Chapter 1-Beyond your Average Day
"...So, yeah." Batman said. "That's basically it. I've been the new Batman ever since, defending Neo-Gotham from whatever bad guy shows up that week. I could give you examples, if you want."
"I believe that will suffice." Celestia said. "However, there will be complications regarding the rest of the populace."
"How so?" Batman asked.
"They have a tendency to panic and overreact at times." Twilight said. "Mostly at the sight of anything strange or outlandish. It's a problem I'm trying to resolve."
"I see." Batman said, not entirely convinced judging by his voice. "So, what's the plan?"
"The plan is...we work with what we've got." said an old, yet experienced voice. The ponies looked around the room in curiosity and shock.
"Who was that?" Twilight asked.
"A Ghost?" Pinkie chimed in.
"No." the voice said again. "Kid, pull the radio out of the mask. There's a small switch on the left side. Hit it."
The ponies eyed Batman as he did so, setting a small device on the table. He flicked the switch, and the image of an elderly, yet still well-toned and built, appeared.
"When were you going to tell me the radio had a holo-projector?" Batman asked.
"I didn't think I'd need to." the man said. "My name is Bruce Wayne. I serve as his mentor, among other things."
"Are you a ghost?" Pinkie said, hopefully.
"No, though I appreciate the thought." Bruce replied. "What you are seeing is a holographic image of myself, projected through Batman's comms unit. Somehow, our two-way radio connection from my location in Neo-Gotham is still active. Meaning in simple terms, I can speak with Terry across dimensions."
"That's fascinating!" Twilight said. "Sorry, I get excited."
"It's fine." Bruce replied. "I've got a few ideas on how I can retrieve him, but for now Kid, go with the flow and keep your wits about you."
"You got it." Batman said. "So, what's the plan?"
"That, I leave to you." Bruce said. "Wayne out."
The hologram faded, and Batman replaced the comms unit in his mask. There was silence, until everyone heard the door open.
"Twilight? Are you home?" came the voice of three kids, from what Terry could tell. "It's time for our lessons, and you didn't answer the door."
"Drat! Girls, stay where you are!" Twilight said. "Sorry, I'll be right back!"
Twilight zipped out, and Batman eyed Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack, who had groaned loudly.
"I take it you know those voices?" he asked.
"Yeah, our sisters." Applejack said. "They've been hunting for their Cutie Marks, and they asked Twilight to help. They must've picked today."
"Well, that was a bad idea." Batman said, standing up. "They a problem?"
"Not really." Rainbow said. "Though they can get a little hare-brained when it comes to their ideas for getting their Cutie Marks, they're fine."
"Well, that's a…" Batman said. At that moment, the three fillies came into the room and stopped dead in their tracks. Twilight stood to the side, rubbing the back of their head.
First, they looked at Celestia, who raised an eyebrow.
Then they looked at the Elements, who were silent.
Finally, they looked at Batman, who gave a casual wave. The fillies slowly looked at each other, then at Batman.
Then came the screams. It wasn't long before Twilight had snared them in a magical bubble to keep them quiet. Batman stood up with a start, but he was eased back down by Celestia.
"I told you three not to leave that room!" she admonished. "And what did you do?"
"We left…" the fillies said, shaking. "We're sorry."
"Good, but I hope nopony heard that screaming…" Twilight said. Just as she spoke, the ground began to shake and roll with hoofsteps.
"They heard it." Rainbow said, groaning. "Brace yourselves."
Batman looked out the window to see a large crowd running towards the palace, some armed with pitchforks and torches.
"You might want to sit down." Applejack said, noticing their guest was preparing to leave. "This could get messy."
"You're telling me." Batman replied. As the crowd stopped and waited, Twilight headed outside with a groan.
"I presume you heard the screaming?" she asked.
The populace nodded.
"And I also presume you brought pitchforks and torches to destroy whatever made three innocent fillies scream in terror?" she asked again.
Again, the populace nodded as one. Twilight gave a groan before she spoke.
"You can rest assured, the whole thing is under control." Twilight said. "The fillies in question may have been startled by the appearance of one of my guests. They screamed, and that brings us to now."
Twilight paced a few moments, before she sighed.
"I'm going to bring him out so you can meet him." she said. "However, before any of that happens, please dispense with the pitchforks and torches."
Two piles of pitchforks and torches soon appeared. Twilight stuck her head into the door, and sighed.
