Prologue
"This is NOT a good sign," Spike, personal assistant of Twilight Sparkle, directed at his friends while in the Canterlot sculpture garden sometime after the defeat of a certain draconequus, having noticed that one of the statues was missing.
"You would be correct in saying so," Princess Celestia, who'd entered with her sister, Luna, in tow declared.
"It seems that due to a rare event amongst the stars, Discord was able to transfer his consciousness to another plane of existence where the Elements of Harmony had little power in, at least at that particular moment," the Equestrian guardian of the night sky declared.
"The disappearance of his stone prison can only mean that he's gained enough power to exist there in the PHYSICAL sense as well as the SPIRITUAL sense," Luna further confirmed.
"Please tell me that Discord isn't causing trouble in some other dimension or something," Fluttershy pleaded.
"I wish she could, sugar cube," Applejack remarked.
"Other dimension or not, I REFUSE to let that dreadfully repulsive troublemaker to cause mischief like he did before," Rarity declared.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, girls, but we don't have time to go to this alternate reality the same way that Discord did," Twilight sincerely stated.
"We've been thinking about that very thing, my faithful student, and I believe we have a solution," Celestia said by way of reply.
Producing a small vile, she declared, "This magical elixir was created ages ago, just in case those who worship disorder of our world were to attempt an escape to another: I've always hoped I'd never have to use it."
"So, the liquid in that bottle will take us to wherever Discord is?" Rainbow Dash inquired.
To this, the guardian of the day light replied with, "Not exactly: it will take you to the location of someone who will help you defeat Discord and whatever allies he may have gathered."
"This is so exciting! Are you excited? Because I've never been so excited in my life! Except when I'm preparing a big party, but I mean, who can top that?" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Don't get TOO excited, sugar cube. This world will probably a bit more dangerous then ours." Applejack chided.
"She's right, darling. I, for one, am feeling a bit nervous about what we'll encounter in this new world," Rarity deadpanned.
"It's okay, Rarity: I'm sure that as long as we stick together, we've got nothing to worry about," Twilight declared.
"I can think of some things to worry about, but it won't be Discord," Fluttershy replied.
"Is it okay if I go with you girls?" Spike inquired.
"I mean, you never know if you'll need to contact Princess Celestia or something," the dragon further explained
"That's actually not a bad idea: we might need some advice or tools from Equestria at some point." Twilight remarked.
"Very well: I shall allow the young dragon to go along with you, but be forewarned: the level of danger is not the ONLY thing that is different in this world," Celestia replied.
"We'll be sure to keep that in mind," Twilight insured. With that, the elixir was poured onto the ground, producing a portal.
"This is going to be so AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash declared as she and the others entered the dimensional doorway.
Author's Note
Okay, now to get a few things out of the way: this takes place somewhere between seasons 2 and 3 of "Friendship is Magic". However, I should probably mention that I've got a pretty good idea about how go about showing the "gameplay," most of which will be answered in the next chapter or two, so hold off on any questions on that front, at least for right now. Also, just to get this out of the way, this will NOT be a perfect play-by-play of the actual game, meaning I'm going to be leaving out some of the side missions and such. If that's going to be a problem, there's the door. Until next time, however, know that criminals aren't that hard to figure out…bonus points to anyone else who knows how the rest of this goes.
Chapter 1
The first thing the Mane 6 and Spike noticed upon exiting the portal was that they seemed to be underground: in some sort of cave, in fact, though most caves they knew of lacked the obvious renovations that were present.
The second was the fact that something seemed…off with whatever city they now occupied: it was almost as if there was an absence of hope in this place, which might explain how Discord found his way here. Before they could contemplate this any further, however, they noticed movement coming from the upper levels.
Taking a chance, they climbed the stairways, hoping that they could at least find out where they were. To their surprise, they saw what had to be one of the strangest creatures they'd ever seen: while they were familiar with the regal attire that seemed to be that of a humble servant, they couldn't fathom the possible explanation for why what they thought to be his mane seemed to be thinning out. Even more curious was the fact that he was walking around on his hind legs and carrying things around with the most bizarre front hooves they'd ever seen.
Steadying herself, Twilight decided to make their presence known. "Excuse me, sir?" she called out, only to wince as the figure nearly dropped the covered tray he was carrying.
"Oh, dear: I suppose my lack of sleep has caught up with me: I'm starting to hallucinate," the strange figure remarked
"If that's true, you're not the only one," declared a new voice.
Turning the Mane 6 saw ANOTHER two-legged creature walk into the "room", this time stronger built and in wearing what looked like the lower portion of body armor.
