Chapters It was a cloudy and dark night in Goth'horn City, Ponies were just heading to home hoping to avoid criminals along the way, but felt a tad safe as a black armored car drove through the streets. Driving it was the most feared being in Goth'horn, a suit as black as night with a bat on her chest, the only visible part of her was her muzzle, navy blue in a neutral expression. Luna Faust, The Batmare, the Dark Knight and protector of Goth'horn. In her back seat was A mare tied up with her own mane, which was comprised of long green tentacles, she wore a purple jumpsuit and had a purple coat with double irises of Red and Green. The Mane-iac, her arch-nemesis and more dangerous then all of her foes put together. "Don't move or I push the trigger! Oh wait you did." The Mane-iac said before cracking up hysterically until Batmare stopped the car causing the Mane-iac to slam into her seat knocking her out. She then sped up as she made her way to one of the most dangerous places of all Goth'horn, Arkhoof Asylum, a place where only her most crazy enemies would be locked up. As she approached the front she pressed her eject button out and the seat in the back pushed the Mane-iac out to which she fell on Batmare's back. The door opened and coming through were several guards who took the Mane-iac off her back and put her into a chair restraining all of her appendages. Luna could've left her at that, but continued on as Mane-iac was to easy to catch this time. Mane-iac awoke and giggled a little as Batmare stayed with the guards. "What's wrong Mary? Wanna check yourself in too?"
"No, not trusting how you're so peppy to be back." Batmare responded.
"What can I say, there's no place like home." Mane-iac chuckled as they passed an identical hallway with Several mares dressed like the Mane-iac passing by. "Hey it's the boss. Boss is it still on tonight?!" A mare shouted before a guard hit her in the leg. "Kind of a coincidence that the fire that burned down their prison forced them to be transferred here isn't it?" Mane-iac said raising Batmare's suspicions even more. As they moved on they came to the scanner to see if Mane-iac was hiding something and she if needed be she would have to strip so they could check. A thought like that made Batmare gag inside but than a quick alarm went off. A voice rang over the monitor. "Have Mane-iac searched again."
"It's not her...It's Batmare." A second voice said hesitantly. Mane-iac than looked at Batmare with curiosity. "What'cha got tucked away? Extra Batarang? Batmedication? A Moon Pie or two?"
"Ok they're clean, let them through." The door ahead opened and they guards and Batmare stepped through with Mane-iac in tow passing by a Pegasus with a light brown mane, royal purple coat and deep red eyes, Vanessa Venom, veteran officer of Arkhoof. She also had a hook for her left hand after an unfortunate incident with an inmate. "V old buddy. How's Specs and Little Silvy?"
"You keep away from them you fruitcake!" Vanessa shouted at the Mane-iac who merely chuckled at her retort
"Oh I'll try my best but, tick tock tick tock. Is there a dragon around here?" Mane-iac laughed as that made Vanessa growl at the villain.
As they continued, they came upon an elevator shaft that was rising. "Caution, prisoner transfer occurring, lethal force authorized." A voice said as something big and purple was seen in the elevator. "Huh, might be one of my guys." As the door opened, heavy and guttery breathing was hear. "Spikey Wikey! Is that you?"
The figure in it lumbered out and stood tall, revealing it as a large purple dragon with Green spike going down its back and a very light green underbelly. Around his neck was a collar and his hands were held by chains. It was Killer Spike, notorious for his appearance and biting off Vanessa's left hoof. A light shined down on him and causing him to put his claws over his eyes but then he looked like he was smelling something and looked Batmare in the eye as he smirked revealing a few of his razor sharp teeth. "I've got your scent Batmare."
"Keep him in line." Vanessa shouted over the intercom causing Spike's collar to shock him making him stumble a little. "A toy collar won't stop me. I'll lick you clean. Suck out the marrow. And then, I'm finishing you Venom." Spike said before being escorted to the door opposite of where Batmare came out of on the right. There was a brief silence after that until Mane-iac spoke up. "That reminds me I really gotta hit the weights." A few guards chuckled and one guard, who would tell the story to his children and on his death bed, swore he saw Batmare chuckling a little and made a small smile.
They moved into the elevator and proceeded down into the asylum, Mane-iac groaning as the same message she always heard before came on, spoken by the warden of the Asylum, Starlight Glimmer. "Hello new inmate, and welcome to Arkhoof Asylum."
"Sweet Stars her speech is annoying. 'Hi I'm Warden Fruit Cake, everyone's equal here but you'll never escape.' Someone should really shut her up for once."
"What're you planning, Mane-iac?" Batmare asked.
"Moment I get to my cell, plan a way to top off this time and relieve some pent up stress alone."
Batmare suppressed a gag in her mouth from the thought. "Not that. What're you really after?"
"Nothing much. Nice view of the city, Me and you on top of a pile of the corpses of all our enemies and friends laughing at a burning Goth'horn. But I can wait. The night's still young." Just then the lights went out freaking out the guards as Mane-iac laughed. They came on a moment later and Batmare had her hoof on Mane-iac's throat. She let go and allowed the guards to wheel her forward. "Don't trust me?" Mane-iac queried.
"You don't even need to ask that." Batmare responded. They continued until they reached first cell area, a few of Mane-iac's henchmares behind electric walls of their cells. A guard stopped Batmare as she walked to the guards releasing Mane-iac than putting her in cuffs. "Sorry Batmare, staff only beyond this point."
"I understand." Batmare said
"Don't feel sad Bats, if you ever get tired of it out there, you'll always have a spot in here!" Mane-iac shouted as she walked away with the guard and doctor. Batmare turned to her left seeing an orange mare with a blonde mane, green eyes and a trench-coat finishing up a cup of cider in the room overlooking the floor. "Another long night Applejack?"
