Arkham Knight: Agent of Harmony

A short time later, the Elements of Harmony and Spike were on the train back to Ponyville, with The Arkham Knight following close behind them in his vehicle on the nearby highway. On the train, the six mares and one dragon were talking about the unexpected appearance of The Arkham Knight.

“So… did any of you know that the Knight was a gun-toting robot who drives A BUCKING TANK?” asked Rainbow Dash, looking between her friends, who all shook their heads.

“I thought he was supposed to come back on foot,” said Twilight “Shining said he was supposed to anyways.”

“Well he clearly isn’t doing that right now!” yelled Rainbow.

“Well, Ah know one thing’s fer certain. Long as that Arkham Knight feller’s around, there ain’t gonna be no thievin’ varmints coming around Sweet Apple Acres without gettin’ themselves reduced to a black spot on the ground,” said Applejack, who actually sounded kind of excited.

“What I’m more worried about is PONYVILLE getting reduced to a black spot on the ground,” said Rainbow.

“Rainbow, I understand your concerns. The Princess did say that he wasn’t from anywhere near Gaia, and that could possibly mean that he has evil intentions for our home,” said Twilight. “However, they’re willing to place their faith in him to protect our country from threats that even our Elements can’t stop. What the Knight does with that trust, however, rests entirely on his shoulders.”

Rainbow still looked a little unsure. However, she said nothing else.

Fluttershy then spoke up. “Um, girls? I’m not sure the Arkham Knight is a robot,” she said.

“That might be what he WANTS you to think.” Rainbow replied causing either eye rolls or face palms from her friends… with Twilight she got both.

“Rainbow aren’t you just being a little bit paranoid?” Twilight asked.

“Aren’t you just being a little too trusting? I mean the guy landed in the middle of NOWHERE.”

“That may be so, but even if he is a robot, he’s definitely not a pony, which could very well mean that he’s all alone here, the last of his kind, or perhaps the first.”

“Exactly! Who’s to say that that a whole militia of robots Tartarus-bent on destruction following right behind him, just waiting for the order to blast everypony to kingdom come?”

“Rainbow, will you at least just give the guy a chance? I promise, the minute I see a horde of robots blowing up Ponyville, I’ll admit I was wrong. Agreed?” said Twilight.

Rainbow groaned in defeat. “Fine… I’ll give him a chance,” she grumbled.

“Thank you,” said Twilight.

“I’VE GOT IT!” yelled Pinkie Pie, causing everyone on the train to jump, before turning to face the pink haired Earth Pony.

“Er… what do you got, exactly?” asked Spike, confused.

“I know what kind of cupcakes to serve at Arky’s ‘Welcome To Ponyville’ party! Oil cakes!” said Pinkie, a grin on her face.

“Pinkie, foal steps. They might not like parties where the Knight comes from,” said Applejack.

“Yeah! They could see it as a declaration of war!” said Rainbow, earning a glare from Twilight. “...what? Just spitballing here.”

…

As he continued to follow the train the Elements of Harmony and Spike were on in his Batmobile, which he was thinking about dubbing The Sword, The Arkham Knight began to realize that maybe the improvements White Cliff had made to his baby weren’t so God-awful after all… although, he still strongly disliked the fact that they’d swapped out the rubber bullets in his Riot Suppressor for live rounds. But, then again, maybe that change was for the better. After all, he’d end up killing ponies with this new job of his. But, The Arkham Knight couldn’t concern himself with that right now. There was something a different about this place than what he’d known and seen from the show… and it wasn’t just because the ponies here walked on two legs or had hands in addition to their “normal” pony parts.

So, Shining Armor was actually useful during Queen Chrysalis’ invasion, and the Changeling Queen even planted a bomb in case her plan went south… yep, that’s not how I remember that one going at all, thought the Knight as he swerved to avoid an oncoming car driven by a gray pegasus with a blonde mane and who appeared to be cross-eyed. I wonder what other changes I’ll find. King Sombra didn’t become a tyrant by himself? The Griffon Kingdom actually being a productive kingdom with a ruler like most fanfiction back home states and not an anarchy-ridden slum? Applejack’s parents still alive? Pinkie and Rainbow weren’t complete jackasses to Gilda when she came to visit?

