> Nightwing
>  by ZettaGolden
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Flying Graysons fall to earth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The steady sound of a mallet pounding against wood reverberated through the camp. Travelling construction crews walked this way and that, carrying supplies and work materials from one location to another. The lions had to be fed, the concession stands and gift shops erected, and the performer’s temporary make-up and preparation area had to be set up as well.

Not to mention the colossal big top tent that the circus performed its main attractions in.

Tightropes, trapezes, trick rings, and stationary stilts had to be set up and checked for safety, performers had to practice their new acts to wow and dazzle the crowd. The lion tamers, strong men, and ‘freaks’ were all out, practicing their own individual routines by themselves, before the grand rehearsals began later once the camp was set up.

Big Top, owner and ringmaster of the Cirque du Triomphe, gazed on proudly from the top of the only set of stands that had been built so far in the huge circus tent. He had worked his entire life to create the single greatest performing troupe in all of Equestria, and perhaps even beyond. Now, it seemed his work had paid off. 

The Cirque du Triomphe had travelled all over Equestria, performing in various locations and earning quite a name for itself. The overweight ringmaster twirled his handlebar mustache between two white gloved fingers, reflecting on his –almost surprising- success. Everywhere that his troupe had performed, they weren’t just a hit; they were a colossal success. All across the kingdom, Big Top and his team had earned rave reviews on the sights and wonders his circus had to offer. But one act in particular was favoured over all others, and Big Top knew it.

The Flying Graysons.

The ringmaster smiled to himself as he considered how fortunate he was to have a family like the Graysons under his employ. John and Mary Grayson had approached him when, five years ago, they were faced with the prospect of raising their only son, Richard, while both of them were unemployed. As luck would have it, John Grayson was an outstanding gymnast, having even won a gold medal for it in the world championships. His wife was extraordinarily talented too, and the passion the two of them had for each other was practically palpable. It was this reason that their act was so popular.

Working the trapeze was all about trust. Trust in yourself to be able to pull off daring flips and twirls while working fifty feet in the air, trust in your equipment, and most of all, trust in your partner. If you lacked trust in even one of those things during a trick, you would fail and fall to the ground below. The complete and total devotion Mr. and Mrs. Grayson had for each other was obvious even during their act. They leaped without hesitation off of platforms and narrow stilts, knowing that the other would be there to catch them. And so, the net was removed during a performance, to add another layer of excitement.

To top everything off, even Richard had appeared in the shows at the last two locations, Las Pegasus and Manehatten. The fact that an eight-year old boy was fit, agile, and brave enough to perform acrobatics right alongside his parents was almost too much for the audience to behold. People travelled to the travelling circus, following it from location to location to experience its splendors again and again. 

“Yes,” Big Top thought to himself as he puffed his chest out in pride, “I’ve done alright for myself.”






“Behold!” Richard Grayson stated boldly, standing atop some crates that the circus strongmen had yet to unload from caravan, “Watch in awe as I reach the top mast of the big top… wait for it… WITHOUT EVER TOUCHING THE GROUND!” He raised his arms above him with an air of exaggerated showmanship, waiting for applause from the men working down below.

“Get down from there, Dick,” One of them, Leadfist, said. “We’ve gotta unload those cases now.”

The young Grayson ground his teeth. “It’s Richard,” he muttered, before regaining his composure. “And I will not get down… But I shall get up! Observe!” He shouted, leaping from the crate he stood on to one that was currently being moved by two other performers, a man of pegasus descent named Archon and a unicorn descent that Richard didn’t know. He paused for a second, planning his next move, much the chagrin of the two working men, before he leapt up again and flung himself onto the top of a nearby concession stand.

“Haha! And now for the hard part…” He muttered to himself, brushing some of his black hair out of his eyes. The pint sized acrobat somersaulted into the air hopped from the tops of the various booths that had been built along the outskirts of the giant tent. He worried briefly about getting splinters on his bare feet from the rough wood, but stowed the thought. Fear was for sissies.

Glancing forwards at the tent, Dick noticed a tethering line that ran all the way from one of the securing tent spikes to the central mast of the big top, his destination. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

He continued leaping from stand to stand, before landing tip toed on the tent spike. His balance perfect, he looked down to make sure no part of him touched the dirt that was inches away from his feet. He was clear. Perfect.

Tightrope walking was actually far easier than it looked. Anyone could do it. All you had to do was make sure that your center of gravity was lower than the rope, and then it would be almost literally impossible to fall. That’s why so many tight-rope walkers used a large staff while they performed; it dropped their balance to a point where the deed was almost laughable.

Richard Grayson, however, had no such staff. He’d have to compromise. Luckily, he’d ‘borrowed’ a couple of crowbars from Archon and the magic user. Hopefully, if he held them out at his sides, and dropped to a crouch, he would be able to achieve the perfect balance.	

Dick took a tentative step forward. Then another. Then another. Suddenly, he found himself almost running up the taught line, relishing the strain on his young muscles as his arms ached from holding the two crowbars out to his sides. “HAHA!” He laughed to himself, feeling wind blow through his hair as he ran higher and higher, finally reaching the top of the mast. What he saw there took his breath away.

“Wow…” The boy mumbled, gazing out at the Canterlot skyline. Even more light shone from here than Las Pegasus, and the image of the giant castle rising up in the distance, surrounded by the tall buildings that Equestria’s elite lived in was truly awe inspiring. Sitting cross legged on top of his new domain, he wondered how many people from the city would come to the show. Ten? One hundred? One thousand? In Las Pegasus, they had sold ten thousand tickets a night. There was barely enough room in the stands for everyone to fit. 

Richard shivered in the night air, his bright red and green spandex doing little to keep out the chill of the wind. “Maybe” He thought to himself, “Maybe the princess will come and see the show!” The little boy blushed as he thought about the woman he knew he was destined to marry, and suddenly the wind didn’t seem so cold anymore. Giggling to himself, and snapping out of his daydream, he returned back to the ground. Tonight, the grand rehearsals would begin. In a mere two days, the circus would open.  He needed to practice and rest.







Princess Celestia sighed deeply to herself as she strode past the Royal Equestrian School for those of Unicorn Descent. Soon, very soon, Nightmare Moon would return from her one-thousand year imprisonment. The Princess of the Day very much doubted that her little sister would be terribly pleased to see her after one-thousand years of isolation.

And yet, what could she do about it? Celestia no longer represented the Elements of Harmony, and her power alone wasn’t enough to defeat Nightmare Moon. No, she needed to find someone who could take up her mantle. She needed to find an apprentice. She needed to find-

FWOOOOMPH

A giant rainbow arced across the sky, the chromatic blast extending all the way to the tower of the school, where she knew Twilight Sparkle’s entrance exam was being conducted. “I wonder how she’s doing…?”

CRASH

Princess Celestia’s train of thought was brutally derailed as the booming sound of a roof being destroyed reached her ears. Spreading her wings, she immediately looked up, fearing the worst. There, in the academy tower, there was a… dragon? Celestia gasped, realizing what this meant. The dragon egg had been delivered by the princess herself one year ago.

It was a trick, however. No one that young was able to hatch a dragon’s egg. The test was merely in place for the instructors to be able to measure the ingenuity and cleverness of someone when confronted with an unsolvable problem. But, it seems someone had hatched the egg. But they didn’t just hatch it; they had performed a growing spell of immense power on the baby dragon, causing it to swell up. That someone was Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia smiled. Maybe, just maybe, she had found her new apprentice. The princess immediately took off, flying straight for the hole in the roof, intending fully intending to meet with the young girl who, Celestia noticed, now had a cutie mark, easily visible on her shoulders.

After Twilight had been calmed down, and Celestia’s offer had been (very enthusiastically) accepted, the Sun Deity looked upon her new ward with adoration. Maybe she should take her out for a treat. The Cirque du Triomphe was in town. Celestia would bring her and her family to the opening performance tomorrow night. Things were beginning to look up for the revered princess.








Dick Grayson stared at his blank shoulders in frustration. His lack of cutie mark was starting to become a worry for him. The young boy brushed some hair out of his eyes and considered what he was doing wrong. Was gymnastics not his special talent? But if gymnastics wasn’t, than what was? Weight lifting? Fire breathing?

Richard grunted and turned away from the mirror in his family’s dressing room. His mother and father were already prepared, and had begun stretching. The show started in a mere two hours, and people were already walking around the circus grounds, buying cotton candy and peanuts, taking in some attractions, and generally waiting before the flap to the big top opened and the real show could begin.

The youngest Grayson wondered how many people were here. From the sounds of things outside, there were a lot. Possibly more than they had ever had before. Dick had never been one to get nervous, but there were rumours that Princess Celestia herself was going to be here, and while the prospect of performing for one of the most powerful beings on the planet was exciting, it was also quite daunting.

“But seriously mom, do you think Celestia will really show up?” He asked, sounding rather shaken.

“Dick, I’m very sorry that you’re nervous,” his mother began irritably, “but if you ask me one more time, I’m going to be very upset.”

“Alright, alright, don't get your knuckles in a knot,” he pouted. “But if you had to guess, like on a scale of one to ten or whatever, how likely do you think it is that she’ll show?”

“RICHARD GRAYSON-“

“Maybe you should go for a walk, son,” his father intervened. It wouldn’t do for any of them to be stressed before a show. 

“Right, I’m gone.”

Dick dashed out the door of the small trailer that they had been provided, and witnessed the huge throng of customers that lay just outside the fence that separated the performers living quarters from the entertainment area. 

“Jeeze… And I thought the Canterlot folks would be too stuck up to come to a circus…”

Dick ambled from trailer to trailer, not really sure what to do with himself. He supposed he should be stretching, but… that was boring. “Maybe Big Top knows if she’ll be attending.”

Grinning to himself as he pictured his secret crush, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and jog to Big Top’s trailer. Privately, he almost hoped that Celestia didn’t show. His lack of cutie mark was all too clear in his performers outfit, and he wasn’t sure how comfortable he was displaying his bare arms to someone he respected so much.

He shook his head. Whether she came or not, he was going to perform. And hey, maybe if he was good enough she’d adopt him or something. Richard chuckled at the thought. Being adopted by a princess may sound nice, but when you have to sit still at huge banquets with all those rich, stuffy fat cats, things would get dull real fast. Plus, he would miss his parents more than he would care to admit.

As the daydreaming young performer approached the largest trailer on the lot, he began to get an uneasy feeling. Tack it up to instincts, or maybe just a reluctance to find out whether or not his idol would show up, but he paused at the door. Hearing muffled shouting inside, Dick eased it open and sneaked into the trailer.

“…solutely preposterous!” Big Top’s voice rang out. That made Richard uneasy. Big Top was such a kind, friendly man. If he was yelling, something must be really wrong.

“Listen, big boy,” another voice said, low and menacing, “Mr. Zucco is givin’ you a reeeeal nice offer here. You fork over fifteen percent of your profits, and we give you some… protection. Things can get real nasty ‘round these parts”

“Now, see here!” Big Top’s booming voice shot back. “You tell your Tony Zucco that he would be wise to never attempt to consort with me, or any of my associates again!”

“Take. The. Deal.” A third voice said, the words sending chills down the eavesdropper’s back. “It would be a real shame if an accident were to happen during your show here tonight.”

“Are you threatening me!?”

“Of course not. I’m simply making a prediction. One last chance here, baldy. You gonna take the deal, or not!?”

There was silence for a moment, then…

“No. Leave. Now.”

“You’re gonna regret that, pops.”

Panicking, Dick threw himself back out the door, and quickly pulled himself on top of the trailer. Thankfully, the two unwanted visitors didn’t see him as they exited the steel structure. One was a magic user, as evidenced by the stubby horn atop his bald head. The other was a Pegasus descent, his midnight black wings folded up tightly against his suit.

“So… Plan B?” The winged crook asked.

“Yup. Don’t say we didn’t warn him.”

Not really sure what to do, Richard just watched as they walked off towards the actual big top, the enormous tent looming in the distance. “Maybe I should follow them. Hey... Wait a minute is that…? OHMYGODDESS IT’S CELESTIA!”  All thoughts of the two men vanished as Richard spotted the magical, flowing, rainbow coloured hair.

As the crowd parted around her, the enamoured Grayson took in her appearance, from the flowing white gown to the beautiful smile she wore as she waved to her subjects. Around her walked four magic users, all of them seemingly related. There was a little, purple haired girl around his age, an older boy, and what seemed to be the parents of the children. Surrounding the group were four members of the Royal Equestrian Honour guard. Two grim, unblinking, white winged men clad in golden armour and two magic users in white and gold embroidered robes. 

“Wow…” Dick said to himself, leaping off of the trailer and running up to get a closer look. The princess actually came! The little athlete climbed to the top of a face painting booth that the convoy would have to pass by on their way to the entrance to the big top, which was now accepting patrons.

“She’s coming this way! Ooooooh, man, my heart is beating out of my chest!” 

Closer and closer they came, and Richard decided it was now or never. Leaping to his feet, he jumped up and down on the little booth waving his arms in the air, his red leotard and green leggings making him stand out from the crowd below.

“HHEEEEEYY!!! PRINCESS!!! OVER HERE!” He screamed, desperate for acknowledgment.

Noticing her enthusiastic young fan, she laughed, winked at him, and waved, noting with pleasure the huge grin and red cheeks the boy now sported.

“Wow.” He said aloud to himself. “Life. Complete.”

It was time to get back to his parents. The show would be starting soon, and he had a princess to impress.








Big Top sat in his trailer, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, making sure to mop up the sweat that had accumulated at the base of his horn. He would have to cancel the show tonight. If anything happened to his performers, he’d never forgive himself. It was unfortunate, as ticket sales were through the roof, and he would have to refund these people’s money, but he really didn’t have much of a choice. Tony Zucco’s mobsters had threatened him, and Big Top had no doubt that those thugs would follow through with it.

Making his decision, he grabbed his top hat and put it on his head, marching out of the door to his trailer. As disappointed as he was sure his patrons would be, they would have to understand. Police would need to be called, investigations would need to be performed, and the Cirque du Triomphe would need to pack up and leave, after only just arriving here.

Sighing heavily to himself, he looked at the excited crowd gathering at the entrance of his palace of wonders, the glorious big top tent. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something fluttering in the wind, and his heart sank. He’d recognize that fluttering, rainbow coloured head of hair that bore testament to the awesome power of the goddess it adorned. The Princess of Equestria had come to the show.

Big Top’s decision to cancel the show suddenly seemed rash. The princess was here. The princess was here. If he could get a good review from her… he would be set for life. People would come worldwide to see his circus, and he could smell an early retirement. Not that he wanted to retire, he loved working the circus too much, but the option certainly seemed appealing.

“No,” He thought to himself, “the show must go on.” After all, the princess was here. What could possibly go wrong?








“LAAAADDIEEEEESSS AAAAAAAAANNNNNDDD GEENNTLLLEEEMEEENN!!! Gathered here today, for YOUR viewing pleasure, are the greatest entertainers to ever come to Equestria! See the young Trixie create works of magical art before your very eyes! See winged wonder perform jaw dropping aerial tricks! See the Flying Graysons, the wingless acrobats who truly do not know the meaning of the word fear, leaping through the air in perfect form!  All these wonders and more await you here on this very night! Welcome… TO THE CIRQUE DU TRIOMPHE!!!”

Richard could hear the crowd hoot and cheer in the stands from the wings of the tent where the performers awaited their moment to steal the spotlight. In an effort to allow everyone to shine individually, Big Top never put two acts on at the same time.

The lion tamers went out first. It was a strategic move to put such a dangerous act out front; it got the audience totally absorbed in what happened to the center of the tent.  The rest of the show after that would be a cakewalk. Even if the performances were mediocre, the atmosphere in the tent would more than enough to compensate. Of course, there was no chance that the performers would be anything but spectacular.

“You nervous, Dick?” a voice behind him asked with a hint of mischief.

“It’s Richard. And ya, I guess I am a little bit. I mean, Princess Celestia is here. She’s totally my idol. Are you?”

“What, nervous? Of course not! I don’t get nervous!”

“Of course you don’t. The great and powerful Trixie is far beyond us mortals,” He teased.

“Great and Powerful Trixie, huh? I kinda like that…”

“You would. Now get a move on, you’re up next.”

Trixie blushed for a second, before stammering “Can I uh… have a hug for luck?”

Richard raised his eyebrows, but gave in. “Good luck, Trixie.”

“Thanks, Dick!”

“RICHARD.”

“AAAAANNNDD NOOWW…. THE MAGICAL STYLINGS OF TRIIIIIIXIIIIIIE!!!”

He watched as his friend took a deep breath, her cutie mark moving in circles as she rotated her shoulders, trying to get as loose as possible, before running out to meet the ring masters summons. The crowd let loose a thunderous cheer, and he saw her beaming up at the crowd before the tent flap closed again.

Dick stood there for a minute, contemplating his best friend’s uncharacteristic show of embarrassment, before another voice spoke up.

“Hanging out with your girlfriend, Rich?”

“Shut up, Soarin.”

“Uh-huh. Hey, guess what? I hear the one of the Wonderbolt scouts are in the audience tonight!”

“That’s nice.”

The blue haired twelve-year old huffed and walked away. “You could at least pretend to be interested.”

Act after act went on, and Dick found his mind racing as he waited in the wings. He found himself thinking about those two shady figures that had threatened the ring master. Who were they? They had mentioned a name… Tony Zucco. And something about plan B. Were they planning on hurting someone? If so, they picked a bad night. With the Royal Equestrian Honour Guard here, they would be taken down before they could even draw their weapons, much less use them.

“Hey, Dad?” Richard asked nervously.

“Yes, son?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, son.”

“Hey mom?”

“Yes, Dick?” She replied, predicting what was coming.

“… D’you think Princess Celestia will like my triple somersault?”

“I love you too, Richard.”

Big Top's voice rang out again as the act before them drew to a close, and Soarin flew off into wings. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The single most daring family to ever grace the earth, it’s the FLLLYYYYIIIING GRAAAAYSOOOOOONS!!!”

The trio ran out, and the crowd sang their approval. It was this moment that got Richard Grayson more pumped up and excited than anything in the world. They were all waiting for him to wow them, to amaze them, to take their breath away. Dick flashed a cocky smile, and raised his hands to the crowd, feeling the spotlight on him and his parents. Even with the blinding lights on him, he could make out the princesses luminous hair in the VIP box.

Gazing straight at the tell-tale hair-do, he gave it what he hoped was a rougish grin followed by a wink, and proceeded to climb the mast at the far side of the tent. He had a show to perform. His parents, having climbed up the mast opposite, were waiting on their respective platform. 

The two masts were connected by a single steel cable attached to the platforms that were built fifty feet into the air. Dick got into a handstand position, and began to traverse the cable using only his eight-year old hands, and spreading his legs out horizontally to balance him on the cord.

Richard began panting as he got around half-way across. Time for the real show to being. He lifted one hand, leaving one had firmly around the cable, and displayed his act of supreme balance to the crowd. He heard them gasp and cheer, and decided it was time to go into phase two.

He replaced his hand on the cable, wincing as he felt it dig into his palm, and allowed himself to fall backwards. The plan was to spin almost three-hundred and sixty degrees, and the let go of the cord at the last minute to send him flying through the air, where he would be caught at the peak of his acrobatics by his mother on the trapeze.

Grunting with exertion, he let go of the cable, and, as planned, his mother swung down from her platform to grab him. The crowd went nuts. “Alright, guys, your turn.”

His part of the act complete for a little while, he rested as his mother placed him on the platform from which he came. The next part of their performance was simple. Mary Grayson would swing back across the gap, using her legs to grip the trapeze bar, and his father would leap from his platform and be caught by her. Easy.

But tonight, something felt off. Dick glanced up at the lines holding the trapeze up that extended from the supports on the ceiling. Did they seem… thinner? As the thought entered his mind, his mother propelled herself back across the gap, rapidly approaching the waiting gymnastics master on the other side.

“So… Plan B?”

“Yup. Don’t say we didn’t warn him.”

John Grayson leaped off of his platform, into the arms of his loving wife. The three trusts briefly flashed in the back of mind. Trust in yourself, trust in your partner, and trust in your equipment. He looked up into the eyes of his wife and smiled.

SNAP

The audience screamed as the combined weight of the two adult Graysons proved too much for the trapeze, and they began falling.

“It would be a real shame if an accident were to happen during your show here tonight,”

Richard Grayson watched as his parents never ceased looking into each other’s eyes as they fell. Just before they hit the ground, the two shared one last kiss. With a sickening crunch, they landed.  The audience fell silent for a moment before the screaming started again.

The Flying Graysons had fallen to earth. 
	
> The original Cutie Mark Crusader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“He doesn’t have anybody?”

“I don’t believe so, your highness. Mr. and Mrs. Grayson never mentioned any relatives, and Dick… hasn’t been up to talking to anybody yet.”

“I see… Thank you, ringmaster.”

“Please, Princess,” he said with a bow, “Call me Big Top,”

Princess Celestia reflected on how much larger the colossal tent looked now that it was so empty. Only a forensics team, Big Top, Dick, and Princess Celestia remained inside. The princess sighed deeply, and made her way over to the stands at the far end of the tent where the last Grayson sat with a blank stare. He hadn’t cried, and Celestia was worried about him. Keeping this kind of pain inside himself could end up destroying the dark-haired little boy in front of her.

“Hey there,” she began as softly as she could as she reached him, “do you mind if I take a seat?”

Richard, for a moment, didn’t move a muscle, and just stared blankly ahead of him. Then, slowly, he raised his gaze to meet hers. Even without entering his mind, she could plainly see the maelstrom of hurt and anger that he was containing, a silent storm that was ravaging his soul.

“I know who did this.”

Celestia’s expression flickered from pity to concern for a moment, before she sat down next to him and placed her arm tenderly around his shoulders. “Dick… It’s Dick, right?”

He considered correcting her, but decided not to. His mother always called him Dick. Instead, he just nodded.

“I’m so, so sorry about what happened here. But while we don’t have any conclusive answers right now, it’s really just looking like an equipment failure.” She paused for a moment, carefully choosing her next words. “Why do you think it’s someone’s fault?”

“Earlier… Earlier, I went to see Big Top in his trailer. I was gonna ask if… if you were coming tonight. And I heard shouting. I slipped inside, and I heard Big Top and two other guys, they all sounded so angry. One of the guys, he mentioned a name… Tony Zucco.” Celestia’s eyes widened at the mention of the mob boss, so Dick pressed on.  “He threatened Big Top. He said something like ‘it would be a shame if an accident were to happen tonight,’ or something.” The ember of rage that was kindling inside Richard since the incident was now being fuelled by his account to the princess. Surely she, of all people, could do something. “Those men rigged the trapeze. They killed my parents.”

“Tony… Zucco?” She asked, speaking slowly. “You’re sure that was the name?”

“Positive.”

She sighed deeply, and dropped her gaze to the ground. While this may not be the best time to expose the flaws in the Equestrian legal system, she knew that lying to the boy would only come back to bite her. She opened her mouth, fully intending to tell Dick that there was a very small possibility that they would catch him.

“… We’ll find him. I promise.”

Dick tried to smile, but found that he couldn’t. “Thank you, princess. I knew you would.”

Celestia compensated for Richard’s failed grin by giving him a soft smile of her own. “Why don’t you come stay in the castle tonight? You can have one of the guest rooms until we get all of this sorted out.”

Richard felt a flash of guilt as he remembered how he had been daydreaming about this very thing happening earlier. Tears welled in his eyes, and he just nodded. “I have to-“ he started, but his voice cracked and he had to stop. Breathing in deeply, he tried again. “I have to go get my stuff…”

“Of course,” Celestia responded tenderly. She turned her head to one of the Honour Guard’s watching her and beckoned them over.

“My liege?” The white-winged man inquired as he reached them.

“Silverbolt, escort young Mr. Grayson here to his trailer to get his things. He will be accompanying us to the castle tonight.”





Twilight Sparkle yawned deeply as she took another book off of the sizable stack she had created on her desk. “So dragons can shift between their human and reptile form at will, huh? The more you know.” 

Her thoughts turned to the little green haired boy in the next bedroom over, and she sighed contentedly. While the pair’s apartment was quite small, they got it for free and it was just a fifteen minute walk from Canterlot Castle where the magically gifted girl spent her days being tutored by Princess Celestia herself.

To a bookish girl like Twilight, it felt like she was living a dream. Being given her own home, an assistant, and more audiences with the princess than even some nobles got, she often wondered if it was a dream, and she would soon be rudely shaken awake by her mother. 

She found herself thinking about the boy that had lived with the princess for two years following the tragedy at the circus. He had been given private lessons, too, and it always irked Twilight how he always seemed to be one step ahead of her when it came to numbers, despite the fact that he hadn’t had any formal schooling. 

Crossing her arms, she frowned as she remembered Dick Grayson. He was smart, funny, and he was quite the athlete. He had even won awards for being so skilled with numbers, and his grasp of physics and chemistry was astonishing. If Twilight had had any interest in dating back then (or even now, for that matter), she would have been quite smitten with him. But there was always something lurking behind his eyes that had made her uncomfortable, a rising darkness that drove him to obsess over every lesson the princess had imparted on them. His drive to study until he reached perfection was almost as powerful as Twilight’s.

Then, one day, he had simply vanished. Gone without a trace. He had such a promising future, too, and Twilight couldn’t help but wonder what had become of him. Was he studying abroad now? Was he working some dead end job? Was he laying face-down in a ditch? Maybe he re-joined that circus. While it had taken a hit at the loss of its most popular act, the show was still wildly popular.

Twilight sighed, and brushed some of her purple hair behind her shoulder. She actually kind of missed Richard. He was her only companion other than Spike during her lessons, and the friendly rivalry the two of them had shared gave her motivation to work harder. Vaguely, she wondered if he ever got his cutie mark, and what it was. Maybe that’s why he had left. To find his special talent. Somehow, she doubted it, but it was the only logical explanation. Rubbing her temples, Twilight decided to just give up on her studies for tonight and go to bed. She had gotten too distracted trying to figure out what happened to Richard Grayson, and now couldn’t concentrate.

“Well,” She said, rubbing her temples and smirking a bit, “at least the Summer-Sun Celebration is coming up. That’ll probably be kind of fun.” The girl looked out her window, and noted with a squirm of discomfort how there seemed to be a face looking back at her. It had been a while since she read the story of the Girl in the Moon. Yawning, and slipping under her sheets, she decided to re-read the story tomorrow when she had some free time. A little nostalgia never hurt anybody.





Dick stared at the photo of him and his parents on his mother’s nightstand, tears forming in his eyes. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

“Dick…?” Came a voice behind him. He whirled around, wiping the tears from his eyes to see Trixie standing at the door of his trailer. She really needed to stop sneaking up behind him.

“Oh… Hey Trix… You did… really well…” He dared not continue, for fear that his voice would crack and it would betray what he was trying to present as a stalwart nature.

“Dick…” She just repeated, entering what had once been a place of love and acceptance. Now, it was just an unpleasant reminder that Richard Grayson used to have a family. “I know this doesn’t mean much, but… I’m sorry.”

She watched as he dropped his gaze and turned around again, wiping his eyes. “Are you okay…?”

“I’m going with Celestia. She invited me to live in her castle until we catch the man who did this.”

Trixie felt her heart sink. “You’re leaving?” She asked, beginning to tear up as well.

He nodded, still standing with his back to her. “I have to. I have to track down the man who’s responsible for this. Celestia said she would help me.”

“But… What about the circus? We still have a show to do in Fillydelphia this season and-“

“Trixie…” He interrupted her with a whisper, “Please… stop.” He turned back around to face her, no longer trying to hide the tears that were coming out. “I need to do this. I need to.”

As much as she didn’t want to lose her best friend, Trixie could tell by the tone of his voice that he had already made up his mind. He was going to leave, and he probably would never come back. Running up to him, she threw her arms around Richard and hugged him as tightly as she could.

“Trixie! What are you-“

“One more hug,” she whispered, crying now as well. “For luck.”



	


Snow drifted down from the sky, blanketing the mountain top in white. Not that it mattered. The peak of the mountain was high enough that it was covered in snow all year long- the only two people who lived around here didn’t have any need to perform a winter-wrap up. The weather teams had long ago stopped attending to this corner of the world, and so everything that happened here was natural, unpredictable.

That was good.

Richard Grayson yelled as he lashed out with his foot, fully intending on forcing his adversary to his knees with the quick, methodical strike. The man whom the blow was intended for merely danced out of the way, and delivered a quick backhand to the twenty-year old's face.

“Too slow, Dick. You always were.”

Panting, Richard recovered from the blow and attempted to get stable footing amongst the snow. He watched as the man circled around him. While Dick Grayson may have spent the last twelve years attempting to become the pinnacle of humanity, mastering one-hundred and twenty seven different forms of martial arts, studying under great escape artists, scientists, and engineers, he had never met an adversary as tough as Master Zen. 

“Your parents will have died in vain, boy. You let your anger and lust for revenge hijack your senses. Now, come at me!”

Richard grunted in frustration and leaped forward, closing the distance between the two. He shot his fist forward, using his momentum to heighten the power behind the blow. His enemy only scoffed at the feeble attempt at a punch and delivered a spinning kick to his mid-section after easily dodging him.

Grayson flew backwards, sliding along the snow, and he squirmed in displeasure as it got down his training robes. He attempted to get up, but could only gasp in pain. That last hit had cracked a rib.

“Sensei!” He cried, “My chest…”

“Do you think the criminals you seek to destroy will show you the same mercy as I? No! Now get up and fight!”

Gritting his teeth, Richard stumbled to his feet, clutching the broken rib. His breath came in shallow spurts, creating short, staccato clouds of mist. Glancing around for something to give him an advantage, Dick spotted some long, vicious looking icicles growing from the roof of the small hut the two of them shared. He sprinted over, ran up along the wall of the hut, and gave a great push with his legs, grabbing two of the icicles as he flew through the air. Having mastered the art of Thai-fighting sticks long before he came to Master Zen, he twirled them around in his hands, attempting to intimidate the old, scarred man.

The one-winged teacher watched as his student fought through the pain, and resisted the urge to flash him a rare smile, filled with pride. If his son was still alive, Zen imagined that he would have been much like Richard Grayson. The boy was swift, strong, and extraordinarily intelligent. Not to mention he seemed to have a natural aptitude for the martial arts.

Dick panted, and his mind raced. He knew that he couldn’t take any more hits without something breaking permanently, and he couldn’t deal out the same kind of punishment with his strength flagging. The robe Richard was clothed in, given to him by Zen three months ago when the aspiring crime fighter arrived on his mountaintop, flapped in the wind behind him. It had come undone at some point during the pair’s sparring, and its lack of sleeves showcased his lack of cutie mark. It was time to finish this.

Crying out, he whipped one of his icicles at the aged veteran and dashed forwards. Zen easily dodged the projectile, but Richard had been expecting that. He had a brief window in which his master would be off balance, and he took full advantage of it. Dropping into a slide, Dick kicked the legs out from under him and rapidly spun around to grab his feet. Twisting his entire body and releasing a scream of effort and pain, he threw the man across the peak of the mountain. Not wasting a second, Richard sprinted after the still airborne Zen watched as the man twisted in the air to land on his feet.

This too was part of Richard’s plan.

Dick had thrown the man in the direction of a patch of ice, reducing the amount of traction his opponent had. As Zen landed, he extended his single wing in an effort to balance himself, but tarried in one spot for too long. Richard Grayson was upon him, and the apprentice spared his instructor no quarter, slamming his fists into the aged body of the world’s greatest martial arts expert over and over again.