"Let's see. The mayor, City Hall, all the panicked ponies, S.W.A.T. Teams, and you. I'd say I've had worse. Just glad this night's finally over."
Mane-iac stumbled as she walked and a guard walked to her. "Hey get up." The Mane-iac grinned and she tackled the guard and pinned him to the ground and choked him with her cuffs. The doctor panicked than pulled out the key. "Hurry Doc we're losing him!" The doctor unlocked her cuffs to which The Mane-iac snapped the guards neck and threw his corpse at the doctor. She then simply grabbed the key and unlocked the cuff on her mane allowing it to move freely. "Hope you'll be here for my follow up on Wednesday." Mane-iac then laughed while Batmare growled and pushed against the pexi-glass causing it to crack. Mane-iac looked at a camera and smiled. "Honey~ I'm home!~"
"Welcome back Misses M." A voice responded, turning off the gate allowing Mane-iac through just as Batmare pushed through the glass. "I set a trap, I can't believe you didn't see it to begin with. Now let's skip into the Mane event." The gates on the cell's around Batmare shut off and the inmates stepped through smirking. "7 mares, Combined sentence of 666 years, wonder if these girls are working for my Devil buddy, Let's get ready to rumble!" Mane-iac shouted as one ran for Batmare with a right hoof. "This is for Bludhooven!" she yelled but Batmare grabbed it and threw her into three more of them. She then jumped for one of them on the ground and knocked out in time to catch the kick of one that ran over and made her knee herself in the face. A henchmare pulled a pipe out of a wall and tried to swing at Batmare with it only for her to catch it, than hit her in the crotch with it before applebucking her into a cell with some blue question marks in it. Two more ran at her in time for her to kick one of them into a wall then it another in the chest before throwing her into the one in the wall. Batmare dodged a punch of one behind her and elbowed her in the nose. The last one made the straight sprint of her only to be thrown into the repowered gate The Mane-iac went through, electrocuting and knocking out the mare. "My my, aren't we excited tonight? Don't worry Batsy, I'm just getting started on what's in store for tonight."
The gate deactivated as Batmare looked at Applejack. "You know it's a trap."
"My specialty." Batmare simply responded before walking forward. She walked through the corridors taking note of some familiar things such as a poster advertising The Hen House, Night Club owned by one of her enemies Scootaloo AKA The Penguin. She flund a guard looking around who sighed in relief upon seeing Batmare. "Thank Faust It's you. We need help in the electro shock room!" Batmare ran to the room and found some guards gathered behind the walls and was stopped by Vanessa. "Slow down. Blueblood's on there and he's got Lily."
Batmare peaked around the corner and saw a white maneless unicron stallion with vaious cuts all over his body holding a trigger with his magic while looking insanely around as she shocked a pink mare in the electro therapy chair. "If I even see a cape, I end this pig's life." Blueblood said crazily. Batmare moved upstairs and found a perfectview of below. She looked up and found gargoyles around the room. "Perfect." She brought out her grapple and shot it at the ceiling above the Gargoyle than grappled onto the statue. She jumped across them until she was right behind where Blueblood was and merely dropped down. Something poked Blueblood in the shoulder and he turned around to see a smirking Dark Knight. "Boo." Batmare punched Blueblood in the face causing him to lose his magic grip on the trigger as Batmare slammed him into the ground knocking him out before she unstrapped Lily. She looked around and saw everything was taken care of out here so she was about to make her way to the door when someone shouted from that spot. "The door locked up! We're stuck in here!"
"Gee I wonder who could be responsible for something like that?" A voice said from the TV on the wall to which Batmare looked and scowled seeing the Draconequis staring back at her. "Should've known you help her Discord."
"Guilty as charged Dark Mare. But don't worry, for guessing right, you get a prize." Discord disappeared and reappeared with a shout of "Voila!" with Starlight glimmer taped and tied to a chair with a scared expression on her face. Discord simply walked around, twirling her cane in his claws. "You won't believe the trouble it was to make sure she was tied up." He then tore the tape off allowing Starlight to speak. "Why?! I did everything I could so everyone would be treated equally but safely! Also I need to pee!! How evil can you be that you let a pony's kidney's back up-" Discord whack her with the cane, knocking her out and chuckled a little. "Puddin's right. She's annoying but that's pretty funny. Can't wait until she wakes up finding herself covered in her own pee."
"I'm only gonna tell you once to give it up."
"Let me think about it." Discord than cut the feed to the camera turning the TV to static to which Batmare touched her earpiece. "Oracle you there?"
"Yes Luna, how's Mah sister? Is she ok?" A mares voice on the other end said. Apple Bloom, a young mare and sister of Applejack that grew up to be Batbloom as to not confuse the two of them until Mane-iac shot her in the spine crippling her to which she then took on the name Oracle and still helped Luna but never told her sister the secret. She recently went into a program for physical therapy with slim but probable chances of walking again, but now she was taking it easy as to not force it too soon. "She's fine. I need you to find me a way out of here so I can find Mane-iac."
"She broke out again? Why didn't anyone think of keeping her in that chair?"
"All I know is Luna Faust is gonna bring this up at the next meeting on their protocols."
"As for a way in you could try a vent that's supposed to be somewhere around there." Oracle said before cutting the transmission allowing Batmare to think and look around. She turned on her Detective Mode, highlighting anyone living as a blue skeleton while only things that she could she could use were orange. She looked at the floor and found a vent cover she could use. She than pried it off and crawled through the vent and heard screaming that turned into laughter and jumped down into the next opening seeing guards and inmates alike coughing in the purple gas around them before breaking into Mane-iac like laughter and falling dead. A guard on the other side next to Batmare looked appalled at this. "What the heck is that stuff?!"
