"When I first came to this city, I was asked about what I believe in." Spoke a tall, bipedal abyssinian in a tuxedo. "Do I believe in hard work? Individual achievements? The harmony this country is based on? Mostly, I did. And those beliefs helped me get where I am today. But now I ask you, citizens of Manehattan, what do you believe in? Do you believe in Equestria? Do you believe in the immortal sisters? Do you believe in the masked vigilantes cleaning up our streets?" He waited for a few moments before continuing. "Well, I'll tell you what I believe in now. I believe in Hoofy Dent!"

The crowd erupted into a fit of applause and cheers as the reflectors behind the abyssinian lit up and a creamy white pegasus stallion with a black mane, wearing a black suit flew down from the skylight elegantly and landed next to him. He waved to the crowd and flashed a toothy smile before turning to the abyssinian and shook his paw.

"Thank you, Mr. Dapperpaws! Fillies and gentlecolts, I was never big on speeches so I shall be brief. In the past few years, Manehattan has been a hotbed for crime, corruption and organised crime. And things have only gotten worse ever since these costumed maniacs have shown up. My goal is to create a Manehattan where the law and order are enforced by legitimate authorities and the officials are answering to elected superiors instead of mob bosses. My goal is to become the mayor this city always deserved!"

His speech was followed by a tremendous applause from the crowd that lasted for almost a minute. The cat then raised his arms to silence them so Dent could continue.

"Tonight, we are not here just to enjoy the free drinks provided by yours truly," He joked, making the crowd chuckle. "We are also here to spread the word to all of Manehattan. The word about the future that is knocking on our doorstep. The future of Manehattan's new mayor. The mayor of a clean and safe Manehattan. So please, enjoy this banquet in the Iceberg Lounge tonight! And why not try the fruit salad."

The crowd applauded once again before disbanding and returning to their previous activities around the club. The lights came back up and soft music began to play as life returned to the Lounge. Dent and Capper waited until everypony in the group turned away before finally leaving the podium.

"Capper, I would once again like to thank you for this evening." Hoofy said before clinking his glass of drink with the abyssinian.

"No need, Mr. Mayor. After all, aiding your campaign is in the best interest for both of us. We need a mayor to rid us of the threat of these so called super criminals. Not just for the safety of my fellow citizens, but because they're incredibly bad for my business. And when the city's most successful and dedicated businessperson is on your side, your chances are good." Hoofy nodded.

"True enough." He then looked at a group of Capper's employees who were carrying several glass cabinets containing very expensive looking artifacts and pieces of jewellery. "I don't mean to sound insatiable, but when is the auction starting? After all, this is supposed to be a fundraiser as well and my campaign desperately needs as much money as I can get."

"Patience, my friend." Capper reassured him, patting his shoulder. "After all, some of the most prestigious ponies I've invited are still yet to show up."

Twilight Sparkle was not in a good mood tonight. And as her taxi carriage rolled into the road leading towards the front entrance of the Iceberg Lounge, her sour mood only worsened. What was she doing here? She didn't even want to be here in the first place but Spike insisted she went out a little. And to be honest, she was kind of interested in seeing this new mayoral candidate for herself.

Hoofy Dent was somepony that Manehattan was in very short supply of. An honest official. Back when he was the district attorney, he actually put away many of the big time criminals the Batmare caught. Costumed loons and mobsters alike. She actually started believing that he could do some genuine good for this city. Hoofy Dent could bring some much needed hope for this city.

Still, there were several things troubling her about him. One of them was his close association with Capper Dapperpaws, better known in the underworld of Manehattan as the Penguin. Ever since the Candy Colt took out the biggest mob bosses in the city last Nightmare Night, the entire organised criminal underground came under his paw. While he was useful as an informant to the Bat, he still launched and ran several enterprises that made Twilight's blood boil. Still, he was a necessary evil and his Intel helped her several times in the past.

The second was Dent's very unsupportive approach of the Batmare. One of the main selling points of his campaign was building a Manehattan that doesn't need Batmare. As he put it, the vigilante won't always be there to protect the city and they needed to be ready when that time came. That concept was Spike's dream come true. If he was old enough, Twilight just knew Dent had the vote of her dragon assistant. But would he have hers as well? Twilight has grown so much into her Batmare persona that she wasn't sure she could live without it. And honestly, that thought frightened her more than anything she's seen during her time as a costumed crimefighter. Including the Changeling invasion.