Dick let out one last scream of exertion before bringing a fist into contact with the side of Zen’s head, and knocking him sideways. Blood seeped from a broken nose, and a few drops spilled to the ground, shockingly red against such a pure white.

“You did… well… Richard…” The old man gasped, as he was pulled out of the snow.

“Thank you, sensei.” He replied, not wanting to convey how much pain he was in by speaking through laboured words.

“Sensei…” Zen repeated as his pupil helped him into the shack. Zen limped his way to a cot in the far corner, and lay upon it eagerly, resting his tired old bones. “I am not sure if there is anything more I can teach you, young one. You managed to defeat an opponent who was stronger and faster than you, through your own wits and skills.”

“Master…” Dick began, but was cut off by a quick hand gesture from Zen.

“When you first arrived on my doorstep with your grappling hook and-“

“It’s a gas operated grapnel gun with extendable claw and reinforced titanite cable, actually.”

“Don’t interrupt, boy!” Zen replied irritably. “Now then… when you first arrived, seeking further training, I could see something in your eyes that I had no right to deny. A righteous anger seemed to radiate off of you. It still does. And I believe it is that which gave you the strength to accomplish all you have.” Zen paused, cleared his throat, and continued.

“Richard, when you told me about the death of your parent’s at the hands of a criminal, I was reminded all too well of the day I lost my son, and one of my wings. When I look at you, I see a younger version of myself. The difference being that you have done so much more than I ever did in order to get revenge. Tell me something; what will happen when you catch this Tony Zucco? Will you kill him? What will you do afterwards?”

Dick thought for a moment, brow furrowing in concentration. That was a good question. “I’m not sure. I don’t think I can kill.”

“And why not?”

“Because… To do so would make me no better than the men who took my parents away. I don’t just want revenge; I want to create an Equestria where no eight-year old has to lose their parents because of some bit-loving criminal. I want to make an Equestria that isn’t afraid to speak the truth, one where you can cross the street in the middle of the night and know that you’re safe. After I’m finished with Zucco… I’m gonna keep going. I’m not stopping until criminal’s quake with fear at the mere mention of my name.” Towards the end of his monologue, Dick’s voice had taken an edge, and his eyes had reflected some of dark anger that Celestia had seen all those years ago.

Zen laughed, and stood up out of his bed. “You fail to see the flaw in your plan, Grayson. If you really want to be some kind of hero, you would be targeted by the scum you hope to stamp out.”

“Let them come!” Richard yelled, sweeping a hand through the air for emphasis. “I’m not scared of some low-life punks.”

“Perhaps not, but what happens when they come for your friends, your family?”

“I don’t have a family. And I certainly don’t need friends.”

The wizened old man laughed again heartily, and smiled sadly at Richard. “When I was your age, I said the same thing. Love can strike any one of us, young-one. Even you. How will you protect the people around you? How will you live knowing that you put them in danger simply by being around them?”

Richard stared at the old man, noting how Zen took glee in testing his fortitude.

“I’ll wear a disguise. I won’t be Richard Grayson. I’ll be something else… A symbol of hope for the people of Equestria. Someone to turn to in the darkest nights. Someone who can’t be broken, or bent, or twisted. Someone who can rise above everything and be a hero.” As he spoke, he felt a tingling in his shoulders. Looking down, he saw something that nearly made his heart stop.

“My cutie mark…!”

The outline of a midnight-blue bird adorned his shoulder, wings stretched up at an angle as if the bird was in flight. He was more certain now than ever what his life’s purpose was. Now, after all these years of being away, he would return to Equestria. It was time to fulfill his destiny.

> Richard's return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wind tousled Richard's shaggy, black hair as he leaned over the railing of the huge airship he had boarded earlier that day. The young man winced as he tried not to think about how many bits he had to drop in order to get an express ticket all the way from Japone to Equestria. While he had saved up quite a bit of money working and apprenticing in a mechanics shop three years previous, his purse wasn't bottomless.

Still, the airship was the fastest way across the ocean, and it was certainly quite comfortable. It was, essentially, a boat tied to two huge, cigar shaped balloons that floated gracefully above the deck. Propellers turned rapidly at the back of the great vessel, and Richard vaguely wondered what type of engine they ran on. "Probably an internal triple ascension drive. Liquid cooled."  He had built a few on a smaller scale, and had once even created a scooter from himself to travel on, but quickly realized that it lacked the 'cool factor' that he was looking for. Besides, scooter's were kids toys.

"Excuse me, sir, may I see your ticket please?"

Dick turned around, and whipped out the small, silver billet. Glancing around, he noticed how packed the large ship was. While he had tuned out all of the background noise before, now he was all too aware of the screams and shouts of rich, over-privileged children as they ran this way and that, chased by their frustrated looking parents. "Is it usually this busy?"

The ticket-collector chuckled as he stamped the slightly crumpled paper. "No, sir, not always. But with the celebration in Equestria, folks are travelling from all over the globe to see Celestia do her thing."

At the mention of his former teachers name, he snapped his head up and gazed into the kindly middle-aged man's eyes. "What? What celebration? Is the Summer Sun Celebration coming up?"

Perhaps startled by the boy's sudden intensity, the Equestria Air employee took a small step backwards before answering. "Yes, sir, it is. Tomorrow, as a matter of fact. I take it you don't read the news too much, do ya?"

Having spent the last six months on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, that was a pretty safe bet. "No, I guess I don't," Dick replied, smirking a bit. "Where's the celebration being held this year?"

"A town just outside the limits of Canterlot. It's called Ponyville." The man's smile returned as he continued. "Used to be pretty sweet on a girl from there, before I became a conductor. Name was Carrot Top. I wonder how she's doing..."

Richard shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, snapping the man back to reality. "Uhm... Yes... Right, well we'll be docking in Canterlot in two hours. Please enjoy the flight." The conductor blushed and turned on his heel, hurrying away. "I guess he went on more of a tangent than he realized."

"People are weird..." He muttered to himself, leaning back over the railing. Ponyville, huh? Well, Nightwing couldn't start fighting crime until his rib healed a bit more, so maybe he should just take a break for the first time in twelve years. Besides, last time he was with Celestia at a public event, his parent's had been murdered. "Maybe I should keep tabs on her..."

Dick sighed and thought back to his last encounter with Celestia. He had reacted poorly to the news that the Canterlot Police Department had closed the case surrounding his parent's death. There wasn't enough evidence to implicate Tony Zucco in their untimely demise, and Big Top had been too terrified to testify against the mobster. And so, Zucco continued to walk free, having not even been accused with anything. 

At the time, Dick had blamed Celestia. Wasn't she the one that had promised to help track this man down? She was supposed to be a goddess, wasn't she? Shouldn't she have the power to do... well... anything? To a ten-year old Richard Grayson, it was the final nail in the coffin. He had trusted the princess, put all of his faith her in seemingly unending wisdom, and she had failed.

Now, however, the blue-eyed young man had a greater understanding of why the woman who had once been his hero had been unable to do anything. She couldn't circumvent the law, no matter how powerful her magic was. She needed to set an example for her subjects, and be a model of love and tolerance. Therefore, she couldn't make brash claims against one of her subjects without any solid proof.

Dick took off his sunglasses for a moment and wiped the lenses with a handkerchief, trying to remove a fingerprint he had left on them accidentally. If he was going to become some kind of superhero, he couldn't be bound by such a restricting rule book. Richard would, inevitably, rub the Princess and her white knights the wrong way. Just another reason to hide his identity.

He would need a mask. Just a small one would suffice, something that would prevent him from being identified by some passing stranger on the street. He would also need a suit... Magic, heat, and acid resistant, toughened to be able to stop a knife or sword blade. And gadgets. Lots of gadgets. Richard started creating a mental list of all of the supplies he would need in order to make his calling a reality.

Frowning, he squinted through his sunglasses at the ocean below the ship. The citizens of Equestria would need to be able to identify him, so that innocent people knew who to turn to for help, and criminals would target him before going after anyone else. Of course, he would need to conceal his actual cutie mark at all times, lest someone Dick Grayson knew figure out that he was actually a costumed crime fighter. Some simple makeup, spread across the offending mark, could solve that problem, though. He just wouldn't be able to go swimming with other people any more. Not that he had anyone to do that with in the first place, but it was good to set up precautions in advance. Just in case.

And a name. His alter ego would need something to be identified by, something dark and mysterious that would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Something like... Shadow Bird. Or Black Fury. Or... Something. He could figure that part out later.

Resigning to return to his cabin and take a nap, he bent over and picked up the duffel bag (and wincing dramatically from his rib injury), and prepared to male his way inside the ship. Maybe he could take a nap before they arrived in Canterlot. As he began to walk, however, he bumped into a small girl who had been, unbeknownst to him, standing almost literally right next to Richard.

"Oof!" She cried, falling onto her butt and splaying her arms out behind her to try and soften the landing.

Dick took in the appearance of the girl before him, with her cargo pants, orange tank top, and purple hair. "Oh jeeze, I'm sorry." He extended a hand to help her up, and she grasped it.

"Uhm, ya, that's alright," She replied cheerily, and hefting herself to her feet. Apparently, she was of pegasus descent, as she had two orange wings growing out from behind her back. "Accidents happen, I guess."

Richard looked around, scouting for her guardians. He didn't see anyone with purple hair or orange wings around here. Other than the girl, of course. "Are you here with your parents, little girl?"

"It's Scootaloo. And no, I'm moving to go live with my aunt in Equestria."

Dick frowned. "All by yourself? Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

The little girl looked down at her shoes for a moment, before meeting his gaze again. "It's fine. My aunt is going to pick me up at the air docks, and then that'll be that." Her eyes traveled up Richard's bicep and lingered on his cutie mark, just barely visible under the sleeve of his t-shirt. "You've got a cool cutie mark, mister. How did you get it?"

He hesitated for a moment, but rationalized that he would probably never see this girl again. Besides, if she was anything like he was at her age, she would be nigh obsessed with all things related to cutie marks. "I got it when I realized that I wanted to help people for the rest of my life. The outstretched wings represent the bird shielding me from darkness, while the bird itself represents how I fly into danger." While he had made the last few things up, they sounded cool.

"But," she began quizzically, leaning to one side to get a better look behind him, "you don't have any wings."

"It's a metaphor." 

"If you say so. So why are you headed to Equestria?"

That was a line Dick wasn't going to cross. Explaining his cutie mark was one thing, but blowing the lid off of his whole plan was something else entirely. "I'm going to visit some friends." He said, simply. It was a lie, of course, as he didn't actually have any friends, but there was no way for her to know that.

"Oh! That sounds fun!"

"Yup. I'm all about fun. Well, it's been nice meeting you, Scootaloo, but I'm gonna head back to my room. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Ya! See you mister!"

Richard wondered if had told Scootaloo too much. What if she told someone who he was? No, that was impossible. While she might recognize the cutie mark, he hadn't given her his name. There would be no way for her to track her down. Unlocking the door to his cabin and flopping down into the most comfortable bed he'd had in years, he drifted off into a gracious slumber.




"TWIIILIIIIIIIGHT!!! HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PACK!?"

"Just enough to fill one suitcase, Spike! We're only going to be in Ponyville for a few days, max."

"But the princess told you to make some friends. She probably wants you to stay for a week or two, minimum."

Twilight scoffed at her young assistant, and waved a hand dismissively. "Please. Once Nightmare Moon returns and the Princess discovers I was right all along , my secondary objective will be belayed in favour of more important things."

Twilight's home, usually so orderly and neat, was a mess of books, clothes, and parchment strewn everywhere as the duo packed for their assignment. The princess was sending a chariot to take them to Ponyville at one o clock. That gave her just an hour to pack and prepare for her journey.

"UGH, SPIKE!!! WHERE DID YOU PUT My COPY OF AN INQUIRER'S GUIDE TO QUESTS AND CREATURES?

Spike sighed, and decided not to answer. It would only encourage her to start looking for other books that she didn't need to bring. The young dragon-boy loved Twilight, he really did, but sometimes she could be a tad... ornery? That seemed like a good word to describe it.

The green-haired boy was excited to get out of Canterlot, for a change, and visit somewhere new. While he and Twilight had been on diplomatic missions to various towns and cities in Equestria, it wasn't often that the duo was specifically told to make some friends, which meant Twilight wouldn't keep the pair locked in their room for the duration of the trip.

Unfortunately, the poor little dragon didn't have any friends his own age, much less any friends of his own gender. Now, he was getting a chance at a fresh start. Maybe there would be some other little boys he could hang out with. That would certainly be a welcome change.

Zipping his favourite purple hoodie up, he brushed some dust off of his shoulder and smiled. Today was going to be a good day, whether Twilight liked it or not. 

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Twilight was sifting through piles of clothing and books, attempting to prioritize what she would need in order to survive her weekend away from home. Would there be any need to perform any advanced magic? Of course there would be, Nightmare Moon would be coming back. But, what kind of magic? What spells could Twilight possibly perform that could inflict any kind of lasting damage on the fallen goddess? Why couldn't Princess Celestia just trust that Twilight was telling the truth? Frustration built inside the violet haired girl, and she balled her fists. 

Suddenly, Twilight heard a great horn sound in the distance. Glancing out through her bedroom window, she saw an Equestrian Air liner drifting down to Wonder Tower, where it's rich and privileged travelers would disembark. She sighed, reflecting on how unfair it was that while many people would be entering her home city, she would be leaving.

"At least I'll be travelling in style." the young sorceress thought to herself. Grunting, she grasped the zipper of her suitcase in a purple glow of magic and sealed it. If only she was more adept at teleportation spells, she could just zap herself and Spike to Ponyville in the blink of an eye. Maybe she could even be home for dinner.

"TWILIGHT!!! THEY'RE HERE! COME ON!!!" Spike's voice rang out from the other room. Sighing, she took one last look around the room, and glanced at the huge airship in the distance that was currently blotting out the sun.

"A sign of things to come?"

Resigning herself to the task handed down to her by the powers above, she left the small bedroom, hoping from the bottom of her heart that there would still be enough daylight when she returned to see it again.





The streets of Canterlot were extraordinarily clean. A testament to the Princess of the Light that resided in the city. Richard Grayson had always found it ironic that a place that looked so pure could house such a wide array of filth. Men in suits and women in dresses walked the streets, unaware of the incredible power of crime in their country.

Crime rates had been rising in Equestria. The mob was growing more and more powerful, and there was nothing Celestia could do to stop it. They were just too careful. Luckily for her, Dick wasn't bound by the law. He worked to his own agenda, and the mob was about to take a few hits. For the most part, however, Canterlot had been left unaffected due it being the home of the Princess.

Briefly, he wondered if he should track down the Princess's star pupil, Twilight Sparkle. The two had been friendly enough when they were kids, and Dick felt that she could give him a good summary of the events that happened while he was gone. Being so close to Celestia, she could be a very valuable asset.

But, she would no doubt tell the Princess that he had returned, and Dick somehow doubted that his former idol would look upon the rise of a new superhero and his return as a coincidence. For now, he needed to keep a low profile. First things first, he needed to hide his cutie mark.

Walking into a cosmetics shop, he purchased some make-up that matched his tan skin tone. It had to look flawless if he was going to be above suspicion. Next, he ambled around downtown Canterlot searching for a clothing store. He needed to blend in to Equestrian society, therefore he would need Equestrian clothes. Wearing his Japonese threads would make him stick out like a sore thumb.

Satisfied with the black t-shirt and blue jeans he had purchased, Richard decided it was time to buy a train ticket to Ponyville. With the Princess out of her castle, she would be an easy target to any would-be assassins, even with the Honour Guard defending her. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Celestia was a good and just ruler. Not to mention the only reason the sun rose in the morning and set in the evening.

After the Summer Sun Celebration, he would take up arms against the mob. But for now, he needed to heal. His detective skills were sharp enough that Dick figured he could probably sniff out any possible attempts on her life before they were set into action. Nothing to strenuous, just some poking around here and there.

Looking in the direction of the castle, he noticed a royal chariot taking off. Would that be the Princess? No, she wouldn't leave Canterlot until the last possible minute. Shrugging, he decided that it was probably just a noble leaving early for the day. Having been built into the side of a mountain, it made it an ideal location for air ships and private pegasi descent rickshaw's. 

Dick brushed some ebony hair out his eyes and made his way to the train station. He could use the time on the train to come up with a name. Shadow Claw, maybe...





Night had fallen over Ponyville. For some, this meant a night of rest, accompanied by an early rise. After all, the Summer Sun Celebration occurred right a sunrise. Then, a day of festivities and fun would allow the citizens of Equestria to forget their troubles and party.

For Twilight Sparkle, however, the night was filled by loud music and the sounds of a raucous party being held in her home. Wincing as she heard something shatter downstairs, she slammed her pillow over her head. "I am notcleaning that."

She glanced at the clock on her wall, and gulped. Just an hour until sunrise. Nervously, she tapped her fingers against the sheets of her bed. "Maybe I am wrong," she thought nervously. "Maybe it is just an old wives tale." In the back of her mind, however, she knew she was right. Nightmare Moon would return to Equestria. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. "Unless... What about the elements of harmony?" Wishing desperately she could just go downstairs and get a couple of books on the subject, she cursed her so called 'friends' that were currently trashing her temporary home.

Thinking wistfully of her nice, quiet apartment in Canterlot, Twilight let out an exasperated moan. Of all of assignments that Celestia had sent her on, this one was, by far, the worst.

Scared and alone, Twilight curled up into a ball. How could she possibly stop Nightmare without the elements of harmony? No one would believe her, no one would help her... and her pride wouldn't allow her to ask for help from the people who had invaded her tree house.

She would just have to hope that, when the time came, Celestia would rise up to save them.

A sudden increase in light and volume in her bedroom told Twilight that her door had been opened.

"Come on, Twi, it's time for the sun to be raised! We've gotta head over to the town hall!"

"... Okay Spike. Let's go." Twilight rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at the smiling green haired boy in front of her. Coming to Ponyville had been good for him. It wasn't often that he got to enjoy the presence of people other than Twilight, and she was glad that he was having such a good time. "Hey Spike?"

"Ya, Twilight?"

"I love you."

Spike rolled his reptilian eyes. Twilight could get so emotional sometimes, over such little things. "Ya, ya, I love you too, Twi. Now, let's get going! We're gonna miss it!"

Twilight nodded and accompanied her young assistant downstairs where Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were waiting (Rarity had to leave early in order to prepare for her reveal of the Princess). The group regaled her on the whatever fun things happened at the party, and commented on how the didn't seem to see her around. Twilight merely smiled weekly and wrote it off as being tired from her long flight to Ponyville.

Finally, they all arrived at town hall, and Fluttershy flew off to round her birds up. Twilight nervously looked around at the crowd that had gathered. Children yawned and stretched, waiting to see their beloved Princess commit an act of magic so great that it seemed nearly impossible, while the adults chatted excitedly amongst themselves.

Wait... Was that...?

There, leaning against the wall, stood Richard Grayson, scanning the crowd with a look of abject boredom on his face. Twilight Sparkle couldn't believe what she was seeing. After ten years of no one finding hide nor hair of the troubled young man, here he was at the Summer Sun Celebration.

"Hey, Spike!" Twilight started excitedly.

The group all turned their heads to look at the girl who had shown an uncharacteristic amount of enthusiasm.

"What?" He responded, curiosity piqued.

"Look, over there! Isn't that-"

"LAAADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!" Mayor Mare interrupted, yelling out over the crowd.

"Just tell me after, Twi, it's starting." Spike said, craning his head to get a better look at the stage, before Applejack picked him up and placed him on her shoulders so he would have a better view.

"But-"

"It is my great pleasure to bring you all this year's Summer Sun Celebration!" The mayor unwittingly interjected again. "This is, truly, a fine day in Ponyville history. A day that we shall remember for years to come as one of the greatest Summer Sun Celebration's of all time!!!"

The crowd cheered and raised their hands, shouting their approval. The locals of Ponyville were a proud folk, and the mayor's words only ignited their deep seated love for their town.

"It is now my great pleasure to introduce to you, the Goddess of the Sun, the literal light of our lives, PRINCESS CELESTIA!!!" The mayor gave Rarity and elaborate hand fluorish, and the beautiful young woman smiled to the crowd as she pulled the cord. The curtains parted dramatically, red velvet swishing against itself, revealing... nothing.

"Oh no..." Twilight mumbled, her heart dropping like a rock. "Oh no, no no no no no..."

"Uhm..." The mayor began, her voice shaking slightly. "Everyone stay calm. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for-"

A high, cruel laugh rang out in the town hall, rendering everyone inside silent. The laughter continued, growing louder as time went on, disturbing the crowd greatly. The children shook in terror, and Twilight whipped her head around to gaze at the moon. It's face was blank and luminous, the imprint of the Girl in the Moon totally gone.

Ominous blue mist floated into the great hall, and gathered on the platform that Rarity currently stood hyperventilating on, condensing to form a shape. The laughter grew louder as more mist condensed into the figure, and people began screaming.

There, on the wooden platform, stood Nightmare Moon. Ornate, light blue armour covered the villains body, matching the colour of her evil, apathetic eyes. Black accents stood out on her suit, especially on her helmet, which covered a flowing head of hair that embodied the night sky. A black horn poked out from a hole built into the armour, and her wings flared dramatically as she relished her new found freedom.

She smiled cruelly down at the cowering citizens below her and began her speech. "CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA!!!" She shouted, noting with pleasure how her new subjects squirmed below her. "I have returned!!!"

Murmuring broke out amongst the crowd, as everyone tried to figure out who, exactly, she was. 

Noticing the lack of shocked gasps or dramatic fainting, Nightmare Moon's smile faded. "Oh, come now! Surely there is one among you who remembers who I am!? Has my dear sister been so foolish as to convince you all that I was mere legend!?"

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, separating herself from the crowd with courage she didn't even know she had. "I know who you are." The purple haired girl called, wearing what she hoped was an expression of defiance on her face. "You're Nightmare Moon."

Gasps rang out throughout the crowd as the realization dawned on them, and Nightmare Moon's smile returned.

"Yes! I have returned! AND I SHALL ENGULF EQUESTRIA IN THE NIGHT... FOREVER!!!"

"What did you do with Princess Celestia!?" Rainbow Dash called out, preparing to charge at the malicious alicorn descent. She was stopped short by Applejack, however, who held the red eye'd girl down.

"Rainbow...! Settle... down...! You're no match for her!" She drawled, speaking in between grunts of exertion.

"Everyone, get of here. Now." A new voice, powerful and low, rang out. Nightmare Moon smiled as she realized someone was resisting her. Here she thought she wouldn't get to make any examples tonight. Her smile was short lived, however, as she felt something grip her shoulder suddenly. 

"What...!?"

A great pull suddenly brought her tumbling off of the balcony,  and she found herself falling to the floor below. Richard Grayson released the line on his grapnel gun and retracted it as the evil princess flared her wings again to ease her landing. The crowd had parted around the two, and Dick stood tall as he drew two fighting sticks out of his duffel bag. He could buy the citizens of the town perhaps thirty seconds. Fortunately, he had thought in advance to bring a ski mask to hide his face. It always paid to plan ahead.

"WHO DARES LAY HANDS ON THE MIGHTY NIGHTMARE MOON!?" She bellowed, rising up to her full height, as well.

Dick turned his head to the purple haired girl and her friends at the fringe of the crowd. "Twilight! Get to your library and find a way to stop her! I'll buy you as much time as I can."

Twilight's mouth dropped in shock. "How do you...?"

"No time! Just go!!!" The masked hero ran forward, raising his two batons, looking for an opening in her armour, and wincing as the movement irritated his rib. "Fight through the pain..." he thought to himself, knowing that these were likely his last moments in this world.

Twilight Sparkle balled her fists and ran out into the night, heading straight for the library. No more games. No more parties. Now, she meant business. Twilight vowed not to leave her tree house again until she had a way to stop Nightmare Moon.





Dick gasped as he was tossed across the room by a powerful telekinetic force, slamming him hard against one of the columns that held the platform Nightmare Moon had recently been pulled off of.

The spectators of the fight had long since fled, realizing that neither party would give up until they were incapable of movement, or dead.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT A GODDESS, BOY!?" She called, sending lances of pure dark energy flying towards him.

Richard grunted and rolled out of the way, the lances slamming harmlessly into the wall behind him where they dissolved. His body screamed in agony, and black spots began to swim in his vision. "Focus! She hasto have a weakness!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, and gazed at his opponent. Armour covered her body completely, and she had summoned a wicked looking scythe that Richard was sure could slice him in half without her even having to try. It looked heavy, however, and if Dick could get her to swing at him, he would have a window in which she would be too off balance to stave off his blows.

Running full tilt towards her, the fledgling superhero kept his eyes trained on her weapon. If he messed up... It was all over. Two halves of him would go spinning across the room, splattering blood against the walls, and painting the town hall in memory of his failed attempt to save Equestria.

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we’ve all been waiting for...

Dick saw her raise the scythe, a wicked look in her eyes.

The single most daring family to ever grace the earth...

Nightmare Moon swung the evil looking blade, her eyes alight with the prospect of finishing this audacious young fool who dared challenge her on the night of her return.

it’s the FLLLYYYYIIIING GRAAAAYSOOOOOONS!!!

The last Grayson leapt up and over the path of the blade, over even Nightmare Moon, and spun himself upside down in mid-air. Grinning as he sailed over top of her, he brought both of his own weapons down upon her head, and cried out, using the momentum he had from the spin to knock her forward painfully.

"Ungh!" She cried, stumbling and trying to regain her balance. Not wasting a moment, Dick flew forwards and brought his tools of justice into Nightmare's back, again and again. A flurry of blows so fast that his arms were mere blurs. Each blow sent her stumbling forwards a little more, her wings desperately trying to beat him back, to no avail. This was the moment Richard had been training for. The moment where he began his crusade to save his home.

"You -UNGH- dare st- AH!!- strike me!?" She called, attempting vainly to reassert her dominance over the situation.

"ENOUGH!!!" Dick shouted, "IT'S OVER!!!" He vaulted up over her one more time, and brung a knee into contact with the back of her head, before twisting and delivering two sharp kicks, knocking the Goddess of the Night to the floor, where she erupted into blue, sparkling mist.

Panting, Richard dropped to his knees and allowed his fighting sticks to drop to the ground. He was in more pain than he thought was humanely possible, and needed to recover. Just a short nap...

Suddenly, the blue mist enveloped him and lifted Dick into the air, ripping the ski mask off of his head.

"I shall remember your face, mortal. And when I'm done with the Celestia's champion, I shall return for you. I only spent this time playing with you so that she would find the Elements and lead me right to them. But now, I'm afraid I'll have to kill her."

Richard Grayson was dropped unceremoniously to the floor, where he lay bleeding. "No..." He whispered, trying to get up. "Fight... through the... pain..." He slammed a fist into the ground, and stumbled to his feet. Twilight would need him. She wouldn't last two seconds against the enraged spirit of darkness.

He limped forwards, but tripped on a fallen banner. This time, he didn't rise. His body had finally shut down, and Dick Grayson no longer had a say in how much he fought. Unwillingly, he closed his eyes, and lay still.





Sunlight streamed through the shattered windows of the town hall, and roused Richard Grayson from his unconscious state. Nightmare Moon! He had to get to Twilight before...

Wait, sunlight? That meant...

Dick pulled the mask back on and stumbled outside, using his grapnel gun to ascend to the rooftops, he walked along until he reached the town square. A celebration was taking place, with an abashed looking Nightmare Moon standing next to Celestia and wearing a wreath of flowers around her neck. "No," Richard thought, "Not Nightmare Moon. Luna.". So the Elements of Harmony were real... and they had destroyed the hatred inside the true princess of the night.

"I, Princess Celestia, hearby decree, that the unicorn descent, Twilight Sparkle, shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings. From her new home in... huh?"

Dick realized that Celestia had noticed him, and had begun gazing at the lone figure silhouetted against the sun.

Luna's eyes widened and she made out the bulky shape of the grapnel gun in his right hand. "It's him...!" She breathed, as a pang of regret  and guilt assaulted her heart. Twilight and her five friends were looking at him now, too, trying to discern who the man that had stood up to Nightmare Moon was.

"Who are you!?" Celestia called out, her face serious.

Everyone in Ponyville was now looking up at him, all of them but one wondering the same thing.

Gripping the mask, he pulled it off and threw it down to the crowd, where it was caught by Celestia. He knew that there was no way they would be able to make out his face while he was shrouded in his dark silhouette. 

His hair whipped in the wind, lending him a mysterious air. "I am Equestria's guardian." He called, his voice sure and strong. "I... am Nightwing."

Raising the grapnel gun again, he fired it at one of the gargoyles that stood menacingly against the town's clock tower. Soaring up, he used the stone demon as a balance bar from which he somersaulted off, and onto a nearby rooftop. Laughing at the first success of Nightwing, he ran along the rooftops, eager to put some distance between himself and the population of Ponyville.

Ladies and gentlemen... The FLYYYYIIIIING GRAAAAYSOON'S!!!

	
	
> Luna's Knight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It would be time soon. Princess Luna, her skin so pale from an almost total lack of sunlight that she almost glowed, leant against the railing of her balcony. When the night came in the old days, it was a time of peace and utter stillness. Now, people stayed awake all hours of the day, spending their time on the various vices this new Equestria had to offer. Drug addicts hit up their dealers attempting to get their next fix, thieves and extortionists visited the people who did sleep in the night, pilfering or threatening until they got the bits they lusted after so dearly.

It made her sick.

When she and her older sister had first returned to Canterlot, Luna had been pleased to find that the city was a shining utopia in the heart of a great and powerful kingdom. Unfortunately, she had quickly discovered that her home was currently being plagued by parasites. The mob had come to Equestria around twenty years ago, and had a large foothold in her kingdom. How Celestia could let such filth get away with the crime and corruption they had brought into the once morally untouchable nation, Luna would never understand.

No, that wasn't true. The princess of the night understood perfectly. The rulers of the vile criminal organization were cowards, hiding in the dark and laughing at their merciful ruler, Celestia. The legal system in Equestria was based on the assumption that everyone was innocent until proven guilty. And so, criminals had learned how to be careful. And until something drastic was done, their evil empire would grow out of control.

Knowing innately what time it was, Luna smiled to herself, turned, and entered her bedroom, eager for the arrival of her guest. Nervously, she smoothed the creases in her flowing black ballgown and sat on the edge of her bed. In a manner of moments...

A knock on the door surprised Luna. He had never used a conventional entrance before, and that made her suspicious. Who could be calling at such a late hour? To her royal chambers, no less?

Gracefully hopping off of her cushioned duvet, she practically floated over to the door and opened it without so much as a sound. To her surprise, her older sister was standing there, wearing a pajama suit that was covered in little cartoon banana's.

"Hello, Lulu. May I come it?"

Luna was about to tell her sister that she was expecting someone, but realized how suspicious that would sound, so she reluctantly grunted her approval. The pair entered the bedroom, and the woman with starry hair motioned for her sister to join her on the balcony. Hopefully, he would see Celestia's multi-coloured, luminescent hair and stay away. Then again, his bravado was his weakest suit. He might take it as a challenge.

"So, sister, what brings you to my towers this late into my night?" The younger of the two sisters still spoke to crowds and audiences with the Royal Canterlot voice, using the proper 'We' and 'Us', but around her sister and perhaps two others, she dropped the pretense.

Celestia was silent for a moment, and merely gazed up at the moon. "Do you know what they're calling him now?"

For a moment, Luna was lost. "Who?"

"Nightwing. The people have started to call him 'Luna's Knight'. Very clever, don't you think?"