"Mane-iac gas. Don't worry I'll save the rest." With a flap of her wings she got back up into the vent and walked forward until she dropped out and onto a platform above the gas. She found two hanging, one guard one inmate hanging while a wirewolfess was trying to lift up her griffon friend. "Just hold on Gretta." Batmare walked to her and helped her pull up Gretta with relative ease. "Thanks Batmare, go get that psychotic bitch." Batmare jumped onto the next platform and pulled the stallion up who mumbled. "Can't believe I'm getting saved by the Bat." Batmare than knocked him out before looking for a way to get rid of the gas. She found some vents with a button but it was in the gas so she took out a batarang and threw it at the button allowing the gas to clear. 'Note to self, have Tia add a mask to the suit as to prevent trouble with anymore Mane-iac gas.' Batmare thought before walking through the door and found arrows on the floor leading her through the transfer loop. In place of some of the arrows was a body or two, some with a smile carved on their faces. As she reached the door it was pointing to, with a painting of the Mane-iac's butt. Batmare sighed annoyed but then looked suspicous as the door's locks unlocked slowly unlike the rest of them. "Either Mane-iac did something to this one, or there's something here they don't want out." Batmare than walked in and found Mane-iac on top of a steel cage dangling over an abyss. "Took you long enough. I thought I was gonna have to kill more guards to get you to come."
Batmare threw a batarang at Mane-iac who grabbed it and tossed it away. "You have to try better then that if you want to grab me." Mane-iac than used her mane to turn the valve on the door, allowing the door to open and the figure inside to walk through. It looked like a dragoness, but it was a hulking deformity, looking at Batmare with angry red eyes. she roared before charging at the night who instinctively threw a batarang at it's face causing it to ram into a wall and stumble. She than proceeded to beat the monster up a little until it shook it off than punched the ground with it's right fist making a shockwave to which she jumped back. She saw a security barrier behind her and threw a batarang at the beast as she charged so it ran into the barrier shocking it as she then hit it some more before jumping back expecting a shockwave. But the beast simply held its chest as if in pain then seized up as it sounded like something burst and the red from it's eyes dimmed. Mane-iac just blinked groaning a little. "Well that was one big old lemon.Note to self: check formula for any flaws." That last part Mane-iac mumbled to herself.
"I don't care what freaks, robots, even aliens you send against me Mane-iac, i'll end your plans tonight."
"You so sure? Why don't we see on it?" Mane-iac than stood on the edge of the cell ready to take a hit and fall below. "One hit, and end my insanity once and for all."
Batmare readied a batarang but realized this is what she would want. If she were to kill Mane-iac, it would make her no better than the very mare she fought against for years. She than dropped it as Mane-iac laughed. "Thats my favorite thing about you, Batty, you're always so predictable. See ya at dinner with AJ!" Mane-iac said before laughing as the cell moved through the large door that then shut behind her. Batmare realized what that meant but a voice called her over. "Batmare!" She looked to one of the security rooms and found a blue unicorn tending to a yellow one. "Thank Faust you came, Mane-iac came in and none of us stood a chance, I was lucky enough to make it in here with Lemon Hearts and put up the security barrier. We both fell asleep and woke up in time for you to fight that...thing. Name's Minuette. Do you have telekinesis or something, cause you killed that thing without even touching it."
"No. It must've had a heart attack. Where does that door lead to?"
"Extreme Isolation. It's where we put all of your biggest fruit loops. Let me see if I can..." Minuette then went into mutters as she fiddled with the controls and but a look of confusion came upon her face. "That's odd, it's locked for some reason."
Discord appeared on the monitor with a smirk. "Wow. Looks like some devilishly handsome hybrid disabled them. Oh and found a police commissioner. Is anyone using him?" Discord than pulled out Applejack who struggled before a red teenage dragon in a security suit knocked her out with the but of his gun. "Thank my buddy Garble here. Oh an if you follow us, we waste the farmer. Byesies." Discord then cut the feed and Minuette looked at Batmare sadly. "The best I can do is open the door you came in."
"Don't, keep it shut. I'm gonna do something I haven't done in a long time." Batmare stepped out and concentrated, a faint glow appearing under her cowl before she disappeared. Both mares looked surprised before Lemon Hearts spoke up. "Told you she was an alicorn."
"Ok, but that then leaves Celestia and... wait you don't think-"
"Considering her parents got shot in front of her makes sense. Kind of cool that we'll be the only two in Arkhoof that know."
"If we hopefully survive the night."
Batmare reappeared in the same room she left Applejack in, finding signs of a struggle and smelt something old. She used Detective Mode and found traces of Cider with a hint of bourbon in it, most likely owned by Garble. She isolated at particles and found a trail going outside and saw a guard tied to a chair. She ran to him and untied him. "Thanks. Don't use the elevator, Discord booby trapped it." Discord's voice could be heard over the speakers and chuckling. "You said trapped." The elevator came flying down and blew up, Batmare covering the guard from the smoke. "Go to the Transfer Loop and head for the door with Mane-iac's deiry air on it, ask for Minuette and tell her Batmare sent you."
The guard nodded before leaving as Batmare grappled up going across some grates and making it to the top but stopped as she examined the stone marker with a single star in it in front of her. As she scanned it with her Detective mode a ghostly mare's voice echoed in her ears. "I am the spirit of Angelica Arkhoof. Through my actions, I have salvaged and spared what I could of this once great city, though my own curse is to forever remain in the shadows. My story is carved into the very soul of Arkhoof, and will be told if you are lucky enough to find it. "
She pulled up and found another one behind a wall she could easily destroy with some explosive gel but that was in the Batmobile and she could make out what was on it through her Detective mode. She scanned it and was not surprised at the mare's voice returning. "My family's blood ran through the heart of Goth'horn. We were doctors, politicians and teachers; we have been the organ cleaning the arterial harm from the city. We have been its servants giving all to protect it. And still it decided to hurt me while the rest of us were spared my suffering."
