The Dark Knight Triumphs

Bane, Tirek, and their comrades roamed throughout the grasslands to initiate their masterplan. After their recent alliance, Tirek looked upon Bane as a guide to their success. Although he was a human from another dimension, he appeared to be and displayed himself as a menacing force of nature that ought not to be trifled with. He was truly impressed with his knowledge and strength that nearly reflected his own. With him by his side, Tirek would definitely triumph.

“How far do you think Equestria is from here?” Bane asked.

“Considering how far we’ve gone so far, we should be no more than ten miles away from Equestria.” Tirek replied.

“Noted. We all know the first part of the plan: gaining sympathizers for our noble cause. I’ve heard of a man who broke Gotham many years ago and plunged it to chaos and anarchy. That tells me that truth reveals the secrets of the heart; thus, it will cause those souls to defect from corruption.” Bane said.

“Hey, uh, Bane? If I may ask, uh...what is this Gotham you’re talking about?” Clavicle asked.

“A city in my world...a city full of decadence and evil. I saw how it was beyond saving when I witnessed its sins. My former mentor showed me of its true nature. Does this Equestria have those same elements?” Bane replied before turning to Tirek.

Tirek grew slightly angry as he recalled everything that happened to him years ago. “Painfully true. Celestia and Luna are the most self-righteous rulers I’ve ever seen that rivals that of my weakling, pompous father.” he disdainfully replied, uttering the last word with deep contempt. “They hoard vital information, let their gullible subjects do their dirty work, deprive ponies of their true freedom, and keep all their magic for their selfish needs!”

Bane shook his head in disgust. “How unbearably despicable. Fear not, my friend Tirek, for we shall be the ultimate punishment they shall ever endure. Equestria and Gotham will be judged according to their works!” Bane declared. The henchmen shouted in joy and cheer.

“Which place do you recommend we go first?” Bane asked Tirek. Tirek thought about it until an evil smirk grew on his face.

“I have an idea...” Tirek said, stroking his beard.

IN GRIFFONSTONE

“Hey! Get off of me!!” a griffon snapped, pushing another griffon off of him. They both growled in anger.

“You took that gem away from me, you dolt! GIVE IT BACK!!” the first one demanded.

“NO! IT’S MINE!!” the second defied. They then tackled and ferociously fought while rolling towards a haystack.

Three other griffons were hissing at each other as they pumped at each other’s shoulders. They parted ways to their respective destinations. One of them went to her house with the same moody, bad temper that nearly all of them had. “(Groans) Those guys are just stupid. Who cares about how many bits they can have?! Literally no one does! Ahhh!!” she angrily yelled.

Several minutes later, an unusual knock on her door alerted her from her business. She looked back to see if what she had heard was correct. “Did I just hear a knock on my door?” she whispered.

She waited to hear another knock; after fifteen seconds of silence, she shrugged it off and resumed her duty. Suddenly, a second knock interrupted her time. “Ughhh, fine!! I’m coming!!” she groaned, flying to the door.

Once she opened it, Bane stood in front of her. “Greetings, young creature. I thought I could be of assistance.” he said.

The griffon stood speechless at the sight of a menacing-looking bipedal creature with a scary mask. She slightly trembled before his presence before she slowly regained her composure. “W-who are you?” she asked. Bane entered inside the house.

“The name is Bane, the reckoning of the world.” he answered, shutting the door behind him.

“Well, whatever you are, I don’t accept strangers in my house! What do you even want anyway?” she demanded, trying to keep her usual demeanor as much as possible.

“I couldn’t help but notice your troubling situation. You seemed to have a strong distaste for anything that greatly annoys you.” Bane said, getting close to her face. She instinctively backed away from him. “I can sense your hatred, your anger,...your pain.”

“Pain? I have no pain! I’m happy with the way I live! What are you even getting at?! Leave me alone!!” she snapped. Bane however remained unfazed by her hostility and still came close to her.

“Your hostile behavior speaks for itself, young one. I can even see it through your very eyes. You may try to lie to yourself about your true feelings, but you know in your soul that you...are in pain. Others have led you to this path, have they?” Bane asked, lifting her chin up.

She then started to feel scared as if the man was discovering her secrets. She thought back on two particular ponies she met in her life, one of them being her childhood friend, and how they treated her for her rude and bad behavior. “Yeah...they have. I had a friend named Rainbow Dash once; we were really good friends until that stupid pink pony ruined our relationship. Because she cared more about her friends than me, she...stopped being my friend.” she said, a tear falling from her eye.

Bane wrapped his arm around her shoulders with a sympathetic look. “There, there, child...the pain must be released, and you must let it out. Those ponies truly care for no one but themselves, do they?”

