got me kicked out of Canterlot, and I never got the chance to thank him, for sticking his nose into my business."
"District Attorney Fancy Pants? That might be a little tricky." Bob said with uncertainty "He's got a wife, and he makes frequent public appearances."
"I anticipated you'd run into that roadblock Bob, and I've already thought of the perfect solution." The Joker said with a sadistic smile, using his magic he dug into the pocket of his straight jacket and pulled out a piece of paper.
"How did you smuggle that past the guards?" Bob asked.
"That's my little secret." The Joker replied, and gave Bob the paper "Once you've left this rat trap, open the paper and you'll find your instructions. Oh, and let's keep this discussion private for now, okay? After all, very bad things happen to ponies who gossip."
"Don't worry boss, I won't let you down." Bob said firmly.
"I know you won't Bob. That's why you're my number one guy." The Joker said, as he put a hoof around Bob's shoulder "So don't screw this up, got it?"
"Yes sir." Bob replied, and with that he left The Joker's cell and made his way out of Canterlot Asylum.
The Joker, for his part, was smirking fiendishly. "Just you wait Batmare, I'm about to show you why you were wrong to forget about me. It's like I always said 'You always take shots from folks just don't get the joke.'"
"Are you sure it was actually Princess Luna and not somepony dressed like her?" Fancy Pants asked Batmare. The two allies were currently seated in the young district attorney's office, exchanging all their news. The black and grey of Batmare's suit contrasted quite heavily with the rich red carpeting, and wooden oak desk. The whole room gave off a friendly and welcoming vibe, as opposed to feeling like the headquarters of one of Equestria's greatest legal consultants.
"My eyes certainly didn't decieve me." Batmare replied "I just don't know what it is that motivated her to a life of crime. She gave no answers. The only lead I have is the design of her suit. It looks like something out of Canter. Corp."
"Well, I'm actually conducting an investigation of that company as we speak." Fancy Pants explained "It seems that, months ago there was some sort of incident with one of their labs. But all information about it has been suspiciously disappearing, I suspect some sort of cover up."
"What do you suppose they're trying to hide? Do you think it might be connected to Miss. Freeze somehow?" Batmare asked.
"I don't know, the investigation hasn't yielded any results yet. And I've been working on it for the better half of a month." Fancy Pants explained "It's pretty hard to run an investigation in the midst of your own re-election campaign. I may have put Blueblood away for good, but there's still Jet Set and his wife Upper Crust to deal with. And they've been pulling out all the stops to bring me down."
"Isn't Jet Set the head of Canter. Corp.?" Batmare asked.
"Indeed he is." Fancy Pants replied "And I suspect that's why he's trying to unseat me, whatever he's hiding must be something very damaging to his reputation."
"Well, it's a good thing you've got the finanical support of Princess Twilight and her royal advisors." Batmare said with a smile "I hear that Miss. Rarity in particular has been donating almost non-stop to your re-election fund. With them on your side, along with Robin and I, you've got this in the bag."
"I sure hope so, crime and corruption have been on the decline since I took office and I intend to keep it that way." Fancy Pants said firmly "I'm just glad that this campaign is almost over."
"So am I." Batmare replied "Now, I'd better go before anypony sees me. If you need to contact me, you know how I can be reached." And with that, Batmare left through an open window.
Now Fancy Pants was alone, but he didn't mind. Sometimes, a little peace and quiet was a welcome change. Even so (although he wouldn't admit to himself) he was starting to worry about his chances for re-election. The results were due to start coming in very soon, and he couldn't help but worry. "What if I am somehow defeated? What will happen to me then?" he thought to himself.
Then his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Upon opening it, Fancy Pants was greeted with the sight of his wife Fleur De Lis. Her beautiful snow white coat, and poofy yet elegant mane were a welcome sight to the young district attorney.
"Fancy Pants darling, must you continue to go through with your investigation of Canter. Corp.?" Fleur asked "You've already made a significant difference in your time as district attorney."
"I know you're worried about me Fleur, but I didn't get to where I was by turning my back on the citizens of Equestria." Fancy Pants replied firmly "I made a promise, and I intend to keep it til the day I die."
"It's just that, lately I've been plagued with reocurring nightmares. And in every single one of them, I see you being savegley attacked and beaten by someone or something." Fleur admitted "I fear that these nightmares are a warning sign. If you do not cease your investigation, you may pay for it with your life. I know this sounds selfish of me, but please don't do this. Leave the investigation to somepony else. Please."
Fancy Pants sighed, he knew that his wife's dreams were not to be taken lately. After all, they had been responsible for her convincing her husband to run for district attorney in Canterlot. And he'd won by an overwhelming majority. Even so, he didn't want to just wrap up his investigation part way through. "I'll tell you what Fleur, why don't we let lady luck decide this for us?" he suggested, and pulled out a special bit coin that had been given to him by his very first campaign donor. "If it lands on heads, I'll continue my investigation. And if it lands on tails I'll see about transferring the investigation to another individual. No matter what happens though, I want you to promise me you'll support me."
"I will always support you Fancy Pants." Fleur promised "You should know that by now."
"Just making sure." Fancy Pants replied, and tossed the coin into the air. When it came back, he caught it, picked it up, and looked at it. "Well, heads it is." he stated.
"Why do I get the feeling that was your two headed coin?" Fleur asked.
"You know me too well Fleur. I am guilty, as charged." Fancy Pants admitted "But I simply cannot bring myself to give up on this investigation. I have a feeling that the truth is right under my nose."
All Fleur could do was sigh, it was no use trying to convince her husband otherwise. And since she had already promised to support him, there was nothing more she could do except pray to Celestia that her nightmares were just nightmares, and not something else. "I'm going to go down to the telegraph station to hear the votes being counted. Things are already looking good, if all goes well you could win as early as the next hour." Fleur said, as headed out the door "Where do you want me to arrange your press confrence?"
"Wherever you'd like my dear." Fancy Pants replied "I'll join you in a little bit, I just need to finish filing some paperwork."
"Don't take too long." Fleur smiled, and left the office.
A few minutes later, Fancy Pants had just finished filing away the final piece of paperwork that commanded his attention for the immediate future. The rest could wait until later. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "That's weird." Fancy Pants thought to himself, as he went to go answer it "I wasn't expecting any visitors besides Batmare and Fleur. It's probably Upper Crust coming to yack my ear off about leaving her husband's business alone, for the fifthteenth time this month."
But upon opening the door, Fancy Pants was created with the sight of a group of masked stallions. "Excuse me." one of the stallions spoke in an oily voice "You ever dance with the devil on a pale moonlit night?"
Fancy Pants was surprised at the question "Why do you ask?" he said nervously.
"Oh, no reason really." the masked stallion replied "It's just a little something we were told to ask. Now, you are District Attorney Fancy Pants, the district attorney made famous for his cooperation with Batmare, right?"
"Yes I am." Fancy Pants said firmly "Is there something I can help you with?"
"As a matter of fact, there is." the masked stallion said ominously "Grab him boys!" Without warning, two other masked stallions leaped forward and grabbed hold of Fancy Pants, refusing to let go.
Fancy Pants tried to light up his horn and fend off the attackers, but a third stallion was one step ahead of him. And quickly slipped a magical blocking ring onto Fancy Pants' horn, rendering his magic powerless. All the district attorney could do now, was kick and flail about. "Let go of me!" he shouted "Do you know the trouble you've just found?!"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll tell us." the masked stallion from earlier chuckled "Nothing personal, but we've been paid a good deal of money to mess you up a bit. Or I should say, a lot!" To prove his point, the masked stallion pulled out a baseball bat and began to smash it repeatedly against Fancy Pant's body.
The other gang members joined in, using crowbars, shovels, frying pans, and whatever blunt instruments they felt would do a good enough job. Some of them took turns throwing punches and kicks, while others laughed wickedly.
"Stop, please stop!" Fancy Pants pleaded, as he began to be beaten senseless. Already, his suit was becoming stained with the unmistakeable redness of his own blood. It wasn't long before he felt weak, and collapsed onto the ground. Pain coursing through his veins.
Using their magic, two of the masked stallions dragged Fancy Pants back up to his hooves. "We ain't done with you yet!" one of the stallions hissed "So the least you could do is stand up and take your beatin' like a stallion!" Said stallion then rammed his elbow into Fancy Pant's stomach, the impact striking the district attorney hard in the chest and knocking the breath out of him.
While this assault was going on, Batmare and Robin had their own problem to deal with. They were still recovering from the licking they'd faced during their encounter with Miss. Freeze.
Suddenly, one of the screens in the Bat Cave caught signs of trouble. "Take a look at this, it's some of Miss. Freeze's henchponies." Batmare said to Robin, as they saw the unmistakeable signs of stolen Canter. Corp. suits. It was obvious that Miss. Freeze and her subordinates had something against Canter. Corp.
"It's the guys from the museum, except without the hockey outfits!" Robin exclaimed "And they match the profiles of the culprits from the latest Canter. Corp. break in! But, what are they doing in Ponyville all on their own?!"
"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Batmare replied, her gloved hooves clenched tightly in anger "Come on Robin! We're going after them!"
"About time I saw some action!" Robin said seriously "They won't get the best of us this time!". He hopped onto his motorbike, while Batmare hopped into The Batmobile. And the dynamic duo quickly sped off to confront the evil doers.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" one of the goons asked, as he eyed the outskirts of Ponyville.
"Positive. The dynamic duo can never resist the chance to put evil doers like us in our place." another goon said with a smirk.
"But what about Miss. Freeze? The boss ain't gonna be too happy to find out we're picking fights with her enemies." a third goon asked, nervously pacing back and forth.
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her, and besides all that we're doing her a favor." the second goon said in reply "This way we can test the waters and see if Ponyville is a good first target for that 'secret weapon' she's been working on."
"I don't think this is such a good idea." the first said nervously "Maybe we should just forget about Ponyville and go back to Manehattan."
"And miss out on the easiest money we'll ever make? I don't think so!" the goon leader snorted "Don't forget, we're gettin' paid a good deal to draw those two goody gooders out into the open! Speaking of which, it seems our 'guests' have arrived. You know what to do men, let's give them a reception they'll never forget!"
"You got it!" one of the goons replied, and began to fire his machine gun on the approaching super heroes. The Batmobile swerved, and swayed, dodging any bullets that threatened to puncture its tires. As for Robin, he kept his motorbike's movement as eratic and unpredictable as he could to throw the goons off.
Eventually, Robin got close enough to leap off of his bike and tackle one of the goons. Taking advantage of the diversion, Batmare swooped in and knocked down two more goons.
"Well, well. I was wonderin' when you goody goody two horseshoes were gonna show." the goon leader smirked, as he eyed Batmare and Robin while keeping his trusty tommy gun close at hoof. A thick black mask obscured his face.
"So, you're the one responsible for this attack?" Batmare asked.
"Indeed I am." the goon leader said firmly.
"Where's your boss?" Robin asked "Shouldn't she be here too, or is she too afraid to show her face in these parts?"
"There's no need for the boss to get involved!" the goon leader shouted, and fired his tommy gun. Robin narrowly evaded the shot. "As you can see, I'm more than a match for the two of you! Ain't that right boys?!"
"That's right." the other goons replied.
"So you think having an army gives you the edge huh?" Robin taunted "And here I thought you were smart."
"Watch it boy wonder, or we'll see how useful you are when I put a bullet through your skull!" the goon leader threatened "You know, it was pretty foolish of you to go without a mask like Batmare. At least she'll put up an actual challenge!"
"You think you're so tough just because you have a gun?" Robin asked.
"You're testing my patience boy blunder!" the goon leader hissed, he pointed his tommy gun closer to Robin.
"I think I've heard enough!" Batmare replied, and knocked the gun away with a well placed batarang "Let's teach this blowhard a thing or two about humility!"
"I'm right behind you Batmare!" Robin smiled, and the two of them leaped into action.
"Get them!" the goon leader shouted. The other goons didn't need to be told twice, and leapt into the fray. The goon leader smiled happily, as Batman and Robin were quickly occupied with battling his subordinates. This gave him the time he needed to grab his tommy gun. "Time to clip the boy wonder's wings." he thought to himself, as he once again aimed the gun at Robin.
"These guys just don't know when to give up, do they?" Robin asked Batmare, as he kicked one goon into another, sending the two of them to the ground.
"Indeed they don't." Batmare replied, as she used her batarang to take down an entire group of goons that had come charging at her. Then, out of the corner of her eye she spotted something familiar. It didn't take her long to recognize what it was "Robin, behind you!" she shouted. Robin did so, and gasped at the sight of a tommy gun being pointed directly at him.
"DIE BIRD BOY!" the goon leader shouted, and pulled the trigger tightly. Time seemed to come to a crawl, as Robin threw up his arms to try and protect himself. While Batmare, reacting quickly, threw an explosive pellet directly into the tommy gun's path. There was an explosion, and a scream. Batmare quickly pulled Robin down, and threw her cape over him, shielding him from the blast.
"Are you alright Batmare?" Robin asked, when the ringing in his ears stopped.
"I'll be fine." Batmare replied, relieved that her quick thinking had saved her student's life "I'm just glad that no good stallion didn't get to you. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me."
"Thanks for saving my life, again." Robin said with gratitude, as he stood up "Let's hope this doesn't become a pattern." And with that, the threat to Ponyville had been stopped.
The same couldn't be said for Fancy Pants, who tried in vain to fight back against his attackers as they continued to beat him ruthlessly. "Is this it? Is this how it all ends?" he thought to himself.
Just when he thought he could take no more, the harsh blows and kicks stopped. Fancy Pants felt the magical hold on him fade, and he collapsed onto the ground once again. By now, he was completely covered in blood, his suit and coat all but covered in red. His breaths felt labored and shallow, as if he could barely draw in enough air.
"Alright, that should be good enough." the stallion with the oily voice said "What do you think boys? Think the client's going to be happy with our work?"
"Almost, it seems like there's something missing." another stallion suggested "And I think I know what that something is." Using his magic, the masked stallion pulled out a container of something. Fancy Pants gasped when he saw what it was.
"Acid? Oh yeah, that'll definitely be the icing on the cake for this assignment." the stallion with the oily voice chuckled "Do the honors my good stallion."
"You've got it!" the other stallion replied, and slowly walked over to where Fancy Pants was laying on the floor. Fancy Pants tried to move, but the pain rocketing through his body prevented him from doing so. All he could do, was look up in horror at what awaited him. In a matter of seconds, he felt something splash onto the left side of his face. Then, came a burning sensation that made him scream at the top of his lungs. And the pain only got worse, as the corrosive chemical trickled down.
The masked stallions laughed, and after leaving behind a calling card (as they had been instructed to do) they left the scene. Poor Fancy Pants couldn't do anything. All he could do was lay there in pain, hoping and praying that someone would notice him before it was too late.
"And the results are in. Fancy Pants has been re-elected District Attorney for Canterlot by an even greater margin than his first election campaign!" an announcer declared at the telegraph station. Everyone who had worked on the Fancy Pants comission errupted into cheers and shouts of joy, even Jet Set's supporters couldn't help but be amazed at what they'd overheard.
But there was one pony who Fleur noticed wasn't part of the celebration, her husband. "It couldn't have taken him this long to file that paperwork." she thought to herself "I should probably go check up on him. Chances are he just fell asleep at his desk, again." And with that, she quietly but quickly slipped away.
When she entered her husband's office, however, a terrible sight awaited Fleur's eyes. There was her husband, laying on the floor. Blood stains were everywhere, and his normally majestic white coat and black suit were covered with blood. Several gash marks, and bruise marks appeared at random spots on his body. But worst of all, half of his face had been splashed with acid.
Upon seeing such a sight, Fleur screamed and immediately rushed to her husband's side. "Fancy Pants?! Fancy Pants, please speak to me!" she pleaded frantically, ignoring the fact that some of his blood was leaking onto her.
"F-Fleur, please, get....help." Fancy Pants said weakly, barely able to mutter the words as he struggled to maintain consciousness.
"We sure showed those clowns, didn't we?" Robin asked, as he and Batmare returned to the Batcave.
"It was... satisfactory I suppose." Batmare replied, after pausing for a moment.
"What do you mean it was satisfactory? We kicked those suckers butts from here to the moon!" Robin said enthusiastically.
"Perhaps, but it seemed too easy." Batmare confessed "It was almost as if those goons wanted to be caught."
"So, you think we were set up somehow?" Robin asked "If so, then by who? And for what reason?"
"I don't know Robin, but I have a bad feeling we'll find out sooner than we think." Batmare replied.
Sure enough, upon returning to The Batcave Batman and Robin were surprised to see Granny Smith waiting there to greet them. The look on her face indicating that she had some very bad news.
"What is it Granny Smith?" Robin asked.
"It's Fancy Pants! While you two were out fighting off those troublemakers, some members of the Shadow Triad came by and attacked him!" Granny Smith revealed "They even splashed half of his face with acid, just before they left!"
The news spread like wildfire. When word leaked out to the press, the headlines screamed with outrageous titles. "Savage Attack Leaves Equestria's Greatest Defense Attorney Out of Luck" The Ponyville Express proclaimed. "District Attorney Pants Fights for Life After Assault" Canterlot Times screamed. "'I Found Him Battered and Bleeding!' Says D.A. Pants' Bewildered Wife" Baltimare Gazzet shouted. Newspaper after newspaper was quick to jump onto this breaking news bandwagon, and each paper sent a reporting crew to the hospital in Canterlot, where the wounded district attorney remained in critical condition.
Fleur De Lis was beside herself with grief, and barely able to hold herself together long enough to shoe away the press. She could not even bring herself to be by her husband's side, as doctors and nurses tried everything they could think of to save Fancy Pants' life.