"Miss Sparkle! We have arrived!" The cab driver called to her from the front, snapping her out of her thoughts. Twilight sheepishly apologised before paying for the ride and getting out of the carriage. It was strange to see the Iceberg Lounge from the front like that. Every time she came here in the past, she enetered through one of the windows or the backdoor, but this time, she wasn't here as the Batmare. She was here as Twilight Sparkle, wealthy owner of the city's biggest library and slowly expanding bookshop network. She wasn't here to beat up criminals for information, she was here to socialise. And she hated socialising.

With a heavy sigh, she made her way inside the building. The event was much more grandiose than she expected. Capper really wanted to put as much emphasis on the importance of this campaign as he could. Rather than the loud, obnoxious sounds of roulette tables and gambling machines that usually filled this place, a soft orchestra music played and elegant ponies were talking amongst themselves while sipping fancy drinks and the center of the room which a poker table usually occupied was now a buffet table with the most exquisite delicacies one can imagine. The event was a true gala.

"Well, look who it is!" Twilight turned to see none other than the host and his supported candidate approaching her. "This truly is a special night, Hoofy!" The abyssinian boasted. "We managed to lure out the city's most reclusive mare!" He purred in delight as he walked up to Twilight and shook her hoof. "Nice to see you finally getting out of your shell, Miss Sparkle. I believe she requires no introduction." Twilight waved her hoof dismissively.

"Don't exaggerate, Capper. I'm not that well known in the city."

"Perhaps not." Capper nodded before turning to Hoofy. "But our future mayor was the one in charge of the prosecution during the trial of your groom's murderer. He knows you and your story quite well." Twilight finally turned to face the pegasus for the first time. He gave her a friendly smile with a hint of sympathy and unease. It was clear he didn't like Capper talking about that shocking case so casually with Twilight being present.

"A pleasure to finally meet you under better circumstances, Miss Sparkle." He said, shaking her hoof as well. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get High Culture the justice he deserved during that trial." Twilight looked down sadly. No matter how much time passed, the death of the stallion she loved was still a sore subject.

"It's alright, Mr. Dent. I'm sure you did everything you could. Besides, the scum that took him from me got his comeuppance later. Is he still in prison?" Hoofy nodded.

"And that isn't likely to change until he stops breathing. I made sure of that." He added before his pleased expression turned sour. "That said, I am not happy that we needed help from an illegal vigilante to keep him there." Twilight tried to keep the satisfaction from showing on her face. Every time the Batmare's achievements were discussed, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, but she couldn't show that and risk drawing suspicion.

"You do not seem to be fond of her, Mr. Dent. Many ponies see her as a hero."

"Make no mistake." Hoofy continued, trying to sound neutral. "I appreciate the things she has done for the city, but like I always say, we need to get ready for the time when she's no longer here to protect us. Besides, in my eyes, the Batmare is a symbol of how low this city has fallen. The fact that somepony would resort to such outlandish means to clean up the streets speaks volumes of our law enforcement." Before Twilight could answer, Capper patted the pegasus on the shoulder and spoke.

"Not to mention the similarly troublesome costumed super criminals that followed in her hoofsteps. But fortunately, with Hoofy as our new mayor, it's only a matter of time before we no longer need the Batmare." Twilight gave the abyssinian an unamused glare.

"You seem awfully confident in his chances for this election, Capper."

"I am awfully confident." Capper replied with a shrug. "What Hoofy is promising, there isn't a single pony in Manehattan who wouldn't want it. Most of all a city safe from those maniacs." Twilight's displeasure turned to slight anger.

"That sounds like a cruelly opportunistic approach to me." Capper shrugged once more.

"An election campaign is not unlike a game of poker, Miss Sparkle." He mused. "You just need to know how to play your cards right."

"And having a few hidden aces in the hole probably also helps." Twilight retorted. Capper's mouth curled up into a half smile as he whispered "Clever girl", but it was still loud enough for Twilight to hear it. Hoofy noticed the tense atmosphere between the two, but before he could address it, Capper noticed another pony approaching them.