On that last thought, The Arkham Knight’s hidden expression turned to one of disappointment, and perhaps one of anger. Oh, so help me God if I find out you two acted the way you did in Griffon The Brush-Off, I’ll blow you to bits with my cannon. Gilda must’ve been saving every bit she had for years in order to come up and visit… and you two had to go and make her stay as uncomfortable as possible… especially you, Pinkamena Diane Pie… thought the Knight as anger towards that pink pony surged through him.If my mythology knowledge is correct, griffons are carnivores, and bad things happen in their digestion should they eat fruit or vegetables… paying for that apple was probably the last thing on Gilda’s mind if she wanted to even EAT that apple.

As Arkham continued to drive alongside the train, he began to think of ways to make Pinkie and Rainbow realize what they’d done wrong and make amends to Gilda. One thing was for sure: those two were about to get a SERIOUS talking to.

…

As the train pulled into the station a few hours later, there were multiple different ponies standing on the platform, waiting either to board or waiting for their loved ones to get off so they could enter the metropolis that was Ponyville. Among them was an orange pegasus of around 15 or so with a purple mane and tail and small wings wearing a white t-shirt under a blue and gray jacket, blue jeans, and blue sneakers. This was Scootaloo, the surrogate little sister of Rainbow Dash and, by extension, her girlfriend. Rainbow was her hero and her inspiration to one day be as awesome and badass as the rainbow-maned pegasus herself was. And, she’d come along way towards achieving that dream with her dear friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle by her side. Scootaloo smiled. If she didn’t have the support from the friends she had, or had Rainbow Dash and her girlfriend as her big sisters, who knows where she might’ve been?

“Scoots! Ah think they’re almost here!” She heard her friend Apple Bloom shout. Scootaloo squealed in excitement as the train pulled up.

“Hey try and keep Dash here! I’m gonna go fetch her okay!” Scootaloo shouted and before Apple Bloom could respond Scoots was already off, leaving Apple Bloom, who was a butter yellow Earth Pony with a blood red mane and tail wearing a green t-shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots, to just sigh and shake her head as the train pulled into the station. Right behind her, however, she heard a loud motor in addition to ponies screaming something about a tank coming their way, and she could’ve sworn she heard someone scream that it was about to run her over, before hearing the dull thud of a body landing on the pavement.

Before she could go investigate, however, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie disembarked from the train. “Hey, everypony!” she called out to the Elements of Harmony.

“Hey, there, little sis! How’s it hangin?’” asked Applejack, giving her little sister a hug.

“Nothin’ much,” Apple Bloom replied before looking around. “So… where’s that there Arkham Knight feller who’s gonna be stayin’ with us?”

“Standing right behind you.”

Apple Bloom turned around and jumped about a foot in the air at the sight of The Arkham Knight. “AH! EVIL KILLER ROBOT!” she yelled.

The Arkham Knight frowned under his mask. “Okay, just because I look like this and sound like this does NOT automatically mean I’m a robot!” he said in frustration. “As it is, I’d like to have a little chat with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow gulped and looked at Pinkie, who was smiling as she looked back at her. “O-okay…” she said nervously, walking off to the side of the platform while their friends watched on in concern.

“So, whatcha wanna talk about, Arky?” asked Pinkie, grinning from ear to ear.

“First off, DON’T call me Arky,” growled Arkham with a hint of menace. “Secondly, I am highly disappoint-”

“There she is, Gilda! She’s talking to that robot!”

Rainbow and Pinkie turned around to find Scootaloo standing beside an athletic-looking griffoness with a tuft of white feathers drooping down from the top of her head like bangs and piercing yellow eagle’s eyes. She wore a dark gray t-shirt, a black leather jacket, black jeans with a crooked royal purple belt, and black leather boots. Arkham didn’t need the shout from Rainbow Dash to figure out who this was.

“Gilda!” with that shout Rainbow ran to her and hugged her…. and then the two passionately kissed and held it for a whole minute. Meanwhile Arkham just stared dumbfounded at the scene in front of him.

“Um... something wrong?” Pinkie asked him to which Arkham just shook his head back to normal.

“Er... no just… nevermind.”

“Oh. Okay, then! See ya later!” said Pinkie, before skipping off, singing to herself.

Twilight then spoke up. “Well, there’s no use standing around here! Let’s get going!” she said.

And with that, the whole group made their way off of the platform and went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up later that night for dinner. As the Knight, Applejack, and Apple Bloom made their way through the city in The Arkham Knight’s car, Arkham’s mind was racing.