But there was one pony who wasn't upset, or furious about this turn of events. From inside his padded cell in Canterlot Aslyum, The Joker smiled. "At last, revenge is mine." he thought to himself. The guards were completely puzzled as to why the stallion they were guarding had so much of an interest in the horrific news. No matter what they tried, however, they were unable to pry an answer out of him.
It didn't take long for Batmare to find out just who was responsible for the attack. The Shadow Triad had originally just been a small gang that would commit some petty crime, and then run away at the first sign of trouble. But that had all changed the instant a certain stallion had come along, and allied himself with them.
"Where are we going Batmare?" Robin asked, as the dynamic duo left The Batcave the morning after the attacks. It was very rarely that either of them would come out during the day, seeing as most criminal activity was absent during day light hours.
"To Canterlot Asylum, so we can get some answers." Batmare replied, her voice sounding like a mix of grief, frustration, and most of all anger. Robin had rarely seen Batmare so worked up, and he didn't like it.
"Are you really sure we should be doing this?" Robin asked Batmare, as they left the outskirts of Ponyville. He couldn't see the expression on Batmare's face, due to the cockpit of The Batmobile concealing it. But he was certain that if he could see, he wouldn't like what he saw.
"If you don't want to accompany me then you don't have to." Batmare said sternly "This isn't going to be a social visit, or anything remotely similar. You may not like what I'm going to do."
Robin decided it was best to say nothing at all, and remained silent for the rest of the journey. Soon enough, it all came to an end. They stopped in Canterlot, but just by looking at the surrounding area you would have a hard time believing such a thing. The ground seemed surprisingly void of life, as if something had drained away all of the joy and innocence. The only building in this far from pleasant corridor of Equestria's capital city, was a brick building that had clearly seen better days. It looked garish and unattractive, the rusty red coloring of the bricks betrayed its age, making it seem as if it had been abandoned for decades. When in fact, it had first opened its doors just a year ago.
Looking up at the sign, one would inexplicably feel shivers run down their spines as they read the name of the building. Canterlot Asylum: A Home for The Mentally Challenged of Equestria.
Very few criminals called this place home, and for good reason. The few that ended up here never left, they spent the rest of their days locked away in the padded cells and rooms that were heavily guarded. On the rare occassions when they weren't in their rooms, they were always watched over by some of the most unforgiving members of Equestria's royal guard. Both Princess Celestia and Captain Shining Armor were in the dark about how the guards treated the "patients" that inhabitated the asylum, and for good reason. If they knew of the horrid conditions and unspeakable creulities that exisited in the facility, they would be apalled and disgusted. The formation of an asylum had been heavily opposed by the both of them, but even District Attorney Fancy Pants had trumpted the idea of a place to keep the most dangerous and unstabble criminals, where they could do no harm to anyone.
Alas, the idea had not turned out as planned. And when Fancy Pants had withdrawn all finacial support for the facility (much to Batmare's disapproval) it fell into a state of ruin and was quickly forgotten about. Anytime someone tried to introduce a bill to fix up the place it was quickly shot down, and thus the viscious cycle repeated itself on an infinite loop of destruction and decay.
As Batmare stormed into the building with a not so subtle anger, Robin began to grow very worried. "There's only one reason why we'd come to this place." he thought to himself, as he followed his mentor inside "It's to see him!" To be fair, the clues that tied the stallion Robin was thinking of to the crime had been anything but subtle. In fact, it was as if said stallion had wanted Batmare to know he was responsible. But for what reason?
"Is he in there?" Batmare asked one of the seucrity guards protecting a cell at the end of a long hallway.
"Yes. He hasn't moved an inch since the news reached his ears." the security guard replied "He's just sat there, with a fiendish smile. He hasn't said a word, but it's obvious he's enjoying every last detail."
"Good. Open the door and let me inside!" Batmare demanded.
"Batmare, as much as I would love to just let you inside and chat with that scum bag I can't." the security guard said with a sigh "There are certain regulations and guidelines that have to be followed."
Batmare clenched her front gloved hooves up in anger. "I think you'll find that this is all the 'regulation' you'll need." she said angrily, glaring at the security guard.
The security guard, for his part, said nothing. He just swiped his card, and the door to the cell was opened. Robin arrived, just in time to see Batmare head into the padded room. Without hestiation, Robin chased after her.
Now the dynamic duo was finally face to face with the super villan who had brought them together, while also proving to be a menace they had hoped would remain locked away forever.
"Oh, how delightful. I have visitors." The Joker said, the fiendish smile plastered firmly on his face "And if my eyes don't decieve me, it is none other than Gunaomare and her ever faithful sidekick Boy Blunder. It's so nice of you to stop by. Fancy a spot of tea?" The Joker held out a small tea set with his magic.
Batmare growled, her hooves still clenched tightly in anger. She promptly slammed them down on the table. "Can the act, you know why I'm here!" she yelled, unable to contain her anger anymore "You're responsible for the act on District Attorney Fancy Pants, aren't you?!"
"Oh Batsy, must we resort to this tired old game of cat and mouse? And in front of the boy no less?" The Joker asked in the most codescending tone possible.
"I'm no boy!" Robin hissed. He wanted to say more, but he knew Batmare wouldn't let him.
"I said can the damn act!" Batmare shouted, her patience already having completed faded "You're behind the act, I know it! You left those clues behind on purpose, knowing that I'd find out it was you!"
"Are you really that dense? Who's to say I can't slip up every now and then?" The Joker asked, fegining stupidity "Being insane can make it hard for you to have a normal thought process. What may seem like a good idea in your mind, might actually be the worst possible idea that's ever exisited."
"Why?!" Batmare asked furiously.
"Why did I do such a thing you ask?" The Joker replied "Simple really. I felt like you'd forgotten about me ever since you had thrown into this hell hole they call an asylum. I know you've been busy dealing with other super villans, but surely you didn't think you could so easily shut me up? All I had to do was call in a few favors from a friend you never bothered to chase down."
"So instead of going after me, you went after the stallion who got you kicked out of Canterlot instead. Just so you could make me angry?!" Batmare asked furiously.
"Now you're actually starting to get it my dear delusional dark knight." The Joker said, his face returning to its usual sadistic smile "But I didn't just do it to make you mad, although I admit it is rather nice to see you all riled up. I also did it to prove a point."
"What?!" Batmare growled.
"You believe that District Attorney Fancy Pants is your ally, and maybe he was. But did you ever stop to think that maybe he might have a target on his back as well? Did it never occur to you that someone might be a sore loser, and seek to take it out on him?" The Joker asked "For all your stern and drama, you never seemed to put forth much of an effort to ensure your so called 'friend' was safe. And look what happened. You let your guard down, and while you were busy with a wild goose chase your 'friend' nearly lost his life. If he ever recovers, he's going to hate you for the rest of his life!"
"All because of your sick and twisted schemes!" Batmare said furiously, grabbing The Joker's coat with one gloved hoof.
"That's enough Batmare!" Robin interrupted, frantically placing one of his claws onto Batmare's shoulder "You can't let him rattle you, that's exactly what he wants. If you lose your temper and do anything to him, you'll be in big trouble."
"Stay out of this Robin, it doesn't concern you!" Batmare replied furiously, tightening her grip on The Joker.
The Joker, for his part, showed no signs of concern or worry. Even as Batmare pressed him up against a wall, and began to strangle him. "So, you actually gonna finish the job this time?" he taunted, even as he struggled to breath "Or are you just gonna leave me in a body cast for a few months and hope I learn my lesson?"
Batmare said nothing for a moment, as she contemplated what she wanted to do. "I oughta...." she said sternly, her grip tightening up even more. There was a pregnant pause that seemed to hang over the room for a long period of time. But a second later, Batmare loosened her grip and let The Joker fall to the ground ".....but I won't. You're not worth it." she finished.
For a moment, The Joker merely caught his breath. But then, as if to throw salt onto an open wound he said "What a disappointment, I really thought you were going to end it all. Oh well, guess you can't win em all. But at least now you know that you can't keep a mad clown down for long. Sooner or later, he'll find a way to come back and deliver a punchline you'll never see coming. Just call me, an agent of chaos."
"We're done here Robin, let's go home." Batmare said, sighing deeply as she left the cell and headed out to The Batmobile. Was it Robin's imagination, or did she suddenly sound depressed?
As the dynamic duo headed back to The Batcave to plan their next move, an important event was taking place at the hospital where District Attorney Fancy Pants was recovering.
"Now, I want you to understand there's going to be some scaring as a result of your attack." a doctor said to Fancy Pants, as he set to work on removing the bandages that covered the young District Attorney's face. In a matter of seconds, the bandages were removed. And upon looking in the mirror, Fancy Pants got a chance to see just how badly his face had been scared as a result of his attack.
The sight that awaited him in the mirror when he took a look, was anything but pleasant. The side of his face that had been splashed with acid, now looked like some sort of alien blob. It constrasted quite horribly with the side of his face that had remained acid free. To make matters worse, this mutation apparently extended all the way down the left side of his body.
Witnessing such a horrific sight, Fancy Pants did the first thing that came to his mind. He screamed, and made a frantic run from the hospital. The doctors and nurses tried to stop him, to no avail.
No one knew it at the time, but this would be the last time Fancy Pants would be seen as Equestria's up and coming district attorney. When he next appeared in the eyes of the public, he would have not only a new identity, but also a new name. Two Face.
No one took the news of Fancy Pants' fleeing from the hospital harder than Fleur De Lis. She blamed herself for the whole thing, believing that she had not been there to offer support to her husband when he needed it most. As the days passed without any word of the district attorney's whereabouts, Fleur became consumed with grief. She refused to leave her home except for an occassional visit to her husband's office, which remained vacant. Since no one knew whether or not Fancy Pants would ever return, an election was being organized to determine who should take his place.
Jet Set attempted to throw his hat back into the ring, but many ponies still believed that he was the one responsible for the savage attack on the promising district attorney. And so, out of fear for his safety, Jet Set withdrew from the race.
Batmare and Robin learned of the terrible news when they returned to The Batcave, and upon hearing it Batmare was all but crippled with guilt. "It's just like The Joker said, I wasn't there for him when he needed me most." she thought to herself.
The news only got worse from then on, as word soon began to spread about a new crime boss going by the name of Two Face. What was most interesting about this boss, was that he seemed to have no logic behind his targets. Sometimes, he would go after companies that district attorney Fancy Pants had prosecuted. And other times he would target companies that no one had touched in court. And each time, it seemed like there were some things that should've been stolen, but were left behind. About the only good news to emerge, was the prolonged abscence of Miss. Freeze. But many ponies, griffons, and other creatures hardly noticed, they were too busy trembling in fear of Two Face.
To make matters worse Batmare and Robin, much like Miss. Freeze, seemed to disappear without a trace. No one knew where they had gone, or why they weren't fighting back against this newest criminal threat.
At last, Robin lost patience. He complained to Batmare about her refusal to do anything. "I don't get it!" he said furiosuly "Why are we just standing here, when there are innocent citizens of Equestria who need our help?! We should be out there, fighting back against this so called Two Face!"
"Equestria doesn't need us." Batmare replied sadly "If it weren't for us, this Two Face guy wouldn't have shown up. We created him."
"No we didn't!" Robin snorted "We don't even know what he looks like yet."
"Robin, anyone can tell that it's Fancy Pants. It makes perfect sense." Batmare explained "The District Attorney disappears from the hospital, and a few days later various companies are being targeted by a new crime boss. Two Face is a dead give away."
"That may be so, but have you forgotten that it was The Joker who orchestrated that vicious attack?!" Robin asked.
"The Joker may have been responsible for the attack, but we never bothered to visit Fancy Pants when he was in the hospital, fighting for his life." Batmare said with a sigh "When he needed our support, we weren't there to give it to him!"
"There was little we could've done!" Robin replied "And we have no way of knowing for sure that Fancy Pants wouldn't have run off if we had been there! You can't let what The Joker said get into your head, that's just what he wants! He wants us to do nothing, it's his way of getting back at us!"
"No, what The Joker said is true." Batmare said somberly "In the time since he was put behind bars, we've had two new major threats to Equestria. The first was Miss. Freeze a.k.a Princess Luna, and the second is Two Face a.k.a Fancy Pants. The simple fact of the matter is, we're doing more harm than good. We're pushing hard on the criminal word, and it's pushing back with these new threats. The more we try to make a difference for the better, the more we make things worse for everyone."
"This isn't like you Batmare!" Robin said seriously "Where's the Batmare that saved me from The Joker's clutches, and took me under her wing as her student? Where's the Batmare who taught me how to overcome your fears? Where's the Batmare who refused to give up even when things looked bleak? Where's that Batmare?!"
"She's gone, and she's never coming back." Batmare said, turning her head away "This discussion is over."
"No it's not! Don't you dare turn your back on me!" Robin yelled "I'm tired of standing around and watching, while everything I care about is put in harm's way! With or without you, I'm going to fight back!"
"Robin please, think about what you're doing." Batmare pleaded desperately.
"I've thought long and hard about this." Robin replied "If you wanna wallow in self pity then fine, but don't expect me to just sit idly by while inncoent citizens of Equestria suffer! I think the time has come for this partnership to end."
"Robin please, I've already lost so much. I don't want to lose you as well!" Batmare pleaded "It's not too late to change your mind."
But Robin refused to listen. In fact, he got so mad that he slapped Batmare across the face. "That hurt me more than it did you." he said, turning sadly away "But hopefully I've knocked some sense into that thick skull of yours. I wish I could say it's been an honor working with you, but in the past few days it really hasn't." And with that Spike took off his mask, and threw it on the ground. He did the same thing with his suit, his cape, his gloves, and his boots. Then, he stormed out of The Batcave.
For a long time, Batmare just stood there. At last, when she was certain Spike wasn't coming back, Applejack took off her mask and rubbed a hoof over the spot where Spike had slapped her.
"Applejack?" Granny Smith asked, as she saw tears form in the eyes of her granddaughter.
"I just... want to be alone for a while. There are some things I need to think about." Applejack replied, and headed up to her room "Don't bother me."
Granny Smith watched as Applejack trotted sadly away. All she could do was sigh, and look at a picture that she rarely looked at anymore. It was a picture of her, in the prime of her youth, standing beside the barn of Sweet Apple Acres. Standing next to her was an earth pony stallion with a dark red coat, a dusty green mane and tail, eyes the most brilliant shade of blue, and a cutie mark a small green apple.
It still pained her to remember her husband, Adam Apple. Whereas most marriages resulted in the mare losing her maiden name, Adam had allowed Granny Smith to keep her last name and changed his last name to Apple. Unfortunately, their marriage had been short lived. Adam Apple was a heavy smoker, and the numerous cigarettes he consumed took a tole on his lungs. It was no surprise when he contracted lung cancer, even after Granny Smith had convinced him to give up smoking. Doctors tried everything they could to save him, but it was too late. To make matters worse, their only child was stillborn. It was not until her daughter in law Apple Dumpling gave birth to Big Macintosh, that she again felt happiness. And unfortunately, that happiness was taken away with the murder of both Apple Fritter Sr. and Apple Dumpling, shortly after the birth of Apple Bloom.
"Oh Adam, if only you were still here." Granny Smith said to herself "You'd know what to say. You were never one to give up hope, even when you knew you were going to die."
"Two more members of a gang working for the mysterious crime boss Two Face were found tied up outside the First Equestrian National Bank, earlier this morning." a news report was being broadcasted over the radio. A mare in a gray cylinder suit was the only one listening to it, as she sat upon a throne made of solid ice.
"Still no description exists of the mysterious vigilante that has captured the public's attention." the broadcast went on "The questions that remain in the minds of Equestria's citizens are 'Who is this unknown hero?' 'Is this the return of the seemingly absent Batmare?' and 'Will this figure be able to stop the likes of Two Face?'. That concludes our breaking news, and now for the weather."
The mare listening to the broadcast had heard enough, and angrily silenced the radio with a blast of ice from her ray gun. "Why is the public so fascinated with the likes of Batmare, Two Face, and this new public menace?" she complained to herself "Are my own actions really so mundane? Or is society too ignorant to notice what I have planned?" Using her magic, she pulled out a familiar tiny glass cylinder. She gazed lovingly at the pony that spun and danced around in the unending snow. "Rest well my dearly departed Shadow Mist." Miss. Freeze said to the figure "Soon, I shall have avenged your untimely death at the hooves of that monster."
Setting the glass cylinder back down, Miss. Freeze decided to take the time to read up on the news. She was hopeful at least the papers wouldn't be filled with article after article about Two Face, Batmare, or someone else entirely. "If I read one more article about The Joker, I am going to personally head to Canterlot Asylum and find out what it is that makes him so popular. I just hope his madness isn't contagious."
Upon opening The Ponyville Express the first article that greeted Miss. Freeze's eyes was one that would've made her blood boil, if such a thing were still possible. The headline read "Clean Up Continues After Dynamic Duo Thwarts Frosty Thugs: Batmare and Robin praised for stopping Miss. Freeze's attack on Ponyville." "What madness is this?! I did not order an attack!" Miss. Freeze shouted furiously, crumpling the paper in her hooves as she read on about how some of her hench ponies had acted behind her back. Apparently, some ponies needed to be reminded just who was in charge.
In a matter of seconds, all of the masked hockey players had gathered in front of Miss. Freeze. A few seemed worried, but most of them showed no signs of being even the least concerned.
"I can tell you are all curious as to why I have called you here." Miss. Freeze said seriously, as she eyed each and every one of the ponies whose faces were obscured by the masks they wore. "Lately, it has come to my attention that some of you have sought to keep a secret from me. A secret that you assumed I would never notice."