Giving them a look to rival Fluttershy's Stare, the second figure declared, "I've never seen creatures quite like you before in this city, but don't think for a second that I'll let you break into my headquarters and get to brag about it."
"Hold on a second, mister: we came here not knowing where we'd show up, so don't go acting like we're like the guy we followed to this world," ," the pegasus in question deadpanned, flying up to meet his face.
After a good five minutes of the two simply glaring at each other, the apparent trance was broken by the first figure going over to a computer council and pulling up what seemed to be similar to Princess Luna's dream projections.
"No man is an island, Bruce: you can't expect me to believe that Gotham's most eligible bachelor is spending another Christmas alone," a white-haired figure on the screen directed at someone who seemed to be the strong figure in front of them.
As the Mane 6, and Spike, realized that time was one of the MANY things that was different in this world, they saw the one they now knew as Bruce walk up to the screen, changing the image just as they heard his voice declare, "…you just ran out of time."
The new image showed what looked to be a press conference with two figures on stage. The first figure in a police uniform who was no doubt of high authority declared, "…knowing that tonight, we put to rest one of Gotham's most heinous and relentless killers - Julian Gregory Day."
Applejack couldn't help but notice Bruce beginning to frown as one of the press agents asked, "Commissioner Loeb - any comment on the rumor that it wasn't actually the cops who captured Mr. Day?"
Any questions as to why were answered when the other figure, one in a slightly less authoritative police officer declared, "There is no such thing as a 'bat man.'"
As they realized the second figure was revealed as Captain Gordon, something else caught their attention.
A radio-like device suddenly declared, "All units, all units, code ten at Blackgate Prison. Communication is down. Possible 2-11."
"Dispatch, 5-9. Confirm code 10 - is this a break out?" inquired a new voice.
"Suspect identified as Black Mask. Repeat: code 10 suspect is Black Mask; Commissioner Loeb is being held captive. Repeat: Commissioner Loeb is 701," the first voice stated.
"Strange, considering Sionis has remained silent until now," the grey haired figure known as Alfred remarked.
To this, Bruce declared, "I don't believe in coincidence, Alfred: whoever or whatever these creatures followed, Roman is likely tied to it."
Walking over to a panel on the floor, the Mane 6 were amazed to see an outfit that reminded them all of their Mare-Do-Well adventure. As soon as Bruce had suited up, he placed a stern look in their direction.
"You say that you're hear to help: it's time you prove it," he directed at them.
"Actually, I'm going to be staying with your friend, Alfred, if it's all the same to you," Spike remarked.
"Fine, though I never caught your names," the butler deadpanned.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and the dragon who'll be staying behind is Spike." the purple unicorn listed off.
"Charmed, I'm sure," Bruce said with wit, walking over to a large jet that was beginning take off sequence.
"Um, sorry, Bruce, but could you maybe let us hitch a ride?" Fluttershy inquired.
"Just don't expect in-flight snacks; oh, and by the way, when I'm dressed like this, the name is Batman," the man known as Bruce Wayne deadpanned.
"You do realize it is Christmas Eve, sir?" Alfred declared, seeming reluctant to let the man leave.
"Funny: it's still Spring-time back in Equestria," Applejack remarked.
"Worry about that later, darling," Rarity stated.
"Should we be wearing disguises, too?" Twilight inquired.
"No: we should be getting in the plane," Pinkie Pie remarked, winking at the apparent screen.
"Pinkie Pie, you are so random," Rainbow Dash declared with a sigh.
"Let's just get going," Batman deadpanned as he climbed into the cockpit, with the Mane 6 apparently sitting behind him somehow. With a loud roar from the engines, the Batwing flew off to Blackgate.
"Good luck, my little ponies," was Spike's only thought.
To be continued…
Author's Note
Before I get started, I'd like to clear up some of the possible issues. (Warning: possible spoilers) The first is the issue of fast travel: yes, I AM going to feature this, since I figured that, all things considered, the Mane 6 aren't that big, they could maybe ride in the Batwing without too many problems; as for the entering and exiting of said Bat-vehicle, while part of me was tempted to give the non-fliers wings or wing-suits, I decided "Hey, Twilight can teleport, I've seen Rarity levitate on occasion, Pinkie Pie is, well, Pinkie Pie, and I'm pretty sure Applejack could learn how to grapple with her lasso, assuming she doesn't already know how to do so: let's not overcomplicate things, alright?" The second is that this story takes place in a world where Equestria Girls DOES NOT HAPPEN, which means that: a) expect dialogue from the Main 6 regarding humans as strange beings, which is a bit justified, if you think about it, b) there will likely be commentary from the Gothamites about the presence of strange newcomers to the NEIGH-borhood, with plenty of admittedly awful puns to go along with it, and c) there will be NO instance of traversing species. The final thing to mention is that I will be trying to showcase as much of the game as possible, but there ARE some things that I'll be leaving out: for those of you who wanted to see these things, I just wanted to say "I'm sorry, but I couldn't find a way to make it work."