"This is either the best...or the worst decision I've ever made as a Princess." she said. "Care to introduce yourself?"
"Why not?" said a male voice. Batman walked out, and stood in front of the awestruck crowd.
"So, uh...any questions? Raise your hand...hoof...whatever works." he groaned.
Hooves were raised and the informal question/answer session began.
"Are you going to eat us?" one mare cried. Twilight smacked her hoof into her face, and was prepared to answer, but Batman was quicker.
"No." he said. "I eat a great many things, but ponies are not one of them. Uh, next?"
"What's your name?" came a voice.
"Batman." he said. "Next?"
"Are you a superhero?" said a mint-green unicorn..
"Actually, yes." Batman said. "I am a superhero. No superpowers, though."
As Batman continued the informal Question/Answer session, back in Neo-Gotham, Max Gibson and Dana Tan arrived at Bruce Wayne's manor, both very confused.
"I'm glad you could make it." Bruce said, opening the door. "Come on in."
"Bruce Wayne, right? You're Terry's boss?" Dana asked.
"In more ways than one." Bruce said. "Whatever you see, don't touch."
Bruce opened the door to the Batcave, and led the two astounded teens down into the area. Both of their eyes widened.
"You're…" Dana gasped.
"Was." Bruce said. "Terry took up the mantle."
"Wait, what?" Dana asked. "Terry's Batman?"
"Yes." Max said. "I figured it out a while ago. But, why are we, Mr. Wayne?"
"Terry's been pulled into an alternate reality." Bruce said. "I need your help pulling him out. I've got the necessary materials, but as you can see, I'm not built for hard labor."
Dana rubbed her arm, and nodded.
"What can we do?" she asked.
"I need you to rebuild a translocator." Bruce said. "I've retrieved the wreckage of one from Commissioner Gordon. You two are putting it back into working order. I'll monitor Terry from here."
"Where do we start?" Max asked. Bruce motioned to a table, where the remains of a ring-shaped device, along with crates of tools and mechanical parts, stood still.
"There." Bruce said. "I'll check in on Terry."
"Can I speak to him?" Dana asked.
"Later." Bruce said. "Get to work."
As Max gave her friend a reassuring hand to Dana's shoulder, the two began their work
Author's Note
Update!
Next time-Terry and Dana speak, and Batman gets the tour of Ponyville.
Prologue-Translocator Troubles
Neo Gotham City
Wayne Manor
9:00 AM
Bruce Wayne wasn't always an early riser. He used to be, during his time as the original Batman. Now, he figured he'd watch the sunrise and read the news with his Guard Dog, Ace.
Except fate had other plans. Bruce turned to see his phone buzz with the ID saying "The Kid". Batman hit TALK, and spoke.
"Bruce Wayne." he said.
"Hey." said a familiar voice, the voice of Terry McGinnis, the new Batman. "I might be a little late to the event today. I've got a test I absolutely CANNOT miss."
"Don't sweat it." Bruce replied. "Keep your wits about you, kid."
"Thanks, man." Terry replied. "Over and out."
Bruce then noticed a letter among his mail. One he didn't recognize being there a moment ago. Bruce opened it, and began to read. A few moments later, he set the letter down, and sighed, calling Terry once more.
"Terry?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm coming to get you." Bruce said. "Meet me at your school's entrance ASAP."
"What's going on?" Terry asked as Bruce hit the END CALL button. Bruce clicked his fingers, and Ace followed him to the garage.
====
Terry McGinnis entered the testing room, and sat down, listening nonchalantly to the instructor. As he got out his stylus, he opened the test booklet, only to hear an announcement on the PA.
"Terry McGinnis, please report to the office immediately. Your test session has been postponed."
Several jealous stares were shot Terry's way as he shuffled out, before breathing a sigh of relief.
"Thank god." Terry sighed. "I forgot to study…"
Terry headed to the office, and to his surprise, Bruce Wayne was speaking with the Principal.
"I didn't know he had an appointment." The woman said.
"Turns out it was today, and we both forgot." Bruce said. "I'll make sure he takes the test when it's next available."
Before Terry knew it, he was sitting in Bruce's car, in the front seat.
"So, what's this about?" Terry asked. "What appointment?"
"Just an excuse I made up to get you out of there." Bruce said as he turned onto the freeway. "We've got a problem. Calvary's back."
"What's that?" Terry asked. Bruce sighed before looking at Terry.