"Come now boss, surely you don't think we'd ever betray you. Right?" one of the players asked nervously.
"Maybe, but I believe that there are some things I did not make abundently clear when I recruited you." Miss. Freeze replied, her red goggles glaring at the player that had just asked the question. "When you join my cause, you swear loyalty to me and only me. Any attempts to defy my authority or work behind my back, are not so easily ignored. Neither are they readily forgiven."
No one dared to say anything.
"If there is anyone who here who has anything they wish to say, speak now." Miss. Freeze continued, pointing her gun at each of the hockey players. Not one of them said anything however. "So, you all wish to deny that you have ever betrayed me? You all wish to claim that you are innocent and know nothing?" The players nodded.
"Well if such is the case, there's only one thing to do." Miss. Freeze replied "I will need a volunteer to step forward, for a personal demonstration."
Plucking up courage, the masked goalie said in his gruff voice "I shall be your volunteer, your excellency. Let me just say that it has been an honor to fight by your side all this time."
"I'm sure it has." Miss. Freeze stated. Then, without hesitation, she turned her ray gun on the masked goalie.
The masked goalie was shocked, as were his associates. "Why are you doing this to me?" he demanded to know, as he felt his body being frozen solid.
Miss. Freeze didn't say anything, until she stopped firing the ray gun. By this point, the only part of the masked goalie not covered in ice was his head. "You are serving as an example, of what happens to those who attempt to doublecross me." Miss. Freeze explained "Now, you are paying the price for your incomptence and refusal to admit the truth."
"I didn't do anything!" the masked goalie protested "I truly and sincerely don't know what happened!"
"Really?" Miss. Freeze asked, pointing her ray gun at the masked goalie's face "I would seriously reconsider that thinking. You are trying to hide something, and it would be wise if you told me what it is."
"Alright, alright! We sold out!" the masked goalie explained.
"To who?!" Miss. Freeze demanded.
"We never met face to face, honest!" the masked goalie said, shivering from the ice that surrounded his body "He just sent us a letter with instructions, and told us that if we followed them to the letter, we'd get paid! We were suppose to serve as a distraction, but we were never told why!"
"Thank you for finally telling me the truth." Miss. Freeze said with a straight face, then she walked away.
"Hey! You're not just gonna leave him like that, are you boss?!" one of the hockey players asked, as some of the other players tried to thaw out the masked goalie.
"Forget about him! He should not have attacked Ponyville behind my back just to earn a few bits." Miss. Freeze said coldly.
"But, he's one of us." another hockey player expressed.
"Then if you'd like to share his fate, I shall be glad to arrange it." Miss. Freeze replied, pointing her ray gun at the remaining players "If however, you wish to survive, then you will walk away and leave this stallion to his fate. I will free him from his icy prison when I believe he has fufilled his purpose. For now though, I shall leave him as he is to serve as a reminder to you all. Do not attempt to defy my authority again, or you won't live to regret it."
The masked goalie simply watched, as his fellow associates turned their backs on him. Leaving him to shiver mercessily from the ice. All he could do was hope to be thawed out in the near future. Now, given the choice, he'd rather be locked away in a jail cell. At least then, he would be warm.
Miss. Freeze sighed, as she looked at the equipment her henchponies had stolen from Canter Corp. in the past week. "I guess the old saying is true 'Good help is so hard to find these days.'" She complained to herself.
"You want help? I might be able to provide you with it." a stallion with a gruff voice said.
"Who are you? Show yourself at once!" Miss. Freeze demanded.
"Of course, who I am to disagree with a former princess?" the stallion replied. Emerging from the shadows was a stallion clad in a suit that was half white, and half black. He had a tommy gun in one hoof, and a bit in the other. The right side of his face looked normal, which seemed to match the white half of the tuxedo. But the left side of his face looked horribly disfigured and seemed like something straight out of a horror movie, matching the black half of the tuxedo all too well.
"So, now Equestria's most promising district attorney has decided to grace me with his prescence." Miss. Freeze stated "But why have you come here? Something tells me that you do not intend to arrest me."
"That may have been what weak minded Fancy Pants' idea, but luckily for the both of us that pony is no longer around." the stallion explained "Now, there is only Two Face."
"I see. So you're that new crime boss I've heard so much about. I am delighted to meet you." Miss. Freeze said, bowing to her visitor.
"The pleasure is all mine." Two Face replied with a smile "But enough small talk, I have a proposition for you. You want help, right?"
"Yes I do. But how can you help me?" Miss. Freeze asked with concern.
"I know how to keep your subordinates in line. You don't get to my level of sucess without knowing what strings to pull and what buttons to push." Two Face explained. "In return, I want access to that technology you stole from Canter Corp."
"And why should I agree to such a thing? What reason could you possibly have for wanting to join forces with me?" Miss. Freeze asked "Considering what has just happened, I am weary of who I decide to trust."
"We share a common foe. Canter Corp. is clearly hiding something, and with your icy powers and my highly skilled associates, it will only be a matter of time until we find out what it is." Two Face replied, smiling sincerely.
"And what word do I have that you will not betray as others have sought to do?" Miss. Freeze asked suspiciously "What proof do I have of your trust and sincerity?"
"My word as a crime boss of course. If there's one thing I will always be no matter what, it is a stallion of my word." Two Face stated "So, are you interested in working with your's truly? Or would you rather go it alone? It's your choice."
"I accept your terms, on one condition." Miss. Freeze said, after a moment of consideration.
"Typical, everypony has their price. Name yours." Two Face insisted.
"I am not motivated by something as petty as money, I have a personal vendetta to pursue." Miss. Freeze scoffed "My condition is simple, I shall call the shots around here. If you have a problem with my authority, then I suggest you leave now. This is the only way I can ensure you will not double cross me."
"Well, your proposal sounds interesting. But I'm feeling a bit 'conflicted' on the terms." Two Face explained "So I'm gonna solve it the old fashioned way, with a coin toss. If it lands heads, we have a deal. But if it lands tails, then we are enemies to the bitter end."
"Then I hope, for your sake, that it does not turn up tails." Miss. Freeze warned.
"The only one who can control that now is lady luck herself." Two Face replied, and used his magic to toss a bit into the air. When it came back down, Two Face caught it with his magic and looked at it. Time seemed to slow to a halt, as he looked carefully at the gold coin. "Well, it seems today is your lucky day." he said at last "It's heads."
"Then, it pleases me to welcome you into my ranks." Miss. Freeze said with a smile "Together, we shall destroy anything and everything that gets in our way."
"Including that pesky Batmare." Two Face added "In fact, I've already devised a foolproof scheme that will make sure she's out of the picture for good."
Attack On Ponyville: Part 1 (Invasion From The Everfree)
Two Face quickly proved himself to be a valueable ally to Miss. Freeze, but as the days ticked by, this "Nightwing" figure continued to be a thorn in their backside. All the while, Batmare and Robin were still nowhere to be seen.
At last, Two Face came up with a solution. "The only we can get rid of our enemies for good, is with an all out attack on Ponyville." he told Miss. Freeze, showing her a holographic table map of Ponyville "Once the rest of Equestria sees just how much of a threat we are, they'll surrender to us in a heartbeat."
"And what if they do not?" Miss. Freeze asked "What should be done with those foolish enough to resist?"
"We make an example out of 'em!" Two Face said, slamming the hoof that wasn't holding his tommy gun down on the table "Then we kill 'em! That should scare off any resistence."
"A bit brutish if you ask me, but if it gets the job done I have no complaints." Miss. Freeze replied "But just how do you propose to bring Ponyville to its knees? The instant we declare an attack, Princess Celestia will send every unit of the royal guards to Ponyville. And if the citizens join forces with the guards, which they most certainly will, our forces will be crushed in an instant."
"That's why, I've devised a strategy to make sure Ponyville falls." Two Face explained "It's a three phase plan, and it works as follow. Phase One: We send some of our more 'disposable' forces into The Everfree Forest. They'll stir up some trouble, and draw attention to themselves. The royal guards won't be able to resist a chance to capture some of our men, and so they'll automatically be deployed in The Everfree Forest."
"The royal guards are highly trained in the art of survival. They will be well prepared for any threats that might dwell in that forest." Miss. Freeze said, shaking her head.
"You think I'm unaware of that fact? Least you forget, when that weak minded Fancy Pants was around, the royal guards marched past almost everyday. I know how they work, and I know how their captain thinks. I'm counting on them to survive the dangers of The Everfree Forest. But by the time they do, they'll be bogged down and exhausted, ripe for the picking." Two Face replied.
"So, what's the next step of that plan of yours?" Miss. Freeze asked "So far, I am not impressed with your idea."
"The best is yet to come." Two Face grinned "While the royal guard is busy with a wild goose chase, some of our forces will apprehend that enchanted zebra that lives in that forest. And once we 'persuade' her, she will be a valueable assest to our cause. If she refuses, we'll lock her up for a while, and see how much pressure we need to apply to make her crack."
"I wasn't certain whether or not you were aware of that zebra's prescence. But I should warn you, I have observed her and it is safe to say that her skills as an enchantress are very much for real." Miss. Freeze said ominously.
"One way or another, we'll catch her. And once old stipes face is out of the picture, we can move on." Two Face replied "Phase Two: In order to flush out any royal guards that might not be deployed in The Everfree Forest, and to confuse the ones that are already deployed, we'll send a larger force into Ponyville in disguise. They'll slip in unnoticed, and reak havoc everywhere they go. By the time the royal guards realize what's going on, it'll be too late."
"A very clever idea, a simple bait and switch on a scale that nopony has ever attempted before." Miss. Freeze realized "Do go on. I'm curious as to how this will all wrap up."
"You're gonna love it!" Two Face grinned fiendishly "I've saved the best for last. Phase Three: All of our remaining forces will meet up and combine together to pick off threats. Then, we move in, and tell that stuffy old mare they call 'mayor' to surrender to us or Ponyville literally gets iced. And when she caves into our demands, we go ahead and freeze Ponyville to the core anyway."
"And what if any 'do gooders' like Batmare, Robin, or Nightwing show up?" Miss. Freeze asked.
"It's simple, we kill 'em! Other than the royal guards, that zebra enchantress, and the mayor, our men will be instructed to kill any resistence on sight." Two Face said, his face taking on a sadistic smile. "So, what do you think? Can I plan 'em or what?"
"As long as you're certain that your plan will end with us in control, and the rest of Equestria begging for mercy, I approve." Miss. Freeze replied "Were such a thing possible, my heart would warm at the thought of being on top once again."
"Then it's settled! In a matter of days, Ponyville won't know what hit it!" Two Face said eagerly "Just leave everything to me."
"Very well, but keep in mind that you will be responsible should anything go wrong." Miss. Freeze warned "Do not make me question my trust in you, or Ponyville will not be the only thing that freezes."
"Just relax." Two Face reassured Miss. Freeze "With me on the job, there will no mistakes."
Before long, Two Face's plan was put into action. Everypony working for either him or Miss. Freeze, was notified of the plan, and given specific instructions on what was to be expected of them.
"Remember boys, I'm paying you a great deal here. So don't screw this up!" Two Face threatened "I will not tolerate failure of any sort! If any of you come back here without completing your assignments, you will answer to my tommy gun! Do I make myself clear?!"
The goons all gulped, Two Face was scary when he was angry. "Yes boss. We won't let you down." they all said.
"See that you don't, now go!" Two Face instructed, and the goons fanned out in every direction. Some headed towards a store in Manehattan to pick up a few "accessoires" for when they headed to Ponyville. Others were flown in a private airship to the outskirts of The Everfree Forest.
"Now pay attention boys!" Two Face said seriously, speaking over the ship's intercom "All of you onboard this flying machine have been chosen for an important mission! Once you reach the drop off point, you will parachute out and land in The Everfree Forest. Once in the forest, start causing as much trouble as you possibly can. The more the better. When the royal guards spot you, run away and lead them deeper into the forest. Two of you should have recieved a special badge on your outfits. If you have it, that means your job is capture Zecora. She's a zebra enchantress that lives in a hut somewhere in the forest. Capture her and bring her back to base. I'll take over from there. Over and out!"
Unknown to Two Face, a certain greenish-yellow coated filly was heading towards Zecora's hut at that very moment. And she was going to unknowingly play a very big part in the outcome of the operation to capture Zecora.
"I really do hate havin' to ask her all the time, but she's the only one who supplies all the ingredients I need to make my potions for Twilight Time." Apple Bloom said to herself, as she followed the usual path to Zecora's hut.
In a matter of seconds, Apple Bloom came upon the familiar carved out hut that was home to the friendly zebra everypony knew and loved. "Wonder if she knows anythin' about that mysterious Nightwing fella." she thought to herself.
But when Apple Bloom knocked on the door of Zecora's hut, there was no reply. The door fell off its hinges, as if something had forced its way inside. "That's funny, Zecora's usually home around this time. And it's not like her to just let her home fall into decay like this." Apple Bloom thought to herself, as she obeserved the inside of the hut. Now, there seemed to be signs of some sort of struggle. At least three sets of hoofprints were present on the floor, and they seemed to go all over the place, even briefly up the walls at various points.
On the floors, empty potion vials lay broken, and vases smashed into pieces. Apple Bloom had to watch her step in order to avoid glass and wood shards. She was starting to grow worried, something must've happened to Zecora! But what?! "Zecora? Zecora? Where are ya Zecora?!" Apple Bloom called, the only reply came in the form of the wind whistling through the open door.
Apple Bloom continued to call out for Zecora, hoping beyond hope that the zebra had just fallen asleep and forgotten to clean up after one of her brews exploded. "Zecora?! Zecora, please answer me! This isn't funny anymore!" Apple Bloom said crossly.
Suddenly, there came a reply "Let me go, you fiendish brute! Or so help me, I'll turn you into a newt!" Zecora shouted.
"Ma'am, quit struggling and come with us! You're only making this harder on yourself!" a male voice said cruelly.
Apple Bloom looked out the window, and gasped. There was Zecora, who looked a lot worse for the wear than she normally did. Several large bruise marks were noticeable on her body, as well as a few cuts that looked pretty nasty. She was currently being dragged kicking and screaming, by two stallions dressed in black suits.
One of the stallions was a grey coated unicorn, with no mane or tail what-so-ever. The other was a brown coated unicorn, with a jet black mane and tail stylized into a buzz cut.
"Zecora!" Apple Bloom shouted, horrified at what she saw. One of her oldest friends was being dragged away by complete strangers, and from the looks of things, Zecora had been beaten up pretty badly.
"Apple Bloom, please run away. These brutes will catch you, if you stay." Zecora replied feebly.
"I'm not leavin' you Zecora, I won't let those guys take you without a fight!" Apple Bloom said seriously.
"Apple Bloom, listen to what I say! I want you to run away!" Zecora pleaded.
"No! I'm not turnin' my back on a friend in need!" Apple Bloom said boldly, and turned her attention to the stallions dragging Zecora away. "Hey! Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb!"
"You talking to us, filly?!" the grey coated stallion asked.
"I am!" Apple Bloom replied "You wanna mess with my friend, you're gonna have to go through me first!"
"Filly, you're out of your league!" the brown coated stallion said with a shake of his head "But if that's the way you want it, fine! It's your funeral!"
"Just try and stop me!" Apple Bloom said boldly, and retreated into the safety of the hut. She quickly began looking around for anything that could help her. As luck would have it, some of Zecora's potion ingredients hadn't yet been touched, and neither had her book of what was needed to make specific enchantments. Using her chemistry set that she had stored in her saddle bag, Apple Bloom set to work on brewing up potions that she could use to save Zecora.
"Try this on for size!" Apple Bloom shouted, as she threw one of the potions she mixed up out the window. It exploded, and in a puff of purple smoke, a miniature thunder cloud appeared.
The grey coated stallion had little time to react, before a bolt of lightning from the cloud struck him on his behind. "Y'ouch!" he exclaimed. "You'll pay for that, you little brat!"
Apple Bloom took no notice, and simply threw another potion out the window. This one exploded in a puff of orange smoke, which produced a massive claw not unlike the one seen in crane games at an arcade.
The claw clamped down onto the brown coated stallion, picked him up, and threw him into a tree. A massive lump formed on his head, and he was starting to see stars. He quicky shrugged it off. "That wasn't funny! You're gonna be sorry, kid! When I get my hooves on you, you'll wish you were never born!"
"Bring it on! I ain't afraid of you guys!" Apple Bloom boasted, and threw two more potions out the window. The first one exploded in a puff of green smoke, and the second in a puff of pink smoke.
The spell contained within the green smoke momentarily froze the goons in their tracks with sticky black tar, leaving them vulernable to a giant bowling ball that emerged from the pink smoke. The two stallions were unable to get out of the way in time, and were squashed flat as the bowling ball rolled over them. They turned back to normal a second later.
"Strike!" Apple Bloom cheered, as the two stallions rose to their hooves and shook themselves off.
"This little twerp is more of a pain then I thought." the grey coated stallion complained.
"Well, what are we gonna do?" the brown coated stallion asked "The boss ain't gonna happy if we come back empty hooved!"
"I have an idea." the grey coated stallion said, and whispered something to his partner.
"Oh, I like this idea!" the brown coated stallion chuckled, a rather fiendish smile forming on his face.
"Just follow my lead, and be ready to light up your horn when I give the signal." the grey coated stallion instructed.
"You boys had enough yet?" Apple Bloom taunted "'Cause I could do this all day!"
"Oh really?" the grey coated stallion asked "Well then, how do you like this?!" And he and his partner quickly lit up their horns. Before Apple Bloom had a chance to react, they fired off two colored beams of magic. One was blue, and the other was red.
Apple Bloom ducked, as the spells flew right past her "Ya missed me!" she taunted.