Batmare felt a bit of sadness for this spirit which quickly ended when a henchmare tried to hit her hit a pipe and was easily knocked out. She looked at found 4 more and cracked her hooves. She then landed a few blows and counter a few punches allowing her to move freely and land crunching blows on them and threw the last one into the locked door. She found a grate on the side of it and pried it open before crawling in. She heard some gunshots and stopped briefly as she saw a guard be propelled into the door by a gunshot. She activated her Detective Mode seeing 3 inmates wielding guns. '3 gunmares. Easy enough but Mane-iac's the main priority.' She than filtered her Detective Mode so mares with guns would appear in red as opposed to blue. She found a gargoyle above and grappled to the one above her before moving to the one above the nehcmares. She than glided over them before finding a gunmare talking to the Mane-iac via her TV screen. Batmare choked the gunmare out then pried off the grate on the side. "I'm starting to think I need more competent mares, but its good to see you didn't get stuck there BM." Mane-iac cackled as she realized what she called the Dark Mare. Batmare crawled and stopped, finding herself back by the entrance of the intensive treatment center, 4 gunponies patrolling. "Listen up losers, Bats is in there. First one to capture her alive will get herself squeezed by Discord. The good kind of squeeze."
One of the mares smiled at the thought while the rest of them shook a little at the though of taking on the bat. Batmare smirked at the easiness of this as she grappled and looked at the layout and their locations. She went for the one farthest from the others and put him in a choke hold. When he was knocked out, she grappled to a building in time for a mare to pass under her, to which she hung from the gargoyle and grabbed her and hung her from the gargoyle. As they others ran to her, Batmare flew for the stallion farthest from the others and glide kicked him before jumping on him and knocking him out. The last one ran to her but findng she was the only one left was shaking in terror before passing out from legs giving from under her. "Are you kidding me? Why do I even bother using you Blackgate Jackasses? You next guys fail, I'll rip your lungs out. And I will too."
Three mares armed with Ak-47's walked in from the entrance, the middle one shaking while the two on her sides spread out. Batmare grappled right above her and grabbed the Mare than hung her from the gargoyle by a rope from her legs. The two mares ran over seeing their friend strung up, so they didn't see Batmare walk up to them and bang their heads together knocking them out. The lift was down so she climbed up and walked down the hallway but was appalled at what she saw. Garble was strapped into one of the chairs, a smile carved into his face stuck in horror as blood seeped from the wounds in his chest. Batmare spat on him, the loogie landing in one of wounds. "You earned such a fate Garble."
"Oh and if you found Garble, I didn't even know you were following him, I just stabbed him and left him in the chair." Mane-iac said speaking into the intercom. Batmare saw the door was locked and was about to search for a way out when static came into her comm's and a familiar mare's voice came into it. "Hello Dark Knight."
"Double Question." Batmare answered remembering Trixie Lunamoon AKA Double Question, responsible by killing severa innocents of Goth'horn with her deathtraps meant to 'make the Pliohippus of this city evolve and the rejects to thin out the idiots.'
"What do you want?"
"To finally prove I am the superior intellect that will save this trash city." As Trixie continued her monologe, Batmare took the time to use the Batcomputer to pinpoint her location narrowing it down to somewhere in lower Goth'horn. "I will leave you with riddles and you solve them. There is no penalty for it other than it saying that you're too dumb to even try. Might as well begin. Riddle me this, She wants equal right for us all, but it's says otherwise being, on the wall." Batmare looked around and saw Starlight's picture on the wall to her right, It was a rectangle, so the sides weren't equal. Batmare scanned it and Trixie spoke up. "Well...looks like I am gonna have fun tonight." Trixie then cut her feed to Batmare as someone said her name "Batmare! Over here!" Batmare looked over at the bottom floor seeing a pink mare with a purple poofy mane opening a door. Batmare glided down and walked to the mare, a dead light blue stallion with a dark blue mane behind her. "Name's Sugar Belle. Thanks for taking out those guys."
"What happened?"
"Garble came through saying for everyone to clear out, when one of the guys saw Discord with him they wasted everyone. I pulled Party Favor in but he died a while after I sealed the door. At least I comforted in his last moments."
"Head for the transfer loop, give this to a pony named Minuette." Batmare said as she gave Sugar Belle a communicator than walked away passing some pipes, seeing a radio titled simply Lyra. "If you never heard of this mare, you don't have the Heart she has." Trixie said over the transmission. Batmare looked at the radio and scanned it as Trixie was easily referring to Lyra Heartstrings, famous newsmare as well known as Thunderlane. Batmare than moved on, hearing the very mare she thought of speaking. "This is Lyra Heartstrings, not too long ago, Arkhoof Asylum was captured by the Mane-iac as she went back in, Police were on their way to the island when a message from the Mane-iac went off, threatening to blow them up if anyone sets hoof on the island, stay tuned for details."
"How did she get it down so fast?" Oracle asked at how coincidental this was.
"No it's not, she's been planning this for months, but what for exactly I still don't know." Batmare said as she continued to walk and went through the door taking her outside but climbed up the rocks in front of her, finding Applejack and stopping Mane-iac top priority.
Author's Note
Next chapter is being written as we speak, or type in this case.
She climbed up the rocks and found herself looking over a cliff above it, allowing her to see most of the Asylum, the Manor and the Botanical Gardens in her view along with one allowing her to see the city itself. Trixie's voice interrupted her thoughts, disrupting the peace Batmare felt some of. "Goth'horn's greatest family towers over the city." Luna looked into the city, seeing Faust Tower standing above the rest. After a brief moment of silence, remembering those that made the enterprise possible for her, she used the optics in her cowl to zoom in on it allowing her to see it perfectly and scan it. She flew down and landed, a guard waving at her as she moved around, Trixie telling another riddle into her communicator. "The legacy of this mare and her family has been well and truly buried." Batmare walked to the cemetery and found one grave that was desecrated, scrawls clearly saying 'Mane-iac was here.' over the engraving. Batmare scanned it as she knew who this was, remembering the Chronicles. "Nice that you know her. Too bad the Equus Africanus lost it before she could show her intellect." Trixie said showing disinterest in the mare. Batmare felt a presence similar to what she felt in the Intensive treatment center and went to the side of the wall of the stairs to the gardens finding another of those tablets on the side which she scan to continue hearing the tale.