"Well... I suppose it is quite a clever play on words, yes. Where did you hear that, sister?"

Celestia chuckled, and looked down at her pajama's. "I read it in the newspaper today. That was one of the nicknames they used to talk about him. He's been causing quite the uproar, you know."

Luna fidgeted with her dress nervously. Did she know? "Yes, so I've heard. The mob is really quite upset with him."

"I think 'upset' might be a bit of an understatement, little sister. After all, a record number of their men have been convicted of a huge number of crimes since his arrival. The funny thing is, it's like he knows exactly what the police look for when they investigate. He just leaves properly collected evidence in the middle of crime scene for our detectives to find. And then, when we follow the leads he leaves us and we investigate the next piece of the puzzle, he's already come, beaten some thugs up, collected more evidence, and gone."

Luna didn't respond, so Celestia just continued. "And yet, Lulu, we still have to bring him down. Do you know why?"

"Oh no, she knows" Luna worried. "Because he's disobeying the law?"

"Yes, that's true. But a man like that, a man who moonlights as a masked crime fighter, a man who's obsessed with beating criminals mercilessly, that's the kind of man who has some deep seated issues.  He has the same evil smouldering inside of him that you did before your... episode. He's a threat to the very people he's trying to save."

Luna bristled at this, and looked as if she'd been slapped. "How... dare...!?"

Celestia raised her hands to cut off her sensitive sibling. "Easy there, Luna. I didn't mean any disrespect by it. All I'm pointing out is that he is not a stable individual. There is a side to him which will eventually collapse."

"Why are you telling me all of this!?" The moon monarch asked angrily.

"Because I want you to know that Nightwing will become corrupted if left unchecked. Luna, whoever the Nightwing is, he will die if he continues down this road. If you know anything... who he is, where he's based... we need to save him. I'm sending Twilight Sparkle a letter tomorrow morning, Lulu. The Elements of Harmony may be the only thing who can eliminate whatever darkness it is that drives him."

Celestia stretched, her arms and wings extending to her sides, before she relaxed again. "Well, Lulu, I've enjoyed our chat. Just remember... he's dangerous." The sun princess yawned and showed herself out of her sister's bedroom, hoping that her recently returned sibling would make the right choice.

Luna heard the door to her bedroom click shut, and tossed her head a little bit, allowing her magically flowing hair to spread out silently behind her. Talking to Celestia was always so exhausting. She had a way of making you think she knew everything that happened under the sun. Sometimes, Luna was worried that she did. 

"I always thought that voice of hers was pretty." Came a new voice, causing Luna to whip around with a hand to her heart and her horn alight. Nightwing was nonchalantly perched on the balcony railing, gazing absentmindedly after his former idol.

"Ah! Dick, you scared me." She said, panting and removing the aura of magic was preparing to release. 

"Part of the job, your highness. Anyways, I need more of that chemical, SR-230. My suit isn't as resistant to cold as I would like, and I have a special polymer blend that I've been eager to try out. I also need more carbonized titanium. I used a few more razor-wings than I wanted to last night. Oh, and I need you to get me the file of a man named "Craghorn". I have reason to believe he's in Zucco's inner circle."

Luna glared at the intruder with an outraged look on her face for a moment before responding bitterly. "You know, I only just got back from a one-thousand year imprisonment on the moon. Celestia might deem it necessary to send me right back again if she knew I was the one supplying you with the materials to make your gadgets."

"And yet, you do it anyways."

The starry haired princess crossed her arms and turned her winged back to Dick. "Please... please don't make me regret this. If it turns out she's right... If you turn out to be just another Nightmare Moon..."

Nightwing took a few steps forward and put a hand on Luna's shoulder, causing her to stiffen visibly. Had it been anyone else, Luna would have berated them intensely for being so insolent as to lay hands on her royal body.. "It will never come to that, Luna. Never. As long as there remains a threat to the people of Equestria, I will always be there to save them."

Luna turned around and looked into the white optical ports on his mask. The glowing, white slits narrowed slightly, giving the impression that he was squinting behind the stylized domino. "Do you really think you can just... be incorruptible?! Even I couldn't just... couldn't just be as perfect or forgiving as Celestia. And I'm thousands of years old! You're but a child battling the enormity of creation!"

There was a very uncomfortable silence for a moment as Nightwing realized just how worried Luna was that she was becoming accessory to the rise of another super villain. "Did I ever tell you how my parents died?"

She stared at him for a moment. "No, but I've heard the story."

He nodded. "My family was killed by a man who gave in to greed, and ambition. My life was torn apart by his decisions. I'm not just out here to get revenge. I'm not just trying to... " Richard paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Get closure for my parent's death. Peoples lives get a little worse everyday. A little more corrupted, or someone who owes someone else money gets offed in front of their kids, or... people are intimidated into doing things that should only ever show up in their nightmares. And... they're losing hope, Luna. I can feel it." Dick put his armoured hands on her shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes. 

"I'm out here to stand for something. To show the people of Equestria that there are still heroes who are willing to fight for them. You see, what Celestia doesn't understand is that justice doesn't always have to come from the light. You and I both know that not all darkness is bad. But I need you to trust me. If we're going to save Equestria, we can't do it all from the shadows. I need someone in power to be able to back me up here. I need you to trust me."

For a moment, the woman's eyes appeared to water. But, it was only for a moment, and she quickly steeled her gaze again. "Okay, Richard."

Nightwing nodded and hopped back onto the railing and drawing his grapnel gun for the black utility belt around his waist. "Oh, almost forgot." He reached into one of the compartments in his belt and pulled out a small, grey cylindrical object. He tossed it to her, and she caught it between two fingers.

"What is it?" She asked, eyeing the device suspiciously.

"Put it in your ear. If you ever need me, just press it and speak. I'll have one in at all times, so feel free to drop me a line. I'm not sure how powerful the range is, though, so try it out in the morning when I'm back in Ponyville."

Luna's eyes widened. "You're based in Ponyville!? But... That's where the Element Bearers are located!"

Dick smirked. "That's exactly why I'm based there. It lets me keep an eye on them. Besides, while the Elements may be receiving orders to arrest me on sight, they are still assets Equestria cannot afford to lose. If they were to die, all hope for this kingdom would be lost. They are the symbols of hope that the people truly need. I'm just... paving the way for them."

Dick stood on the edge, spreading his arms as he prepared to leap off. "Oh, and Luna?"

"Yes?"

"That dress looks nice on you and whatever, but you might want to consider updating your look."

Luna blushed, the pink tinge incredibly obvious on her porcelain cheeks, even in the dark of night. "Wha... you..." she spluttered, "Don't you have somewhere to be!?"

Dick smiled at her over his shoulder and leapt. "Really," he thought as he calmly drew his grapnel gun, "It's almost sad how easy she is to work up."






Wake up, go downstairs, make breakfast, clean up, organize the library, watch Twilight spend time with her friends, try and think up ways to win Rarity's heart, make dinner, go to bed.

Ever feel like you were stuck in a rut?

Spike sighed as he stirred the pancake batter in the mixing bowl. He was only twelve years old, and yet sometimes he felt ancient, the weight of the world on his shoulders. Maybe it was a dragon thing, that he matured faster in his mind than his body, or maybe it was just because he used to spend all of his time around either a princess or an extraordinarily serious young woman.

Heck, once in a while it was both at the same time.

The dragon boy had hoped that coming to Ponyville would mark a new beginning for him, and in a way, it had. Unfortunately, it wasn't as grand as Spike had envisioned.

Yes, Twilight got out more now, and yes, it was nice to hang out with his guardian's friends once in a while, but that was sort of the problem. They were her friends. Sure, he got along well with Apple Bloom, and sure, Snips and Snails always seemed to enjoy hanging out with him, but the reality was that Spike was lonely.

The woman he loved viewed him as a child, his best friend and borderline sister had found other people to spend time with, and, no matter how much he hated to admit it, he was starting to grow bitter.

Spike poured the homemade mixture in a sizzling hot skillet, enjoying the slight hiss the batter made as it came into contact with the hot surface. "It's not as if I don't love Twilight," he thought to himself as he began washing some dishes while his pancakes cooked, "But... sometimes it feels like... she's leaving me behind."

The young boy frowned, and paused for a moment. It really wasn't fair of him to grow jealous of Twilight. Having people her own age to talk to was good, great even. She was finally coming out of her shell, and Spike had noticed a huge difference in her attitude. She seemed perkier, happier. And Spike was upset about it...

Biting back feelings of guilt, Spike finished the dishes and checked the  cooking flapjacks.

Perfect. 

They would have to be. The green haired boy had decided that, if he was worried that he and Twilight were growing apart, he would do something about it. So Spike had woken early and come downstairs to make his best friend her favourite chocolate chip pancakes. 

Everything was perfect. The table was set, flowers were arranged (lilacs; her favourite) and Spike had cooked the pancakes to perfection. Content, he took off the white apron that he had worn over his purple and green sweater and hung it up on the coat rack. Hopefully Twilight would be awake soon and then-

Spike gagged.

"Aww, not now..." he moaned before gagging again. Finally belching up an emerald green flame, a letter materialized in front of him bearing the Princess's royal seal. That wasn't good. Celestia only sent Twilight a letter if it was an emergency, or she was planning a visit.

For the sake of his breakfast, he hoped it was the latter.

"TWILIGHT!" He called up the stairs, "THE PRINCESS SENT YOU A LETTER!"

Spike smirked as he heard a crashing sound (probably her falling out of bed), another crashing sound (probably her tripping over the blankets she had dragged off of her bed with her), before the young woman crashed through the bedroom door, hair disheveled and eyes wide.

"Phew... Good morning, Spike." She panted, rubbing her back through her purple tank top as she descended the library stair case, opting to take her time lest she end up in the hospital, surrounded by nurses laughing at her clumsiness.

"Morning, Twi! I made pancakes!" The little boy puffed out his chest and held out the letter, determined to look optimistic. "Here ya go! I only just got it now, so she hasn't been waiting long."

The purple haired girl smiled, and brushed some purple hair behind her ear. "Why, thank you Spike. That's very generous of you." Twilight's horn shone for a moment as she levitated the scroll to herself, plucking it out of the air when it got within arms reach.

"Now then... let's see..." She unwrapped the parchment delicately, handling as if it was an extension of Celestia herself. In a way, Spike supposed it was. "Oh... Oh dear..." she gasped, "Spike, go pack my bag! I'm returning to Canterlot for a little while! I'm going to go get the other elements and... and... okay." Twilight exhaled deeply. "Calm. First stop, Sugar Cube Corner." Twilight turned to leave, but quickly realized she was still in her pajama's and ran upstairs to get dressed properly.

"Wha...!?" Spike asked, feeling his heart crack a little bit. He glanced over at the breakfast he had prepared for the two of them and sighed, just as Twilight burst out of her room again, pulling on a pair of jeans past her mis-matched socks.

"Alright, Spike, have the bag ready by the time I get back! The Princess is sending transport for noon, so we must make haste!" Twilight rushed over to the door, and opened it with a quick burst of telekinesis. 

"Ya, sure Twilight! But what did the-" the door let out a great SLAM as it was forcibly replaced in the entry way. "-letter say...?" His heart cracked a little bit more as Twilight left him standing alone in their home, the pancakes he had worked so hard on getting cold on the table.

"Guess I'm eating alone..."





"Here are your keys, Mr. Grayson!" The attractive young saleswoman said cheerily. "And thank you for purchasing with Ponyville Real Estate!"

Dick smiled as he accepted the small, metal tools from the woman. "No, thank you. It's a pleasure to finally to be resident of this fine community."

"Sorry about the wait on the house, the old tenants took longer than expected moving out."

Richard shrugged. "It's fine. I had other projects going on anyways, so I wasn't really waiting too much."

This, surprisingly enough, was only the second time since the Nightmare Moon incident that Dick had entered Ponyville proper. While technically the Cave was within town limits, it was actually hidden deep underneath the bustling settlement. Richard had found some abandoned Diamond Dog descent tunnels hidden and forgotten below the town, and so, for the past two months, Dick had been clearing out debris and reinforcing the cavern.

Surprisingly, there were still a huge number of gems encased in the walls of the abandoned complex, and Dick could even tap into the  town's underground power lines from here. Thus being equipped with a nearly infinite supply of free power and more gems than he knew what to do with, Dick set about creating a base of operations for Nightwing the likes of which would make even Princess Celestia jealous.

But, as impressive as it was, it was no home. If Richard was going to bother keeping a secret identity, he might as well try and live it from time to time instead of devoting every spare moment to furthering Nightwing's cause.

And so, Dick decided it was time to become an official resident of Ponyville. If he could buy a home over the Cave, then perhaps he could establish some kind of transport between his house and Nightwing's lair. The tactical advantage of not having to leave his home in the middle of the night to get to the hidden entrance in the Everfree forest was significant.

Which, of course, had led him to the local Realtor's office, who eagerly accepted his business. After all, Ponyville wasn't the largest town in Equestria. It was rare that someone new chose to migrate there, and the housing market needed the bit (or in this case, gem) influx.

Richard and his real estate agent said their goodbyes, and parted ways. Thankfully, the house came fully furnished, so Dick just had to unpack and stock up the kitchen. Simple, and inconspicuous. Just the way he liked it. Richard unlocked the door, stepped inside, and took a deep breath.

It was all coming together.

The cave, while still under renovations, served as an excellent laboratory and storage area for all of Nightwing's gadgets, and he had even begun work on something he liked to call the 'Nightcycle'. It would certainly make his trips into Canterlot much easier, not to mention the cities that were really far like Fillydelphia.

Dick explored his new house, noting with pleasure that the latitude and longitude lines in his living room matched perfectley with the cave. All he needed to do was craft a service elevator, hide it behind a bookcase or something, and he was set.

Flopping down on his couch, the young earth descent wondered how he should go about introducing himself into the Element Bearer's lives. While they may be ordered to blast Nightwing with their harmony magic, Dick Grayson was very much open to a friendship with the six young ladies. After all, the more they trusted him, the closer he could keep an eye open for threats to their safety.

Of course, Dick already knew everything about them. He had made it his business to discover everything about anyone in a position of power or importance. You never knew when someone needed to be hunted down by Nightwing.

"Well..." he thought to himself, knowing for a fact that unless he beat Pinkamena Diane Pie to the punch, she would intrude on his life at the least opportune moment, "No time like the present."

Checking to make sure his cutie mark was hidden beneath a layer of make-up, he walked out of his house and looked around. "First stop, library."

As he looked around the town, he was struck by how... pure, it was. It was too small to have been touched by the mob (for now) and everyone seemed to have the same bright expression on their faces. A couple walked across the street, smiling tenderly at each other and holding hands, while a trio of children ran this was and that, shrieking with laughter. Should he really infringe on their happiness by imposing Nightwing onto this small community? Was he thrusting all of these innocent people into danger?

Maybe. But he needed to ensure the Element Bearers were kept safe at all times. This was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Besides, if the time ever same when Nightwing's base was discovered, he'd find a way to save everyone.

Reaching the library, however, Dick was greeted by the sight of the Element Bearers boarding two large, royal chariots pulled by stoic looking guards. Spike was watching dejectedly on the sidelines, and Richard felt a twinge of sadness for the little dragon boy despite himself.

"Alright, boys, thank you for waiting, we're all set! Spike, keep the library organized while I'm gone!" Twilight called out, causing the guards to nod, and begin flapping their powerful wings.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie raised her head and sniffed the air, before whipping around with a feral look in her eyes. "WAIT! THERE'S THE NEW GUY!!!" But it was too late, the guards were already in the air, and turning back now would mean crashing.

Pinkies cry's did, however, draw seven pairs of eyes to gaze at him. "Dick...?" Twilight whispered, seeing the young man for the second time since he disappeared.

This time though, Richard wanted to be seen. "I'll catch you when you get back, Twi!" he called, raising a hand in both greeting, and parting.

She just continued to stare at him with her jaw dropped, purple hair tossing in the wind.

"Ma'am?" One of the guards called back, "Should we make a loop?"

For a moment, Twilight Sparkle was tempted to say yes. But the Celestia apparently needed to see her concerning an urgent matter, and her royal duties took precedence. "... No. Maintain heading, please."

Soon enough, the girls were mere specks in the distance flying towards Canterlot (which was enjoying it's lowest crime rates in years).

"Richard...?" Spike breathed, his eyes alight with child like wonder. "Is that really you!?"

Dick brushed some black hair out of his eyes and smiled at the young boy who seemed so ecstatic to see him. "Well, unless it turns out that I'm actually a changeling and I just never knew it, I'm gonna have to say yes."

For a moment, the little green haired boy just stared at him with an open mouth, mirroring Twilight's expression. "Pegasi of a feather..." he recited in his head, remembering the old saying his mother used to say.

"Honestley," Richard began, "I'm surprised you remember me. You were, what, two, when I left."

Spike shrugged. "Well... All I really remember is you and Twilight hanging out from time to time, but it is kind of blurry. I guess I'm mostly just getting all sentimental 'cause of how much Twi missed you when you were gone." Suddenly, Spike looked a little upset. "Hey, where were you!? You just up and left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye to anyone!"

Richard stared the boy down, unconsciously focusing the 'Nightwing gaze' he had used on so many criminals on the little boy, causing Spike to shiver slightly. "I needed to clear my head." Richard blinked, berating himself silently for using the stare on what could be a valuable ally. "What matters is that I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

Spike nodded, before a smile broke through his sombre gaze. "Well hey, if you haven't had breakfast, you can come in and have some cold pancakes with me. I made them for Twilight and I, but..."

Dick smiled. "I'd love to."





Wind whipped at the six friends as they looked at Twilight with concerned expressions.

"Twilight, dear," Rarity began, "who was he? You look as if you've just seen a ghost."

Twilight just continued to stare behind the carriage at the rapidly disappearing Ponyville. "In a way," she started slowly, "I think I did. That was Richard Grayson, a... friend of mine from back when I was younger. After his parents died in an accident, Celestia took him in to be her pupil. Only, one day, he just... left. That was ten years ago. I thought he was dead."

"Accident?" Applejack asked, the story hitting a tad too close to home, "What kind of accident?"

For a moment, their purple horned friend didn't answer, a look of pain crossing her face. Seeing those two poor people hit the ground had been... Upsetting... for a small child. "They were circus performers, all three of them... And Celestia and I were in the audience, and they were going about their routine, and it was incredible, the way that Richard could move without fear. And then... his parents leapt onto the trapeze and it just... snapped."

There was silence for a moment, and the the guards flying the chariots were glad they weren't part of the conversation. Dealing with someone who had suffered loss could be incredibly awkward, and they knew that it was best if you just avoided it. 

"Wait!" Dash spoke up, "He's the Dick Grayson!? Of the Flying Grayson's?"

"Uhm... Ya." Twilight replied. "Do you know them?"

Rainbow shrugged, and leaned back against the edge of the chariot, taking care to not let her blue wings get crushed between her and the enchanted gold plating. "Not really, all I know is that Soarin used to perform in the same circus as them. Apparently, they were a huge hit."

"But what's he doing in Ponyville?" Rarity asked, confused.

"Who cares, Rarity? If he's back, then he's back. Besides, having your parents die in front of you is probably pretty tough. He might have just needed a breather." Rainbow Dash yawned, apparently not terribly concerned about the situation. To her, it was just some guy. Why should she care?

"Alright ladies, we're here!" A guard called back.

The six friends landed in the castle gardens, and were quickly escorted to the throne room, all of them nervously anticipating what the Princess needed to speak with them so urgently about. Standing at the giant gold doors, however, they still didn't know. Of course, they were about to find out.

"Presenting the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to Princess Celestia of the Sun, and Princess Luna of the Moon," The booming voice of a guard announced, and the aforementioned Elements were ushered into the throne room. 

There, sitting on their respective thrones, were the two royal sisters of Equestria, wearing grim expressions on their faces. Or, at least, Celestia was. Luna just looked as if she was being inconvenienced by this whole thing.

"Greetings, my loyal subjects." Celestia called to them once they reached the appropriate distance from the two thrones, one made of solid gold, the other made of pure onyx. "I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here on such short notice?"

"Yes, Princess, I... WE, are." Twilight spoke up. "What could have arisen that you need to power of the Elements of Harmony?"

Celestia raised her pure white hand and smiled gently. "Patience, my faithful student." The sun princess nodded to her sister, and raised her royal staff (also made of gold) and projected a series of images in front of the young women.

"Ever since the Summer Sun Celebration this year, a rogue vigilante crime fighter going by the name of "Nightwing" has been active in Equestria." Celestia allowed that information to sink in before she continued, projecting the very few images that lucky reporters had managed to snap of him. "He has consistently eluded all attempts we have made at arresting him, and has left a number of our Royal Guard in bruised and bloody heaps."

The girls winced as an image of a member of the Royal Equestrian Honour Guard lying in a full body cast was displayed by the motes of light shining forth from the Princess's staff. "He has proved to be very dangerous, and seems to have an agenda of some kind, methodically striking various members of the Equestrian Mob, and his... activities in invading and destroying the crime organization have led us to believe that he has the mental capacity to single handedly root out who works for the mob, what their plans are, and how he can best hurt them."

"But Princess," Applejack interrupted (much to the displeasure of Rarity), "it sounds an awful lot like he's doin' the right thing."

Luna smiled almost imperceptibly at that, and Celestia shot her sister an annoyed look. "Indeed, his motives are, as far as I can tell, noble. But this brings us to where you six come in." At these words, six guards entered the room, each carrying an Element of Harmony on a red velvet pillow, where they were presented to their respective Bearers.

"The Nightwing, from what we have gathered, will likely see you six as allies in. As such, he will not harm you, giving us some slight advantage. While he is extraordinarily dangerous, and disturbingly well armed, he still appears to have a set of rules. For now.

"Nightwing, I fear, will be consumed by the same evil that created him the first place. We do not know who he really is under the mask, and I cannot imagine what terrible wrong was done to him to set him down this path, but I believe we can... heal him... with the Elements of Harmony, much like we did with Nightmare Moon."

Twilight was confused. "But... if the Royal Guard hasn't managed to track him down, how are we supposed to find him?"

Celestia smiled. "I would never put you six into harm's way by asking you to actively seek out someone like this. However, I want you all to keep the Elements of Harmony on hand in case you ever do end up encountering him. And if we capture him,  then I shall simply summon you to the court to finish it."

The girls were silent as they retrieved their Elements and reflected on what Princess Celestia was asking of them. "Ah'm sorry, Princess," Applejack started again, her voice filled with concern, "but why are we tryna take him down, again? Ain't it a good thing that someone's standin' up to the mob?"

"Yes, Applejack it is." The pastel haired princess answered. "However, the manner in which he's going about it is... questionable, at best. Every time he beats some thug into submission, he fuels the fire burning in his heart. Eventually, it will overtake him, and I will not have a corrupted super-villain causing harm to my subjects. Not now. Not ever."

Again, silence overtook the throne room, broken only by the impatient fidgeting of Pinkie Pie. "Well, if we're done here, can we head back to Ponyville? That guy's gonna think I forgot to welcome him to town!"

"Oh?" Celestia inquired, whilst Luna's head snapped to the pink haired woman bouncing up and down nervously. "Did Ponyville gain a new resident?"

"Actually," Twilight Sparkle responded before Pinkie could blurt out something rude, "It's Richard. As in, Richard Grayson. He's moved into Ponyville."





The sun was beginning to set over Ponyville, and twilight had descended upon the town. Soon, Nightwing would need to sneak aboard a night train to Canterlot to pick up the goods Luna had set aside for him. For now, however, he was just enjoying spending time with Spike.

The two of them were playing basketball in Twilight's back yard, and Dick was wondering why he was connecting so well with this child. "Hah!" The older boy shouted as he faked out his opponent, and swerved to the left to sink another basket.

The basket in question was literally a basket with a hole cut out of the bottom. Twilight Sparkle would, of course, have never even thought about participating in any kind of sport, so it came as no surprise when the two boys had to improvise.

"So, Spike," Dick said, as the pair took a short breather for Spike's sake. It's not like he was unfit; indeed, his dragon blood ensured that he had incredible strength and stamina. But Richard was in crazy good shape, Spike knew that his new friend would be able to run circles around him for days. "What are Twilight's friends like?"

"Well," The green haired boy responded, sucking greedily at a bottle of water, "there's Applejack, and she's really nice. Kinda strict sometimes, though. Rainbow Dash is pretty cool, too, she's in good shape as well." Spike blushed. "N-not that I was looking or anything, it's just-"

Richard held up a hand, cutting him off. "It's cool, Spike. Checking out pretty girls is all part of growing up."

"Ya, I know," he responded with a chuckle, "you should see Rarity. She's the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet."

Dick grinned at the dreamy expression on Spike's face. It reminded him of his old crush on Celestia. "You got a little bit of a crush, big guy?"

Looking around suspiciously, Spike squinted, before motioning for Richard to lean in a little closer. "Well... I might be in love with her a little bit."

A raised eyebrow betrayed the incognito superhero's doubt. "I'm serious!" Spike said indignantly, "She's super nice, and she's also incredibly generous (being the Element of Generosity, after all), and she has the most beautiful laugh in the world, and... and..." Spike's voice trailed off as his eyes began to sparkle.

"And whenever she's around everything's just... different, you know? No matter what's going on, no matter how bad my day is going, she makes me feel... euphoric."

"That's... pretty poetic for someone your age, Spike." Richard paused. "You really like her, huh?"

"More than anything in the world." But the boy just sighed dejectedly. "But I'm too young for her... she'd never wanna be with a kid. And besides, I've seen some of the guys who're after her, and believe me, I don't have a snowball's chance in Tartarus." 

"Hey, buck up kid. Just... give it some time. If you really like her, I'm sure you'll find a way. Now, what say we go one more game, double or nothing?"

Spike immediately leapt to his feet, a grin adorning his face. "Well we weren't betting anything, but I'm guessing I can find a way for you to pay me back after I kick your butt!"

"Not likely, squirt," Dick said with a laugh. "Maybe..." he thought, "we're more similar than I thought..."





It was late. Very late. Probably close to three AM. The Princess had insisted that girls spend the night in Canterlot, and so they had all been set up with rooms in the northern tower, close to Luna's apartments. 

Twilight Sparkle stood on the balcony of her room, looking out at the lights of the city.

"Richard Grayson..." She thought to herself, absentmindedly fiddling with her hair. "He's gone for ten years, then I see him twice in two months. Nightwing just so happens to make his debut during this time period. Coincidence?"

She sighed, and pushed some purple hair out of her eyes. She really needed a haircut. Her bangs were almost three centimeters over their acceptable limits. "Nightwing and Richard Grayson..." She mumbled to herself. It would make sense... But something inside of her rejected the idea. Richard was her friend. Or at least, he was. Before he disappeared.

She snorted angrily. Just typical! Her childhood friend returning from the middle of nowhere, and he was a borderline psychopath.

"No. I don't know that. I'm just... Putting evidence where none exists."

A knock on her door snapped her out of her reverie. "Come in!" She called.

Princess Celestia entered the bedroom, dressed once again in her banana print pajama's. Sometimes, Twilight was concerned for her teacher's sanity. Her love of the yellow fruit was... extreme. Almost as extreme as her love of chocolate.

"Oh, hello Princess! What brings you here at this hour?"

Her mentor smiled at her, and joined her on the balcony. "Oh, I couldn't sleep. I figured I would go for a walk, and I heard you talking to yourself."

Twilight blushed deeply, her pale cheeks taking on a cherry red colour. "Oh, uh... heh heh... you heard that?"

"Indeed I did. I take it that you suspect your old partner is now Nightwing?"

"Well..." Twilight began, "It would make sense... I mean, I saw him at the Summer Sun Celebration, and then suddenly there was Nightwing. AND" Twilight added, "Nightwing knew my name."

"Did he...?" Celestia murmured. "We'll have to investigate further before we go making any accusations, but for now, just... be wary. If Richard moved to Ponyville, and he is Nightwing, then your town may be in great danger. Please don't inform any of the other Element's about your suspicions; if one of them gives away the fact that we're investigating him, he might disappear. Again."

"Of course, Princess." The two continued standing on the balcony for a while, looking up at the moon. A silence so powerful that it was almost unnerving descended on their tower. In fact, it was so silent that the pair heard the slight chink of a grappling hook impacting stone.

"Princess, did you...? Oh, there, look!"

A figure was darting up the side of Luna's tower, clearly visible from their vantage point. "Twilight," Celestia said slowly, "Go rouse the other Bearers. Hurry to Luna's tower. Bring the Elements."

"Right away!" She squealed, adrenaline coursing through her. Nightwing. She had seen him for the second time in her life. Where did he get that grapnel gun of his? Twilight decided that for now, it didn't matter.

It was time to see if the masked crusader could be stopped.





The capsule containing the chemical he had requested was on Luna's balcony, just as she said it would be. He had, of course, called ahead using their communicators to make sure, but it was still a relief to see that she had followed through. Of course, she had told him that tonight she had court to watch over, so she would not be there to hand it to him in person, but that didn't bother Richard at all.

He worked better alone anyways.

The vacuum sealed thermos was the height of Equestrian-Tech. Naturally, Richard had surpassed it's scientific threshold when he was just fourteen. Still, it was nice not to have to build everything himself.

Swoosh, swoosh...

The faint sound of wings beating against the night air made Richard's neck hairs stand on end. It couldn't be Luna... so it seemed Nightwing would be entertaining company. Even so, as long as Celestia herself didn't show up...

Richard crouched low, hiding himself behind the balcony railing, and peeked through the slats of the stone columns at the source of the noise.

Of course, Celestia herself had shown up.

There would be no point in hiding from her. The monarch of the sun would find him in an instant. No, he would just have to distract her long enough to find a way out.

"Good evening, Nightwing." The Princess called out to him as she hovered just above the large terrace.

"Good evening, Celestia. Nice night for a fly?" He called back, slowly backing into Luna's bedroom. Once he was inside a confined space, he would have the advantage.

"Yes, though I suspect you already knew that, what with you shooting up here in the middle of the night. It does beg the question, why are you on my sister's balcony?"

The superhero shrugged, and tapped the 'detective vision' on his mask. Her heartbeat was registering at normal levels, so she obviously wasn't too nervous about their encounter, and thermal scans showed her horn was at room temperature, so the Princess wasn't charging any spells.

"What, a man can't break into a Princess's room, steal some sensitive documents, and then leave in peace anymore?" Almost inside... Just a little further...

Celestia laughed, and dropped gracefully onto the balcony. "You know, I fully expected you to be some kind of brute, Richard, but I never suspected you to have retained your sense of humour."

"Richard!? She knows!? But... No... She's bluffing. She's a master of reading facial expressions, she's just trying to get a reaction. Unfortunately for her, they don't call me a superhero for nothing. 'Fraid it won't be that easy."

"Richard? I'm afraid you're going to have to guess again, Celestia."

Celestia laughed again, a beautiful tinkling sound that made Richard Grayson's heart flutter. Nightwing, however, couldn't care less. "Oh, you are better than I thought! Not a single facial movement, your voice remained even, and you're posture didn't even change! It's like you know me!" She laughed again, and Dick couldn't help but flash her a grin.

"Well, maybe when I save your kingdom for you, I could really get to know you. I don't suppose someone of your position gets out much, hmm?" C'mon, just keep her amused, don't let get any spells off until we're inside...

"Are you asking me on a date, Nightwing? Because I'm afraid I don't fraternize with criminals." She stated, still smiling broadly.

"Clearly, since there are so many of them running loose on the streets instead of locked up, where they should be."