"Wasn't aiming for ya!" the brown coated stallion replied, as he and his partner ran back to Zecora and promptly grabbed her.
Just as Apple Bloom realized what the stallions were aiming for, a powerful explosion rocked Zecora's hut. "Oh horse apples!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, just before the entire hut was engulfed in flames. Various potions that Apple Bloom had just brewed up, spilled over, and encased her in a variety of different colored smokes.
Zecora was horrified, as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. No words could begin to describe what she was seeing, and indeed no words came out of her mouth. The look of shock that registered on her face was all the proof anyone would've needed to realize what she was going through.
"Come on, ma'am! The boss wants to see you!" the gray stallion said, as he and his partner once again tried to drag Zecora away.
"You killed my dear friend. Consider yourself dead!" Zecora replied, and kicked her captors hard in the chest with her back hooves. The two stallions groaned in agony, and Zecora took advantage of the opportunity to bolt and run.
"Hey! Come back here!" the brown coated stallion shouted, as Zecora began to flee.
"Ah, let her go." the gray coated stallion replied "We've broken her down nice and good. She won't be a threat to us anymore. And even if she wanted to, she can't retaliate. Not with her hut burnt to a crisp. We did far better than the boss was expecting."
"I guess so." the brown coated stallion realized "If this doesn't get the royal guard's attention, nothing will." And he and his partner ran off chuckling and feeling very pleased with themselves.
Zecora knew there was nothing she could do upon reaching her hut. It was already as good as gone. If the explosion hadn't destroyed all of her work, the resulting fire was most certainly doing the trick. A good deal of her life's work had been destroyed in the blink of an eye, and once again the zebra suddenly found herself without a home.
But that wasn't the worst part, far from it. Everything in the hut could be replaced, heck the hut itself could always be rebuilt. Zecora knew the ponies well enough to know that they were always willing to help a friend in need, no matter who that friend might be. But Apple Bloom had been in the hut when it exploded, and in her heart Zecora knew that the filly was dead. No one could survive such a thing. And just like that, her first friend in Equestria was gone, taken from her at the hooves of Two Face and his cold hearted mercenaries.
Zecora always prided herself on being able to come up with a rhyme for any occasion, even the most unexpected ones. But with the realization that the first pony to ever trust her and consider her a friend was gone, on top of everything else, the only word that came out of Zecora's mouth was "No." And it wasn't even a really big, dramatic, drawn out no. It was a no so soft that it could barely be heard. But the tone of voice that had uttered it indicated just how much pain Zecora was in.
With tears in her eyes, and her heart broken into pieces, Zecora put on her thick brown cloak and trotted sadly away. All the while, silently chanting a blessing in her native tongue, for a departed friend taken too soon. If only there was more she could do. But alas, even an enchantress such as herself could not resurrect the dead.
Unknown to Zecora, however, Apple Bloom had survied the explosion and subsequent fire. Some of the potions that had been spilled as a result of the two spells, spilled onto her. And somehow, they changed her DNA. Apple Bloom wasn't sure how or why it had happened, all she knew was that, as fire broke out all around her, all she could think about was being able to change into something that could withstand the heat and smoke.
And then, a miracle happened. Apple Bloom felt her suddenly morph into a giant tortise, with a shell thick enough to keep the flames and smoke out, as well as protect her from falling debris.
For how long Apple Bloom stayed in her literal shell, she had no clue. All she knew was, eventually, she was able to slowly poke her head out and tunnel her way to safety. Once she reached the surface, she shifted back into being a pony, and collapsed on the ground. "Never thought I'd go out quite like this." she thought to herself, as she oberseved her injuries. The explosion hadn't outright killed her, but it had left with her injuries that she knew could not be healed in time to save her life. The nearest hospital was several miles away.
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of white light, and a mysterious figure obscured in a purple cloak and matching hood appeared before Apple Bloom's eyes. "Who.... are... you?" Apple Bloom said weakly.
"A friend, that is all you need to know." the figure replied, her voice sounding like something from a realm beyond the one Apple Bloom dwelled in. The figure scooped Apple Bloom up, and in another flash of light, Apple Bloom found herself deposited outside Ponyville General Hospital.
Thanks to the mysterious figure, Apple Bloom was brought back from the brink of death. But her life was forever changed.
"It seems, that you now somehow posses the ability to transform into any type of animal known to ponies." Nurse Redheart told Apple Bloom.
Furious at such a statement, Apple Bloom turned into a gryphon, and flew away.
The explosion in The Everfree Forest caught the attention of the royal guards, and just as Two Face predicted, Princess Celestia was quick to send them to the scene of the disturbance.
"I do not know who or what is responsible for disturbing the peace of Equestria, but they will not succeed!" Princess Celestia said sternly "I am authorizing lethal force! These trouble makers must be stopped!"
Captain Shining Armor (who had been called back from duties in The Crystal Empire) quickly took charge of the situation. "Alright men, I want you all to split into units. And each unit will check a designated corner of The Everfree Forest. First Lieutenant Flash Sentry, I want you to lead a unit to patrol Ponyville. Make sure everypony in that unit stays alert. We're not going back until we have apprehended the suspect or suspects responsible for the assault in The Everfree Forest, and all threats have been neutralized! Let's move out!"
"Sir, yes sir!" the royal guards replied, and in a matter of hours, Ponyville and The Everfree Forest were overrun with the prescence of royal guards.
"It's just like you said, boss. Those suckers took the bait, hook, line, and sinker." one of Two Face's goons reported.
"Excellent! And with that pesky Zecora out of the picture for good, everything is in place!" Two Face replied "Proceed to phase two, now!"
"Yes sir!" the goon said with a smile "Over and out."
"So far so good your frostiness." Two Face told Miss. Freeze "It won't be long until Ponyville is firmly in our hooves."
"A wise pony once told me, a fool counts his victory before he has earned it. Prey, that you do not prove said pony to be correct." Miss. Freeze said seriously.
"You worry too much." Two Face replied "Those incompetent guards couldn't beat us even if I gave 'em a fifty/fifty chance. By the time they realize what's going on, Ponyville will be ours!"
"Then, I shall make final preparations for our triumphant entrance into the town." Miss. Freeze told Two Face and marched away to complete work on her secret weapon, a giant freeze ray that was capable of turning an entire city into a frozen wasteland.
First Lieutenant Flash Sentry would normally have been overjoyed to be in Ponyville, especially considering how much respect he had for Princess Twilight. But he knew this wasn't a social call, and business came before pleasure. He could enjoy talking to the princess all he wanted, when he wasn't on duty.
But the more he thought about the situation, the more he felt that something was not right. "Why would a bunch of random ponies attack Zecora's hut, blow it up, and then vanish without a trace? For that matter, why would they even be in The Everfree Forest to begin with? Everypony knows how dangerous that place is." he thought to himself, as he patrolled the streets of Ponyville with the other members of his unit.
"Is something on your mind Lietuenant Flash?" a royal guard asked. Normally, guards were not to question their superiors, but Shining Armor specifically considered such a thing to cause more problems than it prevented, and so he usually never bothered to enforce that rule.
"I just can't help but wonder, why those ponies would stir up so much trouble, and then just disappear?" Flash Sentry explained "It just doesn't make sense."
"No offense lietuenant, but you worry too much." another guard replied "Chances are, they realized we'd come after them, and they ran away in the hopes that we wouldn't find them. But we'll show them! We'll show everypony that the royal guards can accomplish things without that pesky Batmare getting in our way all the time."
"Batmare has been a big help to us in the past, and you know it!" Flash Sentry said crossly.
"But even you must know that she's a vigilante!" the guard added, clenching one of his hooves up in anger "What kind of a message do you think we send to the rest of the known world, when we need the help of a masked crime fighter to help us out?!"
Before Flash Sentry could reply, in the distance there came the familiar sound of gunfire, followed by teriffied screams from citizens of Ponyville. Pretty soon, the sound of explosions followed by more gunfire began to fill the air.
Flash Sentry quickly took charge of the situation, even if he was absolutely horrified at what could be going on. "Come on men, the citizens of Ponyville need our help! Whoever those jokers are, they picked the wrong town to mess with!"
With Flash Sentry leading the way, the royal guards traced the source of the disturbance until they approached the outskirts of Ponyville. What they saw, horrified them to no end.
Two Face's goons were swarming in by the hundreds, rounding up civillians, attacking homes and businesses, and opening fire on anyone who tried to flee. Not since Discord himself had Ponyville seen such chaos.
"What are we gonna do?!" a royal guard asked, and turned to Flash Sentry. He outranked them all, and therefore, he was in charge.
Flash Sentry was silent for a moment, as he observed the horrific scene that was unfolding before their very eyes. At last, he plucked up courage and said boldly "Let's teach these clowns a lesson! Our duty is to protect the citizens of Ponyville, and that's just what we're gonna do!"
"But sir, they outnumber us! We'll be killed!" another guard protested.
"So be it! We swore an oath when we became royal guards, that we would fight and die for our country if need be!" Flash Sentry bellowed "Anypony who wishes to disregard that oath may walk away now and forever live as a coward! But if anypony is willing to stand and fight with me, perhaps together we can work a miracle! And even if we can't, at least we will have died fighting for a cause we believe in! So, who's with me?!"
A few members of the royal guard threw down their weapons and ran away, they were convinced Flash Sentry had gone crazy and no longer wished to serve him. If they were court martialed for their common sense, so be it!
Flash Sentry wasn't rattled by the deserters, he simply turned to the guards that had stayed and said "Men, this is where we make our stand! Whether we live or die does not matter, so long as we give our all to protect this town with everything we've got!" Putting his helmet on, and fastening it tightly, Flash Sentry gave the order, and he and the royal guards charged into battle.
While the royal guards were occupied tangling with Two Face's flunkies, the rest of Ponyville soon found itself in a predicament. Ponies could either fight and risk being killed, or flee and hope they could escape the destruction.
The resulting confusion caused mothers and fathers to be seperated from their children, brothers and sisters were split apart, some friendships broke down while new ones were forged from a general sense of needing to survive.
Against the wishes of her parents, Scootaloo had headed out into the confusion and chaos in the hopes of finding Rainbow Dash. "If anypony can save the day, she and her friends can!" Scootaloo had said, before speeding away on her scooter.
"Scootaloo, come back!" Dizzy Twister had shouted, but it was too late, Scootaloo was gone.
And so it was, that Scootaloo found herself searching amongst the fleeing crowds. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, you've got to help us!" Scootaloo called out, but it was no use.
"Leave us alone you freaks!" a familiar snobbish voice cried out.
"Yeah! Don't you guys have better things to do than pick on defenseless fillies?!" another familiar snobbish voice added.
When Scootaloo heard those voices, she skidded to a halt. What she saw, was a sight that she had never seen before.
There stood Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, looking absolutely terrified. They were currently surrounded by several stallions in thick black suits, and masks that obscured their faces, and all of them were brandishing guns.
"Just come us with us quietly, and you won't get hurt!" one of the stallions said to the fillies.
"You can't take us away! We won't go!" Diamond Tiara said, obvious hints of defience in her voice.
"Fillies, I don't think you realize what sort of situation you're in." another stallion replied, pointing his tommy gun at the fillies "If you don't co-operate, I'm afraid we'll have to kill you."
"You wouldn't shoot a bunch of defensless fillies." Silver Spoon spoke up.
"Really? Care to wager your lives on that foolish bet?" the stallion asked, firing his tommy gun into the air for a few seconds to prove it was loaded. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were horrified, and didn't know what to say or do.
"I can't just leave them to die, even if they've made my life miserable!" Scootaloo realized "I just hope they appreciate what I'm doing for them!" And without hesitation, she charged at the stallions, using her scooter to boost her speed. Just before she was going to collide with the stallions, she quickly turned around and skidded to a halt. That was enough to shower the stallions with dust.
"What the-" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said at once.
"Hop on, quickly!" Scootaloo instructed. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't need to be told twice, and they quickly jumped onto the scooter. Diamond Tiara pressed up against Scootaloo's left, and Silver Spoon did the same with Scootaloo's right, and the three fillies sped away as fast as their hooves and the scooter would let them.
"After them!" the stallion with the tommy gun ordered, as he spotted the trio of fillies fleeing into the distance.
"I don't get it, Scootaloo." Silver Spoon said, breaking the tence silence between the three fillies.
"What don't you get? I just saved your lives!" Scootaloo replied.
"Why did you do it?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Because it was the right thing to do, and because even fillies as rotten as you don't deserve to die at the hooves of those stallions!" Scootaloo explained.
"That ridculous logic makes no sense at all!" Diamond Tiara complained "We made your life miserable on several occasions. We bullied you for not having a cutie mark. We teased you about your possible inability to fly. We even nearly ruined your friendship with Princess Twilight. And yet, after all that, you still saved our lives."
"I know you think it doesn't make sense, but if the roles were reversed you would probably do the same thing. That's what true loyalty is!" Scootaloo said seriously.
"Don't think this changes anything between us." Silver Spoon said crossly.
"Trust me, I know it won't." Scootaloo replied "As soon as this whole invasion blows over, it's back to being the harshest of enemies. But until then, I suggest we work together."
"You proposing an alliance?!" Diamond Tiara asked.
"An alliance would be too much to ask for." Scootaloo said, shaking her head "This is a truce, a temporary one at that. For right now, whether we're blank flanks or not, we need to work together. Because it's not gonna make one bit of difference whether or not we have our cutie marks, if our town is destroyed!"
"Now that, makes sense." Silver Spoon replied.
"Same here." Diamond Tiara agreed "Consider this truce official, but remember, it's only temporary!"
"Good, now that we have that settled, hang on tight!" Scootaloo shouted, and she prompty sped up. All the while, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon kept a sharp look out, knocking out any goons that got in their way.
Not to be outdone, Scootaloo threw a few punches and kicks whenever she had a chance. And for a while, the trio of filies made good progress. Taking out scores of goons.
But suddenly, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon saw a sight that made their hearts quiver. The goons from earlier had somehow gotten ahead of them, and sealed off the path.
"Scootaloo, there's a roadblock ahead!" Diamond Tiara cried out.
Scootaloo braked hard, and came to a halt several miles before said roadblock. "I'm aware of that, thank you very much." she snorted.
Silver Spoon was frantic, and so was Diamond Tiara. "What are we gonna do now, Scootaloo?" Silver Spoon asked.
Scootaloo looked at the roadblock, then at the two fillies with her, then back at the roadblock. In her mind, she was coming up with a plan. "It's risky, but it's their best chance at survival." she thought to herself, and a look of determination crossed her face.
"Yo, Scootaloo! Got any bright ideas?!" Diamond Tiara asked desperately.
"Run." Scootaloo replied seriously.
"What?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon asked, unwilling to believe what Scootaloo had just told them.
"You heard me. Run." Scootaloo replied, and explained "There's no way those guys are going to just leave on their own, somepony has to make them leave!"
"Are you crazy?! You'll be killed!" Silver Spoon protested.
"Maybe, but at least the two of you will be safe." Scootaloo explained "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can take them."
"You must be joking. There's no way we're going through with that plan, there must be another way!" Diamond Tiara insisted.
"I'm not gonna say it again." Scootaloo said, as she prepared to take off "Run. If you start running now, you can make it past the roadblock while the goons are busy with me. Get out of here, and don't come back! And if you see Rainbow Dash, tell her I'm proud to have been her honorary little sister." And with that, Scootaloo was off.
"NO!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon shouted, but it was no use. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, as Scootaloo sped towards the goons. All of whom brandished their weapons and prepared to turn them on the scooter speeding filly as soon as she was in their sights.
If Scootaloo was worried, she didn't show it, as she continued to speed towards the roadbloack. A smile of determination remained stuck firmly on her face. But then she saw something that she hadn't spotted before, a massive fuel drum was part of the roadblock. And the instant it was struck, it would surely catch fire and explode. But it was too late for her to reconsider her plan.
Sure enough, just a few seconds later, a small but powerful explosion ripped through the heart of Ponyville. Miraculously, at the last second, Scootaloo had jumped off her scooter, and flown into the air. But she wasn't able to fly high enough to escape the blast.
Upon opening their eyes, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's mouths hung open in shock. The roadblock was in flames, the goons were all dead, and Scootaloo was still alive. But she had not escaped unharmed, and being caught in the blast radius had come with a heavy price tag.
Scootaloo was a mess of bloody cuts and painful burn marks that were at least second degree, possibly even third degree. Not one inch of her body was unharmed, and her scooter was nothing but ash. When Scootaloo tried to move, pain rocketed through her body as if somepony had just stabbed her.
"Scootaloo?! Scootaloo, can you hear us?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon asked frantically, as they rushed to the scene of disaster.
Scootaloo only coughed in response, blood emerging from her mouth.
"We've got to get her to a hospital, now!" Diamond Tiara said desperately, as she scooped up Scootaloo with her hooves. Despite what most ponies thought, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had certain lines they wouldn't cross. And leaving somepony to die was one of them. Even if that pony was one of their greatest sources of strife.
For a very long time, it was touch and go, and Scootaloo was brought back from the bring many times.
"There's only one way we can save this filly's life." Doctor Stable realized at last.
"You can't possibly mean-" Nurse Redheart began.
"We have no other choice! I'm not going to let this filly die without knowing I did everything possible to save her!" Doctor Stable said seriously "Tell the technicans that their first patient is ready for treatment."
"Yes sir." Nurse Redheart sighed.
The last thing Scootaloo could remember before passing out, was being wheeled into a room at Ponyville General Hospital that she had never seen before.
Sometime later, Scootaloo awoke in the recovery room. Her bedside surrounded by doctors and nurses, as well as some ponies with outfits that looked more like they belonged to scientists than medical professionals.