"As Goth'horn's veins slowly filled with pain and suffering, the effects were felt everywhere. My father fell first, infected by some foul disease; my mother lived on, but only in a dream. I returned to the family home to care for her where she remained in her bed for as long as her body continued to breathe. Her tears kept me awake at night as she told me of the great beast that stalked her, the great bat seeking to end us.
Batmare thought that the best way to figure out where to next would be to head to the Batmoblie to see if Mane-iac left something in there. Almost by coincidence an alarm came up on her gauntlet saying the Batmoblie was being attacked, she turned off the alarms and defense systems incase Applejack was with them. "Looks like someone's attacking the car." Oracle said.
"I know, I just turned off the defense systems incase Applejack's with them so she doesn't get hurt."
"I'm more curious as to what I'm hearing form it's audio right now." Oracle than put on audio of outside the Batmobile and a panicked voice was heard. "Dear Faust this plan went horribly wrong!!"
"I told you we should've stayed in the Batmobile." A nasally like voice responded.
"I said that you damn liar!"
"Coming from the guy getting curb stomped."
"Did you pick anyone else up before going to Arkhoof?" Oracle asked as she never remembered Luna picking these two up.
"I don't know, but i'm going to see about that." Batmare than walked west passing some guards going through a door but stopped as she found a guard hiding behind an ambulance with with a dead guard next to her. She climbed the ambulance and jumled over the bridge built into the rock coming up behind one of the two armed mares and knocked her out startling the other one who was too slow and ending landing leaning on the ambulance. Batmare moved forward seeing the Batmobile parked in front of the Intensive Treatment builind but was confused at the sight before her. 3 henchmares were kicking the Batmobile which a cicada like biped was cowering inside while 7 more were kicking a yellow wirewolf cowering as they kicked him. Batmare whistled catching the attention of all ten of them to which they ran for her letting the bug get lut of the car and watch in awe as she dodged and countered their attacks with ease. One came up behind her but she grabbed ghe mare and threw her into 5 more as she rammed for them knocking 7 of them with either kicks, punches, or both hooves. Batmare rolled back applebucking one of them before she grabbed the last two and slammed them into each other, knocking them out. Batmare helped the Wirewolf up who dusted himself off. "Thanks, I'm Alfreda and that's Cell." Alfreda said pointing to the bug man who looked at the Batmobile.
"How'd you get into the Batmobile?" Batmare asked as she was confused on how he and his friend dodged the Batmobile's scanners.
"We got into your trunk and hid in it as you took on the Mane-iac. Wait there's still one more inside." Alfreda than ran to the Batmobile's trunk and opened it, a blue Wirewolf falling out. "Can we do than again Alfreda?"
"No Caboose it's time to be serious."
"How'd did you get here in general?"
"A whole other story involving multiverse theory, seeds in my but and a guy who's usually with us that speaks spanish but is missing for some reason." Alfreda responded.
Batmare's scanner looked in him and his heart did not speed up as he spoke. "I believe you."
"Thank you for thinking so Princess Luna, Great goddess of the mighty night." Cell said bowing.
"Hey Cell, you got a brown spot on your nose." Alfreda said to which Cell glared at him.
"What'd you say?" Batmare asked startled.
"He said Luna. We know another you that works kinda like this, your secrets safe with us."
"Ok. Please step aside as I'm looking for someone." The three of them nodded as Batmare activated her Detective Vision to find something to help her find Applejack. She looked to see Caboose playing on a seesaw while Alfreda and Cell tried to climb the gate 'Not as weird as Bat-Pie at least.' Luna thought to herself when she noticed something on the ground. It was a small collapsable travel cup, It had some saliva in it and a drop of cider. A quick scan showed it was Applejack's DNA and a trail was going towards Arkhoof West. She looked at the carving on it. "Cherish this to heart. ~Apple Bloom"
"I gave her that for her birthday. Why would she drop that?" Oracle asked when Batmare said what the engraving said.
"Probably so I could find her. But If i'm going to, I'm gonna need something extra" Batmare said as she went over to the Batmobile and the trunk opened, allowing her to grab the Explosive Gel dispenser before Double Question's all too familiar voice was heard. "Flim and Flam saw it, and you see it?"
"A see-saw. Cause I can see it And Batmare saw it." Caboose said as he got off the seesaw. "Wow Dark Knight, even a simpleton with his brain size figured that out. Let's try something a bit more difficult. Her new Nightmare she suffers now Eclipse's over her mind."
"Could I see the explosive gel?" Alfreda asked Batmare who gave him the dispenser and climbed to the roof of one of the guardhouses and detonated it before crawling out with a poster saying 'Vote Selene'. Batmare pieced it together, connecting to Selene, who had become the villain Nightmare Moon, but an accident turned her into a hot-cold psychotic mare with her mind always at war with the new one called Nightmare Star, the only thing they agree on is the new name of Nightmare Eclipse. Batmare scanned it and Trixie's voice came in with a growl. "It'll only get harder from here Batmare." Trixie said before cutting the transmission. Cell walked to them, holding a large stone with engravings. "You guy have any idea what this is? I found it and got some weird vibes off of it." Batmare scanned it and a voice echoed around them.