"Cavalry is a corporation." he said as they took an exit off the highway.. "They specialize in classified weapons and skilled mercenary training. They're also responsible for several charges of extortion, human rights abuse, and theft of classified hardware. I dismantled them before I retired."
"So, what's the problem? Need me to take them out?" Terry said.
"No. Someone already did." Bruce said, pulling up a video. "Commissioner Gordon sent me this file via post."
Terry hit PLAY, and a warehouse appeared. A few moments passed, then a massive black shockwave tore through the building. It expanded, completely destroying the area and leaving a smoking crater behind.
"17 dead, no survivors." Bruce said. "Whoever did this is our next adversary. Luckily, the Commissioner gave me some tips. The cops believe the next target is at the harbor in one hour."
"So, go in and find out what happened?" Terry asked again.
"On that one, yes." Bruce said. "However, there's another problem. During the search, the police found the remains of a translocator."
"Weren't those things banned?" Terry asked. "Didn't they…"
"Cause unstable rifts and then massive explosions if used excessively or overloaded?" Bruce sighed. "Yes. That's why there were banned. But if someone's making them into bombs like the one you saw, we need to shut them down."
"Right." Terry said, grabbing his bag which contained the Beyond Batsuit. "What's the plan?"
"Observe and report." Bruce said. "But if you see the man behind this...you know what to do."
====
9:30 AM
Neo-Gotham Harbor
Terry McGinnis, now wearing the Beyond Batsuit, snuck through the darkened warehouse with ease using his cloaking tech.
"Be careful, kid." Bruce said over the Batsuit radio. "Cavalry agents are skilled in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship. Expect trouble."
"I already am." Terry replied. "There's no one here."
"Then keep looking."
Terry leaped behind a few crates, and activated his thermal vision. To his surprise, several heat signatures appeared below him.
"They're underground." Terry replied.
"I figured." Bruce replied. "Look for an entrance."
Terry poked his head around the corner, and leaped on top of a crate. To his surprise, the box caved in, revealing a hidden access hatch.
"Neat." Terry said as he implanted a Lock Decoder, which gave off a successful "Beep!". "Wonder what else they have here…"
"Most likely classified weaponry." Bruce cut in. "Get moving."
Terry headed down through the hatch, and entered a tunnel lined with fluorescent blue crystals.
"You seeing this?" Terry asked Bruce.
"I am." Bruce replied. As Terry continued, a pair of voices could be heard.
"The Translocator is not yet prepared…" said a distorted tone. "We cannot guarantee success."
"I care not." said a cold voice, almost like pure ice. "Check the perimeter."
"Yes, sir."
Terry hid behind a door as a man wearing assault gear, armed with a rifle, strolled past. Terry moved past him and into the main room, where he activated the camera in his mask.
"It seems Cavalry has been rather busy." Bruce said. "See what you can find."
"You got it."
Terry hid behind a few crates, and placed a microphone around the corner. Then, the soldier from earlier reappeared, and walked past.
"The weapons are in position." he said.
"Prepare to initiate." the cold voice said again. As the lights slowly came on, Terry saw several things at once.
One, crates of military weapons and ammo lay in a circle around the center of the room.
Two, a ring-shaped Translocator, covered in black metal or crystal, was in the center of the ring.
Finally, there was some kind of creature on the upper balcony. It was quadruped, and it wore armor of some kind. Now that the room was illuminated, Terry could see that each soldier had a glistening black crystal in their forehead.
"You seeing this?" He whispered.
"I am." Bruce said. "I've notified Commissioner Gordon, and units are inbound. Stop whatever they're doing."
Terry smiled, and leaped onto an upper railing near one of the light fixtures. As he prepared to throw a Batarang, his vision suddenly went white.
"Intruder!" one of the soldiers cried, his weapon's flashlight honed in on Batman.
"Dispose of it!" the being said. "Activate the Portal!"
As the Soldiers charged, Batman cracked his knuckles and lunged.
====
Terry axe-kicked a soldier in the side and followed with a set of punches, sending two of the soldiers flying. He leaped over a third and swept his legs out, before throwing a fourth into a crate of supplies.
The being watched the intruder with curiosity. From what he could tell, the interloper was a skilled fighter. Even more so was that he was more than a match for his thrall.
"Stop!" he cried, having made up his mind. The soldiers drew back, leaving a confused Batman in the center.
"I am impressed." the being said, levitating to the floor. "What are you known as?"