“Yep, they DO!! They will pay for humiliating me in front of everyone else, especially Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie!” she gritted her teeth. “I’m Gilda by the way.”

“Betrayal is the sharpest knife that divides souls and pierces the softest of hearts.” Bane lectured. “If you want to seek vengeance, consider joining...the revolution.”

Gilda thought of the offer for a moment. Joining a revolution against...ponies? She felt intrigued by the idea and enticed with the thought of getting revenge on Rainbow and Pinkie. Smirking, Gilda shook his hand. “Count me in, Bane.”

OUTSIDE CLOUDSDALE

A green pegasus flew over the clouds with lightning speed. She performed all sorts of stunts around and over the white clouds while keeping her speed. “Oh, yeah!! That’s what I’m talking about!” she cried out. She beheld the clouds then resembling her face and mane.

“Lightning Dust is back, baby! Better flyer and better everything than ever before!” Lightning bragged. She flew off to her home as she called it a day.

Before she could reach home, however, another pegasus flew in front of her. “Hey there, buddy! What to have a talk?” he asked.

“Sorry, I’m already worn out for the day. Talk later, dude.” she dismissed. But the male pegasus stopped her track again with more persistence.

“Wait, hold on! You’re Lightning Dust, right?” he asked, smiling.

“Yeah? I am.” Lighting said, raising her eyebrow.

“I’ve heard of your banishment from Wonderbolt Academy thanks to the efforts of Rainbow Dash. I’m guessing you have a grudge against her, right?” he asked.

Lightning cringed as she recalled that humiliating event. “Ughhh, don’t remind me...and yes, I do have a grudge against her. Why do you ask?”

“Because I have a plan to get you back inside the academy.” the stallion pegasus evilly smirked.

“Pfffff, like I ever want to get back to those worthless Wonderbolt losers again.” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “What makes you think I want to return to them? What can you really do to help me?”

“More than you know, Lightning Dust. To find out, follow me.” he said, then beckoning her to follow him. Lightning was confused at the strange direction given. Still, her interest and curiosity prevailed over her suspicion, prompting her to follow him.

The stallion’s eyes flashed green when she wasn’t looking. “This is going to be perfect...” he said, smirking wickedly.

AT SWEET APPLE ACRES

Two stallion twins walked together with bags of equipment and bits on their backs. They hid behind a large bush to avoid being spotted by the Apple family. They looked at what they had brought with them and then opened a map with an outlined plan.

“This will be quite an adventurous scheme, my good brother! One which neither of us will ever forget!” one of them with the mustache said.

“Right you are, Flam! With all the required bits and resources we have gathered, our resort will become a beautiful reality!” Flim agreed. “Now we just need to find the available transportation to Las Pegasus.”

As the FlimFlam brothers looked over their map, Clawbreak jumped out of the soil and landed in front of them. They looked surprised and terrified at the sight of the spider-crab hybrid. “Brother of mine, what is that?!” Flam shrieked.

“I have no clue at all, dear brother! Dear creature, please don’t hurt us! I assure you that we don’t taste good! Our pony flesh is as sour as a place without a resort!” Flim begged.

“Yes, and you won’t get a refund after eating us! Trust me!” Flam added.

Clawbreak groaned in annoyance while listening to their pleads for mercy. “Guys, I’m not going to eat you. I don’t eat ponies anyway; they all taste like junk food. Any who, would you consider joining my cause for a revolution?” he offered, unenthusiastically.

The FlimFlam brothers looked at him puzzled and looked at each other blinking with confusion. “Umm, a revolution you say? What’s in it for us?” Flim asked, raising his eyebrow.

“And a revolution against what or who exactly?” Flam also asked.

“Hmmm, perhaps getting rich with bits, ruling Equestria, yada, yada, yada, yada. You get it. Also, a revolution against its rulers and turn everypony into slaves and all that stuff. So what do you say?” Clawbreak said, trying to put on a smile. “I suck at negotiations. I’m better off poaching delicious animals, not doing any of this.” he lamented in thought.

They then brightened at the offer. “Ohh! Including owning a resort in Las Pegasus? Getting the Apple family out of business so we could own Sweet Apple Acres?” they excitedly asked with eyes beaming with eagerness.

“Uhhh, yeeeaah...that too.” Clawbreak said.

“EXCELLENT!! We accept your offer! Now, would you like to have a sample of our...” Flam said before they both brandished giant glowing shards of brass. “EXCLUSIVE BRASS SHARDS?!” they both simultaneously spoke.

Clawbreak again groaned angrily in annoyance.