"You sound bitter, young one. Very bitter. I shall give you a chance right here, and now. Surrender. Unmask yourself, and I'll help you conquer this darkness inside of you. You can be normal again." Celestia's voice had taken a soft tone, one that Richard remembered from those first few nights that she held him as he cried.

"Sorry, Princess. But Equestria needs a hero. I will save this kingdom, and I won't let anyone stop me." At this, he flung himself backwards into the bedroom, throwing down a smoke bomb.

A great flap of the Celestia's wings cleared the smoke in moments, but that was all the time Nightwing needed. Whipping a razor-wing at her ivory horn, he dashed forwards and drew the escrima sticks out of their sheaths on his back. He flipped a switch, activated the electrical nodes at the end of his weapons, and leapt into the air, intending to incapacitate his old teacher with a great burst of electricity. 

Of course, Nightwing had underestimated his teacher.

Celestia merely raised her hand, and engulfed Nightwing, the razor-wing, and the escrima sticks in a powerful telekinetic aura. One so powerful, in fact, that Richard Grayson felt the life being crushed out of him in mid-air.

"I am sorry, Nightwing, but I cannot allow you to leave this room. The Elements of Harmony will be here soon, and the evil in your heart will be banished. Really, you should be thanking me." Celestia said, though with deep regret in her voice.

"Cel... estia..." He gasped, fighting against the golden glow with all of his might.

"Please, don't try and fight it. If I have to restrict your air flow until you fall unconscious, I will."

Richard had always known. A day in which there was a unicorn (or Alicorn) powerful enough to subdue him with magic would come. And so, he had built a fail safe. But he needed to break his arm free of the Princess's magical grasp to activate it before the Elements go here. That kind of collateral damage would be... unfortunate.

"Princess we're- Oh, oh my..."

While Richard couldn't turn to look at the door behind him, he identified the voice of Twilight Sparkle. So, they were going to erase him like they erased Nightmare Moon.

Nightwing grit his teeth and grunted in exertion.

Not while his heart still beat.

Screaming with effort, Nightwing pushed against Celestia's telekinesis, reaching for the sonic harmonizer in his utility belt.

"Girls!" Celestia said, her voice filled with effort. "He's... stronger than I thought! You have to do it now!" 

Almost there, almost there, almost there... His hand was mere inches from the button on his belt, and his whole body was shaking from the strain. He wouldn't give up. He couldn't give up.

"P-princess!" A higher pitched voice squeaked out. Sound wave analyses units built into the mask detected the feminine squeal belonged to Fluttershy. "Are you alright!?"

"Quickly!" Celestia yelled, disturbed by how valiantly the shadow she was trying to vanquish was fighting back.

"Right!" Twilight called, "Get into position!"

The girls all gathered in a circle around the suspended figure, trembling in fear as they felt the waves of pure power radiate off of the Princess. If he could withstand her magic...

"Comeonecomeonecomeon!"

The girls lifted into the air, and the Elements began to glow.

"AL...MOST..."

Light began gathering amongst the six, spinning around Nightwing faster and faster...

"NOW!"

With one final effort, Richard Grayson slammed the harmonizer, causing ultra-high frequency sound waves to resonate around the room, unseen by it's current inhabitants. It did have a rather dramatic effect on three of them, however.

Celestia, Rarity, and Twilight all dropped to ground, screaming in pain as the sonic vibrations interfered with their horn's signals to their brains, blinding them with crippling pain. It was regrettable that Nightwing had to inflict this kind of punishment on his friend, but they left him with no choice.

Dick dropped to the ground, as did the Elements of Harmony. With the link between the six broken, they could not harness the power of the Elements to destroy him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!" Applejack screamed as she ran over to Twilight's side. The purple haired girl was lying on the floor and convulsing, the pain sending her to the brink of unconsciousness.

Nightwing leapt to his feet, performed a quick flip, and snatched up his fallen escrima sticks. "When I press this button," he began in an even voice, it's raw baritone cutting through the screams of agony, "they won't be tortured any longer. But before I do, I want you all against that wall. Now."

The girls looked at him with hatred in their eyes before they were forced to abandon their friends sides. He nodded, and hit the switch, releasing the three women from their torment. "I just want you all to know... I'm sorry." Richard ran from the room and jumped off of the balcony, drawing his grapnel gun.

Things just got a little more complicated.

	
	
	
> So these guys walk into an apartment...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Disclaimer: I realized I dun goofed and made Spike twelve years old. However, if he was born the day before Richard's parents were killed, he would only be ten years old. So I'm going to be editing the first few chapters so that Richard was travelling for twelve years instead of ten, and he and Twilight are now twenty. Sorry for being a dingus.





"You realize that the entire Royal Guard will be after you, now. Princess Celestia will probably put a bounty on your head, the mob will view your status as public enemy as an invitation to strike back against you... Not to mention you've assaulted my sister with whatever device you have in that belt of yours."

Small gusts of wind assaulted Nightwing and Shining Armor as they stared each other down. The pair were on brilliant white wall positioned on the edge of a cliff that seemed to stretch downwards for miles. Certain death by splatter on one side, the glowing city of Canterlot on the other. Just another perk of living in a city built into a mountain.

"If the Guards were capable of catching me, they would have done so by now, Shining. And if you think I'm scared of your beloved Princess, you're very sadly mistaken." Nightwing let his words hang in the air between the two men for a moment before continuing. "Just an hour ago I was forced into confrontation with Celestia and the Element's. Believe me, I never wanted to harm Twilight. Or Rarity, or even Celestia. Look, Shining, I'm sorry. But you need to face the facts; Equestria needs me."

The young Commander glared at Richard for a moment. "What Equestria needs is not up to you to decide. My men and I chased you all across the city, and you systematically took them down one by one. It'll be weeks before they can walk again, even longer before they can return to guard duty. I fail to see how that's making Equestria stronger."

"Open your eyes, Shining! I've done more to help this kingdom rid itself of the criminals that are... are feeding off of it than Celestia ever has! She's been crippled by the very system that she herself has created!"

"It's a system that's fair, though, Nightwing. It gives everyone a chance."

There was silence between the two for a moment. "If you believe in chances, then I'll give you one. Turn around right now. Let me walk out of this city. Neither of us get hurt."

"That's... not going to happen."

In the gentle glow of the moon, Dick smiled. "Fair enough. I don't suppose you're just going to let me go then, hey?"

Shining Armor returned the grin with one of his own. "Way I see, you don't have much of a choice. You jump, you die. You return to my city, you get arrested. There's probably one hundred men on their way to this very location as we speak. I'd say those odds are in my favour."

The Commander drew his sword, its blade glinting in the night. His horn glowed for a moment, and a blue hard-light shield materialized over his left fore arm. "Nightwing, I hereby place you under arrest for your crimes against Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia. Will you come quietly?"

Nightwing reached behind him and drew his two escrima sticks from their sheaths on his back, tapping a button at their base. The twelve inch weapons sprung out to their full two and a half feet, and electricity sparked at their ends. "Sorry Commander, but you're not really my type."

For a moment there was just silence between the two as they sized each other up. "So be it."

Shining Armor released a vicious grunt as he lashed out with his long sword, it's blade glowing with an ominous purple light as the young Commander pumped magic into it's edge.

His swings met only air, however, as the Nightwing nimbly ducked and dodged. The bitter reality was that Richard Grayson was too fast, and too skilled to be touched by the enchanted weapon.

"Too slow, Shiny!" Dick performed a quick back flip and reached into his belt, drawing a razor-wing. Landing in a crouch, he whipped the edged projectile at his foe. Shining Armor caught the weapon on his magical shield, sliced his arm upwards, his horn lighting up as he did so.

A blue glow suddenly appeared beneath Richard, and bits of the wall overlooking the cliff shot straight upwards, shards of sharp stone breaking apart from their collective form to become small bullets. Nightwing cried out as he flipped backwards again, narrowly evading the stone blades.

"So Shining!" Dick called as he threw an explosive razor-wing at the Commander, "How are things going with Cadence?"

The white-horned man's eyes widened for a moment before he summoned a full body energy shield to absorb the force of Nightwing's powerful explosive. "How did you know about-!?"

"You dating Princess Celestia's niece, and Twilight Sparkle's former babysitter? Or how you two sneak out of the castle in the middle of the night to the dance with no pants?" Richard leapt forward, closing the gap between the two, before striking with his escrima sticks. Shining Armor was no slouch when it came to single combat, however, and he managed to deflect the vigilante's blows. Still, Nightwing was strong, swift, and skilled, and Shining was slowly losing ground, being forced to back up gradually towards the edge of the cliff.

"If you so much as look at Cadence I'll-" Nightwing cut him off with a quick backhand to the cheek, and Shining rolled with the blow to minimize the impact on his face and get some distance from the heavily armed young man.

"Relax, Commander. Rainbow heads aren't really my type. Besides, you two seem cute together." Dick smirked at the look of outrage on his enemies face, and knew that he was making him angry. That was good. If he was angry, he'd make mistakes. "Besides, I'm more into the socially awkward librarian type. Speaking of which, your sister seems to have filled out nicely, hmm? Such a shame she's so tight knit with your impotent Princess."

"SHUT. UP!" Shining Armor screamed as he jumped forwards, swinging his sword wildly, desperate to draw the blood of the man who had the audacity to insult his family like that. Unfortunately for him, however, he was playing directly into Nightwing's high-tech hands. Literally.

Richard caught the blade between two open palms as it arced through the air, and realized that he wouldn't get a better chance than this. Drawing upon his iron willpower and peak human strength, Dick twisted the blade sharply and shattered it, sending thousands of shining purple fragments into the night, where the magic dissipated and left the silvery metal shards lying cold and useless on the ground.

Shining Armor balked at the broken weapon, and cast the hilt aside, his eyes alight with an inner flame. A fist shot out lightning fast, and made contact with Richard's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. The young officer smiled as his armour plated knuckles drove into the what was widely considered to be the most dangerous man in Equestria. After having pursued Nightwing to this, the farthest extremity of the city, it felt nice to have the satisfaction of landing a solid blow.

Following up, the Royal Guard lashed out with his foot, and drove his boot into Nightwing's armoured chest, causing the vigilante to be launched backwards off of his feet.

Dick twisted in mid-air and landed in a crouch, wiping his mouth. A small line of blood had begun to trickle out of the orifice, and, while it was hardly life threatening, it was a testament to the strength and skill of his adversary.

Another burst of cold wind made both of the combatants suddenly  aware of the world around them, and Richard knew that he didn't have long before Shining's back-up arrived. It was time to stop playing games.

Dashing headlong into his enemy, Nightwing performed a powerful uppercut to Armor's jaw, sending him flying backwards. Drawing the grapnel gun, he fired the gas-powered claw at the reeling unicorn descent, and yanked the near unbreakable cable hard, bringing him stumbling right back.

With a speed that would make the Wonderbolt's gawk in admiration, Richard stole forward and clothes lined his off-balance enemy, causing him to flip onto his back. Before Shining Armor could hit the ground, however, Nightwing brought his elbow down into the horned man's stomach, shattering the plate armour that he was wearing.

All of this took five seconds.

A sharp crack reverberated through the night, and Shining Armor's eyes went wide, his mouth opened as far as his jaw would allow. And yet, no sound escaped the Commander's windpipe. There was simply too much pain in that moment for Shining to do anything other than stare glassy eyed at the moon as he lay broken on the ground.

Nightwing wasn't finished yet.

Picking the defeated guard up by his ankle, Richard dangled Twilight's brother over the edge of the cliff. "Tell me what you know about Celestia's plans to stop me. You'd better hurry, my arm's getting tired."

Shining screamed, whether out of pain or fear Nightwing didn't know. The guard's eyes steeled for a moment, and he spat blood at Richard's feet. "Fuck you."

Dick sighed, and dropped the foolish guard. The unicorn descent screamed again as he fell down the face of the cliff, his adrenaline spiking. He saw his short life flash before his eyes, a million images of days long since passed. Twilight getting her finger-paints all over his football jersey, Twilight smiling at him as he was accepted into the Royal Military Collage, he and Cadence smiling at each other lovingly as they sat by a moonlit lake...

Suddenly, he was jerked roughly and his recollections dissolved in a fresh wave of pain. Was he dead? No, the ground was still so far away. Then what...?

Shining Armor looked back up the cliff, and saw a cable had connected itself to his feet, running all the way back up to Nightwing's grapnel gun. Not good. The silhoutted figure above him made a slight movement, and suddenly the magic user was being yanked back up the side of sheer rock wall, speeding towards his tormentor.

"I'm going to ask one. last. time. What is Celestia going to do to stop me?" His voice was low and menacing, a baritone that had shattered the resolve of hundreds of men before Shining Armor had ever heard it.

"Please... I have a girlfriend... a family..."

"Five seconds." Richard felt pangs of guilt wrack his heart, and he desperately wished that this wasn't necessary. Shining Armor was a good man, a dependable man. Hell, he had even managed to woo the Princess of Love, a feat that many men could only dream of accomplishing. Shining would probably be a shoe in for the position of Captain of the Royal Guard, if he played his cards right.

"... She's getting the Element's to hunt you down. They're going to try and... and heal you, or something."

"Not good enough. Three seconds."

"That's all I know." Shining Armor had regained all of his mental faculties, and Nightwing could tell that the man wouldn't be intimidated further. "Look, if my sister is going to be making contact with you... just... please. Don't hurt her."

Richard's eyes softened for a moment. "...We'll see." He twisted, and threw the blue haired man back onto cliff edge. Before Shining could rise, however, Nightwing flicked his wrist and fired a tranquilizer dart into his neck, knocking him unconscious within moments.

Dick thought back to earlier that night, when Celestia called him Richard. Why? While she was bluffing, she had obviously suspected Richard Grayson of being Nightwing. Most likely Twilight told the Princess that Dick had returned to Equestria, and she had just thrown the name out to get a reaction. Still, Celestia would likely launch a covert investigation into Richard's activities during his time away, and, while only Master Zen knew what he was planning to do with the skills he had gleaned, his education might be regarded as suspicious.

Grimacing, Dick decided that it was time to return to Ponyville. Tonight's goal was simply to pick up the chemicals Luna promised him. Instead, however, the night had devolved into a brutal slog through the dark. He had been confronted by Celestia, the Elements, and then had been chased across Canterlot by Commander Shining Armor and all of the guards he could muster on such short notice.

"Well, Luna won't be too happy with me."







Spike's emerald green eyes flickered open, absorbing the morning light that was currently filtering through the closed drapes of the bedroom.

For a moment, the spiky haired young boy just lay there, wallowing in the silence of the tree-house. Twilight had sent a him a letter last night while he and Richard ate dinner, explaining that she wouldn't be home until noon the next day. This news, after Spike's failed attempt to re-connect with his best friend, had left him feeling somehow empty inside, as if all of his inner fire had just... left.

"No." He thought to himself adamantly, clenching his teeth. "Stay positive. We can still make her and the girls brunch for when they get home, and maybe Richard can come over again if he's not too busy unpacking. Better yet, I'll go help him unpack. We can have like... a bro-level day."

Yes, that would work. Giving the ceiling above his bed a toothy grin that revealed his fang-like teeth, he leapt off of his mattress and pulled some clothes on. "First stop, market. Gotta pick up stuff for waffles and eggs. Then-"

A sudden knock on the door interrupted the twelve-year old's though process, and he gave a little jump in surprise. "Are they here already!?"

He sprinted downstairs, stumbling over a fallen book as he did so, causing him to tumble down the last couple stairs to the main floor.

"Ow."

Gingerly rubbing his side, the dragon boy opened the door, expecting to see the Element Bearers returning from Canterlot Castle. 

Instead, he was greeted by Richard Grayson, holding a couple of shopping bags.

"Hey buddy, I hope you don't mind, I picked up some stuff at the market. I figured we could make the girls brunch or something. Oh, and if you had some free time later, it would be cool if you could come help me unpack some of my junk. I don't have much, so it shouldn't take too long."

Dumbstruck, Spike just stared at him with a gaping jaw, causing Dick to shift uncomfortably. "Or... uh... you know, we don't have too. I just kinda figured-"

"No, no, it's fine!" The reptilian little boy cut him off, raising his clawed hands. "I was actually gonna come over and propose the same things. Like... exactly the same things. It just caught me off guard, is all."

"Oh!" Dick exclaimed, wearing a look of surprise on his face. "Well I guess that worked out nicely then, I guess." He hefted the bags again, and Spike led his guest into the kitchen.

"So what were you planning on making?"

"Dunno. Waffles, maybe? You did pancakes yesterday, so that's out. Maybe we could bake some muffins or whatever to go with it."

"...Ya, sounds good Dick. Let's get started, I guess."

Richard flashed Spike one of the most genuine smiles that the boy had ever seen in his life. "Sounds good, buddy."

Buddy.

"You know, Twilight's brother, Shining Armor, used to call me buddy. Back when we lived in Canterlot, I mean."

A strange expression grew over Dick's face at these words, and Spike wondered at it. "Did he, now? And how is Shining doing these days? I don't remember him liking me very much."

"He's good, I think. We sort of lost contact with him when we moved into Ponyville. What with his guard duties and Twilight's studies, they're both pretty busy. Twilight especially, I find."

Richard poured some milk into a bowl filled with flour, and mixed it together. "Ya? Why do you say that?"

Spike sighed as he checked the recipe book, and cracked some eggs into a mixing bowl. "I dunno, man. I guess... I guess I'm kinda jealous. Of her friends, I mean. Twilight and I used to be so close, and now... it kind of feels like we're growing apart."

Richard stared at Spike for a moment with a pitying expression and put down the mixing bowl, the concoction inside sloshing slightly as he did. "Hey man, you okay?"

"Ya, ya, I'm fine. I mean really, I should be happy for her, right? You remember what she was like... you know, before she made friends."

Dick smirked and leant up against the counter he was working on. "I seem to remember her being more frigid than the dark side of the moon."

The green haired boy laughed at that, and nodded. "Ya, I guess she was kind of an ice queen, huh? But ya, she's grown a lot since then. You should see some of the magic she can do, it's incredible. And ever since she started hanging out with the other Elements, she's really opened up. As a matter of fact, two nights ago she didn't even read before bed. That's the first time she did that... probably ever, actually."

"Well at least she's a woman who knows what she likes."

"Mmm..." Spike mumbled, looking lost in thought. "Say, I've been meaning to ask... what's the deal with the blank arms? Do you seriously not have your cutie mark?"

The ebony haired man shrugged, and lifted up the sleeve of his t-shirt. "I dunno. I guess I just never really found my calling."

"That's... depressing."

Richard just smiled at him. "Is it?"

"Well... how do you know what your special talent is?"

"Does it really matter? As long as I'm doing what makes me happy, who cares if it's my 'special talent'."

Spike considered this unique outlook for a moment, and returned to the waffles. "Huh. Never really thought about it that way."

"Just one of the benefits of having friends, Spike. Let's you see things from different perspectives."

Spike didn't respond to that. He just nodded and went back to work. "Maybe it's time I get some new perspectives..."





"Alright Dick, the girls will be here in just a couple of minutes. Everything ready?"

Richard grinned and gave his young partner a thumbs up. "You bet your bottom dollar it is!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "...What?"

"It's a Japonese thing. Don't worry about it."

"Alright, whatever, dude." He rolled his emerald eyes, and began gazing out of the window into the sunlit town of Ponyville. Soon, very soon, his best friend, the love of his life, and four other young women would walk through that door and enter the Golden Oaks Library. Thankfully, no one had come in today to check out a book, so Spike and his companion were left alone to their own devices.

"Huh... I figured they would have-" Spike gagged. "Aww COME ON!!!" Vomiting another gout of emerald fire, a letter materialized for the third time in two days. The boy allowed the letter to drop to the floor, and stared at it for a moment. It bore a wax insignia with Twilight's cutie mark on it, and tears began welling in his eyes.

"... You can take this one, Richard. I gotta go to the washroom." Spike ran out of the room, and Dick Grayson watched him go with sad eyes, knowing that it was partially his fault that Twilight Sparkle wouldn't be returning today.

Exhaling heavily, the undercover hero strode over to the letter and snatched it up off of the ground, unravelling the tightly wound scroll. 



Dear Spike,
I won't be home until tonight, I'm afraid. We ran into a bit of trouble last night, and Shining Armor was put in hospital after an encounter with the Nightwing. The girls and I are going to check on him, and spend some of the day by his hospital bed. Maybe you can have dinner waiting for us when we get home? That'd be great.

Oh, and say hello to Richard for me. We didn't get to properly catch up yesterday, so if you wanted to invite him to dinner tonight we could all get to know one another. I'm sure Rainbow Dash would love to meet him and pick his brain for details about the young Soarin!

Much love, Twilight Sparkle.

P.S, Try and fix the sink, please. It's been leaking for about a week now, and I can't concentrate with the noise.



Dick read the letter over twice, and placed it on the wooden table laden with the mountain of food that the two boys had made. As he looked over all of the confections and dishes that would go to waste, Richard began to understand Spike's pain. "Poor kid works so damn hard for Twilight. I wonder how much of it goes unappreciated? He'll probably never bring up this breakfast to avoid guilt tripping her, despite how obviously upset he is about it."

Well if Twilight wasn't going to be here for her young charge, Richard would be. As the young man climbed the stairs to the library bathroom, Dick reflected on his relationship with Spike. The poor kid only had Richard for a male role model, and Dick would be the first to admit that he was not a normal guy.

"Spike!?" Richard called out as he knocked on the door to the sealed lavatory. "Twilight says she won't be back until tonight. Apparently Shining Armor was put in hospital, and-"

"What!?" Spike burst through the bathroom door, his cheeks stained with tears and his eyes red. "Shining's in hospital? What happened?"

"Uhm... Well you see..." Dick blinked a few times, trying to put things as gently as possible. "Apparently, he came off for the worse in a fight with Nightwing, and-"

"I thought Nightwing only attacked criminals, though?"

Richard shrugged, his black t-shirt rising in falling in time with his well muscled shoulders. "I thought so too. But there must have been a good reason for it."

"Ugh... Poor Twilight, she must be totally stressed out. Man, I suck. I should have known that Twi wouldn't have blown me off unless something important came up."

Dick kneeled, and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come on, Spike, you don't have to beat yourself up about it. Why don't you and I head downstairs and eat, and then we can put the leftovers away and head over to my place. Maybe I'll show you some of my old tricks I learned from back in my circus days, huh?"

"Heh, ya, sure Richard. Thanks, by the way. For everything."

The twenty-year old answered with a smile, before he got up went back downstairs to give Spike some time to clean up.





Princess Celestia guided the six Element Bearers down the pristine white halls of the Canterlot Castle infirmary, and stopped in front of a heavy, steel door. "Girls, if we're going to be going up against Nightwing, we need to get as much information on him as possible. Naturally, this means that we need to interview everyone who has had contact with our unstable friend. Last night, we witnessed first hand just how dangerous it is to underestimate him. We need to become better prepared."

Pushing the door open, the seven women walked into the hospital room, and was greeted by the sight of Commander Shining Armor hooked up to various machines, all beeping and displaying vital medical information. 

"Shiny!" Twilight Sparkle breathed, and ran to the side of his bed, her eyes alight with worry.

"H-hey, Twily. Long time no see..." He muttered weakly, wincing as the rise and fall of his chest irritated his broken ribs. Noticing that Celestia was there, he brought a hand to his head in a quick salute, which only caused him to grimace again as pain exploded through his chest. "Your Highness!"

"At ease, Commander." Celestia mumbled gently. "I have brought the Element Bearers here to get your account of Nightwing. His fighting style, tactics, gadgets, everything you can think of."

Shining Armor nodded. "Alright... Well, after you deployed me and my men to chase Nightwing down, I had air teams split up to try and surround him. He had these... knife things, I think Luna calls them 'razor-wings'. They were coated in something, made my men sluggish. Probably some kind of tranquilizer. Anyways, we chased him across the city, and it became pretty obvious that he'd received extensive training somewhere, 'cause he was pulling off flips and jumps that were just... unbelievable.

"So, eventually, we catch up to him and he completely decimated my squad. No casualties, but... we never stood a chance. He was just so fast, and those sticks he had carried electrical nodes in them. Our metal armour proved to be a liability, it only conducted the shocks. Finally, it was just me and him-"

"He and I," Twilight corrected, her hands clamped over her heart.

"... Right. He and I were all who was left, and I dunno why, but he put his sticks away and just ran. I signaled for more backup and gave chase, and we wound up on top of the eastern wall. We did battle, and he won."

"Did he say anything to you, Commander?" Celestia inquired, her voice loving and kind.

"He just babbled some self-important nonsense. Nothing that could reveal his true identity."

For a moment, the Solar Monarch just stared at him and then sighed. "Very well, Shining. We will leave you to get your rest. Come along, girls."

"I'll be sure to write, Shiny..." Twilight muttered as she left his bedside. The information that Twilight was now privy to worried her. He had taken down an entire squad of Royal Guards, and even Shining Armor, the most celebrated warrior in the Princesses's guard. And now, Twilight and her friends were supposed to stop him?

But they would do it. They were the Elements of Harmony, the greatest magical power in all of Equestria. Nightwing may be tough, be he was only human. He would make a mistake. And when he did, the Element's would be there to stop him.





The red light district of Canterlot. The fact that such a place could even exist in Equestria, much less the capital, made Nightwing's blood boil. Prostitutes, lonely men, and pimps wandered the streets below him, eager to find their next fix of whatever their favourite vice was. A pedophile took a thirteen year old hooker into a back alley, and Richard could make out the outlines of people injecting heroin in the building opposite to the one he was currently brooding upon.

It was hard to believe that every single one of them were connected to Zucco. The pimps, the drug dealers, the thieves, the murderers, all of them worked for the careful mobster. And, by extension, every life that was trapped in addiction, every family that was caged in dept, they were all being crushed by one man. Yet, there was somehow never enough evidence to warrant his arrest. 

Dick grit his teeth. He could jump down their right now and break the legs of every piece of scum that dared defile the once sacred streets of Canterlo they walked upon with such insolence. But for now, he had to wait. He would only get one chance to strike; move too early, and his target building would be put into lockdown. Hesitate, however, and he would lose the chance to take his target down.

One of Tony Zucco's lieutenants, Blue Blaze, was in charge of the mob for this entire city. And, rumour had it amongst the criminal underground, he was holding a meet tonight to divide territory up between his men. So, for half an hour, every mob boss that worked in Canterlot would be in one, single room. For Nightwing, Hearths Warming Eve had come early.

Midnight. Soon, very soon, they would come...

Nightwing watched as three men entered the building across the street from him. Now was the time to strike. Raising his arm, he fired a tracer dart into the coat of one of the men he identified Craghorn. Now he could keep tabs on the huge unicorn descent. 

Richard pulled out the grapnel gun, and slung himself onto the rooftop of the offending structure.  Dropping into a crouch, the superhero stole across the roof and looked for a way in. There. The ventilation system in the huge apartment complex had it's main exhaust ports on the roof, and would likely connect to nearly every room in the building.

"This gonna be even easier than I thought it would be..."

Nightwing pulled at the corners of the vent exit, noting with pleasure how the metal buckled and gave way to his strength. Placing the twisted metal grille on the ground, he silently pulled himself up and into to metal chute, mentally bringing up the blueprints of the building that he had taken care to memorize.

"There are twelve floors, and a basement. On each floor, there are twelve apartments, save for the basement which contains a laundromat. Looks like Craghorn is moving upstairs... There, fifth floor, apartment Eight-D."

Crawling forwards, and using his elbows and knees to find purchase on the smooth metal, he made his way forward, careful not to cause the vents to dimple under his weight. Slightly concerned at how easy this was, Dick thought back to all of the information he had gathered.

This was a very important meeting; the mob was looking to expand out of the red light district, and into Canterlot proper in order to spread Nightwing's attention over the whole city. So why weren't there guards on the roof? Why weren't the grates reinforced?

Richard cast the doubt out of his head. Interrogating Blue Blaze would give him the information he needed to cast the mob right out of Canterlot. After the capital city was free, he could being working on other large cities. Manehatten, Las Pegasus, Detrot... One by one, they would all be freed.

Starting right here, in the city that killed his parents.





"Look, you take the air docks, Peppermint takes the upper class neighborhoods, and Craghorn can have the middle class area. You three all give me twenty percent of your profits, which I send to Zucco. It's really not too complicated."

The large apartment that the four men were currently conversing in was a mess. The unpleasant odours of sweat and tobacco filled the rooms, and the body guards the men hired stood awkwardly behind their bosses, trying desperately not to move a muscle. After all, the mob valued discipline. One involuntary movement from the hired help, and they'd wind up face down in a ditch somewhere. If they couldn't control their actions when things were calm, how could they hope to protect their charges during a confrontation?

"Alright, boss," Red Rum sighed. True to his name, the three-hundred pound earth descent was the single most blood thirsty mobster in all of Canterlot. He was personally responsible for more murders than the other three higher-ups combined. Rumor had it that his hair was red because of the tremendous amount of blood it had been soaked in over the years. "That sounds fair ta me."

Peppermint Fist and Craghorn both nodded as well, and Blue Blaze smiled. "Now then, onto our bird problem. Mr. Zucco has asked us to hire someone to take the Nightwing down, and I think I found just the dame. She's got an extensive history in-"

A high, playful laugh echoed throughout the apartment, causing everyone inside to jerk their heads around in search of the source of the sinister noise. The bodyguards all drew knives, and the magic users lit up their horns, eager to disintegrate whatever it was that dared disturb the meeting.

"What the fuck was that?" Red Rum shouted, standing up so quickly his chair fell over onto it's back.

"Isn't it funny...?" The mystery voice asked, the echoing sound unnerving the burly men.

"He's here..." Blue Blaze muttered, drawing a knife of his own. "Come on out Nightwing! And we promise to only break four of your limbs?"

Another laugh. "There... is nothing you can do to harm me..." There was a sharp scream, and the mobsters were suddenly painfully aware that one of the bodyguards was missing.

"You see..." the voice continued, and the lights in the filthy apartment all flickered out. "I know pain..." Another  terrified scream, and the glowing horn of another hired hand winked out in the dark as both of his arms were broken viciously, followed by a quick tranquilizer to the neck.. The remaining criminals breathed erratically in the dark their terror overwhelming them.

A swishing sound and a pained scream announced the incapacitation of the last bodyguard, leaving just the three mob bosses alone in the dark with a nightmare.

"And sometimes..." There was a sharp crack, and Craghorn hit the floor unconscious, his burly frame making the tile floors crack under his weight. "I get to share my pain..." A momentary flash of light as Peppermint went down in a burst of electricity, briefly silhouetting the living weapon that was hunting them down.

Another swishing sound, and Red Rum fell, clutching the razor-wing embedded in his chest, before the toxins coating the blades put him into a deep sleep. Silence, only broken by Blue Blaze's heavy breathing. The man backed slowly up towards the wall, only to bump into something.

"With people like you..." Nightwing whispered into the horrified mans ear. Blue Blaze whirled around, brandishing his machete-like knife, only to have it knocked out of his hands by one of his tormentor's lightning sticks. A hand shot out of the darkness, and lifted him clean off of his feet, a show of strength that only further intimidated the well dressed mob boss.

"Lying to me would be a very bad idea, Blue Blaze."

"Please...!" He choked, "I'll... talk!"

"I knew you would."

Nightwing threw the man onto the wooden table that was just a minute ago the center of Blue Blaze's negotiations. The sturdy oak splintered and collapsed under the mans weight, and bits of the shattered furniture pierced his skin, forcing him to gasp in pain.

"AUGH! Celestia, I said I would talk!"