"I'm Batman." Terry replied. "You?"
"Sombra." he replied. "Deposed King of the Crystal Empire. And once this portal is operational, I will return home and finish what I started!"
"I'm not so sure I like the sound of that." Batman replied, taking a combat stance. "Shall we dance?"
"A pity." Sombra said. "I only know the two-step...Step one!"
Sombra fired a beam of dark magic at Batman, who dodged and hurled three explosive Batarangs. Sombra ensnared them with his magic, and sent them back.
"Step two." he replied. To his amusement, Batman dodged again and lunged towards Sombra's midsection, aiming for a knockout blow.
Only Sombra summoned a sword of dark crystal and aimed to decapitate his foe. Terry dodged in time, the sword cutting the air he previously occupied.
"I felt some breeze on that one." Terry spat.
"Your skills are remarkable." Sombra replied. "But, I have wasted too much time with you. Begin the activation sequence!"
As Batman stood aghast, the translocator fired up, and promptly exploded in a vortex of black energy. As Sombra cackled and leaped into it, Batman growled.
"I'm going in!" Terry said over the radio.
"Watch your back!" was the last thing Bruce could say as Terry McGinnis leaped into the portal, before the camera view went white.
====
Twilight Sparkle groaned and opened her eyes. Then she promptly began to panic. The last thing she remembered was being in her Castle's throne room with her friends.
Now, she was tied up and inside a cave, her friends all in the same predicament. She could feel an inhibitor on her horn, and her wings were tied securely.
"Twilight?" Rainbow said. "What happened?"
"No clue." Twilight said, struggling.
"Enough! No talking!" said a Diamond Dog, who came into view. This particular one wore ornate black armor, and he carried a sword.
"Release us immediately!" Twilight ordered. "You can't keep us here!"
"On the contrary, we can, little ponies!" the Diamond Dog laughed. "You stay, we go."
As the Diamond Dog walked out, Twilight rolled over and over until she was near her friends.
"What's going to happen?" Fluttershy whimpered.
"I don't know, but I'll think of something!" Twilight replied. "Just stay calm!"
====
Terry McGinnis stood up and surveyed the area. He was atop some kind of quarry or mineshaft entrance, in a forested area that looked recently bulldozed.
"Bruce, you read me?" he asked.
"I read you, kid. Somehow." Bruce replied. "Recon the area, see what you can find."
"Roger that." Terry replied, leaping into the quarry. "I'll check it out."
As Terry dodged and rolled into the mineshaft, he activated his Batsuit's cloaking device, and he turned invisible. Then, he saw several canid, hunched over beings walk past, with weapons.
"You seeing this, old man?" Terry asked.
"I do." Bruce replied. "I don't you where you are kid, but be careful."
"You got it." Terry said. As he leaped from cover to cover, he caught the conversations coming from the beings.
"Those ponies didn't even see it coming!" one laughed.
"Yep, took the floor right out from under them!" another added. "The boss wants them intact and unharmed. Why they're in the atrium, I dont know."
"As long as the pay is well, I don't care!" the leader said. "We'll be rich as lords!"
Terry growled and snuck past them, heading down into the dark mineshaft.
=====
Terry walked along the corridor, his Night Vision giving him a clear picture of the hallway. He occasionally dodged or cloaked to avoid detection, until he arrived in a large cavern full of crates and piles of gold.
And six multicolored beings were tied up in the middle of the stockpile, guarded by more of the canid beings.
"What's the plan?" Terry asked.
"Move in and shut this down." Bruce said. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"You're telling me." Terry said, preparing a flashbang Batarang. "Let's dance."
As Terry hurled the Batarang and leaped into view, the grenade detonated, blinding everyone there and leaving them open to attack.
====
As the vision of Twilight and her friends went white and their ears shrieked, they screamed and writhed against their bonds.
"What was that?" Applejack screeched. "I can't see!"
As their vision cleared and their hearing returned to normal, they gasped. A bipedal being wearing black, with a red crest on his chest, was brawling with the diamond dogs who kidnapped them.
And in all respects, beating the ever-living daylights out of them. The being dodged and weaved artfully, landing punches and kicks without fail. One tried to tackle him, but the being tapped something on his belt. There was a flash of electricity, and the Diamond Dog fell.
"Die!" the leader cried, throwing a sword. The criminal expected it to kill the being. He didn't expect the being to catch it and throw it to the side.