Well, that makes it official. Between Gilda and Rainbow Dash’s romance, which obviously means they’ve literally kissed and made up, the size of Ponyville, and Shining Armor being far more useful during the Changeling Invasion, it’s pretty clear that this is a Bizzaro Equestria. An altered copy of the real deal. The good news is, I’m along for for the ride, and who knows where I’ll end up. The bad news is, I don’t know who’s good, who’s evil, or how and why. Eh, guess I’ll just have to wait and see, thought the Arkham Knight as Applejack, who was in the passenger seat next to Arkham, decided to take the initiative.

“So… Ah bet this is purty hard to adapt to, after spending almost all yer in… wherever yer from,” said Applejack.

“Well, it’s certainly not what I expected, I’ll say that much. So much is different from what I learned back home about this place.”

“An’... what exactly did ya learn about this place?”

“Well…” said Arkham, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment. “The town is bigger by a long shot and the Changeling Invasion played out differently than what I remembered. I haven’t really seen much of this world while I’ve been here, you know.”

“Uh-huh… Twilight said her brother saw you fall from the sky with this here tank of yers. Care to explain what that there’s all about?” asked Applejack.

“Well, it’s an... interesting story. You sure you wanna hear it?” asked Arkham, sounding unsure about telling his story.

Applejack smiled and nodded. “Sure, go right ahead,” she said.

The Arkham Knight didn’t know exactly what it was, but something about Applejack’s smile made him feel stronger, more confident. So, he pressed a button on the side of his mask, which slid up and revealed his face, taking both Apple sisters by surprise. Apple Bloom immediate launched into curious child mode.

“Whoa! What happened to yer face? Why’s yer muzzle all scrunched up? And where’s yer fur?” she asked Justin.

“Apple Bloom, Ah’m sure he’ll get to that point in sooner er later. Go on,” said Applejack.

“First off, you should probably know that ‘Arkham Knight,’ is not my actual name. It’s Justin. Justin Turner. I’m what’s called a human being, so that’s why my face looks like this,” explained Justin. “Anyways, it all started when I went to New York Comic Con dressed like this with my little brother…”

…

“So, let me get this straight. You think this Arkham Knight guy is secretly planning to lead a robot invasion with an army of robotic tanks, flying machines, and soldiers,” said Gilda, raising and eyebrow as she and Rainbow made their way towards their cloud home with Scootaloo lagging behind them.

“Oh, come on, Gilda! Twilight said he fell from the sky with that tank of his. If that’s not a sure sign of scouting for the mission, I don’t know what is,” said Rainbow.

“Whatever, Dash. You’re just jealous that there’s somepony here who might actually be cooler than you are,” said Gilda.

“Of course she is.”

Gilda, Rainbow, and Scootaloo turned around to see a teal pegasus mare with a golden mane and tail wearing a black jacket, a dark purple shirt, black jeans, and brown boots. There was something about this mare that sent shivers down Scootaloo’s spine.

“Lightning Dust? What are you doing here?” asked Rainbow Dash, recognizing her former Wonderbolts Academy Lead Pony.

“I moved here, genius,” said Lightning, her voice as cold as a gust of icy wind. “Just today, as a matter of fact. So, when I saw you, your girlfriend, and your sidekick walking by, I figured I’d say hello. I mean, we’re still friends, right? I mean, it’s not like you got me kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy, preventing me from carrying on my grandfather’s legacy, which was something I’ve dreamt about since I was a filly, and practically ruined my life, right?”

Rainbow frowned. “You’re still not sore about that are, you? That was your own damn fault, you know,” she said.

Lightning flinched at her words, before regaining her composure. “Of course not. Well, I must get going and start looking for a job. Nice to see you again, Dash,” said Lightning, before she turned on her heel and took to the skies, leaving a disturbed Rainbow, Gilda, and Scootaloo behind.

“What the buck was that all about?” asked Gilda.

Rainbow shook her head. “ I don’t know… but, we’d better get back home and get ready for dinner tonight.”

“Agreed,” said both Gilda and Scootaloo, before the trio continued on their way… unaware that Lightning was watching them from a nearby building.

That’s right, Dashie… go home. Live the life that should rightfully be mine! The life you stole from me! While you can, anyway… thought Lightning. I’ve got some new tricks up my sleeve, and after I’ve finished you off, I’ll use my brand-new Necromancy and Dark Magic skills to eliminate Shit-fire. By the end of the month, all the pain and suffering I’ve been through to get my new powers will finally be worth it… and I’ll finally know peace.

As these dark and sinister thoughts ran through Lightning Dust’s mind, her eyes turned dark purple and her irises turned lightning yellow as a sinister grin spread across her face...