"Celestia can't save you, now. No one can save you, now." Nightwing brought his armoured boot down hard on Blue Blaze's knee cap, causing it to snap and shatter painfully.

"GAH, FUCK!!! GUARDS! GUARDS HELP-!"

The shadow brought his boot down on the pleading mobster's neck, silencing his screams. "I think you'll find that your associates are already... Taken care of. If you want to avoid losing your pitiful life here in your fortress of sin, you're going to tell me exactley where Zucco's next drug shipments to Canterlot are going to be delivered. What's more, you're going give me the names of every peddler under your command."

Upon issuing his commands, Nightwing ground his foot against his prey's broken knee, earning him another scream of pain and terror. "O-okay! Wonder Tower! Tomorrow night, he's sending a huge shipment on an air ship to Wonder Tower!"

Nightwing narrowed his eyes. "You're lying." A second broken knee cap brought Blue Blaze to the edge of consciousness, black spots forming in his eyes from the pain.

"N-no! Oh, Celestia-"

"Make no mistake. The only reason you continue to breathe is because you are useful to me. The moment you lie to me again, you cease becoming useful. Understand?" His voice, low and menacing, instantly broke whatever shred of resolve Blue Blaze had left.

"Y-yes! I swear, tomorrow night, at... at midnight, there's a huge shipment! Red Rum was going to pick it up!"

"Good. Where is it being shipped from?"

"M-manehatten!"

"And the peddlers under your employ?"

"They're all listed in my ledger! I-I-I have it in my jacket!"

"Thank you for your cooperation." Nightwing brought his knee down on Blaze's head, knocking him unconcious, and reached into his expensive suit jacket. The ledger, sure enough, was there, and had not only a list of everyone under the broken mobsters employ, but a list of every deal that went down in Canterlot in the past year.

Richard smiled. Sometimes, his job was so rewarding. Recording every page with the camera in his mask, Nightwing drew a plastic baggy and dropped the ledger into it before sealing it back up. Searching the rest of the apartment, Dick uncovered the various weapon and drug stashes hidden there.

Soon, all the available evidence had been recorded, collected, and placed in the center of the now trashed facility for the Canterlot Police Department to find.

"Luna," he spoke, pushing a finger to the communicator in his ear, "Send a squad to the 'Blue Skies Apartment Complex', unit Eight-D. You know the mob is hiring a hitwoman to take me down?"

"How exciting for you." Came the silky voice of the Princess. "How did things go with Blue Blaze?"

"Perfectly. By this time tomorrow night, the mob will no longer exist in Canterlot. There's a ledger here with every detail we need to put these punks away for life."

"Excellent work, Nightwing. A squad is on their way, you have three minutes to get out of there. Oh, Shining Armor will make a full recovery, by the way."

"Glad to hear it. Nightwing out."





Tony Zucco sat across from the pale blue haired young woman in front of him, contemplating the turn of events his life had taken. "My men tell me that you're the best."

A broadly brimmed hat covered her face in a veil of shadow, though Zucco could still make out a pearly white smile. "Your men are correct, Mr. Zucco."

"Good. So I can count on you to take the Nightwing down?"

"Of course." The woman leant forward in her chair and took her hat off, revealing the blue horn that had been concealed underneath. A broad grin adorned her attractive features, the kind of grin that belonged on a hyena. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will bring you his head by week's end."

	

	
> Trixie and Richard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Terrified screams and choking sobs echoed through the night air. Chaos had descended, and people ran desperately in an attempt to put themselves as far as possible from the destruction currently being waged upon Ponyville. The police vainly tried to assert control over the situation, but to no avail. The Ursa Major was on a rampage, and nobody knew how to stop it. 

Flames consumed the houses of two Ponyville residents,  their homes being erased within moments as the greedy blaze consumed everything it touched. The owners of the houses had -thankfully- long since been evacuated by the Element of Loyalty, her blazing fast speed making the flames look cool. In moments, however, the air was thick with smoke and flickering embers, casting an evil orange glow upon the town square.

All across the village the people cried for help, for someone to save them in their darkest hour. Ungodly roars deafened the terrified residents as they faced the prospect of death by giant astral ursine. Mothers hugged their children closely as they fled, and all across the town there was one question on everyone's mind; where was Nightwing?

The answer was simple: in grave danger.

"Trixie..." Nightwing spat a mouthful of blood onto the dirt, and dropped to his knees gasping for breath. His suit had been breached in multiple areas, and a large gash had opened up his side. Blood oozed out through the armoured fingers that  were applying pressure on the wound, desperately attempted to keep Richard's organs inside of his body. One of the optical ports in his mask had cracked, the omnipresent white glow in it had faded, leaving just flickering lights that occasionally revealed Dick's blue eye. "Trixie... please... these people will die... I need to save them..."

Trixie smiled cruelly and slapped him viciously across the face, sending the defeated young man sprawling to the ground behind the Golden Oaks Library. The young witch's heart began beating faster in her chest. Soon, Nightwing would be dead, and she would be rich.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie cares not for this pathetic town! Trixie is only concerned about the bits and fame that your assassination will bring her! But by all means, continue to beg for mercy. Trixie had hoped that the great Nightwing," she sneered as she spat out his name, and raised her a glowing hand, "could prove himself worthy to face Trixie in combat. You hardly put up much of a fight, however. Such a shame. Trixie was so looking forward to having a worthy opponent."

There was a sudden flash as a bolt of purple energy streaked through the air and connected with Trixie's arm, sending her flying off of her feet and careening into the grass fifteen feet back. "Why don't I have a turn, then?" Twilight Sparkle stood in the back doorway of the library, her horn and hands glowing with raw magical energy. "Nightwing, can you stand!?"

"Yeah..." Richard stumbled to his feet, gasping in pain. The grass he had been sprawled upon was dyed crimson with the blood that had seeped out of his body, and shone in the moonlight with an evil glint. He lifted his hand slightly off of his mortal injury, and grimaced as he realized just how dire his situation was.

Refusing to surrender his brain's signals to just give up and go to sleep, Nightwing reached down and ejected a small disk from his almost completely depleted utility belt. He fumbled with if for a moment before tapping its center with a shaking thumb. The disk expanded to five inches across, and began to glow a bright, cherry red, warmth radiating off of the super-heated bandage. Dick pressed the medical tool into the open wound in his side and gasped in pain as the device cauterized and sealed the gash. The black haired young man left the device attached to himself and took a few shaky steps backwards to be beside Twilight Sparkle.

"You -AUGH!- shouldn't have done that... she was only after me, she'll be after you now, too."

"Nightwing..." The purple haired girl's voice was fraught with an air of hopelessness. "The Ursa Major, it's out of control. It's free again, we need to stop it before-" Twilight's voice cracked, and her tears of desperation began to well in her violet eyes. "I just... I don't know what to do..."

Nightwing grimaced. If these were indeed  his last moments... If he was going to be reunited with his mother and father... he was going to spend them saving Ponyville. No matter the cost. "If we both go after the Ursa, we'll just have a repeat of last time, and I won't survive another hit like that. Get inside the library, and do some research on possible weaknesses. I'll keep Trixie busy for... ungh... as long as possible." Richard's shoulders were slumped, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.

Another scream echoed through the night, this one of pure rage. A powder blue glow appeared in the distance, and Trixie levitated herself back into view, her silvery hair whipping wildly behind her as she called upon the full extent of her power. "You dare challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie to a duel of magic!? Foolish girl, I-"

"Twilight, go. Now." Dick stepped forward and cautiously watched as his oldest friend`s face contorted in rage. Her hands began to glow as well, and Richard considered his options. "Harmonizer broke when I fell, I'm out of razor-wings, Line Launcher was busted by the Ursa,  and I'm out of wrist darts... Looks like it's just me and the escrima sticks."

"Okay... Be careful, Nightwing." Twilight's gaze took in the blood soaked armour of his right side, and realized the sacrifice that the man she was supposed to be arresting was making for her. Steeling herself, she turned and ran back into the library, slamming the door shut with a burst of magic before frantically searching for a book that would give her some sort of information that could give her the edge on an Ursa Major.

"Alright Trixie..." Nightwing panted, "Let's finish this." He drew his electrified sticks and briefly wondered if Trixie would regret her actions once she found out that she had killed her childhood friend.

"With pleasure," She growled, her whole body trembling with magical energy. She raised her hand and began charging one, final magic bomb. This time, Nightwing wouldn't be getting back up.






Two days earlier...


"Spike, we're-"

"SURPRISE!!!"

Richard Grayson and Spike had (after writing Twilight to confirm that she was indeed going to be home with the girls for supper) prepared a feast of Goliath proportions. Spaghetti and tomato sauce, rolls fresh out of the oven, caeser salad, risotto that Richard had perfected during his travels in Neightaly, steaks, and an apple pie for dessert. The two young men had lavished all of their impressive culinary skills on the meal, and the delightful smells that enveloped the library were enough to make even the most picky eater shut up and chow down.

"Wha... holy cow, boys, I didn't even know that much food could fit on our table..." Twilight's jaw had dropped in awe, and the rest of the girls breathed in deeply as they entered the library in apprecation of the spread that the two young gentlemen had made for them.

"Did you both do all of this?" Rainbow Dash asked, eyeing the steak hungrily.

"Ya, Dick and I tagged out making different dishes," Spike replied, puffing his chest out proudly.

Finally coming back to her senses, Twilight finally realized she was in the presence of her old partner, someone whom she hadn't had a chance to talk to for ten years. For a moment, the two just stared at each other awkwardly, Twilight trying to match the looks of the man in front of her to the shadowy silhouette that had been in Luna's tower the previous. Could he really be Nightwing? Could the handsome, smiling man in front of her moonlight as a masked vigilante who beats criminals to a pulp with his bear hands?

"Uhm... Do I have something on my face?" Dick asked nervously, noticing the magic user's piercing stare.

Realizing that she had been leering at him, Twilight blushed (earning a smug grin from Rarity, who completley misinterpreted Twilight's gaze), and quickly looked away. "N-no... I just uh..." Now everyone was beginning to make the same assumption that Rarity had, which only caused Twilight's blush to deepen. "It's nice to see you again." She offered sheepishly.

"Ya, it's nice to see you again too, Twilight. How's Shining Armor doing? Spike told me that he was admitted into the hospital."

"Oh, uhm... he's fine, thank you." There was another awkward silence. "Oh! Uh... these are my friends Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Oh, and Fluttershy. And I guess you already met Spike. And me too, but uh... ya." For a moment, the two just looked at each other, before Pinkie bounded up to him.

"Hi! My names Pinkie Pie, and it's really, really great to meet you! I felt so, so sad for you when Twilight told us that your parents died, and-"

"Pinkie." Applejack warned, knowing from experience how hurtful it could be to bring up someones dead mother and father.

The baker simply continued, oblivious to her even headed friends admonishments. "I just wanted you to know that if you ever wanted to come by and hang out I'd totally be willing to-"

"Pinkie."

"just listen if you wanted to talk about it because it's unhealthy to bottle up emotions inside of you and whatever and I just want everyone to smile all the time and be happy, so-"

"PINKIE!" Applejack barked, silencing the bouncing young woman, who quickly realized how inappropriate she was being.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so, so sorry, I just-"

"It's fine." Richard said, cutting her off. "My parents passed a very long time ago. I'm over it." It was a bold faced lie, of course. He would never be over it. Not for as long as Nightwing continued to exist.

Another awkward silence enveloped the room, and it was Spike who came to the rescue.

"Well, we might as well eat before everything gets cold!" Spike chuckled, and strode over to the table, pulling a chair out for Rarity, gesturing at it vaguely and flashing her what he hoped was a winning grin.

"My, thank you Spikey. Such a gentleman."

Dick smiled, the previous discomfort all but forgottem. "Spikey?" He mouthed at his young friend.

The enamoured dragon boy just returned the smile and shrugged, taking a seat next to Rarity. The rest of the group soon followed him to the table, and began to make some small talk over the meal.

A certain pale fashionista, however, was irritatingly interested in how well Richard Grayson and Twilight Sparkle matched up with each other. "So Dick -may I call you Dick?- tell me about yourself." Rarity noted with pleasure how Twilight's ears seemed to perk up at the question, only furthering her false notion that Celestia's pupil had a crush on the unfortunate ex-circus performer.

Richard shrugged and piled some food onto his plate, considering the question. "Uhm... Well, I spent two years as Celestia's student with Twilight, though you've probably already heard about that. Then I left and travelled the world, and uh... here I am."

"Where'd y'all head off to?" Applejack inquired, helping herself to one of the juicy steaks that Richard had grilled earlier.

"Hoof Kong, Neightaly (which is where I learned how to make the risotto, actually), and Japone... to name a few. I just was doing some odd jobs here and there to make ends meet."

"Oh, Twilight!" Rarity sparked up, "Weren't you saying earlier how much you'd simply love to visit Japone? Such a rich culture, no?"

The introverted librarian flashed her prying friend a glare and nodded. "Ya, I was." She said simply, not wishing to indulge the purple haired beauty any further.

"Well you simply must tell us about it! I won't take no for an answer!"

"Aw, give it a rest Rarity," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Let the poor guy eat."

"Naw, it's fine. But I hear that you girls had some pretty fantastic adventures while I was gone! Sealing Nightmare Moon, and whatnot."

"Speaking of which!" Twilight Spoke up. "I saw you there. At the Summer Sun Celebration. How come you're only back now?"

Richard just smiled. "Well I was in town to buy a house, and then Nightmare Moon and Nightwing showed up, so I got the heck out of there. Besides, the house only free'd up yesterday, and I had some other stuff going on, so I kind of neglected to visit the town first."

"Ya, that was the first night that Nightwing was active, wasn't it?" Twilight continued, trying to subtly investigate her friend without giving it away. Unfortunately for her, she was trying to investigate the Worlds Greatest Detective, someone who had already pieced together that she suspected him of being Nightwing.

"Was it? I dunno. I skipped town after he shot her with his hook thingy." He admitted, forcing himself to blush a little. "I uh... I guess it kind of freaked me out."

"Oh, I was scared as well, Richard." Fluttershy offered. "Both of them were very intimidating."

"Ya, but Nightwing saved us," Applejack reasoned. "He gave us the time we needed to get the Elements of Harmony. As it was, Nightmare Moon was only able to spare fractions of her power to try an' intimidate us. If she jus' came after us herself, I don' think we woulda made it."

"And yet," Rainbow Dash answered sourly, "He attacked Twilight, AND Rarity, AND Celestia herself last night! Our friends! Not to mention he nearly beat Shining Armor to death! Tell me that's not a guy who's tryin' to play both sides of the coin!"

"Wait, what?" Spike asked, bewildered. "He attacked Rarity and Twilight, too?"

"He was actin' in self defence!" For some reason, the southern farmer was having a tough time believing that Nightwing, a man was willing to stand up for Equestria's downtrodden, would be able to commit atrocities in cold blood. "An' he even apologized!"

"Oh, well as long as he apologized," Rainbow hissed, "That makes it all better!"

"If you want my opinion," Dick interjected, earning the gazes of everyone at the table, "He's doing more harm than good with what he's trying to accomplish. If he keeps hammering the mob, attacking them over, and over, and over, they're going to lash out. They'll just start killing people -innocent people, like my mom and dad- until Nightwing unmasks or something. Who appointed the Nightwing? Who gave him permission to run around and try and police Equestria for us? How many people are going to die so he can fulfill whatever is in his agenda?"

The venom that Richard spoke with was startling. There was silence for a moment as everyone just stared at him, before Rainbow nodded. "What he said."

"But, what do I know? How're you enjoying the risotto, Fluttershy?"

Conversation after that gained a much more friendly tone as Dick's outburst was put behind them, and the black haired young man smiled inwardly. With any luck, that tirade would place him above suspicion in Twilight's eyes for now, and he could work on more permanent solutions to her mission later.

The night wore on, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even Fluttershy wasn't having any difficulty opening up to the new resident of Ponyville. After a time, however, when everyone was stuffed with the delicacies that Spike and Richard had prepared, it was time for Dick to excuse himself. Nightwing had a date with Craghorn and his boss, Blue Blaze tonight. There would be a meet up in Canterlot's red light district, and he would be damned if he was going to miss such an important event.

After cleaning the dishes with Pinkie Pie (who still felt guilty about bringing up Richard's late parents), he made up some excuse about being tired after cooking all day and bid everyone farewell.

As the door clicked shut, Rarity's knowing grin returned and she stared at Twilight expectantly from across the living room. Her Cheshire cat grin did not go unnoticed by the studious young librarian, who finally gave in. "What!?"

She shrugged, though the smile never left her face. "Nothing."

Hiding her suspicions from her friends was going to be harder than she thought. Especially when they thought she had a crush on the person she was trying to investigate.






“I’m going with Celestia. She invited me to live in her castle until we catch the man who did this.”

Trixie levitated a glass of whiskey to her lips and read the rather meager file that Tony Zucco had provided her with. The contract was simple: Kill Nightwing, get fifty-million bits; a mere fraction of the huge bank account that the mobster had amassed over the years. Having the superhero six feet under was a near priceless asset, however, and Trixie knew that she was worth every cent.

Deciding to read the dossier for a fifth time, Trixie rubbed her eyes and added some oil to lamp she had lit in her wagon. Disguising her career as a contract killer with a magicians show had been a stroke of brilliance; in all of the years she had operated as an assassin in Equestria and Saddle Arabia, her disguise had never failed her. She came to town, put on a show, earned a reputable name for herself, then killed her target in the dead of night and left.

"Nightwing... Age unknown, place of birth unknown, secret identity unknown... Highly dangerous, incapacitated over one hundred armed members of the Equestrian Mob... Surprisingly, no casualties. Nightwing didn't kill. Even so, he would probably be too dangerous to face head on... Trixie will need to find out who the man behind the mask is, and strike there. But, that seems impossible... So the Great and Powerful Trixie will just need to set a trap. But what...?"

Trixie leant backwards in her chair and stared at the ceiling of her cramped wagon. "He operates out of Canterlot, it seems, and the police have grown bold under his protection. Trying to threaten the city now would be tantamount to turning myself in. I could try and feed him false information, but Zucco's tried that in the past, Nightwing had seen right through his lies..."

Trixie levitated a map out of her trunk and spread it out on the table in front of her. There, on the outskirts of Canterlot, was Ponyville. Trixie smiled. It was located right next to the Everfree Forest, where there were plenty of creatures who could be baited into attacking a poor, defenseless little town. Coupled with its close proximity to Canterlot, Nightwing would show up to try and stop the carnage. And when he did, Trixie would strike him down from the sidelines.

The best part was that Trixie would be able to peg it as an accident. She could see it now. "Oh dear, officer, Trixie is so sorry, but Trixie was merely trying to destroy the dragon that was attempting to attack the town, and Nightwing got in the way of Trixie's magic. Deeply regrettable.".

Of course, Dragons were smart, and they were rare. It would be very difficult to get one to do her bidding. Perhaps something else... A large pack of timberwolves, or an Ursa Major. Yes... that would do. She would bait an Ursa Major into attacking Ponyville. She would need to make sure that it couldn't be traced back to her, however. Still, Trixie was nothing if not smart. She would find a way.

Trixie glanced at the photo on her desk, the one memento she had kept for all of these long, lonely years. In it, there were two children with their arms around each others shoulders, and smiling into the camera. They were standing in a grassy meadow, the city of Canterlot visible in the mountains in the distance. This was the last photograph that Richard and Trixie had taken together, one day before the accident. It had been windy, and Trixie's silvery-blue hair was whipping wildly behind her, the sleeveless summer dress she was wearing accentuating her cutie mark. Dick (The words "It's Richard!" echoed through her head, making her smile gently) was covering his unadorned shoulders with a red jacket, the spandex of his performers uniform clearly visible underneath the garment. She remembered with a smile that Big Top always used to call him the 'Boy Wonder'.

Trixie's eyes began to mist ever so slightly as she lamented for her lost friend. That day that he had left, that was the day that something opened up inside of Trixie. She had only been ten when Richard went to live with Celestia, and yet the deaths of two members of the circus troupe combined with the disappearance of Dick had affected her deeply.

Her only solace was that, one day, show would find him. Knowing Richard's apptitute for grandeur, the kid had probably gotten a new job as a performer somewhere, a damn good one probably. His fame would him easy to track. And if he wasn't famous, Trixie would find other ways of tracking him. After she killed Nightwing, and had the bits to retire, she would make Dick her first priority. 

"It's RICHARD!!!"

No time like the present. It was time to move. Trixie enchanted her wagon, and the wooden cart began wheeling itself towards Ponyville. By noon tomorrow, she would arrive at her destination, and then she could set her plan in motion. She would be rich, she would be free, and best of all, young enough to enjoy her money fully. Not a bad combination.





It was just about noon in Ponyville. The sun beat down warmly on the town, and many its residents lined the streets, going about their daily business. On days as nice as today, it would almost be a crime to stay inside all day. Of course, Twilight Sparkle had better things to do than to frolic outdoors; after being summoned to Canterlot to be given a mission by Princess Celestia herself, the obsessive librarian had woken up early to devise some kind of plan to take Nightwing down.

"SPIKE!" She called out not taking her eyes off of the files she was reviewing, "MAY I HAVE SOME ICE TEA, PLEASE?"

"Sure thing, Twi!" He replied, pouring her a tall glass of the sweet liquid he had taken the liberty of making earlier that day. "Any progress with your plan?"

"No." She replied simply. "All of these police reports say different things." She opened one, and pushed it towards the dragon boy, who promptly picked it up and began to scan it. It seemed that this one contained a series of interviews that the police had conducted with eye witnesses. Pouring himself an ice tea, he sat on the floor next to Twilight's desk and began to read.



Taped interview with Witness A (Miss Starfire, age 21, Pegasus Descent) vs. Sergeant Copper, Canterlot Police Dept. Audio transcribed into text for investigator's convenience. Interview begin.

S.C: Good evening, Miss Starfire.

S.F: Hello, officer...?

S.C: Copper. Sergeant Copper. I hear you had a pretty rough night.

S.F: If by rough you mean almost being raped in an alleyway, then ya, I'd say so.

S.C: I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to be so blunt about it.

S.F: It's alright... It could have been worse.

S.C: Yes, it could have. Could you describe the events of the night for me, ma'am?

S.F: Ya... I was hanging out with my sister, Blackfire, and we went to a bar downtown. I think it was called The Golden Ghost... Anyways, we had a few drinks, and then we decided to walk home. I think it was around one in the morning. But as we left the bar, Blackfire noticed she had lost an earring, and went back to get it. I just waited outside for her, when... someone grabbed me from behind, and dragged me into the alley nearby... I tried to scream, but he was covering my mouth, and I couldn't. He took out a knife and cut off my shirt, and threw me to the ground. Oh, Celestia, I thought he was going to kill me. But then... It came...

S.C: "It"?

S.F: Yeah... Nightwing...

S.C: I can assure you, Starfire, Nightwing is but a man.

S.F: No... no... you didn't see him. That... that thing wasn't a man. It was some kind of... living shadow. It materialized from out of no where behind the guy that grabbed me, and it just... destroyed him. Threw him against the wall so hard that I heard some bones break. Then its... tendrils, I guess, extended, and electrocuted him. It turned to look at me, its eyes glowed some unearthly white... and then it just vanished back into the darkness...

S.C: It doesn't sound like you think too highly of the Nightwing.

S.F: Nightwing, whatever horrific kind of monster it was, saved me tonight, Officer.

S.C: It could have just as easily killed you, though. Is there any other details about him you can remember? Anything at all?

S.F: Just that blue bird symbol on its chest. It was only there for... seconds... and its eyes... oh Celestia its eyes... I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it anymore.

INTERVIEW FINISHED

Taped interview with Witness B (Mr Veiled Heart, aged 32, Earth Descent) vs. Sergeant Copper, Canterlot Police Dept. Audio transcribed into text for investigator's convenience. Interview begin.

S.C: Good morning, Mr. Heart.

V.H: Uhm... Good morning, Officer. Nice to see you again.

S.C: I wish I could say the same. How many times is it you've been arrested for drug trafficking, now? And this time, you showed up with two broken arms and a cracked rib. 

V.H: Yes... I uhm... I fell... After the deal, I fell over.

S.C: ...You seem nervous. May I get you a glass of water?

V.H: Yes, please. *sound of water being poured* Aah, thank you. I was parched. Now then, may I ask why I'm here?

S.C: You don't know? I'd like to talk about your encounter with the Nightwing.

V.H: *long silence.* No... No, I don't think that's possible.

S.C: Why not?

V.H: He'll find me.

S.C: Nightwing will never know that it was you who talked. If you can help us catch him, your sentencing can be made much less severe.

V.H: You don't understand. No one can protect me. Not from him. Not from that thing. He'll find me.

S.C: What do you mean when you say 'thing'?

V.H: He... can you promise me lighter sentencing?

S.C: Yes, I can.

V.H: He came from nowhere... Me and my boys were in the red light district, we were gonna make a deal, when suddenly he pounced on one of my guys... It was like he was some kind of bird, or something, he just bounced and jumped around so fast... too fast to be human. In five seconds, I was the last one standing. I turned to run, but he caught me, and... and... *sobbing*

S.C: Pull it together, Veiled. What did he look like? Did you catch a glimpse?

V.H: No... But he wasn't no pegasus descent. Didn't have any wings. But he could still fly. Believe me, Copper, if you want to keep your ability to walk, I'd stay far away from Nightwing.

S.C: *to guard* Get this animal back to his cell. We're done here.

INTERVIEW FINISHED

Taped interview with Witness C (Miss Dinky Doo, aged 11, Unicorn Descent) vs. Sergeant Copper, Canterlot Police Dept. Audio transcribed into text for investigator's convenience. Interview begin.

S.C: Hello there, Dinky. How are you today?

D.D: I'm good. Mommy seems to be worried, though.

S.C: Ya? Why's that?

D.D: She's scared of Nightwing.

S.C: Are you?

D.D: Scared of Nightwing?

S.C: Yes.

D.D: No. He saved mommy and her boyfriend.

S.C: Would you care to tell me about it, Dinky?

D.D: Sure! It was so exciting! Mr. Turner took mommy and I here to Canterlot for the weekend, and we watched a play at the theater. But it ended real late, it must have been midnight when it let out! Anyways, we were walking back to the hotel, and Mr. Turner was carrying me on his shoulders, when four guys came out of nowhere, and they had knives! Mommy fainted, and they began to get closer and closer, when suddenly Nightwing appeared! I didn't even realize he was a robot before then!

S.C: Uhm... A robot?

D.D: Ya! He had white, glowing eyes, and all of these tools and a metal body and everything! And he was all like "Back away now!" And all of the thugs started running at him, and his hands transformed into giant thunder maces, and he was like pow! Bam! Bop! And then his hands transformed again into ninja stars, and he took down the last guys with them! And then I asked him if he wanted my teddy bear as a reward, and he said "Your smiling face is reward enough." And then his jet feet activated and he flew off.

S.C: ... I see. Thank you Dinky. It was very informative. We're done here.

INTERVIEW FINISHED




Spike went over the eye witness reports a few times before he handed them back to Twilight Sparkle. "Well I dunno about you, but I think the robot thing sounded plausible."

"Be serious, Spike! Nightwing is obviously very skilled in the arts of deception and combat, not to mention acrobatics, which means I'll have to lure him into a situation where none of those skills will be an asset to him."

The young boy rolled his emerald eyes. "I don't actually think a scenario like that exists, Twi."

"Well then I'll have to make one." Twilight put the file she was reading down, and rubbed the corners of her eyes. She took a sip of her ice tea and sighed. "Spike... Do you think that what we're doing is right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Twilight paused for a moment, and looked out of her window. "Nightwing... He attacked the Princess, Rarity, and I, he beat Shining Armor to a point near death, and I'm sure that he's had to take out a number of Royal Guards, as well. But... You read the files. He saved Ditzy, and Dinky, and Time Turner. Sweet Celestia, Spike, we know them! What would have happened if Nightwing wasn't there!? And that Starfire girl, she would have been traumatized for life! And, and, that drug pusher, what was his name... Veiled Heart! He would still be on the streets!" Twilight was practically yelling by the end of her tirade, and she had a wild, desperate look to her eyes.

She sighed again, and buried her face in the mass of papers on her desk. "I just... I want to do what's right. But I just don't know... Nightwing is making a difference in Equestria. That said, he's dangerous and doesn't answer to anything other than his own moral code. And with everything he's doing... how long will it be before he snaps? No one can withstand constant fighting without being changed. And it's like Dick said last night, the mob will strike back, and what then? Is he doing more harm than good with all of this?"

Spike gazed at the hunched over young woman and placed his hand on her back, gently rubbing. "Twilight... I wish I knew what to say, but... it doesn't sound like there's an easy answer to any of this. Nightwing is a hero, but I'm not sure for how long. For now, maybe you should just take a break, get out of the library."

The librarian exhaled and inhaled deeply, calming herself. "I think it you're right. I've been at this all day. Is there anything interesting happening in town?"

"Well now that you mention it, Snips and Snails were by earlier talking about some travelling magician that just showed up today..."





"Are you ready?" Princess Luna asked the masked man on her balcony.

"Yes. I've been staking out the tower loading docks all day. Taking down the punks who are unloading the drugs from the scheduled air ship shouldn't take too long, maybe fifteen minutes total. After I'm done with them, I'll signal you to send in a team of Nightwatch Guards."

"I understand." Luna paused for a moment, but then flashed Richard a rare smile, her pearly teeth shining in the night. "You really did it, Dick. After tonight, the last of Zucco's men will have been arrested in Canterlot."

"Just the rest of Equestria to go." Nightwing mounted the balcony railing and crouched, looking out over the shining city. "By the way, I'm glad you took my advice to ditch the ballgown, but I'm not really sure you're the 'jeans and a t-shirt' kinda girl."

"Must you really ruin every moment in which I try to be friendly?" She sighed, now self conscious of her clothing choice. "These modern fashions are... difficult... to grasp. Oh, and I have arranged for Richard Grayson to be sent a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala this year as a thank you. You'll be my personal guest."

"Like... a date?"

Luna sighed in exasperation. "No, not like a date. It would be a date. However, you would be remiss if took this to mean that I have any romantic interest in you. I merely thought Nightwing would enjoy a night's break."

Dick chuckled. "I'll think about it, though I'm not sure how you're going to explain that one to your sister. After all, Richard Grayson and Princess Luna have never met before."

The princess smiled. "I'm sure I can think of something. Anyways, if you want to get back to Ponyville at a decent hour, I would recommend you get moving."

"Of course." Nightwing flipped off of the tower and drew the grapnel gun in his typical fashion. Maybe Luna had a point. Taking a night off wouldn't kill him, and it wasn't as if he wasn't allowed to have fun. Why, just last night he was having dinner with Element Bearers and Spike the dragon boy, and that was fun. For the most part, at least. He would need to spend some quality time with Pinkamena to prove to her that he wasn't upset with the loud mouthed pastry chef.

As Richard made his way towards Wonder Tower, he wondered if maybe he had yet to find an appropriate balance in his life. He enjoyed spending time with Spike, and while he was sure Twilight Sparkle suspected him of being Nightwing, catching up with her had been really nice. Heck, maybe one day he could even start investigating where Trixie had disappeared to.





A bellowing roar rent the night air, waking half of Ponyville from their slumber. There was silence in the town, but only for a moment.

Then, the screaming started.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike jumped out of their respective beds, and cast their eyes through the bedroom window, only to find a blank expanse of darkness. "What's happeneing!?" Spike asked, unsure of what to do.

"I... I don't know. Spike, stay here. I'm going outside to check it out." Twilight pulled on her bathrobe and slipped on some socks before running downstairs.