"Oh, where did I put my manners? I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle but as a host, I must tend to other guests as well. And Mr. Mayor's votes won't be collecting themselves, you know. It's been a pleasure. Enjoy the banquet. Try the fruit salad." He uttered quickly with obvious disinterest as he dragged Hoofy away. The mayoral candidate gave Twilight an apologetic smile before following Capper, leaving the purple mare alone in the crowd.

Twilight looked around but she couldn't bring herself to care about the group of fancy ponies chatting to each other around her and if their unnoticement of her was any indication, the feeling was mutual. Eventually, Twilight's gaze fell upon a bunch of glass cabinets at the end of the room containing several priceless pieces of jewellry and artifacts. Being the studious mare she was, they instantly piqued her interest and she made her way over to them.

The collection was quite exquisite to say the least. Statues, necklaces and even a few ancient weapons like a dagger decorated with gems. She was glad Spike wasn't here, otherwise, a few of these items might fall victim to his appetite. Twilight could have sworn she's seen a few of these items in museums around the city before. She wondered how many of them ended up here as a result of criminal activity.

One piece in particular really caught her attention. It was an enormous green emerald with a black slit engraved in its centre. The longer Twilight stared at it, the more she got the feeling that an enormous, green eyed cat was looking back at her. She was so fascinated by it that she didn't even notice that she had company.

"A purrfect piece, isn't it?" Twilight looked up, but whatever reply she was about to give never made it past her lips. She became completely speechless as she laid her eyes on the most stunningly beautiful mare she had ever seen. She was an earth pony with a light pink coat and a purple mane and tail. It was rare for words to fail Twilight, but this was one such time and eventually, the mare in front of her noticed this too.

"What's wrong, dear? Cat got your tongue?" She chuckled, making Twilight finally snap out of her stupor and rub the back of her head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I was just distracted by your beauty." She mumbled before her eyes widened as she realised what she had just said. "I mean ITS... its beauty. As in the emerald's... Yeah, that's right!" Twilight smiled, satisfied with herself for being able to save the awkward situation from getting worse. The mare either didn't notice her slip of tongue or didn't care as she just focused her attention towards the jewel on display.

"It is indeed." She said as she walked up next to Twilight. "Forged by the very best jewelers of ancient Neighgypt for their Pharaoh's wife. They worshiped cats as sacred animals, you know. Especially black ones, they were considered good luck, in contrary with today's superstitions."

Twilight was well aware of that fact. She knew everything about the history of every ancient culture in the world that there was to know. But her attention was still focused on the mare rather than the jewel, though this time it was less because of her beauty and more because she looked really familiar. And finally, it clicked.

"I'm surprised that a mare of your field would know so much about relics like this, Miss Polomare." She replied, trying to sound confident and suave. Apparently, it worked because the mare turned to her with a pleased smile.

"Always a pleasure to get the recognition I earned in public." She mused. "But please just call me Suri. And between the two of us, designing is more of a hobby. My main field of interest is priceless artifacts such as this."

"Is that so?" Twilight smiled curiously. "Perhaps you are planning on making a bid on it in Capper's auction?"

"As much as I wish I could, I could hardly hope to outbid these rich folks." Suri replied with a sigh. "If a mare of my standing wants something like this, they only have two options. Have somepony wealthier buy it for them or steal it." Twilight's smile faded. There was something oddly ominous about the way she said that. Eventually, Suri looked back at her from the emerald. "Well, so long, Miss Sparkle. I hope to be seeing you around again sometime." She said sultrily before leaving.

Twilight was about to follow her, but her attention was drawn away from the mysterious mare when she heard Capper's voice from a loudspeaker. "Fillies and gentlecolts, the highlight of the evening is about to begin! Please gather around for Hoofy Dent's campaign fundraiser!" When Twilight turned back, Suri was nowhere to be seen. She looked around in an attempt to spot her but to no avail.

She shook her head, trying to forget about her as she turned to follow the other ponies to the auction. She had no idea why she was so fixated on this mare. She was never interested in mares in the first place. She had a groom for crying out loud. Well, that may not have been entirely true. Back when she was Princess Celestia's student, she used to fantasise about her more than one time. But that didn't count! Everypony had fantasies about her regardless of gender. Was there anypony else?