Third person POV
Sometime later, Batman landed outside the walls of Blackgate Prison, the Mane 6 nearby. Before anyone could do anything however, the Dark Knight declared, "This is where we'll part ways."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa: you're telling me that you show us to THIS," Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pointing at the burning building for emphasis, "and expect us NOT to help you?"
"Unless you want to be declared criminals on the spot, YES," was the Caped Crusader's immediate reply, before giving a sigh. "You came here to apprehend a criminal, correct?"
"That's what we told you earlier, yes," Twilight Sparkle deadpanned, to which Batman replied, "Then I'm the LAST person you want to be seen entering a police building with: I'm a vigilante, and the minute they see you hanging around with me, they'll already have a reason to not trust you."
"Hold on, Sugarcube: if that's true, why'd you bring us here in the first place?" Applejack demanded. What happened next? Well, see for yourself:
Pinkie Pie: "Because one of the few clean police officers in the city is on site right now and if we want to get any headway with our goal, he'll be the one we'll want to talk to. He doesn't WANT to leave us, as he already can tell we support his cause, but here cops can be bought, judges can be leveraged, and witnesses can go missing. He knows we come from a world different than that in so many ways, which is why he wants us to work INSIDE the law whenever possible, as well as keep an eye on the crooked cops that we'll no doubt encounter." (Squee)
Needless to say, Gotham City saw something it never saw before: Batman was speechless.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Rainbow Dash remarked, "Pinkie Pie: you are SO random."
"She is, but she's also not entirely wrong," the Dark Knight replied, "Which makes me wonder how she pieced all that together."
Pinkie's reply: "Just a hunch."
Fortunately for the multi-billionaire's sanity, Bruce Wayne knew when NOT to look into a mystery, master detective or not. With a sigh, he declared, "Never mind: just look for a man named Captain James Gordon: he's the best bet to tell you who to talk to in finding your foreign criminal WITHOUT having to resort to anything drastic."
Nodding, Twilight replied, "We'll help however we can from within those walls, but don't be afraid to have Alfred ask Spike contact us if you need us."
With a sigh, the Dark Knight simply turned to enter the prison. "Don't count on it; I didn't have the luxury of allies before tonight and probably won't have it afterwards: I won't delude myself by thinking I can have it now." Needless to say, Batman was gone before anyone could reply to that.
Sometime later…
Captain Gordon's POV
You know, if someone had told me before moving to Gotham that I would be setting up a temporary alliance with pastel horses…sorry, PONIES from another dimension to help them find a literally chaotic being while dragging a human crocodile to a holding cell while a vigilante did an admittedly better job at capturing criminals then the actual police, I might have put said someone into a straitjacket. However, I've lived in Gotham for some time and if I were to be completely honest with you, this doesn't even come CLOSE to our strangest day and I highly doubt that we'll ever see a "normal" one around here anytime soon. As such, I was currently escorting three of said ponies…Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, I believe it was…to help me interrogate one Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc while the other three keep a collective eye on the other cops and my daughter, Barbara, even though I'm not entirely sure which one needs to be watched more closely. (mentally sighs) I'm probably going to be seeing some grey hair after tonight…
Author's Note
I know what you're thinking: "Hey, wait a minute: how come you skipped over the fight?" Well, the answer to that is simple: it's not really necessary. We already know that the story officially starts when Killer Croc is defeated, and besides, some of the boss battles in the game *cough*Electrocutioner*cough* are barely worth a second look, so I personally don't see any reason to showcase EVERY SINGLE ONE of the multiple fights we see in the game.
While we're on that train of thought, however, I feel I should point something out: as you've probably already noticed, I've split the gang up a bit, so to speak. This was done for the single reason which is that I highly doubt that the Caped Crusader would need the Mane 6's help in ALL of his battles, and even then, he likely wouldn't need ALL of them helping him out; as such, if I DO have the cast of MLP present during one of the fights in the game, don't be too surprised if certain members of Equestria are absent of the fights that we see.
Oh, and to keep in the spirit of the Arkham series "first person perspective" playstyle, I'll now be switching between viewpoints every so often. If you have any other questions, though, feel free to give me a buzz.