"Twilight, wait! Maybe we should just-" SLAM "-call the police." Spike sighed and slumped onto his bead. Twilight had told him to stay put. It wasn't his place to disobey a direct order from his sister figure.

Another roar echoed through the town, this one to the accompaniment of even more screams. Human screams. That wasn't good. Spike was caught between disobeying his boss and sister, Twilight Sparkle, or running headfirst into danger. "Well... If Nightwing does it..." Spike threw on some proper pants and a t-shirt before he followed the librarian out the front door.

"Twilight!? Twilight!? Where are you!?" Spike called out, worrying at the sight of all of the people fleeing from dowtown Ponyville. "Not good..." The dragon boy sprinted forwards, in the opposite direction of the crowds flow, and considered shifting into his dragon form. Alas, he was still just a baby by dragon standards, and would be next to useless against anything bigger than a timberwolf. Not to mention the fact that a little purple dragon running around would likely just cause an even bigger commotion.

A third roar, this one louder, made Spike wince. He was definatley getting closer to whatever it was. Thoughts of earlier today came unbidden to his mind;  The boastful magician from earlier, "The Great and Powerful Trixie could easily defeat an Ursa Major! As a matter of fact, she wish she had an Ursa Major right now that she could vanquish!", her staring suggestivley at Snips and Snails, her humiliating the love of his life and a good deal of her friends, him running to Richard's house to see what he made of all of this, only to find he wasn't home... 

He gulped, and rounded the corner, entering the town center, only to find his darkest suspicion had been correct. There, stumbling towards the square, was a colossal, astral bear, it's behemoth girth easily outstripping the houses it was clumsily damaging. Twilight Sparkle and the Element Bearers stood in the square, with Trixie backpedaling in the distance, firing bolts of energy at the enraged ursine.

"Stay back foul beast! The Great and Powerful Trixie will make you rue the day you dared challenge her!" The attractive young woman hadn't counted on the bear getting this far into town; and she certainly hadn't counted on being one of the only ones in town that was (theoretically) capable of stopping the monster.

"Twilight!" Spike called, as he ran forwards to join her. "What in Celestia's name is an Ursa Major doing here!?"

"I don't know, Spike." She stated simply, her voice filled with worry.

"Well... How are we going to stop it!?"

"I don't know, Spike."

Spike's emerald eyes flashed as he considered what he should be more worried about; Twilight's near catatonic state or the Ursa Major that was tearing the town apart. "Twilight! Snap out of it!" The purple haired woman just continued to gape at the towns dual tormentors duking it out. "Alright... Fluttershy, do you know any way to stop this thing?"

"No, no! I just... Oh, Spike, I'm sorry, I've never cared for an Ursa before, and the bears that I look after are all friendly, and-" Her voice cracked, and tears filled her eyes as she watched the creature in front of her roar in pain.

Trixie was losing, though she would never admit it. Her magic was having next to no effect on the bear, and she was burning through the spells she knew at a very fast rate. She couldn't keep this up for long. Nightwing needed to show up, and he needed to show up now.

"Alright, girls," Twilight Sparkle stated weakly. "Let's... Let's try and stop this thing." Her horn glowed purple, and she wondered how in Celestia's good name she would be able to think up a spell that could stop an Ursa Major.





Nightwing looked around at the crates full of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine that surrounded him. In the center of the tower's loading bay, the thirty or so men that had delivered the shipment lay unconscious. A cold wind blew through the open bay doors, and Richard would have shivered had he not been encased in an armoured suit that regulated his body temperature.

He pressed a finger to his ear, an unfamiliar sense of peace welling up within him. He had done it. Canterlot, the city that so long ago had killed his parents, was cleansed. And it was his doing. "Luna. Send them in. I'm done here."

"Good work, Nightwing. Go home and get some rest. You've earned it."

"You read my mind, Princess. Nightwing out." He removed his finger from the earpiece and, for a moment, looked out over the tower edge, allowing himself to bask briefly in his accomplishment. Wonder Tower was located almost at the very edge of Canterlot City limits, and it overlooked the great valley that stretched out around Mount Canterlot. Train tracks spiraled down the mountain, before splitting off at the base leading all across Equestria. But for Richard, the only stop that concerned him right now was-

Ponyville.

In the dark of night, it was easy to make out flames the stretched into the night sky, as if eager to reach out and touch the stars above. The sounds of wing beats surrounded him, and he was aware of the large squad of Nightwatch that had just entered the bay doors.

"Nightwing...!? What are you still-" One of them began in a shocked tone. Only Princess Luna's most trusted guards were permitted to aid her on her joint missions with the Nightwing, and none of them would dare raise a hand, or speak out against him. To the Nightwatch, Nightwing was almost like a patron saint. He symbolized exactly what they believed every Royal Guard should be; honourable, swift, gallant, and brave, but also strong and ruthless towards his enemies.

Richard whirled around, and pointed at two of the Nightwatch with the largest wings. "You and you. I need a favour."

They knelt before him, a hand over their hearts. "Yes, sir. What would you ask of us?"

"I need a lift to Ponyville, effective fifteen minutes ago. It's in danger."

"Yes sir!" The two black armoured men replied in unison, rising to their feet and gripping his arms. "This may not be very comfortable, Nightwing, you might want to hold on tight."

Another Nightwatch stepped out of the crowd. "Would you like any more reinforcements, sir?"

"No. You all stay here and secure the drug shipments. I'll be sending my escorts back to join you shortly. The fewer of you accompany, the safer you'll be. Now, let's move."

The Nightwatch all nodded, saluted, and Dick felt himself being lifted into the air. The three men began speeding towards Ponyville air rushing past them. As they neared Richard's home, however, it was becoming increasingly clear that Ponyville was in dire straights. After some uncomfortable maneuvering, Nightwing activated the binocular mode in his mask and zoomed in to it's maximum capacity.

There, in the distance, was an Ursa Major, roaring in fury as blue and purple magical bolts flew up at it.

"No..." He whispered to himself. "We need to go faster! Ponyville's being ripped apart!"

"Aye, sir!" The two began working in overdrive, their huge, leathery bat wings beating at the night air in a desperate struggle to fulfill the desires of the fabled Nightwing. Finally, they were above the terrorized village, smoke rising up to meet them. "Alright, we're beginning our descent, and-"

"No time. Drop me, return to your squadmates, and alert the rest of the royal guard that Ponyville needs reinforcements."

"But sir-" One of them began, but he never got to finish. Utilizing his extensive training as an escape artist, Dick worked his way free of the airborne men's arms, and allowed himself to drop into free fall, withdrawing a small pellet from his belt. His timing would have to be perfect: too soon, and he would miss his mark, and splatter into the ground. Too late, however, and the result would be very much the same.

Closer and closer the ground flew up to meet him until finally he whipped the pellet at the ground he was about to slam in to. As soon as the little ball hit the grass, it exploded into a dense, pink foam that absorbed the shock of Nightwing's descent, and allowed the superhero to survive the surely fatal fall.

He coughed, and spat out some of the foam that had found its way into his mouth. "Ugh... I wonder if I can make this stuff strawberry flavoured..." He mumbled to himself, and quickly brushed the gooey substance out of his hair and armour, eager to make himself as aerodynamic as possible. Taking his bearings, he recognized a few houses and quickly ascertained that he was in North Ponyville. It would take maybe five minutes to reach the town square if he ran full out.

Breaking into a sprint that would leave Rainbow Dash breathless, he started towards the flames raging in the town center, pumping his arms and legs to their limits. Pegasus descent's may be fast, but earth descent's had incredible stamina and strength, not to mention reinforced bone structure. With the proper training, they could become some of the best athletes of all time. And Dick Grayson had certainly had the right training.

As he ran, the panicking populace of Ponyville took notice the hero within their midst, and he could hear their surprised exclamations. 

"It's Nightwing!"

"We're saved!"

"Someone call the cops!"

"You belong in prison, freak!"

"Where's the Ursa?"

"Someone follow him!"


Ignoring their cries, Richard just kept running. He couldn't afford to stop. Not now, not with so much at stake. Where was Twilight Sparkle? And Spike? Were the Element Bearer's safe? How long had the Ursa Major been here? More importantly, what was it doing here in the first place? Putting on an extra burst of speed, Dick burst into the town square and took stock of his surroundings.

There in the center, was Twilight Sparkle, her tear streaked face was illuminated in the light of the fire, and lending her whole face a look of extraordinary desperation. Rainbow Dash flew circles around the Ursa Major's head, doing her best to distract the raging bear. Fluttershy and Rarity were tending to a wounded man in the doorway of one of the undamaged houses, and Applejack was evacuating everyone in the immediate area, kicking down doors and pulling frightened Ponyville residents to safety. Pinkie Pie and Spike were here too, directing people to less dangerous areas of Ponyville. And there, on a rooftop next to the Ursa Major...





Trixie Lulamoon stood, her cape flapping in the wind, and her teeth bared in rage. This bothersome Twilight Sparkle was showing her up, and while Trixie had never really intended on defeating the Ursa in the first place, she certainly didn't expect anyone else to be able to either.

She cried out in frustration. This night was a total loss. Well, not a total loss. She had at least gotten the pleasure of seeing the Rainbow haired girl being blasted out of the sky, and it seemed that the meek librarian was about to be killed as well. This would be a fascinating spectacle.

Suddenly, however, a grey blur shot across the square and knocked Twilight Sparkle out of the way, much to Trixie's disappointment. What was it that had saved her...?

"NIGHTWING! TWILIGHT!" Someone called out (Trixie vaguely registered it being Twilight's whelp of an assistant), and her face broke into a broad grin. Her plan had worked after all. Of course it had. The Great and Powerful Trixie never made any mistakes.

She had to wait for the correct time to strike, however. She lay down on the rooftop she had teleported on to earlier in the night, hiding her silhouette from the figures below, and watched. Her horn glowed slightly with a pre-charged spell, it's purpose to put a gaping hole in her prey's chest. Soon, very soon, the Nightwing would be dead.





"Alright, Rainbow Dash, keep circling him! I'm going to try and freeze his paws to the ground, just-" Twilight Sparkle was cut off as her titanic adversary let out a bellowing roar in the Element of Loyalty's direction, the blast of air plucking the pegasus-descent out of the sky like a rag doll and sending her flopping uselessly onto a nearby rooftop.

Twilight was stunned. "Rainbow!" The librarian screamed, standing stock still. She was too overcome by shock to notice the Ursa Major stalking towards her, eager to exact it's grizzly vengeance on the magic user that had been tormenting him. "Rainbow..." She mumbled, fresh tears streaking down her face and mixing with the sweat and soot that had accumulated there.

"TWILIGHT!!!" Rarity and Applejack screamed simultaneously. "MOVE!!!"

But she just stood there, her mind in complete lock down. Rainbow Dash was...

"Twilight!" Spike called from seemingly so far away as the Ursa Major raised it's giant paw to crush her. "Twilight snap out of it! TWIILIIIGHT!"

"This is it" She thought to herself, "I'll never complete my studies, or see Shining Armor ever again, or get married, or see Spike grow up, or-" Whatever the next item on her incomplete bucket list was, she would never get to create, as a sudden slamming sensation lifted her off of her feet and carried her across the square.

Nightwing had showed up, and was using some device that threw a huge cable horizontally across a distance, and the pair was currently riding along the handheld lift, Twilight Sparkle safely clutched in one of Nightwing's arms. He had saved her from the Ursa's swipe just in the nick of time, but the cable holding the two off of the ground wasn't so lucky.

With a sharp CRACK, the line was snapped by the impact of an astral paw grinding its way through the near unbreakable cable, sending Richard and Twilight sprawling to the ground.

"NIGHTWING! TWILIGHT!" Spike's voice called from across the square, fraught with worry.

"That kid doesn't miss a beat..." Dick thought to himself as he pulled his partner to her feet. "Are you injured?" He asked, using the disguised voice he had become so accustomed to.

"N-no, but Rainbow Dash, she's-!"

"She's fine. The scanners in my mask are reading her life signs to be strong. She's likely just unconscious." Richard was suddenly aware of a crowd that was beginning to gather around the square, much to his displeasure. He should have seen that coming, though. Who wouldn't want to see a superhero duke it out with an Ursa Major?

"Nightwing..." She whispered, the gravity of her near death experience taking its toll. "You saved my life..."

"You can thank me later. For now, we have bigger problems. Literally."

"Right, right!" She began, looking the Ursa Major over again. It was currently wedged in between two houses, unable to make any more progress into town.  "Before Rainbow went down, she was going to distract it while I froze his paws to ground! Can you make sure he doesn't come after me for a while!?"

"Of course." Dick stated simply, turning around and pulling out his grapnel gun. He took careful aim at the rooftop he across the square, planning to make himself shoot directly in front of the monster's face.

Twilight immediatley began charging the freeze spell, and focused all of her being into it. The ice would need to not only be cold enough to trap the Ursa, but also keep him relatively docile until a more permanent solution could be found.

As the very powerful magic user began preparing to release her spell on the rampaging beast, Nightwing began his distraction. Grappling upwards, he zipped through the night sky and threw three explosive razor-wings the Goliath animal, which detonated upon impact and made roar in pain and surprise.

Now intent on punishing this little ant who defied it, the Ursa began swiping its paws at the agile young man, to no avail. Nightwing was never in one place for more than a second, and the vast arsenal of gadgets on his belt and tucked away in his boots ensured that the pissed-off bear never had a spare moment to bother Twilight.

The crowd watched in awe as the ex-acrobat nimbly weaved and dodged, making any form of attack look like it was in slow motion. Even for a creature that large and powerful, Nightwing still made his movements look effortless, easy. First he was on the ground, performing a back flip as he fired some kind of weapon out of his wrist. Then, he was on the Ursa's back, slamming two electrified escrima sticks into the beast's neck.

Grinning savagely to himself, Richard jumped off of the creature's back and landed nimbly on a balcony of one of the nearby buildings. He watched with narrowed eyes as it struggled to raise a giant claw up, it's eyes alight with raw animal rage. Dick casually calculated how much time he would have to dodge the strike, and made to move.

Alas, even Richard Grayson, last surviving member of his family, makes mistakes.

As Nightwing leapt off of a balcony, he misjudged the speed in which the Ursa Major had begun to move. A giant, golden claw grazed his side, splitting it open and tearing through his suit. "GAH!" He cried out as he was thrown into the ground hard by the momentum of blow, and blood began pooling around his prone form. The ripped flesh was bleeding profusely, and he had landed on the sonic harmonizer, shattering it completely. Until he could build a new one, he would be susceptible to magic users.

The Ursa roared in triumph, and the cheers of the crowd quickly turned to screams. "Come on..." He thought to himself, vision fading. "Get up... You're not gonna die... not here..." Drawing upon his vast reserves of will power, Richard drew himself to his feet, and raised the grapnel gun again. "Twilight!" He called weakly, "How's that spell coming!?"

"Good! Al... most..." Her horn glowed a bright purple, illuminating the square. "Now! Get off of the ground! I'm gonna release it!"

Dick grunted and nodded, firing his gadget at the rooftop that he had seen the cloaked figure standing upon, all the while continuing to clutch at his side. The grapnel gun hissed as it fired, and Richard ascended quickly through the sky, much to the excitement of the gathering crowd. Even the Elements of Harmony stopped what they were doing to watch as Twilight and their target's plan came to fruition. As he approached the lip of the building, however, the caped figure popped up quickly, her hands and horn glowing blue.

There was a flash of bright blue, and Nightwing and the mysterious, cloaked figure disappeared, much to the confusion of Ponyville's onlookers.

Still, Twilight's spell had been completed, and a huge blanket of ice spread across the ground in the direction of the Ursa Major, freezing the bear in place. The librarian sighed in relief. It was over. Or... was it...?

There was a great cracking sound, and Ponyville watched as hair line fractures began to appear in the ice around the bear's paws. "No..." Twilight whispered, dropping to her knees in defeat. Nightwing was gone, the Ursa was going to free itself, and she would be right back to square one.

Rarity and Spike, seeing Twilight Sparkle's state of distress, ran forward to tend to their mutual friend. "Twi!" Spike called out to her, to little response. She had fallen unconscious, the massive energy expenditure of the ice spell draining her completely. Great. "Rarity, can you help me get her back to the library? She needs rest!"

"Yes, Spikey, stand back. I'll levitate her. Come along now." Rarity's demeanor was cool and collected, which surprised her young admirer. He would have thought she would be the first to panic in a crisis. "Applejack!" She called out, "Round up Rainbow Dash and get everyone else out of town! Meet us in the library with the rest of the girls when you're done!"

"Sure thing, Rares." The cowgirl replied, sweat gleaming off of her face. "Fluttershy, can ya' fly up to tha roof of the building Rainbow was knocked on and check on her?"

A murmer of acknowledgement, and then the timid young woman took off in a flash of yellow wings.

Spike sighed. This night just kept getting worse.





Once she realized that a crowd had gathered to watch in horror as the Ursa Major destroyed their village, Trixie quickly came to the realization that there would be witnesses. So, she changed her spell to be one of teleportation. As Nightwing flew closer to her, she smiled grimly and punched him hard in the face, releasing the spell. In an instant, the two were behind the Golden Oaks Library, one of the few places Trixie knew for a fact would be deserted.

For his part, Nightwing had been thrown backwards by the force of the punch, and slid along the cool grass, completely disoriented. Then, he noticed the make-shift basketball net position in a nearby tree, and realization dawned upon him. But then, how...? Who...?

He shakily stood, noting with displeasure that he had left a long, streaky blood trail in his wake when he was tossed against the ground. A flickering in one of his eyes told him that the impact on his face had broken an optical port in his mask, rendering the advanced technology useless.

Nightwing squinted. There, before him, stood Trixie Lulamoon, her hands and horn shimmering in the extreme darkness. "Trixie..." He whispered, taking a few steps forwards. "Trixie!"

She smiled, and threw an energy ball at his chest, tossing him backwards and melting the outermost layer of his armour and revealing the reinforced mesh underneath. "It seems the Great an Powerful Trixie's name precedes her! Still, it matters not. Tell Trixie, Nightwing, are you prepared to die?"

Richard, however, could only lay on the ground for a moment as the woman stood before him, grinning maliciously. "No... This can't be real. The Trixie I know is a good person... The Trixie I know would never do this..." He once again rose to his feet, careful to keep pressure applied to his open wound. Dick realized that there was no time to waste with his assassin. The ice holding the Ursa Major wouldn't hold forever. "One... chance, Trixie. Stand down, and I'll let you walk out of here." He panted, trying to keep his voice even through the pain. Friend or not, he had proved before that he would not let his past relationships interfere with Nightwing's mission.

Not now. Not ever.

But... this wasn't just an old friend. This was Trixie.

"Oh, I was so hoping you'd say that." There was a flash of energy, and the young woman stole forwards through the night, her wicked smile flashing with the crackling blue magic that enveloped her. A palm shot out, but met only air, as Nightwing twisted his body out of the way.

There, a chance for a counterattack. A quick backhand, and Trixie would go sprawling backwards. A voice echoed forth from his past, staying his hand.

“You nervous, Dick?” a voice behind him asked with a hint of mischief.

Richard hesitated, and Trixie took the opportunity to elbow her target in the chest, before releasing a quick burst of kinetic energy which pushed Nightwing brutally, and he flew through the air where he smacked into the library with a sickening crunch. "How disappointing!" She taunted, drawing up to her full height.


Dick rolled forwards, grunting in pain, and began sprinting towards his enemy, narrowly dodging the magical blasts that whizzed by his face and chest. He was so close to her now, he could smell the sweat and exertion on the young woman's body. He raised a fist.

"The great and powerful Trixie is far beyond us mortals,” He teased.

“Great and Powerful Trixie, huh? I kinda like that…”

“You would. Now get a move on, you’re up next.”

Trixie blushed for a second, before stammering “Can I, uh… have a hug for luck?”

Richard blinked, wishing these flashbacks would leave him alone. The moment of weakness gave Trixie all of the opportunity she needed send a razor sharp shard of ice in Dick's shoulder. It didn't quite pierce the suit, but it sent the wounded superhero careening backwards. He managed to stay on his feet this time, but barely.

"T-Trixie... You don't want to do this..."

"Oh, but I do."

Summoning as much energy as she could muster, Trixie caused the ground underneath the Nightwing to explode, and the young man cried out as dirt and bits of rock rained down outside the library. Crashing into the floor in front of his assassin, he attempted to stand one more time, and succeeded, but his badly shaking legs promised him that very soon he'd be on the ground again.





"Alright, Twilight, we're... Oh sweet Celestia..." Rarity mumbled. The three Ursa survivors had reach the library again, only to be met by the sounds and sights of a vicious confrontation coming from outside. Through the back door, Spike, Rarity, and Twilight could clearly make out Nightwing and Trixie dueling.

And Nightwing was losing.

"Why...? Why won't he hit her!? He's had so many openings!" Spike gasped, confused.

"Spikey, look away! This isn't appropriate for a boy your age!" The fashionista commanded, her own eyes glued to the vision. Beside her, Twilight Sparkle was beginning to stir, her mind returning to conciousness.

"Wha... Where..? The library? But... Nightwing!" She cried, bolting to her feet from where Rarity had laid her on the floor. "And... Trixie!? What's going on?"

"It looks like Trixie teleported Nightwing to the library to... fight him, or something," Spike explained, entranced by the intricate dance the two of them were weaving. Suddenly, there was a great BOOM, and dirt flew up in the backyard, obscuring the two parties. For a few moments, there was nothing but a cloud of dust, until Nightwing and Trixie were revealed again.

The superhero had had enough. Nightwing was on his knees at Trixie's feet, his legs refusing to keep him upright any longer. The two exchanged words for a moment, before the evil magician slapped her prey. She smiled, and raised a hand skyward, pouring energy into it as it glowed once again with a pale blue light.

"Spike, Rarity, stay here. Trixie's mine." Twilight Sparkle made for the door, but was stopped by a slender, pale hand on her shoulder. "Rarity-"

"Teach her a lesson, dear." Her friend offered warmly, and let her go. The violet eyed woman smiled, and opened the door with her telekinesis.

"You hardly put up much of a fight, however. Such a shame. Trixie was so looking forward to having a worthy opponent."






Present day...


Richard Grayson's life had never seemed quite so bleak. He was about to be killed by his childhood friend, the same friend who had come to check on him when his parents died. The only friend to come and check on him when his parents died. But, he had to buy Twilight Sparkle the time she needed to research a way to stop the Ursa Major.

He saw her hand began to move, and chose this moment to press the tips of the escrima sticks together. The electrical charge within the weapons began to overcharge as lightning arced between them, supercharging the sticks. "YOU DID THIS, TRIXIE! NOT ME! YOU!" Roaring in effort as the escrima sticks began to polarize, Dick finally raised his makeshift cannon flicked a switch.

A lightning bolt shot out in the night, flashing brightly and slamming into the chest of Trixie Lulamoon, interrupting her spell. A hole burnt into her one pristine robe, and forced her to shudder uncontrollably as the electricity coursed through her body. The girl screamed, a horrible, ear splitting sound that made Dick wince, the one functioning optical port of his mask narrowing in accordance with his eye movements.

Finally, Trixie grew silent and slumped to the ground, falling flat on her face. "Trixie!" He called, jogging forward to check on her, and turned her over onto her back. Dick took her head in his hand, and shook gently. "Trixie!? Are you-" Her eyes fluttered open, and she moaned in pain again. "Oh, thank Celestia you're alright, I thought-"

Her horn flashed, and a bolt of energy hit Richard point blank in the chest. The ebony haired man didn't even cry out as he flung into the darkness, where he lay unmoving in some anonymous patch of grass. Panting heavily, Trixie stood and limped her way over to his prone body. Nightwing's arms and legs were splayed at awkward angles, and his the rise and fall of his chest was shallow and erratic.

"Well, you'll probably just bleed out soon enough, but before Trixie turns your head into a bloody paste... Let's have a look beneath the mask." The young woman bent down, her silvery blue hair dropping down and tickling the young mans cheek. She grinned, and reached forwards, clutching either side of the mask that was almost completely destroyed. She pulled upwards, and revealed the face of her target.

Her eyes widened in shock. "No..." She whispered.





Twilight Sparkle stumbled through the streets of Ponyville, her energy almost completely drained. The Ursa Minor had been dealt with. A soothing lullaby and a large bottle of mile for the baby bear had proved more effective than any weapon or spell ever would. But now, after levitating the creature back into the Everfree Forest, Twilight had a new priority.

"Twilight! Slow down, sugarcube! You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"No... time, Applejack," She panted, making for her library. Dawn was nearly upon the town, and Twilight wondered if she was already too late; if she was returning to her home to save a corpse.

Drawing upon reserves of strength she didn't even know she had, Twilight screamed in frustration and broke into a run, her feet pounding against the dirt road, and kicking up little clouds of dust. "Almost, Nightwing... Almost... Hang in there..."

Finally, just when Twilight had reached her breaking point, they reached the giant, hollowed out tree. The girls crashed through the front door, and made for the back one, desperately keeping an eye out for the tell tale grunts and flashing lights of a battle. But, the backyard was silent, and covered in darkness.

Suddenly, the six Element Bearers were outside in the cool morning air, the darkness beginning to lift as the sun rose. There, in the yard, were Trixie and Nightwing, embraced in a tight hug. "What...?" Twilight gasped, her brain not comprehending what she was seeing. She took a step forward, and her foot hit something hard and smooth. Looking at the obstruction in the grass, Twilight's violet eyes made out the flickering lights of Nightwing's discarded mask. But that meant...

Finally, the two broke apart, and Trixie wiped some tears from her eyes. For a moment, she just looked in Richard Grayson's eyes. Then, she turned and ran off into the sunrise, before teleporting to some unknown location in a final flash of blue.

Richard's battle damaged back was towards the Element Bearers as he watched his oldest friend flee Equestria. Tony Zucco wouldn't accept failure; she would need to run somewhere where she would never be found, lest the mob boss order a hit on her as well. It was for her own safety, and yet Dick's heart was heavy as he watched her disappeared. How many more friends would he lose to Nightwing? How many relationships would he have to sever?

"Nightwing..." Twilight gasped, her panting breaking the golden silence. "What was that?"

For a moment, he didn't say anything. He just continued to watch Celestia's golden sun crest, its warm, golden rays reaching across the land. Dick had never felt anything colder. 

"One last hug." He explained. "For luck."

Remembering he was unmasked, Dick ran forwards, out of Ponyville, and entered the Everfree Forest, making for the hidden entrance to the Cave. Behind him, he heard Twilight Sparkle call out, but, much like the Great and Powerful Trixie, he never looked back.

	

	

	
> Crocodile Tears
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dirty.

If Nightwing had to describe Manehatten in one word, that would be it. Canterlot, at least, had the red light district; all of the city's scum gathered in that one area to do their dirty dealings. As much as the need for such a place irritated Richard Grayson, right now he was witnessing first hand what happened when the people didn't have an outlet.

All of Manehatten had become one giant cesspool for filth and corruption, a teeming hive of vice. Though this neighbourhood in particular was the worst. Garbage and litter lined the streets and sidewalks, forgotten remnants of a consumerist idealism gone too far. A homeless man and a woman sat dejectedly against boarded up apartments and ramshackle storefronts, attempting to take shelter from the brutal downpour the pegasus descents had cooked up for the city. The rain splashed down on the streets hard, soaking everything and giving the beat up buildings an eerie gleam from the flickering street lights nearby. It was a wonder that this place hadn't been cut from the grid yet; electricity came at a premium, and no one around here was wealthy enough to afford it.

By and large, however, this neighbourhood of Manehatten was deserted. Everyone knew that you only came around these parts if you had a death wish; or you didn't believe the rumours. The terrible, horrific rumours that sprung up with all of the recent disappearances. It was an urban legend that there was a monster who roamed these streets at night, searching for any poor soul stupid enough to stay out whilst Luna's moon was up. The beast was said to devour men whole before skulking back to its lair, just waiting for its next victim.

Normally, such a rumour would be a common occurance in such a large city. As a matter of fact, when Princess Luna first told Dick about it, he was hesitant to investigate. Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot. That's what gave the Nightwing his fear factor; to them, he was the boogeyman, the creature that goes bump in the night, the darkness that everyone secretly fears. For all Richard knew, these rumours were about him. He had been called many other things before, including monster. Spike even offhandedly told him about a police report Twilight was studying in which he was described as a robot.

Regardless, Nightwing thanked his partner for the information and promised to look into it. Monster or no monster, there were still a suspicious rash of disappearances, all linked to one neighbourhood. It warranted investigation.

So here he was, crouched on a rooftop and waiting. The rain matted Dick's black hair against his head and he ran a hand through it, thinking carefully. There were perhaps two people in this entire block. The shops had long ago closed for the day, and all of the apartments were empty.

"Strange..." Nightwing thought to himself as he scanned the streets for trouble, "Manehatten is the most populated city in Equestria... How could one kidnapper force out an entire neighbourhood of residents?"

He grunted and pulled out the grapnel gun, firing it at the edge of the building, before gently rappelling down. The night was only beginning; it wouldn't do to tire himself out early, and suffer the consequences of a knife to the gut or a brass knuckle to the face later. The gadget whirred gently as it fed out cable, and Dick glanced across the street at the homeless man he spotted earlier. If he had been here long, he might know something.

The lightly armoured boots of the Night Suit splashed down on the Manehatten street, the sounds of the rain drowning out any slight noise Richard made upon contact. He narrowed his eyes and stole forward across the street, avoiding the flickering glow of the listing street lights. The vagrant, a one armed, orange bearded man with a thick, ropey scar stretching across his face, didn't see the vigilante coming until the shadow was already upon him, a towering black shape silhouetted against dim light of a struggling lamp behind him.

"Have you come to eat me, too?" The man asked in a raspy voice. "Well go ahead. I ain't got nothin' left."  A thunderbolt suddenly streaked through the sky nearby, illuminating Nightwing for a brief moment, the blue bird symbol on his chest immediately identifying him. The man just laughed. "Great... I traded one freak for another... I didn't do nothin' wrong, Nightwing. Whaddya want with me?"

"What do you know about the recent disappearances that happened around here?" Dick questioned, kneeling down meet the mans eyes. Back in the Cirque du Triomphe days, Richard had traveled all over Equestria, visiting various cities. Homeless people always struck a chord in his heart; perhaps because he never really had a solid home before either. Or maybe it was because of the air of hopelessness they carried. Either way, Nightwing couldn't stop pity from welling up inside of him. Pity which he immediately quashed.

"Heh... You don't wanna know, bird-boy." He wheezed, breaking into a rattled cough before wiping a filthy, wet sleeve across his mouth. 

"On the contrary. I would very much like find out who's been abducting the people around here, and why."

"Why should I help you? You sound an awful lot like another one of Celestia's lapdogs, if ya ask me..."

Another bolt of lightning illuminated the wrathful scowl adorning Richard's masked face. "I am nothing like Celestia. I will protect you. The sooner you help out my investigation, the safer you'll be."

The man smiled. "Sounds like you and the Princess have some bad blood between you." He smiled a toothless grin and waited for a response. When one didn't come, he just grunted. "Not that it matters. I ain't got no love for her, neither. Twenty five years I served in the Honour Guard. Then, one day, some punk lops off my arm. Got kicked out soon after. Couldn't fulfill my obligations to defend the Princess. And now look at me. Just another Equestrian dirt bag, waiting to get eaten by the Croc."

Nightwing tilted his head slightly, the only sounds coming from the torrential rain. "The Croc?" He asked, leaning in a little closer.