She never got far with that train of thought as the auction began. First was the gem decorated dagger that she saw earlier. It went to a middle aged unicorn stallion with a mustache and a monocle, wearing a tuxedo. Next was a painting depicting the recent reunion between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Two elegant twin mares bought it. Twilight almost smiled at how fitting that was. Jewels and artifacts came and went and by the time the action came to the last piece, over fifty thousand bits had been collected for Dent's campaign.

"And now, fillies and gentlecolts, we have arrived to the final piece. A piece that might just be worth more than all the money we've collected so far tonight, if I may say so myself. Feast your eyes and marvel at the one and only Eye of the Black Cat."

Two stallions carried the glass cabinet containing the priceless jewel up on the stage and set it down for the crowd to gawk at it. However, before Capper could even name a starting price, the entire room was plunged into darkness. Twilight heard everypony around her gasp and begin to panic as they tried to figure out what was going on. Twilight was just as surprised as them, but she had a hidden advantage.

Twilight was wearing contact lenses that had night vision built into them. Spike would have called her paranoid, but these lenses have pulled her out of more than one tight spot in the past. She switched to night vision just in time to see a slim figure moving towards the glass cabinet with the grace and the dexterity of a cat. The figure knocked out the two stallions who carried the cabinet before removing the jewel from inside and bolting towards the exit.

By the time the lights came back, the thief was already gone and unnoticed by the crowd, so was Twilight Sparkle. With her lenses, she was able to track the thief easily and was on their tail before the guests in the room even realised what was happening. She removed her navy blue dress to reveal a dark grey outfit with a yellow utility belt underneath it. She pulled out four black shoes and put them onto her hooves in a swift motion. She then pulled out a black mask and pulled it over her head before attaching her dress to the back of the mask, turning it into a blue cape. The time for socialising was over. It was time for the Batmare to take flight.

The door leading to the rooftop was kicked open by a mare wearing a black leather suit and a very specific mask in the shape of a cat's head. There wasn't any security patrolling on the roof, but even if there were, they wouldn't have been able to do anything as the thief dashed towards the end of the roof with great speed and leapt off before pulling out an extremely long and sharp whip and threw it forward. The whip wrapped around a gargoyle on the side of the opposing building and the thief swung over to its roof, landing after an elegant backflip.

Once she was safely away from the scene of her latest crime, she pulled out the jewel she just stole from under the Penguin's nose, examining it with glee. One of the most beautiful cat themed pieces of jewellry falling into the hooves of the world's best cat burglar. She had to smile at how fitting that was. Her smile only widened when she remembered how easily she snatched it from the middle of the auction. Those poor idiots were probably still wondering what just happened. Oh, well. With Capper's guest and security being so clueless, at least there was nopony to stop her.

"Haven't your parents taught you you're not supposed to take things that don't belong to you?" The cat burglar was caught so off guard by the voice that she almost threw the jewel in surprise. She turned to see none other than the Batmare standing on the top of a water tower nearby, staring down at her like a predator at its prey. When she realised who she was dealing with, she quickly regained her composure and actually smiled.

"Figured our paths would cross. Sooner or later." She mused as she hid the jewel inside her suit.

"You're gonna wish they hadn't crossed at all." Batmare growled as she jumped off the tower in front of her. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way." She said, cracking her hooves. The cat burglar's smirk didn't fade.

"We could do it the easy way, but where's the fun in that?" She replied and before Batmare could do anything, she threw a pair of bolas at the Dark Knight. If it weren't for her unparalleled reflexes, she wouldn't have been able to avoid them. She ducked, jumped forward and threw two batarangs at the fleeing thief, but she turned around with equal swiftness and used her whip to knock them away before they hit her.

The cat burglar headed towards the edge of the roof and jumped off. It became clear to Batmare that she wanted to escape and not to fight. Works for her. No criminal ever escaped the Batmare before. She only hoped that this one wouldn't run into some chemical waste that ended up turning her into another supervillain.

Once she reached the roof's edge, she looked down and saw the Cat making her way down towards an alleyway on a fire escape. She then jumped off herself and spread her cape, gliding to the ground and landing just in time before the Cat also got down and spun around to take hold of her. But the Cat got a hold of her hoof and pulled her close to her, making her lose her balance and accidentally tackle the burglar, landing on top of her with her muzzle pressed against hers.

