Shining Armor just finished his daily routine of exercises when Bird and the Cat returned with two barrels. The two ponies walked right through the entrance of the hideout where a questioning looking Zombie was waiting for them.

"I may be old but I'm not yet senile." The elderly bat pony commented sarcastically. "I seem to perfectly remember that there were more of you we sent you out to retrieve those chemicals. And more than two barrels." Bird rolled his eyes.

"Cram it, you old bat." He snapped, making Zombie narrow his eyes at the pun. "We were ambushed by the police. The rest of them were caught." He finally admitted. He knew that the captain would not be pleased with this development.

"The Bat lured you into a trap, I presume." Zombie queried. Bird looked down with uncertainty as the Cat chuckled.

"Oh, this should be good." She smirked as she sat down on the barrel. Bird struggled to find the right words.

"We... had the Bat." He confessed. "It was... somepony else. We didn't catch a glimpse of them." Zombie just stood there as he processed everything the pegasus just told him. Finally, he spoke.

"So let me get this straight. You had the Batmare and the chemicals we were after, only to lose everything to the police and some rookie Batmare wannabe, even managing to get several of our comrades captured in the process." He complained incredulously. "And here I thought some of the captain's training would have rubbed off on you."

"Oh, give me a break!" Bird snapped before pointing at the two barrels. "With these two, we should be able to make enough Venom to get the rest of them and break out the others."

"You think, Bird?" Shining Armor's booming voice echoed through the hideout. The ponies looked up to see the towering unicorn stallion standing over them on an upper level with Trogg in tow. "Then you won't mind volunteering to be among the first volunteers for my super soldier program."

The eyes of the pegasus went wide. If his body wasn't fit enough to accept the drug, the mental degradation would be irreversible. And he remembered that Shining told him during his training that he wasn't even cut out to be a Royal Guard. He had taken him under his personal training ever since, but who was to say he developed enough. This was more likely a way for Shining to punish him for his failure. The captain came down to join them and examine their haul.

"With these, we should be able to make enough venom for two additional ponies." He determined. "That said, based on what you said, District Attorney Dent is becoming quite a pain in the flank. If he manages to get elected as mayor, that could jeopardise our entire operation. I believe I have the first objective for you and Trogg once you've undergone the treatment."

Trogg's smirk upon seeing the 'pretty boy' squirm from the idea of undergoing the same treatment as their captain quickly disappeared.

"Me? But, Captain, what about Zombie over here?" He stuttered nervously, causing the giant unicorn to look at him.

"As much as I hate to speak ill of my most trusted advisor, his old body would certainly reject the drug." Shining explained. "You on the other hoof are two young and strong stallios, perfectly capable of undergoing the treatment." He said as his henchponies came in and took the barrels away. "Ready yourselves! The Venom will be complete by tonight. And if the Batmare or any other vigilante should show themselves..." He pressed a button on his hoof which caused the device on his back to pump Venom into his whole body, causing him to bulk up. He broke off a metal pipe from a nearby railing and broke it in half. "...they will be broken!"

"Spike! Are you completely out of your mind?!" Twilight Sparkle complained in the middle of the Batcave. Regardless of her outburst, her assistant, Spike only smiled.

"You are screaming at me. That means you're back to normal." Twilight groaned and pulled on her face.

"Spike, this isn't like one of your comic books! This is reality! Do you know how many things could have happened to Apple Bloom out there?!" But for the first time since their arrival, Spike didn't back down and actually stood his ground.

"Nothing worse that could have happened to you!" He cut back. "Face it already, Twilight! These ponies are too much for you to handle on your own and Apple Bloom is great help! Exactly what we need!"

"She is barely a mare!" Twilight argued. "She doesn't have the training or the experience to help me out there!"

"She had more than enough to get you out of there while you were knocked out!" Spike fired back. "Not to mention getting those thugs who tried stealing the chemicals arrested!"

Twilight couldn't deny that Spike spoke the truth. Captain Garden even called her this morning on congratulating her on a job well done for capturing those thugs in the refinery. She couldn't bring herself to admit it wasn't really her and the humiliating defeat she suffered.

But there still was a problem. According to the Captain, two of the barrels were still missing from the stash they hid inside the refinery to set up the ambush. Some of the thugs must have escaped and take them away through another exit. Twilight shuddered as she thought about what kind of damage they could cause with them.