"How are you feeling, Scootaloo?" Nurse Redheart asked.
"I feel.... different." Scootaloo replied.
"Well, that's because you are different." Doctor Stable told her.
"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked.
Doctor Stable turned to the ponies with the scientist outfits, then back to Scootaloo and said "I think it's best if you let them explain it to you."
"Thank you, Doctor Stable." the scientist pony said kindly, and cleared his throat. "Scootaloo, you were in a very bad accident, and most of your body was damaged beyond repair."
"So then, why am I alive?" Scootaloo asked nervously.
"Because, Scootaloo, you became the first patient in Equestrian history to undergo the cybernetic replacement surgery." the scientist pony explained.
"What?!" Scootaloo gasped, suddenly realizing that the right side of her body felt much more "robotic" then it had just hours ago.
"We were able to save your live, by attaching metallic electronic parts to the damaged areas." the scientist pony told Scootaloo "You are now half pony, half cutting edge technology."
"Does, anypony know about this?" Scootaloo asked.
"We told your parents, your 'big sister' Rainbow Dash, and your friends that brought you into the ER." Nurse Redheart spoke up "But they are the only ones who know about what has happened to you. It will take time for you to become acustomed to your new body, so for now we all think it's best if you remain in the hospital and undergo training."
"Training for what?" Scootaloo asked crossly.
"As the first pony/cybernatic hybrid, we need to know how the technology attached to your body works." the scientist pony explained "With your help, we can design newer and better technology that will benefit all of pony kind."
"By using me as a guinea pig?!" Scootaloo complained loudly.
"Guinea pig is a bit harsh." the scientist pony replied "We like to think of it more as, 'Test Subject'."
"Just, leave me alone! I need some time away from you weird scientist freaks!" Scootaloo said angrily. At this point, although she was glad to be alive, she was horrified at the thought of having robotic machinery taking up half of her body.
"Very well, we will let you rest." Doctor Stable said kindly, and he and the scientist ponies (as well as Nurse Redheart) left the room. They had no sooner done so, when Scootaloo recieved a visitor that she hadn't been expecting at all. Said visitor announced its prescence with a blinding flash of white light.
The visitor was a figure obscured by a purple cloak and matching hood, but something about the figure seemed strangely fimilar to Scootaloo. "At last, I have found you." the figure said to Scootaloo, her voice sounding like some sort of creature from a movie Scootaloo had once seen her parents watching.
"Who are you, and what do you want?!" Scootaloo asked crossly.
"My name is unimportant, but I am a friend. I can feel your emotional anguish, Scootaloo." the figure told her visitor "But now is not the time to feel sorry for yourself. There are poines out there in need of your help."
"But what can I do? I'm bedridden until those creepy scientist ponies have a use for me!" Scootaloo complained.
"I can free you from that binding contract, and upgrade your technology to be more suitable to combat." the figure explained "But if you do, you must vow to never use your powers for evil, or I shall take them away!"
"You got yourself a deal!" Scootaloo agreed "Anything's better than being a lab rat for those scientists ponies!"
"Very well then, let's get you out of here and see what I can give you." the figure replied, and with another blinding flash of light both it and Scootaloo disappeared.
When the scientist ponies came back to check on Scootaloo, they were shocked to find her gone. There were no signs of an abduction, or that Scootaloo had fought her way out. It was as if she had just vanished without a trace.
Despite the set back with Scootaloo, Two Face's goons were making significant progress in their take over of Ponyville. The destruction and violence escalated, as the fighting stretched from the train station to the market square, where many frightened vendors fled for their lives.
With the royal guard pinned down, the citizens of Ponyville were unable to keep Two Face's minions at bay. With only an occasional threat from The Everfree Forest to worry about, Ponyville had never had a use for an army of any sort. And now, that was coming back to bite it hard in the rear.
From her office in town hall, Mayor Mare looked out at the destruction and chaos that was unfolding before her very eyes, and frowned. "What am I suppose to do? I've failed my little ponies, and at this rate I'll be lucky if I live long enough to have them vote me out of office in the next election. Where did it all go so wrong?"
Just then, Mayor Mare's assistant (and close friend) Time Turner, came rushing in. He was out of breath, but seemed more dirty than hurt, which was a miracle considering the state of much of Ponyville at this point.
"What do you have to report Time Turner? And what are you even doing back here?" Mayor Mare asked "Aren't you going to flee with the others?"
"I'm not leaving your side, ma'am! I'll stand by you until the bitter end!" Time Turner replied seriously "I come with urgent news from the attackers. They say their boss wishes to speak to you."
"What does he want with me?" Mayor Mare asked crossly.
"He's saying, that if you don't surrender to him within the next twenty four hours, Ponyville will be trapped in an eternal winter." Time Turner explained.
"Eternal winter?" Mayor Mare asked.
Time Turner nodded "He says it'll be even worse than the winter of the windigos from the olden times. What are we going to do, ma'am?!"
Mayor Mare just sighed, and a look of defience came into her eyes "You can tell Two Face to take his plan, and shove it where Celestia's sun don't shine! I'll be damned if I cave into the demands of a crime boss!" she said angrily, pounding her desk with a hoof.
"He won't be happy when he hears the news." Time Turner warned.
"I DON'T CARE! I will maintain this position to the end, no matter what happens!" Mayor Mare shouted.
When Two Face heard the news of Mayor Mare's defience, he was anything but happy. "Burn that damn town to the ground if you have to!" he told his hench ponies "This act of defience will NOT be tolerated! If Mayor Mare wants to play with fire, then I'll see to it that she is burned! Show no mercy to anyone who gets in your way! I don't care who they are, or what they offer! If it tries to fight back, kill it! But leave the royal guard for Miss. Freeze! Let them see the hopelessness of the situation!"
With their new orders, Two Face's goons set to work on making Ponyville suffer as much as possible. Any citizen that dared make any attempt or effort to fight back was killed on sight. It wasn't long before most of Ponyville realized the hopelessness of the situation, and its citizens began to pack up and flee in droves.
In the midist of all this chaos, Sweetie Belle was looking for the one pony she always looked to for guidance in times of crisis. That pony was none other than her big sister, Rarity.
Against the wishes of her parents, Sweetie Belle ran half way across town to Carousel Boutique. "I have to find her before those creeps do! Rarity has to know what we can do to save our town!"
Rarity was in the midist of packing up her things, when Sweetie Belle came running up to her shouting "Rarity! Rarity!"
"Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?! You must leave, it isn't safe for you to stay here!" Rarity said, and tried to shoo Sweetie Belle away.
"But Rarity, we can't just leave. Ponyville is our home!" Sweetie Belle protested.
"I know that Sweetie Belle, but there's nothing we can do! We must leave if we are to survive." Rarity told her little sister.
"Rarity, I can't believe you're saying this!" Sweetie Belle said crossly, and refused to move "You've always told me to never give up when things look bleak! How can you go against your own advice here and now?!"
"Sweetie Belle, this situation is different from any other." Rarity replied.
"I don't see why that this." Sweetie Belle huffed.
Rarity sighed, and explained. "Two Face's goons are not like anything we've ever had to deal with before. They are viscious, savage, and work without mercy. They will not stop until Ponyville is firmly under Two Face's control, of that I am incredibly certain. Trying to go up against them would be suicidal, and would only delay the inevitable."
"Oh Miss. Rarity, you don't know how right you are." one of Two Face's goons replied, and he and two more goons quickly appeared. They were all unicorns, and each of them had coats an alternating shade of red. Two of them had black manes and tails styled short, while the third goon wore sunglasses and had a bright blonde mane and tail styled into a mohawk.
Before Rarity and Sweetie Belle had a chance to react, the goons grabbed them and used their magic to hold them down. "Make any sudden movements, and I'll put a bullet in your brain!" the mohawk haired goon threatened, pointing his automatic machine gun at the two unicorns.
"Now, what should we do with 'em, sir?" the lighter shaded red coated stallion asked.
"Should we kill 'em?" the darker shaded red coated stallion asked.
"Not just yet, unless they try to attack." the mohawk goon replied. It quickly became obvious to both Sweetie Belle and Rarity, that this particular stallion was the pack leader.
"So then, what are we gonna do with 'em?" the other stallions asked.
"Let me think." the mohawk goon told them, and began to brainstorm possible ways to torment his prisoners while still keeping them alive. He thought of all the usual torture methods, including the more sadistic and cruel ones. But he brushed them all off. "Those would all be too easy to do." he thought to himself "I really need to make an example out of 'em."
The mohawk goon looked up at the sun, which was shining down brightly. "It must take an awful lot of magic to be able to move that giant gas ball." he thought to himself "I'll bet that any non alicorn pony that tried to wield some of that magic would feel pain on a level no one's ever felt before." And with a sadistic smile, an idea came to him. "Okay guys, here's what we're gonna do." he said to his partners.
"We're all ears." the stallions replied.
"Bring me the filly first. She's the more dangerous one of the two." the goon leader instructed.
"Yes sir." the darker shaded red coated stallion obeyed, and used his magic to roughly pick Sweetie Belle up. "Get up!" he ordered "Our leader wishes to make an example out of you!"
"Rarity, help me!" Sweetie Belle pleaded, as she felt herself being pushed towards the goon leader.
Rarity, for her part, was horrified and frantic. "No! Leave her alone! Take me instead, but don't hurt my sister, you ruffians!"
"Shut up, lady!" the lighter shaded read coated stallion said crossly, and smacked Rarity with the hoof that wasn't holding his tommy gun.
"Stop hurting my big sister!" Sweetie Belle protested, as she was brought before the goon leader and made to stand.
The goon leader looked at Sweetie Belle, and flashed the filly the sadistic smile that had formed on his face a short time ago. "Have you wondered how Princess Celestia raises the sun?" he asked her.
Sweetie Belle gulped "N-not really." she replied.
"Well, too bad, cause you're about to find out!" the goon leader said to Sweetie Belle, and with a flash of his horn, he began to pump Sweetie Belle full of solar magic. "Princess Celestia was a fool for not locking up the books on how to use solar magic." he thought fiendishly to himself.
Sweetie Belle groaned, and screamed in agony as the intense magic surged through her body. Even in her most crazy attempts at trying to boost her magical power, she had never attempted anything like this.
Rarity continued to shout protestes, as all she could do was watch her sister continue to be pumped full of solar magic. "Leave her alone! She's just a filly!" she shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears as the goons only laughed.
"I... can't.... take... anymore... of... this... pain!" Sweetie Belle gasped, as the magic surging through her body threatned to overwhelm and destroy her from the inside!
"That's too bad! I always thought unicorns were tougher than this." the goon leader scoffed "Oh well, I guess I gave them too much credit, even if I am one of them!"
"Just... please... I beg of you... make it stop!" Sweetie Belle pleaded.
The goon leader smiled his sadistic smile once again. "Oh, you wanna stop do ya? Well why didn't you just say so?" he teased, and lit up his horn even further. "In just a few seconds, this will all be over!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sweetie Belle cried, as the solar magic in her body rose to critical levels. But instead of killing her, as the goon leaders had hoped, it transformed her. A bright yellow ball encased Sweetie Belle, and with a blinding flash her newly obtained solar powers rose to the surface.
Rarity was speechless, the goons mouths hung open in shock. This was not what was suppose to happen, and yet it had happened anyway.
"Sweetie Belle? Are you okay?" Rarity asked nervously, when she saw that her sister had several golden markings on her head, chest, legs, and body.
"Intruders must be punished!" Sweetie Belle replied, her voice echoing as a result of her newly obtained powers. With her eyes glowing brightly yellowish in color, she rose into the air. And with a cry of fury, she shot down two balls of solar magic.
The two red coated stallions with short black manes and tails were able to dodge a direct attack, but the mohawk goon was not so lucky. As soon as the solar magic ball made contact with his body, he was burned to a crisp. Nothing but ash remained of him.
As for the other two, they were badly burned and they ran off screaming at the top of their lungs. In the process, they threw down their guns, but at this point they only cared about surviving.
The glow from Sweetie Belle's eyes faded once the goons had left, but the solar magic inside of her did not go away. When she eyed the pile of ash, she turned to Rarity and asked nervously "Did I do that? Did I kill him?"
"I'm... afraid you did." Rarity replied reluctantly, figuring that it was no use trying to lie to her sister.
"I... I didn't mean to. It was an accident, really." Sweetie Belle said, tears forming in her eyes "I mean, yeah he was a jerk and all, but I didn't intend to kill him. I just, felt a great burning anger welling up inside me, and I had to let it out somehow."
"Do not weap, young Sweetie Belle, for your powers could not have come at a better time." an unfamiliar voice spoke up. And in a blinding flash of white light, a figure who's face was obscured by a purple cloak and matching hood appeared. The figure's voice sounding considerably different, but also somewhat similar to the voice that Sweetie Belle had taken on when harnessing her solar magic.
"Who are you?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"And what do you want with my sister?" Rarity added nervously.
"This is not the first time today that I have been asked questions about my identity, and I do not believe it will be the last." the figure replied "But rest assured, that I am a friend who has come to help you."
"But, how can you help me after what I did? I'm a monster!" Sweetie Belle said sadly.
"You are not a monster, Sweetie Belle." the mysterious figure reassured the filly "You have been given an unusual yet incredible gift. You have the ability to harness a power that only Princesss Celestia herself has been known to use. You must learn not to hide it away out of fear, but to embrace and control it."
"Control the solar magic within me? Is that even possible?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Indeed it is." the mysterious figure told Sweetie Belle "And I can help you learn how to use it."
"You can?" Rarity and Sweetie Belle asked.
The mysterious figured nodded "Come with me, Sweetie Belle. And you can make Equestria a better place for all."
"Sweetie Belle, you don't have to do this you know." Rarity said to Sweetie Belle.
"Rarity, for the first time in my life, I have the chance to do something for the good of all." Sweetie Belle said in reply "What makes you think I'm going to just ignore it and walk away?"
"I know it is no use trying to convince you to stay." Rarity said sadly, a tear forming in her eye "I see now what your destiny will bring, and I couldn't be happier. But I will always miss seeing you. Even if I haven't always shown it, you have brought me much joy in life."
Sweetie Belle gave her big sister one last hug. "I'll miss you too, big sister." she said honestly "But I'll try to come back and visit you, when I get the chance." And just before she and the mysterious figure left in another blinding flash of white light, Sweetie Belle added "Good bye, Rarity."
On the outskirts of Ponyville, Flash Sentry was trying in vain to hold his own against Two Face's goons. He had been hurt badly, and several of his comrades lay on the ground, too badly injured to continue fighting.
Flash Sentry himself had several cuts to his hooves, and a black eye on the left side of his face. His helmet was dented and riddled with bullet holes, and his entire coat was covered in dirt and blood. But at this point, all he could care about was trying to protect others.
"So, this is it." he thought to himself, as he felt himself collapse onto the ground. His trademark spear falling out of his grasp and landing beside him. "I die only delaying the inevitable. Some royal guard I turned out to be."
"Well, this was a complete waste of my time." one of Two Face's goons hissed angrily. His suit had been ripped in several places, and his black coat was stained with several bright red cut marks. "Oh well, at least I'll have the satisfaction of taking out Captain Shining Armor's right hoof stallion! Maybe I should send your helmet back to him as a present."
"Hey you, with the ugly face!" a smug and confident voice taunted.
"Who said that?" the goon asked, and turned around. What he saw, shocked him and his fellow goons to no end.
Standing in the distance were three fillies that were unlike anything anypony had ever seen before. The one on the far left wore an alternating black and purple vest with white gloves, the one in the center seemed half pony/half machine, and the one on the far right had a light blue dress that did not cover up the glowing yellow marks that appeared all over her.
"We did." the filly on the far left replied.
"And if you wanna kill that royal guard, you will have to defeat us first." the filly on the far right added.
"So, what's it gonna be?" the filly in the middle taunted.
The goons said nothing for a moment, they just took in the strange sight that lay before them. At last, they burst into fits of laughter. "You fillies really think you can defeat us with those pathetic Nightmare Night costumes?" the goon from before asked.
"Have it your way if that's what ya really want." the filly on the far left replied "But don't say we didn't warn you!"
"We'll carve those words into your tombstones!" the goon said angrily, and he and his fellow gang members charged at the three fillies.
The three fillies weren't worried at all. They just turned to each other, placed their front right hooves on top of one another, and shouted "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SUPER HEROES, YAY!!!"
The goons quickly realized that the filies weren't to be taken lightly at all, as one by one each of the fillies revealed that they had actual super powers and put them to use beating up the bad guys.
The filly in the alternating black and purple vest transformed into a buffalo, and began to plow through any goons that got in her way. Then she transformed into a whale, and crushed some of the goons with her massive weight. And then she transformed into a gryphon, and swiped at the goons with her sharp talons. "You mess with me, you get the talons!" the filly threatened.
The filly that was half pony/half machine, used her technology to blast the goons away. First, with laser beams fired from her eyes, and then with a massive energy cannon fired from her right front hoof. "Booyah!" she cheered, as the goons fell like dominoes.
And the filly in the light blue dress and golden body marks, rose into the air with her eyes glowing a bright yellow. "Prepare to get your daily dose of Vitamin D!" she shouted, and fired off golden balls of solar magic. The goons dodged the direct hits, but the intense heat was enough to burn them and send them crying to their mothers.
In a matter of minutes, all of Two Face's goons in Ponyville had either been repelled or had retreated. The three fillies had worked a miracle, and saved Ponyville.
"Are you alright, Mr. Flash Sentry sir?" the half pony/half machine filly asked, as she helped Flash Sentry to his knees.