The two costumed fighters stood muzzle to muzzle against each other for several seconds. Twilight didn't know why, but she just couldn't find it in herself to move. This mare had a strange effect on her that she just couldn't describe. She hasn’t felt this way since she first got intimate with her late groom. And the effect seemed to be mutual as the thief was also awestruck in her current situation as she stared into the vigilante's eyes through her lens. She snapped out of it soon however as she smiled softly.

"Well, this is turning out to be a far more pleasant encounter than I imagined." She purred softly. "Unfortunately, this is where I have to end it." Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as she heard the sound of her grappling gun being fired. She looked down at her utility belt to see that it was no longer there, but in the cat burglar's hoof and she had aimed it upwards, towards the monorail track over them. Before she could do anything, Twilight felt a pair of legs kicking her in the stomach and pushing her off of the Cat before she grappled herself up to the monorail, right on top of a passing train.

Twilight wasn't out of the fight just yet though. She pulled out a batarang attached to the same cable she used for her grappling gun and spun it around like a lasso before throwing it at the train. She managed to tie it around the last passing cart just before the train passed over her and pulled herself up on the cable in pursuit of the Cat.

When she got up, the thief was once again marveling at her ill gained acquisition with her back turned to the vigilante. Twilight tried to take advantage of it by throwing the batarang at her and wrapping her up in the cable attached to it, making her fall over and drop the jewel. It rolled over to Twilight's hoof and she leaned down to pick it up.

But before she could take a closer look at it, a black shadow blurted past her vision and snatched it out of her hoof. Twilight looked up to see a large black cat hopping over to the thief who managed to wiggle her way out of the cable wrapped around her and jumped onto her shoulder. She smirked at the hero smugly as she twirled the cable in her hoof.

"A little help goes a long way, Dark Knight." She taunted. "Well, it's been fun but our stop is coming up." She then threw the cable up and wrapped it around the railing of an overpass before pulling herself up from the train. Twilight jumped after her and managed to grab onto her hind legs, preventing her from escaping.

"Geez, you really need to learn how to accept when a mare says no." The Cat groaned, beginning to grow annoyed. She then lifted her free foreleg and curled it until a set of razor sharp claws spring out of her shoe. Twilight's eyes widened as the Cat pulled her closer to her and gave her a sinister smirk. "Meow." She purred before pressing her lips against Twilight's mask and slashing her across the chest with her claws.

She managed to pierce through the fabric and leave deep wounds on Twilight's skin as she let out a scream of agony and was forced to let go of the thief and fall down onto the monorail track. When she looked up, the Cat was nowhere to be seen, but she soon had bigger worries as she heard the horn of an oncoming train.

Instinctively, she tried to jump off the rail, but it wasn't so easy as her cape got stuck. She tried with all her might to pull it free but it was stuck too tight and the material was too strong to tear. At least for her. Twilight suddenly heard somepony clearing her throat and looked up to see a familiar earth pony mare floating in front of her wearing a blue suit with a red cape and a shiny golden S on her chest.

"Need a hoof, partner?" Supermare asked with a friendly smile as she offered her one. Normally, Twilight would have vehemently denied any need of assistance, but the current situation was far from normal. She was still reluctant, but when she heard the blare of the train horn again, even louder this time, she realised she had no choice. She took the kryptonian's hoof and she easily tore her cape away from the trapped part, carrying her away before the train sped by.

As the mare of steel carried her towards the outskirts of the city, she couldn't help but agree with the Cat's notion. A little help does go a long way...

To Twilight's surprise, Supermare brought her to the top of the Statue of Harmony standing on an island in front of the city. She gently placed her down on the statue's crown before landing herself and sitting down. She reached into her cape and pulled out two bottles of cider before handing one of them to the Dark Knight.

"A cold glass of cider always helps unwind after a hard day of crime fighting. Or night in your case." She said as she opened her bottle and sat down, leaning back against the statue. Twilight pulled her mask up to her nose to reveal her mouth before sitting down next to the kryptonian and opening her own bottle.

"I can see why this is Manehattan's biggest attraction." Applejack mused. "Beautiful view, ain't it. Almost makes you forget about how rotten the city can be." At the mention of her city's wicked nature, Twilight frowned.