"My journey lasted little over a month. Visiting academics in both Maretropolis and Haystone, I was exposed to a wealth of new ideas, seeing how all ponies could be treated fairly if possible. I began my day returning home in good spirits, eager to see my wife and family. I ended it kneeling in their blood, broken fragments of my life pouring through dripping red fingers as I gazed upon their violated remains."
"Can anyone explain what the hell was that?" Cell said panicky.
"The spirit of Angelica Arkhoof. I can't help but feel that she found familiar."
"Bored now." Cell said before walking right through the door to Arkhoof West, Alfreda, Batmare and Caboose followed him. Batmare used her explosive gel to destroy a wall on the side of the locked door. She looked to the hospital across from the penitentiary and saw 7 henchmares in front of the hospital. Cell fell towards them knocking out 2 of them Alfreda, tripped running for Cell knocking 3 more off their feet causing them to slam on their faces knocking them out. Caboose walked to them as a mare a came up with a bat. Caboose bent down causing her to miss and knock out the one next to her. Cell got up, and his tail unintentionally whacked her into a wall knocking her out. Batmare looked at the three of them impressed. "Nice moves."
"What moves? I thought I found a penny but it was a quarter." Caboose stated. "Also Can i please ride in the Batcar, I promise I won't puke in it like I did in the trunk."
Batmare ignored that last part and pressed something in her gauntlet. "You can ride in the front."
Caboose cheered than ran back to Arkham North to do so leaving Cell and Alfreda with Batmare. "I checked inside and there was just a really mean draconequis behind a security barrier with Applejack. Found an entrance west of this one though."
The three of them went to the roof of that spot finding a hole in it allowing them to just open the door and walk in. Cell phased through the floor while Alfreda and Batmare crawled through the vents eventually coming to a room with 6 mares walking around with two of them holding a some doctors hostage. Trixie's voice came in as they moved onto some gargoyles. "Tick Tock, somepony isn't leaving with both their front hooves." Cell phased through the floor finding worn out cell with a couple of bones inside. "Killer Spike's old cell?"
"You aren't Batmare but you are right. Perhaps there can be hope for this city."
Cell phased through the floor this time appearing in front of the two mares to which they panicked and shot at him but the bullets went right through him and he chuckled and phased back down through the floor. The two gunmares than walked around seeing if they could find him but found their friends knocked out or stringed up. One went to look for the other but found her tied up. She turned around hesitantly as she saw Batmare and Alfreda in front of them to which he threw her gun to the ground in surrender, only for Cell to pop up behind her and give her an atomic wedgie.
"Cell!" Batmare and Alfreda said in union.
"Well I didn't get to do anything. Just this." Cell then disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the catwalk, with another Chronicle in his hands that Batmare scanned allowing them to hear the voice once more.
"I returned to my work, but I could not shake the pictures from my mind. I should have been repulsed, but I was more eager than ever to find an explanation for why someone would do this. A logical one rather than something mother would've said."
Batmare went to the doctors. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah but there are three more that are in trouble."
"Who are they?"
"Dr. Roseluck, Dr Horse, and Nurse Sweetheart. They took them down to the room west of this room."
"Don't worry, I'll save them." Batmare then went over to Alfreda and Cell who looked over the stone. "You two rescue Dr Horse and Nurse Sweetheart. I'll save Dr Roseluck."
As they made their way to the door to head to the doctors, Alfreda and Cell whispered to each other giddily. "Do you know what this means?"
"We're getting to work with Batman." Cell responded happily.
"Batmare actually but close enough. I can finally cross that off my bucket list."
"Dibs on Sweetheart."
"Aw man."
Author's Note
yep. Alfreda and Cell get involved in almost every universe, even without trying. Don't worry, it's staying true to the game but with some twists.
Next chapter will have some action and one of the most well known parts of the game.
Batmare, Alfreda and Cell came to a fork in the road that divided into 3 paths. Batmare turned to the two of them. "I'll take the middle, Cell you take the right and Alfreda you take the left." Alfreda and Cell nodded before heading off in their directions as BAtmare walked straight forward hearing an obviously prerecorded message for new patients. "Hello, I am Starlight Glimmer, Warden of Arkhoof Asylum, You may have already heard of me. Here in the hospital of Arkhoof you will be given full medical care for whatever your condition is. More on what we can do for you is my good friend Dr Roseluck." Roseluck's voice then came on the speakers. "Thank you warden. Here at Arkhoof we do what's best to help our patients with whatever ailments they have. But some are not as capable of handling it as others so that's why I started Project Inferno. Don't be fooled by the name, Inferno is a treatment which strengthen patients who aren't able to withstand treatments in hopes to cure them. With Patient X who helped inspired the project, we have been able to advance months into our expected time to finish it."
Batmare was a tad suspicious at what she was saying. Inferno sounded familiar to her but she didn't know where from. She opened a door and heard voices from the room ahead. She turned on her Detective mode and found several armed thugs around Roseluck, but behind each of them was a wall she could destroy with the explosive gel. Running for them, she sprayed a bat on each of the three walls and stood back. She set it off, knocking out all the henchmares but Roseluck remained unharmed. She felt the presence from the past few times and walked back finding another Chronicle which she easily scanned. "They brought the animal before me, shameless and barking like a mad dog. For what felt like days I endured his boasts. He took pleasure recounting his actions, cataloging his depraved crimes. What should have been revenge turned to pity. This poor dog needed my help, as most of them here did."
Batmare thought about the killer she was hoping to find someday, and realized it would be something similar as walked to Roseluck as she looked surprised. "You're safe now."
"Thanks, but you need to stop Mane-iac."
"I know."
"You don't understand, she's after something more than just the Asylum, it's Inferno."
"Go to the others, wait with them." Batmare walked back to the main room, Roseluck far behind her and made it to the other doctor's where the elevator was, Alfreda and Cell, already there. "How was it?" She asked them.
"Ok with me. solved a riddle about some chick who took shifts there." Alfreda simply stated.