She looked over at Apple Bloom who was currently in the training area of the cave, striking multiple dummies with vigour equal to her own. She had to admit, it reminded her of herself. Inside the cave and out of it. The more she looked on, the more she saw herself in this young mare, desperate for justice.

But that didn't matter. That young mare was her responsibility and as such, she couldn't allow her to keep pursuing this ridiculous goal. A goal she regularly risked her life of pursuing herself, Spike would say. But Spike did not have a say in the matter, no matter how much logic he was applying to it.

"And who's gonna keep the library?" Twilight asked sarcastically as she watched Apple Bloom go at it.

"The library ain't opening for hours." Apple Bloom argued before looking at the clock on the wall. "But I see where you're coming from. I'm beat. Especially after dragging your unconscious flank out of there."

"I took the liberty of preparing a room for you." Spike said as he helped her take off her cape, leaving her in her acrobat suit which she got from the Flying Neighsons. Twilight noticed an R on the left side of her chest.

"What does the R stand for?" She asked out of curiousity. Apple Bloom shared a glance with Spike who just smiled back in encouragement.

"Robin." She answered. "Ask Spike for the details. He'll let you in on them." She then took off the rest of her suit and gave it to Spike. "Spike, would you mind putting this on a pinyquin next to the batsuit? I'm off to hit the hay. It'll be good to finally sleep in an actual bed after two nights in that glass cube." She said as she made her way out of the cave.

"You're encouraging her, Spike." Twilight scolded once the young mare left the cave.

"A lost young mare with a sense of justice needs encouragement, Twilight." Spike replied as he put the cape on the ponyquin which the rest her suit was already on. "You of all ponies should know that."

The day went by with relatively positive results. Regardless of how it actually happened, the raid in the refinery had the desired outcome. The voters of Manehattan saw that they finally had a leader who was willing to take charge in difficult situations and Hoofy Dent was now considerably ahead in the polls. Election night was coming up this weekend, so it couldn't have happened at a better time.

The pegasus put the newspaper down with a satisfied smirk. He leaned back in his chair to relax for a few minutes before going back to writing the indictments against the thugs the Batmare captured last night. If they had a little sense in their heads, they would confess against their employer. They did say something about somepony new that took them out and saved the Bat in the refinery, but Dent didn't believe it. They wouldn't have been the first ones to say they held their own against her in order to look more imposing.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a series of heavy knocks on his door. He raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting any clients at this hour. He strictly told his assistant that he wouldn't be seeing anypony tonight as he would be busy with the indictments. So who could that be?

He went to open the door and saw two heavy figures standing there wearing trench coats and fedora hats.

"I'm sorry gentlecolts, but client reception is over for the day." He told them indifferently. "Come back tomorrow."

"Oh, we won't be long." One of the figures told him before grabbing him by the shoulder and throwing him into his chair, making him roll up against the wall and bash his head into it. He quickly recovered though and opened his drawer to pull out a gun from it, but one of the figures took it from him and picked it apart as the other grabbed his muzzle and bashed it into the wall again.

Dent was beginning to lose consciousness as one of the figures picked him up and lifted him over his shoulder, beginning to make his way out of the office. Before he completely passed out, he managed to reach into his pocket and pull out his lucky coin before tossing it under his desk without his captors noticing. Hopefully, Garden would find it. Or in the worst case scenario, at least the Bat would.

The endgame has begun. It became more than obvious to everypony when the district attorney and the favorite to win the mayoral elections was foalnapped. This case required the attention of every available detective in Manehattan. Including the one they called the world's greatest.

Dent's office was filled with police ponies who were trying to get samples from every corner of the room. An operation of this magnitude couldn't be held away from the attention of Captain Garden. The elderly stallion stood in the middle of the room smoking a cigar as the police ponies were buzzing around him like bees.

"You really should kick this habit, you know." Came a voice from behind him. Everypony stopped in place and turned as one person to see the Batmare arriving. With the exception of the Captain himself. He had gotten used to her sudden appearances a long time ago.

"When it comes to policing in this city, that's the only way to cope." He replied, taking a drag. "The DA has been taken right after he confiscated those chemicals. That cannot be a coincidence."