"I doubt you came just for sightseeing." She told her after taking a sip of her drink. "Is there something wrong?" She asked in concern. If Supermare came here, she must have a serious reason for it. Though her concern eased a little when she saw that Applejack kept smiling.

"I do have a favour to ask of you, but don't worry. It's not another supervillain or anything of the sort. It's more... personal." Applejack's tone changed considerably with that word. Twilight could tell that whatever she was going to talk about was not going to be pleasant. "You see... my Granny Smith recently passed away." Twilight was unsure how to react to that.

"I'm... sorry." She said. She felt bad that this was all she could manage. Applejack probably heard it at least a hundred times already.

"Honestly, we should have been prepared for it. She was perhaps the oldest living member of the family. And that's saying something. But it still hurt." She replied glumly

"You cannot be prepared for the loss of a loved one." Twilight said, putting an arm on the blue clad mare's shoulder. "And it's always gonna hurt. I'm speaking from experience." Applejack nodded.

"I know. But that's not the reason I'm here. You remember my little sister, Applebloom?" Twilight nodded. The little yellow filly was gonna be one of the flower fillies at Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding. Before the invasion happened and ruined everything.

"Well, you see, she's been taking it especially hard. She's too young to remember our parents so this is the first time she has to deal with a loss like this. And if that wasn't hard enough on her, with me flying around Equestria all the time and my big brother having to completely take over the farm, she has nopony to look after her. So she had to come up here to live with my Aunt and Uncle Orange."

"I fail to see what that has to do with me." Twilight noted.

"I'm getting there. The Oranges are pretty fancy folks, you see. And that ain't Bloom's world. She's used to rising early and working hard. So I was thinking, maybe you could give her some work around your library. I know it's not bucking apples but maybe it could help her take her mind off of what happened and adjust a little."

"I think that's a great idea." Twilight replied instantly. "I know Spike's gonna be glad to have an extra set of hooves around the place. And that means I won't have to listen to him complaining all the time about having to do all the work." Applejack chuckled.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." She said before finishing her drink. "Well, I'll be off then. I'll tell Bloom to go over to your place tomorrow morning." She then floated off of the statue, but before flying off, she extended her hoof towards Twilight.

"What?" The violet mare asked in confusion.

"Your bottle." Applejack replied bluntly. "I see you finished your drink and I wanna make sure they end up in a proper recycling bin." Twilight rolled her eyes before giving her the empty bottle.

"You're such a girl scout, Applejack." It obviously wasn't a compliment, but Applejack still smiled brightly at it.

"Thanks, sugarcube! I do my best." She said before her eyes widened as one of her ears sprung up. "Gotta fly now! Forest fire around Appleoosa. See you around. And thanks again." She then blasted off so quickly she disappeared from Twilight's view in seconds.

The vigilante mare was left alone on the top of the statue with her thoughts about what was to come. It was gonna be interesting to have another pony around the library. She was already tutoring the young Lunar, Mor’ng Mizzt about this world and Spike was a lot of help. She wondered how well they would get along with a lost, grieving filly.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sense of agony in her chest. The slashes from the Cat's claws were still there and slightly bleeding. She should probably head home and disinfect them. She was about to climb down from the statue but then she noticed something sticking out from one of the wounds. It was one of the Cat claws that must have gotten stuck in there and broken off.

She pulled it out and examined it for a while. It was made of a tough material but it was also very smooth to the touch. Like a hardened piece of silk. Just like her coat felt like when they were knocked into each other. Twilight had fought a lot of bad guys, but she was somehow different. She had some fascinating sense of danger to her, but nothing like the psychos she tangled with before. It was kind of... exciting and Twilight couldn't help but shiver with anticipation as she thought about their inevitable next meeting.

"Meow.”

Author's Note

Hello, everypony! I'm back with the second Volume of this omnibus, launching the next adventure for Twilight Sparkle, AKA The Batmare! In this issue, she met an exotic and enticing new foe, but she's gonna be the least of her worries! And Supermare's little sister is going to be working at her place now! In more ways than one. Hint, hint!

Anyway, next time we're going back to Canterlot where an old associate of Twilight isn't doing too well and the main threat for the Dark Knight for this volume will start to emerge! Make sure you tune in for...

Issue #2: The Feeling of Powerlessness