"I'll live." Flash Sentry said weakly "And so will the rest of my sqaudron. We are forever in your debt little fillies."
"Think nothin' of it, sir." the filly in the alternating black and purple vest replied "Is there anythin' else we can do to help?"
"Well, there is one thing." Flash Sentry spoke up "Some of our other units went into The Everfree Forest in pursuit of the criminals responsible for the explosion there, and they haven't reported back. I think they might have fallen into the same trap that almost claimed the lives of my men and I."
"Say no more, sir. We're on it." the filly in the light blue dress said with a nod, and the three fillies took off for The Everfree Forest.
Thanks in no small part to the efforts of The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Two Face's goons were soundly beaten and driven back. Ponyville was saved, at least for the time being.
But while all that chaos was going on in Ponyville, another superhero was busy in Canterlot. This hero had a hunch that, before his transformation into Two Face, Fancy Pants had been on to something with his investigation of Canter. Corp. Deciding to pick up where the former District Attorney left off, the hero headed for Canterlot. hoping that he would get some answers. "The truth about that 'incident' has got to be stored somewhere within that corporation." he thought to himself.
Not one to take the front door, the hero snuck in through the ventilation system, and timed his movements to just the right moment. He managed to catch a security guard on his own, and quickly put a gag around said guard's mouth to keep him quiet. "Sorry buddy, I'll be back for you soon enough." the hero apologized, as he gently stuffed the guard into a closet and "borrowed" his uniform.
With the security guard uniform, the hero found it easy to sneak past Canter. Corp. officials. Before long, he found what he was looking for. In front of him stood a bright red door with the words Records Room written on it. "Just what was I looking for. Time to get to the bottom of this." The hero thought to himself, and used the card from the borrowed uniform to gain access. Once inside, he searched the various filing cabinets, all of which were labled with a letter from A to Z.
The hero found what he was looking for, in the filing cabinet labled with the letter P. A few seconds later, he found an envelope that read Princess Luna, Employee of Canter. Corp.. Upon opening said envelope, the hero found a couple of items of interest. The first were a series of photograhps, showing Princess Luna with what appeared to be a bat pony from the night guard.
"That's right, I remember now." the hero thought to himself "Princess Luna fell in love with Shadow Mist, the captain of the night guard. Shining Armor said he'd never met a finer stallion in all his years of service." In each photo, Princess Luna and Shadow Mist seemed incredibly happy. Even if some of them were a little hard to make out at first, the photograhps showed an innocent and happy romantic couple.
Putting the photos aside, the hero discovered that the second item of interest was a medical record from a hospital in Canterlot, dated a month before the 'incident' at Canter. Corp and subsequent cover-up. Printed on it was the following information:
Patient Name: Shadow Mist
Age: 27
Sex: Male
Species: Bat Pony
Information: Patient has been complaining of constant drowsiness, even just after waking up. On top of that, he has been coughing up purple blood, and has reportedly suffered from headaches that over the counter medication have not been able to treat. Upon talking with his love interest, the princess of the night, we have come to learn that the patient has been suffering from these problems, since returning from a trip to The Crystal Empire three weeks ago.
Diagnosis: Dark Magic Poisoning
Prognosis: Terminal, 100% positive
The third and final item of interest, was a small disc with the date of the 'incident' printed on. The hero placed the other items back into the envelope, and returned the envelope to where he had found it a short time ago. After that, he quickly but quietly left the records room, and headed for a room where he could input the disc, and examine what was stored on it.
It didn't take him long to find a suitable location. It was a small security station, that was looked after by the security guard who was currently stuffed into the closet. Sitting down at the desk, the hero placed the disc into a slot in the monitor, and watched as the disc began to play a recording of security footage from the date labled on its front.
The footage showed Princes Luna, who seemed very anxious about something. "Is this thing recording?" she asked herself, as she fumbled around with the camera. In a matter of seconds, she seemed to be aware of the fact that the camera was indeed recording. Regaining her composure, Princess Luna cleared her throat and began to speak "My name is Princess Luna, one of the co-rulers of Equestria. And I'm recording what I believe, may very well be pony kind's first step towards eternal life."
The camera moved to show a giant tube like machine of some kind, with a bat pony resting inside it. "What you see here is a specially designed crogenic freezing chamber, created and constructed by myself." Princess Luna continued, and placed a hoof on the machine "It is my intent to use chambers like this prototype, to help preserve ponies stricken with fatal diseases. Ponies such as my own beloved Shadow Mist, stricken with a terminal case of Dark Magic Poisoning. I shall have him preserved like this until a cure is found, at which point I shall un-freeze him and give him the cure. After that, I shall leave my invention as it currently stands, so that others may study and learn from it."
Just then, the camera cut over to the door leading to the lab where Princess Luna currently was. A very angry voice shouted "Open this door, now!" A second later, Jet Set stormed into the room with two Canter. Corp. security guards. Princess Luna seemed shocked. "So, even after I told you that your little 'science project' was too expensive to build, you went ahead and constructed it behind my back?" Jet Set asked Princess Luna.
"You couldn't see past the bits, you failed to take into account the pony you were killing with your decison!" Princess Luna said angrily.
"What you are forgetting, Princess, is that this equipment belongs to me!" Jet Set snapped "And I have every legal right as a citizen of Equestria to use it however I want! So I say, that 'freeze-chamber' of yours has got to go!"
"But Shadow Mist is in there!" Princess Luna argued.
"So? Just un-freeze him and take him out of there!" Jet Set replied "Better hurry, I'm in a very bad mood today."
"But you don't understand, I can't bring him out of there now! Not when he's just going to die!" Princess Luna pleaded.
Jet Set took no notice, and simply said to the security guards "Ignore her! Open that chamber by any means possible! And as soon as that bat pony is freed, destroy the machine! I've already lost a ton of money thanks to this waste of resources! The sooner it's out of my sight, the sooner I can start making money again!"
In a fit of desperation, Princess Luna used her magic to snatch a gun from one of the security guards, and pointed it directly at Jet Set. "Stay away from him! Just leave us alone, you monster!"
"Put down that gun, your majesty." Jet Set said in a smooth yet oily voice "I'm sure we can work out a deal of some kind."
"Really?" Princess Luna asked, dropping the gun on the floor.
Jet Set smiled, but it didn't seem to be a sincere smile, it seemed to be a rather sadistic smile. "Of course!" he replied, and before Princess Luna could react, he snatched up the gun and fired it at her. The resulting impact pushed the mighty alicorn back, causing her to topple over a table filled with dangerous chemicals. A hazardous smoke cloud began to fill the air. Jet Set and the security guards fled the room.
The last thing that could be heard on the recording, was Princess Luna calling out for her special somepony, even as the smoke cloud overwhelmed her. The recording clicked off a second later.
The hero was completely horrified at what he'd seen. "So this is what Canter. Corp.'s been hiding all this time!" he thought to himself, as the disc with the security footage was ejected from the monitor. He quickly tucked it into the belt on his suit (the security guard outfit hadn't covered that part up completely). "A little insurance policy, in case those corporate bastards catch me! Once I've dealt with Two Face, this disc is going straight to the public! Jet Set won't be able to hide the truth for much longer." And with that, the hero returned to where he had stuffed the security guard, put his outfit back on, and freed him.
"Let's keep my little visit a secret, shall we?" the hero whispered to the security guard. The security guard nodded, and the hero departed. Now he could turn his attention towards defeating Two Face once and for all. And after he'd exposed Canter. Corp.'s secret, he'd be able to focus on stopping Miss. Freeze (assuming she didn't give up after seeing Jet Set and Canter. Corp. brought to justice).
Two Face was furious when he heard the news about what happened in Ponyville. He stomped angrily back and forth, all the while complaning loudly to himself. "I can't believe it! Somehow, my plan has failed! I gave those guys simple instructions to follow, and they messed it up! The worst part is, that rotten Nightwing figure isn't responsible at all! All these superheros are becoming a major pain in my ass!"
"So, your so called 'Foolproof Plan' to bring Ponyville to its knees has failed." Miss. Freeze said crossly, her freeze ray clutched firmly in her hooves "I warned you what would happen if you failed me."
Two Face became desperate, he was willing to do anything to get back into Miss. Freeze's good books before it was too late. "But your frozeness, it's not my fault." he pleaded.
"No excuses!" Miss. Freeze snapped, pointing her freeze ray directly at Two Face "You have cost me considerable time and resources. Not to mention, you have failed to get Ponyville to surrender to me. Now, you shall pay the price for your mistakes. I wish I could say 'It has been a pleasure to work with you.' but I cannot."
"Leave him alone, Miss. Freeze, or you'll answer to me!" a voice shouted, drawing the attention of the two super villans in the room.
"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Miss. Freeze demanded.
The voice was silent for a moment, then it said "I don't see why not, but you just might end up regretting you asked." A second later, emerging from the shadows was a familiar light purple skinned dragon with green scales. But now he had on a different costume, he wore a thick black suit that stretched from his chin down to his legs, and he had black rubber gloves to match. With the exception of a few white shoulder sleeves, the only color that could be found was on the suit's symbol. Painted in dark blue was a bird depicted in mid flight, and this symbol was emblazoned into the center of the suit. In his right claw, he clenched a black staff with an electrical current running through it.
Both Miss. Freeze and Two Face recognized the figure at once, or so they thought. "So, the boy blunder has come to stop us?" Two Face asked with a fiendish smile "Where's your partner, Batmare?"
"There won't be a need for her to get involved." the dragon replied, swinging his staff around "I'll finish you both on my own!"
"Taking us both on by yourself? You must be crazy, bird boy." Miss. Freeze taunted.
"So you think, but you're underlooking a key detail." the dragon smiled.
"And what would that be?" Two Face asked.
"Robin is no more. He flew away." the dragon explained.
"Then just who or what are you, besides dead in a few seconds?" Two Face asked curiously.
"Ah, I was hoping you'd ask me that." the dragon said with a smile "I'm Nightwing now, and I'm going to be the one to save the day! So, who wants to be first?!"
Upon hearing the name "Nightwing", Two Face's blood began to boil. That meant that the dragon standing before him was the one responsible for thwarting so many of his schemes. Two Face turned to Miss. Freeze and said angrily "Get out of here! I'll settle this on my own!"
Miss. Freeze was happy to agree, since either way she would get something good out of it. If Two Face succeeded, Nightwing would be out of the picture for good. And if Nightwing prevailed, he would save her the trouble of having to take care of Two Face herself. "Very well then, I shall leave you to it." she said with a smile, and left the room.
"Your friend can't help you now!" Nightwing taunted "Last chance, Two Face! Surrender now, and I might go easy on you."
Two Face simply replied by picking up his tommy gun, and locking the clip into place "We'll see just how tough you are after I put a few bullets through that thick skull of yours!" he threatened.
"Bring it, Two Face! I'm not scared!" Nightwing replied.
"You will be in a second!" Two Face smirked, and fired his tommy gun. Nightwing was more than ready for him, and with an impressive acrobatics display, he leaped across the room, dodging the bullets.
Nightwing quickly swung his staff round again, with the intent to thrust it full force into Two Face's back. But Two Face was not so easily defeated, and knocked Nightwing back with a blast from his horn.
"All this time, I thought you'd be tougher." Two Face said to Nightwing.
"Oh, I'm just getting warmed up." Nightwing replied confidently "But by all means, keep trying to kill me. You won't win."
"You forget, kid, that I like to make my own luck!" Two Face shouted, and fired his tommy gun again. But this time, instead of the usual sound of gun fire, there was only a soft click. Angrily, Two Face threw down his tommy gun.
"Batmare always used to say that guns weren't reliable." Nightwing teased "Now I can see that she was right."
Two Face didn't say anything in response, he simply pulled out a sword and charged at Nightwing. Nightwing raised his staff to block the blow, a task that was a lot harder to pull it off then it sounds.
Two Face continued to push his sword with more and more force, while Nightwing tried his hardest to push back with his staff. For a few tense seconds, the two kept at it.
"You can't hold out forever!" Two Face growled to Nightwing "Mark my words, I will kill you! No matter what it takes!"
"Sorry, gonna have to take a rain check on that." Nightwing said in response, and with a smile he pulled on his staff with his left claw. As if by magic, the staff split into two small rods, and both of them had an electric current flowing through them.
"What the-" Two Face replied, completely shocked by what he had just witnessed.
Nightwing said nothing, he just took advantage of Two Face's momentary distraction to kick the crime boss hard in the chest. Two Face groaned, and dropped his sword on the ground as he winced in pain.
Pushing the two rods together so that they formed one long staff again, Nightwing used his acrobatic skills to leap into the air, and hurl said staff at Two Face's leg. As soon as the rod made contact, the electricity flowing through the staff began to surge through Two Face's body. "You... can't... stop... me! Not... like this!" Two Face protested, as every nerve in his body was taxed to its limit.
Just when Two Face thought he could take no more, the electricity stopped. With the pain overloading his body, Two Face collapsed onto the floor.
"Be thankful there's only enough electricity in my staff to leave you stunned for a while." Nightwing said seriously, as he retrieved said staff from Two Face. "Considering all the pain and suffering you've caused, you deserve far worse!"
Two Face's only response was a soft growl.
"One down, and one to go." Nightwing said to himself, as he checked his suit "Now, to turn the results of my 'investigation' over to the police."
But before Nightwing could do anything, he suddenly became aware of the sound of clapping. And considering his surroundings, it sounded quite eerie.
"Very well done." a familiar voice said coldly "You've managed to accomplish quite a bit already. I'm impressed. But there's one thing you should know, to me you'll always be the same old 'Bird Boy' following in Batmare's shadow." And before Nightwing could react, he was suddenly frozen up to his neck in ice. His staff dropped onto the ground in much the same fashion as Two Face's tommy gun and sword.
"No fair!" Nightwing complained, trying in vain to break free from his icy prison "You couldn't defeat me in a head on fight, so you had to wait until you could ambush me! You're a coward, Miss. Freeze!"
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong." Miss. Freeze replied "With this, I have effectively frozen the only threat to my operation dead in its tracks! Now, I shall make final preparations for when my ultimate weapon strikes. In a matter of moments, Ponyville shall witness a winter unlike anything it has ever seen before." And with that, Miss. Freeze left the room, leaving Nightwing trapped in the ice.
At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was sulking to herself in her room. "At least Spike is off doin' somethin' grand." she thought to herself "I'd like to help too, but at this point what difference would I make? I'd just get in the way."
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of white light. And when Applejack opened her eyes, hovering in front of her was a figure obscured by a purple cloak and matching hood. "Who are you?" Applejack asked.
"A friend, that is all I will tell you." the figure replied "I come here with urgent news from outside Ponyville."
"I can't help you." Applejack said glumly "I've hung up my cape for good. My crime fightin' days are behind me."
The figure did not seem convinced, and simply said to Applejack "Spike is in great danger. He needs your help at once!"
"He doesn't want my help, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't need it either." Applejack said with a shake of her head.
The figure took no notice, and told Applejack "Spike may have taken on a new name, but there will still be times when he will need your help, just as there will be times where it'll be the other way around. More importantly, you cannot let your doubts and worries of the past hold you back. If you do not hurry, not only will Spike freeze to death, but Ponyville will as well!"
Those words were all Applejack needed to hear to snap out of her depressed mood. Quick as a flash, she raced to the bat cave, put on her bat suit, hopped into the Batmobile, and set off. "Just hang on Spike!" Batmare thought to herself "Help is on the way!"
It didn't take long for Batmare to find where Robin was being held prisoner. Just outside of Ponyville stood a massive mobile laboratory, with a roof that seemed ready to open up and reveal something at a moment's notice.
"Just hang on Spike. I don't know what's happened to you, but I'll try my damn best to save you!" Batmare thought to herself, as she snuck inside the laboratory through the ventilation system.
Nightwing had been moved to the control room of the giant freeze ray, still trapped in a massive glacier of ice that came all the way up to his neck. Miss. Freeze had taken the liberty of leaving his staff with one of the few stallions that had remained with her during Two Face's failed assault on Ponyville. Two Face himself was locked away in a holding cell deep within the base.
"Look at the snow around you, Nightwing, is it not beautiful?" Miss. Freeze asked her captor, as she continued to make final preparations for the firing of her freeze ray "Notice how before the snow, all is equal. There is no good or evil, all is frozen. It is pure, uncompromising in its prescence, uncaring of who or what lays before it."
"But it's also cold." Nightwing replied.
Miss. Freeze simply nodded "Much like the cruel hoof of fate itself. One moment, life is all sunshine and roses, and the next you are awoken with a cold slap of reality. Just when you think that life is okay, fate steps in and reminds you of who is in charge. I learned that lesson months ago, and now I intend to teach that lesson to the rest of the known world."
"I know the truth." Nightwing spoke up "I investigated Canter. Corp. and I learned about what happened to you. I'm sorry, I never knew you were trying to save your loved one. If I were in your place, I'd probably do the same thing."
Miss. Freeze remained unmoved, she replied coldly "I appreciate your sympathy, bird boy, but emotions are beyond me at this point. My heart has been frozen to the world around it, no longer can I feel such emotions as pity or concern. But it matters not, for soon I shall unleash a new world order. In a matter of moments, Ponyville will be a frosty graveyard, void of life."
"There's still one thing I don't understand." Nightwing went on "Just what happened to you that caused you to wear that suit? Was it a result of the chemicals in the lab?"
"Ah, you are just like your mentor, a fine detective. Indeed, the chemicals made it impossible for me to survive for long in anything above freezing." Miss. Freeze explained "But my icy powers are the result of something you cannot begin to comprehend. When I was left for dead by that monster who calls himself a stallion, I would not have survived the incident were it not for the help of the windigos themselves. They saved me, and as a result I learned of their incredible powers. I came to understand that the windigos were misunderstood, they did not wish to murder all of ponykind, they merely sought to save the world by purging it of hatred. Because the ponies were foolish enough to hate, the windigos were left with no choice but to exterminate them."