"It's not." Batmare replied as she switched on the detective vision in her cowl and investigated the room. "The door is undamaged. It wasn't a break-in. The assailants were let in by Dent himself." Her gaze then turned to the removed drawer. "He attempted to resist the assailants. He pulled something out of that drawer. Most likely a firearm."

"Yeah." Garden nodded. "My boys found the pieces of a firearm near the desk. They didn't even bother to hide it." Batmare then turned to the wall.

"He was knocked into the wall. To make him lose consciousness. His assailants then left with him."

"That checks out." Garden acknowledged. "But that doesn't get us any closer to finding out where they took him." Batmare narrowed her eyes.

"There has to be something." She said as she examined the path between the door and the hole in the wall. But the only thing between them was the desk.

"Has the desk been searched yet?" She questioned. Garden nodded.

"Yeah, but we couldn't find anything." The police captain replied. Batmare frowned. She pulled out a flashlight and peeked under the desk and sure enough, she found the coin left behind by Dent himself. She picked it and pulled it out to examine it and Garden's eyes widened in realisation.

"That's Dent's lucky coin!" He exclaimed. "He never would have left it behind on purpose!"

"Unless he didn't have a choice." Batmare examined, turning the coin over, only to notice that it was another heads where the tails was supposed to be.

"It's a trick coin." She stated. "There are two sides of heads on it."

"Son of a horse." Garden grumbled. "It was how he decided who would pay for lunch when we last ate together." Batmare ignored the remark and kept studying the coin. "Why would he leave this behind in such a hard to find spot?"

"I don't know." Batmare replied. "But I will find out."

Later that night in the Batcave, Spike and Twilight were studying the coin in their computer.

"This is no ordinary coin." The unicorn said. "And I'm not talking about the two sides of heads on it. Dent left this behind for a reason. Did you find anything yet?"

"Still scanning." Spike replied. "There is something unusual about it, that's for sure, but I can't figure out what yet. Give me a little more time."

"Time is a luxury we can't afford, Spike!" Twilight said with worry. "There's a good chance Dent is already back in the hideout of these maniacs and who knows what they'll do to him if we don't find him in time!"

She gave Spike a little room to work with and noticed that the ponyquin with Apple Bloom's suit on it was still there, right next to the one where she kept hers.

"You kept it?" Twilight asked. Spike raised his head to see what Twilight was talking about and gulped.

"Um... yeah..." He replied in uncertainty. "I thought it compliments the cave nicely. And besides, I had other things to worry about." He defended himself before his gaze turned back to the screen.

"Where is she anyway?" Twilight asked suspiciously.

"She's in her room, don't worry." Spike reassured without looking at her. "I had Morning watching her all day and making sure her interactions with ponies were as limited as possible. You can trust her completely."

"I don't trust anypony completely, Spike." Twilight said harshly, causing the little dragon to look at her.

"Not even me?" He asked. Twilight said nothing, just stared at him. "Right." Spike said dejectedly. "What was I thinking?" His attention was then drawn back to the screen as the scanning was finally complete.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "You're not gonna believe this! This coin is connected to a tracker built into Dent's body!" Twilight's eyes widened.

"The guy is smarter than we gave him credit for!" She exclaimed. "Can you locate him?"

"It's why he left it behind." Spike said as he typed a few buttons on the computer. A few seconds later, his search already provided a result. "Got it! He doesn't seem to be moving so I think he's already in their hideout." He waited for a few moments as his position was exactly pinpointed on the city's map.

"There he is!" Twilight said as she examined the location. "Seems like an area close to the harbor."

"So close in fact it is easily approachable through a sewer pipe." Spike stated. "It's the closest access point to it. It's hidden somewhere in there."

"It's enough for me. I'll find it." Twilight said as she began to suit up. "It's time to end this, Spike. Whoever is behind this chemical operation, they're going down tonight!"

"Or you are." Spike muttered. "Don't you think you should..."

"Don't even go there!" Twilight warned. "The police are ill-equipped to handle this. And Apple Bloom is not coming along this time. Am I understood?" She growled, pressing a hoof against his chest.

"I promise you, Twilight, I will stop Apple Bloom when I see her trying to sneak off to help you." Spike promised.