"Nah, I don't think so." the being said in fluent Equish. "I'm still going to kick your ass, though."
As the leader drew back, he pulled a whistle out of his pocket and blew hard. Then, more of them appeared, with weapons ready.
"Really?" the being asked. "What a rip-off."
As the Diamond Dogs charged, the being hurled something towards them. Though the ponies and the Diamond Dogs didn't know it, it was a electrically-charged Batarang.
Which promptly electrocuted the attackers, leaving them on the ground and out cold.
"And...problem solved." the being said. As he approached Twilight and her friends, Twilight gasped and drew back.
"It's okay." the being said, taking out some kind of razor-edged blade shaped with wings. "Let's get you out of this mess."
Before the Elements could react, their bonds were cut with a precise throw. As the being dusted his hands off, the Elements stood up, Twilight pulling off the Inhibitor.
"You all okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, but who are you?" Twilight asked.
"I'm Batman." the being said. "You?"
"Twilight Sparkle." the purple said. "My friends. Thank you for saving…"
Then, there was a deep rumble and rocks started to fall.
"...us." Twilight stammered. "We need to leave!"
"Don't tell me twice!" Batman said. "This way leads out!"
As the six ponies followed Batman towards the exit, rocks started to fall with greater frequency.
"This whole place is coming down!' Rainbow cried.
"We need to move!" Batman replied. "Get ready!"
As the exited the shaft and entered the main atrium, Twilight could see the exit area, which was promptly filling with rocks.
"Get climbing!" Batman said.
"What about you?" Twilight retorted. Batman then began to hover, flames coming out of his feet, keeping him airborne.
"I'll be fine." he said. "Go!"
As Twilight and two other ponies with wings took flight, the ones without began to free-climb as best they could. Batman dodged and weaved occasionally knocking debris out of their way.
"Watch it!" Pinkie said as Applejack started to lose her grip. Then, the rock fragmented, and Applejack began to fall.
"Applejack!" Twilight cried. Before she could snare her with magic, Batman soared over and caught her.
"Gotcha!" he said. "Hang on!"
As Batman landed at the top and the remaining Ponies exited, the shaft finally collapsed. With a sigh of relief, the ponies collapsed.
"You alright?" Batman asked, shrugging.
"We're fine." Twilight said. "Thank you for saving us, and Applejack."
"No problem." Batman replied. Then, he felt something sharp press against his back. Twilight then saw Spike, accompanied by Celestia and a platoon of Guards, approach with weapons ready.
"Wait!" Twilight cried, noticing the Guards advancing on Batman. "It saved us!"
"It's true!" Applejack said. "I swear it!"
The Guards looked at each other, Batman slowly turning around and preparing for a fight.
"Princess, what do we do?" the Solar Guards asked. Celestia came forward, and eyed the being with an aura of distrust.
"What is your name?" she asked. .
"I'm Batman." he replied. "I was just passing through, saw they needed help."
"I find that curious." Celestia replied. "I can tell you are not from Equestria, Mr. Batman."
"Just Batman." he replied. "And yes, I'm not from this world."
That surprised Celestia, which was a rare occurrence.
"Then where are you from?" she asked.
"Planet Earth, Neo-Gotham City." he replied. "Long story."
"Then I want to hear it." Celestia said. "If you'll come with me, I can assure your presence will be kept secret."
"Fine." Batman replied. "Lead the way."
====
As they approached the town, Batman looked around at the lack of population.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
"We ordered everypony inside due to the kidnapping of the Elements." Celestia said. "Merely precaution."
"That's not what I'm concerned about." Batman said. "What happens if I get seen?"
"We'll deal with it." Twilight said as they entered a Crystal Tree, and sat down in a living room. As they made themselves comfortable, Batman then heard a voice in his ear. He moved to an adjacent room to listen.
"You know, Kid, that could've gone south very easily." Bruce Wayne said, with an amused tone in his voice.
"How am I getting back home?" Terry asked.
"I'll work on that." Bruce replied. "I have a few ideas, though. In the meantime, play along and keep your identity secret."
"Roger that." Terry said. "Batman out."
As he reentered the room, Twilight and her friends waited as he sat down.
"So, shall we start from the beginning?" Twilight asked.
"Why not?" Terry replied. "I was your average guy, until the day everything changed…"
Author's Note
Next time-Batman Beyond's origin story and his introduction to Ponyville proper. It goes as well as you'd think. And Sombra plans his next move...