"I saved a hot nurse and Vanessa in a room with Mane-iac gas and solved a riddle about some chick named Phoenix. Who dat?" Cell asked.
"Wonderbolt that got caught in an explosion. Life of crime robbing places and taking jobs just to get the money to get the surgery."
"That is sad, she is sad." Alfreda responded.
"Everyone is inside." Batmare said as she walked to the open elevator. "You go in that steel exitless deathtrap. Me and Cell are gonna find another way down." Alfreda said as the door closed.
Batmare was no alone in the elevator going down, Mane-iac's voice coming up on the speaker. "Well isn't this fun? You're in a death trap with no way out, easily giving me a chance to throw you down and let you die like a drowning sack of dumb puppies." Batmare stood, horn ready to prove her wrong but Mane-iac's laughter shook the elevator. "Like I want to end it with something anti-climatic like that. Plus you have two friends below waiting for you, and they'll give me Hell if you don't show." Gas sounded like it was leaking into the elevator, and Batmare coughed a little. "Get ready to face your fears ol pal of mine." The elevator door opened at her words and she saw flickering lights up ahead and walked to it, hearing two voices. "Zecora! Please don't do this!"
"It's sad because now you should know,
There is no Zecora..." The 2nd voice said.
"They're all over me!"
"Only Scarecrow..." 'Zecora' said menacingly. Batmare looked into the room seeing patients panicking as if something was on them and falling to the floor dead while a shadow in some light laughed at them before fading. Double Question then spoke, voice distorted for some reason. "Why did Discord get to keep his room after quitting?" Batmare looked into the window in the hallway behind her seeing Discord's old room and several lipstick marks on pictures of the Mane-iac. She scanned them then moved to a easily breakable wall as she couldn't move through the security barrier. Mane-iac's voice then came over the intercom. "What are you afraid of Luna?" Luna froze inside as Mane-iac used her name. "Not saving Applejack? Your city in ashes? Me in a bikini? " Mane-iac than cracked up in laughter which sounded distorted giving it a demonic feeling.
"WeRE Sorry. ThE NuMbEr YoU ArE tRyIng to ReAch iS DiSconNEcted Or dOes nOT ExISt." An distorted answering machine voice said.
"Apple Bloom?"
"HaNg uP NoW." The voice said before it was just the dial tone. Luna just kept walking as whoever did it had nowhere to run and walked in to find herself in the morgue, with nothing inside but voices whispering for her to turn back and she would die. She turned around and walked in but found herself back in the morgue with three body bags on the three tables. Luna tried to walk out but the door was locked forcing her to examine the body bags. She opened up the one on the left and was shocked at the white red maned alicorn's head looking at her. "Mother..."
"You should've done something Luna, instead of just standing there... " The mare's voice said echoing in her mind. Luna went to the one on the right and was shocked at seeing the white stallion looking at her. "Dad?"
"Do something Luna, don't let her kill us..." Luna shook her head trying to think this wasn't real and walked to the third one. 'It's either Me, Celestia or even Applejack.' She thought as she opened it, but someone wearing a dark sewed hood roared in her face bearing red glowing eyes causing her to fall to the ground. She got up and was surprised as when she turned around, The asylum was gone, leaving a twisted world, under it a massive and menacing vortex. She jumped across making it to a wall, and she saw the Bat-Signal in the distance, she looked at it, feeling it as a symbol of her will when suddenly an evil insane laugh shook her mind causing her to stumble. Luna looked up, seeing a hoof grab the wall, 4 syringes of filled with an orange liquid in it as something rose from it. It was a zebra, wearing the bag she saw earlier, draped looking like a scarecrow and the gaze of her eyes singeing the floor as she stood up in the middle of the world. Luna knew who this was. Zecora, The Scarecrow, creator of fear. "Poor little Luna. You're in my world now." She began to look around the whole map. Something in Luna's thoughts told her to avoid that gaze as she made her way across the way climbing up a wall before she hid behind a wall as Zecora's gaze came around. Luna looked into a mirror and in a brief flash she saw herself as Zecora, to which she shook her head. 'Just get to the Bat-Signal Luna.' She thought to herself before making it to a wall which she simply used her explosive gel which caught Zecora's attention. "What was that?"
She looked on the opposite side of where Luna was, the mare hiding behind cover before running to the new entrance she made as she looked where Luna was. Zecora went back to searching, causing Luna to hide behind a brick wall before jumping up and walk up some stairs, the Bat-Signal right in front of her. she then began to push on it tipping it down so it would shine right on Zecora, causing her to break apart and and everything to be enveloped in light to which Luna closed her eyes and opened them again, finding herself back in the morgue, with nothing but the tables, but no body bags on them. "Luna? Luna are you there? You dropped off the map there for a second."
"It's all right, just had a run in with Zecora." Batmare than walked out of the morgue, and went she walked down the hallway where Applejack's body supposedly was, was simply another guard but dead. "Thank goodness in one sense. Zecora's gas must've hit me harder than I thought."
Batmare than walked to the door in front of her but was stopped temporarily by three henchmares, one of them wielding knifes with a mask on. She managed to beat those two with ease and stunned the third one before punching her several times then throwing her into a wall, knocking her out. Batmare than walked to the door they were behind and walked into a small room as Trixie asked another Question. "Can Tiberius really cool this Hell. "
Batmare looked around and saw something interesting. It was a small stuffed possum that had a knife concealed in it when Batmare did a X-Ray scan of it with Detective mode. Batmare recognized it as Tiberius, Hell's stuffed possum she kept with her when she served out her mother's sentence in Santa Poncilla. She scanned it earning a startled shout from Trixie. "How are you solving these?" Batmare simply smirked as she looked through the window into the next room. Discord had his gun aimed at Applejack, alive and well, so Batmare was forced to improvise and make it in via a vent on the side taking her to the lower floor but showing three armed mares there. around a room with someone strung up in it based on what Batmare saw through her detective mode. She made it all the way around taking out one as Cell rose up from the ground looking around. "I think I made a wrong turn." The two remaining mares joined up and aimed their guns at him. "Is that Batmare? Kill AJ." Mane-iac said thinking Batmare got into the room.