"That's what I thought." Twilight said before pulling on the mask. "I'm heading out to the harbour. Try to guide me when I reach the sewer entrance." Spike nodded.

"Got it." He said and before he could turn to look, the Batmare was already gone. He then turned to look at the ponyquin next to Twilight's, only to notice the Robin suit was also missing. He allowed a small smile to grow on his face. He did promise Twilight that he will stop Apple Bloom when he noticed her. But he couldn't do anything if he didn't. That mare was already becoming like Twilight more than either of them could realise.

It's been well over an hour since Batmare left home. She was carrying a bat themed flashlight as she illuminated the dark tunnels she traveled through and tried her best to avoid the sewage as best as she could. She stayed in radio contact with Spike, but as far as she remembered, she was on the right track towards Dent's location.

Though it was hard to tell. Ever since Croc's death, the sewer where he was slain in had been classified as a crime scene so the city maintenance couldn't do anything to fix the power outage. If it wasn't for the flashlight, she would be blind as an actual bat.

"Okay, you're almost there." Spike said through the comms. "Just a little further. You're almost at the top of the spot where his tracker is located. But I won't be able to help you find his exact position. You have to find their secret lair on your own."

"As always." Batmare said, confident in her detective skills. She would find the entrance with no trouble. She switched her detective vision on in search of any secret passageways in the tunnel but to her surprise, the deeper she went into it, the more blurred her vision became. Eventually, she was forced to switch it off.

"So much for detective vision." She scoffed. "They must be using some sort of jammer to hide their location."

"Will that be a problem?" Spike asked. Batmare smirked under her mask.

"Please, remember who you're talking to." She replied. The fact that a jammer was used to keep the entrance concealed only served to prove that she was on the right track.

Her detective vision may have been rendered useless, but there was one way she could still find the entrance easily. Back in the cave, she had isolated a sample of the drug that has been used by Croc's killer. If the killer was from the same gang that were after those chemicals - and chances are, he was - he left a trail of the stuff as made his way back to the hideout.

She pressed a button on her flashlight, turning the light from a simple illumination to UV light and after a little search, she quickly found what she was looking for.

"Gotcha!" She smirked. Whoever has been fighting Croc has gotten sloppy. They probably didn't expect anypony to think about using these special lights to trace them back to their hideout. After a minute of tracking the chemical trail, she noticed that they stopped at a wall. With a little bit of explosive gel, she found herself standing before a metallic passageway with wide enough holes in it to see what was going on underneath.

After a few minutes of walking, she began to hear the sound of pouring water. She looked down and saw several ponies mixing chemicals together in an attempt to create the drug she's been tracing.

"It's ready!" One of them called out down there. "Bring in the next volunteer." Upon his command, a unicorn stallion came in and the others strapped him down to a table, while attaching several tubes to his body. Once he was secured, they began to pump a yellow liquid into his body through the tubes.

Batmare watched in horror as his body began to bulge to sizes unfit for a naturally evolved pony. Eventually, the pony's muscles grew to a size his body could no longer contain. But this didn't only include his biceps. The stallion's eyes suddenly went wide and he fell back on the table, his body going limp.

"What happened?" Asked one of the ponies. The rest of them checked on his body and the machines.

"His heart exploded." Came the response. "Looks like his body couldn't take the drug."

"That's unfortunate." Another pony said before pulling a sheet over the dead one's body. "Tell the captain that the third subject failed! The next one has to be more fit!"

"There won't be a next one for a while!" Shouted the first pony. "We only had enough components to make three doses of Venom!"

Batmare's eyes widened. Three doses? That means the first two have been successful. There were now two of those monstrosities to worry about. Three along with this captain. She wasn't ready for this. She had to get out of here and get more time to prepare. But before she could turn around, she heard the cry of an eagle.

She looked up to see the animal looking straight at her in the eye. She had been spotted! This only hastened her attempt at a departure, but upon turning around, she bumped into a figure in a trenchcoat which was soon joined by another.

“Well, well, well, Trogg. Look what the bat dragged in.” One of them mused. The other cracked his hooves.

“It’s interesting, Bird, but let me tell you, it won’t be dragging her out anytime soon.” Trogg replied. Batmare wasn’t about to let two goons stop her from leaving and attempted to knock them out swiftly before the commotion could alert anypony else. But the thugs in front of her merely caught her hoof and blocked her strike like it was nothing. They then picked the vigilante up and tossed her back into the sewer.