"Dontchu know anything? This is Killer Croc's turf... 'Course, I'm willin' to bet that I'm the only one who's ever actually seen 'im... and lived to tell the tale." Another bout of hacking coughs interrupted him before he managed to clear his throat and move on, his voice slightly raspier. "He ain't no common criminal, pretty boy. If I was you, I'd get outta here before he makes his nightly rounds."

"Out of the question." Nightwing immediately responded. "Where does he come from? Why do you call him 'Killer Croc'?"

The homeless man laughed. "Fuck if I know anything, de-tec-tive. Ain't you supposed to be the smart one? Why dontchu figure it out for yourself? I'll tell you one thing though; he's not human. Now I know you've probably heard that 'bout a million times before, but he really isn't. I once watched him pick a man up with one arm, thick as a tree trunk, before sinking back into the shadows. Went that-a-way." He raised a shaky arm, and pointed down a darkened alley, across the street and down a ways.

Nightwing nodded and stood, before moving silently towards the alley in question, sticking close to the walls to decrease the likelihood of anyone seeing him. The determined vigilante stopped halfway and ducked into a shadowy doorway, concealing himself from view momentarily.

Raising two fingers to an ear, Dick tapped the communicator. "Luna, come in." There was static for a moment as he waited for a response. Another moment of static. Then another. "Luna, are you there?!" He barked in an angry whisper, patience waning. More static. Now Nightwing was beginning to get frustrated. "Luna!" Finally, the communicator squawked a garbled response.

"...ightwing? Ca... ea... ou... There's som... ng... com..." The transmission cracked, and static once again filled Richard's ear.

"Princess? Can you hear me?" He waited a moment, concerned. "Princess!"

... Nothing. Dick sighed and switched the communicator off, tuning out the annoying buzz. Something, the thunder and lightning perhaps, was interfering with the signal back to Luna. He was cut off from support for the rest of the investigation, it seemed. While Nightwing did prefer to work alone, he also recognized the value of having credible intel; and a Princess with access to the royal archives provided some of the most credible intel of all, save for his own investigation skills. Alas, Dick couldn't be in two places at once.

Enough dilly-dallying. It was time to move. Dropping into a crouch, he silently stole forwards. Closing in on his destination, he slammed his back into the wall just before the alley, before peeking around the corner slowly.

Darkness.

The super hero smirked. He always did his best work in the dark. He reached up and flicked a small button on his mask, activating the detective vision. As it activated, however, an all consuming static fuzz filled the optical ports on the domino mask, and Richard grunted. "The rain must be interfering with the scanners... Looks like I'm going in blind." He switched it back off and almost felt happy that his equipment was failing him; it would be a good training exercises to operate without the use of his tools.

Maintaining a stoic expression, Dick slowly rounded the corner and moved forwards slightly, listening carefully for any movement. All that reached his ears was the quiet roar of rain slapping against the sidewalk. He reached down and unclasped a glow-stick from a leg buckle, before snapping it and holding it out in front of him. Then, he took out a red sphere and tapped a button on it, before rolling it down the alley. Mist exploded out of the orb as it continued to roll farther and farther away, coating every square inch of the narrow alleyway with luminol.

Nightwing inched forward moving the glowing tube back and forth in a sweeping motion, searching for something, anything, that could move his investigation forwards. While the rain would have washed away any visible traces of blood, there was always...

There!

A large, white spot marked the ground just in front of Richard, illuminated by the blue light waves of his glow stick. He reached out with his unencumbered hand and gently touched the spot, noting how it extended off into the darkness. Looking left and right, he raised his forensic identifier up to the wall, only to be met by more of the white stain. "Definitely blood... The only other explanation would be... extreme, to say the least. Judging by the spatter on the walls, it would seem the victims jugular was sliced open. They were likely dragged off afterwards, if the huge streak there is any indication... The work of 'Killer Croc'?" Nightwing sighed and stood, moving forwards again whilst keeping the light trained on the residual blood trail on the ground. "With any luck, this'll lead me right to him... Just a shame that this rain has deteriorated so much of it..."

He resumed walking, making his way down the dank alley and keeping his ears alert to any unnatural noises. Every once and a while he would glance down to make sure the trail to Croc's lair was still warm, before resuming a scan of his surroundings. He glanced upwards, and could make out a decrepit metal fire escape, sagging under it's own weight as it struggled to separate itself from the bricks that supported it. 

He stopped walking and grinned. The last time he saw something like that...





"Alright! Listen up, boys!" Trixie called out to her two friends as they lined up in front a white line drawn on the sidewalk, while other kids from the circus gathered around to watch. Celestia's sun shone brightly in the sky above the city of Trottingham, and an air of excitement pervaded the small crowed of performers. "I want a good clean race! No... I dunno, hitting or whatever, I guess."

"Please," Soarin gloated, bouncing on his toes and flexing his well muscled blue wings. "There's no way Dick could hope to stay close enough to me to land any punches." The young boy grinned and punched Richard's blank shoulder playfully, earning himself a a cocky grin in return.

"Says the guy who nearly peed himself when that girl said hello to you," The Flying Grayson responded, stretching. and chuckling at the deep shade of red that Soarin's face turned. Dick was in a good mood; the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and he was about to show his older friend who was king around here.

"Hey, shut up man! At least girls talk to me!" The aspiring Wonderbolt turned away slightly, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm a girl!" Trixie piped up, "And I talk to him!"

"... Where's the finish line, Trixie?" Soarin muttered over the laughs of the growing crowd.

Trixie placed a finger to her cheek, and pouted a bit. "Actually... I dunno. I've never been to Trottingham before. Anyone been to Trottingham before?" She asked the spectators, all off which just shook their heads no. "Hmm... Well then maybe we should just have a contest!"

"Aawww, what!? No race?" Soarin whined, shoulders slumped and pale blue wings falling limp. Suddenly though, he perked up. "A contest, eh? What do you have in mind, Trix? Show off our best tricks? See who can do the most push ups? See who can run the fastest?"

"I'm pretty sure that counts as a race, smart guy," Dick deadpanned. He turned to Trixie. "Why don't we just climb to the roof of that building? First one to the top wins." The young boy pointed to a nearby apartment building, a five story tall structure that looked as if it had seen better days. The bricks of the building were sun beaten and worn, and the alley way next to it held a few full garbage cans and a fire escape.

"Seriously?" Soarin questioned, raising an eyebrow and extending his wings, "You wanna challenge a guy who can fly to see who can get to the top of something first?"

"Well if you think you can't handle it..."

"You're on. What does the winner get?"

Richard thought for a moment. "Hmm... I dunno. What do you want?"

An evil grin adorned the blue haired boy's face, and he laughed maniacally. "If I win, I get your autographed photo of Celestia!" He practically yelled, pointing at Richard accusingly. The crowd ooh'd in response. Richard's obsession with the Sun Princess was no secret. Even the shining light she summoned to cover Equestria each day made Dick's heart warm. 

Dick sputtered and attempted to answer. "What!? No way, that's-"

"You're on, Soarin!" Trixie cut across him, stepping in between the two boys.

"WHAT!?" Richard yelped, eyes wide.

"But if Dick wins-"

"It's Richard..."

"-then you have to wear a dress and ask that girl out! The orange haired one from before!" The young magician smirked, wearing a smug expression on her face, and crossed her arms. "Do we have a deal?"

Soarin thought for a moment, before nodding. "Ya, alright. There's no guarantee that I'll even see that girl again in my life so-"

"Soarin!? Is that you!?" A pegasus descent fluttered down to join the growing crowd, her orange wings seemingly glowing in the noon-day sun. She touched down just in front of the blue winged circus performer, and smiled broadly at him. Dick grinned; this was perfect.

"Oh... Uh... H-hey, Spitfire. What are you doing here?"

"I live just across the street! What are YOU doing here? Don't you have another show tonight?"

"Oh, Soarin was just fixing to challenge me to a race to the top of that building! And he's agree'd to not even use his wings! Isn't that sporting of him, Spitfire?" Richard piped up, enjoying his friends pained expression.

"Wha...? Hey, I never-"

"Wow, Soarin!" The newcomer exclaimed, turning to face the boy who's show she had seen for the first time just the night previous. "If you could beat a Flying Grayson without using your wings, that'd be pretty sweet!"

"Eh-heh... Ya... I guess it would..." He muttered, glancing nervously at the building. "Alright, Rich, let's do this."

The two boys lined up at the white chalk mark on the ground, and crouched into a running position. Dick could tell that Soarin was nervous, and he wouldn't dare use his wings now that he had someone to impress. This race was in the bag. "Ladies and Gentleman! And Soarin too!" There was some laughter in the crowd. "Prepare to witness the youngest Flying Grayson flatten Soarin in a grand display of acrobatics the likes of which will become legend for years to come!"

"On the count of three!!!" Trixie squeaked excitedly, raising a glowing blue finger into the air.

"You ready to lose in front of your girlfriend?" Richard teased, hunkering down and tensing his legs. The two boys may perform in front of large crowds all of the time, but this was different. Now, their pride was on the line.

"ONE!!!"

"Are you?" Soarin shot back, drawing his wings in tightly so they would provide less air resistance. While his words may have sounded cocky, the shaky voice they traveled on conveyed a totally different message. He was sweating already, and his heart hammered in his chest. "As in... are you ready to lose in front Trix?"

"TWO!!! And he won\t lose."

"I'm cheering for you, Soarin!" Spitfire called from the crowd, only flushing the boy's face even further.

"THREE!!!" Trixie called, firing a magical firework into the air to announce the start of the race. "GO DICK!!!"

"IT'S RICHARD!!!" He called back over his shoulder, eyeing the garbage cans ahead of him and sprinting forwards, so far running neck and neck with Soarin. "Let's see what you've got, Soarin!", he thought to himself as the blue skies above filled his heart with energy. Yes, Dick was definitely a day-person.





The protective grill on the sewer pipe hadn't just been damaged; it had been mutilated beyond repair. The wrought iron bars had been utterly destroyed, leaving a giant, open hole that led into the depths of the Manehatten sewer system. While he had to spray some more luminol here and there to pick the blood trail back up, it was almost certain that Croc was hiding out in the dark, moist caverns.

He tossed the glow stick to the soaked ground, and stepped inside the tunnel, casting his eyes about warily. With the rain no longer interfering with the detective vision, he would be able to see in the dark without any other sources of light. Still, Dick made a mental note to incorporate night-vision into future renditions of the domino mask. While seemingly useless, the weather tonight had proved that it always payed to have a back up plan in case plan A was scrapped. Or in this case, rained out.

An amber light glowed dimly every thirty feet or so, illuminating the smooth, concrete walls with their subdued shine. There was a period of darkness in between every electrical lamp, as the limited supply of power was deemed too important to be siphoned off to such an un-critical section of the city. Just enough light to give the occasional sewer maintenance worker something to see by, should the need to visit the subterranean complex ever arise. For now, however, it was quiet. Except for the gentle gurgle of rain water running through the tunnels, or the squeak of a rat, the sewers were peaceful. A rare thing indeed in Equestria's busiest city.

The only interruption to the peace was the steady splash of the Nightwing's footsteps as he slowly trudged through the shin high water that flowed against him, making every step a small struggle. But that's what he was all about, isn't it? A struggle. The struggle to be the best, the struggle to keep his home safe, the struggle to make sure that no more lives were taken by senseless violence. A never ending struggle, perhaps. Was Celestia right? Would it consume him completely if he let it? No, it wouldn't come to that. Richard Grayson was secretly Nightwing. Not the other way around.

Dick snorted lightly. For a second, he had almost fooled himself. He had made his secret identity an almost non-person. He very rarely had time to stay in Ponyville for leisure anymore. When he was there, he was working tirelessly in the cave to create new gadgets, maintain old ones, review evidence from the cases he was working, and generally try and think of ways to stay twelve steps ahead of Zucco's mob.

That knowledge depressed him. Sure, he hadn't broken his no killing rule, but was he descending further into the darkness within his heart without even noticing? Nightwing was almost his entire life now.

The only lighthouses in the unforgiving ocean of Richard's mind were Spike and Luna. The young dragon boy might be naive, but he had a heart of gold. The times Dick spent with his reptilian friend were some of the only times when he bothered to relax. After being neglected more and more by Twilight ever since she arrived in Ponyville, and living the shadows of all of the men who tried their hand to court his one true love, Rarity, the kid always managed to keep his chin up. He wasn't a complainer; if he had a problem, he took steps to do something about it. Even if those steps never amounted to anything fruitful.

And Luna... Richard was willing to admit to himself that he didn't mind being partnered with one of the most powerful beings in Equestria. He was by no means a people person; working alone meant he didn't need to babysit. He knew for a fact that his years of relentless training would see him through. Other people were a liability. But Luna? She was old, thousands of years old. One thousand, nine hundred and eighty eight, to be exact. She was wise, cooperative, had a powerful reach in the Equestrian government, and unlike her sister, she could recognize when the system was flawed. Nightwing could respect that. Not to mention her almost unrivaled beauty. 

Dick scowled as he trudged further and further into the sewer depths. The blood trail had definitely led here... So where was Croc...? Then again, Richard wasn't really sure what he was looking for in here. The missing people to be sure, but what would Croc's lair look like? What kind of person builds a hide out in a sewer system? Could he use magic? Was he a pegasus descent? Nightwing narrowed his eyes and shook his head. With an underground home, it was very probable that Killer Croc couldn't fly.

"You shouldn't have come here..."

Nightwing whirled around, escrima sticks in hand and arms raised to combat whatever new threat had arisen. The detective vision didn't pick anyone out hiding in the gloom, though. Dick was alone. So then what had made that... growl?

"Show yourself, Croc!" He shouted into the tunnels, his words being swallowed by the darkness there. He waited for a response, but none came. Dick grunted and sheathed the escrima sticks, flicking the electricity off. Wouldn't do to kill the power cells yet. It sounded like he'd have a fight on his hands. "I'm giving you one chance to come out and talk. Refuse me now, and I will come for you. And I can't guarantee your safety."

A deep, guttural laughter echoed through the tunnels, a sound that would render lesser men a quivering pile of flesh on the floor. Nightwing narrowed his eyes, listening carefully. These damn tunnels were causing it to echo everywhere. It would be impossible to track him down. It would be entirely likely that Dick would have to draw Killer Croc out, instead.

"I will tear your flesh like paper"

Dick said nothing. Death threats seemed to come his way quite a bit, for some reason...





Soarin grunted with exertion as he chased after Richard Grayson, the so called 'Boy Wonder' of the Cirque du Triomphe. "What was I thinking?" He berated himself, panting as the duo raced to the alleyway in order to begin their ascension of the building. "This girl comes to your show one and you have to instantly fall in love with her... I mean, what do we even have in common? Probably nothing. I talked to her for like, two minutes last night." Soarin put on a extra burst of speed, attempting to catch up to the boy who was four years his junior.

"And now I get to be embarrassed in front of Spitfire by a freakin' eight year old..." Dick leapt on top of the full trashcans in front him, and paused for a moment. Soarin gulped. Richard never paused. Ever. He would almost always plan his jumps in advance when they had their parkour races around the different cities they visited. But that meant...

The boy flipped forwards, lashing out with a foot, sending the trashcan flying backwards and laughing hysterically. The contents of said trashcan, unfortunately, coated the poor blue haired boy, earning a few "Ew!"'s from the crowd behind him. "AW COME ON, DICK!!!" He called as he wiped muck out of his eyes. "NOT FUNNY, DUDE!"

Richard dove forwards, rolling, before using his momentum to pop back up and jump at the brick wall opposite the fire escape. Quickly, he tucked his legs in close, knees touching his chest, and waited for the right moment. It was so strange how time seemed to slow down as he performed. Everything just felt so... natural. So right.

Now.

The Flying Grayson's feet touched brick wall, and he pushed off hard, flying backwards directly towards the fire escape. Richard twisted in the air and reached a hand out, grinning as he gripped a metal guard rail. He quickly pulled upwards, vaulting over the railing. He now stood on the lowest level of the structure, hands on his hips and chest thrust out proudly. "Did you see that one, Trixie!?" He called down.

"That was incredible, Dick! Hey everyone, did you see-"

"Yes, Trixie, we all saw!" Soarin interrupted, still shaking muck out of his hair and clothes. The twelve-year old was seething. He gingerly peeled his shirt off, pulling his wings in through the magical slots in the back that expanded and contracted around the feathery limbs, ensuring total coverage of any pegasi's back while allowing for a full range of movement. "Dammit, Dick, this was my favourite shirt! I'm probably gonna have to go burn it!"

Richard laughed and jumped onto the railing, perching there for a moment. "Well that's fine. You're not gonna need it, since you're gonna be accompanying Spitfire to the circus tonight in a dress! Honestly, I think you could pull it off. You've got that certain... feminine charm about you." He laughed again and stood up, grabbing the level above him and quickly ascending another tier of the fire escape. Unnoticed by Dick in the heat of the moment, dust began to trickle out of the wall mountings supporting the worn down old piece of metal.

"That doesn't look very safe..." Spitfire muttered from the sidelines. "Maybe I should step in..." She put on a hard expression and flexed her wings. She was fast; really fast. If anything went bad, she'd fly in and intervene. Besides, poor Soarin would probably die in embarrassment if, after everything, she put an end to it. Wait, what did he say about a dress!?





"Tick..."

Nightwing scanned the tunnel ahead of him to no avail. No matter where he seemed to look, the detective vision couldn't pick up any signs of life besides himself and a few rats. Despite that, Croc's voice seemed to be everywhere. Tormenting and taunting Richard in hopes to rattle the young man. Of course, Killer Croc had no idea just who he was dealing with; a fact Dick was eager to make his target aware of with an electrified escrima stick to the head.

"Tock...

Heavy footsteps, splashing in the water behind Nightwing made him whirl around, three razor-wings in one hand, an escrima stick in the other. The footsteps kept coming, closer and closer, but there was no one there. Grunting in frustration, he turned around again, fully expecting to see a man come barreling towards him. Nobody. There was a huge crashing noise, as if something had broken the surface of a deep body of water, and the footsteps ceased.  His mask emitted another pulse of x-ray waves, but they couldn't penetrate the thick concrete walls of the sewer pipe.

"Feed the Croc..."

Richard took a step backwards, looking left and right as he went. The pipe he had entered gradually expanded as it went, leading to huge chambers and reservoirs. Dick had backed into one such underground room, and his first thought was that he had entered a giant coffin. The walls were cold and grey, and very little light covered the unwelcoming expanse. He shook his head, clearing his mind of those thoughts. Glancing upwards, a metal maintenance catwalk stretched from one end of the room to the other, heavy metal doors barring access to all those without the proper keys. Entrances to other sewer pipes gaped open on Nightwing's level, and he cautiously glanced at them. All of them were still sealed... except for the one he just came through.

Something bumped his leg.

He flipped backwards, sheathing his razor-wings and drawing the other escrima stick in mid-air, before splashing down five feet away, growling. He quickly took stock of the water before him, noticing something that had escaped him before. Here and there, little chunks of... something drifted about the room, but in the poor lighting it was impossible to tell what. Dick performed another x-ray scan, and gasped in surprise. "Oh... No..."

Human bones floated in the water throughout the huge chamber, a macabre scene that he had only ever heard about in ghost stories. Skulls, most of them utterly destroyed, were collected in one corner of the room, a horrific testament to whatever sick person could do a thing like this. Other miscellaneous limbs and body parts floated around aimlessly, and Dick knelt down to inspect what had bumped into him. His hand reached into the water, and withdrew a long, greying object.

"Looks like a femur... Are those... bite marks? And this one's been's snapped clean in half... It's female, judging from the size of the-" 

"Are you afraid, little human?" The voice growled again, low, menacing, and impossible to place even now. "The ones that came before you shrieked in terror... before I ate their throats." It began laughing cruelly, the sound bouncing all around the filthy room, taunting him for arriving too late to save these poor souls.

Richard looked at the femur in his hand. Had she been a mother? Had she gone home every day to her little apartment in that god forsaken neighbourhood of Manehatten, wondering how she was going to feed her kids at the end of the day? Oh had she been a tourist? Maybe even someone he knew?

He grit his teeth and threw the bone aside, standing up tall. He had a Crocodile to find. "You're trying my patience, Croc. Come out, and I won't break every bone in your body."

Another laugh. Dick suppressed the irritation and rage building up inside of him, deciding instead to save it for later; if this guy was tough enough to make an entire neighbourhood flee from his cannibalistic grasp, then the soaking hero might have a tough fight on his hands. "I have your scent, human... These are my sewers, and you will pay for trespassing."

"Try me."

For a moment, there was silence. All that could be heard was the gentle lapping of water against the walls and Dick's boots. The man waded slowly forwards, knocking bones and rotted limbs out of the way with a grimace. Slowly, he turned in place, keeping his eyes peeled for any unnatural movement. Logically, there was only one sewer pipe that Croc could come out of; the one Nightwing had just walked through. But, there hadn't been anyone there...

Unless...

Dick felt an abnormally heavy drip on his shoulder and frowned. Something wasn't right here. He reached back, and touched the substance with two fingers. It was slippery. Almost like... saliva.

Nightwing's eyes widened underneath his mask, and he quickly looked upwards to the pitch black ceiling, scanning. His mask couldn't pick anything up though... 

"Trust in yourself, trust in your partner, trust in your equipment..."

But Dick didn't have a partner, and his equipment seemed to be failing him left and right tonight. He was alone in the sewers with a monster that had turned the predator into the prey.

Above him, two yellow, reptilian eyes opened, glowing in the dark. "Tick... Tock..."

Soarin had clamored onto the bottom rung of the fire escape, when suddenly the whole thing began to shake...

The two yellow orbs suddenly shifted, as a huge green shape dropped quickly from the ceiling.

Dick hesitated, considering calling the contest off. This seemed dangerous. But then, he couldn't risk losing now, not in front of all of these people. And he certainly wouldn't risk losing his autographed photo of Princess Celestia...

Nightwing threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding the bulky mass as it crashed down where he was standing not moments ago sending bones and water flying outwards, momentarily blinding the young man.

Richard continued climbing, knowing that he could beat Soarin. After all, he had managed to get a head start, and Soarin couldn't use his wings.

"You have quick feet, little man... That's a welcome change. It has become so difficult to find food that isn't scared to fight for it's life. Sometimes, I miss wrestling the alligators in the swamps of Draconia..." The green shape shot forwards with surprising speed, bringing two arms up over it's head in preparation for a powerful hammer-fisted strike. Richard looked on in wonder for a moment, marveling the nine-foot tall, scaly monstrosity, before dodging again, throwing himself sidelong into the water.

The fire escape lurched again, and Dick stumbled backwards, his back slamming painfully into the metal guard rail...

Croc deftly reach over and grasped Nightwing's foot as he dived, however, yanking the armoured man in closer in mid-air. Dick grunted and twisted in Killer Croc's grip, driving the heel of his free foot into his attackers reptilian nose with a powerful kick. There was a muted thud, and Richard was dropped back into the calf-high water, scrambling forwards in order put as much distance as he could between himself and this beast.

Soaring stopped, feeling his foothold suddenly become unsteady, and flared his wings to steady himself. "Dick!" he called, "stop climbing!"

Thinking quickly, Nightwing drew his grapnel gun, lifted it above his head, and fired. He had committed the position of the catwalk to memory earlier, and he soon found himself zipping upwards out of the water, and onto the elevated structure. He reached up with his free hand and gripped the railing, vaulting himself over and turning quickly, perching on the horizontal pole.

But it was too late. With a great, screaming sound of metal twisting and tearing, the fire escape broke free of it's moorings. The audience screamed, and Dick yelled, feeling his world turn upside down as he was thrown backwards. He was falling now. He sighed. "Mom is gonna kill me..."

Killer Croc stood beneath him, glaring upwards with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. The beast itself was huge, though strangely malformed. Massive, dagger-like fangs adorned it's mouth, and they shone with a bloody light in the red lanterns electric glow. Thick, tough scales covered his body in patches, and razor sharp spikes stuck out of it's spine in even intervals until around halfway down his back. He wore a pair of horribly disfigured jeans, the denim having been ripped and shredded so much that it was basically a pair of booty-shorts. It would have been comical if the figure wearing them wasn't the epitome of terror itself. Any part of his body that wasn't covered in dark green scales was home to very tough skin, still green, but more lightly coloured.

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, everything made sense. The x-ray function in his mask wouldn't have been able to penetrate his thick skin. The deformed man still stood glaring up at Dick, and the black haired man decided to make the first move. "You're a half-shift."

Half-shifts were, essentially, dragons caught in between their human and reptilian forms. A birth defect of children born of one dragon parent and one human parent, the condition itself was very rare, almost unheard of. Even in his years travelling in the circus, Richard had never seen one before. Only during his travels to the dragons home territories of Draconia to the south in order to study their physiology had he been exposed to this genetic mutation in one of his text books. He could remember the passage now; "Half-shifts are shunned in dragon society for being viewed as 'unclean'. The very few that are born are unable to breathe fire, and cannot swap forms. The few that have been captured and studied have displayed increased aggressiveness (beyond that of a typical dragon), and strong resistance to magic (as is normal for dragons). They are often cast out of their homes and sent to live alone in the wilderness for the rest of their natural lives, which usually does not last very long."

Croc growled. "Congratulations, human. But that knowledge cannot protect you from me... Nothing can protect you from me!"

"Debatable." Dick drew his escrima sticks from on high and activated them. There was a slight buzzing noise as the batons sparked into life, and Richard twirled them in his hands a few times before snapping them in front of him and hopping backwards onto the metal floor of the catwalk. "Come on up, Croc. The water looks a little chilly."

The half-shift roared and turned, sprinting full force towards the wall nearest him. Dick was confused for a moment, until Croc leapt at the concrete and dug his claws into it in an astounding show of strength. Confidently, he began climbing up the wall, bits of it flying off and splashing into the pool of gore and rain-water below.

"Jaws built to crush diamond, claws sharp enough to pierce concrete, arms strong enough to handily lift up his own body weight... This might be tricky." Richard reached into his utility belt and drew an explosive razor wing. A thumb flicked out, activated the little bomb, and he carefully threw it at the grumpy green giant. It flew silently threw the air, the modified shuriken crafted to look like the blue bird symbol that adorned it's creators chest. It connected with Croc's arm, exploding with a small burst of orange flames and smoke.

Croc had stayed connected to the wall.

"You will pay for that, human!" He bellowed, razor sharp teeth flashing in the half-light of the concrete tomb. Croc flexed, and began clamoring faster towards the catwalk, slamming his huge green arms into the thick stone as if it was made of paper. For a moment, Dick hesitated. That razor-wing had barely phased the half-shift... What could Nightwing do to  take him down? And even if he did, the storm would prevent him from contacting Luna. No Luna, no Night Watch. No cops. No cops, no arrest.

The mental cogs began turning, and a rough plan began forming in Richard's mind. It was crazy, suicidal even. Hell, it might even warrant Celestia herself racing down from her perch in Canterlot at the speed of sound to intervene. But it would be worth it. Fifteen people had gone missing in this neighbourhood in recent weeks. Lives had been shattered because society had rejected a man just because he was different. Nightwing's eyes narrowed. That was a familiar story...

He shook his head, clearing it. Rumination made for a fine mental exercise, but right now, he other things to focus on. The catwalk suddenly shook violently as Killer Croc fell without grace on the opposing end. The shadow of a man growled and began stalking forwards slowly, flexing it's monstrous fingers. Just one more struggle. More fuel for Richard's fire. 

Nightwing twirled the two kali sticks and enjoyed the neon blue light they emitted. At seven hundred thousand volts, the two custom made weapons could stop any thug in his tracks with a simple poke. Croc might need treatment less... delicate. "Tell me something, Croc. Why here? In Manehatten? Draconia is thousands of miles away."

The catwalk shook as the murderer made his great, lumbering steps forward, advancing on the much smaller, yet more agile super hero. "It just so happens that humans taste better than dragons, meat. Besides, it's in my nature to prey on the weak."

Dick stepped forward defiantly, and raised an escrima stick, pointing it defiantly at his foe. "You should have stayed home, Croc." Quickly, Richard began sprinting forwards, trailing his batons behind him in a huge wind up. His legs pumped powerfully as he ran, and he touched one of the electrified tips of his weapon to the metal guard rail beside him. Sparks jumped up as the whole catwalk suddenly became electrically charged, and Croc screamed in pain.

Narrowing his yellow eyes, the reptilian man lifted a huge hand above his head, clenching his fingers together into a fist. Quickly, he brought the fist down in a quick and brutal hammering motion, fully intending on pancaking this filthy intruder and his toys into the cold, sparking steel.

Dick saw the blow coming and flipped sideways, landing with two feet on the guard rail. Croc's hand slammed down harmlessly on the thin metal walkway, though it left a huge dent, one that almost breached the iron. Nightwing saw his opening and jumped forwards off of the railing, spreading his arms wide. Richard grimaced as he landed on the half-dragon's shoulders. Acting quickly, he slammed his arms forwards, bringing the two escrima sticks into contact with Killer Croc's neck.

Neon blue light flashed as electricity coursed through Croc's body, illuminating the cat walk with an eerie light. The reptilian man thrashed and convulsed, but Richard's balance was true; the worlds greatest acrobat kept the two stun batons on either side of the green, scaly neck.

Unfortunately, Dick failed to account for the ultra-thick dragon skin and huge size of his prey. Gritting it's monstrous teeth, Croc reached up and grasped Nightwing around the waist with one hand, and slammed him hard into the catwalk.

Very hard.

Nightwing gasped as all of the air was knocked violently out of his lungs, but had no time to recover. Croc lifted, and pounded Dick into the steel again. And again. And again. Yellow, reptilian eyes flashed as their owner sadistically wondered what would break first; the man, or the metal. His answer came with a screaming tear as the catwalk floor gave out, and Richard was sent rocketing down into the water below, splashing down right in front of one of the sealed sewer pipe entrances.

"You're bleeding, human... I can smell it..." Croc laughed cruelly and hopped down, creating a wave of water and gore as he landed in a collection of pegasi wings he had been planning on saving for later. Such a shame, though this fresh meat would be infinitely more satisfying than any day-old remnants. He looked at the spot where the armoured human should have landed, and growled. He was gone.

Croc stepped forwards cautiously, searching the water and for signs of his dinner. The scent was here... and it was close... so where was he?

BEEEEP~!

There was a huge explosion as Dick's five remaining razor-wings all went off at once, having been planted on the sturdy steel bars of the sewer pipe entrance moments ago. Croc flew backwards as the ball of flame engulfed him, forcing the huge man to stumble backwards violently before tripping and falling into the water as the high-yield explosives detonated. 

"Alright, Croc... Let's play tag..." Nightwing thought to himself as he flipped over his fallen adversary's prone form. In order for Dick's plan to work, the two would need to make it up to street level. This was Killer Croc's turf, and Richard wasn't built for cramped conditions and enclosed spaces. He needed to even the odds. He saw his adversary leap to his scaly feet and roar. That was his cue to take off down this new sewer pipe, Croc chasing madly after him.

"Alright, Soarin..." Dick whispered, "this one's for keeps..."





"You know, none of this would have ever happened if you had just listened to me and stopped climbing!" His voice was panicked, frenzied even.

"You're just jealous that Spitfire swooped in and plucked me out of the air instead of you."

Soarin snorted, and looked away. The two were sitting on a rough wooden bench in the downtown Trottingham police station, waiting nervously for their guardians to come pick them up. While Soarin's parents might have signed on to travel with the circus, cooking and cleaning for the troupe as well as performing some construction jobs when necessary, the pair was strict. Perhaps unnecessarily so.