"No sweetie it's that guy that was hiding in the Batmobile earlier."
"Oh. Kill him I guess." The mares were about to fire when Batmare knocked their heads together knocking them out than made her way up to Discord. Discord was looking out and saw all of the mares down while Cell waved at him. "That was fast." Before he could do anything else, Batmare crashed through the ceiling knocking him out. She then walked to Applejack, untying her which Applejack than sighed in relief. "You took your time."
"You all right?" Batmare asked.
"A'm fine. Just wondering about whatever surprise Mane-iac has down there for you." Applejack said looking at the room below.
"Hey spoiler alert, she hasn't seen that part of the movie yet!" Mane-iac yelled from a screen. Both mares made it down there and opened the doors letting fog out as someone could be heard breathing raggedly. It was an alicorn mare looking almost just like Batmare only she had on gleaming red armor that looked to big for her and looked almost skinnier then bones with a cutie mark of a blood red crescent moon. Batmare was shocked at seeing one of her oldest enemies like this, The Mare that Broke the Bat. "Hell..." Batmare said feeling sorry for her enemy looking so weak.
"Cut me down...please..." Hell said in pain as though she was dying with each word.
"Who did this to you?"
"El Diablo. Doctor Roseluck." Hell said with venom in her voice. "She pumped the Flame, the stupid handicap, into my system. Then drained it, left me like this to make..."
"Make what?" Batmare asked but was cut off as Mane-iac's face came up on a screen. "Sorry my scorched buddy, but I'll take care of the doctor. Try to make it though this next part. It'll hurt like Hell ." Mane-iac than laughed before taking out a trigger then pressing it. Red liquid flowed form the tubes attached to Hell to which Batmare looked at Applejack and Cell in a panic. "Get back now!" But she found they were already far back. "I'm allergic to dying!" Cell shouted.
Batmare then turned around as Hell screamed in pain as the Flame coursed through her system, but it was different this time. Her bones cracked as her body swelled with muscle and her irises turning a red color brighter then she remembered. Claws grew from her front hooves and grabbed onto some of the tubes tearing them off as she lumbered to the Dark Knight on her hind legs, her armor fitting in all it's spots as the same hulking beast she encountered a long Christmas ago. "I will fold you like paper, than the Payaso."
Hell charged at Batmare grabbing her and they both crashed into the boiler room. Batmare found her footing and faced Hell as she cracked her neck grinning. Batmare thought to her battle earlier with the deformed henchmen and threw a batarang at Hell as she charged but Hell stopped as it hit her face and she turned to Batmare with the batarang in her mouth before biting down on it breaking the gadget in two. Batmare thought about stunning her but used it three times causing it to do the trick to which she hit her a couple times and jumped onto her to tear off some of the tubes to which HEll grunted it pain but shook it off quickly. A few Henchmares jumped down to attack, but many of them were quickly taken out as Hell tore off a piece of a wall supporter and threw it at Batmare who easily dodged and kicked the last one down before stunning Hell again all though she swung at Batmare who slid under, pulling the tubes connected to her legs off forcing Hell back on all fours. As she punched the ground creating a shockwave, it sent Batmare flying back, taking out a few more henchmares unfortunately behind her. Batmare got up in time to throw a batarang at Hell who wasn't fast even to block it so she was completely disoriented allowing Batmare to jump onto her back and pull off the tubes connected to her head. Hell then began to foam at the mouth as she mindlessly swung due to the sudden withdrawal of the drug to her brain causing her to hit the supports burying her in rubble as Batmare escape making it back to the Island surface, greeted by the sights of Applejack, Alfreda and Cell. "You ok?" Applejack asked.
"I'm fine, we're getting you off the island." Batmare responded as she fiddled with her gauntlet summoning the Batmobile.
"I'm telling you A'll be fine. It's over." A rumbling sound was heard as Hell broke through the surface grabbing Batmare, the red of her eyes fading. "I WILL BREAK YOU BATMARE! AND THEN THE DIABLO!"
"No Hell, this time... I break you." Hell then turned around in time to see Caboose be ejected from the oncoming Batmobile saying only one word before being hit. "Mierda." The Batmobile rammed into her, sending her deep into the Goth'horn bay. Applejack looked shook but shook it off as a police boat came for her. "All right A'm going. What about those guys?" Applejack said pointing for Alfreda and Cell who waited for Caboose to come down.
"Their help could actually be good for me."
"Fine." Applejack simply responded as she got on the boat asking Batmare something else. "By the way, Hell called Dr Roseluck a Di-ableo. What does that mean?"
"It's Spanish for Devil." Batmare simply replied.
Bubbles near the Krank Co. Toy factory appeared near it's water as red claw rose up form the water. Hell pulled herself up to the floor near the entrance, tearing off the minor parts and some major parts of her storage tank, the pain agonizing for her but she walked it off as she walked into the building, surrounded by teddy bears, possums, rabbits, etc as she sat down exhausted.
"Ok. Ow." She simply said before taking something out. It was a picture of Roseluck, along with several things saying Inferno. "The freak can have you Roseluck." Hell said as she crumpled the picture. "The Inferno will be mine and Batmare's to destroy." Hell said as she fell asleep exhausted, knowing she was responsible for it's creation, so she'll be there for it's end. Hopefully.
Author's Note
For those who are confused, Mirrorverse Luna from the Reflections arch is Bane, or Hell in this case in this story. Hell's story doesn't end here, and will continue into the rest of the Arkhoof series.