"You expect me to believe that?" Nightwing asked crossly.
"It matters not what you believe, when my beloved Shadow Mist was taken from me, I vowed to stop at nothing to avenge his demise." Miss. Freeze said ominously "And in a matter of moments, I shall have done just that."
"But what will vengence solve?" Nightwing asked.
"I would not expect you to understand." Miss. Freeze said coldly and turned away "You have not experienced what I have, therefore you cannot truly say what you would do. If you had someone you loved, would you not move mountains to save them if you had to?"
"Of course I would, but not like this." Nightwing replied.
Miss. Freeze didn't answer, she just set to work on operating the console. "Once I activate the countdown sequence, nothing will stop me!" she thought to herself.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a commotion from outside the control room, followed a few seconds later by a soft thud. If Miss. Freeze was concerned, she didn't show it, as she continued to focus her attention on maintaining control of the freeze ray.
But only a moment later, who should drop down from the vents, but a figure clad in a familiar dark gray suit with spiked shoulder pads, a black mask, matching black gloves and boots, and a black bat emblazoned into the center of the suit. Nightwing instantly recognized who it was, and at that moment he couldn't have been happier to see her. "Batmare! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" he said happily.
"Just hang on Nightwing, I'll get you out of there in a jiffy!" Batmare replied, and used a special batarang she had designed specifically for this sort of occasion. She planted it onto the ice block, and within seconds the ice began to melt.
As soon as Nightwing was freed, Batmare presented him with his staff. "Thanks for the help." Nightwing replied, and took back his staff. He hadn't fully forgiven Batmare for what had happened a few days ago, but for right now he was glad to have someone to fight by his side.
"No problem, it's what superheros do." Batmare said kindly "Now come on, let's put Miss. Freeze on ice!"
"You're too late, dynamic dimwits!" Miss. Freeze called, as she pressed one last button on the control console. The freeze ray began to rise up, the roof parting to let it pass through. The ray continued to rise until only the very bottom of it was still inside the laboratory, and then it positioned itself at the unsuspecting town of Ponyville.
"What's going on?!" Batmare asked Nightwing.
"Miss. Freeze is gonna use that thing to freeze Ponyville to the core!" Nightwing replied.
"I figured that out when I spotted the plans on the table outside the control room! How are we suppose to stop it?!" Batmare asked Nightwing.
"It cannot be stopped!" Miss. Freeze shouted, brandishing her portable freeze ray "Can you feel it coming, detectives? It is the dawning of a new world order. Once Ponyville is frozen dead, all of Equestria and beyond will be next to suffer! In just five minutes, everything will change forever!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Nightwing shouted "Batmare and I will take you down! This is your last warning, surrender now and call off the freeze ray!"
"NEVER! I will not stop until my revenge is complete!" Miss. Freeze bellowed, and fired her portable freeze ray at the two superheros. Both Batmare and Nightwing dodged to opposite sides as the beam approached. They quickly regrouped and dove for cover behind the massive freeze ray, where Miss. Freeze couldn't see them.
"Got any plans?" Nightwing asked Batmare.
"I've got one, but it's a longshot at best." Batmare admitted.
"Whatever the risk, we have to try it!" Nightwing insisted "What's your plan?"
"If one of us distracts Miss. Freeze, the other one can shut down the massive freeze ray from the control console. Then, together, we can defeat Miss. Freeze herself." Batmare explained.
"Okay then, I'll distract Miss. Freeze. And you focus on stopping that freeze ray." Nightwing replied.
But Batmare shook her head "No, Nightwing. I want you to focus on shutting down the freeze ray. I'll distract Miss. Freeze. You've put yourself in harms way several times in the past, it's time I returned the favor."
"Well, alright, but I hope you know what you're doing." Nightwing said seriously.
"Just promise me that, no matters what happens, you'll concentrate on stopping the massive freeze ray first." Batmare said seriously, and swung up to where Miss. Freeze was waiting. Meanwhile, Nightwing carefully sneaked over to the control console, and set to work on figuring out what he needed to do to disable the freeze ray.
"Four minutes to freezing." a computerized voice called out.
Miss. Freeze simply smiled "It won't be long now until everything freezes over." she said to herself, standing on a platform that was part of the massive freeze ray.
"I've got some bad news, Miss. Freeze! Ponyville's not freezing today!" Batmare shouted, and landed in front of Miss. Freeze.
Miss. Freeze was not pleased to see Batmare again "If you've come here to stop me, you won't succeed!" she told Batmare, and fired her portable freeze ray. Batmare dodged the beam, and knocked the portable freeze ray out of Miss. Freeze's hooves. It landed on the ground and fell onto its side.
Batmare smiled, with the portable freeze ray out of Miss. Freeze's clutches, the supervillan would have to fight with her physical strength instead of counting on her icy powers.
But when Batmare threw a punch, she was surprised when Miss. Freeze not only blocked it, but also threw Batmare back quite a bit. "If you thought my icy powers were the only perks of my condition, you are sadly mistaken. This suit was not only designed to keep me alive, but also to make me stronger than anyone in existence!" To demonstrate her point, she picked Batmare up and began to strangle her a little.
Nightwing, meanwhile, was trying his hardest to work the console and shut down the freeze ray. But he was having little luck, and growing steadily more frustrated as the seconds ticked by. "Come on, come on!" he said angrily, pounding at the panel in anger "Why won't this damn thing obey me?!" He continued to press different buttons, but not one of them gave the command that he needed. "I hope Batmare's having better luck then I am right now." he thought to himself.
Batmare struggled to break free of Miss. Freeze's choking grip. She could feel her lungs gasping for air, as she tried to overpower the powerful supervillan. Just when Batmare thought she was a goner, Miss. Freeze let up and dropped her onto the ground of the platform. "A valiant effort, Batmare, but ultimately futile. You and bird boy have been a thorn in my side for too long, and it is time you both felt the icy touch of death!"
"Three minutes to freezing." the computerized voice called out, alerting Batmare to the fact that Nightwing hadn't shut down the massive freeze ray yet.
"It is a shame it must end like this." Miss. Freeze said omniously, as Batmare caught her breath "I would've wanted you to be alive to witness what is about to happen. But the longer you remain alive, you become that much of greater a nussiance and much more of a threat to my plans. Therefore, I have no choice but to kill you here and now!"
But as Miss. Freeze approached, Batmare spotted an opportunity. Thinking quickly, she dug into her utility belt and pulled out her grappling gun. She fired it into the sky, and as luck would have it, it latched onto the cannon portion of the giant freeze ray. Batmare quickly swung up, evading Miss. Freeze's grasp. Then, she quickly swung back around and kicked Miss. Freeze hard in the back. It hurt, but it accomplished the effect of catching the supervillan off guard and knocking her onto her back. Batmare seized the opportunity, and in one swift motion, she planted a batarang similar to the one she had used to free Nightwing onto the back of Miss. Freeze's suit. "That should shut you down!" she said seriously.
Miss. Freeze could soon feel the heat from the batarang work its way into her system, it was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling "You can't kill me!" she pleaded.
"You're right. I can't, and I won't." Batmare replied "This batarang won't kill you, but it should disable your icy powers and reduce your phyiscal strength to normal. It'll still be cold enough for you to survive." And she quickly grabbed the super villan, and brought her down to the ground.
"This... is not... the end." Miss. Freeze said, as Batmare hoofcuffed her and destroyed her miniature freeze ray. "You still haven't stopped my giant freeze ray. Victory WILL be mine!"
"Two minutes to freezing." the computerized voice called out.
"How it's going, Nightwing?!" Batmare called.
"Unfortunately, not very good!" Nightwing grumbled in reply "I can't figure how to get this damn thing to turn off! It's driving me up a wall!"
"Well, keep trying! We've gotta stop it before it's too late!" Batmare said, raced over to try and help Nightwing out. With Miss. Freeze out of the way, her attention now turned to stopping the freeze ray.
But just as Batmare reached Nightwing, a familiar gravely voice spoke up. "I don't care if all of Equestria freezes to death, I'm not going to that hell hole they call an asylum!" A second later, Two Face emerged from the shadows, brandishing his familiar tommy gun in his right hoof. Before either Batmare or Nightwing could stop him, he fired several bullets into the control console, effectively destroying it, and preventing anyone from shutting down the freeze ray it controlled.
"How'd he get loose?!" Batmare asked, as she subdued the crime boss with a swift kick and proceeded to hoofcuff him.
"I must've somehow set him free while trying to figure out how to turn off the freeze ray." Nightwing said in reply, as he observed the damage caused to the console. "And unfortunately, it looks like he just totaled the only thing that can shut said ray down."
"Then there's only one thing to do!" Batmare said firmly "We demolish the freeze ray on our own power!"
"Are you nuts, we'll never succeed!" Nightwing replied.
"Maybe not, but we've got to try!" Batmare said, and grappled up to the platform she had fought Miss. Freeze on.
Nightwing just shrugged, and leaped up to the platform using his own grappling hook. "Now I'm starting to see why she told me never to leave home without one." he thought to himself.
"One minute to freezing." the computerized voice called out "T minus sixity seconds and counting."
"No time to argue, Nightwing!" Batmare shouted, as Nightwing joined her on the platform "We've got to find a way to destroy this thing once and for all!"
"We don't have enough time! Ponyville is done for!" Nightwing shouted back.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" shouted a voice that was unrecognizable to Nightwing, but was recognizable to Batmare. In a blinding flash of white light, a figure appeared with its face obscured by a purple cloak and matching hood.
"What can you do to help us?!" Nightwing asked the figure "And how can we trust you?!
"She's the one that led me to you in the first place!" Batmare replied "I think it's safe to say that she's on our side!"
"Just leave everything to me, dynamic duo!" the figure told Batmare and Nightwing "You two get out of the way, and I'll destroy this thing for good!"
Batmare and Robin grappled down, as the computerized voice called out "T minus thirty seconds and counting."
Once the two superheroes were safely out of harm's way, the cloaked figure teleported up to where she was now hovering over the massive freeze ray. Taking a deep breath, she bellowed out a phrase that neither Batmare or Nightwing had ever heard before "Azera, metrion, SYNTHOS!" the cloaked figure bellowed, and two small purple orbs appeared around her. Using the orbs, the cloaked figure lifted the massive freeze ray into the air as if it were a toy. Then, the figure made a clapping motion, and the freeze ray began to crumble up and fold in on itself as if it were made of paper. Once the freeze ray was reduced to nothing but an unrecognizable metallic ball, the cloaked figure smashed the freeze ray back down onto the ground, and made a motion that seemed to represent a hammer pounding a nail into a board. That motion caused the freeze ray to fall apart, and shatter into tiny metallic pieces. Pieces so tiny, that it would be impossible to reconstruct them into anything useful.
When the freeze ray was completely demolished, the cloaked figure flew back and landed in front of both Batmare and Nightwing "It is finished. Ponyville is safe." the figure told them. Then, the figure turned to Nightwing and said "I'm sure you have many questions about who I am, and why I have only chosen to reveal my prescence to you now."
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Nightwing replied.
The figure tossed a small pin to Nightwing and said "Meet me at the specified location if you wish to know more." And with that, the cloaked figure disappeared in another blinding flash of white light.
"Shadow Mist, forgive me." Miss. Freeze thought to herself, as she realized that she had been defeated.
"Alright, Miss. Freeze, time to go." Batmare said seriously, as she headed over to the supervillan and prepared to escort her away "I already contacted the royal guard, by now they should be waiting for us just outside your base."
"Wait, all this time you had the royal guard at your disposal?" Nightwing asked furiously.
"Unfortunately, no." Batmare replied "Once I had freed you, I contacted the royal guard through my own methods. But they specifically told me that it would take a while for them to show up. By the time they could gather enough of a unit to take this base, it would've been too late to stop Miss. Freeze's plans."
"I see." Nightwing nodded "I guess that makes sense." And he turned his attention to Two Face.
"Any last words before I turn you over to the royal guards?" Batmare asked Miss. Freeze.
Miss. Freeze's response, was to dig into her suit and pull out a vial of some sort. It appeared to be colored blue. "Take this as a parting gift." she said to Batmare.
"Just what is this stuff? Some sort of contingency plan?!" Batmare asked crossly.
Miss. Freeze shook her head "Part of my studies into the world of cryogencis involved understanding the way a pony's body works." she told Batmare "This is a sample of my blood, it contains properties not found in any other pony species."
"And your point is?!" Batmare asked.
"Surely you have wondered why my sister and I have been around for thousands of years?" Miss. Freeze began.
"The thought had crossed my mind." Batmare admitted.
"We are the last of our kind, the last pure blooded alicorns." Miss. Freeze explained "Exposure to the sun and the moon have altered us in ways that most ponies could only dream of. One of them is immortality. For as long as we are connected to the source of our power, we cannot die or age. But, if our connections to the sun or the moon are damaged or destroyed, then we become mortal."
"That explains why you almost died after being shot by Jet Set." Nightwing realized "The bullet must've severed your connection to the power of the moon."
"Indeed." Miss. Freeze replied "This immortality is a part of us alicorns from our heads to our hooves, right down to the blood itself. With this sample, you should be able to extend the life span of whoever you inject."
"And why would you give this to me?" Batmare asked Miss. Freeze.
"I understand that Granny Smith has been a bit 'under the weather' to put it lightly." Miss. Freeze explained "I fear that it will not be long until she is at death's door. With this sample, you can extend her life for a few more years."
"How do I know I can trust you?!" Batmare asked angrily.
"I tested the sample on Shadow Mist's replacement as captain of the night guard." Miss. Freeze told Batmare "It worked like a charm. If the subject is not suffering from a terminal disease, the blood of an alicorn can extend its life for a small number of years. It's not much, but it can be a big help."
Batmare took the vial, and put it away in her utilty belt. Then, she and Nightwing delivered both Miss. Freeze and Two Face to the royal guard. Both super villans were tried, and put behind bars. Two Face went to Canterlot Asylum, as did Miss. Freeze (who was given her own specially designed cell to accomodate for her inability to survive in above freezing temperatures). And just like that, Equestria was safe once again.
Both Two Face and Miss. Freeze were tried and found guilty of committing crimes against Equestria, and both were sentenced to life in Canterlot Aslyum. In light of Miss. Freeze's condition, a special holding cell was prepared so that the frosty villan could be safely housed without access to her suit. As for Jet Set, he was tried, found guilty, and his company shut down. Miss. Freeze was glad to see him be sent to prison.
Two Face, however, soon escaped from Canterlot Aslyum and continued to remain at large. But he was no longer the crime boss he once was, he no longer had the time or means to pull off elaborate heists. With the royal guard constantly on the lookout for him, he could not stay in one place for too long.
But before any of that happened, Batmare brought Nightwing back to the Bat Cave, and just as she had suspected, his secret identity was none other than Spike.
"I must say, I certainly wasn't expectin' company on such short notice." Granny Smith commented, when Nightwing arrived "I'll prepare some cider for the two of ya. Be back in a jiffy." And with that, she left the Bat Cave.
Batmare removed her hood, so now Applejack and Spike were alone in the Bat Cave. It hadn't been that long ago that Spike had stormed off in anger, but that scene was enough to fill the air with tension. For a while, neither Applejack or Spike said anything or even moved. They just stood there, eyeballing one another, as if engaged in some sort of staring contest. The only time they bothered to move, was when Granny Smith returned with two cups of apple cider for them to drink.
At last, Applejack broke the silence. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak. "Well, it sure is nice to see you again, Spike." she said honestly.
"The feeling's mutual." Spike replied, he wanted to say more but he couldn't bring himself to do so.
"I gotta say, you've certainly changed a lot since I last saw ya." Applejack continued "That Nightwing costume of yours is pretty cool."
"Thanks, Rarity made it for me." Spike told Applejack "I placed the order anonymously, but I suspect that she knew it was me all along. The specifications for size and weight probably tipped her off."
"It certainly seems like Rarity's got a promisin' business if she ever decides to start makin' superhero outfits for a livin'." Applejack chuckled. "Wonder if maybe she'll whip out her own costume and join in?"
"Who knows? With Rarity, anything is possible." Spike shrugged.
"While we're on the subject of Nightwing, however did you come up with the name for your new crime fightin' alter ego?" Applejack asked Spike "I'm really curious."
"The truth is, I realized I kind of overreacted to the situation when I left." Spike admitted reluctantly "I wasn't really thinking straight, I let my anger get the best of me. But by the time that realization came to me, I'd already left you, and I knew I couldn't just come crawling back and apologize. Even if I said I was sorry, it wouldn't make up for what I said and did."
"Spike, you didn't do anythin' wrong. I was the one who was actin' like a fool." Applejack replied "It took you literally knockin' some sense into me for me to realize that."
"Anyway, I decided that the least I could do, was honor my former teacher." Spike went on "I wanted something that would not only maintain the same theme as Robin, but also something that would pay homage to the one who took me under her wing. It took quite a bit of brainstorming, and I'm still not exactly sure what was it was, but something clicked inside of me. 'Of course, I'll call myself Nightwing' I said to myself, and so I chose my name."
Applejack eyed the Robin costume that was hung up in a corner of the Bat Cave. It rested in a display case that was next to the old Bat Suit that she used to wear. Then, she turned her attention back to Spike. Reluctantly, she said the one thing she had been trying to skirt around since Spike had returned to the Bat Cave. "I don't suppose there's any point in askin' for you to return to bein' Robin, not at this point." she said to Spike.