"Spitfire!?" Soarin's blue wings quivered as he spoke, displaying the nervous rage he was feeling.  "This has nothing to do with her! You almost died, and we destroyed a piece of fire... inspection... safety thing! We're in HUGE trouble here, Dick!"

"Stay whelmed, Soarin. We gotta keep our wits about us, before we get into any more trouble."

"What in Tartarus does 'whelmed' mean!?"

"You know... People get overwhelmed, and underwhelmed, so why not just whelmed?" Dick explained, swinging his feet nonchalantly.  

"... I can't believe you," Soarin deadpanned, slumping backwards. "You're parents are just as strict as mine! I dunno why you're so... so..."

"Whelmed?"

"Don't start with me, Grayson!" The twelve year old practically shouted, sitting back upright. Around them, police officers and other ne'er do well kids were beginning to take notice of the quarrelling friends. "Our parents are going to kill us! At least help me come up with a cover story or something!"

Dick sighed, and reached into his pocket. His photograph of Princess Celestia, his good luck charm, had never let him down before, and the small picture leant him a small comfort in this. No matter where he went, he always carried around a portrait of his hero. It symbolized all that was right in the world; the shining sun, the bright blue sky... Even the promise of a life of freedom. "Alright, look... We just have to stay calm. If our parents find us and we're all freaking out, they're gonna know that we know we did something wrong. Follow me?"

Soaring shrugged. "Not really, but okay."

"Well... whatever. I'm sure we'll be fine."

Their conversation was cut short as a huge SLAM rocked across the room. Another commotion in the police station began as four very angry looking adults marched through the doors, all wearing the same look. One of extreme rage. All, Dick noted, except for his mother, who just looked... sad. It was at that point that Richard's heart began to break slightly.

The adults stopped directly in front of their bench, and just stood there silently for a moment. Beside him, Soarin was sitting hunched over, looking at the ground sorrowfully and tucking his wings in tight. Dick wasn't really sure what to do. While living in a travelling circus and performing in front of crowds of thousands had matured him quickly, he was still just an eight year old faced with the prospect of destroying public property. Even if it was an accident, he knew he'd be in a heap of trouble.

Soarin's mother started first. "I don't know what you two were thinking, climbing around the city like that! You two could have broken a leg! Or worse! I thought we told you to put an end to your silly races!" she hissed, too furious to even raise her voice.

"We're both very dispointed in you, son," His father followed up. "There will be some serious reprecussions, mister."

For their part, Richard's parents hadn't said a word. They only stared at him with a soul crushing gaze, and Dick could practically feel the his sassy charm evaporate. "So... This probably looks pretty bad..."

"Don't talk." His father interrupted. "You'll only make this worse for yourself. Wait here, both of you. Your mother and I are going to go pay your fine, and then we'll be back for you. If you move, I will not be impressed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir..." Dick mumbled, his gaze dropping to the floor. He vaguely registered his mother opening her mouth to say something, but she just closed it and shook her head.

A new voice suddenly spoke behind the adults, strong and unmistakably female. "Excuse me, may I assume that these are your kids?"

Soarin's mother turned, scowling, and took in the appearance of the woman before her. She was a unicorn descent, a grey horn poking out from beneath her blue police hat, and her black hair was tied up in a tight bun. She was pretty, but had a cold, almost indifferent look behind her eyes. Almost as if she had seen too much, too young. The rest of her toned body was covered with her blue uniform, the Trottingham Police Department logo adorning her shoulders.

"Yes, officer, they are," The blue haired woman responded, shooting another sour look back at her shamed son.

"My name is Lieutenant Patriot Prime. I just came up to thank them for a job well done," the unicorn descent replied, taking off her hat and smiling.

"Thank... them?" Mary Grayson asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes, thank them. We had been receiving complaints that the fire escape they tore down was rickety and unstable. The city refused to install a new one, they kept claiming it was too expensive. But now, they're not gonna have a choice. You're boys may have saved a lot of lives here, today. Had there been a fire in that building, and the old fire escape was there, a lot of people would have been hurt." Prime finished with a smile, and turned to the boys. "So... thank you."

John Grayson sighed, and looked over at his son. "That may be, but we still need to pay the fine for... what was the charge? Willful Destruction of Public Property? That fire escape isn't going to pay for itself..."

The young woman laughed airily, and brushed an errant strand of black hair out of her eyes shoving it back into her hat. "Fire escape? What fire escape? As far as I'm concerned, you're all free to go." Patriot Prime's eyes flashed as she looked at Richard and his friend on the bench, before turning on her heel. "But next time, I might not be around to bail you out. So please, try and be careful."

She ran a hand over her uniform and walked off, leaving the group in the relative silence of the police station. "... Well, that turned out better than expected. I think I'll just head back to camp and-" Soarin began talking, but was quickly cut off by his mothers furious gaze.

"Luck and kindness does not eliminate the fact that you disobeyed your father and I. Come, Soarin. We're going to have a nice, long talk about this." She gripped Soarin roughly by the shoulder, creasing his still filthy shirt and pulled him upwards, wheeling him towards the door with the boy's father close behind them.

John watched them go and looked down at his son, before glancing to his wife. It was moment like this that he wondered if he had made the right decision in bringing his family to the circus. It didn't help that he knew that Mary secretly thought the same thing. Tenderly, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and pulled the woman in close. "Come on. Let's head back." She sighed and nodded, leaning into her husbands grasp. The couple silently left the station, Dick trailing slightly.

The journey back to the camp had been tense. Richard didn't quite know what to say to his parents in order to apologize, so he just kept opening his mouth, closing it, and shaking his head in frustration. Finally, after what seemed like thousands of blocks of walking, Dick screwed up his courage. "Look... I'm really sorry. I never meant to have you guys dragged down to the station today or-"

"Dick," his mother said simply, turning her head slightly, "if you think that's why we're upset... you have some serious thinking to do." The dark haired woman turned again and marched off quickly, much to Richard's annoyance.

"Real mature, mom..." He turned to his father, who looked concerned. "Dad, I'm totally lost here. Why are you guys mad at me?"

"Richard... Think about it. We perform in front of crowds of thousands for a living, performing very daring stunts for their amusement. Very daring, very dangerous stunts. Your mother has always been uncomfortable with you joining us in the spotlight."

"What!?" The young boy interrupted, confused. "But she's never said anything about it to me!"

Another sigh from his father. "She respects the fact that you can make your own decisions, son, and that being a performer makes you happy. But you running around every new town with Soarin doing your parkour contests presents just another danger you have to face. One that only compounds on your mother's worries. She's worried that her only son is going to snap his neck doing something stupid. That was a very real possibility, today. If that Spitfire girl hadn't been there, you could have died, Richard. How would that be fair to your mother and I, if you left us alone in the world?"

Ouch. Those words stung. Partly because it forced Dick to realize that he couldn't act with impunity, but also because he had never really before considered how much he meant to his parents. They were a family. A unit providing one another with an endless stream of unconditional love. Something that shouldn't be abused.

The duo reached the camp lying on the outskirts of the city, the big top shining in the orange glow of the evening sun. Tree's were scattered here and there, not particularly large, but still a pleasant change from the towering concrete structures. One such tree was located right in front of the Grayson family's trailer. Dick smiled as he saw it.

The family, upon setting up their mobile home, had quickly discovered a nest of robins living in their little tree. One of them was singing as it stood on an outlying branch, it's cry moving something deep inside Richard's heart as the little winged animal warned other birds away from it's home and family. Robins had always been his mother's favourite bird. "I gotta head back to town, dad. I'll be back in a bit."




Nightwing ducked as a huge scaled fist smashed into the concrete tunnel where his head had been moments ago. Bits of rubble rained down on him, dusting his hair with broken pieces of sewer pipe. The fact that Killer Croc had managed to obliterate so much of the rock hard tube with a single rage fueled punch had Richard a little concerned. Not for himself, of course, but for the people of Manehatten. It was of the utmost importance that there weren't anymore civilian causalities.

Dick began to second guess his plan.

If he could get Killer Croc to street level, the enraged half-shift would likely make enough noise to attract some attention. With attention came the police. Then it was just a matter of taking Croc down and leaving him for the police force to apprehend. There was the small detail of Nightwing being public enemy number one and wanted across the kingdom, but Dick had dodged arrest before. He could do it again.

Richard thrust the escrima sticks forwards slamming their electrified tips in Croc's stomach and rolled to the side. Using his adversaries momentary lapse of concentration, Richard threw one of his pink foam pellets at the arm still half embedded into the wall. There was a sudden flash of magenta as Killer Croc was sealed momentarily by the expanding colloid. While it was made to cushion falls (and taste disgusting, as Nightwing had found out more than a few times despite his best efforts to modify the chemicals), it could harden to be as strong as steel if it was exposed to an electrical charge.

As it would happen, Croc seemed to conduct electricity rather well. A fact Nightwing used to his advantage as he brutally smacked the half dragon over and over on the back of the head. His hands were a blur of grey and neon blue as his suit moved in the red lanterns glow, bringing punishment to the man who had let the darkness in his life blot out his heart. The lightning running through the enourmas man's veins quickly solidified the shock absorption foam, much to Killer Croc's frustration.

Croc grunted and thrust a scaly, clawed foot backwards, missing Dick by a mile as the man jumped straight up into the air and spread his legs wide, expertly dodging the clumsy attack. The black haired man landed nimbly in the water and performed a quick somersault, putting some distance between himself and the (literal) man eater. There was a small CRACK-ing noise as it desperately pulled against the hard, pink concoction.

Nightwing quickly scanned the tunnel, noting a few rusted iron ladder rungs leading up to street level. Perfect. Dick dashed forwards through the sewer pipe forcing water to slosh and spray around his rapidly swinging legs. The cracking sounds grew louder as the integrity of the electrified foam began to degrade without a constant stream of energy to feed it.

Perhaps sensing this, Killer Croc grit his huge, knife-like fangs and gave a great tug on his entombed arm. Roaring, the hardened pink foam shattered and crumbled, falling into the water below. He turned just in time to see his meal scamper up into the streets above, no doubt littered with more of these little fleas. A deep, horrific growl escaped him.

That thing, that human had come into his sewers and made a fool out of him. On his own turf! Now it had the nerve to run away, without finishing the fight it started? Croc would make them see. He would make them all see. First, this bird chested man. Then, the rest of this filthy city. He would devour them all. Men, children, women... All equally edible.

Momentarily, he thought back to his child hood in the swamp, desperately avoiding the pure blooded dragons who liked to leave the cities in an effort to find torment the half-shift. Then he smiled. Those first few kills were the most vivid. So were the first few tastes of blood.

On street level, Richard's heart was sinking. He should have payed more attention to where he and Croc were headed, should have studied the layout of the city more thoroughly before he began his investigation. Around him, camera's flashed and some people chattered excitedly. Most, however, backed away slowly, fear evident in their eyes. How often does a wanted vigilante appear in the middle of the Manehatten's busiest square? Of course it should figure he'd have an audience when he faced off against a giant beast. That was, after all, par for the course.

All of these people... Well, at least he wouldn't have to wait long for people to call the police. "Everyone!" He shouted to the thrall, most of which were backing slowly away from him. "Get out of here! Now!" Nobody moved, but just continued to stare and take pictures. "Tourists..." He thought to himself bitterly.

Suddenly, there was a great explosion of asphalt and concrete as the manhole behind him exploded outwards, raining bits of debris on the crowd. There were some screams in the crowd as most people ducked low to the ground and shielded their faces. There were more screams as a huge, scaly green arm reached out of the destroyed street. People began actively fleeing as the rest of Killer Croc heaved itself out of the sewer, bringing a disgusting stench into the square.

Puddles splashed as people ran in the rain, and the pegasi descent's all took off into the air, desperate to escape the two monsters. Someone, somewhere, had the piece of mind to shout out "Everyone get to safety! It's not safe here! It's Nightwing and the Killer Croc!"

"Nightwing, is it?" Killer Croc rumbled as he stomped forwards slowly, the ground quaking slightly with each step. "I will remember that name when I tear out your heart."

Dick swung an escrima stick through the night air experimentally, before pointing it menacingly at Croc. His eyes narrowed behind his mask as he turned on the 'Nightwing Glare'. "You talk too much," He growled right back, steeling himself for a fight. Mentally, Richard was pumping himself up, getting ready to unleash everything he had on the half-shift. He had perhaps five minutes before the cops showed up. Four minutes and fifty five seconds more than he would need.

The square flashed white for a moment as lightning knifed down through the stormy sky, briefly illuminating Croc's hideous face in harsh detail. He bellowed one more time before running forwards in great lumbering steps, quickly eliminating the distance between himself and Nightwing.

Richard quickly leapt forwards a few feet and twisted in mid-air so he landed on his back. The slick pavement was wet enough to afford Dick some reduced friction. He slid forwards, between Croc's legs, before twisting around quickly and whipping a razor-wing at his foe's exposed back. The projectile shattered upon impact, dousing Croc with regurgitent gas.

The gas was a special mix of Nightwing's which he had developed after being caught in a police raid when he was fifteen. The scientist, Doctor Gizmo, had been framed for the murder of his arch-rival Doctor Cog. Richard could still remember the feeling of tear-gas choking him up and rendering him blind. He could still rely on his sense of touch, however, and had managed to escape with Doctor Gizmo whilst blinded.

He had realized that if he was going to use a chemical agent to subdue any of his foe's, he would need to make sure they couldn't pull the same stunts he did and escape. So Dick added a little extra 'oomph', that forced the unfortunate target of the gas to vomit explosively while the tear gas blinded them. While disgusting and a pain to clean up, not too many people had the mental presence to try and run while their breakfasts made a reappearance.

It would seem that Killer Croc was no exception. The beast stumbled forwards slightly, shaking his huge, scaled head. He reached up to rub his burning eyes, and dropped to his knees as he suddenly felt a wave of nausea overtake him. A wave of nausea that was amplified by the sudden drop kick that was delivered to him by the shadowy human.

Croc's huge green hands managed to catch himself before he face planted into the street, but they couldn't stop the sudden rush of bile and stomach acid that burst out of his maw, painting the road a sickly green. He coughed, and pushed himself upright only to be met by a sharp crack! as Nightwing slammed the butt of the escrima sticks into the back of his head.

Blinded and in a lot of discomfort, Croc flailed wildly with one arm in a vain attempt to pulverize Nightwing. Dick, in turn, nimbly flipped over the crude blow and landed directly in front of the huge half-shift. Time to finish this. Richard drew both of his arms back and wound up. Croc wouldn't be getting up from this one.

Suddenly, the sounds of sirens filled the air as police officers clad in black and blue uniforms exploded onto the scene in droves. Armoured and motorized carriages carrying squads of SWAT unicorn-descent officers were close behind, filling the square with the repulsive stench of wasteful magi-technology engines. Nothing like the sophisticated ascension drives the Nightcycle was built around. A spotlight suddenly shone down from on high as the pegasus descent's arrived, filling the square with harsh white light and the sounds of wing beats.

"While they may be corrupt, and inept at arresting any criminals that aren't wearing signs around their necks that say 'I'm Guilty', at least their response time is improving." Dick turned slowly on the spot, taking in all of police officers that formed a ring around the square. Swords had been drawn, spells had been charged, lances had been pointed inwards, and the pegasi above held canisters of police grade tear gas should either he or Croc try anything.

There was another flash of lightning. Thunder boomed a moment later. Then, a megaphone blared into life. "Nightwing!" an anonymous voice screeched out. It was raspy, masculine, and Dick recognized that it belonged to Chief Red Blood of the MCPD. Who just so happened to be on the payroll of Tony Zucco. "This is Chief Red Blood of the MCPD!"

"Tell me something I don't know."

Croc threw up again, though less violently. The regurgitation gas was beginning to wear off. "Drop the batons, step away from the dragon, and put your hands above your head, or we will open fire! My boys are very proficient with stun and kill spells! And frankly, I'm not too fussed about which they use!"

"You heard the meat, human... Flee from me... Flee from your doom..." Croc was beginning to recover. These cops would be torn to ribbons if he didn't render him unconscious.

Dick frowned and lowered his arms slowly. 'Till now, they had been raised in a fighting stance, ready to deflect and parry any attack that came his way. Equestria's last hero opened his hands, allowing the two polymer batons to fall to the asphalt. He was now within range of his belt, though. A finger suddenly flicked upwards and activated the newly repaired sonic harmonizer, sending waves of sound crashing through the square and interrupting the magical signals of the local unicorn descents.

The glow of dozens of horns suddenly winked out as screams of agony filled the square.

Utilizing the momentary distraction, Dick cartwheeled to the side and snatched his batons off of the ground. Croc, perhaps sensing the fear that the police officers now exuded as every one of their magic users was disabled at once, sprang upwards and charged at the line of cops. He flexed his razor sharp claws as he drew near, laughing as a high-tech carbon fiber spear bounced harmlessly off of his thick hide. Croc reached out and picked the offending police officer up. The earth-descent flailed wildly for a moment before he was thrown into one of the armoured carriages, bouncing painfully off of it and landing on the cold, wet sidewalk.

Chaos had descended upon downtown Manehatten, and police officers surged forwards in order to apprehend the two titans. Nightwing, for his part, merely saw the various law men as annoyances. The MCPD had one of the highest corruption rates of any city in all of Equestria. The uniformed men and women before him were little more than thugs with shiny badges. They didn't want Dick out of the way because he was a criminal; they wanted him out of the way because he was cutting into their wallets.

Somewhere in the sea of angry cops, Killer Croc's claws sliced the throat of one foolish badge who dared draw too close. Richard scowled. These people were scum. But even scum has families. A ring of them had formed around Nightwing, spears and swords pointed towards him as riot police with huge, metal shields crouched down to form a perimeter. Rain splashed off of their helmets and armour, and more lightning streaked through the sky. Dick looked skyward, taking in the still arriving throngs of pegasi SWAT officers. "At least Celestia hasn't shown up," he thought to himself, as all of the police officers began to charge towards him.





Shining Armor marched through the halls of Canterlot Castle at a brisk pace. A luxurious red cape flowed behind him as he strode down a white marble corridor adorned with plush carpeting and elaborate tapestries. A file was in his left hand, his helmet in his right.

The serious young man brushed some of his long, blue hair out of his eyes as he walked with a small burst of magic. His golden armour with purple detailing showed off his rank of Commander of the Royal Guard, and all of his underlings in the plain gold of a sentry level guard saluted him briskly as he passed. Shining Armor, in turn, gave them a crisp nod and continued on his way. This was important news. He didn't have time to stop and chat.

Finally, he turned down another hallway and reached his destination. The large, oak door in front of him held a small, bronze plate with a name inlaid in silver; Captain Patriot Prime. Shining gave himself a once over, inspecting his armour for scuffs or scratches. Finding himself presentable, he raised the hand with the file in it and knocked on the door three times. There was a moments pause. "Enter," an emotionless female voice spoke from inside the office. Complying with his superior officer, he twisted the door knob and walked in.

The Captain's office was immaculate. Books lined shelves that completely covered the wall to Shining Armor's right, whilst a giant map of Equestria covered the expanse of marble to his left. Patriot Prime herself was seated behind her extravagant desk in her best dress uniform, staring expectantly at her young apprentice. Shining saluted and stared straight ahead, out the window behind the Captain's desk.

"At ease, Commander," She stated simply. Her black hair and noticeable streaks of grey in it, partly from age, partly from the extreme stress of the job. "What can I do for you this fine evening?"

"Ma'am, we've received word from Manehatten. It seems they've got a fix on Nightwing and a dragon in Central Square. They've requested reinforcements, double quick."

Prime thought for a moment, pursing her lips and leaning back in her chair. "The chief of police in Manehatten, it's Red Blood, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Have you ever met Chief Red Blood before, Armor?"

Shining hesitated a moment. It wasn't like the Captain to play games, or delay issuing commands. Indeed, her leadership was quick and methodical. Something that the Commander greatly admired. "No, ma'am, I haven't," he said in a puzzled tone.

"I had dinner with him once," Prime mused, staring wistfully at the ceiling. "It was at a charity auction here in Canterlot. Very high class affair. Unfortunately, Red Blood himself had about as much class as an inner city high school. Nasty, violent man. Short tempered. Last I heard, he was taking bribes from the mob. And just about anyone else who was willing to fill his wallet."

Shining Armor balked. Speaking ill of Equestrian officials, or indeed of anybody wasn't her style. "Ma'am?" He inquired, "The reinforcements?"

Patriot Prime sighed, and nodded. "Send four squads of your fastest air patrols. I want them evacuating any and all civilians in the area. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am. But... what about Nightwing?"

"What about him?" Prime deadpanned, searching the young man's face.

"Well... He is the most wanted man in Equestria..."

"Have you informed Princess Celestia of his sighting?"

"No, I came straight to you when the message came through. I believe the Princess is currently meeting with the King of Atlantis." He responded, clutching his majestic helmet tightly.

"Ah yes, the Aquaman. Well, what the Princess doesn't know won't hurt her."

At that, Shining almost visibly jumped. "M-ma'am? We're not going to inform the Princess that Nightwing and a dragon have appeared in the middle of Manehatten!?"

"No, Shining Armor, we are not. At least not until this is all over. The MCPD isn't equipped to deal with a dragon without sustaining heavy casualties. Nightwing, however, is. So our job right now is to make sure that he is able to do that without any unnecessary distractions."

Shining Armor's mouth tightened. "Permission to speak freely?"

Patriot Prime laughed airily. She could see Shining's temper rising from a mile away. "Of course, Commander."

"Nightwing is a criminal! He attacked my sister, another Element Bearer, and Princess Celestia herself! Not to mention that incident with the Ursa Major that he dragged Twilight into! Nightwing is a threat to all of Equestria!"

Prime smiled. "According to Princess Celestia, anyways."

"Yes, according to Princess Celestia! Her word is law!" Shining was breathing heavily now, though was careful not to raise his voice. While angry and confused, he still answered to the Captain.

The woman in front of Shining Armor sighed and stood up. Turning, she faced the night sky out the window. "Shining, I lived my whole life in service of her Majesty. From back in my days as a Trottingham police officer to my arrival at the Royal Equestrian Honour Guard. But it has recently come to my attention that in all of this fuss about Nightwing that I've forgotten something very important. Something he's made me remember."

She turned to face Shining Armor, a very intense look on her face. "Sometimes, you have to ask yourself not who you're fighting for, but what you're fighting for. I'd like you to think on that. You have my orders, Shining. Under no circumstances are any Honour Guard's to make contact with the Nightwing. You are dismissed."

Shining just stood there for a moment, perplexed. "Yes ma'am." He turned on his heel, marched out of the door, and down the white marble hallways.

Alone once again in her office, Patriot Prime sat back down and folded her fingers together wearily. Shining Armor was smart, kind, and a brilliant tactician. Not to mention a very skilled warrior. Now, she could only hope that learned how to think for himself.





SMACK!

Dick flew backwards, propelled by the powerful backhand he had just received from Killer Croc. He slammed against the ground once before he managed to gain control of his momentum. As his back slapped into the wet stone, he rolled with the hit and sprang to his fit, utilizing the ukemi move he had been taught and perfected years ago. He reached a hand up and wiped the blood off of his mouth, never taking his eyes off of the rampaging half-shift. The stitches in his side where the Ursa Minor had got him had re-opened, and he had even managed to get some new wounds to boot.

The MCPD had retreated until reinforcements from Canterlot showed up, leaving Croc and Nightwing almost alone in Central Square. Almost. The sonic harmonizer was beginning to run out of juice, and the magic users were beginning to get back up off of the ground. This was falling apart very quickly.

Dick had spent the last twenty minutes getting his ass kicked by Killer Croc, who seemed to find the rain and bloody combat rejuvinating. That didn't really do a whole lot for the young hero's moral. The only time he'd really had an advantage was when he was being shocked by the stun batons... Richard re-drew his escrima sticks, frowning as the tips blue glow flickered on and off as the power cells began depleting. He sighed, and sheathed them again. This wasn't working. He hadn't counted on Croc getting a second wind, or the police arriving so quickly. Sloppy. He needed a new plan.

"You look tired, meat. I look forward to feeling your bones shatter between my teeth." The rain kept on pouring down. It never stopped pouring down. "Are you afraid, Nightwing? Afraid you will die alone in the dark?" Croc's yellow eyes glowed in the dark, and he laughed cruelly. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye; an armoured police carrier. Move quickly, far more quickly that anyone would have thought possible, Croc bounded up to the vehicle and placed his hands underneath it. Even with the added weight of reinforced steel plating and an engine, slowly but surely the powerful half-shift lifted the carriage over his head. He laughed one last time, and threw it with all of his might.

Time slowed down. Nightwing saw the side doors of the carriage flapping open and closed as lighting flashed above the square. It was close, very close, as thunder boomed almost as soon as the flash appeared. The carriage was spinning in the air, round and round...

Now.

Nightwing drew his escrima sticks, no longer caring that they were low on power. Moving as fast as humanly possible, Dick ran forwards heading straight for the airborne troop carrier. Bracing his legs for only a moment, he jumped with all of his might towards the open door of the projectile. The rubber tires were facing the ground now, making the whole vehicle completely level, though still spinning.

Entering the mid-air carriage, he ran forwards as it spun, working quickly so he wasn't tossed around like a rag doll but the centrifugal force. The floor tilted up as he moved, forcing Dick to run up a steeper and steeper hill as time went on. Outside, thunder and lighting crashed down simultaneously. Nightwing grit his teeth and poured on his last bit of strength.

Richard burst out of the other door, looking as if he was almost literally flying through the air. He bared his teeth and growled ferociously as the heavily armoured man slammed the two neutral ends of his escrima sticks together, forming a long, polymer bo staff with electrified points on either end. Nightwing roared and raised the staff skyward.

A huge bolt of lightning streaked down through the sky, and connected with the raised end of the staff, supercharging the already efficient weapon. Thunder roared right alongside Nightwing as the lighting fused with his gadget, creating a deadly sound and light show. Deadly to a normal man, at least. To something like Croc, it would likely just put him in a coma for a few days.

Croc gaped up at the terrible vision of vengeance, his massive jaw hanging open. Dick took that as an invitation as he descended upon Killer Croc, and slammed the bottom electrical node, currently buzzing dangerously with power, into his open mouth.

The half-shift screamed as lightning coursed through his body, and the smell of cooking flesh filled Central Square. He convulsed violently as Richard perched on his shoulders, keeping the bo staff jammed down Croc's maw. After ten full seconds of electrifying torture, Dick back flipped, separating the escrima sticks and sheathing them during the nimble leap. He landed in a crouch and looked up in time to see Croc stumble and fall forwards, catching himself with two huge, scaly hands and breathing heavily.

That wouldn't do at all.

Dick roared again and performed a powerful uppercut to Croc's forehead, causing him to cry out in even more pain as his jaw was abused again. Another uppercut. Another scream of pain. The scaled man attempted one last time to stand up, but was met by the most terrifying vision he had ever seen.

Dick had taken three steps to his right, before flipping himself back to the left. The momentum he had generated served him well as he drew the escrima sticks mid-flight, bringing the unshatterable polymer in contact with Croc's skull. There was a great CRACK, similar to the thunder that had graced the square moments earlier as the tormented cannibal fell unconscious.

Rain kept on falling.

Nightwing, breathing heavily, stumbled backwards and fell to one knee. "I got him... I got him..." he repeated in his head over and over as he stared at the cold hard ground, suddenly aware of every drop of rain on the back of his neck. Croc had been a threat to all of Equestria. He had allowed himself to fall into a place that Nightwing couldn't follow. So he needed to be put down, and punished accordingly. A stint in Equestria's most secure prison might do it.

"Quite the show you put on."

Dick's head snapped up, and he rolled to the left, away from the source of the voice. Turning quickly, he rose into a battle ready pose and drew a razor-wing. Upon seeing the man standing there, he smiled slightly. "Shining Armor."

The Commander's blue hair was matted to his face by rain water, though his gold and purple armour still shone with an ethereal brilliance. A regular knight in shining armour. "Make no mistake. This isn't a peace offering, or a symbol of friendship. I've been ordered to leave you alone."

"And yet, here you are."

The man huffed. "Look... you did good work here." Shining crossed his arms and looked sidelong as the unconscious Killer Croc. "What's wrong with him? The dragon I used to live with looked nothing like this."

"He's a half-shift." Dick responded, storing the razor-wing as it became increasingly clear his former enemy wasn't going to be slicing his gut open. "Permanently stuck between his dragon and human forms."

Shining whistled. "Well, he isn't much to look at. The MCPD'll be here soon. I recommend you make yourself scarce. And if you ever go after my sister again, I will kill you. Orders be damned. And if I don't have orders not to touch you the next time we meet, consider yourself under arrest."

"Aren't you the charmer."

A snort. Shining walked forward and knelt down next to the nine foot tall part dragon, and cast an impenetrable shield spell over him after a few moments of concentration. "I'm serious, Nightwing. I'll do anything to protect the people I love. Anything."

Richard turned, and drew his grapnel gun, aiming for a nearby gargoyle around halfway up a cathedral undergoing renovations. "We have something in common after all." 

Then, he was gone, melting into the night. 





The metal door to the Grayson family's trailer creaked open gently as Dick stepped inside. In his small, starfish hands was a brown paper bag what bent and crinkled as the young boy moved. He hooked a foot around and closed the door behind him, and it shut without grace, alerting his parents to their son's return home.

"Dick?" Mary Grayson said, looking up from her knitting for a brief moment. "Where were you?"

The young boy smiled and stepped forwards under his parents gaze. "I felt bad about... earlier. So I got us all presents to make up for it!"

"Dick," his father began, "presents won't get you out a punishment."

The youngest Grayson sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. "I didn't expect them to. But... this was just something I needed to do." He reached into the bag and withdrew three wooden bracelets. Upon closer inspection, little robins had been carved into the wood, all of them with beaks open. Dick liked to imagine they were warning predators away from their families, just like the robin outside.

"They're symbolic. Of us. I understand that... that I can't just run around doing whatever I want, and ignore the consequences I don't want to deal with. So... these are my way of saying sorry. And that I love you guys. A lot. And I always will. No matter what happens. We'll always be a family."

Mary smiled, stood up, and made her way over to her son. She took one of the bracelets and slipped it on, smiling. "Thank you, my little robin. I love you too. We both do. So much. It just scares me that I'm not always going to be around to protect you from the world."

Dick smiled. "Then I'll just have to protect you guys, instead." He reached up and hugged her. Eventually, the two felt John Grayson join the embrace. They just stood like that for a long time. No one spoke. No one needed to. They all knew that they loved each. And that they always would.





Trixie Lulamoon hummed to herself as she stepped out of her Saddle Arabian shower, relishing the feeling of cool water droplets against her skin. She reached out and grasped the dark blue towel she had left on the toilet for herself,  before wrapping it around her slender form. She stopped humming.

She had left that towel on the rack.

Trixie's horn began glowing as she charged a spell. Someone had been in here while she was showering. But that was impossible. Nobody knew where she was, and she had left her only friend behind in Equestria. If someone was here, it was either a burglar, or Zucco had found her.

Opening the bathroom door, Trixie stepped outside carefully and raised her hands. While her encounter with Richard had forced her conscious to abandon her life of a contract killer, she was still one of the most deadly people on the planet. Indeed, she had been the second best mercenary on the planet when she left the business.

The second best.

She caught a small flash of yellowish gold out of the corner of her eye, and her blood ran cold as she turned to face the figure standing in the hallway before her. She had been right. They had found her. No, worse than that. He had found her.

"Deathstroke."