She landed in the sewage and could tell straight away that Spike will not be pleased. By the time she got back on her hooves, Bird and Trogg had already emerged from the secret entrance. She wondered how they managed to stop her so easily, but she got her answer pretty quickly. The two thugs removed their trench coats to reveal they were wearing Venom tanks and tubes all over their bodies.

They pressed a button on their wrist, making Venom flow into their bodies, bulking up to a size that dwarfed Batmare in comparison. She knew she wouldn't stand much of a chance against that sort of strength without any prep time so she attempted to flee. But Trogg moved with far more speed than what somepony of his size had any right of achieving and grabbed her cape, pulling her back and slammed her against the wall.

Bird then attempted to cut their encounter short by crushing her head, only to feel the increased strength of his upper arm leaving him. Bird looked up and saw that the Venom tube connecting to his right front leg was severed. It didn't just come loose either. It was clearly cut in half by some invisible force.

The pegasus stallion was then launched back by a sudden kick from a pair of hind legs, crashing him against the wall. Batmare looked up to see a smaller figure doing a backflip in the air and landing next to her. She didn’t have to be the world’s greatest detective to recognise Apple Bloom in her suit from the day before.

“Sorry I’m late!” She said as she struck a battle stance. “Figured you could use a hoof. Two against two are better odds.”

Trogg was the first to snap out of his shock at the new arrival. He attempted to strike the newcomer, but she was much faster and even without Venom, she was able to jump back and cause him to bash against the wall. Apple Bloom then launched herself forward from the wall, jumped over Trogg and bashed her staff into his Venom tank, making the entire content of the device leak out and rendering it useless.

Meanwhile, Batmare threw herself at Bird and managed to take advantage of his momentary stun. She turned her attention towards his Venom tank and disconnected the rest of the tubes from it, cutting off the pegasus from his supply as well. She then jumped on top of his head and bashed it into the ground.

Even without their drugs, Trogg and Bird were still formidable foes. The earth pony stallion attempted to grab Apple Bloom’s staff, but the filly didn’t need it. Trogg had assumed she was gonna keep hold of it, but she simply let go. This caused him to lose his balance and land face first into the sewage.

Meanwhile, Bird had recovered and attempted to kick Batmare off his back. But the vigilante managed to stay on top of him and they launched into a rodeo that would have made an Apple proud. But it was time to put an end to this tomfoolery. Batmare wrapped her forelegs around Bird’s neck and tightened them until she felt him passing out. She then jumped over his head and slammed him down on top of Trogg, knocking them both out cold.

The two vigilantes stopped in front of each other and just stared. It was undeniable that they had pulled off flawless teamwork back there and Batmare couldn’t have been able to defeat the two enhanced thugs without help, but she was still very reluctant to let go of her pride and admit that.

“He never even saw you getting that suit, did he?” Batmare asked, referring to Spike. Apple Bloom shook her head.

“And he can’t stop what he cannot see.” She replied. “You would have done the same to bypass that.” Batmare scoffed. She was indeed much like her.

“Sometimes you have to be flexible with the rules.” She admitted. “I learned that from a friend.”

“Not just a friend…” Apple Bloom replied sharply and offered Batmare her hoof. The older vigilante frowned. It was evident that she would have died without Apple Bloom’s help. Both in the refinery and the struggle against Bird and Trogg. Apple Bloom had more than proven herself capable. Batmare still didn’t like the idea of relying on anypony on the field, but she had to admit a little help really did go a long way.

Not to mention that there was more on the line than her pride. Hoofy Dent was still in there and he needed her help. She didn’t stand much of a chance at saving him by herself. But with a little help, she will be able to get him out and bring his kidnappers to justice. Finally, she made up her mind.

“A partner.” She said before grabbing her new partner’s hoof and shaking it.

Author's Note

Welcome back, everypony!

The Batmare has finally accepted Bloom as her partner and they are ready to shut down Bane's Venom operation.

The next chapter will finally see the showdown between siblings and Robin will prove herself to be a worthy hero. And the dynamic duo will get a mysterious new ally as well. Who's that going to be? Find out next time in...

Issue #9: Knightfall