Just as Applejack had expected, Spike shook his head. "I'm done being Robin. I've grown up, and I'm no longer the boy wonder." he told his former mentor "From the moment I became Nightwing, I knew there was no going back. I'm sorry our partnership had to end on such a sour note."
"Whoever says it has to end, just because you're not my student anymore?" Applejack asked.
Spike was confused "What do you mean?" he asked Applejack.
"The two of us may not be workin' together all the time, but that doesn't mean we can't still team up every now and then if the situation calls for it." Applejack explained "You saw how we can work together when we took down Miss. Freeze and Two Face."
"Well, if I ever need your help I'll be sure to let you know." Spike said with a smile, giving Applejack a small slip of paper "That contains all the information you'll need to know in order to contact me."
"Feel free to stop by for a visit every now and then." Granny Smith encouraged "This place can get mighty lonely when it's just Applejack and I."
"I'll see about taking time for a social call every now and then." Spike replied, and with that he departed. Once he had left the Bat Cave, he eyed the pin that been given to him by the mysterious cloaked figure. Printed on the pin were coordinates to a specific location that read as follows:
52 degrees latitude, 35 degrees longitude
Spike was baffled at those coordinates. "Those coordinates lead to The Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse." he realized "But why would the cloaked figure want to meet me there? Surely a more 'covert' location would be ideal for a meeting." But even so, Spike decided to head to the location specified on the pin. Before he did though, he made sure to don his Nightwing costume.
When Nightwing arrived at The Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse, he was surprised to see that he was not the only one who had been guided to that location. As it turned out Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had recieved similar pins from the same cloaked figure. But now they were different, they were no longer the same blank flank fillies that all of Ponyville knew.
Apple Bloom (or at least the filly that looked like her) wore an alternating black and purple vest with white gloves, her mane and tail had been dyed bright green.
Scootaloo (or at least the filly that looked like her) had the entire right side of her body encased in machine parts, but they seemed to have been upgraded by some unknown source, as was evidenced by the bright red scope that appeared where the right eye should be.
And Sweetie Belle (or at least the filly that looked like her) wore a light blue dress that did not cover up the yellow markings that appeared all over her body, her mane and tail had been dyed into a dark red color.
"Who are you?" Nightwing asked "And why do you look so familiar?"
"We could ask you the same question, mister-" the filly that looked like Apple Bloom asked.
"Nightwing." Nightwing replied.
"You can call me Beast Mare!" the filly that looked like Apple Bloom replied.
"Name's Cyborg!" the filly that looked like Scootaloo added.
"And I am called Starfire!" the filly that looked like Sweetie Belle finished.
"You still haven't explained why you look like a trio of fillies that I knew!" Nightwing said seriously.
"Well, if you're who we think you are, then chances are we're who you think we are." Beast Mare replied.
"So tell us, are you the same Spike that used to go by the name of Robin?" Cyborg asked.
"Indeed I am." Nightwing nodded "So I guess that means you three are The Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"You are correct." Starfire replied "I must say, it is an honor to see you once again. And you look rather cute."
Nightwing couldn't help but blush a bit, but he quickly regained his composure "Why have all we been brought here?" he asked.
"I was about to ask the same question." Cyborg replied "Just after we got done helping those royal guards in The Everfree Forest, this figure in a purple cloak and matching hood shows up and tosses theses pins to us."
"She tells us to meet her at the location specified by the pin, then she disappears in a flash of light before we can ask her anythin'." Beast Mare explained.
"What is up with that?" Starfire wondered "Why would she ask the four of us to meet her at this specific location, as opposed to anywhere else? What possible reason could she have?"
"Allow me to answer your questions." a familiar voice called out. A second later, in a blinding flash of white light, a figure in a familiar purple cloak and matching hood appeared.
"Who are you?" Nightwing asked "You've been popping up to help us quite a bit, but we don't know your name."
"I used to be known as Babs Seed, but you can call me Raven." the cloaked figure explained, revealing her face to everyone gathered. Beast Mare, Cyborg, and Starfire all gasped when they finally saw who was behind the hood. The face that greeted everyone barely looked like Babs Seed, her eyes now glew dark purple, her mane and tail had turned completely black, and a considerable deal of her coat was now a pale gray. Were it not for the hint of orange here and there, no one would've believed that Raven was indeed fact Babs Seed.
"What happened to ya, Babs?" Beast Mare asked "Last I heard from ya, you got your cutie mark and were retirin' from the Manehattan branch of the CMC."
Raven put her hood back on, and explained "Not long after I sent you that letter, I went on a trip to the Crystal Empire. While there, I had the misfortune of stumbling across the severed horn of the shadowdy tyrant, King Sombra. Contact with the horn overwhelmed my body, and were it not for the intervention of the crystal couple, I would've perished then and there."
"So, what happened after that?" Starfire asked nervously.
Raven sighed, and continued her explanation "I lay in bed for several days while the Crystal Fair was held. For a while, I felt like I was going to die. Then, Princess Cadence discovered an enchanted cloak and hood that had belonged to the previous crystal princess, Princes Amore. It is that very cloak that I am currently wearing. For as long as I have it on, King Sombra's influence cannot control me. But everyday, I face a continued struggle between the good inside of me, and the evil from King Sombra. It is this constant battle that gives me my super powers."
"But if that's true, then why didn't you interfere to help us out earlier?" Cyborg asked crossly "We really could've used your help on several occasions."
"When I put on the cloak and hood for the first time, I was gifted with the chance to glimpse into the future." Raven explained "Before my very eyes, I saw all that was to come over the next few months. But no one would believe me, and all my efforts to change the future were all for naught. I then realized that the events I glimpsed were destined to happen. And as much as I would like to prevent them, I would not able to do so. Rather, it was my destiny to guide you all on your individual journeys, and interfere only when destiny said I was suppose to."
"And was this part of the future that you glimpsed?" Nightwing asked Raven.
Raven nodded "Equestria needs heroes such as us. Batmare cannot protect Equestria forever on her own. We must be willing to start a league of superheroes, so that future generations will be protected from any and all supervillans."
"But what will we call ourselves?" Nightwing asked.
"We shall be known as The Cutie Mark Crusaders." Raven told the gathered heroes "But no longer will the crusaders be looking for their cutie marks. They will be crusading to protect Equestria with their very lives. And we shall make our headquarters here, hidden behind this clubhouse."
"Does this mean we'll get to beat up some bad guys?!" Cyborg asked eagerly. Raven nodded "Well then, count me in! With my technology, evil doers won't know what hit them!"
"I'm gonna join as well!" Beast Mare chimed in "Hopefully, I'll be able to meet up with Zecora and tell her that I'm okay."
"I am willing to join the fight as well." Starfire added "Far be it from me to miss out on the fun."
"You fillies are going to need a leader." Nightwing smiled, as he too agreed to join "Together, the five of us will be unstoppable!"
"Very well then, from this moment onwards, we are all officially known as The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Raven declared.
"And how's that this for a battle cry?" Nightwing asked "Crusaders, go!"
"I like it!" Cyborg replied.
"Has a nice ring to it." Beast Mare added.
"It shall surely strike fear into the hearts of our enemies." Starfire smiled.
"I approve of it whole heartedly." Raven agreed.
"Okay then." Nightwing said with a smile "Let's say it all together on the count of three. Ready?" Raven, Beast Mare, Cyborg, and Starfire all nodded. "1, 2, 3!" Nightwing instructed.
"CRUSADERS, GO!!!!!" all five members shouted at once.
Jet Set's trial was a massive public spectacle, with all of Canterlot being in attendence. Taking Fancy Pant's place as District Attorney was his wife, Fleur De Lis. Everypony agreed that she was the most qualified to take on the role, even if Fleur herself didn't think so.
One exiled Cantelort citizen read about the trial in the papers, from the confines of his padded cell at Canterlot Asylum. "Such delicious chaos." The Joker thought to himself "And me without a means of being able to see it. Oh well, guess you can't win 'em all."
The trial for Jet Set lasted for several days, as there were a lot of witnesses to testify, and a lot of evidence to sort through. Fleur De Lis proved to be a suitable successor to her husband, and managed to discredit all of the evidence Jet Set's team submitted.
Thus, it came as little surprise to anyone when the verdict was handed down. "The defendant, Jet Set, is found guilty on all charges." the jury declared "He knowingly interfered in a project that resulted in the death of an innocent member of the night guard, and attempted to cover up the truth." With the exception of Jet Set's wife, Upper Crust, everyone in the courtroom cheered. Justice had been served.
Nightwing was thrilled when he learned that the evidence he had obtained was the key factor in determining Jet Set's guilt. "I knew that disc would be important." he told his fellow crusaders, as they read about the verdict.
"Here's hoping that scumbag gets what he deserves!" Cyborg said seriously.
"Lock 'em up and throw away the key!" Beast Boy added.
"I am just glad that justice has been served." Starfire replied.
"Let us hope that his successor will not be as corrupt as he was." Raven commented.
The news of the verdict traveled fast, and it wasn't long before all of Equestria knew of it. Most of the citizens cheered, but a few did not and still believed that Jet Set had done no wrong.
"Fleur is definitely a worthy successor of her husband's legacy." Granny Smith commented, as she and Applejack read about the verdict in the Bat Cave "Do you intend to make an appearance, to offer your services to her?"
"I think it's best if Batmare stays out of the affairs of the district attorney." Applejack replied "Besides, after what happened with Fancy Pants, I don't think Fleur would be too happy to see another costumed character."
"Suit yourself, but if you ever change your mind, I won't stop you." Granny Smith smiled, before she began to a cough a little "This cold just doesn't seem to wanna leave."
"Well, Miss. Freeze gave me somethin' that could probably help you with that." Applejack explained, and revealed the vial of blue liquid that she had obtained a short time ago. "She says it can extend your lifespan by a couple of years."
"You're not plannin' on makin' me life forever, are you?" Granny Smith asked seriously "I've lived for a long time already, immortality would be a curse. I already said I didn't wanna have to bury ya."
"It's only goin' to keep you alive for a little longer than you normally would." Applejack told Granny Smith "And look at it this way, with this, you have a greater chance of livin' to see great grandkids. Wouldn't it be nice to help raise one last generation of Apples?"
"I suppose so, assumin' any of my grandkids ever actually settle down and raise a family. And right now, I don't see that happenin'." Granny Smith said crossly, glaring at Applejack.
"Trust me, Granny Smith. I've been tryin' my hardest to find somepony to settle down with." Applejack replied "But it's pretty hard to do so when you've got a double life to lead. But there's always Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom."
"That's true. Lately, Big Mac's been pinnin' for that school teacher like no tomorrow." Granny Smith commented "And Apple Bloom, well, she's got that whole 'Crusaders' club to help her. And as long as you and Apple Bloom are gonna be runnin' 'round fightin' crime, I get the feelin' you're gonna need me to help rein ya both in from time to time."
"Truer words were never spoken." Applejack nodded "So, I guess that settles it."
"Indeed it does, but don't get upset if it doesn't work." Granny Smith told Applejack, as she took the vial "And this is the ONLY thing I'm takin' that'll extend my life span. When my time runs out, it'll run out." And with that, Granny Smith poured the vial's contents into a nearby cup of tea, mixed it in thoroughly, and then drank said tea. Within seconds, she felt much better. It was almost as if she were completely young once again, but Granny Smith knew better.
A few weeks later, Batmare was out on patrol in Ponyville. Rumors had circulated that Two Face was at it again, and Batmare was determined that the crime boss would not get away with whatever he was planning.
However, the rumors about Two Face turned out to be duds. Two Face failed to show, and the only thing Batmare had accomplished, was draining The Batmobile of fuel. "Nightwing is gonna rub this in my face the next time we meet." Batmare thought to herself, as she parked The Batmobile in an alleyway behind Sugarcube Corner.
Deciding that the refueling process could wait, Batmare headed inside to grab a bite to eat. "It's a good thing Pinkie Pie's kept my identity a secret." Batmare thought to herself, as she carefully removed her mask.
When Applejack came back out, she was surprised at what she saw. There was an earth pony colt, who was busy trying to remove the wheels of The Batmobile. His coat was a familiar white with brown patches, though the white parts were hard to spot due to how dusty the colt seemed to be. In fact, even his brown mane and tail seemed to have lost their usual shine. Were it not for the reddish brown eyes, Applejack would've thought she was looking at a completely different pony.
"Pipsqueak?" Applejack asked, catching the colt's attention.
Pipsqueak froze upon hearing a voice, he knew he was busted. But when he turned to look at who had called out his name, he was incredibly surprised. Applejack was standing before him, clad in a dark gray suit with matching black boots and gloves. There was only one figure Pipsqueak knew of that wore an outfit like that. "Are you, Batmare?" he asked Applejack.
"I am." Applejack nodded, after making sure no one else was around to overhear. She quickly put her mask back on and asked "Why are you tryin' to steal the tires from my vehicle?"
"I'm just trying to make a living." Pipsqueak pleaded desperately "Tires are in high demand these days, and I really need the money."
"Do your parents know you've been out and about, stealin' from ponies?" Batmare asked crossly.
"Well, the thing is, I don't really.... have parents anymore." Pipsqueak admitted sadly, tears forming in his eyes.
Batmare felt pretty bad for making Pipsqueak cry, but she had to know what was going on. For all she knew, Pipsqueak could be lying. "Are you absolutely sure about that?" she asked Pipsqueak.
Pipsqueak nodded sadly "My mum and dad got divorced not long after we moved here from Trottingham. My dad died in a carriage accident a few weeks after the divorce. And my mum was killed by Two Face's goons during the attack on Ponyville."
"And why haven't the foal protective services come for you and placed you in an orphange?" Batmare asked seriously "The orphange is much better for you than livin' on the streets."
"I got scared." Pipsqueak replied "I couldn't think straight. All I could think about, was that I didn't want to go to an orphange. So I ran away from home, and I've been hiding from the foal protective services ever since."
"And has anypony spotted you?" Batmare asked Pipsqueak.
"No they haven't. I've never stayed in the same place for more than a day." Pipsqueak explained "I didn't want them to find out and report me to the foal protective services."
"How have you been survivin' for all this time?" Batmare asked crossly.
"I've found ways to sneak into ponies homes from time to time." Pipsqueak told Batmare "What I do is, create a distraction so they'll open a door or window, then I'll sneak inside while they're busy. I'll just grab whatever I can get my hooves on, and take off again. Sometimes, I'll even use the loo if I really have to go. I always make sure not to leave evidence of my visit, and nopony ever suspects that it's me."
"So this is why I've been hearing so many reports of ponies believing that a criminal is on the loose!" Batmare realized "It's been you all along."
"So go ahead, report me to the police and have me arrested." Pipsqueak insisted "At this point, even jail sounds better then continuing to live on the streets."
Batmare looked at Pipsqueak, and saw just how sad he was. No wonder the colt was in such a poor state. There had to be something she could to make it up to him, but what? Batmare thought to herself for a moment, then an idea came to her. "I'll tell you what, Pipsqueak." she said to the colt "How would you like to come live with me at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Really? You'd do that for me?!" Pipsqueak asked eagerly.
"Don't think you'll be let off the hook for what you've done." Batmare said seriously "Once you're all cleaned up and back to full health, you're goin' to have to do community service. You'll be helping the ponies who's homes you've been sneakin' into."
"Ah, that's no fun at all." Pipsqueak complained.
"Well, it's either that, or I call the police and have you arrested." Batmare told Pipsqueak "One way or another, you've got to pay for what you've done to the fine citizens of Ponyville."
Pipsqueak sighed, but decided that community service was better than jail. Even if it meant doing things he had hated to do back when he still had parents. "I guess I don't have a choice." he realized "I'll do whatever I have to do to repay my debt to society."
"Excellent." Batmare smiled, as she guided Pipsqueak to The Batmobile and gently placed him into the passenger seat. She then set to work on refueling The Batmobile.
Once Pipsqueak was inside The Batmobile, a thought occurred to him. "Say, if I'm gonna be living with you, does that mean I'll get to be Robin?" he asked Batmare.
"We'll have to see what Granny Smith thinks." Batmare replied "But I hope you realize that being Robin isn't about gettin' back at Two Face for what happened to your mother."
"And why not? Two Face is a bad guy, he deserves to rot in hell for what he's done!" Pipsqueak said seriously.
"Revenge isn't the same as justice." Batmare told Pipsqueak "There's an old sayin' that Granny Smith is particularly fond of quotin', and goes somethin' like this 'Before settin' off on revenge, you first dig two graves.' One of the graves is for the one you want to get revenge on, but can you tell me who the other grave is for?"
"No clue." Pipsqueak shrugged.
"It's for yourself." Batmare said seriously, as she climbed into the driver's seat of The Batmobile "In the process of gettin' revenge, you scarifice the very virtues that make you an Equestrian bein'. That leaves you dead to the world around you, as you no longer care about who you hurt, or what you do. Revenge is a slippery slope that is impossible to climb back up, once you slide down it."
"I see." Pipsqueak realized, as The Batmobile backed out of the alleyway, and headed back to Sweet Apple Acres.
At first, Granny Smith wasn't too keen on the idea of having a colt with so much emotional baggage become Robin. She was concerned that Pipsqueak wouldn't be able to keep his emotions in check. But Applejack promised that she would do her best to keep Pipsqueak under control, and train him to be an effective crime fighter. And so Granny Smith reluctantly backed off.
Once Pipsqueak was cleaned up, and had repayed the citizens of Ponyville that he had wronged during his time on the streets, he was ready to become the next Robin. It had taken a bit of modifying, but the suit that Spike had used during his tenure as the boy wonder fit Pipsqueak just as well. And so it was that the dynamic duo of Batmare and Robin was once again completed.
